• /

Following the 2023 season, Eric Garmatter has retired from coaching the BHS Girls Basketball team. See the letter of appreciation and details of Garmatter's career sent by the Bluffton High School athletic director HERE. PHOTO by James Crawfis.

  • /

Thanks to our advertisers, the Icons are free with no login and no story limit! Meet our advertisers of the week:

Drivetime Driving Instruction, 546 N Main Street, Bluffton, 419-424-0112

Krysti's Music Studio, 334 S Main St, Bluffton, 419-233-5255

Want to join our advertisers? Call 567-400-4266 for advertising options and rates.

  • /

The Johnny Appleseed Metro Park District is conducting a survey until February 28, inviting the public to provide feedback on ways to improve area parks, including Bluffton's Motter Park.

What can we do to improve the quality of your visit to the Park?

What do you want to see more of?

Are there updates you'd like to see?

Click HERE to participate in the survey.

  • /

The Bluffton High School String Orchestra for received a Superior rating at the OMEA State Orchestra Adjudicated Event on Friday, Feb. 17 in Findlay.. Performing in class "C," the performance included "Korean Folk Song Variants," "Ruminations" by S. O'Loughlin and "Postcards from Russia" arranged by C.L. Gruselle. The orchestra is under the direction of Rachael E. Lewis. / PHOTO Jan Wiebe

  • /

Mission Possible, a nonprofit with schools in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, is hosting an event called the Mission Possible Coffee Trail. For $20 you can purchase a coffee trail card giving you access to a designated coffee item at 19 participating coffee shops, includig Buckeye East at 123 E. Buckeye Ave. in Ada.

Organizers explain, "The trail runs from March 15 - May 10, so you have 8 weeks to use your card, support their schools in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and experience some fantastic coffee shops along the way.

"Go to www.ourmissionispossible.org/coffee-trail/ to get your card today and help support education one cup at a time."

PARTICIPATING COFFEE SHOPS

Baker's Cafe, 408 S. Main St. Findlay

Baking Company, 510 S. Blanchard St., Findlay

Buckeye East, 123 E. Buckeye Ave., Ada 

Coffee Amici, 328 S. Main St., Findlay

Enchanted Bean, 204 S. Main St., Fostoria

Flatlands Coffee, 138 N. Main St., Bowling Green

Flying Joe, 2130 Preston Pkwy, Perrysburg

Fort Findlay Coffe & Doughnut Shoppe, 1016 Tiffin Ave., Findlay

Meeting Place on Market, 220 W. Market St., Lima

Novel Blends, 116 S. Main St., Bowling Green

Twisted Whisk Cafe, 101 S. Main St., Bluffton

Well Grounded Cafe, 114 N. Elm St., Ottawa

Way Makers, 24125 Front St., Grand Rapids

We Serve Coffee, 114 E. Sandusky St., Findlay

  • /

UPDATED The BCE website now includes information on the 2023 business plan competition HERE.

The Bluffton Center for Entrepreneurs (BCE) has announced the return of the Small Business Information Series and Ropp Triplett Business Plan Competition for 2023. These events are designed to provide support and resources for local entrepreneurs and small business owners in the Bluffton community and surrounding areas.

  • /

The Village of Bluffton has announced the following public meeting:

Joint Personnel Committee & Finance Committee
Friday, February 24
11:30 a.m.

 The meeting will be at the Bluffton Town Hall, 154 N. Main.

  • /

FINDLAY–Jane Lee (Kinn) Bell, 64, Findlay, passed away peacefully on February 19, 2023, at her home.

Jane, known as “Janie” by her family, was born on June 2, 1958, at Fostoria Hospital to the late James and Mary (Holman) Kinn, Sr. She married Brent Edward Bell on May 4, 1979, and he survives.

  • /

The Bluffton HIgh School boys and girls swimming team competed on Friday, February 17, 2023 in the North West D-2 District meet at Bowling Green State University. Bluffton joined teams from 74 high schools in the region. At Districts, the girls team finished 15 overall out of 39 teams and the boys team finished 10 overall out of 35 teams. 

The North West D-2 District meet included swimmers with the top 32 fastest times across six sectional sites. The fastest times across all four Districts will move on to the state D-2 competition which will be held February 23-24 at Canton McKinley High School in North Canton, Ohio.

The D-2 State meet will include BHS swimmers in the following events:

Boys 50 Freestyle
Jackson Bowlus, qualifying with a time of :22:54 and seeded 30

Boys 100 Backstroke
Jackson Bowlus, qualifying with a time of :55.17 and seeded 31

Boys 100 Breaststroke
Riley Verb, qualifying with a time of 1:01.24 and seeded 27

Boys 200 Individual Medley
Riley Verb, qualifying with a time of 1:58:84 and seeded 18

Boys 200 Medley Relay
Qualifying with a time of 1:40.59 and seeded 12
Jackson Bowlus, Riley Verb, Xavier Diller and Charles Wright

ADDITIONAL MARVIN FOSTER PHOTOS

  • /

125 years ago this building housed four businesses

By Fred Steiner
www.BlufftonForever.com

Next time you have a cup of coffee in the Twisted Whisk Cafe, 101 S. Main St., imagine being in that building 125 years earlier. What would it be like?

In 1898, you wouldn’t have a cup of coffee in your hand. 

Instead, you might be talking with Andrews Hauenstein, who had the building constructed for his apothecary business. That’s an older word for a pharmacy. 

Or, you might be looking at possible wallpaper to purchase for your house.

Or, you might be looking at a musical instrument to purchase.

Or, you might be having a pocket watch repaired. 

If you had a reason to go to the second floor, you’d step into a room housing Bluffton’s first-ever telephone exchange.

At the turn of this earlier century, the Twisted Whisk was home to three separate businesses on the first floor and a fourth business on part of the second floor. These were a pharmacy, a wallpaper shop, a jewelry-musical instrument store and a telephone exchange.

Accompanying this story is a photograph of the building when it housed these businesses. Several things have changed since this photo was taken. But, the businesses occupying the building in 1898 are obvious.

First, the doorway is no longer in the center. It’s on the far right.

For the complete story visit Bluffton Forever HERE

Pages