Drive Time Driving Instruction has some neat holiday gift offers. These include $20 off the regular price of $300, on top of the everyday $10 discount for full payment on the first day of class.

Holiday pricing will be in effect for both Findlay and Bluffton classes in Dec. and Jan. (Dec. 4 and Jan. 8 in Bluffton; Dec. 18 and Jan. 22 in Findlay.)

Gift certificates are also available. Drive Time Driving Instruction is an Icon advertiser.

Don Overmyer

15 minutes with Don Overmyer

What year did you graduate from Bluffton High School?

I graduated in 1976

What are you doing these days and where do you live?
I am a Vice President with Wells Fargo Bank in Los Angeles. Given the magic of technology, however, I actually live in Seattle (where I have now been for 11 years) and telecommute to my Los Angeles office.

Bluffton University's music department has announced the soloists for its 116th performance of Handel's "Messiah," at 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11, in Founders Hall. Soloists are Dr. Crystal Sellers, soprano; Cynthia Lincoln MacDonald, alto; Christopher Scholl, tenor; and Dr. Sean Cooper, bass.

Crystal Sellers, soprano

Sellers is an assistant professor of music at Bluffton, where she teaches voice and vocal pedagogy and conducts the university and community gospel choir.

Bluffton Hospital Wins National Patient Satisfaction Award For Third Consecutive Year

Bluffton Hospital has been named one of only 37 inpatient hospitals in the United States to receive the 2011 Press Ganey Summit Award for patient satisfaction. This is the third consecutive year Bluffton Hospital has received this honor, according to William Watkins of the hospital.

The Press Ganey Summit Award is given to health care facilities across the nation that sustain the highest level of customer satisfaction for three or more consecutive years.

Chad Hartson of Ice Creations

This year's Blaze has the "ultimate cool." And you may even take it home if the price is right.

New to this year's Blaze is a presentation by ice sculptor Chad Hartson of Ice Creations, from Napoleon. He is one of America's leading sculptors with national and international recognition.

Beginning at 4 p.m., as the crowd watches, Hartson will work with a block of ice 40 by 20 by 10 inches and over the next 45 minutes will create an ornate snowflake. The work will then be auctioned.

Hartson's work is described as a the "ultimate cool."

Want to win an easy $200? Can you handle $100...how about $50?

It's simple. Enter the 2011 Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce residential lighting contest.

To help inspire some new decorating in town, the chamber decided to dangle these green carrots in front of residents.

Here's how it works:

Any resident within the Village of Bluffton corporation limits may enter the 2011 holiday residential lighting contest sponsored by the Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce.

OSU DC BU - our best guess is Ohio State Unviversity - Defiance College (do you have a better idea?) and Bluffton University. Toss in Shawnee and you have a four school plate. Tough to top this. The Icon spotted this plate in the CNB parking lot on Main Street.

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

This may require some thinking and a little imagination. We're pretty certain that this is a photograph of the Elmer Short greenhouse from the inside looking toward Grove Street.

Thie location of this greenhouse is today the garage on the Main Street side of the English Lutheran Church. The property is owned by Dean and Judy Augburger.

Too bad we can't identify the automobile parked in front. It almost resembles a "woody."

Icon viewers with better eyesight are encouraged to provide more details.

Stats: http://www.bluffton.edu/sports/mensbasketball/2012/11-20-mb.htm

One night after Bluffton took down tournament host Webster in overtime for Coach Neal's 250th career victory, the Beavers made sure everyone got their money's worth when they downed Rust College 97-94 in three overtimes.

Pam Raabe, Bluffton elementary teacher, has tendered her resignation to the Bluffton school board, effective Nov. 28. Her resignation is one items on the 7:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 21, Bluffton school board meeting, according to Greg Denecker, Bluffton superintendent.

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