www.blufftonnews.com Thursday, November 3, 2011

What’s on the Ballot? Details on Ohio Issues, Page A3

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Volume 135 – Number 44 • Bluffton, Ohio 45817 $1.50

Celebrating Bluff tonCelebrating Bluff tonNow on Sale,Now on Sale,See Ad InsideSee Ad Inside

Trick-or-Treaters Take Over Bluffton

by Austin Arnold

continued on page A4

by Kathryn Tschuor

continued on page A4

Here are a couple of young pirates on a quest for candy on Halloween. More photos of Bluffton’s Trick-or-Treat night can be seen on page A8. Photo by Austin Arnold

by Austin Arnold

continued on page A4

Health and Fitness Education Center Taking Shape at BU

The wall section that has been put into place for the Health and Fitness Education Center at Bluffton University. Photo by Austin Arnold

by Austin Arnold

The Friends of the Bluff-ton Public Library held their yearly general membership meeting last Tuesday, Oc-tober 25, 2011 at 6:00pm. A board meeting of the Friends preceded the general meeting at 5:30pm. Library Director Cindi Chasse started out the initial meeting by telling the Friends about the upcoming holiday music nights (De-cember 5, 10 and 12) and asking them for volunteers and also for help sharing the cost of the events. She said that she would need no more than one volunteer behind the counter each night and per-haps another volunteer mov-ing around the event. The Friends unanimously agreed to give $125 to help the li-brary with these costs.

Chasse also told the Friends that the library staff are anticipating having great success with their fi rst ever ‘Murder in the Stacks’ event on November 4. “We were sold out last Friday. We were excited,” said Chasse with a big grin. Next, Chasse told the Friends that the library’s Holiday Gift Silent Auction

would begin the night of the murder mystery event. The people attending the mys-tery will get fi rst dibs on the baskets. Chasse said that the library received enough items to create over 50 holi-day baskets for the auction. The library staff has been trying to come up with cre-ative names for the different themed baskets. One, which includes a signed photograph of Detroit Tigers’ right fi elder Magglio Ordonez, is called ‘Batter Up.’ There is also one called ‘Blast from the Past’ and another called ‘Let the Good Times Flow.’ The silent auction will continue through November 19.

Soon after this, at prompt-ly 6pm, the general meeting began. Friends of the Bluffton Public Library President Jan Potter began by telling every-one that the group now has a total of 54 members. Three new members signed up dur-ing the Friends’ members-only preview to their book sale on September 22. Potter then reminded the assembled group of all the activities the Friends have hosted or par-ticipated in throughout 2011.

In April of this year, the

Friends hosted a formal tea. The guests of honor were ‘Abraham Lincoln’ and ‘Mary Todd Lincoln.’ At one previous spring tea the Friends had ‘Jane Austen’ come to talk to the guests and read letters written by the real Jane Austen. At the next tea, planned for April 12, 2012, the special guest will be Christie Weininger who will give a presentation called ‘Victorian Secret, The Secret Beneath the Shape.’ The topic will be Victorian era fashion and “what’s behind the shape of the bustle” described Pot-ter. The presentation has been given to many groups previ-ously and has always been a big hit. The Friends expressed their enthusiasm for the topic and the event.

The Friends also held a community garage sale dur-ing May of this year (Pot-ter announced that they will not be holding one in 2012). During the same month, the Friends had a table at the Bluffton Craft Fair. This was the second year the Friends participated in the annual event.

Progress is evident with the Health and Fitness Edu-cation Center under con-struction at Bluffton Uni-versity, as the fi rst couple of walls have been set in place. Overall the project has been moving along nicely, accord-ing to vice president of fi scal affairs Kevin Nickel, consid-ering the shaky weather the area had seen earlier in the fall.

“Things have been going well. The September rain got us about seven to eight days behind, but then we had some nice weather in the beginning of October, which allowed us to catch back up. So, we’re on schedule with the project right now,” Nickel said.

So far, almost all of the site-work and underground utilities have been completed, water service and electricity

has been extended out to the site, sidewalk work has been done as well as an access road being put into place, and a few walls are already up in the air. Along with the rest of the walls, the next big step in the project will be raising the structural steel for the facil-ity. The steel work will begin shortly as a crane should be arriving within days to set in place the big beams of steel that are currently on site.

The project is approxi-mately 60,000 square feet with a total cost of over $13 million. Thomas and Marker Construction, of Bellefon-taine, is the crew construct-ing the fi tness center. Nickel said that Thomas and Marker has worked on previous projects on campus and he is happy to have them back working on the fi tness center. Don Snyder Excavating has also helped with the project,

as they laid the groundwork for the building. Nickel noted that even during spells of wet weather, the preparation by Snyder’s crew allowed for work to continue quickly af-ter rainy conditions.

Construction will con-tinue throughout the winter months with a goal of trying to get the building enclosed by early next year, possibly sometime in January. The new fi tness center will house several programs at BU, which includes men’s and women’s basketball, volley-ball, the sports medicine de-partment and the sports sci-ence academic department. The fi tness center will also include a weight and fi tness room along with new offi ces for the athletic department.

On Monday, October 31, 2011 the Ohio Department of Development’s Tax Credit Authority Board approved a 45 percent tax credit for the next seven years for Grob Systems, Inc. The tax credit was approved based on Grob’s intention to hire a number of employees over the next several years.

Currently, Grob has a workforce of about 250 people, after hiring approxi-mately 30 employees during this past year. Grob’s Chief Executive Offi cer, Mr. Ralf Bronnenmeier, said the com-pany is planning to hire up to 35 people per year with the plan of having a total work-force of 365 people by 2014.

The increase in the com-pany’s workforce is based on a planned expansion of the Grob facilities. Earlier this month, the company applied

for a fi nancial loan from the Ohio Department of Devel-opment.

“Before we can start the hiring of new employees, we need to be sure that we have the additional fl oor space available. The expan-sion is based on the approval of our application fi led with the Ohio Department of De-velopment. That process is still pending and we hope we get approval by the end of the month or the beginning of December,” Bronnenmeier said.

The expansion of the fac-tory, which will total 46,165 square feet, is planned for 2012. Although there will be some hiring in the next year, in order to go beyond the 2012 numbers the expansion will have to be confi rmed.

“I am very hopeful it will go through, but we need to have that approval fi rst,” Bronnenmeier said.

In Monday’s meeting, Mr. Bronnenmeier told the Board that Grob is a very competi-tive company with very little overhead, and a young com-pany as well. The average employee is 35 years of age, and for management the av-erage age is 41. Due to these facts, the company is hop-ing to get the green light on their requested fi nancial as-sistance.

Grob is actively seeking additional people, and spe-cifi cally highly skilled em-ployees that could be utilized right away such as electrical engineers and mechanical engineers. Grob has an ap-prenticeship program for electricians and mechanics, which allows them to absorb these trained individuals into the workforce upon comple-tion. Grob has also looked at hiring college graduates that are trained in these specifi c areas, as well.

Grob Plans for Expansion

The Bluffton Center for Entrepreneurs has added an-other new client this fall. The business teaming up with the local business incubator is Photography Letter Art, oper-ated by Tracy Branan of Ar-lington, Ohio. Branan’s com-pany sells gift products that are comprised of photographs that spell out specifi c words, such as family names and in-spirational messages.

With years of experience in the retail world, Branan de-cided it was time to try some-thing new, something of her own. She said she had been thinking about it for several years and thought to herself, if she found the right prod-uct, at the right time, then she would try her own business. She became intrigued by the personalization industry and thought it would be a lot of fun.

“Customers can look [at a product] and see common ob-jects in architecture and na-ture and understand it easily.”

Branan started the busi-ness a little over a year ago, in the summer of 2010. Much of

the business strategy is geared toward the holiday gift shopping season, so she set

up stores (mall kiosks) in 13 different malls, which included three different states. Retail operations start-ed during last Christmas sea-son and consid-ering the quick lead up, Branan said, the fi rst year of business was all about the learning ex-perience.

This year, she is equipped with a couple of big advantages that should help the business grow, and that is having a website established and being able to apply the things she learned from the year before.

This holiday season, Bran-an has chosen to set up in malls that are more local, such as the Findlay Mall, Lima Mall, Franklin Park Mall and Polaris, to name a few. Over-all, her business will be in 12 different malls throughout the state of Ohio, and it is part of a philosophy that she has re-cently developed.

“Last year I went out and wanted to be in a lot of ‘A’

malls, and I found that I can be just as profi table in any type of mall. So, I’m excited that my stores will be a little closer to home this year,” Branan said.

About a month ago, Bran-an decided to team up with the BCE as she knows execu-tive director Denise Duren-berger through both of them having previous ties at the Findlay Village Mall. Branan is hoping that the comradery with the other businesses at the BCE will have a positive affect on her company.

Photography Letter Art Joins BCE, Provides Unique Gifts

Friends of the Bluffton Public Library to Restructure Officers

Tracy Branan

Members of the Friends of the Bluffton Public Library having a discussion at the start of their annual general membership meeting. Photo by Kathryn Tschuor

Th e Bluff ton News Th ursday, November 3, 2011

A2

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Letter to the Editor:Letter to the Editor:

Chief Jon Kinn and the members of the Bluffton Fire Department would like to express our deepest appreciation for all of the Bluffton community for attending our recent open house held at the fi re station. We would like to thank everyone who came out to enjoy our chili lunch and demonstrations throughout the day to help make the day a success. At the completion of the open house, we raffl ed off a quilt that was won by Linda Rumer. The proceeds from both the chili lunch and quilt raffl e will be used for training and equipment costs.

We would also like to thank those that helped make the day possible: Ella Bazzy for donating the quilt, Dick’s Towing for donating the vehicles for the extrication demos, M & R Plumbing for the donation of a stove for a grease fi re demo and Panache for the donation of the table center pieces and of course the Bluffton community that has always shown your support of the Bluffton Fire Department.

Sincerely,Bluffton Fire Department

Do grandparents, aunts and uncles still corner kids with questions like, “Do you have a boy (or girl) friend?”, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”, or “What part of school other than recess is your favorite?” I know modern parents must start asking “What do you want for Christmas?” short-ly after Labor Day or they wouldn’t be prepared to show up at the shopping malls at midnight on Thanksgiving Day.

I’m not certain, but it must have been about the fi rst of November when the J.C. Penney and Sears and Roebuck catalogues arrived at our house. My brothers and I spent hours poring over those catalogues identifying items to head our Christmas lists. The seemingly endless cornucopia of toys and gad-gets promised to fulfi ll the very fantasies they created. We honestly knew there was little possibility any of those treasures would fi nd a place under our tree, but letting our imaginations run free was satisfyingly rewarding. A bit

later in my life, it was when the new car models were in-troduced each year that fed my imagination and fantasy. For me, the mid-1950’s rep-resented the pinnacle of au-tomotive desirability. The 1954, ’55, and ’56 Fords with their sleek styling, chrome and overhead cam V8 en-gines quickened my pulse as did the 1955 and ’57 Chevys. I particularly liked the two-door hardtops. Cars don’t ’do that for me anymore, but give me a while to wander the power-tool aisles of a Lowes or Home Depot and I swear my palms get sweaty.

Asking an eight or nine or ten year old whether he or she has a romantic attachment is a bit like asking one of my dogs if it would like a nice batch of Brussels sprouts. Not only would the dogs be puzzled by the question, but they’d more than likely turn up their noses at the idea (and the smell). At least that’s the way it used to be. I’m not so certain of that position any more as we hear of children having children or elemen-tary and middle school kids

getting involved in sex. With earlier generation kids, such a question likely planted some ideas that made us think we should be interested in the opposite gender. I think TV and other media have ac-

complished the elimination of that naiveté for the current generation of youngsters.

I believe the proportion of people who have even the slightest idea of what they want to be when they grow up is miniscule. I was still asking myself that question when I was 50! As a kid, I wanted to be a cowboy just like Gene Autry or Roy Rog-ers. That was when I wasn’t tying a towel as a cape around

my neck and crying, “Up, up and away!” making believe I could fl y like my comic book hero, Superman. I harbored a desire as a teenager to be-come a doctor, but chemistry class convinced me I wasn’t

equipped for that fi eld of study. I went to college with the vague expectation of fol-lowing my older brother into the study of engineering, but calculus convinced me I wasn’t equipped for that fi eld of study either. So I majored in business admin-istration with an emphasis on international trade. After I was graduated, I worked for several years with two dif-ferent successful commercial

enterprises, but never felt completely at home in that world. I returned to gradu-ate school and majored in economic geography because I had enjoyed the geography courses included in my in-ternational trade undergradu-ate emphasis. It became ap-parent to me, however, that opportunities in that fi eld were pretty much limited to academic employment and I never felt the call to teach and what little experience I had in teaching led me to be-lieve I wouldn’t enjoy it. So, I dabbled in a couple of dif-ferent jobs in administrative capacities in the academic enterprise, eventually leav-ing that fi eld for employment in an administrative position with a church.

I retired from that pro-fession 32 years later. I had little passion for the admin-istrative tasks my profes-sion required, but I enjoyed immensely working closely with some brilliant and pas-sionate people who sought to understand and interpret the most fundamental questions of human existence and our

relationship with the divine. It was in those relationships and in sharing the quest for the deepest reality of the questions of life that I fi nally found my true vocation. I studied books my friends and colleagues recommended, not because I needed to pass an exam, but for the sheer joy of learning and shar-ing ideas and insights about faith and life with people for whom such issues were a matter of utmost importance. This quest for understanding proved to be the impulse that sparked my imagination and has become my passion.

So, like many of us, I worked to pay the bills and keep food on the table. Keeping a job was necessary, but the work was not what was really important to me. If growing up means arriving at a destination, I haven’t yet attained it. The journey of seeking understanding is the process I’ve found most sat-isfying. It is a journey with-out a fi nal destination. So, my growing up will never be complete.

George Stultz

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Th e Bluff ton News Th ursday, November 3, 2011

A3

Issue 1

Issue 1 Explanation Proposed Constitutional Amendment

TO INCREASE THE MAXIMUM AGE AT WHICH A PERSON MAY BE ELECTED OR APPOINTED JUDGE, TO ELIMINATE THE AUTHORITY OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO ESTABLISH COURTS OF CONCILIATION, AND TO ELIMINATE THE AUTHORITY OF THE GOVERNOR TO APPOINT A SUPREME COURT COMMISSION.

The Ohio Constitution currently prohibits a judge from taking office if the judge is seventy years old on or before the day the judge takes office. The proposed amendment prohibits a judge from taking office if the judge is older than seventy-five on or before the day the judge takes office.

The proposed amendment also repeals the section of the Ohio Constitution that allows the General Assembly to establish courts of conciliation to resolve disputes if parties submitted the dispute and agreed to abide by the judgment.

Finally, the proposed amendment repeals the section of the Ohio Constitution that allows the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate, to appoint a five member Supreme Court Commission to assist the Court dispose of business on the Court’s docket.

If approved, the amendment would take effect immediately.

Argument For Issue 1

A “YES” vote for Issue 1 would change the Constitution of Ohio to increase from 70 to 75 the maximum age to which a person may be elected or appointed judge.

Issue 1 keeps experience, knowledge and integrity in the judicial system. Ohio voters last addressed the judicial retirement age more than 40 years ago in 1968. The quality of life and life expectancy rates have changed over time. People are living longer and are still mentally sound and physically capable of serving the public beyond age 70. Judges are the only elected officials in Ohio that have a mandatory age of retirement set by the Ohio Constitution. The majority of other states already have age limits higher than 70 or no mandatory age limit on retirement.

Issue 1 still includes rigorous judicial accountability. Ohio has safeguard measures in place to protect the public from judges who are not physically, mentally or intellectually able to carry out the duties of their respective offices. The Supreme Court of Ohio has the constitutional responsibility to oversee the practice of law in the state and has one of the most comprehensive disciplinary systems in the nation. Through the Office of Disciplinary Counsel, all complaints concerning ethical misconduct and/or mental illness of judges or attorneys are fully investigated.

Issue 1 creates no additional financial burden. There is no additional cost for Ohio’s taxpayers, to the state, or other funding agencies, as Ohio judges are paid the same amount, regardless of their years of service. Changing the age of retirement does not guarantee that judges automatically get to continue their careers, as Ohio voters will have the final say whether a judge is competent to serve and deserves another term.

Prepared by Representative Matt Huffman and Senators Larry Obhof, Scott Oelslager, and Joseph Schiavoni

Argument Against Issue 1

Under Article 4 Section 6 of Ohio’s Constitution a person age 70 or older is not eligible for election to a judicial office.

The age limit embodied in our state’s Constitution prevents our bench from being held for decades by an entrenched judiciary. Our judges face election every 6 years. Periodic elections coupled with a reasonable age limit assures that our judiciary remains efficient and productive. Our current system has served Ohio well and quality of our judiciary has never been better.

When a judge reaches 70 they complete their full term in office. A person elected at age 69 can serve until age 75. A retired judge can remain on the bench by assignment. The Supreme Court of Ohio has adopted a policy that allows retired judges to serve until age 80.

Issue 1 proposes to extend the judicial age limit to 75 years. The additional five years will burden our courts with some judges who’s best years are behind them. It will also make our pool of retired judges eligible to sit by assignment much older. This will have a negative impact on the quality and performance of Ohio’s judiciary.

Issue 1 places two other court related proposals before voters for consideration. It removes antiquated constitutional provisions regarding the Legislature and the Governor’s authority over rarely used courts of conciliation and Supreme Court Commissions. These provisions should be addressed separately and not combined with the unnecessary proposition extending age limits for elected judges.

Our current system works, Issue 1 attempts to fix something that is not broken and it should be rejected by Ohio’s voters.

Prepared by Representatives Tracy Heard and Mark Okey

Issue 2 Referendum

REFERENDUM ON NEW LAW RELATIVE TO GOVERNMENT UNION CONTRACTS AND OTHER GOVERNMENT EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS AND POLICIES

A majority yes vote is necessary for Amended Substitute Senate Bill No. 5 to be approved.

A “Yes” vote means you approve the law.

A “No” vote means you reject the law.

Argument for Issue 2

A YES vote on Issue 2 will make long overdue reforms to unfair and costly government employment practices in Ohio, while helping to get government spending under control and making government more accountable to taxpayers.

Your YES vote on Issue 2 will:

Protect good teachers and improve our schools

Issue 2 keeps the best teachers in the classroom by ending the unfair practice of seniority-based layoffs, which forces struggling schools to cut many of our best teachers first.

Issue 2 returns control of our schools to taxpayers by bringing increased transparency to teacher contract negotiations.

Issue 2 enables schools to retain and reward good teachers by allowing them to base pay raises on job performance.

Restore Balance and Ensure Fairness

Issue 2 ensures that government employees receive quality health care, but asks them to pay a mere 15% of their health insurance coverage, which is still less than half of what the average private sector worker pays (31%).

Issue 2 asks government employees to make a fair contribution (10%) to their taxpayer funded retirement plans instead of requiring taxpayers to provide these pension benefits for free. Many private sector workers get no retirement benefits at all.

Issue 2 allows good job performance to be considered when awarding pay raises to government employees. Private sector workers earn their paychecks by doing a good job, and so should government employees.

Get Spending Under Control, Retain Jobs, and Protect Taxpayers

Issue 2 will save our communities millions of dollars annually, helping them balance their budgets and retain jobs.

Issue 2 will protect taxpayers by giving them the right to reject unaffordable government employment contracts.

Prepared by Representatives Joe Uecker and Louis Blessing and Senators Kevin Bacon and Shannon Jones

Argument Against Issue 2

VOTE NO ON ISSUE 2, REPEAL SB 5 – UNSAFE, UNFAIR AND HURTS OHIO’S MIDDLE CLASS FAMILIES

UNSAFEIssue 2 puts all our families’ safety at risk – making it harder for emergency responders, police and firefighters to negotiate for critical safety equipment and training that protects us all.

Issue 2 will make our nursing shortage worse. It makes it illegal for nurses, hospital and clinic workers to demand reasonable safe staffing levels – so nurses will juggle more patients while their salaries and benefits are cut.

UNFAIRThe same Columbus politicians who call for “shared benefits” exploited a loophole, giving a special exception to politicians and upper management.

Ohio’s public employees have already sacrificed – saving Ohio taxpayers over $350 million through concessions, including pay freezes and unpaid furlough days.

It’s not Ohio values to let firefighters, police and teachers lose their rights and see wages and benefits gutted, while insiders, politicians and people at the top sacrifice nothing.

HURTS US ALLInstead of creating jobs to fix our economy, politicians like Governor Kasich gave away hundred of millions in corporate tax breaks – draining our state budget while Ohio continues to lose jobs – and passed flawed laws like SB 5 to pay back their campaign donors.

Teachers, nurses, firefighters are not the reason Ohio’s budget is in trouble. Big corporations, their high-paid lobbyists and the politicians they fund are blaming middle class Ohioans for a problem they caused.

Ohio Alliance for Retired Americans Educational Fund, Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio, Ohio Association of Professional Firefighters say NO on Issue 2.

Prepared by Michael S. Weinman, Deirdre Ann DeLong, Michael Harrison, and Natalie Y. Wester

Issue 3 Proposed Constitutional Amendment

TO PRESERVE THE FREEDOM OF OHIOANS TO CHOOSE THEIR HEALTH CARE COVERAGE

A majority yes vote is necessary for the amendment to pass.

The proposed amendment would provide that:1. In Ohio, no law or rule shall compel, directly or indirectly, any person, employer, or health care provider to participate in a health care system.2. In Ohio, no law or rule shall prohibit the purchase or sale of health care or health insurance.3. In Ohio, no law or rule shall impose a penalty or fine for the sale or purchase of health care or health insurance.

The proposed amendment would not:1. Affect laws or rules in effect as of March 19, 2010.2. Affect which services a health care provider or hospital is required to perform or provide.3. Affect terms and conditions of government employment.4. Affect any laws calculated to deter fraud or punish wrongdoing in the health care industry.

If approved, the amendment will be effective thirty days after the election.

Argument for Issue 3

Without health care freedom, government can do the following to you:

-Force you to purchase costly government-defined health insurance.

-Make you pay more to upgrade your existing health insurance to meet government requirements.

-Force you to disclose private medical information.

-Prohibit you from obtaining private medical treatment.

Your YES vote on Issue 3 will:

-Protect your health care freedom in Ohio’s Bill of Rights.

-Prohibit government from forcing you into government insurance or medical treatment you don’t want.

-Protect jobs in Ohio’s health care industry.

-Keep doctors in Ohio.

-Make it harder for government to force you to support unhealthy lifestyles and choices of others.

-Reduce government regulations that drive up health care costs.

Prepared by Christopher Littleton, Joseph Bozzi, Jason Mihalick, Alan Witten, and Steven Carr

Argument Against Issue 3 Voting NO means that health care will be more secure because working families won’t be denied coverage due to a pre-existing condition. Voting NO also helps protect Ohioans from the risk of losing their coverage or being forced into bankruptcy when someone gets sick.

Voting “NO” will:

-Stop insurance companies from excluding people, including children, with pre-existing medical conditions from getting health insurance.

-Allow working parents to include their children under their employer’s health care plan until age 26.

-Preserve prescription drug coverage and preventive care benefits for seniors, children and parents.

-Stop insurance companies from imposing annual and lifetime caps on health care coverage.

-Protect Ohioans from catastrophic health care expenses that result in bankruptcy.

-Help small businesses provide health care insurance for their employees.

-Make sure everyone takes responsibility to pay their fair share into the health care system for care they use when sick or injured, instead of shifting costs onto people who pay for insurance.

-Allow Ohioans freedom to choose their doctors.

Prepared by Representatives Armond Budish and Mike Foley and Senator Capri Cafaro

What’s on the Ballot?

Issue 2 Issue 3

Here are some of the key issues Ohioans will be voting on November 8, 2011. This page contains arguments that are the opinions of proponents and opponents of Issue 1, Issue 2 and Issue 3.

In Bluffton, there are only a few items on the ballot next Tuesday. In the mayoral race, Eric Fulcomer is running unopposed. Joe Sehlhorst and Dennis Gallant are both running for village council seats, both are unopposed. And the final item is a local option on wine and mixed beverages at Tu Pueblo, where only Bluffton Precinct D will be voting on that issue.

Local - Bluffton

Th e Bluff ton News Th ursday, November 3, 2011

A4

continued from A1

Above are two examples of popular products of Photography Letter Art. The top is an inspira-tional word and the bottom is a family name. Photos submitted by Tracy Branan

Friends of the Library to Restructure Officers

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editor@bluff tonnews.com

In June, the Friends held their 1st Annual Birdies for Bookworms Golf Scramble at Bluffton Golf Course. The event was a success and the Friends plan to hold next year’s golf outing on June 9. Also in June, the Friends provided a decorated fl oat for some of the Little Miss Sesquicentennial pageant participants to ride on during Bluffton’s Sesquicentennial Parade. Finally, the Friends held a fall book sale from September 23-27 in the Richland Room (downstairs meeting room) of the library. In recent years, the Friends have held their book sales on the main fl oor of the library. The Friends agreed that the slight change in venue was benefi cial to the book sale. A bake sale was held in conjunction with the book sale on September 24 dur-ing Bluffton’s Fall Festival. Many of the Friends’ gen-eral members pitched in by baking or by being a vol-unteer during the book sale. As a result, both sales were a big success. Next, the group trea-surer, Sallie Jordan-Jones, listed off the amounts that the Friends had made during the year at each one of their events. The Apple Shed (the little alcove on the library’s main fl oor where the Friends have books for sale all year) garnered $699.72 this year. The spring book sale made $468 and the fall sale made $702. $78 came from the fall bake sale alone. 44 tick-ets were sold for the spring tea in April, which brought in $568. The golf outing had 17 sponsors, 11 of which were $50 sponsors, and brought in $1,437. The Friends ended up giving a total of around $1,500 to the library for things like chil-dren’s programs and activi-ties. Jordan-Jones said that last year she reported that the Friends had a total of $3210.62 in their check-ing account. This year the Friends have $5564.93. Therefore, money-wise, the Friends are $2354 ahead of last year. This does not

mean that the Friends do not need all of the help and volunteers that they can get, simply that the Friends are learning what types of events most interest the community and can garner the most money for their cause. In fact, more than one of the Friends stated at the meeting that they would like to see more members attending the monthly meet-ings and more member par-ticipation at their events. They would like to have new ideas and new helping hands fl ow in. In relation to this, the next thing discussed at the meeting was the big news of the evening. “We don’t have a candidate for president.” Paula Scott, the group’s secretary, announced to the general membership. How to handle this had been a big discussion during the board meeting a half an hour before. The Friends were supposed to hold the yearly general meeting that evening in order to elect the president and the execu-tive board members for the upcoming year. Last year, the vice president (Jim Shaffer), secretary (Scott) and treasurer (Jordan-Jones) were elected for two-year terms. Jan Potter has been the president of the group for at least four years now. Potter said that she will not be leaving the group at the end of her term; she just thinks someone new needs to come into the position. She said she may consider taking some other role in the group, but one of her con-cerns with the presidency is that she is out of town for months at a time. Traci Steele, Scott, and the other members agreed that Potter did “an awesome job” dur-ing her term as president. After much discussion on whether to simply elect the board members at the general meeting and wait to elect a president, or wheth-er to wait to elect anyone until another time, the latter option was decided upon. During the board meeting Scott had passed around what she called “food for

thought,” an outline of how to handle the president of the group’s role. The idea would be to have three vice presidents to divide up some of the duties that have traditionally belonged to the president. The sheet listed the possibility of giv-ing the president’s tasks to a Public Coordinator, a Logistics Coordinator and an Effectiveness Analyst. The PC would conduct the meetings, set the agenda and serve as the public face of the group, the LC would schedule meetings and events, delegate tasks and support the committee chairs. The EA would rec-ommend a budget, generate and collect ideas and set goals. After much discus-sion it was determined that it would be impossible to continue the group without a president of some sort. Eventually, the Friends agreed to table the discus-sion for another meeting. The current offi cers and board members (and any other members who would like to be present) will meet in the meantime to discuss the role of the president and offi cers, as outlined in the group’s constitution, and how to amend those roles and duties. They will also need to put more thought into who might step into the new roles created. At the conclusion of the meeting the Friends had come up with the idea of having a president, plus a vice president of public-ity and a vice president of logistics. Traci Steele said she thought that a divided arrangement like this would be fairer to the president and would have the added bonus of getting more peo-ple involved. Several of the members seemed to agree. The duties of all three posi-tions will be the subject of much discussion at the next board meeting, which will be November 15 at 4:30pm.The Friends plan to resched-ule the general meeting to fi ll the new positions and ratify the constitution and bylaws soon.

“Obviously, the coaches and the athletic department are excited but I think this building is going to bring some additional services and opportunities for our students in terms of being able to go to a sports and fi tness area where they can use treadmills, elliptical machines and weights for lifting. In addition to athlet-ics, I think it will benefi t our students to have this space available,” Nickel said. Founders Hall currently is the main building on cam-pus utilized for most of the Beavers athletics. Founders was built in the early 1950’s, when there were only 5 ath-letic programs and a student

body of about 250. Now, there are 14 Division III varsity sports and a student body of over 1,100, one-third of which are athletes. The need for more space had outgrown the capacity in Founders Hall, Nickel said. “While Founders served us well since 1952, we have a need for more space. We will still use Founders for intramurals and other activi-ties, but the new building will help alleviate some of the space issues that we have,” Nickel said. With a portion of the building’s structure now visible, the excitement of the BU faculty, staff and students will undoubtedly

continue to grow, much like the Health and Fitness Education Center itself. “There’s been a lot of positive energy around the construction and being able to move forward and seeing this building go up, particu-larly when the walls started being formed and poured, that made it a bit more real in the sense you can actually see some of the construction coming out of the ground,” Nickel said. Completion of the build-ing is expected to be a year from now. Nickel said the hope is to have the building ready for the basketball sea-son in 2012.

“I think that one of the things that you miss when you do something on your own, and you come from the corporate environment, is the good quality conversa-tion with other business pro-fessionals. So, for me, I’m looking forward to getting to know some of the other peo-ple in the group [BCE] and just share experiences with them,” Branan said. She is also hoping to estab-lish more local connections with the businesses in and around the Bluffton area, and mentioned possibly seeking some suppliers for certain products. Branan does not claim to be a professional photogra-pher, but she often travels near and far to take photos of objects out in the world that resemble letters of the alphabet. Among one of her favorite places to take photos is Chicago, as she likes the different styles of architec-ture there. Although taking photos can often be a good

excuse to travel, Branan said, much of the photos she uses for her products are taken in local settings. “In the beginning, it’s harder to fi nd things but when you do start seeing them, then everything looks like a let-ter,” Branan said. “I think it’s a lot of fun. I do take a lot of pictures, but my friends help me too. They’ll see something, and take it with their camera or say, ‘you have to come down and take a picture of this.’” Although taking photos is a necessity, Branan said it is important not to get caught up in snapping shots all the time. She said there are many more facets of the business that need careful attention as well. For each store, she has 10 workers, so for this holi-day season she will hire 120 people. Other responsibilities for Branan include negotiat-ing leases and even running products to the stores. Despite Thanksgiving through Christmas being

the busiest time for Branan, it’s the time of the year she enjoys the most. “I think the reason I’ve always stayed in retail is that I truly love the holiday rush. I love helping customers fi nd something they think is per-fect,” Branan said. The holiday season is cer-tainly generates a good por-tion of her business, but now that there is a website established, Branan is able to operate Photography Letter Art year-round. With people celebrating birthdays, wed-dings and anniversaries all throughout the year, having her products online makes them readily available for those looking for personal-ized gifts. And, soon, likely after this year’s holiday rush, Branan has plans to intro-duce more children-themed products as she has started a photo library taken from zoos and amusement parks. Her products can be viewed by visiting photographyletterart.com.

Fitness Center Takes Shapecontinued from A1

continued from A1

Photography Letter Art

A couple of different views of the construction site. The top photo is from Elm Street and the bottom is from atop the site, on campus. Photos by Austin Arnold

From the Thursday, Dec. 22, 1988 Bluffton News (found on page 8 of that paper’s special ‘Bluffton: A Country Portrait’ section).

As Recalled By John Thut

It was a gray day in early spring, perhaps March, of 1903. It was the day on which Abraham Bixel was having his farm auction, preparatory to moving to nearby Pandora, where he was retiring from farming. Bixel was a son-in-law of the Peter Schumacher who had developed the farm and built the farmstead which is now the site of the Swiss Community Historical Society Museum.

I, a fi ve-year-old boy, attended the auction with my parents. It was my fi rst acquaintance with the old Schumacher homestead.

I was bored. While my father and many other men followed the auctioneer around the premises where the chattle and livestock were being sold I was relegated to the now barren farmhouse, where my mother and her friends were visiting. As far as I remember, there were no other children of my age to play with me, and I was not interested in the gossip of the women.

Also, I was frustrat-ed. Just a few rods east of the farmhouse I could see Riley Creek, swollen to overfl owing by recent spring rains. The fl ood was very fascinating to me, but my mother, perhaps a little over-solicitous, would not let me go near the water. I was not amused. It was a dull day for me.

My mother was very

fond of Abraham Bixel, and always called him uncle Abe, though he was really her great uncle. I remember him well.

Before he moved to the Schumacher farm he had lived on the farm which his own father, Peter Bixel the fi rst, had acquired in 1847, at what is now the northwest corner of Augsburger and Bentley Roads. He built the large brick house that is still there, and then moved to the Schumacher farm.

Of Abraham Bixel’s six sons, two were already successful farmers in the community, and the rest were prominent professional or business men. Since none of the sons was interested in assuming the family farm, Abraham Bixel decided to retire in Pandora.

One of the successful farmer sons was Noah Bixel, only slightly older than my father. Noah was also the hus-band of my mother’s favorite aunt, Sara Neuenschwander, only about three years older than my mother. These two couples were in frequent social contact and often sang together in a mixed quartet.

In a few years, Noah Bixel sold his farm and also moved to Pandora, where he engaged in the plumbing and heating business for sev-eral decades. His headquar-ters were in the back room of the same building where his brother Adam sold and repaired watches and clocks, and also sold jewelry, pianos, phonographs and phonograph records. Noah Bixel installed and serviced many of the ear-liest plumbing and heating systems in the community.

Adam Bixel, one of the sons of Abraham Bixel, was the victim of a bout with a childhood disease that left his body badly deformed. Though scarcely forty inches high, he moved around with diffi culty with help of a cane nearly as tall as he. While still on the farm he achieved added mobility by use of a trained goat, which he hitched to a specially equipped little wagon and drove like a horse and buggy.

In town he manip-ulated the streets and side-walks in a special wheelchair propelled by means of a set of vertical levers which he operated by hand. His genial disposition, plus his skill-ful hands and strong arms, enabled him to operate a suc-cessful jewelry store in which he sold and repaired watches and clocks, and also jewelry, pianos, phonographs and pho-nograph records.

As early as perhaps 1910 he purchased one of the community’s fi rst autos, a Maxwell roadster which he himself operated. It was always a pleasure to visit him in his well-stocked store.

In Bluffton there was the similar, and even older, store owned by Adam’s brother, David C. Bixel. I remember that in 1908 my parents bought, from David C. Bixel, their silver-plated culinary set for their dining room table, and a large wall clock, which is still doing well in the living room of my brother Harold in Wayne County, Ohio.

In 1913 my father purchased, also from D. C. Bixel, the gold-cased Elgin watch that I still have, but don’t use because men’s suits no longer have watch pockets.

Adam Bixel in Pandora and D. C. Bixel in Bluffton supplied many of the pianos that began to replace the earlier Parlor Reed Organs in the settlement homes. The two Bixels were perhaps also the fi rst in the area to acquire equipment to receive the daily correct time signals by Western Union telegraph from the United States Naval Observatory in Washington, D. C. before World War I.

Many years later I learned that part of the deal in Abraham Bixel’s disposi-tion of the old Schumacher

farm involved acquisition of at least part of the Pandora Mercantile Co., a large depart-ment store. Abraham’s son Menno and Menno’s cousin, Noah Schumacher, a grand-son of Peter Schumacher, managed the store. Noah had charge of the dry goods and clothing, while Menno man-aged the grocery, my favorite.

First of all, Menno had a genial disposition and knew how to make friends with little boys. Also, there was the candy showcase, from which he frequently produced a little bag of candy corn for me, or perhaps a stick of Black Jack chewing gum. A wad of chewing gum went a long way in those days,

especially if one could fi nd a suitable place to park it over night for re-use on following days.

Soon Menno became my uncle by marrying my aunt, Alice Niswander, and that fact did nothing to spoil our friendly relationship.

Soon the Pandora Mercantile Co. expanded when Menno Bixel moved to Bluffton to open the branch men’s clothing store known as The Economy. About 1915 Menno Bixel sold The Economy and acquired the dealership for Ford auto-

mobiles. For most of the next half century Ford cars were sold and serviced in the Bluffton area by Menno Bixel and later by his son, Clayton Bixel.

Of Abraham Bixel’s professional sons there were two. There was John, who after making something of a reputation as a singer and song leader in the community, went to Europe for a period of music studies. Upon his return to America he taught singing and direct-ed choruses briefl y at Bethel College, Newton, Kan. And then went to Tacoma, Wash. where he spent the remaining decades of his life in private teaching of singing and direct-

ing his choruses. The other son was

Peter D. Bixel, long time fam-ily physician in Pandora. Dr. Bixel’s dwelling on Pandora’s Main Street was one of the most imposing in the village, and the adjoining, separate offi ce, with its strong smells of medicines and disinfectant, was a fascinating place to visit, if one’s ailments were not serious.

Dr. Bixel was one of the fi rst in the area to buy an automobile, which he used to make house calls on nice days. In inclement weather

he still relied on his more dependable horse and buggy. In due course of time his son, Dr. Munson Bixel, opened an offi ce in Bluffton and prac-ticed there many years.

One must not neglect to mention Abraham Bixel’s other farmer son, Samuel S. Bixel. His thoroughly pro-gressive farming practices were continued and improved by his sons and grandsons. They still produce quality farm crops and certifi ed seeds.

Samuel’s wife was my moth-er’s cousin as well as the aunt of the late Kenneth Winkler of Bluffton.

Thus I remember and observe a phase in the history of the farm that now houses the Swiss Community Historical Society Museum, and the family that occu-pied that farm in the decades immediately preceding 1903, as well as that family’s con-tributions to the community since then. The earlier and later histories of the farm rightly belong in other stories.

Threshing Dinners were famed throughout the land many years ago and this solid group of old and young Swiss farmers was headed for one of those loaded tables when they stopped to pose for this picture in 1897. In the first row (l. to r.) are Menno Bixel, John Steiner, Abraham Lehman (kneeling Amos Steiner and Cleo Neuenschwander), John Lehman and Ernest Ballsinger. In the second row were Pete Steiner, Sam Bixel, Will Lugibihl, Phillip Diller, Emanuel Lightner, Lewis Diller, and Sam Schumacher.In the third row were Ephraim Bucher, Abraham Bixel and John Bixel. Photos provided by Judy Kingsley (SCHS).

History Pertaining to the SCHS Homestead HISTORY PAGEOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYY PPPPPA

The renovated Schumacher House at 8350 Bixel Road in Spring, 2010. Photo by Alice C. Lora.

A look back in time...Compiled by: JUSTIN CRAWFIS

November 9, 1911 – Adam Lugibihl was elected mayor of Bluffton with244 votes. His opponent, J.P. Owens, received 219 votes. A resident ofBluffton since 1872, Lugibihl was president of Bluffton’s ProgressiveAssociation. “He is a successful merchant, having been in the hardwarebusiness for nearly forty years,” the newspaper reported. “Hethoroughly understands the needs of our town and is well qualifi ed toperform the duties of his new offi ce.” In other news that week, the“Pandora” column reported, “Albert Lichty, who mysteriouslydisappeared several years ago has written a letter from California,where he is now located. A recent illness caused him to write home forassistance.”

November 5, 1936 – “An automobile from Richard Burkholder, 19, of thisplace [Bluffton], and believed to have been used by three fugitivesfrom the Lima State hospital in making their escape from this area,was found Thursday afternoon in Toledo. The car was taken from theparking lot at the Triplett Electrical Instrument Co,” the newspaperreported. “The three men believed to have taken the auto escaped fromthe Lima Insane hospital during a storm a week ago Sunday night. Thetrio is still at large.” In other news that week, the “Settlement”column reported, “The Pandora garage delivered a new Dodge sedan toMiss Lela Steiner and one to Harry Suter. They also sold a Dodge truckto the Pandora Milling Company.”

November 9, 1961 – Leland Diller Insurance Agency employee RichardJordan “returned Tuesday from eight weeks of study at an insuranceinstitute in Philadelphia,” the newspaper reported. “Mr. Jordan wasgraduated as one of three honor students in a class of 38.” In othernews that week, Beaverdam High School graduate Melinda Marshall,daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Marshall, was selected as a member ofthe Heidelberg Concert choir at Heidelberg College. A freshman,Marshall was also a member of the “Madrigals” college ensemble thatperformed in the Tiffi n area.

November 6, 1986 – New employees of the Mennonite Memorial Home werelisted in the newspaper: Marc Augsburger, Deb Burkholder Lehman, KimUpdegrove, Janell Shafer, Tina Rettig, Teresa Moser, Kathie Stewartand Paul Cramer. In other news that week, Bluffton resident Peg Murphywas awarded the District Award of Merit for the Putnam DistrictPut-Han-Sen Council of the Boy Scouts of America. She had beeninvolved with the Cub Scout program for 15 years.

75 YEARS AGO

50 YEARS AGO

100 YEARS AGO

25 YEARS AGO

Th e Bluff ton News Th ursday, November 3, 2011

A5

BlufftonBAPTIST - 345 County Line Road. John

McMinn, pastor. Sunday school, 9:30 a.m.; worship service, 10:45 a.m.; Evening worship, 7 p.m.; Wednesday - AWANA, Bible study and prayer service, 7 p.m.

ENGLISH LUTHERAN - 111 Grove St. Kevin Mohr, pastor. Worship, 9 a.m.; Sunday school, 10:15 a.m.

FIRST MENNONITE - 101 S. Jackson St. Steven Yoder, pastor. Louise Wideman, associate pastor. Worship 9:15 a.m., Christian Education 10:30 a.m.

FIRST MISSIONARY - 247 N. Lawn Ave. Rev. Gary Marks, pastor. Sunday school, 9:30 a.m.; worship, 10:30 a.m.; evening service, 6 p.m.; Thursday, prayer meeting, 7 p.m.

FIRST UNITED METHODIST - 116 Church St. Bryant Miller, pastor. Worship 10:30 a.m.; Sunday School, 9:30 a.m.

PRESBYTERIAN - 112 N. Main St., Worship 10:15 a.m.

ST. JOHN’S UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST - 223 W. College Ave. Rev. Carol Clements - Sunday school, 9:00 a.m.; Worship, 10:00 a.m.

ST. MARY’S CATHOLIC - 160 N. Spring St. Sister Carol Inkrott, pastoral leader. Saturday Mass, 4 p.m.; Sunday Mass 10 a.m.

TRI-COUNTY ASSEMBLY OF GOD - 835 N. Main St. Terry D. Hunt, pastor. Sunday: Christian education 9 a.m.; Worship, 10 a.m.; Evening service, 6:30 p.m.; Monday - Crossfi re Youth Alive, 7 p.m.; Wednesday, Lay Leadership Training Institute, Royal Rangers, M’Pact Girls Clubs, 7 p.m.

QUAKER MEETING - (Religious Society of Friends) 118 S. Spring St., Jon and Sally Weaver-Sommer residence; Sunday, 10 a.m., 1st, 2nd & 4th Sundays.

Rural BlufftonBETHEL CHURCH OF CHRIST - 4014

Co. Rd. 304, Ada. Minister, Brandon Mayden.Youth Minister, Mike Kupferer; Minister to Seniors, Harrison Underwood. Sunday school, 9:45 a.m.; worship, 8:30 a.m. and 10:45 a.m.;

COUNTY CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN - Tom Dearth, pastor. Ray Hadley, associate pastor. Sunday school, 9:30 a.m.; worship, 10:30 a.m.; Evening worship, 7 p.m.

EBENEZER MENNONITE - Corner Columbus Grove-Phillips Roads. Dick Potter, senior pastor, Jim King, co-pastor. Wade Slechter, pastor of student ministries. Sunday school, 9 a.m.; worship, 10:15 a.m.

EMMANUEL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST - 8375 Phillips Rd. Eric Rummel, pastor. Sunday school, 9 a.m.; worship, 10 a.m.

PLEASANT VIEW CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN - Thayer Road, a mile south of St. Rt. 30. Mark Bowyer, pastor. Sunday school, 9:30 a.m.; worship, 10:30 a.m.

RILEY CREEK BAPTIST - Corner Hancock CR 12 and Orange TR 27. David Lanquist, pastor. Sunday school, 9:30 a.m.; worship, 10:30 a.m.; Evening worship, 6 p.m.; Wednesday prayer and praise, 7 p.m.

BLUFFTON TRINITY UMC - 2022 St. Rte. 103 Pastor John Foster Sunday School 9:00 a.m. worship 10:15 a.m. Jenera

TRINITY LUTHERAN - 301 N. Main St., Jenera. Alois Schmitzer III, and Jeffrey Bolwerk, pastors. Worship, 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.; Christian education, 9:20 a.m. Trinity Lutheran School, grades preschool through 8th grade. An extra service will be held Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. thru August 17.

ST. PAUL EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN (ELCA) - 9340 Twp. Rd. 32, rural Jenera. Steven Edmiston, pastor. Phillip Riegle, youth ministry coordinator. Traditional worship, 7:45 and 9 a.m., contemporary worship, 11:15 a.m., Sunday school, 10:15 a.m.

JENERA UMC - Pastor John Foster Worship 9:00 a.m. Sunday School 10:15 a.m. Mt. Cory

MT. CORY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH - Jerry Lewis, pastor. Sunday school, 9:30 a.m.; worship, 10:30 a.m.

PLEASANT VIEW UNITED METHODIST - Twp. Rd. 37. Jerry Lewis, pastor. Sunday school 10:30 a.m.; worship, 9:15 a.m. Rawson

GOSPEL FELLOWSHIP - Pastor David Leman- Corner of County Rd. 37 & CR 313. Web Address: www.gospelfellowshipgfc.org. Sunday school, 9:30 a.m.; worship, 10:30 a.m.; Monday Youth 7-8:30 p.m.; Wednesday Bible Study/Prayer Meeting 7-8:00 p.m.

NEW HOPE UNITED METHODIST

-208 N. Main St. Michael Armstrong, pastor. Sunday school, 9 a.m.; worship, 10 a.m.

TRINITY UNITED - South Main, Terry Ream, pastor. Worship, 10 a.m.; Wednesday, Bible study, 7 p.m.

BeaverdamCHURCH OF CHRIST - 308 E. Main

St. Sunday school, 9:30 a.m.; worship and Jr. church, 10:30 a.m.; Sunday evening service, 7 p.m.; Tuesday evening Bible study, 7 p.m.; Wednesday prayer meeting/ Bible Study, 7:30 p.m. at Richland Manor.

ROCKPORT UNITED METHODIST - 5505 Rockport Road, Columbus Grove. Greg Coleman, pastor. Worship, 9 a.m.; Church school, 10 a.m.

Pandora, GilboaGILBOA UNITED METHODIST - 102

Franklin St. Sunday school, 9:30 a.m.; worship, 10:30 a.m. Chapel Belles Boutique and Etc Shop open Thursdays-Fridays, 10 a.m.- 3 p.m.

GRACE MENNONITE - 502 East Main St., Pandora. Dennis Schmidt, pastor. Sunday school, 9:15 a.m.; worship, 10:30 a.m.

PANDORA CHURCH OF CHRIST - Steve Holbrook, minister. Sunday school, 9:30 a.m.; worship, 10:30 a.m. Missionary - 300 Rocket Ridge. Sunday school, 9 a.m.; worship, 10 a.m.

RILEY CREEK UNITED METHODIST - Corner Road M and Road 7-L. Mark Hollinger, pastor. Sunday school, 10 a.m.; worship, 11 a.m.

ST. JOHN MENNONITE - 15988 Road 4, Pandora. D. Lynn Thompson, preaching and teaching pastor. Dave Stratton, leadership/dis-cipleship pastor. Grace Burkholder, children & family minitries. Paul Ginther, youth director. Worship, 8:30 and 11 a.m.; Sunday school, 9:45 a.m.; Sunday evening, 6 p.m.: Adult cell group ministry, kids’ choirs; Wednesday, 7 p.m.: POW (Prayer on Wednesday) for adults, Pioneer Club for 3 years old- 6th grade, junior high & senior high youth ministries.

PANDORA UNITED METHODIST - 108 E. Washington St. Duane Kemerley, pastor. Sunday school, 8:30 a.m.; Worship, 9:30 a.m.

REICHENBACH & STEINER, CPAsCERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS

Neil J. Reichenbach, CPA, LLCNeil J. Reichenbach, CPA

David R. Steiner, CPAChristina M. Suter, CPALisa E. Coonfare, CPA

Rhonda E. BellmanSara L. NorbeckTracey L. Simons

Sara H. BadertscherDiane Schmidt

140 N. Main St • PO Box 104 • Bluffton419-358-1723 • 800-575-1120• Fax: 419-358-9637

Call to change your church hours as

needed!

419-358-1015

Environments to Encourage Indepen-dence

A Family Dedicated to ServiceChiles - Laman

Funeral HomesBluffton • Lima

419-358-2051

103 North Main StreetP.O. Box 164

Bluffton, Ohio 45817office:

(419) 358-4610, ext. 101www.funforkidz.com • Hopscotch for Girls

• Boys’ Quest • Fun For Kidz

M & RPLUMBING & HEATING, INC.

131 Cherry St • Bluffton, OH419-358-6916

Community MaytagHome Appliance Center131 Cherry St. • Bluffton, OH

419-358-0222

• Skilled Nursing• Assisted Living• Special Needs Unit• Child Care on Premises

5570 St. Rt. 12 • Pandora(419) 384-3218

Ministry of Missionary Church

SINCERE APPRECIATION TO OUR SPONSORSGuide to Area Churches

Th e Bluff ton News Th ursday, November 3, 2011

A6

The Pandora United Meth-odist Church will be hosting their ANNUAL ELECTION DAY DINNER, Tuesday, No-vember 8th, serving from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. This will be a baked steak supper including salad bar and dessert. Cost: Adults 13 and older - $7:00; Children 3 – 12 years old - $3.50; and children under three – free.

Carry-out orders for lo-cal delivery are available in Pandora. Call that day: 419.384.3905.

Send us details on your church

news and events to:

editor@bluff tonnews.com

ObituariesObituariesVernal H. Corson

Vernal H. Corson, 94, of Bluffton died October 24, 2011 at Baton Rouge Senior Services Health Center, Lima. She was born May 21, 1917 in Van Wert to Raymond and Ruby Ausman Holbrook. On June 19, 1937 she

married Donald C. Cor-son and he preceded her in death.

Vernal spent most of her adult life in Bluff-ton. She was employed as the Secretary/Clerk of the Board of Education and Treasurer for the Bluffton Schools for a number of years. Later she worked as a secre-tary for Ex-Cello Corp. She was a 1935 graduate of Lima Central High School.

Vernal is survived by her son, Barry l. (Fran) Corson of Jamestown, a grandson, Glenn C. Cor-son of Xenia, a grand-daughter, Mila K, (John) Orford of Bluffton, SC, a great grandson, Ryan j. Orford of Bluffton,

SC and many nieces and nephews. She was pre-ceded in death by three sisters, Carol (Harold) Jewell, Avanelle (John) Mullady and Claudia (Charles) McAdams.

Funeral services will begin at 11:00 AM Friday at Chiles-Laman Funeral and Cremation Services, Bluffton, with visitation one hour prior to the ser-vice. Rev. Tom Jewell will offi ciate. Burial will be in Maple Grove Cem-etery, Bluffton. In lieu of fl owers, memorial con-tributions may be made to the American Cancer Society. Online condo-lences may be expressed at www.chiles-lamanfh.com.

Edison “Eddie” LeRoy Young, 81, of Bluffton, OH, died at 7:55 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, 2011 at Blanchard Valley Hos-pital, Findlay. Eddie was born on July

23, 1930 in Bluffton to Lester and Ethel Gail (Shulaw) Young. He married Hilda Binkley Young on Oct. 15, 1948, she survives and they have been married for 63 years.

Also surviving are two sons, Richard W., of Bluffton; and Roger L., of Arlington; 2 grand-children, Ryan and Re-nae Young; and 2 great-grandchildren, Gage and Dayton Young.

Eddie was retired from the Bluffton Stone Com-pany. He had worked at Rusco in Pandora and Toledo Scale in Findlay. Eddie was a 1948 gradu-

ate of Mount Cory High School and he enjoyed camping.

A funeral was held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011 at Chiles-Laman Funeral & Cremation Ser-vices, Bluffton, the Rev. David Thompson offi ciat-ed. Burial was in Clymer Cemetery, Mount Cory. Visitation was held from 12 noon until time of the service at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to a charity of the donor’s choice.

Online condolences may be sent to: www.chil-es-lamanfh.com

Edison LeRoy Young

Bluffton First United Methodist Church will be hosting an Election Day Lunch and Dinner on Tues-day, November 8. Lunch and dinner will be served in the Fellowship Hall (the church’s basement). Lunch will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. All items are priced individually. Menu items include homemade soups, sandwiches, salads, desserts and beverages.

Dinner will be served from 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Cost is $7 for adults and $3.50 for children 10 and un-der. Dinner menu includes baked steak, mashed pota-toes, a vegetable, roll, des-sert and beverage. Carry-out is available for both meals. Bluffton First United is lo-cated at 116 Church Street, dark brick building across from Bluffton Elementary.

Cairo United Methodist Church will host a Smorgas-bord on Saturday, November 5, 2011. Food will be served from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Menu items are: Turkey, Steak, Ham, Mashed potatoes, dress-ing, homemade noodles, veg-etables, salads, desserts and drinks. Adults will be charged $7 and children (6-12) $3.50. Children fi ve and under will be free. Tickets will be avail-able at the door and carry-outs are available as well.

Emmanuel United Church of Christ will hold their annual Fall Fish Fry on Friday, November 11 from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. The menu includes fried bat-tered cod, cheesy potatoes, baked beans, calico beans, a large variety of salads, pies and cakes, plus beverages. The cost is $7.00 for adults

and $3.50 for children 11 and under. Emmanuel is lo-cated at 8375 Phillips Rd. Just past the Bluffton Golf Course. Please join us for good food and good fellow-ship. All proceeds go into our Improvement Fund. Check out our newly in-stalled play area.

Emmanuel UCC’s Annual Fall Fish Fry

First United Meth-odist Election Day Lunch & Dinner

Smor-gasbord Scheduled

Pandora UMC Elec-tion Dinner

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Bluff ton Hospital Birth Announcements

Akirra Jean EndicottOctober 24, 2011

Parents: Brandon & Hope Sex: Female

Length: 18.5 inchesWeight: 6 pounds, 8 ounces

Resides in Columbus Grove, Ohio

Th e Bluff ton News Th ursday, November 3, 2011

A7

Fortman Insurance is proud to support programs from our lo-cal area.

They are shown presenting a check for $250 to Challenged Champions (equestri-an program).

From left to right – Jonathan Fortman, Roni Kaufman of Challenged Champi-ons, Zack Fortman

Fortman Insurance plans on donating an-nually to this worth-while program.

Kent - Bennett

Fortman Insurance Donates to Challenged Champions

Spread your good news!

wedding, engagement, anniversary and

milestone birthday announcement forms are available in the

Bluffton News offi ce or online at

www.blufftonnews.com

Community CalendarNovember 3—B U Artist Series: Chamber

Orchestra Kremlin, Yoder Recital Hall 7:30pm

Marching Band Concert 7pmBluffton Elementary Fall Book

FairB U Fall play “The Castle of

Otranto,” Ramseyer Auditorium, 7:30pm

Arlington grade cards go homeC-R Marching Band Banquet

6pmC-R grade cards home with

studentsNovember 4—Bluffton End of 1st Grading

PeriodBluffton Public Library

Murder Mystery event at 6:30pmBluffton Elementary Fall Book

FairB U Fall play “The Castle of

Otranto,” Ramseyer Auditorium, 7:30pm

B U “Music on the Ohio,” pres. by Jeff Boehm, 4pm Stuzman Lecture Hall

C-R NO SCHOOL - Teacher Inservice

November 5—BFR Youth Volleyball

TournamentBU Football Bye WeekFindlay Singles Dance, Humane

Soc. Hall, 8pm

B U Fall play “The Castle of Otranto,” Ramseyer Auditorium, 7:30pm

P-G Girls V/JV BB Scrimmage Bath (Away) 10am

C-R Show Choir at Ada FestC-R SOS Father/Daughter

Dance 6:30pmC-R FFA Leadership NightC-R Student Council & FFA

host “Rake a Difference Day” 9am-2pm

November 6—BFR Youth Volleyball Tourn.BFR Session I Indoor Soccer

(5 wks)B U Fall play “The Castle of

Otranto,” Ramseyer Auditorium, 2:30pm

Daylight Saving Time EndsNovember 7—Bluffton Scrap Artist Quilters

7PMWeight Watchers - St Mary’s

Church 5:45PMBluffton Music Boosters - HS

Band Rm 7PMBU JV Football @ Heidelberg

6PMBluffton Elem. PTO - Elem.

Library 6:30PMBluffton Club 56 - For 5th &

6th Graders 3:15PM @ Bluffton Campus Life Room

Bluffton/Pandora Club JV Campus Life - For 7th & 8th

Graders 8-9PM @ BCLRArlington/C-R NHS Induction

at VB 7pmNovember 8—Town & Country Mothers

7:30-10PMTOPS - St. Johns UCC 6:30PMGardeners of Bluffton &

Pandora Area 6:30PMBoy Scouts 7-8:30PMBluffton/Pandora Campus Life

- 8-9PM @ Bluffton Campus Life Room

B U Spiritual Life Week Forum by Dr. Raymond Wise, 11am, Yoder Recital Hall

Poetry reading by Leonard Kress, 4 pm, Musselman Library Reading Room

P-G JV Girls BB Scrimmage vs. Carey (Home) 6:30pm

P-G Var Girls BB Scrimmage vs. Carey (Away) 6:30pm

Arlington Senior/Senior Breakfast at 8:00am

C-R Red Cross Blood DriveC-R V/JV Girls’ Basketball

Scrimmage 6pmC-R HS Boys’ Basketball

Parent Meeting 5:45pmNovember 9—Bluffton Breakfast Club - 7:15-

7:55AM @ Bluffton Campus Life Room

Arlington Fall Sports Banquet

Casandra L. Kent and Joseph W. Bennett, both of Findlay, would like to announce their engagement. Their wedding is to take place on June 2, 2012 at 3pm at St. Paul Lutheran Church.

Casandra is the daughter of Lon-ny Kent of Bluff-ton and Kathleen De Rosa of Cin-

cinnati. She is a graduate of Bluff-ton High School and is employed by First National Bank of Pandora.

Joseph is the son of Rose Resn-ick of Van Buren. He graduated from Van Buren High School and now owns BB&D Painting & Land-scaping.

Kim Keck has been a cook at Maple Crest for ten years. Kim is well known for the wonderful cookies she bakes. Kim is a team player that always off ers to

help her fellow employees as well as her super-visor. She is a dedicated employee that always goes above and beyond her expectations. She is well liked by fellow staff and enjoys her interac-tion with the residents. Congratulations Kim!

Employee of the monthCongratulations

Kim Keck!

ENGAGEMENT ENGAGEMENT

Don’t forget Daylight Savings ends November 6th at 2:00 a.m.! Be sure to set

your clocks back to get that extra hour of sleep!

On Saturday, November 5, the Jenera United Meth-odist Church is having a free Thanksgiving dinner that will be held at the Jenera Commu-nity Center. The dinner serv-ing will begin at 5:30 PM. The menu consists of turkey or ham, mashed or sweet po-tatoes, green beans & corn, cranberry salad and rolls. There will also be an assort-ment of homemade desserts:

cookies, pies and cakes. After dinner the church is providing some entertainment in addi-tion to a few sing-alongs. All are invited to come and share in this festive meal and enjoy the fellowship. The Commu-nity Center is located on the left just before entering the village of Jenera on route 698. If there are any questions please call 419-303-4776.

Free Thanksgiving Dinner, Jenera UMC

November 3Taylor BadertscherScott SterrettRick RamseyerNancy SuterElijah Conley

November 4Amy ReichenbachRussell Suter

November 5Jeff StrattonJudy SteinerDwain BurkholderBarb WoodBob BeerEverett CollierVinton Bucher

November 6Megan ParkinsDrew DukesGeorge FarlingLynn BiblerRandy GardnerJay BrickerWendy PorterJared LehmanCharles Hilty Jennifer Wilson

November 7Richard J. BucherCana LumaEmily FrickGayle MarshallChad BrownMorris GromanSeth WeisenbargerAmanda Gaines

November 8Addison BusingerTracy MilesRay NiswanderBetty HowardJustin ShannonJuliane Thompson

November 9Cale ParkinsCaitlin LehmanFred SteinerMichael ScolesJackie ScolesChad Brown Spencer StewartJ. Daniel GromanJane Shaw Alan Amstutz

Happy Birthday! Club NotesRotary ClubMembers meet at 7:30a.m. each Thursday at Jeanne’s Kitchen

Weight WatchersMembers meet at 5:45p.m. each Monday evening at St. Mary’s Catholic Church.

O v e r e a t e r s Anonymous Members meet at 9a.m. each Tuesday at St. Mary’s Catholic Church

TOPS ClubMembers meet at 6:30 p.m. each Tuesday evening at St. John’s United Church of Christ

ACT: Citizen’s Action Group

Members meet the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month at noon at Common Grounds.

Bluffton Boy ScoutsTroop 256 meets every Tuesday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on the third fl oor of Town Hall, Main Street.

Creative WritersMembers meet the second Monday of each month (September through May) at 2:00 p.m. in the Maple Crest lounge.

To add your organization to Club Notes, call 419-358-8010 or email editor@blufftonnews.com

Does your pet have what it takes to be our “Pet of the Week?” To enter, send us a photo of your pet and a description telling us a little about your pet and why he or she is so

great!

ashley@blufftonnews.com or stop into the office!

101 N. Main St. Bluffton

Th e Bluff ton News Th ursday, November 3, 2011

A8

Bluffton Public Library Celebrates Halloween

Photos by Austin Arnold

Zombie Hunters (From left): Austin Housh, Taylor Steele, Billy Theisen, Eric McClain

The library hosted a few different programs this week and last week to celebrate Halloween. Below are photos from the Zombie Apocalypse held last Thursday, the Enchanted Forest Trick-or-Treat held Monday and a children’s story time held Tuesday morning. Photos submitted by the Bluffton Public Library

Enchanted Forest Trick-or-Treaters after hearing a story

Ms. Rikki reading a story to Trick- or- Treaters Tuesday Storytime children: Back row: Emma Miller, Lani Schul. Front Row: Elizabeth Honse, Blair Utendorf, Aubrey Clevidence, Adam Fritsch

Trick-or-Treat Hits the Streets of Bluffton

Th e Bluff ton News Th ursday, November 3, 2011

B1

SPORTS

Bluffton and P-G Girls CC Teams Shine at Regionals

by Terry Chappell

Jacob Nienberg rose up to block a PAT at Grove. Photo by Troy Breidenbach

M & R PLUMBING & HEATING, INC.

COMMUNITY MAYTAG APPLIANCE CENTER

Call us for all your plumbing and heating needs!

419-358-6916 • 419-358-0222131 Cherry Street, Bluffton, OH 45817

VISA/MC Accepted

Highlighting successful seasons, the Bluffton and Pandora high school girl harriers fi nished 9th and 15th at the Tiffi n Regionals last Saturday.

As she has all season, Hannah Chappell-Dick led the Bluffton team with a 5th place photo-fi nish. She charged from 10 meters be-hind in the last 50 meters to almost catch her friend and rival, Jessica Doepker, from Kalida. Chappell-Dick’s time on the muddy course was 19:30.07, placing 5th by only .04 seconds.

Julie Althaus (21:54), Audrey Marshall (23:54), and Haley Keller (22:57) ran very well for Bluffton, fi nishing 60th, 87th, and 88th, respectively. Morgan

Humphreys (23:40) com-pleted the top-fi ve scoring in 106th place. Courtney Bar-nett and Delaney Reineke also contributed with 121st and 125th place fi nishes.

“I’m pleased with our team’s effort,” comment-ed Bluffton Coach Blair. “With Coldwater, Liberty Center, Liberty Benton, and Spencerville, we very likely were competing in the strongest Regional in the state.” Coldwater edged Liberty Center 50-53 to win the meet.

Bluffton’s Jonathan Nisly qualifi ed as an indi-vidual in the Spencerville district meet and ran well at the Regionals, fi nishing in 85th place with a time of 18:23.

The Pandora girls team was led by Vanessa Mc-

Cullough and Audrey Sprunger, who fi nished 42nd and 58th places. Oth-er team members running were Breana Hovest, Me-gan Schneck, Hunter Her-miller, Candice Vance, and Thitichaya Leesura.

Bluffton and Pandora qualifi ed for Regionals with outstanding team efforts to fi nish 3rd and 4th at the Dis-trict meet. Chappell-Dick fi nished third in that meet with a time of 19:31.

On November 4, Chap-pell-Dick will compete in the State meet at Hebron, Ohio. This will be her fi rst time at State in cross coun-try, although she has quali-fi ed three times in track in seven events.

Tuesday, October 25th the Bluffton High School boys soccer team traveled to a Di-vision III District Semi-Final soccer game at Continental. As the number one seed, Bluffton assumed the home team designation and Conti-nental was the visiting team. Unfortunately for the visiting home team Pirates, their sea-son ended with a 2-1 over-time loss to the Continental Pirates.

A hustling Andrew Dem-melweek sparked the play which led to Bluffton’s fi rst half goal. The sophomore forward beat his defender to a loose ball in the left corner of the 18 yard box and executed a pass to the waiting sopho-more David Nester. Just like practice, Nester’s shot was perfect and Bluffton held a 1-0 lead with 11:37 remain-ing in the fi rst half. Each team would record three more shots on goal for the fi rst half and each goalkeeper would save them all from scoring. Bluffton junior Kory Ennek-ing had a terrifi c game and would total 14 saves in the contest.

The game was a very physical contest throughout. Whether it was the physi-cality of the game or some other factor, Bluffton did not have one of its better perfor-

mances of the season. In the end, Bluffton committed four fouls each half and Continen-tal was whistled for 27 over the course of the game. Five of those fouls were given yel-low cards and one red card ejection also resulted for Continental. The play of the game was tense, but the style of play was not one which will be used to teach the game to youngsters anytime soon.

The Continental squad came out fi ring in the second half and fi nally broke through with a goal at the 28:28 mark. A mass of bodies were crowding the Bluffton goal box and an Austin Geckle shot slowly caromed off of the left post and rolled into the forbidden land to tie the game up at 1-1. After 80 minutes of play, the outcome could not be decided, so a 15 minute overtime period would be played.

New to overtime play this season was the con-cept of “sudden death” victory, whereby the game would end imme-diately as the fi rst goal is scored. In previous years, the entire period – or two, would be played out, so the result of a goal was not felt in its entirety until the last waning seconds were played out of the fi f-teen minute period.

With 9:56 to play in the fi rst overtime period, Con-tinental’s Dakota Scott and a teammate raced beyond the last Bluffton defenders and the full sense of sudden death was felt by the Bluffton squad. Scott’s goal ended the game and likewise the tour-nament run and season for Bluffton. In the end, Bluff-ton fi nished with a 9-8-1 sea-son record, and Continental moved on with a record of 7-7-2.

Next week’s edition will include a season wrap-up and post season honors and awards.

by Scott Little

Columbus Grove needed a win to get into the playoffs and they got it over Bluffton in Week 10 football action. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 20-0 lead and, save for a few bursts that made the game exciting, dominated the rest of the way, running at will. Bluffton fi nishes the year at 5-5 while Grove fi nished with seven victories in ten tries. Thirteen seniors played their fi nal game for Bluffton: Jeremy Basinger, Keshaun Hughes, Michael Liska, Lo-gan Skelly, RJ Stratton, Wes Barry, Matt Gillett, Bran-

don Deeds, Kody Koronich, Hunter Joseph, Jacob Nien-berg, Kyle Risner and Chase Wilson.

Columbus Grove took the opening kickoff and after a few meager runs, scored from 47 yards out on a throw-back screen to wideout Zach Barrientes. Nienberg rose up and blocked the extra point to keep it 6-0. The Bulldogs picked off a Pirate pass and setup shop on the Bluffton 45 yard line. After a 31 yard dash up the left sideline, the Bulldogs plowed into the end zone a few plays later from the three. Bluffton’s offense

went three and out and punt-ed to give Grove yet another chance and they scored from 46 yards out on a reverse fl ea fl icker. The PAT made it 20-0 with three minutes left in the fi rst quarter.

Bluffton snapped to and drove 76 yards in 14 plays, staying mainly on the ground. Keshaun Hughes, Jeremy Basinger and Robbie Stratton rotated carries on the drive. The biggest play of the drive was through the air on a 28 yard pass from Stratton to a wide open Isaac Little up the left sideline. Basinger plunged in from two yards

out for Bluffton’s fi rst score. Matt Deter’s PAT made it 20-7 with ten minutes left in the half. After the teams trad-ed possessions, CG found the end zone again on a rush by running back Wade Hefner. The two point conversion was good for a 28-7 lead with three minutes to go. Bluffton didn’t sit on the ball though. Starting at their own 34, BHS advanced to the Grove 29 be-fore the drive stalled. Robbie Stratton’s 29 yard gash up the middle highlighted the drive.

Senior quarterback Hunter Joseph made his fi rst appear-ance since Week 5 to start the second half, and provided an instant spark on the offense in the second half. Joseph found RJ Stratton for a gain of 13 yards to the Grove 46. Basinger took care of business on the next play, brushing off one tackle then rumbling to the end zone for a long touchdown run, mak-ing the score 28-14. Austin Devier had a great night pres-suring Grove quarterback Jordan Travis and forced two holding calls on CG on their next drive. The Pirate ‘D’ forced a punt but the of-fense could do nothing with the ball and punted it back. CG went back to the ground game, picking up 46 yards on 11 rushing plays on their next drive making it to the Bluffton four. But the Bull-dogs missed a fi eld goal and

it was still a 28-14 game with 11 minutes to go.

Turnovers doomed any chance of a comeback from that point. Joseph was picked off on Bluffton’s next posses-sion, setting up the Bulldogs on the Pirate 45. Four plays later, the Bulldogs scored on a 21 yard pass play to make it 35-14. On the second play of the next drive, Joseph was sacked and fumbled, with Grove recovering on the Pi-rate 20 yard line. Four plays

later, Hefner snuck into the end zone again and the game was out of reach for the boys from Allen County.

Robbie Stratton fi nished with 57 passing yards and 62 rushing yards to lead Bluff-ton in both categories. Jer-emy Basinger fi nished with 59 yards and both Bluffton scores. Isaac Little had 28 yards and RJ Stratton added 22 yards on two grabs to lead the receiving corps.

Columbus Grove Downs Pirates to End Season

Jeremy Basinger scored twice, including this 46 yard scamper, at Grove. Photo by Mark Yoder

by Sam Brauen

Pirates Fall in District Soccer Match

Lucas Harnish heads down vs Continental. Photo by Scott Hoff

Goalkeeper Kory Enneking makes a save vs Continental Photo by Scott Hoff

Hannah Chappell-Dick (middle) with parents Wendy and Andy.

Th e Bluff ton News Th ursday, November 3, 2011

B2

Bluffton Cross Country District Meet Details

by Hannah Chappell-Dick

The Bluffton Lady Pirates cross country team toed the starting line Saturday, Oc-tober 22, knowing that a battle lay ahead. To qualify for Regionals, an individual must place in the top 16 and a team in the top 4.

Bluffton, as the team was well aware, was seeded 5th.

Rival schools Pando-ra-Gilboa and Kalida had beaten Bluffton during the regular season and with cross country powerhouses Liberty Center and Liberty-Benton also on the line, the top 4 spots appeared to be a sealed deal. The Bluff-ton ladies knew, however, that their place on the paper didn’t dictate their potential.

As the starter blew his whistle and raised the gun, the athletes on the line be-came quiet. Warm-ups, adrenaline, and the nervous knowledge that this race could be their last took each runners’ breath away in the heavy silence. As Canadian Olympic marathoner once said, when the gun sounds, each runner has to ask them-selves one question: “Are you going to be a wimp, or are you going be strong to-day?” The Bluffton Ladies undoubtedly made the right choice.

Hannah Chappell-Dick stumbled across the fi n-ish line fi rst for Bluffton in 19:31.6, placing 3rd af-ter Kalida’s Jessica Doep-ker (16th at the state meet in 2010) pulled ahead in the last mile to fi nish 2nd in 19:19.3. No one could touch Brittany Atkinson, a freshman from Liberty Center, who won the race in 18:30.8.

Julie Althaus ran solidly for the Pirates, fi nishing the 5 kilometer distance in 21:29.6. She placed 20th, 4 spots off qualifying indi-vidually. She awaited her teammates with nervous an-ticipation, knowing that their performances determined whether or not this was her

last race of the year and trust-ing them to give it their all.

Only a minute later, Audrey Marshall sprinted down the homestretch and into the fi nish chute in her best time ever, 22:43.4. She placed 28th, way higher than she was expected to. Mor-gan Humphreys was close behind, fi nishing 30th in 22:50.7. The girls who had fi nished hugged and congrat-ulated each other, but still kept their eyes on the line to look for number 5.

Suddenly, the Bluff-ton runners began to pour in. Haley Keller (23:29.3), Courtney Barnett (23:48.7), and Delaney Reineke (23:58.3) crossed the line in spots 35, 37, and 39 respec-tively. Courtney Barnett had taken an entire minute off her personal best time. As only the Varsity runners (top 7) can compete at districts, this trio was Bluffton’s fi nal.

As the team watched three runners from both P-G and Kalida cross the line behind Bluffton’s last, they began to realize how much they had moved up during the race. With incredulous, but trium-phant nods, the Bluffton girls pulled each other into a hug, with both coach and captain whispering that even if they didn’t place in the top four, the season had ended with a win.

When Coach Blair re-ceived the tabulated results, she looked towards her team with unveiled excitement, held up three fi ngers, and mouthed, “We got third!” Amid the screams, laughter, and tears, the team pulled together for a prayer of thanks before sprinting and cart-wheeling with renewed energy back towards the tent to wish the boys’ team good luck.

In the end, Liberty Cen-ter (ranked 2nd in the state) placed 4 girls in the top-7, each earning First Team All-District honors. They scored 32 points with a blazing average time of 19:55.04. Libery-Benton was, of

course, runner-up with 60 points. Bluffton was lucky number 3 with only 101 points and an average time of 22:00.92, much lower than before even on the sog-gy course. Pandora-Gilboa also earned a spot on the Re-gional roster, beating Kalida by only one point, 116-117.

Nisly Finishes Top-10, Qualifi es for Regional Meet

Junior Jonathan Nisly had quite a race on Saturday en route to placing 10th at the District Meet in a PR of 17:42.1. Going into the race, he was well aware of his 21st place seed, and knew that he would have to gain at least 5 spots in order to qualify indi-vidually.

Nisly, who runs progres-sively and often hits even splits at each mile, knew that he would need to get in a good position right from the start. He hit his fi rst mile in 15th place, twenty seconds faster than normal. He was right where he needed to be, as long as he could hold onto his position. He did more than that and moved up in the last half mile to seal his spot at the Regional Meet.

Senior Ellis Barnes placed 41st in 18:53.9, a PR and his fi rst sub-19 minute time to close his last season of cross country. Sophomore Alan Childs ran 19:40.5 in his fi nal race of the year, placing 55th.

Junior Stefan Stechschul-te (20:46) and Freshman John Oakley (22:06) each ran PRs to end their seasons, placing 71st and 84th respec-tively. Stechschulte has tak-en huge strides this year and dropped his time by a couple minutes since 2010. Oakley joined late in the season and has three more years to run full seasons!

Going into the race, the Bluffton boys were seeded second to last, but moved up to a very respectable 9th out of 13. They scored 250 points and averaged 19:49.70. St. Henry won the meet with 36 points.

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Above: The girls lined up at the start of the District race. Below: A group shot of the runners at the Regional meet in Tiffi n. Photos submitted by Hannah Chappell-Dick

Arcadia Beats Rockets to Earn First Playoff Win

by Benji Bergstrand

by Matt M. Stutz

The Rockets traveled into enemy territory last Friday night to take on an Arcadia squad who had a lot riding on the week 10 Blanchard Valley Conference match-up. The Redskins, with a win had opportunity to qualify for the OHSAA Division VI playoffs for the fi rst time in school history. P-G was unable to put out the Redskins fi re as the Rockets dropped their fi -nal game of the 2011 season by a score of 41-6; with the

Arcadia community celebrat-ing the playoff clinching win.

P-G came into the game looking to play the spoiler, but the Redskins would have nothing to do with that as they jumped out to an early 13-0 lead after one quarter and blew the game wide open in the second quarter running up a 34-0 advantage at the half. P-G’s lone score came in the third quarter as Quarterback Josh Breece took the shot-gun snap and rifl ed a 24 yard scoring pass to receiver Abe Basinger who caught it for a

touchdown. The extra point was missed but the damage was already done. Arcadia would add another touch-down in the fourth quarter, to put the exclamation point on their historical season.

With the loss the Rock-ets (2-8, 2-7 BVC) wrapped up their 2011 season. With many young players seeing the fi eld this season, the ex-perience should help in the coming seasons as Rocket football will try to get back to the success they have tasted in recent memory.

The Cory-Rawson Hor-nets dropped their fi nal game of the season to the Arlington Red Devils on Friday night. A slow start in the fi rst half set the Hornets up with a defi cit they were unable to overcome.

Neither team was able to fi nd the end zone in the opening stanza, but Arlington scored fi rst early in the 2nd quarter on a two yard scoring pass from Blaize McBride to Jake Leonard. McBride would strike again with one minute remaining in the half

on a 47 yard pass play to Thane Recker. The Hornets trailed 14-0 going into the half.

The Hornets cut into the defi cit in the third quarter when Austin Heath scored on a one yard run. Leonard answered for the Red Dev-ils with a fi ve yard rushing touchdown of his own early in the fourth. The Hornets clawed their way back to within one score again less than two minutes later on a 7 yard run from Jeremiah Al-spach.

The Red Devils would take it from there scoring 10

unanswered points in the last few minutes of the 4th quar-ter on a fi eld goal from Zach Metzger and another rushing touchdown from Leonard. The fi nal tally was 31-14 in a game that was actually much closer throughout.

Alpach led the Hornets in passing and rushing with 109 yards through the air and 79 on the ground. Buzzy Simp-son had two receptions for 56 yards to lead the Hornets in receiving.

The Hornets end their sea-son at 3-7 overall and 3-6 in the Blanchard Valley Confer-ence.

Arlington Hands Hornets Another Loss, Season Ends

The Bluffton High School Drama Club has announced its fall plays for 2011. They are: The Case of the Disappearing Choir and Big Bad. The Case of the Disappearing Choir is an audience par-ticipatory mystery, by Tom & Celesta Letchworth. The choir is on their summer tour when their bus breaks down outside a scary-looking man-sion. Cassandra ‘’Cassie’’ Role (the cook) welcomes the choir in from the storm while Ann Suzy Astic (the choir director) calls for a tow truck. But when she returns, all but three singers are missing! Where are they? And who is responsible for their disap-pearance? Could it be the remaining choir members – Bo Ring,

Ariel “Ari” Head, or Clara Sill? Or perhaps the bus driver, Abel D’Drive? Or…could it be…Red Butler? It’s up to the audience to decide! Big Bad is a smart and wickedly funny play that lets the audience determine the outcome, by Alec Strum. The most notorious criminal in the fairy-tale world, Big Bad Wolf, is being slapped with a class-action lawsuit by the countless quirky char-acters he has wronged. Now, the two greatest legal minds in the Enchanted Forest — the Evil Stepmother and the Fairy Godmother — will clash (on live Court TV, no less, with Sydney Grimm as commentator!) in a trial that will be remembered forever after. As Little Red Riding Hood, her Grandmother, the Three

Little Pigs and the Shepherd in charge of the Boy Who Cried Wolf testify, the wolf seems deserving of all that’s coming. But, even though the disreputable Evil Stepmother couldn’t be less interested in pro-bono work on such an obviously futile defense, Mr. Wolf makes a good case for himself. Was he born a criminal, or made one? Perhaps he does deserve compassion instead of condemnation? What will the verdict be? Only the jury — the audience — can decide, when the doddering old Judge invites them to determine the outcome of the trial... and the play! Performances are November 11 and 12 at 7:30 p.m. on the Middle School stage.

BHS Announces Fall Plays

Letters to the Editor may be sent to:Letters to the Editor may be sent to:editor@blufftonnews.comeditor@blufftonnews.com

101 North Main St., Bluffton101 North Main St., Bluffton

Th e Bluff ton News Th ursday, November 3, 2011

B3

Chris Byrd (File Photo). Photo by Burton Andrews

The Bluffton University volleyball team achieved a few more of its goals with decisive wins over Franklin College and the College of Wooster on Saturday, Oct. 29. The Beavers claimed a share of their second Heartland Conference title in three years with the win over Franklin. Bluffton, MSJ, Transy, Hanover and Rose-Hulman all fi nished the season 7-2 in the HCAC and will be rewarded with a championship banner for the 2011 season. The sec-ond Senior Day matchup saw Bluffton demolish a tal-ented Wooster squad for the Beavers’ fourth consecutive 20-win season under Coach Yarnell.

The Beavers opened with Franklin College, seeking out a chance at another HCAC title. After trailing 19-9 in the fi rst set, the Beavers put together a miraculous rally with the help of some superb net play by seniors Courtney Zimmerman (Leesburg/Fairfi eld) and Nicole Wood (Tiffin/Hopewell-Loudon) to win the set 27-25. The Beavers continued to stuff Franklin in the second and third sets, sweeping the Grizzlies 3-0 (27-25, 25-14, 25-10).

The senior trio of hit-

ters once again came out swinging, pounding 41 kills between them. Nicole Wood capped an outstand-ing week with 18 impressive kills (.471 hitting). Courtney Zimmerman added 12 kills (.550 hitting) and Jenna Eshleman (Landisville, Penn./Hempfi eld) countered with 11 bombers.

Sophomore Kyleigh Whitsel (Sheffi eld Lake/Brookside) set up the Beaver offense with 45 assists as well as eight digs.

Defensively, junior libero Heather Schierer (Crescent Springs, Ky./St. Henry) led the team with 14 digs, fol-lowed by Eshleman with 11 of her own for her 42nd career double-double. Sophomores Hailey Phillips (Malinta/Patrick Henry) and Lindsay Krohn (Marysville, Ind./New Washington) picked up seven and six digs, respectively.

Senior Nicole Wood ended the second match of the afternoon with 17 spikes against the Scots. Also reach-ing double-digit kills was fel-low senior Jenna Eshleman who knocked down 12 win-ners. Courtney Zimmerman, Lauren Morrow (Marion/River Valley) and Bethany Behnfeldt (Napoleon) each fi nished with seven kills.

Wood had just four errors on 34 attacks for a .382 hitting percentage.

The Beaver defense was up to the task as three ladies picked up double-digit digs. Junior libero Heather Schierer led Bluffton with 16, while Lindsay Krohn and Jenna Eshelman each came up with 11.

Whitsel set up the front line with 46 helpers and she narrowly missed a double-double with nine digs. She and Schierer rifl ed four and three aces, respectively, in the four-set victory. Morrow stuffed the Scots with two solo and two block assists. Her seven kills and four blocks both established new career highs as she con-trolled the net for Bluffton on Senior Day.

By virtue of the tie-break-ing procedures, Bluffton earned the #3 seed and will host #6 seed and long-time rival Defi ance College in Founders Hall on Tuesday, Nov. 1. That match is slat-ed for 7 or 7:30 p.m. and it is a rematch from this past Wednesday night when Bluffton hosted the Yellow Jackets. The winner of that match will play #2 seed Mount St. Joseph at Hanover on Saturday, Nov. 5, at 5 p.m.

Women’s Basketball Preview

Panthers Snap Bluffton’s Four-Game Win Streak

University Sports Update University Sports Update

Bluffton University fell to Hanover College 5-0 on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011. The Beavers ended their season at 2-16 overall and 1-8 in the Heartland Conference, while the Panthers improved to 6-12 and 3-6 in the HCAC.

The Beavers battled in the fi rst half, but went to the break down by two. The Panthers scored on goals by

Drew Servais and Mathew Grau. The second half saw each team rack up 14 fouls along with seven total cards in the fi nal stanza. Hanover added three goals by Jake Stawick, Kent Miller, and Kyle Bohnert.

Senior keeper Dan Saville (Toledo/Central Catholic) was busy, collecting eight saves in his Senior Day con-

test. Hanover fi red nine more shots than Bluffton (16-7) and forced one more corner kick than the Beavers (5-4). Nate Byrum (London) paced the Bluffton offense with three shots in the match, including two on frame.

Bluffton wrapped up its 2011 campaign with a 2-16 mark (1-8 HCAC).

The Bluffton University football team saw its four-game winning streak snapped at Hanover College on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011. The Beavers were limited to just 211 total yards and eight fi rst downs as Hanover scored four second half touchdowns en route to a 42-14 win. Bluffton fell to 4-5 overall and 4-3 in the Heartland Conference, while Hanover improved to 5-3 and 5-1 in the HCAC.

Bluffton took over at the visitor 20-yard line follow-ing a Hanover fumble into the end zone on the Panthers’ fi rst possession of the game. The Beavers went three-and-out and the home team took advantage with a 14-play, 72-yard drive that used up 6:15 off the play clock and was capped by a D. Bailey seven-yard scoring run.

Both teams struggled to keep drives alive through-out the rest of the fi rst half until late in the second quar-ter when the Panthers went 70 yards in seven plays, needing just 1:58 to make the score 14-0 following a 35-yard Dexter Britt comple-tion to D. Eubanks with 44

ticks remaining.Early in period three,

Chris Byrd (Detroit, Mich./Detroit Univ. Prep) found Jason A. Johnson (Lansing, Mich./Lansing Eastern) for a 47-yard pickup to the Hanover 28-yard line. Byrd then hit fullback Jeff Gehring (Parma/Trinity) for 11 yards before hooking up with Johnson again on a 10-yard scoring toss.

The home team went up 21-7 with 39 seconds left in the third period before a Hanover interception 17 ticks later set up another Panther score as the quar-ter ended. Bluffton lost four yards on its next possession and Hanover followed with a nine-play, 68-yard scoring drive that made the score 35-7 when D. Bailey took it in from 16 yards out. The Beavers moved the chains twice on their ensuing drive, but an Andy Dalton 85-yard interception return to paydirt capped the scoring at 42-7 in favor of the Panthers.

Byrd completed 10-of-20 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown. His favorite target, Jason A. Johnson, hauled in four recep-

tions for 74 yards. Todd Trotter (Cincinnati/Aiken University) and Shawn Frost (Edison/Mt. Gilead) both chipped in with three catches. Sophomore Birchel Ralph (Cape Coral, Fla./Island Coast) paced the defense with seven solo tackles. Justin Hahn (Rocky River) and Spenser Smith (Wilmington) added fi ve stops apiece.

Hanover totaled 462 yards of offense, compared to 211 for the Beavers. Bluffton picked up just 63 yards on the ground, while Hanover rushed for 169. The home team also put up 293 yards through the air (148 for Bluffton). Both teams struggled to take care of the ball as they combined to lose fi ve fumbles. Hanover took advantage of both Bluffton interceptions, turning them into 14 points. Bluffton struggled to move the ball on third down (6-of-17), while the Panthers were 11-of-17.

The Beavers are off this week before traveling to rival Defi ance College for the season-fi nale on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2011. The contest is slated for 1:30 p.m.

Men’s Soccer Ends Season

The sunny and crisp fall temperatures made for a perfect day for cross coun-try as Bluffton’s women’s and men’s cross coun-try teams competed in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships hosted by Anderson University on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011. Manchester College won the HCAC titles for both men and women, but the Bluffton women placed 5th out of the 10 conference teams, which marks the best conference fi nish the Beavers have had since they took 5th in 2005. The women were just fi ve points shy of fourth place. The Bluffton men fi nished in 9th place and it was the fi rst team fi nish for the men in four years.

Sophomore Brandi Dominique (Wauseon) led the Bluffton women in the 6,000 meter race as she ran a lifetime personal best of 24:33 to fi nish in 7th place. Not only was this the best individual fi nish for the Bluffton women since the

Beavers joined the Heartland Conference in 1999, but it also earned her All-HCAC honors for placing in the top 12. Senior Heather Smith (Elkhart, Ind./Concord) also ran a lifetime personal best of 25:20 and fi nished 20th, giving her HCAC Honorable Mention for placing in the top 20.

To complete the wom-en’s score, junior Alison Janzen (Whitewater, Kan./Remington) fi nished 38th with a lifetime personal best of 26:35, sophomore Lyndsey Darrow (Pioneer/North Central) fi nished 51st with a time of 27:15, and junior Katy Heffner (Troy/Troy) placed 62nd with a time of 27:44. Sophomore Ashley Hiller (New Philadelphia/Tuscarawas Valley) also competed and fi nished with a time of 36:32.

Leading the Bluffton men’s top fi ve in the 8,000-meter race was senior Andy Chaffee (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) with a season best time of 28:40. The men’s team score was

completed by freshman Ryan Schadewald (Lima/Bath) with a time of 29:59, junior Chris Arnold (Fort Wayne, IN/Canterbury) with a time of 32:45, freshman Mike Gray (Ulysses, Penn./Northern Potter) with a time of 34:48, and junior Jeremy Kidder (New Carlisle/New Carlisle) with a season-best time of 35:20.

Head Coach Karen Brandt commented, “There is so much pride that comes with today. These athletes wanted something. They knew it wasn’t going to be easy and they knew no one else could run their races for them. They had to execute and they had to believe. That’s what they did and look at what they accomplished this sea-son. They have so much to be proud of for themselves.”

The Beavers hard work isn’t over yet as they enter another train-ing cycle to prepare for the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships, host by Oberlin College on November 12, 2011.

Bluffton Women Take Fifth at Conference Championships

Beavers Volleyball Clinches a Share of Conference Title

The Bluffton University women’s soccer lost and then won big on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011. Hanover handed the Beavers a 4-1 setback, but Mount St. Joseph’s 1-0 victory over Manchester assured Bluffton of its fi rst Heartland Conference tournament berth. Bluffton slipped to 10-4-2 overall and 5-3-1 in the HCAC, while the Panthers clinched at least a share of fi rst place in the conference at 8-1 and 14-2-1 overall.

Paige Byers used an Erin Hancook feed to put

the Panthers on the board just 13:16 into the contest. Bluffton fought off the vis-itors for the remiander of half, trailing just 1-0 at the break.

Hanover made it 2-0 10 minutes into the second stan-za when Blaine Bishop found the back of the net. Six min-utes later, sophomore Jessica Ramirez (Archbold) col-lected a pass from Kourtney Lewis (Arlington/Riverdale) and cut the defi cit in half.

Tricia Walsh and Hannah Barker added late scores for the Panthers, making the

fi nal score 4-1 in favor of Hanover.

The visitors fi nished with a 14-4 edge in total shots, including 10-2 on frame. Hanover was called for four more fouls (14-10) and the Panthers forced eight more corner kicks (13-5) than their counterparts from Bluffton.

Sophomore Aimee Whitmer (Tontogany/Otsego) led the Beavers with two shots, one on goal. Sophomore keeper Maggie Armstrong (Vevay, Ind./Switzerland Cty.) tallied six saves in the loss.

Women’s Soccer Drops 4-1 Decision to Hanover

As the beginning of the season rapidly approaches, the Bluffton University women’s basketball team is working diligently to pre-pare for their fi rst game of the 2011-12 campaign. With seventh-year Head Coach Chad Shutler directing the Beavers, Bluffton will count on the experience and lead-ership of a talented and deep senior class. Coming off a season in which Bluffton fi n-ished 10-15 overall and 7-15 in the Heartland Conference, the Beavers will rely on that core group of three-year let-ter winners to strike a bal-ance on the court this season.

Bluffton will utilize the experience of those fi ve seniors to set the exam-ple throughout the sea-son. Senior wing Brittany Stegmaier (Garfi eld Heights/Trinity), the top returning scorer, averaged 12.3 points per game and 4.3 rebounds per contest. Senior guards Rachel Daman (Defi ance/Tinora) and Beth Yoder (Marshallville/Smithville) are talented shooters who can score from distance, while Brittany Lewis (Springfi eld/Shawnee) and Alicia Amis (Mechanicsburg) are adept ball handlers with a penchant for fi nding the open team-mate or taking it to the hole.

Providing an estab-

lished post presence as well as being able to step outside and knock down the mid-range jumper is junior Lauren Hutton (New Riegel). She is a key mem-ber of the Beavers as she averaged 9.8 PPG and 5.1 RPG while shooting a team-best 54 percent from the fi eld. Junior guard Francena Tate (Fostoria/St. Wendelin) came on late last year and gave Bluffton a spark off the bench. Sophomore post players Kylee Burkholder (West Unity/Hilltop) and Sarah Inskeep (Morral/Ridgedale) give the Beavers options on the block this season. Burkholder scored 4.0 PPG and hauled in 3.6 RPG, while Inskeep spent her freshman campaign side-lined with an injury.

Also looking to crack the rotation for Coach Shutler are six freshmen and junior transfer Elizabeth Miller (Riverside, Iowa) who played for Hesston College the past two seasons. How quickly the newcomers adjust to the speed of the game will deter-mine how much time they see on the fl oor this sea-son as Bluffton returns eight players who saw signifi cant action last year.

Returning to Bluffton after a decorated career at point guard for the Beavers

is fi rst year assistant coach Amanda Bell. She stated that, “Having fi ve seniors with three years of experi-ence will positively impact the team as those ladies all know what it means to compete successfully at this level.”

The Beavers are ready to build on a foundation that recent graduates and Outstanding Senior Female Athletes Ginny Buckingham and #2 all-time leading scorer Kim Miller helped to forge. Bluffton fi nished its 2010-11 campaign second in the conference for assists and third in triples made. With a guard-laden squad on the fl oor this season, that trend is likely to continue. Taking care of the ball and being able to force turnovers and convert them into easy baskets will be important if the Bluffton seniors are to make a run in the Heartland Conference tournament as the Beavers play what looks to be their fi nal full season in Founders Hall. The HCAC should be balanced in 2011-12 with defending champion Hanover graduating fi ve tal-ented seniors from a squad that went 25-2 and 17-1 in the conference.

Seniors Ready to Lead Beavers on the Hardcourt in 2011-12

Th e Bluff ton News Th ursday, November 3, 2011

B4

Peace Lecturer Questions Need for World War II

Dr. Crystal Sellers

Dr. Crystal Sellers wants to introduce people to the gospel music she grew up with, and still loves.

The week of Nov. 6, the Columbus, Ohio, native will do it in a big way at Bluffton University, where she is an assistant professor of music.

“Blended Voices: Music and Worship in the Gospel Tradition” is a weeklong celebration that will fea-ture Dr. Raymond Wise, a composer, arranger, gospel historian and minister from Columbus. It will conclude Saturday, Nov. 12, with a morning conference hosted by Sellers and a 6 p.m. gos-pel concert in Founders Hall. The concert will blend 206 voices, primarily from four Bluffton choirs, including the campus-community gos-pel choir directed by Sell-ers; four choirs from area churches; and Wise’s Raise Productions Choir.

Highlighting the Saturday conference will be a 9 a.m. keynote address by Wise in Yoder Recital Hall and four concurrent sessions, begin-ning at 10:15 a.m., for school choral directors, church choir directors, church musi-cians and church choir sing-ers. Presenters will be Sell-ers and three fellow Bluffton music faculty members—Dr. Lucia Unrau, professor and chair of music; Dr. Mark Su-derman, professor of music; and Dr. Jon Peterson, assis-tant professor of music.

The conference costs $20 for adults and $15 for stu-dents; prices include morn-ing refreshments, materials and lunch. Attendees, who should register by Nov. 7, may also buy a $10 meal ticket to eat supper with Wise and members of the concert choirs from 4-5:30 p.m. in Marbeck Center.

The 6 p.m. concert is free. With parking at a pre-mium due to construction of the Health and Fitness Education Center, concert-

goers who will be driving to campus should drop off pas-sengers in front of Founders Hall before parking either in the Bentley Road lot or the Citizens National Bank/First Mennonite Church lot on Jackson Street. University vans will serve as shuttles between those two parking lots and Founders Hall both before the concert—begin-ning at 5 p.m.—and after-ward.

“My dream has always been to bring together people who might never consider this gospel style,” says Sell-ers, who organized the Bluff-ton University Gospel Choir last year. The choir, which has grown to 65 campus and community members this year, presented concerts to standing-room-only audi-ences in Yoder Recital Hall last fall and spring. Those performances were “a testa-ment to the popularity of this group,” adds the director, who brought Wise—a friend of her father’s and her fi rst voice teacher—to Bluffton to conduct some of his music at the spring concert.

While he was on campus, a conversation with Unrau about how Bluffton could celebrate gospel was the fi rst step toward “Blended Voic-es,” Sellers says. After Jeff Boehr, coordinator of church relations, and campus pastor Stephen “Tig” Intagliata also became involved, the dates were set to coincide with the university’s Spiritual Life Week.

As a result of that pair-ing, Wise will also be the Bluffton Forum speaker, “Exploring the Signifi cance of African-American Sacred Music” at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8, in Yoder Recital Hall, and both Sellers and he will address the Spiritual Life Week theme, “Finding Your Voice,” at services in Yoder at 8:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6, and at 11 a.m. Thurs-day, Nov. 10, respectively.

All three of those programs are free and open to the pub-lic as well.

After discussing individu-al voices for several days, by Friday, Nov. 11, “we’ll start blending them,” says Sellers. She has been helping the par-ticipating choirs prepare, and they will gather at 6:30 p.m. that evening for a combined rehearsal with Wise.

Joining forces with the gospel choir will be fellow campus groups Accent!, a men’s chorus; Camerata Singers, a select mixed choir; and Bel Canto, a women’s chorus; choirs from First Mennonite Church, 11th Street Missionary Baptist Church in Lima, First Pres-byterian Church in Findlay and a combined choir from three area United Churches of Christ; and Wise’s Raise Productions Choir, which Sellers describes as “one of the very few semi-profes-sional gospel choirs that has traveled around Europe.”

Each of those choirs will perform one piece during the concert, with the excep-tion of the university gos-pel choir, which will pres-ent three numbers—“Total Praise,” with accompani-ment by Bluffton’s Worship Dance Team and an instru-mental ensemble of universi-ty faculty and students, plus Wise arrangements of “Lord, I Want to be a Christian” and “So Glad to be Here.”

About 15 individuals who learned about the event and were interested in singing will join all the choirs for the combined performance of Wise’s “Shine the Light.”

“Blended Voices” is the fi rst in what’s envisioned as a biannual series of similar programs focused on vari-ous styles of worship music, such as hymns and contem-porary Christian music, Sell-ers says.

For registration and more information, go to www.bluffton.edu/mus/blended/.

Leonard Kress, a poet and a faculty member in com-munications/humanities at Owens Community College in Toledo, will read from his work at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8, in the Musselman Library Reading Room at Bluffton University. The event, be-ginning with refreshments at 3:45 p.m., is free and open to

the public.A Toledo native who grew

up in the Philadelphia area, Kress has written several books of poetry. His work—also including fi ction and prose—has appeared in nu-merous journals as well, and he has received grants from the Ohio Arts Council and the Pennsylvania Council

on the Arts. Also a transla-tor of Polish poetry, he holds a master of fi ne arts degree in creative writing from Co-lumbia University, a master’s degree from the University of Illinois-Chicago and a bach-elor’s degree in religion from Temple University.

Bluffton to Host Poet’s Reading

Bluffton University News Bluffton University News

Jared Hudson (right), as Prince Manfred, confronts Eliot Nofziger (center), as Theodore, about his possible role in the death of Manfred’s son, Conrad, in a scene from Bluffton University’s production of “The Castle of Otranto,” opening at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3, in Ramseyer Auditorium in College Hall. The play will also be staged at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

The necessity of World War II isn’t as clear-cut as widely believed, Bluffton University’s Keeney Peace Lecturer told a campus audi-ence Oct. 25. The reasons often given for American involvement in the war raise compli-cated questions, said Dr. Ted Grimsrud, professor of theology and peace stud-ies at Eastern Mennonite University. But unjust means were certainly used to wage the war, he asserted, citing bombing of civilians that infl ated the confl ict’s tremendous cost in lives lost. And it continues to cast “a long shadow” in terms of consequences for the United States, he said. Providing an alterna-tive narrative, though, are the roughly 12,000 con-scientious objectors who performed alternative ser-vice during the war, noted Grimsrud. As servants—and, in some cases, trans-formers who later addressed social change—they strengthened organizations such as Mennonite Central Committee, the American Friends Service Committee and the Catholic Worker Movement, he said. Pointing to a death toll estimated at up to 80 mil-lion, most of them civilians, Grimsrud called World War II “the biggest catastrophe to ever befall humanity.” But the war has generally been viewed as necessary, a con-clusion he disputed. “Many people insist this is just a no-brainer,” said the former Mennonite pastor. Others see moral complexity but, all things—particularly the Holocaust—considered, believe it had to be fought, he added. Grimsrud argued, howev-er, that facts don’t necessar-ily support reasons put forth for going to war at the time, namely to maintain national autonomy, protect democ-racy against totalitarianism and save the Jews. Neither Germany nor Japan was interested in invading and trying to conquer the U.S., according to the pro-fessor. Both countries knew

the diffi culty of such an undertaking and wanted to dominate only their respective regions of the world, he maintained. The notion of the need to protect democracy was com-plicated in large part by America’s alli-ance with England, which ruled a colo-nial empire in oppo-sition to people’s right to self-determi-nation, and with the communist Soviet Union, which, under Stalin, was “as far

from democracy” as any nation, Grimsrud

said. The Holocaust question was complex as well, he continued, explaining that while then-Gen. Dwight Eisenhower said that was why the U.S. was fi ghting, his war policies ignored it. “Nothing was done to stop the Holocaust as it was hap-pening,” said Grimsrud. And demanding uncon-ditional surrender by the Nazis delayed the war’s end, allowing them to continue the genocide for months, he added. Although acknowledg-ing the explanation may be “simplistic,” he suggested the war effort was sustained by other factors, includ-ing U.S.-Japanese imperi-alist confl ict over the Far East, German undermin-ing of American corporate interests and growing U.S. awareness of its potential for world economic and mili-tary dominance. Early in the war, the U.S. urged noncombatant immu-nity—one standard for judg-ing if the means used in warfare are just, Grimsrud noted. That changed, though, by 1943, when air attacks intentionally inciner-ated everything in their path for the fi rst time, he said. Hamburg, Germany, was hit that July, sending displaced residents to work in subur-ban weapons plants where they helped the German war effort by alleviating a labor shortage, he pointed out. All reluctance to strike civilians was gone, he con-tinued, by early 1945, when Dresden, Germany, was bombed in February and Tokyo in March. A bomb-ing campaign ensued across Japan over the next fi ve months before the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. “Debate contin-ues about the military neces-sity of those bombs,” which killed, whether immediate-ly or eventually, hundreds of thousands of Japanese, Grimsrud said. “However, they clearly violated the ‘just means’ criteria of pro-portionality and noncomba-tant immunity.”

The surge in wide-scale bombing—considered a war crime by some—had a major impact on warfare in following years, he added. Total tonnage of bombs dropped by the U.S. rose to about 6.7 million tons dur-ing the Vietnam War, nearly double the 3.4 million tons unleashed during World War II, he noted. “It’s too easy to say, ‘We won, so it’s worth it,’” said Grimsrud, recounting not only the death toll but also the “tens of millions” injured and driven from their homes, and the envi-ronmental damage wrought. The war’s legacy went much further, however. Among the Allies’ goals, as stated in the Atlantic Charter of 1941, were postwar disar-mament and expansion of the right of self-determination to all people. Grimsrud said. But the result, he said, was “abject failure” in central Europe, where communism spread rather than democ-racy, and even in the U.S., where President Franklin Roosevelt, feeling con-strained by the Constitution, had taken war action with-out congressional consent or public knowledge. After the war, the nation didn’t demo-bilize, as it had following previous wars, but instead became “a national security state” with the Pentagon at the center of power in the federal government, accord-ing to Grimsrud. Both a small military and congressional declarations of war were “gone forev-er” by 1945, the professor said, and two years later, the U.S. was locked into the Cold War by the Truman Doctrine. “The past 65 years are a litany of one Truman Doctrine-inspired intervention after another,” including the 1991 Gulf War, which could have been avoided diplomatically but instead represented a lost chance for ongoing peace after the Soviet empire dis-solved, he said. Grimsrud concluded with an allusion to the visions of the Beast and the Lamb in Revelation 13 and 14. “The beastly power of mili-tarism seems an overwhelm-ing legacy of World War II,” he said. “But we may draw hope from the Lamb-like witness of those who opposed that war and whose inspiration has rippled down through the years and empowered an alternative legacy of nonviolent peace-making.” Bluffton’s Keeney Peace Lectureship was established in 1978 by the family of William Sr. and Kathryn Keeney to express appre-ciation for Bluffton’s infl u-ence and to strengthen the continuing peace witness among the community.

The Castle of Otranto at BU

More Than 200 ‘Blended Voices’ to Sing Gospel

Dr. Raymond Wise

Dr. Ted Grimsrud

Dr. Jeffrey Boehm im-mersed himself in Ohio River steamboat music last summer for a mini-documentary he is making on the subject. The Bluffton University music professor will share his ex-periences at a campus collo-quium Friday, Nov. 4.

Free and open to the pub-lic, his presentation, “Music on the Ohio,” will begin at

4 p.m. in Stutzman Lecture Hall in Centennial Hall.

Boehm received a Bluff-ton University Research Center grant for his summer project, which stemmed from his current presidency of the Jazz Education Connection of Ohio. The group decided to create a series of educa-tional videos for its website, and he thought a mini-docu-

mentary about Ohio riverboat music—a longtime interest of his—would be a good start.

During the colloquium, he will discuss learning to be a cinematographer, scriptwriter and historical researcher, as well as his misperceptions about steamboat jazz before the project.

‘Music on the Ohio’ Discussion

Th e Bluff ton News Th ursday, November 3, 2011

B5

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The Bluffton Trinity United Methodist Church is beginning their 3rd annual winter coat drive. In the past two years the church has collected over 500 coats of which over 450 have been distributed locally within the Bluffton, Ada, Rawson and Arlington areas. The remain-ing coats have been donated to homeless shelters in the Findlay and Lima areas. With the forecast of an extremely harsh winter, cold tempera-tures and much precipita-tion, we are urging people to consider donating any winter coats (all sizes), hats, gloves, and scarves so they can be

used by those in need. You may call the church at 419-303-4776 to make arrange-ments for drop off times or we can pick them up at your residence. We do have the following businesses avail-able to also drop coats off: Bluffton Library, Luke’s Bar & Grill, Community Markets, and the Sports Warehouse.

The winter coats will be given away on Saturday, November 12th, from 9 a.m. until noon. Bluffton Trinity UMC is located two miles east of Bluffton on route 103. Thank you in advance for your contributions.

Bluffton Trinity Starts 3rd Annual Winter Coat Drive VANCE STREET

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581 Birch Court, Bluffton. Outstanding 3 BRS, 2 BA ranch, finished base-ment! Lovely yard! Open floor plan! $239,900. Great room, formal dining room, den. Eat-in-kitchen, nice cabinets. Elm/Augsburger to Riverbend. Call Starley at RE/MAX Realty Findlay 419-722-3942 or 419-423-8004.

LEGAL NOTICE

Area Agency on Aging 3, located in Lima, Ohio funds needed social services for persons aged 60 and older re-siding in Allen, Auglaize, Hancock, Hardin, Mercer, Put-nam and Van Wert counties. Area Agency on Aging 3, has applied for a grant from the Ohio Department of Develop-ment / Ohio Housing Trust Fund to provide Emergency Home Repairs and Modifi cations for income eligible senior citizens for 2012 - 2013. Examples of repairs and modifi cations include roofs, windows, furnaces and en-trance ramps. Those interested in becoming contractors for this service may contact Jeff Wahl, LSW at (419) 222-7723, Ext. 234 or pick-up an application packet from AAA 3 Area Agency on Aging, Inc. The offi ce is located at 200 East High St., 2nd Floor, Lima, Ohio 45801. Criminal background checks are required and references will be checked. We are an equal opportunity employer and grantor agency.

Bluffton Hospital has been named one of the top 100 critical access hospitals in the nation by the National Rural Health Association. Bluffton Hospital was one of only fi ve hospitals in Ohio to receive this designation.

Being named a top 100 critical access hospital means that Bluffton Hospital received high scores in the Hospital Strength Index™. The Index, a fi rst-ever com-prehensive rating system for critical access hospi-tals, evaluates each hospital across 56 performance met-rics.

Metrics reviewed include

market strength such as competitiveness and growth, value-based strength includ-ing quality, outcomes and cost, and fi nancial strength indicators of long-term sus-tainability.

“Being named to this list means that Bluffton Hospital is one of the top performing hospitals in the nation,” said Bill Watkins, chief admin-istrative offi cer of Bluffton Hospital. “We are proud to offer the community qual-ity care and a commitment to continued improvement to ensure we always pro-vide top-notch care close to home.”

Bluffton Hospital Named a Top 100 Critical Access Hospital in the U.S.

Community Calendars

Are Here!2011-2012

Community Calendars

are still available at the News

office.

The Allen County Board of Elections will have ex-tended offi ce hours this Friday, November 4, 2011 from 8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. for In-Person Absentee Vot-ing.

Normal hours of opera-tion are Monday – Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

NOTICE: In- Person Ab-sentee Voting ENDS THIS FRIDAY November 4, 2011

at 6:00 p.m.

Allen County Board of Elections Extended Hours Don’t ForgetDon’t Forget

to Vote to Vote on Tuesday,on Tuesday,November 8!November 8!

LUNCH MENU SPONSORED BY CHILES~LAMAN FUNERAL & CREMATION SERVICES

What’s for lunch? November 7 - November 11

BLUFFTON CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTERMONDAY:B: Cold Cereal, Oranges, MilkL: Macaroni & Cheese w/Ham, Peas, Apricots, MilkS: Taco Chex Mix, Juice

TUESDAY: B: Yogurt, Fruit, Cereal, MilkL: Porcupine Meatballs, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, Wheat Roll, MilkS: Apple Slices, Peanut Butter

WEDNESDAY: B: Cinnamon Toast, Fruit, MilkL: Chicken Patty, Brown Rice Pilaf, Broccoli w/Cheese, Peaches, MilkS: Tortilla Chips, Black Bean Dip

THURSDAY:B: French Toast, Fruit Cocktail, Milk L: Peanut Butter & Jelly, Cheese, Sunny Carrot Salad, Applesauce, MilkS: Fruit Jigglers, Animal Crackers

FRIDAY:B: Whole Grain Muffin, Applesauce, MilkL: Navy Bean Soup, Corn Bread, Salad, Apricots, MilkS: Mini Bagel, Cream Cheese, Apple Juice

CORY-RAWSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOLMONDAY: Potato Fluff, Green Beans, Fruit, Milk TUESDAY: Cereal & Milk, Sausage, FruitWEDNESDAY: Cook’s ChoiceTHURSDAY: Spaghetti, Corn, Breadstick, Fruit, MilkFRIDAY: Corn Dog, Chips, Carrots, Fruit, Milk

CORY-RAWSON MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOLMONDAY: Hamburger Sandwich, Potatoes, Fruit, MilkTUESDAY: Quesadilla, Peas & Carrots, Fruit, Milk WEDNESDAY: Sloppy Joe Sandwich, Corn, Fruit, MilkTHURSDAY: Roll-up, Mix Veggies, Fruit, MilkFRIDAY: Taco Soup, Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Corn Chips, Fruit, Milk

PANDORA GILBOA SCHOOLMONDAY: Popcorn Chicken, Broccoli & Cheese, Pudding, Fruit, Milk Ala-Cart: Curly Fries, Pretzels, Salads TUESDAY: Hamburger, Cheese & Pickles, French Fries, Fruit, Milk Ala-Cart: Bosco Pizza, Pretzels, Salads WEDNESDAY: Pizza, Corn, Chips, Fruit, Milk Ala-Cart: Chicken Tenderloin, Pretzels, SaladsTHURSDAY: Tacos, Lettuce Cup/Cheese, Salsa, Fruit, Milk Ala-Cart: Taco Salads, Pretzels, SaladsFRIDAY: Teriyaki Chicken & Rice, Oriental, Vegetables, Fortune Cookie, Fruit, Milk Ala-Cart: Gyros/Mushrooms, Pretzels, Salads

BLUFFTON ELEMENTARY & MIDDLE SCHOOLMONDAY: Hot Dog, French Fries, Mixed Fruit, Milk MS: Ala-Cart: Hot PocketTUESDAY: Ravioli, Green Beans, Breadstick, Peaches, Milk MS: Ala-Cart: BBQ Pork SandwichWEDNESDAY: Popcorn Chicken, Tossed Salad w/Ranch Dressing, Juice Bar, Milk MS: Ala-Cart: Funnel Cake THURSDAY: Hamburger, Broccoli w/Cheese, Pears, Milk MS: Ala-Cart: Chili SoupFRIDAY: Pizza, Tossed Salad, w/Italian Dressing, Strawberry Cup, Milk MS: Ala-Cart: Nachos w/Cheese

BLUFFTON HIGH SCHOOLMONDAY: Salisbury Steak, Mashed Potatoes w/Gravy, Peas, Fruit, Dinner Roll, Milk Ala-Cart: Popcorn Chicken TUESDAY: Stuffed Crust Pepperoni Pizza, Salad, Fruit, Chips, Milk Ala-Cart: Tenderloin SandwichWEDNESDAY: Chicken Parmesan, Spaghetti w/Sauce, Ceasar Salad, Breadstick, Applesauce Cup, Milk Ala-Cart: Chicken Sandwich THURSDAY: Taco Salad, Refried Beans, Muffin, Sherbet, Milk Ala-Cart: Cheesebread StickFRIDAY: Shredded Chicken Sandwich, French Fries, Fruit, Cookie, Milk Ala-Cart: Pizza

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Don’t forget Daylight Savings ends November 6th at 2:00 a.m.! Be sure to set

your clocks back to get that extra hour of sleep!

Th e Bluff ton News Th ursday, November 3, 2011

B6

Over 200 units on display

www.dynastyspas.com

Now 2 Locations5217 Tama Road, Celina

SR 127, 5 miles North of Celina1 mile West on Tama

419-363-22304147 Elida Road, Lima

419-224-4656

Visit:www.

blufftonnews.comfor all

your local, up-to-

date news

information!

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requests that all classified ads be paid for

at the time the ad is placed.We accept cash, checks,

Visa, Master Card, AmEx, Discover.

419-358-1177

SMITH’SREALTY PROFESSIONALS, INC.

- 147 N. Main St. Bluffton, OH 45817 • Ph: (419) 358-1177 - 212 E. Main St. Pandora, OH 45877 • Ph: (419) 384-7676

RESIDENTIAL:$69,900 - 2 Story, 3BR, 1Bath - Ada$67,500 - Well-maintained ranch, 2BR, 1 Bath - Pandora

COMMERCIAL:$145,000 - Restaurant building, close to I-75 - Bluffton (POSSIBLE LEASE)

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