dupont valley times - january 2016

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January 29, 2016Serving Northwest Fort Wayne & Allen County INfortwayne.com

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(High school show choirs have begun their competition season. In this newspapers circulation area, Bishop Dwenger, Carroll and Northrop high schools share in show choir.)

By Garth [email protected]

Bishop Dwenger High SchoolFrom fall to spring, 75 Bishop

Dwenger High School students commit their energy to show choir. They tell stories in dance and music at host schools, including Dwengers own invitational.

Show choir is an activity that spans multiple sports seasons, said Christy Maloney, the director. We share some of these kids in the fall during fall sports, but once we hit winter season, this IS their sport.

The Elegance girls choir boasts 36

members. The Summit Sound mixed choir embraces 40 students. Eight girls are in both choirs. It takes quite a commitment, Maloney said.

Backstage, the seven members of the Bow Tie Maa band perform with both choirs.

The Elegance girls group is mostly freshmen and sophomores. This years show has a rock n roll theme,

Heritage Days toutsIndiana BicentennialBy Ryan [email protected]

One year off was enough for Huntertown Heritage Days.

Jenny McComb is seeing to that. McComb has reclaimed the throne as coordinator of the festival, which is sched-uled for Friday through Sunday, Aug. 5-7.

Right after last years festival was canceled, Id already made up my mind there was going to be a Heritage Days [in 2016], McComb said. I think the community looks forward to it. When they dont have it, they miss it. I have had several people tell me they missed it last year.

McComb said she was contacted by a member of the 2016 Indiana Bicentennial Allen County Outreach group, who was interested in having the Heritage Days Festival coordinate with the countys bicentennial

events. McComb said the theme is Huntertown Heritage Days celebrates Indianas Bicentennial and that parade oats should encompass that theme.

McComb is urging area businesses to partic-ipate in the parade and would like to see each of Huntertowns subdivi-sions enter a oat in the parade.

I expect the biggest parade weve ever had. Even bigger than the year the McComb family was honored, McComb said with a laugh.

The rst weekend in August was the traditional date for the festival. Two years ago, the festival was moved to the second weekend in September in hopes for cooler weather. Crowds were smaller, competing with Friday football games and Saturday youth league soccer,

Gardening classes offerearly glimpse of spring


Steve Pawlowski took the rst 2016 seed catalog from his mailbox just days after the rst hard frost signaled the end of the 2015 garden season. I just got it this week. I couldnt believe it, he said in early December, adding that he expected to see dozens more seed catalogs by January.

That rst catalog was from Territorial Seeds. They have a lot of really diverse heirlooms and hybrids, he said. Its a really nice catalog. They have all kinds of different tomatoes. You can even get a wasabi plant.

Kathy Lee also has been gearing up for another year of gardening. She plans to start leeks from seed by the middle of February. Lee, too, is studying seed catalogs.

Its a lot cheaper, she said. You can buy a package of seeds that might have 30 seeds in it for the same amount of money that youd spend for four plants from the nursery or box store. You get a greater variety at much less cost, so you can try new things.

Both Lee and Pawlowski have earned the rank of Master Gardener. Both will share their enthusiasm and knowledge at February workshops at Salomon Farm Park Learning Center. Lee will instruct a Gardening in Winter workshop on Feb. 13. Pawlowski will instruct the Backyard Composting workshop on Feb. 20.

Serious gardeners may warm up by attending Selling Homemade Edibles: Understanding the Rules. Steve Niemo-

eller from the Allen County Health Depart-ment will direct that Feb. 6 workshop.

Lee said seed pack-ages tell whether to plant seeds after the last frost, or whether to plant inside and move the plants outside. So you have to count back on your calendar, she said.

Lee will start leek seeds in mid-February. March and April are heavy times for starting most seeds. Some are even planted the rst part of May, she said.

See SHOW, Page A11

The Elegance girls show choir rehearses at Bishop Dwenger High School. The choirs show has a rock n roll theme.PHOTO BY GARTH SNOW

Show choirs unite diverse talents

See DAYS, Page A14

For detailsQ Salomon Farm Park Learning Center is at 817 W. Dupont Road, Fort Wayne. Class fees and registration deadlines apply. See the Community Calendar.

Page B9

See SPRING, Page A13

Winterval offers visitors warm indoor options, tooDowntown Fort

Waynes fth annual Winterval festival on Saturday, Jan. 30, prom-ises indoor and outdoor winter fun for all ages.

Visitors may admire ice carving, take carriage rides, or watch as the brave of heart take the eld for Snow Bowl Rugby.

The Community Centers free Winter Carnival runs from 1-4 p.m., and includes pictures with Elsa and Anna from Frozen, horse and carriage rides,

face painting, games, snow crafts, indoor snowboarding, ngernail painting, ice carving demonstrations and treats. The Community Center is at 233 W. Main St.

The Botanical Conser-vatory has Winterval activities from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., including crafting a winter bird feeder, interactive displays, an ice carving demonstra-tion and refreshments. The Dig This! exhibit offers a chance to search for fossils and dinosaur bones.

Many venues also offer discounts and have refreshments.

9 a.m.-3 p.m.: Freeze Frame Picture Car & Truck Show & Model Car, Truck and Hobby Show. First Presbyterian Church, 300 W. Wayne St. Spectators admitted free. Exhibitors pay $10 entry fee.

10 a.m.-5 p.m.: Nouvelle Annee: A French Garrison 1756. The Old Fort (Historic Fort Wayne), 1201 Spy Run Ave. Free admission. Bake sale, hot cocoa and coffee.

10 a.m.-5 p.m. Science Central, 1950 N. Clinton St. Half-off usual admis-sion price, so its $4 for kids 3-12 and adults and $3.50 for seniors 65 and over. Glacial Gak liquid nitrogen ice cream, Roll, Drop, Bounce exhibit,

free vision screening. For program details and a breakdown of customary admission prices, visit sciencecentral.org.

11 a.m.-10 p.m. Public skating at Headwaters Park Ice Rink at Clinton and Superior streets. Fort Wayne Ice Skating Club exhibitions at 1:15, 2:15, 3:15 and 4:15 p.m. Regular admission of $3 for ages 13 and under, $5 for ages 14 and over. Skate rental $2. Specta-tors admitted free. Free parking.

Noon-4 p.m.: Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza. Bookmark craft, 1-4 p.m. Bicentennial photo booth and adult postcard coloring, 1-4 p.m. Lego building, 2-4 p.m.

1 p.m.: Snow Bowl Rugby Game. Lawton Park, 1900 N. Clinton St. Free admission. FW

Rugby Football Club vs. IPFW, Taylor University and Indiana Wesleyan rugby clubs.

2 p.m.: Fort Wayne Youtheatre presents Celebrate Indiana. Community Center, 233 W. Main St.

Live ice carvings Watch ice sculptors create their masterpieces. 11 a.m., Botanical Conserva-tory, 1100 S. Calhoun St.; noon, Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza; 2 p.m., Community Center, 233 W. Main St.

Prescrulpted ice carv-ings Stop by these sites at your convenience that

day to see completed ice carvings: Hoppy Gnome, 203 E. Berry St.; River-front Fort Wayne, 916 S. Calhoun St.; Visit Fort Wayne, 927 S. Harrison St.; University of Saint Francis Performing Arts Center, 431 W. Berry St.; Freimann Square, 200 E. Main St.

More information and photos can be found at WintervalFW.com. Winterval is sponsored by Majic 95.1, the Downtown Improvement District and Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation and is part of the Allen County celebration of the Indiana Bicentennial.

A2 INfortwayne.com Dupont Valley Times January 29, 2016

Watch ice carving demonstrations and see presculpted art at eight locations during Winterval on Saturday, Jan. 30, in downtown Fort Wayne.

PHOTO BY RAY STEUP

USF Jesters preparing spring performance

The Jesters of the University of Saint Francis will present Believe You Me as their annual spring perfor-mance.

Show are at 6 p.m. Saturday, March 12, and 3 p.m. Sunday, March 13, at 3 p.m. at the North Campus auditorium, 2702 Spring St., Fort Wayne. Tickets are $10 and are available now. Call the School of Creative Arts at (260) 399-7700, ext. 8001, for information.

This years show is about the evolution of ideas. Performers use music, dance, theater, visual art and puppets to follow the adventure of an idea from its initial seed thought to its eventual demise or manifesta-tion. Four lead character proles are based on real people with disabilities in the greater Fort Wayne community who have successfully pursued a meaningful idea. Throughout the show, good ideas and bad ideas are personied as char-acters. Other characters include good fairies who help protect and nourish the ideas, bad fairies who

try to diminish the ideas and fortune-tellers who provide counsel. In light of the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Believe You Me celebrates the ADA as an idea that provides people with disabilities a vehicle that supports an array of other ideas.

Sponsored by the University of Saint Francis since 1978, the Jesters is a performing group of people with mild to severe develop-mental disabilities. The purpose of the Jesters is to enhance quality of life for people with disabilities by engaging them in the creative arts. The vision is to develop self-expression, self-esteem, socializa-tion and other life skills while providing learning opportunities to the USF community and the community at large.

The Jesters program and this years performance are provided with support from the AWS Foundation and from Arts United of Greater Fort Wayne, the Indiana Arts Commission and the National Endow-ment for the Arts.

Featuring: Cari Cucksey

Skating party assists burn centers aid to familiesA roller skating party

will raise money for the Regional Burn Center at Saint Joseph Hospital in Fort Wayne.

The New Haven Lions Club has signed on as the gold sponsor of the fund-raiser, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13, at Bells Roller Skating Rink, 7009 Indiana 930, in New Haven. Admis-sion is $5 per person.

The Lions Club is seeking donations for a silent auction to be held during the skating party. Donors should

contact James Rorick, club president, at (260) 417-1730 to arrange for silent auction items to be picked up. Donations can also be mailed to: New Haven Lions Club, c/o Lions James Rorick, 5717 Green Road, New Haven, IN 46774.

Rorick said the burn center and supporting burn council are not widely known except to those whose families have used the services. The burn council was created in 2001 as a charity to help families

with loved ones in the burn center.

The burn council provides hospitality suites to families being cared for at the down-town Fort Wayne burn center. The suites offer a place for families to rest, reect and regroup while a loved one is in the burn center. Families can sleep, eat, shower and wash clothes only a few steps away from the patients rooms.

The rooms are proving to be a great comfort for families

during a time that often involves a great amount of stress, especially for families that may live hundreds of miles away and would have to sleep in the lobby or pay for a hotel room, the burn council said in a state-ment. We have hosted guests from locales ranging from South Bend to New York City.

The burn family suites opened in 2010.

The council also offers burn survivor assistance, to help survivors and their families of limited

nancial means. The assistance includes: gas cards for family members traveling from out of town and for burn survivors to return for follow-up treatment; food vouchers for families at Saint Joseph Hospital; custom bandages, dress-

ings and other items for healing at home that insurance does not cover; and many other custom-ized needs such as bus tickets and gift cards for a change of clothes.

The Lions have set a $3,000 goal for the Feb. 13 fundraiser.

Dupont Valley Times January 29, 2016 INfortwayne.com A3

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By Ryan [email protected]

Deborah Neumeyer, director of secondary education for Northwest Allen County Schools, was asked to provide a job description.

The list just kept on coming.

The bulk of her time is spent overseeing curric-ulum in grades 6-12 and working with Assistant Superintendent Gloria Shamanoff to align the districts curriculum K-12. She is heavily involved in the districts strategic planning and is spearheading profes-sional learning, notably working to create and implement the districts curriculum alignment and assessment teams.

As the district prepares for the move to one-to-one technology, Neumeyer is working with Technology Direc-tory Adela Dickey on training faculty for the changeover.

She has been at the forefront of the growth of Advanced Placement and dual credit courses offered at Carroll High School as well as Pre-AP courses at the middle school level.

Theres text book adoption, enrollment analysis, test score analysis and teacher recruitment.

She is the lead admin-istrator at the Youth Services Center and serves as the districts expulsion hearing ofcer.

If you have more time, I can keep listing things, Neumeyer said.

Its a lot of hats

someone else will have to don as Neumeyer plans to retire at the end of the school calendar year, June 30.

I dont look at retire-ment as I cant wait to retire. Its really bitter-sweet, Neumeyer said. There are just some things in life I want to do yet and if I dont quit, I am not going to get to do those things.

I love Northwest Allen. Its a great school district. I have always been proud to say I work for Northwest Allen County Schools. I will continue to be proud to say I did work for Northwest Allen County Schools. I believe in the district. We do some great things for kids. When people are looking to move into the area, I dont hesitate to give them our address.

Neumeyer, who turned 65 this month, gradu-ated from Concordia Public High School in Concordia, Mo., before attending Concordia College in Seward, Neb.

She started in the parochial school system before taking seven years off to care for her two sons. She then taught math at New Haven High School before taking an assistant principal job at Bellmont High School.

She came to NACS in 1999 as an assistant principal at Carroll High School. Three years later, she was named principal, where she served for 11 years before being named director of secondary education prior to the 2013-14 school year.

Carroll High School had an enrollment around 1,200 when Neumeyer came to the district. Today, its added 1,000 students.

I went through the boom, Neumeyer said. In my 17 years at Northwest Allen, Carroll High School has grown every year in enrollment numbers. Even though

there was a year where Northwest grew very little as a district, Carroll High School grew. There has never been a year that it didnt.

The crowded school forced the district to build a second middle school, Maple Creek Middle School, and transform what was Carroll Middle School into the Carroll Freshman Center, which forced the construction of a new Carroll Middle School.

As with any transition period, there were lots of questions and lots of concerns, but we worked through it and [Carroll Freshman Center] is alive and well today, she said. We always felt like one high school. We had just one school [attendance] number the whole time, but it was difcult at rst for some people to wrap around the concept.

Soon after, Carroll High School again grew crowded. Some in the public thought the district should build a second high school. Instead, the district elected to renovate and

expand the existing Carroll High School building. Neumeyer said the decision proved wise, especially with the economic recession that followed.

During that time, we could not have afforded to staff two high schools, Neumeyer said. It was a really good outcome and Carroll High School has done well as one entity. We can offer so many more opportunities for kids. When you start to try and duplicate those things, the cost becomes larger. You really need a certain number of students in a high school to offer the variety of programs we want to offer.

Leaving Carroll High School for her new posi-tion in the central ofce wasnt an easy decision.

It was hard to leave, sort of like its hard to leave now, Neumeyer said. I love the high school atmosphere. I love the academic part. I love the social part. I love the athletic and extracurricular part and the atmosphere they all create. I like working

with teenagers. I loved working with the staff over there.

I just knew it was a good thing overall. I had been in that school for 14 years. I am still highly involved. I knew I wasnt leaving the planet. I still work closely with [CHS Principal Sam DiPrimio] and people over there. Ive been able to work with more principals and teachers in addition to that. Its been good. I enjoy this a lot.

Neumeyer said she plans on visiting her two sons, one who lives in New York and the other who lives in southern California.

I have never met a high school principal that knew as much about the curriculum and the instructional process as she has, NACS Super-intendent Chris Himsel said. A lot of high school principals are good in a lot of different skills, usually curriculum and instruction arent a strong suit. Its usually something you know elementary principals for, but not high school principals. She has been astounding.

She built on the progress of previous principals and previous administrators and she has made our staff at Carroll High School one of the strongest around. She understands the curriculum and instruc-tional process and has supported teachers in carrying out that plan. Weve been blessed to serve with a lot of people who are committed to making Carroll High School great.

Himsel said the district will examine how much work needs to be done and what the best and most cost-effective format to achieve all those needs will be before naming a replace-ment. When you ask Neumeyer, prepare for a lengthy list.


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NACSs Neumeyer giving up lengthy job list

Deborah Neumeyer was principal of Carroll High School before being named director of secondary education prior to the 2013-14 school year.

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Carrolls graduation rate highest in countyBy Ryan [email protected]

Despite taking a slight dip, Carroll High Schools graduation rate is still the highest in Allen County.

The schools gradua-tion rate for the 2014-15 school year came in at 96.3 percent, according to gures released by the Indiana Department of Education. That mark is down from 96.9 percent in 2013-14.

According to statis-tics released by the district, 43 percent of the graduating class earned an Academic Honors Diploma, which is an all-time high for

the school. More than 90 percent earned either an Academics Honors diploma or a Core 40 diploma, also an all-time high. The 96.3 percent rate represents the fth consecutive year Carrolls graduation rate has exceeded 95 percent and the ninth year in a row it has exceeded 92 percent.

Indianas graduation rate for 2014-2015 public school students was 88.9 percent, down less than a percentage point from 89.8 percent in 2014.

Since 2007, the states graduation rate has risen more than 10 percentage points, from 78.4 percent in 2007 to the 88.9 percent rate posted last

year.In Allen County, six

public high schools, including Carroll, came in above the state average. Homestead High School (94.9 percent), Snider High School (94.4 percent), Heritage High School (90.7 percent), Wayne High School (90.2 percent) and Northrop High School (89.3 percent) were all above the state average.

Coming in below the state average were Woodlan High School (87.2 percent), New Haven High School (84.6 percent), South Side High School (81.5 percent) and North Side High School (77.4

percent).The 2015 graduation

rate is a testament to the commitment of dedi-cated educators and the excellence of Hoosier students, Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz said in a statement. I am pleased with the progress that Indianas schools have made in recent years to increase the number of high school gradu-ates. However, there is still work to be done to address the diverse needs of students across our state and to close the achievement gaps between student popula-tions.

Huntertown council approves wastewater projectBy Ryan [email protected]

Huntertowns race for utility independence crossed the nish line Jan. 25.

The Huntertown Town Council approved a bond ordinance to pay for the nearly $16 million project. The State Revolving Fund loan comes with a not-to-exceed amount of $20,550,000 and also includes the towns recently completed ow equalization basin project.

Derek Frederickson, town engineer and vice president of Engineering Resources Inc., said the town would likely close on the loan within the next month and if everything goes as planned, construc-tion could start in the spring.

The current ve-person town council is the third town council to deal with this project, which has been on the towns docket for more than 10 years.

Its a great day for Huntertown, Councilman Gary Grant said. I think in the future, people will see that controlling our own destiny and the growth that we will have, that this wastewater treatment plant will pay off enormously. It is a lot of money, there is no doubt. But to be independent of Fort Wayne and to control our own rates, I still say to the naysayers who have their own opinion and fought the good ght, to wait and see. Ive done a lot of research on this and I feel very condent that this will be the best thing for Hunter-town and the future.

Town attorney Dave Hawk said the town is very fortunate that the SRF was willing to provide the

town the opportunity to roll the Bond Anticipation Notes from the EQ basin project into this loan at lower interest rate. The EQ basin project was origi-nally funded with a 2.25 percent interest rate, but the town expects a 1.5 percent interest rate with the SRF loan.

This is a milestone, Hawk said. Its taken a long time to get from where we were to where we are are. We are happy the SRF has been so coop-erative and helpful. It is good for the town and good for the ratepayers.

The vote to approve the bond ordinance was unanimous, including Councilmen Brandon Seifert and Dave Garman, whose election campaigns focused on a cheaper alternative for the towns wastewater future.

Garman said that those who opposed the project had exhausted all avenues and it was time to move forward.

Those of us who appealed, have done what we can do, Garman said. I still say time will be the judge. The reality is, we have to move. Everybody is mad about old things. I will vote my conscience, but today we have to move on.

Like Garman, Grant also said the town has to put this in the past.

Finally, we can get to the point where we can focus on some other things in this town. We talked about some road projects tonight that need to happen. The beautication of the older part of Huntertown is something I would like to get working on, Grant said. Even the council members that have opposed the wastewater treatment plant, have assured me they have put it behind them and we can start working on some different things for the town.

In November, the town approved a wastewater rate increase to help pay for the wastewater plant project. The new wastewater rate is $8.78 per 1,000 gallons used. In addition, the water meter charge for a standard 5/8- to 1-inch meter has increased to $25.50. For a home that averages $5,000 gallons of water usage each month, that totals $69.40.

In addition, new customers who connect to the towns utilities will be charged a $2,000 connec-tion fee. With the projected growth that town ofcials foresee, this connection fee will help pay for future costs and upgrades associ-ated with the project. Steve Carter, a nancial consul-tant with Carter, Dillon, Umbaugh LLC, told the council in November that the money collected in connection fees would

likely pay for the second phase.

The wastewater treat-ment plant will discharge 1.5 million gallons of water a day with a second phase possible, which would up that total to 3 million gallons of water a day. The discharge site, the Geller Ditch which ows into the Eel River, drew a large amount of scrutiny. In March, more than 50 individuals including Seifert and Garman and many farmers who live near the Geller Ditch appealed the discharge permit for the towns treat-ment plant project, known as a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit, which will allow the discharge of treated wastewater into the waterway.

Seifert withdrew his appeal in July, Fort Wayne City Utilities withdrew its appeal as part of an agreement with the town in early October and in late October, the town reached a settlement agreement with Garman and his wife Sarah as well as a number of petitioners to withdrawal their appeal.

Fetters Construction of Auburn was the lowest bidder for the treatment plant phase of the project, with a bid of $12,593,000. Geiger Excavating of Fort Wayne had the low bid for the efuent force main

phase at $1,582,799.Those two costs, along

with soft costs, bring the total price of the project to $15.9 million.

The wastewater treat-ment plant phase does have an alternative to it, which would incorporate a ber cement siding on two-thirds of the building rather than a full brick facade. Frederickson said

the ber cement siding is a step up from high quality vinyl siding, but would make a big difference in durability versus the brick facade. If the town would choose that option, the savings would be $15,100 with Fetters Construction.

Bids for the project will be awarded after the town closes on the loan with the SRF, Frederickson said.


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Genealogy Center invites

Whos a Hoosier? images

The Genealogy Center in Fort Wayne will collect Whos a Hoosier? images through Dec. 11 in honor of Indianas 200 years of statehood.

We are interested in old and new images of daily life and the people of Indiana that showcase Hoosier life, the Gene-alogy Center said in a statement. These can include children at play, people at work, people hanging out, sporting events, homes and build-ings, and so much more.

Contributors are asked to submit photos and descriptions of the images, too. Upload photos at GenealogyCenter.info/WhosAHoosier/ or at facebook.com/Gene-alogyCenter or email [email protected].

Linus blanketeers provide blankets for sick kidsBy Rod KingFor Times Publications

Every Wednesday is Project Linus day for 30 to 40 Fort Wayne area women. They gather from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the former parsonage of the Salem United Church of Christ on Lake Avenue. Theyre referred to as blanketeers, and they make blankets for children who are seri-ously ill, traumatized or otherwise in need.

Last year they and hundreds of volunteers throughout northeast Indiana sewed, quilted, crocheted and knitted more than 3,000 blankets for kids and delivered them to 30 facilities where they were distrib-uted to infants, toddlers, elementary age, pre-teen and teenagers up to 18 years old. Every blanket

is unique in color, fabric and style, with little duplication. Each age group has different size specications. Infant blankets are 36-by-

36, toddler 36-by-45, elementary 45-by-60, pre-teen and teen 60-by-72.

Joyce Pickett, chapter coordinator, pointed out that 95 percent of the fabric and yarn is donated (eece is some-times purchased on sale) and nothing is wasted. Double-layer blankets that come to us are disas-sembled because theyre too hot and made into two blankets, she said.

Fleece scraps are sent to the Appleseed Quil-ters Guild, which turns them into dog beds for area animal shelters, and some eece scraps were made into scarves for the Chase the Chill Scarf Bombingevent. A new project, started this past Christmas season, found blanketeers making tiny blankets to go with baby dolls for premature babies.

Fleece blankets take the least time to make because they do not fray and dont need sewn edges. Most of them, however, get a decora-tive crocheted fringe or one with colorful ties. Quilted and crocheted

blankets take much longer to make. Sewing, quilting, knitting and crocheting are important skills, but not neces-sary for our volunteers. There are plenty of other jobs around here to keep people busy, Pickett said. They can attach our Project Linus tag to nished blankets, disassemble double-layer blankets, measure and cut, store inventory, package for delivery, make deliveries and pick up donated fabrics.

Though most of the blankets stay within northeast Indiana communities, the chapter occasionally gets emer-gency calls from chapters around the country for specic sizes of blanket to ll a special need.

A Project Linus blanket went to a 5-year-old boy when he was hospitalized with a broken arm that required several surgeries. His dad said the blanket helped make his sons surgery and recovery easier and more comfortable. He now donates printed tags which are attached to each blanket.

Project Linus, which is international in scope, has produced and deliv-ered 5.5 million blankets worldwide. The local chapter, the only one in northeast Indiana, was started in Peggy Albertsons basement 11 years ago. Linus oper-ated in a storefront on Dupont Road for a short time before the Salem churchs pastors wife suggested the former parsonage would be a good headquarters for the organization. The church maintains the three-bedroom house, pays the utilities and has made Linus a part of its outreach ministry.

Albertson served as chapter coordinator until a year ago when she turned the position over to her sister, Joyce. Linus Project, Pickett said, is more than making blankets. Were also a social group and have a lot of fun. Twice a year (spring and fall) we have a work day which involves cleaning up the sticks and leaves around the house.

Individuals interested in helping provide secu-rity to children through blankets can contact chapter coordinator Joyce Pickett at (260) 486-2110 or visit best-linus.org.


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Joyce Pickett, left, took over the job of Project Linus chapter coordinator a year ago from her sister, Peggy Albertson, right. The organization turns out more than 3,000 blankets a year for kids from infants to age 18.

PHOTOS BY ROD KING Nanci Gilbert, left, disassembles a double-layer blanket while Evie Wehrly sews a label to a nished blanket.

Shelves of fabric wait to be measured, cut and assem-bled into blankets for kids at the Project Linus head-quarters in the former Salem United Church of Christ parsonage on Lake Avenue.

Blind share singing through Friends in FocusBy Rod [email protected]

Friends in Focus, a cappella chorus composed of blind and visually impaired singers, brought holiday cheer to residents of eight nursing facilities around Fort Wayne prior to Christmas. The 10-member group, which was formed three years ago, belongs to the Fort Wayne Chapter of the Indiana Association of Workers for the Blind.

The hour-long caroling session at Lutheran Homes on South Anthony Boulevard included a wide variety of tradi-tional seasonal songs ranging from a swinging version of Marys Boy Child, Silver Bell and Walking in a Winter Wonderland to Go Tell it on the Mountain, Ill be Home for Christmas and Joy to the World. After O Come all Ye Faithful, The 12 Days of Christmas, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Let There be Peace on Earth, the group closed with We Wish You a Merry Christmas.

According to Nancy Ake, vice president of the local chapter of IAWB, Friends spokes-person, booking agent and one of the founders of the group, Friends in Focus is a social orga-

nization that enjoys singing. She said the ensemble also presents concerts at churches, retirement functions and the annual Disability Expo.

Were obviously not a normal vocal ensemble. We dont have a director in the normal sense of the word standing in front of us to give the down beat with arm movements. Our director and lead singer, Rich Poncin, also one of the founders, stands in the second row and audibly gives the starting count. Rosevelt Carlisle, who stands next to him, uses a pitch pipe to give the beginning note.

Several of our singers are totally blind and read with their ngers in braille, while others are able to read from printed music. Im blind in one eye and the vision is impaired in the other so my music is in large print. I look up music for us on the Internet and Richs daughter gets it printed both in regular type and braille.

Members of Workers for the Blind are heavily involved every October with the Lions Club for the annual White Cane Drive. Money raised goes to assist blind persons in the Fort Wayne area. Ake said there are nearly

8,000 blind and visually impaired people just within the city limits.

The 70 members of IAWB, including several members of Friends, look forward to bowling every Monday at 3:30 p.m. January through March at Thunderbowl on South Lafayette Street. Lions Club members drive us to the bowling alley and assist those who

need help getting on their shoes, choosing a ball and lining up their shots, Ake said.

Persons interested in singing with Friends in Focus are urged to check out the IAWB website at workersfortheblind.org or by calling Nancy Ake at (260) 444-1609. The only requirement is that a person must be blind or visually impaired.

Friends in Focus singers entertain a Christmas audi-ence at Lutheran Homes on South Anthony Boulevard. They are (seated, left to right) Sue Roe, Barbara Rhoades, Mary Fields, Cindy Smith, Theresa Schenkel, (and standing) Beverly Hunt, Leroy Lewis, Rich Poncin, Rosevelt Carlisle and Nancy Ake.

PHOTO BY ROD KING

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ACRES closes preserve to control invasive plantACRES Land Trust

has something it has never done in its 55-year history: closing a preserve.

The Little Cedar Creek Wildlife Sanctuary nature preserve in Allen County is temporarily closed. The preserves closure allows the treatment of an infestation of Japanese stiltgrass, a non-native invasive species newly identied in northern Indiana.

Together with our partners in land manage-ment, we feel good about our chances to treat and prevent the spread of Japanese stiltgrass, Jason Kissel, executive director of Indianas oldest and largest local nonprot land trust, said. If we can contain it and treat it, protecting even more natural areas throughout our region, its the right thing to do.

ACRES has never closed an open preserve. We reviewed all the options, including moving the trail to keep foot-trafc from spreading the seeds. The size and location of this infesta-tion makes trail relocation expensive and ineffec-tive. Temporary preserve closure during treatment is the most effective way to eliminate Japanese

stiltgrass and protect our region from its spread.

The 19-acre preserve within the Cedar Creek Corridor is located at the end of Sunlight Lane, off of Fitch Road, just north of Huntertown. The preserve will likely remain closed for only a few years, a temporary span of time for a prop-erty that ACRES will protect forever. ACRES offers nearly ve miles of trails on nearby preserves and more than 70 miles throughout the region.

Little Cedar Creek, which borders the tempo-rarily closed preserve, is a tributary of Cedar Creek, one of three rivers in the state designated under the 1973 State of Indiana Natural, Scenic and Recreational Rivers Act. As the regions largest natural feature and most contiguously forested corridor, the Cedar Creek Corridor is of unique signicance to the region and is a focus of the land trust.

Japanese stiltgrass, during the growing season, can crowd out native plants, creating a monoculture, reducing tree regeneration and slowing the growth of tree seedlings and existing plants. It is an annual, introduced to the

United States from Asia in the early 1900s. Ben Hess, regional ecologist for the Department of Natural Resources Divi-sion of Nature Preserves, reported the species, found widely in southern Indiana and the eastern United States.

Land management professionals regularly monitor nature preserves to understand changes in local ecology.

Early warning is a

benet of land pres-ervation, Kissel said. ACRES preserves are closely monitored and indicate what is likely happening on nearby land.

Multiple land manage-ment organizations, including ACRES Land Trust, The Nature Conservancy, Indiana DNR Division of Nature Preserves, Allen County Highway Department, Fort Wayne Parks,

Fort Wayne Trails, and Little River Wetlands are working together to assess the infestation and create a collaborative approach to map, monitor and control it before it spreads.

Land managers subse-quently found smaller infestations of the invasive grass at other nearby ACRES proper-ties, including ditches, roadsides within other preserves and on private

property. Because of the size and location of these infestations away from trails, they do not pose as great of a threat of spreading by foot trafc sticking in boot treads. These preserves will remain open to visitors.

This is one of many reasons why we require visitors to stay on the trails, Casey Jones, director of land manage-ment for ACRES, said. Its clear to see how foot trafc has spread stilt-grass seeds outward from the main infestation area. In the case of Japanese stiltgrass, were fortunate to be able to address it early, before its popu-lation density climaxes here. Other areas in our state and throughout the country have not had the advantage of identifying it at such an early stage.

In late fall and winter, it is hard to identify Japa-nese stiltgrass because it has died back. From May to October, its relatively broad, bright green leaves with a faint luminescent line down the mid-sec-tion form a shallow V as they extend from the stem. Found mostly in dense patches over three feet in diameter, it produces seed in September and October.

ACRES Land Trust ofcials temporarily closed Little Cedar Creek Wildlife Sanctuary, just north of Huntertown, to eradicate and prevent the spread of Japanese stiltgrass, a non-native invasive species newly identied in northeast Indiana.

COURTESY PHOTO

Dupont Valley Times January 29, 2016


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Master Gardener classhas openings for spring

Places have become available in the next Master Gardener class in Allen County.

The Purdue Univer-sity Master Gardener volunteer program offers gardeners intensive training in horticultural principles. Participants, in turn, share their knowledge by providing volunteer leadership and service to their commu-nities.

The spring training

session will begin March 16 and end June 1. Training will be held on Wednesday evenings from 5:45-9 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at the Allen County Extension Ofce, 4001 Crescent Ave. on the IFPW Campus, Fort Wayne. The $125 program fee includes class materials and a reference notebook. For details, visit the Exten-sion Ofce or call (260)

481-6826 and press option #3. More information and an application can also be downloaded from extension.purdue.edu/allen; click on Garden, Master Gardeners Allen County. Adjusted fees and payment plans are available on an as-needed basis.

The fall class also has openings. Classes will begin Sept. 17 and continue into early November.


Doug and Nancy Laslie set up booths and sell hot drinks two Saturday mornings each month at the Fort Wayne Farmers Market.

Their reward is the success of the local vendors who sell meats, vegetables, soap and more.

I volunteer because I think its important, Nancy Laslie said. I think people need to support our local growers instead of these big corporate giants who are producing things in Wyoming.

We enjoy doing this, and its nice to see people taking advantage of the local products, Doug Laslie said.

The Laslies are marking their third winter as volunteers at the market. Hours are 9 a.m.-1 p.m. the rst and third Saturdays of each month at Lincoln Financial Event Center at Parkview Field, 1301 Ewing St.

Vendors offer soap, farm and garden products, orchard products, baked goods, crafts, meats, spices, honey, gluten-free baked goods, jewelry, eggs, plants, fudge, woodworking, herbs, wine and more.

I think what sets them apart is that these are small-business growers, trying to get themselves established and to get people to know their name and get people to buy their products, Nancy said.

Leigh Rowan is one of the vendors, and also the market coordinator. Rowan, who bakes bread at her Fort Wayne home, was instrumental in founding the winter market in 2012.

Rowan opened her bakery in Wabash, but realized the need to locate in a bigger market. She

bought a location in Fort Wayne, and began selling bread at the various summer markets. I woke up and said Im gong to try to start a winter market, and the rest is history, she said.

I have a stone mill and I mill my own our and then I make homemade breads, she said.

It was kind of a cute story. I had an old man approach me and he said he had bought one back in the 70s and he actually was the original owner. And he would mill his own grain that he grew and make bread

for his family. And he approached me because he was in his 90s and they werent baking anymore. And he asked if I would like to buy it.

I had two small stone mills that are about the size of a microwave, and I would have to alternate so the stones didnt heat up and you didnt burn the gluten and the nutrition.

She said her Meadows stone mill is the smallest stone mill manufactured for commercial use. I use wheat berries. I use spelt berries. I use triti-cale rye. I use a variety of grains. Then I also have

seeds and other things that I can grind, she said.

Nancy Laslie said she and her husband volunteer at each market. Were down there selling coffee and tea and hot cocoa, she said. The money goes toward the rent, to control costs to the vendors. We want them to make

as much money as they possibly can, she said.

Some of the best ground beef and chicken that Ive had comes from our local vendors, she said.

For a list and descrip-tion of vendors, visit ftwaynesfarmersmarket.com.


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Local goods draw crowds to indoor winter markets

Doug and Nancy Laslie sell coffee and other hot drinks just inside the entrance to the Fort Wayne Farmers Market at Lincoln Financial Event Center at Parkview Field. Security coordinator John Luckey stops for a visit.

PHOTOS BY GARTH SNOW

Leigh and Brian Rowan sell bread and other home-made products at the Fort Wayne Farmers Market. Leigh Rowan grinds grain into our in a stone mill in the couples Fort Wayne home.

WATCHING THE MARKETSFort Wayne Farmers Market offers indoor markets from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. the rst and third Saturdays of each month through May 21 at Lincoln Financial Event Center at Parkview Field, Fort Wayne. FWFM also sponsors summer markets at seven locations in and around Fort Wayne. For details, visit ftwaynesfarmersmarket.com.

Young Leaders of Northeast Indiana offers indoor markets from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. the second and fourth Saturdays of each month through April 23 at Wunderkammer Company, 3402 Faireld Ave., Fort Wayne. YLNI also sponsors summer mar-kets at the Barr Street Market in downtown Fort Wayne. For details, visit ylni.org.


Joe Harkenrider has learned a few things about the business of comedy, but he hasnt forgotten the true test of comedy.

They say comedy is about content, and not necessarily what it looks like, the Comedy Central digital division producer and. So at the end of the day I think whatever makes me laugh is what Im going to be looking for.

The 2002 graduate of Concordia Lutheran High School will return to Fort Wayne as part of the rst Concordia Comedy Festival. He is one of three judges for that inaugural competition.

High production value wont necessarily win, Harkenrider said. The winning video will have a point of view and a unique voice, he said.

He said the comics who inuenced him earlier in life still remain strong inuences. Bill Murray is unique and has a wide range, he said. Hes not necessarily doing the same thing over and over. Hes evolved from being a young guy on Saturday Night Live to doing serious lms that have a comic undertone.

He also cited the inu-ences of Chevy Chase, Steve Martin and Robin

Williams. Each has a smart but witty sensibility, he said.

Harkenrider learned about comedy from watching Saturday Night Live and from watching National Lampoon lms. My dad would let me stay up and watch those older movies, he said.

He learned the tech-nical aspect of videos at Concordia. My teacher, Will Neumeyer, would let me come in to class early because he let me hone my skills in and do my comedy in what was more of a news oriented program, Harken-rider said.

He had yet to learn how comedy could be a career.

In 2002 when I was a senior in high school, I didnt realize exactly what kind of a job I could have in comedy, he said. I knew going into my senior year that when I went to college I wanted to do something in TV or lm, but I didnt know what that was.

The biggest realization for me was how many jobs there are out there in comedy, from being the executive of a network to being a director or writer, and slowly realizing where my place in comedy was.

The digital producer returns to Fort Wayne at the invitation of Concordia media arts instructor and comedy festival creator

Nathan Gotsch.Gotsch, too, said he

wants to make people aware of the opportunities in comedy.

He said he wants to do more than just showcase good work and award prizes. I know a lot of people in the entertainment business, he said. I said, What if we brought some of them back to be judges and to be able to meet the students and talk about their experiences in comedy and how to have a career?

OK, my kids love doing this and they have a lot of fun with it, but to them it just isnt a career path. So I want to do anything I can to encourage people

toward careers in the arts, especially if we can give them information to make a decision. Thats what I really hope comes from this that there are some kids that say, OK, now this doesnt seem like just a pie-in-the sky idea.

Gotsch was able to visit with another of the Concordia comedy video judges, Nick Rutherford, while Rutherford was writing for the 2014-15 season of Saturday Night Live.

I was able to go out there for one of the episodes, which is a really fun experience, and go to the after-party with them, Gotsch said. Comedy is a

job at that point but it also is really, really fun. Im really excited for people in the community to get to hear from him about those experiences.

Harkenrider and Ruth-erford are expected to be on hand at the Cinema Center for a conversation about pursuing a career in comedy following the screening of the winning video. They also will attend a private reception for the nalists.

Julie Kraut, currently writing for Bravos TV series Odd Mom Out, is the third judge of the Concordia festival.

Were hoping for a sellout, although were not selling any tickets, Gotsch said. Im excited just to see whats going to happen. We are trying to make it as rst-class as possible.

We want to include as many people as possible. There are a lot of other programs similar to ours, Gotsch said. He said Carroll and Homestead also

have very strong media arts programs.

The Concordia Comedy Festival is open to any student in grade 6-12 attending a school or being home-schooled in Allen, Adams, DeKalb, Huntington, Noble, Wells or Whitley counties. Submissions may not be longer than 3 minutes, including credits, which are not required. Entries should be free of profanity and appropriate for an audience of students and adults.

In a statement, Concordia said students are invited to submit comedy videos from sketches to parodies to interviews and every-thing in between.

Gotsch said Dawn Schuller rst suggested the festival. Schuller works with Concordias admis-sions and enrollment.

To learn more, visit ConcordiaComedyFestival.com or contact Gotsch at [email protected] or (260) 483-1102.


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Video fest shows comedy isnt all play and no work

Media arts teacher Nathan Gotsch works with media students, juniors Emily Mix and Ashley Scheerer, at Concordia Lutheran High School. Area high school students are invited to submit videos to the Concordia Comedy Festival, which Gotsch created.

PHOTO BY GARTH SNOW

CONCORDIA COMEDY FESTIVALHigh school and middle school students in and near Fort Wayne may submit comedy videos by Feb. 12. Entries can be uploaded at ConcordiaComedyFestival.com via FilmFreeway. An adult must sign up for a free FilmFreeway account. The submission fee is $5. Finalists will be announced March 4 and shown on the big screen at a special event March 18 at the Cinema Center in downtown Fort Wayne, when the winners will be an-nounced. Admission is free. Prizes will be awarded.


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The Summit Sound varsity choirs show tells another story. Our mixed show is about the devel-opment of a hero from the everyday person to someone whos going to achieve great things and make a name for them-selves, Maloney said.

2016 marks the seventh year for the Summit Show Choir Invitational. We have at least 20 choirs coming this year, so it should be quite the show, Maloney said. That number includes four middle schools and 16 high schools, including one from Illinois. A solo competition will allow individuals to be judged on their vocal ability and delivery, Maloney said.

Maloney said students are energized by show choir and benet from spending time with the group. Quiet kids open up; its an outlet for them, she said. And a lot of our kids nd their presence here on the stage and gain that condence for later in life.

BobbiJo Carroll assists Maloney with the show choirs. Carroll is a research assistant at Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic School in Fort Wayne.

Maloney is in her second year on the Dwenger faculty. I went to Paulding High School just across the [Ohio] line, and Bowling Green State University in Ohio to get my bachelors degree in education, she said in an email. We actually didnt have a show choir at my high school. I was in drama, choir, barbershop quartet and everything band. Somehow show choir still found me.

Dwenger choirs also will compete at: Northrop, Feb. 6; DeKalb, Feb. 13; Homestead, Feb. 20; Huntington North, Feb.

27; and Bishop Luers, March 12.

Carroll High SchoolThe Carroll High

School Show Choirs hosted the annual Carroll Classic Show Choir Invi-tational on Jan. 22 and 23, with 19 high schools and several middle schools participating.

Carroll choirs began the season Jan. 16 at Bell-mont High School.

Carrolls Minstrel Magic mixed ensemble has 54 members. The 2016 show theme is Orphan, described as a theatrical show bringing to light the many chil-dren who are left without parents. They explore the emotions these children experience.

The Select Sound girls group has 56 members. The 2016 show theme is Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Bride.

The Electric Pulse backup band has 17 members.

Both choirs can be seen

in the Carroll High School large auditorium for a free preview at 7 p.m. each Thursday evening before a competition.

Carroll choirs also will compete at: Bishop Dwenger, Jan. 30; Northrop, Feb. 6; Pike, Feb. 13; Homestead, Feb. 20; Franklin Central, Feb. 27; Avon, March 5; Shel-byville, March 12; and Lawrence North, March 19.

Northrop High SchoolTom Maupin directs

the Northrop High School show choirs, which began their season Jan. 16 at Mount Zion, Ill.

Other announced competitions include Bishop Dwenger High School on Jan. 30, Northrops own Clas-sique on Feb. 5 and 6, and DeKalb on Feb. 13.

The Allure young ladies choir has 54 members this year. The Charisma mixed choir has 26 young men and women. Intrigue, the

backup band, has 17 members.

The choirs offer free preview shows at 8:15 p.m. each Thursday in the Northrop auditorium.

Chris Rasor handles the choreography for both choirs. Chris and I have worked together for many years and he is a key reason for our continued success, Maupin said on the choirs website. John Van Patten, Northrops band director, directs Intrigue. Andrew Sherman assists with both show choirs.

More info can be found at northropchoral.org or at Facebook.com/Northrop-ShowChoirs.

Homestead High Schools show choirs will perform locally at Northrop High School on Feb. 6, and at the Home-stead Classic Showcase on Feb. 19 and 20.

Bishop Luers High School show choirs held Cabaret Night on Jan. 10. The Luers show choirs entered their rst competi-

tion Jan. 16 at Twin Lakes High School. Shows continue each weekend leading up to Luers 42nd annual show choir invita-tional on Saturday, March 12. Middle school choirs will compete on March 11.

Woodlan High Schools Warrior Ambi-tion will present Get Up, Get Movin this year. The show includes two original pieces. Kyle Romine has directed the Woodland show choir for 16 years.

The 30-member mixed choir will perform Feb. 16 at the schools winter concert. The show begins at 7 p.m. The show choir will perform about 7:35 p.m.

Woodland competed Jan. 16 in the Bellmont Winter Spectacular and the Carroll Classic on Jan. 23, and will compete in the Northrop Classique on Feb. 6.

Get schedules, ticket prices and updates at showchoir.com.

SHOW from Page A1

Carroll High Schools Select Sound womens show choir has 56 members. The 2016 show theme is Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Bride.

PHOTOS COURTESY BILL HEINS PHOTOGRAPHY

SHOW CHOIR CALENDAR Bishop Dwenger Sum-mit Show Choir Invita-tionalSaturday, Jan. 30. Bishop Dwenger High School, 1300 E. Wash-ington Center Road, Fort Wayne.Tickets: day of show, $10; all day and evening, $15; students in grade school or high school with student ID pay $10 for the day; ages 5 and under are admitted free. Session 1: 7 a.m.-6:50 p.m. Session 2: 8:05 p.m.-10:50 p.m. Full cafeteria available.Allen County show choirs performing: Bishop Dwenger, 7:30 a.m. and 5:50 p.m.; Car-roll, 8:25 a.m.; Northrop, 9:55 a.m.; Bishop Luers, 5:20 p.m. For full perfor-mance order, visit show-choir.com. Northrop Classique Show Choir InvitationalFriday and Saturday, Feb. 5 and 6. Northrop High School, 7001 Cold-water Road, Fort Wayne.Eleven middle school choirs perform Fri-day, beginning with Woodside at 5:05 p.m. Tickets are $5 for the Friday night middle school competition. Seventeen high school choirs perform Saturday, beginning at 8 a.m. The second session starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 for Saturday individual ses-sions or $15 for all day and evening.Allen County high school show choirs perform-ing: Homestead Elite, 8 a.m.; Carroll Select Sound, 10:30 a.m.; Woodlan Warrior Ambi-tion, noon; Homestead Class Royale, 2:45 p.m.; and Carroll Minstrel Magic, 4;15 p.m. For full performance order, visit showchoir.com.

Carroll High Schools Minstrel Magic mixed show choir has 54 members. The 2016 show theme is Orphan. Jill Jeran directs the show choirs.

Fort Wayne Community Schools Study Connection program will host Zumb-athon 2016 on Saturday, Feb. 13. The event will be held from 1-3 p.m. at North Side High School, 475 E. State Blvd., Fort Wayne.

Registration is $20 at the door (cash or check). Participants will be eligible for door prizes from El Azteca, Empower Sports Club and Mad Ants. The event is sponsored by SODEXO and A Party Apart.

Twelve area Zumba instructors will lead the group of participants in two hours of dancing, sweating and fun in support of FWCS Study Connection. Zumba is a combination of Latin dancing and cardio-vascular workout. No previous Zumba expe-rience is required for this event.

Proceeds from Zumb-athon 2016 will benet FWCS Study Connection. For more information, call (260) 467-8810.

USF lecture to explore human side of business

The University of Saint Francis will welcome Sister Helen Alford as the keynote speaker at the 2016 Servus Omnium on Tuesday, Feb. 9, in the USF North Campus, 2702 Spring St., Fort Wayne. The event will begin at 7 a.m. with an opening blessing from Bishop Kevin Rhoades of the Fort Wayne/South Bend Diocese. Then a Mardi Gras breakfast will be served before Alfords presentation, titled Have You Been Served? Human Dignity, the Common Good and the Purpose of Busi-ness.

With manufacturing company experience and a Ph.D. thesis on human-cen-tered technology, Alford entered the Dominican Order. At the Angelicum

in Rome she is a professor of economics and ethics, vice dean, and a masters program director. She co-authored Managing As If Faith Mattered and is a consultor to the Pontical Council of Justice and Peace, as well as a senior adviser to the UKs Blue-print for Better Business.

Tickets cost $10 in advance, or $15 at the door. Tables can be purchased in advance for $80 and corporate sponsorships are available.

For more information about the 2016 Servus Omnium event, visit sf.edu/servus-omnium or contact Lance Richey, dean of the USF School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, at (260) 399-8112 or [email protected].


SPONSORED BY

KPC 2016

HEALTHY LIVING CONTESTGO TO INFORTWAYNE.COM

Local Rotary Club gives school to Africa village

The Rotary Club of Fort Wayne has completed a three-year project to build an eight-room middle school in the Village of Gli, Togo, West Africa.

Members of the Rotary Club of Lom-Lumier in Togo shared photos of the celebration festivities when the last classrooms were complete.

Im so glad the local Rotary Club captured the enthusiasm and joy of the day by showing Rotarians, village leaders, the school headmaster, and, most importantly, the students celebrating, said Jason Daenens, president of the Rotary Club of Fort Wayne and head of the school building project.

The projects roots date back to 2010 when Daenens, past chair of the Clubs International Service Committee, attended the sixth annual West Africa Rotary Fair in Accra, Ghana. During the conference he learned the Village of Gli, Togo, needed a new middle school, books and other supplies.

In 2011, The Rotary Club of Fort Wayne International Service Committee developed

an education/literacy plan in partnership with the Rotary Clubs of Lom-Lumier and Atak-pam, Togo; U.S. Peace Corps Togo, and Rotary Club of Chicago to support the Gli middle school.

During 2012 and 2013, the Rotary Club of Fort Wayne bought playground equipment, supplies and textbooks, with the help of other clubs and grants from Rotary District 6540 of Northern Indiana.

Then, in 2013, the board of directors of the Rotary Club of Fort Wayne unanimously voted to build the Gli Middle School as the Clubs Centennial International Service Project. (The Club, which was founded in 1915, celebrated its centennial last year.) Using a model to build a classroom at a time, the rst two of eight class-rooms were built in the spring of 2013, Daenens explained.

The Rotary Club of Fort Wayne International Service Committee coor-dinated a joint funding sponsorship for the new school with the Rotary Club of Chicago and Togo Rotary Clubs totaling over $45,000. Total cost for all Togo-related projects is $59,000. The projects benet nearly 28,000 Village of Gli residents.

Today, school atten-dance has grown from around 600 students to more than 880 students.

A celebration marks the completion of a middle school in Togo, West Africa. The Rotary Club of Fort Wayne supported the service project.

COURTESY PHOTO

Zumbathon 2016 benetsFWCS Study Connection

Our weather is so variable, and its getting even more variable it seems, Lee said. But the plants need to be started inside under grow lights or some kind of lighting so that it can get established. A heat mat also helps the seeds to germinate. Lee also will explain how mini-green-houses allow some control over humidity.

She might nd a ower seed that can be started as early as the workshop, and perhaps even an herb. You dont want to plant them too soon or the plant will get too long and spindly before it goes outside they call it leggy from reaching

for the light, Lee said.When you go to the

nursery or the box store to buy your plants, you have a very limited number of varieties, Lee explained. They get them from distributors, so you might be limited to three or four varieties of tomato plants or pepper plants. If youre going to start your own seeds, you can go online or get a mail catalog and you have 50 varieties of tomato plants to choose from.

Many of your newer plants are hybrids. That means the seed has been cross-pollinated; two varieties have been crossed in order to get a certain characteristic in the fruit or ower or whatever. So of course

the company that has done that cross is going to charge you more for those seeds because theyve had to work harder and use their resources, their labs and people. And if you try to save seed from that particular tomato plant, those seeds might not be the same tomato plant.

The heirlooms main-tain their original sweet tomato taste. Its like the tomato you tasted when you were a kid.

Lee said many seed companies are no longer owned by the founding families. I like to believe that theyre still producing the quality seed that they did before, she said. Lee added that private orga-nizations of everyday

gardeners also operate seed exchanges.

In the composting workshop, Pawlowski will share tips on ways to help those plants ourish. The compost adds bulk material to the garden bed. The soil is like a living organism with fungus and bacteria, he said. It acts as a sponge and it will hold water. Its friable looser so oxygen can get to the roots better.

Gardeners can follow Pawlowskis lead and solve two backyard prob-lems at once. He gathers up leaves and grass, and then uses the yard waste to enrich the soil. I break it down in tumbling composters for maybe two and a half weeks, and I put it in an outside

composter thats open-air and I let that work all summer. Then I keep relling my tumbling composter, he said.

He also uses vegetable peelings and sawdust. You need a mixture of green material and brown material, carbon and nitrogen, he said. I try to make a cubic yard of compost every year. It goes into little raised beds. And it just makes for beautiful soil.

You divert good organic matter from the landll and put it back in the soil and grow stuff, he said. I have tomatoes, peppers. I grow garlic. I grow shallots. This year I grew leeks leeks love compost. I have dill and I do a lot of basil, a couple types of basil.

Pawlowski volunteers his time at Salomon Farm, as does Gardening in Winter presenter Lee.

Lee has taught the spring gardening class there, and at other venues. I watched my dad start seeds when I was a kid, Lee said. But Ive played around with it for most of my adult life.

The process still fasci-nates her. I like the idea of the circle of life, so to speak, she said. You make the selection for the seed that you want, you get them started, you plant them, care for them as they need care, harvest them, prepare them or preserve to feed yourself and your family with them. And thats just really valuable to me.

SPRING from Page A1


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Students choose Legends as North Side nicknameNorth Side High School

students have selected Legends as the schools new nickname.

Use of the new name will start with the 2016-17 school year. With the name selected, work will begin on devel-oping a new logo and mascot for the school. A committee gathered to establish the selec-tion process will also establish the process for designing and selecting the new logo and mascot. The schools colors will remain red and white.

This is the beginning of a new era for North Side, and students have selected a name that they believe represents the schools strong past, present and future, Superintendent Wendy Robinson said. This name allows North Side to hold on to traditions that students and alumni have held for generations while also establishing new traditions that will become legendary in their own right.

The process to select a new nickname began

in late summer when members of the FWCS School Board asked North Side and district leaders to examine retiring the use of Redskins, which has been in place since the school opened in 1927. At that time, the name was chosen as a source of pride in the areas rich Native American history, the district said in a statement. The name is now perceived as a derogatory term, the district said.

At the start of the

school year, North Side staff and students learned about the traditions and history of Native Americans in the area, particularly related to the Miami Tribe, to gain a better understanding of why the nickname is offensive to many people. Students, staff and alumni were then offered an opportunity to suggest new nick-names. About 75 names were submitted, and a committee of students, staff, alumni, parents, a member of the School

Board and representatives from North Sides feeder schools, narrowed down the suggestions. In the end, eight names were considered by students Falcons, Legends, Mustangs, Nations, Night Hawks, Raptors, Rockets and Thunder. After the rst vote, the options were narrowed down to four Falcons, Legends, Night Hawks and Raptors with Legends coming out ahead.

The change in nick-name will not lead to an immediate removal

of all depictions of the current North Side logo and nickname. Only items that could be removed or changed through routine maintenance, such as painted areas, will be addressed immediately. Other items, such as the stained glass window or terrazzo ooring, will remain in place for the moment.

School uniforms with the new nickname and logo will be purchased according to the three-year replacement schedule.

Children receive Blessings of winter break nutritionAbout 1,700 Fort

Wayne Community School students went home with food to eat over winter break thanks to volunteers from Blessings in a Back-pack. Volunteers from The Chapel gathered at Faireld Elementary School and worked with Principal Lindsay

Amstutz-Martin to help pack bags of food to feed students.

Blessings in a Back-pack is a national, nonprot organization that provides food to children who might otherwise go without food over the weekend.

The local organiza-tion is currently serving

students at Abbett, Adams, Faireld and South Wayne elementary schools.

You never know how a program is going to impact, said Bob Lovell, a member of The Chapel, who coordinates a team of volunteers who ll bags of food at Faireld Elementary every other week. The Chapel says to believe, grow, serve and change your world, and we are here to serve. I taught in

Fort Wayne Community Schools for 35 years. It feels good to continue to serve these students.

The charity relies on its partners, Parkview Health and Sodexo, along with individual volunteers and donors.

Blessings in a Back-pack is at 111 E. Wayne St., Suite 555, Fort Wayne, IN 46802. Dona-tions can be mailed to this address or made online at blessingsin-diana.org.

Students at Faireld Elementary School in Fort Wayne helped volunteers from The Chapel to ll backpacks for Blessings in a Backpack.

COURTESY PHOTO

among other activities.There is a lot of

downside to have it any other time. We have had it the rst weekend in August every year and I think people put it on their calendars and planned for it that way, McComb said.

In addition to spreading the festival out over three days, McComb hopes to spread the festival out all over town. Current plans would utilize the Huntertown Elementary School grounds and the Huntertown Family Park. The beer tent would also continue in its traditional location, adjacent to Myers Service station.

McComb said she would like to have an area for kids, an area for teenagers, an area for adults and an area for senior citizens.

Last years festival was canceled due to a lack of volunteer help. The Huntertown Family Park held a Family Fun Day in October to make up for the absence of the festival. McComb likened last years cancellation to the 2006 festival, which included nothing more than a small parade and a chicken sale.

Part of why it got canceled last year was the fact that [the committee] didnt start on it right away in January like I am. By not

doing that, it makes it too tight for advertising. You have to have an early start, McComb said. I told people we were going to have one next year. When the people with the bicenten-nial contacted me I just knew we had more to work with.

The Huntertown Heri-tage Days committee continues planning this years festival. McComb invites the community to submit ideas and offer

their time as a volunteer. McComb can be reached at [email protected] or by phone at (260) 637-6232.

I want to be acces-sible to everyone, McComb said. Its time for me to quit, but somehow, the commu-nity seems to keep calling.

McComb has served before as coordinator of Huntertown Heritage Days, which was rst held in 1999.

DAYS from Page A1


Music Therapy and its Positive Effects on Dementia

Presented by: Nancy Jackson, PhD, MT-BC, Dir. of Music Therapy at Indiana-Purdue University Fort Wayne

Learn rsthand how music therapy can help with Alzheimers and Dementia by improving the quality of life.

Thursday, February 11 from 2:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M.

Risks of Wandering and Simple Prevention Techniques

Presented by: Amy Hake, Community Relations Director at North Woods Village

Join us for this informative event as we explore and learn techniques to reduce the risks of wandering.

Wednesday, February 24 at 2:00 P.M.

Seating is limited, RSVP to 260-420-1866 or [email protected]

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PLANNING THE PARTYHuntertown Heritage Days is back, scheduled for Aug. 5-7. The festival committee meets at 6 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month at Huntertown Town Hall, 15617 Lima Road. The public is welcome to attend and vol-unteer. Contact festival coordinator Jenny McComb at [email protected] or by phone at (260) 637-6232.


(ALLEN COUNTY) The nationwide credit crisis may have turned the American dream into an extended nightmare for many Indiana home buyers and sellers. Banks and mortgage lenders (who are not going out of business) have tightened up their lending requirements to the point where many home buyers today can no longer qualify for a mortgage.Record foreclosures, rising unemployment, losses in the financial markets and the current credit crunch have not only reduced the number of buyers who can buy but have also increased the number of houses that sellers need to sell.Prices are under pressure as home sellers lower their asking price to attract a buyer, and as lenders resell their foreclosed homes below market value. And its turning into a vicious cycle -- as many buyers need to sell their current home first -- and many sellers (unless they plan to rent) need new financing to get into their next home. As a result, a sea of real estate agents, mortgage brokers and home build-ers are going out of business. These profes-sionals are in the business of serving buyers and sellers. But thats hard to do with the credit crisis when the entire real estate industry traditionally relies on mortgage lending to finance buyers and get houses sold. What can homeowners do to sell their homes? How can buyers get financing if they cant meet the tougher lending criteria on credit scores, income verification, down payment amounts and debt ratios?

Theres one local real estate profes-sional who has found a way to make things work even with the present bank-ing crisis. Mike MacDonald is the president of Summit City Investments, Inc. Since 1999, his private investment company has been buying houses throughout the Allen County, IN region without ever relying on banks. MacDonalds company takes over existing mortgages or brings in private lenders allowing him to pay homeowners all cash for the properties. He then offers his properties for rent or for sale by owner using a variety of unique seller financing programs. By taking a long term approach and never relying on banks, business has never been better for MacDonald and his company.

Mike says its normal for people to think

they must be desperate before calling him to buy their house. Its a very common misconception. But until I look at a house and do some research, I wont know my game plan for the property or what I can offer. But after a single visit to the property and meeting with the homeowners I can let them know exactly what I can do. My offer is good for 7 days and its only at that point, with my offer on the table, that a seller can decide if Im going to become their buyer.

In fact, price is not an issue for MacDonald. As an investor, whats impor-tant to him is the determination of what income the property can produce. Its easy to determine. I also do an appraisal and look at the recent comparable sales. Then I do whatever I can to offer a seller up to full price today -- or about what they might net sometime in the future pursuing a more conventional route. What I can pay depends on the condition, location and financing options available for that type of property. It only takes about 10 minutes to prescreen a property over the phone and to set an appointment. We typically buy 1 out of every 4 properties we see. In fact, for about h

dupont valley times - january 2016

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