MEDIA RELEASE__Bluffton, your help is needed! This summer, our village has the opportunity to experience a hot new entertainment experience. Bluffton's America 250 committee has scheduled a drone light show in June following the Lions Club Festival of Wheels.
The show consists of 100 computer-synchronized areodrones (UAVs) creating colorful light formations and 3D pictures in the sky. It’s a nighttime color spectacle in the sky, much like fireworks. Drone light shows usually occur in bigger cities and can attract quite large crowds. It is rare that villages our size host events such as this. Wouldn’t it be great if we could enter the next 250 years of American independence as a host for this new-age attraction? Gene Benroth, known as Mr. Bluffton and one of the ardent civic promoters of all things Bluffton, was quoted once saying, “If we’re doing it, we might as well do it BIG.”
MEDIA RELEASE__The Bluffton Center for Entrepreneurs (BCE), in partnership with the Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce, is inviting current and aspiring business owners to participate in the 2026 Small Business Information Series, a six-week educational program designed to support local entrepreneurship and economic growth.
The series will take place on Tuesday evenings from March 3 through April 7, 2026, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sessions will be held at the Bluffton Middle School Library, located at 116 S. Jackson Street. Participants may also attend remotely through live broadcasts from the Borra Center at Rhodes State College. REGISTER HERE.
MEDIA RELEASE__The West Central Association of REALTORS announced its annual award recipients during its recent Inauguration and Awards Banquet.
The Rookie of the Year Award was awarded to Zac Kohli with Superior Plus Realtors, honoring exceptional achievement and promise demonstrated early in their real estate career.
The REALTOR® of the Year Award was presented to Lauren Girardot with At Home Realty, recognizing outstanding professionalism, leadership, and dedication to the real estate industry and the community.
A walk down Main St. convinced Rosie Banales that Bluffton was the right place for her restaurant.
The people she passed smiled and looked happy to be here, she remembers. As a result, Campito Lindo was established in 2017 at 142 N Main St. and is now celebrating its 9th anniversary.
The January 9 breakfast meeting of the Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce provided the following updates. The chamber's next breakfast meeting is February 13.
CHAMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS
The 2026 Chocolate Walk will be held on Thursday, February 5. Stay tuned for information about participating businesses and ticket sales.
The chamber will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Maple Crest’s new fitness center on Tuesday, January 27, time TBA.
Village Administrator Jesse Blackburn provided the attached 2025 Zoning Permits Summary for the village council at the December 22 regular meeting. The total dollar value of cost estimates is $12.9M with $6M in residential permits and $6.9M in commercial permits.
COMMERCIAL PROJECTS
Gerken Materials, Inc. is listed as submitting the largest project, an asphalt plant with a cost estimate of $6M. Commercial projects with estimates of at least $10K are:
