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Bluffton teammates, Bluffton friends

Posted by Staff on May 20, 2022 - 6:00am

By Bill Herr, Icon columnist

What is the greatest example of friendship between two individuals you have ever known? My choice is two of my former students at Bluffton High School, Matt Schweingruber and Eric Smith.

Matt graduated in 1994. He next went to Taylor University (Indiana) and graduated with a degree in education. Today Matt and his wife, Shirley, live in Yonkers, New York. He teaches fourth grade at PS 128, the Audubon School, in New York City. Matt loves teaching.

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Farm life: Molly Brown and feathered friend

Posted by Staff on March 31, 2022 - 6:00am

Miniature donkey Molly Brown was caught playing chicken last week at Little Riley Creek Farm in rural Bluffton. Perhaps they were keeping each other warm during the cold snap.

Watch for more updates from the farm as we head into the growing season. 

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Music review: five songs to keep you upbeat!

Posted by Staff on March 28, 2022 - 6:25am

By Craig Hoffman

Note from Craig: It is great to be back in the music saddle writing for the Icon(s)! I hope everyone is doing well in my hometown area, and as always, thank you for reading. What songs do you use for daily motivation? Let the Icon(s) know in the comments!

On Everything Is Smaller In Japan

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What was the farthest a baseball was ever hit on Harmon Field?

Posted by Staff on March 26, 2022 - 6:53am

By Bill Herr

Before building the nice field out at Village Park, the baseball teams for Bluffton High School played at the southeast corner of Harmon Field, near the railroad tracks. It also served for softball games. This was after Triplett Corporation used to sponsor excellent baseball teams. When they played, the diamond was in front of the stadium. I used to go to their games. They had talented players who were out of school. The games were highly competitive.

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Book Review: State Of Terror

By Robert McCool
Posted by Staff on February 13, 2022 - 7:17am

A blockbuster book from two powerful authors.

Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny co-authored the intense political thriller State Of Terror, (Thorndike Press ISBN-13-1-4328-8983-8) a page-turning thriller on a grand scale. If you like insight into the intrigue of our political system, this book is written to your taste.

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Book Review: The Book of Magic

By Robert McCool
Posted by Staff on February 6, 2022 - 6:52am

When I read for pure pleasure, I read Alice Hoffman. And nothing brings me more joy than her “Magic” books.

Beginning with Practical Magic from 1995, then enhanced by The Rules of Magic in 2017, also Magic Lessons in 2020, and now finishing with The Book of Magic (Simon and Schuster, ISBN: 978-9821-5148-5), Hoffman’s novels are masterworks of extraordinarily vivid magic-realism. These books are about books, family and love, in enchanting prose that opens your heart and mind to the possibilities that life has to offer.

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