If there's such a thing as a "100-year flood," meaning a flood that only occurs every 100 years, then this photo must be the "100-year winter ice storm." Nothing is written on the back of the photo, but there are several things to point out to tell the story to viewers in 2010.
First, the photo was taken in Bluffton by an unknown photographer. The scene is South Main Street, looking south. The house on the left appears to be 321 S. Main, what is today The Lamplighter Bed and Breakfast, owned by Joan Bauman.
Several community events are planned to celebration Martin Luther King Day in Bluffton.
Daniel Hughes of Bluffton is the featured speaker of the Bluffton Inter Church Board's Martin Luther King Day celebration. The event is Thursday, Jan. 21, at the Bluffton Senior Citizens Center.A community meal is at 6 p.m. The King program follows the meal. Both are open to the public.
Hughes will give a tribute to King with a speech Crossing Over Into the Promised Land.
"The Shack," byWilliam P. Young, is this month's Maple Crest Living Community's discussion book. Copies of the book may be picked up at the circulation desk of the Bluffton Public Library.
The book discussion is at 2:30 p.m., Monday, Jan. 25, at Maple Crest. The monthly book discussion is held on the fourth Monday of each month. More more information contact the Bluffton Public Librayr.
It's from Putnam County. That's obvious. But who is JR and what does 85 represent? JR's year of birth, graduation from high school, marriage or football jersey?
Winter storytime themes are set at the Bluffton Public Library, according to Rikki Steingass. Storytime is for pre-schoolers ages 3 to 5. Sessions are Mondays at 6:30 p.m. and Tuesdays at 10 a.m.
"The winter themes are designed to chase seasonal blues away," said Steingass. They include stories, songs, fingerplays, snacks and other activities."
Each session last about 45 minutes. Parents or caregivers must register their child at the front desk to participate.
Note: The Icon welcome Ron Lora as a regular columnist. Lora, a native of Bluffton, Ohio, is retired from the history department of the University of Toledo, where he continues to teach part time. He is the author or editor of several books and the recipient of teaching awards at the university and state levels. A past president of the Ohio Academy of History and of the Swiss Community Historical Society, he is active in several organizations.
Hey! That's not an Ohio plate! You are correct. It's from Kansas. The Icon snapped it in the Rosenberger Drive parking lot. It belongs to a Bluffton University student.
Bluffton police report that a sex crimes investigation from last summer has resulted in a recent conviction in the Allen County Common Pleas Court.
Police were contacted by the mother of a14-year-old Bluffton female reporting the discovery of several occasions where the girl was sexually active with the woman's boyfriend.
Terry A. Gibson, 44, was originally indicted by an Allen County Grand Jury on three counts of Unlawful Sexual Conduct with a Minor, each being a third degree felony, according to Rick Skilliter, Bluffton police chief.
Thelma L. Bracy, 97, of Fort Wayne, Ind., died Thursday, Jan. 14, 2010, at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne.
Born in Kalida, Ohio, the daughter of Louis and Bessie (Wirth) Neill, she married Laurel E. Bracy Sept. 6, 1936 and they settled in Pandora, Ohio.
She was a housewife assisting her husband as needed in the operation of Bracy Clover Farm Grocery Store in Pandora. He preceded her in death in 1967 after which she continued working in the store. She was an avid gardener, enjoying vegetables and flowers--especially orchid culture.
