UPDATED FEB. 19: This event has been cancelled due to flooding.
Each February, the National Audubon Society and Cornell Lab of Ornithology coordinate the Great Backyard Bird Count. The Quarry Farm Nature Preserve & Conservation Farm, rural Pandora, invites you to bring your binoculars and join in the count at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 19.
Rev. Jeremy Mann has accepted a call as pastor from St. John’s UCC, Bluffton, effective March 1, 2022. He will be the shared pastor for Emmanuel UCC and St. John’s UCC, both of Bluffton, Ohio.
The announcement from Northwest Ohio Association UCC, Tiffin, made official what the two churches have been working on for several months, thus renewing a shared ministry that existed for decades prior to 1961, when each congregation decided to employ its own pastor.
The Bluffton University women's basketball team continued its winning ways with a 62-56 victory over Franklin College on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022. Bluffton improved to 16-6 overall and 11-4 in the Heartland Conference, while Franklin dipped to 7-14 and 5-9 in the HCAC.
Day two of the Heartland Conference Swimming and Diving Championships saw two 5th place finishes for Bluffton University and another school record hit the bricks. Bluffton remains in 5th place as a team, standing ahead of both Manchester and Hanover as the meet is rounding the final curve.
The Bluffton Lions Club is seeking nominees for the 2021 Citizen of the Year Award. The award was established in 1981 to honor a person, couple, or person representing a group, who has selflessly given time, effort, and talent for the benefit of those in the Bluffton area, and whose dedication and achievements have profoundly improved the quality of life of the people in this area.
The Bluffton University men's basketball team dropped a 75-65 decision to Franklin College on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022. Bluffton fell to 5-16 overall and 1-12 in the Heartland Conference, while Franklin avenged its 70-65 January loss to Bluffton, improving to 10-14 overall and 6-9 in the HCAC.
On February 7, the Bluffton High School Academic Team competed in the Ada Invitational Quiz Bowl Competition and went undefeated in the round-robin tournament with a 5-0 record.
The ten teams competing were Ada, Bluffton, Cory-Rawson, Elida, Hardin-Northern, Kenton, Liberty-Benton, Ridgemont, Riverdale and USV. Riverdale finished second, with Ada only 2 points behind Riverdale, finishing in third.
The Pandora-Gilboa Rockets (8-0 BVC, 4-2 PCL, 12-7) boys basketball team let one slip away on Saturday night Feb. 12, losing a tight one on the road to Putnam County League foe Fort Jennings, 33-31.
Bluffton University’s Concert Band, under the direction of Dr. Roy Couch, will present the Winter Instrumental Concert at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 27, in Yoder Recital Hall.
Musical selections include:
A wind-band setting of hymns “A Scottish Sunrise (Morning Has Broken)” and “In Simple Faith (‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus);”
Compositions based on an extra-musical idea “The Ides of March,” “Radiance” and “Undertow” by John Mackey;
