Michael John “Mike” Shelly, 53, passed away on January 23, 2025, due to complications from recent health issues. Born on May 5, 1971, in Lima, Ohio, he was adopted as a young child by Ralph and Helen Shelly, who nurtured him with love and devotion in Bluffton, Ohio. Mike later reconnected with his birth mother, Karen (Henderson) McClendon, a reunion that was meaningful for them both.
Bluffton University will present its spring play, "Popcorn Falls," by James Hindman on April 3-6.
Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. April 3-5 and 2:30 p.m. on April 6 in Ramseyer Auditorium, College Hall. All seats are reserved, and tickets are available at www.bluffton.edu/tickets. Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for senior citizens, Bluffton University faculty and staff and non-Bluffton University students, and free for Bluffton University students.
ROSSFORD __ Seven Bluffton High School wrestlers battled for a spot in the state tournament at the Div. III district meet in Rossford, February 28-March 1.
Five of the seven Pirates won their first match Friday, with four of them then losing in the second round. Only sophomore Mason Shank advanced to the semifinals with two straight wins Friday in the 285 lbs. division.
Shank finished fourth in the heavyweight class Saturday to make it to the state event. Sophomore Evan Grothause ended up sixth in the 190 lbs. bracket.
A top-four finish at districts in any weight class qualified a wrestler for the state tournament at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus March 7-8. READ MORE
Bluffton Public Library, 145 S. Main St., has announced the following programs and events for March 2025. Have questions? Call the library at 419-358-5016.
Winter Read is for all ages and runs from January through March. Pick up a Winter Read Challenge Sheet for your age group, complete it, and stop by the front desk to pick up a small prize!
Noon Book Group (R) meets Wed., March 5 to discuss Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez. On Wed., April 2, the group will discuss The House of Lincoln with author Nancy Horan via Zoom. Stop by the library front desk to register and pick up the book, and to receive email updates! READ MORE
Local Boy Scouts are distributing door tags on March 1 to notify Bluffton residents of the Scouting for Food program.
They are asking residents to "recycle an old grocery bag and place canned goods or non-perishable items inside it for pick up by one of your neighborhood scouts. Items collected will be donated to your local community food pantry. No glass items, please.
"Place bagged donations on your front step by 9:00 a.m. on the second Saturday in March for pickup [March 8].
