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.
By Karen Kier
Pharmacist on behalf of the ONU HealthWise team
The idiom “keeping up with the Joneses” refers to social pressure to match or keep up with the wealth or status of your neighbors. In 2016, this common idiom was made into an action-comedy film starring Jon Hamm. The plot reveals the neighbors are jealous of the new couple who have moved in next door until they find out they are actually spies and the drama begins!
BLUFFTON__The Bluffton High School girls basketball team ran into a first-period buzzsaw and lost 68-49 to visiting non-conference foe Elida on Tuesday, January 13.
The Bulldog girls raced to a 28-10 lead after the first period and basically maintained that edge the rest of the game.
Elida’s one-two punch of junior wing Lilly Sifrit and senior post Emma Mitchell poured in 10 first-quarter points apiece as the Bulldogs erupted for 28 points in the first eight minutes.
MEDIA RELEASE__Bluffton Diamond Sports has opened registration for youth baseball and softball this spring. Register online at www.bdsonline.org by February 22.
The registration fee is $65, which includes a jersey and hat.
MEDIA RELEASE__Christine Denecker, Ph.D., a Bluffton resident, has been appointed as the University of Findlay’s vice president of academic affairs, effective January 1.
Denecker has served as interim vice president since August 1. She succeeds Darin Fields, Ph.D., who served for 12 years in the role. He remains at UF as an English professor and assists in the institutional research office on University-wide initiatives, including academic program review.
MEDIA RELEASE__GriefShare is coming to Bluffton. GriefShare is a support group that meets weekly. The program is a warm, caring environment and you will come to see your group as an “oasis” on your long journey through grief. There are three key parts to the GriefShare experience.
Video Seminar: Encouraging information-packed videos featuring grief recovery experts.
Support Group: Small group discussion about the weekly video content.
Workbook: Journaling and personal study exercises that reinforce the weekly session topics.
MEDIA RELEASE__Jonathon Blake Turner, director of choral activities at Bluffton University, will present the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Forum, “Justice in the Key of Faith: The Sound of the Sanctuary and the Streets,” at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 20, in Yoder Recital Hall.
In this lecture-demonstration, Turner will explore how the Black Church shaped the sound and soul of the Civil Rights Movement. Weaving together history, theology and live music, he will demonstrate how spirituals, gospel music and freedom songs transformed faith into collective action.
