Mixed Media Art Class: Snowflake (R)($) will be held Tue., Jan. 13 at 6:00 p.m. with Hannah Warwick of Bluffton Art Co. Come prepared to create your own mixed media snowflake using watercolor/pen/paint. Cost is $15 per person and will be taken at the door (cash only, please). Register in person or online. Open to adults, and teens and children with an accompanying adult.
A first-class letter sent by the Icon from Bluffton, Ohio to Bluffton, Ohio took four days this past week. Hand-postmarked about noon on Wednesday, January 7, the letter was received at the Icon PO Box on Saturday, January 10.
Winter Storytimes (R) January 14 through February 25! Join Miss Beth for a time of stories, games, crafts, and lots of fun while developing early literacy skills! Little Ones Storytime is open to ages birth-2 and Pre-K Storytime is open to ages 3-5. When registering, please specify if your child has any food allergies, as snacks are often provided. Register in person or online.
Heating Assistance Application Deadline: May 31, 2026
MEDIA RELEASE__The Ohio Department of Development and Area Agency on Aging 3 remindS older Ohioans that assistance is available to help with home energy bills. The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) helps Ohioans at or below 175% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines for a household of up to eight members and 60% of the State Median Income for a household of nine or more members to pay their heating bills.
Stan Clemens died at the age of 84 in the early morning on January 11, 2026, having lived a full and in some ways unexpected life.
Stan was born on May 11, 1941, and grew up in Souderton, PA, where his parents, grandparents, and generations before had lived. He was very active in sports and music through his high school years. He graduated from Bluffton College, where he met his wife, Joenita Shetler. He went on to earn his Masters from the University of Indiana and Ph. D. in Mathematics from the University of North Carolina. Stan and Jo have lived in Bluffton, OH, for the past 40 years.
Village Administrator Jesse Blackburn provided the attached 2025 Zoning Permits Summary for the village council at the December 22 regular meeting. The total dollar value of cost estimates is $12.9M with $6M in residential permits and $6.9M in commercial permits.
COMMERCIAL PROJECTS
Gerken Materials, Inc. is listed as submitting the largest project, an asphalt plant with a cost estimate of $6M. Commercial projects with estimates of at least $10K are:
