Val "John" Harris, 84, passed away peacefully on June 27, 2025 at the Meadows of Ottawa. John was born September 8, 1940 in Columbus, Ohio to the late Jack and Lucille (Ambos) Harris who preceded him in death. He was a 1958 graduate of Lima Senior High school and on August 29, 1964 he married Joyce (Eikenbary) Harris.
During the week of June 29-July 5, the Bluffton Icon and Ada Icon will be in a summer break mode with reduced content. I'll be "taking inventory" and covering public meetings, as well as responding to phone calls to 567-400-4266 and emails to [email protected]. For those who are on the road during this 4th of July week, happy and safe travels! -- Paula Scott, editor.
CORRECTION: Neil Schmidt was a double-sport athlete at Purdue. His brother Pete went to Bowling Green State University.
By Fred Steiner
Bluffton Icon founder
Seems like several football season ago, I stood on a September Harmon Field Friday night sideline.
During a timeout, the focus of the group surrounding me quite naturally turned to a peculiar discussion: Ranking the greatest Pirate football players to sink their cleats into the 100-yard-lawn where we stood.
JUNE 28 FACEBOOK ANNOUNCEMENT—Due to unforeseen issues with the pool, we will not be opening today, Saturday, June 28th. There will be no lap swim or open swim today. We apologize for the inconvenience.
JUNE 27 MEDIA RELEASE__More than 500 swimmers and their families will descend on Wapakoneta July 11-12, 2025, for the annual Western Ohio Aquatics League (WOAL) Swim Champs. WOAL is for swimmers aged 5-18 who are members of one of the league’s teams.
Wapakoneta Village pool is the host site for the 2025 Swim Champs and will host seven teams: Ada Gators, Bluffton Sardines, Findlay Frogs, Kenton Stingrays, Shawnee Tide, Wapakoneta Waves, Westside Wave and Van Wert Marlins. Teams will compete for the 2025 league title.
