By Fred Steiner (Photo accompanying this column shows Fred Steiner and Ryan Lowry cutting the Icon’s first anniversary cake in 2010.)
Thoughts on:
• how the Icons came to be,
• journalism in a small town,
• and a memo to Steve Stratton on retirement.
Here’s the thing:
You can earn a living working in your profession in a small, rural community. But, along the way, you can’t predict the encounters that hit like insects on a car window at 70 mph.
The Bluffton and Ada Icons passed on to their second generation of owners at the beginning of the month. Fred and Mary Pannabecker Steiner, who launched the two community journalism websites, announced Ryan and Gayle Lowry of Bluffton as the new owners beginning July 1. Read the full story.
Fourth of July weekend fireworks lit up the Ada sky for the first time in many years. The fireworks show on July 2 was at the Ada Park. Ken Collins shares these shots for Icon viewers. Bluffton's fireworks takes place on National Night Out in early August.
Provided by Klaira Hohenbrink
Bluffton 4-H Cattle Club Reporter
The Bluffton 4-H Cattle Club is selling tickets for its annual chicken barbecue fundraiser. This year's event is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sunday, July 18.
Pick up is at the Bluffton Sportsmen's Club, 405 N. Spring St. The meal includes a one-half chicken, mac and cheese, green beans and a dinner roll. A bake sale is also available by donation.
Tickets are $9 and are available from club members. Attached is a list of club members and their offices. Alan Begg is the club director.
Bluffton Athletics: A mandatory player/parent meeting will be Thursday, July 29, at 7 p.m. in the Bluffton High School gym.
This will be for all athletes and parent/guardians who will participate in a fall sport.
Fall sports officially begin Aug. 1, but practice will not start until Aug. 2, all athletes must have updated Physical on PRIVIT https://blufftonpirates-oh.e-ppe.com/index.jspa before the official start of practice Aug. 1.
Emily Byers, a Bluffton second-grade student this past school year, has placed 3rd in the statewide Imagine Engineering Coloring Contest out of more than 6,000
students.
Emily, daughter of Justin and Karen Byers, was a student in Mrs. Fry's classroom when she entered the contest.
Her winning entry involved a picture of an engineer reviewing her roller coaster design plans at a site visit. For her efforts, Emy received the third-place prize, a MathShark skill-building game and calculator.
