Here’s a Bluffton fish story you’ve not heard, but if you are old enough, you’ve witnessed.

While in my backyard on Sunday afternoon, I’m convinced I heard Arden Baker’s distinctive voice speaking over a World War II-era PA system. The voice came from the direction of the Buckeye.

Anyone who knows Arden’s voice identifies it immediately. That PA system he spoke into, the loudest in Bluffton, is stored on the second floor of the town hall – maybe the third.

Being a curious guy, I headed toward the Buckeye to get in on the commotion. And, what a commotion: There were guys who I hadn’t seen in a very, very long time. They were all fishing.

Well, not everyone was fishing. Gene Benroth was selling raffle tickets. Kenny Moser was measuring caught fish and Clayton Welty was sitting on a park bench, just watching the crowd. Dewy Forman was directing traffic. There was lots of traffic to direct.

Roger Mullenhour was monitoring the PA system. Paul Stauffer was probably nearby somewhere to relieve his neighbor, Arden, if necessary.

On the Spring Street bank was Dales Joe Kohli talking with one of Gene Benroth’s brothers, either Jim or Bob. It was difficult for me to tell them apart. Edgar Cook and several other Triplett employees were about 20 feet away, on the lower part of the bank, all fishing to their heart’s content.

As I walked around the quarry, there were more guys who I hadn’t seen in a long time. Oscar Wenger was in his favorite spot on the Main Street corner of the Buckeye. Next to Oscar were Fred Tschantz and Lester Neuenschwander. Myron Motter might have been nearby.

The Augsburger brothers, Denver and Ralph, might have been in a boat in the middle of the quarry with Tuffy Swank and Bill Edwards, Sr.

The further I walked, the more interesting it became. Believe me.

There was John Amstutz and John Gilbert next to John Herrmann. Bill Gaiffe and Wade Bechtel were near the driveway turn-around where those mysterious steps go into the quarry. They were listening to A. C. Burcky tell a joke that seemed to go on and on because A.C. couldn’t stop laughing while telling it.

I looked past them and saw Si Diller walk by with Wilfred Geiger. As I watched them pass I looked down on the north bank. There was Jack Berry fishing with Jesse Manges. Next to them were a lot of guys from Orange Township, who I recognized only by last name: several Edingers, Warrens and Andersons.

Larry Badertscher was there, so were Jim and Fred Herrmann. Wilbur Renner and Paul Eikenbary were there too. Who’d I miss? Probably lots of others.

In this stroll around the Buckeye I noticed that everyone seemed to be having a really good time even though it was a rather serious event.

I then realized that this was the first Sunday in May. It all made sense. This was no ordinary fish story. This was “Bluffton’s fish story.”