Join Bluffton-Pandora's oldest tradition at 5 p.m. on New Year's Eve. New year's carolers will sing David Rothen's carols in German at Mennonite Memorial Home. Following caroling at MMH the singers will go to Maple Crest. This is a program of the Swiss Community Historical Society and the public is invited to participate.
By Fred Steiner
To best understand our community, it's helpful to appreciate the musical gene of those who carry a Bluffton birthmark.
What has the attention of these kindergarten students at Bluffton Community Pre-School? Well, it's Billy the Frog. If you want a close-up of Bluffton's famous frog, click here.
Thomas Jay Dukes, 55, died Dec. 30, 2014, at his residence. He was born Oct. 2, 1959, in Bluffton to Lewis and Virginia (Sutter) Dukes. On Sept. 20, 1985, he married Kathy Beckler Dukes who survives.
He was a self-employed farmer and was owner/operator of TJD Trucking. He was a member of United in Christ United Methodist Church, Bluffton, and the Mt. Cory Masonic Lodge. He was a 1978 graduate of Cory-Rawson High School.
It's Billy in Billy's Beach. And if you look closely near the top of the photo there's a small cricket on a green plant. Billy lives in the kindergarten room of Bluffton Child Development Center. Two photos below show students watching Billy and a close up of Bluffton's famous frog.
