It was a crime to be "beardless" in Bluffton during the one-week August centennial in 1961. The only way men could stay out of jail was to purchase a pin giving them permission to shave.
Bill Hart was caught by the Keystone Kops of Findlay and was jailed because he lacked a beard and a permit to share. He was housed in a make-shift jail on Main Street until someone bailed him out.
Ron Geiser provide The Icon with another view of the Bluffton old car parade from 1960. This view is from what is today Tu Pueblo looking south on Main Street. Notice the many changes to downtown.
How many Model-T Ford-era vehicles can you count. This is an aerial view of the 1961 Bluffton parade of antique vehicles. The parade took place during the centennial celebration. Leland Gerber took the photo and it appears that he took it while standing on the roof of his photo studio on South Main Street.
There are several other sites to observe in this 1961 Main Street photo. Look closely where the historical mural is today, for starters.
Next check out the sign in front of what is today Common Grounds Coffeehouse.
If you were in Bluffton in 1961 then you had an opportunity to pay money for a raffle to win this car. Gene Benroth, the driving force behind the centennial and the car raffle, is in the driver's seat. The car was eventually won by Merl Watkins.
