Forest L. "Bud" Kantner, 86, of Bluffton died at 11:45 p.m. March 16, 2015, at the Mennonite Memorial Home, Bluffton. He was born Jan. 31, 1929, in Auglaize County to Louis and Ida Deiringer Kantner. On Dec. 16, 1951 he married Betty E. Basinger and she survives.
He had worked at Trim Tread, Spencerville, and retired from Tower Automotive, Bluffton. He was a member of Grace Mennonite Church, Pandora, and the Bluffton Senior Citizens. He was a graduate of Spencerville High School.
The largest single-day event in Bluffton this summer is Sunday, June 21.
That's the day when Bluffton becomes the Bicycle Capital of Ohio. The community will be visited by 2,500+ bikers and families on this year's Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure tour (GOBA).
There's a need and lots of room for volunteers to pitch in on that day. There's also an opportunity for groups to do some serious fundraising.
The Village of Bluffton, including parts of Bluffton University and a section of the village on the south side of Grove Street are currently without electrical power.
AEP is reporting to customers that the power should be back on by 10:30 p.m. this evening.
Those initials stand for Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure, or GOBA. Here’s what it means:
Bluffton is on the 27th annual GOBA bicycle tour in June. Up to 2,500 persons – mostly on bicycles – will arrive in Bluffton from Van Wert on the morning of Sunday, June 21.
That means that on that weekend Bluffton will be the bicycle capital of Ohio.
While in Bluffton bikers will camp at Bluffton University. On Monday morning, June 22, they will depart for Defiance.
A Lions’ Way Trailhead Park will be constructed at the Commerce Lane entrance to the Lions’ Way Trail, according to the Bluffton Bikeway and Pedestrian Pathway Board.
When completed, the park will include a 225- by 60-foot green space bordering Commerce Lane.
“This will greatly enhance the appeal and use of the Lion’s Way Trail. It will serve as a great bike rest stop for area residents and visitors to the greater Bluffton area,” said Richard Ramseyer, Pathway Board chair.
By Monty Siekerman of Ada Icon
The Bluffton Paving Co., bid of $1.3 million for the Ada Klingler Road improvement project was accepted by Ada council in a special meeting on March 10. The Bluffton firm was the lowest of eight bids.
The road improvement will extend from the railroad tracks passing through Ada south to Lima Avenue, about half a mile in length. The old surface will be taken up and the new road will be wider, going from the present 19 foot width to 28 feet.
