2 photos worth 10,000 Bluffton words
Note: The Icon posted these two photo in past Decembers, but they are worthy of a re-post. Dennis Morrison shared the photos originally with the Icon.
It's December in downtown Bluffton in the early 1950s. There's Santa with a Santa Halloween mask stepping up to meet kids. In the next photo Bob Crow and Paul Steiner hold the PA system as Santa talks with kids.
We're pretty certain that Al McCluer is Santa, and we are going to make a stab on the ID of the kids on the platform. On the far left, it looks like Dan Lehman, then Francis Harkness, Judy Harness and Donna McClure. That's as far as we can go.
This scene must have been from a Bluffton Business Men's holiday promotion.
The Presbyterian Church manse is behind the setting. It's part of the parking lot today.
In the background is the original Citizens National Bank, prior to two modifications. Next door is Crow's 5 and 10, The Charles Company and Urich's IGA.
Viewer comments are welcome.
Stories Posted This Week
Friday, September 25, 2026
- Ada Icon headlines, September 25
- Clay, community, and the classroom
- September 25 Bluffton Schools athletics lineup, streaming
- Pirate volleyball loss vs. Crestview
- Pirate girls soccer win vs. Allen East
- Janine Elizabeth (Minnich) Millager, 87, was a lab technician
- Send October 2026 calendar events to the Icon
- New time for Planning and Bluffton Beyond Tomorrow meetings, Sept 29
- Pirate boys golf 10th at sectionals
- Fall Festival activities are all over Bluffton, Sept. 26
Thursday, September 24, 2026
- Marilyn Florence (Brunn) Osting, 94, was a nurse
- Paul Richard Wingate Jr., 79, worked for the Lima Ford Engine Plant
- Ada Icon headlines, Sept. 24
- Roundabouts celebrated for crash reduction
- Scarecrow competition for Bluffton businesses
- Hello, Goodbye: Diphenhydramine for allergies
- 5th Annual MHCO Gala will Roll Out the Red Carpet
- Funeral notice for Mary Louise Reddick
- ODNR urges caution during fall wildfire season
- Nursing student to share clinical research at First Tuesday in the Library
Wednesday, September 23, 2026
- Chamber members take a lesson from Jacomet's Martial Arts
- Proud of your pie? Sept. 26 apple pie baking contest
- Save November 6-7 for Holiday Open House
- Friends of the Library book sale, Sept. 24-26
- Pirate girls golf places 6th at sectionals
- Pirate volleyball outlasts Grove
- Bluffton tennis wins on consecutive nights
- Pirate boys soccer edged by Liberty Center