BEACON8-19

Page 2A THE BEACON August 2019
By
Tamara
Taylor
Life Changes
In a Minute
So much has happened
since my last column- some
very simple things that add
joy to life, some incredibly
unusual things, and one very
bittersweet event.
Let’s start with the simply
beautiful thing. One morning
I headed out to conquer the
world, enjoying 22.4 seconds
of sunshine in between what
felt like continual rain, when
I screeched to a halt, staring
ahead in disbelief. On the last
fence post was a stunning
peacock! Really?!! I would
have been less stunned to see
a baby giraffe standing there.
Okay, maybe not, but I had
to work in that adorable little
creature named Fennessy who
Pavo the visiting peacock
is the newest member of the
Cincinnati Zoo family.
What a great way to start
the day.
I named my visiting peacock
Pavo, short for Pavo cristatus,
the scientific name for a
peacock-like bird indigenous
to India(na). Okay, we’ll go
with that. I guess I was a little
short of coffee that morning...
On a serious note, I would
like to share with you a personal
loss that our community and
I have had. Ron Zoller passed
away recently. He was one
of the kindest human beings
I have ever met. Ron always
found the good in everyone,
and I mean everyone. He was
hard-working and loved his
grandchildren beyond words.
Many people knew Ron as
a talented artist who portrayed
area landmarks through penand-ink
drawings. His work
graces the walls of many
homes throughout the area. He
also touched the hearts of so
many with his sage advice.
Throughout the thirty-seven
years that I knew Ron, he spoke
with great pride about his military
career as a Marine. I am
very grateful for the Veterans
who performed the military
funeral for Ron. I am certain it
meant so very much to him.
Each month I share someone
in our community who is
a fantastic volunteer. Someone
who goes above and beyond
but quietly stays behind the
scenes when it comes to recognition.
This month’s theme
of kindness is undoubtedly the
single most prominent trait of
one of our own- Rachel Lutz.
Yes, we all know her husband
who has the loud booming
auctioneer’s voice, a heart
of gold, and a very quick wit.
But what is the secret to his
success? His wife, Rachel.
Imagine waking up every
morning, and before your feet
Ron Zoller- A man whose
actions defined kindness
and integrity.
hit the floor, think about who
needs help that day. Who’s life
can you make better? Rachel
Lutz does that every day.
Whether someone needs assistance
with a project or needs
help due to a medical emergency,
Rachel is there to help. She
is described as being so humble.
I think the word mighty can
be added to that description.
I first saw Rachel working
at the Bright Parade. She
doesn’t just contribute the
day of the parade- she works
tirelessly with her fellow
parade-makers to ensure that
the event goes off seamlessly.
Countless hours are spent
planning routes, traffic flow,
entry information, etc. The
day of the parade must be
exhausting for her.
As I left Bright after the
parade, I was floored at what I
saw- Rachel Lutz was picking
up trash along the parade
route. She always strives to
leave the town better than she
found it. Amazing.
Rachel has earned the nickname
of the Recycling Queen.
She can often be found, much
to the chagrin of her son,
setting aside unsold auction
Rachel Lutz
items, vowing to find a need
for them rather than putting
them in the garbage.
Rachel is a life-long member
of St. John Lutheran
Church- Hubbles Corner. She
has been treasurer, superintendent
of Sunday School, and
chairman of many dinners.
Rachel visits nursing homes
and makes a point to take
communion to the residents.
Debby Stutz shared a funny
story about Rachel. “I was sitting
in Thelma Jean’s kitchen
one morning when the door
swung open and in walked
Rachel Lutz. She loves to
cook, you know. Rachel
insisted that Thelma Jean
needed a bowl of homemade
soup and quickly ladled out a
bowl, then turned around and
left! It was so cute.”
As I spoke to those who
know Rachel best, one thing
became crystal clear. Rachel
ALWAYS puts others first.
There is not enough room in
this entire paper to share all of
the acts of kindness that this
woman does on a daily basis.
Thank you, Rachel, for being
a huge part of what makes
this community so great.
2019 Bright Annual Parade
The 29th Annual Bright Parade
will kick off the Saturday
fun on July 27 at the Bright
Community Festival.
This annual parade will begin
at 3:00 P.M. at the Bright
Christian Church. The parade
route begins by going south on
Stateline Rd. to Salt Fork Rd.
and ends at the Bright Firehouse.
The parade route and
all side roads will close to traffic
promptly from 3-4:00 P.M.
Afterward, parade-goers
will be able to enjoy delicious
chicken dinners and all of the
festival games and fun.
All parade entries need to
line up on the north side of
the Bright Christian Church
no later than 2:00 P.M. Participants
can gather on the south
side of the church to assemble
their floats and then move into
the lineup. Businesses, ball
teams, Scout troops, antique
cars or tractors, dance teams,
civic groups, and political
groups are encouraged to
participate.
Publisher/Editor
Tamara M. Taylor
Publishers Emeritus
Elizabeth Morris, Celeste Calvitto
Sales Manager - New Accounts
Susan Snyder
Editorial Assistants
Connie Webb, Cherie Maddin
Columnists & Contributors
Debbie Acasio, Melanie Alexander,
Doris Butt, Susan Carson,
Gloria Carter, Susan Cottingham,
Rebecca Davies, PG Gentrup,
John Hawley, Mary-Alice Helms,
Merrill and Linda Hutchinson,
Korry Johnson, Laura Keller,
Julie Murphy, Chris Nobbe,
Fred Schmits, Marie Segale,
Sue Siefert, Maureen Stenger,
Debby Stutz, Rhonda Trabel,
Karis Troyer, Katie Ullrich
Nicole Williams, Debbie Zimmer
Production
FX-Design, Inc.
THE BEACON - Bringing our Community and Businesses Together.
The parade route will be
lined with hundreds of people,
so being in the parade is an
excellent way to strut your
stuff! Bring a chair, join in
the fun, and watch a grand
parade.
The Bright Fire & EMS
do a great job all year long
protecting our loved ones and
properties, so let’s thank them
for all of their dedication
by supporting their Bright
Festival.
Remember those raffle tickets
you received in the mail?
If we all fill them out and
turn them back in with our
donation, we could be winners
AND help our volunteers
at the firehouse. Together,
we can make the parade and
the Festival a success while
spreading some community
spirit.
Questions about the parade?
Call Jody Blasdel at 637-1097
or Dale Lutz at 637-2220.
See you on Parade Day,
Saturday, July 27th, 2019.
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The Beacon is an independent
monthly publication with
distribution in Dearborn, Ripley,
Franklin and Ohio Counties in
Indiana and Harrison, Ohio.
Published since 1994.
Beacon News, Inc.
PO Box 4022
Lawrenceburg, Indiana 47025.
Member:
Dearborn County
Chamber of Commerce,
Ripley County
Chamber of Commerce,
Bright Area Business Association,
Batesville Chamber
of Commerce