beaconJan2020

INSIDE 

The BEACON 

In 2014, the writing was on the 

wall for the North Dearborn Elementary 

School. Sunman Dearborn 

School Corporation’s enrollment had 

declined, and finances were upside 

down. Faced with hard choices, the 

school board made the decision to 

close the North Dearborn Elementary 

School. 

Since 2015, the vacated school has 

been a topic of conversation concerning 

the future of the building and the 

land upon which it sits. The fate of the 

structure has finally been decided. 

Determining the future of the 

property has been hindered by state 

THE 

BEACON 

www.goBEACONnews.com | PUBLISHED MONTHLY SINCE 1994 | January 2020 

North Dearborn Elementary’s Fate Determined 

laws that dictate how the repurposing 

of the facility can be handled. For the 

first two years after the closing of the 

facility, the Sunman Dearborn School 

Corporation was required to offer to 

lease the building to a charter or private 

school for the fee of $1 per year. 

At that time, the economy was not 

conducive to such an opportunity, and 

two years passed without such a deal 

being struck. 

In 2017, the school corporation held 

an auction to clear out all of the fixtures 

in the school. Desks, equipment, 

and cafeteria items that could not be 

utilized elsewhere in the corporation 

were sold to the highest bidder. The 

result- an empty building, once filled 

with the excitement of students as they 

rushed to classes and school activities, 

stood vacant. 

At that point, state law allowed 

for the building to be put up for sale. 

However, the price of the building was 

dictated by an appraisal of fair market 

value. The structure was shown to 

potential buyers four times- each time 

the response was that it was too big to 

fit their needs. 

Finally, in 2018, state law allowed 

the school board to set its own price 

Continued on page 3A 

Area first-grade students 

share holiday wishes 

with Santa. Page 6A 

A Visit from Scrooge 

John Blasdel welcomed people to 

Hillforest during the Ghost walk. 

Page 6B 

A Dog’s Point of View 

Keep you pet safe this holiday 

season. 

Page 11B 

PRSRT STD 

U.S. POSTAGE 

PAID 

CINCINNATI, OHIO 

Permit No. 9714 

THE BEACON 

PO Box 4022 

Lawrenceburg, Indiana 47025 

A future hockey player in 

the making. 

Zoey Boggs, Jaylynn Grizzell, and Wyld 

Heimann were all smiles as they sped 

across the ice. 

Megan Brown, Claire Nagel, and Brady Buddenburg 

keep skate rentals gliding along at 

the rink. (Photos by Dawn Lanphier) 

Cool Fun! 

Community residents from 

near and far enjoy ice skating 

in Lawrenceburg for 

the holiday season. 

By Maureen Stenger 

As a child, no magic was quite like the magic of Christmas 

Eve. It was my favorite night of the entire year. We 

began the evening by attending church at Our Lady of 

Visitation in Bridgetown. We then traveled over the hills 

and through the woods to my Great Aunt El’s house, where 

the entire side of my father’s family gathered to celebrate. 

After a delicious meal, we splurged on scrumptious cookies 

and buckeyes that my grandma and her sisters had spent 

countless hours preparing. We then opened a ridiculous 

amount of gifts followed by the adults playing cards as 

the children relished in the sounds of joy and laughter that 

filled that warm and happy home. Aunt El always said 

it was the one night of the entire year that we all were 

together. Reflecting on Christmases past got me thinking 

about holiday traditions in other families and in our communities 

that capture and celebrate the enchantment of 

Christmastime. 

High up on Sutton Hill in Aurora, an eighty-year-old tradition 

continues to light up the night sky. Every December, 

Jack and Beth Sutton carry on their family custom of hanging 

and lighting The Sutton Star. In 1850 Doctor George 

Sutton built his house on the property now known as Sutton 

Hill. Throughout the years, the land has remained in the 

Lily practiced skating with 

the aid of a skate helper. 

Memorial 

Park Planned 

for Greendale 

When the legacy of an individual 

of someone as vibrant as Lauren Hill 

inspires a community, the effects are 

limitless. Ms. Hill’s incredible drive 

to never give up is yet again touching 

lives in our community. A vision for a 

park named in memory of Lauren Hill 

is one step closer to becoming a reality. 

Located at the corner of Georgetown 

and Fairway Roads, the Lauren Hill 

Memorial is planned to be constructed 

on what once was a landfill. The City 

of Greendale, owners of the property, 

graciously agreed to lease the 

property to the Friends of Lauren Hill 

Foundation, a local nonprofit organization. 

During the fifteen-year term of 

the lease, the Friends of Lauren Hill 

Foundation will be responsible for the 

development and maintenance of the 

memorial park. 

Current plans for the park include an 

enclosed area of two-thirds of an acre for 

use by owners with small dogs. Adjoining 

that area is a one-and-one-third acre 

area to be used by larger dogs and their 

owners. A one-mile introductory level 

mountain bike trail is also being planned. 

Parking and signage are being considered 

during the development stage. 

Plans for the development of the 

property are contingent upon approval 

of the site by the Indiana Department 

of Environmental Management. 

The Friends of Lauren Hill Foundation 

envision the park expanding in the 

future to include basketball courts, a 

disc golf course, and other recreational 

amenities. 


A Community Filled with Holiday Traditions 

Free Event 

A Christmas tree has filled the center of Second Street 

for sixteen years. (Photo courtesy of Main Street Aurora) 

family. Jack and Beth Sutton are the fifth generation of Suttons 

to live on the hill and the third generation to carry on 

this tradition of hanging the star. Jack Sutton shared that the 


RSVP appreciated: 513-519-0006, kenmaddin@gmail.com

Page 2A THE BEACON January 2020 

By 

Tamara 

Taylor 

Reason for the Season 

I received the biggest compliment 

recently. My neighbors 

did something wonderful, 

so I baked a chocolate 

cake to thank them for their 

kindness. A few weeks later, 

I saw the couple, and Donna, 

a farmer’s wife for over sixty 

years, commented that my 

cake tasted very good. Wow! 

Was I ever thrilled! I don’t 

think she knew how much her 

kind words meant. She really 

made my day. 

Isn’t that the secret to a 

happy life? Making other 

people’s day? If only we 

could all remember to strive 

to make someone else unexpectedly 

delighted every day. 

What a nice place this world 

would be. 

At the recent Dearborn 

County Chamber annual dinner, 

quite a few members of 

our community were recognized. 

Of course, a multitude 

of speeches were given by all 

different professionals and 

age groups. As I sat back and 

listened, I picked up on an 

underlying theme in each and 

every speech- how great our 

community is because of the 

extra efforts made by individuals 

dedicated to making 

our community a great place 

to live. How lucky we are 

that those individuals are our 

neighbors. 

Holiday seasons can sometimes 

be a bit rough. The rosy 

picture of families and heartfelt 

family traditions is often 

not the case for some people. 

As I see it, we have two 

choices- sit back and feel sad 

about what could have been, 

or forge ahead and make new 

traditions. 

Forging ahead is precisely 

what Ken Maddin has done. 

He took the lemons that were 

handed him and made lemonade, 

so to speak. When 

pondering the potential of a 

difficult holiday season this 

year, Ken decided to take 

matters in his own hands and 

started what is sure to be a 

holiday tradition- A Christmas 

with Friends. 

The event is for anyone who 

is faced with spending Christmas 

alone. The outpouring of 

The Beacon team. Front- Rhonda Trabel, Susan Carson, Connie Webb, Debbie Acasio, Sue 

Siefert, Gloria Carter, Bob Waples. Back- Debbie Stutz, Cherie Maddin, Lisa Schall, Laura 

Keller, Debbie Zimmer, Chris Nobbe, Maureen Stenger, Fred Schmidt, Doris Butt, Margaret 

Drury, Myrtle White. Not pictured, John Hawley, Melanie Alexander, Susan Cottingham, PG 

Gentrup, Barbara Wetzler, Lisa West, Rebecca Davies, Liz Janszen, Korry Johnson, Ollie 

Roehm, Merrill and Linda Hutchinson, Karis Troyer, Mary-Alice Helms, Katie Ulrich. 

Merry Christmas! 

The team at the BEACON wish all of you a 

happy, peaceful holiday season. 

May peace be your gift at Christmas 

and your blessing all through the year. 

support for the event has been 

incredible! I personally would 

love to share Christmas with 

all of the wonderful people 

who are coming together because 

of Ken Maddin’s vision 

and drive to make our community 

a better place. 

Ken’s dedication to helping 

those in need began long 

before most of us knew that 

famous face that appeared in 

the real estate market thirtyfour 

years ago. He comes 

from a family of eight, five of 

them being girls. (No wonder 

his hair always looks perfect!). 

Ken’s parents worked 

tirelessly to instill the value of 

giving back in their children, 

and Ken certainly took the 

lesson to heart. 

Ken was blessed to marry 

Cherie Beall forty years ago. 

Early in their marriage, Ken 

suggested they “adopt” a family 

for the holidays. He went 

to the elementary school and 

chose a name from the Giving 

Tree, an experience that 

changed their lives. 

Ken arranged to meet the 

father of the family the night 

before Christmas to deliver 

toys and food so that the 

family could be surprised on 

Christmas morning. What the 

Maddins found was indeed 

a family in need. The home 

even had cardboard tacked 

on the side for siding and 

insulation. That family was 

so thankful for the Maddin’s 

generosity, and even though 

they were struggling, they 

sent a beautiful card expressing 

their gratitude to the Maddins. 

Their kind words still 

bring a tear to the Maddin’s 

eyes today. The experience 

was truly humbling and led to 

years of giving back for the 

Maddins. 

The Maddin family motto 

is, “Be honest, work hard, and 

give back.” It was instilled 

in the Maddin’s children and 

is reflected in all that Ken 

and Cherie do today. They 

were recently honored for the 

establishment of the Maddin- 

Beall Family Fund, a donoradvised 

endowment for grants 

to charitable organizations 

that make a difference. 

Mr. Maddin has given 

back to the community as a 

past member of Aurora City 

Council, the Dearborn County 

Ken Maddin and his buddy 

Tanner. 

Planning Commission, The 

Dearborn Community Foundation 

Scholarship Committee, 

the Dearborn County 

Hospital Foundation, and the 

Dearborn County Chamber. 

Longtime friend Jim 

Thatcher shared, “Ken Maddin 

is a man with a huge heart 

and the drive to make good 

things happen for our community. 

His idea, A Christmas 

with Friends, will provide a 

meal and fellowship for folks 

who would otherwise be alone 

on Christmas Day. The event 

is a testimony to Ken’s character. 

Ken Maddin is truly a 

good man.” 

Over the years as Ken’s 

real estate business grew, he 

never forgot to give back. He 

made a point to give back a 

percentage of his commission 

for each sale to organizations 

such as the Heart House, We 

Care, and PAWS. Fast forward, 

one of those donations 

made a lasting impression on 

Ken, who is now the proud 

companion of a rescue dog 

named Tanner. If only that 

dog could talk... 

Thank you, Ken Maddin, 

for making a difference in 

the lives of so many in our 

community, and for having 

the vision to show us all that 

a silver lining can be found in 

every situation. 

(Remember, behind every 

good man is a great woman. 

Thanks to you too, Cherie!) 

Publisher/Editor 

Tamara M. Taylor 

Publishers Emeritus 

Elizabeth Morris, Celeste Calvitto 

Sales Manager - New Accounts 

Lisa Schall 

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, 

Elizabeth Janszen,Korry Johnson, 

Laura Keller, Chris Nobbe, 

Fred Schmits, Marie Segale, 

Sue Siefert, Maureen Stenger, 

Rhonda Trabel, Karis Troyer, 

Katie Ulrich, Bob Waples, 

Barbara Wetzler, Debbie Zimmer 

Production 

FX-Design, Inc. 

Over 21,500 distribution & growing! To advertise, call 812-637-0660 

THE 

BEACON 

For advertising rate inquiries 

and to submit news and photos: 

editor@goBEACONnews.com 

Phone: 812-637-0660 

website: 

goBEACONnews.com 

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 

Twenty-five Years of Bringing our Community and Businesses Together.

January 2020 THE BEACON Page 3A 

What is it? 

Last month’s item was a fluter dated 1875. The tool was 

used to place ruffles in dresses and clothing. Submitted 

guesses ranged from a wringer for laundry to a hand crank 

pasta noodle cutter. (A 

great idea for repurposing!) 

Carol Morton, Brookville, 

submitted the correct answer 

and added, “Thank goodness 

for conveniences.” 

This month’s challenge 

weighs over nine pounds 

and dates back to 1898. 

Please e-mail your guesses 

along with your name and where you live to editor@ 

goBEACONnews.com by Tuesday, December 24. 

sponsored by Cornerstone Realty/Lutz Auction Services 

Georgetown 

Road 

Mountain 

Bike Trail 

3 miles 

Fairway 

Drive 

Last month: fluter 

The proposed location for the Lauren hill Memorial Park. 

Lauren Hill Memorial Park 

Continued from page 1A 

The purpose of the park is 

to provide a destination where 

the residents of Bright, Greendale, 

and Hidden Valley can 

interact, resulting in a stronger 

sense of community. The organization’s 

vision is to continue 

the mantra inspired by Lauren 

Hill, “Never give up.” 

Several elements must be 

taken into consideration when 

planning a dog park. According 

to Cindy Rottinghaus, the 

planner for the Aurora Dog 

Park, visiting other successful 

dog parks is imperative. When 

planning for the Aurora Dog 

park, she toured several parks 

across the region and noted 

what made each successful. 

“The best thing for planning 

is to think like a dog, 

not like a human who thinks 

they know what a dog wants,” 

shared Ms. Rottinghaus. 

“They want to run free. Large 

fenced areas are a must.” 

The development of specific 

sections within a dog park is 

imperative. Having two areas 

for smaller dogs and two areas 

for larger dogs allows for 

rotational usage. When the turf 

in one area becomes worn out, 

the other field can be used. 

A separate area for agility 

training is recommended. The 

designated space allows dogs 

to concentrate on the task at 

hand. 

Fence placement is vital 

for the maintenance of the 

dog park. Gates must be wide 

enough to accommodate 

commercial mowing equipment. 

Accessibility between 

lots should be planned to 

maintain a secure perimeter 

in case a furry friend chooses 

to explore as inner gates are 

being used. 

Ms. Rottinghaus stressed 

the need for a water source 

at the dog park. Through her 

research, she found that the 

most efficient location for a 

water spigot is outside of the 

dog fenced sections to alleviate 

potential muddy areas 

within the fenced play areas. 

The Lauren Hill Memorial 

Park is slated to open in the 

spring of 2020. 

N. Dearborn 


for the property. The amount 

of $25,000 was established 

for use by a nonprofit or partnering 

organization. Sadly, the 

size of the building was once 

again an obstacle for those 

who showed interest in the 

property. In good conscience, 

the school board took into 

consideration the future of 

the property. Their goal was 

to ensure that the property 

did not become developed 

improperly. Therefore the 

decision was finally made to 

demolish the now-unusable 

structure and return the land 

to a state of pasture and green 

space. 

A plan has been put into 

place to address the demolition 

of the old school. 

However, each step of the 

process takes time. After 

sitting vacant for four and a 

half years, the old school had 

some environmental issues 

that had to be addressed. 

Phase one of the demolition 

plan included the removal of 

some underground tanks on 

the property and provided 

for an evaluation of asbestos 

and lead concerns within the 

building. The analysis showed 

that the threats were minimal, 

but these issues still need to 

be handled. 

Currently, several entities 

are working together in hopes 

of receiving a grant for the 

second phase of the project, 

which entails demolishing the 

building. The grant amount is 

$500,000 and requires a ten 

percent match by the school 

corporation. Asbestos and 

lead abatement, as well as 

issues concerning black mold, 

will be handled with this 

funding. 

“Overall, the board feels 

that they would not be good 

stewards of the taxpayers’ 


Downtown Lawrenceburg’s 

Ice Skating Rink 

NOW OPEN 

through Jan. 5, 2020! 

Located at Todd Creech Park, Tate St. 

Tuesday - Thursday: 4-8PM 

Friday: 4-9PM 

Saturday: 12-9PM 

Sunday: 12-8PM 

Closed Mondays 

---------- 

Christmas Break Schedule Hours: 

December 23 – January 3: 12-9PM 

Christmas Eve: 12-3PM 

New Years Eve: 12-6PM 

Closed Christmas Day 

For more information contact Lawrenceburg Main Street 

812-537-4507 or www.ThinkLawrenceburg.com 

God’s Gift to Us - Jesus 

Christmas is a time for giving and sharing, just as God has 

done for us with His Son, Jesus. May your giving and 

sharing be abundant and your blessings be twofold. 

At Mansfield Insurance Agency, we have been 

blessed with loyal clients. Thank you! 

From all of us to all of you, Merry Christmas! 

Diane, Lisa, Judy, Tricia and Jim 

MANSFIELD INSURANCE AGENCY, INC. 

Serving Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky 

24244 Stateline Road, Bright, IN 47025 

812-637-2300 800-230-3927 

SHOP LOCAL and tell our advertisers you saw them in The BEACON!


Celebrating Holiday Cheer Throughout the Community 


star, which is made of plywood, 

wire, and light sockets, 

has five points measuring 

about five feet to the tip, and 

it has a total of twenty-one 

lights. The star has been 

re-wired twice since 1939, 

and it is now activated by a 

timer. When it is not in use, it 

is stored in the garage suspended 

from the rafters. When 

I asked Mr. Sutton about the 

significance of this family tradition, 

he said, “2019 marks 

the eightieth consecutive year 

that the Sutton Hill Star will 

shine above the City of Aurora. 

We are proud to continue 

this annual tradition and hope 

it brightens the night sky of 

all who see it.” 

Another star that lights up 

the night sky at Christmastime 

can be seen if you travel up 

the road to Northern Dearborn 

County to The Lutz Family 

Farm. Dale Lutz, the owner of 

Cornerstone Realty and The 

Lutz Auction Center, hangs 

a large bright star from atop 

one of the silos that adorns 

his homestead each December. 

His son, Randy, made the 

star in 1999 when he was a 

student at East Central High 

School during agriculture 

class. We frequently pass 

through the area, and my 

children always look forward 

to seeing the pretty star that 

lights up dark and windy 

North Dearborn Road. This 

past year the silo was taken 

down, but I have been assured 

the star will go back up somewhere 

else on the farm for all 

who pass by to enjoy. 

I had the pleasure of speaking 

with lifelong Aurora 

resident, Charlotte Hastings, 

who graciously shared with 

me her favorite childhood 

memories from the Christmas 

season and what made that 

time so special for her growing 

up. Mrs. Hastings was one 

of six children, and her family 

home had a special room, 

known as the Christmas room. 

The room was where the tree 

would go up every year and 

where her family would all 

gather around to open the 

gifts. The anticipation of 

glorious Christmas morning 

was amplified as her father 

had a tradition of ringing 

jingle bells and mimicking the 

sound of footsteps on the roof. 

For over seventy years, Santa 

Claus also made an appearance 

at her family Christmas 

celebration! 

Mrs. Hastings also spoke 

of an Aurora town staple, 

Schuck Plumbing and Heating, 

where owner Ray Schuck 

would create dazzling window 

displays that brandished the 

decor of the season. “When 

I think of Christmas, that’s 

what I think of,” recalled 

Mrs. Hastings. The window 

displays featured life-sized 

animated figurines such as a 

decorated horse and buggy and 

Santa with his sleigh. Other 

Aurora town traditions Mrs. 

Hastings fondly remembered 

included a giant Christmas 

tree that lit up Second and 

Main Streets every year for 

all to enjoy. Also encompassing 

the true Christmas spirit in 

the area was a real-life Santa 

Claus in the form of Dillsboro 

resident, Jerry Legge. For fifty 

years, he drove his tractor and 

wagon through town, filled 

to the brim with gifts for all 

of the little boys and girls. 

There were so many gifts that 

Mr. Legge enlisted the help of 

Lawrenceburg holds an 

Annual Community Tree 

Lighting Ceremony each 

December. The tree graces 

the end of Walnut Street. 

friends and co-workers to pass 

them out. Mr. Legge wanted 

to make sure that all children, 

especially those that had very 

little, received a package to 

open. The legacies of Jerry 

Legge’s selflessness and of 

Ray Schuck, who worked hard 

to spread Christmas cheer, 

continue to warm the hearts of 

all of those who were fortunate 

to experience their kindness. 

Another family with a 

yearly holiday custom is The 

Luhring Family of Sunman. 

They shared with me what 

makes the December season 

so memorable for them. It 

seems that Mr. and Mrs. Claus 

also have been visiting their 

family Christmas Eve gathering 

for twenty-eight years! 

Jim Gilbert of Sunman is the 

current Mr. Claus and has 

been coming to the gathering 

for the past seven years. 

The family tradition consists 

of singing “Jingle Bells” as 

Santa walks through the door. 

Each child in attendance 

receives a gift. Even some 

The Sutton Star has shown brightly on a hill above Aurora 

since 1939. It has been featured in a painting by Tony Callahan 

commissioned by Mayor Donnie Hastings. 

Barb (Sommer) Badel from 

Morris and Bob Sommer 

looked forward to joining 

neighbor Dean Knigga 

each year in Bear Branch to 

find the perfect cedar tree 

for Christmas. This photo is 

dated 1960. 

lucky adults receive a gift 

as well! Everyone gets their 

picture taken with Mr. and 

Mrs. Claus, and the evening 

commences with a rousing 

rendition of “We Wish You a 

Merry Christmas” as Mr. and 

Mrs. Claus make their way 

out to the next stop. Family 

member, Kim Wuestefeld 

said, “It’s a tradition. I don’t 

remember a Christmas when 

they didn’t come! It’s a simple 

reminder of the innocence and 

wonder of being a kid.” 

On a freezing cold November 

evening, I headed over to 

Bright, where I was fortunate 

enough to attend a meeting of 

the Bright Lions Club, to learn 

about how they help to spread 

Christmas cheer in their area. 

The Bright Lions Club will be 

forty-two years old on December 

twenty-ninth, and they 

tout seventy-two members. 

The organization does a lot of 

good throughout the community, 

including providing vision 

screenings for elementary 

students in the area schools 

and donating various medical 

equipment to those who are in 

need. 


No Wait Immunizations, 

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• Whooping Cough 

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DeVille’s Dillsboro Drug Store 

12836 North St. 

Dillsboro, IN 47018 

812-432-5684 

DeVille’s Rising Sun Pharmacy 

223 Main St. 

Rising Sun, IN 47040 

812-438-3400 

DeVille’s Lawrenceburg Pharmacy 

and Medical Supply 

401 W Eads Parkway, Suite 270 

Lawrenceburg, IN 47025 

812-537-1798 

devillepharmacies.com 



Holiday Cheer Can Be Found Near and Far for All to Enjoy 

Oldenburg celebrates Holiday Under the Spires each 

season with carolling and carriage rides. (Photo courtesy 

of Webber Photography) 

Veraestau is decorated in holiday splendor and open for 

tours. (Photo courtesy of the Dearborn County Convention 

and Visitors Bureau) 


The Bright Lions Club also 

hosts an annual Picture with 

Santa Event. The event has 

been going strong for thirtynine 

years and used to be held 

in the old Bright firehouse. 

Bright Lions Club member, 

Art Little 

Art Little, 

shared with 

me that he 

spent 

twenty-five 

years 

playing 

Santa Claus. 

The role was 

fitting 

because he 

bore a striking resemblance 

with his white beard. He 

spoke of the joy he got from 

seeing the pure delight and 

wonder in all of the children’s 

eyes who sat on his lap over 

the years, sharing with him 

their hopes and wishes. He 

shared how one little girl had 

walked a long way to the 

firehouse in the cold, pouring 

rain just to meet the fellow 

who came from The North 

Pole. Mr. Little said he was 

going to make sure, no matter 

what, that that little girl would 

get a Christmas. The most 

touching thing Mr. Little 

shared when looking back on 

the years he spent dressed to 

the nines as the man in the big 

red suit was, “Knowing he 

held two generations of 

children on his lap.” At this 

year’s event held at the Lion’s 

Club Building behind the 

Dave Nash 

Bright 

Firehouse, 

each child 

received a 

free picture 

and a 

stocking full 

of treats! 

Lion Club 

member, 

Dave Nash, 

has taken over the coveted 

role of Santa. 

Crossing over to Franklin 

County, we find ourselves in 

Mary Luhring with Mr. and 

Mrs. Claus at the Luhring 

Family Christmas Eve gathering. 

Mary passed away 

this past June at the age of 

ninety-six years young. (Photo 

courtesy of Erin Darringer) 

the quaint town of Oldenburg. 

Affectionately known as “The 

Village of Spires” due to its 

churches and religious educational 

institutions, the historic 

town goes all out for the 

Christmas holiday. In 2002 a 

local group of businesspeople 

began Holiday Under the 

Spires, which is a chance to 

enjoy the beauty and festivities 

of the town. In 2015, Oldenburg 

Academy’s National 

Business Honor Society joined 

the endeavor. Jonathon Maple, 

Assistant Principal of Oldenburg 

Academy, is part of the 

core committee and explained, 

“Our goal is to catch the holiday 

spirit under the spires! It is 

Celebrate 

the Holidays 

Give an evening of great food to 

family and friends. 

By giving a gift certificate to 

Market Street Grille, 

you are giving them the 

slow, exciting anticipation of 

a great evening out. 

NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE AT MarketStreetGrille.com 

a free day for families to help 

promote the businesses and 

charm in Oldenburg.” Attendees 

are treated to horse-drawn 

carriage rides, free Christmas 

cookies, live music, and 

specials in the local shops. The 

Boar’s Head Festival, which 

is a free musical event funded 

by The Batesville Arts Council 

that culminates the entire Holidays 

Under the Spires, is held 

in the Sisters of St. Francis 

Chapel. Mr. Maple concludes, 

“We try to keep it as traditional 

as possible, so people know 

what to expect, but always add 

a few fun changes.” 

Clearly, if you desire to get 

into the Christmas spirit, you 

need not look any further than 

our surrounding communities 

as a plethora of festivities 

is available. But perhaps the 

most important traditions are 

the ones that happen right in 

your own home, surrounded 

by the ones you love. Once 

upon a Christmas, a brownhaired, 

brown-eyed little girl 

rushed home from her great 

aunt’s house to get to bed 

before Jolly Old St. Nicholas 

passed through. A sense of 

wonder and magic glistened 

upon the freshly fallen snow as 

the car traveled over the hills 

and through the woods of the 

west side. As we hurried along, 

I spied out the window a red 

flash that pierced the night sky. 

My five-year-old self knew a 

passing plane it was not, indeed 

it ‘twas Rudolph’s shiny 

nose lighting the way. Now 

that I have children of my 

own, I think of the traditions 

we have created in our own 

home, and I find myself wishing 

they could always stay this 

young. Whatever your Christmas 

traditions are, may they 

warm your heart and may they 

fill you with the sense of wonder 

you felt as a child. Most 

importantly, “May you never 

be too grown up to search the 

skies on Christmas Eve.” 

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Area first-grade students 

recently wrote to Jolly Old 

St. Nick about their holiday 

wishes. We thought you might 

enjoy reading some of their 

letters. 

Dear Sentu, 

Hi! My name is Cali. Haw 

mene rain Deer do you rele 

have? Whie did you make 1 

uf my cucis in to a c? I like 

to sing so can I have a frosin 

mikrfon? 

Love, Cali Lannan 

Dear Santu, 

Hi! My Name is Beckham. 

How R your lvz? I wut a 

mnene dozr. 

Love, Beckham Ross 

Dear Santu, 

Haw are you?! My name is 

Olivia. Do your Randere rily 

fli? I wood like an Amarukin 

grll doll food truk and iskrem 

truk. Oh and wold you like 

sumthin? I wold be happy to 

give you sumthing. 

Love, Olivia Allison 

Credibility • Advocacy • Education • Visibility 

What Can The Chamber 

Do For You? Just Ask! 

812-537-0814 

www.dearborncountychamber.org 

D ear S anta 

Dear Santu, 

Dear Santa, 

Hi! My name is Emmett. Hi! May name is Audrey. 

Haw or yur randers doing? I How are you? I whold like 

wut a quod. 

slime. 

Luv, Emmett 

Love, Audrey Roessler 

Dear Satu, 

Haw are you? I am Ben. 

Wut are you rades nams? I 

wunt anuthr legoset. 

Love, Ben Satchwill 

Dear Satu, 

Hello? My name is Colton. 

How aer the ran deer? Can I 

have a hvr bord? 

Love, Colton Wanamaker 

Dear Satu, 

Hi! My nam is Lane. Ho 

my elfs do you have? Can I 

plez have a ranedeer and can I 

have a drcbic? 

Love, Lane Witte 

Dear Sante, 

Hello! My name is Lucy. 

You are gowin to love your 

mik and cuces. Can I pues haf 

2 macan grll dolls? 

Love, Lucy Yeary 

Dear Sata, 

Haw ar you? My nam is 

Ava. Did you like my cesces? 

I rile ned a jen jacit and princ 

ceraij. 

Love, Ava Snyder 

Dear Santa, 

I have been good this year. 

What would you like For 

Christmas? I wut a brby. 

Love, Lyla 

Dear Santa, 

Hi! My name is William. 

Do you like my kukes? Can 

you get me a huv r bord? 

Love, William Gibson 

Dear Santa, 

Hello! My name is Gabe. 

Did you like my milk and 

cookies? And can I have 

a PS4 for cristmas and art 

lessons? 

Love, Gabe Cole 

Dear Santa, 

I have been great this year! 

what Kind of cookie do you 

like best For Christmas I wou 

like LoL dolls. Thanks! 

Love, Ivy 

Dear santa, 

I have been good this year 

wut Do yoow lfs do at nit 

For Christmas I would like 

minBrow. 

Love, Jesse 

Dear santa 

I have been good this year! 

I want a rel hamstr and supris 

me. 

Love, Cooper 

Dear Satnta, 

I have been good this 

year Wut do you wunt for 

Christmas? Wut I wnt is 

instrmins and mowr macup 

can you do that for me? 

Love, Chloe 

Dear Santa, 

I have been good this year! 

I would like a drmp bike plese 

plese? and a hundred dolrs 

please? 

Love, Luke 

Dear Santa. 

I have been good. Would 

you give me my mom and dad 

play stashin 4 us thanks! 

Love, Blake 

Dear Santa, 

I have been good this year 

but what I would like four 

Christmas is an amarkin girl 

doll icmcreem truk and comper. 

Love, Elle 

Dear Santa, 

I have bin good This year. 

What Kind of cookies do you 

like? I would like LoLs. 

Love, Emalyn 



Memories and Memorobilia Displayed from World War I and II 

By Katie Ulrich 

In this time in which we 

live, it’s easy to take for 

granted the convenience of 

our daily lives and the sheer 

amount of goods that we have 

available to us at all times. On 

days such as Veteran’s Day, 

we are reminded to reflect on 

what was lost. The sacrifices 

made by those who devoted 

themselves to the betterment 

of our country. Their sacrifices 

have allowed us to enjoy 

this prosperity today. 

Thinking of World War I 

and II as far away, long gone 

wars is pretty easy. They were 

wars that didn’t involve the 

Midwest, far from the cities 

in which we live. But draftees 

and volunteers came from 

every corner of our nation. 

Every community in the country 

lost sons and daughters to 

the war effort. Local veterans 

Tom Savage and Eric Smith 

set up a display of World War 

memorabilia in the Lawrenceburg 

American Legion for 

Veteran’s Day weekend. This 

memorabilia was available to 

the public and was toured by 

local school kids. 

While Tom Savage was 

drafted right after the building 

of the Berlin wall (finishing 

basic training in January of 

1962), he also remembers his 

father’s service in World War 

I. Neal Savage served from 

1917-1919. He passed on 

several items from his time 

of service to Tom, including a 

poster that had been given to 

new recruits right out of basic 

training. The poster listed 

people in the company, including 

Mr. Savage, who was 

a bugler. Tom’s father also left 

a helmet that Tom remembers 

playing with as a kid. “We 

probably gave it more dents 

than he did.” The helmet has 

a red diamond on the front, 

representing the Sixth Infantry 

Division. This division 

was also known as the 

“Sight-seeing Sixth” because 

they marched more than any 

other division. Among other 

mementos, Mr. Savage has a 

metal cup that was engraved 

by Jack Cyrus, a soldier who 

served with his father. It features 

a detailed eagle, as well 

as the names Jack Cyrus and 

Neal Savage and their dates of 

service. This engraving was 

Trench art created by Jack 

Cyrus while in the trenches 

during WWI. 

done while Mr. Cyrus and Mr. 

Savage were in the trenches 

waiting for a battle to start. 

Engravings such as this are 

known as “trench art.” 

Tom Savage’s brother, 

Frank, served during World 

War II as a radioman on the 

USS Springfield. During 

the war, the USS Springfield 

narrowly avoided a 

kamikaze attack, the plane 

instead crashing a mere fifty 

feet away. Perhaps the most 

notable aspect of the USS 

Springfield’s career was in 

carrying President Roosevelt 

on his journey to the Malta 

Conference. Frank Savage 

lent a medical storage box 

from the war for the display, 

lid open and entirely empty. 

The ship on which the medical 

box was found was the 

Tachibana Maru, a Japanese 

hospital ship. When caught by 

the U.S. Navy, The Tachibana 

Maru was filled with smuggled 

weapons and Japanese 

soldiers. These soldiers had 

bandages but, upon inspection, 

were found to be entirely 

uninjured. The elaborate ruse 

was done in order to transport 

able-bodied soldiers to front 

lines. Frank Savage found the 

medical box, full of medical 

instruments, on the Tachibana 

Maru and hid it. He returned 

later to find it completely 

picked clean. Frank is now in 

his nineties and had a medal 

of valor presented to him at 

a luncheon on Veteran’s Day 

weekend. 

Eric Smith has been collecting 

war memorabilia for 

as long as he can remember, 

as early as the age of six 

The Greendale 

Veterans 

Memorial was 

dedicated to 

veterans, firefighters, 

EMS, 

and police 

officers during 

the weekend of 

Veterans Day. 

Frank Savage’s map from his years of service. 

Photos by 

Katie Ulrich 

when relatives began passing 

items on to him. Eric had six 

uncles and three great uncles 

who served in World War II. 

Over the years, Mr. Smith’s 

collection has become extensive. 

Eric grew up in Bright, 

surrounded by many World 

War veterans. He recalls his 

childhood, “While other kids 

were playing baseball, I was 

an Army nut.” Eric enlisted 

in the Army at age seventeen, 

with his father’s signature 

of permission. He arrived in 

Vietnam in January 1971 at 

just nineteen years old. Eric 

served in the Army for over 

twenty years and as a Green 

Beret for seventeen years, 

teaching people how to use all 

kinds of weapons. 

Mr. Smith helped establish 

the American Legion post in 

Bright and serves as the Sergeant 

at Arms. Although this 

was a first-time event in Lawrenceburg, 

he regularly sets 

up World War displays with 

the memorabilia he owns. 

In tandem with the Lawrenceburg 

display, Greendale 

dedicated a new memorial for 

The medical storage box found empty by Frank Savage. 

215 E. Broadway St, P.O. Box 513 

Harrison, Ohio 45030 

(513)367-4545 Fax: (513)367-4546 

www.jackmanhensley.com 

We believe in going beyond what is 

expected to offer each family a caring 

compassionate service for 

an affordable price. 

215 E. Broadway St, P.O. Box 513 

Harrison, Ohio 45030 

(513)367-4545 Fax: (513)367-4546 

www.jackmanhensley.com 

Uniforms displayed at the 

Lawrenceburg American 

Legion Exhibit. 

veterans, firefighters, EMS, 

and police officers. Through 

the recognition of the sacrifices 

of these men and women, 

we are reminded of the prosperous 

lives we have today. 

“Providing funerals and cremations with dignity and compassion.” 

Sign up for Spring classes 

starting January 13th! 

Come to the Lawrenceburg 

Express Enrollment Center 

to get started! 

Lawrenceburg Express Enrollment Center 

(812) 537-4010 

50 Walnut Street Lawrenceburg, IN 47025 



By Linda Hutchinson 

Fresh Starts 

A while back, we were on a 

long road trip with our three 

youngest kids. We threw out 

some fun open-ended questions 

knowing that they had 

LOTS of time in the car to 

think about their responses. We 

asked questions like, “What do 

you want your life to look like 

in five years?” “What do you 

want to be doing in 10 years?” 

“What kind of things are you 

doing NOW to get you where 

you say you want to go?” 

Hearing them verbalize their 

dreams and goals out loud was 

fun. I think they even surprised 

themselves with some of their 

answers. The questions made 

them think. 

These kinds of questions 

are not just classic discussionstarters 

with kids but with 

adults as well. I remember my 

husband asking me these same 

kinds of questions early in 

our marriage. He still does. It 

used to drive me crazy. I didn’t 

know what I wanted to do 

next week, let alone next year. 

But as I reflect on those early 

years, I am now so thankful 

that my husband is a dreamer. 

He is always looking ahead 

and pushing me to set new 

goals. I didn’t like it at first, 

but I now see that he is helping 

me step out of my comfort 

zone. 

I wish I had written down 

some of those early goals we 

dreamed about together and 

could compare them with our 

reality today. Thanks to my 

husband’s constant encouragement 

and nudging over 

the past thirty-five years, I 

can honestly say that I am 

living my best life ever with 

no regrets. That’s not to say 

I haven’t made my share of 

stupid mistakes; I’ve made 

plenty of those. What I think 

my husband gave me, though, 

was the courage to try new 

things in spite of my fears. He 

encouraged me to step out of 

my comfort zone and set big 

goals, even if it meant I made 

a mistake or didn’t succeed. 

What about you? Is what 

you’re doing NOW going to 

get you where you want to be 

LATER? If you’re on track to 

accomplish your dreams and 

reach your goals, awesome! 

If you’ve already achieved 

them, congratulations! You’re 

part of the 2% club. Yep, 

that’s right. Research shows 

that ninety-eight percent of 

people die without fulfilling 

their dreams. Okay, so maybe 

you haven’t seen your wildest 

dreams come true. What about 

some short term goals? How 

do people fair with those? The 

results are not much better. 

Research shows that, on average, 

only eight percent of folks 

follow through with their New 

Year’s resolutions. 

My goal in writing this 

is not to depress you but to 

Fresh Starts 

help refocus your energy and 

priorities on where you want 

to be. Are you ready for a fresh 

start? Are you prepared to put 

some verbs in your sentences 

and get to work on a real plan 

for your future? Do you have 

goals or dreams you have not 

been able to reach? At Rock 

Solid Families, we work all 

the time with individuals and 

couples who are struggling or 

feel stuck. Sometimes, they 

come in knowing what their 

problem is, but they often have 

no idea where to start. They 

feel like they are floundering 

in a world of indecision. 

One way we help our clients 

is to ask them to rate the satisfaction 

level of different areas 

of their lives. We have them 

focus on eight different areas: 

financial, relational, emotional, 

physical, professional, spiritual, 

intellectual, and recreational. 

After they score the 

different areas of their lives, 

they focus on one or two areas 

with the lowest satisfaction 

scores. Together, we work on 

setting some SMART goals. 

One of the dangers of setting 

personal goals is making them 

too difficult or unattainable. 

Here are some ideas on how 

to set some SMART goals and 

see your dreams come true. 

S- Be SPECIFIC. Don’t 

just say, “I’m going to lose 

weight next year.” Write down 

a specific goal like “I’m going 

to lose five pounds in the next 

Peace On Earth. 

Goodwill To All! 

four weeks, and then go back 

and assess after a month.” 

M- Make it MEASURABLE 

You want to set a goal that can 

be measured at some point. If 

one of your financial goals is 

to put more money into your 

savings, put a dollar figure to 

that goal. For instance, I want 

to save an extra $100 each 

week and put it in my savings. 

That’s an easy goal to measure. 

A- ACHIEVABLE Dreaming 

big is great, but if you give 

up in a month, what good was 

the goal? Make your goals 

achievable. Making New Year 

resolutions year after year and 

never make it past February 

is depressing. Don’t try to 

do everything at once. When 

we “bite off more than we 

can chew,” we get frustrated 

and give up before we have a 

chance to see the fruits of our 

efforts. Be realistic in what 

you can accomplish. If you 

want to save $100 more a 

week, but after you pay your 

car payment and gas, you only 

have $20 left at the end of the 

week, then your goal is unrealistic 

and unachievable. 

R- RELEVANT Put the big 

rocks in first. Set goals that 

will have an immediate and 

positive impact on your life. 

Focus on your lowest satisfaction 

scores and set goals that 

are relevant to those areas 

of your life. I recently had 

a client who was struggling 

relationally and professionally. 

She had lost many of her closest 

relationships after leaving 

her longtime career. Focusing 

on those two areas first was 

important. Losing weight or 

building up her savings account 

should not be her top 

priority. A relevant goal for her 

was to find a job that would 

stimulate her both professionally 

and relationally. 

T- TIME-BASED Putting a 

deadline on yourself is crucial. 

Setting goals for 2020 is too 

broad. Be more specific with 

your deadlines. I recommend 

no longer than six to eight 

weeks at a time, and I highly 

recommend sharing your timeline 

with a friend or family 

member. If you want to reconnect 

with your faith, set a goal 

to attend church five out of the 

next six weeks and ask your 

spouse to go along with you. 

Remember that these are your 

goals, not theirs. Even if they 

decline, you should still go. 

Instead of saying that you’re 

going to start praying “more,” 

set a time-based goal that you 

can measure. Your goal may 

be to set aside fifteen minutes 

every day for prayer. 

If you’re reading this and 

already having doubts that 

you can hit the reset button 

and make a fresh start, solicit 

the help of a friend, coach, or 

counselor. Don’t try to go it 

alone. We all need the support 

and encouragement of others. 

As I mentioned earlier, my 

husband has always been a 

HUGE encouragement to me 

to get out of my comfort zone 

and dream big. Rock Solid 

Families, was one of those big 

dreams that we began envisioning 

over eight years ago. 

We both felt that God was preparing 

us for something new 

by working with couples and 

families full time but didn’t 

quite know the “how” or the 

“when” or even the “where.” 

I am so thankful that Merrill 

kept nudging me to dream big. 

What about you? What’s 

your passion? As the new year 

approaches, now is a great time 

to pause and reflect on a few 

questions. Be honest and transparent 

with yourself. Where 

am I now? Where do I want 

to be next year? In five years? 

Is what I’m doing right now 

going to get me there? If it’s 

not, maybe the time has come 

to push the reset button. Make 

some changes. Solicit help. 

Don’t settle for anything less. 

Linda Hutchinson is the 

Executive Director of Rock 

Solid Families, a faith-based 

life coaching organization in 

St. Leon, IN. 

Wagon Shed 

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Less Waste, 

More Cheer 

By Stefanie Hoffmeier 

According to the National 

Retail Federation, consumers 

say they will spend an average 

of $1,047.83 this holiday season, 

up 4% from 2018. Spending 

more means more packaging, 

mailing boxes, wrapping 

paper, and food containers. 

Household waste increases 

by 25% from Thanksgiving 

to New Years. It’s time to 

reduce, reuse, and “recycle all 

the way”! Here are a few tips 

to make your holidays have 

less waste and more cheer. 

• Give an experience instead 

of stuff. Tickets to a show or 

an event require no packaging 

and only leave behind memories 

instead of trash. 

• If you are baking holiday 

treats as a gift, package them 

in reusable containers. 

• Send your holiday greetings 

and party invites via 

email or social media to reduce 

the amount of paper that 

will end up in the trash. 

• Keep reusable bags in 

your car for holiday shopping. 

If you forget your reusable 

bags, plastic bags can be recycled 

at big-box retailers like 

Kroger and Target. 

• Make sure you have a recycling 

container for guests to 

use. Wrapping paper, plastic 

bottles, aluminum cans, and 

glass bottles are all recyclable. 

• Food packaging such as 

cartons for broth, eggnog, 

milk, and juice can all be 

recycled. Metal cans and flattened 

cardboard box packaging 

can also be placed in the 

recycling bin. 

• Cardboard shipping boxes 

can be recycled if they are 

flattened down. Styrofoam 

peanuts, bubble wrap, and 

plastic cushioning cannot be 

recycled. When shipping gifts, 

use shredded paper or newspaper 

as cushioning. 

• Holiday gift bags, tissue 

paper, and bows can 

be reused. Gift bags, tissue 

paper, and wrapping paper 

can also be recycled if they 

are flattened down and any 

ribbons or strings removed. 

Consider wrapping gifts using 

recyclable materials or reusable 

shopping bags. Fabric 

used for wrapping paper has 

a homemade look and can be 

reused the next year. 

• Use durable, washable 

dishes and serving ware 

during your party or family 

get-together. Paper plates and 

plastic silverware are not recyclable 

and contribute to a large 

portion of the holiday trash. 

The members of your 

household will probably receive 

at least a few electronic 

items as gifts for Christmas 

this year. Don’t just discard 

or shove the old electronics 

that are being replaced to the 

back of a closet or basement. 

Electronics contain toxins that 

can leak into the environment 

when dumped into a landfill. 

The Dearborn County Recycling 

Center (DCRC) accepts 

electronics for recycling free 

of charge year-round for Dearborn 

County residents. The 

DCRC accepts televisions (for 

a fee), computers, monitors, 

tablets, cell phones, game consoles, 

camcorders, cameras, 

printers, keyboards, and more. 

Electronics contain valuable, 

reusable materials like gold, 

steel, silver, copper, and glass 

that can be recycled. Not only 

are the electronics harmful to 

the environment, but rechargeable 

batteries that are in those 

electronics create a fire hazard 

in waste hauling trucks. You 

can bring non-alkaline batteries 

to the DCRC Drive-Thru 

to be recycled. Regular alkaline 

batteries are safe to place 

in your regular trash. 

As you put up or take down 

your holiday string lights, you 

may find that you have broken 

strands, or you may want to 

invest in newer, more energyefficient 

LED lights. Before 

throwing your old lights in the 

trash, consider recycling them 

at the DCRC. String lights 

contain common recyclable 

materials like metal, plastic, 

and sometimes glass. The 

DCRC Drive-Thru accepts 

string lights year-round. Never 

put them in curbside recycling 

bins, as they get tangled in 

recycling sorting machines. 

Real Christmas trees, 

wreaths, and garland can 

be chipped up for mulch or 

composted. Make sure that all 

decorations and wires are removed. 

For Lawrenceburg residents, 

you can take your tree 

FROM 

H ere 

By 

Ollie 

Roehm 

My old friend Bob Hyle, 

God rest his soul, was a huge 

fan of the movie “Hoosiers” 

and always maintained that 

it is the greatest movie ever 

made. Bob was a Bright resident, 

longtime columnist and 

sports reporter for The Harrison 

Press, and a fine man. 

He loved basketball more than 

anyone I’ve ever known. 

I used to tease Bob a lot 

about my Indiana basketball 

bona fides vs. his. Bob, a ’69 

grad, went to LaSalle High 

School in Cincinnati, and I 

went to little Whitewater High 

School in Franklin County, 

Indiana. I played basketball 

all four years and got to experience 

something wonderful 

that Bob did not while growing 

up in Cheviot and going 

to LaSalle. Basketball was a 

sport where Bob lived. It was 

almost a religion in my part of 

the world. 

Practices began the first 

week of October, and games 

started in early November. 

Prior to the first regularseason 

game, we always had 

to the City Garage and place it 

in a special collection container 

for trees. Some neighborhoods 

like Hidden Valley Lake 

offer their residents a place 

to recycle trees. Greendale 

residents can put their tree out 

with the regular yard waste 

collection. Always check with 

your waste hauler to see if 

they pick up trees in the weeks 

following Christmas. If the 

thought of hauling your tree to 

another location is too daunting, 

then you can chop up the 

branches and needles and use 

them under trees and shrubs as 

winter mulch. 

It’s easy to reduce your 

waste during the holidays 

when you plan ahead. If you 

are not sure if an item is recyclable, 

visit DearbornCounty- 

Recycles.com. 

a “soap game” scrimmage to 

which the community was 

invited. The admission fee 

was a bar of soap, and when 

the game was over, we always 

had enough soap for showers 

for the rest of the season. 

Friday nights during basketball 

season in Indiana 

attracted just about everyone. 

Tiny gyms in tiny high 

schools filled up with farmers, 

factory workers, mechanics, 

housewives, and folks from 

all walks of life. Depending 

on where you were sitting, 

you could smell cow dung, 

pig poop, perfume, chewing 

tobacco, popcorn, Old Spice, 

sweat, fuel oil, and other wonderful 

aromas. It was cramped, 

loud, smelly, and it was great. 

We played schools, now 

long gone, like Alquina, 

Kitchel, Laurel, Liberty, 

Fountain City, Sunman, North 

Dearborn, Waldron, New 

Point, Milroy, College Corner, 

and many others. With just 

a couple of exceptions, the 

gyms were cracker boxes. 

The College Corner gym 

was truly special. The centerline 

also served as the state 

line, dividing Indiana and 

Ohio. Every time you crossed 

it, you changed states. If you 

straddled it, you were in both 

states. When Indiana was on 

Central Time, a player could 

shoot from the Indiana side 

and make a basket an hour 

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flr overhead MRB, 1st doors flr ldry, & a pond, disco covered ball. 

rear deck, wrap around front porch, $59,900 

We Need Listings! Have buyers for farmland! 

Dale Lutz 

Randy Lutz 

800-508-9811 

later in Ohio. Or something 

like that… 

Many of the gyms, including 

College Corner, were so 

small that fast breaks were 

downright dangerous. The 

wall was located about a foot 

from the basket, and guys often 

slammed into it while running 

full blast. Even though 

there was usually a pad to 

help absorb the blow, injuries 

were common. 

Analgesic balm was the primary 

go-to when treating injuries 

of most sorts. It was an 

orange goo that came out of 

a five-gallon bucket, and you 

could smell the stuff a continent 

away. Think Ben Gay, 

but much, much stronger. 

Since the best basketball shoe 

back then was the Converse 

All-Star, there were plenty of 

sprains, shin splints, and the 

like. Enter the orange goo. 

But during the early ‘70s, 

everything changed. Schools 

consolidated, gyms got bigger, 

and other sports and activities 

became popular. As a result, 

Indiana high school basketball 

became less important. 

I was fortunate to experience 

the true essence of 

Indiana basketball, orange 

goo, and all. There will never 

be anything like it again. And 

I was even more fortunate to 

know a man like Bob Hyle. 

There will never be anyone 

like him again. 

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By Mary-Alice Helms 

Although the United States 

had officially gone to war just 

eight days into December of 

1941, we who were kids were 

somewhat blissfully unaware 

of the burdens our parents 

were carrying. Christmas was 

still Christmas, so we thought, 

in spite of the glaring black 

headlines in the newspapers 

and the somber voices of 

newscasters on the radio. I 

don’t think any of us actually 

knew what “war” meant. 

I remember being worried 

when I heard the teachers at 

school discussing who might 

be “drafted,” and I heard them 

whisper the name of our beloved 

music teacher, Mr. Zepp. 

Oh, no. Mr. Zepp couldn’t be 

leaving, could he? And what 

about our dad? Our mother 

quickly quieted our fears about 

our father by explaining that, 

having married a little later 

in life, Dad’s age made him 

ineligible for the draft. Even 

though his number had come 

up during World War I, the 

war had ended before he was 

called to serve. “Thank goodness,” 

I thought, “Daddy is between 

wars!” And so we went 

on preparing for Christmas. 

I was just six years old, enjoying 

my first year of school. 

What fun we had, making 

wreaths by tracing our handprints 

on green paper, then 

cutting the images out and 

pasting them together in circles. 

We decorated the wreaths 

however our imaginations 

dictated, with colored pictures 

Christmas 1941 

of fruits, berries, and bells cut 

from magazine photos. We 

thought the wreaths were gorgeous 

when we hung them in 

the classroom windows. Miss 

Wiebe brought in a small cedar 

tree, which made the room 

smell heavenly. We decorated 

it with colored paper chains 

and bows made of strips of 

red and green cloth. Oh, what 

a work of art! 

We could hear the high 

school band practicing Christmas 

songs in the cafeteria below 

our room. We sang Christmas 

carols in Music Class. We 

each drew a classmate’s name 

from an emptied oatmeal box 

so that we could be a “secret 

Santa.” We were to bring in a 

gift (not to exceed twenty-five 

cents) for the person whose 

name we had drawn. The gifts 

were to be placed under the 

tree and would be distributed 

by Santa Claus, who was to 

visit each classroom on the 

last day before Christmas 

break. How exciting was that? 

Of course, the name one had 

drawn was supposed to be a 

deep, dark secret, but somehow 

became common knowledge 

in a very short time. 

Brookville is a Christmas 

sort of town. Even though 

they must have been concerned 

about the war and 

what it might mean to their 

families and their businesses, 

the merchants did their best 

to spread the cheer, that year. 

The windows were decorated 

as always, with displays ranging 

from toys and ice skates 

to kitchen ranges or lovely 

lingerie and dresses. Many a 

once- sparkling store window 

showed smudges left by little 

fingers and noses, pressed as 

close as possible to the wonders 

arranged inside. 

Churches, too, were special 

during that waiting time 

Call your 

local 

licensed 

Humana 

sales agent. 

Call your 

local 

licensed 

Humana 

sales agent. 

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Respiratory therapists are nationally recognized, credentialed 

professionals responsible for the care of patients with acute 

or chronic cardiopulmonary diseases like asthma, COPD, and 

emphysema. 

Associate degree graduates are eligible to take the NBRC 

credentialing exams to earn the RRT credential. Cincinnati 

State’s credentialing exam pass rates are well over the national 

average- even those of 4-year universities! 

US News and World Report shows that respiratory therapy is 

ranked #36 on the list of the top 100 jobs! 

Cincinnati State’s Respiratory Care Program boasts 100% job 

placement, 100% employer satisfaction, and 100% graduate 

satisfaction. 

All Aboard Train Display 

Batesville Historical Center 

15 W. George – Batesville 

before Christmas. Sunday 

school teachers told wonderful 

stories of the first Christmas. 

There were moving 

Christmas pageants, with 

farmers and teachers and 

bankers dressed in various 

bathrobes and head wraps 

portraying kings and shepherds. 

Children sang Christmas 

songs and squirmed 

under the lights, struggling to 

remember the lines to poems 

they had memorized. There 

was always a “fellowship dinner” 

held after the last Sunday 

service before Christmas, in 

a church basement redolent 

with the scent of previous 

chili suppers. 

In 1941 the Great Depression 

was on its last legs, but 

families still were feeling its 

effects. Our parents were very 

frugal. Money was scarce in 

our house, so we had learned 

to substitute what we had for 

what we wanted. While our 

Christmas tree might not have 

looked so elegant that year, 

Julie and I thought it was gorgeous. 

Mother was an expert 

at making “something” out 

of “nothing.” She had gathered 

sycamore balls, which 

we had wrapped in foil saved 

throughout the year, and hung 

them on the tree branches. 

She had painted the edges of 

pine cones with silver, gold, 

or white paint. They, too, 

were hung on the tree. There 

were one or two strings of 

colored lights, which died 

each time a bulb burned out. 

The budget was stretched to 

accommodate the purchase 

of a 10 cent box of silvery 

foil icicles—the final touch! 

The gifts under the tree would 

go to our aunts, uncles, and 

grandparents. They were colorfully 

wrapped in Christmas 

paper carefully saved from the 

Christmas before and ironed 

Talk with your local licensed 

Humana Sales agent today. 

513-857-9513 (TTY: 711) 

Talk with your local licensed 

Humana Sales agent today. 

Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. 

513-857-9513 (TTY: 711) 

Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. 

Dan Art 

Displayed October – Mid-January 

Hours: Thursday & Friday 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturday 9 a.m. – Noon 

Group Appt. or Special Times 812-212-9382 

Special Hours Nov – Dec 

Batesville Area Historical Society.org 

to remove all traces of previous 

folds. 

I still can feel the excitement 

that built up during 

those last few days before 

Christmas. The culmination 

at school was on the last day 

before Christmas break. That 

day was completely given to 

celebrating Christmas. We 

were to have a spelling test 

to justify having school on 

that day, but the words were 

“sleigh,” “snow,” and “tree.” 

At last, we heard the unmistakable 

sound of sleigh 

bells, and a loud “Ho, ho, 

ho”! He was here—Santa was 

on his way to our first-grade 

room. We were spellbound 

when the red suit filled the 

door, and Santa was actually 

in the room. He brought 

with him gifts for each child. 

We opened the brown paper 

bags to find that each held an 

apple, an orange, peanuts in 

the shell, and a striped candy 

cane. What a haul! Santa was 

very friendly. He made the 

rounds of the room, actually 

calling some of the students 

by name. As he left, he patted 

the girls on the head and 

shook hands with the boys. It 

was wonderful! 

When I got home after 

school, Mother met me at 

the door to see the gift from 

my “secret Santa” (a pretty 

colored handkerchief—no 

Kleenex or Puffs back then!) 

and the bag of goodies from 

Santa. That was when I was 

hit by a dilemma—should 

I tell her or not? Would she 

be upset with me? I decided 

that it was time. “Mother,” I 

blurted, “I don’t believe there 

is a Santa Claus!” 

She blinked a couple of 

times and then asked the 

one question I was hoping 

she would skip. “Why do 

you think that?” She asked. 

“Didn’t Santa come to school 

today?” 

“Yes, he did,” I answered. 

“But I know who it was in 

that suit. It was Daddy!” 

“How did you know that?” 

she asked, never denying 

what I had claimed. 

“Well,” I admitted slowly, 

“When he patted me on the 

head, I saw the ring on his 

finger. It was Daddy’s wedding 

ring!” 

To my surprise, Mother 

began laughing. When Daddy 

came home and she told him 

my story, he laughed, too. 

It was kind of a sad year, 

1941, when I learned about 

Santa and the world reeled 

into a terrible war. But I 

learned that it was more fun to 

keep the secret about Christmas 

from Julie, and later, my 

younger sister, Ellen. And the 

world was learning about the 

strength, unity, and courage 

that is America. 

Respiratory Therapy- Rewarding Possibilities 

Dan Art 

For more information, 

contact: Mike Chaney 

MS Ed., RRT, Respiratory Care 

Program Chair 

Michael.Chaney2@cincinnatistate.edu 



8 9 4 2 1 

5 3 8 

1 5 7 

9 5 7 

8 6 4 

6 9 

7 1 6 

1 8 7 

4 3 7 8 5 

Sudoku 

Sudoku is a logical puzzle game that may seem difficult at 

first glance, but actually it is not as hard as it looks! Fill a 

number in to every cell in the grid, using the numbers 1 to 

9. You can only use each number once in each row, each 

column, and in each of the 3×3 boxes. The solution can be 

found on our website www.goBEACONnews.com/print_ 

edition. Click on the link for Sudoku and view the solution 

for this month and last. Good luck and have fun! 

M 

DEAR 

ARIE 

By 

Marie 

Segale 

marie@goBEACONnews.com 

Dear Marie, 

My very good friend is 

going to have a total knee 

replacement surgery next 

month. She is determined 

to go home after surgery 

and take care of herself even 

though she is single and lives 

alone. She does, however, 

concede that she will need 

people to come to check on 

her to see if she needs anything. 

One of her daughters 

has offered to take her to her 

home after surgery, where 

she will receive loving care 

to assist her in her recovery. 

I personally know women 

who have had excellent care 

after surgery and women who 

have not. I am convinced 

that having supportive care 

for a week or ten days can 

make all the difference in 

recovery. 

Marie, I think my friend 

is being stubborn. How can 

I convince her to go to her 

daughter’s where she will get 

excellent care? 

Janet from Brookville 

Dear Janet, 

I can understand your concern 

for your friend. Having 

a knee replacement is a major 

surgery. Your friend will be 

on pain pills, which could 

impede her judgment; she 

will need someone to help her 

keep track of her medicine 

schedule for the first few days 

and perhaps up to a week. 

As with any surgery, complications 

are possible, in 

which case she will undoubtedly 

need to have someone 

who can care for her. Not 

only is it wise to have people 

scheduled to help care for 

you, having all of one’s papers 

in order is important. A 

living will, power of attorney, 

medical power of attorney, 

finances, a will, and any other 

legal paperwork. My uncle 

went in for a routine operation 

and died on the operating 

table. We were all shocked 

and stunned; anything can 

happen. There is no such 

thing as a simple operation. 

Convince your friend to 

accept help and stay with her 

daughter. She will be grateful 

after the surgery to have 

had the care her daughter can 

give. 

Have a pressing issue? 

Contact Marie@goBEACONnews.com 

From a Dog’s Point of View 

By Axle and Tammy Turner 

Well hello. My name is 

Axle, and I am a four-yearold 

Shepherd/Husky mix here 

at the shelter. I get to talk to 

you about holiday parties. 

Now, not to brag, but I am 

a real party animal around 

here. I love to play with my 

toys and run with the other 

dogs. My favorite thing is to 

spend some one-on-one time 

with the wonderful people 

who come in and take me for 

walks. I get to really tell them 

how things are going with 

my friends and me. So if you 

come and adopt me, I can be 

the entertainment for your 

holiday get together. I really 

am a good boy. 

So let’s talk. Hosting a 

holiday party or family gettogether, 

or maybe a New 

Year’s Eve Party? Please 

be considerate of your pets. 

They are used to having you 

around all the time, and may 

not be comfortable having a 

lot of people around or with 

all the commotion that can 

come with the holiday parties. 

If your pets are uncomfortable 

around other people, you 

may want to consider putting 

them in another room while 

the party is going on. Now 

that doesn’t mean to shut the 

door and forget them for a 

while. Remember, all they 

really want is to be with you. 

Maybe put them in with their 

bed or some blankets and toys 

and also have the TV on to 

drown out some of the noise. 

What can also help a pet is to 

give them one of your shirts 

that has been worn. Your scent 

on the shirt can also work as 

a comforting agent. Be sure 

to check on them regularly so 

that they won’t feel forgotten. 

Then when the get-together is 

over, they are great at helping 

with the clean-up. Who 

needs to get out the sweeper 

when you have a dog around, 

right? They feel like those 

little scraps have been left 

just for them. Make sure the 

scraps are things that they can 

have, or that they don’t get 

too much to cause an upset 

stomach. Just because you 

overate and are feeling like 

a balloon in the Macy’s Day 

Parade doesn’t mean your pet 

has to as well. Do you keep a 

list of the things that dogs are 

not allowed to eat? Here is 

the list to keep as a reminder. 

With the holidays coming, the 

last thing you want is a trip to 

the vet with an agitated pet. 

• Chocolate 

• Grapes, raisins, currants 

• Tea, coffee, soda 

• Alcohol 

• Mushrooms 

•Avocados 

• Salt, high sodium snacks 

• Cooked bones (they can splinter) 

• Raw fish 

• Apple seeds 

• Yeast bread, cakes 

• Xylitol (artificial sweetener) 

• Onions, garlic 

• Milk, dairy products 

• Macadamia nuts 

Here at the shelter, our 

Axle 

favorite thing is a Kong toy 

with peanut butter in it and 

put in the freezer for a while. 

It’s like having a popsicle, and 

it keeps us occupied for a long 

time. 

So I hope you have a 

wonderful holiday, and don’t 

forget to stop by here and see 

us. We asked Santa for some 

new toys and blankets, so we 

are all excited and can’t wait, 

but our dream is to all get a 

home for the holiday. 

Wet Kisses & Wagging Tails, 

Axle 

Old Friends 

Luncheon 

The Old Friends and 

Bright Beginnings will not 

have a luncheon in January. 

Luncheons will resume on 

Thursday, Feb. 6. Details 

will be published. Enjoy the 

new year! 

N I C O L E & J O H N W U E S T E F E L D 

A Family Tradition Since 1800’s 

Q U A L I T Y S E RV I C E • C O M PA S S I O N • D E D I C AT I O N 

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By 

Doris 

Butt 

Community 

Correspondent 

goodolddays@goBEACONnews.com 

Grandma, Grandma, 

Santa is Gone 

Dear readers, I hope you 

will enjoy this Christmas 

memory. 

My story began when I 

bought a Santa Claus suit on 

sale after Christmas. It rested 

at the bottom of our decorations 

for many years until I 

became motivated to create 

the old boy. My inspiration 

probably comes from a childhood 

memory I can clearly 

recall today. I am standing 

by Mom in our modest 

kitchen, which is complete 

with an old wood range, an 

oilcloth-covered table, and a 

pitcher pump sink. For some 

reason, probably sassing, my 

mom threatens me with the 

idea that Santa is outside the 

window watching me, and I 

had better be good. Of course, 

I rush to the window, but the 

spy is nowhere in sight. 

I prepare Santa by attaching 

the pants and the coat with 

gloves attached. I create what 

I think is a happy face. When 

I am stuffing him, I notice I 

have attached the bottom of 

his coat onto the top of his 

pants (not at the waist), making 

him an impressive sevenfoot 

tall. Ray donates his best 

steel-toed boots to the project. 

I also make a large bag with 

a tag marked For Good Boys 

and Girls. 

We put strings in his shoulders, 

attach him to the ceiling 

of the porch, and position 

him by the door where he is 

checking on us just as my 

childhood Santa did. His full 

bag sits beside him. Last, we 

add a spotlight, so all boys 

and girls are aware that Santa 

is in the area and know they 

had better be good. 

Sadly, the scene does not 

last long. 

We are enjoying an early 

family holiday because Ray 

and I plan to be in Florida on 

the big day. It is granddaughter 

Rachel, then three, who 

first notices the great theft. 

“Grandma, Grandma, Santa is 

gone!” 

All that remains are two 

dangling strings. 

We call the State Police and 

the Sheriff. “If you find a very 

handsome Santa tossed somewhere, 

please return him.” 

We report to the local radio 

station. “We have a story for 

you…” It is on the news immediately. 

The next day I put together 

a revenge display by 

the porch. In the big fellow’s 

place, I put a three by fourfoot 

sign, which clearly reads 

“The Grinch Stole Santa” by 

a big pile of coal and sticks. I 

doubt if it impresses the thief, 

but it makes me feel better. 

Three anxious days go by 

with no Santa return. Then we 

receive a call from the “big 

time” news department of 

WLW-TV, Cincinnati, Ohio. 

“Is this the family that lost 

their Santa?” 

“Yes, it is, and isn’t it awful!” 

They have heard about 

our loss from your local station. 

Head newsman Courtis 

Fuller arrives with his cameraman. 

They spend a halfhour 

interviewing and filming 

us. It is a nervous time. My 

teacher thoughts fear I will 

misuse a verb or say something 

dumb. I do make sure 

everyone knows Ray’s best 

steeled-toed boots went with 

him. I am impressed when 

Ray ends the interview with 

the comment that it will be a 

happy Christmas at our house 

anyway. 

The next day WLW promotes 

“Grinch Steals Santa 

Claus” all day. It is fun to 

watch. I am pleased my comments 

seem rather intelligent. 

Surely after hundreds of 

thousands hear our message, 

Santa will find his way home. 

Not so. Days go by with no 

Santa. 

This all happens while we 

are still working. Ray takes 

some vacation time and travels 

to our mobile in Inverness 

early. I will fly down when 

my school holiday break 

starts. That is why I am home 

alone at the farmstead on December 

20. It’s a little shaky 

time for me, but I tell myself I 

can handle it. 

One evening around 8 pm, 

to be exact, a telephone ring 

breaks my solitude. It is a call 

from the sheriff’s dispatcher, 

“Someone has reported your 

Santa on the road near your 

house.” I hurry to the front 

door, look out at the pitchblackness, 

and then fearfully 

retreat into the house. Finally, 

curiosity overcomes me. I 

decide I will brave getting 

into our truck and drive down 

the road in search of the old 

fellow. 

I open the side door and 

stop in my tracks. Our Santa 

is sitting upright in a lawn 

chair by the door. Not a 

hair has been disturbed. Yes, 

he even has on Ray’s best 

steel-toed boots. Tucked in 

his hand is a note from a kind 

person who says he is happy 

to return him. 

There’s no place like home 

for the holidays as proven 

by the return of Santa. 

I joyfully tug him inside 

and place him in Ray’s recliner. 

I study my companion. 

“And what have you been 

up to?” I ask, but there is no 

hint of his adventures. It will 

forever be his secret. 

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Batesville, IN 47006 

812.932.3300 

TOPSOIL 

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North Dearborn Elementary Demolition 


dollars if they did not take this 

path. They are committed to 

returning the property to the 

green space it was before the 

construction of the school,” 

stated Sunman-Dearborn 

Community School Corporation 

Superintendent Andrew 

Jackson. 

Dearborn County Planning 

and Zoning and the Southeast 

Indiana Regional Planning 

Commission (SIRPC) have 

been working closely with 

the Sunman-Dearborn School 

board to pursue a grant for 

the demolition of the building. 

The grant is a part of the 

Blight Clearance Program 

offered through the Indiana 

Office of Community and 

Rural Affairs (OCRA). While 

the Dearborn County government 

is listed as the lead 

applicant for the grant, no 

county funds will be used for 

this project. 

“We are happy to work 

with SIRPC and the school 

corporation in pursuit of this 

grant. It would mean that the 

large amount of funds needed 

for this project would not be 

taken away from the school’s 

funds that should be used 

to educate the kids,” stated 

Nicole Daily, the Dearborn 

County Planning and Zoning 

Administrator. 

The first step of the process 

is to submit an application to 

be considered for the grant to 

OCRA. Upon approval of the 

application, the grant application, 

and any required supporting 

documentation will 

be completed. A site visit by 

OCRA may also be required. 

The final award of the grant 

may not occur for six to 

twelve months. 

Once funding is in place, 

hazardous material abatement 

and demolition of the structure 

will begin. The completion 

of the project is estimated 

to take eighteen months. 

Teri Belle’s Catering 

Made form the Heart 

513.518.1199 

www.teribellescatering.com 

teribellescatering@gmail.com 

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11/26/19 3:01 PM

debbystutz.thebeacon@yahoo.com 

January 2020 THE BEACON Page 1B 

S 

BEACON 

PORTS 

SCENE 

By 

Chris Jack 

Nobbe 

Zoller 

beaconsports 

@live.com 

sports@goBEACONnews.com 

Harrison Football 

Claims Conference 

Title, Regional Final 

The Harrison football program 

enjoyed great success 

during the 2019 season. The 

team claimed the Southwest 

Ohio Conference championship 

by going 6-0 in conference 

play. By The only regular 

season loss Maxine for the Wildcats, 

a close 10-7 Klump overtime loss, 

was to rival East Central in its 

second game 

Community 

of the season. 

Correspondent 

After tying Edgewood for 

the conference title a year ago, 

maxineklump.thebeacon@yahoo.com 

outright title was another 

step in the right direction for 

the program. It was the first 

outright title the Wildcats had 

claimed since 2011 when they 

won the old Fort Ancient Valley 

Conference. 

Throughout the season the 

Wildcats proved formidable 

on both sides of the ball. They 

scored 425 points while only 

allowing 146 by season opponents, 

and during conference 

play, that total was 245 points 

to only 53 scored against 

them during their conference 

title run. 

In addition, the Wildcats, 

under third-year head coach 

Derek Rehage, a former multisport 

standout himself at East 

Central, were also able to 

reach the regional finals of the 

OHSAA Division II tournament 

by first defeating Canal 

Winchester by the score of 

24-18 and then taking it to a 

traditional powerhouse program 

by the score of 42-7. The 

Wildcats ultimately fell to a 

strong LaSalle Lancers team in 

the regional finals by the score 

of 45-8, a team that defeated 

many Division I schools this 

season. This was the first regional 

final appearance for the 

Harrison program since 2006. 

SD Wrestling Opens 

Season and New Era 

South Dearborn Wrestling 

traveled to Elwood for the 

third consecutive year to begin 

its season at the Rex Leavitt 

Super Duals, but it would be 

the first under new head coach 

Jesse Schaefer. George Gardner 

retired from the program 

after enjoying tremendous success 

over his 32-year career at 

the helm for the Knights. 

Schaefer, once a wrestler for 

Coach Gardner in the early 

1990s and a longtime assistant 

in the program at all levels 

from youth to high school 

spanning 20 years, has taken 

over as head of the storied and 

successful program. 

The Knights wrestled solidly 

for their first meet of the year 

with a lineup sprinkled with 

a bit of every talent level and 

ability. Some got their first 

taste of mat action ever directly 

at the varsity level while 

other more experienced wrestlers 

were able to bring strong 

performances from the start. 

The team began the day 

with a close 39-36 loss to 

American Legion Post 452 New Alsace 

Newly 

remodeled 

rental 

facility! 

South Dearborn junior wrestlers Cade McClanahan, Blake 

Bartley, and Dylan McGill enjoy their earned hardware 

alongside head coach Jesse Schaefer after claiming 

weight-class titles at the Rex Leavitt Super Duals on November 

23 in Elwood. (Photo by Chris Nobbe) 

Perfect for Wedding Receptions, 

Birthday Parties, Anniversaries, 

Reunions, Holidays 

Reasonable rates, nice atmosphere 

Contact Art @ 812-623-2771 or visit 

www.legionpost452indiana.org 

Next euchre party Jan. 5 & 19 

Doors open 12 noon • Games begin at 1 • All are invited 

Proudly serving our veterans and the community since WWII 

Alexandria and followed that 

dual with a win over Tri by 

the score of 60-18. After a bye 

round, the Knights returned 

to action for another exciting 

dual that came down to the final 

match with Frankton. The 

Knights went out to a large 

early lead but were unable to 

secure the victory and fell by 

the score of 40-39. 

The last dual in pool action 

saw the Knights fall to 

a strong Delta team by the 

score of 60-24. However, the 

Knights were able to secure 

a solid win to end the day by 

defeating the host Elwood 

squad, 58-18, in the placement 

round. 

Among the individual 

standouts for the Knights 

were three who claimed 

weight-class titles on the day. 

Blake Bartley, Cade McClanahan, 

and Dylan McGill, all 

juniors, went 5-0 on the day to 

claim those titles. McClanahan, 

wrestling at 170 pounds, 

recorded four falls among his 

five victories on the day. Bartley 

and McGill, competing at 

152 and 182 pounds respectively, 

won three of their five 

match victories by fall. 

Three other Knight wrestlers 

ended the day with 4-1 

records. Junior Eli Otto at 

126 pounds won each match 

by fall but fell in his one loss 

to Payne Blackburn of Delta. 

The match with Blackburn 

was a solid match, but the 

state-ranked opponent was 

able to secure the win. Another 

junior in Chase Emmert, 

competing at 220 pounds, 

suffered his only loss of the 

day on a close battle with 

Jackson Humes of Alexandria 

but wrestled well all day. 

Sophomore Cooper Barker at 

160 had both a fall and major 

decision among his wins on 

the day while suffering a loss 

to Lucas Fox of Delta. 

Ava McMahan is shown 

with her brother Brayden 

during the Parade of Nations 

during the USKids Golf 

World Championships in 

Pinehurst, North Carolina, 

where she competed with 

154 other competitors in 

her age group from around 

the world during August 1-3 

event. (Photo courtesy of 

Jessica South) 

Ava McMahan 

Claims Tour Titles 

and Success on the 

Links in 2019 

Ava McMahan, an 11-year 

old sixth-grade student at 

Aurora Elementary School, 

has enjoyed competing in the 

sport of golf for several years, 

and her dedication continues 

to pay dividends for the young 

linkster. When The Beacon 

first wrote about her two years 

ago, she was enjoying success 

at a young age and was looking 

forward to continuing her 

pursuit in the game. 

That pursuit has led to a 

successful year in the many 

competitions she has entered. 

This past spring, Ava participated 

in the USKids Spring 

Local Tour referred to as the 

Golden Triangle. 

The spring tour competition 

consisted of seven events. The 

competitions on the local tour 

are 9-hole events for various 

age levels. Her finishes in 

the first several events in the 

Golden Triangle during the 

spring resulted in two firstplace 

finishes, two seconds, 

and a third. Her best rounds 

were a pair of one over par 

37s during tour play. 

She then placed second in 

the Tour Championship on 

May 19. McMahan’s accumulated 

points for the tour 

placed her first for her age 

group with 163 points. Even 

more exciting was that the 

tour win automatically qualified 

her for the USKids World 

Championships. 

The World Championships 

would offer an additional 

challenge for the young 

linkster. While the local tours 

are 9-hole competitions held 

weekly over a course that 

is only around 1900 yards, 

the World Championships 

would feature three 18-hole 

rounds on consecutive days 

that would all be 5000 yards 

in length. That is definitely a 

significant leap and challenge 

for any young golfer. 

McMahan competed well 

over the three-day event. After 

opening with an 87, she came 

back in the second round to 

shoot an impressive 77 and 

move into 32nd place. However, 

she would suffer a difficult 

third round score of 89 

to finish the World Championships 

with a tie for 52nd out 

of 155 total competitors. Keep 

in mind that these golfers 

were not only from the United 

States but also from many 

countries around the world. 

“I would 10 out of 10 do 

it again. It was so enjoyable, 

and, believe it or not, I was relaxed. 

Even if I did not do my 

best, it was one of the most 

memorable times of my life. 

Ava McMahan (on right) is 

shown with a fellow golfer 

at the USKids Golf World 

Championships at Pinehurst, 

North Carolina. (Photo 

courtesy of Jessica South) 

Ava McMahan is shown 

driving during competition 

in the USKids Golf 

World Championships that 

featured 155 golfers from 

around the world in her age 

group. McMahan finished 

the competition tied for 

52nd in the event held at 

the prestigious courses at 

Pinehurst in North Carolina. 

(Photo courtesy of Jessica 

South) 

I got to play with the kindest 

kids from all over the world, 

and I got to make new friends 

that have the same passion for 

golf as me,” stated McMahan. 

Ava got back to action 

in the Golden Triangle to 

compete in the USKids Golf 

Fall Local Tour. During the 

months of September and 

October, she spent several 

Sundays competing again. 

The fall tour resulted in even 

further success for the young 

golfer. During the six weeks 

of competition, she would 

place first four times, second 

once, and third once. Included 

in this was her best round on 

September 22 at Twin Oaks 

Golf and Plantation Club in 

Covington, Kentucky. On this 

day, she shot a 34 with three 

birdies on the 9-hole round. 

In addition, she went on to 

win the Tour Championship 

with a one over par 37 and 

claim the overall tour championship 

with 185 total points. 

Two tour championships and 

one trip to the World Championships 

with the chance to 

play at Pinehurst certainly 

made for a memorable 2019. 

McMahan continues to 

do well and wants to inspire 

other young girls in the area 

to embrace the sport. Make 

the young lady happy and 

get your girls out on the links 

with you in the coming year. 


Page 2B THE BEACON January 2020 

BRIGHT/ 

SUGAR RIDGE 

By 

Bob 

Waples 

Community 

Correspondent 

O 

ur 

Communities 

bright@goBEACONnews.com 

This month’s veteran 

salute goes to Terry Wheat. 

Terry served in the US Army 

1966-1968. Terry went on the 

Honor Flight this fall, and I 

asked him to tell me what it 

was like for him. “It was an 

all-day event from 5 A.M. 

until 9 P.M. We flew to Washington 

DC to view all of our 

national monuments of the 

great wars. But to all of the 

veterans on the flight, it was 

so much more. As a group, 

we were shown the love and 

respect for our service that we 

had not felt before. At every 

venue, we were thanked and 

applauded. I was given a little 

flat stone by an eight-yearold, 

which simply said, ‘My 

Hero.’ Such acts of love and 

respect were repeated many 

times throughout the day. 

This trip and this honor made 

up for the reception we got 

when we came home fiftyplus 

years ago. There were 

many tears, happy tears, shed 

on this flight. It was a day we 

will never forget.” Thank you, 

Terry Wheat at a cemetery 

in Washington DC. 

Terry, for your story and your 

service. 

The Sugar Ridge Community 

had a neighborhood watch 

meeting with Sheriff Shane 

McHenry as guest speaker. 

Sheriff McHenry shared tips 

on how to be vigilant and safe 

in our home, our neighborhood, 

and our community. 

Thanks, Sheriff McHenry. 

Yours truly recently spent 

time at Hocking Hills, Ohio, 

with some very dear friends. 

What a beautiful place, and 

only about a three-hour drive 

from our little corner of the 

world. They say the area was 

covered millions of years ago 

by the Atlantic Ocean. After 

it receded, the Wisconsin 

Glacier began to melt and left 

an impressive area of waterfalls, 

rock formations, and 

recess caves. A must-see if 

you have never been there… 

lots of great hiking trails. You 

can see in one of my pics that 

they even named a cave after 

Cub Scout Pack 693 had a dinner for local Veterans. 

me...haha. 

I am proud to announce that 

PV2 Mary Bertke (2019 EC 

PV2 Mary Bertke 

grad) 

completed 

her basic 

training at 

Ft. Sill, OK. 

Mary was 

the Distinguished 

Honor Grad 

(graduated 

first in her 

class), earned the Highest 

Rifle Marksmanship, and 

received the Physical Fitness 

Badge for a perfect score. 

Mary is now completing her 

training as a 13 Bravo Cannon 

Crew member. Congratulations 

Mary, I salute you. 

A BIG thanks to all the 

individuals and businesses 

who participated in the North 

Dearborn Pantry Giving Tree 

Program. Community support 

made the project a big success. 

Cub Scout Pack 693 (Dearborn 

Hills UMC) honored 

local veterans with a turkey 

and ham dinner. The pack 

presented each veteran with 

handmade cards and gifts. 

I had the pleasure of sitting 

with Hunter Scholle (son 

of Aaron Scholle, assistant 

pack leader). Hunter gave me 

a hand-painted card… thanks 

again, Aaron and Hunter. 

Happy Birthday hugs to everyone 

celebrating December 

birthdays, and that includes 

you Harry Lyness, Shirley 

Jacobsen, and Willie Potter. 

In closing… Christmas is 

not in tinsel and lights and 

outward show. The secret lies 

in an inner glow. It’s lighting a 

fire inside the heart. Good will 

HIDDEN 

VALLEY LAKE 

By 

Korry 

Johnson 

Community 

Correspondent 

hvl@goBEACONnews.com 

Happy Holidays! I hope 

you have your shopping done 

by now. Well, some gentlemen 

still have a few days 

left. Wink, wink. Take an 

evening drive through Hidden 

Valley Lake, and you’ll see 

many homes decorated for 

this festive season. I love our 

unique community! Celebrate 

the New Year with the HVL 

Civic Club’s Polar Bear Dip 

Jan. 1, 2020, at 11:30 AM. 

The event is always fun for 

all ages! 

Bob Waples visited Hocking 

Hills 

and joy a vital part. It’s higher 

thought and a greater plan. It’s 

glorious dream in the soul of 

man.~ Wilferd Peterson 

Wishing everyone a very 

Merry Christmas and a 

Happy, Blessed New Year. 

Ronald (Bub) Miller passed 

away on Nov. 8, 2019, at the 

age of 76. He and his wife 

Cindy were married for fiftyone 

fun-loving years. They 

were among the first families 

to move to Hidden Valley 

Lake in 1972. Their son, Ronnie 

Wayne, is their pride and 

joy. Mr. Miller retired from 

Seagram Distillery after fiftytwo 

years. He was a member 

of the Moores Hill Legion for 

over fifty years. If you know 

Cindy, please give her your 

support during this difficult 

holiday season. 

January Birthdays: Shelby 

Lahey, Sarah O’Conner, 

Stephanie Armbruster, 

Reilly Small 

Please email me, Korry H. 

Johnson, if you have something 

to share in next month’s 

article at hvl@goBEACONnews.com 

Share your positive 

news at The Beacon! 

Come dine with Third and Main in our family owned 

Restaraunt and Tavern, open since 1891! 

Serving mouth watering, dry-aged steaks, fresh 

seafood, & dazzling cocktails. 

weekly specials 

TUESDAY 

Half Price Bottle of Wine 

\ 

WEDNESDAY 

Seafood Night: 

$1 Oysters, $2 Prawns, 

$30 1lb Alaskan King Crab 

223 3rd Street, Aurora, IN 47001 

812-655-9727 

thirdandmain.com 

THURSDAY 

Buy Any Steak, 

Get a Salad or Soup 

& Dessert on Us! 



ST. LEON 

By 

Debbie A. 

Zimmer 

Community 

Correspondent 

stleon@goBEACONnews.com 

The time has come for high 

school seniors to apply for 

scholarships. Get in touch 

with your school’s guidance 

counselors to check out all 

of the available scholarships. 

So many scholarships go 

unclaimed each year because 

no one applied for them. If 

you are going to study in the 

medical field or become a 

conservation officer, be sure 

to check with the Dearborn 

Community Foundation 

about the Greg Andres/North 

Dearborn Conservation Club 

scholarship. Many other 

scholarships are available. 

Stephanie Bulach and 

Blake Collins were recently 

married. The family enjoyed 

visiting some of the out-oftown 

family and friends who 

came home for the festivities. 

Nicki Hart and Cindy Fasiit 

was great to see you both. 

The American Legion Act 

was recently passed, changing 

the requirements for 

membership in the American 

Legion. The Act fills in the 

gaps of war eras. It redefines 

membership eligibility dates, 

beginning with the bombing 

of Pearl Harbor (December 7, 

1941) and continuing until the 

determination is made that the 

United States is no longer in 

a state of war. Veterans who 

were honorably discharged 

O 

ur 

but whose service did not fall 

into the previously defined 

war eras may now join the 

American Legion. 

Deepest sympathy goes out 

to the family of Alan Boyce. 

He was married to the former 

Bonnie Rosfeld of St. Leon 

and was a family friend of my 

brothers Ron and Greg since 

high school. They played a lot 

of softball games together. He 

will be missed. 

Get well wishes go out to 

Ruth Bischoff. I hope you are 

feeling better soon. 

Congratulations to Courtney 

and Danny Bischoff on 

the recent birth of their son 

Owen David. Welcoming him 

home is his big brother, Everett. 

Grandparents are Janet 

and Dave Bischoff and Kathy 

and David Bischoff. Great 

grandparents are Irene Ober, 

Frances Bischoff, and Jessie 

and Joe Mettler. 

Congratulations to Brittney 

and Christopher Bischoff 

on the recent birth of their 

daughter, Anna Marie. Proud 

grandparents are Julie Baker, 

Mike Baker, and Tammy 

and Andy Bischoff. Great 

grandparents are Anna Mae 

Callahan, Mary and Wally 

Schuman and Doris and Joe 

Baker. 

January Birthdays– 1 

Jerome Fuernstein, 3 my 

nephew Nick Fox, 4 my 

brother Ron Andres and 

cousin Geralyn Brackman, 

5 Shari Sterwerf and Dean 

Bulach, 6 Grayson Bauman 

and Todd Spade, 7 Samuel 

Bulach, Bridget Klenke, 8 

my nephew Ryan Powell, 9 

Sandy Eckstein and Marvin 

Good, 10 my nephew Cody 

Communities 

Several local youth participated 

in the Casket Cup 

Soccer Tournament held in 

Batesville. The Spoo Taculars 

are Ella Roope, Callie 

Barrett, Jenna Weiler, Ellie 

Hayes. 

Haag, Carole Ritzi, Gary 

Schuman, and cousin John 

Baumer, 11 Jon Cleary, 

Natalie Stenger, Mike Trabel, 

Andy Kraus, and Chloe 

Wilhelm, 12 cousin Brenda 

Zimmer, 13 Chrisi Fischer, 

Emily Stenger, and Rita 

Alig, 14 Vaughn Fischer, and 

Mary Lou Hilbert, 15 Tammy 

Bischoff, cousin Connie 

Webb, and Georgia Simkins, 

16 Mark Stenger, Tim 

Wilhelm, Vic Bischoff and 

Daryl Steinmetz, 17 Cliff 

Bischoff and Debbie Spade, 

18 Susan Schuman, 21 Megan 

Hoffman, cousin Anna 

Andres and Emily Whitehead, 

22 Lexi Andres, Brian 

Giltz, Wally Kraus, Mary 

Schuman, Kathy Stenger, 

Megan Andres, and Butch 

Fox, Walter Schuman, 

24 Theresa Horstman, 27 

Pauletta Pelsor, Jennifer 

Neihaus, and my son-in-law 

Chad Barrett, 29 Madelyn 

Dawson, Kailyn Lobenstein, 

and Olivia Schwegman, 30 

Miranda Lobenstein. 

Please keep in mind the 

The East Central High School Class of 1989 recently 

celebrated their thirty-year class reunion at the New Alsace 

Legion. A special classmate, Jeff Schmeltzer, who is battling 

ALS, was able to be in attendance.. 

Sixth grade Trojan cheerleaders Payton Powers, Lila Lengerich, 

Paige Hotze, Ava Schneider, Grace Slusher, Kaylee 

Flynn, Carson Scudder, Audrey Robbins, Cheyenne Batta, 

and Maddie Mounce. 

real reason for the season. 

Please keep in your thoughts 

our men and women serving 

in the military who are away 

from their families this Christmas. 

Merry Christmas and a 

very Happy New Year from 

my family to yours. 

Get in touch with me 

with any news items for the 

column at stleon@goBEA- 

CONews.com 

January/ February in Dearborn County, Southeast Indiana...the Perfect Place to Play! 

November 9 - January 5 – Winter Wonderland 

Ice Skating - Enjoy ice skating under the pavilion at 

Todd Creech Park on Tate Street in Lawrenceburg. 

Visit www.visitsoutheastindiana.com, www. 

thinklawrenceburg.com or call 812-537-4507. 

December 31 - Jan 1 – New Year’s Eve at Perfect 

North Slopes - 8:00 pm - 1:00 am. 19074 Perfect Lane, 

Lawrenceburg. Admission charged to ski, snowboard 

or snow tube until 1AM. DJ in the lodge, party favors, 

and fireworks at midnight. Info: 812 537-3754 or 

www.perfectnorth.com. 

January 1 – New Year’s Day 

January 11 – Roots and Boots in Concert - 8:00 

pm. Doors open at 7PM for the 8PM performance at 

Lawrenceburg Event Center, 91 Walnut Street. Sammy 

Kershaw, Collin Raye and Aaron Tippin, known as 

Roots and Boots, bring a once-in-a-lifetime experience 

to the stage at the Event Center. Tickets are available at 

www.ticketmaster.com. 

January 12-14 – Special Olympics Winter Games 

- Special Olympics held annually at Perfect North 

Slopes, 19074 Perfect Lane, Lawrenceburg, Indiana. 

Athletes participate in alpine skiing, snowboarding 

and snowshoeing. Info: 812 537-3754 or visit 

www.soindiana.org/winter-games/. 

February 1-Mar 28 – The Call Back Show - Dillsboro 

Arts Friendship Gallery, 12926 Bank Street, Dillsboro. 

Open Tuesdays 6-8PM, Thursdays 4-8PM, Saturdays 

10AM-2PM. Opening reception is February 7, 6-8PM. 

Exhibition of invited local and regional artists. 

Info: 812-532-3010. 

February 1 – Jamey Johnson at Lawrenceburg 

Event Center - Doors open at 7PM for the 8PM 

performance at the Lawrenceburg Event Center, 91 

Walnut Street. Platinum selling artist Jamey Johnson 

brings his outlaw country style to the Event Center. 

Tickets may be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com. 

February 7-9 – Dearborn County Home Builders 

Association Home & Garden Show - Lawrenceburg 

Event Center, 91 Walnut Street, Lawrenceburg 

Friday/5PM-9PM, Saturday/10AM-8PM, Sunday/Noon- 

5PM. The largest home show in Dearborn County. Info: 

812-320-6099 or dearborncountyhba@gmail.com or 

www.dearborncountyhba.org. 

February 8 – Be My Valentine - Main Street 

Aurora Dancing on Main - 7:00-10:30PM. Second 

& Main Street, Aurora. This community event is for 

anyone interested in having a good time in Historic 

Downtown Aurora. Dinner served by the Lions is $7.00, 

with all proceeds going to Relay for Life. Info: 812-926- 

1100 or www.aurora.in.us. 

February 20 – Blue Willow House Spring Opening 

- 9960 Front Street, Dillsboro, Indiana. Three floors 

of antiques, home decor, clothing, jewelry, candles, 

soaps, lotions and gifts, all located in a lovely home 

built in 1912. Thursdays & Fridays, 10AM-6PM and 

Saturdays, 9AM-2PM. Info: 812-432-3330 or www. 

bluewillowsisters.com or bluewillowhouse9960@ 

gmail.com. 

February 21 – Get Wine(d) & Dine(d) in Aurora - 

5:00-8:30pm. Presented by Main Street Aurora, 231 

Main Street. Shop participating businesses and enter 

to win a grand prize. Info: 812-926-1100 or 

www.aurora.in.us. 

February 22 – Hollywood Casino Presents Vicki 

Lawrence & Mama - 8:00pm. Doors open at 7PM for 

an 8PM performance at Lawrenceburg Event Center, 

91 Walnut Street. Join Vicki for a unique evening 

of comedy and music. This “Two-Woman-Show” 

combines stand-up comedy, music, and observations 

about real life from both Vicki and her famous alter 

ego. Tickets may be purchased at www.ticketmaster. 

com. 

February 28 – St. Mary Lenten Fish Fry - Cod with 

God - 4:00 - 7:30pm, St. Mary Activity Center, 214 Fifth 

Street, Aurora. Meals served in the Activity Center on 

Fifth Street. Carry-out available in the school cafeteria 

at 211 Fourth St. Drive-thru also available. Info: visit: 

www.mystmarys.com or 812-926-1558. 

Dearborn County Convention, 

Visitor and Tourism Bureau 

320 Walnut St. • Lawrenceburg, Indiana 47025 

1-800-322-8198 or www.VisitSoutheastIndiana.com 



BATESVILLE 

By 

Sue 

Siefert 

Community 

Correspondent 

batesville@goBEACONnews.com 

The most wonderful 

time of the year… 

With Christmas in the air, I 

like to focus on Christmas as 

the gift of giving without the 

expectation of receiving… 

forgetting self and finding 

time for others. 

Some of the most meaningful 

Christmas gifts are 

not the ones tied with festive 

ribbons, gift cards tucked 

in stockings, or even gifts 

of cash. In my opinion, the 

most thoughtful gifts come 

from the heart through the 

giving of one’s time. Baking 

treats for another family 

to enjoy, shoveling a 

neighbor’s snow, helping 

an elderly couple trim their 

tree, or just simply taking 

time to listen as others share 

their memories of Christmases 

past. 

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if 

we shared Christmas joy every 

day? I’ve been fortunate 

to know some extraordinary 

folks who keep the Christmas 

O 

ur 

spirit alive all year as they 

unselfishly give of their time. 

While my column space only 

allows me to share a few 

names, I’m sure you can list 

many more. 

The late Rich Weisenbach’s 

heart was full of 

hometown pride. Weekends 

found Rich walking the 

downtown area collecting 

trash from the streets 

and parking lots to ensure 

Batesville retained its inviting 

appearance for those 

who visited. He’d count the 

cars in the local hotel lots 

and found satisfaction in 

seeing the number of outof-town 

guests who spent 

time in our city. He served 

on City Council, represented 

the rural fire volunteer 

fighters, and numerous 

other organizations benefitted 

from Rich’s time and 

efforts. 

Carolyn Dieckmann 

gives of her time from hours 

spent at St. Louis parish 

and its various ministries to 

endless days at the Batesville 

Area Historical Society. 

From working with the 

bingo, parish festival, and 

parish youth ministry trips to 

ensuring visitors of all ages 

are welcome to the Historical 

Center’s exhibits that she and 

her committee spend weeks 

Communities 

preparing. 

Whitey Weberding has 

given of his time and talent 

to St. Louis parish through 

years of chairmanship of its 

annual festival to years of 

leadership with the school’s 

weekly bingo. He spent years 

in the background, ensuring 

these events ran smoothly to 

benefit others. 

Bob Fitzpatrick came to 

Batesville as the BCSC’s 

Director of Transportation 

and soon became a community 

volunteer. He can 

be found at the Masons’ 

monthly breakfast as one of 

their “chief cooks and bottle 

washers,” and at any Kiwanis 

function where he repairs 

and maintains equipment and 

volunteers from sun-up to 

sun-down doing whatever is 

needed. 

What do these folks have 

in common? They keep 

Christmas in their hearts all 

year as they find joy in giving 

without the expectation 

of receiving. I’ve learned so 

much from each, and I hope 

as you reflect on people 

you know who keep the 

Christmas spirit alive, you 

remember to thank them… 

and consider keeping the 

Christmas spirit alive all 

year too! 

That’s Sue’s news for now! 

NEW ALSACE 

By 

Laura 

Keller 

Community 

Correspondent 

newalsace@goBEACONnews.com 

It’s hard to believe that 2019 

is almost over, and 2020 is 

right around the corner! We’ve 

already experienced our first 

snowfall of the year, and everyone 

is getting antsy for the 

upcoming holidays. I wish each 

of you peace and joy during the 

last few weeks of 2019 and to a 

great start in 2020. 

New Alsace recently gained 

three new residents. Jon and 

Lori Hartman welcomed twins 

Luke and Elizabeth (Libby) 

born on October 22. They were 

welcomed home by big sister 

Ainsley. Proud grandparents 

include Steve and Jeri Eisele of 

St. Leon and Jim Hartman of 

Dover. Gabe and Laura Focke 

welcomed their third child Sam, 

who was born on Nov. 3. He was 

welcomed home by big sister 

Gwen and big brother Jake. 

Proud grandparents include Tony 

and Carol Crouch and Jerry and 

Bridgett Focke. Congratulations 

to the Fockes and Hartmans! 

The North Dearborn 

American Legion is hosting its 

monthly euchre tournament on 

Su GREENDALE 

By 

Gloria 

Carter 

Community 

Correspondent 

Jon, Libby, Lori, Luke, and 

Ainsley Hartman. 

Jake, Gwen, and Sam 

Focke. 

Jan. 5 and 19 and Feb 2 and 16. 

Doors open at noon and games 

begin at 1 p.m. The entry fee is 

$5 per person, with cash payouts 

to the four highest scores. 

Refreshments are available for 

purchase. Call 812.623.3695 for 

more information. 

I would love to hear from you! 

If you have news in the New 

Alsace area you’d like me to 

share, please contact me at newalsace@goBEACONnews.com. 

greendale@goBEACONnews.com 

Halloween was a bit windy 

and cold this year, and it was 

hard to enjoy the costumes. I 

finally found one cute creature, 

my grandson Korben Carter, 

dressed up as a hamburger 

head with catsup and mustard 

attached. It seems like the kids 

didn’t mind the cold, but the 

adults were not too happy. 

Remember the true meaning 

of Christmas and enjoy the 

day with your family. Merry 

Christmas and Happy Holidays. 

Thank you to all of you 

who read the Beacon. 

Happy Birthday to Donnie 

Rowland on Dec. 27. 

Korben Carter 

Bridget Thompson Lawson 

dressed up as an Eskimo 

and passed out candy with 

her scary friend Hector. 

The end of the year is quickly approaching. Consider the 

following suggestions to help maximize your tax deductions and 

minimize your tax liabilities for this year: 

• Make your cash donations before the end of the year. 

• Clean out your closets and donate to your favorite charity. 

• Make estimated payments, if applicable. 

THE LIVERY 

of AURORA 

• Consider if you have any capital losses that you can realize by 

December 31. 

• Meet the December 31 deadline if you plan to convert an IRA 

to a ROTH. 

Make an appointment with us. With the recent tax law changes 

we advise scheduling a tax health check-up to ensure everything 

is in order for your current and future financial health. 

Harrison Tax & Accounting 

513.367.5566 

513.367.5566 www.HarrisonTaxAndAccounting.com 

Reception & 

Event Center 

wedding, event, special occasion 

215 Bridgeway St • Aurora, IN 

513-655-9336 

Now accepting reservations for 

Holiday Weddings & Events. 



DOVER 

OLDENBURG 

By 

Sue 

Siefert 

Community 

Correspondent 

oldenburg@goBEACONnews.com 

Christmas Among 

the Faithful … 

Oldenburgers are faithful in 

giving of their time and talent 

in caring for their hometown. 

When I approached village 

volunteers, Gary Munchel, 

Jeff Paul, and Mike “Willy” 

Wilhelm to seek names of 

those who give selflessly 

throughout the year, they 

were hesitant to name names. 

Still, they did share examples 

of the “Oldenburg Faithful” 

who give of their time without 

the expectation of receiving 

… thus my reference to “O 

Come All Ye Faithful.” 

Willy noted, “One example 

is the crew that displays and 

removes the Village’s Christmas 

decorations on the light 

poles. While they hope for 

good weather, Mother Nature 

does not always cooperate – 

and these folks remain faithful 

until the task is completed 

in good weather or bad.” 

He added, “There have also 

been spring clean-up details 

to spruce up Munchel Park, 

and after the great flood of 

2017, there were volunteers 

that walked along Harvey’s 

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By 

Rhonda 

Trabel 

Community 

Correspondent 

dover@goBEACONnews.com 

The All Saints Parish Annual 

Craft Show and Chicken 

Dinner took place recently. A 

great deal of preparation goes 

into the planning of this meal, 

and a lot of volunteers make 

it a success. The head of the 

kitchen, Pat Brichler, puts in 

a lot of hours preparing for 

the dinner. She is blessed with 

a lot of good kitchen helpers 

on festival days, including 

Kristy Alig, Tina Connolly, 

and Cathy Hoffman. On the 

serving lines for the inside 

dinner were Mary Beth Gerraci, 

Brenda Bruns, Elizabeth 

Geraci, Brent Bauman, 

Bobbi Bauman, Tom Huber, 

and Bill Ward. The event was 

made possible with the help 

of the Festival Chairperson 

Joyce Hansel, and Parish 

Coordinator Emily Alig. 

Condolences go out to 

the family of Joshua Welsh. 

Joshua was born on Easter 

Vigil in 2004, the only and 

deeply loved child of Jessica 

O 

ur 

Branch Creek to collect the 

debris.” 

Town historian, Gary 

explained, “My heart is 

warmed when I see how 

people who live here keep 

it tidy. Often after a busy 

weekend at the local restaurants, 

cans or wrappers may 

be left on the curb. While my 

wife Karen and I lived in the 

Munchel homestead along 

Main Street, we would be the 

ones picking it up. However, 

many times, I would see a 

local out casually walking 

who would stop and pick it 

up. These, to me, are unsung 

heroes. The unspoken motto 

of, “Keep the’ Burg Beautiful” 

is a mindset that Oldenburgers 

have. It’s evident in 

how manicured and clean the 

streets are kept. When I give 

history tours, I often hear 

visitors comment about “how 

clean everything is.” 

Gary added, “Oldenburgers 

get into decorating their 

homes for Christmas. If you 

visit at Christmas, the village 

glows. Most everything is 

24486 Stateline Road 

Bright 

$2.49 Bottle 

domestic beer 

Saturday 

$2.49 Bottle 

domestic beer 

Saturday 

$2.49 Bottle 

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Saturday 

Mary Beth Gerraci, Brenda 

Bruns, Elizabeth Geraci, 

and Brent Bauman help 

serve the chicken dinner. 

Welsh. He had a considerable 

family in All Saints Parish, 

especially Fr. Meyer and the 

Altar Boyz, a close-knit and 

specially trained group of 

high school boys who serve 

at Mass at All Saints. Joshua 

was home-schooled and was 

very knowledgable in philosophy, 

cooking, and the Catholic 

religion. He was especially 

interested in computer programs 

and operations. God 

only knows the justification 

for the death of such a young, 

intelligent person. I’m sure 

God has him by his side now! 

Rest in peace, Joshua. 

On a lighter note, Christmas 

is almost here. Most of 

us have our plans made with 

Church and family, and our 

presents bought. I get to spend 

Across from HVL!!! 

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(Limit $5 maximum per coupon 

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Not Valid Friday or Saturday.) 

812-747-7262 

Communities 

Pat Brichler oversees a 

fabulous display of the delicious 

desserts made and 

donated for the chicken dinner. 

Assisting are Kristy Alig, 

Tina Connolly, and Cathy 

Hoffman. 

mine with my husband, sons, 

daughter-in-law, and three 

granddaughters whose company 

I enjoy tremendously! 

We also get together with the 

extended family sometime 

throughout the season. I hope 

everyone enjoys the holidays 

as much as I do! I would like 

to wish all of our readers a 

Very Merry Christmas and the 

Happiest New Year possible. 

If you have some Dover news 

to share, please email me at 

dover@goBEACONnews. 

com. 

decorated. I think the same 

pride that the people have 

to keep the ’Burg clean is 

displayed on their homes at 

Christmas. No one is looking 

for recognition; they just 

enjoy the community connection 

of keeping things looking 

awesome.” 

Jeff Paul commented, “I 

chat with Oldenburgers on a 

daily basis and am amazed at 

their pride in the ‘Burg and 

their concern for one another. 

One customer made a 

habit of paying it forward and 

after paying for her groceries, 

would donate for me to 

help someone in need. When 

someone is ill or down on 

their luck, the faithful rally to 

help, to comfort, and to show 

they care.” 

With those words, I close 

my Oldenburg column for 

2019 and wish that you too, 

remember Christmas is more 

than a day. It’s a feeling in 

your heart of peace and happiness 

that comes from giving 

of yourself all year long. 

Das ist alles von der ’Burg! 

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812-747-7262 

MILAN 

By 

Susan 

Cottingham 

Community 

Correspondent 

milan@goBEACONnews.com 

Shirley Bocock and Gene 

Pitts were recognized for 

their contributions to the 

Milan Lions Club and the 

community. Both are past 

presidents, secretaries, and 

fundraising chairs and have 

led various community 

service projects. They 

are tenured and support 

many, if not all, club 

projects. In recognition of 

outstanding service, loyalty, 

and devotion, Shirley and 

Gene were recognized as 

the newest members of the 

Milan Lions Club Hall of 

Fame. Shirley has served 

Buy 1 Lunch or Dinner 


Get 1 Lunch or Dinner 

at 1/2 price 

Excludes steaks and seafood 

Expires July 11, 2016 


Not valid with daily specials. 

proof 

$5 off on 

purchase of $30 




Buy 1 Lunch or Dinner 


Get 1 Lunch or Dinner 

at 1/2 price 

Excludes steaks and seafood 




$5 off on 

purchase of $30 



Gene Pitts and Shirley 

Bocock being awarded their 

plaques by Jerry Smith. 

fifteen years, and Gene 

served twenty-eight years. 

Fourteen past members have 

been inducted, including 

Barter Dobson, Donald 

Myers, Floyd Rayner, 

Chris Volz Sr., William 

Warn, Hubert Applegate, 

Elmer Heller, Daren 

Baker, Gary Lauber, Mark 

Busching, John Dunnete, 

Alvin Bushing, Donald E. 

Myers, and Jerry Smith. 

Congratulations to Shirley 

and Gene, and thank you to 

all members of the Milan 

Lions Club for the devotion 

to our town. 

401 2nd st. Aurora, IN • 812-954-1300 

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AURORA 

By 

Margaret 

Drury 

Community 

Correspondent 

aurora@goBEACONnews.com 

As I began writing this 

month’s column, Christmas 

songs alluding to COLD 

weather come to mind, and it’s 

just the beginning of November. 

By the time you are reading 

this, the Christmas songs 

will be more appropriate! 

Before the cold weather set 

into Aurora, we were able to 

get in quite a few fall activities. 

To name a few, Main 

Street Aurora was busy with 

their fall dance, The Ghost 

Walk, and another Get Wined 

and Dined event downtown. 

The second Ribbon Cutting 

of 2019 with SEVEN new 

businesses being recognized 

with new ceremonial scissors 

gifted to Main Street Aurora 

by Councilman Terry Hahn. 

New businesses included the 

1819 Boutique, and Wellington’s 

Ice Cream Palace. As 

our folks at Main Street say, 

“Aurora is open for business!” 

The Lions club was busy 

with its Halloween Parade 

and fall pancake breakfast. 

Over two hundred ninety 

people were served breakfast 

with proceeds going to the 

Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts, 

and “We Care Packages,” a 

non-profit organization led by 

Gambles Furniture & Appliances 

419 Second Street 

Aurora, IN 47001 

(812) 926-1677 

O 

ur 

“ I GOT IT AT GAMBLES! ” 

Communities 

Nick and Judy Ullrich, Nancy Ray, Cindy Rottinghaus, Connie Cleary, Guinevere 

Emery, Debbie Smith, Mark Drury, Charlotte Hastings, Rick Denton, Eugene Ison, 

Donnie Hastings, Jr., AJ and Shannon Hastings, and Miranda Boyles at the dedication 

of the Eagle Carving. Baby Charlotte Hastings is in the baby carrier. 

Enjoying the fruits of their labor (or rather fried chicken of 

their labor!) at the AFD Chicken Fry are volunteer firefighters 

Eric Turner, Zackery Gibbs, and Mikey Childs. 

Kathi Prarat that sends care 

packages to U.S. troops around 

the world. With their proceeds 

from the breakfast, Kathi said 

they would be able to send one 

hundred forty care packages. If 

you are interested in volunteering 

or donating to this worthy 

organization, please call Kathi 

at 813-584-0867. 

The Aurora Fire Department 

(AFD) also had a hectic fall 

with two significant events. 

One was scary, and the other 

was YUMMY! I do have to tell 

you, though, I prefer YUMMY 

over scary any day! The 

proceeds from the fundraisers 

will be used for supplies for 

their rehab unit that provides 

firefighters with snacks and 

hydration during runs. 

And while we’re talking 

about our Fire Department, 

did you know that in Indiana, 

seven out of ten firefighters and 

first responders are volunteers? 

Our Aurora Fire Department, 

however, is different from the 

“norm” as it is 100% volunteer. 

Aurora Fire Chief, Jeff Lane, 

shared that our fire department 

currently has twenty-six volunteers 

with a planned roster of 

thirty-five. As an incentive to 

improve the volunteer ranks, 

Representative Randy Frye 

pushed for Indiana legislation 

to provide college scholarships 

for qualified firefighters and 

first responders. The bill passed 

the House but died in the Senate. 

Believing that this is such 

an important and worthwhile 

endeavor, Ivy Tech Community 

College agreed to fund scholarships 

for two years beginning 

in January 2020. They hope 

that this pilot program will provide 

information for the state 

of Indiana to fund a statewide 

program in the future. Scholarship 

recipients must be active 

volunteer firefighters or EMS 

personnel. For more information 

about this program, email 

Chief Lane at afr501@hotmail. 

com or visit Ivy Tech’s website 

at www.ivytech.edu. 

The November Aurora 

City Council meetings were 

busy. The Historic Preservation 

Commission (HPC) gave 

awards for notable preservation 

efforts to the Denmure & 

Moore Law Firm, Tim Miller, 

Josh Mangold, Guinevere 

Emery, Bobby and Sherry 

Love, Adam Geyer, and 

Mark and Leslie Thompson. 

Charlie Wilkening, accompanied 

by his niece, Diane 

Fritz, was thrilled to be part 

of a Veterans 

Honor Flight 

to Washington 

DC. He 

served in the 

U.S. Army 

from 1953 to 

1955 during 

the Korean 

Charlie Wilkening War. Charlie 

shared with 

me that he was not sent to 

John Blasdel welcomed 

people to Hillforest during 

the Ghost walk. (Photo 

courtesy of Main Street 

Aurora) 

Korea, though, because his 

last name began with the letter 

“W.” The process of assigning 

troops to Korea was alphabetical. 

Troops with last names 

starting with the latter part of 

the alphabet were sent to 

Europe. Charlie spent most of 

his military service stationed 

in the small German town of 

Badtolz which is the hometown 

of Marianne Borgman, 

wife to Aurora City Councilman, 

John Borgman. What a 

small world! Typically, 

soldiers in the Army during 

that period served a two-year 

commitment. Charlie was still 

overseas when his two years 

were up. Somehow there had 

been a mishap with his orders, 

and he was not properly 

discharged on time. He 

Winning First Place in the 

Lions Club costume contest 

for best homemade costume 

is mouse and cheese 

Kenna Batchelor and Bo 

Barrott. (Photo courtesy of 

Main Street Aurora) 

remembers his Second Lieutenant 

chewing him out for not 

calling it to their attention that 

his two years were up until 

eight days after the fact. 

Charlie shared that he enjoyed 

the Honor Flight very much. 

The Aurora Street Department 

has undertaken a new 

endeavor in collaboration with 

the Aurora Park Board. The 

effort will beautify our city 

even more. It will create a new 

“signature” for the City, AND 

save some money. Rather than 

completely removing dead 

trees on city property, they are 

seeking private sponsorships 

to have the tree trunks carved 

into sculptures. The first 

sculpture, an eagle, was dedicated 

at Lesko Park in honor 

of Mayor Donnie Hastings 

Jr. for his twenty-four years of 

dedicated service to Aurora. 

And LAST but not LEAST, 

I have an update on the Aurora 

Elementary Third Grade STEM 

playground project. Well… the 

third graders are now fourth 

graders. Aurora City Manager 

Guinevere Emery was very 

excited to share that the City 

of Lawrenceburg Community 

Grant Program awarded the 

City of Aurora $76,614 for the 

ADA compliant playground 

that the students helped design. 

The playground will have 

a baseball theme. More to 

come in a future article as the 

playground comes to fruition. 

Way to go, kids! You’ve hit a 

HOME RUN! 

God Bless, Merry Christmas, 

and Happy New Year. 

Main Street Aurora’s 

New Year’s Eve Dance 

228 Second Street, Aurora 

Tuesday, December 31st 

Reservations Required 

Tickets $20.00 each 

Includes admission, dinner, soft drinks, snacks, midnight toast and party favors 

Call 812.926.1100 

231 Main Street Suite #210 



The Bernhard farm house in 

the 1940’s. 

LAWRENCEBURG 

By 

Debbie 

Acasio 

Community 

Correspondent 

lawrenceburg@goBEACONnews.com 

Thank goodness it is time to 

write this December article! I 

have spent the last few days 

obsessing about making a 

butterscotch cake (don’t need 

the extra calories), trying to 

find out where my great-greatgrandfather 

lived in Morris 

(the genealogy dead-end), and 

recovering from a wonderful 

weekend trip to Shipshewana 

(yes, I went crazy in the Amish 

bakery). I guess I am enjoying 

simpler pleasures these days. 

The Eagle Scout project of 

Lawrenceburg High School 

student Braden Nutley definitely 

reminds us of simpler 

pleasures. His “Give a book, 

take a book, and share a 

book” project will consist of 

four book stations in Greendale 

parks where you are free 

to grab a book to take home 

or share a favorite. Anyone 

interested in donating building 

materials, publications, or 

cash (to buy materials), can 

email bnutley10@gmail.com. 

Wouldn’t it be exciting to see 

these springing up in all area 

parks? 

Wednesday is a popular night 

in Lawrenceburg. Bagpipe and 

drum lessons, anyone? Check 

out the Lawrenceburg Fire 

House on Wednesday nights 

6-9 P.M. for details regarding 

lessons given by the 35th 

Indiana Pipes & Drums Corp. I 

got a chance to see them in the 

Farmers Fair Parade, and they 

were terrific. Also, don’t forget 

the free community meal from 

5:15-6:15 provided by volunteers 

on Wednesday at Hamline 

Chapel. All are welcome! 

Cops and Kids is a service 

O 

ur 

Communities 

Debbie Acasio, Santa, and Jen Bernhard Awad in 1957 on 

the day Santa arrived in Batesville in a helicopter. 

Coach Dennis Payne with 

son Javier enjoying the 

sectional trophy. 

provided by The Fraternal 

Order of Police Lawrenceburg 

that allows needy children to 

shop with a sponsor for warm 

coats or clothing. Greendale 

Policewoman Pam Taylor, 

coordinates this valuable 

service for the FOP. Donations 

can be mailed to the 

FOP, dropped off at either 

the Aurora or Lawrenceburg 

police station. Did you miss 

the deadline for Cops & Kids? 

This organization also awards 

$500 to two seniors in Ohio 

and Dearborn Counties each 

year through the foundation. 

Congratulations to Gavin 

Yoon, Lawrenceburg High 

football player for breaking 

the record of most receiving 

yards in a game, most passing 

in a game and tied for the 

most passing TD in a game. 

He made parents Shelly and 

Kee Yoon and Grandma 

Barb Scherzinger very 

proud! Also, congratulations 

to Lexi Knight for being 

crowned queen of Fall Fest. 

She is the daughter of Melissa 

and Brian Knight. 

Don’t forget to check out the 

winter festivities in Lawrenceburg 

this season. Besides the 

ice skating, Santa’s arrival in 

the parade, and small business 

Saturdays, the downtown area 

Jack Schwier and Jaron 

Clonts of Tiger Pizazz clown 

around at Coffee Shop Variety 

Show with the coffee 

condiments. 

will introduce a holiday market 

under Winter Wonderland 

Domes on weekends. They 

will feature unique holiday 

gift items. For info regarding 

ice skating hours, Santa’s 

arrival, shopping, and other 

planned winter activities visit 

www.thinklawrenceburg.com. 

AURORA 

By 

Fred 

Schmits 

Community 

Correspondent 

aurora@goBEACONnews.com 

Hi Neighbors!! 

Many of you are familiar 

with my friends at the “Liars’ 

Bench.” One member is 

Landon Smith, the “Piano 

Man.” He is cheerful, helpful, 

and full of laughter 

Mr. Smith has lived in Aurora 

all of his life. He attended 

St. John’s and Aurora High 

School with normal youthful 

challenges. His studies were 

nearly finished by his senior 

year. 

Mr. Smith has many attributes, 

the main focus 

involving the piano. From 

an early age, he could play 

arrangements by ear. Once his 

mother realized his talent, she 

enrolled him in piano lessons. 

The Smiths were encouraged 

to enroll him in the Conservatory, 

but his father declined. 

Landon went to work until the 

Army called. 

Landon was in the Army 

for four years, during which 

he played the piano to entertain 

the troops. One officer 

enjoyed Landon’s playing so 

much that he nicknamed him 

“the crazy typist.” Landon’s 

duty was mainly to type, 

but his talent for the piano 

changed that. 

Landon caught the fancy of 

Della Carr, whom he eventually 

married. They had two 

Landon Smith 

daughters, 

Cindy and 

Debbie, and 

were blessed 

with fiftythree 

years 

of marriage. 

Mr. Smith 

once played 

piano in 

Nelson Elliott’s 

band. He also played 

at church concerts and family 

outings. He now plays mostly 

by ear. 

When asked about his most 

memorable moments as a 

musician, Mr. Smith stated he 

was proud to play before over 

four hundred people at fundraisers 

for cancer research. He 

shared he was most embarrassed 

when he played with 

the band, and the piano was 

out of tune! You can’t stop 

and tune one of those things 

so quickly as other instruments. 

In 2012 Mr. Smith was 

inducted into the Southeast 

Indiana Music Hall of Fame. 

A very fitting honor for our 

neighbor, the “PIANO MAN.” 

Now, did you ever wonder… 

do we realize how 

blessed we are for our friendly 

and helpful nature as a 

community? 

Let me hear from you! 

W ellingtons 

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Aurora, IN 47001 

812-954-1400 

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The Harrison Five Green Team 

HARRISON 

By 

Elizabeth 

Janszen 

Community 

Correspondent 

harrison@goBEACONnews.com 

Happy Holidays! 

The people of our little town 

haven’t had much to write 

home about when it comes to 

football. Until now! In fact, 

the last time Harrison’s Varsity 

team was in a state semi-final 

was 1988. As I write this 

piece, the boys in green are 

gearing up for their major 

matchup against LaSalle, 

and I’m sending them all the 

luck. Win or lose, the Harrison 

Varsity team has much 

to be proud of this season. 

In addition to their success, 

they’ve played the last games 

on a grass surface in Harrison, 

as the stadium will be transformed 

to a turf field by next 

season. 

Looking up to those varsity 

players are the boys in the 

HYF organization. The fifth 

grade Green Team recently 

traveled to Owensboro, Kentucky, 

to play in the Kentucky 

Cup, and although they came 

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ur 

home without the title, they 

are all winners in my book. 

Harrison’s City Elections 

took place in November, and 

Mayor Bill Neyer remains 

in office for another two 

years. Other officials elected 

were Jean Wilson, Ryan 

Samuel, and Anthony Egner, 

elected to City Council. Doug 

Lohman was elected as the 

Crosby Township Trustee, and 

Matthew Wallace was elected 

as Crosby Township’s Fiscal 

Officer. William Noes was 

chosen as the Harrison Township 

Trustee, with Richard 

Dole as the Fiscal Officer. 

Whitewater Township elected 

Guy Schaible as Trustee and 

James Brett as their Fiscal 

Officer. The Harrison Fire/ 

EMS Levy passed, and we 

elected Jeff Biddle, Linda 

Peak, and Tricia Evanson to 

the Southwest Local School 

Board. 

As always, I’d like to 

remind everyone that the holidays 

are a time to reach out to 

your neighbors in need. There 

are several food pantries in 

our community, in addition to 

many churches willing to help. 

Have something fun to share 

for February? I’d love to hear 

it! Email me at harrison@ 

goBEACONnews.com 

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Communities 

LOGAN 

By 

Susan 

Carson 

Community 

Correspondent 

logan@goBEACONnews.com 

At the Barn Winery, 

opened in July of 2013, is a 

local hotspot in Logan from 

spring through December. 

The owners, Donnie and 

Debbie Stutz, are fellow 

graduates of North Dearborn 

High School (one year behind 

me and Donnie’s sister, 

Barb). You guess when. 

The barn was built in 1870 

by Donnie’s great-grandfather, 

James Jacques. The 

original property was about 

thirty to forty acres and was 

a regular working farm with 

milk cows, horses, chickens, 

etc. Jacques’ daughter, 

Edna, married Lester 

White and lived next to the 

barn. They had a daughter 

Thelma Jean, who married 

Vernon Stutz and lived next 

door to them. Thelma Jean 

is Donnie’s mother and, at 

97, is the reigning queen 

of Logan! In 1992 Donnie 

MANCHESTER 

By 

Lisa 

West 

Community 

Correspondent 

manchester@goBEACONnews.com 

Even though winter is upon 

us, the youth and leaders 

of our local Manchester 4H 

organization are hard at work. 

Our community is fortunate 

to have a successful 4H club, 

The Manchester Rowdies. 

This group is part of a U.S. 

4H non-profit organization, 

whose mission is to “Engage 

youth to reach their fullest 

potential while advancing the 

field of youth development.” 

(per their published mission 

12683 North Dearborn Rd. 

Sunman, IN 47041 

Text: 812-363-0367 

Email: fetteauto@etczone.com 

*$500 minimum Repair 

A sideboard from Donnie’s 

great-grandfather’s wagon. 

bought the last ten remaining 

acres of the farm. He 

had always had an interest 

in wine-making, so in 2003, 

he started fixing up the barn. 

While cleaning the barn and 

doing the necessary repairs, 

he found an old piece of 

wood with “James Jacques” 

painted on it. Donnie tells 

me it is a sideboard from the 

wagon his great-grandfather 

used to take produce to market 

(probably in Harrison). 

A newer piece of history is 

the Logan Methodist Church 

stained glass window that 

was saved from the church 

at the time of the merger 

of the Bright and Logan 

churches. 

But the most fun is the 

scoreboard from the North 

Dearborn School (High or 

Elementary depending on 

your age). The scoreboard 

was bought at auction at ND 

when it closed a couple of 

years ago by their daughters 

as a gift. It turns out it was 

a gift to many of us. Donnie 

doesn’t keep score of how 

much you drink, BUT if the 

language of the customers 

gets a little too rough, Donnie 

pushes the “foul” button, 

and a loud buzzer goes 

off, calling attention to the 

offender. He keeps pushing 

the button until the language 

subsides. All in good fun! 

Several of their wines 

have won awards in contests 

around the country, as 

shown in the photo taken 

in front of their display 

shelves. Donnie and Debbie 

would like to thank Mike 

and Diane Bender, whose 

Logan Supermart is conveniently 

located across the 

street. The Winery doesn’t 

sell food, but customers are 

welcome to bring in snacks 

of their own and frequently 

buy from the Supermart. 

Cheers! 

Autumn Mitchel doing a sheep demonstration at a Manchester 

Rowdies 4-H meeting. 

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needs. Whether you need post 

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1200 Whitlatch Way 

Milan, IN 

812-654-2231 

The Logan Methodist Church 

stained glass window. 

statement). 

We are not sure how the 

Manchester club was named 

the ‘Rowdies,’ but we can 

guess that it was because 

of the fun they have! Their 

activities center around the 

care and upbringing of farm 

animals and pets, as well as 

projects involving woodworking, 

mechanics, farming, 

domestic skills, arts, photography, 

crafts, wildlife, and 

many more. Members can 

explore dozens of areas. They 

get hands-on training from 

the club leaders and other 4H 

peers. Experts from the community 

also share knowledge. 

The highlight of their year is 

the local Dearborn County 

4H Fair held in June, and the 

Indiana State 4H Fair held in 

August. The 4H members can 

show the fruits of their labor, 

with week-long competitions, 

shows, and other activities. 

I recently spoke with their 

leader of thirty-six years, 

Rachel Thies. She shared that 

4H youth learn lifelong skills 

about responsibility to their 

animals/projects, their parents, 

the fellow 4H kids, and 

their clubs. They learn how 

to carefully follow directions 

on projects to achieve the best 

outcome. They learn how to 

receive constructive criticism 

and improve from that criticism. 

Rachel shared, “I love 

working with the kids and 

seeing their creativity in projects, 

and their devotion and 

responsibility to their projects. 

I love seeing older kids teaching 

younger kids how to have 

more success with their work. 

I love walking through the fair 

barn and seeing kids ‘showing’ 

their animals to fairgoers 

and how their faces light up as 

they talk about their animals. 

It never gets old.” 

The Manchester Rowdies 

4H group has started up again 

for the upcoming 2020 fair. 

They meet the first Monday 

of each month, 7:00 P.M., at 

the church at the corner of 

Possum Ridge and State Road 

48. Youth from kindergarten 

through second grade join 

the Cloverbuds 4H group; 

third graders and older join 

as regular 4H members. They 

welcome families from our 

Manchester community as 

well as surrounding areas. 

At the meetings, the kids 

perform demonstrations to 

help each other learn about 

some of the projects that are 

exhibited at the fair. During 

the year, the club participates 

in many volunteer activities 

such as Love the Hungry food 

packaging event, helping 

prepare and serve meals at the 

First Presbyterian Church in 

Aurora, and doing the same at 

the Hamline Church in Lawrenceburg. 

If you are interested in 

joining 4H, please attend a 

meeting or contact Rachel 

Thies 513-509-7855 for more 

information. 



RISING SUN/ 

OHIO COUNTY 

By 

PG 

Gentrup 

Community 

Correspondent 

risingsun@goBEACONnews.com 

Our community is served 

by three Color Guards, 

which will be combining 

into one group known as the 

Southeastern Indiana Honor 

Guard. Our new jackets will 

have a patch on the back, with 

maps of Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, 

and Afghanistan, with the 

service patches above this for 

the Army, Marines, Navy, Air 

Force, and Coast Guard. 

Veterans Day is always a 

busy time. This year several 

veterans were able to get 

together at the Lawrenceburg 

Library and talk about their 

experiences. A special thanks 

to Rhonda Stinson for her 

hospitality. The cupcakes 

and cake were delicious. 

The program was held in 

the old train depot, where I 

used to catch a train to go to 

Cincinnati when I was a kid. 

Several of us came out of that 

small area and worked together 

at the power plant including 

Clarence Tibbetts, Jack 

Day, Mike Johnson, Lanny 

Wyatt, Barry Kaffenberger, 

Mike LaFollette, and Donnie 

Starker. 

Tammy Wagner 

recently organized a flag 

retirement ceremony. Color 

Guard members Jerry 

Bondurant, Bob Palmer, 

Mike LaFollette, and Ron 

Spurlock participated. 

On Nov. 10, a Veteran’s 

worship service was held at 

Patriot Baptist Church by 

Pastor Mike Jones. That 

same day Greendale held 

a dedication of the new 

Veterans Memorial for police, 

Veterans, firefighters, and first 

responders with Pastor Tim 

Russell as the host. Mayor 

Alan Weiss spearheaded 

this project, and it became a 

reality with the help of the 

Greendale City Council. 

The American Legion Post 

239 recently had a wonderful 

display of memorabilia 

thanks to Tom Savage, Phil 

Plunkett, and Eric Smith. 

Recently, tribute was paid 

to the World War II Veterans 

from Dearborn County. They 

received Quilts of Valor 

from Sheila Stevenson and 

Judi Sauerbrey from the 

Rivertown Quilters. Quilts 

were presented to Wilbur 

Rolfes, who is 101, Bill 

O 

ur 

Hopping, George Klopp, 

Willis “Baby Doll” Bentle, 

Frank Savage, Bob Savage, 

Clarence Cook, Bob 

Myers, Bobby Lischkge, 

Alice Schuler, Leo Kittle, 

Lawrence Lyttle, and Bob 

Ernsting. My buddy, Jerry 

Bondurant, remarked how 

special it was to be able to be 

with twenty-one World War II 

Veterans in one week. 

Grace Church of the Valley 

recently presented a video 

featuring interviews with 

Purple Heart Recipients, 

Ebbie Roberts, Tim 

Albright, and Brett 

Bondurant. 

On Veterans Day, Rising 

Sun High School held a 

breakfast and program 

to visit with some of the 

veterans. Aurora Elementary 

School (AES) also had a 

program. My granddaughter, 

Carli Walter, did an 

excellent job reading about 

the Star-Spangled Banner. 

Twin brother, Grady, also 

had several lines to read. It 

does my heart good to see 

program like this one getting 

the youngsters involved. 

Mary Bailey and her staff 

did a super job with the kids. 

I had the honor of addressing 

the students at the South 

Dearborn Middle School, 

thanks to Principal Jason 

Cheek. 

Lawrenceburg High 

School also had a Veterans 

Day program. The students 

gave the veterans a standing 

ovation. I chatted with 

Principal Bill Snyder and told 

him what a great job they are 

doing. 

The statue of the Union 

Soldier at Union Cemetery 

was recently revitalized. A 

formal re-dedication will take 

place later when the weather 

gets warmer. 

My daughter-in-law, 

Annette Gentrup, is an avid 

runner and recently completed 

the Monumental Marathon 

in Indianapolis. This is her 

second time to complete the 

race. A lot of training and 

determination are needed to 

complete a full marathon. 

There is something about 

getting out and running in all 

kinds of weather that gives 

you a certain peace of mind. 

By the time you read this, 

Thanksgiving will have 

passed, and you may have 

gained a few pounds. We 

should all be very thankful 

for all the blessings we have 

received from God. Stay 

warm and healthy. Enjoy the 

holidays, and it’s almost time 

to flip the calendar to 2020. 

That doesn’t sound possible. 

God Bless You. 

Communities 

MOORES HILL 

By 

Barbara 

Wetzler 

Community 

Correspondent 

mooreshill@goBEACONnews.com 

Congratulations to Doug 

Heller, who was inducted into 

the Southeastern Indiana Musician’s 

Association Hall of 

Fame. The Association honors 

exemplary musicians in Dearborn, 

Ohio, Ripley, Franklin, 

and Switzerland Counties and 

who have contributed to the 

cultural growth of music. 

Moores Hill Elementary 

School hosted a program 

for all veterans on Nov. 11. 

Jonathan Combs, Grade 

6, read his thank you letter 

for Veterans. In response, 

Becky Ingersoll, President of 

Moores Hill American Legion 

Auxiliary, said, “I want to 

thank Moores Hill teachers 

and students for the nice program 

for our veterans.” 

The eighth-grade graduation 

class of 1979 Moores Hill 

School held a fortieth class 

reunion. Following time for 

fellowship and food, there was 

a memorial service in remembrance 

of six classmates. The 

‘79 classmates purchased a memorial 

stone with an inscription 

of the names of classmates 

who have passed away: Davy 

Hummel, Tracy Frey, Lisa 

Webb, Wesley Baker, Shari 

Allen, and Terry Peace. The 

memorial stone was placed 

in Veterans Park, across from 

the Legion. A tree was planted 

in the Park. Family members 

Rosie and Scott Hummel 

and Joe and Nina Allen attended. 

Much of the planning 

was done by Darlene Canfield 

Cox, John Moody, and 

Fortieth Reunion, 1979 eighth grade class Moores Hill 

School. 

Sherry Fraasman Burton. 

Sherry said, “It was fun just 

sitting around talking about the 

good ole days… what we can 

remember anyway.” 

Kudos to Brent Casebolt for 

participating in “No-Shave November,” 

helping raise money 

for kids by not shaving the 

month of November. Money 

raised benefits Cops and Kids, 

(formerly known as Shop With 

A Cop), and helps local kids 

have a better Christmas. 

A community Thanksgiving 

dinner was hosted by Dee 

Russell and the Moores Hill 

Sparta Township Fire/EMS, 

along with Misty Russell, and 

a team of volunteers and donors. 

Dee has put this dinner 

together every Thanksgiving 

since 2010. Dee says, “It is so 

no one goes without Thanksgiving 

dinner.” Good food and 

fellowship were shared among 

those working on Thanksgiving 

at the Fire/EMS station 

and residents, friends, family. 

The Winter Walk activities 

are being planned by volunteers 

Tamila Wismann, 

Bobbi Elza, Pat Holland, 

Lynn Allen, Angie Calhoun, 

Sherry Fraasman Burton, 

Todd Russell, Donna Couch, 

Glenda and Kevin Thomasson, 

and Josh Holland who 

have been meeting and organizing 

for weeks. 

Winter solstice happens at 

the same instant for everyone, 

everywhere on Earth – and 

this year, it occurs on Dec. 22. 

For those who find ole man 

winter tough to deal with, the 

Doug Heller putting the beat 

in music. 

knowledge that the planet 

keeps on turning and things 

will get easier as days get 

longer can be a blessed relief. 

Such it is with the dawn of a 

new year. I still look forward 

to the promise of a new year: a 

new beginning in many ways. 

Get a head start on that 

perennial resolution to get 

more exercise! Moores Hill 

Elementary School is open 

Wed. evenings at 7:00, for 

adult league basketball. 

For those willing to take 

on the outdoors, a walking 

map/self-guided tour of historic 

homes and businesses of 

Moores Hill is available. The 

tour includes a brief history of 

several homes, churches, and 

Carnegie Hall. Do you know 

which home was once a Trailways 

Bus Station? Can you 

find the former 1-room Schoolhouse? 

The walk is an easy, 

mostly flat, 1-mile loop. Free 

copies of the historical walking 

tour are available at the Town 

Office or by contacting me via 

the e-mail address below. 

If you have news to share, 

contact me at mooreshill@ 

goBEACONnews.com. Merry 

Christmas to all. 

THINK FAST 

Get a new debit card issued the same day. 

Instead of waiting in the mail. 

FCN Bank Building Stronger Communities. 



SUNMAN 

By 

Maureen 

Stenger 

Community 

Correspondent 

O 

ur 

Communities 

sunman@goBEACONnews.com 

Back in the May edition 

of The Beacon, I had the 

honor of writing a veteran’s 

spotlight telling the tale of 

lifelong Sunman resident, 

Albert Wagner, surviving 

his B-24 Bomber’s crash 

during World War II. Mr. 

Wagner and the rest of the 

crew of The Old-Faithful, the 

name of their Consolidated 

B-24 Liberator American 

heavy bomber, were on a 

mission in England in a 

different B-24 bomber called 

Satan’s Sister when they 

crash-landed. Idaho author, 

Jan Cline, is writing a book 

series called The American 

Dream Series, and the third 

book will feature the plight 

of Satan’s Sister. Mrs. Cline 

and her husband traveled to 

Columbus, Indiana, to meet 

Evelyn Wagner, Albert’s 

widow. Two of Albert and 

Evelyn’s grand-daughters, 

Hope Bohman and Jamie 

The Color Guard for The Sunman Elementary School’s 

Veteran’s Day Program.Cub Scout Pack 610 Members 

Jared Cox, Carson Caudill, and Aaron Rullman; Girl Scout 

Troop 43712 Alayna Darringer and Josie Stenger. 

Roope, were also present 

during the meeting, and 

Mrs. Roope shared with me 

that they all had a lovely 

visit reminiscing about Mr. 

Wagner’s legacy and bravery. 

Erin Darringer, president 

of Sunman Elementary 

Tiger PAWS, shared that 

the school’s Veteran’s Day 

ceremony and breakfast was 

a huge success! Everyone 

was thankful for the high 

attendance and the chance 

to honor our community 

heroes! I also had the 

pleasure of honoring a 

particular veteran, my dad, 

in my own way as I ran in 

my fifth half marathon, The 

Honor Run, in Florence, 

Kentucky, on Nov. 10. All 

proceeds from the run benefit 

Honor Flight Tri-State, 

which sends local veterans 

who have served in World 

War ll, Korea and Vietnam to 

Washington DC to see their 

memorials. This year’s run 

raised over fifty thousand 

dollars for Honor Flight 

Tri-State! My father served 

two tours of duty in Vietnam 

in the Marine Corps Force 

Reconnaissance, and he is 

a Purple Heart recipient. It 

was a beautiful and inspiring 

experience, thank you will 

never suffice to all of the 

brave men and women who 

have sacrificed so much 

so that we can live as we 

choose! 

The Annual Sunman Area 

Chamber of Commerce 

Dinner was held on Nov 8 

at the Sunman American 

Legion. Sunman Elementary 

Music Teacher, Jessica 

Risinger, was the recipient of 

the Chamber’s Teacher of the 

Hope Bohman, Author Jan Cline, Evelyn Wagner, and 

Jamie Roope met in Columbus, IN, to reminisce about their 

beloved war hero Albert Wagner and the plight of the B-24 

Bomber Satan’s Sister. (Photo courtesy of Jamie Roope) 

Year Award, and she shared 

with me what that meant to 

her. “I cannot express how 

grateful and honored I feel 

to be chosen for Teacher of 

the Year. This truly means 

so much to me, and I feel 

quite blessed to be a part of 

the Sunman School family.” 

Congratulations to all of this 

year’s winners! 

Finally, in the spirit of 

the season on Nov. 22, The 

Sunman American Legion 

hosted Sunman Celebrates 

the Season! The event kicked 

off with a Christmas parade 

that strolled through town 

ending at the American 

Legion, where an indoor 

Christmas Carnival for all 

area children was held. 

Games, caroling, and even 

an appearance by Santa 

showcased the evening! Also, 

Girl Scout Troop 5525 helped 

patrons decorate Christmas 

cookies to take home with 

them and enjoy. Thank you to 

all who worked so hard to put 

I ran in the Honor Run Half 

Marathon in Florence, KY, 

to honor my father, Roy 

Schooley Jr., a Vietnam 

Veteran and Purple Heart 

Recipient. 

this fun event on! 

I wish everyone a Merry 

Christmas. May your heart 

and home be happy and 

fulfilled. Best wishes in the 

New Year. Please continue 

to send me your adventures 

and town happenings at 

sunman@goBEACONnews. 

com. I always look forward 

to hearing from you! 

Join us for inspirational services and some free, fun, 

family events as we celebrate the Christmas season at 

Bright Church ... where love shines. 

brightchurch.org 

24457 State Line Road 

Bright, IN 47025 

(812) 637-3388 

LIGHT UP BRIGHT 

free events at bright church 

LIGHT 

SHOW 

LIVE 

NATIVITY 

GREAT 

CONCERT 

DECEMBER 8, 15, 22 

9:00 & 10:30 A.M. 

DECEMBER 24 

2:30 & 4:00 P.M. 

All December enjoy a dazzling light show from the 

warmth of your car, with the sounds of the season 

synchronized to each display. 6:00-10:00 p.m. 

Join us December 14 & 15, 6:00-9:00 p.m. for a 

live nativity and free cookies and hot chocolate. 

Join us December 15 at 6:00 p.m. for a Christmas 

Concert with MY BROTHER’S KEEPER, a 

local Bluegrass/Folk band with a contemporary 

sound and energetic live shows! 

YORKVILLE 

& GUILFORD 

By 

Laura 

Keller 

Community 

Correspondent 

yorkville@goBEACONnews.com 

The thirty-first annual 

Yorkville trick-or-treat event 

was held on Oct. 27. The fall 

day was perfect for enjoying a 

hayride and trick-or-treating, 

followed by hot dogs and 

drinks at Widolff’s General 

Store and Tavern. It’s a great 

time to gather with friends in 

the community. Thank you to 

everyone who makes this an 

enjoyable event for adults and 

children. 

As a child, my parents used 

to visit relatives and friends 

frequently. My brothers and I 

did not understand the significance 

of those visits – we 

were able to play with some 

neat toys or enjoy a special 

treat they prepared for us. 

Through the years, I realized 

what a tremendous joy 

my parents and I brought to 

those we visited, as many of 

them were elderly. As I’ve 

gotten older, I understand 

the truth in the saying, “The 

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most precious gift you can 

give someone is the gift of 

time.” As the holiday season 

approaches and we get caught 

up in the hustle and bustle of 

life, please take some time 

to think about someone who 

would relish your gift of time. 

Whether it’s a neighbor you 

wave to as you’re driving 

home or a family member or 

friend who is confined to their 

home, take the time to stop 

and visit. I promise it will be 

time well spent. 

If you have news in the 

Yorkville/Guilford area you’d 

like me to share, please contact 

me at yorkville@goBEA- 

CONnews.com. 

FRANKLIN 

COUNTY 

By 

Karis 

Troyer 

Community 

Correspondent 

franklin@goBEACONnews.com 

Franklin County correspondent 

Karis troyer will be back 

next month. Send news to franklin@goBEACONnews.com 

JOBS! JOBS! JOBS! JOBS! 

LPN’s • RN’s • HHA’s • CNA’s 

Everyone can use some 

extra money for the holidays. 

Come join our team… 

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employee rewards, 

wonderful office staff with 

caring nursing supervisors. 

Please stop in the office or give us a call 

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HOLIDAY LIGHTS 

are not trash! 


Donna 

Davidson 

Community 

January 2020 Correspondent 

THE BEACON Page 11B 

donnadavidson.thebeacon@yahoo.com 

W 

hat's 

Happening By In 

BRIGHT John 

Hawley 

By Purdue 

Debby Extension 

Stutz Educator 

hawley4@purdue.edu Community 

Correspondent 

Keep Your Gardens 

Green in the Winter! 

PORTS 

SCENE 

debbystutz.thebeacon@yahoo.com 

The garden plants we 

dream of most often are 

summer-loving annuals, such 

as vegetables, Sfruits, BEACON and 

flowers. However, there are 

a large number of plants that 

provide invaluable environmental 

benefits throughout the 

dreary winter months. Many 

of these, if planted in By a home 

garden, would be considered Jack 

cover crops. Let’s look Zoller at the 

background and benefits of 

beaconsports 

@live.com 

cover crops. 

A Not-So-New Innovation 

Bare soil has few benefits. 

Research conducted by 

regional and campus specialists 

at Purdue and universities 

around the world continues 

to indicate this. While new 

research reveals benefits previously 

unknown, the overall 

impact of cover cropping and 

leaving fields growing through 

winter have been understood 

for generations. According 

to my partners at Maryland 

Extension, many early agricultural 

innovators, including two 

Founding Fathers (Washington 

and Jefferson), are recorded 

using cover crops in rotation 

with tobacco, wheat, and corn. 

Cover cropping has slowly 

but steadily gained popularity 

in the farming community. 

Gardeners are also taking 

notice of the benefits provided 

by cover crops, with the 

obvious being control of our 

biggest nemesis… weeds. 

Much More than Weed 

Control 

Improved weed control is not 

the only benefit of cover crops. 

Soil structure improvements, 

runoff reduction, erosion 

control, wildlife foraging, and 

improved insect populations 

are just a few of the additional 

benefits offered. Depending on 

your goals, you may be able 

to accomplish one or all of the 

benefits listed above. 

As with any other gardening 

practices, be mindful of 

doing things right. If mistakes 

are made, little to no benefit 

may be seen. You can waste a 

lot of time and money prepping 

for a cover crop that may 

never grow. Research and 

note recommended planting 

dates, and watch the weather 

for good planting opportunities. 

Plan early if you want 

to plant winter-killed cover 

crops, such as radish. 

Preparing for a Cover Crop 

System 

You don’t need thirty years 

of gardening experience or a 

half-acre garden to begin cover 

cropping. With a little preparation, 

anyone can start a successful 

cover cropping system 

in their garden. The most 

significant decision to make 

will be what seed mixture to 

select. Endless choices are 

available, and while going with 

a standard rye mixture is not a 

bad idea, there may be better 

combinations to choose for 

your garden. Most local garden 

centers will have seeds for sale. 

I am working with our 

Purdue Master Gardener group 

on a few projects at a site 

provided courtesy of the City 

of Aurora. We recently planted 

cover crops in a vegetable bed 

alongside native perennials. 

We used a mixture provided by 

the Dearborn County Soil and 

Water Conservation District 

that included clover, rye, and 

radish. According to my partners 

at Minnesota Extension, 

mixing cover crops can provide 

a better combination of benefits. 

For example, you could 

combine the erosion prevention 

qualities of cereal rye with the 

nitrogen fixation (sourcing of 

environmental nitrogen) provided 

by crimson clover. 

I hope the recommendations 

in this article encourage you 

to explore cover crops as an 

option in your garden. If you 

would like assistance deciding 

on the right mix, please let me 

know. 

To learn more about managing 

your lawn and garden from 

our experts on campus, please 

search “Purdue Consumer 

Horticulture” on the internet. 

For additional information 

about other agriculture and 

natural resources topics, email 

me at hawley4@purdue.edu. 

Look for my next article 

in the February issue of The 

Beacon! 

By 

Melanie 

Alexander 

The final holiday 

By 

preparations are Maxine underway. 

Like most folks, Klump I’ll be 

completing the shopping, 

wrapping gifts, Community and baking for 

Correspondent 

family and friends. Holiday 

family events are scheduled. 

maxineklump.thebeacon@yahoo.com 

Like most folks, hosts 

plan the entrée while the 

remainder of us provide 

specific items (vegetables, 

salads, or dessert) to round 

out the meal. Each household 

also brings an appetizer or 

snack to share. 

For the family 

Thanksgiving, I unearthed an 

“oldie but goodie” appetizer 

for the early arrivals. Maria 

had reminded me how tasty 

this snack was earlier this 

past fall. I think of it as very 

appropriate for the colder 

months and decided to share 

the recipe before the next 

holiday. (Yes, it was a hit for 

Thanksgiving.) 

Here are some hints that 

I’ve used over the years. 

If you don’t usually use 

Thousand Island dressing, 

just combine 3T. Mayonnaise 

with 1 T. catsup and 1 

teaspoon pickle relish. If 

you ask the deli employee 

to “shave” the corned beef, 

there is little or no chopping 

to do. 

Reuben Spread 

8 oz corned beef, chopped 

1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded 

½ cup sauerkraut, drained 

¼ cup sour cream 

¼ cup Thousand Island 

dressing 

8 oz. cream cheese, softened 

Combine the softened 

cream cheese with the sour 

cream and combine until 

smooth. Add the salad 

dressing, then stir in the 

corned beef, cheese and 

sauerkraut. Bake in a 400° 

oven until melted (about 20 

minutes) or can be heated in 

a crockpot: high heat for 2-3 

hours or low for 4-6 hours. 

Serve with party rye slices, 

rye crackers or rye toast. 

This recipe for mashed 

sweet potatoes is very 

different from the traditional 

baked sweet potato 

casseroles that are very 

sweet and covered with 

marshmallows and pecans. 

Although the recipe calls 

for the potatoes to be boiled 

in their skins, then cooled 

and peeled, I’ve modified it 

to pare the sweet potatoes 

and place them immediately 

to the saucepan filled with 

water to prevent discoloring. 

Yes, some nutrients are 

lost in this way so, if you 

prefer, go ahead and cook the 

potatoes with the skins intact 

and then allow them to cool 

until you can remove the 

peels without burning your 

hands. This recipe is easily 

doubled. 

Mashed Sweet Potatoes 

with Orange 

2 pounds sweet potatoes, 

cooked until soft 

¼ cup butter, softened 

Salt to taste 

Fresh orange juice to thin 

(generally ¼ - ½ cup) 

¼ teaspoon ground ginger 

2 tablespoons brown sugar 

1 teaspoon grated orange zest 

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon 

Cook sweet potatoes until 

soft. Drain, and mash with 

a fork (or use an electric 

mixer). Add butter and stir 

until combined. Add enough 

orange juice to thin slightly 

and beat until light. Add 

remaining ingredients and 

mix until smooth. Serve 

immediately, or the potatoes 

can be placed into a buttered 

baking dish and refrigerated 

until close to serving time. 

May be reheated in a 375° 

oven or in the microwave. 

Finally, can you believe that 

we’re almost ready to enter 

a new decade? I send good 

wishes for a blessed holiday 

season for you and your 

loved ones and friends. Merry 

Christmas! 

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B 

eacon 

Vacation 

TAKE YOUR BEACON 

Sarah, Evan & Sandy Laudick, Ethan Luhring, Abby 

Laudick and Anna Andres travelled to Riveria Maya, 

Mexico. P.S. - Ethan and Abby were engaged! 

Mel and Patti Wilhelm of Brookville took The Beacon with them when they traveled to 

Mt. Rushmore with their daughters, son, and six of their grandchildren. 

Tom & Marcella McCann, Vince & Marci McCann, 

Larry & Beth Joerger, Mark & Kathy McCann, Mark 

& Leah Schmidl, Ron & Lynn Burton, Adam & Audra 

Steele spent ten days in Alaska sightseeing by land 

and sea. 

The Wilgenbusch family took the Beacon to Vienna, Austria. Shown are Matt & Bev 

Wilgenbusch, Mitch and Sharon Wilgenbusch, Art and Marlene Hoog, Rick and Donna 

Hartman, Johnathan Wilgenbusch, Zachary Wilgenbusch, Tyler Wilgenbusch, and 

Molly Adams. 

ON VACATION 

If business or pleasure takes you out-of-town, 

take your hometown newspaper along for the trip. 

Send your photo, displaying the Beacon, to 

editor@goBEACONnews. 

Please include where you live. It’s interesting to see 

how well-traveled our readers are! 

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