Beacon Sept 2023

INSIDE 

The BEACON 

Go Fish! 

HVL’s fishing derby caught the attention 

of youth far and wide. 

Page 2B 

Woodstock Again! 

Music on the River brings back 

memories in Lawrenceburg. 

Page 7B 

Tooth Fairy Was Here! 

Greendale has been a hotspot for 

the famous visitor. Page 9B 

The Beacon 

(USPS #25510) 

ISSN 2835-5067 

Volume 29. Issue 9 

is published monthly by Beacon News Inc, 

8018 State Road 48, Aurora IN 47001 

Periodicals postage at 

Lawrenceburg, IN and at 

additional mailing offices. 

POSTMASTER: 

Send address changes to The Beacon, 

PO Box 4022, Lawrenceburg, IN 47025 

Muzzle Loaders Celebrate Ninety Years in Friendship 

Retired Teachers Help Make the World Go ‘Round 

By Maureen Stenger 

My four children are my life, and I 

feel lucky to be their mom. Does that 

mean it’s always a walk in the park? 

Of course not. Parenting is not for the 

faint of heart. We all want the best for 

our children. As they grow, at some 

point you have to just trust that you 

have done enough, and you just have 

to let them spread their wings. 

Whether they fly, fall, or a little of 

both, you know you will always be 

there to help them pick up the pieces 

and begin again. The little let-go’s begin 

when they start to crawl, to walk, 

and before you know it, they have just 

boarded the big yellow school bus for 

the first time. You are left teary-eyed 

in the driveway, contemplating how 

time can move so swiftly. Well, at 

least that was me. 

Summer is my favorite season. I 

love having my kids at home. I love 

the noise, the chaos, and when a new 

THE 

BEACON 

www.goBEACONnews.com | PUBLISHED MONTHLY SINCE 1994 | September 2023 

Frank Clifton, in the blacksmith 

shop - NMLRA 2023 

History, Science, 

and Fun... 

Oh My! 

Muzzle Loaders Celebrate Ninety Years in 

Friendship, IN 

Photos by Cheryl Damon-Greiner 

Mike Yazel, a Blacksmith, with NMLRA President 

John Cummins from Moores Hill. 

By Cheryl Damon-Greiner 

“I hear and I forget. I see and I 

remember. I do and I understand.” This 

saying sums up how the mission of the 

National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association 

(NMLRA) has been brought to life 

at their 550-acre home site in Friendship, 

Indiana since 1933. That mission 

is “to promote, support, nurture, and 

preserve NMLRA’s and our Nation’s 

rich historical heritage in the sport of 

muzzle loading through recreational, 

educational, historical, and cultural 

venues” This national, non-profit group 

provides opportunities with competitions 

for men, women, and youth shooters, 

classes on gun and knife making, 

gun safety, historical re-enactments, 

exhibits, museums, libraries, and an 

Education Center that is open yearround 

and can accommodate up to two 

hundred participants at a time. 

The people who are involved make 

up a broad range of professional and casual 

gun enthusiasts. Powell Crosley Jr, 

once the owner of the Cincinnati Reds, 

founder of WLW radio, and creator of 

the Crosley car, was an early and avid 

member who is now in the NMLRA’s 

Black Powder Hall of Fame. Many 

members are multigenerational families 

who share the fun of honing their 

Anne Eder shares her love of 

muzzle Loaders having travelled 

all the way from Nineveh, IN to 

the event in Friendship. 

Harold Coleman, 

Aurora, manager. 

Gary Nebel- Leather 

and Hides - has been 

at the Shoot for fiftyfive 

years. 

school year begins, it’s 

the quiet house that hits 

me the hardest. However, 

what always helps 

me is knowing that 

when they go off, they 

are in good hands. 

It really does take a 

village, and our teachers 

are a huge part of 

our village. We entrust 

them with our greatest 

treasures- our children. 

Teachers help mold 

them into the people 

we hope they become. 

We owe our teachers a 

huge debt of gratitude. 

The Dearborn 

County Retired Teachers 

Association (DCRTA) aims to do 

just that. I was blessed to meet three 

incredible teachers who are active 

members- Ron Nicholson, Public 

marksmanship skills and reliving history, 

artisans who enjoy recreating tools 

and crafts from the past, and visitors 

from around the country and the world. 

They come to Friendship, Indiana for 

the camaraderie and to practice skills 

that were used since the seventeenth 

century. On my visit to the recent National 

Championship, almost everyone I 

met has been attending the Shoot, as the 

semi-annual events are called locally, 

not just for years but for decades. Many 

started coming as children, and they all 

have fond memories of the adults who 

showed them by example how to work 

Continued on page 3A 

Officers and 

K9 Partners 

Inseparable 

By Laura Keller 

While it takes a special person to 

work in law enforcement, it takes an 

even more unique dog. Police dogs, often 

referred to as K-9 dogs, are rigorously 

trained to aid police in a variety 

of ways. 

Dearborn County has several K-9 

dogs that are valued members of the 

Aurora Police Department, Dearborn 

County Sheriff’s Department, and 

Lawrenceburg Police Department. I 

had the privilege to speak with several 

K-9 handlers to learn about the dogs 

they live and work with on a daily 

basis that serve our communities. 

The Dearborn County Sheriff’s Department 

has several K-9 dogs. Major 

Ben McBroom with the Dearborn 

County Sheriff’s Department works 

alongside Raiko, an eleven-year-old 

bloodhound. In the summer of 2012, 

Major McBroom traveled to Georgia 

to train Raiko, who was obtained 

through the Georgia K-9. As a bloodhound, 

Raiko is excellent at tracking 

humans and locating human-based 

evidence. 

Josh Cochran has served in law 

enforcement for the past thirteen years, 

starting his career in Jefferson County, 

Indiana before moving back to his 

hometown to work for the Dearborn 

County Sheriff’s Department. Deputy 

Cochran works alongside Glock, a tenand-a-half-year-old 

Belgian Malinois. 

Glock was imported from the Netherlands, 

where she was trained as a 


Retired teachers Judy Mosier, Ron Nicholson, and 

Jascia Robinson. 

Relations Committee, Sharon Moder, 

Public Relations Committee Chair; 

and Judy Mosier, President. Sharon 

Moder taught fourth grade in the 


THE BEACON 

PO Box 4022 

Lawrenceburg, Indiana 47025 

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Page 2A THE BEACON September 2023 

By 

Tamara 

Taylor 

This editorial is unlike any 

other that I have written. I 

have struggled for weeks 

about the wording, how to 

phrase things, how to share 

the emotions... 

I lost a friend. 

His name is scattered 

throughout this issue. Not 

because of me and our friendship, 

but because he touched 

the lives of so many. 

Tom Klump was a lifetime 

resident of New Alsace. That 

speaks volumes about what 

was important to him. As I 

read Tom’s life story, I was 

fascinated to learn that he 

started Klump Excavation and 

Construction long before he 

could have possibly envisioned 

what it has become. 

While his fellow classmates 

were buying eight-tracks and 

going on dates at age fifteen, 

Tom bought a bulldozer. 

Really. Naturally, when he 

and Kathy married during a 

snowstorm, they rode in the 

bucket of a backhoe to get 

PRIME CUTS 

NOW AVAILABLE 

to the church. For those who 

knew Tom, I’m sure you are 

chuckling and shaking your 

head right about now. 

Tim Greive, Dearborn 

County Highway Superintendent, 

and I shared a few 

stories about our relationships 

with Tom. Tim fondly remembered, 

“We would be out 

there on the roads fighting the 

worst winter storm for days 

with no break, and a message 

would come across my phone 

from Tom saying he knew 

what we were battling. And if 

we needed any help, just call 

him.” A perfect example of 

who Tom was. 

The memory of how I met 

Tom escapes me, but what 

a blessing that meeting was. 

My jobs were a mere pittance 

compared to the corporate 

clients he had, but he never 

showed it. He was incredibly 

knowledgeable about his 

business (of course he was) 

and knew how to solve so 

many challenges. He seemed 

to take on every project as if it 

was his own. And things were 

always done right. 

If you didn’t know Tom, 

you were still impacted by 

the great work he did. Just 

recently Tom and I had a 

conversation about the event 

being held by A Community 

Bridge on the Guilford Covered 

Bridge. Little did I know 

that Tom actually moved that 

Steer-Rite Farm 

Grain Fed Home Raised Beef 

*All Steaks, Briskets, & Roasts are weighed & priced 

Filet Mignon 

Ribeye (Boneless) 

New York Strip 

T-Bone Steak 

Top Sirloin Steak 

Sirloin Steak 

Flank steak 

Sirloin Tip Roast 

Chuck Roast 

Brisket 

Stew Meat 

Beef short ribs 

18 - 1/3 lb. Steak Burger 

Patties 

Bulk 

Ground Beef 

Payment: Cash or Check 

Available in our freezer at the Lutz Auction Center 

weekdays from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 

On Saturday’s during auction hours 

You can also call Dale Lutz at 513-266-1859 or Randy 

Lutz at 513-266-1860 to schedule a pickup time. 

Home grown, grain fed, government inspected, 

& locally processed 

Lutz Auction Center is located at 25980 Auction Ln. 

Guilford, IN 47022 

bridge to its current location 

in 1982 and built the park 

around it. The thought of him 

driving a dump truck full 

of gravel over that covered 

bridge makes one pause just a 

little... 

While Tom’s fingerprints 

are on so many things in 

our community, his lasting 

legacy is how he touched 

us all. I think I have met his 

wife Kathy twice. She is an 

equestrian and will hopefully 

remember how Tom’s face 

would light up as he talked 

about their trail rides together. 

And his son Tommy... talking 

to him will always be a pleasure 

since he chuckles just 

like his dad. I’m sure he will 

have no problem filling those 

big shoes he now has to wear. 

I only knew Tom for a blink 

of an eye in the grand scheme 

of things, but he touched my 

life more than I ever realized. 

Until it was too late to tell 

him. Lesson learned- be sure 

to tell those you care about 

how you feel when you have 

the chance. 

The hump of gravel left by 

the last load Tom spread on 

my driveway will eventually 

fade away. But the memories 

of Tom Klump, the person he 

was- the community leader, 

the friend- will remain forever. 

I always write about positive 

things, and I struggled 

with how to write about 

Tom’s passing. Then I saw 

the funeral procession and 

the outpouring of all of his 

friends and family- the parade 

of trucks, semis, dozers, you 

name it, that accompanied 

Tom on his final trip. And 

it hit me. Tom Klump left a 

legacy that filled our lives far 

beyond that load of gravel 

or final grade. He instilled 

friendship in each of us. 

A very positive thing. 

Publisher/Editor 

Tamara M. Taylor 

Founding Publisher 

Elizabeth Morris 

Sales Manager - New Accounts 

Gene Belew 

Editorial Assistants 

Connie Webb, Cherie Maddin 

Columnists & Contributors 

Debbie Acasio, Melanie Alexander, 

Susan Carson, Linda Cromer, 

Larry Eaton, PG Gentrup, 

Cheryl Damon-Greiner, 

Jeff Hermesch, Mary-Alice Helms, 

Merrill and Linda Hutchinson, 

Amanda Kirchner, Vivian Kist, 

Laura Keller, Chris Nobbe, 

Marie Segale, Sue Siefert, 

Maureen Stenger, Cheryl Taylor, 

Rhonda Trabel, Randy Turner, 

Bob Waples, Lorene Westmeier, 

Lisa West, Debbie Zimmer 

Elisha Hunley with her 

daughters Hailey, Layla, and 

Sophia. 

Everyone has a story. 

Thanks to my parents, I never 

had the thought of worrying 

about if there would even be a 

next meal, or a roof over my 

head. 

Countless people have lived 

with those fears, oftentimes 

unbeknownst to us. One 

person, in particular, has an 

amazing story of her life and 

where she is now. Elisha Hunley 

owns a bakery in Sunman. 

Sweet! How cool is it to create 

all of those sweet confections 

that bring smiles to the 

faces of each customer? 

How she got there is another 

story. Cheryl Taylor, 

our Sunman correspondent, 

shared the following: 

Not too long ago, Sunman 

welcomed a new business into 

the downtown area not realizing 

the full scope of the blessings 

the owner was bringing 

with her. Elisha Hunley with 

her three daughters, Hailey, 

age 18, Layla, age 13 , and 

Sophia, age 9, share the beautiful 

art of making goodies 

for the store. When I saw the 

little Blessing Box all decked 

out in pink and sitting outside 

of the shop, I went in to talk 

to Elisha about it. During our 

talk, it became obvious that 

this box meant a lot to her. I 

asked her why the box was so 

important to her. Ms. Hunley 

Over 22,000 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 

Production 

FX-Design, Inc. 

of Commerce 6-23 

Copyright © 2023 by Beacon News, Inc. 

Tom Klump 

replied, “The blessing box 

is important to me because I 

have been in “those shoes” of 

struggling. Either pride would 

get the better of me and not 

go to food pantries, or when I 

would have the moment that 

I would really need it there 

were none open. With the 

blessing box, it gives flexibility 

for those in need that don’t 

want the judgment to come 

at any time or for ones who 

just can’t make it to the food 

pantry, it opens the window 

to work on their schedule. 

This also allows people in 

the community to help (most 

people want to help just 

don’t always know how). 

These small kind gestures can 

truly change someone’s life. 

Without the kind gestures of 

so many during my struggles 

in life, I would not be where 

I am today! It truly does take 

a village.” Elisha also sets up 

her mobile bakery weekly to 

benefit local organizations and 

has just pledged a full year of 

WiFi to the Sunman Community 

Park. 

I hope that all of you take 

away from this column that 

life is short. Share how you 

feel with those most important 

in your life. And above all, 

follow your heart. You may 

never know the long-lasting 

impact it will have on making 

someone’s life better. 

The BEACON - Great News for Great People.

September 2023 THE BEACON Page 3A 

This month’s item 

What Is It? 

Last month’s items was identified correctly by one 

member of the community. 

“It is a Setright machine 

for issuing bus tickets,” 

shared Kevin Cornett, West 

Harrison. 

This month’s item was 

submitted by David Ulrich 

of Sunman. Share your 

story as well as your guess! Last month’s item: Ticket 

Please e-mail your answer machine for a bus conductor. 

This one was used 

and where you live to 

editor@goBEACONnews. on the double decker bus 

com by Wednesday, Aug. in Mariemont, OH. 

23, 2023. 

sponsored by Cornerstone Realty and Lutz Auctions 

Members of the Dearborn County GOP won Emily Stenger’s 

entry at the 4-H Fair. Shown are Anna Bergman, Megan 

Ryan, Dennis Kraus, Jr., Tim Doll, Emily Stenger, Mark 

Dole, Liam Patterson, Dennis Kraus, Sr. Glenn Wright, Allen 

Goodman, and Ella Lostutter. 

4-H Benefits Community in Many Ways 

By Emily Stenger 

My name is Emily Stenger. 

I have been in 4-H for seven 

years. I belong to the Happy 

Hooves 4-H Club in Dearborn 

County. I have learned 

many important life skills 

from 4-H such as leadership, 

responsibility, teamwork, 

goal-setting, record-keeping, 

and communication. None 

of those opportunities would 

have been possible without 

the help and support of our 

amazing sponsors and volunteers 

who make our 4-H 

program and fair possible. 

Sponsors can help supply 

awards for all of the shows 

and for Agner Hall projects. 

They also make fun things 

like our rodeo and many other 

forms of entertainment possible. 

Then, at the end of fair 

week, many supporters and 

businesses come to the fair 

and continue to show us their 

generosity and support at the 

Kiwanis livestock auction. We 

also have so many amazing 

volunteers that work so hard 

behind the scenes to make our 

program and fair what it is. I 

would like to thank anyone 

who has ever supported the 

Dearborn County 4-H program 

and fair in any way. It 

truly shows what a great community 

we live in. 

Editor’s Note: Ms. Stenger’s 

entry was purchased by the 

Dearborn County Republican 

Party. It was processed and 

donated to the YES Home. 

National Muzzle Loaders Share History 

Continued from page 1A 

hard, take turns and play fair, 

have fun, and take care of 

themselves and others by practicing 

safety at all times. The 

location, with some wooded 

areas nestled in a valley near 

Caesar Creek and Laughery 

Creek, becomes a teacher in 

itself on how to relax and appreciate 

your own company. 

The NMLRA leadership takes 

good care of the property not 

just to maintain high standards 

on the various ranges, but to 

preserve the land for future 

generations. Since a lead ball is 

the ammunition used in muzzle 

loaders, unlike many other 

shooting ranges, a lead abatement 

team comes regularly to 

filter the dirt berms behind the 

targets. The lead that is recovered 

by the abatement teams is 

recycled. There are also catchment 

systems in place to filter 

for lead before it can get into 

the waterways. 

Among those who attend 

are same-day spectators as 

well as competitors who bring 

their RVs to the facility. Some 

shooters stay in the Primitive 

Area, wearing period clothing 

and living in period housing. 

Besides watching the competitions 

in long rifle, pistols, bow 

and arrow, shotguns, skeet, 

and more, there are numerous 

booths displaying natural and 

handmade items. The finest 

of knives, handcrafted silver, 

and stone jewelry, fine wood 

gun stocks, carved accessories, 

custom leather moccasins and 

clothing, raw pelts, antique 

and vintage items, and soaps 

and lotions. Talking to the 

people who make each item 

is a history lesson in itself as 

they eagerly explain the timehonored 

methods that they still 

use. Even the shooting ranges 

demonstrate history by showing 

how the guns are loaded, 

handled, fired, and put back in 

a safe position. There are wind 

flags on the range in place of 

scopes on the rifles to help the 

shooter gauge their shot. In the 

olden days, shooters would 

have had to rely on how leaves 

or branches were moving to 

guess if the wind would affect 

their shot. Seeing and hearing 

these weapons in action brings 

to life what our ancestors used 

to defend their families and our 

country. There are hands-on 

classes for NMLRA members 

in gunsmithing and more educational 

activities as part of the 

ten-day event. 

Even though many aspects 

of the Shoot are involved in the 

past, the real world can intrude 

as it did in 2001. During the 

Fall Shoot in Friendship, IN, on 

the morning of September 11, 

news filtered in that planes had 

crashed into the World Trade 

Centers. Cell phone coverage 

was spotty in the valley but as 

NMLRA president, Mike Yazel, 

and the staff learned more, 

they realized they were going 

to have to help almost 4,000 

attendees get home safely. 

Word came that gas was being 

rationed and flights were being 

canceled, so Mike, who is a 

Fire Chief in Mentone, Indiana, 

and his team worked to get 

those who lived within a short 

distance on their way home. 

They located other attendees 

who lived near airports in Indianapolis 

and Cincinnati and 

who were willing to take the 

international visitors home with 

them until flights resumed. And 

then over the next five days, the 

remaining group stayed calm, 

supported one another, and 

demonstrated the control and 

patience that they had developed 

from their sport. 

That was over twenty years 

ago. The National Muzzle 

Loader Rifle Association is now 

celebrating its 90th anniversary 

and the 2023 Fall Shoot 

continues from September 9-17, 

8:00 A.M.-5:00 P.M., and Mike 

Yazel is once again president of 

NMLRA. Another saying about 

remembering is, “If history was 

taught in the form of stories 

it would never be forgotten.” 

Make this the year that you hear 

the stories told at the Shoot from 

the shooters and the vendors. 

Learn the history of our soldiers 

and settlers and how they 

survived and what tools they 

had available to use. Bring your 

kids or grandkids (or neighbor’s 

kids), too and I guarantee that 

you will make new friends and 

have some great stories of your 

own to take home. 

KEEP IT SIMPLE 

with Friendship First Checking 

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FriendshipStateBank.com | 812-667-5101 

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Retired Teachers Continue to Give, Volunteer, Support 


Sunman Dearborn School 

District at North Dearborn Elementary. 

Judy Mosier taught 

second, third, and fourth 

grades in the Lawrenceburg 

School District. 

Mr. Nicholson taught high 

school English in the South 

Dearborn School District for 

twenty-two years. After South 

Dearborn, he began teaching 

at Ivy Tech. 

Formed in 1972, DCRTA is 

an organized group of retired 

teachers who have taught in 

the U.S. and live in Dearborn 

County. DCRTA aims to give 

a voice to retired teachers, 

support education, provide 

community service, and help 

active teachers prepare for 

retirement. DCRTA celebrated 

its fiftieth anniversary last 

year! 

Mrs. Mosier elaborates, 

“Last year was our Golden 

Jubilee, our fiftieth year of 

existence for DCRTA. 

It was started in 1972 for 

the purpose of concerns for 

pensions and proposed legislation. 

Which is so ironic 

because fifty-one years later, 

we are still concerned about 

the same things.” DCRTA 

is an all-volunteer organization 

and has always been at 

the local level. Mrs. Mosier 

Patient 

Satisfaction 

2021 Statistics 

Healing 

Rate 

explains what DCRTA is all 

about, “We are a local association, 

we cover all three 

Dearborn County school 

corporations, and we are affiliated 

with Indiana Retired 

Teachers Association (IRTA), 

they are our state organization. 

They speak for all retired 

teachers in Indiana. Every retired 

teacher in Indiana has an 

association that they can join 

so it is truly state wide. IRTA 

is our voice with the legislators 

and the senators.” 

Mrs. Mosier continues, 

“Teachers can receive a 

COLA (cost of living adjustment) 

and in past years we 

have received a stipend, it 

is like a bit of a bonus. The 

legislature has to approve a 

COLA for us. One of the ways 

that we lobby the legislators is 

with our volunteer hours. That 

is huge because it says to the 

legislators these retired teachers 

are not just taking their 

pension and rocking. They are 

indeed making a difference in 

the lives of Hoosiers.” 

Indeed they are as Dearborn 

County is number one in the 

state for volunteer hours. 

They had the most volunteer 

hours in the whole state this 

past year. This trend is not 

new; it has been the norm for 

Median Days 

to Heal 

96% 95% 28 

Healing Can’t Wait 

Call the Dearborn Wound Care Center (812) 496-7730 

DCRTA Sewing Group members 

several years. Volunteer hours 

are reported to the Indiana 

Retired Teachers Association 

(IRTA). 

Volunteering is a vital part 

of the organization. Mrs. 

Mosier elaborates on membership, 

“We have two types 

of members, regular members 

who are retired teachers drawing 

a pension but there are 

also associate members. 

Associate members could 

be spouses, they can be 

friends of teachers, and they 

can be anyone interested in 

education. We report our 

hours to our association and 

then they are submitted to the 

state.” 

DCRTA volunteers shine 

their light in area hospitals 

and in area schools where 

they help in the classroom or 

tutor students. DCRTA members 

are active in the Think 

Smart and Stay Safe Program 

which helps children learn 

how to protect themselves 

against predators. DCRTA 

also has a dress and shorts 

project where the clothing 

items are made out of pillowcases, 

sheets, or fabric and 

are donated to children across 

the world. Over twelve hundred 

shorts and dresses are 

donated each year. DCRTA 

members volunteer at the 

local animal shelter, PAWS, 

the Dearborn County Recycling 

Center, local churches, 

The Good News Club, local 

food pantries, and a plethora 

of others. This huge effort 

shows legislators that these 

teachers and their associates 

are giving back to their 

community in extraordinary 

ways. 

Mrs. Mosier, Mrs. Moder, 

and Mr. Nicholson all clearly 

demonstrated that one teaches 

because he or she loves it; it’s 

a calling. They are three of 

the most positive and humble 

people I have ever met. They 

represent the teachers who are 

raising our future. 

Too many teachers have stories 

of students whose school 

lunch might be the only meal 

they get for the day. 

Imagine how that weighs 

heavily on one’s mind before 

a weekend or school break, 

which is why we can credit a 

teacher with starting programs 

where children in need can 

get backpacks full of food to 

take home with them so they 

don’t go hungry. What about 

the student who has no place 

to call home, the student that 

has no structure or adult figure 

to lead them, the student who 

has no safe place to go after 

the bell rings? Our teachers 

see it all. Being a teacher is 

not an easy job, and it is not 

just a job that begins at 8:00 

A.M. and ends at 3:00 P.M. 

Jim Pierce receiving his 

clock for volunteerism from 

Mark Guard. 

The Dearborn County 


works very hard to get retired 

teachers to join the Indiana 


because there is strength in 

numbers which will enable 

them to be heard. DCRTA 

is not only working hard for 

retired teachers but also active 

teachers because legislation 

affects them as well. 

In addition to DCRTA and 

IRTA, teachers have formed 

the Dearborn County Retired 

Teachers Foundation, DCRTF, 

(there will be a quiz later ha). 

DCRTF is a nonprofit organization 

established to offer 

grants to active teachers on an 

annual basis. 

In August eleven grants will 

be awarded. 

The teachers who have 

requested funds send their 

applications out in January, 

explaining how they would 

use their funds for future projects. 

Mr. Nicholson shares, 

“It’s so neat to see it. They 

come to the meeting and they 

get a little bit of recognition. 

They get a little bit of money 

to do something new and creative, 

which is where they get 

excited. They are so hemmed 

in by a lot of the standards 

and those kinds of regulations 

on what they cannot teach that 

I think when they get these 

opportunities to spread their 

wings a little, you can see it 

in their eyes. There are things 

that they want to do for their 

kids that they may not have 

been able to do, and this allows 

them to.” Active teacher 

grants are available through 

IRTA as well. 

A free retirement workshop 

is held on the first Thursday 

of each November for any 

teacher in the five counties of 




DCRTA Helps Shape Education Through Teacher Grants 

The DCRTA Sewing Group creates clothing items from repurposed fabric. The items are 

donated to children around the world. 


Ohio, Switzerland, Dearborn, 

Ripley, and Franklin. Any 

active teacher can attend that 

would like to learn more. A 

financial advisor presents the 

workshop at the Lawrenceburg 

Library. DCRTA also 

recognizes active teachers 

by celebrating them through 

teacher appreciation. Mrs. 

Mosier says, “This past 

February each teacher in 

Dearborn County received 

a candy bar, which is a big 

deal if you love chocolate!” 

Mrs. Moder elaborates, “I 

was the chairman for that 

one, and we wrapped lots of 

full-size candy bars!” The 

teachers were also given the 

opportunity to sign up to win 

one of fourteen raffle baskets 

that were given to each 

school. DCRTA and DCRTF 

worked together on this to 

help make teachers aware 

that this wonderful organization 

exists and is looking out 

for them. Mrs. Moder shares, 

“We did it in the third quarter 

of school because that is the 

toughest quarter for teachers 

and students so we picked a 

Valentine’s theme specifically 

because we have all been 

By Jake Moore, LPLD Director 

Denise Freitag-Burdette 

A mother of five kids tries 

her best to turn in all of those 

books and DVDs on time, 

but her hectic life sometimes 

makes it impossible. 

A teen who wants to read 

the new book by her favorite 

author but finds out she has 

late fees from when her little 

brother used her library card 

to check out Captain Underpants 

and the Sensational 

Saga of Sir Stinks-a-Lot. 

The man who loves reading 

historical biographies but 

got distracted when he had a 

minor medical emergency that 

had to be addressed before the 

books could be returned. 

Hate library late fees? So 

do we! That is why starting 

in September 2023, the 

Lawrenceburg Public Library 

District officially has stopped 

charging late fees. And those 

teachers and we know how 

it is.” 

Mrs. Mosier says “DCRTA 

is a shining light in the state, 

and I don’t say that because I 

am president, because that’s 

just this much time in a fiftyone-year 

span. 

We have been strong in 

the state for a long time. 

Each year our community 

service chairperson submits 

a nomination for an outstanding 

volunteer award and since 

2005 we have had eleven 

winners!” Just in the past six 

months alone, Mrs. Mosier 

has had three hundred and 

twenty-seven volunteer hours 

herself! This is not unusual, 

as some volunteers can have 

a thousand volunteer hours a 

year! Mr. Nicholson shares, 

“I think when you think about 

the kind of people that go into 

teaching, they are already 

people with a lot of energy 

and a lot of teachers are extremely 

empathetic people. 

If you are not when you go 

in, with what we see in the 

classroom, you can’t help but 

become that way because it 

becomes so important. Some 

of it is heartbreaking, and it 

motivates you to want to do 

LPLD Goes Fine-Free 

more.” 

DCRTA does a community 

service project each year and 

has been recognized by IRTA 

for its outstanding service 

projects. 

This year they won outstanding 

in all three areas, 

website, newsletter, and news 

article. They were the only association 

to do so in the state. 

Another example of important 

community service performed 

was during COVID, the 

DCRTA sewing group, sewed 

eighteen hundred masks 

which were distributed free of 

charge. 

I could go on and on about 

how impressed I am with 

what good teachers do. 

I know during COVID 

when my daughter’s fourthgrade 

teacher called me to 

check in, I got teary-eyed because 

I was in over my head 

trying to help four children 

with E-Learning and trying 

to keep up with my job. She 

reassured me that we would 

get through it together, and 

you know what, we did. 

So here is to Mrs. Mary 

Hamburg, my first-grade 

teacher who wrote my name 

on the chalkboard because I 

past late fees? All gone. Your 

library card is free of them. 

(It is OK to dance. We will 

wait! Did you learn some new 

moves while watching Tik 

Tok? They are fantastic!) 

Now that does not mean 

all fees go away. All items 

do need to be returned in the 

same condition they left. But if 

you are a little late, no worries 

about accumulating late fees. 

To celebrate, Lawrenceburg 

Public Library District 

is planning special programs 

for September. The national 

theme, presented by the 

American Library Association, 

is Get in Your Element 

this September- Sign Up for 

a Library Card. They will 

receive a little help from 

the characters in the movie 

Elemental. 

At the Lawrenceburg Main 

Library and North Dearborn 

Branch, each week in September 

will be dedicated to a 

different element. Week One is 

Air/Wind. The kick-off week 

will include a visit from a 

storm chaser (this is going to 

be exciting) and mobile library 

crafts creating your own windsock 

and wind chime. Even 

the preschool story times will 

be themed based on the four 

basic elements. The following 

weeks will feature water, land/ 

Earth, and fire. 

Sign up for the Lawrenceburg 

Public Library District 

newsletter or follow us on 

Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram 

to find out more details! 

(Pssst. The library forecast 

shows favorable conditions that 

patrons using their library card, 

or signing up for a new one, 

could be eligible for prizes!) 

Do you have questions 

about LPLD going fine-free? 

More information can be 

found at www.lpld.lib.in.us. 

wouldn’t stop talking. Even 

my giant crocodile tears 

could not convince her to 

relinquish my punishment to 

write one hundred times, “I 

will not talk during class.” 

She taught me respect. Here 

is to Mrs. Debbie Brodbeck 

who awarded me Student 

of the Month in gym; she 

told me that even if I wasn’t 

the strongest at something, 

I always gave my best. She 

taught me to believe in 

myself. Here is to Mr. Dick 

Horton who always made 

history class fun and interesting 

with his storytelling. He 

taught me passion. Here is to 

Dr. Judith Trent who made 

me present my research paper 

first in the class even though 

I thought I could finagle my 

way into getting more time… 

she declined and told me to 

get my whole self to the front 

of the class ASAP. She taught 

me discipline and accountability. 

There aren’t enough pages 

in this newspaper to thank all 

of the teachers who have in 

some shape or form impacted 

my life. Were they all easy? 

Of course not. Was I? Definitely 

not! But, those teachers 

made me better. A better 

student, a better person, and 

they helped prepare me for 

life by giving me the tools 

needed to be successful. I 

look at my kids; the aspiring 

firefighter, the possible 

landscaper, future athletic 

trainer, and budding mechanical 

engineer (after he 

wins America’s Got Talent 

first,) and I think, continue to 

dream, dream so very big.” 

Then I think of their teachers 

who I want to thank so very 

loudly for their incredible 

gift to inspire. 

To learn more about 

DCRTA and all that they do 

you can check out their website, 

www.dearborncountyrta. 

org 

www.GarrettBacomLaw.com 

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Lawrenceburg, IN 47025 

812.260.8154 

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Community Law Enforcement Officers Include K9 Partners 

Dearborn County Deputy 

Jefferson and Rambo. 


dual-purpose dog, to aid in 

the detection of illegal drugs 

and tracking. While rare, 

Deputy Cochran was able to 

bring Glock with him when 

he transferred to the Dearborn 

County Sheriff’s Department 

in 2019. 

The Dearborn County 

Sheriff’s Department recently 

added two more K-9 dogs to 

their police force. The dogs 

arrived from Europe and 

are “green,” meaning they 

haven’t been trained yet. 

Major McBroom and Deputy 

Josh Cochran will train the 

dogs and the handlers. 

Officer Jason Turner has 

worked with the Aurora Police 

Department since 2018. 

When the K-9 handler for the 

Aurora Police Department 

left, Officer Turner expressed 

interest in becoming a K-9 

handler. In 2020, he began 

working with Ozzy, who is 

also a dual-purpose dog that 

searches for illegal drugs, 

human tracking, and criminal 

apprehension. Like Glock, 

Ozzy was imported from the 

Netherlands. Officer Turner 

and Ozzy also assist with the 

Ohio County Sheriff’s Department, 

Rising Sun Police Department, 

state police, or any 

agency that needs assistance. 

Officer Greg Cannon has 

been a full-time member of 

the Lawrenceburg Police 

Department since 2019. In 

January 2020, Officer Cannon 

became the third handler 

to work with K-9 Siri, 

an eight-year-old Belgian 

Malinois. Siri is a native of 

Lawrenceburg, where she has 

been a valued member of the 

Lawrenceburg Police Department 

for approximately five 

years. Officer Troy Cochran 

also serves with the Lawrenceburg 

Police Department 

and is a handler for K-9 Kilo, 

an eight-year-old Belgian Malinois 

that was imported from 

the Netherlands. 

Both police officers and 

K-9 dogs must complete an 

intense training program 

prior to working together. 

Deputy Josh Cochran attended 

a six-week training 

course at the Shallow Creek 

Kennels in Sharpsville, PA 

before working with Glock 

in 2013. In 2017, he attended 

the world-renowned Randy 

Hare School of Dog Trainers 

in Rhode Island which began 

Deputy Cochran’s career as a 

K-9 trainer and dog handler. 

Officer Turner completed the 

six-week Vohne Liche Kennel 

Training handler’s course in 

Peru, Ind. Major McBroom 

attended a training course in 

Georgia prior to working with 

Raiko. Major McBroom also 

serves as a contractor for the 

Dearborn County Deputy 

Sheriff Jackson and Chief. 

company where Raiko was 

purchased and has assisted the 

U.S. military. 

Jacob Jump is a master K-9 

trainer with the Lawrenceburg 

Police Department. He trained 

Officer Cannon to become a 

handler and also leads a group 

of police K-9 handlers from 

southeastern Indiana, that 

meet once or twice a month 

for continuous education. K-9 

handlers average 16 hours a 

month of training. 

During a track, K-9 dogs 

are instrumental in tracking 

evidence that may be discarded, 

such as a weapon or illegal 

substance. When evidence 

is located, the K-9 dog will 

alert his or her handler to the 

evidence. During the handlers 

training course, the officer 

learns how the dog will alert 

when evidence is located. 

While K-9 dogs are trained to 

apprehend, they will bite and 

hold the arm of the person 

they are tracking until they are 

given a command to release, 

to help protect everyone that 

is involved in the situation. 

This is why you should never 

attempt to pet a K-9 dog. 

While Raiko has aided the 

police in many situations, 

one story that stood out to 

Major McBroom was when 

Raiko helped locate a missing 

child. A 3-year-old boy was 

last seen playing in a sand 

pit located next to a tractor 

and near a pond. Raiko was 

brought in to help track the 

missing child. She went to 

the tractor and detected the 

boy’s odor and then trailed 

over to the barn. A 4-wheeler 

was backed into one corner 

of the large barn and Raiko 

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Officer Turner and Ozzy, Aurora, with one of Snow 

White’s dwarfs strategically placed throughout the city. 

Lawrenceburg Officer Greg 

Cannon and Siri. 

Lawrenceburg Officer Troy 

Cochran and Kilo. 

tracked the boy’s scent to the 

4-wheeler where the boy was 

safely found, crouched behind 

the rear tires. 

Early in Deputy Josh Cochran’s 

career as a new K-9 

handler, he and Glock were 

called to a scene where a suspect 

wearing camouflage and 

armed with a weapon threatened 

two people in their home 

before fleeing into the woods. 

K-9 Glock began tracking the 

suspect and located his trail. 

Glock caught the suspect’s 

scent in the wind (what’s 

referred to as a proximity 

alert) and located the suspect 

about 40 yards away, hiding 

in a creek bed. Had Glock not 

alerted the police, there could 

have been an ambush, but 

luckily the suspect peacefully 

surrendered. 

Officer Turner recalls a time 

when he and Ozzy were asked 

to help with an article search. 

An intoxicated driver crashed 

a car into a retaining wall. 

When the driver was located 

and taken into custody, he 

didn’t have the car keys and 

claimed he wasn’t driving the 

car. Ozzy and Officer Turner 

conducted an article search 

where the man was detained, 

approximately one-quarter of 

a mile away from the vehicle, 

where the keys were located. 

The driver tossed the keys 

in hopes they wouldn’t be 

found so he could avoid being 

charged with a crime. 

Officers Troy Cochran and 

Cannon along with K-9s Siri 

and Kilo participate in the 

annual OnPoint K-9 Competition 

held in Bowling Green, 

Kentucky. At the 2022 competition, 

Siri placed third in 

narcotics and first in a detection 

scramble, a timed event 

to see which dog can locate 

narcotics the fastest. Kilo has 

also won awards at the annual 

competition. 

K-9 dogs enjoy visiting 

daycares, schools, and nursing 

homes throughout Dearborn 

County. Annual K-9 demos 

are held locally in Aurora, 

Greendale, and Lawrenceburg 

to educate the public on the 

abilities of police dogs. 

K-9 dogs are part of the 

family and reside with his/her 

handler. When not working, 

the police dog needs to have 

time off, just like a human being, 

even though they want to 

continue working. 

The next time you see a 

K-9 dog, I hope you’ll have 

a deeper appreciation for the 

work that a police dog and 

his/her handler perform. We 

are fortunate to have so many 

dedicated members of law enforcement 

in our community 

to help serve and protect.


By Mary-Alice Helms 

Unlike the families of many 

of our friends, we did not go 

on long annual vacations, but 

we looked forward to one special 

day of the summer. It was 

our “vacation day”. During 

the winter months, we had fun 

looking up interesting places 

that would allow us to go and 

return in just one day. One 

day in 1943 or thereabouts, 

we thought about Cincinnati’s 

Coney Island. 

We had heard stories about 

the wonders of this fabled 

park. 

Kids who had been there 

talked about swimming in its 

huge pool and riding on the 

rides. They told us funny stories 

about the antics of roaming 

clowns, sideshow barkers, 

and balloon salesmen. We 

decided that Coney Island 

would be our next “vacation 

day” destination. 

Mother was up early on the 

morning of that special day, 

frying chicken and making 

potato salad for the picnic 

basket she was packing. 

Daddy told her that there 

were many food stands and 

a restaurant at Coney Island, 

but Mother would have none 

of that. 

“Do you know how much 

it would cost to feed the four 

of us in one of those places?” 

she asked. “Besides, I just 

don’t trust those food stands.” 

We didn’t argue. Mother’s 

picnics were feasts! 

We wouldn’t be swimming 

in the Sunlight Pool, either. 

The risk of contracting the 

horrible disease, Polio, was 

just too great. Daddy had 

assured us that there would 

be plenty of other things for 

us to see and do. And so we 

climbed into our 193? V8 

Ford with its scratchy seats 

and settled down for the long 

drive to Coney Island. 

What was probably little 

more than an hour’s drive 

seemed to take forever. But 

what I saw when we drove 

through the Coney Island 

gates took my breath away! 

The world seemed to have 

suddenly turned on ultrabright 

technicolor. Thousands 

of people were milling around 

the booths, each with its own 

colorful poster. 

Protecting the carousel from 

the summer heat was a huge 

round-topped tent with wide 

red and white stripes, topped 

by a flagpole waving a goldedged 

banner. That carousel 

with its tent must have been 

the icon for the park, as it was 

centered in all of its advertising 

that summer. 

Rising over everything else 

was the gigantic Ferris wheel. 

The view made my head spin 

Remembering Coney Island 

Moonlight Gardens at Coney Island. 

Coney Island’s grand entrance. 

just looking at the top seats 

and how high they soared 

above the ground. The tracks 

of a roller coaster hemmed in 

one side of the park. I could 

see so many other rides; the 

Tilt-A-Whirl, bumper cars, and 

a myriad of kiddie rides covered 

the area’s interior. On the 

side opposite the coaster was 

the legendary Sunlight Pool. 

It did not disappoint! The 

sun glinted off its clear blue 

surface and was even more 

gigantic than I had imagined. 

“Sunlight Pool is the largest 

recirculating pool in North 

America,” Daddy informed 

us. He collected bits of 

interesting information like 

a squirrel collects nuts. He 

continued to feed us information 

as he parked the car. 

“This whole area was once 

a farmer’s orchard,” he said, 

opening the trunk and retrieving 

the picnic basket. “Originally 

it was called Parker’s 

Grove, then Ohio Grove, the 

Coney Island of the West and 

finally just Coney Island.” 

Surprisingly quickly, we 

found a vacant picnic table. 

I guess most of the mob 

of visitors had opted for 

carnival food. As always, 

Mother’s picnic lunch was 

perfect, but my sister, Julie, 

and I were too excited to eat. 

We couldn’t wait to try out 

some of the rides. The plan 

had just one problem. I hated 

any ride which took one in 

neck-wrenching circles. Even 

worse were those which lifted 

its riders high off the ground. 

That pretty much shortened 

our list of choices. 

We rode the carousel and 

battled with the bumper cars. 

Although Julie was three 

years younger than I was, she 

was much braver! She went 

with Daddy on the Ferris 

Wheel while Mother and I 

stood by and watched them 

whirl by. 

“While we were up there, 

we spotted a ride that I think 

we would all like,” Daddy 

announced when the Ferris 

Wheel ride was over. “It’s 

a nice little boat ride. There 

are just four people in each 

boat. It floats along a stream, 

under a tunnel and a footbridge 

before it docks.” That 

sounded great, and we headed 

off to find “The Lost Stream,” 

where we settled into a boat 

and started on our “relaxing 

ride.” The ride was relaxing, 

for a while. The boat traveled 

on rails hidden under the water 

and slid smoothly through 

the water. Suddenly I felt a 

slight “bump,” and the rails 

began to carry us to the top of 

a tower. You guessed it... at 

the top of the tower, we were 

dropped into the pond below, 

just like a roller coaster drop. 

We were soaked from head to 

toe, and I had never felt such 

terror. I think that experience 

is one of the reasons why I 

hate to fly to this day! 

All in all, our Coney Island 

day was one of our favorite 

“vacation days.” There were 

so many more wonderful 

experiences that I could tell 

you about. We got to see the 

magnificent Island Queen 

riverboat dock and disgorge 

visitors to the park. We saw 

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Keep Getting 

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An old postcard featuring the Mall at Coney Island. 

The Midway. 

The Skyride on the Midway. 

Moonlight Gardens, the 

beautiful, trellised dance hall 

where Julie and I got to go 

dancing in our dating years. 

We saw families, tired from 

years of war, and servicemen 

in uniform who would have 

to return to that war. We ate 

hot dogs and shaved ice and 

spent our allowances on cheap 

souvenirs. 

Sadly, Coney Island that 

we knew is gone and is now a 

water park. On September 21, 

2019, the announcement was 

made that all rides would be 

removed. We still will remember 

Coney Island. 

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FROM 

H ere 

By 

Ollie 

Roehm 

OK, folks, it’s time for me 

to wallow in some shameless 

self-promotion. 

Thanks to my way-cool editor 

Tamara Taylor for allowing 

me to debase myself. 

My book, From Here, the 

Soul of a Town Newspaperman, 

is now available on 

Amazon, BookBaby, Barnes 

and Noble, Apple Books, and 

several other book-selling 

sites. 

As the cover’s subtitle says, 

the book is, “A compilation of 

columns and recollections that 

reveals a time, a town, and 

a man.” The following is an 

excerpt from the book’s main 

introduction that will tell you 

all about it: 

There was a time when 

community newspapers 

thrived and were of great 

importance to the area they 

served. People could count on 

their newspapers to give them 

what they wanted and needed 

to know. They depended on 

the folks at the paper to put 

out the latest important information 

about their schools, 

mayors, city councils, planning 

commissions, township 

trustee boards, crime, and 

other serious news. 

Readers also enjoyed lighter 

fare such as stories about 

community events, sports, 

births, weddings, engagements, 

feature stories, and a 

lot more. 

Issues of the day were 

discussed and debated on the 

opinion page. 

I was part of The Harrison 

Press for the better part of 

twenty-five years, serving as 

editor for most of them. It was 

during a time when the town 

newspaper was an important 

part of the fabric of a community. 

Ours was not a sleepy publication. 

We covered all the 

usual stuff you would find in 

a weekly community newspaper 

- the aforementioned 

area events, sports, births, 

weddings, engagements, and 

the like. 

But, we also delivered stories 

about mayoral scandals, 

police scandals, elections, 

fraud, embezzlement, tornadoes, 

hurricanes, fires, floods, 

blizzards, droughts, plane 

crashes, rapes, murders, 

thieves, child molesters, and 

much more. 

I am proud to say The Harrison 

Press earned a combination 

of thirty national and 

state awards during the time 

I was there. Sixteen of those 

awards were for my column, 

“From Here.” Those awardwinning 

columns are scattered 

throughout this book. 

There were upwards of 

a thousand “From Here” 

columns and I have selected 

forty-six of them for you. 

You will find very few about 

tragic news events and local 

scandals. There were a lot of 

columns of that nature worthy 

of inclusion but I don’t want 

to reopen old wounds. 

Moreover, I believe that my 

best stuff was about people 

I encountered, humorous 

adventures, heart-tuggers, 

anger, loss, duty, and family. I 

hope you agree.” 

I was lucky to have plenty of 

great assistance and encouragement 

during the year and 

a half it took to complete my 

mission. The “Thanks” section 

of the book follows: 

I could not have put this 

book together without the 

assistance of three wonderful 

women. I offer them my 

profound thanks. 

Irene McLaughlin Fritz 

transcribed all of the columns 

from the huge bound volumes 

at the library, the only 

place where back issues of 

The Harrison Press existed. 

Irene wrestled the books into 

submission, magically extracted 

the columns I selected, 

and gave them to me in great 

condition for this book. 

Thanks to my wife Mary 

Ewing Roehm and my cousin 

Vicki Anderson Davis for 

proofreading all of the words 

in this book. If you happen to 

find a typo or error, it’s not 

because they didn’t try their 

best. 

There was a period where 

I almost gave up and packed 

it in. 

I stopped working on this 

book because I couldn’t come 

up with a good reason why I 

was doing it. What was the 

point? Why would anyone 

want to read a bunch of old 

columns by an old newspaperman? 

I shared my consternation 

with my friend. I told him I 

didn’t know why I was doing a 

book of old columns. He said: 

“Because they are really 

good columns.” 

Those six words put me 

back on track and are probably 

the reason you are reading 

this. Thank you, Lee Rolfes. 

So, there you have it, dear 

reader - Ollie’s lazy, shameful, 

self-serving column/advertisement 

for his new book. 

If you decide to buy a copy, 

I thank you and I hope you 

enjoy it. You can easily find 

the book by going to Amazon, 

Bookbaby, or your favorite 

book-selling site and putting 

my name in the search. It will 

pop right up and is available 

in paperback and e-book versions. 

I feel so dirty… 

Don’t Forget To Recycle Your Cartons 

By Stefanie Hoffmeier 

Did you know that you can 

recycle food and beverage 

cartons in Dearborn County? 

This includes refrigerated 

cartons — such as milk or 

juice cartons — and shelfstable 

cartons — such as 

broth or almond milk cartons. 

Recycling cartons is easy 

and convenient. Just toss 

your empty cartons into your 

recycling bin along with your 

other plastic bottles, glass 

jars, and steel cans. 

Recycling cartons doesn’t 

have to stop at home. Encourage 

your local schools 

to recycle milk and juice 

cartons as well. School 

recycling programs encourage 

children to learn about 

the importance of recycling 

and conserving our natural 

resources. According to the 

Carton Council, the average 

U.S. school of 545 students 

consumes around 75,000 cartons 

each year. The Dearborn 

County Recycling Center 

already picks up from all of 

the public and private K-12 

schools for free each week. 

Recycling milk cartons will 

not cost your school anything 

and will save them money 

with less garbage. 

By recycling your food and 

beverage cartons, you are 

helping to create raw materials 

that are used to make new 

paper products, such as paper 

towels or even ceiling tiles. 

Recycling cartons helps conserve 

natural resources and 

reduce landfill waste. One of 

the common myths about cartons 

is that they have a layer 

of wax coating. Cartons are 

made primarily from paper, 

with a thin layer of polyethylene 

(plastic), which some 

mistakenly identify as “wax.” 

Whether you have curbside 

pickup or recycle using 

the Dearborn County Recycling 

Center’s trailers, all 

residents can recycle cartons. 

The types of cartons that 

are accepted include juice, 

milk, soy milk, soup, broth, 

egg substitute, and wine 

cartons. Remove straws and 

caps from the cartons before 

recycling. When using the 

trailers, place cartons in with 

your plastic bottles, glass 

jars, and metal cans. The 

cartons recycled in Dearborn 

County are sent to a recycling 

center in Cincinnati, 

where they are sorted using 

an optical scanner that uses 

infrared technology to identify 

and sort cartons from the 

recycling stream. The recycling 

center received a grant 

in 2013 from the Carton 

Council for the special carton 

optical sorting equipment. 

If you need information 

about which cartons are acceptable, 

call the Dearborn 

County Recycling Center at 

812-926-9963. We will be 

glad to answer any questions. 

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of the ones you love. 

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USINESS 

NEWS ABOUT OUR 

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DEAR 

MARIE 

By 

Marie 

Segale 

marie@goBEACONnews.com 

By Hoku and Tammy Turner 

Hi everyone! My name is 

Hoku. I am now the longestresiding 

resident here at the 

shelter. I am four years old, 

and even though a girl doesn’t 

tell her weight, I weigh more 

than 49 lbs. but less than 51. 

They say I may be a Shepherd 

mix, but without a DNA test, 

we’re just going to say I’m 

99% perfect. I am one of the 

favorites here at PAWS. Not 

just because I have been here 

the longest, but because I am 

a very sweet girl. I know commands, 

and they are trying to 

teach me more. I walk very 

well on a lead because they 

have volunteers who come 

and take us on long walks. 

I will do whatever you ask 

because I just want to please 

you. Before I came to PAWS, 

I didn’t have a very good life, 

 

 

 

Dear Marie, 

Recently my daughter 

told me her girlfriend had to 

“put down” her furry friend 

because she could no longer 

care for him. She had owned 

her dog for ten years. The dog 

had some serious health issues, 

and this girl did not have 

the time or financial means to 

take care of him. This young 

woman is a single mom working 

full time to keep her head 

above water. She could see no 

way out of her situation. 

I cried when I heard this 

sad news about her dog and 

her decision. I felt so badly 

for the young woman who, in 

her desperation, made such a 

decision, and for the life that 

was snuffed out by euthanasia. 

I believe that , no matter 

what we face in life, a solution 

can always be found. 

Marie, I am sure that 

other families have faced 

very similiar situatons. What 

words of wisdom do you have 

for those faced with such a 

concern? 

Joan in Lawrenceburg 

Dear Joan, 

You just said it. Help can 

always be found. 

I recommend that first, she 

talk to any extended family 

members who could help 

either financially or by taking 

the pet into their own home 

to love and care for the pet. 

Ask yourself what you would 

do if you were an aging parent 

or a child who needs a 

stable home. Our pets are our 

families; we should take on 

the responsibility as we do for 

a family member. 

I am moved by the goodness 

of animal shelters every 

time I read the Paws column 

in the Beacon. Numerous 

shelters and foster families 

are willing to help in all kinds 

of situations when we need 

help with our pets. We only 

need to ask! 

Do you have a pressing 

issue? Please email your 

question to Contact Marie@ 


From A Dog’s Point of View 

so they promised me that my 

next one will be my furever 

home. I was with other dogs, 

but I would still like to meet 

any that you have, just to see 

if they are going to like me. I 

have had a lot of new experiences 

since I’ve been here at 

the shelter. I have found that 

I love the special things they 

do for us. Like the frozen fruit 

treats that we get- they are so 

yummy. I even get a swimming 

pool to play in to cool 

down. 

I have lots of fun. It’s just 

that if I get too dirty, and then 

I have to get a bath. Bath time 

is not so bad, I always smell 

good, and I sleep well that 

night. 

I love the frozen peanut 

butter-filled kong that I get 

before going to bed at night, 

and I get lots of toys. But 

 

 

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BOARDING AVAILABLE 

Noel Houze Jr. and Noel 

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Father/Son 

Team Honored 

for Years of 

Service 

Being a state police 

officer takes training, 

knowledge, fearlessness, 

and dedication to one’s 

community. Such a sense 

of dedication spanning 

two generations is rare. 

Southeast Indiana was 

proudly represented by 

Noel Houze Sr. and Noel 

Houze Jr. as they were 

honored for their years 

of service at a recent 

Cincinnati Red’s game. 

Congratulations to the 

Houzes for the recent 

honor. The Beacon thanks 

them for their years of 

service to the community. 

Hoku 

most of all, I love spending 

time with the humans. 

My wish for a home would 

be one with older kids that 

can keep me active (they say 

I have a mild energy level), a 

nice yard that we can play in, 

and definitely no cats. 

Not sure which dog or cat 

would be good with your 

family? Come in and let them 

know you are interested in 

adopting (it’s best to turn in 

an application, and just put 

what you want to adopt, a dog 

or a cat). They will ask you 

about your family and home, 

then suggest who would be a 

good fit for you. 

They want us all to have the 

best homes to ensure that we 

don’t end up back at the shelter. 

They do like us to come 

back for visits, just to show 

them how great of a home we 

went to. And they love getting 

the pics, or as they call them 

pupdates. 

Come to PAWS. I would 

love to meet you and show you 

all the commands that I have 

learned. But even if you come 

and adopt someone else, that’s 

still good. That just means 

another one of my friends 

found his or her furever home. 

I know my time will come. 

Wagging tails & wet kisses, 

Hoku 


By 

Jack 

Zoller 

beaconsports 

@live.com 


By 

Melanie 

Alexander 

The selection of recipes to 

By 

include in this Maxine month’s issue 

was “wandering Klump around in the 

back of my brain” last Saturday 

morning Community as I returned 

Correspondent 

from the nearby farm stand 

with corn, tomatoes, green 

maxineklump.thebeacon@yahoo.com 

beans, and blackberries. As 

a result, corn (one of my two 

favorite summer treasures) 

moved to the forefront. The 

first, a casserole, is a tried and 

true addition when a request 

goes out to bring a vegetable 

to a potluck or family gathering. 

The recipe comes from 

Kathy Michaels, a friend from 

church, and was included in 

a cookbook published several 

years ago. 

Baked Corn Casserole 

1 (16-oz) can whole kernel 

corn, drained 

1 (16-oz) can of creamed corn 

1 cup sour cream 

1 box corn muffin mix 

(I used Jiffy) 

1 cup butter melted 

2 eggs beaten 

1 tablespoon sugar 

Preheat oven to 350°. 

Mix all ingredients, except 

sugar, together and pour into 

a 9x13-inch buttered pan. 

Sprinkle sugar over the top 

of the casserole. Bake for 

55 minutes or until lightly 

browned. 

This next recipe is also for 

a side dish using corn. I was 

intrigued when I came across 

it on the Food Network several 

months ago but had not 

tried it before last Saturday. 

The recipe calls for canned 

corn but since I had fresh corn 

available, I used that. 

My mother sometimes 

served corn (pan)cakes for 

breakfast and this recipe 

added a few additions which 

make it great for breakfast, 

brunch, or lunch. The corn 

cakes were a winner in my 

book. I can’t wait to make 

them again when I have 

guests. 

(Note: I keep buttermilk 

powder on hand since I don’t 

routinely keep buttermilk in 

the refrigerator. It’s a great 

substitute when reconstituted 

with water. You could also 

use regular milk and add a 

teaspoon of vinegar or some 

lemon juice to “sour” the 

milk. 

Buttermilk Cheddar 

Corn Cakes 

½ cup all-purpose flour 

1 cup yellow cornmeal 

1 tablespoon sugar 

1 teaspoon baking powder 

1 teaspoon salt 

2 tablespoons melted butter, 

plus extra for cooking corn 

cakes 

1 large egg 

1 cup buttermilk 

½ cup sharp Cheddar cheese 

1/3 cup canned corn, rinsed 

and drained (optional) 

1 tablespoon dried chives 

Whisk together the flour, 

cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, 

and salt in a mixing bowl. 

Melt the butter in a large 

nonstick skillet over medium 

heat. Set aside to cool slightly 

while you prepare the wet 

ingredients. 

Whisk together the egg 

and buttermilk in a larger 

mixing bowl. While whisking, 

pour in the melted butter 

and stir until combined. Stir 

in the dry ingredients just 

until combined. Fold in the 

cheese, corn if using, and 

chives. 

Place the skillet over medium 

heat and add enough 

butter to coat the bottom. 

Ladle about ½ cup batter into 

the pan, spreading gently to 

form a thick circle. 

Cook until bubbles appear 

on the surface, 1 to 2 minutes. 

(Yes, that is the correct 

time this takes!). Flip over 

and cook until golden brown, 

about 1 to 2 minutes more. 

Remove the pancake and keep 

warm while preparing the remainder 

of the cakes. Makes 

six cakes. 

Melt a pat of butter in the 

skillet between each batch 

(this helps the cakes rise). 

Serve immediately with more 

butter and maple syrup. 

I must tell you that I 

wasn’t sure about the maple 

syrup, but it makes the difference 

between good and 

GREAT! Note: I decided 

to see if the batter would 

hold up until the next day-I 

placed it in the refrigerator 

overnight and there was NO 

deterioration. I just added a 

little additional milk. (About 

1 tablespoon) 

5 2 1 

3 5 6 

4 1 5 9 

7 8 6 3 

7 6 3 2 

3 2 6 9 

8 9 3 4 

9 4 8 5 

2 6 4 1 

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! 

Successfully Saving for Retirement 

By Alan Thorup, CRMP 

Having enough money 

to retire when you are still 

young enough to enjoy many 

years with your family and 

be able to do what you have 

saved for, is one of the greatest 

challenges and concerns 

of most people. Planning 

to be able to do that should 

be near the top of the list 

of financial objectives for 

people of all ages, especially 

young adults as they enter the 

workforce! 

Back in the mid-’80s, I 

started my first full-time job 

out of college as a management 

trainee at a savings 

and loan with a salary under 

$11,000/year. Shortly after I 

started, my father discussed 

with me on multiple occasions 

that I needed to look to 

the future and open up an Individual 

Retirement Account 

(IRA). As I explained to him 

then, I did not make enough 

money to do that, pay all my 

bills, and enjoy myself as a 

single young man. As he was 

thirty-nine years older than 

me and was nearing retirement 

himself, he brushed my 

reasoning aside and told me 

that the next 40 years will go 

by faster than I could imagine, 

and one day I will look 

around and be 65 myself, and 

if I don’t start early, I may 

never be able to contribute 

enough for a comfortable 

retirement. 

To make him happy, I 

contributed to an IRA, and 

as my career progressed, I 

enrolled in my employer’s 

401K plans, making contributions 

from my earnings 

and taking advantage of 

company matching funds. 

Finally, when I started my 

own company in 2008, I 

took advantage of the Self- 

Employed Pension Plan 

(SEPP) and contributed to 

that every year. Along the 

way, I realized... Dad was 

right! 

To provide yourself with 

the greatest opportunity for 

success, regardless of your 

age, determining what you 

can afford to ‘pay yourself’ 

regularly to go into your retirement 

accounts is critical, 

as is the discipline to continue 

paying yourself/contributing 

as much as possible 

to your plan until you retire. 

Also, as your circumstances 

change, the amount you can 

contribute may change as 

well, so you need to revisit 

this regularly, at least annually. 

Most of us have contracted 

for obligations that must 

be paid regularly such as a 

mortgage, rent, credit cards, 

auto loans, insurance, etc., 

and we also need to spend 

money on necessities such as 

groceries and utilities). Additionally, 

we all need money 

for things that we enjoy for 

fun and entertainment, and 

for the unexpected (auto repairs, 

etc.). After those items 

are accounted for, what is 

left over is what you can pay 

yourself. 

Some suggestions to consider 

in being able to continuously 

fund your retirement 

include purchasing a home 

that meets your needs with a 

mortgage payment YOU are 

comfortable with relative to 

your lifestyle, not what the 

lender says you qualify for. 

While real estate has been a 

valuable long-term investment 

for most Americans, 

you do not want to be ‘house 

poor’ with a large mortgage 

payment, and unable to 

contribute to your retirement. 

Also, before purchasing 

an auto, consider that 

it is an asset that, as a rule, 

will depreciate in value. As 

such, purchasing a used one 

that has already gone down 

in value, but is in good shape 

and fits your needs, may be a 

wise choice. 

Finally, most retirement 

accounts are viewed as longterm 

investments. As such, 

look to invest in assets that 

have held their value over 

time and provided good 

returns over the long run. 

Whether your investments 

are in company retirement accounts, 

ones that you have set 

up yourself, or both, I suggest 

seeking professional help in 

managing the investments. 

And finally, if your company 

offers it, take advantage of 

matching contributions to 

your 401K or 403B account. 

After all, in a sense, it’s free 

money! 

Credibility • Advocacy • Education • Visibility 

What Can The Chamber 

Do For You? Just Ask! 

812-537-0814 

www.dearborncountychamber.org 

Get it All at www.goBEACONnews.com 


MEET OUR 

TALENTED TEAM 

Leslie Susan Secrist 

Family Nurse Practitioner 

Patients love Leslie Susan’s confidence and 

knowledge. She’s originally from the west side of 

Cincinnati but now lives in Sunman, Indiana with her 

husband & daughter. She enjoys bird watching, walks 

through the woods & cooking. She also has an interest 

in wilderness medicine, women’s health, dermatology, 

and patient education. Leslie Susan is another reason 

why we are more than an Urgent Care. 

ACCUDOCURGENTCARE.COM


The following excerpt is 

from a book written in 1930 

by a lifetime resident of Ripley 

County, Yorkville, and Manchester. 

The BEACON is honored 

to share another chapter 

of the book each month thanks 

to Mary Randell’s descendants. 

Previous chapters are 

available online starting with 

the August 2022 print edition 

at goBEACONnews.com/ 

print_edition. 

By Mary M. Greiner Randell 

Chapter XIII 

My youngest boy says I 

must put in my book some of 

my courtship, so here it goes. 

My first young man who came 

to see me was a preacher at 

Church where my father and 

mother belonged. I asked my 

mother what I had better do. 

Mother said I was too young 

and to tell him so. 

I worked in Indianapolis for 

a while and came home 

Author 

Mary Randell 

to help 

Mother 

cook for 

the 

carpenters 

when they 

built the 

third 

house and 

barn. I was 

only 

fifteen years old but was very 

large. I weighed almost 140 

pounds. 

The next man I went with 

took me to church and then 

home to where I worked. We 

talked awhile at the gate and 

when he proposed I told him 

that I was a poor girl and 

didn’t expect anything from 

home, and that I wouldn’t 

marry anyone as poor as I 

was myself. (His initials were 

H.D.) 

The next one didn’t come 

any more because I wouldn’t 

go downtown with him to 

accept treats. (F. L. are his initials.) 

I never accepted treats 

in ice cream parlors, nor any 

presents. 

The next one was a girlfriend’s 

brother. When I 

would find out from her that 

he was coming to Indianapolis, 

I would come home to my 

mother and father for a weekend 

visit. I shunned him three 

different times and after that 

he didn’t come any more. I 

had nothing against him, only 

he and work didn’t agree, and 

I had too much ambition to 

marry a do-less man. (P.M. 

are his initials.) 

One man came one Sunday 

when I wasn’t through with 

my dishes and wanted me to 

go out walking with him. He 

wanted to make a date for 

Sunday evening, to take me 

to church and have a chat at 

home afterwards. I told him 

I had no time to waste on 

him, to go and get the girl 

he left on Washington Street 

last Sunday when he walked 

away with two other boys. 

He picked up his hat and left 

without saying a work. (His 

initials are T.G.) 

The next one was a man 

fifty years old. He had a nice 

home and plenty of money, 

and proposed to me the first 

time he dated me. I told him 

to get somebody near his 

age, as I wouldn’t marry 

anyone that old. (C.R are his 

initials.) 

The lady for whom I 

worked when I was about 

twelve years old had told 

THE STORY OF MY LIFE 

Courtship Days 

me that when I was old 

enough to have men coming 

she was going to send her 

brother to my house to “talk 

sweet” to me. She said he 

was very good looking and 

a good boy. So once when I 

was sixteen years old I came 

home from Lafayette where 

I had visited my sister. I was 

working in Indianapolis and 

had some money to spend 

Saturday and Sunday. I don’t 

know how this lady found 

out I was at home, but she 

sent her brother over to see 

me just as she had said she 

would. He began to talk 

about farming. He thought 

that was a nice way to spend 

a life. I told him that since I 

had been a resident of Indianapolis 

I had become plumb 

disgusted with farming. I had 

had to plow corn when I was 

ten years old and had helped 

to clear the wood, cut down 

little trees and pile them up 

to burn, when I was only 

seven, while Father cut the 

big ones. So he said, “You 

wouldn’t marry a farmer if 

you had a chance?” “I should 

say not,” I said. So his sweet 

talk ended. Then he talked 

with my father awhile and 

said, “Good-bye.” That was 

the last of J.M. 

Here is the story of another 

young man. He was a school 

teacher. In the summer vacations, 

he came to Indianapolis 

to work in the brick yard. He 

came to see me and took me 

to church, then for a short 

walk around the square and a 

little talk at the gate. He came 

to see me five times and the 

next time, two weeks later, 

he proposed. I told him that 

I would do nothing like that 

until I knew something of 

his reputation back home. He 

asked me if he could come the 

next Sunday and I told him 

that he could come see me. 

Meanwhile, I went to see a 

girl that I knew was truthful 

and who lived not very far 

from his home. She said that 

he was engaged to a girl near 

his home. I think that, missed 

that one Sunday, he was out 

home trying to break his engagement 

to her. So, when he 

came the seventh time, I told 

him not to come any more but 

to stay with the girl he had 

promised to marry back home. 

He always wanted to kiss me 

when he went away, but I told 

him that I would kiss no man; 

I would shake hands and that 

was all. 

About four weeks afterward, 

the first girl, the one he 

was engaged to came to Indianapolis 

where I was working. 

She asked me if I knew where 

P. S. was working. I told her, 

“in the brick yard about ten 

squares from here.” I told her 

he had tried to propose to me, 

and that I had told him to stay 

with the girl in the country, 

back home. 

My husband’s folks and my 

folks lived a couple of miles 

apart and both went to the 

same church. My mother-inlaw 

had held me when I was 

christened. When my folks 

moved to Ripley County I 

was one and a half years old. 

My husband’s people came to 

see us and bought a farm two 

miles from us. So, you see we 

had always known each other. 

The folks had to go through 

thick woods to see each other, 

so Pa said he would mark 

LAWRENCEBURG FALL MUSIC FEST 

Lawrenceburg Summer Event Series presented by 

some trees to make a path. 

He cut down little sprouts 

low enough not to catch on 

one’s feet. When I was ten 

years old, my husband’s folks 

moved to Dearborn County. 

When my husband came to 

see us, he asked for me, and 

my mother told him that I 

was working in Indianapolis, 

so he came there to see me. 

After that, we wrote to each 

other every month for about a 

year, and when I came home 

he came to see me. When 

he proposed, he asked me 

if I wanted to be his cook. I 

told him I wouldn’t leave my 

church, but he said he had 

joined the Methodist church 

two years before, so I promised 

to marry him. The third 

time he came to see me; we 

were married at my home. My 

sister came, and two of his 

brothers witnessed the wedding. 

We left that evening and 

went to my husband’s home. 

He was twenty-seven years 

old and I was nineteen. We 

took three rooms and lived 

in the same house with his 

people. 

The Beacon thanks the descendents 

of the Reindell family 

for sharing Mrs. Reindell’s 

story. Upcoming chapters will 

be featured in future editions 

of the Beacon. 

Next 

Beacon 

Ad Deadline 

August 28 


ESCAPE 

Journey Tribute Band 

HIGH N FIDELITY 

“Getting Back To Basics” 

MICHELLE ROBINSON BAND 

SEPT. 22 & 23 

LAWRENCEBURG CIVIC PARK 

HUNTERGIRL 

UNION 22 

RACHEL HOLT 

FRIDAY - SEPTEMBER 22 

SATURDAY - SEPTEMBER 23 

5-11:00pm Beer Garden & Food Trucks Open 

10am-12pm Car Show Registration at City Hall 

6-6:50pm UNION 22 

2:00pm Mayor’s Welcome - Civic Park Stage 

6:50-7:00pm Mayor’s Welcome & Citizen of the Year Award 2:15pm Star Spangled Banner/National Anthem 

7:00-8:30pm HIGH N FIDELITY – REO Speedwagon Tribute Band 2:30pm PG Gentrup - Veterans Awards 

9-10:30pm ESCAPE – Journey Tribute Band 

3:30pm Car Show Awards at City Hall 

2-11pm Beer Garden & Food Trucks Open 

4:30-5:20pm RACHEL HOLT 

5:45-6:35pm MICHELLE ROBINSON BAND 

6:35pm Mayor’s Welcome & Veterans Recognition 

7:00-8:30pm BLOWN AWAY – Carrie Underwood Tribute Band 

9-10:30pm HUNTERGIRL 

FOOD TRUCKS • BEER GARDEN • CAR SHOW 

NO CARRY-IN ALCOHOL • NO COOLERS • NO PETS 

www.THINKLAWRENCEBURG.com 


debbystutz.thebeacon@yahoo.com 

September 2023 THE BEACON Page 1B 

S 

BEACON 

PORTS 

SCENE 

By 

Chris Jack 

Nobbe 

Zoller 

beaconsports 

@live.com 

sports@goBEACONnews.com 

EC’s 200-Yard Freestyle 

Relay 

Honored as All-Americans 

The National Interscholastic 

Swim Coaches Association 

(NISCA) released All-American 

honors at the conclusion 

of the school calendar year. 

The NISCA seeks to recognize 

the top 100 times in each 

event from By throughout the 

country. Maxine 

Klump 

East Central High School’s 

200-yard Community freestyle relay team 

received Correspondent 

the honor and status 

of All-American with their 

state finals preliminary time 

maxineklump.thebeacon@yahoo.com 

of 1:25.31. The team was 

composed of senior Kaden 

Cummins, juniors Ayden 

Ketchem and Henry Strotman, 

and freshman Kyle Goodwin. 

While the team did not quite 

duplicate their preliminary 

time in the finals, finishing 

seventh overall in the state, 

any legally-recorded time is 

eligible for All-American status. 

Thus, the team joined five 

other Indiana teams on the 

top-100 performance list for 

this season, including Zionsville 

High School as the number 

one team in the country 

after breaking the state record 

in the event with 1:20.53. 

Road Racing Is 

Summer Fun for Many 

Many enjoy the summer 

months by gathering for community 

road races throughout 

the area. People young and 

old and all in between enjoy 

the atmosphere and spirit created 

and shared by others in 

these environments. 

Oftentimes, these races are 

completed before other people 

may have risen out of bed 

on a slumbering weekend, 

yet the notion of the earlymorning 

runners finds many 

who derive a love and possess 

a passion for pounding the 

pavement. 

While many of the top runners 

are often established runners 

from the area or young 

high school runners putting 

in the miles in preparation for 

the upcoming cross country 

season, the finishers list is 

sprinkled with everything 

from casual runners to onetime 

supporters of a cause as a 

runner or walker. All of them, 

however, celebrate the joy of 

the event and encouragement 

can always be found among 

the participants. 

The Lauren’s Burg Hill 

Race was run on June 17 in 

honor of Lauren Hill and support 

of brain cancer research, 

specifically, DIPG, features a 

five-mile race involving quite 

the hill climb during competition 

going to the top of 

Bielby Road (Old 48) before 

finishing at the 22-yard line 

of Neary Stadium and Dick 

Meador Field, honoring her 

jersey number. 

The five-mile race was won 

AT CINCINNATI 

STATE YOU CAN! 

Earn your Bachelor of 

Science in Nursing (BSN) 

Degree at about half the 

cost of other colleges 

and universities. 

• Delivered in-person – 

unlike any other local 

RN – BSN program. 

• Small class sizes, 

because you’re not 

just a number here. 

• Lots of support to 

help you succeed. 

Starts Fall of 2023 

by Owen King of Cincinnati 

in 28:19 followed closely 

by Lawrenceburg’s Bryan 

Wagner in 28:37. Wagner, 

who coaches cross country 

and track in the area, had just 

come off of winning the 2023 

CollegeAdvantage Redlegs 

Run the weekend before in a 

time of 35:51 over a distance 

of 10 kilometers. 

On the women’s side, recent 

South Ripley graduate Lanie 

Nicholson won in a time 

of 34:11 and placed fourth 

overall as well, while former 

Lawrenceburg Tiger Hannah 

Morgan, who just completed 

her junior season for the Lions 

of Mount St. Joseph University, 

was second in 36:56. 

In total, 59 runners completed 

the five-mile course. 

The 5K, which does not include 

the trip up Bielby Road 

but has the same finish, was 

claimed by Larremy Gray of 

Cincinnati in 18:28. He was 

closely pursued by an incoming 

freshman for South Ripley 

named Mason Bascom, a last 

name familiar to Lawrenceburg. 

Mason was the ORVC 

middle school champion this 

past spring in both the 800- 

and 1600-meter runs. He finished 

in 18:40. Sixteen-yearold 

Amber Detmer of Patriot 

won on the women’s side in a 

time of 24:20. This race had 

80 participants. 

Forty-two people chose the 

5K walk with Kelly Moore 

of Milford, Ohio, winning 

overall in 36:04 and 75-yearold 

Jim McGruder of West 

Chester, Ohio, the top male in 

37:53. That makes a total of 

181 people who showed up 

For more details, visit www.cincinnatistate.edu/bsn 

for a race which began at 7:22 

in the morning. 

The Fourth of July holiday 

has long been started by many 

in the area by participating in 

the Greendale 4th of July 5K. 

This race has now been held 

and organized by Voices of 

Indiana for several years to 

aid and support their efforts 

for area musical development, 

focused largely on the youth 

of the area. The 39-year-old 

Wagner was able to capture 

this title on the streets of 

Greendale by holding off a 

slew of teenagers on his heels. 

The nine finishers after him 

were all teens, but Wagner 

had the extra spark on this day 

to finish in 17:11 to hold off 

all those young firecrackers. 

The top female was again 

Nicholson in a time of 19:48. 

The top walker was Ginger 

Peters of Osgood in 38:12. 

The race brought out 292 

runners and 72 walkers, as 

this tradition continues to be 

strongly supported. 

July 14 and 15 was Freudenfest 

in Oldenburg, which 

has become one of the larger 

social events in southeastern 

Indiana over the past several 

years. This festival has also 

long held a 5K race over the 

hills of Oldenburg. It can be a 

scenic trot for the experienced 

runner and a challenge for 

those who prefer running a 

flat course. 

Now called the Freudenfest 

Twister Lauf 5K or the 

OASIS 5K Lauf, in support 

of Oldenburg Academy, has 

been a race dominated by 

the hometown runner, Curt 

Eckstein. Eckstein is known 

well in running circles for 

his scholastic and collegiate 

successes. He was a state 

champion for the Twisters in 

cross country as well as the 

3200-meter run in his senior 

year. He competed at Purdue 

and became an All-American 

in cross country putting his 

name among the top runners 

ever to compete for Boilermakers. 

Eckstein continues to run 

competitively while also 

helping to give some time 

back to the program he came 

from and where he currently 

coaches. In May, he was 

runner-up in the OneAmerica 

500 Festival Mini-Marathon 

in a time of 1:04.14. It is no 

surprise that he still enjoys the 

hills of Oldenburg, where he 

won this year’s Lauf 5K in a 

comfortable 15:42, followed 

by former Bulldog runner Ben 

Moster in 16:23. Both of them 

finished over two and a half 

minutes ahead of the other 80 

runners who participated that 

morning. Madeline Douglas 

was first for the ladies. She 

finished eighth overall in 

21:57.3. 

Eckstein would then decide 

to run some more rolling hills, 

these more gently rolling than 

Oldenburg’s, when he took 

the title at the St. Martin’s 

Country Run in Yorkville on 

July 23. This race is in its 

43rd year and is the oldest 

road race in Dearborn County 

and is held in conjunction 

with the parish festival. The 

out-and-back race along 

Yorkville Road was traversed 

in a time of 14:30, over 

three minutes faster than the 

runner-up. This also beat his 

own course record set in 2021 

of 14:37. Kimberly Johnston 

of College Corner, Ohio, was 

the top female finisher in the 

race in a time of 20:52 and 

was 13th overall. This race 

had 139 runners work up an 

appetite before heading to 

the festival for a wonderful 

chicken dinner. 

Another aspect of the summer 

races over the past many 

years has been the SIRC-it 

races, held as solid fund raisers 

for the cross country teams 

of area schools and sponsored 

by Weber Sports of Aurora as 

well as Stuart Road Racing. 

The SIRC-it (Southeastern 

Indiana Running Circuit) has 

swapped dates, locations, and 

affiliated communities and 

schools over the years, but 

it is still something solidly 

supported by many allegiant 

runners from the area. 

These races being in conjunction 

with one another, 

award prizes for individual 

races, but the SIRC-it also 

presents awards after the final 

race of six for participants 

who have competed in at least 

five of the six and a chance 

for prizes for competing in 

at least four. This series of 

races is enjoyable to be a 

part of and truly shows the 

spirit of the running community 

throughout southeastern 

Indiana. 

At the time of publication, 

four of the six races in the 

SIRC-it had been completed 

with various winners in each 

race. Races that had already 

been run were in Rushville, 

St. Leon, Aurora, and 

Brookville with Milan and 

Batesville yet to take place. 

Many opportunities to take 

part in road racing events 

(mostly 5K distance) exist 

throughout the year and for 

many good causes. You can 

find several listed on stuartroadracing.com 

under the 

schedule tab, but it is also 

wise to keep your eyes on 

bulletin boards in your community 

and perhaps on social 

media outlets that may list 

them. 

more? 

want 


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

Page 2B THE BEACON September 2023 

BRIGHT/ 

SUGAR RIDGE 

By 

Bob 

Waples 

Community 

Correspondent 

bright@goBEACONnews.com 

When you read this, school 

will have started and summer 

will be coming to a close. I 

don’t know how you feel, 

but I think this summer went 

faster than the cars at the local 

speedway. Wishing all the students, 

especially the Seniors, 

a great year. 

My brother Jim and I drove 

down to visit The Ark (Williamstown, 

KY)… what an 

amazing place. If you have 

never been there, it is located 

just a little over an hour away. 

North Dearborn Pantry will 

be hosting its annual Bunco 

Ladies Night on Saturday, 

Sept. 16. This event benefits 

the Pantry’s Thanksgiving 

food drive. Tickets are available 

thru several local businesses. 

If interested, contact 

the Pantry for details. 

The annual Jack’s Forever 3 

Run will be held on Sept. 9, 2023. 

This twelfth-annual 5K walk/ 

run is in memory of Jack Allen 

Carpenter. More info/registration 

at: www.jacksforever3.com 

Try Our 

New 

Entrees! 

Try Our 

New 

Entrees! 

Try Our 

New 

Entrees! 

*Lime Only 

$3.99 Margaritas 

ALL DAY Monday 



*Lime Only 

*Lime Only 



24486 Stateline Road 

Bright 

$2.49 Bottle 

domestic beer 

Saturday 

$2.49 Bottle 

domestic beer 

Saturday 

$2.49 Bottle 

domestic beer 

Saturday 

O 

ur 

Bob Waples celebrated with 

Ginny Booker on her onehundredth 

birthday. 

Thanks to Bright Christian 

Church for the 4th of July celebration, 

complete with food, 

a concert, and an awesome 

fireworks display. Thank 

you… what a great community 

event. 

Vicki and Doug Rosemeyer 

hosted a one-hundredth 

birthday party for former, 

long-time resident Virginia 

(Ginny) Booker. Lots of folks 

turned out to wish Ginny a 

Happy Birthday and enjoy the 

good food and fellowship at 

the Rosemeyer’s home. 

Watch for pictures of the 

Bright Parade next month 

since my deadline is just 

before parade time. Hope 

everyone enjoyed it. 

Wishing everyone a Happy 

Labor Day and in closing, 

thinking of Ginny... count 

your age by friends not years 

and count your life by smiles, 

not tears. 

We accept 

(Limit competitor’s 

$5 maximum per 

coupons 

$30 Or More. 

coupon When You Spend 

(Limit Or 1/2 $5 price maximum on 2nd per coupon 

meal. 

Not When Valid You Friday Spend or $30 Saturday.) Or More. 

Or 1/2 price on 2nd meal. 

Not Valid Friday or Saturday.) 

812-747-7262 

812-747-7262 

Communities 

HIDDEN 

VALLEY LAKE 

By 

Vivian Kist 

Community 

Correspondent 

hvl@goBEACONnews.com 

This year’s Fish and Game 

Kids Fishing Derby at Lake 

Melody was again a successful 

event filled with much 

excitement and laughter. Over 

two-hundred-forty pounds 

of catfish and just under fifty 

pounds of bass were caught. 

A total of one hundred 

thirty-four kids entered the 

Derby. The largest fish caught 

by a boy weighed 13.98 

pounds and was caught by 

Carter. 

The largest fish caught by 

a girl weighed 8.28 pounds 

and was by caught Alaina. 

The most fish caught by any 

one angler was accomplished 

by Bryson who caught a 

grand total of 26.09 pounds! 

And just as much fun was the 

smallest fish weighing in at 

a whopping 0.19 pounds and 

caught by Dac. Reporting 

on the annual Kids Fishing 

Derby caused a trip down 

memory lane as it brought 

back many memories of my 

kids and grandkids visiting 

that weekend, arriving at Lake 

Melody very early carrying 

chairs and fishing poles to 

claim a good spot, and seeing 

the smiles brought about by a 

sinking bobber and catching 

that trophy fish. It is amazing 

and gratifying that after 

over thirty years, some things 

that bring simple joy never 

change! 

Toni Minning on Hickory 

Road was given the HVL 

Garden Club’s July Yard-ofthe-Month 

award. Her special 

landscaping features are 

very unique and creative and 

are a visual testament to her 

involvement in various facets 

of the gardening industry. 

Congratulations Toni! 

The orange tubes sticking 

out of the ground, the little, 

multi-colored utility flags everywhere, 

and the mounds of 

dirt will soon be no more…. 

Starting in August, SEI Fiber 

will begin lighting up the Hidden 

Valley Lake community 

with sign ups for high-speed 

Fiber Optics. The roll-out of 

SEI Fiber service sign ups 

will be completed street by 

street for a more efficient and 

managed installation process. 

The HVL POA will notify 

every resident with both door 

hangers and texts when the 

time comes for each street to 

sign up. A new street will be 

scheduled every week. Once 

residents are notified, they 

will have a two-week window 

Try Our 

New 

Entrees! 

Buy 24486 1 Lunch Stateline or Road Dinner 

Bright 

at regular price 

Get 1 Lunch We or accept Dinner 

competitor’s 

at 1/2 coupons price 

Excludes steaks (Limit $5 and maximum seafood 

per coupon 

When You Spend $30 Or More. 

Expires Sept. July Or 1/2 16, 11, price on 2023 2016 2nd meal. 


Not Valid Fri. or Sat. 

Not valid with 812-747-7262 

daily specials. 

*Lime Only 



Try Our 

New 

Entrees! 

$2.49 Bottle 

domestic beer 

Saturday 

24486 Stateline Road 

$5 Bright 

off purchase of 

on 

$30 

purchase We of accept 

$30 

Expires Sept. 16, 2023 

Expires Not Valid July competitor’s 

Fri. 11, or 2016 Sat. 

Not Valid Fri. 

coupons 

Not valid with or (Limit daily $5 maximum specials. Sat. per coupon 

Not valid When 

with You Spend 

daily $30 Or More. 

specials. 

*Lime Only 



$2.49 Bottle 

domestic beer 

Saturday 

$5 off on 

Or 1/2 price on 2nd meal. 


812-747-7262 

Alaina - Largest Fish Caught 

by a Girl - 8.28 lbs. 

Dac - Smallest Fish Caught 

- 0.19 lbs. 

Buy 1 Lunch or Dinner 


Get 1 Lunch or Dinner 

at 1/2 price 

Excludes steaks and seafood 

Expires July 11, Sunday 2016 


Not valid with daily specials. 

Every First 

May - October 

$5 off on 

purchase of $30 

Expires July 11, 2016 



Buy 1 Lunch or Dinner 


Get 1 Lunch or Dinner 

at 1/2 price 

Excludes steaks and seafood 




$5 off on 

purchase of $30 





Bryson - Most Fish Caught 

26.09 lbs. 

Bryson - Most Fish Caught 

26.09 lbs. 

Indiana’s Largest “Antiques & Vintage-Only” Market 

Carter - Largest Fish Caught 

by a Boy - 13.98 lbs. 

to sign up with VIP status 

which means that fiber service 

installation will take top 

priority. Once the two-week 

window has passed, residents 

can still sign up for service, 

but the installation time may 

be delayed. For additional information 

call the POA office 

or call Southeastern REMC 

directly at (800) 689-4111. 

Every year, the HVL Civic 

Club sponsors an Annual 

Luau and Pig Roast at the 

beach. Last year over two 

hundred residents attended 

dressed in luau attire and 

enjoyed Hawaiian music. The 

luau is one of the main annual 

events at HVL. The key 

fund raiser for the Civic Club 

provides great takeaways for 

all. 

The Parks and Recreation 

Committee held its second 

monthly Family Swimming 

Pool Party. Families enjoyed 

hot dogs, popcorn, and beverages 

all afternoon. The special 

events of the day included 

face painting, a diving show, 

a nail polish station, relays, 

chalk art, and a hula hoop 

contest. 

Many volunteers helped 

make this a fun event. Please 

mark your calendars for the 

final Family Swimming Pool 

Party this summer on Aug. 

19. 

Every Friday night through 

August, you can join other 

neighbors for the Family 

Beach Night where light 

music is provided. Just bring 

your cooler and relax after a 

busy week – very informal. 

Also, an adult-only Civic 

Club Pool Party will be held 

once a month on Sept. 8. 

If you are looking to give 

back to the community, two 

opportunities are available 

in the community. St. Elizabeth 

Dearborn is recruiting 

volunteers. They will help 

you identify your passion and 

where your services will make 

the most impact. 

Anyone fourteen years of 

age or older can volunteer by 

calling the Dearborn Volunteer 

Coordinator at (812) 496- 

8658 or visiting their website 

at www.stelizabeth.com/volunteer. 

Secondly, the Bright 

Fire Department is looking 

for volunteers. If you have an 

interest in helping this very 

important community service, 

please call the firehouse at 

(812) 537-3473 or stop by any 

time. 

The next lake treatment 

dates are: 

Aug. 15 - no fishing, boating, 

swimming, or watering/irrigation 

Aug. 16 - no wake or 

watering/irrigation 

Aug. 17 - no watering/ 

irrigation. 

And finally, a few more 

reminders to put on your 

calendar. 

The Civic Club Raft Up will 

be on Aug. 19. The lake will 

be shut down inside the wake 

zone and anything that floats 

is allowed. This is a super-fun 

event to beat the heat. 

The Labor Day Bash is on 

Sept. 3 at the ball fields and 

is getting an exciting face lift. 

Look on the HVL website and 

the billboards for more information 

and planned events. 

The Cruise-In is on the second 

Tuesday of every month. 

HVL Board of Directors 

meetings are held on the 

fourth Thursday of every 

month. 

Enjoy all the activities provided 

at HVL and think about 

taking the opportunity to meet 

and make a new HVL friend 

this month. 

Sunday, September 3, 2023 

Upcoming Show: Sunday, October 1, 2023 

Lawrenceburg, Indiana Fairgrounds - US 50 

1 mile west of Exit 16,I-275 (Cincinnati Beltway) 

Admission: $5.00 • 7am - 3pm EDST Rain or Shine (Earlybirds at 6am) 

LawrenceburgAntiqueShow.com • 513-702-2680


YORKVILLE 

& GUILFORD 

By 

Laura 

Keller 

Community 

Correspondent 

yorkville@goBEACONnews.com 

Each year, the North Dearborn 

Conservation Club sends 

incoming sixth- and seventhgrade 

students to Conservation 

Officer Youth Camp, providing 

education and training for 

boating and hunters education. 

This year’s week-long event 

was held at Ross Camp, located 

near Lafayette, IN. Two 

Guilford and Yorkville residents 

were fortunate to attend 

camp: William Daugherty, 

son of Justin and Kristee 

Daugherty, and Jace Lewis, 

son of Josh and Christy 

Lewis. Several other children 

attended from the southeastern 

Indiana area, including Jaxon 

Cox, Michael Becker Chase 

Schutte, Logan Watkins, and 

Max Campbell. 

In a world that may seem 

ruled by technology, electronic 

devices were banned for the 

week, allowing the youth to 

be fully immersed in outdoor 

activities. William Daugherty 

shared that throughout the 

week, he participated in several 

events, including hunters’ 

education classes that included 

gun safety. William learned 

the proper way to handle a 

gun, including when you see 

an animal and are hunting, to 

also observe what is behind 

the animal. Participants went 

O 

ur 

William Daugherty and Jace 

Lewis enjoyed a week at 

Conservation Youth Camp. 

(Photo courtesy of Kristee 

Daughtery) 

to a firing range and shot at 

still targets as well. 

Two days were spent on 

water safety, including learning 

various parts of a boat, 

what the legal alcohol limit is 

to operate a boat, and lowering 

speed when boating in 

the dark (10 miles per hour). 

William also rode in an airboat 

and paddled in a canoe 

in addition to swimming and 

tubing at Raccoon Lake and 

spending a day at Prophetstown 

Water Park. Each child 

took tests and earned his/her 

hunters’ education and boaters’ 

education certificates. 

Best of luck to Dave and 

Susan Schmuelling as they 

relocate from Yorkville to Indianapolis 

to be closer to their 

children and grandchildren. 

Dave, often referred to as 

“Super Dave,” had a doublelung 

transplant several years 

ago. They will be missed! 

If you have any news in 

the Guilford or Yorkville area 

you’d like me to share, please 

contact me at yorkville@ 

goBEACONnews.com. 

Communities 

ST. LEON 

By 

Debbie A. 

Zimmer 

Community 

Correspondent 

stleon@goBEACONnews.com 

The St. Leon Volunteer Fire 

Department wants to give a 

big THANK YOU to everyone 

who helped with our recent 

firemen’s festival. We would 

not be able to have a successful 

event without the help of 

our community members who 

give so willingly of their time 

to help us out. 

Nettie Andres would like 

to thank everyone who sent a 

birthday card on the occasion 

of her ninety-third birthday. 

She enjoyed receiving them. 

Happy retirement to Rob 

Herth! Rob has been with 

UPS for 38.9 years. He loved 

working for UPS, but the time 

has come for him to retire. 

You ask what will he do? He 

says that he will have supper 

made every night! So we 

will wait and see what he gets 

accomplished. Congratulations 

Rob, to the man that bled 

brown. 

St. Joseph American Legion 

Post 464 will be having its 

Oktoberfest on Oct. 6-7. A 

beer garden opens at 5 P.M. 

on Friday with German-style 

food at the lunch stand. Saturday 

festivities begin at 3 P.M. 

with German music and food 

at the lunch stand. The famous 

St. Leon fried chicken dinner 

and smoked pork chop dinner 

begins at 4:30 and will be 

served until 7:30 P.M. The pie 

auction begins at 6:30 P.M. 

Music will delight all from 

7:30-10:30 P.M. 

September Birthdays– 1 

Jake Hoog, 2 Betty Fischer 

and Art Hoog, 3 Lester 

Hornberger, 4 Lucy Klenke 

and Father Jonathan Meyer, 

5 my niece Angie Speckman 

and Michelle Simon, 6 

Landon Wilhelm, my nephew 

Jesse Zimmer who resides in 

Albuquerque, New Mexico, 7 

Scott Becker and Krista Ferry- 

Wilber, 8 Dave Kuhn, 10 

Jessica Wilgenbusch and Julie 

Wilhelm, 11 Shelby Dole and 

Caleb Fischer, 12 my youngest 

daughter Krista Inman, 

13 Lucy Herth and Katelyn 

Whitaker, 15 Avery Bittner, 

Ernie Hoog and Ray Hoog, 

16 Matthew Schuman, Renee 

Kamos and my niece Kaitlyn 

Pelsor, 17 Barb Wuestefeld 

and Marlene Hoog, 18 Ellen 

Bulach, my niece Sara Fox, 

Steve Gramman and Dianne 

Kuhn, 19 Betty Fischer, Amy 

Fox Miller, 20 David Alig, 

21 Brad Dawson, Josie Wolf, 

Brooke Leonard, Roger Fox 

Jr. and my “other daughter” 

Linda Dole, 22 Beth Stenger 

and Megan Franks, 23 Clint 

Hon and Sherri Sterwerf, 

24 my sister-in-law Beverly 

Rob Herth smiling at the 

thought of retirement. 

McQueen, and Jon Hartman, 

26 my nephew Randy Kramer 

and Ashley Gaynor, 27 Lois 

Harris and John Harris, 28 

Irene Ober, Barb Ruwe, my 

brother-in-law Curt McQueen, 

29 Drew Maune, Gloria Hoog, 

Ryan Callahan, Luke Vogelsang 

and Addison Cleary, 30 

Rob Herth. 

Happy September Anniversary 

wishes to Shari and 

Jeff Sterwerf 3, Karen and 

Jim Maune 3, Kim and Jerry 

Callahan 12, Jon and Ginger 

Evans 22, and my sister and 

brother-in-law Beverly and 

Curtis McQueen 27. 

Get in touch with me with 

any news items for the column 

at stleon@goBEACONnews. 

com 

#theplace2play 

Visit Southeast Indiana 

September 2023 

Aug. 5 - Sept. 30 – Art Exhibition in 

Friendship Gallery - Dillsboro Arts Friendship 

Gallery, 12926 Bank Street, Dillsboro, IN. Info: 812- 

907-0504 or www.dillsboroarts.org. 

Sept. 1 - Randy Houser Live - Lawrenceburg 

Event Center, Lawrenceburg, IN. Info & tickets: 

www.hollywoodindiana.com/entertainment 

Sept. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 – Party on the Patio - At 

The Barn Winery - Live Music at 7pm. www. 

atthebarnwinery.com 

Sept. 2 - Holtkamp Wine & Fireworks Festival 

- 3-11pm. 10868 Woliung Road, Sunman, IN. Info: 

513-602-5580 or www.holtkampwinery.com. 

Sept. 2, 16, 23 – Lawrenceburg Speedway – 

Kelsey Chevrolet Sprints, KOI Auto Parts Modifieds, 

Impact Sports Pure Stocks, Bessler’s U Pull & Save 

Hornets. Info: www.lawrenceburgspeedway.com. 

Sept. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 – Lawrenceburg 

Farmer’s Market - 9:00am-1:00pm. Info: 

www.downtownlawrenceburg.com. 

Sept. 3 – Tri-State Antique Market - 

Lawrenceburg Fairgrounds, US 50, Lawrenceburg, 

IN. 6:00am-3:00pm. Info:513-702-2680 or www. 

lawrenceburgantiqueshow.com. 

Sept. 5 - 9 – Archaeology Immersion (18 +) - 

9:00am - 4:00pm. 424 Walnut St. , Lawrenceburg, 

IN. Be an archaeologist for a week! Info: 812-290- 

2966 or www.exploreari.org/events. 

Sept. 6 – River City Classic Car Club Cruise In 

- 5:30pm - 8:30pm. Second Street, Aurora, IN. Info: 

812-221-0205 or 812-614-2644. 

Sept. 7, 8, 9 – The Greenbriar Shop 

Anniversary Sale - 10:00am-6:00pm. 19374 

Collier Ridge Rd., Guilford, IN. Info: 812-487-8008. 

Sept. 8 - Holtkamp Winery - Cystic Fibrosis 

Fundraiser - 6:30-10:00pm. $15 Entry for 18 and 

over. 7-10pm. www.holtkampwinery.com 

Sept. 8, 22 – Lawrenceburg Motorcycle 

Speedway - Dearborn County Fairgrounds, 

Lawrenceburg, IN. Racing @ 7:30pm. 

Sept. 9 - Rock, Fossil, & Artifact ID Session - 

10am-2pm. Free. Bring in your artifacts, rocks and 

fossils and have them identified by a professional. 

Info: 812-290-2966 or www.exploreari.org/events. 

Sept. 9 – Dancing on Main (Country/ 

Line Dancing) - Door opens at 6:30; 7:00- 

10:00pm. COST: $10.00 Location: 228 Second Street, 

Aurora, IN. Info: www.aurora.in.us. 

Sept.10 – Arts and Crafts in the Park 

- 9am-4pm. Corner of US 50 & Park Street, 

Lawrenceburg, IN. Phi Beta Psi, Tau chapter 

continues a tradition of quality, handmade craft 

items and much more. Info: 812-584-6982 or email: 

artscraftsnewtownpark@gmail.com. 

Sept. 12 – Oxbow Program - 7:30-9:00pm - IN 

PERSON only - Registration Required 

Register at: www.secure.lglforms.com/form_ 

engine/s/AEbQ6BA0AGA0Qe4s7iVsqg. Jay Stenger 

presents Hawks of the Tri-State Region. 

Sept. 15 - 18 – Heritage Days - Veterans Walk 

- Dawn to Dusk. Dillsboro Community Park, 9495 

Arlington Road, Dillsboro, IN. Info: 812-432-5648 or 

www.dillsboro.in/vetwalk. 

Sept. 16 – Layers of Time - ARI - 10:00am- 

4:00pm, 424 Walnut Street, Lawrenceburg, IN. 

Come & learn all about stratigraphy with our 

archaeologists. www.exploreari.org/events 

Sept. 16 – Main Street Aurora Morning 

Business District Architectural Walking Tour 

- 10:00am - Meet at Spire Book & Coffee, 308 Third 

Street, Aurora, IN. Info: 812-926-1100. 

Sept. 16 – Lawrenceburg Speedway - Saturday 

Night of Champions/Final Points Race. Info: www. 

lawrenceburgspeedway.com. 

Sept. 16, 17 – Dillsboro Heritage Days - 

Dilsboro, IN. Antiques, crafts, car show, and a 

softball Skirt Game. Info: www.dillsboro.in. 

Sept. 17, 30 – Holtkamp Winery - Live Music 

- 3-6pm. 10868 Woliung Road, Sunman, IN. Info: 

513-602-5580 or www.holtkampwinery.com. 

Sept 21 – Youth Archaeology Club - 4:30- 

6:30pm - Open to all students grades 6-8. Learn 

about different aspects of archaeology with 

real archaeologists! Register at ExploreARI.org. 

Location: 424 Walnut Street, Lawrenceburg, IN. 

Sept. 22 & 23 – Lawrenceburg Fall Music 

Fest - Lawrenceburg Civic Park. Beer garden, food 

trucks, car show, and live music including Rachel 

Holt, the Michelle Robinson Band, Blown Away, and 

HUNTERGIRL. Info: www.thinklawrenceburg.com. 

Sept. 23 - Ceramics - ARI - 10:00am-4:00pm. 

Location: 424 Walnut St., Lawrenceburg, IN. Learn 

about ancient pottery. www.exploreari.org/events 

September 23 & 24 – Great Outdoor 

Weekend - tour hours TBD. 17278 Reardon Drive, 

Lawrenceburg, IN. Info: 812-290-2941 or www. 

oxbowinc.org. 

Sept. 23 – Dearborn County Historical 

Society presents Pioneer Day - 10am- 

2pm. Angevine Cabin, 461 West High Street, 

Lawrenceburg, IN. Family free event! 

Sept. 29 - Hillforest American Bandstand - 

Stroll right over to the nostaligic Clayton Batchelor 

Pavilion, 233 City Park Circle, for a fun evening of 

dinner, and dancing. Info: 812-926-0087. 

Sept. 30 – ARI Extravaganza - 10:00am 

- 4:00pm. 424 Walnut Street, Lawrenceburg, 

IN. Travel through time with several different 

experiences at ARI. www.exploreari.org/events 

Sept. 30 - Oct. 1 – Casey’s Autumn Fest 

- 9:00am-5:00pm. 21481 State Line Road, 

Lawrenceburg, IN. Outdoor fall craft show. Info: 

812-537-3800 or www.caseyoutdoor.com. 

Dearborn County 

Convention, Visitor and Tourism 

320 Walnut St. • Lawrenceburg, IN 47025 • 800-322-8198 

www.VisitSoutheastIndiana.com 



BATESVILLE 

By 

Sue 

Siefert 

Community 

Correspondent 

batesville@goBEACONnews.com 

This month I deviated from 

my regular news-sharing 

column to address a community 

concern. While I do not 

claim to have an answer to the 

concern, that doesn’t stop my 

rambling mind from sharing 

random thoughts. I hope you 

share my sense of humor … 

I was shopping at our big 

box grocer when I overheard 

someone comment, “Why did 

they move everything around? 

How are we supposed to find 

what we need?” I’ve heard 

similar comments since the 

store’s renovation began, but 

on this occasion – the comment 

caused a flashback to 

a time when I was with my 

Grandma Prickel and the 

“Huckster” stopped at her 

farm. 

Grandma had a short 

grocery list because she 

and Grandpa had a plentiful 

garden and raised dairy 

cows, hogs, and chickens … 

she just needed sugar, flour, 

coffee, and an occasional 

can of peas. Grandma gave 

the Huckster her list along 

with a basket of eggs which 

he counted, determined their 

worth, and deducted that 

amount from the bill. He 

gathered the items, placed 

them in the egg basket, 

and chatted about the latest 

gossip while Grandma paid 

the balance due and the 

Huckster was off to the next 

farm. 

O 

ur 

It was a simpler time of 

excellent customer service 

and fairly reliable “news sharing” 

… but I never understood 

why Grandma bought 

the peas because – they were 

awful! I guess the peas in her 

garden hadn’t produced – so 

she bought some of the Mission 

brand canned peas … 

which were almost the size of 

marbles. Who knows why I 

still recall the brand over fifty 

years later! 

Our Mama bought “Freshlike” 

canned peas which were 

tolerable, although I question 

the validity of using the 

term “fresh” when describing 

anything in a can. In the 70s 

Mama switched to frozen peas 

when layered salads were the 

rage … oh what a delicacy! 

But I digress. 

I share my pea flashback 

to remind us that when times 

were simpler, pea selection 

was limited to the Mission 

brand. Today we have fresh 

peas, pea pods, spring peas, 

frozen peas, dried peas, blackeyed 

peas, and yes … canned 

peas all of which can be found 

on shelves, in the produce 

section, and in the freezer, yet 

we still complain because we 

must “find them”. 

While peas are not among 

the most requested veggies, I 

recall a song written by John 

Lennon and Yoko Ono that 

sums it up: “All we are saying 

--- is give peas a chance!” 

So, when you are shopping 

… take the time to “find 

the peas” … being blessed 

with an abundance of variety 

comes at a cost! 

For those of you who pay 

to use a personal shopper … 

you’re missing the thrill of the 

hunt! 

That’s Sue’s news for now! 

Communities 

LOGAN 

By 

Susan 

Carson 

Community 

Correspondent 

logan@goBEACONnews.com 

One of the most wonderful 

people I have ever known. 

How can you say enough 

about someone who lived 101 

years? I’m at a loss for words. 

But here goes: 

On July 4th, we said goodbye 

to a most wonderful lady 

and a pillar of our community, 

Thelma Jean (nee White) 

Stutz. For most of us in Logan, 

she was known as the School 

Secretary, but she was so much 

more. Thelma was born June 

1, 1922, to Edna (nee Hines) 

and Lester White. They lived 

in a house on White’s Hill 

Road (named after her family) 

a mile or so north of the 

Logan corner. Thelma was the 

oldest of three, having a sister 

Elsie Donawerth and a brother 

Ernest White. Thelma told the 

story of riding her pony Trixie 

up the hill to where she could 

catch the school bus. Only after 

putting the pony in a nearby 

barn, feeding and watering it, 

was she able to board the bus. 

She was a 1939 graduate of 

Bright High School. 

Thelma married Vernon 

Albert Stutz on Dec. 30, 1942. 

They were blessed with three 

children, Dennis, Barbara, and 

Donald. While Vernon was in 

the Army, she traveled with him 

around the country to the Army 

bases where he was stationed. 

During their lifetime together, 

they lived in three houses. ALL 

on North Dearborn Road. The 

first was the farthest away from 

the Logan corner. They ran a 

General Store there and lived 

upstairs. The store was one of 

the first places to have a black 

& white TV. People would 

come into the store just to look 

at the TV. Then they moved to 

a house at the four-way stop 

and finally in 1953, they bought 

land in Logan from the family 

and built the red brick house 

that sits between the church and 

her parents’ house. In the ‘60s 

and ‘70s, Thelma and Vernon 

put in a lot of miles driving 

us kids to ball games, band 

practices, and performances 

(including the Indy 500), Youth 

group meetings, and church 

camp, just to mention a few. 

Vernon ran the time clock at all 

our home basketball games and 

was a line official measuring 

the downs on the chain crew 

at football games for years. He 

was inducted into the North 

Dearborn Athletic Hall of Fame 

in 2019. 

Thelma Jean was the first 

Secretary at North Dearborn 

High School (1959-1973). She 

pretty much ran the place. She 

was everybody’s secretary! 

From making copies of things, 

typing correspondences, 

answering the phone, collecting 

money for different groups 

and activities, and doing the 

financial books...she did it all. 

If you went up to her desk in 

the Office, you would always 

be greeted with a smile and 

a “Well kid, how ya doin’?” 

She was always so nice to 

people and made time to talk 

with you. According to Jim 

Helms, a life-long friend of 

the Stutz’s, local historian, 

entertainer, and educator, she 

Thelma and Vernon Stutz 

probably ended up taking paperwork 

home with her, just to 

get it done. When East Central 

opened in the Fall of 1973, 

Thelma made the transition 

there. In 1983, Jim Helms accepted 

the offer to become the 

Principal at East Central High 

School and Thelma became 

the Secretary to the Principal. 

She retired in 1985 from 

school service. Thelma was 

also very active at Dearborn 

Hills United Methodist Church 

(previously Logan UMC), 

where she was a member. She 

helped start the Old Friends 

and Bright Beginnings Senior 

Luncheons with Lois Gellert. 

She was also a Notary Public 

and in 1971 was selected as 

one of the Cincinnati Enquirer’s 

Women of the Year. 

This year, as her 101st birthday 

approached, she had two 

goals she wanted to reach: 

1. Make it to her 101st 

birthday (June 1) and 

2. Make it to her Bright High 

School class Reunion (June 3) 

In a conversation I had with 

Denny Stutz on Sunday morning 

July 2, we were talking 

about “Now that she has passed 

those two events, what was 

next?” On the morning of the 

Fourth of July, we found out... 

Denny said, “ She always 

wanted to go out with a BANG!” 

DOG DAYS OF SUMMER 

BRINGS TIME TO READ 

IT’S NOT HOARDING, IF IT’S BOOKS 

101 N Walnut, Batesville, IN | 812 934 5800 

Hours: Closed Sun-Mon Tues-Fri 11-5 

Sat 11-2 by chance, please call 

Over 250,000 used books on hand for trade or ½ Price 

Used books are now accepted in limited quantities 

Your Local Independent Booksellers since 1980 Chris & Ken Fairchild 

The funeral procession included one hundred fourteen vehicles 

and spanned for miles. 

DOVER 

By 

Rhonda 

Trabel 

Community 

Correspondent 

Tom Klump’s beloved personal 

truck carried him from 

Dover to St. Paul Church. 

dover@goBEACONnews.com 

We recently saw another 

performance by the ECHS 

Drama Club. Beauty and 

the Beast was playing with 

over one hundred twenty cast 

members participating. I don’t 

know how they do it, but the 

performance was awesome 

yet again. The show was 

directed by Kari Zengerling, 

and the music was directed by 

Donna Tanner and Megan 

Brooks. Assistant directors 

were Dustin Miller and Erin 

McKinney. Great performance 

by all! 

Condolences to the family 

of Tom Klump of New Alsace 

who passed away unexpectedly 

on July 4. He was honored 

with a huge parade of semitrailer 

trucks and construction 

equipment from Andres- 

Wuestefeld Funeral Home in 

Dover to St. Paul Church in 

New Alsace. I was told that 

one hundred fourteen trucks 

participated. The procession 

lasted about thirty minutes. 

What a wonderful tribute to 

Tom and his family. Along 

with being a friendly person, 

he was also a hard worker 

and a good businessman. He 

impressed a lot of people 

throughout his lifetime. He 

will be deeply missed not 

only by his wife Kathy but 

also by his children, grandchildren, 

many other relatives, 

and friends throughout the 

Belle was played by Sami 

Clark. 

Playing the frog jump game 

is my granddaughter Rowen 

Trabel. 

community. One more really 

amazing thing was when 

the parade started in Dover 

there was a very loud clap of 

thunder which many people 

said was him going out with a 

bang and I really think he did! 

Rest In Peace, Tom. 

The Summer Festivals have 

started, and one of the first 

was here in Dover at St John’s 

Campus, part of All Saints 

Parish. Plenty of food, games, 

and entertainment were held 

on both days. The chicken 

was phenomenal as always! 

By the time you will be 


The Beast played by Alden 

Hipsky. 

Diana Middendorf of All 

Saints Parish at the Summer 

festival at St. John’s campus. 

reading this, the kids will be 

back in school and fall will be 

just around the corner. Enjoy 

this time before it slips away 

from you and the fun of winter 

is upon us. 

If you have any Dover 

news you would like to share, 

please email me at dover @ 

goBEACONnews.com.


SUNMAN 

By 

Cheryl 

Taylor 

Community 

Correspondent 

sunman@goBEACONnews.com 

The Town of Sunman has 

been awarded a $500,000 

READI grant, funded by 

the State of Indiana, for 

improvements in sewer 

infrastructure. These grants 

were very competitive and we 

are so grateful to have been 

named in this round. Funded 

projects focused on talent and 

economic growth across six 

counties in Southeast Indiana. 

Town staff relied heavily on the 

support of the Ripley County 

Economic Development and 

Southeast Indiana Regional 

Planning Commission 

throughout the process. 

The Ripley County Election 

Division has picked a date 

for the upcoming Town 

Convention of Sunman. The 

convention will be held at the 

Sunman American Legion on 

Aug. 12 at 10:00 A.M. Yes, 

it’s on a Saturday morning! 

The event is being held to 

determine the three Sunman 

Town Council members and 

Sunman Clerk-Treasurer. 

The convention is necessary 

because no candidates from 

the Democratic party came 

forward on the ballot. Nancy 

OLDENBURG 

By 

Sue 

Siefert 

Community 

Correspondent 

oldenburg@goBEACONnews.com 

Sister Jubilees 

A mass of celebration was 

offered in July for eight Oldenburg 

Franciscan Sisters 

who marked a significant 

milestone in their religious 

life. Just as a married couple 

would celebrate an anniversary, 

Sisters in religious life 

celebrate their jubilee anniversaries 

of consecrated 

membership in their Community. 

Religious take vows 

of chastity, poverty, and 

obedience, and their jubilee 

is an occasion for celebrating 

God’s faithfulness in helping 

them live these vows. 

Jubilarians included: 80 

Years – Sister Patty Campbell; 

75 Years – Sisters Marie 

Cecile DiTullio and Jean 

Michael Sauntry; 60 Years – 

Sisters Jan Kroeger, Elaine 

Merkel, Diane Mersch, and 

Jackie McCracken, and 

celebrating 40 Years – Sister 

Marge Wissman. 

Those wishing to send a 

congratulatory note to any of 

the Sisters may mail it addressed 

to the Sister’s name at 

PO Box 100, Oldenburg, IN 

47036. 

Congratulations, good and 

faithful servants! 

Oldenburg’s Summer Bash 

Thanks to the dedicated 

efforts of brothers Dan and 

Steve Kerker and their team 

of volunteers, hundreds of 

visitors lined the village 

streets to enjoy the first 

“Summer Bash Parade” in 

June. The event was filled 

with food, fun, and friends 

in the ’Burg complete with 

the Eagle Fire Company’s 

fried chicken and live entertainment. 

Here’s a toast to 

making this an annual Village 

Bash! 

Thousands gather for 

Freudenfest! 

The ’Burg’s German festival 

of fun drew thousands 

from foreign countries and 

O 

ur 

most midwestern states as the 

Village People opened their 

arms to welcome one and all 

to “German with Us!” Friday’s 

humidity nor Saturday’s 

intermittent showers dampened 

festers’ spirits as the fun 

and entertainment filled the 

air and German beverages 

filled steins. 

Lederhosen and dirndls 

were the day’s fashion as 

young and old celebrated at 

Indiana’s “biggest little German 

festival!” 

Event coordinator Mike 

Wilhelm reported record 

souvenir sales and long lines 

as festers sought their favorite 

German food and beverages. 

The Village Store staff created 

a new “Freudenfest Sausage” 

while additional food booths 

and trucks offered a vast 

assortment of German and 

American favs. 

On a personal note … 

remember those Sauerkraut 

Balls that I helped to roll and 

wrote about in a previous 

column? Well, I made sure to 

arrive before they sold out, 

and believe me, they were the 

bomb! 

I dipped mine in Mike 

Moeller’s sweet and spicy 

Communities 

Gary Norman (Ripley Co Economic Development), Mary Mc- 

Carty (SIRPC), Carol Eckstein (Sunman Town Board), Cheryl 

Taylor (Sunman Clerk-Treasurer), Perry Cassidy (Sunman 

Utilities). 

Dobson and Cheryl Taylor 

are on the ballot for Clerk- 

Treasurer. Carol Eckstein, 

Donald Foley, Dave Laine, 

and Randall Zins are the 

four candidates competing 

for three Town Council seats. 

Participating voters must be at 

the Sunman American Legion 

by 10:00 a.m. to place their 

vote on August 12. Anyone 

with questions should contact 

the Ripley County Election 

Division at 912-689-4783. 

Big dreams are slowly 

becoming a reality for lots of 

families who love to spend 

their time outdoors and 

specifically in the park. The 

Sunman Community Park 

Board concentrated over the 

last few years on trying to 

make the park safer, more 

inclusive, and more modern. 

The old railroad ties and pea 

gravel were replaced with 

over six inches of rubber 

mulch and a new fun-timber 

Lederhosen and beer combined for great storytelling. 

Summer Bash planners Dan 

and Steve Kerker. 

Sunman Community Park 

Playground 

border. A new swing set was 

installed with six swings, two 

of them for toddlers. A new 

sidewalk was installed along 

with a wheel-chair ramp for 

a safer step-less entry. Two 

new benches were installed 

with four more on their way. 

All three pavilion concrete 

slabs were repaired and the 

drainage issues were tiled 

and resolved. Free Wifi too! 

What would you like to see in 

the park next? I would like to 

pass along your suggestions. 

Email me at sunman@ 


One of over 100 entries in 

the Summer Bash Parade. 

mustard … heaven on earth – 

but then again, they don’t call 

it the Holy City for nothing! 

Prost– to all the dedicated 

volunteers who bring the fest 

to life! 

Das ist alles von der ’Burg! 

BRATER - WINTER 

FUNERAL HOMES 

 

 

Driving in the parade was Rick Graver, Debbie’s hubby; 

Debbie in the wagon, son, Kyle walking behind the adorable 

granddaughter (miniature farmer) in charge. 

DILLSBORO 

By 

Lorene 

Westmeier 

Community 

Correspondent 

dillsboro@goBEACONnews.com 

We are happy to announce 

the Town Of Dillsboro has 

a new police officer. When 

Kevin Turner went from the 

town officer to being Town 

Manager, Dillsboro town 

needed to hire someone to fill 

his position. Ashley Brown 

was hired to be the new police 

officer. Ashley was in the 

US Military and served one 

term in Iraq and two terms in 

Afghanistan. She moved from 

Cincinnati to Brookville and 

worked as Dispatch Clerk for 

Franklin County. She then 

went to Lawrenceburg Dispatch 

and was a Resource Officer 

for Lawrenceburg School 

System as well. Officer Brown 

now works for the town of 

Dillsboro and enjoys it. We 

wish her well and welcome 

her to our police department 

along with Josh Cady. 

Congratulations to Jay 

and Melissa Walston, the 

Senior King and Queen of 

the Festival. Huxton Higgins 

and his frog Morio were 

crowned champion of the 

2023 Frog Jumping Contest. 

The best-dressed frog belongs 

to Francine Wismonn. 

Charlie Caldwell was named 

Outstanding Citizen of the 

Year, and Bruce Murray 

was Grand Marshall of the 

Parade, Firefighter of the Year 

was Captain Kevin Turner. 

Police Officer of the Year 

was Detective Gena Allen 

from Dearborn County. Junior 

King and Queen were Cael 

McKeever and Karleigh 

Oles, and Prince and Princess 

were Hunter Oak and Kora 

Kitchell. 

A 1944 John Deere tractor 

was sighted in the recent 

Dillsboro Homecoming 

Parade. The owner is Debbie 

Stevens Graver, and it was 

entered in honor of her late father, 

Earl II Pete II Stevens, a 

Officer Brown enjoyed our 

Homecoming Festival and is 

pictured above with one of 

the “Friskey Frogs.” 

lifelong resident of Dillsboro, 

Pete purchased the John 

Deere in 1950 (before his 

daughter Debbie was even 

born). In the following years, 

Pete and the tractor could be 

found working in tobacco 

fields owned by the Stevens 

brothers. 

When Debbie was able to 

reach the pedals, she was 

spotted driving the John 

Deere, or riding the tobacco 

setter positioning fledgling 

plants in the soil. These activities 

halted in her teens, as 

her social schedule filled with 

non-related events. 

In the many years that have 

since passed, the tractor was 

still being used. However, approximately 

fifteen to twenty 

years ago, the tractor was 

garaged and put into “retirement 

status”. 

Ownership passed to daughter 

Debbie upon her father’s 

death in 2017. In the past 

year, 1944 has been located 

in Lima, OH, being fully 

restored in the vibrant green/ 

yellow John Deere colors. 

And, now it is “Back Home 

Again in Indiana. 

Driving in the parade 

was Rick Graver, Debbie’s 

hubby; Debbie; accompanied 

by their son, Kyle, and his 

family. 

Music on the Porch- Sept. 

8, 6-8 P.M. 

Open “Call to Artists” Exhibition- 

Oct. 7-Nov. 25 

A reception will be held on 

Friday, Oct. 13, 6-8 P.M. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



AURORA 

By 

Randy 

Turner 

Community 

Correspondent 

aurora@goBEACONnews.com 

Hello Beacon readers, 

What a great summer 

despite the smoke from 

Canada and the rain that is 

hit-and-miss. We have been 

very lucky in Aurora with our 

events. Music and fireworks 

continued filling our air, even 

with some unforeseen showers. 

Normally in a Cemetery, 

we hear bagpipes and taps for 

our veterans, but guitars were 

gracing our ears, in a “Tribute 

to Lonnie Mack.” He came to 

our cemetery with very little 

fanfare, and Board Member 

David Hizer has always 

voiced the desire to show 

some recognition of this great 

guitar player. When fellow 

Board Member Patrick Meyer 

heard this idea, he took off 

at full speed. Tracking down 

fellow musicians, friends, and 

family, planning a great day 

at River View Cemetery. A 

crowd gathered on the chapel 

roadway just above Lonnie’s 

resting spot. 

Comments and stories were 

told by Bob Hudson, Nick 

Ullrich, Lonnie’s cousin 

Denny Sizemore, followed 

by Steve Pratt warming the 

crowd on his guitar. Steve’s 

mother is Lonnie’s sister. 

The highlight was Holly 

Mack, Lonnie’s daughter, 

and Sonny Moorman showing 

up with his “Flying V, 

Ole #7” guitar, Lonnie’s main 

love in life. Sonny played and 

also shared the V with Steve 

Pratt- it was just a fantastic 

sound that echoed through the 

River View Cemetery. Jimmie 

Thomas arrived with 

the rain and did not play, 

but he warmed the crowd 

having moved up under the 

chapel roof where the stories, 

hugs, and laughter continued. 

Again, THANK YOU Patrick 

Meyer for this epic day. 

Angels were also singing on 

behalf of River View Cemetery 

at the Hidden Valley 

Lake Memorial Concert/ 

Picnic on May 28. Each year 

the proceeds from this event 

are donated to an organization 

in need of financial support. 

Andy Dipuccio contacted 

Debbie Fehling of the River 

View Board to share that 

River View had been chosen 

as this year’s beneficiary. 

Andy had taken the walking 

tour of the cemetery, conducted 

by Jim Waldon. He 

realized it was an area in need 

of help. In prior years, donations 

were made to We Care 

Packages which was founded 

by Kathy Prarat. This year’s 

event must have been a huge 

success as a very generous 

donation of $4155 was made 

to River View. The gift could 

not have come at a better 

time as the cemetery is being 

hit by bills for tree removal 

totaling $11,000, the replacement 

of two garage roofs at 

$24,000, and the replacement 

of a mower for $9,000. 

The Cemetery Board is very 

appreciative of the “Angels” 

from Hidden Valley Lake, and 

a big THANK YOU to Andy 

Dipuccio for taking their 

walking tour! 

Light Up Aurora Day was 

another great day, followed 

by a fantastic fireworks show. 

Big THANKS to Main Street 

Aurora and the City for this 

continued tradition. One of 

the best fireworks shows- the 

barge was straight out from 

Second Street resulting in 

great views. 

Another tradition was the 

reopening of community talks 

at the Depot. Olivia Bowers 

had guest Christopher Nelson 

share his book on ”C.R. 

Patterson and the Automobile.” 

Mr. Patterson was one 

of the first pioneers as a black 

businessman at the turn of the 

century. His company made 

buggies, then cars, followed 

by school buses. One of his 

sons was the first black player 

on The Ohio State football 

team. The night was very 

interesting. Thanks, Olivia. 

Another event that I must 

brag about, my granddaughters 

Katie and Molly were 

in the “Voices of Broadway” 

production of “The Wizard of 

Oz.” This fantastic event involved 

a cast of forty young 

kids in all phases of the show. 

Acting, making props, and 

doing scene changes during 

the play. Under the direction 

of Maryne Conner, Susan 

Herrick, and Marisa Larson 

three shows were performed. 

Taci Hughes as Dorothy, 

and Xander Pittenger as the 

Aurora Events 

Southeastern Indiana Art Guild 

Annual Regional Art & Photography Exhibit 

Continues through Saturday August 19 

Monday Saturday 1 6pm * Sunday 1 4pm 

302 Second Street 

City Wide Yard Sale and 

Business Sidewalk Sale 

Thursday – Saturday, August 17 19, 9am 2pm 

Gabbard Riverfront Park & throughout the city 

Get Wine(d) and Dine(d) in Downtown Aurora 

Friday, August 18, 5 9pm 

Pickup walk card at Main Street Aurora Office, 231 Main 

Aurora Lions Club Hoxworth Blood Drive 

Wednesday, August 23, noon 6pm 

228 Second Street * 513.451.0910 

Aurora Historic District Churches 

Walking Tour 

Thursday August 24, 6:30pm 

Meet at 231 Main Street 

O 

ur 

403 Walnut St • Lawrenceburg, IN 47025 

(812) 537-2020 • lawrenceburgeyecenter.com 

Communities 

Play Music on the Porch Day 

Saturday, August 26th 

11:00am 7:00pm 

Downtown Aurora 

River City Classic Car Club Cruise In 

Wednesday, September 6, 5:30 8:30pm 

200 block of Second St. 

(Judiciary to Main Sts.) 

Patriot Day Celebration 

Aurora Churches Association 

Saturday, September 9, Noon 2pm 

Gabbard Riverfront Park 

Coffee & Business District 

Architectural Walking Tour 

Saturday, September 16, 10:00am 

Reservations Required 812.926.1100 

 

 

Working to make a difference! 


Sonny Moorman, Holly Mack, and her Uncle Leroy Adams. 

Scarecrow gave outstanding 

performances. My favorite 

was Claire Ferraris as the 

Wicked Witch. I thought I 

would fall out of my seat 

over her wicked laugh! My 

THANKS to all that participated 

in this show. Your hard 

work was a joy to experience! 

I am ready for another. 

My editor beat me to 

the punch, as she added a 

note on Donnie Hastings’ 

retirement as a Dearborn 

County dispatcher. After 

twenty years with him as a 

Councilman and Mayor, our 

friendship was kind of like 

marriage- not all smiles and 

giggles, as we did not always 

agree. I have to be nice as 

he is a distant cousin, and 

he played football for me in 

Junior High (inset Randy’s 

impish grin here.) Donnie 

started his EMT career in 

high school. He was in class 

with my wife Lisa. She was 

pregnant during their senior 

year. Donnie would come 

rub her belly every day, saying, 

“I am ready to deliver 

this baby!” He did not get 

to, but I’m sure he got to do 

a few deliveries on squad 

duty. We need to THANK all 

those who give so much to 

our community, like Donnie. 

Your chance will be on 

Sept. 9, from noon to 2 P.M. 

at Gabbard Riverfront Park. 

The Aurora Churches Association 

is hosting a PATRIOT 

DAY event to honor all frontline 

First Responders. EMS, 

Fire, Police, Street, County 

911, Emergency Management, 

the Sheriff’s Department, 

and Water Rescue. St. 

Elizabeth workers are asked 

to attend. We need to show 

our gratitude to these fine 

individuals. Be there! 

In closing, I want to remind 

everyone that “Back to 

School’’ sales are going on 

at Goldsmith’s, Chrisman’s 

Clothing, Tandy’s Clothing, 

and Neff’s Shoe store! Do you 

remember these? 

MANCHESTER 

By 

Lisa 

West 

Community 

Correspondent 

manchester@goBEACONnews.com 

Manchester correspondent 

Lisa West will be back next 

month. If you have Manchester 

news to share, please email 

Lisa at manchester@go 

BEACONnews.com


LAWRENCEBURG 

By 

Debbie 

Acasio 

Community 

Correspondent 

lawrenceburg@goBEACONnews.com 

Let’s talk zucchini. Each 

year my brother shakes his 

head as I plant these precious 

seeds in my garden. He asks 

“Why do you plant them? 

They are a dime a dozen in 

July and August!” He knows 

I will neglect to pick them 

until they are the size of small 

dinosaurs. And let’s not get 

me started on what a mess 

my kitchen is after making 

zucchini bread, zucchini cake, 

and zucchini carrot muffins! 

Luckily my cousin found a 

solution. Her African Sulcata 

tortoises Pearl and Hendrix 

love zucchini. So when fortypound, 

curious Pearl is not 

escaping to Arch Street Park, 

she can be found happily 

munching on my homegrown 

zucchini in her backyard. 

Problem solved! (FYI-don’t 

forget to lock your car or you 

might just find an extra zucchini 

discreetly deposited in 

there.) 

Did you know that Lawrenceburg 

was overrun by 

hippies a few weeks ago? 

What a fun night seeing 

young and old rocking to the 

music of the ‘60s as Woodstock 

was again celebrated in 

the Lawrenceburg City Park 

during Music on The River. 

Don’t miss the fun every 

Thursday evening as a new 

band arrives in town. 

Congratulations to Susan 

Herrick, Maryne Conner, 

and Marisa Larson for their 

stellar guidance to the young 

actors and singers who put on 

the amazing performance of 

The Wizard of Oz recently. 

If you have never seen one 

of the performances by the 

Voices of Indiana or the 

MILAN 

By 

Sialia 

Swainson 

Community 

Correspondent 

e 

milan@goBEACONnews.com 

Before we turn our thoughts 

to the start of the new school 

year, I’d like to congratulate 

the Milan Robotics program 

on its success this past 

spring. Robotics clubs create 

a system of STEM-focused 

programs in which teams of 

students compete against each 

other, designing and building 

a robot that will play in a 

game-based challenge. 

Through a series of local 

competitions, two teams 

from Milan earned the right 

to compete at Worlds held 

in Dallas, TX in early May. 

The elementary team was 

comprised of Liam Grove, 

Hunter Hartman, Makenna 

Hartman, Conor Hileman, 

Nickalous Kunder, and Kyle 

Zacharias. 

The middle school team 

included Logan Bruns, Jesse 

Hampton, Kaitlynn Hicks, 

and Mallory Hunter. Both 

teams are coached by Brandy 

Hicks, a STEM teacher at 

Milan schools. 

A total of thirty students, 

the coach, parents, and family 

members made the trip to 

Dallas and are grateful to the 

many sponsors who donated 

to make the trip a reality. 

Thanks for representing our 

community well! 

Seeing the town in its red, 

white, and blue finest is 

always nice. It was decked 

out when the Milan Lions 

O 

ur 

Voices of Broadway, you are 

missing out. The lead character, 

Dorothy, was played 

by Taci Hughes a senior at 

South Dearborn High School. 

Talented Claire Ferraris, a 

graduate of Lawrenceburg 

High School, stole the show 

with her rendition of the 

wicked witch. Congratulations 

to Xander Pittenger, 

Alden Hipsky, and Ryhanna 

Communities 

Phil Henschen, with sister Eleanor Reeves of Florida, nephew 

Mark Linkmeyer of Oregon, and wife Roz Henschen after 

the wedding of Meghan and Mike Martini. 

Cutie Lucas Pruitt, son of 

Jayna Kohorst and Travis 

Pruitt, cheering on his sister 

at the girls’ softball game. 

Elise Bostick daughter of 

Nani Schwier with the wicked 

witch Claire Ferraris. 

Taci Hughes, Ryhanna Salter, Xander Pittenger, and Alden 

Hipsky in the performance of The Wizard of Oz. 

Salter for their roles of the 

scarecrow, tin man and cowardly 

lion. 

Are you missing out on the 

free zucchini? Try the Farmer’s 

Market each Saturday in 

downtown Lawrenceburg! I 

guarantee you will find one to 

purchase. From baked goods 

to jewelry to honey to veggies… 

they have it all at the 

market. 

The Milan Robotics team competed in Dallas, TX. 

hosted the July 4 parade in 

town. Lots of entries represented 

many of the great 

organizations in the area. 

The crowd is always delighted 

by the Shriners’ antics 

on their funny bikes. After 

the parade, a chicken dinner 

was served at the MVFD. 

Of course later that night a 

SPECTACULAR fireworks 

show at the park at dusk. All 

who contributed to a great 

holiday are to be commended 

for their hard work and 

dedication. 

Ripley Crossing will hold 

its 9th annual Classic Car 

Cruise-In on Sept. 16. It’s 

a day of fun with vintage 

vehicles, live music, local 

crafts, chicken dinners, and 

raffles. If you are interested in 

showing off your car or truck, 

you can register on the day of 

the event. Vendors interested 

in participating can call 812- 

654-2231 for more information. 

Proceeds go toward 

Alzheimer’s research. 

Hard to believe that school 

will be back in session in a 

few short weeks. 

Remember to watch out for 

buses on the roads and to slow 

down when driving through 

school zones. If you have 

news to share please contact 

me at milan@goBEACON 

news.com 

Howard Excavating, Inc. 

Ryan Howard 

812-584-4923 / 812-532-0864 

indianahowards@comcast.net 

Locally Owned & Operated Since 2005 

Commercial - Residential – Industrial 

Utility Line Installation & Repairs 

(storm, water, sewer) 

Dearborn County Registered Septic Installer 

Excavation & Grading 

Trucking & Hauling 

Land Clearing (tree and brush removal) 

Concrete Flatwork 

Demolition 

www.goBEACONnews.com 

Great news for great people! 

Nora Fehr, daughter of Holly 

Fehr with the singer from 

Magic Bus, a Woodstock 

band. 

Escapee Tortoise Pearl 

at Arch Street Park being 

guarded by Layne Chase of 

Greendale and Tate, Alaina, 

and Tucker of Lawrenceburg 

until the owner was able to 

chase Pearl back home. 

Casey Rayls of Rising Sun 

in hippy garb at Music on the 

River. 

Kris Hicks and John Smart 

at the Magic bus merchandise 

booth. 

Chuck, Roger & Susan Johnson 

Serving the Tri-State and Beyond 

Your full-service company! 

Taking care of your items with care, 

honesty, and ethically. 

**Call for an Appointment Today** 

JohnsonSells4You.com 

(812) 576-0157 or (513) 403-6734 

Licensed in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio 

Live Auctions, Online Auctions, USPAP Appraisals 



O 

ur 

Communities 

Grand Marshal, the first 

mayor of Harrison, 91-yearold 

Archie Mason. (Photo 

courtesy of Tonya Mason) 

HARRISON 

By 

Amanda 

Kirchner 

Community 

Correspondent 

harrison@goBEACONnews.com 

Harrison’s 2023 annual 4th 

of July parade was spectacular 

this year. Over forty entries 

marched or rode in the parade 

that represented Harrison 

schools, businesses, and 

organizations. 

This year we had a legend 

of Harrison’s history leading 

the parade. Harrison Ohio’s 

first mayor, ninety-one-yearold 

Archie Mason was the 

Grand Marshal. 

Harrison Recreation Commission’s choice for best parade 

entry: John Fischer, his son, Dallas, Justin Lillis, along with 

the driver of Monster Truck Caged Rage, Jason Lillis. 

The District area of downtown Harrison, OH on Harrison 

Avenue during the parade decorated with a large American 

flag. 

After the parade, the party 

continued at the Community 

Center. Attendees enjoyed a 

corn hole tournament, live 

music, food, and beverages 

during the day. At dusk, the 

real show everyone had been 

waiting for started. Fireworks 

lit up the sky in an awesome 

display. Lots of ooohs and 

ahhhs from all ages could 

be heard, especially during 

the finale! A huge thank you 

to the Harrison Recreation 

Committee and volunteers for 

another wonderful event. 

Steve Carter, Kevin Thomasson, Derek Stevens, Misty Russell. 

MOORES HILL 

By 

Barbara 

Wetzler 

Community 

Correspondent 

mooreshill@goBEACONnews.com 

Congratulations to Steve 

Carter, Derek Stevens, and 

Misty Russell. All three were 

honored by the American 

Legion for their professional 

contributions to the community. 

Moores Hill Legion 

member Kevin Thomasson 

nominated them for the District 

9 recognitions. 

Steve Carter was chosen 

as the Firefighter of the Year. 

Derek Stevens was voted the 

Police Officer of the Year, and 

Misty Russell was recognized 

as the EMS Person of the Year. 

The District 9 award 

winners were invited to the 

American Legion Department 

of Indiana Annual Convention 

to represent District 9, along 

with the other ten districts in 

the state of Indiana. The District 

winners were all in the 

running to be selected as the 

state winner of the year. 

Misty Russell received the 

State EMS Person of the Year 

award, stating “It was a very 

cool experience to be nominated 

with two fellow firefighters 

and EMTs from Moores 

Hill and then all be selected 

as the District winners. We 

were asked to put together an 

autobiography that included 

our service history and our 

acts of community service and 

acts of heroism and then the 

Legion had a review panel that 

selected the winners - I also 

won the state level award. You 

don’t do this kind of work for 

the recognition- but it truly 

has been an honor!” 

Wishing a speedy recovery 

to Tom Allen and Flo Hill. 

Thanks to all those who 

make Moores Hill a great 

place to live! 

S ALUTE 

Mike Buettner, Tim Kieffer, Kim Hitzges, Steve Jessie, 

Mark Hitzges, PG Genrtup. 

By PG Gentrup 

Chad Lynn Keith was 

born on Nov. 19, 1981, and 

was killed in action in Baghdad, 

Iraq while serving in the 

United States Army with the 

2nd Battalion, 325 Infantry, 

Company D, 82nd Airborne 

Division out of Ft. Bragg, 

North Carolina. He died on 

July 7, 2003, at the age of 

21. His job was the machine 

gunner atop a Humvee that 

was conducting a night operation 

when a roadside bomb 

was detonated. Chad was the 

eleventh Indiana soldier to die 

in Iraq. 

Chad was the son of Kim 

& Mark Hitzges. He had two 

sisters, Courtney and Nicole, 

and a younger brother, Alex. 

Chad wanted to be involved 

with the military from a very 

young age. His uncle and 

grandfather were veterans. 

He decided to join the Army 

before he graduated from 

Batesville High School in 

2000 and chose to go Airborne 

with the Army. 

Being President of the United 

States was one goal Chad 

had set for himself. He was 

at a rally at Ft. Bragg before 

being deployed to Iraq where 

he met President George W. 

Bush. He shook President 

Bush’s hand and told him, 

“I’m 

going to 

be you 

someday, 

sir.” 

After 

deployment 

to 

Iraq, he 

would 

write 

home Chad Lynn Keith 

about 

the people he met there. He 

even made friends with a 

three-year-old who reminded 

him of his niece. He looked 

forward to receiving packages 

and mail from home. He was 

anticipating being promoted to 

Sergeant and was less than a 

month away from that promotion 

when he was killed. He 

received the rank of Sergeant 

posthumously. 

Chad Keith is buried at Arlington 

National Cemetery. 

The Patriot Guard Riders 

(PGR) recently made a 

presentation to Chad Keith’s 

mom and step-dad, Kim and 

Mark Hitzges. The day will 

always be memorable because 

a True American Hero was 

honored. 

God Bless the family of 

Chad Lynn Keith. We must 

never forget the sacrifice they 

made for our nation. 

TOPSOIL 

(Regular and Shredded) 

7247 State Road 46E 

Batesville, IN 47006 

812.932.3300 

FILL DIRT 

GRAVEL 

SPECIALIZED HAULING 

& DELIVERY 



GREENDALE 

By 

Linda 

Cromer 

Community 

Correspondent 

O 

ur 

Communities 

greendale@goBEACONnews.com 

Mid-August, school is 

back in session, and we’re 

wondering where the summer 

in Greendale went. The 

season was jam-packed with 

exciting organized activities 

like the wildly successful 4th 

of July events jump-started 

by a 5-K run/walk and ending 

with an explosion of mindblowing, 

eardrum-bursting, 

sky-filling fireworks. It’s 

rumored the display had a 

little extra firepower to salute 

the years of service by Mayor 

Weiss. What a glorious day. 

Greendale Police Chief 

Shane Slack and his officers 

threw a party and invited 

the whole community and 

neighboring departments to 

Public Safety Night Out on 

July 31. The only citations 

written were to a couple of 

curmudgeons refusing to 

enjoy themselves. 

Organized events like these 

and the ever-growing menu 

of Main Street offerings grab 

our attention and dominate the 

conversation, but they are not 

By 

Jeff 

Hermesch 

Purdue 

Extension 

jhermesch@purdue.edu 

Planning Ahead: 

Fall Tree Planting 

A popular Chinese proverb 

says, “The best time to plant 

a tree was twenty years ago. 

The second-best time is now.” 

While we enjoy the dog days 

of summer, it is now time to 

plan for the fall which is a 

great time to plant trees and 

shrubs also known as woody 

ornamentals. 

While there are some 

exceptions, September to 

mid-October is considered 

to be an ideal time to plant 

trees in Indiana. Water loss 

through transpiration is lower 

in the fall as temperatures are 

more moderate and the sun’s 

rays are lower in the sky. 

October tends to be a rainy 

month which helps the newly 

planted roots get the moisture 

they need to thrive. Soil 

Opal Rauch 

the whole story. With that in 

mind, Greendale, led by the 

Redevelopment Commission, 

is holding public meetings 

to develop a Strategic Plan 

for our community going 

forward. Plan to attend one 

or more of these public 

meetings. 

The initial meeting of the 

steering committee was led 

by GRC Director Angie 

Walters in mid-July. One big 

takeaway from the meeting 

was the desire to maintain that 

special something at the heart 

of our community. The pride 

of place has not only created 

lifelong residents but resulted 

in younger folks who grew up 

in Greendale and moved away 

returning to raise their own 

families. New residents also 

want to become part of what 

we are. 

temperatures are still warm, 

but the air is cooler which 

promotes root growth and not 

top growth. Lastly, many trees 

are on sale at this point in the 

year, but beware that selection 

might be limited. 

I cannot stress enough to 

do your homework before 

you purchase trees. Selecting 

the proper plants for our 

area and planting them in the 

proper areas of your property 

will save you from added expenses 

and frustrations down 

the road. Purdue Extension 

has numerous publications 

to help with selection and 

planting. One publication 

to consider reading is FNR- 

531-W: Tree Selection for 

the “Un-natural” Environment 

which suggests Indiana 

native trees to use in urban 

landscapes along with a list 

of utility-friendly trees that 

won’t interfere with power 

lines. 

Doing your homework and 

selecting your trees is half 

the battle. Installation of the 

tree is crucial for long-term 

health and survival. The 

number one mistake I have 

seen over the years when 

planting trees is that they 

are planted too deep which 

will eventually kill the tree. 

Conner Brinkmeyer 

Ask hearty young fishermen 

Teegan and Rogen 

Rosengram and Vance 

Barkhiemer who struck a 

pose for a selfie engineered 

by Teegan with a potential 

pan-fry that succumbed to 

their skills in Tanners Creek. 

Those contagious smiles are 

as bright as the iridescent 

coloring of their catch. 

The tooth fairy apparently 

has set up a supply chain 

home base in the shelter 

behind the Cabin. Cousins 

Conner Brinkmeyer and 

Opal Rauch both lost baby 

teeth within three weeks of 

one another while dining 

alfresco in their favorite 

brown bag “bistro” near 

the watchful woodpecker 

standing sentinel. No doubt 

those little enameled pop-outs 

made it under the appropriate 

Tree trunks should not look 

like telephone poles sticking 

out of the ground, rather 

you should see the root flare 

just above or even at ground 

level. There are many other 

tips and tricks to follow, so 

another excellent Purdue 

publication to read on tree 

planting installation guidelines 

is FNR-433-W: Tree 

Installation: Process and 

Practices. 

Deciding on what tree to 

plant can be very daunting 

with so many things to consider 

including what functions 

you might want from this 

tree. These plants can provide 

shade, wind block, fall color, 

winter or three-season interest, 

spring flowers, wildlife 

home or food, privacy, noise 

reduction, and much more. 

Take the time to think about 

what you really want from 

this plant and if you have 

questions, please reach out to 

me any time. I can be reached 

by email at jhermesch@ 

purdue.edu or by phone at 

812-926-1189. The Dearborn 

County Extension Office is 

located at 229 Main Street, 

Aurora, IN 47001. 

Look for my next article 

in the upcoming issue of The 

Beacon! 

Fishermen Teegan Rosengarn, Rogen Rosengarn, and 

Vance Barkhiemer. 

pillows and morphed into 

cold, hard cash. 

Take a moment to admire 

a grace note at one of our 

community’s historic homes 

on Ridge Avenue. Not the 

beautifully restored façade, 

although certainly noteworthy. 

Not the attractive nods to 

Sam and Jim Fulton’s 

commitment to greyhound 

rescue, though noteworthy as 

well. Let your eye be drawn 

to the strip of wildflowers 

dominated by sunny cosmos 

planted as an echo of the 

natural landscape at their 

former residence in Colorado. 

Jim is one of those boomerang 

METAL CANS 

Non-hazardous, 

non-flammable 

material only. 

Remove lids 

and tips of 

aerosol cans. 

Reattach lids. 

Yogurt and 

fruit cups OK. 

commingle together 

boys that made his way back 

home. 

We lived and laughed 

and loved in this past 

summertime…the funner 

time. The time we make 

memories we will treasure for 

a lifetime. So often they are 

woven from easy friendships, 

a passing glimpse of rare 

beauty, a taste or smell barely 

registered at the moment. 

Those memories are the 

flashes of pure joy and the 

sacred images we recall in 

our dotage to anyone we can 

entrap at family reunions and 

holiday gatherings. Isn’t life 

grand in Greendale? 

DEARBORN COUNTY RECYCLING CENTER 

RECYCLE THESE 

MATERIALS 

Paperboard and brown boxes. Remove food debris 

and paper/bag liners. 

MIXED PAPER 

Office paper, newspaper, magazines, junk mail, 

and envelopes. 

GLASS BOTTLES & JARS 

Any color. 

Remove metal 

lids and place 

both in bin. 

sort separately 

CARDBOARD 

CUPS 

Fast food beverage 

cups, aluminum 

cups, and paper 

cups only. Remove 

straws. No colored 

party cups. 

Remove 

plastic 

caps and 

straws. 

CARTONS 

PLASTIC BOTTLES, JUGS, AND TUBS 

Recycle these materials 24/7 at 14 drop-off 

locations in Dearborn County. Recyclables 

must be sorted by type for drop off. 

www.dearborncountyrecycles.com 

ALUMINUM 

CANS & 

BOTTLES 

Remove caps 

on aluminum 

bottles. 

BEER 



VERSAILLES/ 

RIPLEY CTY 

By 

Cheryl 

Damon- 

Greiner 

Community 

Correspondent 

versailles@goBEACONnews.com 

Summer days are turning 

into ‘back to school’ days, 

and the last big bash of 

summertime, Labor Day 

Weekend, is fast approaching. 

This year, due to bad weather 

on the 4th of July weekend, 

the Fireworks and Cookout 

at Versailles State Park will 

take place on Saturday, Sept. 

2 during Labor Day weekend. 

Remember that the sun will 

then be setting about 9 P.M. 

The stormy weather this 

summer has provided some 

spectacular shows of its own. 

The skies over Versailles 

made even meteorologists 

look up! Marie and Joe 

White of Versailles aren’t 

cloud-chasers but they had 

to take notice when they 

saw a spectacular arched 

cloud moving across the sky, 

looking as if it was scooping 

up thunderstorm clouds! A 

little bit of research makes me 

think it was an Arcus cloud. 

Apparently, these uncommon 

formations are caused by 

powerful cold downdrafts 

ahead of a significant 

thunderstorm. Granted, this 

O 

ur 

tidbit of weather knowledge 

certainly isn’t nearly as 

helpful as counting ‘One 

Mississippi, two Mississippi..” 

until you hear thunder after 

you see a flash of lightning to 

judge its distance. 

The out-of-business 

Raiders gas station at the 

corner of Main and Rt 50 

in Versailles has seen better 

days for sure. Certainly not 

the best first impression as 

you come around the bend 

from the State Park. But 

good news has arrived in the 

form of a huge John Deere 

excavator parked near the 

pumps! Roxanne Meyer, 

Town Council president, has 

confirmed that the generous 

grant money from the Office 

of Community and Rural 

Affairs (OCRA) and Rising 

Sun Regional Foundation 

has allowed the town to 

buy the property in order 

to proceed with demolition 

before summer is over. With 

so much activity taking place 

on the Courthouse Square and 

Main Street these days – a 

new park, Farmers Markets, 

concerts, new business - it 

will be fitting to have a clean 

slate to welcome visitors. 

Speaking of grants, the 

Ripley County Community 

Foundation, which gives out 

grants locally including for 

the veteran remembrance 

project Wreaths Across Ripley 

County, was recently awarded 

reaccreditation by meeting the 

American Legion Post 452 New Alsace 

Newly 

remodeled 

rental 

facility! 

parks 

dearborn 

county 

the Dearborn County Parks Foundation. 

A Gift For all Seasons! 

www.dearborncountyPARKS.com 

Perfect for Wedding Receptions, 

Birthday Parties, Anniversaries, 

Reunions, Holidays 

Summer is here! 

Need extra money 

for vacation? 

Join the Advantage 

Home Care Team. 

Reasonable rates, nice atmosphere 

Contact Larry @ 812-623-3695 

Next euchre party Sept. 24 

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

Proudly serving our veterans and the community since WWII 

$$$ Earn extra $$$ 

We have openings for 

CNA •Home Health Aides •LPN • RN 

Lawrenceburg/Versailles/Sunman/Milan/ 

Vevay/Rising Sun/West Harrison 

Enjoy weekly pay, benefits package, 

one-on-one care, competitive pay rates 

All interested applicants please contact 

ADVANTAGE HOME CARE 

800-807-6839 • 812-537-0325 

460 Ridge Ave. Lawrenceburg, IN 47025 EOE 

Communities 

Jill Miller, Milan Post Officer 

nation’s highest standard of 

excellence for philanthropic 

foundations. Randy Royster, 

a board member of the 

Council on Foundations, 

praised the RCCF for their 

significant accomplishment! 

Congratulations to Executive 

Director, Amy Streator and 

her staff and board! 

There’s a lot of talk lately 

about gender. Well, have 

you noticed that the local 

mailman is frequently not a 

man? Female mail carriers 

and postal workers are now 

the norm in rural areas. The 

women tell me that they are 

in the majority at several 

area post offices, in contrast 

to national numbers that 

show women are still in 

the minority. In some cases 

locally, four or five women 

outnumber a single man on 

many shifts. All I know is that 

the USPS workers of both 

genders are doing a tough 

job and yet they have smiles 

on their faces as they dodge 

traffic, lug packages, work 

twice as hard the day after a 

holiday, and do it all while 

driving from the passenger 

seat! Thank you, Jill Miller, 

our mail carrier! 

I lost confidence in the 

Internet recently when I was 

doing some research on the 

history of the Ripley County 

RISING SUN/ 

OHIO COUNTY 

By 

PG 

Gentrup 

Community 

Correspondent 

risingsun@goBEACONnews.com 

By the time you are reading 

this, kids will be back in 

school. Our grandson Kaden 

is starting his junior year. The 

twins, Grady and Carli, are 

sophomores. Alex is in the 

eighth grade, and Coleton, the 

seventh grade. These kids sure 

keep us busy with all the sports. 

Sometimes things happen 

that make you feel good. 

Recently I was on my way 

to have lunch with my World 

War II buddy, Lawrence 

Lyttle. As I was driving thru 

Thuermer Hollow, I noticed 

a van driving toward me with 

flames shooting out from 

underneath. I waved my arm 

to get him to pull over, which 

he did. The driver wasn’t 

getting out, so I approached 

the car and helped him get to 

another car. I quickly moved 

my car away from the fire 

and called 911. By now, 

the car was fully engulfed 

in flames. The Rising Sun 

Fire Department arrived and 

quickly put out the fire. Thank 

God the guy was safe. 

It was weird that I was 

even there because I thought 

the people I was meeting for 

lunch were picking Lawrence 

up, but they thought I was. 

Had I remembered to pick 

him up, I would have been 

past there much earlier. I was 

just thankful it turned out like 

it did. You can replace a van. 

Another incident happened 

at a Reds game where our 

Southeastern Indiana Honor 

Guard “Presented the Colors” 

on the field for the National 

Anthem. I almost didn’t 

go but Mike LaFollette, 

Ron Spurlock, Kevin 

A storm cloud in Versailles. 

Amy Streator 

Courthouse. I had been to 

several places gathering 

information and then I started 

to put my thoughts down 

concerning the very beginning 

days of the courthouse. I 

vaguely remembered reading 

that the cost to build the 

original courthouse was 

about $16,000. I wanted to 

be accurate but I couldn’t 

find my notes. Hoping 

to confirm my memory, 

I decided to ask Bing’s 

AI - Artificial Intelligence 

search engine. The Internet 

can find anything, right? 

Wrong! Not only did it give 

me wrong information but 

it got cocky with me, too! 

AI said its sources said the 

cost was $392,000 in 1860! 

About $12 million in today’s 

dollars! I answered it that it 

was wrong and it replied ‘I’m 

sorry you feel that way. If 

you have another source of 

information, please share it 

Thomasson, Jerry Kinnett, 

and I went. Another case 

where I was where I needed to 

be. I was walking to my seat 

when I saw what I thought 

was a tissue package, and 

I kicked it twice. I picked 

it up to throw it away and 

noticed a zipper on top. It 

was a little purse that had 

a driver’s license in it, two 

credit cards, a debit card, three 

$100 bills, and other items. 

And, I almost threw it away! 

The driver’s license was for 

a lady from Wisconsin, so 

I knew it was a Milwaukee 

Brewers fan. I sat down and 

looked and noticed on her 

license she was the same age 

as my daughter, Kelli. I got 

on my phone and found her 

on Facebook. I sent her a text 

message and got no answer. 

Two names on her friends 

list were the same as her last 

name, so I sent a text to them. 

One contacted me and said 

she was a sister and would 

get in contact with her. Soon 

my phone rang, and it was 

the lady who lost the purse. I 

walked to where she was with 

a friend of hers. When I gave 

her the license and the purse 

with everything still in it, she 

started crying and hugging 

me. I was wearing my 25th 

Infantry Division hat and she 

told me her dad is a Purple 

Heart recipient from Vietnam. 

I told her that’s what Veterans 

do- we help each other and 

do what we can to help others 

too. I told her she could rest 

easy now and enjoy her trip to 

Cincinnati. Hopefully, she will 

have the opportunity to do the 

same and help somebody. 

I was sorry to hear that 

State Representative Randy 

Frye was stepping down 

from the Indiana General 

Assembly and retiring. He 

has served since 2010 and 

has been a good friend to 

me and our Veterans. He 

was the chairman of the 

House Veterans Affairs and 

Public Safety. His dedication 

has made a huge impact in 


Raider gas station 

with me. I’m always willing 

to learn new things and ended 

with a smiley face! Well, the 

gloves were coming off! I 

found the document I needed 

and referred AI to the correct 

information. AI acknowledged 

that I was right but still 

wanted to argue about it. Then 

it offered some suggestions 

for me to use as my follow-up 

reply: “It’s OK, I appreciate 

your effort”, “Can you find 

another source?” and my 

favorite, “You are just a dumb 

machine”. I took the high 

road and logged off but made 

a note to myself that I will 

never order lunch from one 

of those fast food places that 

plan to replace the employee 

behind the drive-through 

microphone with artificial 

intelligence. I can see it now – 

“But I don’t want pickles” and 

its response “I’m sorry you 

feel that way” followed by an 

evil laugh. 

Indiana. 

Take some time and stop 

by the library to see a new 

mural painted by Christian 

Dallas. Amy King chose Mr. 

Dallas to do the project. You 

probably have noticed some 

of his other work at the feed 

mill in Aurora. 

The Rising Sun American 

Legion Post 59 Ladies’ 

Auxiliary is always busy 

helping others. Nancy 

Parks coordinated efforts to 

help Boy Scout Troop 605 

purchase new tires for their 

trailer. Funds were presented 

to Life Scout Duncan 

Uhlmansiek and Mike 

Macku, the assistant Hoosier 

Trails Council Commissioner. 

Congratulations to Noel 

Houze Jr. and Noel Houze 

Sr., for being honored at 

the Great American Ball 

Park by the Cincinnati 

Reds. They were nominated 

by Ron Spurlock, who is 

highly involved with getting 

Military Hometown Heroes 

introduced at games. The 

Houzes are retired Indiana 

State Policemen. They have 

dedicated their lives to serving 

Southeastern Indiana and have 

touched many lives during 

their careers. Congratulations, 

and well deserved. 

Welcome to the new 

executive director of the Ohio 

County Historical Museum, 

Andrew Young. 

My granddaughter, Carli 

Walter, had a very successful 

softball season and is very 

proud of her teammate, Kori 

Cornett, for being named All- 

State for the Softball Coaches 

Association of Indiana. She 

will be playing softball this 

year at Wilmington Ohio 

College. 

Grandson, Grady Walter, is 

taking a liking to the game of 

golf. He even purchased some 

new clubs so he’s getting 

serious. 

I still pray for all of you to 

have good health and continue 

to Live the American Dream. 

God Bless you.


O 

ur 

Communities 

A flag was held high in New Alsace during Tom Klump’s 

funeral procession. 

NEW ALSACE 

By 

Laura 

Keller 

Community 

Correspondent 

FOOD 

& MUSIC 

Cedar Grove, Indiana 

25 

Shaved Ice @5 

Balloon Artist & 

Face Painting 

6:30-9:30 

26 

KONA ICE 

@4 

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR UPDATES 

fb.com/cedargrovefire 

7:30-9:30 

Cedar Grove My Brothers Vol. Firemans 

Keepers 

newalsace@goBEACONnews.com 

Summertime is a time for 

children to enjoy a break 

from school and participate in 

activities such as sports, sleep 

overs, vacations, hanging out 

with friends, and attending 

summer camp. Thirteen boys 

and five leaders from Boy 

Scout Troop 646 spent a week 

at Summit Bechtel Reserve 

in Summit, West Virginia, 

working on their merit badge 

advancement to help them 

work toward becoming Eagle 

Scouts. Aaron Rullman, AJ 

Beard, Casey Gesell, Charlie 

Jenner, Colton Lewis, 

Dillon Rullman, Jace Lewis, 

Jacob Crawley, Jamison 

West, JJ Seubert, Logan 

Watkins, Marshall Dowden, 

and Mitchell Plogsted attended 

the camp accompanied 

by leaders Andy Plogsted, 

Brad Rullman, Chad Gesell, 

Christy Lewis, and Evan 

Jenner. The merit badge 

classes the scouts participated 

in were forestry, kayaking, 

lifesaving, aviation, camping, 

chemistry, climbing, first aid, 

movie making, fishing chess, 

citizenship in the nation, fly 

fishing, swimming, cooking, 

and wilderness survival. The 

week was fun and adventurous. 

All Saints Parish’s annual 

Vacation Bible School, held 

at the St. Paul campus, provided 

more than one hundred 

thirty children an opportunity 

(Progressive Bluegrass) 

Boy Scout Troop 646 in Summit, West Virginia (Photo courtesy of Christy Lewis). 

to learn about the parables of 

the Kingdom, by participating 

in skits, crafts, and games. 

A huge thank you to Teresa 

Callahan and Cindy Voegele 

for their work in leading the 

program. 

New Alsace is a tightknit 

community. When Tom 

Klump, a lifelong resident 

and local business owner of 

an excavating and construction 

company, unexpectedly 

passed away, the community 

rallied with an outpouring 

of love and support for his 

family. In honor of his legacy, 

trucks from companies across 

the tristate rallied in a gathering 

to escort the funeral 

procession to his final resting 

place. Despite the pouring 

rain, friends lined North Dearborn 

Road for the three-mile 

drive from Andres-Wuestefeld 

Funeral Home in Dover to All 

Saints Parish – St. Paul Campus 

where Tom was laid to 

rest. What a beautiful tribute 

to a man so well-loved and 

Cedar Grove Vol. Firemans 

FESTIVAL 

Aug. 25 & 26 

5:00-6:15 

Jamey Rowe 

(acoustic) 

(Americana) 

6:30-8:30 

Rachel Holt Band 

(Country) 

KIDS GAMES | RAFFLES | BASKET RAFFLE | GRAND RAFFLE 

Aurora - Brookville - Monroe 

Brookville 

Sunman 

U.S. Highway 52 • 114 N Meridan St 

Lawrenceburg 

STORE HOURS: Monday thru Sunday 7am to 9pm 

11153 US 52, Brookville, Indiana 47012 • 765-647-6562 

9:00-12:30 

Dangerous Jim 

and the Slims 

(Classic Rock, Blues, & Funk) 

3:30-4:00 

Jamey Rowe (acoustic) 

(Americana) 

Prizes given away later 

in the night on Friday for the 

4:00-4:45 

Andrew Hibbard (acoustic) 

(American Folk) 

4:45-5:30 

Maria Keck (acoustic) 

(Live looping 

folk-influeced pop) 


5:40-7:00 

Caleb Christopher Edwards 




Brookville 

Sunman 


Lawrenceburg 



(acoustic) 

(American Folk) 

10:00-12:30 

Hot Red Chili Peppers 

(Playing All the RHCP HITS!) 

Brookville 

Sunman 

10K WITH U.S. 

Lawrenceburg 

60 Highway 52 • OTHER 114 N Meridan St PRIZES 



Lawrenceburg 

Brookville 

Sunman 


STORE STORE HOURS: HOURS: Monday Monday thru thru Sunday Sunday 7am to 7am 9pm to 9pm 




Brookville 

Sunman 


Lawrenceburg 



who brought so much to this 

community. The family would 

like to thank everyone for the 

tremendous outpouring of 

support, kind words, encouragement, 

and prayers. This 

is part of the beauty of living 

in an area like Southeastern 

Indiana where communities 

are tight-knit and people truly 

care. 

Congratulations to Pat 

Seevers on her recent retirement. 

Pat has more time to 

devote to her love of beekeeping! 

If you have news in the 

New Alsace area you’d like 

me to share, please contact 

me at newalsace@go 

BEACONnews.com. 

BUSINESS & 

PROFESSIONAL 

DIRECTORY 

Wilson Electrical Services LLC 

27 Years of Residential & Commercial Experience 

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. 

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Cell 513-266-1859 

cstonerealty.com lutzauctions.com 

513-659-8403 

Teresa Callahan and Cindy 

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