Beacon Dec 2023

Page 10B THE BEACON December 2023
VERSAILLES/
RIPLEY CTY
By
Cheryl
Damon-
Greiner
Community
Correspondent
versailles@goBEACONnews.com
We’re heading into the
season of holiday and family
traditions. But in Versailles,
family traditions start early
in the fall. The Versailles
Pumpkin Show began in 1899
and continues to connect
families, friends, and history
with future generations. A
delicious tradition for the past
forty-eight years at the Lions
Club booth is the made-toorder
Elephant Ears. In 1974,
Grace Everage of Versailles,
and her friend, Helen
Grigsby of Osgood, attended
the Indiana State Fair. They
were amazed at the long lines
at the Elephant Ear booth.
After successfully creating
their own recipe, their version
debuted at the Lions Club’s
Pumpkin Show booth in 1975.
Daughter-in-law, Bobbie
Everage, has kept the lines
long just like in Indy, with
the hand-stretched dough
that is fried in oil, brushed
generously with melted butter,
and sprinkled with cinnamon
sugar. It’s served warm and
covers the paper plate on
which it is served! A team of
7247 State Road 46E
Batesville, IN 47006
812.932.3300
O
ur
Lions are needed to keep up
with the demand!
While attending the five-day
fest is a homecoming event
for scattered family members,
traditions are carried on by the
ones who work at the festival.
In addition to the Lions Club
volunteers, familiar vendors
and technical workers have
made the fun, food, and
entertainment possible for
many years. Local retired
contractor and musician Jeff
Byard used to watch the
Pumpkin Show set-up as a
teenager while he worked in
his uncle’s grocery store at
the corner of Tyson and Main.
For years now, he has been
the Sound Technician for live
entertainment through rain
and shine.
Another familiar face
to show-goers is Mark
McNeelan, whose local food
stand offers corn dogs, pork
chops, chicken, and lemon
freezes. This year, however,
the company in charge of
food vendors excluded Mark’s
booth from having space
on the square. (too much
competition?) A group who
truly understands the meaning
of tradition, the members of
Versailles American Legion
Post #173, stepped in and
arranged to have Mark’s
booths set up in their parking
lot along Main Street. As a
result, old-timers and firsttimers
could wash down their
sweet Elephant Ears with
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Proudly serving our veterans and the community since WWII
Communities
Versailles resident Jeff
Byard, long time Sound
Technician for the Pumpkin
Show.
frosty lemon freezes, just like
they have for years!
Holiday bazaars and craft
shows will fill the weekends
from now until the new year.
They are perfect for shopping
locally and getting unique
items. We’re so lucky to be
able to support the artisans
in our area while we get our
shopping list taken care of.
And a new gift opportunity
is coming to Ripley Countyfree,
high-quality, ageappropriate
books from the
Dolly Parton Imagination
Library for children from
birth to age five. These books
will be available every month,
regardless of a family’s
income! Ripley County
Imagination Library partners
who are paying half of the
cost of the local program
are Southeastern Indiana
MILAN
By
Sialia
Swainson
Community
Correspondent
e
milan@goBEACONnews.com
Although the weather has
been mostly cooperative, it’s
getting harder to find enough
daylight hours to finish up all
the outside chores that need to
be done. How did it get to be
November already?
A large crowd was on hand
for Night Out for Nichols, a
fundraising event to benefit
Amy Meisberger and Bobbie
Everage making Elephant
Ears.
YMCA, Ripley County
Community Foundation
(RCCF), Batesville Memorial
Public Library, Tyson
Library, and Osgood &
Milan Public Library. To
expand the program to every
zip code in the state, Gov.
Holcomb signed legislation
that allots $6 million as part
of the community shares.
To register your child for
Dolly Parton’s Imagination
Library program, visit https://
imaginationlibrary.com/. For
information about providing
ongoing support, contact
RCCF at (812) 933-1098
or mail a donation to 13 E.
George Street, Suite B, in
Batesville.
Mark your calendar! Dec.
2 is the date for Versailles’
‘Home For The Holiday’
event on the square. Trolley
one of Milan’s own,
twenty-five-year-old
Jarrod Nichols, who is
recovering at home from
injuries sustained in a
serious car accident. The
event was filled with fun
and community spirit organized
by many hardworking
volunteers from
various organizations.
Many folks turned out to
support the Nichols family.
Boy Scout Troop #631
has done some unique Scout
installations: a flag retirement
monument and a retirement
collection box for worn flags
that are no longer serviceable.
The retirement area consists of
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Three generations attending
Pumpkin Show- Keisha
Seaver, Brooke, Waylon
and Jordan Pelfrey.
rides, lighted inflatables
parade, contests, cookie
decorating, and, of course,
visits with Mr and Mrs Claus!
While you’re at your
calendar - the Post Office
says Dec. 16 is the deadline
for First-Class Mail greeting
cards and USPS Ground
Advantage shipping to ensure
delivery by Dec. 25. A lastminute
dash to the Post Office
is a tradition for a lot of
people…
I hope you have a
wonderful Thanksgiving. And
I hope we all share the love
by supporting the churches
and groups who are providing
food and essentials to our
neighbors who are struggling
this year. May your tradition
be one of peace and gratitude!
A flag retirement ceremony.
a brick deck made of approximately
two thousand five hundred
bricks, many of which
are personalized in honor
of local veterans. The troop
worked for nine months building
the monument, and it was
dedicated in the fall of 2017.
Scout Allen Seymour raised
the funds for and supplied the
accompanying flag pole.
With the use of the monument
came the need for a way
to respectfully collect and
store the flags for retirement.
Eagle Scout Dawson Schroeder
created a mailbox-style
dropbox where people can
drive in and deposit a flag at
any time without even leaving
the comfort of their car!
His project was completed
in March of 2019. The first
month the news was shared
about the drop box on social
media, it was shared over
75,000 times!
With that kind of response,
it is no surprise that the
box was often overflowing
(something to which I can
attest!) Eagle Scout Landon
Saylor raised funds for a
storage shed that was placed
on Legion grounds. Now
when the drop box is full, the
flags are moved to the shed.
The Scouts then fold them in
preparation for retirement.
Retirement ceremonies are
held quarterly with the most
recent being in September
when over three hundred flags
were burned.
According to Scout Master
Jason Jackson, the personalization
of bricks to be placed
in the monument is an ongoing
fundraiser for the Troop.
If you would like to have a
brick engraved in honor of
a Veteran, you’ll find that
information at Polarengraving.com/troop631.
Sincere
thanks to all the Scouts and
leaders who continue to make
our community the wonderful
place that it is.