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THURSDAY, JAnUARY 5, 2012 75¢

101 S. WAYNE, FT. RECOVERY, OHIO419-375-4668 • 800-837-1519NOW OPEN SUNDAYS

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Greater Mercer CountyCommunity Calendar

Year in Review

** Mark your calendars - April 12th, 13th & 14th, 2012 will be the St. Henry Community Garage Sales. ads will need to be in by the 3rd of April to be included in the list-

ing ($5 fee for the missions), maps will be available one week before

the sale,** e-mail [email protected] any questions or

concerns**

** If you would like to have your event posted in the Greater Mer-cer County Community Calendar, e-mail your infor-mation, at least 4 weeks prior to

event, to mercercounty

[email protected].**

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Donations will begin at MCCOA on January 3 and continue until January 14 or until we are full. Donations may be taken to the Senior Citizen Center, 217 Riley Street, Celina from 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. on weekdays, and 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon on Saturdays.

This is a benefit sale for the Mercer County Council on

Aging. The sale dates are Thursday,

January 26 - January 31. Regular weekday hours are 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m, with Saturday and Sunday hours set at 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Evening hours are on Thursday (first day of sale) when the Center will be open until 7:30 p.m.

The MCCOA schedules four garage sales per year.

By Skeet Wolters

These long, dark Ohio winter days have me already thinking gardening and all that goes with it. I gleaned the following from a garden site on the internet where I do my best planning. Here is one of the best-kept gardener’s secrets.

If you have not gotten your garden all tided up for the winter you are still in luck to gather some seedpods filled with ripe seeds that can be saved and planted next year. In a matter of minutes, you can collect hundreds of seeds for replanting. When else can you get something for nothing? It saves money compared to buying a package of Zinnia, Marigold or Echinacea seeds for several dollars and only getting a few seeds. A single flower head will yield enough seeds for yourself and neighbors.

Nurturing a plant from seed to seed and completing that circle of plant life is very satisfying. I have some Hyacinth Beans that have a history of over 35 years of planting and saving of the seeds. These were the seedpods that I

would share with young students when I planted with them in the schools. I know that many of those same seeds are still being saved and replanted around the county.

Start with easy plants. Plants that readily self-sow, (that means they naturally propagate themselves via the seed they drop) these include bachelor’s buttons, calendula, cleome, columbine, nigella and rudbeckia. Vegetables include beans, broccoli, corn, chives, pumpkins and melons.

Some plants are difficult to

grow from seed and it might not be worth the trouble to save their seeds. It is easier to propagate these plants as cuttings in early spring or late fall. I learned that taking cuttings from a tomato plant saves weeks in growing time compared to sowing seeds. Cut off a sucker or healthy stem, plant it in a growing medium (or directly in the garden) keep it moist, and it will root in days.

It is generally best to let seeds fully ripen in their pods before harvesting. That can be trickier than it sounds because some

plants scatter their seeds as soon as they are ripe. You may need to tie a paper bag around maturing seedpods to catch the seeds. It is easiest to carefully harvest the ripe seedpods and bring then indoors to finish drying. Just keep them in a dry, airy place away from hungry rodents to finish drying.

To store the seeds when they are completely dry, remove the seeds from the seedpod and separate them from the chaff and other debris. Some seeds can be hard to identify and the internet is a good place to learn about each species. Put them in labeled, airtight containers and store them in a cool, dry, dark place such as a refrigerator, basement or garage with a temperature of 40-50 degrees F. The germination rate may not be as high as purchased seed but I promise you will enjoy this process much more. I have good luck planting a row of Zinnia seeds in a starting garden and then transplanting them in spaced out rows. My challenge this year is red Zinnia seeds that I harvested from the OSU Scarlet Golf Course in late fall. I hope to have plenty to share.

Coldwater and St. Henry Cluster Parishes are offering GriefShare, a special help seminar and support group for people experiencing grief and loss because of death. Sessions begin on Monday, January 9 from 7-8:30 p.m. at Holy Trinity Church basement in Coldwater.

GriefShare features

nationally recognized experts on grief recovery topics. Seminar sessions include “The Journey of Grief”, “The Effects of Grief”, “Your Family and Grief”, “Why?” and “Stuck in Grief”.

For more information call Carol Rosenbeck, 419-678-4802, ext. 123 or Pat Stachler, 419-678-4118.

Mercer County Council on AgingColdwater and St. Henry Cluster Parishes offers GriefShare

Seed Saving: One of the best-kept gardener’s secrets

Red Zinnia in full bloom.

THE MERCER COUNTY CHRONICLE • January 5, 2012

area obituariesDiana M. Reigelsperger, age 63,

of Coldwater OH, died on Tuesday, December 27, 2011 at Mercer County Community Hospital, Coldwater, Ohio. Services were held on Monday, January 2, 2012 at Coldwater United Methodist Church. Burial followed in St. Elizabeth Cemetery, Coldwater Ohio. Memorial may be directed to Coldwater United Methodist Church Furnace Fund. Condolences may be left at hogenkampfh.com.

Donald E. Wyatt, age 47, of Celina, Ohio passed away Saturday, December 31, 2011 at Joint Township District Memorial Hospital St. Marys, Ohio. Funeral services will be at 10:30 AM on Thursday, January 05, 2012 at Abounding Grace Ministries with Rev. Rick Brosher officiating. Interment will be at Swamp College Cemetery .Friends may call from 2-4 & 6-8p.m. on Wednesday at the Lehman-Hogenkamp-Dzendzel Funeral Home in Celina. Memorials may be made to the Cancer Association of Mercer Co., Inc. P.O. Box 624 Celina, Ohio 45822.

Clarence Lyle Crouch, age 85, of North Star Ohio, died on Saturday, December 31, 2011 at Briarwood Village, Coldwater, Ohio. A private family service will be held. Burial will be in Swamp College Cemetery, Celina Ohio. Memorials may be directed to State of the Heart Hospice 1350 N. Broadway Street Greenville, OH 45331. Condolences may be left at hogenkampfh.com.

Marilyn Ann Helmer, 77, of Rockford, Ohio, died Friday, December 30, 2011 at 2:45 pm, at the Laurels of Shane Hill in Rockford, where she had been a patient. There will be no visitation or services. Condolences may be left at ketchamripley.com.

Tom Case age 67, passed away suddenly Saturday afternoon at his residence in Celina, Ohio. Visitation will be Thursday, January 5, 2012, at Goodwin Memorial Chapel, from 1 to 8:00 P.M. Services will be held Friday, January 6, 2012, at 10:30 A.M. at Goodwin Memorial Chapel, with visitation beginning at 9:00 A.M. Burial will be at the Elm Grove Cemetery in Bluffton.

Light on Snow By Anita Shreve

Reviewed bySkeet Wolters, Library Assistant

Ohio’s safe Haven for Newborns,

a law which went into effect in 2001, allows babies to be surrendered at any hospital emergency room or law enforcement agency with 30 days of birth, as long as the baby is unharmed. The law protects babies whose parents are unable to care for them, allowing for total confidential-ity for parents. Currently all 50 states have a form of safe haven law.

Light on Snow by Anita Shreve brings the need of this law to the pub-lic. As I read the book I kept thinking that if this young couple had knowl-edge of this law they could have saved their baby and themselves a load of grief, sorrow and shame. As it worked out it was a life-changing experience for the mother, father,

finders and keepers. After losing his wife and baby

to an automobile accident, Robert Dillon takes 12-year-old daughter, Nicky, to live in a remote wooded area in New Hampshire. The former professional takes up woodworking and holes up most of the days in his workshop making furniture to sell to tourists. On one of their regular daily walks in the woods, father and daughter think they hear sounds of a crying baby. The snowfall is heavy and they are wearing snowshoes to walk the paths and this makes their search slow going. They come upon a crying newborn wrapped in a sleep-ing bag, buried in the snow. They get the baby to the hospital; it survives and the story continues as a mystery of who, what, where, when. The young Nicky is mature for her age and makes some good judgment calls and her bereaving father goes along with them. This is a sad story, but one

that comes true to life much too often. This was an eye opener and made me see the need and importance of the Ohio’s Safe Haven for Newborns law. Maybe this review will aid in making more people aware of this law and the resource it offers.

Light on Snow is an excellent book in many ways and I highly recommend it to most. Go to http://www.safehaven.tv/states/ohio/ for more information on the Ohio Safe Haven Law. Happy reading. Skeet

John Boeckman, of Hoosier Pride, was the December 20, 2011, speaker for the regular meeting of the Coldwater Ki-wanis Club. Hoosier Pride is a new egg production facility lo-

cated west of Celina off SR 67 (29 in Ohio) in Indiana. Using a PowerPoint program, John showed how the facility was con-structed and equipped. Six layer barns, each 500 by 64 feet, house

“apartments” stacked 12 high. Each layer barn houses two mil-lion laying hens. The operation is completely automated. An egg is not touched by a human hand at any point in the production from the hen through cleaning, grading, cooling, and packag-ing. John described the methods used to provide food, water, ven-tilation, and manure handling for the facility and the array of spe-cialized equipment the owners purchased from suppliers, both local and worldwide.

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THE MERCER COUNTY CHRONICLE January 5, 2012 •

A Look Back

MERCER COUnTY CHROnICLEVol. 115 No. 1

USPS 339-15560419-678-2324

www.mercercountychronicle.com The Mercer County Chronicle is published Thursdays at 124 W. Main St., Coldwater, Ohio by Mercer County Publications, Inc. Entered in the post office in Coldwater, Ohio 45828 as Peri-odicals, postage paid at Coldwa-ter, Ohio. Available by mail in Mercer, Auglaize, Darke, Jay or Van Wert County, $36 per year. Out-side these counties, $45 per year.

Kami Phlipot, General Manager • [email protected]

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Mercer County Chronicle, P.O. Box 105, Coldwater, OH 45828

From the Archives of the Mercer County Chronicle

10 YEARS AGO (2002)

Coldwater Council has passed Ordinances 1452 and 1453 which will raise water and wastewater rates for Coldwater residents an average of $10.95 per quarter.

25 YEARS AGO (1987)Beginning in January, Tri Star

Career Compact will offer three courses to help the unemployed to enter the work force. One course is to help a displaced homemaker or a single parent prepare for the workplace; another for a person in transition between jobs, and another for the person with a skill who just can’t find a job.

50 YEARS AGO (1962)The State of Ohio quit using

sales tax stamps January 1st, for the first time since the tax was first levied in 1935, but they will continue to collect the three percent tax.

I suppose you all have made those New Years resolutions and broken most of them all ready. But I guess that is half the fun of making them. I haven’t made any yet, I am still trying to figure out which ones I need to make. It probably won’t make any difference any way as like most people I break them too. But that is half the fun.

Can’t complain too much about the weather over Christmas. Temps in the 40’s and no snow made it much safer to travel this Christmas. I did enjoy watching that grandson of mine open all

his presents. You spend all that time on wrapping those presents and it doesn’t take the kid long to unwrap them. I am sure he got much more than he needed but that is how it is when you have two Aunts that like to shop.

I hope you all had a great Christmas and a Happy New Year. Now we must get our acts together and see if we all can get someone better in the White House for starters. We can all start thinking of whom to vote for and maybe straighten out the situation in Washington, D.C. It will be a hard task but I think it is one that needs to be done if this Country is going to survive.

That’s My Opinion..............

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FINANCIAL FOCUSWhat Does Investment Landscape Look Like in 2012?

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401(k) Review and Rollover Can Be Rewarding

MAKING SENSE OF INVESTING

106 S. Second St.P.O. Box 67Coldwater, OH 45828Bus. 419-678-3252TF. [email protected]

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Ed-ward Jones Financial Advisor.

Edward Jones, its employees and financial advisors are not estate planners and cannot provide tax or legal advice. Consult a qualified tax specialist or attorney for professional advice about your situation.

Financial Focus is a weekly column courtesy of...

John M. Yoder, Financial Advisor

Your 401(k) offers tax-deductible contributions, tax-deferred growth of earnings potential and a variety of investment options — so it’s a great tool for building retirement savings. Yet like all tools, your 401(k) must be used properly to get the best results. That’s why you should review your 401(k) at least annually and make whatever adjustments are needed.

Depending on where you work, you may get some 401(k) review help from your plan provider. But if that assistance isn’t available, you might want to consult with a financial professional to make sure you’re getting the maximum benefit from your plan.

As you begin to review your 401(k), your first question should probably be this:

“How much should I contribute?” At the very least, try to put in enough to receive your employer’s matching contribution, if one is offered. If you don’t earn this match, you are essentially walking away from “free money.” Beyond this, though, the amount you put into your 401(k) might depend on what other retirement savings vehicles you have available. For instance, if you’re eligible, you may also want to contribute to a Roth IRA, which offers tax-free growth potential, provided you’ve had your account for five years and don’t start taking withdrawals until you’re 59½.

Of course, it’s not only how much you put into your 401(k) that determines its success — it’s also how you choose to allocate your investment dollars. (Keep in mind that asset allocation does not guarantee a profit or protect against loss.) Your 401(k) may have a dozen or more investment choices, such as stock funds, bond funds and money market funds. To choose the right investment mix, you’ll need to consider a variety of factors, including these:

• Your age — Generally speaking, the younger you are, the more aggressive you can afford to be with your 401(k) investments, because you’ll have decades in which to potentially overcome the inevitable down periods of the market. As you get older, you may wish to invest somewhat more conservatively, but you’ll still need some growth potential in your 401(k) portfolio.

• Your goals — Everyone has different goals for retirement. You might want to retire early and travel the world, while your co-worker desires to work as long as possible and then, upon retirement, stay close to home and pursue hobbies. Because you each have different goals, with different income needs, you also may need to follow different investment strategies within your 401(k).

• Your other retirement income sources — If you have a variety of retirement income sources — a pension from another job, an IRA, a spouse with generous retirement benefits — you may need to invest differently, perhaps less aggressively, than if you had fewer options for retirement income.

Apart from putting away as much as you can into your 401(k) and choosing the right investment mix, what else can you do to get the most out of your plan? Here’s a suggestion: If you have worked at various jobs and acquired multiple 401(k)s, consider rolling them over into one account. You might save money on fees and reduce paperwork, but more importantly, you’ll be able to concentrate your resources and pursue a unified investment approach, with your investment dollars working together toward your ultimate retirement goals.

As you can see, a 401(k) review and rollover can reward you in many ways — so do whatever it takes to maximize your 401(k)’s performance.

Listen to us daily at noon on WCSM 96.7 FM

MAKING SENSE OF INVESTING

106 S. Second St., Coldwater, OHBus. 419-678-3252TF. [email protected]

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor.Edward Jones, its employees and financial advisors are not estate planners and cannot provide

tax or legal advice. Consult a qualified tax specialist or attorney for professional advice about your situation.

Financial Focus is a weekly column courtesy of...

John M. Yoder, Financial Advisor

As an investor, you know that 2011 was a somewhat “choppy” year, with the financial markets going through many ups and downs. So what can you expect in 2012?

As baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra is quoted as saying: “It’s hard to make predictions — especially about the future.” And these words are certainly applicable for anyone who would like an accurate forecast of the investment climate.

Yet we do know of some factors that may affect your portfolio in the months ahead. Here are a few of them:

* Strong business fundamentals — This past year, all the noise about the debt ceiling debate, the size of the U.S. deficit and the European financial situation tended to drown out some fairly good news: U.S. businesses’ balance sheets were strong for the most part, borrowing costs remained low, and corporate profits were good — and corporate profitability remains a key driver of stock prices. Heading into 2012, these fundamentals continue to look positive, which may bode well for investors.

* Europe’s debt crisis — Greece’s economic problems made a lot of news in 2011, but they weren’t the end of the story in Europe, as major financial difficulties also face Italy, Spain, Portugal and Ireland. It’s by no means clear how these problems will be resolved, so don’t be surprised to see them lead to intermittent, if short-lived, shocks to the markets.

* Election-year patterns — As you’re well aware, we’re voting for president

in 2012. But you might be surprised to learn that the S&P 500 index has shown negative returns in only three of the last 21 presidential election years. Coincidence? No one can say for sure — and at this point, no one can say if this pattern of positive returns will continue during this election year. Still, it’s an interesting phenomenonSo there you have it: the good, the bad and the quirky. Take them all together, and you still may not be able to foresee what will happen with the markets this year, but you’ll have a lot to think about.

Listen to us daily at noon on WCSM 96.7 FM

American Legion Auxiliary 571 of Maria Stein, OH placed bows on the graves of the veterans in the Marion Cluster for Christmas. In the picture Janie Luebke placing a bow on her fathers (Art Bruns) grave.

Bows for Veterans

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What’s Happening Around the Fort….As we start the new year I

have so many questions that I think about. I wonder if you are the same.

Why do croutons come in airtight packages? Aren’t they just stale bread anyway?

If people from Poland are called Poles, then why aren’t people that come from Holland called Holes?

If we are here to help other people, then what are the others here for?

I wonder what color of hair you put on a bald man’s drivers license?

Since mothers in this country feed their babies with those little tiny spoons and forks, I wonder if the Chinese use toothpicks to feed their babies?

Notice those pictures of the criminals on the walls of the post office? Why don’t they just put the pictures on the postage stamps and the mailmen can look for them while they deliver the mail?

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THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: Here’s a good prayer for the coming new year, you might want to use it daily.” Dear Lord keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth.”

UNTIL NEXT WEEK REMEMBER: Be happy, love on another and remember that there is a miracle out there that can change your life.

fort notesby Betty Lou Denney/Hall

I was surprised to read the map as we were driving to Fargo, ND, that we were near the tallest structure in the world. Of course, I had to ask Alvin to take a couple of side roads, so we could drive by this tower.

This KVLY-TV Tower near Fargo, was listed at 2,063 feet. In fact, the KXJB Tower, five miles away from the previous tower, is just three feet shorter. In 2009, North Dakota advertised a Fall Tour, of about 200 miles, between the South Dakota line, and southern Manitoba, Canada, of the “Land of Tall Towers,” with www.gallery.bostonradio.org . I wondered why these tall towers were constructed. The advertisement of the Tour stated that broadcasters were looking to cover this enormous area, in the pre-satellite era. There were few economical choices other than building very tall towers. That is why North Dakota became home to what were for many years, the tallest and second-tallest structures in the world.

As of January 2010, I read that a “spectacular ceremony marked the opening of the world’s tallest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa. in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.” This skyscraper measures 828

meters, or 2717 feet. The tower was named after Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the ruler of the neighboring emirate of Abu Dhabi, and President of the

United Arab Emirates. He and his brothers personally intervened the previous month to lend Dubai the funds to pay off the debts of one of Dubai’s biggest state-owned companies. This Dubai building is nearly 20% taller than the North Dakota TV Tower.

Are you asking how this relates to Mercer County’s history? Here is a story of a proposed tall tower in Celina.

I received a letter from AT&T, about a “Notice of a Proposed Tower Construction,” at 1800 Industrial Drive, Celina, Mercer County. The letter states, “This letter will serve as our public notification of the proposed AT&T construction of a new 280 foot tall self-support tower and associated equipment at the address referenced above. The lease area will be 100 foot by 100 foot. AT&T invites comments from any interested party regarding the likelihood that the proposed construction would adversely affect any historic properties.” The letter was signed by STRATEGIC Inc., Sheldon McLeod, 520 S. Main St., Suite 2531, Akron, OH 44311. You are welcome to write this company about your own thoughts.

Therefore, I will do the archival research about local archaeological sites in this area of Celina, and respond to AT&T’s letter of request. I wanted to share with you, this request of the Mercer County Historical Society by this international company, AT&T.

I wondered to myself how this will affect the historical culture of Celina’s families. And that is when I recalled driving by the United States’ tallest tower at 2,063 feet in North Dakota. Apparently, the proposed AT&T Tower of 280 feet, at Celina, will be about 10% of the tallest towers in the United States (2063 feet) and the world, (2717 feet). And that is how international history and national history relate to Mercer County’s History to start off this new year in January 2012.

[The Mercer County Historical Society President Joyce Alig, may be contacted at 3054 Burk-St. Henry Road, Saint Henry, OH 45883, or [email protected] or 419-678-2614.]

KVLY-TV Tower, near Fargo, north Dakota, is the tallest structure in the United States, but is no longer the tallest structure in the world, as of two years ago in January 2010. (Photograph copyright 2009, Garrett Wollman, Framingham, MA; printed with permission.)

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T & C C OM P UT ER S ER V I C E S

Community Health Professionals of Celina will present an all new Comedy/Murder/Mystery Dinner Show on Sat. Jan. 14th 6 p.m. at the Celina Eagles to benefit the Hospice/ Patient care fund.

Bower North Productions, a Fort Wayne-based entertainment company, presents the audience-participation mystery-comedy “To Catch a Clue”

The action take place aboard the cruise ship S.S. Whatamess, as the confused Detective John Fieldstone (Larry Bower) attempts to unravel the crime. The colorful cast includes Ima Shrink a pop psychiatrist; Trevor Travis , the cruise travel agent; Latina, a hot-tempered Latin beauty; Arno Neggenschwartzer the Austrian physical activities director; and the ship’s Captain (an audience member). Guests will fill out crime reports to try to solve the crime. One guest will be named “Detective of the Evening”. The

rest will die laughing at this original detective spoof from Bower North Productions.

In this hilarious mystery, bumbling Detective John Fieldstone mistakenly boards the Bahama Llama Mama, about to embark on a tropical cruise. The small crew is busily preparing for the midnight buffet. Artist/sculptor

and kitchen manager Michelle Angelo has just finished one of her famous ice sculptures (a replica of the Bahama Llama Mama anchored in a bowl of shrimp). Engine room crew chief and lounge comedian Pickles Rickles is rehearsing his holiday comedy act. Dance instructor Carlos DiToros is swabbing the deck. British

mystery writer Tabitha Christy is sitting by the pool creating her next plot. But where is Captain Esau Bedderdaze? And who is steering the ship on this tropical cruise to the Bad Llamas? (No, not the Bahamas. The Bad Llamas, where two really mean Llamas inhabit a deserted tropical island. What do you expect for $99.95 plus port fee?). When the Captain

is discovered dead, Detective John Fieldstone springs (or stumbles) into action! He will definitely need the audience’s help to solve the case of “To Catch a Clue”.

Saturday show begin with Social Hour 5-6, Dinner at 6 and show to follow. Cash bar available. Diner/show tickets are $20 ea. (Limited seating is available). This is an all new show.

Community Health Professionals to present an Comedy/Murder/Mystery Dinner Show on. Jan. 14th

The Coldwater Columbian Squires recently completed their annual Christmas Collection. With the co-operation of the Merchants in Coldwater and the Coldwater Jaycees, the Squires were able to collect over $470.00 and lots of new toys.

The Squires would like to thank the Merchants for allowing them to place money canisters in their stores, the Jaycees for allowing them to use the Santa House for collecting the toys and all of those who made a contribution. The money was turned over to the Holy Trinity Food Pantry. A van full of toys was delivered to OUR Home

in Celina and a good number to the Food Pantry for distribution. Chief Squire Mark Brunet, presented the check to Fr. Barry

Stechschulte, Associate Pastor at Holy Trinity and the Squires Fr. Prior with Deputy Chief Squire Caleb Siefring.

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THE MERCER COUNTY CHRONICLE

Celina Couple Receives Albert HecklerAward from Cheryl Ann Programs

Louis and Dorothy Hoyng never imagined that they’d be-come involved with Cheryl Ann Programs.

They were raising three happy, healthy boys in their Celinahome. Louie operated his custom upholstery shop next door,and Dorothy worked in the high school cafeteria. They were atypical family.

Then a very atypical thing happened. Their middle son,Brian, was struck by lightning in 1981 when he was 16. Withthat bolt out of the blue, the Hoyngs’ lives changed forever.

The odds of being struck by lightning are one in 280,000,but the Hoyngs couldn’t afford to spend much time thinkingabout their terrible luck. They had a son who needed themmore than he ever had. The first years after Brian’s accident,which left him with severe disabilities, were very difficult,they said, as they searched for someone who could help themhelp Brian.

Their school district helped as much as it could.Finally, then-Superintendent Ralph Stelzer recommended a place the Hoyngsknew about but had never visited as parents: Cheryl Ann.“Cheryl Ann was the best thing that ever happened to us,”Louie Hoyng said. “It gave Brian his life back.”

The people of Cheryl Ann helped Brian with his everydaylife. They gave him a place to go and jobs to do. He made newfriends, and enjoyed everything about his experiences there,up to and including the bus ride out to Mud Pike.

“When he would see Sam Morden (his bus aide) he wouldjust smile, and the people in Adult Day Services really knewhow to make him laugh,” Dorothy Hoyng said.

It wasn’t long before the Hoyngs were finding ways to re-pay Cheryl Ann for its help. They were regular volunteers.

Louie Hoyng completed upholstery jobs for the uniqueequipment used at Cheryl Ann, and often, said SuperintendentMike Overman, “Louie would forget to send us a bill.” Healso served a term on the county MRDD board and was theboard president.

For all that, and for their tireless advocacy on behalf oftheir son, the Hoyngs received the Albert Heckler Award at

the staff appreciation banquet in March. The award is giveneach year to a Cheryl Ann family that exemplifies service andadvocacy.

“The Hoyngs both served as good examples of first-rateadvocates for their son,” Overman said. “They rarely evermissed a day spending time with him, and they always spokeup to be sure his needs were being met. They were really spe-cial parents for Brian, and really good supporters of our pro-gram.”

Brian Hoyng died in February 2008 at the age of 43. In theyears after the lightning strike he taught his family a lot aboutpatience, hope, endurance and acceptance. He introduced theHoyngs to a world they had only seen from the outside—but itwas a world where they found welcome and acceptance.

“We met some wonderful people during our years at CherylAnn,” Dorothy Hoyng said. “They worked their hearts outhelping us with Brian.”

Dorothy and Louis Hoyng

Stateline Writers MeetAt the April meeting of the Stateline Writer’s Club, members read

profiles they had written about someone, living or dead or make-believe, and member Eileen Whitsett’s special activity of having mem-bers combine pictures of particular scenes with a person or peopleassigned to them to put into that scene brought interesting results.

Sue Miller and Gretchen Bollenbacher’s proposal for a specialmeeting designed to attract new members was described and approved.Members will be hosted by the Coldwater Public Library in June fora reading of their best work.

At the next meeting, which will be on Saturday, May 16, mem-bers will rehearse for their special program in June.

Stateline club members meet the 3rd Saturday of each month at10 a.m. at the Celina Mercer County Library. Anyone interested incoming to a meeting or becoming a member is cordially invited toattend.

Celina Rotary Dog Park Dedicated

BY: BETTY LOU DENNEY/HALL Opening day at the Celina Rotary Dog Park received

rave revues from the dogs. As the gates opened for the firsttime on Tuesday May 12, dogs of all sizes were seen mak-ing their way to the park to get a chance to run in over 3acres of wide open spaces of the chain-linked fenced inarea. Small dogs area is an acre and the large dogs haveover 2 acres. The new park, which is one of newest andbiggest things happening in the State Parks around the coun-try, was made possible due to the efforts of Deborha Borns,Rotary Club President. Her friend, Darlene Lynskey, is alsoworking on getting a State Dog Park in her home town ofSt. Marys. The two dog lovers along with many volunteersworked many hours with the help of the State and CraigMorton, who is the regional manager of Grand Lake St.Marys. Together they cleared away debris from the previ-ously unused land. The Park is located at the end of WestBank Road

Deb Borns saw her idea come to life with the help of theCelina Rotary Club’s major donation and businesses as wellas individuals who helped with labor and monetary dona-tions. The idea came to her after visiting another dog park.At the dedication ceremony Deb thanked many of thepeople who made the park possible. Jeff Larmore, PastRotary President and Celina City Council Member spokeas his 150 pound Newfoundland, Bentley checked out thepark. Jeff is also a large contributor to the park in honor ofthe recovery of Bentley after he had been lost for severaldays. Craig Morton, Regional Manager of State Park GandLake St. Marys and John Hunter, Assistant Chief of theDivision of Parks and Recreation also spoke at the dedica-tion ceremony. Deb concluded her speech with some wiselessons that she has learned from her own dogs. A few ofwhich were: Never leave home without your leach andyour ID. If you stare at someone long enough, you will getwhat you want. Last, if it is not wet and sloppy it is not areal kiss.

One of the many visitors enjoying running free on dedi-cation day was a lab /poodle mix owned by Dave Hochstien,

professor at Wright State University. He has other dogs athome but decided to only bring one at a time. He com-mented that this was the first time his dog had this muchexercise since he got him a year ago.

There are a few small problems to work out with thepark, such as the water faucet would not shut off and therewas a small hole under the fence in the small dog side ofthe park, which of course was found by one of the littlefurry visitors on dedication day. These problems will beeasily fixed. Memberships ($10) to Fur Ever Friends arebeing sold to help with the upkeep of the park. The use ofthe park is free to the public. One of the additions theywould like to have is benches added to the park for thecomfort of the owners.

The green stations placed around the fence for the dogwastes were given at a discount by Florida based companynamed DogiPot. Gary Brown, Assistant Operations Man-ger, heard about the plans for the park and wanted to helpby giving discounts on the pots. The company has all Oxi-biodegradable bags inside the pots for your dog waste. Garyflew in from Florida to be a part of the ribbon cutting andopening of the park. More of their products can be foundby going to: www.propet.org.

If visiting the park remember to follow the rules that areposted at the entrance. Common sense is your guide suchas:

Dogs should have their current shots The park has little dog and big dog sections, keep

dogs in their own spaces. Don’t leave dog unattended Do not bring a dog that shows aggressive behavior Keep small children under close supervision Clean up after your own dog Never bring a dog to the park that has an illness.These are just a few precautions to remember. Check

the rules before entering the park and you and your dogwill have a great time The Park is open daylight to darkeveryday.

Deb Borns prepares to cut the ribbon at the Dedication of the Celina Rotary Club Dog Park. Helping to hold the ribbonis Darlene Lynskey and John Hunter, assistant chief of the Ohio’s Division of Parks and Recreation. On left is CraigMorton, Regional Manager of Grand Lake St. Marys. Right: Jeff Larmore and Bentley. Photo by Roy Hall.

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by John Bruns Where’s Stan? It was a ques-

tion that was heard thousands and thousands of time over the past 31 years in the offices, classrooms, and hallways of Marion Local Schools. Stan Wilker was the man answering questions, locat-ing contracts, selling tickets, and consulting coaches during that time. The duties of an athletic director are in fact quite varied, and hopefully are accomplished with little notice. Athletic direc-tors, umpires, and basketball officials usually work in relative anonymity until they make a mis-take.

Wilker relates, “There were no major problems during my years, just the occasional fan disappoint-ment over a ticket or something, but nothing big.” Winter weather conditions can be one of the more difficult aspects of an athletic director’s job. Whether to play or cancel an event can be a difficult one. One particular ice storm was actually a very fortunate event for Wilker. “We had icy roads and decided to cancel. I called one official to inform him of the situ-ation. He asked why I was telling him this, as he was at another school ready to work a game. Wilker replied, ‘Your name is on my contract for tonight’s game at Marion.’ The official had mistak-enly doubled booked himself that night.” If it had not been for the ice that evening, Wilker would have had teams, coaches, and fans in the stands, but a definite short-age of officials.

The job of athletic director has changed for Wilker and other

directors over the past thirty years. He looks back on the increased extra curricular oppor-tunities that have been provided for the students at Marion. “We have 85 to 88 percent of the high school student body participating in athletics, band, or cheerleading, and that is typical of other MAC schools.” In grades 7-12, Marion will field approximately forty dif-ferent teams with five in football and other junior varsity and junior high sports. Relatively recent additions to sports opportunities for Marion students include bowl-ing and swimming.

Wilker was involved with a very active Athletic Boosters organization and they, in coopera-

tion with the school board, made numerous physical improvements to Marion’s athletic facilities. With that much time and money invested by so many people, Wilker had occasions when he was concerned that things would not be perfect. “We had some standing water after we redid the football field. Guys did address the drainage issue, but that is the type thing that would bother me.”

In addition to his 31 years as Athletic Director, Wilker spent 23 years as an assistant foot-ball coach for the Flyers and he was the defensive coordinator for many of those years. It was in 2000 that Marion “had our turn”

and won their first state football championship. Acting both as an assistant football coach and Athletic Director, Wilker recalls the walk across Paul Brown Field as State Champions. “That was special,” he relates. The Flyers won nine other state champi-onships and Wilker was proud of them all, but he feels almost equally proud of the success of all the MAC schools. The Midwest Athletic Conference has gained admiration over the years. The MAC started play in 1973 and just brought Fort Recovery, Mendon, and New Knoxville into the fold in 1978, a year before Wilker became A.D. It started as some small rural schools unknown by most in the state. Wilker saw the MAC become the unquestioned preeminent small school confer-ence in the state. High school sports’ fans, coaches, and admin-istrators at any Ohio state tourna-ment know and respect the M-A-C chant. Some conferences have a dominating school; the MAC is a dominating conference.

The job of athletic director is at times more than one man can handle. Wilker was able to do his job well because of all the volun-teers and people who helped him at Marion. “I just did not have to worry that my line judges, timers, scorers, track officials, and others would be there. I cannot thank them enough.” He is easing into this retirement thing and doing some part time work, but plans to take some time in March to catch some spring training base-ball in Florida. His Indians train in Arizona, but at least he can scout the opposition.

Fred Kremer photoWilker receives recognition during the January 21 home basketball game at Marion Local. Former varsity basketball coach Keith Westrick (right) presents Wilker with a plaque.

Wilker retires from Marion Local

By Roy Hall

Some years ago, I was going thru a family album when I discovered a yellowed newspaper clipping. The article concerned an issue of mov-ing into the future. It concerned the local transportation company replac-ing its old trolley (street car) system with modern buses. The propo-nents looked forward to comfort and change while the opponents fought to save the humble trolley. One lone voice was especially mentioned in the article in his efforts to keep the trolley. But in 1947, my dad lost his battle and the trolley came to a halt. Today, the bus company, the modern buses and the trolleys are all gone. Who knows if the trolleys had been protected, like the people of San Francisco chose to do, what it would have meant to the area as a tourist attraction.

Anytime change comes, there will be voices on both sides of the issue. Our area is in the midst of a decision involving electrical power genera-tion by the use of wind. Should the area host wind turbines or not? And, if so, where should these turbines be allowed? A company, NextEra Energy Resources, is looking at four or five sites in Ohio to introduce their company to the state, taking advantage of its wind resources. At

Turning into the wind

See WIND, page 7


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least two meetings have been held in Mercer County to discuss the pros and cons of the issue.

Recently, representatives of the Mercer County Chronicle met with three representatives of NextEra Energy Resources at the paper’s Coldwater offices. In attendance were Tom Gray, General Manager of the Chronicle; Betty Hall and I; along with Mary Wells, Media Relations; Paul Dockery, Project Manager; and Scott Scovill, Director of NextEra Energy Resources. The purpose of the meeting was to give the Chronicle the opportunity to ask questions about the proposed project in Mercer and Auglaize Counties and to address some of the concerns people raised in two other meetings Betty and I covered.

I want to begin by mentioning three corporate entities for the pur-pose of definition to avoid confusion. The first entity is NextEra Energy, Inc. (Ticker Symbol: NEE) which is a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange. If you want a “piece of the action” you can have your broker buy some shares for you. They have not missed pay-ing a quarterly dividend in at least five years.

The second corporate entity I want to mention is Florida Power and Light. It is a subsidiary com-pany owned by NextEra Energy, Inc. It serves around four and a half mil-lion customers in Florida and is one of the larger “rate-regulated” electric utility companies.

The third corporate entity on our list is NextEra Energy Resources. It is also a subsidiary company owned by NextEra Energy, Inc. This is the company working here in Mercer County. NextEra Energy Resources, headquartered in Juno Beach, Florida, specializes in low carbon or no car-bon energy production, with 42% of their energy coming from wind, 37% from natural gas, 14% from nuclear, 4% from oil, 2% from hydroelectric and 1% from solar, for a total genera-tion capacity of 18,000 megawatts generated in twenty-six states and Canada. NextEra Energy Resources (NER) is the largest wind genera-tor in North America with 85 wind facilities currently in operation.

Presently, NER is in the early stages of evaluating the feasibility of establishing wind farms in Mercer and Auglaize Counties. The pro-cess began with a company NER owns which maps wind currents in an attempt to identify likely sites

for their projects. Once a site has been identified, NER erects a mete-orological tower such as the one on Wabash Road. There are three such towers in our area. Every ten minutes, the tower records weather data including wind speed and direc-tion. Periodically, the towers down-load this data to a central collection point.

The feasibility study performed by NextEra Energy Resources takes from two to three years and includes more than just studying local weath-er. There are several critical hurdles that must be addressed before a wind farm can become reality. A failure in any one of these hurdles will result in the project being cancelled. In addi-tion to the wind study, some of the other factors are:

· If local land owners are recep-tive to having wind turbines on their property.

· Transmission studies: identify-ing a place close enough that can receive the energy produced where the infrastructure will be minimally impacted. Expenses involved in get-ting the power onto the “energy grid” are also considered.

· Wholesale Customer availabil-ity: identifying potential buyers of the energy that will be created.

· Environmental studies.· Government approval.All of these issues are pursued

simultaneously as the evaluation process progresses. A lot of the work is done at the home office in Juno Beach, Florida.

However, one issue that is obvi-ously done locally, and is a concern raised at the two prior meetings, involves contact with the land-owners. Some individuals have expressed an opinion there is too much secrecy involved in making deals for the required property. We put this question to the representa-tives. Their reply was, “We do not do business in a public forum”. In fact, I am not aware of any com-pany that does business in a public forum. Deals are made in offices, boardrooms, in restaurants or golf courses. If the public is impacted, such as a bank merger, or required by law, such as earnings statements for publicly traded companies, the public is told. Otherwise, business deals and their results are kept con-fidential. The NER representative continued by pointing out that since real estate is involved, these legal agreements must be recorded in the courthouse. Once the agreements

are recorded, they become public records. As such, anyone can go to the courthouse and look at these legal documents and review what was agreed upon and by whom.

Putting wind farms in our area rep-resent a big investment for NextEra Energy Resources with a cost of two million dollars per megawatt for each wind turbine. The turbines NER has consistently used in the past are manufactured by General Electric and are either 1.5, 1.6 or 2.3 megawatts. The project for our area is a one hundred megawatt project, utilizing between forty and seventy wind turbines. In addition, a local office and maintenance facility, employing at least eight people, will be established. Usually the manager is brought in from out of town but the rest is usually hired and trained locally.

Our two hour visit included a dis-cussion of “shadow flicker”. Shadow flicker is caused by the rising or set-ting sun getting behind a wind tur-bine causing a moving shadow from the blades. If the shadow crosses a window of a house on a sunny day, the light inside the house appears to flicker or strobe. Currently, Ohio regulations require that shadow flicker cannot occur more than thirty hours a year. This phenomenon can last from five to forty minutes per day depending on the position of the sun. This phenomenon does not occur on overcast days or when the sun is not directly behind the turbine. In addition, wind direction is also a factor with shadow flicker in that the turbines are computer controlled to always point into the wind. So, if the wind is blowing at right angles to a line drawn from the turbine to the window affected, there is little flicker. Also, if there are trees or other obstructions between the turbine and the affected house, flick-er is not an issue. NER has, in the past, committed to assisting property owners affected by shadow flicker, even in cases where the phenomenon occurred well within the minimum allowed by state or local regulations.

In the next few weeks, NER rep-resentatives are planning an open house. They want to give any-one, who wishes, the opportunity to speak and ask questions, one on one, with a representative about the project. They believe that many people who have concerns about the proposed wind farm, once informed, will appreciate their mission of turn-ing into the wind.

Wind (Continued from Page 6)

Rick Muhlenkamp and Joe Rose Sr. appeared at the February 28 meet-ing of the Coldwater Council to ex-press concerns with flooding in the southwest edge of the village. Rose stated that he was not a resident of Coldwater but pays “$6,000 in taxes every year”. He questioned if the con-struction of Briarwood Village had a direct influence on flooding in the area. Muhlenkamp questioned the purpose of the pond near the facility and asked if it shouldn’t be drained every fall to allow for spring rain wa-ter. He asked, “Do we want pretty, or do we want floods?” Muhlenkamp and Rose both stated that they were also representing neighbors who have the same concerns. Muhlen-kamp ended by saying, “We would like some resolution, a plan.”

Mayor LaVern Stammen, who had spent a large portion of the day addressing flooding issues, stated that an answer was “not gonna hap-pen right now”. He explained that for complex issues, the council will cre-ate a committee to look at the issue and develop options, then report back to the full council.

Village Administrator Eric Thomas quickly clarified the issue by saying that recent flooding was not a result of Briarwood Village. He explained that the water flooding southwest Coldwater is coming from

the farmland south of the village. At 7 p.m., “we’re still getting water from Philothea”, added Thomas. He continued by saying that Coldwater hasn’t had a three inch rain for years, and that homeowners throughout the village had reported water in their basements for the first time he could recall. He concluded that the recent rain did give the village an opportu-nity to observe water flow, and that knowledge will be used in formulat-ing plans for the future.

Thomas thanked the fire depart-ment for their efforts during the flood-ing. The department assisted people whose basements experienced flood-ing and with flooding at the Cold-water Mall. The department also performed traffic control and rescue operations in Butler Township. In other business, the council adopted Ordinance 1586 on third and final reading. The ordinance re-codifies ordinances, repelling all inconsistent ordinances, and includes definitions of terms used in the ordinances.

The council held an executive session to discuss personnel and real estate, as is a regular charge of the council, defined in the village char-ter.

The next meeting of the council will be March 14, at 7 p.m., at the village hall. The public is invited to attend.

Citizens ask Coldwater Council to address flooding issues


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By: Martha Schoen

To the Ohio State Buckeye Foot-ball Fans in the Mercer County area, Ross Homan has become a house-hold name. Homan has been a three-year starter as linebacker for the Buckeyes. Homan weighs in at 240 lbs and stands at 6 feet 3/8 inches tall. He has a college career total of 278 tackles and 7 interceptions. Homan will participate in the NFL draft this weekend and is projected to go out in the 4th or 5th round.

As the anticipation of the draft draws near Homan said that it is dif-ferent than college. You can pick your college, but you cannot pick your team with the draft. It’s really out of my control. I reached my goals I set for myself: to show my skills to the NFL teams. I’m open to any team and will likely begin on special teams, prove my abilities, and move up to other positions.

Homan’s humble beginning start-ed in the small town of Coldwater. He is the son of Dave and Alice Homan. His parents always tried to encourage their kids to be involved in activities. They all participated in sports. As Homan was growing up, he always enjoyed competition. It could be seen when he played with his youth soccer team that was coached by his mom, in his swimming competitions, and while playing roller hockey at

Grand Slam. Homan always had a competitive drive. That competitive drive would be instrumental in his football career.

Ross didn’t have a favorite NFL team as a child, but he always fol-lowed the Ohio State Buckeyes. He enjoyed watching his cousins, Bob and Tom Hoying, play for the Buck-eyes. His dream was to become an OSU football player.

Homan’s performance on the football field at the Coldwater Cava-lier Stadium under the coaching of the late John Reed helped Homan make his dream a reality. John Reed was a big influence on Homan’s de-cision to pursue football after high school. Reed always gave 110% and was able to get 110% out of his play-ers. Homan was no exception and was selected three times for the First Team All-Ohio. During his senior year he totaled 119 solo tackles and 85 assists, including 17 for lost yard-age. He was Ohio’s 2005 Division IV Player of the Year and led Coldwater to the 2005 Division IV state title. But, all his skills on the field were not enough for Homan to gain a position on the Ohio State Buckeye Team.

Ohio State’s Head Coach, Jim Tressel, was not just looking at Ho-man’s football skills when he first met with Homan’s family. Tressel was also looking at Homan’s academic skills. Academics and sports are an

important part of the OSU Buckeye Team. It was Homan’s membership in the National Honor Society that solidified the opportunity for him to become an OSU football player.

Homan has earned numerous awards including the Randy Gradis-har Award (outstanding linebacker) from Ohio State coaches in 2009 and was selected for the First-Team All Big Ten in 2010. Many coaches have said that Homan is fun to coach be-cause he does not bring along an at-titude. He has also earned the respect of his fellow players and has been voted team captain.

Through his many achievements, Homan has remained humble. Ho-man’s father and role model, has al-ways tried to instill in Ross to stay humble. If you win the game, don’t show off. Don’t be controversial. “Let the game do your talking.” To Homan’s young fans, he encour-ages them to pursue their dreams. He reminds them that there will be bumps in the road like the injuries he sustained. But, if you persevere and work through them, you’ll be able to accomplish your dreams.

As Homan approaches his draft date and pro career, his competitive drive will help him accomplish his goals and let his game do the talking.

Homan sets his sights on the nFL

HOMAn

By: Martha Schoen

As graduation draws near, final decisions are being made for graduation parties and final exams are being planned by the teachers. For the seniors, their big day is almost here. With graduation comes the big decision: what to do after high school? Many have chosen to attend college while some are hoping to obtain a job. Still, others are willing to put their life on the line to serve our country.

After speaking with area schools, St. Mary’s leads the way with 8 seniors going into the military following graduation. Parkway has 5 seniors. Coldwater and Marion both have 3 seniors. New Bremen has one senior already in the National Guard, and one is in the process of enlisting. Ft. Recovery and Minster have one senior each. St. Henry’s Guidance Counselor reported that in his nine years with St. Henry, this is the first year that there have been no recruits. Celina’s information was unavailable at the time of publication.

Jordan Lyons and Josh Boeckman, Seniors from Coldwater, and Austin Luedeke, a Senior from New Bremen, are three fine young men that will be serving our country in the military following graduation.

Lyons and Boeckman do two hours of physical training every Tuesday in Lima as well as study on-line to prepare for the day when they will leave their family and Coldwater behind. Lyons and Boeckman have both signed on to serve active duty in the Army. Luedeke is signed on with the Army National Guard and regularly attends weekend trainings.

Jordan Lyons is the oldest in his family. Besides going to Iowa during the summers to visit family, he has never traveled far outside of Coldwater. He said the military is a good opportunity for him to learn discipline, see the world, and meet new people. With him going into the

Army, it buys him time to figure out what he wants to do in his life. Lyons is signed up for 4 years and 21 weeks. At this time, he is considering making the Army his career. He will leave on October 24th for Ft. Benning, Georgia, where he will attend Basic training for 18 weeks. He will train to be an Airborne Ranger which is an elite special operations unit of the Army.

Josh Boeckman has lived in Coldwater his whole life. He has not traveled much outside of Ohio. He is the youngest and his older brother who had served in prison made him take a close look at life. He feels this is a good opportunity to do something good; something good for the country. Boeckman’s grandfather and uncles have served in the military and they, along with friends, helped influence him to join. Boeckman will be a 13 Bravo-Cannon Crew Member with airborne attachment. This means he will be working with the artillery. He is signed on for 3 years and 21 weeks. On July 11th he will go to Fr. Jackson, South Carolina, to begin his 9 weeks of Basic training.

Austin Luedeke is the oldest of his family and has been raised by his father. Luedeke decided to join the Army National Guard out of a sense of patriotism and to pay for college. His family may have had some influence on his decision. When Luedeke was born, his father was just getting out of Basic training for the Marines. One of Austin’s grandfathers served in Vietnam and his other grandfather was in the Army. Austin’s Marine father jokingly says that Austin got off easy by joining the Army. Growing up with a military family has prepared him mentally for his job as a Combat Engineer in the Army. He feels his Introduction to Engineering class taken in High School will be helpful to his job. Luedeke participates in sports and does farm work at home to keep in shape. He is signed on for 6 years with 2 years of being in the reserve. Luedeke begins Basic training July 6th at Leonard Wood, Missouri. After Basic, he will complete Advanced Individual Training (AIT) for his job as a Combat Engineer. He will return home October 28th and plans to attend the Wright State University Lake Campus majoring in History Education with a possible minor in psychology or engineering. Luedeke will continue to go to Drill

Graduates willing to serve

See GRADUATES, page 9


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on weekends while he is in college.With the war in Afghanistan and

other conflicts and tensions around the world, deployment to a hostile area is highly likely for any military personnel. When asked about their feelings of being deployed, Lyon said that it is a hard one. He signed on for a reason, to serve his country, and if he gets deployed that’s all part of his service. Boeckman said that he is ready to go oversees to support and defend our country. Luedeke signed up knowing he would likely be deployed and is mentally ready to serve.

As we congratulate the graduates and wish them well, let us also remember to thank those who serve in the Military especially this Saturday, May 21, on Armed Forces Day. These people allow us to have the opportunities that only freedom can bring.

Graduates(Continued from Page 8)

By: Martha Schoen

About 25 years ago a large group of people from St. John Lutheran Church in Celina went to help Habitat for Humanity build homes in other states. Then the Pastor recommended doing this same type of work in the local community. This started what is now known as St. John Builders.

St. John Builders is a core group of volunteers mostly made up of retirees who work together to try and build a house or remodel a home for a needy family each year. This is dependent upon the availability of funds and materials. Many volunteers come from different churches in the area as well as non-church goers to help those in need.

St. John Builders model themselves after Habitat for Humanity. They build a house for a family in need and then sell the house, typically at cost, to the family with no down payment and no interest for 10 years. After the ten years many families have the house paid off. If they have not paid off the house, there is enough equity in the home for the family to obtain a traditional loan from

a lending agency. The typical monthly payment to the family during the ten years is about what it would cost for them to rent. The payments made over the ten years goes back into the kitty at St. John Builders to help finance other homes. St. John Builders currently has three payments a month coming in from the homes they have built.

Besides helping the needy, St. John Builders also help those who are disabled. While waiting for funds and material to build a house, St. John Builders is often doing many small projects like putting in a ramp for someone who is disabled or doing bathroom remodeling to make things more accessible for those with special needs.

Presently, they have three vacant lots that will be used to build future homes. Most of the lots are donated. Some of the material for their houses and projects are donated through local contractors. When the contractors have left over materials from a job, which would otherwise be thrown away, the materials are donated to St. John Builders. They also have received useable items from old homes that are being torn down.

Robert “Bob” Chaney is one of the board members for St. John Builders. He said they get calls about once a month to see if they can use the materials from a house that is being taken down. Any materials that can not be used for St. John’s projects are sold on the 127 garage sale in August and the money is used to purchase cement and other items that are not easily donated. Donations also come from area churches and individuals. St.

John Builders main fundraiser is the ice cream social held each year at St. John Lutheran Church, the purple door church. This year’s ice cream social is scheduled for July 10.

Chaney said that requests for assistance come in almost daily. We have a list of dozens of projects waiting and as the volunteer hours and materials become available, we work to complete the projects. Also, we have groups in different towns that we are able to call on for help. One example Chaney gave was a group of college students from Coldwater who have built ramps and completed other small projects after being contacted by St. John Builders.

Chaney talked about a project that was completed this winter. St. John Builders had gotten a call about a residence that had been without a hot water heater for two months. Bob and a few others stopped by to take a look at what needed to be done. Then they had to go pick up some materials that was being donated by a business. Before they left the business, a hot water heater was also donated.

Chaney says “To God be the Glory.” We get a call one day for a need and the next day we get a call for a donation that covers that need. Over the years, St. John Builders have built eight homes and completed several major remodels. They continue to do small projects in between major house building. They are always in need of household appliances and building materials. St. John Builders meet once a month at the St. John Lutheran Church and can be contacted through Bob Chaney at 419-305-3932.

St. John Builders: Helping Build the Community

By: Martha Schoen A short drive to Portland, Indiana,

in the old Coca-Cola bottling company building is the home of The Museum of the Soldier. This is a quaint little museum that holds many rare treasures. The museum is for all wars and branches of service remembering those men and women who have served our country. The museum specializes in knowing the name of the person, having a picture of the person in uniform, and finding out about the history of the person. They want to put a face with the name to make it more personal.

One rare find is the phone used by President Bush on 9-11. “The government secure phone was one of four secure phones used by the President while he was at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.” Another rare find are Metals of Honor. These metals are not allowed to be sold and are usually not available for display because they are kept by the family.

One of the newest displays is from a group of Rangers who were in Vietnam. The backdrop was hand painted by one of the members of the group. This was “the only National Guard Ranger unit and the only Indiana National Guard unit to be deployed to Vietnam. In 12 months of

constant combat operations, Company D, the “Indiana Rangers”, became the most highly decorated unit during a one year rotation. The 214 members of the Indiana Rangers were awarded 19 Silver Stars, 175 Bronze Stars, 86 Army Commendation Medals, 120 Air Medals, and 110 Purple Hearts” (taken from museumofthesoldier.com). They served from December 30, 1968, to November 20, 1969.

There are several large military vehicles on display, as well as a Casson, which is a horse drawn cannon with shells which would have been used during the Civil War and is on loan from the Indiana War Museum.

Other items of interest include a display of the sleeping quarters from different time periods including the Civil War, WWI, and WWII. Many of the cots and bedding that were used during Vietnam were left over from Korea and WWII. There is a display of radio equipment from the large switchboard of days gone by to the smaller handheld devices of today. C food rations, canteens, and mess kits that were used by the military may interest young boy scouts. Many of these old mess kits were donated to the Boy Scouts of America and have the imprint of WWI on them.

Tour Jackets which are bomber-like military jackets were embroidered

Museum of the Soldier

See MUSEUM, page 10


OSGOOD FORT LORAMIE CHICKASAW LAKEVIEW 419-582-2681 937-295-2900 419-925-4514 937-843-4100

with where the soldier was stationed and with pictures and items that was representative of the area. This started during WWII and reached its height during the Korean War.

The museum also has items from the more recent conflicts like Operation Desert Storm as well as items dating all the way back to the Civil War.

Over the weekend of June 18, Jack Barnhart from Eaton, Ohio, had his own personal Civil War collection on display. Barnhart’s interest in the Civil War started when he was eight years old because his parents would take him to museums and parks. He felt it was important to keep history alive, and that it is important that parents cultivate their kids interest in history. His display included a desk of Lieutenant Francis A. Nash from the 38th Massachusetts Infantry. Also on display were items that would be carried by the infantry including small dominoes, dice and cards. One rare piece he had on display was a nurse’s lamp. It looked similar to a tall tea kettle with one side open. The base would hold a candle with light shining out the side so the nurse could see to move from one patient

to another. Above the candle was a small bowl that was covered by a lid. The nurse would come to a soldier and lift the small bowl out to give the soldier a bit of broth that was warmed by the candle.

The museum itself has a small trading card size picture of Abraham Lincoln and the original headstone of the last soldier killed in the Civil War, Private John J. Williams, Company B of the 34th Indiana Infantry.

Many of the people remembered at the museum have local roots in Indiana and Ohio. There are familiar family names as you tour the museum. The Museum of the Soldier recently marched at the Fort Recovery parade in military dress representing different divisions and time periods. They will also be marching in the Portland and Coldwater parades.

The Museum is located at 510 East Arch Street in Portland, Indiana. Admission is free and they are open on the 1st and 3rd weekends of every month from noon until 5 p.m. For more information you can check out their website at www.museumofthesoldier.com or they can be contacted by phone, 260-726-2967, or e-mail [email protected].

Museum (Continued from Page 9)

On January 4, 1944, Charles (Charlie) Heinl departed his hometown of Minster, Ohio, at age 17. Little did he know that ten months later he would be involved in the tragic sinking of the ship he was aboard, the USS Gambier Bay, and he himself would survive 42 hours hang-ing onto a life raft in the Pacific.

It happened 67 years ago, and the memories are captured in Heinl’s story which is one of the personal accounts of that tragic ocean battle on October 25, 1944. Heinl’s ship, a small escort carrier, was at-tacked by Japan’s larg-est battleship, the Ya-mato. The ship, Hienl recalled, “was mon-strous.”

Today, Heinl, 85, of Maria Stein, is a State of the Heart Hospice patient and is considering attend-ing the annual reunion of the esti-mated 800 men who survived the Japanese attack. More than 120 of the ship’s sailors were killed. The reunion is scheduled for Oc-tober in St. Louis. Time has taken its toll on the number of survivors, Heinl explained; only about 13 are still living and will likely attend. Whether he goes or not depends on his health and is somewhat “iffy” explained his wife Rita. An opti-mistic Heinl, responded, “There’s still a chance.” Family members have helped the couple attend in recent years. Heinl was one of the youngest men on the ship.

Heinl recalled he “jumped” into the water as the ship was going down. For a day, he had no life jack-et and hung perilously to a life raft

with other sailors. “As we watched back, we saw the ship roll over on its hull and begin to sink bow first, exposing the screws. It then sank,” he explained in his personal account of the battle on a “survivor’s page” on the internet story about the sink-ing of the USS Gambier Bay.

In his account, he tells of the six to eight foot swells of water and how he and others took turns hang-ing onto the raft. “The men began seeing sharks and I thought I saw them too. Someone close to me was attacked. As time went on the sharks became a real menace.”

It was not until six hours after the Gambier went down that orders were issued to conduct a search and rescue mission. Staying alert and being aware of hallucinations be-came a problem as Heinl and the others struggled to stay awake. On

October 27, 1944, they were finally rescued by a US PC boat. “The men rescuing us said they couldn’t get us out of the water fast enough as there were a lot of sharks in the area.”

Heinl escaped with only minor injuries and was later discharged from the Navy. But, his connection with the USS Gambier Bay was not over. Heinl, just as others, never got to see his shipmates again after the sinking of the ship. They all went their sepa-rate ways on various Navy as-signments. That fateful day, however, lived in their minds. Just as others, Heinl spoke rarely of his narrow escape from death. His dark memo-ries of that day remained bur-ied.

However, the thought of seeing his shipmates again lingered with him. He and several others he had con-tacted spent nearly two years trying to reconnect with their shipmates. “He would find

phone books and get phone books of various cities across the country from friends and search through them for names of the survivors,” his wife explained.

Then, one day in October, 25 years to the day that the USS Gam-bier Bay went down, the survivors gathered for a reunion. It was the first time they had seen one another since the ship was sunk.

“I have never seen so many men cry at one time,” said Mrs. Heinl. “Charlie had never talked of the sinking of the ship much until then. I think it helped them all to open-ly talk about what they all went through.”

Heinl became active in the group and served as president, trea-surer and secretary. Today, his son Mark has taken his position on the board. The couple has another son, John. The couple said they appreci-ate their hospice services. “Every-one is very nice and helpful to us,” Heinl said.

Over the years, the Heinls have traveled to various locations for the reunions. One trip to “scout” out a site in Norfolk, Virginia, ended up with their being invited to a ship christening with then First Lady Barbara Bush breaking the tradi-tional bottle of champaign over the ship’s hull. They were treated as

honored guests, asked to dine on board, and shown around the ship.

“There were 5,000 men on that ship,” Mrs. Heinl recalled. “At one point, Charlie had stopped and I went back to see what he was doing. Would you believe he had encoun-tered a young sailor from New Bre-men and was talking with him?”

To this day, Heinl feels lucky that he was not seriously hurt in that tragic ship sinking 67 years ago. “I am happy to be alive after that ex-perience,” he said from his comfort-able home where he and Rita have lived for the past 56 years.

State of the Heart is a national partner of We Honor Veterans, a pioneering campaign developed by the National Hospice and Pallia-tive Care Organization (NHPCO) in collaboration with the Depart-ment of Veterans Affairs. State of the Heart, with offices in Portland, Indiana, Coldwater and Greenville, cares for families and patients in eastern Indiana and western Ohio who are confronting a life limiting illness.

“All hospices nationwide are

serving veterans, but in many in-stances are not aware of the pa-tient’s Armed Forces service,” said Kelley Hall, Education Coordinator for State of the Heart. “Our veter-ans have done everything asked of them in their mission to serve our country and now it’s our turn to proudly serve them. Now, it’s time for us to step up, acquire the neces-sary skills and fulfill our mission to serve these men and women with the dignity they deserve. State of the Heart Hospice is proud to be providing care to Mr. Heinl.”

The NHPCO launched the “We Honor Veterans” campaign as a collaborative effort with the na-tion’s VA Centers. The resources of We Honor Veterans focus on respectful inquiry, compassionate listening, and grateful acknowl-edgement, coupled with Veteran education of health care staff caring for veterans.

For more information about the veterans’ program go to www.we-honorveterans.org. To learn more about State of the Heart, visit www.stateoftheheartcare.org.

State of the Heart Hospice Patient Recalls Sinking of Ship in WWII

Mr. Heinl is pictured at his home in Maria Stein. Above him is a painting of the USS Gambier Bay sinking.


281 W. Washington Street, St. Henry, Ohio

419-678-4841

281 W. Washington Street, St. Henry, OhioBerne Ready Mix • 260-589-2880Grand Lake Builders Supply • 419-586-1407Wayne Builders Supply • 937-548-1101Minster Supply• 419-628-2813Pennville Sand & Gravel • 260-731-2010Richmond Builders Supply • 765-966-7171

Alex Uhlenhake - Coldwater’s Horticulture Maintenance Person

By Skeet Wolters

Coldwater has many talented

and skilled, behind the scenes, personnel doing their jobs. I do believe this is what makes our Village the wonderful place it is. Alex Uhlenhake is one of many that contributes to the splendor of the town. He is a 2008 Coldwater graduate and has been employed for 5 years as Coldwater’s horticulture maintenance person. A job he takes very seriously and with much pride. He is a graduate of Columbus State Community College with a 2-year degree in Landscape Design/Build. He is also an Ohio Certified Nursery Technician and an ISA Certified Tree Arborist.

His responsibilities are many, and to keep on schedule he has developed a personal to-do list of all his everyday duties. This is an impressive graft chart listing priorities and tasks. His number one priority is the Memorial Park trees and plants followed by downtown trees, shrubs and planter boxes. He cares for the landscaping at the ‘Welcome to Coldwater’ signs, as well as the Administration building, bike path entrance, and all mini parks just to name a few.

It is my pleasure to comment on the new grassy mound recently formed behind the left field fence of the main baseball diamond in the

park. Alex eagerly related that it is a mound for bleachers to provide comfortable viewing of baseball games above the fence line. Many fans enjoy this area for baseball viewing. Planting the grass was one of his latest projects and says he is open to any suggestions, comments or ideas for beautifying Coldwater’s parks, downtown, etc. If residents have a favorite flower, color scheme, or new idea for Coldwater’s parks or downtown, give him a call at the village administration building or leave a message and he will get in touch.

Several secrets of successful gardening I gleaned from Alex include important growing factors. Amending the soil with compost to keep it fertile and loose is top priority.Water with 2 gallons of water per planter box 3 times a week including a low dosage of Miracle Grow. Fertilize trees and shrubs in the fall with a 15-15-15 fertilizer. Fertilize perennials and roses in April. Prune

roses in March cutting them back to 18-24 inches, depending on how large you want them to grow. Alex says, “Commitment to the garden and being constant with watering and fertilizing are the most important factors for success.” He commented, “I am privileged to have time to do this properly.”

The Pin Oak is his favorite tree in the park. They are fast growers and beautiful in the fall. He also favors flowering Hydrangea bushes, the Japanese Lilac trees on Main Street and Knock Out Roses.

Alex loves what he is doing and believes working hard is the clue to success. He hopes to continue working for the village along with becoming an owner of his own landscaping business. Alex is a great fit for Coldwater and vice-versa.

Now we understand why one of the reasons Coldwater is the delightful and charming village it is. You make us proud Alex. Thank you.

Keeping Coldwater Beautiful One Plant at a Time

By: Georgia Rindler In the fall of 2010, Floyd

Winner of Coldwater found a large, active beehive on his farm in the southwest corner of Auglaize County. It was actually discovered by a timber buyer who saw the hive and alerted Winner to it. With grandson Sam, he hopped on his four-wheeler and drove through the thirty-five acre section of woodland to check it out. Since it was a cool day, the bees weren’t active and Floyd knew it was safe to get close enough for a photo. The risk of he or his grandson getting stung was nil since bees are dormant during cold weather. The hive was hanging from a tree on the west edge of the woods and probably couldn’t survive the winter winds. After considering what would be the best course of action, he consulted with a contact from the Montezuma area who has hives. Agreeing that moving the hive would be its only chance for survival, they tied a plastic bag around it and cut off the branch. It was then wrapped in black plastic for warmth and placed in a cardboard box. Exit holes were made and it was hung on the east side of a building. This spring it was placed among other hives with the hope that it would again be used. The bees left but never returned. It is not known what really happened to them. Possibly the queen did not survive the winter or moved elsewhere. She decides where she wants her

hive, and the rest will follow. Thus they may have built a new home at a different location. This hive contains honey inside that could be squeezed out. It would be edible since honey has a natural preservative and does not need to be processed before consumption. For such tiny creatures honeybees are an integral part of our environment. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, they pollinate $15 billion of U.S. crops each year. My first thoughts go to the floral and fruit industries, but wax from the honeycombs is used in multiple products. In 2006 an outbreak of Colony Collapse Disorder was reported in at least thirty-five states. It caused entire hives to die off without explanation. Researchers found this to be a combination of a fungus and virus working together.

I learned some interesting facts on honeybees when doing this story. They will generally only attack if they or their hive is threatened. A hive has one queen, approximately one hundred male drones and thousands of workers, all of which are female. The workers live only 6-8 weeks, but

a queen will live up to five years. Nectar from over a million flowers is needed to make just one pound of honey. If you would like more information on beekeeping, check out this website: www.bees-on-the-net.com/ohio-beekeeping-clubs.html. Or contact the Ohio State University Extension Office in Celina. They have phone numbers of local beekeepers that can answer questions. The hive and photos will be on display at the Coldwater Public Library until mid November.

Beehive on Display at Library


By Skeet Wolters Mercer County is a wonderful

place to live, raise children, and flourish. Volunteers play vital roles in keeping our towns, villages, churches, schools and organizations well and thriving. These adults and teens possess no superhuman skills. They are everyday people-homemakers, factory workers, professionals, bank managers, secretaries and retirees. They are different and yet alike. Each works uniquely to live up to a commitment to make their chosen entity a better association.

Community volunteering refers to volunteers who work to improve community enhancement

efforts in the area in which they live. Neighborhood, church, and community groups play a key role in building strong cities from the neighborhoods up.

The reward for volunteering is the satisfaction, pleasure and enjoyment of knowing they have helped a child, such as in 4-H, Girl and Boy Scouts, or a sports program. Many folks find satisfaction in volunteering in church ministries such as food pantries, hospitals, libraries, local chambers, service clubs, EMS, fire department, serving on boards, and the list goes on.

Serving on a board is more than a monthly meeting. Some board members become active participants

of on going programs, bake cookies, do presentations, serve as clean up crew, and most anything needing their attention. Members give freely, humbly and with a smile, expecting no recognition or compensation.

Community volunteering that I have observed occurs when the neighbor (who happens to be the mayor) removes the snow from driveways and walks for his neighbors up and down the street. Another person doing community upgrading removes weeds, hoes, digs and plants annuals in the flowerbed of an elderly neighbor. She trims, prunes, sweeps and quietly walks away stating that this is her way of giving back to her neighborhood and community.

The 4-H program totally depends on volunteers to maintain the community 4-H Clubs and sometimes these adults take on the responsibilities almost as a job. Within the clubs the members do various volunteer work including a community service night at nursing homes and entertaining the residents or bringing them handmade decorations to cheer them.

If you have possession of a skill, talent, or expertise to share with others let it be known and volunteer with the group of your choice. You will be welcomed with open arms. By going out of your comfort zone, you will grow and be rewarded with personal satisfaction.

Volunteering is alive and well in Mercer County

Proof that we can make a difference in our neighborhoods. Pictured is a beautified home with blooming flowers and well-trimmed streetscape thanks to a generous neighbor.

By: Georgia Rindler If you are not able to bring your

child to a theme park to meet a princess, Princess Emporium in Fort Recovery will arrange for Cinderella, Snow White or Belle to come to your home. Although the idea of princess parties is not original, what makes these different is that Andria Wood actually transforms into the character. Playing the parts began as volunteer work for community fundraisers in high school. While a student at Cincinnati Christian University she worked at a daycare and as a nanny. That’s when she discovered the love of giving children a lasting memory of the best day of their whole life. She recalls her first party, where the girls gasped, and in concealed whispers debated among themselves if it was the real Belle from Beauty and the Beast. They concluded that yes, it was! And things just got better from there. Andria has always been very

dramatic and theatrical, so this is a natural fit for her. To facilitate making the princesses real, the look must be authentic. The costumes were each hand made by her mother Judy, to match the Disney character. During the sewing process they frequently checked pictures to make sure the outfits were as close as possible to those in the classic movies and book illustrations. Parties range from one to two hours consisting of games, music, stories, gifts and a tea party with a real tea set. There is also the option of costumes (for both boys and girls), face painting and crowns/superhero mask decorating. Occasions can vary from birthday to the last day of school or any other reason for a celebration. Over the last months, Andria has stopped at several libraries in the area to introduce children to these storybook characters. On a recent visit, one adult commented that Cinderella looked like she had come straight from The Magic Kingdom.

Princess Emporium Delights Young and Old

The Coldwater Happy Hearts 4-H Club recently spent an eve-ning at Briarwood Village as their community service project. It was described more like a fun night out for the group as they min-gled with the residents playing Bingo and distributing prizes. They also created fall decortions for the tables.


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HEALTH AWARENESSThis is the time we make

New Year’s resolutions about actions for the coming year. Those who have read this col-umn over the years know that we believe that a well educated reader and a reader willing to take responsibility for his ac-tions is likely to be healthier.

Following is a list of top 10 health-related resolutions to help achieve healthy aging:

1. Exercise regularly (at least three times a week and preferably once a day). For most people, walking is the simplest and safest form of ex-ercise. One study reports that walking 30 minutes a day adds 1.3 years to a person’s life.

More strenuous types of ex-ercise done in moderation and with proper pre- and post-exer-cise stretching is recommend-ed. In order to increase your fitness level, exercise should increase your heart rate. Ex-ercises involving balance and lightweight lifting can help prevent falls. In stationery ex-ercises for arms, abdomen and legs, three sets of eight to12 repetitions at least once a week are recommended.

2. A balanced diet is vital to good health. Some things are good to eat and some things are bad. On the “good” list is fiber from fruits and vegetables, raw nuts and whole grains. Elimi-

nation of “bad” things is dif-ficult, but a diet that limits fat is a must. Salt also should be limited, even for people who aren’t hypertensive. Refined sugar consumption should be limited for people with and without diabetes.

3. Drink approximately eight glasses of water per day (not carbonated drinks). The water you drink doesn’t have to be bottled; tap water is just as good or better and is re-quired for all bodily functions. The amount you drink should be determined by activity, hu-midity and age. To make sure that you are well hydrated, check the color of your urine.

If it is dark gold, drink more. If it is like water, cut back.

4. Kick or reduce bad hab-its. This column could be com-pletely on this topic because there are many bad habits! However, let’s just focus on the main ones: smoking; not drinking in moderation (red wine in moderation can be beneficial); excessive use of caffeine drinks or other stim-ulants; and improper use of prescription, non-prescription, and illegal drugs.

5. Take vitamin supple-ments designed for older Americans and supplement the daily multi-vitamin with ad-ditional calcium. Consult with

your physician on how much you need to prevent possible bone fractures.

6. Reduce stress, even though it may be easier to say than to do.Stress is defined generally as “things out of your control” that cause discomfort or threaten one’s sense of se-curity. Whether it is the bad economy or a family situation, it is important to find healthy ways of dealing with stress. Consider confiding in friends or trusted professionals. Oth-er methods of coping include religious practices and help-ing someone in greater need.

new Year’s Top 10 Health Resolutions

See RESOLUTIONS, page 14


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Stress contributes to many se-vere health problems, so it is important to deal with stress earlier, rather than later.

7. Sleep and rest are es-sential to wellness. Each per-son needs slightly different amounts. The average amount of sleep required is seven hours. If you are tired, get

some rest. Exhaustion can lead to many illnesses.

8. Follow all regimens for disease management. Let’s face it, as we age, we develop health problems. People with heart disease, arthritis, can-cer, depression, diabetes, hy-pertension and other common problems should receive care

from a physician. Follow the plan given to you by your phy-sician.

9. See your physician at least once a year for a thorough evaluation.The so called “an-nual physical” is necessary for you and your doctor to evalu-ate your overall health, go over all medications, and pre-

scribe any changes or tests that need to be performed under the “preventive maintenance” pro-gram that you and your physi-cian have agreed upon.

10. Read this column. Or, just pay attention to the count-less other voices of self-help and wellness. Ultimately, your health is your responsibility.

Resolutions (Continued from page 13)

Anna Price of Ansonia has been hired as an LPN at State of the Heart Hospice. State of the Heart, with offices in Greenville, Coldwater and Portland, provides care to patients and families in eastern Indiana and western Ohio who are confronting a life limiting illness.

“I have always had a passion to work for hospice, especially State of the Heart Hospice,” she said. She has been an STNA for over five years, and an LPN for two years. She will work from the Mercer County office.

Price enjoys spending time with her friends and family and gardening and tending flowers in her spare time. She and her husband Richard have two boys and a daughter.

For more information about State of the Heart services, visit the agency web site at www.stateoftheheartcare.org.

Ansonia Resident new Employee At State of the Heart Hospice

Meghan Schwieterman of Coldwater, has recently been hired as the Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement coordinator at State of the Heart Hospice. With offices in Greenville, Coldwater and Portland, State of the Heart cares for patients and families in eastern Indiana and western Ohio who are confronting a life limiting illness.

A registered nurse for ten years and an LPN for four years, Schwieterman recently completed her Masters Degree in Nursing Education.

“I am excited about working with State of the Heart,” she said, “as I have wanted to pursue a career in hospice care.” She will work in the Greenville office.

In her spare time, she enjoys reading, gardening and spending time with her family – her husband Rick and their two children, Madeline and Tyler.

For more information about State of the Heart, visit the agency web site at www.stateoftheheartcare.org.

Coldwater Resident Hired at State of the Heart Hospice


ATTENTIONDog Owners

DEADLINE FOR THE PURCHASE OF 2012DOG LICENSE IS JANUARY 31, 2012

$13.00 For Each Dog License * $65.00 For Each KennelMake Checks Payable To David Kaiser, Treasurer& Mail To Randall E. Grapner, Mercer County Auditor

101 N. Main Street, Room 105, Celina, Ohio 45822

TO AVOID A LATE PENALTY CHARGE OF $13.00 - PURCHASE BY JANUARY 31, 2012

THE MERCER COUNTY AUDITOR IS AGAIN MAKING DOG TAGS AVAILABLE TO DOG OWNERS OF MERCER COUNTY AT THE

FOLLOWING LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY

We Trust This Convenience Will Assist In Making It Possible For Every Dog Owner To Obtain The Necessary Tags Before

The Deadline Of January 31, 2012.RANDALL E. GRAPNER,

MERCER COUNTY AUDITOR

Chatt Landmark, Chattanooga, Ohio • Gagel Hardware, Maria Stein • Ace Hardware, Celina • TJ’s Grocerette, Rockford • P&G Minimart,

Mendon • Celina Animal Hospital & Celina Pet Center, Celina • Ace Hardware, Coldwater • Garwick’s The Pet People, Mendon

• Perfect Paws, Celina • David Krugh, DMV, Lakeview Animal Hospital, Celina • Chickasaw Veterinary Clinic • Tru Point

Cooperative, St. Anthony • Spoltman Hardware, Chickasaw • Philothea Country Club, Philothea • Kaup’s Pharmacy, Fort Recovery • TSC

Store, Celina • Zuma Thru, Celina • 5 Brothers, Burkettsville • Maria Stein Animal Clinic, Maria Stein • Western Ohio True Value, St. Henry

• Coldwater Animal Clinic, Coldwater • D&L Calssic Woodworking, Rockford • Mile Creek Animal Hospital, Minster

2

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Donations will begin at MCCOA on January 3 and continue until January 14 or until we are full. Donations may be taken to the Senior Citizen Center, 217 Riley Street, Celina from 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. on weekdays, and 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon on Saturdays.

This is a benefit sale for the Mercer County Council on Aging.

The sale dates are Thursday, January 26 - January 31. Regular weekday hours are 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m, with Saturday and Sunday hours set at 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Evening hours are on Thursday (first day of sale) when the Center will be open until 7:30 p.m.

The MCCOA schedules four garage sales per year.

Mercer County Council on Aging

The Mercer County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society will meet Sunday, January 8th, at 2:00 pm. The program will be a round table discussion, entitled “You Won’t Believe What I Found!” Those attending are asked to describe an interesting ancestor, fact, story or resource, that was an unexpected discovery. The meeting will be held at the Richardson Bretz Memorial Building at 119 West Fulton Street in Celina. Due to the holiday weekend, this will be the second Sunday of the month. The meeting is free and the public is welcome.

Mercer County Chapter of Ohio genealogical Scoiety to meet

Dr. Edward Hosbach, Medical Director for State of the Heart Hospice, recently completed and successfully passed the added qualifications examination for certification in Hospice and Palliative Medicine. The American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians awarded the certification.

“The certification program in Hospice and Palliative Medicine by this board is a program for demonstration of excellence in the field,” said Carol A. Thoma, Executive Director of AOBFP. In a letter to Dr. Hosbach, she added, “We want to congratulate you on this significant accomplishment in your medical career.”

Ted Bauer, Executive Director, State of the Heart, said “This is a significant achievement for Dr. Hosbach and is testimony to his knowledge, commitment and dedication to the hospice philosophy and to State of the Heart Hospice. All of us at State of the Heart are proud of his recognition and certification.”

Dr. Hosbach, a resident of Coldwater, has had a Family Practice in Fort Recovery since 1989. He received his Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from The Ohio State University and a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from

Ohio University. He is a key part of the hospice interdisciplinary team and is responsible for overseeing the medical care, assessment of patient care and appropriateness of patients for hospice. He has been involved with State of the Heart since 1992 and was Assistant Medical Director with Medical Director Dr. Warren Pevnick, who has retired.

“Earning this certification is satisfying,” Dr. Hosbach said. “It reaffirms one’s years of experience and acknowledges a skill level in palliative care.” He added that he has a strong belief in the ”hospice philosophy of

comfort care at the end of life.” He praised the State of the Heart staff “for their commitment, dedication and expertise they bring to caring for our patients. They serve as an inspiration to me.”

State of the Heart Hospice, with offices in Greenville, Coldwater and Portland, cares for patients and families in eastern Indiana and western Ohio who are confronting a life limiting illness. For more

Information about the agency and its services visit the web site at www.stateoftheheartcare.org.

State of the Heart Hospice Medical Director Achieves Hospice & Palliative Care Certification

State of the Heart staff in Greenville recently joined to honor Dr. Hosbach for his certification. Pictured left to right are: Amy Pearson, Deb Abernathy, Ryan Gathard, Mindy Stebbins, John nunnally, Amy Rudy, Dr. Hosbach, Ted Bauer, Elaine Seger, Kim Livingston, Jennifer VanSkyock, Heather Bankson, Erin Meyer, Robin Cook and Sheri Fleming.

Story idea ...

Comments ...

News release ...emailNancy Spencer,editor ...

[email protected]

Submit any of these plus any pictures you would like to share with our readers to:

The Mercer County Chronicle124 West Main Street

P.O. Box 105Coldwater, Ohio 45828

419-678-2324email: [email protected]


Coldwater Baseball

Regional Highlights

THE MERCER COUNTY CHRONICLE

Page 13• June 4, 2009 - June 10, 2009

P H O T O S B Y B U C K H A L L & F R E D K R E M E R

Coldwater Baseball

Regional Highlights


SportsSports

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OFF THE WALLObservations ... by John Bruns

A LOOK BACK“Be careful what you wish for;

you just may get it,” or “When God wishes to punish us, he answers our prayers.” I think both these truisms may have played a major part in my two biggest sports stories of 2011. Mercer County native, Corey Luebke, was a left handed pitcher for the Marion Local Flyers who had an overpowering fastball. Corey had attracted considerable attention as his high school graduation approached, and indicated to the numerous professional baseball scouts who came calling, that major league baseball was an ultimate goal. The June 2004 pro baseball draft however, did not produce the results the young man hoped to hear. Instead of going in one of the top rounds, Corey was not picked until the 18th cycle. The young man undoubtedly experienced some disappointment and accepted a scholarship offer to pitch at Ohio State University. He had two good years with the Buckeyes but in the 2006 pro baseball draft, his name was not called until the 22nd round by the Texas Rangers. Cory’s junior year at Ohio State was a blockbuster. He became the number one starter for the Bucks, won the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Award, and the MVP Award in the 2007 Big Ten Tournament. His professional prospects rose significantly and

in the June 2007 draft, Corey was chosen by the San Diego Padres in the first supplemental round. Corey threw his first minor league pitch in July 2007 and had his Major League debut as a starter on September 3, 2010. He now is firmly placed in the 2012 starting rotation for the Padres. I wonder what would have happened if Corey had been chosen in a higher round in 2004 and he had signed at that time. Would things have worked out so well without the three years of physical and emotional maturity at Ohio State or the commitment by San Diego that goes with a first round choice? It is probably best we do not have to know that answer. Ohio State Football was also an ongoing story all last year, but not necessarily for what happened on the football field. It is not fair to blame the series of errors at Columbus on any one individual, but I wonder if things would have evolved differently if a talented but self centered young man had made a different decision on March 19, 2008, at what ESPN described as “the most anticipated signing day announcement in history.” Terrelle Pryor was the consensus number one high school quarterback in 2008 and the best the country had seen in years. Buckeye coaches, supporters, and fans got their wish when Terrelle chose the Buckeyes over Michigan and Penn State. “When God wishes….”

Girls bowling teams traveled to Woodcrest Lanes in Union City last week with the Coldwater girls staying atop the league standings after a win over Mississinawa Valley.

The lady Cavaliers cruised to a 2712-2053 victory in moving to 6-0 on the season, remaining tied with St. Marys for the league lead.

St. Henry is now 5-1 and tied for third following a 2382-2020 win over Ansonia. Parkway moved to 4-2 on the year with a 2448-2129 decision over Minster as well.

Brooke Boznango led county bowlers posting a 217 for Parkway with Kelsey Koesters recording a 203 for Coldwater. Alissa Tebbe paced St. Henry with a 201.

At Speedway Lanes in New Bremen, Coldwater, St. Henry and Parkway all picked up wins in boys varsity action.

The Cavaliers and Redskins are in a four way tie for third at 6-1 on the season with Parkway seventh at 4-3. Marion Local is tied for tenth at 2-5 with Fort Recovery and Celina each tied for 15th at 0-7.

St. Henry recorded a 2785-2219 win over Marion Local and Coldwater got past Ansonia 2840-2263. Parkway got past Celina 2406-2389 and Mississinawa Valley defeated Fort Recovery 2284-1901.

Aaron Hemmelgarn led the Redskins with a 243 while Cole Whitacre paced Coldwater with a 233. Jeremy Tribolet rolled a 212 for Parkway and Dalton Hone had a 194 for the Bulldogs.

In girls junior varsity action, Coldwater moved to 6-0 with a 1918-1795 win over Minster. Marion Local fell to 2-4 after a 2063-1849 loss to St. Marys and Parkway dropped to 0-6 following a 2088-1753 loss to Versailles.

Jackie Bruns led Parkway with a 179 while Bethany Wilker carded a 167 for Marion Local. Lauren Sinning had a 159 for Coldwater.

Coldwater defeated Van Wert 2277-1624 in junior varsity boys

action with Versailles getting past Marion Local 2390-1769. St. Henry also defeated Parkway 2292-2228.

Kean Butler led the Panthers with a 223 with Aaron Hess rolling a 220 for the Cavaliers. Jordan Steinbrunner paced St. Henry with a 181.

Coldwater is now tied for second at 5-1 on the season with St. Henry tied for fourth at 4-2. Parkway and Marion Local are tied for eighth, each with a record of 1-5.

Cav girls stay atop WOHSBCThe Midwest Athletic

Conference took off a couple of weeks due to the holiday break but girls basketball returns to MAC action this week with three Mercer County squads standing atop the league standings.

Coldwater, Fort Recovery and Marion Local are all 2-0 in MAC action with each in action this evening.

The lady Cavaliers (5-2) are the only one of the trio at home as the black and orange hosts county rival Parkway (3-5, 0-2). Marion Local (5-1) is on the road inside the county as

well as the lady Flyers travel to St. Henry (3-4, 0-2).

Fort Recovery (6-1) travels to Darke County to take on Versailles (6-2, 2-1) looking to stay at the top as well.

Other MAC games include Delphos St. John’s (6-2, 1-1) at New Knoxville (5-2, 2-1) while New Bremen (2-4, 0-2) is at Minster (5-2, 0-2).

Western Buckeye League action sees Celina (5-2, 1-1) host Defiance (0-7, 0-2) while St. Marys (2-6, 0-2) welcomes in Elida (2-6, 1-1).

Two co-league leaders square off as well when Wapakoneta

(4-3, 2-0) travels to Lima Bath (8-1, 2-0) while Lima Shawnee (5-2, 2-0) visits Ottawa Glandorf (2-6, 0-2). The final game in WBL action has Kenton (5-2, 1-1) at Van Wert (3-4, 1-1).

In non-league play on Saturday, Marion Local hosts Anna with Coldwater traveling to Lima Central Catholic. Celina hosts Minster, Van Wert is at Fort Recovery and Sidney travels to St. Henry in the other games involving county squads.

On Tuesday, Celina travels to Findlay for a non-league contest as well.

County trio return to league play at top


State of the Heart Hospice has announced the appointment of Ryan Gathard to the position of Fund Development Director for the local not-for-profit agency. State of the Heart, with offices in Greenville, Coldwater and Portland, cares for patients and families in eastern

Indiana and western Ohio who are confronting a life limiting illness.

Gathard, a resident of Greenville, has a Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcasting. He brings eight years of experience in sales and advancement work having been employed by Joy-FM radio (88.9) and Cedarville

University in Cedarville, Ohio. “After being in the world of radio

advertising for the first part of my career,” Gathard explained, “God has blessed me with a wonderful position at State of the Heart Hospice and I am very thankful that I did not have to relocate. It is a great organization in our community and I look forward to serving it to the best of my ability.”

Gathard enjoys spending time

with his wife Katie and their two children Addisyn and Jack. He also enjoys being involved in ministry at Bible Fellowship Church, sports, and for a number of years has been a local play-by-play announcer for 88.9 JOY-FM and Tiger Country 97.5 WTGR.

For more information about the services provided by State of the Heart, visit the web site at www.stateoftheheartcare.org.

State of the Heart Hospice names new Fund Development Director

TRI STARCAREER COMPACT

Monday, January 9, 20125:30 - 8:00 p.m.

OPEN HOUSE

Check out the Career Technical education opportunities at these locations:

For information call 419-586-7060 or visit www.tristarcareercompact.com

College representatives will be available at the St. Marys Dennings Bldg.

ST. MARYSDENNINGS VOCATIONAL BUILDING: 809 McKinley Rd.

COLDWATERCOLDWATER HIGH SCHOOL TRI STAR WING:

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MONTEZUMAFRANKLIN BUILDING: 6731 State Route 219

CELINAEDUCATION COMPLEX: 585 E. Livingston St. OR

CELINA HIGH SCHOOL TRI STAR WING: 715 E. Wayne St.

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Mercer County Engineer em-ployees left to right: Mark Lein-inger, Don Kittle (retired), Brad Laffin and T.J. Smalley were re-cently recognized at the annual Christmas lunch for their efforts in creating a memorial to co-workers that have passed away while being employed with the County Engineer. The work that was done in the creation of the memorial was constructed on the employees’ own time and it is located at the southeast cor-ner of the Mercer County Engi-neer Operations building in the fairgrounds.

Mercer County Engineers recognized for creating memorial

The Village of Fort Recovery Council will hold their first Special Meeting of the year on January 2, 2012 at 6:30 PM in Council Chambers at the Village of Fort Recovery Town Hall. The purpose of the meeting is to conduct Regular Business.

Village of Fort Recovery Council to hold first Special Meeting


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Bud’s Chrysler, Dodge, JeepNew Certified & Pre-Owned Sales, Service & Parts

“YOU CAN’T BEAT A BUD’S DEAL”419-586-7000

www.budschrysler.com

C.A.R.S. Repair Sales 419-678-4949 419-678-3969

SEE ALL WE CAN DO FOR YOU!

www.carscoldwater.com

Pictures,Prices & Options

The Mercer County Chronicle124 W. Main St, Coldwater • 419-678-2324

www.mercercountychronicle.com

040 Notices

ARE YOU looking for achild care provider in your

area? Let us help. CallYWCA Child Care Re -

source and Referral at1 -800 -922 -2916 o r

419-225-5465.

SENIOR CITIZENS

GIANT GARAGE SALE

217 Riley St., Celina, Ohio

January 26-31Weekends:

8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.Thursday Evening till

7:30 p.m.Sat. & Sun.:

9:30 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.“BAG DAYS”

Sunday, $3.00Monday, $2.00

Tuesday-Jan. 31 LAST DAY

$1.00 with second bag free includes all

items left

classifieds Ohio Scan AdsWanted: Diabetic Test Strips.

Paying up to $15.00 per 100 strips. Call Alan (888) 775-3782. www.diabeticteststripswanted.com.

Announcement CARS

WANTED! PayMax Car Buyers pays the MAX! One call gets you TOP DOLLAR offer on any year, make or model car. 1-888-PAY-MAX-7. (1-888-729-6297).

Antique Show Hudson, Ohio

Antique Show, Clarion Inn (Hotel #330-653-9191), 6625 Dean Memorial Pkwy., Exit 180 Turnpike/Rt. 8. January 7 (11-5), January 8 (11-4). 55 Dealers featuring Great Antiques!! Admission $6. Lynne Dingus 606-305-1189.

Business Services REACH 2 MILLION NEWSPAPER READERS with one ad placement. ONLY $295.00. Ohio’s best com-munity newspapers. Call Kathy at AdOhio Statewide Classified Network, 614-486-6677, or E-MAIL at: [email protected] or check out our website at: www.ado-hio.net.

Business Services REACH OVER 1 MILLION OHIO ADULTS with one ad placement.

Only $975.00. Ask your local newspaper about our 2X2 Display Network or 2x4 Display Network Only $1860. or Call Kathy at 614-486-6677/[email protected]. or check out our website: www.adohio.net.

Help Wanted CDL-A Drivers

- Steady Miles, New Equipment, Regular Hometime. Dry Van and Flatbed ($500 Sign-On for Flatbed). Benefits after 30 days! CDL Graduates Needed. 888-801-5295.

Help Wanted Class A Drivers

Needed Midwest Regional 38-40 CPM. Paid Orientation Paid from 1st. Dispatch. Full Benefits. $1500 Sign On. Online Transport 877-997-8999 www.DriveForOnline.com

Help Wanted Driver - CDL-A

Drive With Pride. Up to $3,000 Sign-On Bonus! for Qualified Drivers! CDL & 6 mo. OTR exp. Req’d . USA Truck 1-877-521-5775 .www.usatruck.jobs

Help Wanted Driver - Start out the year with Daily Pay and Weekly Home Time! Single Source Dispatch. Van and Refrigerated. CDL-A 3 months recent experience required. 800-414-9569.www.driveknight.com.

Help Wanted Drivers - CDL-A.

DRIVERS NEEDED! We Have The Miles! OTR Positions available! Teams Needed! Class A CDL & Hazmat Req’d. 800-942-2104 Ext. 7307 or 7308 Hwww.totalms.com.

Business & Services DirectoryReach over 3,800 homes in Mercer CountyTwice a Month, for as low as $10/Month!

Choose 1 or 2 sizes 1x1 or 1x2And... be the EXCLUSIVE Business under your category!

Be a part of the next edition of this Directory!

Call 419-678-2324, Fax 419-678-4659

or email [email protected]

1x1 SampleDRYWALL GOLD

Acme DrywallFinishing & Texturing“The Best in the Business!”Call 419-268-XXXX

WE BUY GOLD!

Call 419-852-XXXX

1x2 SampleTREE SERVICE

Jerry’s Tree Service

Professional Trimming,Tree & Stump Removal.

We will beat or meet any other rates around!

Call Jerry at 419-268-XXXX

FURNITURE

SEPTIC SYSTEM

Barnhart’s Furniture Outlet

Family Owned & Operated

Best Prices Around On New & used Furniture & Mattresses!

200 E. Main StreetVan Wert, OH 45891

419-238-5079Mon. 10-7 • Wed.-Fri. 10-5:30 • Sat 10-2

SEPTIC TANKCLEANING

PORTA TOILET RENTAL

GRIER’SPOWER

DIGGING LLC419-363-3390419-305-0800Been in business

since 1951

Will Haul For FREE Junk of any kind

Iron or MetalWill Buy Large Amounts

419-678-2080Cell 419-305-6418

Eicher ConstructionAmish crew looking for any type of construction work.Specializing in Window Replacement & Roofing

(260)251-1067 • (260) 849-2489

ROCS LLCConsulting, Handyman work & snow

removal, Custom home security systems, We do it allCall for Estimates

419-305-0771 - Mikewww.zazzed.com/mike45865

DISPOSAL HANDYMAN SERVICE

COMPUTER SERVICE

CONSTRUCTION

CLEANING SERVICES

THE WASH• LAUNDROMAT Large washers/drop off service/ consignment clothing• DRY CLEANINGRepairs and Alterations• CAR WASHTouch free Automatic/5 self serve bays

1020 Grand Lake Road, Celina419-586-4320

AWNINGLAPAX ALUMINUM AWNINGS

MFG. AND INSTALLED BY

SWAIN AWNING& PATIO

forPatios • Carports • Windows

Doors • CampersReplacement WindowsEntry & Storm Doors

Alum. Railing • Vinyl Siding- Free Estimates -

419-678-4888 • 419-305-4874

LOCKSMITHING

R&M LOCKSMITHINGAUTOMOBILE - RESIDENTIAL - COMMERCIAL LOCKSMITH

24 HR. EMERGENCY SERVICEWe also cut & program

automobile keys & remoteshome 419-586-5380cell 567-644-8791

We can rekey your home’sexisting locks instead of

replacing them.

CRANE SERVICE

HirschfeldLifting,

CELINA, OHIO

Hydraulic Crane Service Office: 419-586-7599Mobile: Bryan: 419-852-2182 • Donna: 419-852-2199

HirschfeldLifting, Inc.

CELINA, OHIO

Hydraulic CraneServiceOffice:419-586-7599

Mobile:Bryan: 419-852-2182Donna: 419-852-2199


CELINA, OHIO




CELINA, OHIO



MC-0105

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