Serving the Steuben County 101 lakes area since 1857
Trine music groups usher in the holiday season with a variety of performances
Weather Partly cloudy today with a high in the low 40s. Low tonight in the 20s. Page A7
Page A2 SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2013
Angola, Indiana
Angola seeks facility funding
Santa Visits Downtown
GOOD MORNING Santa Claus will be available at museum AUBURN — Night With Santa, a free family event, will take place Thursday from 5-7 p.m. at the National Military History Center, south of Auburn near exit 326 off Interstate 69. Activities will include meeting Santa and Mrs. Claus; face-painting; multiple holiday craft activities; sending holiday greetings to soldiers; Christmas movies and viewing Christmas trees and Christmas houses. Concessions will be available. Free admission to the museum’s galleries is included. The event is sponsored by WAWK 95.5 The Hawk, Lightningnet and the Dean V. Kruse Foundation.
Grants sought to pay for parking, toilets downtown BY JENNIFER DECKER jdecker@kpcmedia.com
MIKE MARTURELLO
Christmas season begins in Angola
Coming Sunday
75 cents
kpcnews.com
Santa Claus brings in the Christmas season in downtown Angola on Friday night. The jolly old elf lit the Steuben County Christmas tree — the garland that strings from the perimeter of the mound to the top of the Steuben County Soldier’s Monument —
with the tossing of a handful of magic dust, then proceeded to visit with hundreds of children in Fitt4Life on the Public Square. There was music, treats and wagon rides, all offered free courtesy of local sponsors.
ANGOLA — The city is expected to seek a federal grant toward the cost of a $729,000 pedestrian improvement and public restrooms project. The Angola Common Council will consider applying for two grants at Monday’s regular meeting. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 210 N. Public Square. In a pre-written letter dated Dec. 2 from the council to David Armstrong with the Indiana Department of Transportation, it stated approval was given by the city for a financial commitment to the proposed $729,000 project. The city will seek a $583,000 federal grant. If the grant is approved, the city would be responsible for the remaining portion. That would SEE GRANT, PAGE A7
Honoring our Pets
More people are choosing pet funerals and other ways of memorializing their beloved four-legged animals. Read more about what local services grieving families can get on Sunday.
Clip and Save Find $89 in coupon savings in Sunday’s newspaper.
LOU ANN ON FACEBOOK Read more from Lou Ann Homan-Saylor Facebook.com/LouAnnHomanSaylor
Contact Us • The Herald Republican 45 S. Public Square Angola, IN 46703 Phone: (260) 665-3117 Fax: (260) 665-2322 Classifieds: (toll free) (877) 791-7877 Circulation: (800) 717-4679
Index • Classified.............................................. B7-B8 Life.................................................................A3 Obituaries.....................................................A4 Opinion .........................................................A5 Sports.................................................... B1-B3 Weather........................................................A7 TV/Comics ..................................................B6 Vol. 156 No. 329
Black Friday frenzy lasts 2 days in ’13 BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The holiday shopping season started as a marathon, not a sprint. More than a dozen major U.S. retailers stayed open for 24 hours or more on Thanksgiving Day through Black Friday, and crowds formed early and often over the two days. About 15,000 people waited for the flagship Macy’s in New York to open at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving. Long checkout lines formed at the Target in Colma, Calif., on Friday morning. And by the time Jessica Astalos was leaving North Point Mall in Alpharetta, Ga., after a six-hour buying binge that started on Thanksgiving, another wave of shoppers was coming in about 5:30 a.m. on Friday. “You just have to be out in the midst of all of it,” said Ricki Moss, who hit stores near Portland, Ore., at 5:30 a.m. on Friday. “It’s exciting.” This year may cement the transformation of the start of the holiday shopping season into a two-day affair. For nearly a decade, Black Friday had been the official start of the shopping season between Thanksgiving and Christmas. It was originally named Black Friday because it was when retailers turned a profit, or moved out of the red and into the black. Retailers opened early and offered deep discounts. But in the past few years, store chains have been opening on Thanksgiving. This year, several welcomed shoppers for the first time on Thanksgiving night, while Gap Inc., which owns Banana Republic, Gap and Old Navy, opened half its stores earlier on the holiday. Wal-Mart stores, most of which stay open 24 hours, has for the past several years offered doorbusters that had been reserved for Black Friday. And Kmart planned to stay open 41 hours starting at 6 a.m. on Thanksgiving. That has led some to question how much further Black Friday will creep into Thanksgiving, which along with Christmas is one of only two days a year that most stores are closed.
EXCLUSIVE
MIKE MARTURELLO
This group of women from Fayette, Ohio, make a day of Black Friday shopping in Steuben County the day after Thanksgiving. Like others who visit Steuben
County for the annual shopping event, they are drawn here by The Outlet Shoppes at Fremont and the big box stores in Angola.
Out-of-town shoppers are drawn to Steuben stores BY MIKE MARTURELLO mmarturello@kpcmedia.com
ANGOLA — Steuben County has become a destination for a group of Black Friday shoppers from Fayette, Ohio. The women, along with a friend from Sheboygan, Wis., make the trek to Steuben County each Black Friday to do their annual routine. The women start at The Outlet Shoppes at Fremont then head south to Angola to hit the big box stores. The event is capped off with lunch and margaritas at Applebee’s. “We’re not that far from here. We started at the outlet mall then came here,” said Abby Kunkle as she and her friends headed to Kohl’s. “Then we go and have a nice lunch,” said Merissa Kessler. “And margaritas.”
“The men get to stay home with the children,” said Lindsey Schaffner. The six women piled into Kunkle’s mini van for the annual ritual. By the time they arrived at Kohl’s, the back cargo area was stuffed with purchases and the back seating area was piling up with gifts. And those not riding up front were without a seat for the rest of the ride. For many, Black Friday has become a ritual to start the holiday shopping season after Thanksgiving. This year, some stores opened up on Thanksgiving, like Meijer, which was open all day, and Walmart, which started offering its door busters at 8 p.m. Shoppers hope to land bargains. Retailers hope to make their year profitable in only the 27 days, this year, prior to Christmas.
• FREE Handmade Wreath (with $499 purchase while supplies last)
BLACK FRIDAY & ial! c e CHRISTMAS p S Get ‘em while they last! 106 Peckhart Court, Auburn, IN • (260) 927-8267
SEE SHOP, PAGE A2
STORE HOURS:
Mon.-Fri. 9 AM-7 PM • The Hogan Double Reclining Sofa $ 599 Sat. 9 AM-5 PM $ Sun. closed to spend • Recliner Sale Starting At 199 time with family • And Much More!