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THE EARLY BIRD NEWSPAPER
WEEKEND EDITION - MARCH 11, 2018
THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE GREAT DARKE COUNTY FAIR!
Big & Rich, Tracy Lawrence coming to fair RYAN BERRY
MANAGING EDITOR editor@earlybirdpaper.com
GREENVILLE – After much anticipation, the Darke County Agricultural Society announced its entertainment for the 2018 Great Darke County Fair. During its regular monthly meeting Wednesday, director and fair manager Brian Rismiller shared country music legends Big & Rich will headline the concert on Aug. 19. Tracy Lawrence has been chosen to open the concert. Big & Rich, Big Kenny and John Rich, have been wowing audiences since joining forces in 2004. The
duo has garnered numerous nominations for top duo and has scored plenty of top 40 hits. Their top 40 offerings include Wild West Show, Coming to Your City, Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy), and That’s Why I Pray. Their only song to reach number one is Lost in This Moment. Lawrence has been entertaining for over 25 years and has released more than 40 singles. Eight of his singles have reached number one on the Billboard country music charts, including Sticks and Stones, Alibis, Can’t Break it to My Heart, My Second Home, If the Good Die Young, Texas Tornado, Time Marches
On and Find Out Who Your Friends Are. Tickets for the Big & Rich and Tracy Lawrence concert will go on sale on March 31 and will be available through the Darke County Fair website, www. darkecountyfair.com or by calling 1-800-736-3671. The Fair Board also announced ride bands for this year’s fair are on sale now. With a new ride company, the 2018 fair is expected to offer more thrill rides for its patrons. The special price on ride bands is for a limited time and can be purchased by calling the fair office at 548-5044 or 1-800-736-3671. In other business, the
board: * Agreed to keep fair shuttles outside the fair gates to service the parking lot only. Golf cart taxies will be provided from Gate 6 to the Speed Office on the south end of the fairgrounds; * Continues to look for afternoon entertainment in front of the Grandstand. They are looking for a Wednesday afternoon
was named best Main Street Shopping in the state in 2016 and 2017.” The shopping district also earned the award in 2018. Crysta Hutcheson, executive director of Main Street Greenville (MSG), was as surprised as anyone with the national recognition. “I didn’t know it had been written and that we were featured in it. A volunteer called her because her daughter had seen the article.” She pointed out the honors the downtown district are receiving are in direct relationship to the great job local business owners are doing. “People have a really
good experience when they come to downtown Greenville. It makes it a cool place that people want to check out,” said Hutcheson. “To be chosen to represent the state of Ohio is the biggest deal for us. When people are looking to go on a trip or when they are looking to have an experience, everybody is looking for reviews. Everybody wants to hear it is as cool as they hope it will be,” she said. “ Not only did Greenville win Ohio Magazine’s Best Main Street Shopping, they also won for Best Community Parade (Holiday Horse Parade), Best History Museum (Garst Museum), Best Summer Festival (Gathering at Garst), and Best County Fair (Darke County Fair). Darke County also had winners for Best Winery (The Winery at Versailles), and Best Fine Dining (Michael Anthony’s The Inn at Ver-
sailles). Hutcheson believes historic preservation has been a big determining factor for the honors. “Our buildings are in good shape and almost all of them have a business in them. You are not walking down the street and seeing four vacant store fronts in a row,” she said. The MSG director added that downtown Greenville has vibrancy and is very much alive. MSG and local businesses have been working hard over the last decade to bring people to the downtown area. Through First Friday events to parades to contests, Hutcheson credits local business owners who have taken a risk to open a shop and their dedication in supporting these events for the success Greenville is witnessing. Don’t look for organizers to relax any time soon. New events are being planned
Tracy Lawrence
event; * Learned they will need a civic organization to operate Gate 6 during the fair. The Pitsburg Lions Club has previously operated Gate 6 and Gate 2, but recently announced they will only operate one of the Gates. Any
civic organization interested in operating the gate should contact the fair office. The next regular meeting of the Darke County Fair Board will be April 4, 7:30 p.m., Secretary Office, Darke County Fairgrounds.
Downtown Greenville recognized nationally RYAN BERRY
MANAGING EDITOR editor@earlybirdpaper.com
GREENVILLE – For a third consecutive year, downtown Greenville has been awarded the title “Best Main Street Shopping” from Ohio Magazine and now the historic district is receiving national attention from USA Today by being listed as Ohio’s choice in the national newspaper’s list of Charming Main Streets Across the USA. The one paragraph listing states, “Browse books, bikes, candy, clothes, clocks, music and more along Broadway in Greenville. This Main Street
BWC grant helps better protect firefighters CLINTON RANDALL
CORRESPONDENT crandall@earlybirdpaper.com
PALESTINE - The Liberty Township Volunteer Fire Department was recently awarded a grant from the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) to help protect their firefighters. The grant, valued over $10,500, was part of the BWC’s Safety Intervention Grant for Firefighters Exposure to Environmental Elements. Liberty Twp. Capt. Miles Stump applied for the funding that was later awarded to help purchase upgraded gear that serves as a barrier to possible harmful particles that firefighters are exposed to while battling structure fires. With the grant money, Station 15 will now be able to provide its crew with better filter hoods and gloves that are proven to protect their skin from absorbing these particles that have been determined to cause several medical issues, including cancer. “Homes today are full of plastics and other manufactured materials, unlike wood-based in the past.
Downtown Greenville was chosen by the USA Today as Ohio’s choice for Charming Main Street.
that will continue to breathe life into the community. Hutcheson shared there will be a new theme for the September First Friday that will reflect on a part of the community’s history – Popcorn and Prohibition. The Veteran Banner Program is also coming to downtown Greenville. Hutcheson said they have
received numerous requests to have banners that honor veterans. Plans are also underway for a Farm to Table fundraising dinner that will tie in the community’s agricultural heritage. Hutcheson invites anyone that hasn’t been downtown in a while to come and see what they are missing.
Stars shine for A Night in Hollywood SUSAN HARTLEY
STAFF WRITER shartley@earlybirdpaper.com
Liberty Twp. firefighters will be better protected with their new turnout gear thanks to a grant from the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation. (Clinton Randall photo)
When burning, these items are full of cancer-causing particles that can get absorbed into our firefighters’ skin when they sweat while battling a fire,” stated Liberty Twp Fire Chief Mark Loy. “The new hoods we are purchasing block 99.9 percent of those particles which the BWC has determined to be a cause of cancer in many firefighters while doing their job.” Station 15 is one of the first fire departments in Darke County to make the upgrade, but with the lifealtering health risks associated with today’s fires... other local stations will more than likely take the same proactive measures to protect their own.
GREENVILLE – This year’s Special Olympic’s fundraiser, A Night in Hollywood once again offered some of Darke County’s shining stars the opportunity to shine. From their artwork displayed for a silent auction to on-stage performances, Special Olympians shared their talents after walking the red carpet and posing for photos with local paparazzi – their parents and friends. This year’s A Night in Hollywood, held Saturday, March 3, was the fourth such fundraiser to be planned by Greenville High School Career Technology’s 21 Supply Chain Management students, said instructor Dara Buchy. The first three events have raised $19,000 for the county’s Special Olympics organization, Buchy said. “We’ve well surpassed our
goal.” The goal for 2018 was $7,083 - $1 more than was raised last year, she explained. The fundraiser was started as a community project for a Business Professionals of America competition project for Greenville’s Supply Chain Management program. Students turned their project into a fundraiser in order to better serve the community. This year’s class did something a little different, Buchy said. “Students really connected with them this year,” Buchy said of the Special Olympians, especially adults enrolled in three of the county’s day facilities, including Our Happy Place, Art Sense and Person Centered Service (PCS). “My seniors divided up into groups and every Thursday visited these facilities,” Buchy said. “They made real connections.” Seniors Alexa Davis and
A group of Darke County’s Special Olympians pause on the red carpet for photos during the 2018 A Night in Hollywood. (Susan Hartley photo)
Hannah Morrow said they enjoyed meeting with the adult patrons of Art Sense in Union City. “It was really fun,” Morrow said. Davis, who has completed some job shadowing with Greenville Middle School’s students with disabilities, said she enjoyed “meeting and spending time with adults with disabilities,” many who performed at this year’s A Night in Hollywood. Davis and Morrow assisted with setting up the Special Olympians’ art-
work display for A Night in Hollywood. Also this year, some of the students who created the A Night in Hollywood fundraiser were in attendance and included Logan Emrick, Addison Hart and Terin Ellis. “We’re glad to see this happening for the fourth year in a row,” Hart said. Also performing at Saturday’s event were Greenville High School’s Wavaires and Jazz Scene as well as the Taiko Drummers from MIssissinawa Valley High School.