The Mail-Journal - April 26, 2023

Harold Schrock Athletic Complex set to open this weekend

The Wawasee Community Summer League will be hosting an opening day parade Saturday, April 29, in Syracuse. Players from the leagues will be wearing their uniforms and representing their baseball and softball teams. They will walk down Kern Road from Syracuse Elementary School to the new Harold Schrock Athletic Complex.

The community is invited to come out and show support to the players as the new 2023 season begins. As the players walk down Kern Road, they will be throwing out candy to families lined up on the street. If you plan to park at Schrock Field, come in from the south, as Kern Road will be closed north of the facility.

The following are events planned for opening day:

• Noon. Teams begin to line up and prepare for parade at Syracuse Elementary School’s parking lot.

•1 p.m. Parade will begin and head south on Kern Road to Schrock Fields.

• 1:45 p.m. Team introductions.

• 2 p.m. Schrock Fields dedication, presented by Syracuse Parks Department.

• 2:10 p.m. The national anthem performance and raising of the flag by Syracuse American Legion Post No. 223.

• 2:15 p.m. First pitch to be thrown by Kosciusko County Sheriff Jim Smith. • 3 p.m. Games start.

Candidates for Syracuse Council District 4 answer questions

When Larry Martindale stepped down from the Syracuse Town Council in February, three candidates threw their names into the ring at the caucus to cover the remaining time in Martindale’s term and for the May 2 primary.

At the caucus, Nathan Scherer was named to replace Martindale for the remainder of his current term.

The Mail-Journal asked Scherer, David Rosenberry and Brian Woody some questions re-

Syracuse Clerk Treasurer candidates make their last pitch to the voters

For the primary race for the Syracuse Clerk-Treasurer’s office, The Mail-Journal is asking incumbent Virginia Cazier and challenger Larry Siegel a question a week through this week’s edition to give readers an idea of how each envisions the office.

The seventh and last question candidates were asked was, “Give your final pitch to the voters.”

Virginia Cazier

I am the clerk-treasurer for the Town of Syracuse; I’ve learned so much working for the town for over 25 years. I have my Indiana Municipal Accredited Certification from experience, training, education and follow all municipal law, State Board of Accounts, Department of Local Government Finance, IRS, ordinances and resolutions, rules and regulations.

Since I’ve been clerk, we have focused on being more customer service oriented. We now accept credit cards in the office for town utility bills. The clerk’s office is

here to service all employees, residents and visitors. Our office is reliable, organized and responsive to any questions or issues that may arise.

I hope the questions The MailJournal has published these past seven weeks have shown my experience, integrity and knowledge. I requested a debate with my opponent; he refused. The Mail-Journal suggested we answer one question a week till the election. Instead of just answering the question, Larry Seigel decided to slander me with false accusations weekly and he has even tried bullying and intimidating me in my office. My opponent does not have the qualifications or the personality skills to be the clerk treasurer for the Town of Syracuse. He does not have the best interest of the town. He cannot follow current and past rules and regulations the town has already set. He changes past ordinances to benefit himself.

Fact: The town (taxpayers) pays over $22,000 for his inContinued on page 2

LITEhouse opening ceremony held in Milford

Over 50 people gathered for the ribbon cutting and open house of Milford’s LITEhouse Women’s Recovery Home held Saturday, April 22. The facility is a result of the efforts of Living In Transition Effectively, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing support and resources for former inmates as they reintegrate into society after incarceration. The initiative was founded by Chris and Tammy Cotton, whose own daughter’s experience in jail inspired them to take action.

Pastor Mike Beezley, of Atwood Aldersgate United Methodist Church, serves as the direc-

tor of ministry and outreach at the Milford Methodist Meeting House. Speaking at the event, he explained, “MMMH has developed out of the facilities of the former Milford United Methodist Church and the parsonage behind me. The church closed in June 2021, but since then, something new has been born, and we’re very grateful to God for what he’s been doing in this place.”

The grand opening also featured a blessing from the esteemed Bishop Julius Trimble of the Indiana Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. Highlighting the importance of community support, he concluded his speech by stating, “I intend

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garding why they believe they are the best candidate to represent District 4 on the Syracuse Town Council.

Why do you want to represent District 4 on the Syracuse Town Council?

Scherer: I have wanted to serve my hometown in some capacity for a while. When I saw Larry Martindale had resigned due to health reasons, I felt now was the right time. I believe the town has a lot of untapped potential and with proper plan-

ning, we can maximize the quality of life for those who live here.

Having had the opportunity to serve on the council since I was caucused in, I feel I can build on that momentum in the next term.

Rosenberry: I have a long history of public service to the communities I care about. I am currently serving on the Syracuse Redevelopment Commission as well as having served 21 years on the Kosciusko 911 Com-

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Syracuse Clerk

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LITEhouse opening

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to make a commitment because this ministry can’t go on unless people are willing to support it.”

With the launch of the LITEhouse Women’s Recovery Home, LITE aims to create a positive impact on the lives of former inmates, offering them a chance to rebuild their lives.

Starting in 2017, the Cottons initially tried to collaborate with existing jail ministries and leadership classes, but faced challenges in finding a program that matched their vision. They spent a year looking for someone to develop a reentry program similar to the Elkhart County Jail Ministry, which provides reentry training, GED assistance,

and help with finding housing after release.

In 2019, newly-elected Sheriff Dukes supported the Cottons’ vision, granting them access to the Kosciusko County Jail. However, the pandemic forced them to postpone their plans. “They shut us down, but it turned out to be a blessing because we got our board in order. We got our nonprofit status solidified,” said Chris.

The only thing they could do during the pandemic, was set up a library in the jail. Today, the library contains around 4,000 titles, with a team of volunteers distributing books throughout the jail every Tuesday. LITE has since evolved into

more than just a connection point for former inmates. In addition to offering classes, meetings, health insurance enrollment, and transportation services, LITE has now established a women’s recovery home.

Cotton revealed there are currently two residents staying in the house and they have 14 applications for the program, all of which come from those charged in Kosciusko County.

The LITEhouse Women’s Recovery Home, LITE aims to create a positive impact on the lives of former inmates. For more information, or if interested in volunteering, they encourage following their Facebook page at facebook.com/LITEinKCJ.

Commissioners recognize Warsaw student for attaining Girl Scout Gold Award

A Warsaw girl has been recognized by Kosciusko County Commissioners for achieving the highest award in Girl Scouts.

At its meeting Tuesday, April 25, the commissioners honored Keely Roe for getting a Gold Award, equivalent to the Eagle Scout rank in Boy Scouts.

For her Gold Award project, Roe, a Warsaw Community High School senior, created a patch other Girl Scouts can earn by educating others about breast health.

Roe told InkFreeNews others from across the country had worked to obtain the patch. She also placed educational brochures about breast health in the county.

Roe collaborated with medical professionals for the project.

During her time in Girls Scouts, Roe, who’s been in troops 10379 and 10380, also received the following awards: 10-year member award; Gold Torch Award; GoldSilver Torch Award; Silver Torch Award; Senior and Ambassador Safety awards; Community Service bars for Cadette, Senior and Ambassador levels; Service to Girl Scouting bars for Senior and Ambassador levels; five Journey awards; nine cookie sale pins; and 48 badges while at the Cadette, Senior and Ambassador levels. She’s the daughter of Terrence and Lori Roe. When Roe gradu-

ates this spring, she’ll have Ivy Tech Community College pharmacy technician and dementia care certificates, along with her Core 40 academic and technical honors diploma. She will attend Butler University as part of its honors college program and study biology on a pre-medicine track.

Roe is the WCHS student body president and has been involved in National Honor Society, the speech and debate team, Phi Theta Kappa, Kosciusko County Teen Court and the Kosciusko Youth Leadership Academy Board of Directors.

Commissioners presented Roe with a certificate, and President Brad Jackson read a statement.

“Over the course of your years in Girl Scouts, you have learned many qualities that have helped you and shaped you into a strong leader and a helpful citizen to your community,” it said in part.

“Our hope for the future is that you continue to learn and grow and lead with integrity.”

Present at the meeting was Suzie Light, who served as Roe’s Gold Award project advisor. Light said this is the first time a Girl Scout Gold Award winner has been recognized at a commissioners’ meeting.

In other business, commission-

ers:

• Approved a consulting contract with VS Engineering for inspection work on Bridge 9 on

surance, plus recently he voted to make his HSA contribution $3,000. He is the only council member who receives a contribution in an HSA. He has better insurance than the full-time employees. Example 2. At the last town council meeting, Larry Siegel is the only council member who argued against a developer who is willing to bring a high-end RV resort to the outskirts of town and is willing to pay all expenses to hook onto the town’s utilities. This is going to bring revenue to our municipality and bring in business to our local merchants and restaurants. Who wouldn’t want our town to grow and prosper? There is plenty to say about my opponent, but the way he answers his questions says a lot about his character, his integrity, credibility and pettiness. Vote on May 2 for Virginia Cazier. I would be happy to serve my community for the next four years. Larry Siegel I have had the opportunity to serve the people of Syracuse on the town council for more than 20 years.

I appreciate the support and confidence from all the people of Syracuse who recently reelected

me to the town council. This election has made me aware of a yet greater need to serve.

It is time for a change. Therefore, it is my goal to put the clerktreasurer’s office back together and develop an organization that is legal, sustainable and stable through changing clerk-treasurers into the future. This is our voters’ only opportunity in the next four years to correct all that is wrong in the clerk-treasurer’s office.

In addition to more than 20 years reviewing and approving town budgets, I am a career entrepreneur, I have 40 years of business experience computerizing and training personnel on their company accounting systems, including payroll systems, as well as building and managing the employees of my own enterprises.

I graduated with a bachelor of science degree in business from Indiana University in 1981. I finished my fellowship in leadership from the Tobias Center for Leadership, located in the IU Kelly School of Business in 2013. I am looking forward to and will certainly participate in all incremental training provided for newly elected clerk-treasurers.

I have volunteered countless thousands of hours on town

Candidates for

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munications Center and was a part of the process when we took on dispatching for Syracuse and Turkey Creek Township.

I also served 28 years with the Milford Fire Department. So, to continue my heartfelt tradition of caring about what goes on in my community, there really isn’t a much better way to serve than to be a part of the decision-making process that transpires on the town council.

projects, including serving as president of the redevelopment commission, developing our technology park, redeveloping Oakwood and creating a pathway for Polywood’s expansion, as well as many other projects. All have created hundreds of new jobs and capital improvements with over an estimated $100 million dollars in increased assessed valuation. I know how the town works.

I have co-authored or reviewed every ordinance and resolution adopted by the Town of Syracuse through my 20-plus-year tenure, resulting in me being intimately familiar with their meaning and intent and practice. The clerktreasurer is responsible to follow the direction of the town council, laws of the state of Indiana and federal laws, including the IRS.

The clerk-treasurer is bound by these laws and is not allowed to change or ignore their meanings to support their personal narrative. This obligation appears to be deeply misunderstood or corrupted by Virginia Cazier, the current clerk-treasurer. I have the qualifications and resources to correct this.

When I see the need, and have the ability, I feel a need to serve.

I hope for your continued support and confidence in this election.

Husky Trail.

• Approved a request from Kosciusko County Highway Department Superintendent Steve Moriarty for purchasing a lowboy trailer for $47,100.

• Approved an ordinance allowing law enforcement agencies across the county to contribute to a fund for Flock cameras, which take pictures of license plates for police investigative purposes.

• Approved a request to rezone about 9.6 acres at CR 175E and CR 300N from agricultural to agricultural II at the request of Timothy Posthuma. The Kosciusko County Area Plan Commission had given commissioners a favorable recommendation.

• Approved paying the annual premium for property liability and workers’ compensation insurance of $789,306. Kosciusko County Administrator Marsha McSherry noted “the (overall) premium increased 1.5% this year” while parts of it such as workers’ compensation actually went down in cost.

• Allowed the Kosciusko Area Bus Service to apply for federal and state grant money estimated at more than $600,000. It’s the regular grant money KABS always asks for, noted Kosciusko County Commissioner Cary Groninger.

The next meeting is 9 a.m. Tuesday, May 9, in the Kosciusko County Courthouse’s Old Courtroom.

Main Channel Marina approved for additional storage space

The Syracuse Board of Zoning Appeals held a board meeting on Thursday, April 20, to discuss the Main Channel Marina’s petition for modifications of a previously approved exemption.

The Main Channel Marina, located on the west side of Huntington Street and 385 feet south of Bowser Road, initially encountered the exemption back in 2018. Since then, the marina has been in operation and has grown, requiring multiple exceptions for storage expansions.

During the meeting, Steve Snyder represented the petitioner, Scot McDowell, a representative of the Main Channel Marina.

Snyder explained that Main Channel Marina is running out of storage space and proposed a new open rack on the south side of the middle building.

The rack, made of galvanized steel, would be set back approximately 6 to 8 feet from the existing building and allow for the stocking of boats.

The board reviewed the site plan provided by Snyder, and agreed to approve the rack stor-

age rack and the site plan for all previous and current exceptions.

No objections were raised during the public comment portion of the meeting, and the motion to approve the outside storage rack and site plan was carried unanimously.

Woody: I represented District 4 for 12 years prior to Larry Martindale. Serving District 4 again will allow me the chance to continue keeping taxes as low as possible. I take pride in not raising taxes to the maximum during the 12 years that I served. I take pride in being a part of the industrial park that we built with “no property tax revenue.”

I take pride in being part of the solutions for our small town. I understand how small government works and operates and I would be an experienced voice for the members of the community. I will always do what is right for the town of Syracuse.

What do you see as the biggest challenges facing District 4 and the town?

Scherer: I feel the town has been in a healthy position for the most part, but the economic and geopolitical headwinds are something we need to keep a close eye on. The future of work and the overall economy has seen some major shifts in the last five years, and we will continue to see changes in the next five. We need to spend time making sure the town is positioning itself properly for these shifts and

take advantage of our strengths to put the town in the best possible position going forward.

Train derailments have also made numerous headlines in the news in the past couple of months. One of the first things I did when I took office was pull together local stakeholders to address the issue of the aging and dilapidated bridge that separates Syracuse and Wawasee Lakes. We simply can not risk a derailment like we have seen in the region in Syracuse.

Rosenberry: I reside in Kerns Crossing which was recently annexed into the Town of Syracuse. The town has also built a beautiful ballpark next to our addition. I believe District 4 is developing residentially rather quickly and would like to help make sure a balance is maintained with regard to the overall economic growth of the whole town.

Woody: I think the biggest challenge right now is managing our money properly with the cost of inflation. The costs of streets, wages, fuel, water, wastewater treatment, garbage services, snow plowing, vehicles and capital equipment has become more expensive. This will be the challenge going forward. Some hard decisions are in front of us. Each year it seems costs go up and we have to do our best in being fiscally responsible with our town’s tax money.

What benefits do you see in participating in public service in a small town?

Scherer: I feel the benefits of serving in a small town are multi-pronged.

First, in a small town you are likely to have a lot of commonalities with other citizens. These common threads

provide great opportunities to find common ground to work from when addressing both challenges and opportunities.

Second, being in a small town, the opportunity to get feedback is rather easy; that feedback can set you up to produce meaningful impact.

Finally, I would say opportunity for impact. In a small town, your work can have a significant impact on the community. You may have the chance to work on projects that directly benefit your neighbors and friends.

Rosenberry: The town board has done a tremendous job of tackling today’s environment and financial difficulties. I do not wish to make any big changes, only bring fresh perspectives and ideas and be a part of the decision-making process for our town, to be a part of the team.

Public servants seek to extend opportunities, protect the vulnerable and improve quality of life. The town board focuses as a whole and not to a specific group of individuals.

Being a participant in public service represents a demonstration of passion and commitment to your community. That’s really what I have strived for most of my life: help others and leave it better than you found it.

Woody: The benefits of participating in public service, I’m sure, are different for everyone. I enjoy the relationships I’ve developed in my 12 years of service to the town.

I’ve lived here in the same house for 23 years and take great pride in my community. My only agenda is to provide the best services available for the town of Syracuse.

Community meeting held to discuss South Shore Village

What do you want? That was the question posed at a community meeting Wednesday night, April 19, in Syracuse.

Jeff Dyson of South Shore Ventures, along with others involved in a new project, addressed the small group of people in attendance.

The 112-acre property, called South Shore Village, could become home to single-family homes, town homes and a mixed use of commercial and other amenities.

“This is a good opportunity,” said Dyson. “We love this property.”

The meeting was held at Boondocks at South Shore’s new location at the former South Shore Golf Course.

Dyson and his business partner, Nathan Scherer, told the public they want to create a community to work and play.

“There’s a huge need for housing on all levels,” said Dyson.

He said a need is especially strong for workforce housing.

“That middle market is a void,” he said.

Most importantly, they want to build a community for youth.

“We’ve partnered with Lakeland

Youth Center for youth activities,” said Dyson.

One of the amenities being proposed is a 13-acre soccer field.

The master-planned community would help bring in new families with children. These students, in turn, would go to Wawasee Community Schools, which has declining enrollment, according to Dyson.

He expressed the desire for students to hone their culinary skills at the restaurant or become an entrepreneur for a start-up business. “I want this to be a place to bring your family,” said Dyson.

Nathan Scherer said family and faith are what are most important. He also wants to attract and retain good employees.

“We lose a lot of talent thinking there are opportunities somewhere else,” he said. “We have talent here.”

He spoke of topophilia, a strong sense of place which often becomes mixed with the sense of cultural identity among certain people and a love of certain aspects of such a place.

“We have people who want to be here, and we want to pull in some of these companies to come here,” he said. Scherer said one of the ameni-

ties being proposed is Founders Village, a 3D planned community.

“My vision is to have a facility to collaborate,” he said. “We are men of Christ, and I believe faith can help build a community.” He said he’d like churches to help plan the community, too. Dyson and Scherer showed several vision boards and one of them was the illustrative site plan. “It’s going to take a community,” he said. “We are very excited.”

Travis and Heather Davidson, owners of Boondocks, also addressed those in attendance.

Travis said he has the same vision the developers do.

“We thrive in working with other businesses,” he said. “This is going to continue to grow.” His wife said, “It’s a joy to be here. The future is bright.”

Local Realtor Holly Tuttle also addressed the crowd. She said, “This group has a vision, and we want to see this succeed. I love their vision and keeping our kids here.”

After the informational meeting, called “What’s Happening at South Shore,” the public had a chance to ask questions.

For more information, visit southshorevillage.com or “Start Up Wawasee” on Facebook.

Obituaries

Sharon Rose Guyas

Homemaker

Sharon Rose Guyas, 85, Syracuse, went peacefully to her heavenly home on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, after a battle with dementia.

She was born May 30, 1937, to Arthur and Mildred (Richhart) Snowberger.

She was greeted in heaven by her husband, George Richard Guyas, with whom she was married on Nov. 12, 1955. George preceded her in death on July 19, 2014.

Sharon graduated from Cromwell High School. She lived a full life as a wonderful mother, homemaker and worked at Cromwell Products, Glaser Chevy Olds & Pontiac, Superior Sample and enjoyed many years with her husband and son at Macy’s Slip.

Sharon enjoyed traveling with her husband and friends, camping across the states and finding treasures/deals at garage sales and flea markets. She cherished her time with family and enjoyed reminiscing. An expression she often used was, “Well … that’s the way it is.” She found joy in her geraniums and loved spoiling her grand dogs, always having a treat for them.

She is loved and missed by her children, Tina (Phil) Ball, Ligonier, Jeff (Peggy) Guyas, Syracuse, and Greg (Corine) Guyas, Summerfield, Fla.; her grandchildren, Jeremiah (Rhoda) Ball, Olivia Kline, Joel (Natalie) Guyas and Tyler Guyas. She loved and adored her greatgrandchildren, Audrey Kline, Juliette Ball, Colten Kline, Isaac Kline and Ryker Ball.

Preceding in death were her parents; husband; a grandson, Justin Guyas; and two brothers, Bob Snowberger and Terry Snowberger.

A life celebration for Sharon was held from 5-8 p.m. Monday, April 24, at Titus Funeral Home, 1001 S. Huntington St., Syracuse. A graveside service was held Tuesday, April 25, at Sparta Cemetery, Kimmell.

Memorial gifts may be directed to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Written condolences may be left for the family at www.titusfuneralhome.com.

Diane E. May

Former Chore-Time Brock Employee

Diane E. May, 70, Milford, passed away Tuesday, April 18, 2023, at Goshen Hospital.

She was born March 11, 1953, the daughter of Robert and Alice (Shoemaker) West in Sturgis, Mich. On Dec. 8, 1978, she married Ronn May at Milford Christian Church.

She is survived by her husband of over 44 years, Ronn May of Milford; two daughters, Melissa (Matt) Linville of Syracuse and Christa (Robert) Lechlitner of Milford; four grandchildren, Madeline, Henry, Kayden and Katherine, all at home; and a sister, Natilee Belanger of Bloomingdale, Mich.

She was preceded in death by her parents.

Diane graduated from White Pigeon High School in 1971 and obtained a degree in dental hygiene and medical assisting in Tucson, Ariz. She worked at Chore-Time Brock from 1978-2011. Diane loved to garden, especially planting flowers. She also enjoyed collecting antiques and spending time with her grandchildren.

A funeral service was held in Diane’s honor at 1 p.m. Friday, April 21, at Mishler Funeral Home & Cremation Center, 461 W. 900N, Milford. Pastor Mike Kelley officiated. Burial followed at Milford Cemetery. Family and friends were received from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., prior to the service on Friday at the funeral home.

Memorial contributions may be directed to New Hope Pet Rescue, 72555 CR 29, Syracuse, IN 46567.

Memories and condolences may be shared with the family online at www.mishlerfhcc.com.

Syracuse Public Library — School year children’s programming wraps up

Children and their grownups are invited to the last week of children’s programming for the school year.

LEGO Club will meet at 4 p.m. Monday, May 1, in the downstairs meeting room, and children will complete one last LEGO building challenge. Homeschool class and story time then meet at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 3, in the children’s department. Homeschooled children will explore a science-related topic, while younger preschool children will continue to learn the alphabet and enjoy picture books.

After the week of May 1, programming will pause until summer reading kicks off June 1.

Signup for summer reading will begin Tuesday, May 30. There will be a large kickoff party Friday, June 2, in the library’s Community Roots outdoor space. During the party, there will be signups from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., prizes all day long and a foam party with Foamzilla Parties from 1-2 p.m.

Friends Meeting

Learn more about the Friends of the Syracuse Public Library by attending their regular meeting at 11 a.m. Thursday, May 4, in the downstairs meeting room.

Mary Brock

Mary Brock, 98, Syracuse, died Thursday, April 20, 2023, at The Waters of Syracuse.

Arrangements are currently pending at Eastlund Funeral Home, Syracuse.

Carolyn Young

Carolyn Young, 77, Syracuse, died Friday, April 21, 2023, at Paddock Springs, Warsaw.

Arrangements are currently pending at Titus Funeral Home of Syracuse.

Amy Angel

Amy Angel, 58, North Webster, died Saturday, April 22, 2023, at The Waters of Syracuse.

Arrangements are currently pending at Eastlund Funeral Home, Syracuse.

Kerry L. Koontz

Kerry L. Koontz, 77, Syracuse, died Saturday, April 22, 2023, at The Waters of Syracuse.

Arrangements are currently pending at Titus Funeral Home of North Webster.

Amy Capps

Amy Capps, 49, Tippecanoe Lake, Leesburg, died Saturday, April 22, 2023.

Arrangements are currently pending at Titus Funeral Home of North Webster.

Births

Alyah Joy Byler

Matt and Stephanie Byler, Milford, are the parents of a daughter, Alyah Joy, born at 6:31 a.m. April 22, 2023, at Goshen Hospital. She weighed 9 pounds, 8.8 ounces, and was 22 inches long.

Positive attitude negates arthritis pain

lifestyle measures that can help people cope with arthritis.

There seems to be as many ways of coping with arthritis as there are the different types of this often painful and occasionally debilitating degenerative joint disorder.

Millions of Americans live with arthritis, which occurs in more than 100 forms and at varying levels of severity, say experts.

But not everyone copes in the same way, even among those with similar signs and symptoms.

People with a positive, proactive attitude are likely to experience less pain and fewer limitations from their arthritis than those who are more negative.

When people feel in control, they’re more likely to use medical treatment options effectively. The following are some healthy

Reduce stress. Stress increases muscle tension, which can worsen arthritis pain. This can set off a cycle of increased pain, decreased ability to function and more stress.

Take time to relax. Meditation, prayer and guided imagery are some ways people calm their minds. Massage, slow and deep breathing, or simply tightening and releasing different muscle groups may help relax muscles.

Certain forms of exercise, such as yoga or tai chi, often enhance relaxation.

Understand your pain. Learn the difference between pain associated with general joint discomfort and that caused by joint overuse. When pain with a particular activity is excessive, or comes on quickly and lasts for more than an hour or two after-

ward, chances are you’re overdoing it or doing an inappropriate activity.

Know when to rest. The feeling of fatigued joints may be a signal to back off or change activities.

Painful, inflamed joints may require total rest temporarily or even an immobilizing splint.

Whole body rest also is important. If you have trouble getting a good night’s sleep, talk to your doctor about strategies to improve sleep. During the day, rest before you become too tired. Plan 10 minutes of rest for every hour of physical exertion. Use “assistive” devices. Many products, such as jar openers, specially designed kitchen knives, devices to extend your reach, and aids to help you dress can make common daily tasks less harmful to your joints.

Mature Life Features Copyright 2023

Out of shape? Exercise

A widespread excuse for not exercising is you are so far out of shape, nothing you can do will help you get fit and healthy again. The bad news is you probably won’t get your athletic 20-yearold body back again. The good news is any bit of exercise you

can work up will make you feel better, sleep better, eat better and make some of your clothes fit better Exercise doesn’t require hours every day in a gym or running through expensive sneakers every three months by pounding your way daily over several miles of planet earth.

Take the stairs instead of the

elevator if you live in an apartment building. Walk around the block and visit neighbors. Take a bike ride or a dip in the pool. Go dancing. Vacuum the living room. Wash the car. Do the laundry. Gardening is good, too. Any activity that keeps you moving offers the same benefits as “exercise.”

Mature Life Features Copyright 2023

Banks to be keynote speaker for Kosciusko Lincoln Dinner May 6

U.S. Rep. Jim Banks is the keynote speaker for the Kosciusko County GOP’s Lincoln

Day Dinner on Saturday, May 6. Social hour is at 5:30 p.m., with dinner at 6:30 p.m. at the

Owl’s Nest, 7369 E. 800N, North Webster.

This meeting occurs before the library opens, so knock on the southernmost Harrison Street door near the staff parking lot.

YA Video Gaming

Teens in grades six through 12 can play games on the library’s Nintendo Switch from 4-7 p.m. Thursday, May 4, in the Rosalyn Jones Room, which houses the library’s young adult books. While playing, enjoy provided snacks. Teens can also play games on the library’s public computers.

Bonus Borrows Return Patrons of the Syracuse Public Library can use the Hoopla app for free with their library card.

Hoopla works on an on-demand basis and offers a selection of ebooks, audiobooks, comics, magazines, movies, TV shows and music. Borrows are limited to six digital items a month. However, during the month of May, Hoopla’s Bonus Borrows collection will be available.

Items featured in the Bonus Borrows collection do not count toward patron’s six items, meaning more reading, listening or watching fun during the month. Browse items featured in collection via the Hoopla app or by accessing Hoopla through a web browser at hoopladigital.com.

helps Hoosiers get

Initiative

environmental resilience funding

A funding hub has launched in Indiana, designed to help small communities pursue federal funding for climate, energy and resilience projects.

The mission of the Indiana Resilience Funding Hub is to assist communities with fewer than 50,000 residents access federal dollars for their projects.

Bill Brown, assistant director of strategy and engagement for the Environmental Resilience Institute at Indiana University, feels many communities are overwhelmed by the magnitude of the opportunities available through the Inflation Reduction Act, which invests $369 billion in energy security and climate change mitigation over the next 10 years.

“Our goal for this pilot year is to work with five to eight communities and help them get started on the path to applying for grant funding,” Brown explained. “We’ve found out that there are a lot more communities out there that are interested, that are looking, and talking to us about projects that they would like to move forward.”

Brown said grant money can

help small communities make an impact by providing funding for projects like replacing street lighting with LED lighting. He noted LED is cheaper than traditional lighting and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Brown pointed out a couple communities are looking at what they can do with a micro grid with renewable energy, which would allow them to keep water and sewer plants working during a main grid failure.

“We’ve been answering questions for communities that have been digging into some of these grant opportunities, participating in calls with them to explain the nature of some of these programs, and let them know if they’re qualified,” Brown outlined. “Then also, what the timeline might be for their applications.”

Brown added the focus at the moment is spreading the word about the grant application assistance.

Banks, who represents Indiana’s 3rd U.S. congressional district, is running for the U.S. Senate in 2024. Other speakers include U.S. Rep. Rudy Yakym, who represents Indiana’s 2nd congressional district, and Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, who’s running for governor in 2024.

Cost for the event is $60 per person, with a table of eight $500.

People may RSVP by contacting Kosciusko County GOP Chairman Mike Ragan at (574) 265-1430 or Secretary Austin Rovenstine at (574) 551-3805.

Accidents/Incidents

All charges made by law enforcement are allegations and individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Kosciusko County

Officers with the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office investigated the following accidents and incidents:

Accidents

12:33 p.m. Friday, April 21, East CR 500N, east of North Sullivan Road, Leesburg. Driver: Christopher A. Verta, 56, East CR 500N, Leesburg. An object from a passing vehicle hit the ground and then hit Verta’s vehicle. Damage up to $2,500.

9 p.m. Tuesday, April 18, North SR 19, south of West CR 1100N, Warsaw. Driver: Donald J. Schmucker, 39, West CR 1050N, Milford. Schmucker’s vehicle hit a deer. Damage up to $2,500.

2:30 p.m. Sunday, April 16, North SR 13, north of East CR 200N, Syracuse. Drivers: Rebecca A. Logan, 30, North Fox Farm Road, Warsaw; Alyxandria N. Lindsey, 26, West Center Street, Warsaw; and Joshua A. Cox, 36, North Westlakes Drive, Fort Wayne. Lindsey’s vehicle hit the back of Logan’s, which was stopped for an unknown reason. Debris from the accident damaged Cox’s vehicle. Logan was trapped in her vehicle. She was transported to the hospital with incapacitating injuries. Lindsey complained of chest pain and was checked out by medics on scene. Damage up to $25,000. Incidents

12:27 p.m. Monday, April 24, 1200 block West CR 900N, Milford. Officers investigated a report of reckless driving.

8:58 a.m. Monday, April 24, 200 block West Main Street, Warsaw. Lemuel W. Rosendaul reported fraud. Value: $3,000.

7:20 p.m. Saturday, April 22, 3800 block East Lakeview Trail, Leesburg. Representatives for Stanton Lake Property Owners Association reported attempted burglary.

Accidents

12:50 p.m. Friday, April 14, 726 South Huntington Street, at the intersection of Pickwick Drive, Syracuse. Drivers: Mitchell L. Smith, 71, North Albert Eckert Drive, North Webster. Smith was backing out of a parking spot at Neighborhood Fresh and backed his vehicle into an unoccupied parked car.

Damages up to $750.

5:15 p.m. Thursday, April 13, South Huntington Street, east of Bowser Road. Drivers: Lacey L. Bowser, 37, Rozella Road, Warsaw; and Kylie M. Hollar, 26, Omar Drive, Indianapolis. Bowser was entering the turn lane to East Bowser Road when her vehicle collided with Hollar’s. Damages up to $10,000.

9:54 a.m. Thursday, April 13, South Huntington Street, west of Railroad Avenue, Syracuse.

Drivers: Chad R. Veach, 37, West 325 S-57, Larwill; and Phu Q. Phan, 52, Alane Drive, Goshen. Veach’s vehicle struck the rear of Phan’s vehicle. Damages up to $5,000.

Elkhart County

Officers with the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office investigated the following accident and incident: Accident

11:43 a.m. Thursday, April 20, US 6 and CR 29, Syracuse. A

16-year-old female driver from New Paris was traveling west on US 6 when her vehicle went left of center and she over-corrected, leaving the roadway. The vehicle then hit a utility pole and continued into an embankment. The driver was taken to a local hospital for a possible broken leg. A passenger in the vehicle, a 17-year-old girl from Leesburg, was taken to a local hospital for neck pain.

Incident 10:57 a.m. Tuesday, April 18, 51000 block CR 29, New Paris. Officers investigated a report about disconcerting letters.

session of methamphetamine and possession of marijuana with a prior. Bond: $5,250 surety and cash.

April 20 — Douglas Patrick Watkins, 44, 8712 E. Wesley Lane, North Webster, booked for possession of cocaine or a narcotic drug and driving while suspended prior. Bond: $5,250 surety and cash.

April 20 — Paul Brian Nine, 41, 404 W. Huntington St. Apt. B., North Webster, booked for violation of a conditional license. Bond: $500 cash.

April 19 — Cecil George Caudill, 47, 9045 E. Backwater Road, North Webster, booked for failure to appear – felony. No bond.

April 18 — Jamie Martin Wolfe, 44, 2510 N. 800W, Cromwell, booked on five counts of failure to appear. No bond listed.

April 18 — Brooke Shanea Kelly, 32, 208 E. Smith St. No. 16, Milford, booked for battery against a public safety official. Bond: $10,250 surety and cash.

April 18 — Bianca Rocha, 26, 9721 E. Pixie Parkway, Cromwell, booked for possession of methamphetamine.

Elkhart County

The following people were booked in Elkhart County Jail:

April 21 — Abel Adrian Villegas, 33, 3757 N. 900W Lot 204, Cromwell, booked for possession of methamphetamine.

April 15 — Austin J. Messer, 32, 71955 CR 19, New Paris, booked for domestic battery.

Noble County

The following people were booked in Noble County Jail:

April 23 — Kursty L. Fugate, 34, 29 EMS T21 Lane, Syracuse, booked for possession of methamphetamine, possession of a hypodermic syringe or needle, possession of paraphernalia, and operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

April 17 — Jordan J. Bronsing, 23, 41 EMS W25 Lane, North Webster, booked on a warrant.

Farm tractor involved in US 6 accident

At approximately 9:42 a.m. Monday, April 24, an eastbound red 2015 Dodge Journey SUV collided with a box trailer being pulled by a red farm tractor also heading east. The accident occurred on US 6 a quarter mile east of CR 123, northwest of Syracuse.

The force of the impact caused the tractor to overturn onto its right side, coming to rest on the

south shoulder of US 6 with its trailer upright in the ditch.

According to the police report, the Dodge, driven by Vincent Lenox, 63, Huntington, rear-ended the trailer, being pulled by Reuben Miller, 29, Leesburg. Miller was transported to Parkview Hospital in Fort Wayne for an apparent head injury. Lenox was taken to Elkhart General Hospital for complaint of pain.

Lenox stated Miller came to a standstill in traffic as Lenox was

attempting to pass. No citations were issued due to Miller not recalling any information from the crash.

The Dodge sustained significant front-end damage with airbag deployment. The trailer also was heavily damaged in its rear and left side panels.

New Paris EMS and fire departments, Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office and Indiana Department of Natural Resources responded to the call.

Kelly arrested after allegedly battering police officer while intoxicated

A Milford woman was recently arrested after allegedly battering a police officer and resisting arrest while intoxicated. Brooke Shanea Kelly, 32, 208 E. Smith St. Apartment 16, Milford, is charged with battery to a public safety official, a level 5 felony; resisting law enforcement, a class A misdemeanor; and battery and public intoxication, both class B misdemeanors.

On Feb. 12, Milford Police officers responded to a fight at a local bar. The officer spoke with a bartender, who said Kelly was too intoxicated to be served and needed

to leave the premises.

According to court documents, Kelly became physically aggressive and pushed the bartender.

While officers attempted to speak with her, Kelly showed signs of intoxication and yelled obscenities.

At one point, Kelly began falling to the ground and an officer attempted to catch her. During this, Kelly hit the officer in the chest and also hit her forehead

against a cement wall. While being escorted to a police vehicle, Kelly placed her hand against a seatbelt latch to interfere with officers securing her into the vehicle. Officers then took her to a local hospital.

While at the hospital, Kelly grabbed a nurse by the shirt and pulled her. Kelly attempted to leave the hospital and kicked one of the officers in the groin. A blood test showed Kelly’s BAC was 0.347%. In this percentage range, an intoxicated person likely has alcohol poisoning.

For this case, Kelly was booked in the Kosciusko County Jail April 18 with a $10,250 surety and cash bond.

5:26 p.m.

Saturday, April 22, 100 block EMS T26 Lane, Leesburg. Darren H. Baier reported the theft of a firearm. Value:

$300.

7:24 a.m.

Friday, April 21, 3800 block East Forest Glen Avenue, Leesburg. Steven Zawadzki’s golf cart was stolen. Value:

$8,000.

6:13 p.m.

Thursday, April 20, 5500 block North CR 825E, North Webster. Officers assisted in the recovery of stolen property.

Jail Bookings

Kosciusko County

The following people were booked in Kosciusko County Jail:

April 23 — Angelica M. Vela, 41, 531 Prairie Drive, Syracuse, booked on two counts of operating a vehicle while intoxicated and possession of marijuana.

Bond: $700 cash.

Ensuring good nutrition and better health of children and caregivers

4:14 p.m.

Thursday, April 20, 3100 block West CR 1050N, Milford. Chris Stoller reported the theft of money. Value: $2,034.

April 23 — Juan Carlos Montes, 32, 3510 W. 1000N, Milford, booked for operating a vehicle while intoxicated with a BAC greater than 0.15 with a passenger under the age of 18 and driving while suspended prior. Bond: $5,250 surety and cash.

(StatePoint) There are 2.5 million children in the United States growing up in “grandfamilies,” meaning they’re being raised by relatives or close friends without their parents in the home, and they face higher rates of hunger and food insecurity, according to a new report.

in rural areas, services are often more limited or challenging to access. What’s more, grandfamilies are disproportionately Black, Latino and American Indian and Alaska Native, populations that already have disproportionate rates of food insecurity due to years of systemic racism.

by increasing outreach to grandfamilies.

• Ensuring automatic access to free and reduced school meals for children living in grandfamilies.

9:38 a.m.

Thursday, April 20, 100 block EMS W17 Lane, North Webster. Ryan D. Coverstone reported the theft of boat speakers and an amplifier. Value: $1,800

2:52 a.m.

Tuesday, April 18, 11500 block North Syracuse Webster Road, Syracuse. James R. Carpenter reported the theft of tools. Value: $400.

Milford

Officers with the Milford Police Department investigated the following accident:

Accident

April 23 — Joseph Lee Thorn, 41, 653 N. Center St. Extension, North Webster, booked for possession of methamphetamine, possession of paraphernalia, and possession of marijuana. Bond: $5,250 surety and cash.

April 22 — Kaleb Scott Dausman, 19, 811 E. 550N, Leesburg, booked for sexual misconduct with a minor. Bond: $10,250 surety and cash.

The Generations United report, “Together at the Table: Supporting the Nutrition, Health and Well-Being of Grandfamilies,” highlights the particular struggles of such households, which are often unprepared financially for the unexpected job of raising a child, and may encounter difficulty accessing food and nutrition programs designed to help.

Recently, the White House released a sweeping national strategy to reduce hunger. While advocates describe the plan as welcome and comprehensive on many levels, and say that it identifies the importance of improved outreach to grandfamilies, they also believe it must go further.

• Improving outreach of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to help reach more grandfamilies and connect them with benefits for which they are eligible.

• Creating joint meal programs for grandfamily caregivers and the children they raise.

“Research shows that being raised by family members or close friends is the best option for children who can’t be raised by

their parents,” said Donna Butts, the executive director of Generations United. “But unfortunately, these families face hunger and food insecurity at much higher rates than the average family. The need for basic nutrition and adequate food is universal, and every family deserves to be healthy and thrive. The fact that many of our policies and programs to reduce hunger were not designed with grandfamilies in mind should not stand in the way of this right.”

To read the full report and learn more about issues affecting grandfamilies, visit https://www. gu.org.

According to Generations United, some key policy changes to reduce food insecurity for grandfamilies include:

12:35 p.m.

Friday, April 14, 121 S. Main St., north of Emeline Street, Milford. Driver: Thomas J. Wollman, 59, South Harrison Street 506, Fort Wayne. Wollman’s vehicle went over a curb and hit a building. Wollman complained of head and chest pain and was taken to Lutheran Kosciusko Hospital. Damage up to $5,000.

Syracuse

Officers with the Syracuse Police Department investigated the following accidents, incidents and made the following arrests:

April 21 — Chandler David Walley, 20, 6669 N. Fifth Trail, North Webster, booked for operating without ever obtaining a license, minor possession of alcohol and possession of marijuana/ hash oil/hashish. Bond: $600 cash.

April 21 — Kenny Lynn Ferguson, 51, 201 E. Greenhaus Drive, No. 55, Syracuse, booked for failure to appear – felony. No bond.

April 20 — Chelsi Renee Clevenger, 31, 86 E. South St., Milford, booked for possession of methamphetamine and possession of paraphernalia. Bond: $5,250 surety and cash.

April 20 — Dustin Jeremiah Sieglinger, 39, 9 EMS W38 Lane, North Webster, booked for pos-

Court News

Superior Court III

The following fines for infractions have been assessed in Kosciusko

In fact, 25% of grandparentheaded households experienced food insecurity between 2019 and 2020, which is more than twice the national rate. The long-term health implications of food insecurity -- including diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, obesity and eating disorders -- are dire. Additionally, food insecurity negatively affects a child’s ability to learn and grow.

While families from all areas of the country face food insecurity, for the large number of grandfamilies living in the South and

• Developing quality kinship navigator programs that connect grandfamilies to support and services in their communities. These programs should provide food and nutrition support to grandfamilies outside the child welfare system.

• Expanding access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by making a “child-only” benefit that is based on the needs of the child as opposed to household income and

206 S. Main St. P.O. Box 188 Milford, IN 46542-0188 Phone (574) 658-4111 1-800-733-4111 FAX 800-886-3796

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Milford Public Library —

Milford Public Library Board adopts fine-free policy

To provide equitable access to library material and services for all patrons, Milford Public Library will become fine-free beginning May 1.

This means there will no longer be any overdue fines on print or audiobooks, music, movies and magazines checked out at Milford Public Library. If you have old fines (before Dec. 31, 2022) on your library card, they will be forgiven.

Lost or damaged materials will go on your library card (replacement costs for what you lost or damaged). This policy shall apply solely to those items borrowed onsite at Milford Public Library, including items transited from other Evergreen Indiana Libraries, INSHARE or the Statewide Remote Circulation Services.

Items borrowed at another Evergreen Indiana Library or renewed at another Evergreen Library using a participating member card shall be subject to the policies of that library.

Once the cost of lost/damaged items on your card reaches $10, your card will be blocked at all Evergreen Indiana locations. If you have 15 or more overdue items, your card will be blocked at all Evergreen locations.

Your account will be charged with replacement costs for any items not returned within 28 days of their due date. If you return said item in good condition, the library will forgive the cost of that item. The library will not issue refunds for lost items which have been paid for and are later returned.

If getting fines has been keeping you and your family from using the library, come in and register for a card. If you live in Van Buren or East Jefferson townships, a part of your property tax goes to the library, resulting in no additional fee for your card. The non-resident fee is $60 a year.

Spring Story Time

Spring story time for children ages 3-6 years old began Wednesday, April 5, but you can still register your children for story time. It is offered at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. This session’s themes are: Just Ducky, Wiggly Worms and Stuffed Animal Tea Party. Bring your children and listen to some fun stories, make crafts and share a treat with your story time friends.

May LEGO Challenge

The monthly LEGO Challenge for May is to build a frog. The winner will take home a new LEGO

kit. Be sure to enter the challenge by May 27. Children ages preschool thru eighth grade are invited to submit a photo of their creation to milford@milford.lib.in.us. The library staff will choose a winner from the submissions. They have a challenge each month during the school year. LEGO Saturday is from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. May 6. The whole family is welcome to come and build things with the library’s collection of LEGOs.

National Spring Children’s Book Week Children’s Book Week, established in 1919, is not only a celebration of books, but of connection. This beloved program continues

Armenian cuisine has a rich tradition

During our years in Pittsburgh, we were exposed to many ethnic groups. Italian and Jewish people dominated many neighborhoods like Shady Side east of downtown. But what has stayed with us since then is the exposure to Mediterranean cuisine.

It started in a small Lebanese restaurant called Kahlil’s adjacent to the University of Pittsburgh campus. There, we were introduced to lamb kabobs, rice pilafs, baklava, dolmas, falafel and other treats.

Another ethnic group prominent in Pittsburgh are Armenians — easily recognized by the “-ian” ending to their last names. It’s a patronymic suffix that simply means “the son of.”

We were friends with several folks of Armenian descent, and they introduced us to traditional Armenian dishes.

Historically, Armenian cuisine is the oldest food in the Caucasus region. Starting over 2,000 years ago, the Armenian highlands supported a variety of meats, dairy products, grains, vegetables and herbs.

One of the most common dishes we serve frequently is an Armenian rice pilaf (p’lav angleren).

2 teaspoons paprika

Pinch cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon ground coriander

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive

oil

to grow and adapt each year with new resources and celebration ideas. This year’s posters were created by the amazing Rilla Alexander.

This year’s theme, “Read Books. Spark Change,” speaks to the power books and stories have to inspire positive change. Books can spark change within an individual reader, a family, a classroom or a whole community. Celebrate with them May 1-6 at the Milford Public Library. At the end of each day, a drawing will take place in the children’s department. Someone will win a book and stuffed animal. You may enter the drawing once a day.

Memorial Wall concept presented to Wawasee School Board

There are different ways to honor America’s veterans, and Wawasee School Board was presented with a concept design Tuesday, April 18, to honor veterans from the school district in a more permanent way.

Superintendent Dr. Steve Troyer reminded the board, “We’ve been working with Dave Baumgartner to come up with a design the school and community could get behind to recognize heroes who have gone through Wawasee. And, they’ve done a lot of work on this and are ready to present some of their ideas and findings.”

Baumgartner said they’ve been working on Warrior Field Veteran Memorial Courtyard. The designer is Doug Hoerr, a 1974 Wawasee High School graduate.

Hoerr received his bachelor of arts in landscape architecture from Purdue University and is the co-founder of Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Architecture Co. The company has been in business for over 32 years and won over 100 national and international awards.

Baumgartner listed a number of the firm’s projects, including the Lombardy Plaza outside Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. Hoerr’s mother, Margurette Hoerr, was the first woman to serve on the Wawasee School Board.

The second slide was a brief history of Harry J. Michael, a Medal of Honor recipient who went to Milford High School. The idea for the Memorial Wall originally stemmed from Milford resident Rich Rhoades’ request for Wawasee to memorialize Michael, Rhoades’ uncle.

“These are some examples of different types of ways we can memorialize different people who are veterans,” Baumgartner said while showing a slide. “I want to emphasize to everyone this memo-

rial includes all of our veterans. All of them. So, there are a number of different ways we can get this done.”

One way would be bricks with veterans’ names on them.

Baumgartner said over Christmas vacation, Hoerr came down from Chicago with two of his associates. They took measurements, pictures and brought a drone in to take an overhead shot. With the concession stand and restrooms to the right and the home grandstands to the left, he said there’s a big open area that is the plaza area and that’s where they would like the memorial to be placed.

Baumgartner showed concept design photos of what the memorial would look like from different angles and in daylight and nighttime.

“It’s a nice big open area, which makes it very accessible to lots of different people so they can go up and see it and experience the veteran memorial stadium,” he said.

One type of plaque to put the names of people who served the country was also shown.

“The people who can go up on the wall are certainly all of our veterans. We obviously have some veterans who have distinguished themselves. Harry would be an example of it, being a Medal of Honor winner, but we also have Purple Heart winners, we have Silver Star winners, Bronze Star winners … from our community,” Baumgartner stated.

On the question of cost, he said he took the plans to Bruce Jackson of T.L. Jackson Construction and was given an estimate of $250,000.

“That’s a lot of money. I know it. I understand that,” Baumgartner said. “But, I also understand, and have already started to look into different ways the money can be raised.”

He said federal and state grants are possible and he has some background in writing grants.

Other possibilities are corporate sponsorships and donations from the public.

“All of this money, as we collect it, would be funneled into an account here, set up by the Wawasee people who handle your money,” Baumgartner said.

Once all the funds have been raised, that’s when the trigger on the project could be pulled, he said.

“I truly believe we can make this thing happen. But the big key to that is the term ‘we’ because it’s got to be a community thing. It’s got to come from all three of our communities, and I think it exists within all three of our communities to get this project done,” Baumgartner stated.

The project isn’t just about today or tomorrow, he said, but generations.

“We can teach our kids about our heroes who have served the country, men and women, through this. This could be a place where Memorial Day and Veteran Day programs can be held. There could be tour buses stop by to take a look at this because it’s going to be that beautiful,” he said, adding there were all kinds of possibilities with it.

Wawasee School Board member Mike Wilson asked if they were going to try to get all the names of every veteran from the Wawasee communities who graduated and how. Baumgartner said he’d first go to the different American Legions, but families could also request a name for the wall.

Troyer said there’s still a lot of details to be worked out, financially and otherwise, before it will be brought to the board for a final recommendation for approval.

“We will continue to work on it. Their team will continue to work on it. It is a good update to see and good to see the project is moving forward. We continue to be supportive of that and appreciate your work on that,” Troyer concluded.

This version includes melted butter used to toast small pieces of spaghetti. Then chicken stock is added with long grain rice. It’s a delicious rice dish. Like the Armenians, serve it with lamb.

Madzoon Ov Kofte

For these cool nights, Armenians serve this comfort soup. Translated, it means “yogurt and meatball soup.” It’s a delightful dish of meat and vegetables that’s finished with a yogurt and egg concoction. Here’s the recipe we used recently:

1/2 pound ground lamb

3 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup bulgar

1/8 cup parsley

Small yellow onion, chopped

Small carrot, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon dried mint

4 cups chicken stock

1 can garbanzo beans, undrained

1 cup small pasta, like orzo

1 cup Greek yogurt

1 egg yolk

Shredded Parmesan for garnish

Combine first nine ingredients and knead by hand until thoroughly combined. Form dabs of the mixture into golf ball sized (or smaller) meatballs. Set on a tray.

In a soup pot heat oil and but-

ter over medium heat until the butter melts. Add onion, carrot and celery. Sweat the vegetables for three minutes, then add garlic and mint. Cook another minute, then add stock and beans with their juice and pasta. Bring to a boil, add the meatballs and pasta. Cook for eight minutes or until the pasta is done. Reduce heat to simmer.

Meanwhile, whisk the yogurt with the egg yolk until smooth. Add a tablespoon of the stock from the soup to the mixture and whisk to combine. Repeat adding more stock while whisking until the yogurt mixture warms slightly. Add the yogurt mixture to the soup and simmer until hot (do not boil). Ladle into bowls and garnish with cheese. Serve with a crusty bread for a real comfort food dinner. Try this soup as spring approaches.

IN THE Delicate hollyhocks

By JOYCE ARLEEN CORSON, Guest Columnist and Master Gardener

Have you ever planted your plants with great expectations, only to have no blossoms to show?

Hollyhocks, scientifically known as Alcea rosea, are gorgeous, eyecatching plants that will draw in pollinators of all kinds, if they show.

Many people are discouraged from growing hollyhock because unbeknown they’re biennial and they won’t grow flowers the first year. Who wants to wait two years to see blossoms? I don’t.

Growing hollyhocks is well worth the wait, since they develop beautiful flower stalks that will likely tower over you. Actually I’m still waiting. Early on in my garden growing years, I had total failure with hollyhocks. I’m not giving up and have decided to let the growers do the work. They will bloom because the grower got them started.

They can rest and wait, to bloom next year, while I buy the newly grown ready instantly to bloom hollyhocks. However, if the previous bloom again, I will be happy; if not I will care for them and let them recover in moist rich soil and full sun.

However, I’m doubtful and will buy new from the grower, knowing they will bloom. I’ve decided to grow them in this pattern and encourage the seeding off as well. Hopefully, I can get a colony started. Just be sure to ask, how old is this plant?

If you want instant flowering plants, try annuals like zinnias or marigolds, grow in one year from seed until seed pods form and seeds drop. These delight in being

saved and used as a friend gift. Or better yet, buy perennials that return every year with seamless effort, like day lilies and gentian that love living by the lake.

Since they grow several feet tall, they work well along fences or serve as a natural privacy hedge along property lines. You may need to give your flowers stakes to protect them from damaging winds if you live in a windy area.

Hollyhocks were grown and valued in Elizabethan days and for the first half of the 19th century. A horticulturalist named Chater of Essex, England, worked for decades on improvements to the plant and developed Chater’s Double in the 1880s, one of the most popular hollyhocks of all time.

By the 1930s Hollyhocks were beginning to make a comeback. In 1939, Hollyhock Indian Spring was introduced and it remains the most popular single and semi-double mix of white and pink blooming hollyhocks available. I’m hoping for a comeback as well.

Boys track and field splits versus Goshen and Northridge, places 11th at Goshen Relays

The Wawasee Warrior boys track and field team traveled to Goshen, Saturday, April 22, for the 80th annual Goshen Relays. The Warriors finished in 11th place in the large school division.

Lucas Linder finished fifth overall in the 100-meter dash and Hunter Tinkey came in ninth overall. Hunter Allen was ninth in his 1600-meter run heat. Quentin Taylor finished eighth in his 1600 heat. Derek Bontrager came in sixth overall in the 110 hurdles and Mason Shoemaker was 10th overall.

The 4x100 relay team of Benji Brace, Zaid Rolston, John Likens and Grant Likens came in sixth in their heat. The 4x200 relay team of Bradyn Pike, Josiah Boyer, Tinkey and Linder finished first in their heat and second overall. The 4x800 relay team of Allen, Taylor, Dominic Spreybroek and Isaac Winters came in fifth in their heat.

The 800 sprint medley relay team of Brace, Likens, Rolston and Bontrager finished fifth in their heat. The distance medley relay team of Spreybroek, Aiden Baugh, Winters and Landon Kessler finished 10th overall. Josh Trujillo was 19th in shot put. Ethan Rodriguez finished 22nd in the discus. Boyer was 11th in the long jump.

“We didn’t bring a large crew along today and limited some of our athletes due to having a quick turnaround from our meet on Thursday,” said head coach Chase Pinion.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the group performances today. The weather was less than ideal and they remained focused and performed at a high level.

“Our young guys got in there and gained some quality race experience against some varsity relays. I was really happy with the adaptability of the younger boys today.” he said.

“The sprint medley relay was shifted around a few times all the way up to the start of the race. To remain calm and cleanly get the handoffs done with no practice shows their ability to rise to the occasion.

“I look forward to seeing how that group develops over the next couple of years. The varsity 4x200 winning their heat was another highlight. Hunter Allen finally broke the five-minute mile barrier and Quentin Taylor is knocking on the door,” said Pinion.

Wawasee hosted Goshen and Northridge for a double dual Thursday, April 20, at Wawasee.

The Warriors rose to the occasion against some strong competition, clinching their first conference win of the season versus Goshen 76-56. They lost to Northridge 97-35.

Overall first place winners for the Warriors were Linder in the 200 dash, finishing in 23.44 seconds; Bontrager in the 110 hurdles, 16.86; and the 4x100 relay team of Zimmerman, Linder, Tinkey and

Lady Warrior softball wins pair of games, competitive against tough competition

The Wawasee Lady Warrior softball team lost, 6-5, to conference foe Northridge, Monday, April 24, at Northridge High School.

“Haylee Allen was in the circle and had eight strikeouts,” said head coach Chloe McRobbie.

“Allen also led the team with three hits, two singles and a double. Evelyn Duncan led the team with three RBIs when she hit a double in the 1st inning.

“Jaclynn Worrell had a triple and Ava Couture hit a home run. Brooke Catron also contributed a hit for the Warriors.”

The Lady Warriors led 5-0 after two innings, but Northridge came

storming back with three runs in the 3rd inning and three runs in the 5th. Wawasee just couldn’t find their mojo after a strong showing in the first two innings and was held scoreless throughout the remainder of the ballgame.

Wawasee fell to Leo, 17-6, in game two of the Wawasee Invitational, Saturday, April 22, at Wawasee High School.

“Leo had 17 runs, 11 hits and three errors,” said McRobbie. “Wawasee had six runs, five hits and 11 errors.

“Duncan was in the circle and pitched five strikeouts for Wawasee. Duncan also led the team offensively with two hits and two RBIs.

“Heatherlynn Holder also had a hit and two RBIs. Ari Garcia and Couture each contributed a hit

against Leo.”

Wawasee defeated Whitko, 2-1, in game one of the Wawasee Invitational, Saturday, April 22, at Wawasee High School.

“Whitko had two hits, one run and one error,” said McRobbie.

“They scored their only run in the 4th inning. Allen was in the circle for Wawasee and had 16 strikeouts. Allen also had the only hit for the Warriors.”

Wawasee defeated NorthWood, 3-2, Friday, April 21, at NorthWood High School.

“Allen was in the circle and pitched 10 strikeouts. Wawasee trailed 2-1 in the bottom of the 6th inning when Duncan tripled on a 2-0 count, scoring two runs. Duncan, Worrell, Couture and Catron each had one hit to lead the War-

riors,” said McRobbie.

Wawasee fell to Warsaw, 10-5, Thursday, April 20, at Warsaw. Duncan was the starting pitcher and had three strikeouts. Allen came in to relieve Duncan and had six strikeouts. Garcia led the team with four hits. Allen had three hits for the Warriors. Holder had two hits. Catron, Natalie Katzer and Duncan each contributed one hit. Wawasee lost to Mishawaka, 4-1, Wednesday, April 19, at Mishawaka.

Allen had eight strikeouts for the Lady Warriors. Couture led the team with two hits — a single and a triple. Worrell also contributed a hit. Garcia had the only RBI. Next game: 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 26, at home versus Plymouth.

Pike, 44.13.

Warriors who finished top three overall included Linder, second, 100, 11.69; Pike, third, 100 and 200, 11.75, 23.88; Allen, third, 800, 2:07.39; Shoemaker, third, 110 hurdles, 18.48; Zimmerman, second, 300 hurdles, 43.96; Bontrager, third, 300 hurdles, 45.88; Winters, second, pole vault, 9’ 6”; Nguyen, third, pole vault, 9’6”; Boyer, third, long jump, 18’9”.

Pinion said, “This was a great meet for us. I had asked a lot out of our guys tonight and they really answered the call. What’s fun to see is the confidence level rising for many of them. The attitude and team vibes were all positive, which I love. It’s always nice to get an NLC win. It’s a tough conference, so every meet requires the best you’ve got. I’m proud of what we were able to accomplish tonight and know we haven’t peaked yet.”

Next meet: 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 26, versus NorthWood/Mishawaka at NorthWood High School.

Warrior baseball beats Bethany and NorthWood, loses to several top-tier teams

The Wawasee Warrior baseball team defeated Bethany Christian, 7-1, Tuesday, April 25, at Bethany Christian High School.

The Warriors came out hot right from the start, scoring all seven runs in the first three innings. Bethany Christian scored their only run in the fourth.

Wawasee had 11 total hits and held Bethany Christian to only three hits.

Dane Cripe had two strikeouts and Kaleb Salazar had one strikeout. Salazar, Cripe and Josh Patterson each had two hits. Ty Brooks, Hunter Fiedeke, Evan Byler, Reed Ridenbach and Colt Dolsen each had one hit for the Warriors.

Wawasee lost to Northridge, 14-

WAWASEE HIGH SCHOOL

Titus Funeral Home Would Like To Recognize

EMMA YODER

As Our Athlete Of The Month

Emma Yoder is a junior on the Girls Track & Field team. Emma also participates in Swimming & Diving at Wawasee. She has finished 1st in discus at each track & field meet this year and is the current school record holder in the discus! She broke her own school record throw earlier this season with a throw of 143’1” at the Goshen/Concord NLC double dual.

574-457-4002

4, Monday, April 24, at Wawasee.

Dylan Stump had five strikeouts and Kane Dukes added one strikeout. Brooks, Gavin Malone, Ridenbach and Daniel Wilson each contributed a hit for the Warriors. Salazar, Patterson, Malone, and Ridenbach each scored a run.

Wawasee lost to DeKalb, 15-0, Saturday, April 22, at Wawasee.

Fiedeke, Stump, Salazar, Patterson, Malone, Ridenbach and Wilson each had one hit.

Wawasee lost to Jimtown, 18-4, Saturday, April 22, at Wawasee. Brooks, Stump, Login Kessler and Wilson each had one hit.

Wawasee defeated NorthWood, 1-0, Friday, April 21, at NorthWood High School.

Brooks pitched a gem of a game, striking out 11 batters. Fiedeke, Stump, Malone and Wilson each had one hit. The Warriors held the Panthers to three total hits.

Wawasee lost to Mishawaka, 10-

4, Wednesday, April 19, at Wawasee.

The Warriors held Mishawaka at bay for most of the evening. The Cavemen scored six runs in the second inning to take control of the game. Stump had two hits for Wawasee. Salazar had one hit and one RBI. Patterson, Malone, Wilson and Cripe each added a hit. Cripe had one RBI.

The Warriors had seven total hits on the night. Mishawaka had 16 hits. Next game: 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 26, at Plymouth High School.

Lady Warrior tennis defeats Bremen, Southwood; loses to Northridge, Manchester

The Wawasee Lady Warrior girls tennis team lost to conference foe Northridge, 3-2, Tuesday, April 25, at Northridge High School.

No. 1 singles Kiah Farrington defeated Northridge’s Saige Wheatley in a hard-fought match, 6-2, 6-7 (7-9), 7-6 (7-2).

No. 1 doubles Allison Clark and Kenley Stewart defeated Northridge’s Allyssen Weenser and Addie Henry, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.

Wawasee defeated Bremen, 3-2, Monday, April 24, at Wawasee. Farrington defeated Sylvia Meyer, 6-1, 6-2. No. 3 singles

Mya Taylor defeated Bremen’s Maggie Stiles, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2. Clark and Stewart defeated Bremen’s Chloe Craft and Abby Bennitt, 6-0, 6-0.

Wawasee played Prairie Heights, Saturday, April 22, at the Varsity Super Duels at Wawasee.

Clark and Stewart defeated

Southwood’s Katie Rheinheimer and Bailey Delancey, 6-0, 6-1.

Wawasee’s No.2 doubles Hannah Likens and Aubrey Gerber defeated Southwood’s Abby Myers and Sabria Hinke, 6-1,6-0. All other matches were not finished due to inclement weather.

Wawasee defeated Southwood, 5-0, Saturday, April 22, at the Varsity Super Duels at Wawasee.

Wawasee No. 1 singles Mackenzie Hackleman defeated Lyndzy Silvers, 6-1, 6-0. Wawasee No. 2 singles Mya Taylor defeated Alaina Daque, 6-1, 6-0. Wawasee No. 3 singles Makayelynn Toumey defeated Sarah Grace, 6-0, 6-0. Clark and Stewart defeated Southwood’s Carrie Collins and Courtney Finney, 6-0, 6-0. Likens and Gerber defeated Southwood’s Lydia Topliff and Lucy Vandermark, 6-1, 6-0.

Wawasee lost to Manchester, 4-1, Thursday, April 20, at Manchester Jr.-Sr. High School.

Farrington defeated Manchester junior Sarah Kerlin, 6-4, 6-4, in a two-hour match with high winds. Coach Hare said, “The JV lost all seven matches to a very tough team. The match was a whirlwind all evening.”

Sports Roundup

Boys Golf Varsity — 4/24. Fairfield, 159; Wawasee, 168; West Noble, 211: Vaughn Dyson, 40; Myles Everingham, 41; Maddux Everingham, 43; Jay Finlinson, 44; Preston Scherer, 47.

Jr. Varsity — 4/22. Plymouth Invitational:

Wawasee was defeated by Plymouth. Team total: 453. Clayton Ousley, 109; Sawyer Grimes, 111; Jaedon Bowers, 112; Rhys Jonsson, 121. Track And Field

Girls track — 4/22. Turtle Town Invite at Churubusco High School. 100-meter: Isabel Schwartz, 7th. 400: Addie Powell, 4th. 4x100 relay: Chloe Linder, Kaydence Shepherd, America Benetiz, Schwartz, 5th. 4x800 relay: Molly Beer, Addison Beasley, Jasmine Hernandez, Mia Hodgson, 5th. Long jump: Shepherd, 5th. High jump: Morgan Reel, 8th. Discus: Emma Yoder, 1st; Brooklynn Gibson, 4th. Shot put: Gibson, 3rd.

Learn about ‘Backyard Birds’ at free garden club program

All interested parties are invited to a program about “Backyard Birds” given by Amanda Heltzel at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 2, in the Kiwanis Room of the Syracuse Community Center, 1013 N. Long Drive. The free event is sponsored by the Syracuse-Wawasee Garden Club. A business meeting of the club will follow and refreshments will be served. The club is gearing up for spring activities.

The geranium fundraiser will be completed Friday, May 12, in time for Mother’s Day. Those interested in purchasing a flat of 18 red geraniums can contact Martha Stoelting, (574) 528-0850, by May 5. All hands are asked to be on deck for planting flowers in Syracuse town parks and at town hall from May 15 until Memorial Day. The hanging baskets sponsored by the club will also arrive in that time frame.

Members will choose a $500 higher education scholar from

among applicants during the May meeting. Arleen Corson is in charge of the Garden Club activity booth at the Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation Earth Day celebration, Saturday, May 6, WACF, SR13. Children and adults will make or be given seed ball bombs.

Club members enjoyed a crafting night Tuesday, April 4, at the WACF. Houses for Mason bees were made. The club welcomes new members.

Wawasee School Board awards bond projects

Wawasee Schools Interim Director of Finance Dr. Brandon Penrod presented bids for the 2022 bond projects to the board Tuesday, April 25.

He said back in fall 2022 they floated a general obligation bond for just over $5.3 million and they’ve been working on which projects from their project resolution they could or could not afford.

“This first round here, you’re going to notice, is nowhere close to $5 million, but we do have another set of bids that will go out later,” he said.

There were four bid packages

Penrod asked the board to award, including the (1) Wawasee Middle School chill water insulation replacement; (2) professional development building and civil work at Syracuse Elementary; (3) professional development building renovations and North Webster Elementary School roof access; and (4) NWES windows replacement.

Core Mechanical was the low bid for package 1 at $678,500. R Yoder was the low bid for package 2 at $396,700. At $1,246,000, Milestone Construction was the low bidder for package 3, while AGA was the lowest bidder for package 4 at $665,000.

Penrod also asked the board to approve alternate 1, which is civil and electrical work at the professional development building in Syracuse. The low bid for that was $167,155 from R Yoder.

sector, according to Troyer. He said Beasly has given nine years to Wawasee and 21 years to public education.

• Approved a service contract agreement between Wawasee Community Schools and Lost Sparrows for consultant services on student trauma. The fee is $4,500 for seven one-hour staff presentations, with six already completed.

• Heard a presentation from Wawasee High School senior Ava Pohl on the Voice team and the work they are doing. Voice is a statewide organization empowering youth to engage, educate and empower teens to celebrate a tobacco-free lifestyle.

• Heard Tammy Hutchinson received the Indiana Association of School Business Officials 2023 annual meeting scholarship of $500. The meeting will take place May 11-12 at the Grand Wayne Convention Center in Fort Wayne.

• Heard the Milford Advanced Band earned a Gold rating at ISSMA Organizational Band Contest March 17 at Goshen Junior High School. It was the first time in many years the band participated in a band contest, Troyer said.

• Approved a number of donations, including $500 from the Knights of Columbus to the Pow Wow at the high school and $500 to the Academic Hall of Fame; $2,500

from the Korenstra Family Foundation to go toward DECA’s trip; and $100 from the North Webster Church of the Brethren Women’s Fellowship to go toward negative student lunch balances at North Webster Elementary School.

Also, $35 from Kevin and Marilyn Grindle in memory of Janet Elam, who was the Wawasee High School secretary and bookkeeper from 1968 to 1995; $300 from L.T. and J.S. Riesser in memory of Elam; $500 from Guesthouse 6225 to North Webster Elementary School for its clothes closet; and $4,000 from Northern Lakes Insurance and Auto Owners to Wawasee Athletics.

Also, $1,000 from the Kosciusko County Community Foundation, representing the annual distribution from the Mitchell J. Price Memorial Scholarship Fund, to be distributed to the 2023 Wawasee awardee; and $297 from the Community Foundation representing the annual distribution from the Cynthia Moir Thornburg Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Also, $600 from the Community Foundation representing the annual distribution from the Wawasee High School Class of 1989 Memorial Scholarship Fund; and $245 representing the annual distribution from the Dave Kistler Memorial Scholarship Fund.

4/25. Plymouth 82, Wawasee 50; Mishawaka 78, Wawasee 54. 100: Schwartz, 3rd. Long jump: Schwartz, 2nd; Shepherd, 3rd. 200: Shepherd, 3rd. 400: Powell, 3rd. 3200: Hodgson, 2nd. 300 hurdles: Trinity LaJoice, 2nd. High jump: Dankia Miller, 3rd. Discus: Yoder, 1st; Gibson, 2nd; Kiersten McCreary, 3rd. Shot put: Gibson, 1st; McCreary, 2nd. “Even though the scores did not end like the Warriors would have hoped, there were a lot of positive performances by the Lady Warriors,” said head coach Stefani Wuthrich. Coed Unified Track and Field — 4/21 Warrior Invitational — 1st place out of nine schools. “We had another great unified track and field Warrior Invite,” said head coach Andrew Wilson. “We had more personal bests. Andrew Slabaugh and Gabe Ward both got first place in their heats. Congrats to all of our athletes tonight.”

“Just for clarification, professional development building is what we’re looking at doing with the building to the south of the current central office. Right now, it’s warehouse-type of facility and we’ll take the front half of that, the (east) side of that, and create a professional development center for various things — teacher meetings, more meetings, those kind of things,” he said, asking the board to award the contracts.

Board President Don Bokhart asked if the bids seemed reasonable and Penrod said they did. The only one that was a little off from where they thought was the chill water insulation replacement, because they increased the scope of the project, Penrod said.

The board unanimously approved the awarding of the bids.

In other business, the board:

• Heard and approved the retirement of Vince Beasly as the Pathways CTE director. His retirement is effective May 30. Beasly is retiring from public education to pursue other opportunities in the private

Wawasee FFA Awards Banquet

The 2023 Wawasee FFA Awards Banquet was held Thursday evening, April 20, at Wawasee High School, with nearly 250 members, parents and guests in attendance.

The Black Tie Catering prepared the meal, with Maple Leaf Farms providing the entrees.

The 2022-2023 Wawasee FFA chapter officers presided over the meeting, introducing special guests and presenting awards. The officers are President Reagan Scott; Vice President Lucas Wilkinson; Secretary Kaden Weimer; Treasurer Keira Lortie; and Reporter Keira Sharp.

The chapter recognized corporate and award sponsors in a special slide show. Corporate and award sponsors were Ag Cares Committee, Bart’s Water Sports, Arlen and Shirley Bobeck, Sherm Bryant, Crestview Farms, Clayton Garden Center, Crop Fertility Specialists, Edd’s Supplies Inc., Mark and Denise Grady, Greenmark Equipment, Jackson Oil & Solvents, Knights of Columbus and Maple Leaf Farms.

Also, Northern Indiana Johnnie Poppers, Doug and Doreen Ruch, Joe and Myra Sands, Black Walnut Farms: Dr. Gervas and Ann Schafer and Loretta Schafer, Schlipf Precision Ag, Sonja Easterday Trust Fund, T-N-T Performance Machine Shop, Tom Farms LLC and Randy and Eldonna Warren.

The sponsors support the organization’s award and scholarship fund, national activities fund and college credits fund.

Adults recognized for serving as a coach to a career or leadership development event this year were Brad Clayton, Jewel Wise and Kelly Heckaman. Certificates of appreciation were given to Karena Wilkinson, Chad Tom, Jay and Regina Lortie, Christi Haman, Jody

and Richard Melton and Kristine Harris. The honorary chapter FFA degree was presented to J.R. and Renee Weimer-Snavley. The distinguished service award is presented to individuals in the community who have continually demonstrated their support and encouragement to the FFA. Mr. and Mrs. Russell Anderson received this award for their many years of support to the Wawasee agriculture program.

A slide show presentation of member’s projects and activities preceded the member awards presentation. Qualifying first- and second-year members also received their Greenhand and chapter degree pins, respectively.

Reagan Scott was also recognized for earning her Hoosier (state) FFA degree; she will receive the award at the Indiana FFA State Convention in June. Students who participated in state career development events were awarded with their state pins.

Additional member award winner resumes were read by Jacob Templin, the 2023 Wawasee FFA alumni honoree. The 2023 chapter awards were presented to: Freshman Leadership Award, Emerson Krull; Sophomore Leadership Award, Abbi Harris; Junior Leadership Award, Libby Haab; Advisor’s Award, Josie Melton; Blue and Gold Award, Lucas Wilkinson; and Star Greenhand, Wyatt Schafer.

Also, Star in Agribusiness, Jared Beer; Star Farmer, David Anderson; Star in Ag Placement, Reagan Scott; Chad Beer Memorial Scholarship, David Anderson; Agriculture Education Scholarship, Tegan Ross; and Ray E. Darr Memorial Scholarship, Cameron Zimmerman.

The banquet concluded with

the installation of the 2023-2024 chapter officers: President Lucas Wilkinson; Vice President Libby Haab; Secretary Emerson Krull; Treasurer Emma Jackson; Reporter Josie Melton; Sentinel Coltin Bucher; and student Advisor Jazlyn Weimer.

Community Corner

Travis Dailey: A man of faith and family

Behind the bearded countenance of the gentle giant that is Travis Dailey lies a heart of gold — a man who loves Jesus and isn’t ashamed to tell you about it.

The Syracuse man earns his living working as a master embroiderer at T-Zone Custom Apparel in Milford. When he’s not there, however, you can likely find him involved with a program through Grace Community Church in Goshen, or with his family, which includes his wife of nearly 20 years, Brandi, and children Reagon, 23; Nolan, 14; and Nora, 9.

sure. Some guys take chapters off. I don’t want to take chapters off because I think it’s good for me and keeps me on track and out of trouble.

“I love serving in my church. It’s a great church doing great things. I get to go on missions trips with the kids and do a lot in our community, as well. We’re on mission here, too, to spread the news, right here at T-Zone every day.”

PROFILE

A native of Southern California who came to Indiana during his junior year of high school, Dailey graduated from Goshen High School. He teaches Sunday school to fourth through sixth graders at the church and is deeply involved with the men’s ministry, including the infectiously popular Fight Club group. He has been involved with Fight Club for several years, currently serving as one of the group’s leaders.

“Fight Club is a 10-week program that puts a ‘deadline on good intentions,’” he said. “For me, it has changed my life drastically. Before Fight Club, I was just going to church with my wife. I wasn’t really doing anything. I was just going to church just to go to church.

“When I joined Fight Club, it showed me how to follow Jesus. It showed me the tools I need to be a good Christian, a good husband, a good father. Every chapter I’m in shows me something new. I just grow in my faith and with my brothers.”

Dailey explained there are two chapters of Fight Club each year at Grace, each of which includes as many as 500 men. He currently is participating in his 13th chapter.

“This chapter, there’s been a lot of first-timers,” he said. “But we do get a lot of returning guys, for

He’s been working at T-Zone for six years, alongside the business’ owner and his longtime friend, Scott Herring, who also is heavily involved with Grace Community Church and Fight Club. Dailey also enjoys camping. Each year he takes a trip with 50-60 of his church brothers. “Wild at Heart” takes the men to Little New Orleans, a mountain in Maryland where the group gets closer to God, having fun and building relationships with each other.

“We go up there, we shoot guns, we have guys who give sermons,” he said. “We have small group time, alone time. We go down the Potomac River in canoes, play games. It’s just a great time.”

He said he’s been going on the trip for the last several years. The next iteration will take place in October and Dailey is already making his preparations to attend.

Dailey also is very proud of his children and their love of God.

“Nolan is an awesome kid,” Dailey said of his eighth-grade son, who attends Syracuse Middle School. “He’s a big, giant kid. He’s like 6’5”, 265 (pounds). And then there’s Nora. She’s a light, she’s awesome. She’s my little athlete. I’m trying to get Nolan to be an athlete but he’s really smart and just knows better. Both Nolan and Nora love Jesus with all their hearts.”

For more information about Fight Club at Grace Community Church, contact Dailey or Herring at (574) 658-9663 or visit gracecommunity-church.com/ men.

Bridge Results Mobile Meals drivers

North Webster Bridge Group

The North Webster Bridge Group met Tuesday, April 18, and Thursday, April 20, at the Senior Primelife Enrichment Center in the North Webster Community Center. Winners Tuesday were Jean Cowan, first, and Wanda Wyrick, second. Thursday winners were Wanda Wyrick, first, and Kay Sutton, second.

Volunteer drivers for Syracuse, Milford and North Webster Mobile Meals have been scheduled as follows: Syracuse Drivers May 1-5

MONDAY — M. Smith

TUESDAY — P. & L. Stump

WEDNESDAY — J. Rowland

THURSDAY — C. Hill

FRIDAY — K. Young Milford Drivers

May 1-5

MONDAY — J. Redman

TUESDAY — R. Kline

WEDNESDAY — J. & C. Wagoner

THURSDAY — L. Kammerer FRIDAY — R. & P. Haab

North Webster Drivers

May 1-5

MONDAY — G. Smith

TUESDAY — Bart’s Watersports

WEDNESDAY — R. Chambers

THURSDAY — C. & J. Spicklemier

FRIDAY — J. Parcell

Stories abound from historic Syracuse property

Thom Combs’ home is a piece of history. The home was built in 1885 and is located near what was formerly known as The Spink-Wawasee Hotel on Lake Wawasee.

Combs recently ran into Dick Waterson, who was born on Christmas day in 1938 at Combs’ home. The two men started to talk and decided that Waterson should come over to discuss the history of the property over morning coffee. Waterson was joined by Linda, his wife of 63 years, and Ann Garceau, who serves on the board of the Syracuse Historical Society.

The group started to chat and pool together their local historical knowledge while sipping coffee. Waterson’s grandparents, John and Nellie Kunkalmann, owned the home which sat on a 40-acre plot of land back in the late 1920s.

At that time, The Spink-Wawasee Hotel was bustling with activity. Kunkalmann used to tell many stories about what it was like to live near the hotel during that time period when many out-of-town guests, including famous Chicago gangsters, frequented the area.

Kunkalmann had many interactions with out-of-town guests throughout the late 1920s and 1930s and even told a story of conversing with John Dillinger one evening in the front yard of his home.

The 40-acre property had an orchard that was dotted with peach, plum, pear, apple and cherry trees and red and black raspberries. Waterson said his grandfather had either a Ford Model A or Model T that pulled a sprayer used to spray the orchard.

They also mentioned finding copper wire in a tree on the property, which was used as an antenna for Crystal Radio sets back in the 1920s.

John and Nellie Kunkalmann passed their properties on to Waterson’s parents, Roy and Polita Waterson, and other family mem-

bers before they passed away. John passed away in 1945 and Nellie in 1947.

In 1945, Roy and Polita Waterson decided to open an inn on the property. They named it Anchor Inn, which operated from 19451948. The home still has a guest house (formerly known as a garage house) to this very day, which current owner Combs potentially plans on converting into an Airbnb.

At that time, the inn had a coal shed to house the coal they burned to heat the home. The chimney was built with a curve and still has some curvature, which according to Combs, was thought to keep out witches back when the home was built in 1885. The basement has a separate entryway with steps and was thought to house two slot machines back in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

Roy and Polita Waterson purchased 20 horses in Greensburg in 1945 and started Anchor Inn Riding Academy for guests staying at the inn and The Spink-Wawasee Hotel. There are still some horseshoes from that time period out in the garage.

Dick Waterson mentioned that when he was a young boy, famous Chicago American Gears (National Basketball League) and Minneapolis Lakers basketball star George

Mikan would come to the lake in the summer and take speedboat rides from the hotel. He used to look forward to getting on the 6’10” Mikan’s shoulders when he visited.

He also has many stories about the late prominent Indianapolis trial lawyer Seth Ward and his wife, Betty, who built a cottage on Lake Wawasee when he was a kid. When Ward was planning on building his cottage during the spring of 1946, he pulled up in his Lincoln Continental convertible and said to Dick Waterson’s dad, “Roy, we’re going to build a cottage down here and I want you to do the plumbing.”

His wife pulled out a roll of $100 bills to pay Roy from a zipper pouch located in the Lincoln. Dick Water-

Fun for everyone at sixth annual Earth Day Festival at WACF

son was so close to Ward that Ward eventually signed Waterson’s petition when he went into the Masonic Lodge.

Waterson said when Mrs. Spink passed, the hotel was purchased and converted into a Catholic seminary, Our Lady of the Lake Seminary. The hotel was such a big part of the lake that part of the lake died when it closed down.

Roy and Polita Waterson decided to close down Anchor Inn. The family ended up selling the property around 1948.

Waterson said his parents sold four cottages they owned that were situated directly on the lake for a total of $20,000 in 1949. The family then purchased a 220-acre farm.

A free hot dog, a bag of chips and a bottle of water. What could be better to enjoy at the Earth Day Festival at the Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation?

This popular event is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 6. The foundation is located at 11586 N. SR 13, Syracuse.

The wetlands, woods and the lakeshore of Lake Wawasee will be open to all who attend the sixth annual Earth Day Festival, whose theme will be “Invest in our planet: Take care of our Earth by taking care of our ecosystem.”

Twenty white tents will dot the large front lawn of the foundation during the day. “Usually over 200 people enjoy this event each year.

Because the mission of WACF is to preserve and protect our watershed for future generations, many of the activities are geared toward this goal,” said Pam Schumm, education officer.

Worm composting, monarch butterflies, native and invasive plants and geocaching are among the many featured interactive activities. Those in attendance will learn about the watershed, how to load a muzzle, flint napping, bird migrations and fish spear lures. Other topics include the changing topography of the area, the trails, wood carvings and waterfowl identification.

This event is free and open to the public. Some items from vendors will be available for sale. An on-site parking attendant will direct people to park in the grass along SR 13.

New ballpark in Syracuse set to open April 29

Opening day festivities are being prepared for the new ball field in Syracuse. The new Harold Schrock Athletic Complex is now complete and children are ready to play ball.

The new ballpark features a football field and two baseball and softball fields. The new complex cost close to $2 million. Beer and Slabaugh, Nappanee, was the general contractor.

The vision started in 2020 when Polywood expanded and needed the property at the former ballpark site, which closed in October 2020. “We looked at three potential sites,” said

Chad Jonsson, parks superintendent.

The property on Kern Road was chosen as the new site of Schrock Athletic Complex. It is the former site of Black Walnut Farm.

“It was the easiest to develop and in close proximity to neighborhoods,” Jonsson said of the new 26-acre ballpark.

The complex is named after Harold Schrock, whose family donated funds to help pay for the new ballpark, while other funding came from grants, a bond, the town and private donations. “We will have (donor) plaques that will be mounted by April 29, said Jonsson.

The complex has four fields.

One is a football field. In the

fall, the field will be used for pee wee football. The others are fields for baseball and softball.

The complex also features a multi-purpose paved walking trail, a basketball court and a playground. It also features two concession stands with restrooms. In the winter, the basketball court will be used as an ice rink, said Jonsson. “We are considering pickleball,” he said.

The new park will also be more handicap accessible with cement walkways instead of gravel. Safety netting is installed to protect spectators. A storage facility is located by the football field. Yellow foul poles have also been installed.

Pitching mounds and the dog

Continued on page 11

Celebrating Schrock Field Grand Opening

walking stations have been installed. The lights are pointed down so as to not interfere with neighboring homes in Kerns Crossing.

Jonsson said, “It will be good to finally have it done and to see the kids play. It’s a nice addition to the town.”

“It’s going to be an exciting day to start our season and see the opening of the new Harold Schrock Athletic Complex after two long years of hard work by the Syracuse Parks Department,” said Jamie Beer, sponsorship and registration coordinator for Wawasee Community Summer League.

Opening Day

The Wawasee Community Summer League will be hosting an opening day parade Saturday, April 29, in Syracuse.

Players from the leagues will be wearing their uniforms and representing their baseball and softball teams. They will walk down Kern Road from Syracuse Elementary School to the new Harold Schrock Athletic Complex.

The community is invited to come out and show support to the players as the new 2023 season begins. As the players walk down Kern Road, they will throwing out candy to families lined up on the street. If you plan to park at Schrock Field, come in from the south as Kern Road will be closed north of the facility.

The following are events planned for opening day:

• Noon. Teams begin to line up and prepare for parade at Syracuse Elementary School’s parking lot.

•1 p.m. Parade will begin and head south on Kern Road to Schrock Fields.

• 1:45 p.m. Team introductions.

• 2 p.m. Schrock Fields dedication, presented by Syracuse Parks Department.

• 2:10 p.m. The national anthem performance and raising of the flag by Syracuse American Legion Post No. 223.

• 2:15 p.m. First pitch to be thrown by Kosciusko

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It happened in Milford … 10 years ago Lung is new executive director

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Lanae N. Haessig has been named salutatorian for the 2013 graduating class at Wawasee High School. Haessig is the daughter of Dave and Kim Haessig, Milford. She plans to attend Grace College, majoring in elementary education and special needs education.

Becky Alles was at last Monday’s Milford Lions meeting to share her experiences on a recent trip to Honduras with Sonrisas Siempre, a volunteer group dedicated to dental service. She told the Lions, who helped sponsor her trip, that the purpose of Sonrisas Siempre is to make a difference in the lives of the many children who are in need of dental services.

Lakeland Rehabilitation and Health Care Center is welcoming a new executive director. Chris Lung recently assumed responsibility for leading the local facility. Lakeland’s former director, Crystal Wray, transferred to LaPorte a few weeks ago.

20 YEARS AGO, APRIL 23, 2003

Tony Clouse nailed a hole-in-

one April 15 on hole No. 8 at the Big Boulder Golf Course in Milford. In the nearly 30-year history of the course, there have only been three holes-in-one at No. 8, which is a par 3, 200-yard hole.

Air Force One pilot Lt. Col. Todd Beer was visiting his parents, Bernie and Peg Beer, and other relatives in his hometown of Nappanee last week. Lt. Col. Beer is one of three pilots who flew President George W. Bush during the aftermath of events Sept. 11, 2001. Todd and wife Krystal are both from Nappanee and are the parents of twin sons and a baby daughter. His father is the brother of Milford residents Becky Doll and Mim Speicher. He graduated from NorthWood High School and subsequently played basketball for the Air Force Academy. 30 YEARS AGO, APRIL 21, 1993

Robert “Hap” Ruch of Milford is reportedly doing quite well after undergoing complete hip replacement surgery Monday morning, April 19, in Parkview Memorial

Hospital, Fort Wayne. He is expected to be released from the hospital at the end of this week or the first part of next.

Anthony Beer, 25, South Bend, formerly of Milford, will present a concert at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, April 25, at Monreau Hall on the campus of St. Mary’s College. He will be playing Chopin’s Scherzo No. 2 in B flat minor. The young musician teaches private lessons on the weekends at his parents’ home, Mr. and Mrs. Levi Beer of Milford, and also teaches at IUSB through the music academy.

40 YEARS AGO, APRIL 27, 1983

Mrs. Charles (Vera) Schell of Milford had quite a surprise for her 93rd birthday on Sunday, April 24. She was honored with a surprise open house at her home from 2 until 4 p.m. hosted by her grandnephew and his wife, Richard and Kathryn Goshert, r 4 Warsaw. Approximately 60 friends, neighbors and family helped surprise Mrs. Schell.

Brad Donahoe, general manager of Chore-Time Equipment, Inc.,

in Milford captured first place in the 1983 Hoard’s Dairyman Cow Judging Contest for Agri-Marketers. Donahoe resides in Elkhart. He competed against almost 1,500 contestants and had a score of 468 out of a possible 500.

50 YEARS AGO, APRIL 25, 1973

Miss Rosemary S. Gunden, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Cleland C. Gunden, r 1 Milford, took part in commencement exercises at Goshen college on April 15. She completed requirements for a bachelor of science in education degree with a major in elementary education. Miss Gunden is a 1969 graduate of Wawasee high school. Eleven tractors is what the Men’s Fellowship of the Bethel church had plowing the fields at the Mike Reuter farm north of town the other day. The men work the land as a work project for the church. Venida Winters, mother of Mrs. Larry Bishop of r 2 Milford, has recently authored a book, “A Complete Guide to Pet and Show Poodles.” It is being published by Carlton Press and will be on the market Mary 7.

Coleman named first female police officer

10 YEARS AGO, APRIL 24, 2013

North Webster Town Council decided to put some teeth into Dog Ordinance 90-99 by amending it to have progressive fines for each offense of not scooping up dog waste. It was requested by the North Webster Police Department during the Tuesday evening council meeting after several citizens complained about dog waste not being bagged and removed from public and private property.

Tippecanoe Township Trustee and the township advisory board presented two new ambulances to North Webster-Tippecanoe Township Emergency Medical Services April 15. Both will be in service by the end of the month.

The boys and girls in Gretchen Willaman and Dee Cunningham’s second grade class at North Webster Elementary School have been learning to think like scientists by working on plant journals. The students created unique containers by recycling 2 liter bottles. They then added soil, two sunflower seeds, and water.

20 YEARS AGO, APRIL 23, 2003

Taking a Dixie paddleboat cruise will happen in the evening this year. North Webster-Tippecanoe Township Chamber of Commerce members decided to change the time of

the annual event on Webster Lake to 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 16.

Beth Wood visited North Webster Elementary School Thursday to tell the kids about different animals that can be found at the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo. An educator at the zoo, Wood taught third graders the differences between vertebrates and invertebrates.

The speaker for Lakeland Kiwanis Club’s April 7 meeting in North Webster was Susan Shepherd, community relations director at Miller’s Assisted Living Apartments. A division of Miller’s Merry Manor, the Warsaw facility is part of the campus on South County Farm Road.

30 YEARS AGO, APRIL 28, 1993

The Lakeland Kiwanis Club met at 6:30 a.m. April 28, at North Webster Church of God. Mary Riffle., Lt. Gov. Division 14 Indiana District Key Club International, and Laura Ann Nickels, Wawasee Key Club president, gave reports on the honors the club had received at the recent district convention.

North Webster Friends of the Library met April 14 at the library. Tom Quiqley presided. Minutes of the March meeting were read by Imogene Palmer. Helen Leinbach, librarian, announced that donations of used books are still need-

ed for the June 5 FOL-sponsored chicken dinner and book sale.

40 YEARS AGO, APRIL 27, 1983

Cable television will be viewed by North Webster residents by October, according to Mark Sanford and Dave Downey of Triax Communication Corp., Manchester, Mo.

Judy Coleman has been named the first woman police officer for Kosciusko County. She is a police woman for the North Webster Police Department.

The annual North Webster Cub Scout Cake Auction was held Thursday evening, April 21, in North Webster Junior High School’s music room. Winning cakes were made by Brian Kern, Keith Waites, and Dick Ross.

The 47th anniversary party of Efficient Homemakers Club was

held April 15 at an area restaurant. Hostesses for the evening were Shelly Judy, Judy Clayton, Debbie Trojan and Connie Hawkins.

50 YEARS AGO, APRIL 25, 1973

Officials of the Herbert Kuhn Unit 253 Legion Auxiliary, North Webster, have announced the selection of Girls’ State delegate and alternative. Bobbi Rhodes, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jack Rhodes, has been selected as the delegate. Toby Hunziker is the alternate. She is the 17-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Hunziker of Leesburg. Both are juniors at Wawasee High School.

Stu Walker gave the table grace at the April 16 meeting. Inter-club from Columbia City included Walt Biner, Dave Martin, Paul Fry and Robert Pontius.

It happened in Syracuse ... 30 years ago

WHS media system allows VHS to play directly in classrooms

10 YEARS AGO, APRIL 24, 2013

It was baby time at the Syracuse The Papers Inc. office recently. Former office manager Katrina Schumm Berk, her hubby Chris Berg and son Chase, South Bend, stopped by while current office manager Kristine Edwards Marshall and daughter Kinley were also visiting. Kristine is now back at work after her maternity leave. She is married to Zach Marshall. This is from Sherry Lantz, “Even though it was cold, windy with intermittent sun, Syracuse Community Center’s first ever Safety Day was a well attended success! Deb Roth, Suzie Yeager and I represented Kosciusko County Red Cross at our kids activity and adult information station, which is also where parents could sign up for the four children’s life jackets donated by Pine Crest Marine. The winners of those jackets were the families of Leigh Scott, Jamie Edgar, Michelle Bucher and Larry Weaver who braved the chilly day with their little ones!”

20 YEARS AGO, APRIL 23, 2003

Congratulations to Nancy Brown, Syracuse. She recently won the 2002 National 4-H Wildlife and Fisheries Adult Volunteer Leader award, sponsored by the administrators of the Fish and Wildlife Service, US Department of the Interior, the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, and the US Department of Agriculture. Brown was one of six volunteers

in the nation to receive the award at the 68th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in Winston-Salem N.C.

The award winners were recognized at a reception and banquet during the conference, where they each received a plaque and original pastel drawing.

A local business will be changing hands. Rob Kohler, owner of Thorndale Ivy, is in the process of selling the building which houses his business. According to Kohler, he will be moving to St. Petersburg, Fla., where he plans to retire from the retail business. While he will be moving down to the sunny south early in the summer, he will be back Memorial Day weekend for a tent sale at the business.

30 YEARS AGO, APRIL 28, 1993

Several weeks ago it was announced that The Shrimp Boat would reopen on April 19. However, due to unknown circumstances, that date was not met. Lou Yoder, owner, noted that the restaurant reopened for dinner at 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 27, and they are aiming for the first week of May to open for lunch. Yoder announced rumors that she was changing the name of the establishment and stated that she and husband Ray are still the owners.

Bill Ginther, media services director at Wawasee High School, oversees the video retrieval system which is also known as the DynaCom system. This system al-

It happened in North Webster ... 40 years ago

Cyne Art & Tattoo Studio celebrates with ribbon-cutting

The North Webster-Tippecanoe Township Chamber of Commerce celebrated one of the town’s newest businesses with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday, April 19.

Cyne Art & Tattoo Studio, located at 102 N. Main St., North Webster, is owned by artist Madacyne Leatherman and includes two additional tattoo artists and two tattoo apprentices.

“We are women-owned and operated and do customized tattoos,” said Leatherman. “We are

typically by appointment only, but sometimes we can do walk-in tattoos depending on scheduling.

“We are all artists outside of tattooing and art is really the cornerstone of our business. May of last year is when I started Cyne Art & Tattoo. It slowly grew and I started hiring more women.

“It’s grown to be a really peaceful and powerful place. I’m really excited to grow and be in North Webster.”

For further information about the business, visit their Facebook page by searching for Cyne Art & Tattoo, or on Instagram at cyne_ tattoo.

WHS media

Continued from page 12

lows various types of media to be played directly into each room as it is scheduled by the teaching staff. Ginther reported there are 20 VHS players, five laser disc players, two super VHS players and two still video players.

40 YEARS AGO, APRIL 27, 1983

Charles F. Haffner, r 4 resident and principal of the Syracuse Junior High School, has told staff members of his desire to return to the classroom as a teacher but to remain within the Lakeland School Corporation. Apparently principal Haffner feels he would find classroom teaching more challenging. He has been principal at the junior high school for the past 13 years, having graduated from the old Syr-

acuse High School himself in 1955.

50 YEARS AGO, APRIL 25, 1973

Gene and Corinne Ludwig are making young entrepreneurs out of their three children by giving them the responsibility of running Jay’s Driving Range, which the Ludwigs have leased for the summer months. The youngsters are Liz, 16, Sam, 14, and Pete, 12, and they have the job of making the place operate on a paying basis.

Robert Slavens, who figured in the local news this week due to his resignation as Wabash high school principal, is remembered as “the spanking principal,” having effectively used the “board of education” to restore discipline in the Syracuse school.

CTB Inc. recognizes employee service milestones in first quarter 2023

CTB Inc. has recognized those who achieved work milestones during the first quarter of 2023. The company congratulates the following employees for their recent anniversaries:

45 years of service — Gerald Landon.

25 years of service — Mark Dingeldein, Lea Richardson.

20 years of service — Humberto Segura.

15 years of service — Kimberly Zentz, Jeffrey Dye.

10 years of service — Francis Lynch, Mark Alber, Juvilan Patula, Dustin Young, Tammy Shoopman, Rick Montel, Timo-

The art of Betty Appenzeller is timeless

continued to show her work until the original Oakwood festival was discontinued,” said Appenzeller.

thy Shreckengost, Jeffrey Bottoms.

Five years of service — Jose Flores.

“We are pleased to announce the work anniversaries that took place during the first quarter of 2023,” said Michael J. Kissane, CTB executive vice president and chief administrative officer.

“We are proud of each of our employees. Whether they have worked with us for five years or 45 years, their dedication and contributions cannot be understated as our company continues on the global mission of Helping to Feed a Hungry World®.”

North Webster Community Public Library —

True crime book club starting soon

Do you enjoy shows like “Dateline,” “48 Hours” and “Homicide Hunter?” Do your ears perk up when you hear names like John Dillinger, Ted Bundy, Charles Manson, Al Capone and others? Do you secretly wish your career was in forensics?

If so, then consider joining North Webster Community Public Library’s new “Killer Reads” book club. This monthly reading group is for any and all lovers of the “true crime” genre. Each month they will pick a different true crime thriller and discuss. May’s book title is “Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that Changed America” by Erik Larson.

The first meeting of “Killer Reads” will take place at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, May 16, and meetings will continue on the third Tuesday of every month. If you would like to order a copy of “Devil in the White City” through Evergreen, please contact the library at (574) 8347122 or place on hold online.

The following activities are set to take place at the library. Attendees do not need a library card to participate.

Adult Events

“Hoots to Howls” Wildlife Rehabilitation will be giving a presentation at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 2. Come learn from professional wildlife rehabilitator Kim Hoover as she explains her job and shares interesting animal stories. A special thanks to the North Webster Cub Scouts for co-sponsoring this program. The Glean Team, 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 3. This experienced genealogy team is available to help with any genealogy or research questions. “May the Fourth Be With You”

Many artists have lived and worked in Syracuse over the years. Perhaps no other artist’s work has been displayed as often as the work of Betty Harkless Appenzeller.

Her watercolors feature such local landmarks as the Oakwood Hotel, Macy’s Slip and the Crow’s Nest Yacht Club. Other famous landmarks in her repertoire include the Chinese Gardens, King’s Grocery, South Shore Inn, Waco Dance Hall and the Frog Tavern. From 1968 until her death in 2002, Appenzeller painted the history of the area.

Appenzeller and her fellow artists at the Lakeland Art Association were instrumental in founding the original Oakwood Art Festival in 1996 and she showed her paintings every year. Appenzeller’s son Patrick plans to have a display of his mother’s paintings at the Wawasee Fine Arts Festival at Oakwood Resort from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 27. Over 30 artists will showcase their work on the lawn of the Oakwood Program Center beneath towering oak trees. “After my mother’s passing, I

“I enjoy the Oakwood Fine Arts Art Festival from the standpoint of seeing old friends and meeting new people and talking about the history of the Syracuse-Wawasee Lake area and promoting the SyracuseWawasee Historical Museum.

“All monies from the sale of my mother’s works go directly to the Syracuse-Wawasee Historical Museum. Her artwork was always popular because the pictures preserved and passed along the history of our area to lifelong residents, as well as new residents or visitors,” said Appenzeller.

Appenzeller speculated that the most popular of all the historical buildings or scenes his mother painted would be the Spink Hotel because it is recognizable to most people.

Betty Appenzeller graduated from Syracuse High School and studied business at Indiana University. She married Harry Appenzeller and settled in Syracuse in 1947. She started painting in 1968, encouraged by her uncle Ken Harkless. Oil was her medium of choice. She often painted with her fellow plein air artists all around the area.

She also painted from her home on Kale Island. Often area Realtor Tom Prickett would commission paintings of properties he sold and would give her painting as a gift to his clients. “She lived with the scenes and painted what she saw,” said Appenzeller.

In her long career, she taught painting from her Kale Island studio built in 1915 and purchased from Mamie Long, wife of W.E. Long. She modeled the technique

and students followed her lead on their own canvasses. She emphasized her brush stroke technique and how to use color.

Appenzeller taught oil painting classes at Lakeland Art Gallery in Warsaw and oil painting at the Syracuse Community Center. She called her work “impressionistic.”

The Wawasee Fine Arts Festival is sponsored by ChautauquaWawasee and is free and open to the public.

— NWCPL has several Star Warsthemed activities planned for Thursday, May 4. Register to try your hand at a Star Wars-themed escape room — time slots available are 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. Also plan on stopping by the library 3:30-5:30 p.m. to meet Star Wars characters in costume from the 501st Legion, a national charitable Star Wars costuming community.

“Empower Me to Be Clutter Free,” part one, 10 a.m. Thursday, May 4. Offered by the Purdue Extension, this class will teach decluttering strategies and storage solutions and discuss emotional barriers to letting go of “stuff.” Register in advance for this three-part class by calling the library.

Exercise classes will be canceled this week. Get Fit While You Sit and Let’s Move Dance Class will return Thursday, May 11.

Teen Events

Have the afterschool blues? Stop by the library at 3:30 p.m. Monday, May 1, for Teen Café. Hang out with friends, play board games and video games and enjoy free snacks and pop.

Teens are invited to the library at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, May 4, for teen study hall. Come study or work on homework in a quiet, relaxed environment.

“Play with Clay,” a two-part pottery class, 3:30 p.m. Friday, May 5 and 12. Join in making beautiful pinch pots with flower frogs. Get your hands messy and unleash your creativity in this fun and unique ac-

Church ‘Doing Life Together’ communitywide conference April 29

A hopeful idea Karena Wilkinson has “kicked around for a few years” is about to come to powerful fruition.

Wilkinson, proprietor of the nonprofit Harvest Coffee in Milford and active community volunteer, is spearheading “Doing Life Together,” a one-day communitywide forum with guest speakers and panel discussions to address addiction and mental health issues, their challenges and resources available to combat them.

Several educational and treatment organizations will be present at resources tables to inform attendees of their availability to address the burgeoning scourge on the communities of Milford and beyond.

“We can’t do everything, but everyone can do something,” said Wilkinson.

Doors will open for the event at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 29, at Wawasee Community Bible Church, 2035 E. 1300N, Milford.

The forum “is as much about challenging those in our community who aren’t struggling to be aware and reach out to those who are struggling as it is to educate people who are struggling what the resources are,” said Wilkinson. “All of these issues have touched everyone’s family, and if not family, then friends,” she said. “We need to normalize the conversation about addiction and mental health and helping people in our community.

“The point is that every mug shot is a son or daughter, sister or brother, mom or dad, and we can do better because life is too hard to do alone.”

The conference is free and Wilkinson invited everyone in the community to participate.

“Just come with an open mind but open to challenging your own prejudices and stereotypes,” she said.

Other organizations involved in the event include Bowen Center, Living in Transition Effectively, Rose Garden Recovery Community, Exodus Ministries, Kosciusko County Jail ministry, Wawasee Compass, LiveWell Kosciusko and Wawasee School Corporation.

The schedule:

• 8:30 a.m., welcome and “thank you”s.

• 8:45 a.m., speaker Amy Drake, who will explain the factors of ACE — Adverse Childhood Experiences. She will address the questions, “How does our ‘bag-

113

Around The Lakes

gage’ affect us?” and “Why does it matter to ‘get it right’ with our kids?”

• 9:15 a.m., panel discus-

sion #1, “Understanding Today’s Youth.” Panelists include Myra Steele, Wawasee Bible Church youth pastor; Milford School Principal Michael Casey; Drake; Wawasee Schools student success advocate Sarah LeCount; and a representative of Bowen Center.

• 10 a.m., coffee and refreshments provided by Harvest Coffee and Bowen Center.

• 10:15 a.m., panel discussion #2, “Challenges Facing Our Community and Resources.” Panelists include Chris or Tammy Cotton, Ben Irvine of Exodus Ministries, a chaplain from the Kosciusko County Jail and a representative of Rose Garden Recovery Community.

• 11 a.m., speaker Felicia Kirkham, who will answer from a personal perspective the question, “What impact did having a parent with mental health issues and substance abuse issues have on your childhood?”

• 11:30 a.m., panel discussion #3, “Changing Families by Supporting Struggling Parents.” Panelists include Chris or Tammy Cotton and representatives from Rose Garden Recovery Community, Wawasee Compass, Bowen Center and Wawasee Schools.

• 12:15 p.m., wrap up, with Wilkinson inviting the attendees to “continue the conversation,” volunteer and donate.

For more information, email milfordharvestcoffee@gmail.com; stop into Harvest Coffee, 207 N. Higbee St., Milford; or visit Milford Harvest Coffee’s Facebook or Instagram site. Free tickets may be obtained at eventbrite.com. Search for “Doing Life Together.”

THEY SAY April showers bring May flowers, but this seems a little bit excessive. To be fair, Mother Nature had a little bit of human help as members of the Milford Street Department recently were flushing fire hydrants throughout town.

This is done several times throughout the year to clean the system of any detritus that might have taken residence there since the previous flushing. This ensures the hydrants will provide a steady stream of water should the fire department ever need it for an emergency. Pictured above are Angela Heltzel and Rob Brooks working on the hydrant on the corner of Higbee Street and CR 1250N.

—o—

THERE WILL be an all-you-can-eat pancake, sausage and scrambled egg breakfast from 7-11 a.m. Saturday, April 29, at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 414 S. Sycamore St., Syracuse. Proceeds will assist the Wawasee baseball team. Adults meals are $6 and kids under 12 eat for $2. Carryouts are available.

—o—

ONCE AGAIN this year, the Webster Lake Conservation Association’s board of directors has arranged for the membership’s annual family Dixie Ride, the Fourth of July fireworks display and the installation of lake safety buoys. The Dixie ride will be at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, June 17. Fireworks over Webster Lake will be at 10 p.m. Saturday, July 1, with the rain date on July 8. The next meeting date for WLCA is 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 9, via Zoom.

—o—

LOOKING TO add a furry friend to your household? New Hope Pet Rescue has puppies! The rescue is currently taking applications for a litter of labradoodles and a litter of mini golden doodles. These pups are looking for their furever homes. Check out New Hope Pet Rescue’s Facebook page for information on the adoption process.

If you would prefer a feline friend, a donor recently made a donation in memory of her beloved cat, Rose. This donor has sponsored the adoption fees for Purdy, Resia, Candy Corn and Charlie. Check out New Hope’s website, nhprindiana.org, or Petfinder for more info on these fabulous felines.

—o—

TANGIBLES RESALE and Consignment

LLC is seeking vendors for its Saturday, May 27, Memorial Day Weekend Open Air Show. This is a perfect show for antique/vintage vendors, handcrafted vendors, repurposed/refurbished vendors, painted furniture vendors, home and garden vendors and baked goods vendors. No garage sale or flea market items.

Those interested in participating are asked to send an email with your name, number and three or four photos of what you sell or past show booths to Tangibles111@gmail. com for an application. After review of your application, they will then contact you with further details.

—o—

THE TURF Bar in Milford will be holding a fundraiser for Milford Family Fun Fest from 5-9 p.m. Tuesday, May 2. Not only will it be Taco Tuesday, but $20 of the evening’s sales will go to the fast-approaching annual town festival, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, May 27.

—o—

THE SYRACUSE Public Library’s seed catalogue has returned. Each family can check out five seed packets. Each year, the library has a variety of lettuce, tomato, squash and other seed packets to choose from. Rather than “return” these seeds, patrons will plant them in hopes their family will enjoy fresh produce throughout the summer, or even fall if they pick any cool season plants.

—o—

CHAUTAUQUA’S ANNUAL Spring Historical Cruise on the S.S. Lillypad II is set for Thurs-

day, May 18. This popular cruise, narrated by Ann Garceau, is always a sell-out. Tickets are now available via chqw.org.

—o—

AMERICAN LEGION Post 253 in North Webster recently received new flags. On Wednesday, April 12, Phillip’s Tree Service brought the old flag down and put new flags up. The Marines were also called in to help with the project.

—o—

“IT HAS been a very busy week here at the center,” said Nancy Gray, director of Senior Primelife Enrichment Center. “On Monday, April 17, a full bus left the parking lot headed to the Four Winds Casino in South Bend. Everybody had a great time and are already booking their seat on the bus for the next trip, which is Monday, May 15.

“A few days later, Thursday, April 20, we hosted our monthly euchre tournament, and it was the largest tournament yet. We had six tables going. Mark Herring brought in those wonderful treats from Rise’n Roll bakery, and we welcomed some new players. We had a wonderful time. The winners were: first place, Mark Herring; second place, Richard Cowan; most loans, Jack Norris; and low score was Marta Wonder.

“To top off the week, we were very busy Saturday, April 22, with the well-attended garage sale the community center held in the gymnasium. It was well worth the time and effort. My best friend, Phyllis Burnworth, drove from Columbia City to help take money and visit with everybody. It was an awesome week.

“April has just flown by. I can’t believe it’s almost May. Be sure to stop in and pick up the month of menu items for our hot lunch program. Call Merita at (574) 834-1193 if you have any questions about the program.

“We will be hosting smartphone classes May 3-4; call me for details. If you need information on any other activity or program, just give me a call at (574) 834-1600, ext. 224. If you are interested in volunteering, drop in and talk. I will show you around.” —o—

CAMP ALEXANDER Mack is hosting a community open house from 2-4 p.m. Sunday, May 7, at the John Kline Welcome Center, 1113 E. Camp Mack Road, Milford. Come explore the grounds and see what Camp Mack has to offer for everyone.

—o—

THE FIFTH annual Wawasee Schools band program mattress fundraiser will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 29, in the high school commons. All sizes will be available and are brand new with full factory warranties.

Delivery will be available and all forms of payment will be accepted. Financing is available. A free sheet set is included with any mattress purchase of $499 and above. For more info, visit bit_ly/beds.4wawasee23 or #beds-4wawasee23.

—o—

THE ARK Christian Preschool, located at North Webster United Methodist Church, 7822 E. Epworth Forest Road, is hosting an open house from 4:30-6 p.m. Thursday, April 27. This is also an opportunity to register for the 2023-24 school year.

—o—

SHEILA CLAASSEN is still looking for host families for international high school students. Families may host for a semester or a full school year. Benefits of hosting include: learning more about other cultures, customs and languages, gaining a new family member, learning about different foods and flavors, having fun and laughing, being a part of an exciting and rewarding adventure and a lifetime friendship.

All family dynamics are welcome. To learn more about this program, contact Claaseen at (574) 529-1340.