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March 10, 2010
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March 10, 2010
 

Palm Sunday Cantata at Rockford United Methodist Church Begins Holy Week Celebration

The Chancel Choir of Rockford United Methodist Church is in the final stage of rehearsals in preparation to present the cantata “Worthy is the Lamb” written by Don Wyrtzen with Phil and Lynne Brower.  The choir is directed by Richard Sherrick and will feature musicians from the church. The cantata includes the title song, and others such as “His Matchless Work”, and “Let God Be God”.

The Cantata will be presented on Palm Sunday, March 28, at 7 PM in the sanctuary of the church located at 202 South Franklin Street in Rockford.

Please plan to join us as we celebrate the beginning of Holy Week.

January- Shining Star Club

Fifth Grade- Mackenzie Cox & Shay Pond

Fourth Grade- Chandler Roof & Mackenzie Sipe

Third Grade- Jack Wehe & Grace Swander

Second Grade- Best Listener- Avalon Grillot

#1 Homework Completer- Sydney Yoder, Jason Luth, Hunter Germann

Fabulous Follower of Directions- Christina Keen, Alex Welker

Willingness to Try- Andrea Miller

Most Improved Effort- Timothy Lavy

First Grade- Best Listener- Kay’l Sibold

Thanks,

Suzann Litteral

SPRING SAFETY SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK

From Sunday, March 21 through Saturday, March 27, 2010, Mercer County will participate in Severe Weather Awareness Week.  In addition, Ohio’s Statewide Tornado Drill will be performed on

Wednesday, March 24, 2010 @ 9:50 AM.

The Mercer County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management encourages everyone to prepare their families, businesses and their properties for severe storms.

WEATHER SPOTTERS COURSE

There will be a weather spotter’s course on Wednesday, March 17, 2010 at 7:00 PM in the Central Services Building located at 220 W. Livingston St., Celina, Ohio.

New Dawning Coming to Rockford for Concert

“New Dawning” from Ft. Wayne In. will be in concert, on Saturday night, March 13th at 7 PM, in Rockford, Ohio at The Rockford Belle, formerly the Rockford Presbyterian Church. Doors open at 6 PM.  "New Dawning" is a Christian singing group ministering for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. They sing in musical concerts, church services and other special occasion venues as the Lord leads. Claiming these scriptures to guide them: Matthew 28:19 "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" and Psalm 95:1 "O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation", the groups strives to uplift the discouraged, the downhearted, and the lost, through song and testimony and lead them to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
A love offering will accepted.

The Rockford Belle, a smoke free/alcohol free facility, is located 1/2 block west of Subway in Rockford Ohio. For More concert information contact Randy Long at:  419 203-3542.

Parkway Boys’ Varsity Basketball Season Comes to an End

by: PHS Junior Morgan Cron

Tuesday, March 2 the Panthers traveled to Wapakoneta High School for the sectional opener. The Panthers played the Delphos Jefferson Wildcats. After the first quarter the Wildcats led by 8 points. Senior Blake King put up the first 2 points for the Panthers after taking a spin move driving it to the basket. The second quarter things started to look up for the Panthers as more of their shots fell in. By halftime the Wildcats still led 23-15. During the 3rd quarter the Panthers were only down by 5 but, rebounding and turnovers proved costly to the Panthers as they were defeated by a score of 46-36. Senior Ryan Steinbrunner had 10 points while junior Corey Decker had 9, Blake King had 6, Dillon Long had 7, and Logan Hunter had 4. The Panthers’ overall record on the season was 10-11 and 1-8 in the MAC.

COSI On Wheels Coming To Mercer Healthy Living Expo, March 20

The first ever Mercer Healthy Living Expo will be held on Saturday, March 20, from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Galleria in Celina. Featured at the event will be COSI on Wheels from Columbus, Ohio, plus exhibits and activities from over 35 Mercer County area agencies and businesses.

Their  annual spring health fair will be a true family event with activities for children and adults.

The Mercer County Chronicle is sponsoring COSI on Wheels. There will be 20 different interactive activities for children of all ages. There will be 50 exhibits that will feature other fun activities for children as well as a number of adult health screenings and blood.

Persons wanting more information or a list of the tests and requirements such as fasting instructions can call 419-678-5613 or 419-586-1220.

Arts Place Accepting Registrations for Innovations 6 Week Classes and Workshops

Arts Place is accepting registrations for the final spring session of Innovations six-week classes and workshop.  Classes will take place at both the Portland and St. Marys centers.  Registration forms, which are available at Arts Place, will be accepted in person or by mail at both facilities.  The Portland Center is located at 131 East Walnut Street, P.O. Box 804, Portland, Indiana 47371.  In St. Marys, registrations may be dropped off at the Collective Center, 138 East Spring Street.  Electronic versions of the registration brochure and scholarship form are available online at www.artsland.org.  For more information contact Arts Place at 260-726-4809 or 419-394-0707.

Corvette to be Raffled for Big Brothers Big Sisters  ~ See it on Display and Purchase Tickets

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mercer, Auglaize and Van Wert Counties is selling raffle tickets for a red 1990 Corvette.  It is a two door hatchback body style with a four speed automatic transmission and an 8 cylinder gasoline engine. The Corvette has 39,785 miles and is in excellent condition. Three tickets cost just $5 or 1 ticket for $2. The Corvette will be on display at Plaza Lanes in Celina on March 14, 2010 from 12:30 pm to 3:00 pm. and at Olympic Lanes in Van Wert on March 21, 2010 from 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm.  Purchase Corvette tickets inside the bowling alley while the Corvette is on display. The tickets are also for sale at the Big Brothers Big Sisters office, which is located at 204 E. Spring St. in St. Marys. Take a chance on a Corvette while helping a great organization. Contact Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mercer, Auglaize, and Van Wert at 419-394-2990 or 1-866-670-BBBS. All proceeds benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mercer, Auglaize, and Van Wert Counties.

March Meetings Set for Relay for Life of Mercer County

The March meetings have been scheduled for the 2010 Relay for Life of Mercer County. A Committee Meeting will be held on March 11 at 5:30 p.m., and the Team Captains Meeting will be held on March 22 at 5:30 p.m. Both meeting will be held at the Cancer Research Center, 900 Havemann Road, Celina. All committee and team members are encouraged to attend.  The relay is in need of new teams. They invite anyone interested to contact them. The Relay, “Where in the World is the Cure,” will be held at Lake Shore Park, Celina, starting with the Torch Walk at 2:00 p.m. on June 12. For more information, please contact Sharon Poor at 419-586-2221, or Brenda Severns at 419-795-7141.

Venedocia Lions Club Plans Annual Pancakes & Sausage Day

The Venedocia Lions Club is planning the annual All-You-Can-Eat Pancakes & Sausage Day

on Saturday, March 20, 2010 with serving from 6:00am to 2:00pm at the Lions Hall in Venedocia, Ohio. The cost is: under 4 years old – FREE; 4-12 years old - $3.00; and over 12 years old - $6.00.

Carry-Out meals are available, and bulk sausage will  be available for purchase. Proceeds will be used for various Venedocia Lions community projects, including scholarships for Lincolnview & Spencerville Seniors, local 4-H clubs, Buckeye Boys & Girls State, Lincolnview Band Boosters, and the Spencerville High Concession Stand.  The Venedocia Lions Club accepts used eyeglasses to be used for Lions Club International projects. Please bring used eyeglasses and place in the donation box at the Lions building on Pancake Day.

4-H Exchange Club Helping With Levy
The 4-H Exchange Club are pictured donating some of the proceeds from their Holiday Light show to Extension To the Future committee member Sue Hempfling. Extension To The Future is the levy campaign for the support of OSU Extension in Van Wert County which includes 4-H programming, Ag & Natural Resources and Family & Consumer Services programming. The 4-H Exchange Club is hosts of the Holiday Light Show at the Fairgrounds, a fundraiser for their interstate exchange trips. The members will travel to Minnesota in June to spend a week with Minnesota 4-Her’s that were in Van Wert County last summer. The club will also conduct another fund raiser April 11 with their annual spring Pork BBQ Drive-Thru from 11:30-1:00 at the Van Wert County Fairgrounds. Tickets are $6.00 and can be purchased from any 4-H Exchange Club member. For more information on tickets for the Pork BBQ or about the club call 419.203.2234 or 419.203.1413.

Rockford Area Development Corporation to Meet

The next meeting of the RADC will be on March 18th at 7:30PM at the Rockford Village Hall.

It was decided at the January meeting that the meetings would be held on the third Thursday of January, March, May, July, September, and November.

Stateline Writers Club to Reconvene with March Meeting

The Stateline Writers’ Club will resume its regular meeting schedule with its Saturday, March 20 meeting at the Celina Mercer County Library. Members will be treated to a special program and receive a unique handbook that offers tips and warnings – giving traps to avoid and gold mines to explore.

The group’s Christmas meeting was held in December at the home of member Margaret Goodwin. Gifts were exchanged, and members brought a dessert or snack.

Meetings are regularly held on the 3rd Saturdays of each month at 10 a.m. at the Celina Mercer County Library except for the winter months of January and February. Interested persons are sincerely invited and encouraged to attend. Anyone having questions may call secretary Gretchen Bollenbacher at 419-363-2692.

March 9, 2010
 

Laurels of Shane Hill Residents Celebrate Birthdays
The following residents of The Laurels, 10731 St. Rt. 118, Rockford, OH  45882, will soon be celebrating their birthdays. They love visits and cards.

March 3rd: Emma Michenfelder

March 8th: Donna Stukenborg

March 10th: Herb Homan

March 11th: Martha Koontz

March 18th: Henry Eicher
 
March 19th: Dorothy Trisel

March 8, 2010
 

Click on the smaller pictures belong to enlarge them. thank you to Paula Linn for sending these!

Tammy McDonough and Deb Call filling orders

Casey and Karen Nuttle in one of the four burrito assembly lines

Amy Roth, Laura Roth and Jennifer Schatzer in one of the four burrito assembly lines

Gina Griesdorn, Chase Eddington and Grace Linn in one of the four assembly lines

A pile of burritos that have already been made up waiting to be put into sacks

Get your tickets now (Peoples Bank in Rockford) for the show on Friday, March 19 and Saturday,March 20 at 7:30 PM. Remember to bring cash for the candy sales.

Click Here to see other birthdays. Remember that birthdays are posted free! Why not surprise someone with an announcement and picture on the Parkway Independent?

The Late Dr. Victor Binkley to be Honored

The Celebration of Life Service for Victor Binkley will be held on April 10, 2010 at Zanesville Church of God, Zanesville, Indiana. The service will start at 2pm and there will be 2 hours before (from 12-2pm) for those attending to come and visit with the family and for those who won't be able to stay for the service.

Thank you to everyone for calls, emails, and beautiful cards sent. Your thoughts and prayers are much appreciated at this time.

Donna Binkley and Family

Nikki noted the the picture of the ice and how thick it was for them to clear away so they could all plunge in at the Polar Bear Plunge. Thank you to Nikki Fox for taking pictures of this event. Click below for a link to her site for more.

http://www.nfoxphoto.com/102-polorbearplunge/small/102-polorbearplunge.htm

March 6-7, 2010
 

CHP to Host Webcast

VAN WERT--The 17th annual Living with Grief national bereavement webcast will be presented Mar. 24, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Community Health Professionals’ Van Wert Inpatient Hospice Center, 1155 Westwood Dr.

The topic this year is “Cancer and End-of-Life Care” and will examine care options related to cancer diagnosis as well as grief reactions for patients, families and professional caregivers. It will also examine the psychosocial aspects of cancer, pain management, and ethical issues related to the disease.

Moderated by Frank Sesno, Professor of Public Policy and Communication at George Mason University and Special Correspondent with CNN, the teleconference is targeted to reach individuals who offer education on loss, grief, dying or death.

Continuing education contact hours will be available for $25 online or $35 by mail through the Hospice Foundation of America for nurses, social workers, case managers, funeral directors, clergy and more.

There is no cost to attend the webcast and it is open to the public. To register, or to learn more, call 419-623-7125 or visit www.comhealthpro.org.

Zehringer Announces Amendment To Livestock Care Standards LLegislation That Eliminates Fee Increase

COLUMBUS – State Representative Jim Zehringer (R- Ft. Recovery) today announced the successful passage of an amendment to House Bill 414 that would eliminate the proposed fifteen cent fee increase on livestock feed to fund the Livestock Care Standards Board.  House Bill 414 is the enabling legislation that seeks to implement the standards of state Issue 2, a statewide ballot measure that was passed overwhelmingly last fall.  

 “It was extremely important to me that we fund this board with general revenue funds rather than creating new fees,” Zehringer said.  “With the current economic climate, it makes sense to allocate existing funds for this Board . . . Click here for the rest of the story.
 

A free-will offering will be accepted.

For more information, please call Reverend Paul Brown. For Bookings, please contact Dave Smith at 814-937-2431 or by email: ortch@aol.com.

Pictured: Lead Singer Jerry Waldrop, Bass Singer Paul Himan,  Baritone Singer Jerry King,  Sharon Waldrop,  and Bass Singer  Bob Scott

The Regional Student Art Exhibit is sponsored by Old National Bank.  The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this organization with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.

Bowlers wanted, it’s not too late to join the bowling event! Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mercer Auglaize & Van Wert Counties will be hosting the 20^th annual Bowl For Kids’ Sake.  The event will take place on Sunday, March 14^th at Plaza Lanes in Celina and Olympic Lanes in Van Wert on Sunday, March 21^st.  

Sign your team up today to support your local children by calling the BBBS office at 419-394-2990 or stop by any participating bowling alley for an information packet.  You can also visit the BBBS web page at www.BBBSMA.com.

There will be contests, prizes, and activities celebrating a “Sports Rally Tailgate Party” theme.  The best part is you don’t have to be a good bowler to win the prizes!!! The grand prize this year is two airline tickets to anywhere in the continental U.S. (valued at $1000) donated by AirTran Airways. Some other prizes include overnight stays, restaurant gift certificates, shopping gift certificates, and lots more!  

The proceeds from the Bowl for Kids’ Sake events go directly to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mercer, Auglaize and Van Wert Counties to help local youth. 

VWHS Renaissance Talent Show

Beat the Winter Blues and enjoy a great show! The Van Wert High School Renaissance program presents their annual Talent Show – this year with a special evening presentation on Saturday, March 6 at 7:30 pm at the Niswonger Performing Arts Center of Northwest Ohio in Van Wert. The Renaissance Talent Show showcases the talents of Van Wert High School students who have auditioned and been selected to perform. A free will offering will be taken with proceeds to benefit the Renaissance program in the High School. For more information call the Van Wert High School at 419.238.3350.

Interested in sending your preschooler to Vantage? Registration is now underway for the 2010-2011 school year. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. There are two options for preschool classes this year.

Pictured at left:
Becca, Emma and Breck -- learn a little about carpentry at the Vantage Preschool. Vantage Preschool registrations are now being accepted for the 2010-2011 school year.
 

March 5, 2010
 

Rockford Village Council Meets on March 3, 2010
Amongst other business, they discussed sidewalks from the Community Building down Holly Lane; Clean up Day will be May 8^th from 8 am – 12:00 noon.  No construction materials,  paint  or tires; No new news on the  Trailer Park; The Park Board discussed putting up a permanent pavilion and new concrete. 

They also discussed the Public Meeting that will take place on March 25^th at 7 pm at the Community Building.  Mayor Joseph, Chief May and Jeff Long will be speaking.  Someone from the Mercer County Economic Development office will give a short presentation.  The RADC and the Pool Committee will speak. 

Click Here for the Minutes Provided by Lisa Kuhn, Fiscal Office for the Village

Willshire Lions Club Pancake and Sausage Day March 13
The Willshire Lions Club will be serving up pancakes and sausage on Saturday, March 13^th.  The event will be held from 7:00 AM – 1:00 PM at the Lions Club building located on State Street.  All you can eat pancakes and whole hog stuffed sausage will be featured.  Donations will be accepted.  Proceeds will be used to help sponsor a Washington, D.C. trip for a Parkway 8^th grade student as well as for other community projects.  Plan now to attend this delicious breakfast.

Willshire Youth Activities Registration Day for Summer Ball Season March 13
The Willshire Youth Activities is preparing for the upcoming summer ball season.  Registration will be held on Saturday, March 13^th from 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM at the Willshire American Legion building located on State Street (next to Willshire Home Furnishings).  Children may be registered to play T-ball, baseball or softball.  Age requirements are that a child must be 5 years old by August 1^st to play T-ball and cannot be over 15 years of age by August 1^st for baseball and softball.  The registration fee for T-ball is $15 per child.  Fees for baseball and softball are $25 for the first child in a family and $20 for each additional child from the same family.  An alternate sign up date will be on Thursday, March 18^th from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM at the Willshire Lions Club.  For further information, please contact Nathan Painter (419.495.4192) or Lynne Miller (419.495.2655).

Celina Wrestlers Take  3rd place
Congratulations to the Bulldogs on their 3rd place finish (again behind Bath and Wapak) at the Shawnee Sectional on 2-21-2010. 1st place went to Alex Dues at 152# and Derick Minch at 160#. 2nd place went to Curtis Doner at 135#, Chad Braun at 140#, Alex Minch at 215#, and Cody Welker at 285#. 3rd place went Zach Cozadd at 145#. 5th place went to Adam Cron at 112# and Joe Bonvillian at 119#. They are now on to state.
 

Prepare for the Vaccine at Parkway Middle School
by Trenna Browning, RN, BSN, School Nurse
 
The Mercer County Health Department will be at Parkway Middle School on Tuesday, March 9, 2010 at 10:30 AM to vaccinate 6^th graders with the TDAP and TD. It is mandatory to have this vaccine to enter 7^th grade. There is a form to fill out (it was sent home two weeks ago) to return to school that day, along with the money. Click Here for the Parkway website  if you need to print out another form. Click on the Parent Stuff Tab and then click on the Parkway Clinic 3-9-10 tab to get to this form as well as the H1N1 consent form. H1N1 vaccines will also be available that day.  Call Trenna Browning, RN, at Parkway Schools if you have questions.

March 4, 2010
 

Spaghetti Dinner to Benefit Missions Set for March 19
A Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser has been planned for Friday, March 19 from 5:15 – 6:45 p.m. in Parkway Commons where you may eat before the Variety Show that evening.

The meal includes Spaghetti and Meatballs (meatless is available), garlic breadstick, applesauce, cookie and soft drink for $7.

PRE-SALE TICKETS are on sale through Monday, March 15th at People's Bank in Rockford, The Olde Rockford Hardware, Henkle Insurance Agency, and His-N-Hers.

Plan to attend to help the mission team for Rockford United Methodist Church Henderson Settlement Project.

Interested in helping but cannot attend the dinner, you may send your donation to:
Rockford United Methodist Church- Henderson Settlement Project
110 South Franklin St., Rockford, OH 45882

Chattanooga UMW Holding BBQ Chicken Fundraiser

The Chattanooga United Methodist Women are having their annual Chicken BBQ fundraiser on April 25, 2010. Dinners will be ready for pick-up between 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM.

March 2-3, 2010
 

Girls Panther Varsity Basketball Season Ends

(By: PHS Juniors Morgan Cron and Liza Shroyer)

As the Panther Varsity Girls Basketball season comes to an end, they finish with a regular season record (not including tournament) of 8-12 and 1-8 in the Midwest Athletic Conference. The Lady Panthers defeated the St. Henry Redskins for their first MAC win of the season.  During their 2008-2009 season, the Lady Panthers had a regular season record of 6-14 and were 0-9 in the MAC. The Lady Panthers have improved from last season and have given a great team effort overall. Saturday, February 27 the Lady Panthers played the Coldwater Cavaliers in the Sectional Final tournament game. During the season the Panthers lost to the Cavaliers by only three points with a score of 64-61. After the first four minutes of the game, Parkway took the lead and outscored the Cavaliers 35-19 before halftime. Starting to struggle in the second half, Parkway fell behind. Lindsay Shellabarger scored two quick 3 pointers, while Tara Luth pushed the ball up the court for fast break points during the 3^rd quarter. With one minute and fourteen seconds left in the 3^rd quarter the Panthers led by 6 points, but the Cavs didn’t give up. The Cavs ended the 3^rd quarter leading 46-38. Parkway struggled to make their shots in the 4^th quarter. Tara Luth had 14 points, while Lindsay Shellabarger had 11 points and Hannah Harshman had 9. Coldwater went home with the victory with a final score of 62-45 ending the Panther’s season.

Parkway FFA Boosters Holding Strawberry Fundraiser

 The Parkway FFA Boosters has decided to have a strawberry fundraiser. This is the first year the Parkway FFA Boosters have tried this, and would like the community to be involved to make this a successful fundraiser. The money earned from this fundraiser will be going to the expenses of building a new food stand at the Mercer County Fairgrounds. Any Parkway FFA member is selling the strawberries thru next Monday, March 8^th. To place an order you can contact an FFA member, e-mail the Parkway FFA at FFA@parkwayschools.org, or call the school, 419-363-3045 ext. 636.

The strawberries are being sold by the flat or half-flat. A flat consists of 8 quart containers filled with strawberries. A flat cost is $24.00 and a half-flat is $13.00.

The strawberries will be delivered sometime around March 15^th. Thank you for supporting the Parkway FFA Boosters and its many activities.

Tune into Rockford’s Prime Time Live with “Rock TV,” the theme set for this year's annual Rockford Lions Club Variety Show. Performances for the show will be held on Friday, March 19 and Saturday, March 20 at 7:30 PM in the Parkway High School auditorium. Tickets can be purchased at The Peoples Bank of Rockford and will be available at the door. Show profits go to community charitable projects and student scholarships.

Loaded with talent, this year's show will range from solo to group performances by upbeat Contemporary Christian artist Randy Long, and if you missed the Ohio has Talent! contest- now's your chance to listen to contestant Amy Roth, who will be singing a triage with her talented classmates- Eleesha Long and Brooke Boznango, the Parkway Show Choir, sisters Kaylee and Emily Gehle, and much more. 

Our own versions of Rock TV game shows, “Rock A Judge Booty”, “Rock Feud”, and “Let’s Rock A Deal,” will prove to be a gut-busting, down-deep-belly laughing time!
 

Girls Lose Against Coldwater in Tournament

Click Here for more  pictures of the action by Parkway's own Nikki Fox. Thanks, Nikki!
 

March 1, 2010
 

One new winner of the Face in the Crowd promotion through the Parkway Independent, picked up a great prize.

Pictured at left are Tammy Cheek, Rockford, who is a a well-known face at Parkway middle and high school sporting events. "I enjoy the many Panther events and seeing my step-son Evan play basketball." 

Tammy took home a case of bottled water from Chris Baltzell @ AquaTech Water Treatment System.

Grand Lake Patriots Host “One Nation Under God” Speaker, Thomas N. Tabback

The Grand Lake Patriots will host the powerful and inspiring speaker, Thomas N. Tabback, at their Thursday, March 11 meeting, at 7:00 P.M., in the old J.C. Penney Building at 1107 N. Main Street in Celina.  Tabback’s program, entitled “Give Me One Nation Under God!” comes to Mercer County after recent appearances in various parts of Ohio, Indiana, and other states across the nation. 

Tabback’s bio information highlights his passion for the United States and its Christian roots:

“In the spring of 2009, Thomas N. Tabback, his wife and his four children forsook house and home in Austin, Texas, and set out for the open road. For love of God, country, and the future of their children and yours, they embarked on this journey with no backing (church, ministry, political group or otherwise), in order to wake America up to return to its roots as One Nation Under GOD.

“After nearly a year of nonstop living on the road with his family, Thomas has now spoken before tens of thousands of American patriots all across the country. His message is rooted in the biblical parallels between ancient Israel and America today.  . .”

The program is open to the public, with free admission. Refreshments are being donated.  Participants are asked to bring along their own folding chair or lawn chair. Plenty of parking space is available in the old J.C. Penney Building parking lot, and the building is handicapped accessible.  Contact Grand Lake Patriots president, Allen Heindel, at grandlakepatriots@gmail.com or Dan Kremer at Daniel@eatfoodforlife.com for further information.

Fulton County Dairy Association donation to 4-H Camp Palmer

On Feb. 15, Mr. Neree Emmons, President, Fulton County Dairy Association presented a check for $5,000 plus $1 cash to 4-H Camp Palmer at their annual banquet. This check was presented to Bill Goodson, Executive Director of 4-H Camp Palmer. This donation is for the pool fund that will help replace 4-H Camp Palmer’s 52 year old pool. Van Wert County is one of eleven counties in Northwest Ohio whose 4-H members are part owners of 4-H Camp Palmer.

February 27-28, 2010
 

Tune into Rockford’s Prime Time Live with “Rock TV,” the theme set for this year's annual Rockford Lions Club Variety Show. Performances for the show will be held on Friday, March 19 and Saturday, March 20 at 7:30 PM in the Parkway High School auditorium. Tickets can be purchased at The Peoples Bank of Rockford and will be available at the door. Show profits go to community charitable projects and student scholarships.

Loaded with talent, this year's show will range from solo to group performances by upbeat Contemporary Christian artist Randy Long, and if you missed the Ohio has Talent! contest- now's your chance to listen to contestant Amy Roth, who will be singing a triage with her talented classmates- Eleesha Long and Brooke Boznango, the Parkway Show Choir, sisters Kaylee and Emily Gehle, and much more. 

Our own versions of Rock TV game shows, “Rock A Judge Booty”, “Rock Feud”, and “Let’s Rock A Deal,” will prove to be a gut-busting, down-deep-belly laughing time!
 

The College Community Arts Council (CCAC) is sponsoring an in-school performance entitled Imagine Dance for ages K-5 at Parkway local schools in Rockford, Ohio on Friday, April 9^th from 2-2:45pm. 

Imagine Dance is an exciting 40 minute interactive dance assembly that educates student about the concepts and tools employed in creating dance.  Professional dancers from Thodos Dance Chicago perform three acclaimed dances from current repertoire and, along with a narrator, demonstrate the concepts, stages and tools needed to create a dance.  The program contains three participatory exercises requiring student generated ideas and execution of the ideas by students themselves on stage with the dancers.  Students use their ideas throughout the assembly as dance concepts are learned and developed by way of students working together with professional dancers.  A study guide is available. 

A master class in Contemporary Dance Technique is also sponsored by the College Community Arts Council.  Geared for dance students ages 16 and older, this fine-tuning of dance skills by a

professional metropolitan dance company is a rare opportunity.  The class will take place from 4-5:30pm on Friday, April 9, 2010 at Parkway Schools, 400 Buckeye Street, Rockford, OH 45882.  Because the event is free and open to the public, registration is required. Registrations are available at www.artsland.org, by e-mailing hmeade@artsland.org or by calling 419-394-0707.

Frech Speaks at Daughters of the American Revolution Meeting

The Isaac Van Wert Chapter DAR was privileged to have Harrison Frech, social studies teacher at Parkway High School, as a speaker.  He gave an excellent program on the Civil War as documented in the Van Wert newspapers, beginning with the fight at Fort Sumter.  Most of the information about the war was given to the public through local newspapers.  The editor of the newspaper wrote the commentaries and gave a very political viewpoint.  At that time, “partisan and politics” were synonymous words, and the term “Copperhead” was frequently used.  A yearly subscription to a newspaper of that time cost $1.50.

Pictured: Joan Stripe, Regent and Harrison Frech

Columbus—This is 2010, and Ohio's new job-rich economy is on the horizon! State Representative Jim Zehringer (R-Ft. Recovery) recently announced his candidacy to return to the 77th Ohio House District seat in 2011.

“I am really excited about the opportunity to continue my service to the citizens of the 77th House District,” said Rep. Zehringer.  “I look forward to representing the ideals and interests shared by the citizens in Mercer, Darke and Preble counties.”

Since the beginning of the 128th General Assembly, Rep. Zehringer has fought to create jobs and boost Ohio's economy through viable, sustainable changes to the way government does business. He voted against all tax increases while supporting cost-saving efficiency measures, with the goal of making state government work better for the people it is intended to serve.

Specifically, Rep. Zehringer fought to preserve income tax reduction, protect Ohio agriculture and bolster small businesses. Among other proposals, he introduced bills to assist a small business in his district, stiffen penalties for assault on judges and to enact regulatory reform across Ohio.

“I feel so privileged to be able to serve my fellow citizens as a member of the state legislature,” Rep. Zehringer said.  “I will continue to work relentlessly to earn the trust of my constituents, and I am looking forward to continuing my travels to meet with people all over my district.”

Are your kids ready for a safe summer of swimming at the pool, pond or lake?  Now is the time to get started on swim lessons and water safety to be ready for those warm summer days. The YWCA offers American Red Cross Swim Lessons for all ages and skill levels. YWCA swim lessons are held Tuesday and Thursday evenings as well as Saturday mornings. The YWCA’s moveable pool floor and 84 – 88 degree water is the perfect environment for your children to learn to swim. Registration for the March and April session is happening now. Please call the YWCA at 238-6639 for more information about class days and times. Please register early, class size is limited and classes will fill quickly. 

Want a night of games, swimming, prizes and food? Come to the Fun Night at the YWCA on Friday March 5^th, 2010 sponsored by Van Wert County 4-H! The event is open to all youth ages 8-13 years! The event will be from 6:00-9:00pm at the YWCA (408 E. Main St, in Van Wert). Interested youth can pick up a form from the Extension Office, or register the night of the event. Admission is free, and you do not have to be a 4-H member to attend!

February 26, 2010
 

Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey issued a Level Two Snow Advisory for unincorporated areas of Mercer County.  This includes all State Routes, County Roads, and Township Roads in the unincorporated areas of Mercer County at 3:30 p.m.  A Level Two Snow Advisory means roadways are hazardous with blowing and drifting snow.  Some roads are becoming impassable.  Only those who find it necessary should be out on the roadways.  Use extreme caution while driving.

Parkway Schools are on a two hour delay for Friday, February 26, 2010
due to icy and drifting roads.

Rockford Summer Ball Sign-up ~ Boys and Girls ~ Join in the Fun

The Rockford Recreation Association will be having their summer
baseball and softball sign-up on Saturday, MARCH 6TH from 11 AM to 1 PM and
Saturday, MARCH 13TH from 12 noon to 1 PM at the Rockford Carnegie
Library basement.

Click on the link below for printable forms for both registration and
emergency medical. Both are required.

Both provide information on the program and fees.  Simply print off
the sign-up and the medical forms, complete, sign them and turn them in
on the designated days listed above.

Or, mail them to: Rockford Recreation Association, P.O. Box 16, Rockford, OH 45882.

Click on the link: Registration Form

Click on the link: Emergency Medical Form

Form may also be picked up and dropped off at The Peoples Bank Co. in Rockford.

Click here for Sectional Wrestling pictures.

 

Fund Raisers for Second Amendment Marches

Terry Jeffries, a Grand Lake Patriots member, who is also a member of CCW (Concealed Carry) is hosting a fund-raiser,  for the upcoming Second Amendment Marches in Columbus and Washington DC., April 19, 2010. the event is February 27^th 2010 @ 7:00 PM at the Mercer County Sportsmen Association 6876 Anderson Road (across from Carter Lumber on 703), Celina, OH 45822. there are no other details so contact: tjeffries@woh.rr.com for more information.

February 25, 2010
 

MENDON UNION RECREATION ASSOCIATION (M.U.R.A)
SIGN-UP FOR SUMMER T-BALL, SOFTBALL, & BASEBALL PLANNED
Summer ball is not far away. Registration sign-up is taking place on Saturday, March 6^th @ the Mendon Fire Department. The time is 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Click here for the printable  form you will need.

Mendon Registration Form with Details - Click Here

Two new winners of the Face in the Crowd promotion through the Parkway Independent, picked up some great prizes.

Pictured at left are Rene Balyeat, Rockford, who is a a well-known face at Parkway middle school and high school sporting events. "I enjoy the many Panther events and seeing my son Evan play on the 8th grade team." 

Rene took home a nostalgic sign from D & L Classis Woodworking and the Olde Rockford Hardware. Presenting the sign is Bea Salway of Rockford.

Watch for your chance to win a Face-in-the-Crowd prize!

Parkway Athletic Booster Club to Meet

The Parkway Athletic Booster Club will be having its monthly meeting on Monday, March 1, 2010 at 7:30 p.m.   This meeting will be held in the community room at the high school.  All parents of Parkway athletes are members of the athletic boosters and encouraged to attend.    This meeting is also open to the public. 

Embroidery Provides Beautiful Products and a Restful Outlet

The husband and wife team of Carl and Sharon Gangwehr create beautiful embroidered work on their 4 specialty sewing machines. Sharon, Carl says, uses the hobby to produce items especially for the Parkway athletes. It provides her with an outlet as she recuperates. At left is just one of their many creations, a Panther school bus with the school name on it.

Boys Varsity Panthers Basketball Update

By: PHS Juniors Morgan Cron and Liza Shroyer

Friday, January 29th the Boys’ Varsity Panther basketball team was on the road headed to the home of the St. Henry Redskins. The Panthers fell behind early trailing the Redskins 37-21 going into halftime. The Panthers showed a good effort in the second half but they couldn’t overcome that hole they had dug themselves into early on. The Panthers lost by a score of 60-49.  Junior Corey Decker played a good game for the Panthers with 15 points. Saturday, January 30th the Panthers traveled to the home of the Lincolnview Lancers. The Panthers bounced back from their loss the night before and proved to be the better team against the Lancers. Logan Hunter had 13 points while Dillon Long had 12. By the end of the second quarter the Panthers were in the lead with the score at 35-21. Corey Decker was the leading scorer for the Panthers with a total of 17 points. Decker also hit 4 three-pointers for the night. The Panthers traveled home that night with a victory of 60-51. Sunday, February 7th the Panthers hosted the Marion Local Flyers. The Panthers showed a great defensive effort but their missed free throws cost them the game as the Flyers took home the victory of 40-37 over the Panthers. Friday, February 12th the Panthers traveled to the home of the Delphos St. John’s Blue Jays. Corey Decker led the Panthers 13 points. Delphos defeated the Panthers 52-47. Monday, February 15th the Panthers traveled to Upper Scioto Valley to dominate the Rams with a final score of 62-31. The Panthers are now 10-9 and 1-7 in the MAC.

February 24, 2010
 

Rockford Police Chief Paul May Visits Parkway Schools

Rockford Police Chief Paul May was invited by Mrs. Klosterman to speak to her special needs class at Parkway Schools on February 23, 2010. Chief May spoke to the boys about safety and what he does in his day to day job. Chief May demonstrated the taser and passed a set of handcuffs around for the boys to feel. Chief May also promised that if the boys were good, he would come back with Rockford’s Police Golf cart and give them a ride.

Reward Offered for Stolen Cell Phone
On February 8, 2010, a cell phone was taken from the teacher's desk in the elementary music room. The cell phone was a new Verizon touch-slider screen phone which opens up to a full keyboard for texting. Mr. Bowers is offering a $ 50.00 reward to anyone that would bring the phone back in undamaged condition. The phone can be returned to any principals’ office or the district office. We ask that anyone with any information at all please contact the school at 419-363-3045.

Parkway FFA Participates in Evaluations
by Danielle Matthews

The Parkway FFA sent a large number of State and American Degrees along with Officer Books and Proficiencies to District Evaluations on February 20^th. To obtain a State, American, or Proficiency Degree, the students must put many hours into completing books on the SAE’s that they have participated in. The officers spent long hours also working on their books for judging.  

VAN WERT COUNTY RANKS HIGHEST
by Emily Barnett, RN

Late last week Ohio Department of Health published the results of a recent study of the H1N1 event s by county. The total number of children in Van Wert County under 10 years old that were in the vaccine registry was 1463. The percentage of kids under 10 years who received 2 doses of the vaccine was 78.9%. Van Wert ranked the highest of all 88 counties in the State of Ohio.

Van Wert County Health Department employs 5 registered nurses on a full time basis. Barbra Hoffman, RN is the planner/ Disaster Coordinator for Van Wert County. Kim Haas, RN is the Director of Nursing. Linda Bissonette, RN is the infectious disease specialist at the health department. Emily Barnett, RN is the nurse for the Bureau for Children with Medical Handicaps program. Leslie Bailey, RN provides prenatal and newborn services in coordination with Help Me Grow to Van Wert County families. During the H1N1 pandemic, 3 more temporary nurses were hired to execute the vaccination efforts, Mary Dietsch, RN, Tammy Girod, RN and Amber Lloyd, LPN.  Craig Staley, Medical Reserve Corp Coordinator for the Health Department and Rick McCoy, Van Wert County EMA director were key players in making it possible for us to reach as many children as we were able to during this pandemic. Volunteers were utilized throughout the H1N1 campaign from parents, to off duty firefighters, to retired grandparents who were present in the schools to hold the children as they took their vaccinations. In addition office staff at the Health Department were involved in the clinics were Mary Lou Smith, office manager/Registrar, Tammy Bartz, and Susie Isenbarger. Temporary clerical staff included Brandy Leiber, Donna Mills, Camille Harting, and Marcia Carpenter.  Britt Menchhofer and Jason Menchhofer were also excellent supporting staff members that made the efforts run more smoothly.

Coordination from Van Wert County Hospital, Van Wert Police Department and all of the schools in Van Wert County made the efforts a success as well. Nursing students and instructors from Northwest State and Vantage Medical Assisting Program volunteered to assist in our task. Thanks to the private Physician’s offices and staff that administered vaccine to their patients.

The protection and prevention of illness of our residents and especially our children in Van Wert County could not have gone as smoothly as it did without the tireless efforts from all the individuals and organizations that contributed. Van Wert County Health Department takes great pride in our ranking, and appreciates the assistance that was freely given to us to help us keep our residents healthy!

Strategic Use of Terrain: The Civil War: From the Ground - Up

Western Ohio Civil War Roundtable member Mark Dove will present his program “Strategic Use of Terrain - The Civil War: From the Ground – Up”  in the roundtable’s meeting at Wright State University Lake Campus in Celina - Thursday, February 25 at 7:15 PM room 227 Dwyer Hall.    Mark Dove is a retired combat engineer with the St. Marys Engineering Company of the Ohio National Guard.

His military background provided an excellent opportunity to study and teach terrain issues as they’ve been considered for hundreds of years of military history. Over the years, time and technology have changed warfare—but where combat infantry is concerned, terrain is still an important strategic and tactical factor. Whether at Kabul or Bull Run, intelligent use of terrain can and will affect military outcomes.

Dove was an instructor in the Regional Training Institute, Columbus, Ohio.  He taught Instructor Training, Leadership Development and Accelerated Officer Candidate School. His duty stations put him in classrooms in Alabama, Minnesota, South Dakota, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.

His interest in the American Civil War persuaded him to adapt his presentation to specific examples within the conduct of the war. This will be his first presentation to the Western Ohio Civil War Roundtable. This program should find a wide audience among Civil War buffs.

Mark and his wife, Sandra, have been married since 1970.  They have two daughters, Sarah in Cincinnaiti, and Rachel in Arusha, Tanzania, Africa.

Civil War Roundtable meetings are open to the general public.

Manna Foods ~ Reminder to Order by Thursday, March 4, 2010

By Barb Pedroza

With our nation’s economy in the shape it's in right now, I see a big need in our communities. So what can we do to help ourselves and others? Food is an important necessity, so we can start there. Manna Food Network it is a non-profit organization. There are NO membership fees, NO paperwork, NO hassles, NO purchase limit, NO income guide lines, NO end to savings ~ just a great deal. You get $60.00 to $70.00 worth of top quality food for $30.00. It comes prepackaged and quick frozen.

How this works . . . .

You buy the big box for $30.00 or the Empty Nester for $20.00 and then you qualify to buy any number of the value packs. Every month the menu will change. You need to mail your order with payment to the Rockford United Methodist Church so that we receive it by the deadline date. Please supply your name and address plus a telephone number is required. Two weeks later you can pick up your order at the church.

Or if anyone would like to donate $30.00 so that someone in need can have one for free, that would be great. You can also donate a box to someone that you name. You can pick up your order at the Rockford United Methodist Church, on the corner of Franklin & Pearl Streets in Rockford.

If you have any questions, call the Church office (419) 363-3230 or me, Barb, at (419) 363-2720. You can pick up a menu at TJ 's in Rockford or Willshire, the Rockford Library, His & Hers Styling Salon in Rockford, the Rockford post office and at the Mendon Church of God.

February 23, 2010
 

Rockford Summer Ball Sign-up ~ Boys and Girls ~ Join in the Fun

The Rockford Recreation Association will be having their summer
baseball and softball sign-up on Saturday, MARCH 6TH from 11 AM to 1 PM and
Saturday, MARCH 13TH from 12 noon to 1 PM at the Rockford Carnegie
Library basement.

Click on the link below for printable forms for both registration and
emergency medical. Both are required.

Both provide information on the program and fees.  Simply print off
the sign-up and the medical forms, complete, sign them and turn them in
on the designated days listed above.

Or, mail them to: Rockford Recreation Association, P.O. Box 16, Rockford, OH 45882.

Click on the link: Registration Form

Click on the link: Emergency Medical Form

Form may also be picked up and dropped off at The Peoples Bank Co. in Rockford.

Join 4-H! For information, Phone 419-586-2179
 

PRESS RELEASE FOR Mercer County Jail

CELINA, OH – Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey issued a reminder today that Sunday, February 28, 2010 will be the last open house held at the new adult detention facility west of Celina.  Prisoners will be moved that evening into the building.

The open house will begin at noon and run until 4:00 PM.  “It is important that people come early as we will need to close the tours promptly at 4,” stated Sheriff Grey.  We will have open house at the old facility during the same hours so people will have an opportunity to see the difference in technology.

“The men and women of the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office are grateful to the taxpayers for the new facility and are excited to get moved in,” stated Sheriff Grey.  We hope to see everyone on Sunday afternoon.

Jeff Grey, Mercer County Sheriff

4835 State Route 29 West, Celina, OH  45822

(419) 586-7724

Parkway Local Schools Calendar of Events for March 2010 - Click Here

February 22, 2010
 

Senior Night Well-Attended ~ Athletes Honored;
Cardinals Take Panthers down
Action shots and recap by Pat Agler – Thank you, Pat!

The Parkway faithful filled the gym for the final home game of the 2010 season on Friday, February 19, 2010.

The seniors were given a standing ovation for their efforts representing Parkway high  school. Senior cheerleaders were Amanda Shindeldecker and Taylor Lautzenheiser.  Senior trainer is Amy Williams and statistician Lindsay Shellabarger. Senior basketball players were Blake King, Dillon Long, Michael Nuttle and Ryan Steinbrunner. The Panthers were poised for a tough game with the New Bremen cardinals. The Cardinals got out to an early lead and doubled up the Panthers at the end of one period. Going into the half, Parkway had cut the deficit to eleven points. The third quarter was a draw with the cardinal lead remaining at eleven points. The Panthers dug deep and put together a run late in the fourth period and cut the lead to five points. Time wasn't on the Panthers’

side, There just wasn't enough left to get any closer. Parkway lost the game 66-55 to go 10-10 for the season. The Panthers’ first tournament game will be at Wapakonta where they will play Delphos Jefferson at 6:15 on March 2, 2010.

Click Here for more actions shots and new Face in the Crowd Winner

New Bremen Pictures of the Last Panther Regular Season Game
Thank you to Nikki Fox for sharing these!
Click here for more of both games and Senior Night festivities by Nikki.

8^th grade Orientation at Parkway High School on Monday, February 22

On Monday, Feb. 22^nd, there will be 8^th grade Orientation at Parkway High School from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Mary Cannon from Bluffton University will speak in the Auditorium from 6:30-7:00 p.m. on selecting high school courses for college and work readiness. High school staff will be available in the Commons to answer any questions about scheduling classes for 2010-11 school year from 6:30 until 8:30 p.m. Students & parents in grades 9-11 are also invited to attend.

In case of bad weather, the meeting will be postponed to Thursday, Feb. 25.

February 20-21, 2010
 

Click here for the story.

Senator Faber’s Weekly Newsletter
2/22/10

Recently, the Ohio Senate passed Senate Bill 213, legislation I introduced that would protect Ohio small businesses participating in the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation group rating programs from further “rate shock” during one of the worst economic climates in Ohio history. 

The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) is in the process of addressing disparity in rates paid by different Ohio businesses to ensure the long-term solvency of the state’s injured workers’ fund. At present, the Bureau intends to move forward with plans to reduce the level of discounts long-afforded to Ohio group-rated companies . . . Click here for the rest of the story.

Bates, who danced and sang to “I Can’t Do It Alone” from the Broadway musical, Chicago, wowed the judges and the hundreds of people who braved nasty weather conditions to come out and watch 20 local acts compete for cash prizes.

Perhaps the only person who didn’t think she would be the top winner was Bates herself. “I was shocked,” she said after the competition. “They kept going up (the list of award winners) and I hadn’t gotten anything yet and I thought ‘it couldn’t be me’ (as the top winner) and then they said my name.”

Bates, who plans to attend Bowling Green State University next year and major in exercise science, with a possible minor in dance, said she also may try out for some college drama productions.

A trio of dancers ages 9, 10 and 13 from Van Wert took second place, while Travis Custer, 33, formerly of Convoy, placed third.

Amy Roth of Rockford, a sophomore at Parkway High School, also competed in the competition and performed an original piano composition titled, “In Memoriam of 911.”

Other competitors included Emily Werling from Fort Recovery, Megan Kobetitsch of Columbus, Dayton Pracht of Paulding, Janel Vogel of Fort Recovery, Desiree Delgado of Antwerp, Adam Daniels of Grover Hill, Kelsea Eblen of Celina, Jeff Hammons of Van Wert, Ann Brake of Ohio City, Maria Fricano of Ada, Heather Davis of Lima, Jennifer Kahlig of Coldwater, and Mariah Clawson of Kenton.

In addition to the very talented competitors, those attending the event also had the chance to listen to performances by last year’s winner, Dustin Long of Delphos, and runner-up, Michaela Johnson of Van Wert, as well as the All Starr Choir, whose members come from all of the various Starr Commonwealth sites in Michigan and Ohio.

Proceeds from the show went to Community Health Professionals’ Van Wert Area Inpatient Hospice Center. Community Health Professionals is a nonprofit, 501c3 organization that provides home health and hospice services throughout northwest and west central Ohio and operates a location in Wapakoneta at 803 Brewfield Drive.

March 2nd and March 3rd is Pre-Registration for Calvary Preschool.  Tuesday, March 2nd, registration will be from 7:30 - 11:30 am.  Wednesday, March 3rd, registration will be from 3:00 to 6:00 pm.  Classrooms may be visited and tours given for those who would like one.  If you cannot make any of these times, please call for an appointment.  Click here from more information.

February 19, 2010
 

Parkway Washington DC Meeting Rescheduled

Due to the Parkway high school boys sectional tournament at Wapakoneta on March 2, the final 8^th grade Washington DC meeting has been rescheduled for March 11, 2010.  Chaperones are to meet in the community room at 6:00 p.m. and parents and students will meet in the auditorium at 7:15 p.m.  This is the final meeting before the trip on April 12^th.  All parents and students are urged to attend to receive the trips itinerary, guidelines, and talk with their child’s chaperone.  Students are asked to sit with parents so information from the student booklets can be shared.  Please enter the auditorium through the HS entrance.

5^th Annual Community Health & Wellness Forum

Dealing with Stress in Stressful Times Focus of the Event

VAN WERT, Ohio – The Gaylord E. Leslie Wellness Center for Healthy Living would like to invite the public to attend the 5^th Annual Community Health and Wellness Forum.  This free and open to the public event will be held on Saturday, March 6 from 9am – Noon at the Niswonger Performing Arts Center located at 10700 St. Rt. 118, South, Van Wert.

Stress cannot be avoided in the world we live in and we have heard repeatedly how bad it is for our health.  The Foundation for Integrated Research in Mental Health, 2007, states that globally, more than 3 out of 5 doctor visits are for stress related problems.  Stress is linked to the six leading causes of death—heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, and suicide.  This year’s Community Health & Wellness Forum has been designed to focus on ways to keep your stress in check.   

Included in the day’s activities will be a multitude of exhibitors including Nygren Chiropractic, everyBodies Therapeutic Massage, OSU Extension Family Nutrition Service, Xango, Westwood Behavioral Health Center, YWCA, YMCA, Home Health Care Solutions, Therapy Solutions, Van Wert Regional Stroke Support, Van Wert County Hospital Sleep Center, Nutrition Services, and Diabetic Education.  There will also be an exhibit on your financial health by First Federal Savings & Loan.   Exhibitors will provide information on a variety of stress specific topics: nutritional information on improving “stress gland” function, acupuncture, acupoints, benefits of health and fitness, relaxation techniques, stress for the stroke survivor, as well as chair massages. 

Beginning at 9:45am, enjoy a qigong and tai chi demonstration.  Qigong (pronounced ch'i kung) is a Chinese practice which uses slow graceful movements and controlled breathing techniques.  At 10am, Tonia Verville, BS, MSE, will be presenting “Stress 101: A Survival Guide” and at 11am, Julia Gauvey, MSW, LSW will be presenting “Relaxation Techniques for Everyone”.

For more information, feel free to call (419) 238-8691 or go online at www.vanwerthospital.org.

Please Pre-Register at: www.vanwertcountyhealth.org

Open to everyone age 6 months and up.

NO CHARGE FOR THE VACCINE!!

Questions? Call 419-238-0808 ext. 111

February 18, 2010
 

Student Art Exhibition at Arts Place March 4-May 1

In observance of Youth Art Month, the 2010 Regional Student Art Exhibition, entitled A Place to Begin, featuring artwork by area students will be displayed at Arts Place’s centers in Portland, Indiana and St. Marys, Ohio from March 4-May 1, 2010.  Admission is free to the public.

At the Portland Center, located at 131 East Walnut Street, gallery hours are Monday through Friday 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Saturday 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., closed Sunday.  A reception to recognize the students and instructors of our region will be held on Thursday, March 4 from 3:00-6:00 p.m.  The reception is free and open to the public.  For more information contact Arts Place at 260-726-4809 or artsland@artsland.org.

The Collective Center in St. Marys, located at 138 East Spring Street, will hold a reception on Friday, March 5 from 3:00-6:00 p.m. to recognize the students and instructors exhibiting works at its facility.  Gallery hours at the Collective Center are Monday through Thursday from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m.  For more information contact Heidi Meade, Director of Education at 419-394-0707 or thecollectivecenter@artsland.org.

“A Place to Begin” will feature works by students from east central Indiana and west central Ohio.  Throughout the school year, area art teachers have selected some of the more intriguing creations of their students for inclusion in the exhibit.

Youth Art Month is an annual observance each March to emphasize the value of art education for all children and to encourage support for quality school art programs.  Arts Place holds the Regional Student Art Show each year at this time.

The Regional Student Art Exhibition is sponsored by Old National Bank.  Program support is provided by Psi Iota Xi, Gamma Alpha Chapter.

Activities of Arts Place, Inc. are provided, in part, with support from The Portland Foundation and the Indiana Arts Commission, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.  The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this organization with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. 

February 17, 2010
 

Level 1 Lifted
Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey has cancelled the level 1 snow alert for all unincorporated areas of Mercer County as of 1300hrs (1 PM) 2-17-10. Drivers should continue to use caution as some roadways remain slick and hazardous.

Parkway is on a two hour delay on Wednesday,  February 17, 2010
due to weather and road conditions.
 

Applications for Greenspace Conservation

District 13 Natural Resource Assistance Council (NRAC) announces the application period is now open.  Applications for Greenspace improvements under the Clean Ohio Round 7 program will be accepted February 16, 2010 through May 14, 2010.   

Approximately $1.8 million will be available to District 13.  District 13 is comprised of Allen, Auglaize, Hancock, Logan, Mercer, Putnam, Shelby and Van Wert Counties.   

Applications for Greenspace Conservation funds may be requested through the Ohio Public Works Commission, 65 E. State St., Suite 312, Columbus, OH  43215, phone (614)466-0880, or download off the internet at www.pwc.state.oh.us or can be obtained through County NRAC Representatives (see attachment).  Applications can be submitted to Chairman Howard Elstro, 50 Town Square, Lima, OH  45801-4900.  District 13 NRAC requires twelve (12) copies of the application to be submitted. 

District 13 Natural Resource Assistance Council is comprised of eleven representatives of the eight county district.  They include:

James Bassett   Allen  Bassett Associates  jbassett@bassettassociates.com

Allison Brady  Auglaize Heritage Trails Park Dist. abrady@watchtv.net

Tim Brugeman  Hancock Hancock Park Dist.  tbrugeman@hancockparks.com

Bob Stoll  Logan  Logan Soil & Water  bob.stoll@oh.usda.gov

Kent Hinton  Mercer  Mercer County Sanitary Dir. kent.hinton@mercercountyohio.org

Bob Flickinger  Putnam  Putnam Co. ODNR  bobflickinger@yahoo.com

Richard Millhouse Shelby  Shelby Co. Parks Dist.  rmillhouse@voyager.net

Andy Kleinschmidt Van Wert V.W. County OSU Ext.  kleinschmidt.5@osu.edu 

District 13 NRAC has recently revised the scoring methodology.  Copies of the methodology can be obtained through the County representative and will be posted at the Ohio Public Works Commission website soon.     

by Andy Kleinschmidt
OSU Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources

New Wassenberg classes include acrylics, watercolor, drawing

Wassenberg presents a “chocolate-coated” evening

Click Here for Class  and Event Details

February 16, 2010
 

Sheriff Jeff Grey Issues Level 1 Snow Advisory
At 0930 hrs (9:30 AM) on February 16, 2010 Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey issued a Level 1 snow advisory for ‘Unincorporated’ areas of Mercer County. This includes all state routes, county roads, and township roads in the unincorporated areas of Mercer County. A level 1 snow advisory means roadways are hazardous with blowing and drifting snow.  Please use caution when driving.

Gery Thobe, Chief Deputy Sheriff

Parkway Schools are now closed for Tuesday, February 16, 2010.
According to Sally Cox, Superintendent's secretary,
this completed the 5 and final calamity day for Parkway.

 Parkway Schools is on a 2 hour delay due to icy and drifting roads.

Student Spends Christmas in El Salvador

University of Cincinnati student and Parkway graduate, Hannah Ford, recently returned from her second service trip to El Salvador. Her team of fourteen undergraduate students from the University of Cincinnati were organized by Serve Beyond Cincinnati, a service organization on campus that Hannah leads, in conjunction with the Fuller Center for Housing at the campus.  These students all fund their own trips through donations. Hannah sends her grateful thank-you’s for your sponsorship and wrote this story:  Click Here for Hannah's story and pictures

St. John’s Team Travels to Parkway and Picks up a Close Win
Action Shots and Game Recap by Pat Agler – Thanks Pat!
The Lady Panthers hosted a potent St. Johns team on Thursday evening, February 11 for Senior Night. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out the way that we had hoped. Parkway kept pace with the 'Jays for one quarter, but that was it.

The 'Jays were just too potent for the Panthers, getting the win 74-71. Tara Luth, Hannah Harshman, Lindsay Shellabarger, Danielle Mathews and Kalia Crawford have shown grit and determination all season. These young ladies have represented the Parkway Panthers with class and great sportsmanship.
Click Here for more of the game shots and senior night by Pat.

Panthers Head to Coldwater and Miss the Win by 3 Points
Pictures and Game Recap by Pat Agler – Thanks Pat!
In a make-up game the Panthers traveled to Coldwater on Saturday afternoon, February 13, 2010. It was a back and forth game throughout. The game came down to the wire with the Cavs getting a 64-61 three point win. Parkway may get a shot at them again come tournament play, the outcome of that game could  be different. Click Here for more of the game shots by Pat.

Concert and Dinner at The Rockford Belle Rescheduled

Due to an earlier weather cancelation this month, Randy Long  along with his lovely wife Marilyn, will be performing Saturday night, February 20th at 7 PM, in Rockford, Ohio at The Rockford Belle,  formerly the Rockford Presbyterian Church. A spaghetti dinner at 5PM with dinner donations accepted.  The doors open for the concert at 6 PM.   Opening for Randy will be Olga Kipp ministering through song for Jesus. Randy Long, a gospel artist, from Rockford, Ohio, presents the gospel through music with a style that is sure to touch your heart.

The public is invited to come and receive the blessing of God‘s word through Randy‘s music and testimony. (A love offering will accepted)

The Rockford Belle, a smoke and alcohol free facility, is located 1/2 block west of Subway in Rockford Ohio.

For More information contact Randy at: 419 203-3542

Pathfinders of Delphos 4-H Club elects officer team for 2010

L to R: President Brice Schulte, Vice President Nicole Winhover, Treasurer Alex Bonifas, Secretary Stephanie Pohlman, Reporter Elizabeth Winhover, Historian Cheyanne Bonifas, Health Samantha Bonifas, Safety Lucy Bonifas, Yearbook Kim Schnipke. The members followed the business meeting with an activity of making valentines for the local nursing home in Delphos.

Send your own 4-H news to the Parkway Independent.

Van Wert YWCA Plans Spring Travel Preview

The public is invited to attend the Spring Travel Preview at the Van Wert YWCA on Sunday, February 28 at 3:00 p.m.  Complete information about the 2010 travel schedule will be available. Travel company representatives will be present to answer your quesions and there will be door prizes and refreshments.  For more information call The YWCA at (419) 238-6639 or write or stop in at 408 East Main, Van Wert, Ohio 45891.

February 15, 2010
Presidents' Day
 

Parkway Sports Schedule Updates from AD Doug Hughes - Posted 2-15-2010

ON SATURDAY FEBRUARY 27^TH THE GIRLS VARSITY BASKETBALL TEAM WILL PLAY AT VAN WERT IN THE DIVISION 3 SECTIONAL TOURNAMENT VS THE WINNER OF PAULDING AND COLDWATER.  THE GAME WILLL BEGIN AT 8:00 PM.  THERE WILL NOT BE ANY PRESALE TICKETS FOR THIS GAME.

ON TUESDAY MARCH 2^ND THE BOYS VARSITY BASKETBALL TEAM WILL PLAY AT WAPAKONETA IN THE DIVISION 3 SECTIONAL TOURNAMENT VS DELPHOS JEFFERSON.  THE GAME WILL BEGIN AT 6:15 PM.  PRESALE TICKETS WILL BE $6 FOR ADULTS AND $4 FOR STUDENTS.  TICKETS WILL BE SOLD ONE WEEK PRIOR TO THE GAME IN THE HIGH SCHOOL OFFICE.  ALL TICKETS AT THE DOOR ARE $6.00

Coin Auction Coming to Mendon
Mendon – A coin auction will be conducted at “The Old Farm Store” on Saturday, February 20^th at 10:10 AM for the coin enthusiasts in the area.  A variety of collectables up for sale include: older paper money; Morgan and Peace dollars; Silver Eagles; Standing Liberty, Franklin and Kennedy half Dollars; Wheat Pennies; Indian Head Cents; shield, Buffalo and V-Nickels, Individual Proof Coins and Proof Sets; etc.  Additional information is available at auctionzip.com or call 419-733-0055.

February 13-14, 2010
 

February 12, 2010
 

Parkway Music Boosters Burrito Sales Extended ~ Call Now to Order
The Parkway Music Boosters Burrito Sales began on Monday, February 1^st and has been extended through Wednesday, February 17^th. They are featuring the same delicious burritos from Celina Wine Store.  The price per burrito is $2 and consists of meat, mozzarella cheese and mild sauce. They are individually wrapped and can be frozen.

Burritos will be made fresh by the Booster Members on Saturday, March 6th and band/choir members can pick them up that day at 12 noon at the Middle School Cafeteria.

To order yours, contact any Jr. High or High School Band/Choir Member or contact Kristi at 419-363-3485 or Traci at 419-953-2364.

These are a delicious fund-raiser to support the Parkway Music program!

Rockford Carnegie Library and Parkway Explorers Club Plan Soup and Sandwich Meal

The Rockford Carnegie Library and Parkway Explorers Club will be raising money for their activities at a Soup and Sandwich Supper on Friday, February 19, 2010 from 4:30 to 6:30 at the Parkway High School Commons. They will have the same variety of soups that they used to serve at the Rockford Christmas Walk.  For a $6 presale ticket, they serve you a Sloppy Joe or Creamed Chicken Sandwich, 2 cups of soup, dessert and drink with extra portions available at an additional fee. Buy tickets at the library, the high school office, from the Explorer members, Peoples Bank, and His n Hers Styling Salon.

Bridge Closing - PUBLIC NOTICE

The Mercer County Engineer, Jim Wiechart, is announcing the closing of Township Line Road between US 33 and Van Wert Mercer County Line in Dublin/Blackcreek Township for  a bridge replacement. This structure will be closed tentatively on February 15, 2010 and is scheduled to reopen in several months,  depending on the weather conditions.

Any additional questions, contact the Mercer County Engineer's Office at 419-586-7759.

Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association Elects New President & Board Members

February 8, 2010 -- Westerville, Ohio
The Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association (ONLA) elected new board members at its Annual Business Meeting and Luncheon on January 26, 2010, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, Columbus, Ohio.

The new ONLA president is Richard Posey from Buckeye Resources, Inc. in South Charleston, Ohio. Posey has served on the association for many years as a board member, committee member, committee chair, and as president in 2002. He will continue to work diligently to guide the association.

 

Returning board members include: Andrew Doesburg from Thornton Landscape in Maineville, Ohio, who will serve in the capacity of Immediate Past President; Hannah Mathers, co-coordinator of The Ohio State Nursery Short Course in Columbus, Ohio, who will serve as the representative of OSU; Andrew Harding from Herman Losely & Son, Inc. in Perry, Ohio; Tim Clark from H.J. Benken Florist & Greenhouses, Inc. in Silverton, Ohio; Mike Dues from Dues Nursery, Ltd. in Celina, Ohio; and David Richards from South Ridge Farms and Auburn Career Center in Ashtabula, Ohio.

New board members for 2010 include: Mark Gilson from Gilson Gardens in Perry, Ohio; Lisa Ungers from Roemer Nursery in Madison, Ohio; and Jay Daley from Sunleaf Nursery in Madison, Ohio, who will be the 2010 ONLA President-Elect.
 

The Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association, with over 1,300 members is comprised of nursery stock growers, garden center operators, landscape contractors, landscape design and grounds maintenance firms, arborists, students enrolled in horticulture programs in the state and allied suppliers. The association’s annual convention is scheduled January 24-26, 2011, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center and Hyatt Regency Hotel, Columbus, in conjunction with the Central Environmental Nursery Trade Show (CENTS), which the association sponsors. The trade show is open only to persons in the nursery

and landscape industry, with registrants numbering over 8000 at the 2010 show. The association, with administrative offices in Westerville, has represented Ohio’s vital nursery and landscape industry for

over 100 years.

February 11, 2010
 

Parkway Sports Schedule Updates from AD Doug Hughes for 2-11-2010

7^TH GRADE GIRLS GAME WILL BE PLAYED TONIGHT AT FORT RECOVERY VS NEW KNOXVILLE AT 5 PM.  PARKWAY WILL BE THE VISITORS.

8^TH GRADE GIRLS GAME HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL SATURDAY AT 9:00 AM. 

THE GAME WILL BE PLAYED AT MARION LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL GYM. 

THE 8^TH GRADE GIRLS WILL BE PLAYING NEW BREMEN AND BE THE VISITORS ON THE SCOREBOARD.

THE 8^TH GRADE BOYS GAME VS NEW KNOXVILLE AT PARKWAY WILL BE PLAYED IN THE JR. HIGH GYM AT 5 PM THIS EVENING. 

THE GIRLS JV AND VARSITY GAMES AT HOME VS DELPHOS ST. JOHNS WILL BE PLAYED WITH THE JV GAME STARTING AT 6 PM.

THE JV AND VARSITY BOYS BASKETBALL TEAMS WILL PRACTICE THIS AFTERNOON FROM 2:00PM-4:00 PM.

THERE WILL BE NO 7^TH GRADE BOYS BASKETBALL PRACTICE TODAY.

THERE WILL BE NO 8^TH GRADE GIRLS BASKETBALL PRACTICE TODAY.

THERE WILL BE NO FRESHMEN BOYS BASKETBALL PRACTICE TODAY.

Parkway Schools are closed for Thursday, February 11, 2010, due to road conditions.
 

Thank you to the Brent and Michelle Agler Family for sending pictures of the beautiful frozen fog on the tress (called rime), a robin(1?), and the Agler snow fort. Send you pictures for the PWI readers, too. We will publish them.

Parkway Schools are on a two hour delay on Thursday, February  11, 2010, due to road conditions.

Lady Panthers Suffer Double Loss to Marion Local and Upper Scioto Valley Teams
Remember to click on the smaller thumbnails to enlarge the picture.
Game recap and pictures by Pat Agler

The Lady Panthers headed south to Maria Stein for a game with the Flyers. Parkway kept up with the Flyers through three and  one half quarters, but the inside game of the Flyers proved to be too much for the Lady Panthers. Parkway took the loss by a count of 71-47.

On Monday evening, 2-8-2010, Parkway  headed north for a
match-up with the Upper Scioto Valley Rams. On paper, the teams looked  like a mirror image of one another. It was a close game all the way, with the lead  trading several times. In the end, it was the torrid free throw shooting by the Rams that  made the difference in the game.
The Rams got the win 57-52.

Click Here for the rest of Pat's pictures.

Click Here for the rest of Pat's pictures.

CALVARY PRESCHOOL PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES SET

Calvary Preschool has set Thursday and Friday, February 25th and 26th, as Parent-Teacher Conferences.  There will be no school on those dates so the parents may meet individually with the teacher.  The boys and girls have been working on ABC’s, numbers, shapes, colors, opposites, cutting, balancing, etc.  The Calvary Preschool Board sees the importance for each parent or guardian to have a conference with their child's teacher.  If you have not responded with your time or cannot make it, please call the Calvary Preschool @ 567-259-3103 and ask for Judy Fox or leave a voice mail. 

Pre-Registration for the fall program will be available on March 2nd from 7:30am-11:30am and on March 3rd from 3-6pm.  Contact Judy Fox @ 567-259-3103 with any questions! 

H1N1 Vaccination Clinic This Friday

The Van Wert County Health Department will be conducting an H1N1 vaccination clinic at the Van Wert High School Basketball Game Friday, February 12th, 2010 from 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm. Anyone over six months of age can receive the vaccine and there is no charge for the vaccine.  Please pre-register online at www.vanwertcountyhealth.org prior to your appointment.

February 10, 2010
 

Parkway Schools are closed for today, Wednesday, February 10

In addition, all School Activities are cancelled including CPR Class. CPR class

is reschedule to next Wednesday, February 17, 2010.
 

All evening activities for this evening, Wed. Feb. 10, are cancelled at Calvary Evangelical Church...including Awana, Youth and Bible Studies. 

Parkway Schools are on a two hour delay for Wednesday, February 10
 

PRESS RELEASE

Celina, OH – Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey issued an explanation today of the snow alert levels as we prepare for the upcoming winter storm.  “When I issue a snow alert, warning, or emergency, it is intended for State Routes, County Roads, and Township Roads in unincorporated areas,” states Sheriff Grey.  The Mayor of a Municipal Corporation also has the authority to issue an alert, warning, or emergency within their jurisdiction.  While the law allows the Sheriff to close roads in municipalities, I believe that is better left to the local officials as road conditions can vary greatly between unincorporated and incorporated areas.

On a Level 3 Snow Emergency issued by the Sheriff’s Office all roads in unincorporated areas are closed to non-emergency personnel and non-essential employees.  This makes it difficult for law enforcement and the public as there are no good definitions of what is essential and what is not.  Examples are farmers who must get to their farms to check on animals, news media that we need at work to help get information out, and even many maintenance people, at companies.  Good discretion needs to be used by the public and law enforcement.

“I am not quick to call a level, hopefully, the public realizes that and will heed my warnings that the roads are becoming impassable,” stated Sheriff Grey.  With this evenings storm, deputies will not be dispatched to assist stranded motorists who find themselves stuck in a drift.  When I issue an alert, we cannot get through the roads either.  We will dispatch a wrecker to assist you at your expense.  With severe weather, deputies need to be able to respond to life or death emergencies, assist EMS squads getting through to a 9-1-1 call.  We simply do not have the equipment or manpower to respond to a stranded motorist who should not have been on the roadway to begin with.

We ask the public’s cooperation as we move through this storm system tonight and tomorrow.

Jeff Grey
Mercer County Sheriff
4835 State Route 29 West
Celina, OH  45822
(419) 586-7724

Claire Burtch Wins American Revolution Good Citizen Essay Contest

The Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizen essay contest winner is Claire Burtch of Parkway High School..  This contest is offered to nine area high schools.  The contestants are chosen from their high schools for being a contributing member to family, church, community and school, in a positive way.

DAR is a patriotic organization and we thank these young people for their interest in America and patriotism.  The applicants are Darcie Reinhart of Antwerp High School, Katherine Thompson of Crestview High School, Daniel Bidlack of Lincolnview, Nichole Reaver of Spencerville High School, Lauren Taylor of Van Wert High School and Kelsey Gerber of Wayne Trace High School.

Pictured: Claire Burtch of Parkway High School receiving the “The Madonna of the Trail” trophy from the DAR Good Citizen Chairman Gloria Fast.

February 9, 2010
 

The Village of Rockford has canceled the Rules Committee Meeting and the Community Days Committee Meeting scheduled for 02/09/10. The Community Days Committee Meeting will be re-scheduled for February 23rd at 7:30 PM.

by Lisa Kuhn
Village of Rockford
 

Parkway Schools are closed for today, February 9, 2010.

All HS and JH basketball practices, boys and girls, for tonight
have been cancelled  February 9th, 2010

Girls JH BB game cancelled for tonight February 9th, 2010
 (AT HOME WITH DELPHOS ST. JOHNS) THIS GAME WILL NOT BE MADE UP. 

ON THURSDAY THE 8^TH GRADE BOYS WILL PLAY AT HOME VS NEW KNOXVILLE AT 5 PM.
ALSO ON THURSDAY, THE 8^TH GRADE GIRLS WILL PLAY AT NEW BREMEN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL AT 5 PM

Thank you to our weather sponsors, Chatt Insurance!

H1N1 Clinics This Tuesday—Cancelled

The Van Wert County Health Department will be canceling the H1N1 vaccination clinic at the Health Department Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 from 3:00 pm – 6:00 p.m. due to the weather. We will schedule another evening clinic once the weather has subsided.

The clinic at the Wren Fire Department on Thursday, February 11th will remain scheduled until further notice.

February 8, 2010
 

Parkway Schools are on a two hour delay, Monday, February 8, 2010.
 

Soup & Sandwich Supper/Auction Rescheduled
Coming Saturday, February 13th @ 4 PM

The Mt. Tabor Church of God, located at the corner of US 127 and Tama Rd, Celina, OH will be hosting their 2^nd Annual Soup & Sandwich Supper/Auction Fundraiser.  Supper will be served from 4-6pm on Saturday, February13^th.  

The public is invited.  Come enjoy our varied menu including: cheesy potato soup, chicken noodle and chili, as well as, shredded chicken, sloppy joe and coney dog sandwiches.  Tantalize your taste buds with our scrumptious array of assorted desserts and beverages.  Join your friends and neighbors for a great evening of fellowship.  Nothing kicks the “winter blahs” like good food, interesting conversation and shopping.  At 6pm there will be an auction of a variety of goods including: autographed OSU photos, OSU theme basket, homemade baked goods, candies, homemade noodles, scanner, gift baskets, hand crafted items, mini corn hole game and much, much more.  We look forward to seeing you there.   All proceeds received from this event will benefit the Mt. Tabor building fund.

Spring Into Fitness Next Mercer Health Dine and Discover Program

Deanna Davis and Kristy Kahlig will be the presenters at the next Dine and Discover (DaD) Program sponsored by Mercer Health at Mercer County Community Hospital on Monday, March 1, beginning with a dinner at 5:00 pm. Their topic is “Spring Into Fitness”.

Davis and Kahlig are both personal trainers and co-owners of Innergy Fitness, Coldwater. They will be discussing the benefits of exercise as well as demonstrating simple stretching exercises that can be done in the home.

This program is open to the public. Dinner will be served beginning at 5:00 p.m. with Kahlig and Davis doing their presentation from 5:30 to 6:30. Reservations are required. Persons interested in attending are encouraged to call 419-678-5196 no later than February 22. However, reservations will be accepted after that date as long as there are spaces available. There is a $5 fee per person for this event.

It will be held at Mercer County Community Hospital, 800 West Main Street, Coldwater, Ohio, in Meeting Room 1.

February 6-7, 2010
 

Snow Alert Cancelled
Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey has cancelled the level 1 snow alert for all of Mercer County as of 6:43 PM. Drivers should continue to use caution as some roadways remain slick and hazardous 2/6/2010

Mercer County Sheriff Lifts Level 3 Snow Emergency at 11:25 AM on Saturday, February 6, 2010
Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey removed the Level 3 Snow Emergency at 11:25 AM today.  Mercer County is now under a Level 2 and will be re-evaluated again around 1:30.  Roadways are still slick with some drifting, but most Mercer County Roadways are passable.  Motorists are urged to use caution if they must be driving.

A Level 3 Snow Emergency was issued some time during the evening by Sheriff Grey.

Mercer County Sheriff Issues Updated Snow Emergency at 7:40 PM on Friday, February 5, 2010
At 1940hrs on 02-05-10 Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey issued a Level Two Snow Advisory for all of Mercer County.  Level Two Snow Advisory means roadways are hazardous with blowing and drifting snow.  Only those who feel it is necessary to drive should be out on the roadways.  Contact your employer to see if you should report to work.

Mercer County Sheriff Issues Snow Emergency at 4:20 PM on Friday, February 5, 2010
At 1620hrs on 02-05-10 Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey declared a Level One Snow Alert for all Mercer County.  A Level One Snow Alert means roadways are hazardous with blowing and drifting snow.  Roads are icy, drive carefully.

Parkway Schools Weather Cancellations
Girls & Boys Basketball vs. USV is cancelled. Girls game rescheduled on Monday Feb 8 at 6:00. Boys rescheduled on Feb 15 at 6:00

Little Panthers Basketball scheduled on Saturday, February 6 is cancelled.  

All After School Activities on Friday, February 5th are cancelled. Boys Basketball vs. Marion Local is rescheduled on Sunday, February 7 starting at 2:00 p.m.

Band and Choir Solo Ensemble scheduled on Saturday, February 6th is cancelled.

Willshire Residents Cooperation Needed
Residents of Willshire will be receiving an income survey. Please fill out and return as soon as possible. This survey will help the Village to qualify for grants to replace needed water lines in the north end of town. Please keep in mind this survey is totally confidential. 

If you have any questions, contact the mayor or council. Those members are available at the Village Office.

Willshire Alumni Banquet Slated
The Willshire Alumni Banquet is scheduled for Saturday, April 24^th at the Praise Point Church in Willshire.  

The honored classes are 1960 (50 year class), 1950 (60 year class), 1940 (70 year class), and all graduates prior to that time. Former staff members will also be recognized.

The banquet is open to all former students and families whether they graduated or not. This is a chance to meet with Willshire friends. Invitations will be mailed in March. 

Owner Found!  Thank you, PWI readers for your help!

Lake Campus Business Enterprise Center
Winter Non-Credit Course Schedule

Celina, Ohio – The Business Enterprise Center (BEC) at Wright State University–Lake Campus offers professional, cost-effective services to support the area’s businesses and industrial economic development. Included in these services are training courses that can enhance technical skills necessary to a successful workforce.

Registration is underway for winter classes through the BEC. There will be several different types of computer training classes that include basic computer training, Excel and QuickBooks.  These classes are very much in demand from most small and mid-sized business owners and employees. Click here for the rest of the story.

The February meetings for the 2010 Relay for Life of Mercer County have been set.  The committee meeting will be held on February 11 at 5:30 p.m. and the team captains meeting will be held on February 18 at 5:30 p.m.  Both meetings will be held at the Cancer Research Center, 900 Havemann Road, Celina.  All committee and team members are encouraged to attend.  The relay is in need of new teams.  It’s easy, please join us to see how you can form a team.  The relay, “Where in the World is the Cure,” will be held at Lake Shore Park, Celina, June 12-13.   For information, contact Sharon Poor at 419-586-2221, or Brenda Severns at 419-795-7141.

The Niswonger Performing Arts Center of Northwest Ohio in Van Wert invites you to visit the upper lobby to view the Visual Arts committee’s tribute to Black History Month and Americana Folk Art. On display throughout February and into early spring will be a ladder and quilt, thoughtfully constructed by 7^th grade students from Susan Trippett’s Language Arts class at Pandora-Gilboa Middle School in Pandora, Ohio. 

The ladder was a final project assigned to the class after studying about slavery and the conflicts families encountered during the Civil War. The students read several books by author Gary Paulsen, Nightjohn and Sarny, as well as Across Five Aprils, by Irene Hunt. The students were given the ladder and asked to create something depicting their interpretations of the books and class discussions.  

The quilt represents the students’ understanding of the folk opera, Porgy & Bess, specifically Act I, and what life was like in America in the 1920s. Each student was asked to design a square for the quilt, expressing their thoughts and feelings about a particular part of the opera or their feelings about DeBose Heyward’s novel. Terri Ulrey, Becky Sprunger and Sarah Sprunger compiled and completed the quilt with the help of the students.  

From “This is Porgy’s black and brown goat,” to “The crying eye represents sorrow,” each square is explained by the students to the viewing public. Please visit the Niswonger Performing Arts Center of Northwest Ohio Monday through Friday from noon to 4:00 pm to view this slice of Americana from these artistic students. The NPAC will also be open to the public for viewing of the display one hour prior to both the February 12 Mad Science presents CSI:Live! stage production and the February 18 national tour kick off of Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess. The lobby will be open at 6:30 prior to both shows.  For tickets or more information about this display, contact the NPAC at 419.238.NPAC (6722) Monday through Friday, noon – 4 PM or visit the website at www.npacvw.org.

February 5, 2010
 

Parkway Swim Team by Nikki Fox - Thanks Nikki!
Click below for more swim pictures

Rockford Police Assists Ohio Lottery Commission
On January 22nd, 2010 the Rockford Police was contacted by Ohio Lottery Commission to assist with an Investigation. Ohio Lottery Agents removed the Ohio Lottery Machine and "Scratch off " tickets. Ohio Lottery is governed by the Ohio Lottery Commission and all parties selling Ohio Lottery games must comply with regulations. Currently no games are being sold at the Mini Mart in Rockford until the matter is resolved. No other information can be given at this time, because of the ON going investigation. Any new information will be forwarded to the Ohio Lottery Commission.

Murphy USA Joins Celina Mercer County Chamber of Commerce
Murphy USA has joined the Celina Mercer County Chamber of Commerce.

They are located in front of Wal Mart & Menards on Havemann Road in Celina.

Murphy USA is dedicated to providing customers with discount gas prices and friendly service. Celina Mercer County Chamber gift certificates can now be used at this gas station.  

Pictured from left to right:  Kathy Koch, Murphy USA Manager & Pam Buschur, Chamber Director

YWCA Fuzion Class Becomes Two Classes

YWCA announces a change to their current fitness class called Fuzion. The Fuzion class is taught by Teresa Schalois on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 9:00 a.m. The new format will be a cardio step class from 9:00 – 9:30 followed immediately by Pilates and toning from 9:30-10:00 a.m. Teresa will teach both classes and invites everyone to join her for one or both of the Fuzion classes. For more information please call the YWCA at 238-6639.

Mercer County Engineer, James Wiechart Posts The Year 2009 End Report. 

Click Here for the printable form with all the details on bridges and roads.

Parkway Athletic Director, Doug Hughes Reports on Special Haiti Relief Collection
On Saturday at Upper Scioto Valley, The only admission will be a donation bucket at the entrance to our games with everything raised going to THE HAITI RELIEF EFFORTS.
 

Panthers Take a Week-end Split

Recap and action shots by Pat Agler - Thank you Pat!
On Friday the Panthers traveled to St. Henry to tangle with the fifteenth ranked St. Henry Redskins.  Parkway got behind early and just couldn't get any closer than six points. Every time the  Panthers cut into the lead, the Redskins would have a burst to get it back.  St. Henry won the game by a count of 60-49. Cory Decker led the Panthers with 15 points.

St. Henry

Saturday evening the Panthers were hosted by Lincolnview. Coming off a physical game the night before, Parkway did a good job against the Lancers. Parkway got down by a few points early in the first quarter; that was the last lead the Lancers would have. The Panthers utilized the bench throughout the game for a balanced attack. Just as he did on Friday night, Cory Decker led the scoring with 17 points against the Lancers. Parkway gets the 60-51 win for a week-end split.

Lincolnview

Click Here for the rest of Pat's pictures.

Rockford Carnegie Library and Parkway Explorers Club Plan Soup and Sandwich Meal

The Rockford Carnegie Library and Parkway Explorers Club will be raising money for their activities at a Soup and Sandwich Supper on Friday, February 19, 2010 from 4:30 to 6:30 at the Parkway High School Commons. They will have the same variety of soups that they used to serve at the Rockford Christmas Walk.  For a $6 presale ticket, they serve you a Sloppy Joe or Creamed Chicken Sandwich, 2 cups of soup, dessert and drink with extra portions available at an additional fee. Buy tickets at the library, the high school office, from the Explorer members, Peoples Bank, and His n Hers Styling Salon.

Laurels of Shane Hill Residents Celebrate Birthdays
The following residents of The Laurels, 10731 St. Rt. 118, Rockford, OH  45882, will soon be celebrating their birthdays. They love visits and cards.

February 19th: Dmeria Bryan

February 22nd: Virginia Hays

February 23rd: Alice Smith
 
February 26th: Kenneth Luginbill

Baseball Clinic Planned at Wayne Trace
The Payne Ball Association will be hosting a hitting/all skills baseball clinic at Wayne Trace High School on Saturday, February 27.

The featured clinician will be Defiance High School head coach Tom Held along with the Bulldog coaching staff and players. Mr. Held is one of the most respected high school baseball coaches in the state of Ohio and has won numerous league championships along with having successful tournament runs.

Questions…contact Mike Krouse at (419) 263-1393 or Kevin Wannemacher at (419) 263-0805 or send e-mail to payneball@verizon.net.

Grand Lake Patriots Present the U.S. Constitution, Part #3

The Grand Lake Patriots' education chairman, Jason King, will present the third in a series of classes on the U.S. Constitution, at the upcoming GLPs’ meeting Thursday, February 11, at 7:00 P.M., in the former J.C. Penney  building, Celina. The classes are based on the book The 5000 Year Leap.

At the first class in the series, King presented an overview of the history of the Constitution and the intentions of our Founding Fathers in constructing it, in order to guide our nation.  The topics at the second class dealt more specifically with the role of God, religion, morality, virtuous leaders, and equality of man. King, a former school teacher and well-versed in history, will be covering principles 8-14 in the book The 5000 Year Leap at the upcoming meeting.  Those topics include Unalienable Rights, the Role of Revealed Law, Sovereignty of the People, Who Can Alter the Government?, Advantages of a Republic, Protection Against Human Frailty, and Property Rights Essential to Liberty.

All those attending the Thursday, February 11th Grand Lake Patriots’ meeting and Jason King’s third class about the U.S. Constitution, are asked to bring along a notebook, a pen, and a lawn chair or folding chair. Plenty of parking  space is available in the parking lot, and the former J.C. Penney building, northeast of Chief grocery store, is handicapped accessible.  Refreshments will be served at the meeting.  Phone 419-953-5811 for further information.

Full Day of Workshops on February 20 in Portland and St. Marys

Arts Place is offering a day of workshops on Saturday, February 20 for artists of all ages. Classes will take place at both the Portland and St. Marys centers. Registration forms, which are available at Arts Place, will be accepted in person or by mail at the Portland Center or in St. Marys at the Collective Center. Electronic versions of the registration brochure and scholarship form are available online at www.artsland.org. For more information contact Arts Place at 260-726-4809 or 419-394-0707.

Workshops at the Portland Center include Little Arts: Polymer Clay, Basketry, Art School for Kids: Fantastic Fiber, Make Your Mark, and Tattoo You. Workshops at the Collective Center include Little Arts: Flower Pounding, Adult Arts: Art Doll, and Arts School for Kids: Fantastic Fiber. The Spring Street Coffee House in St. Marys next door will be offering discounted lunches to Collective Center participants. Phone 419-394-0707 to RSVP. Students are welcome to bring a sack lunch for a short break.

Arts Place Offering Helping Hands In Clay Free Open Ceramic Studios

Arts Place is offering a free Helping Hands in Clay open ceramic studio from 2-5pm on Saturday, February 6 as part of Free Family Weekend held in collaboration with the Jay Community Center.  A second open studio will be held on Saturday, February 13 from 2-5pm.  The events will take place at Arts Place’s Portland center, located at 131 East Walnut Street in Portland, Indiana.  Participants of all ages and abilities are welcome.  For more information contact Arts Place at 260-726-4809

Ceramic artist Zach Medler will cover all the basics of making a clay bowl and guide participants of all ages and abilities through the process.  The bowls that are made in the sessions will then be donated and available for purchase at the Empty Bowls soup benefit supporting the Helping Hands Food Bank.  These are open sessions, so participants are welcome to come in anytime between 2-5pm, stay any length of time and make any number of pieces to donate.  There is no pre-registration for this event so all bowls will be made while supplies last. 

Helping Hands in Clay is an effort to involve the Jay County community in creating bowls for the Empty Bowls soup benefit, a part of the Fiber Fest & Spin-In, sponsored by the Jay County Visitor and Tourism Bureau.  This is the second year of the benefit at Fiber Fest to raise money for the Helping Hands Food Bank.  In 2009 there were over 200 bowls donated and over $1000 raised with help from area schools.  The soup benefit will take place on Friday, March 12 from 4:30-7pm in the 4-H Building at the Jay County Fairgrounds. 

YWCA Announces Family Open Swim

YWCA has scheduled a Family Open Swim Saturday, February 13, 2010 and February 27, 2010 from 11:15 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.  Bring the whole family to enjoy the YWCA pool and practice swimming before the warm weather comes. The moveable floor pool will be set shallow so that all children can enjoy the fun! Non-member cost is $2.00 per child or $5.00 per family. Please call the YWCA at 238-6639 for further information.

WREN CHRISTMAS SOCIETY ANNOUNCES CONTEST WINNERS

The Wren Christmas Society has named the winners for the 2009 Outside Home Display Contest.  The Society traveled around the area enjoying the many beautifully decorated homes, narrowing the winners down to the following: Bob & Paula Fleming, Larry & Jeanne Harmon, Tim & Tammy Hamrick, and Carl & Jean Etzler.  These winners were presented with a gift certificate to Manley Meats and an engraved Christmas ornament. 

Honorable mentions were given to: Gary & Connie Ellenberger, Barry & Rachelle Leopard, Jamey & Kelly Davis, Jenny Worthman, Larry & Janet Davis, Brad & Annette Michaud, Randy & Paula Oeschle, and Mrs. Janet Clifton.  These honorable mentions were presented with an engraved Christmas ornament.

The Christmas Society would like to thank all who decorated their homes this year, which added to the beauty of Wren and its surrounding area during this Christmas season. 

February 4, 2010
 

Visitation Day at Vantage
On Sophomore Visitation Day at Vantage, Rebecca Fox (Parkway), Paitton Cotterman (Delphos Jefferson) and Brooke Nofer (Crestview) tested their measuring skills in the Carpentry lab.

PARKWAY  PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARD GOES TO DANIELLE MATTHEWS 

Danielle played a terrific game last week against St. Henry.  Her defensive effort was great.  She had 8 defensive rebounds and one blocked shot.  On the offensive end, Danielle had 2 assists, grabbed 3 more rebounds, and shot 5 of 6 from the floor for 10 points.  Danielle’s performance helped the Panthers beat St. Henry 52-47 and improve to 8-7 on the year. 

The Lady Panthers upcoming games this week are Thursday at Marion Local and Saturday at Upper Scioto Valley.

Panther Basketball Team Will Play on Saturday, February 6th

DIRECTIONS TO UPPER SCIOTO VALLEY by Doug Hughes

ON SATURDAY FEBRUARY 6^TH, THE BOYS AND GIRLS JV AND VARSITY BASKETBALL TEAMS WILL BE PLAYING AT UPPER SCIOTO VALLEY.  THE JV BOYS AND JV GIRLS WILL RIDE TO USV TOGETHER AND THEY WILL LEAVE AT 12:30.  THE VARSITY GIRLS AND BOYS WILL RIDE ON THE SAME BUS AND WILL DEPART AT 4:00.  BOTH BUSES WILL STAY FOR ALL OF THE GAMES.  PARENTS CAN EXPECT PLAYERS TO ARRIVE BACK IN ROCKFORD BETWEEN 10:45-11:15 PM ON SATURDAY. 

2:30                 JV GIRLS GAME

4:00                 JV BOYS GAME

6:00                 VARSITY GIRLS GAME

7:30                 VARSITY BOYS GAME

****195 SOUTH OF MCGUFFEY IS CLOSED FOR CONSTRUCTIONS SO I WOULD USE THESE DIRECTIONS.

DIRECTIONS

1. TAKE 33 EAST OUT OF ROCKFORD.
2. GO TO I-75 AND GO NORTH ON I-75.
3. GET OFF I-75 AT ST RT 309.  GO EAST ON 309 FOR 14 MILES.
4. THEN TURN RIGHT ON 195 AND GO SOUTH TWO MILES INTO MCGUFFEY .
5. GO INTO MCGUFFEY ONE BLOCK AND THE SCHOOL IS ON THE RIGHT. 

Panthers vs St. Henry Redskins Game Action Shots by Nikki Fox
 

Varsity

Click Here for More of Nikki's Panther and St. Henry Varsity and JV  Basketball Pictures:

Junior Varsity

February 3, 2010
 

Volunteers Needed as part of Catholic Social Services New Senior Outreach Program

January 27, 2010 (Sidney, Ohio) -  Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley is in need of volunteers interested in being trained to provide support and companionship for seniors throughout Miami county as part of the agency's new Senior Outreach Program.  Catholic Social Services will be holding a training session from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, February 11 at the Piqua Chamber of Commerce.  If you would like to register for the training or learn more please contact Kim Custenborder at (937) 214-1126 or via email at custenborderk@cssmv.org.  Registration is required. 

The Senior Outreach Program is designed to assist seniors who are currently on the waiting list to receive services through Catholic Social Services' Senior Services program in partnership with Area Agency on Aging, PSA-2.  Volunteers will provide phone calls, errand services and/or friendly visits to assigned seniors for the purpose of reducing social isolation.  Seniors interested in receiving assistance should call Catholic Social Services Northern Office at (800) 521-6419 to set up a free screening to see if they qualify.  

Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley annually assists over 22,000 area residents in Greene, Montgomery, Preble, Darke, Miami, Mercer, Shelby and Auglaize counties.  Catholic Social Services operates a continuum of services including emergency food assistance, adoption, pregnancy counseling, infant foster care, senior case management, visiting and respite, refugee resettlement, supervised family visitation, early childhood education and daycare, mental health counseling and social service case management and support for young parents.

February 1-2, 2010
 

Eric Sheets Carries on His Miles of Smiles Forever
Microsoft Contacts Eric

By Eric Sheets
and Sheila Baltzell
A Parkway graduate of 1996, Eric Sheets, son of Steve and Crystal Sheets of Rockford, embarked on a journey to visit Microsoft Founder and Philanthropist, Bill Gates over a year and a half ago on Memorial Day 2008 (see picture left). Eric, with his loaded pack donkey, 14 year old Moses, and his packed down black and tan coon hound dog, Buck, began his walk after the annual Rockford Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony in Rockford .  Shouldering a pack himself, Eric heard our community wishing him well, but wondering at the bare feet he sported.  Eric’s mission was defined in that moment.  "Our education system is exactly like walking barefoot, slow and painful and no longer progress for today's society."  His barefoot adventure to date has taken him over 1700 miles through the heartlands of Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, and through one harsh winter.

Eric is currently traveling through Colorado and has made it to Dinosaur, 3 miles from Utah.  2009 has been a great year for the traveling trio.  With perfect timing the trio were able to partake in two Nationally Historic parades.  The Nebraskaland Days has been taking place at the end of June in North Platte, Nebraska since 1968 and entices 100,000 people to the area every year.  The Cheyenne Frontier Days Parade in Cheyenne, Wyoming has been taking place annually at the end of July since 1897 and drawing 300,000 people. It is the largest outdoor rodeo and western event in the world.  “To have this walk work out to the point to afford us a once in a lifetime opportunity, is simply amazing!!!  There are hundreds of miles between North Platte and Cheyenne and to trek the distance just how the old west was settled, is like waking up to a dream.  It is such a honor to be allowed to walk in these monumental parades past thousands and thousands of people.  Everyone had heard about us either in the papers, the radio, or seen us on TV.  When they saw us come marching by, they stood up in masses to give the three of us standing ovations throughout the whole parade route.  There were kids, elderly, every age and race all coming out into the street to get pictures with the 3 of us, give us hugs, shake my hand, pet Moses and Buck, and to offer sincere appreciative thanks.  It is better than being famous.  This kind of joy can only be felt from experiencing the support of thousands of people who are from all over the world.  If there are this many in one place who love us and believe in the need to change this education program, then there has to be millions more out there that are willing to tackle the imperative necessity to revamp our entire education system immediately,” said Eric.

The traveling trio has met thousands upon thousands of people all along the way on this determination filled trek.  They have sparked inspiration within people all across this country to stand up and help shoulder whatever it takes to relieve the greatest burden upon our society.  "It is going on 2 years since we left Rockford, but progress cannot be measured in mere miles," he said.  “There are so many people out here who are concerned with this education system and everyone knows it needs overhauled.  Once they find out what I am trying to do, they offer their help anyway they can.”  His purpose is to introduce a unique multi-age educational tool that would be displayed on an interactive touch screen i.e phone, computer.  Just like signing into email or Facebook accounts, the proposed ever growing knowledge based program will be loaded with a user’s information including biographical details and interests.  "As you would watch TV, your individual device will simply display 3 trivia facts of knowledge.  Out of the 3 subjects displayed, you would select which one you would like to learn more about.  For example, a child would watch Sesame Street and when Bert and Ernie say "A, B, 1, 2" the child would select appropriately.  If the child answers correctly, it goes on.  If the child has problems, then it will go back through and try to give the child a broader based foundation.”  While a child watches any cartoon then, he would be learning the fundamentals of something new that interests him.  They would constantly be feeding their natural inquisitiveness.  You figure every child, including us, constantly asked adults the questions of “Why? Why? Why? Why?” 

“Then when we went to school, we were all told to sit there real quiet, calm and still because we were all going to learn about “this” right here, right now.  This is completely different than how we spent our first 5 years growing up and different than how we learn every waking second outside of the classroom.  How could we ever hope for good knowledge retention or expansion if we continue to force kids into a backwards system?” 

“With this learning program, once a child gets to Kindergarten, their first teacher would know exactly what each individual child understands.  “Do they have their letters?  Do they have their numbers?”  This program combines audio, visual, 3D world manipulation, and voice recognition.  So if someone is dyslexic, autistic, or even ADHD, this program will work with you not only to conquer any learning disabilities, but it will enhance every learning ability.  So just as a child would watch a children’s show, or an adult would watch any other show “Ideal Learning” would interact with the viewer to introduce new relevant interesting material,” said Eric.

 “It grows with you and keeps offering new material to the user, therefore creating an instant and constant learning environment," said Eric.  "The most crucial aspect about this educational tool is that it must be given away for free.  If we cannot afford to get to college, how will kids be able?  Education is supposed to help us take better care of ourselves, our families, our neighbors, society as a whole, not bury us in debt for years upon years.  If we charge $40 a month to get on this learning network, we will cut our throats and not even reach those who need the most help.  Technology is increasing exponentially, and the population isn't slowing down either.  What do we do in a few years when the semi-trucks are GPS'd up and down the road without a driver?  There are far many more millions upon millions who drive truck than ever worked for the auto industry, and we know what happens to the economy when that fraction of the population lost their jobs.  It has to come to education, not vocation.  When you are 55, you can't afford 3 years of college let alone 10 years.  This educational tool will be used as a "credential" when you show up at a job market as you will be able to prove your strengths, interests, and adaptability so that you can ask for a job that fulfills you, not just one you stand around and fill.  Plus the majority of ones committing crimes are uneducated.  The more we can reach out to them and get them thinking about something new, the less likely they will pick up a gun, rob, rape, or pillage.  The farther education gets out of reach, the more "have not's" we are going to have.  Which makes all of us unsafe regardless of our own education or wealth" says Sheets.  The best part he likes about his learning program though is how it will bring comfort to the elderly.  "It will know when and where we are born at and show us something all day long about the things that happened while we grew up to help trigger our long term memories.  It will gradually revert back to memory matching skills and number games, but the mind is a muscle if you don't use it, you lose it."

Eric Hears from the Microsoft Team 

Back in July while Eric was in Cheyenne, Wyoming Microsoft called him up directly to talk about his Ideal Learning program.  The head of product development said "Microsoft is a profitable company and to develop a learning program to give away for free doesn't match our business model.  You need to start your own nonprofit company and then Microsoft can be a charitable partner with you.  Then you can hire your own programmers and give away your program for free if that's how you see fit"  Although the mountain he was climbing grew by millions of steps in that instant to create a company, the best thing he heard from the largest computer company in the world was, it is a good idea, and it is completely possible to do.

For the next month he put the word out that he was looking for a business lawyer wanting to be a part of history.  Sure enough, through meeting a guy at a Burger King as he walked past with Moses, he now has a business lawyer out of Oklahoma City who loves what he is trying to do and wants to be a part of it and has offered his services for free.  Now through guidance of his lawyer he needed to get a CPA on board, and once again he has met just the right people at just the right time, as he has a CPA out of Steamboat Springs, Colorado (see pic at left) who has offered her services for free and is taking care of writing up all of the nonprofit papers. Eric's story continues:  

Click here to read the entire story on Eric and learn how to watch his progress or contact him.

Creative Home Buying Solutions, Inc.
Local Company with Complete Help for Home Buyers
by Sheila Baltzell

Jeff and Jessica (Mathewson) Denney built their company based on their experiences as first time home buyers who muddled their way through the process themselves.

“Turning renters into home buyers and walking them through the entire process is what Creative Home Buying Solutions is all about,”  said Jeff thinking back 20 years ago when he bought their first home on a shoestring, while Jessica was still in college at Bluffton University. They remodeled the place and lived in it at the same time. It was an ordeal, but they got through it and later sold it. They then bought a bigger place and remodeled it.

Jeff and Jessica (she is a Parkway graduate of 1989) had trouble securing loans and could not afford realtor fees. Without traditional loans, they had to figure out how to purchase the property and also the materials they needed to remodel.  They learned to be creative in every aspect of the process. As they succeeded in each new venture, figuring this all out on their own, friends and acquaintances would ask advice. The sympathetic couple found great satisfaction in guiding people through the process.

After many positive experiences in helping others, they realized how rewarding it wa, and they incorporated into a business in 1999. In one of their remodeled homes, located at 802 E. Market Street in Celina, Creative Home Buying Solutions, Inc. found an office.  But, Jeff is quick to point out they are NOT realtors. Neither are they realtors.  “We are a company that buys and renovates homes which we rent, lease and sell, and we are truly a rent-to-own company with homes for sale in Mercer, Van Wert, and Auglaize Counties. Along with Delphos, Spencerville, and Shawnee in Allen County. Our aim is to help you get into a home of your own, and we will try to work with anyone interested. Since we own all 40 of our current listings, we have a unique opportunity to help the customer,” said Jeff.

Jeff and Jessica ask you to think about these questions ~ if you are: tired of renting and the rental lifestyle;  having trouble finding the home that fits your situation; tired of looking for properties;  tired of being told you don't qualify;  have bruised credit; are divorced; or dragging a past bankruptcy around? Then they want to help you!

The couple have an awesome sales team including: Neil Staley (marketing) and  Josh Huber (remodeling manager), who are both Parkway graduates of 2005; Teri Piper (prior loan officer); and Amy Schoenlein, administrative assistant. 

Neil designs and updates their website at www.creativehomebuyingsolutions.com with videos and pictures of the homes they have for rent and sale. Click onto the link and take a private tour. Or, ask one of them to  set you up with a house visit – one where you can go on your own and browse through the house with just your family to accompany you ~ no pressure! If you find an interest, Jeff and Jessica will go over the many options for renting and owning. They will go over your credit score, and , if necessary, show you how to improve it, while all the time working within your unique situation to get you into a place ~ creatively.

Teri locates the best fit for the customer in mortgages and rates including: VA loans, bank loans, first time home-buyer options and tax credits.  Teri is particularly excited that the government has extended the tax credit option with up to $8,000 available to first time home-buyers, and others who qualify, now through April 30, 2010. And, Jeff mentioned, “ The interest rates are as low as they have ever been in the last 30 years; it is a super time to think about buying.

Josh Huber manages the remodeling contractors, and can’t believe the many different options for buying a home with CHBS such as; Totally remodeled homes that have new paint, new carpet and are great homes; Bargain Homes which are nice and in good living condition, but may have some cosmetic blemishes or older fixtures; Land Contracts; and Repair-for-Down-Payment Homes where the buyer does some of the work to reduce the purchase costs. These options are truly a creative solution to help you purchase a home of your own.

In addition, the team at Creative Home Buying Solutions, Inc. are a “soup to nuts” operation meaning that they help do all paperwork from beginning to end.

So visit the website and then make a call to the friendly staff at Creative Home Buying Solutions, Inc where all calls are confidential.

Business hours are:  

Monday through Thursday     9am to 5pm   

Friday                                      9am to 2pm 

Contact information:

Call and leave a message or e-mail CHBS 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

After hour appointments are available upon request.

Telephone 419-586-8220 or  1-866-999-9791 (Toll free) 

E-mail them at chbs@bright.net

Creative Home Buying Solutions, Inc. has these homes available in the Rockford, Willshire and Ohio City areas:

Rockford	Rockford	Willshire
Ohio City	Ohio City	Ohio City
Visit Creative Home Buying Solutions, Inc. Website for Details on These Homes and all of their listings in the tri-county area. Click Here:   www.creativehomebuyingsolutions.com

Parkway Music Boosters Burrito Sales Beginning ~ Call Now to Order
The Parkway Music Boosters Burrito Sales begin on Monday, February 1^st and run through Friday, February 12^th. They are featuring the same delicious burritos from Celina Wine Store.  The price per burrito is $2 and consists of meat, mozzarella cheese and mild sauce. They are individually wrapped and can be frozen.

Burritos will be made fresh by the Booster Members on Saturday, March 6th and band/choir members can pick them up that day at 12 noon at the Middle School Cafeteria.

To order yours, contact any Jr. High or High School Band/Choir Member or contact Kristi at 419-363-3485 or Traci at 419-953-2364.

These are a delicious fund-raiser to support the Parkway Music program!

January 30-31, 2010
 

Looking to stay in shape this winter, but have limited hours and space to do so? If this is you and you are a member of the Parkway community, you can walk the hallways of Parkway Local Schools.  After several requests to lengthen walking hours, Parkway Local Schools has adjusted the time. Beginning Monday, February 1, community members will be able to walk the hallways from 4:00-7:30 p.m.

The Parkway Athletic Booster Club will be having its monthly meeting on Monday, February 1, 2010 at 7:30 p.m.   This meeting will be held in the community room at the high school.  All parents of Parkway athletes are members of the athletic boosters and encouraged to attend.  This meeting is also open to the public.