MORGAN COUNTY The Morgan County Substance Abuse Council has opened up submissions for the 2017 Drug Free Communities Grants. Funds for the programs come from fees assessed by courts for drug and alcohol offenses. “It goes into an account with the auditor, so that’s where this bank of money comes from,” Kristinia Love, Program Director of The Morgan County Substance Abuse Council, said. “And then it needs to be distributed in the county for this grant process in three areas, people who apply for the grant can either be working in substance misuse prevention or in intervention and treatment or law enforcement and justice. At least 25 percent of the amount we have — which currently is $95,000 — so 25 percent or more will go to each.” There is more funding for grants than there was last year. “Right now the fees have been going up, that’s kind of why we have a sizable amount this time to offer. This is more than we had last year to offer. So the fees that are being assessed are going up,” Love said. Size of the grants vary depending on the program, Love said treatment is more expensive than a prevention program. And the participants vary. Organizations that received grants for the 2016-17 cycle include Stability First, which operates the Magdalene House; the city of Martinsville Parks and Recreation Department; the Barbara B. Jordan YMCA; the Mooresville Police Department; the Martinsville Police Department; the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department and Martinsville High School. Love said a community forum held in late 2015 was used to determine what the areas of greatest concern were for citizens. That forum resulted in a list of priority areas that grant applicants must address in their proposals. “It’s very outcome based. We want to know, what can you do with this money that you can’t currently do? What are you going to be able to accomplish? And they do have to turn in quarterly reports during the grant cycle showing what is being accomplished,” Love said. Grants are due at 4 p.m. March 10 and applicants can email, mail or drop them off at the MCSAC office in Suite 3 of the Morgan County Administration Building, 180 S. Main St., Martinsville. “The board will make a decision at our March 28 meeting. And then they can expect to hear sometime after that, probably the next week or so,” Love said. The fiscal year for grants runs from July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018. Love said that applicants needed to be a non-profit organization or have some type of fiscal agent such as someone who manages money for the Community Foundation of Morgan County. “We can’t really do just individual, so there has to be some financial oversight in order for us to do it,” Love said. The process of filling out a proposal is pretty straightforward, included with the application are instructions that take the applicant through the process step-by-step. “We are also having two grant workshops. They are not required to apply,” Love said. “But if you feel like you need a little bit of help, one is going to be Friday at 1 p.m. at the Morgan County Administration Building in the Lucille Sadler Room and the other one — in case you can’t make that one — is Mooresville at the public library on Feb. 13 at 6 p.m. So if they need any help or anything with that, they can get a little more information that way. They can always just call here or email me as well,” Love said. For more information, contact Love at 765-342-1013 or mcsacunited@gmail.com. Visit morgancountysac.org to download an application.

MARTINSVILLE For most of us, it’s really hard to conceptualize what life was like a century ago. We can get a rough idea of what life was like from history books, photographs and things such as newspapers and letters, yet the past remains a foreign country. Our frame of reference is far removed from that era and events such as the U.S. entering World War I. Maxine French was born Feb. 4, 1917. She has witnessed a lot of history in her time on this Earth. Looking at her, you wouldn’t think she was a centenarian. French was born and raised in Spencer and has spent most of her life in Morgan County. She is quite spry, with very few health problems. She has arthritis, uses a hearing aid and her eyesight isn’t as good as it once was due to macular degeneration. Regardless, she’s on no medication and maintains a sharp memory. “I’ve seen a lot of things. Look at those pictures over there and you can tell where I’ve been. I’ve traveled to Spain. I was brought up through the Depression and sometimes we had things to eat and sometimes we didn’t. But my daddy took care of us all,” French said. The pictures show what a world traveler French was in her younger days. She’s lived an interesting life and been around for so much history: two world wars, the Cold War, the Civil Rights movement, man walking on the moon, the fall of the Berlin Wall and on through the present. “She doesn’t look 100. I knew she was so I wasn’t surprised; she just doesn’t look it. Spunky. She’s the spunkiest old lady I’ve ever met in my life. She’s full of energy. She tells it like it is. She’ll tell you point blank and if she doesn’t like you, she’ll tell you,” Caroline Frontin, French’s neighbor of six years, said. Frontin said her favorite memory of French involved a simple walk around the block. “She wanted to go for a walk. She thought she could go all the way around the block. I think she made it about two driveways before she said, ‘I’ve had enough. We’ll do it again next year,’” Frontin said. Bernie Williams knew French’s niece Julie Noel through First Christian Church, but he had never met French. That all changed at a chance encounter at Indy’s Family Restaurant 10 years ago. “On Maxine’s 90th birthday they were celebrating at a family table at Indy’s Restaurant and I said, ‘What’s going on?’ and they said ‘We’re having a birthday celebration for a 90 year-old lady.’ And I said, ‘I’m gonna go out to my car and get my harmonica that I’ve been playing at church and I’ll bring it in and let’s just sing “Happy Birthday,”’ Williams said. “So I brought it in and announced to everybody in Indy’s whether we knew ‘em or not that there was a young lady celebrating her 90th birthday and I thought we ought to sing to her. So I played the harmonica and we sang ‘Happy Birthday.’” Since then, Williams has developed a friendship with French and counts visiting her house to serve her communion and hearing her life stories among his favorite memories of her. “I walk out of there feeling more blessed than I did when I came in. She makes you feel that way,” Williams said. French credits vitamins and gum to her longevity and she recommends that anyone looking to live a long life take vitamins. And when it comes to the big day, French feels great. “I feel great. This is one of my better days,” she said.

MORGAN COUNTY Cigarette use is of major concern for public health departments due to the impact smoking has on cigarette users. According to a 2015 CDC report, approximately 15.1 percent of adults smoke. The rate of usage in Indiana is around 22 percent. It’s higher in Morgan County at 24 percent as of March 2016. Fortunately, that’s a decline from 29.8 percent in 2007. One factor in the decrease is smoking cessation campaigns, such as Ready Set Quit Tobacco. “Our number one cessation tool is the quit line, which is 100 percent free,” Jennifer Walker, director of Ready Set Quit Tobacco, said. “It is free to the physicians, it is free to the patients, it is free to citizens. It is available 24/7, 170 languages, professionally trained quit coaches, with a special emphasis on quit coaching. So it knocks down barriers. You don’t have to get a babysitter, you don’t have to worry about transportation. Sometimes in our community, that is a problem.” The organization had a successful 2016. The rate of cigarette use continues to decline and Read Set Quit Tobacco had a record breaking fundraising year. The Kendrick Foundation awarded $68,945 to the organization for the 2016-17 grant cycle. The Indiana State Department of Health’s Tobacco Prevention and Cessation program awarded Ready Set Quit Tobacco a two-year $45,300 grant. The program launched in 2007 and offers a variety of cessation programs for those seeking to kick their tobacco habit to the curb. Walker said the program could be of great help to someone seeking to give up cigarettes, but who might not have the time or means to attend a class. The use of the quit line program, according to Walker, was fairly successful when it comes to cessation of tobacco use. “If done properly through the healthcare provider, it can be as much as 56 percent 13 months out after they have quit,” Walker said. “I don’t really know how that compares. Some classes I believe are lower, probably more to the 20 to 25 percent range.” Speaking to someone by telephone is not something that will work for everyone, according to Walker. Fortunately, Ready Set Quit Tobacco also has a web-based approach, as well as a texting program. “But not everyone responds well to telephone based. Not everyone responds well to a class, so it depends on the individual,” Walker said. “So at the end of the quit call, the quit coach speaks to the tobacco user that if they’d like more information or local resources, we refer them to local resources. The Morgan County Health Department has a class — the Freedom from Smoking cessation class, which is the American Lung Association program.” Along with programs to help smokers break the habit, Walker said that policy was a major factor in preventing people from using tobacco in the first place or to assist them in quitting. “For many years, we ranked in the top 10 in the United States for highest smoking rate. One of the reasons for that is because before the state enacted that 2012 policy, you could smoke anywhere. Our social norm was different in those days,” Walker said. Walker said the youth of Indiana smoke at a higher rate than the national average. One of the factors that influences this is whether a child’s parents smoke or not. “Statistics show that if a child’s parent quits before they’re in the third grade, that child will likely not become a smoker,” Walker said. And while use of tobacco and smokeless tobacco is either declining or maintains a steady rate of use, one area of growth is the use of electronic cigarettes, a practice colloquially known as vaping due to the clouds of vapor that occur as a byproduct of use. “When you’re seeing someone vaping — I don’t like using that term because it’s a tobacco industry term because it makes it sound like it’s not smoking. I always say it’s still smoking. It’s just in a different format. It’s like you used to have vinyl LPs, now you have MP3 players,” Walker said. A 2015 CDC report on electronic cigarette use stated health concerns over ingredients ingested by users such as glycol, as well as the content of vapor clouds exhaled by users. While glycol has been cleared for ingestion, the effects it may have when inhaled remain unknown. Walker said it was never too late for anyone to quit and recommends those thinking about giving up start sooner rather than later. For more information, contact Walker at 317-306-1282 or visit cfmconline.org/Funds/350ReadySetQuitTobacco.aspx.

MARTINSVILLE When it comes to giving back, the American Legion Post 230 consistently thinks of creative ways to do so. This holds true for its next philanthropic endeavor — a bingo game to raise funds for the Morgan County Humane Society. The post’s current commander is a big pet lover and, according to Legion office manager Jamin Brust, that’s what sparked the idea in the first place. What initially was a relatively straightforward bingo fundraiser was hit with a burst of creative energy from Brust. “I said, ‘Hey, what about taking the bingo and what about if we did for every five pounds of dog or cat food that you bring in and donate, that we give you so much money off? That will be the incentive, along with the cash fundraiser we’re doing,’” Brust said. “He (the commander) was like, ‘It’s a wonderful idea! Run with it.’” While the cash raised by the bingo games will be a boon to the MCHS, getting food for the animals further eases the burden and allows for the funds raised to be used on other needs and concerns. That type of approach is business as usual for Brust, who takes to fundraisers like a duck takes to water. “I’ve been doing fundraisers with other various non-profits for 15-plus years. I know what sells, who to go to, what people like and kind of how to lay it out,” Brust said. Brust said it was important to him to get people in the community to reconsider how they view the Legion. “The Legion is, to a lot of people who we don’t know what we do here, it’s just a drinking club where a bunch of old men sit around and swap war stories,” Brust said. “We’re way more than that. And that’s what my focus has been since I came on board six years ago. We do way more in the community for our people than that.” And while many at the Legion are lovers of animals, another reason the fundraiser is a good fit for the organization is the role pets play in the military. Along with traditional roles like search and rescue or bomb detection, pets like cats and dogs aid veterans after their military time comes to an end as service animals. A variety of non-profits, including Companions For Heroes, Dogs 4 Vets and Vets Adopt Pets, exist to provide service animals to veterans in need. Some of the service animals play conventional roles such as seeing-eye dogs and others help veterans dealing with the fallout that comes from traumatic experiences in the field of battle. Not every animal companion undergoes the same training as other service animals, but they can be of great help to veterans struggling with mental health issues. “They use a lot of the animals for military usage, just like they do with the police department and search and rescue dogs,” Brust said. “A lot of it has to do with that. They’re starting to use way more animals in the military than they used to. They’re pairing them up like they are with the police for drug dogs and search and rescue and bomb dogs.” And while the Brust said the MCHS does getting funding from other sources, every little bit helps. The Martinsville American Legion Post 230 will host the bingo fundraiser at 7:30 p.m. Feb 18 at the Legion, 701 E. Morgan St. Donations of five pounds of cat or dog food will receive $5 off a large bingo packet. For more information, call 765-342-2799.

MARTINSVILLE Football is likely not a pleasant subject if one is a Colts fan, particularly after missing the playoffs the second year in a row. To ease that pain a little and to raise money for a good cause, the Martinsville American Legion Post 230 is raffling off a football signed by every member from one of the Colts teams from the Andrew Luck era. The winner will be drawn during halftime of Super Bowl LI Sunday. Proceeds from the raffle will go to the Red Barn Food Pantry. The football came about by pure happenstance. The husband of one of the bartenders at the Legion has a connection with the Colts organization. Jamin Brust, Post 230’s office manager, said the bartender’s husband helped get him in contact with the Colts. “He talked to one of the people up there at the home office,” Brust said. “We didn’t know what we were getting, he told me the channels to go through and who to submit it to. And they sent us the email and said ‘Hey we’re gonna send you this football.’” As far as the value of the ball is concerned, Brust said he was unsure of how much the collectible might be worth. “I’ve had several people ask me what it’s worth, I have no idea. I searched three hours one night, I couldn’t even find a football that looks like it with no signatures on it let alone one that has signatures on it,” Brust said. It’s not the first fundraiser the Legion has held on behalf of the Red Barn Food Pantry. Late last year, the group collected money and food on behalf of the pantry at Walmart after the pantry again found itself victim of robbery. “We’re raffling off the football for the Red Barn to raise money for them,” Brust said. “We went to Walmart and stood outside in the freezing cold rain. We froze our butts off to collect money. But what we said is, ‘Not about us.’” That fundraiser was originally intended to purchase a security system and video cameras for the pantry, which has experienced several break-ins over the years. For Brust, it was a personal matter, he goes way back with the Owens family, who runs the pantry. “I’ve known (Patty Owens) for years. Her husband’s cut my hair as well as about 900 other kids in town,” Brust said. “I grew up with her boys. Me and her son Patrick went to school together and graduated together. So it hit home with me when I heard about the break-in.” Brust spoke to the commander of the Legion about doing fundraising to help the pantry in its time of need. “We’ve got jerks that have been breaking in and stealing stuff, when you know dang well you could walk in the front door and tell her you need help and Patti will not turn you away. I know Patti, she’s not that way,” Brust said. “It’s bad that they’ve had to go with a security system. That was the original reason we were raising the money, but then Adam Anderson caught wind of it and he stepped in. He put the new alarm system and the cameras in, so we really appreciate that, too. And hopefully they don’t get anymore problems. I don’t think they will.” Those interested in the raffle must be age 18 or older. Cost is $5 per raffle ticket or three raffle tickets for $10. The raffle is a little slower going than Brust had hoped, but all of the funds raised will go to benefit Red Barn. “We just put it out this past week, so it may take a bit. I’d hoped to make a little bit more money than what we are. But all the money that’s raised off of it, 100 percent of it will go to Red Barn,” Brust said. To purchase tickets, visit the Legion at 701 E. Morgan St., Martinsville, or call 765-342-2799. Funny

WAVERLY It hasn’t felt like winter much of this season, but the weather cooperated Saturday for a winter hike at Old Town Waverly Park. A group of around six people joined Greg Marlett, a park staff member, for a brief walk on an unfinished trail at Morgan County’s newest park. The day was cold and overcast, which may have lowered turnout somewhat. Joe Tutterrow, president of the Morgan County Parks and Recreation Board, said he planned to join the group on the walk but got a later start than he had planned. He said the walk was a good way to introduce people to the park. “We wanted to introduce people to the park and the trail. It’s not done yet, but once the weather breaks, we’ll be blacktopping it. At that point it will meet the Americans with Disabilities Act standards,” Tutterrow said, “Right now, it doesn’t. We felt safe enough (that it wouldn’t be a problem for) those that were brave enough to get out in the weather this morning. It’s a great time to see natural areas, because the leaves are down, you can really see a long ways. So we’re hoping they get some good shots of some wildlife out there while they’re walking.” Though the group was small, Tutterrow said the attendees enjoyed a good discussion and returned to the trailhead later than expected. Tutterrow said though the trail was important to develop, the focus was still on the old town area of the park. “We’re really still focusing on the old town area. The trail project, we’ll continue to develop. We’ll have fishing nodes and areas that people can get out to the actual edge of the river,” he said. “The trail itself is along the river but it took the path of least resistance, so in some cases it’ll be 20, 30 or 40 yards away from the riverbank, but we’re also developing nodes so people can get right out and fish and sit there and picnic or just enjoy the river. That’s gonna be the end of the summer before all that’s totally finished.” The hike itself was relatively uneventful; the group encountered signs of animals, but apart from one startled rabbit, saw no sign of the critters that dwell near the bank of the White River. Wet conditions and all the downed foliage allowed for the hikers to spot signs of animal activity. Ian Bryant, who attended the walk with his mother, saw signs of several denizens of the forest. “It was pretty pretty wet and icy. We like winter hikes, but it’s really cold. We saw a lot of deer tracks — buck tracks and doe — and some raccoon and some possum (tracks). I missed a giant rabbit that bounded out of a bush,” Bryant said. Marlett, who led the tour and works part-time as park staff in addition to his duties with the Morgan County Soil and Water Conservation District, was pleased with the turnout for the event. “Honestly, it was nice having a smaller group,” Marlett said. Following the hike, the group met in the old bank building to talk about the future of the park and what sort of events they might like to see. Tutterrow said the park board had already been discussing the future of the park and what might happen with development down the line. “There will be some other activities planned; we had a board meeting last week and actually talked about some other ideas. We’ll definitely be doing some more things either on the park itself or other walks on the trail. We’ll just have to see how that evolves. Definitely we’ll be doing some more activities,” Tutterrow said. Before the group departed, Marlett spoke in general about the triumphs and struggles at the park. “It has been both a blessing and a curse; there’s been a lot of growing pains with that rapid growth. We made some mistakes and definitely had some great things that have happened. But it’s a challenge. We’ve got a heck of a start on it. And things are going pretty well. Definitely appreciate you all coming out and being part of our first real event,” he said.

MORGANTOWN Ever stopped to consider what might have become of a balloon that escaped the grasp of a small child? What about the balloons released by elementary school children with a message attached? Did anyone ever find them? Johnnie “Joe” Blevins has both found a wayward balloon and had someone find one of his. Blevins, Morgantown, said that when he was very young, he came across a balloon with a note attached to it. Blevins said the note was a message from a child at a school in Illinois. It had been released as part of an experiment to see if anyone would find a balloon and make contact with the sender. Blevins found himself on the opposite side of that equation as an adult. It all started last fall, when Blevins ran for a position on the Morgantown Town Council. As part of his campaign, he had balloons emblazoned with the phrase “Vote Johnnie ‘Joe’ Blevins Town Council.” Earlier in the campaign, the balloons Blevins used featured his slogan written by hand. He brought them with him to an appearance at Colonel Vawter Day Festival in September last year. “A bunch of them got away,” Blevins said. No one contacted them about finding them. It was when Blevins used higher quality balloons with a message printed on them that the curious events were set in motion. “We had ‘em stringed down, but one of them got loose,” Blevins said. The balloon made its way to Maryland, where it landed by a deer stand. What makes this even more curious is the name of the person who found the balloon: Denny Blevins. A few days after finding the balloon, Denny Blevins decided to reach out to Johnnie Blevins, messaging him on Jan. 18. “I don’t think we are of any relation, but I find it quite a coincidence that this was laying next to my deer blind Friday evening,” he said in his message. “Keep in mind; I live in northwest Baltimore County, Maryland. Is it yours?” Initially, Blevins thought it was his brother contacting him, but when he opened the message, he realized that wasn’t the case — it was a stranger with the same last name as him. “Yes, thanks for sharing. It traveled a long ways,” Johnnie Blevins said in response. “Then for someone with the same last name (to find it), that is cool. We are of one house, the Blevins.” Johnnie Blevins was quite surprised to learn that someone had found his balloon, especially when they shared a last name. “Blevins is not a real popular name,” he said. He said all the Blevins he knew lived around Morgan County. He wasn’t sure if he and Denny Blevins were related or not. He said that he and Denny Blevins haven’t stayed in contact since exchanging the messages, but he was pleased to know that the Blevins from Baltimore was a hunter. “My father was a hunter, my grandfather was a hunter, I come from a line of hunters. It’s nice to see it still goes on,” Blevins said. Blevins said he was surprised it made it that far. The printed balloons he used were similar to the handwritten ones that had gotten away. Blevins said that the helium he used might have had something to do with it. “The balloons were supposed to last 6 to 8 hours. Evidently I had some good helium,” Blevins said.

MARTINSVILLE It’s never too early for an athlete to set a good foundation and build successful habits. That’s the thinking behind the Junior Artesian Power Club. The club helps boys and girls in grades second through eighth improve their footwork, speed, agility, flexibility and core strength. It also introduces the students to different weight lifting techniques, according to Martinsville High School strength and conditioning coach Ethan Breach. “When it comes to the youth athletes, especially the middle school athletes, it’s about building good foundations and getting them comfortable with the weight room. Obviously we’re not throwing the weight on top of them because they’re not quite ready for it. So we focus on body weight strength training, moving well, core strength as well. “It’s about a mentality. If they know the room and know what it’s like to train and be an athlete in this school district, they’re gonna be more comfortable with it as they come up through middle school and eventually high school,” Breach said. Breach also said it was a good way to instill the idea that these habits go hand-in-hand with being an athlete. The program is not new; Breach said his predecessor ran a similar program. “Most of the idea stayed the same — it’s training for our youth athletes in the area. Just get kind of introduced to training for athletics and build that strong base for them,” Breach said. At this point, the program doesn’t focus on a specific sport. The techniques taught are helpful to athletes in any sport. “They’re so young and they’re so raw, they may change sports in a month, you never know. I encourage multiple athletes to participate as well. I’m not quite catering just yet,” Breach said. Even those in high school don’t necessarily need the training tailored to their specific sport. “Most young athletes that we see and most high school athletes that I’m seeing, it’s about basics; it’s about building those athletic foundations of strength and to absorb force, being able to produce force quickly and being able to move in all directions. That’s mostly what we focus on,” Breach said. For the students who decided to participate, they were mostly interested in the fun part of club. That was what drew in Addie Dean, 9 and Stella Fultz, 9. Both Dean and Fultz had played sports before but they weren’t dedicated solely to one. Dean said it appealed to her for health reasons. “(I want to) get stronger, get better and participate in the all the games,” Dean said. Both Dean and Fultz were new to this type of training. “It’s probably the first time for me,” said Fultz. Along with fun, some participants wanted to improve so they could be more ready for the sport of their choice. For Skyler Pruett, 8, it’s basketball. Pruett said he joined the club to get ready for basketball. He said that he plays point guard and that he hoped the club would help him to get stronger and to move faster in transition. The Junior Artesian Power Club meets at 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at Martinsville High school through the winter. The cost to participate is $20 per month. For more information, contact coach Ethan Breach at ethan.breach@msdmartinsville.org.

WAVERLY Morgan County Parks and Recreation will showcase its newest park with a winter walk from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Old Town Waverly Park, Whetzel Road. Following the hike, the group will head to the Old Bank building to warm up and discuss what participants in the event would like to see done with the new riverfront. During the walk, Greg Marlett, environmental educator for the Morgan County Soil and Water District, said he plans to discuss the history of the riverfront, some of the challenges that the park has overcome, like problems with flooding, as well as what Morgan County Parks and Recreation has in store for the future. Marlett said it was likely visitors would see a variety of animals on the walk, including white tail deer, raccoons, birds and other animals. Dogs are welcome, provided they are well-behaved and on a six-foot lead. “The flood issue is fixed, haven’t had one since the work was done,” Marlett said. Marlett said that while the trail is still being worked on, the walk would give those attending a chance to see the progress being made in the park as well as a different type of hiking experience. The trail is currently unpaved, but once complete, will be ADA compliant. “The leaves are down; you see more animals, more of their tracks and more of the park,” Marlett said. Marlett said going on a winter hike allows visitors to see more of the park that would otherwise be hidden from view by leaves and other greenery. Marlett said that hikers would likely not be working with a dry surface, but to not let that them discourage them. “It’s part of the fun. We all like to play in the dirt once in a while,” Marlett said. Marlett said the walk is a great opportunity to see what Waverly has been, as well as what it could be. “Waverly had mills, the remains still exist. There’s a covered bridge that’s being restored,” Marlett said. The walk will also give attendees a chance to give their input on what they would like to see happen with the development on the riverfront. Marlett said there were plans for more trails as well as fishing areas. Marlett said Morgan County Parks and Recreation was already making plans for the future and how to handle increased demand for green spaces, as well as the changes that will result from the expansion of Interstate 69. Marlett said the department just started a five-year plan last year and that they were already ahead of the curve. “We’re looking towards more mobility, increased connectivity and biking and hiking. We’re looking at properties for future parks,” Marlett said. Marlett said the department hopes to make trails connecting the future parks so that all are easily accessible to park visitors. “Two parks are functioning and a couple more are under development,” Marlett said. As part of preparing for the future, Marlett will work part-time on matters concerning the parks in addition to his duties as an environmental educator. Marlett said it’s the first time there’s been an employee whose sole focus was the parks. “It’s a big boon for Morgan County to have someone who is just dedicated to the parks,” Marlett said. For more information, contact Marlett at 765-349-2060.

MARTINSVILLE The stereotypical image of a Fourth of July celebration, particularly in a small town, is one that features a daytime parade and a nighttime display of fireworks. For many years, Martinsville has only had the latter. That’s something Jerry Vest and Bruce McKee of Indiana Spirit of ’45 plan to change this year. “We’ve got a great little town here. They support the troops, they support the nation," Bruce McKee, founder and director of Indiana Spirit of ’45, said. "We have a fantastic fireworks show every year, but there needed to be something more substantial, a celebration of the nation and the people who served." McKee and Vest said that to their knowledge, there has never been a Fourth of July parade in Martinsville. “There's actually very few towns in the state that have them,” Vest, assistant director of Indiana Spirit of ’45, said. McKee and Vest said that Linton, Noblesville, Carmel and Pittsboro were the only towns they could think of that had parades for Independence Day. McKee said that it was a lack of interest that was the cause of the low number of parades. McKee said that one of group’s goals was to renew interest in the parade and honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the country. “I think they’re focusing on the holiday being a day off instead of what the holiday is actually for,” Vest said. McKee said that after the Spirit of ’45’s event in August, the group had a meeting and decided that they should have a parade. The group began working with Martinsville Mayor Shannon Kohl’s office to start making the preparations they would need to hold the event. “We have a great group of volunteers. We have one program annually in August and we just wanted to give more to the community and have something more to do,” Vest said. The group’s annual August event takes place the second Sunday of the month. The scheduling is done purposefully, so that it coincides with the ceasing of hostilities between the United States of America and the Empire of Japan. The group’s first celebration was 2010, the sixty-fifth anniversary of the end of the second World War. “There was a group in Washington (D.C.) that wanted to put on a program because our World War II veterans are passing at a rate of 1 every 90 seconds," McKee said. "Right now, we’re just under 200,000 nationwide. They put on a call around the country and said, ‘Let’s do a program for World War II vets.’ The fellow that was supposed to take care of it in Indy just totally dropped the ball and never got back in touch with me. “I called him a few days before, because I was supposed to just bugle for him. He said, ‘Nah, I decided not to do it.’ So I got a hold of the American Legion and we put on a program in seven days. It was just me then and then we added Zondra (Kale-Griffin) and then Jerry came on board. And then last year we became a non-profit organization that way we can take donations and put on a better program.” The group currently has six members, most of whom are either veterans of the relative of one. Part of what drives the group is the fact that as the distance between the war and present increases, the words and deeds of those who fought are being forgotten. It doesn’t help that the population of veterans of the conflict is dwindling every day. McKee and Vest said they planned to invite marching bands from local schools and colleges to participate in the parade along with veterans and other members of the community. Mckee said the group planned to make it as big as possible the first year and that he hoped it would only grow from there. “We want to try to turn it into the biggest fourth of July parade in the state,” Vest said. For more information, contact McKee at spiritof45_indiana@yahoo.com.

MOORESVILLE Gazing at the stars or at least computer facsimiles was how the packed house at Mooresville Public Library spent their Saturday evening at an event hosted by the Goethe Link Observatory. The dwarf planet Pluto remained a mystery until last year when scientists received the last of the data from the New Horizons space probe. There was so much data from the probe that it took 16 months to download all of it. “Some of you were here about a year and a half ago when we did the first program on Pluto and its initial fly through,” Kurt Williams, deputy director and chief operating officer of the observatory, said. “Well, it’s taken that long for all the data to get back. Now we’re going to give you a little bit more information on what we found.” Before moving on to a talk on backyard astronomy, an audience member asked Williams about the film “Hidden Figures.” The film, which opened earlier this month, tells the story of the African-American women who helped make the space program and by extension, landing on the moon possible. “NASA called us near the end of November about doing a live broadcast with the director, some of the actors and actresses as a promotion for the movie,” Williams said. “They wanted one of our schools to take part in a video conference with them. So we hooked up one of our schools with the equipment. Two days before that event was supposed to take place, one of the actresses backed out of being there and they got Charlie Bolden, the director of NASA, to step in as a substitute. So our students got to talk with Charlie Bolden. You’re more likely to be able to talk to the astronauts on the International Space Station than you are Charlie Bolden. And yeah, a sixth grade class got to talk to him instead of us!” Bolden was the first African-American to be named director of NASA. He announced that he was stepping down from the position at a town hall meeting on Jan.12. His final day was Jan. 19. Robert M. Lightfoot Jr. succeeded him as director of NASA. Mike Newberg, director of public engagement for the observatory, used a computer program to show attendees what they could observe in their backyard with binoculars or a telescope of their own. One of the topics Newberg discussed was Mars, a planet that has been the focus of many NASA missions as the organization continues to learn more about the red planet and to investigate if there ever was life on the fourth planet from the sun. “Mars is known as the red planet because it is literally rusting,” Newberg said. “The surface is oxidizing just like you see with pieces of metal here on Earth. So that’s where it gets that red color. Mars has so many geological wonders; it has the biggest volcano in the solar system — it’s the size of Arizona. It’s got the biggest canyon system in the solar system — it’s the width of the United States. So even though Mars itself isn’t very big, it’s all of these geological wonders and so many more things for us to discover and we’re gonna be sending new rovers in a couple years that are hopefully going to find maybe the first signs of microbial life or evidence that there was life previously on Mars.” The evening ended with a presentation of the findings of New Horizons. The space probe provided scientists with the most detailed pictures yet of the dwarf planet. Greg McCauley, executive director and chief executive officer of the observatory, discussed the significance of the findings and explained why the characteristics of Pluto made it unique in the solar system, as well as why it would never be considered a planet again. Due to cloud coverage, the planned evening sky viewing was cancelled, but attendees of the event were told they were welcome to visit the observatory if they so chose. Link Observatory, 8403 Observatory Road, Martinsville, holds an event once a month at the Mooresville Public Library, 220 W. Harrison St., and the observatory is open to the public on the first Saturday of the month. For more information, visit linkobservatory.org.

MONROVIA Saturday’s grand opening and logo reveal for the Bulldog Blessings Pantry at Monrovia High School reflected an unceasing effort to aid others in the community. The winning logo was designed by Preston Hall, a Monrovia Elementary student. Hall’s work was rewarded with an iPad, and his logo adorns the banner for the food pantry. Reese Hunter, a student at Monrovia High School, placed second with his design and won two passes to Showtime Cinema and a $100 gift card. Everett Williams, a Monrovia Middle School student, came in third and received two passes to Showtime Cinema and a $25 gift card. Speakers at the ceremony included Monroe-Gregg Superintendent William Roberson, Rebecca McPherson, assistant principal at Monrovia Elementary, Kathy Hahn Keiner, Gleaners Food Bank’s chief programs and agency relations officer, and Beth Ann Gore, mother of the late Meredith Knieper, a 2015 Monrovia graduate in whose memory the pantry is dedicated. It was an emotional day, a culmination of the work to bring the pantry to fruition and a day of remembrance of Knieper. “The journey’s not been easy; there has been pain, frustration, roadblocks and prayers,” said Vickie Hendricks, coordinator for the pantry. “I’ve met many wonderful people who share in a love for others. I can say without a doubt it was God’s timing and his will that we stand here today. Many of the people I have come in contact with during this journey were placed on my path at the exact moment that I needed them.” Gore was one of the people Hendricks met through reaching out to the Community Foundation of Morgan County. “Beth Ann shared with me her love of Meredith and the love that Meredith always showed others,” Hendricks said. “It was very apparent to me and Beth Ann that helping children and families in our school and community was something we could do to honor Meredith’s memory.” The pantry is a joint effort among the Monroe-Gregg School District, the Community Foundation of Morgan County and Gleaners Food Bank. Community is at the core of its mission, which is an approach that makes it more effective at fighting hunger. “At Gleaners, we like the school-based pantry concept, because not only does it feed the child, it feeds the whole family. The most successful models are those like Monrovia where the entire community comes together and lifts up their friends and neighbors who may need a little help,” Keiner said. It was Hendricks’ involvement that really helped get the ball rolling. “She expressed to me a longing for a space in our school where students could go to for food and clothing and other resources that families will need. I said there is a great need for that resource in our school and in our district. Almost 40 percent of the students in our district receive some type of food assistance,” McPherson said of Monrovia Elementary. McPherson said hunger has a major impact on students’ success and that the pantry provides a way to ease not only their hunger, but the hunger of their families. Refreshments followed Saturday’s brief ceremony in the library and a ribbon-cutting ceremony. As a way of honoring Knieper, the ribbons used in the ceremony were purple, Knieper’s favorite color. The district superintendent spoke about the impact Knieper made on people. “I’m particularly touched that the Bulldog Blessings Food Pantry is dedicated to Meredith Knieper,” Roberson said. “I feel her presence here today. I have a picture in my office of the 2014 Lady Bulldogs Basketball sectional champions; No. 20 is in the front row. I look at that picture every day and think about her. She was smart, athletically talented, sense of humor, engaging and she just brightened your day. We all miss Meredith.” It was Knieper’s mother who perfectly summed up why the pantry was the perfect way to honor her daughter’s memory. “When she worked with a friend who didn’t seem to have much, she suggested we buy Christmas gifts for her, so we went out and did that. That was why I felt this was such a good organization to place her name on,” Gore said.

MARTINSVILLE The Epsilon chapter of the Kappa Kappa Sigma is looking for help from local business to fill goody bags given to attendees of the statewide philanthropic sorority’s convention in April. Hosting duties rotate between different chapters and this year it’s the Martinsville chapter’s responsibility. The convention is traditionally a two-day affair, but this year’s convention in Bloomington may be subject to change due to potential conflicts with other events in the city. April in Bloomington is busy; the city is abuzz with people visiting for Little 500 Festivities and other events. Attendees are given a bag after registering and hosts try to incorporate things from their hometown as a means of enticing visitors to check out their community. The Martinsville chapter plans to add festival and tourism guides for local festivals. Some local businesses have reached out to the organization about getting involved. “We want to center our goody bags on fitness and things to do with Martinsville. We plan to have goldfish crackers and an article on the goldfish hatcheries because Martinsville was once the goldfish capital of the world,” Vicky Kivett, Kappa Kappa Sigma member, said. The nickname of goldfish capital of the world dates back to the 1900s and a man named Eugene Shireman. According to a 2008 WTIU piece, Shireman inherited land that was too wet to be used for conventional farming methods. Shireman decided to give raising goldfish a shot. He started with 200 fish and purchased more farmland deemed useless to expand his operation. Shireman’s fish made their way to department stores, pet shops, novelty stores, drug stores and florists. One item the group hopes to include is candy sticks from Candy Kitchen. Kivett said that the confectioner would make a great addition to the bag because of the store’s history in Martinsville. “There are lots of talented artists and craft people in Martinsville,” Kivett said. Along with brochures touting local features and events, Kivett said the group is also seeking donated materials covering fitness, nutrition and other types of health information such as monthly breast exam reminders. Health is an appropriate theme for Martinsville, the discovery of mineral water in the 1800s led to the establishment of various sanitariums where those seeking physical or mental recovery could go to recharge their batteries. And those artesian aquifers gave Martinsville High School its mascot and another nickname for Martinsville: city of mineral water. The group hopes to fill the goody bags with a wide variety of items with the contents likely differing between bags. “It’s really hard to approach a business or store and ask for 180 items to be donated because of economics and we would be happy with smaller quantity donations of products. Nothing says all the bags have to be the same,” Kivett said. The goody bags aren’t the events only giveaway; there are also several door prizes that are given out. Door prizes are donations from members of the organization as well as from the host community. Kivett said that the Epsilon’s smaller size made preparing for the convention more of a challenge than it would be for other Kappa Kappa Sigma chapters with larger memberships. “We have around 10 to 15 members, some of whom are older and limited with what they can do. Some chapters include 60 members.” “It’s a chance to showcase Martinsville to 91 other counties across the state,” Kivett said. For more information about making donations, contact Vickie Kivett at 765-341-9215.

MONROVIA Food security is a major issue in the U.S., one that affects a significant portion of the population. A 2011 USDA survey found that one-fifth of U.S. households with children aged 0 to 18 experienced food security, which can damage the health and brain development of children even before they start school. By the time food-insecure children reach Kindergarten, they may lag behind their peers cognitively, emotionally and physically. To combat this important issue, the Monroe-Gregg School District is opening the Bulldog Blessings Food Pantry to assist students, student families and staff members who are food insecure. The school district is having a grand opening celebration and logo reveal at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at Monrovia High School, 205 S. Chestnut St. At Monrovia Elementary School, one out of three students receives free or reduced lunch. Along with food, the pantry will also provide personal hygiene items. Funding for the program comes from a $7,000 impact grant from the Community Foundation of Morgan County. The grant funded the purchase of two refrigerators and also supports monthly food distributions. The pantry is a collaboration involving the CFMC and Gleaners Food Bank, as well as a memorial fund started by Beth Ann Gore in honor of her daughter Meredith Knieper, a former Monrovia High School student who passed away in 2015. Faculty and members of the community will give their time to aid in the distribution of pantry items. Students assist the pantry by sorting and stocking shelves. The pantry has helped 129 students since November 2016. Vickie Hendricks, who acts as site coordinator for the pantry and works with the CFMC, Gleaners and the school, said the pantry has had two distribution days since November. They served as test runs to work out the kinks and as a way of spreading the word to the community. The delay also allowed for the schools to hold a logo design contest. Hendricks said one student’s design was chosen from the elementary school, the middle school and the high school. Each student would take home a prize and an overall winner will be announced at the pantry’s grand opening. Hendricks was instrumental in the opening of the pantry. “I felt there was a need for a pantry. I originally wanted to organize a backpacks program,” Hendricks said. Hendricks reached out to the CFMC about starting a program and they put her in touch with Gleaners and Hendricks and the food bank worked on a grant to get a food pantry funded. Hendricks said one advantage of the pantry over the backpacks program is that it would aid more people, students, the parents of students and staff. Melissa York, principal of Monrovia Elementary School, said the pantry eases the worries of students facing food insecurity. “Our food pantry has been such a blessing to our students at MES," York said. "We can rest assured that our families have access to food as needed. This allows for our students to no longer worry about if they will have food when they leave school. Now they can focus on the joys of being a child." President of Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana John Elliott said that school-based pantries are a great way to meet the needs of an entire family. “Our BackSacks program has helped to address the needs of the children, but a school-based pantry is more a holistic approach to feeding the family. If the child is hungry, chances are that other household members are also hungry," Elliott said. A food insecure household also puts stress on the members of the family who work. Just as students who are hungry aren’t as effective at learning, workers who go hungry are less productive. Hendricks said that the pantry can always use non-food items, particularly feminine hygiene products. “Gleaners gets food at cost, so it’s much more helpful for us to get non-food items,” Hendricks said. Hendricks said that she hopes to use the pantry to distribute cloths and shoes as well once they have a better understanding of the needs of those the pantry serves.

MARTINSVILLE The Morgan County Human Society celebrated a successful 2016 for its community cat program, which is designed to improve quality of life for feral cats through population control and ensuring the animals have access to food and water. The program, which began in October 2013, has steadily reduced the number of cats that were euthanized. The program took in 744 cats and euthanized 23 in 2016. According to Alicia Wiseman-Fouty, the trap neuter and return coordinator for MCHS Community Cats, the program spent $26,941 on spay/neuter expenses and $8,221 on medical expenses. “Most of this work is done through grants. Two-thirds of our budget comes from grants,” Wiseman-Fouty said. Wiseman-Fouty said it was a big accomplishment, especially for a rural shelter. MCHS has a live rate of 93.3 percent. Nationally, only 25 percent of cats make it out of shelters alive. “People may be hesitant to spay or neuter feral cats due to the cost. MCHS Community Cats is a resource for them,” Wiseman-Fouty said. According to the Morgan County Humane Society’s webpage, the practice of trapping, neutering and returning cats is more effective than merely trapping the animals. The website states that neutering reduces nuisance behaviors associated with mating such as yowling, fighting and males spraying to mark their territory. The neutered cats will defend their territory, preventing unaltered animals from taking it over and starting the cycle anew. It also maintains the beneficial effects the cats have on the rodent population. To prevent neutered cats from being caught again, they undergo a process known as ear tipping to give them a distinct visual marker. According to the Neighborhood Cats website, a quarter of an inch is removed from the tip of the left ear while a cat undergoes spay or neuter surgery. “Cats are easily stressed and don’t do well in shelters,” Wiseman-Fouty said. Wiseman-Fouty said stray cats are already bonded to the neighborhood and returning them to it is better for their long-term health as residents provide the food and the shelter the animals need. “Once they overcome their fear of overpopulation, you find most people have compassion in their hearts,” Wiseman-Fouty said. There are some instances where cats are kept for adoption. According to the MCHS’s website, young kittens that can be socialized and friendly adults are placed in foster care and are eventually adopted. There were 632 cat adoptions last year. Sometimes it’s not possible for an animal to be returned to its neighborhood, which is what the barn cat program is for. An animal is given to a farmer and they slowly introduce the cat to its new environment. In this situation, everybody wins, the cat gets a home with food and shelter and in return the farmer has a natural rodent deterrent. There were 59 barn cat adoptions last year. Shelter is especially important for feral cats this time of year. While the animals grow thicker coats to compensate for the lower temperatures, they can suffer from hypothermia if their fur gets wet. Four counties —Johnson, Shelby, Marion and Monroe — partnered with MCHS to make shelters for cats. Wiseman-Fouty said they produced around 700 shelters out of Styrofoam coolers. She said MCHS had handed out 200 of the shelters and still had some available. Visit alleycat.org/resources/how-to-build-an-outdoor-shelter/ for instructions on making your own. For more information, visit mchumanesoc.org or call 765-349-9177. The Morgan County Humane Society is located at 690 W. Mitchell Avenue, Martinsville.

MARTINSVILLE Artistic talents sometimes surfaces later in life. The late singer Leonard Cohen didn’t release his first album until he was 32. Vera Wang didn’t design her first wedding gown until she was 40. And Caroline “Carol” Brown didn’t take up painting until her 50s. Brown, 80, said that was young compared to now. Brown is the artist of the month for Stairwell Gallery at the main branch of the Morgan County Public Library, 110 S. Jefferson St., Martinsville. The display is sponsored by The Martinsville Arts Council. Painting happened by accident for Brown, as a way to keep busy during the winter in Florida. “I had a girlfriend that was taking lessons, so I thought, ‘Well, something to do, I’ll take lessons,’” Brown said. What started as a lark revealed a real aptitude for painting. During a lesson on painting a mountain, Brown, a lefty, asked the instructor how a southpaw might paint the subject. “You showed the right handers, now how do it do it? Cause we’re backwards,” Brown said. “There’s gotta be one in every crowd,” the instructor said, according to Brown. He took notice and encouraged Brown to keep painting. “He took her under his wing and he was one of the instructors for Bob Ross,” Jo Ellen Smith, Brown’s daughter, said. Ross is one of Brown’s artistic influences. Ross developed a following for his PBS show, “The Joy of Painting,” the later seasons of which were filmed in Muncie. Like Ross, Brown paints with oil using the alla prima, or first attempt, or wet-on-wet technique. These days, the only painter Brown watches on TV is Jerry Yarnell. Most of Brown’s work is focused on nature and when her canvas chronicles humanity and its works, it mostly glimpses of a vanished world — people wearing the garb and accessories of decades past, old vehicles and structures that have stood the test of time like barns, lighthouses and covered bridges. Brown’s paintings strike a chord with the people who see them. “One of our neighbors, an older lady, came by and she didn’t know these were here, but she came over and she goes, ‘I loved every one,’” Smith said. “She went on and on about the covered bridge she said it looked just like the one she would walk through twice a day going to school when she was little.” Brown said most of her subjects come from what she comes across in art books. When it comes to her work, Brown is very modest. Brown said she didn’t sign some of them because she had no plans to do anything with them. But that doesn’t mean her art has gone unrecognized. “She’s got several blue ribbons and some second place. She always placed,” Smith said. Brown’s paintings are popular with her children and her grandchildren. Some of the pieces in the display at the library came from out of state. Smith took it upon herself to gather as much as she could when relatives traveled to Martinsville during the holidays. These days, Brown is battling kidney cancer. She opted against chemotherapy and undergoes dialysis a few times a week. Due to the demands on her time, Brown resigned from the board of the Martinsville Area Senior Center, but she still finds the time to play a show there every Tuesday with her husband in a band, The Tune Tossers. Brown’s husband plays guitar and harmonica and Brown sings. Music was something that was an early presence in Brown’s life. “When I was a kid, I had three other sisters and we used to harmonize, but we never did anything. When we were doing dishes or whatever, we’d sing,” Brown said. And though Brown has lost weight from her illness, she still keeps her passion for painting and lives her life on her own terms. “She’s a trooper,” Smith said. “She just had surgery Thursday and a new port was put in because it had slipped Wednesday at dialysis and they said, ‘ This is coming out,’ and it’s in her main artery. So Thursday we were at the Indiana Kidney Institute, she got a brand new one put in and as soon as she came out, I looked at her and she was smiling, so I knew everything went great.” Brown’s work will be on display in the stairwell through the rest of January.