MARTINSVILLE Running a marathon, even a half-marathon can seem a daunting task for inexperienced runners. That’s part of the impetus for the Mini-Marathon training program at the Barbara B. Jordan YMCA, 2039 E. Morgan St. While not everyone participating in the group is expected to run in the Indianapolis Mini-Marathon in May, according to Barabara B. Jordan YMCA Executive Director, Dave Nash, the program is good for anyone interested in getting healthier and getting more experience as a runner. “It’s for all levels of accomplishment at this point. It can be for somebody running or walking, and although we’re calling it a mini training event, it doesn’t necessarily have to be for someone training specifically for the Indy Mini-Marathon. There are all kinds of races in the spring and early summer if someone wants to train for that, great. If somebody just wants to run and have a group of people to run with this is the ideal thing,” Nash said. It’s a matter of personal interest for Nash, who’s been a runner since high school. Nash has trained for the Indianapolis Mini-Marathon before, something that required him to travel to Greenwood or Plainfield to do so. “We really haven’t had anything like that here. In the group that I was in that met in Greenwood, there were a couple of other Martinsville people that were in the group. And we just don’t feel people should go that far away to find a group to train with,” Nash said. Nash said the YMCA turned to the group in Plainfield to help with building this new training program. Nash said the program in Plainfield had been in existence for 7 or 8 years and that it was really successful. “There are many training programs that are available. Runner’s World even has different kinds of running programs available then to. So as kind of the fitness leader in the community, we feel it’s something that we should be able to step up and help out with,” Nash said. Convenience is just one of the upsides of a training group located in Martinsville. Nash said it’s a good way for runners to get to know the lay of the land better and explore their hometown a little more. “This is really a great area to run. There are some challenges it’s kind of hilly in the area but there’s also a lot of natural beauty, it’s a great place, it’s just a fun way to get out and see the area by going on foot,” Nash said. Camaraderie is another reason for the group’s existence, Nash said it helps keep runners motivated and that people were more likely to keep up with training if they had others counting on them. Nash said that was one advantage over an app such as Couch to 5K. “An app can be great, it can be a great way to organize yourself to plan and do things, but when you roll out of bed on a Saturday morning, when someone else is counting on you, you’re a whole lot more likely to go out and get that done than to think, ‘Gosh, with all this ice, I don’t think so.’ Now granted on ice isn’t probably gonna be a good time to be running outside anyway. All kinds of things can effect how we feel about running or exercise in anyway, but having that group makes it a whole lot easier to get up, get the shoes on and get going,” Nash said. The 16-week program begins January 18. Group runs will take place on Saturdays and Wednesdays. The group plans to run outside most of the time, weather permitting. Saturday runs will begin at the YMCA. Wednesdays, the group will meet for a brief educational session at IU Morgan Health before going on a short run. Cost to participate is $50 for the general public and $40 for Barbara B Jordan YMCA members.

MARTINSVILLE When it comes to the winter, most people just want to stay indoors. It’s hard to work up the motivation to brave the elements when the mercury in the thermometers drops and cars and roads get covered in a fine patina of ice. But at the same time, it’s necessary to leave the house to stave off the effects of cabin fever. The staff of the Martinsville Dairy Queen understands this pain well, which is why the location will offer several special events during the winter months. “We just kind of wanted to get people in here and not have to drive out of town to do stuff,” Martinsville Dairy Queen Store Manager Brianna Wilkinson said. It’s the second year of special events in the winter for the store. Last year, the restaurant hosted a Valentine’s Day dinner and a daddy daughter/ date night. The store also hosted several events in the fall, including a Blizzard eating contest that fell during the Fall Foliage Festival, a mother/ son night, a visit from Santa and a holiday family night. The events last winter went over pretty well, so a decision was made to expand the schedule. The schedule this year is more robust, featuring a total of five events. Reservations are required due to limited space and can be made by calling the store at 765-349-6308 or messaging the Martinsville Dairy Queen Facebook page. Valentine’s Day and daddy/ daughter date night have returned, along with three new events — grandparents night on Wednesday, mother/ daughter girls’ night out on Jan. 24 and father/ son football frenzy on Feb. 1. The formula for most of the events is fairly simple. Attendees sit at a decorated table, are waited on by the staff and for the cost of $15, receive one adult meal, one child meal, drinks, dessert, a flower and a photo. The cost is $5 for each additional person. Attendees will also get a 20 percent discount on any cake or novelty item out of the case. Mother/ daughter girls’ night out is notable because it will feature Mary Kay reps in attendance at a different cost. Attendees will receive the mini lotion and lip-gloss, as well as two medium smoothies and two snacks at the cost of $10 per mother/ daughter pair. Attendees will also get the 20 percent discount featured in other events. Wilkinson said the store found some local Mary Kay reps that were interested in attending and that it was a mutually beneficial event. Father/ son football frenzy will feature tailgate food and an hourly giveaway of a football cake just in time for the Super Bowl to the father and son who show the most “team spirit.” This means the fans that deck themselves out in team gear and paint themselves the team colors. The Dairy Queen staff will select the winners. Wilkinson said planning the events was a group effort. The staff brainstormed ideas they felt would draw in members of the community. At the moment, the events will be constrained to the colder months, as summer is a much busier time for the store. Wilkinson said she hadn’t ruled out further events later on in the year. Wilkinson said that if things went well, she hoped to have multiple nights of an event and take over more of the lobby if there was demand for that. For more information on upcoming events, visit the Martinsville Dairy Queen Facebook page. The restaurant is located at 310 E. Southview Dr. Funny

INDIANAPOLIS The 2016-17 season is the 50th for the Pacers and as part of the celebration, the team has designated six games to celebrate the history of the team. At halftime, members of teams from the decade being honored or their relatives are recognized in a brief ceremony. The game on Saturday focused on the Pacers teams of the 1980s. Among those honored was Martinsville native Jerry Sichting, currently an assistant coach with the New York, the Pacers’ opponent that night. Sichting stood at center court along with other former Pacers Herb Williams, Verb Fleming, Stuart Gray, Steve Stipanovich, LaSalle Thompson. The former Pacers were given jackets featuring the Pacers 50 logo on the right breast of the jacket and their name and the years they played on the team stitched into the left breast of the jacket. Also honored were Donnie Walsh and Rachel and Jennifer; daughters of Herb and nieces of Mel Simon. It’s fitting that Sichting is now coaching for the Knicks, since many threads tie Hoosiers to the Big Apple. Sichting isn’t even the only Indiana native on the coaching staff. Kurt Rambis, a native of Terre Haute is on staff as well. And the last time the Pacers and Knicks met in the playoffs, Indianapolis native Mike Woodson coached the latter. It’s only natural; basketball is a common thread between Indiana and New York, though the Hoosier variety tends more towards Jimmy Chitwood than Jesus Shuttlesworth. It’s the passion for the game that fueled the Pacers/Knicks rivalry in the 1990s, along with the normal clashes one expects when the Midwest and East Coast are involved. Sichting tends to be overshadowed by John Wooden when discussing basketball greats with Martinsville ties. As great as Wooden was, it’s a disservice to the rich basketball history of the city. Sichting was drafted by the Golden State Warriors in 1979 waived by the team on October 4, 1979. Sichting attended a camp in Bangor, Maine for a Continental Basketball Association team. He left the camp after two days for fear that the disarray of the organization would rob him of his passion for basketball. A second shot It was a simple twist of fate that brought Sichting to the NBA. Jack McKinney was hired as the new coach for the Pacers in June 1980. McKinney had suffered a significant head injury during a bicyle accident, just 19 games into coaching the Los Angeles Lakers during the 1979-80 season. That Lakers team featured Magic Johnson whose Michigan State Spartans had tied Sichting’s Purdue Boilermakers for a Big 10 title. To ease McKinney back into coaching, the team decided to hold a tryout for players. It was a return to the Pacers’ roots in the ABA, when that league began, teams held auditions hoping to bring in players with a desire to play professionally who either didn’t make the NBA or were not allowed in the league. Sichting was working at a sporting goods store in Indianapolis and keeping his hoop skills sharp in AAU leagues. He called and requested a tryout with the team. The first day’s session wiped him out, so Sichting was planning to not return for the second day. Fortunately for him, the newly minted Pacers coach decided he could make his selections for the Summer League from one session. Sichting went from the Summer League team, to training camp and made the final roster. Sichting signed to the Pacers on October 9, 1980, a year and five days after he was cut by the Warriors. Sichting didn’t play much in the early portion of the 1980-81 season and a trade that brought in Don Buse made him nervous about the safety of his position on the team. Fortunately for Sichting, Kenny Natt was waived to make room for the new addition. Buse and Sichting developed a rapport with the former acting as a guiding voice for the latter. Sichting grew as a player, playing as starter during his fourth year with the team. He averaged 11.5 points and shot 53 percent from the field. It was a major improvement from where he started as a younger player when he averaged only single digits in points and gradually improved his stats year by year. Sichting had developed enough as a player that the Boston Celtics offered him a contract during free agency. The Pacers were happy with Sichting and matched the Boston offer, but Siching was ready to move on. The Celtics were a more attractive team for Sichting as the Pacers were going through growing pains as players and chemistry developed. By the time the team was really competitive, Sichting would have been long gone. The Pacers signed Sichting and swapped him for two second-round draft picks from the Celtics. That Boston team of course would go on to win the 1986 NBA Championship and is still widely revered by hoops heads. Sichting played for the Celtics until he was traded to Portland for Jim Paxson on February 23, 1988. Sichting also played for the Hornets and one game as a Milwaukee Buck before calling it a career in 1990. Staying in the NBA Sichting joined Minnesota Timberwolves as a member of Flip Saunders’ coaching staff, in the dawn of the Kevin Garnett era. He worked under Tom Crean at Marquette from 2005-2008. During that period, the team made three NCAA tournament appearances, including a 2003 Final Four with a team that included Sichting’s son Jared Sichting and Dwyane Wade, in his last year before declaring for the NBA draft. Since then, Sichting has worked with a who’s who of Hoosier basketball greats. He was on the coaching staff of Keith Smart, the hero of the 1987 title game. He was an assistant coach under former Ben Davis and IU player Randy Wittman. He reunited with Jeff Hornacek on the Knicks. Sichting had previously worked as an assistant when Hornacek coached the Phoenix Suns. In addition to all of that, Sichting also coached his former high school on an interim basis in 2012, he ran basketball camps in Boston and even filled in for Slick Leonard on the Pacers broadcast team when needed. Sichting has rubbed elbows with a who’s who of basketball figures, all the while humbly building a case for his importance as a figure in Hoosier basketball lore. Being honored by the Pacers was a good first step, but Sichting deserves more.

MARTINSVILLE The Art Sanctuary held its 8th annual Rockin’ New Year’s Eve Bash Saturday night. Patrons enjoyed karaoke and dancing before opening act Fancy Sauce kicked things off. Fancy Sauce focused its set list on classic rock from the 70s and 80s — the type of tunes in regular rotation on Q95, with which guests tend to have strong and visceral emotional connections. Organizer Rob Helms, who also plays in the band that headlined the event, Bigg Country, said the group played a variety of styles including, blues, rock and country. The groups opening for Bigg Country typically played a musically-related genre. “I’ve had this for eight years and we’ve had a different opening band most every year,” Helms said. “Different kinds — sometimes its been country rock, sometimes it’s newer rock that opens up for Bigg Country. That’s what I’ve done every year. It just sort of changes up a bit, different crowds, also exposes a lot of different people to the Art Sanctuary and to Martinsville. It’s been really successful.” Helms said he lived one block away from Art Sanctuary, which added to the appeal of the event for him. Helms said he enjoyed doing the event because it allowed him to celebrate the holiday with his family. “My daughter is usually here. My wife and everybody, we get to be together on it. I don’t drink, but I’ll drink a little bit of champagne. That’s what I love doing,” Helms said. Guests had three ticket packages to choose from for the evning. For $35, package one gave guests admission to the concert, party favors and champagne at midnight. Package two offered the same, plus access to all-you-can-eat buffet dinner available provided by Spice of Life Catering at the cost of $55. Guests could get $5 off both packages by purchasing them in advance on Bigg Country’s website via PayPal. A third package included the perks of the second package and added on a double room at the Martinsville Holiday Inn Express with shuttle service to and from the Art Sanctuary and complimentary breakfast at the inn the next morning for the cost of $200 per couple. Dylan Stillman, who DJ’d the event before the live music started, is the son-in-law of Helms. Like his father-in-law, Stillman said he enjoyed doing the event because he could spend time with his family and because of its proximity to his home. “I’m from Martinsville, so you see a lot of folks that you see day to day,” he said. “It’s just good to ring in the New Year. It’s a good, safe place. The other good thing is I live here in town, so everything is nice and close and when the show is over, (I can) go home and it’s not a long ride. As far as what’s here is in Martinsville to do, I don’t think there’s much better to do.” Stillman said it was his sixth year DJing the event and that New Year’s Eve was a little bit different than other events he worked. There was more responsibility than a random Saturday night and not as rigid in structure as DJing a wedding reception. “It’s a little bit different,” he said. “On New Year’s, it’s kind of my job to escalate the mood as it comes up. I gotta kinda prime the crowd for the louder music. You’ll see in between bands we’ll bring out some more of the dance music and get the crowd dancing. As far as DJing goes, my job is to bring the party.” It was Mia Neal’s first time attending the event. Neal said she’d attended at the recommendation of friends and family, as well as her familiarity with Spice of Life Catering. “Food was excellent, company’s great and the music’s good. I know the caterer and my sister caters,” Neal said. Neal said being able to celebrate close to home was part of the appeal of the event. “It’s nice, it’s close to home. We have a designated driver, so we’re good to go. Oh yeah, it’s a possibility that I’d return for years to come,” Neal said.

MARTINSVILLE The biggest surprise at Saturday’s swearing-in event for Morgan County Republicans was retired Judge Jane Craney being honored with a Sagamore of the Wabash award. Craney didn’t learn of the honor until Friday, though her husband, Martin Weaver, a former chairman of the Morgan County Republican Party, had known since Thursday. Craney credited her husband for the award and said she hugged him a lot when she found out about it. “It’s a lovely award, and a lot of our judges who have retired have gotten it. (Former Gov. Mitch) Daniels was very reluctant to give those out very much. And so we didn’t know what would happen. But I’m thrilled, totally thrilled,” Craney said. The award was created by former Indiana Gov. Robert Gates in 1946, and until 2006 it was the highest award an Indiana governor could confer on an individual. It honors those who have rendered a distinguished service to the state or the governor, and previous recipients have included astronauts, presidents, ambassadors, artists, musicians, politicians and ordinary residents who have contributed greatly to the Hoosier state. Daniel Elliott, the Morgan County Republican Party chairman, said he was happy with the turn of events and that he’d already asked Craney to swear in officials long before he learned she’d be given the honor. “Judge Craney has served our community for years and she’s also a personal friend. So I was really honored. One of the reasons I asked her to swear everybody in is she’s retiring; she’s served this community for many, many years. So that was a really neat bonus,” Elliott said. Elliott said Craney receiving the award made it a special swearing-in ceremony. “To have that honor happen here and to be able to allow Judge Craney to receive that award here amongst her friends and colleagues for years, you really couldn’t have capped it off better than that,” Elliott said. Those sworn in during the event at the Morgan County administration building in Martinsville ranged from representatives with years of experience in government to those brand new to the process. Karen Long was one of the latter as she was sworn in to serve District 2 of the Brooklyn Town Council. “I think it was an honor, a large honor, to be sworn in. Things that were happening in the government, I wanted to make changes, working on making things safer in our town,” Long said. Long said she hopes to work hard with her fellow council members. “I’m not a yes-man, but I’m willing to negotiate,” Long said. Holding office isn’t a new experience for Bonnie Silsby-Inman, but being sworn in after winning an election is. “I’m just really privileged to be sworn in and to be able to serve Monrovia,” the District 3 representative for the Monrovia Town Council said. “The previous term, I was appointed via caucus. The gentleman that was serving that position, he resigned, so they went ahead and appointed me, but this actually was my first term being elected in. It was different because I was sworn in downstairs in the little clerk’s office. This is much more large-scale and it’s really nice to be surrounded by other officers.” The swearing-in ceremony still holds deep value for officials who have years of government experience, such as Ryan Goodwin, now a District 2 county commissioner. “I’ve served the last six years on the council. It’s just such an honor to hold local office that it does have the same energy and excitement every time, it truly does,” Goodwin said. Goodwin said he wanted to give good value to the taxpayers and provide a good quality of life in Morgan County. “I’d just like to continue to educate the public on the role that county government plays, try to deliver services more efficiently,” he said. Holding a new office presents challenges even to experienced officials, said Elliott, the Republican party chairman. “The challenges are always when you’re new you have to learn those different things that need to be learned, like all the kind of boards, what these boards do and all the different things that are going on within that office,” he said. “You take Ryan Goodwin, who is going to be a new commissioner. He’s been in politics for a long time, he’s still going to have to learn some of the duties of the commissioner, that’s natural.” Elliott himself is new to the county council. He said the influx of new people is a good development for the county government. “When you have new people in, you have a new outlook,” he said. “So for instance, you take the county council as a good example. We have somebody who has insurance expertise, we have myself on the county council who’s new. I’m a small business owner whose specialty is information technology, so I’m able to bring those things to the table. We have Virginia (Perry), who has a lot of experience in government. “So you have these new people who are bringing their experiences in as well as the experienced individuals like Vickie Kivett who really understand the backstory and what’s going on. So you combine that and we end up with a really solid, really good mix of people who are able to, in my mind, serve our community better.”

MARTINSVILLE Manna Mission held its annual Christmas Day Dinner on Sunday and though it came down to the wire the mission got what they needed to brighten the holidays for those in need. Jeremy Tackett of Manna Mission said that this year’s Christmas was similar to Christmases of the past in terms of demand and donations. “It went pretty good,” Tackett said. “We delivered right at 850 meals. And everything went as it has in years past. It was a little more hectic and a little more last minute. Everything comes in last minute around here.We had less volunteers than we normally have around Christmas time but it could be due to the fact that it’s Christmas Day and it’s on Sunday and they’re probably attending other churches and stuff like that. As time went on more volunteers showed up.” It was business as usual for Jonathan Bower, who regularly volunteers at Manna Mission. On Sunday, he was manning the counter and dishing out hot food to the guest at the mission’s Christmas meal. It’s his faith that’s the driving force for Bower. “The Bible tells me ‘charity never faileth.’ I do whatever I can whenever I can to help the Mission all year round period. I’m doing what I’m told to do by the man upstairs,” Bower said The fact that Christmas fell on a Sunday didn’t deter volunteers Michelle Taylor and her son, Dylan, 11. “This is our first year doing it,” Taylor said. “We just got here probably about a half hour ago and sometimes we have to remember that we’re humble and to serve other people that are less fortunate than us. We didn’t make it to Thanksgiving unfortunately I didn’t get (the information) in time, but this is going to be our yearly tradition, every year hopefully, to come out here. But you know, giving back is really important to us.” Taylor said selflessness and volunteering were values she was instilling in her son. She said it was important to give back to others in need. It was Dylan’s first time volunteering and he said he liked helping others. It was a reminder of the more important part of the season beyond exchanging gifts. “Christmas is not thinking about yourself and giving and getting presents. It’s about helping others and people who are less fortunate,” Dylan said.

MORGAN COUNTY The Morgan County Substance Abuse Council is currently accepting registrations for the Strengthening Families Program. The program is free of charge to all families residing in Morgan County through a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration block grant administered through the Indiana Family Social Services Administrations/Division of Mental Health and Addiction. The Martinsville course begins Jan. 31st at Eastview Christian Church, 2745 Old Morgantown Road. Participants will meet from 6 to 9 p.m. every Tuesday for 14 weeks. A free dinner is provided with each class. Transportation and childcare are available if needed. The main objectives of the program are to strengthen parenting skills, improve children’s behavior, improve social skills, reduce child depression and aggression and enhance family functioning. The Morgan County Substance Abuse Council saw a need for a program after the results of the Indiana Youth Survey indicated a high incidence of family conflict. “We wanted to find a program that would address that,” Kristinia Love, Program Director of The Morgan County Substance Abuse Council, said. “And that was where we came up with Strengthening Families. It’s on the National Registry of Evidence based Programs and Practices. We always try to use evidence based programs so that we know they’re effective and that was the best one we found to address family conflict. This one was recently endorsed by the U.S. Surgeon General in his most recent report titled ‘Facing Addiction in America.’” The first hour of the program is a free dinner to save participants from having to prepare dinner while also emphasizing the importance of family meals. The second hour, the families are split into two classes: one for the teens and one for the parents. The parent course focuses on rewarding good behavior, clear communication and effective discipline while the teen course focuses on social and life skills communication, problem solving and coping skills. The final hour is a family class. Along with free dinner, other incentives for the class include a free family portrait during the 11th session and a graduation celebration during the 14th and final class. According to the Love, the Indiana Youth Survey data indicated that the opioid use by Morgan County Youth is very low. That can change when they get older, which is why this program is so important as a preventative measure. “The other reason for this program is that it’s prevention because of the fact that youth that are growing up in very conflicted families with a lot of arguments and disagreements and things are sometimes the youth that then turn to using substances,” Love said. “We can address that family conflict issue and get that under control. A lot of what this program teaches is life skills, both for parents and the teens so that they know how to handle problems and manage their emotions and things like that. Strengthening those skills will help keep them from using substances.” The program is not just a means of preventing future substance abuse, but can benefit all families looking to increase the effectiveness of their communication. Love said that while some participants are referred to the program by different agencies, it’s a program that’s helpful to any family experiencing difficulties. “So basically, if you’re struggling with communication and your teen feels like you really don’t listen to him or her, those are the kinds of families that can really benefit from this,” Love said. Those interested in registering for the program or seeking more information can contact Love at 765 342-1013 or send an email to kristinialove@gmail.com. Sidebar: Opioid abuse is a major health concern, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, since 1999, the rate of overdose deaths involving opioids — including prescription opioid pain relievers and heroin — has nearly quadrupled and over 165,000 people have died from prescription opioid overdoses. It’s a serious health concern in Indiana. According to the Indiana State Department of Health in 2014, 452 individuals in Indiana died of a drug overdose involving opioids and 2,822 people visited emergencey departments due to opioid overdoses. According to the ISDH’s preliminary death date for 2015, 595 individuals in Indiana died of a drug overdose involving opioids that year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention drug overdoses are the leading cause of injury-related death for Americans age 25 to 64. Indiana ranked 16th nationally for drug overdose deaths in 2013.

MARTINSVILLE Things are a little bit different on the holidays. The moods of crowds vary from the hustle and bustle of a normal day. There are those who have the day off who would otherwise be working if it were any other day. There’s something portentous about the whole affair, which is why Hoosier Harvest Church’s Christmas Eve production captures the spirit of the holiday so well. A friendly man in Victorian garb greets visitors to the church; a touch of the Dickensian is about him. As you enter the church, you pass strands of black plastic, the better to evoke the experience of traveling through space and time. The room is dimly lit and you can smell the hay and the animals of the stables. To your left you notice a merchant peddling wares. “Shalom,” a woman says in greeting as she hands you a passport. You’re in Bethlehem, in the time period around the birth of Jesus. Pass through another doorway and you’re in a lively cafe in 1950s New England. The cafe is brightly lit by Christmas lights. The smell of Christmas cookies permeates the air. It’s a stark contrast to the dim light of Bethlehem and brown robes of its residents. A trip through the Christmas Time Machine reaches it end with a short theatrical production. It’s located in Hoosier Harvest Church’s main area of worship. At the center of the stage is the titular Christmas Time Machine. The contraption resembles a blend of the elevator from the end of “Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory,” a touch of early “Doctor Who” and just a sprinkling of the 1960 film version of “The Time Machine.” It focuses on a storefront Santa who finds himself disillusioned with the holiday. He is guided by a man named Nick, who brings him to sit in on Henry Wadsworth Longfellow composing “Christmas Bells.” The Santa’s journey takes him to Bethlehem, where he learns the true importance of the holiday. The production concludes with Pastor Chris Page saying a few words and leading a candlelight vigil. Page was pleased with the attendance this year, though the numbers for the early show were a slight cause for concern. “I figured that our 9 a.m. show would be the largest. And it was by far the smallest. I think the reason is many people brought their children out. And you don’t get your children up at 8 a.m. on Christmas Eve necessarily to go somewhere. We had a tremendous number of kids come out at the 10 and the 11 show. So we learned a lot from that.” Jason Burt, a Hoosier Harvest Church parishioner, worked as an usher for the event, and his estimation was in line with Page’s. “(Attendance) is probably a little bit better than last year,” Burt said. He said the first two shows had a combined audience of around 400, and the final show of the day hit that mark and then some. For the volunteers at Hoosier Harvest Church, it goes beyond just providing a great family experience for visitors to the church — they want people to be moved by the experience. “We want people to feel Christmas at the events, not just see it, but we have plenty for them to see. If we can make a 75-year-old woman and a 4-year-old boy both have a magical and special experience, then we have accomplished our goal,” Page said. Some of that’s as simple as getting to see a live animal in the foyer of the church. That’s what brought Hoosier Harvest Church member Jennifer Gosman and her family out. “I wanted to see the camel. They’d had it before so you’re hoping they’d have it and more animals again,” Gosman said. While the animals are an attraction, Gosman said the candlelight service that concludes the event was her favorite part. Page said the church plans to stage another Christmas Eve production next year and that this year’s production went as smoothly as they hoped. Even the animals cooperated. “I don’t think the camel spit on anybody — that was a plus. That has happened in past years,” Page said.

MARTINSVILLE Michael Hughey was returning home on Lenvoil Road from taking his brother-in-law to the hospital in Indianapolis late in the evening on Dec. 12. He had dropped his brother off and headed to his place when he noticed something seemed off. “I saw smoke billowing, and I started pulling in the driveway, and I thought, ‘Boy, something just doesn’t look right about that.’ So I headed on up the road to see what it was and where it was and as I made my way up to my neighbor’s driveway I saw off in the distance the side of his house was on fire,” Hughey said. “I got up there and I got out of my van and knocked on the door and tried to wake him.” Hughey said he wasn’t sure if his neighbor Lou Johnson was home or not. He kept knocking on the door and pounding on the windows of the house, but heard no answer. Hughey kicked in the door of the screened in porch area and began trying to kick down the front door. “I kept yelling ‘Fire!’ and ‘Lou!’ and wasn’t getting any response. I came back out and had to catch my breath because it was really smoky,” Hughey said. “I went back up again and pounded on the windows and doors again, yelling and trying to awaken him.” Hughey came back out again started walking around the house to see if there was another entrance. That’s when he saw Johnson heading out the back door of the house. Hughey said Johnson had been trying to round up his pets and get them out of the house. One of his dogs, a border collie/husky mix named Jasmine, is still missing. Washington Township Fire Department Chief Lonnie Kern said the Washington Township Fire Department was there from 11:30 p.m. until 4:02 a.m. and three departments assisted with putting out the fire. Kern said that there was not enough left of the house to investigate and determine the cause of the blaze. “He said that my headlights woke him up when I come up the drive. When I got there, there were no lights on in the house at all. I wasn’t sure if he was home or not,” Hughey said. Johnson declined to comment on this story. It was memories of Hughey’s own tragedy that he said caused him to act to save his neighbor. “I lost three brothers in a house fire around this time, December of 1969, right before Christmas,” Hughey said. “You know, I was scared to death. I didn’t want to see my friend perish. I don’t know if he was awake or not, but I know that I was trying to make sure he wasn’t in the house.” After they moved a safe distance from the house, Johnson realized he didn’t have a coat. It was cold that night, 25 degrees and 19 degrees factoring in the wind chill around the time of the fire. So Hughey walked a quarter of a mile to his house to retrieve a coat for his neighbor. The tragic experience of his youth has made Hughey especially vigilant about fire safety. As a sheet metal worker, Hughey has worked with heating and ventilation, but mostly in a commercial capacity. Hughey sometimes gets asked to do residential work, but said he refuses to install wood-burning furnaces because he doesn’t want to potentially have a hand in another person’s tragedy. “I’m real mindful of fire safety,” Hughey said. “I know what’s safe and what’s not safe. I’ve had people want to put in wood-burning furnaces. I don’t want to do it. I don’t want to take on that responsibility if it catches on fire, I’d have to deal with that.” Hughey’s generosity and willingness to assist others is a big reason his daughter, Tonya Walden, calls him her hero. “People know they can call on him because they know he will come if anybody needs help, he will help,” Walden said. “Sometimes going on a car ride when I was a lot younger would take longer because there would be a car pulled over on the side of the road with a flat tire and he’d stop to help.” Walden recalled one instance on Ind. 37, near the ramps to enter and exit I-465. Walden and her father were traveling to Martinsville on Ind. 37 when they noticed a pickup truck stopped in the middle of the road. The tailgate of the woman’s truck and fallen off and she didn’t seem to know what to do. Hughey stopped the car, put on his blinkers and picked up the tailgate and put it in her truck so that she could get on her way. “You just don’t see that all the time. People see somebody on the side of the road and people are either too scared to stop because you hear scary stories or they keep going because they’re in a hurry. I think it’s a rare characteristic and I think it’s really important,” Walden said. It’s a trait that Walden has passed along to her own children. “I think it’s super important because today this person’s needing help, but tomorrow it could be you. And it’s really important that you’re there helping,” Walden said.

MARTINSVILLE The holidays are a time to give back to the less fortunate through meaningful actions. Manna Mission is one local organization doing just that with its annual Operation Outreach, a community meal served on Christmas Day for the last 33 years. Calvary Heights Baptist Church members Helen and Gene Schoolcraft started Operation Outreach in 1983. They served 37 meals in the program’s first year. That number has grown to over 1,200 meals on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Tom Tackett took over Operation Outreach in 1988 when he founded Manna Mission. Tackett incorporated Operation Outreach into Manna Mission’s name. “We began serving meals one day a week in 1988, then we went to three days a week and ultimately five days when we moved into the present location at 65 W. Morgan St. (Martinsville),” Tackett said. Manna Mission also began delivering meals five days week to home bound elderly, folks who are handicapped and those with no transportation. Tackett said that they are serving about 250 meals a day. “This year we will serve over 70,000 free meals including meals that are taken to the homeless camps in Indianapolis one day a week. Volunteers are needed for every aspect, particularly this year at Christmas since it is on a Sunday and we are encouraging scout troops, youth groups and civic organizations to take part in this year’s meal,” Tackett said. Manna Mission is in need of donations to meet the needs of the Christmas meal as well as gifts for children. The organization provides gifts to those who other charities are unable to aid, the ones who fall through the cracks. Children served range from infant to age 18. The organization also delivers gifts to individuals who are handicapped who otherwise would go without a gift on Christmas. Donations have been slower than in past years and as the Christmas holiday approaches, Manna Mission is looking for any assistance people want to offer. “We’re way behind that right now. Donations have been slow this year; a lot other things going on with a lot of other agencies. The donor dollar is spread pretty thin in the Martinsville area. And, again, this probably one of our biggest things of the year and we’re getting ready to start our 29th year Jan. 1,” Tackett said. Clothes and other personal items such as hygiene products are also in demand. Manna Mission makes a weekly trip to Indianapolis to distribute meals along with care packages at homeless camps in the city. The packages contain toiletries, clothing and items that help people to stay warm outdoors. Manna Mission is always in need of volunteers on Christmas as the numbers dip from Thanksgiving. This year could be particularly challenging as Christmas falls on a Sunday. Current needs for volunteers include drivers who distribute meals throughout the city, volunteers in the kitchen and sorting donated goods. There is also a need for volunteers to wrap gifts and the organization is need of wrapping supplies. “Volunteers early in the week are welcome to just stop by or call us at (765) 318-3212. Anybody needing a meal or knowing of anyone needing a meal please contact us, it’s never too late. We will be delivering county-wide on Christmas Day,” Tackett said. Items need for donations include wrapping paper, tape, scissors and other gift-wrapping supplies, clothes, personal hygiene items — travel size works very well —socks, clothing, toys, games, gifts for infants to young adults, hand warmers, foot warmers, gloves, hats, scarves, ham, rolls, corn, onions, potatoes, milk, butter, pork, beans, white and brown sugar, Velveeta or cheddar cheese, sandwich containers, three-compartment trays and styrofoam cups.

MARTINSVILLE — When it comes to Christmas, Hoosier Harvest Church goes all out with its holiday production — that’s the influence of HHC Senior Pastor Chris Page and associate pastor John Barrett. “John and I, we have an affinity for Christmas. We’re Christmas nerds,” Page said. Barrett’s passion for the holiday goes even deeper. He said that his family gave out candy canes for Halloween and their house was decorated for Christmas by the second week of October. It’s the type of passion that inspires and informs Christmas Time Machine, HHC’s fifth Christmas Eve production in eight years. This production, according to Page and Barrett, will be very different from previous ones as it will feature three different themes. Visitors can visit a re-creation of Bethlehem from the time of Jesus’ birth, or walk through 1950s New England, inspired by the art of Norman Rockwell. Both the Bethlehem and New England scenes feature actors in costume and live animals to immerse guests further into the experience. After taking in the sights of Bethlehem and New England on interactive walk-throughs, visitors can take in a theatrical production that focuses on a storefront Santa who goes back in time. It’s an experience designed to give Old Saint Nick a different perspective on the holiday. “The theme this year is Christmas Time Machine, but what we’re trying to portray is that all Christ traditions bow down to Christ. It’s OK to have traditions, traditions are great, but they all bow down to Christ,” Page said. The theatrical production is the brainchild of members of HHC and it’s something members have been working on months. The other components of the production will go up on today after church services, a physical realization of plans Page and Barrett have been mulling over for six months. The pastors said it’s an approach that comes from the experience gained from the previous four productions and knowing what works and what doesn’t as far as time management is concerned. Page and Barrett credit the success of the events to the members of the church, who give freely of their time and talents to make it all happen. The process of set-building is a sort of social event. “We’re having a giant pizza party afterward, so people can have some lunch,” Page said. “And everybody that can is going to stay after and we’re going to raise up Bethlehem and 1950s New England and the production as much as we can in a few hours. It’s kind of like building an Amish barn. Everybody is coming together and helping out.” Those same volunteers step up to help take it all down a week after Christmas Eve. The pastors said these elaborate productions bring members of the community to HHC who might not be members and showcase what the church is all about. “We like to think outside of the box and put creative spins on things to make them relevant, so they’re something the community can come to and connect with and recognize, but also hear a great message and be able to understand that all this leads back to Jesus at some point,” Barrett said.

MARTINSVILLE The second grade classes of Charles L. Smith Elementary School, joined the by the Smith School Honor Choir, welcomed in the holiday season with two performances of “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” Tuesday. “The Grinch” has been called a Christmas classic, having been adapted from the Dr. Seuss story into an animated special in 1966 and a live-action film in 2000. That made for an easy choice for Kari Palma, the music teacher at Smith. “It’s a great book; most of the kids are familiar with it,” Palma said. Palma said doing a production is a great way to reinforce literacy and reading. She also said it’s a good form of cross-curricular lessons. “[Students] realize there’s more than one way to tell a story. This gives them a chance to read it, act it and sing it out,” Palma said, adding that it was an opportunity for students to be on stage, gets them comfortable with public speaking and being in front of people. Skills that Palma said can translate to a variety of professions include teacher, doctor, CEO and others. It’s another way of engaging students and one that reinforces learning, she said. It’s a great form of team building, requiring students to memorize dialogue, song lyrics and multiple cues, according to Palma. Rehearsals for the show began after fall break, with students practicing once a week during music class. Aidan Martin, 7, is quieter in person than the brashness of his character, the Grinch, would suggest. He said it took him a few weeks to memorize the lines of the Grinch. Cindy Lou Who was an easy choice for Cydney Albertson, 8. “My older sister, Chelsea, was Cindy Lou and she said it was so much fun,” Cydney said. Braxton Milutin, 7, said he was very happy to play Max the Dog. “He’s my favorite thing in the movie,” Braxton said. When it comes to the holiday itself, the three leads said they value the simple things. When asked what his favorite thing about Christmas was, Aidan said, “The Baby Jesus.” Cyndey and Braxton nodded in agreement. Cydney echoed Aidan’s sentiments and for Braxton, it’s time spent with family that he enjoys the most.

Given the singer’s age at her time of passing, the chatter about the 27 Club started in earnest. The 27 Club refers to a group of rock musicians who all passed away at the age of 27. The members of the 27 Club include Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain. Making a fetish out of dying young and turning the dead into some sort of martyr is one of the most loathsome aspects of rock ‘n’ roll mythology.

Things might start off slowly. Let’s say you start your music career listening to Elvis Costello, then you might track down the work of the producer of his first four albums, Nick Lowe. Next, you might sample the wares of Joe Jackson and Graham Parker, the other two members of the so-called “angry young man” triumvirate of New Wave.

The zombie is enjoying most of the popularity in current pop culture. It’s understandable, zombies force audiences to confront their fear of death. Zombies reflect worries that consumerist society has removed our individuality and left us members of a mindless horde. Like many others in the past decade, I fell under the siren song of the zombies.

Seaman also said Lennon expressed support for Ronald Reagan and would have voted for Reagan over Jimmy Carter if he had been eligible to do so. This story is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard. The idea that the man who wrote “Imagine,” “All You Need Is Love” and “Give Peace A Chance” suddenly became a right-winger in his later years is a complete absurdity.