Senior swimmers recognized at Bluffton

The Bluffton girls' swim team recently held its senior recognition night. Pictured above are, left to right, Mykayla Rodenbeck, Audry Estill and Robin Butler

4-H extension calendar

January 28: Girl Scout Birthday Celebration, Wells County Community Center, 4-H Park, Bluffton, noon - 3 p.m.
January 31: Wells County 4-H BB Gun & Rifle Safety Club, Wells County Community Center, 4-H Park, Bluffton, 6:30-8 p.m.
February 5: Wells County Horse & Pony Club, Wells County Community Center, 4-H Park, Bluffton, 5 p.m.
February 5: Wells County Horse & Pony Advisory Board, Wells County Community Center, 4-H Park, Bluffton, 6 p.m.
February 7: Wells County 4-H BB Gun & Rifle Safety Club, Wells County Community Center, 4-H Park, Bluffton, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
February 12-18: Wells County 4-H Week
February 14: Wells County 4-H BB & Rifle Safety Club, Wells County Community Center, 4-H Park, Bluffton, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
February 16: WELLS WEIGHS IN, monthly weigh-in
February 18: Wells County, 4-H Open House and Enrollment Event, Wells County Community Center, 4-H Park, Bluffton, 8 a.m. - noon
February 18: Wells County 4-H Jr. Leader Pokagon Trip, 4-H Park, Bluffton, 12:30 p.m.
February 20: Wells County 4-H Association, Wells County Community Center, 4-H Park, 7 p.m.
February 21: Wells County 4-H BB Gun & Rifle Safety Club, Wells County Community Center, 4-H Park, Bluffton, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
February 21: Wells County 4-H Foundation, Wells County Community Center, 4-H Park, 6:30 p.m.
February 28: Wells County 4-H BB Gun & Rifle Safety Club, Wells County Community Center, 4-H Park, Bluffton, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

4-H BB & Rifle safety sign up available

Youth in grades 3 – 12 may still enroll in this year’s Wells County 4-H BB & Rifle Safety Club at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 31, at the Wells County 4-H Park in Bluffton. Meetings will continue from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. each Tuesday until April 3rd.

Youth in grades three, four and five can participate in BB Gun. Youth in grades six and above can participate in rifle or pistol. Youth may become 4-H members when they enter third grade and may continue their membership through grade 12.

A membership fee of $20 should be paid at the first meeting. A supply fee of $10 for BB and $15 for rifle will also be collected. The supply fee covers the cost of equipment, materials, ammunition, insurance, and awards. Checks should be made payable to Wells County 4-H.

Scholarships are available by checking with 4-H Leaders at the events. If you have more than one person in the family, the second member is at a lower fee. No person will be turn away due to financial constraints.

The 4-H Shot Gun Safety Club, 4-H Pellet Pistol Safety Club and the 4-H Archery Club will all begin in April.

For more information about 4-H, contact the Wells County office of the Purdue Cooperative Extension Service, 260-824-6412 or one of the Shooting Sports Leaders, Don Kiefer, 260-824-1585; Chad Captain, 260-417-6488; Tex Mauger, 260-827-0266; Gregg Palmer, 260-701-2975; or Kevin Springer, 260-565-3323.

4-H Horse and Pony Club to meet

The Wells County 4-H Horse & Pony Club will meet at 5 p.m. Sunday, February 5, at the Wells County Community Center at the 4-H Park in Bluffton. 4-H membership forms will be available for youth to sign up for this year’s Horse & Pony Club.

Youth may become 4-H members when they enter third grade and may continue their membership through the completion of grade 12. Each individual may continue membership for a maximum of 10 consecutive years. Youth in grades K – 2 may join the Mini 4-H Horse & Pony project.

Youth may also do the horse poster project. In this project, youth select a horse related topic to learn about and then make a poster for display at the annual 4-H Fair, July 14-19. For more information about the 4-H Horse & Pony Club, contact Rhonda Phillips at 260-638-4744 or Lisa Toliver at 260-557-4745.

The club-sponsored annual tack auction will be held 5 p.m. Saturday, February 18, at the 4-H Park in Bluffton.

Hoosier homestead gathering at Salamonie Lake, May 5-6

The Hoosier Homestead Gathering, May 5 and 6, at Salamonie Lake, offers guests the opportunity to learn how to simplify their lives.

Guests can meet people who have already simplified by doing things such as using solar energy and raising bees. Going to the Hoosier Homestead Gathering will help visitors make the connections needed to show them how to make desired changes.

On May 5 the event runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 6 hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The program fee is $3; children age 3 and younger are free. The park entrance fee is $5 per car for Indiana residents and $7 per car for out-of-state residents.

Hoosier Homestead Gathering also seeks people who are interested in setting up a booth representing a simplified lifestyle or a homespun business.

For more information about attending or being a vendor, contact Upper Wabash Interpretive Services at (260) 468-2127 or lfager@dnr.IN.gov.

Open gym available

Open gym has begun for students in grades K-12. They are invited to the city gym for supervised play every day usually from 4 to 7 p.m.

Basketballs and other equipment are provided during this time. Times vary for special events. For more information call 824-6069.

Parkview Field ranked #1 MILB experience

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Stadium Journey, sports travel publication and website, released their Top 100 sporting venues. Parkview Field was ranked as the #1 ballpark in all of Minor League Baseball and the #13 venue in all of professional sports in their "Best of 2011" publication.

"It's an honor to be recognized in this way," said TinCaps President, Mike Nutter. "Stadium Journey has become a resource for sports fans across the country due to their extensive listings and rankings of sports venues. To be ranked as the best in Minor League Baseball is truly significant. To be listed as the #13 overall venue, among some of the most highly regarded facilities in all of sports, is a testament to the quality of Parkview Field and the way this community has embraced the ballpark."

"We considered 754 venues for our 'Best of 2011' publication," stated Paul Swaney, Editor and Co-Founder of Stadium Journey. "Parkview Field was literally the first Minor League ballpark we visited as part of our rankings and it set the standard. The apple theme throughout the ballpark, and being located in the heart of downtown Fort Wayne, created a complete thematic experience and the perfect way for the team and the ballpark to be a part of the community."

"If you ran a minor league team and you were taking a test on how to build a minor league park, this would be the paper you would want to cheat off of. Parkview Field is the Stadium Journey Best Minor League Baseball venue for 2011. Make the trip to Fort Wayne and you'll see why." (quote from www.stadiumjourney.com review of Parkview Field)

Stadium Journey's Top 10 Minor League Baseball venues
1. Parkview Field - Fort Wayne TinCaps - Fort Wayne, Indiana
2. Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium - Montgomery Biscuits - Montgomery, Alabama
3. BB&T Coastal Field - Myrtle Beach Pelicans - Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
4. MCU Park - Brooklyn Cyclones - Brooklyn, New York
5. Daniel S. Frawley Stadium - Wilmington Blue Rocks - Wilmington, Delaware
6. Coca-Cola Park - Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs - Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania
7. The Epicenter - Rancho Cucamonga Quakes - Rancho Cucamonga, California
8. Arrowhead Credit Union Park - Inland Empire 66ers - San Bernadino, California
9. Fifth Third Field - Dayton Dragons - Dayton, Ohio
10. Appalachian Power Park - West Virginia Power - Charleston, West Virginia