Wakarusa Patriot Day ~ ‘Remembering 9-11’ Blood Drive and Ceremony

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9-11 Remembrance, Blood Drive, Boy Scouts, Boy Scouts Surge, Community, Community Service, Elkhart County, Honoring America's First Responders, Patriotism, Sheriff Brad Rogers, United States Armed Forces, Wakarusa Indiana

Open to the Public

Patriot Day/Remembering 9-11 Blood Drive and Ceremony
BLOOD DRIVE (South Bend Medical Foundation)
When: September 11, 2013
Time: 2:30pm – 5:30pm EST
Where: Wakarusa Memorial Park
(Behind Wakarusa Elementary School)

CEREMONY

When: September 11, 2013
Time: 5:30pm – 6:15pm EST
Elkhart County Sheriff, Brad Rogers is our guest speaker.

The Wakarusa 911 Remembrance ceremony will feature guest speaker, Elkhart County Sheriff, Brad Rogers.

Where: Wakarusa Memorial Park
(Behind Wakarusa Elementary School)
Bring Chairs – Their will be some shelter.

Your local scouting community is holding their 3nd annual Scout Surge a 9-11 remembrance ceremony at Wakarusa Memorial Park. This service will last approximately 45min. Please bring your chairs as we honor and our local first responders, our armed forces and their families as well as remember this day in our nation’s history. Our guests of Honor include all branches of our local United States Armed Forces as well as our Local and County First Responders. Help us say Thank You! You will also get a chance to see Memorials MedFlight Chopper!

On September 11, 2001 nearly 3,000 innocent people died in the most devastating terrorist attack upon our country. For the families and friends of those lost on 9/11, commemorating their lives in a meaningful way ensures that their memory will live on for future generations.

In the days following 9/11, people of all ages came together as one in communities around our country. Join the Surge and show your patriotism by participating in a Day of Remembrance in your community. With your help we will Always Remember! To learn more about Scout Surge please CLICK HERE

Blood Drive Facebook Link >> CLICK HERE
Ceremony Facebook Link >> CLICK HERE

‘September 2’…68 years ago

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America, Douglas MacArthur, Elkhart, Elkhart County, Elkhart Indiana, End of WWII with Japan, History, Labor Day, Larry App, Paul Thomas, September 2, Signing of Treaty with Japan, USS Missouri, VJ Day

Gen. Douglas MacArthur accepts Japanese surrender, USS Missouri, Tokyo Bay, September 2, 1945.

What is was like in Elkhart, Indiana

during World War II?

Video by Larry App

 

“When World War II ended,” says, Paul D. Thomas, Elkhart, Indiana’s “Official Historian”, “there was more elation and more excitement in Elkhart than over anything that had ever happened before. People poured into the streets. I remember that I had a 1929 Essex. If you can believe that; in 1943, I bought a 1929 Essex. When Victory in Japan Day was announced we cruised up and down Main street and we hollered and we bellowed. And it was just one of the greatest things that ever happened.”

Thomas, owned the former Paul Thomas Shoes, served on the city council and headed the Elkhart Urban Enterprise Association, along with many other civic groups and committees.

Upon retiring,Thomas opened the “Time Was” Museum located at 125-A North Main Street, Elkhart, Indiana.

Roundabout Meeting: Wednesday, August 21

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Elkhart County, Indiana, Labor Day, Meeting, Nappanee, Nappanee Area Chamber of Commerce, News, Northwood High School, Public Information Meeting, Roundabout

The Public Information Meeting for the proposed roundabout at the intersections of SR 19 and SR 119 is scheduled for tonight at 6:00 pm at NorthWood High School.  The doors will open at 5:30 pm.

Nappanee Area Chamber of Commerce offices will be closed, Sept. 2 for Labor Day.

302 West Market Street

Nappanee, IN 46550

574.773.7812  Office

574.773.4691  Fax

Could there Possibly be a Bigger Tree in New Paris than This One? Find out at the New Paris 2nd Friday Festival, August 9

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$100 Prize, 2nd Friday, Biggest Tree Contest, Bingo, Elkhart County, Festival, Food, Neighbors Country Market, New Paris, Norma Weaver, Pro Hardware, Sunnyside Park, Sunnyside Park Fundraiser, Tree

Could anyone in New Paris possibly know where a bigger tree than this one on Ronald Payette’s property?

If Ronald Payette’s Oak tree isn’t the biggest tree in New Paris, it certainly has to be the most famous tree. Payette, the owner of New Paris’s Neighbors Country Market on County Road 23, just south of New Paris, said the original home was built on his property in 1889. 35-years-ago the family that lived in the home at that time built a tree house in the oak tree for their son.

They built a REALLY sturdy tree house.

During the 2007 tornado that ripped through much of Elkhart County with 90-mile-per-hour winds, Payette said the wind was blowing so hard it was all he could do hold the door to his house shut. However, despite the strength of the 2007 storm, which destroyed barns, homes and businesses in Elkhart County, Payette’s oak tree, and the tree house it holds, suffered no damage what-so-ever.

There is still time to enter your tree in the New Paris Sunnyside Park tree contest. The entry rules are as follows. Find the biggest tree you can find, measure up to 54 inches from the ground level, make a mark, then measure the circumference of the tree at the mark. Take reading in inches and on a sheet of paper, write the species of the tree, location, and the inches of the circumference along with your name and the date of entry. Enclose a check or money order in an envelope for the amount of $10 payable to ‘Sunnyside Park’. Mail or drop off your entry at the New Paris Pro Hardware and submit it to Norma Weaver.

The borders of your search will be confined to the Elkhart River on the North, County Rd. 31 to the East, County Rd. 50 to the South and County Rd. 21 to the West. Contest ends on August 15 at dark. The winner will be announced at Sunnyside Park on August 9′s 2nd Friday Event after Bingo. Park Board Members are not eligible. 100% of the money collected will be given to the Sunnyside Park fund. You need not be present to win. The judge’s decision will be final with reference to any questions that arise.

If you find the biggest tree, you win a $100.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL! HAVE FUN HUNTING FOR YOUR BIGGEST TREE.

51st Annual Amish Acres Arts & Crafts Festival

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Amish Acres Arts and Crafts Festival, Amish Exhibits, Art, Crafts, Educational Exhibits, Elkhart County, Family Fun, Indiana, Local Craftsmen, Nappanee

Nappanee, IN – Amish Acres Historic Farm & Heritage Resort will host the 51st annual Arts & Crafts Festival August 1 through August 4, 2013. For the fifth time, Amish Acres has been selected by the American Bus Association (ABA)as a TOP 100 event in North America solidifying the festival’s standing in the top echelon of America’s festivals dedicated to the creative arts. In addition, the Arts and Crafts Festival was recognized for the first time as a top ten event in the state of Indiana by AmericaTheBeautiful.com and Top Events USA.

The event’s 2014 “Proud as a Peacock’s Plumage: The Colorful World of Art” theme is derived from the new “It’s A-Peeling” apple art, an Interactive outdoor art exhibit placing four foot high fiberglass apples designed and painted by local artists around Nappanee and funded through individual and corporate sponsorships. Amish Acres apple features a peacock in full plumage promoting Amish Acres historic Kuhn’s Apple Cider Mill, ranked one of the Top 10 Cider Mills in America.

Over 300 artists and crafter’s from 35 States, surround Amish Acres pond to ply their trade and sell their wares. The event brings to this northern Indiana historic farm a marketplace filled with the creations of artists and artisans from every corner of the country. Nearly 60,000 visitors, many representing third generations, descend on the farm annually for the celebration that includes live strolling musicians and entertainment on four stages throughout the day, festive food from apple pie to zucchini bread, and $5,000 in cash prizes awarded by professional judges from 900 entries in the competition tent.

The fourth generation of the founding family is now involved in the festival’s

The cider mill stood in two locations before being moved to the Amish Acre location in the early 1900s. It was used each fall to press cider from the orchands of neighboring Amish farmers. The press has a listed capacity of 3,000 gallons per day. It was powered by a steam engine. The stone grist mill was added by Amish Acres.

planning and production. Richard Pletcher, founder of the festival and Amish Acres, remains CEO and Jennifer Pletcher Wysong is the festival director. The event started as a clothes line show in downtown Nappanee during sidewalk days in 1962. Amish Acres was created and grew out of the demand from the early festival’s visitors for Amish related experiences and products.

Over $250,000 in cash prizes have been awarded over the last five decades. The Best of Show collection is on permanent display in the new Arts & Crafts Best of Show Museum located in the Barn Loft Wine Room of Amish Acres Restaurant.

Festival hours & Admission Prices are:

• Thursday-Saturday (August 1-3) 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Sunday (August 4) from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Admission price is $7.00 for adults, $6.00 for seniors (60 & older), active military, and students 12 – 17 and free for children under age 12.
• Round Barn Theater Curtain Times 7:30pm
• Parking is free with several parking areas and six entrances for visitors’ convenience.

Amish Acres is located on U.S. Highway 6, one mile west of downtown Nappanee.  Pre-event tickets and four-day passes can be purchased online. More information on Amish Acres, the Arts and Crafts Festival, and The Round Barn Theatre can be obtained online at AmishAcres.com

Free School Supplies and Immunizations for Elkhart Students

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Children, Community, Community Event, Education, Elkhart, Elkhart County, Elkhart Indiana, Free Pre-School Immunizations and Health Examinations, Free School Supplies, Health Examinations, Immunizations, Medical Care, Schools, Students

Located in Elkhart, Indiana, Back-2-School Elkhart brings together people and organizations to ensure that Elkhart’s under-served school aged children are prepared to succeed by creating a “one stop” location for all back-to-school needs.

Announcing this year’s event:

Saturday, July 27, 2013, 9am until supplies run out
CONCORD MALL:
3701 South Main Street  Elkhart, IN  46517
Supplies, backpacks, shoes, carnival,
concert.

Saturday, August 3, 2013, 9am-3pm
TOLSON CENTER: Health Fair
1300 Benham Avenue Elkhart IN  46516
health fair, school physicals and immunizations.

How to get utility bill assistance in Elkhart County…

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Church Community Services, Electric Bill, Elkhart County, Elkhart County Township Trustees, Elkhart Salvation Army, Emergency Assistance, Family Christian Development Center, Financial Assistance, Goshen Salvation Army, Heat, Inc., Indiana, Mortgage Payment, Open Door, Real Services, Rent, Water Bill

First contact your utility company to find out if they offer payment plans, free conservation measures, or shut off prevention.

As the temperature increases, the energy companies in the region find that people’s utility bills spike up accordingly. Those sudden spikes have been leading to more Elkhart County families seeking help.

Local organizations working together to help low income, struggling, and unemployed residents pay their bills include Elkhart Community Church Services, Open Door, Inc. (for Elkhart County residents living south of Goshen), Family Christian Development Center (for residents in the Wa-nee School District), Real Services, Inc. as well as Elkhart County’s Township Trustees and the Salvation Army.

For more information about emergency assistance call:

• Church Community Services: 295-3673

• REAL Services, Inc.: 233-8205

• Open Door: 773-3820

• Family Christian Development Center: 773-2149

• Elkhart Salvation Army: 970-0088 (Northern half of Elkhart County)

• Goshen Salvation Army: 533-9584 (southern half of Elkhart County)

Here’s how to get in touch with the township trustees:

• Baugo: 293-5873

• Benton: 642-3659

• Cleveland: 264-2453

• Clinton: 642-3202

• Concord: 293-6889

• Elkhart: 533-2066

• Harrison: 875-6408

• Jackson: 831-3322

• Jefferson: 535-9015

• Locke: 773-3320

• Middlebury: 825-3446

• Olive: 862-1480

• Oscelo: 262-2175

• Union: 784-3110

• Washington: 848-7024

• York: 848-9387

The weekly hours for Community Church Services emergency assistance:

Monday, Wednesday and Thursday

9 AM-11:45 AM and 1 PM-3:45 PM

Tuesday

9 AM-11:45 AM and 1 PM-7 PM

Friday

No emergency services available

Date Set for Goshen’s 4th of July Fireworks

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2013, 4th of July, Celebrate America, Community, Elkhart County, Elkhart County Indiana, Family Fun, Fireworks, Fireworks Display, Indiana, July, Music

Goshen’s Celebrate America recently held its kick-off meeting at First Baptist Church in Goshen, Indiana.  Celebrate America’s 2013 fireworks display and  patriotic program will be held Sunday, July 7th, at Black Squirrel Golf Course. Two musical groups, Exalt Brass and Gold will perform during the evening.

The patriotic program will begin at about 8:00 PM and the fireworks will go off at dark (about 10:00 PM). There is no charge for admission and free parking will be available at the First Baptist Church of Goshen, or Goshen Middle School. Both are on the corner of Plymouth and Indiana Ave. and are just a short walk from the Golf Course. Handicapped parking is available at the Golf Course. Bring your blanket, lawn chairs, lawn games, and picnic for a relaxing and fun family friendly evening! Concessions will be available.

According to Goshen Celebrate America’s president, Greg Lanzen, Celebrate America’s annual firework display is just the icing on the cake.  “We celebrate with a party,” Lanzen said, “but the rest of the year we are busy overseeing different parts of Celebrate America with a patriotism education program at Goshen’s middle and elementary schools and with our veterans program.”

As part of the veteran’s program, Goshen’s Celebrate America partners with local veterans organizations to help send WWII, Korean, and Vietnam veterans to Washington D.C. to tour the city and Washington D.C.’s military memorials.”

Here is a video of Goshen’s VFW Post’s 2009 trip. Maybe you’ll see yourself or someone you know on this video:

CHECK OUT: Church Community Service’s New Food Pantry

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Church, Church Community Service, Civic Engagement, Civic Service, Community Service, Elkhart County, Elkhart County Business Donations, Elkhart County Indiana, Food, Food bank, Friends, Good Deeds, Goshen Indiana, Helping, Helping Friends, Helping Hand, Labor of Love, Michiana Tea Party Coalition, Neighbors, Volunteering, We the People 912

Labor of Love, which included businesses from St. Joseph and Elkhart counties, as well as “We the People” 912 and  the Michiana Tea Party Coalition distributed 80 bins and were among the first contributors to the new pantry.

More and more Elkhart County families are struggling on a daily basis to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. It isn’t just the unemployed either. Parents are working multiple jobs and skipping meals just so they can make sure their children are fed.  They have tough decisions to make every day: whether to fill up the car or put food on the table; whether to pay the utilities or put food on the table; whether to pay the rent or put food on the table. All it takes is one illness, one dead car battery or one rent hike and they can no longer take care of their family without help.

For those without family or friends nearby, Church Community Services provides hope , in the form of food and education and finanacial assistance to families going through hard times in Elkhart County.  When families are living in poverty, they have to do without a lot of things – food should not be one of them.

Tuesday, September 4th, 2012 was a huge day for Church Community Services.

It was the grand opening of Church Community Services’ long awaited renovated food pantry and warehouse.  Church Community Services has been working towards making this transition for 4 years.  The new building will give them the resources, space, and opportunity to better serve needs in our growing community.  It will allow them to store and distribute more food. It  will be cleaner and more welcoming, and will give space to be more volunteer- and client- friendly. They will also be able to put more focus on education, such as providing handy recipes and nutritional facts.

The new pantry is 1,225 sq. ft. compared to the former 494 sq. ft.  The new warehouse is 2,910 sq. ft. compared to the current 1,680 sq. ft.  There is also a 864 sq. ft. welcome center complete with a children’s area, and a prayer room for anyone who feels a need to pray. Lots of love and labor was put into this project, and IT SHOWS!

This nutrician video, full of advice on meal planning, preparation and nutrition runs 24/7 in the waiting room.

Amazing things happen when we are given the privilege of being the channels of the Holy Spirit’s prayer. Church Community Service’s new pantry facility includes a chapel to assist client’s needs.

Here is part of the children’s play area where volunteers watch the children while their parents shop at the pantry.

The ‘Seed to Feed’ vegetables look so good! Fresh garden vegetables are ALWAYS so appreciated.

Mary Kneller, Food Director for Church Community Services, generously used up some of her very valuable time to show me the new facilities. It was a real pleasure.

Elkhart Citizen proud to help his Elkhart County neighbors

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Appreciation, Church Community Serices, Civic Engagement, Civic Service, Community, Community Engagement, Dave Hochstetler, Donation, Elkhart County, Elkhart County Indiana, Feed, Food bank, Food Pantry, Franklin Citgo, Fresh Garden Vegetables, Garden Crops, Generosity, Grateful, Green Beans, Harvest, Harvests, Helping Neighbors, Mr. Singh, Need, Neighbors, Ron Robinson, Seed to Feed, Tomatoes, Volunteering

“This a testament to the reach of hunger and the plight of people in need. What an excellent expression of Elkhart…. ” said Rob Robinson, executive director of Church Community Services in response to Mr. Singh of Franklin’s Citgo’s generous donation.

“Elkhart as been good to me and my family. I want to give something back to this community.” Mr. Singh, owner of Franklin’s Citgo, said his generous gift to Elkhart families in need was  his way of giving back to Elkhart County.

Thank you, Mr. Singh, for the financial gift you brought to us from your business. You’re helping us extend hope to lots of your neighbors. What a pleasure to meet you,” Rod Roberson, executive director of Church Community Services, is most appreciative of the support Church Community Services has received from businesses like Mr. Singhs and from much of the Elkhart Community.

The results of some of ‘Seed to Feed’s” first harvest. I can hardly believe the summer and food picking season is almost over.

Church Community Service’s Weekly ‘Seed to Feed’ Update…

Hi Everyone,
As summer is coming to a close, so will our gardens. But, we still have
some good harvests left to pick. We will go back to our regular schedule:
the Bullard Garden on CR17 will be picked on Monday, Sept 10th at 6:00 p.m.
This will probably be about our last picking. We might have one more on the
17th of Sept, but we will let you know.

The Goshen Garden on CR 36 will be picked on Tuesday, Sept 11, at
6:00 p.m. and we should have a “stellar” harvest of tomatoes and peppers. The
green beans are just about finished, but we still might get some this next
week.

The potato field will be tentatively be ready to pick up next Friday,
Sept.14. The field will be “turned” and then we have a 24 hr window to
pick up the potatoes before they turn green which is not good. We will need
about 50 volunteers with 5 gal buckets to pick them up and load them into
the containers that will then be loaded onto the semi. Date and details to
follow next early next week.

And finally, I’d like to thank the 7th grade class of St. Thomas School
for their wonderful support of the Seed to Feed program. They came to CCS
yesterday along with their teachers and mothers, took a tour of CCS to see
what happens on a daily basis at the Food Bank and then came to the Bullard
Garden to pick beans. The students, 50 in total, along with their teachers
and mothers all got down in the dirt and picked 430 lbs of green beans in
2 hrs. It was a good learning experience for the kids and what a wonderful
blessing for the Food Bank and the people they serve. Thank You kids,
teachers and mothers for your wonderful support!!!
Have a great weekend and we’ll see you at the gardens as we close out
the harvests over the next few weeks, and don’t forget the potato field.
Details will follow next week.

Blessings
Dave Hochstetler
Coordinator of the ‘Feed to Seed’ Program

Related articles

• We ARE our brother’s keeper: Elkhart County works together to assist neighbors in need (elkhartcountygrassrootshub.wordpress.com)
• Help Labor of Love fill Elkhart County’s food pantries (elkhartcountygrassrootshub.wordpress.com)
• How to get emergency assistance in Elkhart County for utility bills (elkhartcountygrassrootshub.wordpress.com)