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CLEAR PATHS
The city pedestrian path remains clear thanks to the Shelbyville Parks Department crew. A Kubota with a snowplow is used for the task, parks director Karen Martin said.
LOCAL BIG TEN RACE RESULT OF PANDEMIC, PRUDENT PLANNING
A Big 10 Network screenshot shows the women’s cross country race in full swing at Blue River Memorial Park, January 30, 2021.
Kent Nolley, a missionary in Uganda, watched his hometown live two weeks ago thanks to the serendipitous selection of Shelbyville as host site for the Big Ten Cross Country Championships. His brother and sister-in-law, Gary and Michelle Nolley, were instrumental in pulling off the event.
“You couldn't have had the stars aligned any better,” Gary Nolley said earlier this week. “We had the best weather we could have.”
Several other factors contributed, as well. Originally slated for Michigan in the fall, Big Ten sports were delayed due to the pandemic. Although a potential cross country race in late January anywhere in the region was fraught with weather and logistical challenges, the Blue River Sports Authority’s course at Blue River Memorial Park held key advantages over its competitors.
“Our course is turnkey, boilerplate, and we’re about as far south as you can get for the Big Ten,” Nolley said.
It was also the first event following completion of a support facility. At Dr. Joel Jaeger’s urging, Major Health Partners provided significant funding for the structure last year.
“I thought this would be an excellent opportunity to improve the facilities of the course, improve delivery of medical care to local high school meets, and also attract higher-profile events at the collegiate and professional level,” Dr. Jaeger, MHP’s sports medicine physician, said.
Shelbyville Mayor Tom DeBaun was also on board, supporting city council’s $30,000 allocation of racino funds for the climate-controlled facility.
"What we're hearing from those groups when they come in, especially the NCAA groups, is that it would be nice to have a facility for athletic trainers, people to get out of the heat to work on injuries...," DeBaun told the council in September 2020.
While the mayor may not have imagined the building instead offering a respite from the wind and cold nor the NCAA coming so soon, he was pleased to see Dr. Jaeger and five athletic trainers providing injury triage from the new headquarters.
“You couldn't have christened this building with a better event,” Nolley said.
The championships, which weren't confirmed here until a few weeks prior, were held without spectators.
“It didn't have near the economic impact it could have, but the athletes and officials stayed here,” Nolley said. “And this is going to open it up for the future.”
But the grandeur of the event itself was enough for local high school runners and National Honor Society volunteers. Their tasks included collecting warm-up gear as athletes stripped down to their uniforms and changed into spikes at the last second in the cold, watching the race, sweeping runners through the finish corral, and lining up top runners for awards.
“It was a tremendous, once-in-a-lifetime experience for this group to volunteer at such a high-caliber cross country event,” Shelbyville High School cross country and track coach Whitney Campbell said. “Many of these teams are nationally-ranked D1 teams every year, and many of the top finishers are All-Americans. Anything run by the Big Ten is immaculately prepared and executed, so it was great for the kids to see their sport executed at such a high level.”
SHS junior Stefanie Howard agreed.
“As a high school cross country runner wishing to continue my career into college, for me, volunteering at the Big Ten championship was an opportunity to experience what the college running scene is like. My favorite part was fan-girling over all the super cool college runners; it was awesome.”
Recent SHS graduate and stand-out runner Matt Baker also enjoyed watching his favorite men’s team, Indiana University, place second. “It was great to see my high school home course in a small town be large enough to hold such an important meet for the conference, and run it well, I might add,” he said.
In addition to the meticulous preparations, Shelbyville benefited from a little luck. Both races were close, with a nail-biting women’s race and fantastic men’s finish. The weather, always unpredictable, also held out. Snow started to fall just after competitions were complete.
While virtually all athletic events have been modified in the pandemic, city officials were pleased for the course to get a day in the sun.
“The cross country facility that has been developed in the Blue River Memorial Park through the work of the Nolleys and their crew is truly an underappreciated asset in our community,” DeBaun said afterward.
Whether it’s people watching from Uganda or traveling from Union City for a weekend tournament, the park continues to attract groups who might not otherwise see Shelbyville.
“That means more potential customers for our restaurants and hotels, which is always good for business,” DeBaun said.
NOTEBOOK
The weekly Shelby County Commissioners meeting will be held Tuesday, 8 a.m. due to Monday’s holiday. Items on the agenda include the interlocal agreement with township trustees regarding poor relief assistance and a utility request for IWM Consulting Group to bore on Washington St. in Flat Rock.
Southwestern High School girls basketball lost in the regional championship game last night, 49-42, to Greenwood Christian Academy. The Spartans had defeated Bethesda Christian earlier in the day, 38-31, to advance behind Trinity Tatlock’s 16 points. Triton Central girls lost to University, 54-50, in regional action.
Adeline Haacker was selected as the Shelbyville High School nominee for The Indianapolis Star Academic All-Star Program.
Tyler Bowlby and Lauryn Thomas were named king and queen last night at Waldron High School’s homecoming. The Waldron boys lost to Centerville, 59-49. Bryce Yarling scored 21; Lucas Mitchell added 10.
Morristown High School boys defeated Hagerstown, 69-40.
Happy Valentine’s Day! Here’s a flashback to last year, when we published “Couples in Business Together.”
Editor’s note: Thanks again to each of you who have re-subscribed. If you wish to keep the same payment on file as before, just reply to this email and I’ll make it happen. Checks can also be made ($6/mo. or $60/year) to The Addison Times and mailed to 310 W. South St., Shelbyville, IN, 46176. Thank you again for your support!
As of yesterday, the state reported 4,516 positive coronavirus cases in Shelby County, an increase of 6 from the previous day, out of 17,931 tests, an increase of 51 from the day before. The number of deaths for Shelby County remained the same, at 88.
HOOSIER NEWS: The General Assembly will have to convene in special session sometime this fall to complete the once-a-decade redrawing of Indiana's congressional and state legislative district boundaries. The U.S. Census Bureau confirmed Friday it will not be able to deliver the detailed, localized population counts needed for redistricting purposes to Indiana prior to the mandatory April 29 adjournment of the state's regular legislative session. In fact, the Census Bureau said it doesn't expect to deliver the redistricting counts to all 50 states until Sept. 30. (Munster Times of Northwest Indiana)
THIS DAY IN SHELBY COUNTY HISTORY
News around Shelbyville and the surrounding area as reported on or about this date in history. Selections are curated from the Shelby County Public Library Genealogy Department.
20 YEARS AGO: 2001
Block for the front wall of the new Wetnight’s Shelbyville Paint and Wallpaper Company’s building at 235 E. Broadway St. was laid. Construction on the new 9,600 square-foot building had begun in December.
Shelbyville Middle School students Natalie Babbitt, Nikki Hall, Amber Lindsay, and Melanie Poehner served as pages for State Sen. Robert Jackman.
30 YEARS AGO: 1991
Mayor Dan Theobald was named chairman of the National League of Cities International Task Force. He had previously served as vice-chairman.
40 YEARS AGO: 1981
Speeding arrests dropped 40 percent in 1980 compared to 1979. Police Chief Robert Nolley said the department didn’t have a functioning radar unit for the last five months of the year.
Greek’s Pizzeria reopened after cleaning up from the recent fire on Public Square.
Dr. Philip Batton presented a program at Major Kindergarten Center to introduce kids to dental office procedures.
50 YEARS AGO: 1971
Several present and former Shelbyville area residents experienced and survived a deadly Southern California earthquake. Judge Harold Barker and his wife, Louise, had been visiting their son, Dr. James Barger, in Los Angeles when the earthquake struck. All three were uninjured. James Barger was a doctor at the Olive View Sanitarium, where the earthquake had killed three people and badly damaged the building.
Morristown’s eighth-grade basketball team was the county champs following a tournament held in Waldron. Team members were David Blackford, Ken Carlton, Tom Hanson, Jeff Carlton, Mike Beckley, Fred Haseman, Rick Ritter, Greg Willard, Jeff Rouse, Jon Bridges, Dan Timm, Jim Kirksey, and Vic West. Team managers were Bob Browder and Tim Crouch. George Phares was the coach. Cheerleaders were Rita Crim, Debbie Terrell, Rita Wheeldin, Patti Meiser, and Traci Wood.
60 YEARS AGO: 1961
About 150 Shelby County Republicans heard Congressman Richard Roudebush of Noblesville rip President John Kennedy at the annual Lincoln Day dinner. “The new President has already forgotten his inaugural address challenge in which he asked the nation, ‘Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country,’” Roudebush said. “Instead, Kennedy now has a long list of things he wants the country to do for its citizens - bigger and better housing, urban renewal, schools, health care for the aged and water supplies. And, he does not even dare estimate the cost to the taxpayers of these programs.”
The high temperature in Shelbyville was 66 degrees.
70 YEARS AGO: 1951
Lois Fischer was chosen as queen of the annual sweetheart dance at Waldron High School. The dance queen candidates with their escorts were Yantis Yarling and Rex Thoman, Marcia Pearce and Dwain Robinson, Mary Lou Douglas and Larry Dale, Alice Wisker and Lou Schrader, Janet Armstrong and Jamie Orem, Beth Meal and Dean Gahimer, Fischer and Delbert Isley, and Marilyn Mohr and Delano Newton.
80 YEARS AGO: 1941
Twenty-three raccoons were released by the Sportmen’s League in an effort to restock Shelby County with animals. “Each of the fourteen townships will receive at least a pair and some of them three,” The Shelbyville Republican said. “The raccoons will be under the protection of farmers who will see that they are not molested.”
Brigadier-General D. Wray DePrez of Shelbyville, currently with the U.S. Army at Camp Shelby, Miss., was reappointed by Gov. Henry Schricker as a member of the state armory board.
Shelbyville’s new duck-pin bowling alley opened at Joe Smith’s Tavern. Games were 10 cents each.
90 YEARS AGO: 1931
Installation of ten tubular bells began for chimes to be installed at First Baptist Church. The chimes, costing nearly $10,000, had been donated to the church by Arthur Thurston as a memorial to his wife, Mary, who had died in November 1930.
D.E. Fertig purchased the Plunkett Pharmacy on East Washington Street.
Geneva residents took many of the prizes in an Old Fiddlers’ contest held at Hawcreek Township School, east of Hope. Mary Patterson was named best Charleston dancer; Garnet Patterson was best banjo player; Raymond Kelly was best player of two instruments; the hog-calling title went to Lon Kelly; the fiddler with the best waltz tune was played by Joseph Patterson; and Lon Kelly won the honors for being both the laziest fiddler and the oldest one.
100 YEARS AGO: 1921
William Blakely, Scout executive, reported that “Miss Lizzie”, his new Ford vehicle had been stolen from his garage. He then complained that the police had made no effort to find the vehicle. Blakely later found his car in front of a local business. “He found out some of the Scout Masters in the local organization, after ‘fixing’ his family and the police,” had taken the machine out “for exercise,” The Republican said. Blakely said that one of the men involved was his insurance agent, and that he was requesting compensation from the group or from his insurance company to pay for the used gasoline.
OBITUARIES
Karson Michael Barrett, infant, passed away Thursday, February 11, 2021, at MHP Medical Center in Shelbyville. He is the son of Marquis and Cammy (Ritter) Barrett. Karson is survived by his parents of Rushville; brother, Brayton Matney of Rushville; and grandparents, Thomas Barrett (Jessica) of Hope, Robin Ritter (Russ Gordon) of Greensburg, Tracy Kubly (Joelle) of Indianapolis, and Robert Ritter (Michelle) of Juneau, Alaska.
Private services will be held at a later date. Services have been entrusted to Freeman Family Funeral Homes and Crematory, 819 S. Harrison St. in Shelbyville. Online condolences may be shared with Karson’s family at www.freemanfamilyfuneralhomes.com.