Saturday, February 11, 2023

Community Health Center to Move this Month

Officials with The Jane Pauley Community Health Center announced the organization’s new location, 1818 East State Road 44, in the former Gordman’s pictured above, will open Feb. 24. The current and soon-to-be previous location, pictured below, is nearby at 1640 East State Road 44. JPCHC provides family practice, pediatrics, behavior and mental health and accepts Medicare, Medicaid and most commercial insurances. | photos by JACK BOYCE

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NOTEBOOK:

• After the Town of Morristown filed legal proceedings regarding the dilapidated condition of an abandoned home at 217 E. Fletcher St., the out-of-state owner has placed the 5-bedroom, 2-bath residence on the market for $49,900. The offering immediately attracted the attention of several investors, including a local one who spoke with the council at their Wednesday meeting. The investor, who put in an offer, said there was “a lot of potential,” but the purchaser would be responsible for existing liens. Town Council members indicated they would continue to pursue legal options in the meantime and discussed ways to secure the property.

• Local casino revenue remains strong. Horseshoe Indianapolis (Shelbyville), reported a haul of $24.9 million last month, above the $24.3 million in adjusted gross revenue reported December 2022 and the $21.2 million in January 2022.

• PK U.S.A. announced the creation of a referral program. Referrals (new employees) and the PK associate that referred them will receive a $1,000 referral fee after three months, then a retention fee of $2,000 after six months, then an anniversary fee of $2,000 after 12 months of employment, totaling $5,000 to be paid to both the current PK associate and the new associate after the 12-month time frame. Bill Kent, Vice-President of Corporate Relations, said, “Like most corporations in Shelby County, we’ve had challenges finding associates to fill our manufacturing needs, and after some brainstorming, it was determined we have great recruitment channels right here in our own company. There’s no better way to hire than with referrals from our own associates. They know friends and family who would fit in to our PK U.S.A. environment.” The robust referral program allows any PK U.S.A. associate to refer as many people as they wish to any open position. Interviews will be conducted as usual, and normal recruitment activities will remain the same. All job openings within PK U.S.A. Shelbyville are included.

• Editor’s Note: Please disregard any renewal or cancelation emails; these are automated from the software company. You will continue to receive the daily edition until our closure March 1 without additional payment. On another administrative note, a few customers were charged for another month. I’m not sure how that happened, but I am monitoring this daily and immediately issuing refunds when necessary. Of course, let me know if you have any questions. My apologies for the confusion! - Kristiaan

• HOOSIER NEWS: How close is too close for the public to approach a police officer when the officer is making an arrest, has someone pulled over or is otherwise engaged in his or her official duties? Rep. Wendy McNamara, R-Evansville, believes a separation of at least 25 feet between an officer and any bystanders is appropriate once the officer asks bystanders to step back. "This is more than just about police officer safety," she said. "This is about public safety as well. Things can escalate quickly." The McNamara-led House Courts and Criminal Code Committee agreed Wednesday and voted 13-0 to advance House Bill 1186 to the full chamber. (Munster Times of Northwest Indiana)

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SHELBY COUNTY PEOPLE & PLACES: KATIE HINSCHLAEGER

Editor’s note: In the mid- to late 1940s, The Shelbyville Republican published a series of articles by Ave Lewis and Hortense Montgomery covering community people and places. Below is one of those features. 

Had it not been for the advent of talking motion pictures, it's possible that a great many Shelbyville people who play the piano today still wouldn't know an A sharp from a B flat. For with the coming of talkies Katie Hinschlaeger lost her job as pianist at a local theater and one more music teacher was added to the city's few.

“Katie,” as it’s safe to say more than half of the people in Shelbyville, at least the “natives,” know her, has been playing the piano since she was three years old. Of course the “playing” at that age consisted of sitting under a dining room table and pretending the table leg was a keyboard, but at four she was pulling herself up to a piano and picking out tunes of church hymns.

“Picking out tunes” is a process which constantly is going on in Katie's mind. Melodies float around in her head like will-of-the-wisps, and she says, “I can't even play a decent game of bridge because always I'm subconsciously hearing notes strung together and find myself counting.” And she doesn't mean counting the probable tricks in her hand.

She thinks her lifelong devotion to music has robbed her, to a certain extent, of the normal good times that ordinary young people and adults enjoy. “I never have had fun at dance parties, etc. like other people because I always was on the other side of the fun - playing for the other fellow, so I taught myself that my work would be my fun.” And that she enjoys her work is evident in watching her play.

Katie has adopted much the same philosophy about remaining in Shelbyville, her hometown. She sums it up this way: “Musicians come and go from here, and occasionally when they return and ask, ‘Are you still playing here,’ I wonder if I might have gone farther had I left. But Shelbyville has been pretty good to me and I like it.”

She started her first lesson with Mrs. Maurice Gore when she was eight, and at 12 she played for her first dance. “I'll never forget it,” she says, “I was scared to death.” The dance was given by a local men's club of which Bert Bright and Emil Thomas were members and she received $1.25 for her evening's work. Her first regular job was with the German Presbyterian church, which was located on the corner of Pike and Broadway.

With the exception of the Cozy, Katie has played in every theater ever located in Shelbyville. It was at the Nickelo on Broadway that she learned that singing was not included in her musical talents. Seems the film in those days were one-reel affairs which necessitated rewinding between each showing. During the rewinding intervals the theater management entertained its patrons by showing illustrated slides on the screen by a soloist. It was on an evening that the soloist, Merle Williams, failed to appear that Katie found herself singing the lyrics as well as playing the accompaniment. “In a voice that wasn't human,” she says.

By this time theaters were adding special attractions, and she remembers the weekly amateur night programs at the Grand, which was in the southwest corner of the Public Square. Three men still residing here often added their bit to these affairs: S.F. Lundy, Orville Cuzzort and Bruce Haehl. Their specialty was acrobatic acts.

Workers still were excavating for the foundation of the Alhambra, and Katie approached the owner, the late Frank Rembusch, for the position of pianist. Building of the Alhambra was a big event in the annals of motion picture houses. It was one of the largest in the state and also the first to have a Bartola organ. Katie was the first person in the city to play the instrument which she says now reminds her somewhat of a solovox, and it was the means of her securing the only job which took her out of Indiana for any length of time.

The president of the Bartola company visited the theater and upon hearing her play offered her a position demonstrating the instrument. So World War I found Katie in Sioux City, Iowa, playing in a theater where Henry Busse and his trumpet and a 12-piece band also were playing.

Returning here, she became pianist at the Strand on the date of the theater's first anniversary. Not too long after this came the talkies and the nemesis for all theater pianists. Katie's next venture was with a band organized by John Day Friday. “People danced to it but it was strictly jam sessions,” she says, “we each played our own way and the only time we ever were together was at the beginning and end of a number.” During that period and following, she was building up a clientele of pupils and playing for funerals and weddings, church functions, teas and all the other activities which go to make up the social life of Shelbyville.

She has played at her home church, the Christian Science, since it was built in 1916, and last August marked her 25th anniversary of playing for the Rotary Club. She also has played almost 22 years for the Kiwanis Club and for the Lions Club almost since its organization here. And now she has a half-hour program each Tuesday and Thursday evening over radio station WSRK.

Katie likes “advancements” in her career. She was the first musician in town to own a solovox and now buzzing around in her head along with the eternal melodies is the idea of buying a Hammond organ.

Meanwhile her daily schedule of pupils looks like the biggest physician's appointment book. My head's buzzing too, at the thoughts of all the “one and two and three and's” she counts each day - not with the melodies she hears. I wasn't born with music in my fingertips.

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This Week in Shelby County" works by George L. Stubbs Sr. are owned by the Shelby County Historical Society (Grover Center) and used with permission.

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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: 2003
Shelbyville firefighters Nic Weber, Chris Lee and Jeff Smith freed Ted Moose, a 125-pound dog owned by Dean and Debra Barton and their son Corey, from the icy Flat Rock River. Ted had been clinging to the edge of a hole in the ice, desperate to keep his head above the freezing water.

30 YEARS AGO: 1993
The Shelbyville Common Council approved spending $45,000 to pay for a rail spur near Nippisun Indiana Corp. in North Ridge Industrial Park. The council also asked for resumes for appointment to the Shelbyville Central Schools Board. The terms of board members Jim Cherry and Jim Garrett Jr. would expire July 1.

40 YEARS AGO: 1983
A newspaper photo showed Mike Lee and Paul Bowers installing a front porch railing on Bowers’ nephew’s home (Myron Rawlings) on Main Street. The two handymen said they had created their own jobs to “get off unemployment.” Both had been laid off and had started a small repair business.

50 YEARS AGO: 1973
Shelbyville Police Chief Robert Williams was accepted to attend a three-month training course in the FBI’s National Academy. Major Robert Phares would be the acting city police chief during Williams’ absence.

60 YEARS AGO: 1963
A landmark was demolished to make way for an 8-unit apartment building to be constructed at 110 W. Broadway by Mr. and Mrs. Homer Wertz, who lived at 102 W. Broadway. The brick house at 110 was one of the oldest houses on W. Broadway, said to be more than 100 years old. The first known owner was Squire VanPelt, then the house was inherited by Squire Major, who was the father of the late Harry Major. Mr. and Mrs. Wertz had bought the property 10 years prior and used it for apartments.

70 YEARS AGO: 1953
Waldron High School received a new organ, the only one owned by a Shelby County high school. A newspaper photo showed Mary Lou Douglas at the organ with Dwain Robinson, Mellie Jane Conger, Faith Meal and Bill Laird nearby.

80 YEARS AGO: 1943
The low temperature in Shelbyville was one degree below zero.

A freight train wreck on the Big Four line near Greensbug tied up traffic for nearly 24 hours. Nineteen cars in an east-bound freight train had derailed at a pumphouse and not a train passed through Shelbyville on the line until late in the day. A minimum of eight trains, many of them laden with vital war materials, would normally have traveled over the line during the period.

90 YEARS AGO: 1933
Mrs. Claudia Force, home economics teacher at Fairland High School, said all senior girls had completed sewing their graduation dresses. The cheapest had been made for 96 cents; the most expensive for $1.14. White duck trousers and dark coats would be worn by the boys.

The St. Louis Crossing grade school burned down, leaving its 61 students home for the day. A defective stove in the building was cited as the cause of the fire. Teachers employed there were Josephine Higgins, Helen Spivey and Cordelia Wheaton. A discussion was held regarding transporting the students to Clifford for instruction. There was also talk of leaving one grade housed in the township hall at St. Louis Crossing.

100 YEARS AGO: 1923
Prof. Roy Ray spoke to the local Rotary Club about the curriculum at the high school. “Citizens who incline to the idea that the city schools are doing little or nothing in advancing the students to useful lives and occupations should hear Prof. Ray,” The Republican said. “Prof. Ray stated that when a boy enters school that it is the boy and not the school that makes the choice of his students. If the boy thinks he wishes to follow a certain occupation he is given that work to do. For six weeks he is given direct training by a line of tests to ascertain his ability in that direction.” If the boy struggled, he would be encouraged to try another occupation, Ray said.

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INCIDENTS

• A vehicle ended up in the ditch off Lee Blvd. The driver said he had turned too soon trying to get to Applebee’s.

• A vehicle crashed on Tom Hession Drive after fleeing from law enforcement. The vehicle, going about 75 miles per hour, ended up in a ditch near a field, causing it to flip on its top. Fire Department personnel arrived to extricate the Indianapolis driver, who was transported to Methodist Hospital.

• Burglary was reported in the 700 block of S. West St., Shelbyville.

• Thefts were reported in the 700 block of Berkeley Dr. and 700 block of S. West St., Shelbyville.

• JAIL BOOK-INS: Jessica L.N. Back, 29, possession of meth; Robert D.A. Boone, 30, possession of meth; Jennifer L. Chaney, 30, possession of meth; Van C. Cung, 33, public intoxication; Erbie L. Flitcraft, 24, possession of meth; James L. Graham, 42, unknown hearing, hold for another jurisdiction; Lance M. Hazelwood, 29, burglary; Curtis J. Heagy, 42, writ of attachment (3 counts); invasion of privacy; Kyle A. Hyden, 36, possession of meth; Zane D. Ransom, 21, OVWI.

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OBITUARIES

None today

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Japanese National Holidays

February 11 is regarded as Japan’s National Foundation Day, the day that the ancient Japanese Emperor Jimmu allegedly united what would become the nation of Japan, in 660 BCE. Of course, many of the early emperors of Japan hold legendary and mythical status because it is unknown if they actually existed as they are remembered today, but it is believed in popular lore that Jimmu established his reign through astute military maneuvering and united the various regions to form Japan.

The other February holiday in Japan is on the 23rd, and it is called Tenno Tanjobi (Emperor’s birthday). Previously, this holiday was celebrated on December 23, as this was the birthday of the Emperor Emeritus, Akihito (Heisei Emperor), and once he stepped down then his son, Naruhito’s birthday, now the Reiwa Emperor, was adopted as the national holiday to celebrate the reigning emperor’s birthday.

March 21 is celebrated as “Vernal Equinox Day.” This holiday officially marks the beginning of the spring season. Traditionally, however, this date was used to celebrate a Shinto rite called “Shunki Koreisai,” which was a religious based celebration, but it changed to Vernal Equinox Day after Japan’s postwar 1948 constitution called for a complete separation of church and state. As expected, the Vernal Equinox represents the time when the sun passes directly over the equator.

Showa Day is April 29 and is now used to remember the Showa Era (1926-1989). It represents the hard work the Japanese people did to rebuild the country after World War II. Japan was nearly completely destroyed yet was able to rebuild itself back better than pre-WWII. It was also the birthday of the Showa Emperor (Hirohito) and because he lived so long, the holiday became an accustomed expectation so it was decided to continue celebrating the day under a new name.

Showa Day combines with three other holidays in early May to make up what is affectionately called “Golden Week.” I prefer to call it “A Golden Few Days” because unless the dates happen to fall before a weekend, the days in between often are regular workdays, so while theoretically the days fall within the same week usually, they are not consecutive, so many people will have a day off, work a day or two, then have more days off for the prescribed holidays.

The May holidays during this period are “Constitution Memorial Day,” “Greenery Day,” and “Children’s Day.” These are May 3, 4, and 5, respectively. “Constitution Memorial Day” celebrates the official enactment of the 1947 Constitution of Japan on May 3. “Greenery Day” became a Japanese holiday in 1989 when it was meant to replace Showa Day after the emperor’s death. It is meant to give the Japanese people a day to reflect upon the beautiful nature that abounds in Japan; in addition, Emperor Showa was very attached to nature. Even though World Environment Day is celebrated the world-over on June 5, the Japanese celebrate their environment-related holiday earlier.

Children’s Day in Japan is a day set aside to celebrate everything about children, respecting their individuality, and it is intended to ensure their general happiness. Dating back to ancient times, it was officially designated as a national holiday by the government in 1948. Originally called “Tango no Sekku” which was one of five ceremonies recognized by the imperial court, it was celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth moon on the Chinese calendar. Once Japan officially adopted the Gregorian calendar, the celebration was moved to May 5. It was originally called “Boys’ Day” which celebrated boys, sons, and recognized fathers because Hinamatsuri (Doll festival) was widely regarded as “Girls’ Day” on March 3. However, in 1948, it was decided that Children’s Day was more inclusive for both male and female children, and mothers, as well as fathers, are recognized as being important and necessary to the familial unit. Japan, unofficially celebrates both the western Fathers’ Day and Mothers’ Day each year in addition to this familial holiday. Children’s Day features families hanging huge carp banners outside their homes to blow freely in the wind.

The carp banners have their origin in a Chinese legend that tells of a carp swimming upstream that eventually transforms into a dragon and then ascends to Heaven. Traditionally, these represented the boys of the family with the largest carp being the eldest son and the others, his brothers. Today, however, the largest black carp represents the father, the next one the mother (usually it is pink), and the other smaller carps, the children in the family. These are often blue, green, and orange in color. At my U.S. house, I have a huge banner I used to display of the folk character, Kintarou, which is closely associated with Children’s Day.

Kintarou, as legend has it, was raised by a witch on a mountain in Hakone, and even as a boy, he had great strength and could fight monsters and demons successfully. So, he represents the hope for healthy and strong children. Momotarou is another folk legend about a boy that is born from a large peach that was found by an elderly couple as it floated down a river. They discovered the boy inside as they opened it to eat it. He was sent by the gods to be their son, as the legend maintains. The details of these legends will have to wait for a future column as they really are sweet and beloved here in Japan.

The third Monday in July celebrates “Marine Day,” sometimes called Sea Day or Ocean Day, and it was created to respect the seas and oceans for the many bounties the sea provides in the form of sustenance. Being an island nation, Japan really does depend on the ocean for much. On August 11 every year, “Mountain Day” is celebrated. This is the newest holiday in Japan, being created in 2016. Officially, it was created as a way to have “opportunities to get familiar with mountains and to appreciate the blessings from mountains.” It is a good day to take a long hike in the mountains that are everywhere in Japan.

The third Monday in September is set aside annually as “Respect for the Aged Day.” It was decided to move several of the holidays to Mondays to allow for a long weekend, and this system was affectionately named “Happy Mondays.” As the name suggests, this holiday is designed to offer respect to elderly people. This holiday originally started in Hyogo Prefecture in 1948 and was called “Toshiyori no Hi” (Old Folks’ Day) but soon it became more widespread around the country, so in 1966 it became an official holiday all over Japan. Normally on this day, the oldest person in Japan is honored by the media (which more often than not happens to be the oldest person in the world).

The other September holiday in Japan is on September 23 and is the “Autumnal Equinox Day.” This holiday allows families to enjoy the gorgeous fall weather together and if they didn’t visit their ancestral gravesites during the O-Bon holiday in August, many families do so on this day. It is one of the last chances to enjoy the outdoors before winter sets in, as well. In October, another “Happy Monday” holiday occurs on the second Monday called “Sports Day.” Called “Taiiku no hi” in Japanese, this day is set aside to encourage some sort of healthy, physical activity. Originally it was created to honor the 1964 Olympics held in Tokyo, and two years later, in 1966, it was made into a national holiday.

November has two national holidays. The first, “Culture Day,” is celebrated on November 3, and as the name suggests, it promotes cultural things related to the arts, as well as academic-related activities. Usually, art exhibitions are held around this time and award ceremonies are performed that recognize outstanding artists, musicians, and scholars. The other November holiday is “Labor Thanksgiving Day” on November 23rd. As is obvious from the name, it is a day set aside to honor and respect labor-related professions and industries. The “thanksgiving” part of the name comes from an ancient harvest festival called “Ninamae-sai,” which celebrated the rice harvest and the hard work involved in the harvest. Unlike the U.S. Thanksgiving Day, there is no turkey, no pilgrims and no Native Americans, of course, but it is a day for families to gather to be thankful in general. Because it does land close to the U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving every year, it is a good chance for Americans to gather to celebrate a scaled down version of a U.S.-style Thanksgiving feast. Finding a turkey and an oven big enough to cook it in is always a challenge here!

New Year’s Day is always celebrated and is considered to be the most important family holiday in Japan, and nearly everyone returns to their hometowns to visit family and celebrate bringing in the New Year together. Families visit a Shinto shrine together for the first shrine visit of the year called “hatsumode.” It is a time of new beginnings and fresh starts, just like the world over. The last national holiday to round out all of official holidays in Japan is “Coming of Age Day,” where young people who turned 20 the year before officially become adults. Celebrated on the second Monday of January, you guessed it…it is another Happy Monday holiday. Municipal ceremonies are held to honor the newly christened adults, as well as towns hosting parties (sometimes with lots of alcohol because 20 is the legal drinking age in Japan).

The custom of an adulthood ceremony dates all the way back to 714 AD when it is believed that a young prince wore fancy new robes and a special hairstyle to mark his entrance into adulthood. Still today, young people dress in kimono or fancy clothes and attend their hometown’s ceremony with their childhood and junior high school friends. In 1948, it was made into an official national holiday. My Japanese niece celebrated her “Seijin no hi” (Coming of Age Day) this past January.

BELOW: My niece, Yuka Nakamaru, wearing her “Coming of Age” kimono in a formal portrait for Seijin no Hi. Note the elaborate Obi (sash); her long sleeves denote she is single. Once married, women wear kimonos with shorter sleeves.