Sunday, June 12, 2022
Sunday, June 12, 2022
FOOD FIGHT
Sandwiched between Cracker Barrel, McDonald's, Wendy’s, Texas Corral and Waffle House is the new Culver's, near exit 113 off I-74. Culver’s opens tomorrow, 10 a.m. | photo by Jack Boyce | Below: Family members of employees were treated to a “VIP Day” yesterday, which doubled as a training opportunity for the new staff at Culver’s. | Addison Times staff photo
Downtown Shelbyville is Back
Dear readers,
Yesterday morning, when I arrived at my downtown headquarters, The Bookmark Café, it was standing room only. It was a beautiful morning, and the public square was buzzing with people. If you haven’t checked out the new and improved downtown yet, you should do so.
After leaving the café, I stopped by Nigh Farms stand at the Farmer’s Market. I was early enough that Richard and Ginny still had a good selection of baked goods and homemade jams.
I couldn’t decide between the Blueberry Rhubarb Jam and the Cherry Rhubarb Jam so I bought both. I haven’t tried the Blueberry Rhubarb yet, but I can definitely recommend the Cherry Rhubarb. If you take my recommendation, you will have to wait until a week from next Saturday. Ginny said that they won’t be at the market again until Saturday, June 25th.
A couple of weeks ago, I stopped in the Boba Café for some bubble tea. The Boba Café is located just off the circle on S. Harrison Street. It is owned by Ashley and Jeremy Jones. I enjoyed the little chewy bubbles of tapioca in the tea.
Yesterday, I discovered that there is another bubble tea joint just a couple of doors to the south on the same side of the street. The Ville Nutrition is owned by Rosalinda Ahuatizi.
Rosalinda wasn’t in the store, but friendly employees Alicia Roberts and Maeli Ballesteros answered all of my questions. The shop specializes in healthy shakes and other nutritional drinks. Alicia explained that their bubble tea does not have chewy tapioca bubbles. Instead, their tea contains bubbles of fruit juice and isn’t chewy. Loyal reader Teaki Markley stopped in the shop while Alicia was explaining bubble tea to me. Teaki told me that she has tried several of the drinks offered and has liked all of them.
I plan on stopping by sometime to meet the owner. Rosalinda is from Kentucky. Maybe she can give me a ride later this summer so I can file a report from our sister city, Shelbyville, Ken. The way gas prices are going, I don’t think Skeeter is likely to come up with the necessary funds to finance my trip.
My next stop was Rupert’s Arcade on the other side of S. Harrison Street and across Jackson Street. For you old timers, it is the former location of Ace Hardware.
Rupert, like Elvis, Cher, and Liberace, is a celebrity who only needs one name. Rupert became a household name when he was voted the favorite contestant by America’s Tribal Council on the TV show “Survivor.”
After winning a million dollars on the TV show, Rupert did the same thing all of us would have done if we were in that same situation: He started a charity in Shelbyville to help others.
(Note: No need to send me any letters on this subject. I realize that some of us would have bought a condo on the beach and retired.)
Rupert was hosting his third annual “Rupert Kids Ride.” John and Nicky Glass along with Kelley Wilson and Vera Ferdinand were busy checking in the participants. The weather was perfect, and Rupert had a great turnout. Motorcycle enthusiasts from all over the state of Indiana were arriving.
If you haven’t met Rupert and you see him around town, be sure to introduce yourself. You will discover why he was America’s favorite contestant in Survivor. Rupert is one of the nicest people you will ever meet.
ABOVE: Columnist Kris Meltzer and Rupert test out Royal Rumble at Rupert’s Kids Arcade in this undated photo.
Reminder: The Meltzer reunion is this afternoon. If you are a long-lost relative, stop by for a visit.
Warning: This column is for recreational use only. Read at your own risk. Do not read while operating heavy equipment.
TIN CEILING AT BOBA CAFE
Editor’s note: A reader yesterday asked if I had taken a picture of the Boba Cafe tin ceiling referenced in the Taste of Shelby County article. I did not, but Jack Boyce did. The above photo shows owners Ashley and Jeremy Jones serving customers Friday, with the refinished tin ceiling visible. As stated yesterday, the building’s original tin ceiling was recently redone by Danny Terry and Scot Shrader. The ceiling dates back to the late 1800s when the corner location was Farmers National Bank.| photo by JACK BOYCE
Panel Shares Thoughts on Teen Cell Phone Use
organized by EMMA CLAXTON
Teens and children are receiving cell phones at younger ages than ever. Many parents feel their child needs a cell phone when they begin middle school. Some justify this for safety, others for convenience and some acquiesce to peer pressure. Many children wait until they can purchase their own cell phone. Most teens and children who do own cell phones mainly use it to pass the time when they are bored. I asked panel members to talk about the time when they got their first cell phone, and what they use it for most.
“I got a cell phone at 11 years of age. It was not a special occasion, but my parents figured getting me one would be beneficial for communication purposes. I mostly use my cell phone to communicate with people, which is why it was given to me.” - Mylez Clark
“I got my first phone in the summer between fifth and sixth grades. I got it so that I could contact people when I needed to be picked up from school and practices. I mainly use my phone to text my friends and watch TikTok or YouTube.” - Logan Reinhart
“I got my phone when I was in fifth grade. It was close to my birthday so my parents counted it as a birthday gift. I use my phone to stay in contact with people. My most used features include messaging, Facetiming and calling.” - Hannah Baker
“I believe I got my first cell phone when I was 10 because it was a hand-me-down. I use my phone mostly for communication with family and friends.” - Megan Childres
My parents bought me my first phone in the summer going into sixth grade. They got it for me because they felt that I was responsible enough to handle one at that point. They also wanted me to be able to contact them if I ever needed anything. Now, I use my phone to connect with people through messaging apps.
Cell phones have become such an influential part of our lives. Each family's views and values are different when it comes to giving their child a phone. While cell phones can be a helpful way to communicate when necessary, we can’t rely on them for everything.
NOTEBOOK:
Recycling collection remains strong in Shelby County, with 81.49 tons recycled in May, almost double the 43.76 tons collected May 2021, Shelby County Recycling District staff reported this week. Collected tonnage was up slightly from the 77.53 tons reported in April. The May Spring Clean-up held at the Shelby County Fairgrounds garnered 27.43 tons of trash, up from 17.16 tons last year, but fewer tires were collected, from 314 in 2021 to 253 this year, and less metal, from 13,774 pounds last year to 6,920 pounds in May. Both years are substantially lower than when the county hosted three events in 2019, when 804 tires, 69.15 tons of trash and 28,560 pounds of metal were collected in total.
HOOSIER NEWS: It’s been about seven years since residents in Franklin raised concerns about the number of children with cancer in the area. Now the Environmental Protection Agency has come up with a plan to address what many believe is likely responsible — polluted groundwater from an old industrial site. The EPA wants to inject the groundwater in and around the site with material that will make the harmful chemicals in the water less toxic — including barriers that break down chemicals as the water flows through. Most of the cleanup would take two to three years. The agency would then monitor the groundwater for 10 years to make sure the pollution breaks down naturally. (Indiana Public Media)
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.
The following letter to the editor and response appeared in The Shelbyville News shortly after the above cartoon was published.
To the Editor: I have just read “This week in Shelby County” (the Editorial Page cartoon on July 12) and I am surprised at the reference made to the senior citizens’ fund-raising drive. I am surprised that the person responsible would go so far to mislead the public when it has been clear that a federal grant of $64,315 has been offered this community for a multi-purpose senior center due to the excellent service rendered senior citizens by “Shelby County Senior Services” and the nutrition site at First United Methodist Church.
I expected your paper to support our efforts to raise the match-money of $21,439. I didn’t expect ridicule!
How could you possibly say it would cost the taxpayer in the future? You know this is tax money, already collected, that will pay for the center. You also know the Central Indiana Council on Aging will pay utilities and any remodeling necessary on the building.
Actually, this is an opportunity to create something good and worthwhile in the town, by reclaiming some of the money we have already sent to Washington. This has been explained many times in your newspaper, on radio and television and by “word of mouth.” The town cannot lose. It stands to gain.
In closing, I wish to suggest to the people who are actively working against the center. “When you grow bored with fighting the old, the halt and the blind, you could just take on the patients at the hospital, patients at the Children’t Center and the animal center. You can always find something or someone too weak to fight back.” - Edwina L. Smith
Editor’s note (original from The Shelbyville News, 1980): First, The News has not taken an editorial stand for or against the senior center. However, The News - behind the scenes - has advised and helped those planning the fundraising drive. The cartoon in question was drawn by local attorney George L. Stubbs, and he has a right to his opinion. In no way, however, could the cartoon be fairly interpreted as “ridicule.” True, federal money will pay the lion’s share of the cost of buying and equipping a local senior center. Mr. Stubbs was trying to point out that much of the federal money being spent here and elsewhere is borrowed. It is naive to assume otherwise. The U.S. government is well over $800 billion in debt.)
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: 2002
The Methodist Building, 22 W. Washington St., the Washington Building, 42 E. Washington St., and a warehouse at 62 E. Third St. would all be sold at sheriff’s auction, bank representatives said.
30 YEARS AGO: 1992
Ryobi Die Casting started a $26 million expansion project that would create 120 more jobs. Shelbyville Mayor Bob Williams and Ryobi executives Akio Urakami and Shoji Matsumoto each used a brand-new, shiny shovel to overturn sand in a sandbox for the official groundbreaking. The addition would house additional die casting and finishing machines for producing new aluminum automatic transmission cases for Ford Motor Co.
40 YEARS AGO: 1982
Shelby County’s four school districts were on financial edge after funding cutbacks due to irregularities in reports about the number of special education students, which had been discovered in an audit the previous year.
50 YEARS AGO: 1972
Twelve employees at the Shelbyville Post Office were granted the first charter of a “Brothers of a Brush” unit, in connection with the county Sesquicentennial. The men were Arthur McNew, Donald McVey, Paul Disney, John Merritt, Daniel Wiggins, David Parks, Larry Lee, David Park, Jack Oldham, Bernard Spalding, James Buchanan and Edward Burton.
Paul Zerr, co-owner of Zerr’s Market at 253 E. Mechanic St., notified police that the store had been burglarized overnight. Officers said entry had been made through the home of Francis Zerr, which connected to the store. Thieves had cut a screen on an outside door of the house to make entry.
60 YEARS AGO: 1962
Robert Meltzer, Shelby County treasurer and chairman of the county’s Democratic Central Committee, was appointed acting postmaster of the Shelbyville Post Office. Meltzer had been recommended by Sen. Vance Hartke. He would succeed Louie C. Neu, who was retiring as of June 22.
Dick Estes, 15, found a 13-pound hardshell and a 9-pound softshell turtle on a bushline in Little Sugar Creek near Fairland. Estes had caught a 27-pound hard-shell out of Brandywine River the previous fall.
70 YEARS AGO: 1952
Laura Morrison and Kennedy parks opened for the summer. Gaynell Rudd would supervise at Morrison Park and Mary Bea Phares at Kennedy Park. Bob Stewart was in charge of all tournaments and field day events. New hard-surfaced tennis courts had been installed at Morrison. Harley Sipes was caretaker for the parks.
Wrigley’s Spearmint Chlorophyll Toothpaste arrived at various neighborhood stores in Shelbyville.
80 YEARS AGO: 1942
Parents of rural school children throughout the county were urged by Shelby County War Savings Staff officials to make every effort to bring their children to Shelbyville to participate in the War Savings pledging program. Children were asked to sign a pledge to continue purchasing War Savings Stamps throughout the summer as a means of aiding the nation’s war effort.
A “pen” was set up in the area just west of the Big Four railroad station on E. Washington St. for the collection of scrap metal and old rubber.
90 YEARS AGO: 1932
State Police monitored various intersections in Shelbyville. Of the 435 cars observed, 54 had some type of violation noted, mostly lights not in operation. Troopers only handed out warnings.
The Shelby County Red Cross received 43,000 pounds of flour from the national organization for distribution to those suffering in the depression.
100 YEARS AGO: 1922
A switchboard demonstration by the local telephone exchange was staged at Elks Hall.
The playground at city park was opened for the summer. Margaret Burnside was supervisor of children’s play. She organized story hours and games and provided supervision. The position was partially funded by a check received from the Enos Porter family in memory of Edwin Thompson Porter, “whose beautiful life was brought to a close recently,” The Republican reported. Others wanting to donate could contact Mrs. Harry Karmire, Mrs. Dorsey Jones or Helen Whitcomb, members of the playground committee.
OBITUARIES
None today