Tuesday, August 13, 2024
RETURN TO SENDER
Shelbyville Middle School seventh grader Gage Branham returns a volley from coach Monica Cooper during practice yesterday while Conner Clagg and other team members wait their turns. | photo by KRISTIAAN RAWLINGS
NOTEBOOK:
The Shelbyville Board of Zoning Appeals will consider the following cases tonight, 7 p.m., at City Hall:
A variance to exempt 74 East Drive from the requirement to have a sidewalk installed when a home under construction on the lot is completed.
A request regarding setback lines to allow the county to construct a maintenance building at 411 S. Tompkins St., on property used as parking for the county courthouse complex.
A variance regarding lot size to allow installation of a pole barn at 106 North Knightstown Road.
A request from developer Birge & Held to install a double-sided monument sign, approximately 9.5 feet wide and 5 feet tall, for The Mills Apartments and to be named tenants, 405 N. Harrison St.
Adjusted gross revenue remained steady at Indianapolis Horseshoe (Shelbyville) Casino last month with a slight decrease, from $22.9 million in June to $22.6 million in July, according to the Indiana Gaming Commission’s latest report. This summer has been down slightly from last summer, when the local casino’s AGR was $23.6 million in June and $25.57 million in July.
Shelby County Commissioners yesterday approved a utility request for NineStar Connect to install conduit and fiber optic lines near the intersection of CR 300 S and Columbus Road.
A vehicle collided with a motorcycle at the intersection of W. Mechanic St. and N. West St. last Saturday morning, injuring the motorcycle driver.
HOOSIER NEWS: Indiana’s current and former living governors will unite tomorrow, Aug. 14, for “The Art of Leadership with Four Gubernatorial Hoosiers.” Gov. Eric Holcomb and former governors Mike Pence, Mitch Daniels and Evan Bayh will keynote the 2024 Harvest Dinner at this year’s Indiana State Fair. The Indiana State Fair Foundation is hosting the evening, which includes a reception and dinner. Each year, the proceeds from the Harvest Dinner support the Youth Development Fund, which benefits Celebration of Champions and 4-H youth participating at the State Fair. The event will take place in the Indiana Farmers Coliseum. (Indiana Capital Chronicle)
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Shelby Senior Services Group Visits Niagara Falls
by Carol McDaniel, MA
Imagine a beautiful sight, and you might say it is a beautiful view of a lake or a painting. However, if you haven’t seen the falls in Niagara Falls, especially at night, you really have missed the best of the best! Shelby Senior Services took in the beauty and amazement of the falls recently on a trip.
I’ll get to the falls in a minute, but for me, I must first share some other highlights of the trip. For example, the nearby town of Niagara-on-the-Lake is one of those quaint little towns with character, charm and spectacular water views. As expected, shops and restaurants line the streets. Friendly owners greet visitors from all over the world.
However, the streets are also lined with layers of colorful flowers that range from four-feet-tall red Canas in the middle of the lane divider planters strategically placed along the sidewalks to impatience and a myriad of other annuals. Hanging pots have cascading vines and brilliant shades of blooming flowers on every street corner. Vendors chip in to pay for the $1 million price tag to decorate the town annually.
Venturing out to the surrounding area, family-owned vineyards and family-owned farms raising specialty crops, such as lavender and fruit, dot the landscape. What a treat it is to walk into a lavender farm gift shop and smell the aroma of a variety of lavender items such as bath soap and skin products.
Vineyards offer wine tasting. After learning about how the wine ingredients are selected, grown and bottled, visitors are treated to a tasting of the different varieties made right on sight.
Getting back to Niagara Falls, the Welland Canal (Lock #3) is an experience that gets visitors up close and personal to huge cargo ships passing through the locks to get to their destinations. We arrived at the Canal just in time to witness a cargo ship approaching, entering and exiting the lock. You can almost reach out and touch the passing ship. Since the locks serve to rise or lower the water level to accommodate the vessel’s needs, it is fascinating to see the way the ship is maneuvered into the narrow lock. The museum at Lock #3 takes you on a journey to see the history of previous locks, their locations and the building of the modern locks.
Of course, the ultimate attraction at Niagara Falls is the falls itself. Consisting of three separate falls, i.e., the Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls, and the Bridal Veil Falls. At its peak, water flows an average of 225,000 cubic feet per second over Horseshoe Falls. The American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls is halved at night and during low tourist time in winter, while 90 percent of the Horseshoe Falls is allowed to flow over the falls and ten per cent is diverted by an international control dam to the hydroelectric plant to produce electricity.
Niagara Falls wasn’t always a honeymoon destination. Theodosia Burr Alson, daughter of Vice President Aaron Burr, and husband Joseph Alson were the first couple to honeymoon there in 1801. After that, fashionable couples began to flock to the falls, especially after WWII when the auto industry and tourism boards started advertising the destination.
At night, a spectacular light show occurs on the falls. It is breathtaking! Crowds of people line the fences late at night to take pictures, since the summer sunsets are later. It is truly a beautiful and memorable sight to see!
Come to our October 10, 2024, Travel Show to see where we are going in 2025. Call 317-398-0127 to reserve your free seat!
BELOW: A boat ride at the falls.
580 West Taylor St.
Editor’s Note: The following is the next installment in a serialized version of “580 West Taylor Street,” by Joseph E. “Joed” Landwerlen.
by JOSEPH E. LANDWERLEN
Kennedy Car Liner
The Kennedy Car Liner Corporation somewhat controlled the west end of Shelbyville in that at 6:30 weekday mornings, it started the day with a very shrill, loud steam whistle. To the people working there, it signaled that it was time to head toward KCL. To the mothers in the neighborhood, it meant getting the kids up, breakfast, and getting them to Thomas A. Hendricks School. On the sidewalks, you would begin to see many men and women slowly making their way to work. I would venture to guess that most men and women that worked there walked to work.
At 6:45 a.m., another steam whistle, just to make sure that you were on time. This whistle was long and loud, and like the others could be heard all over the west part of town. At 6:55, yet another loud shrill whistle, but only a short burst saying you better be where you are supposed to be and then at 7 a.m. a long, shrill one that said, go to work. Those steam whistles somewhat controlled the timing of the west end.
The whistles also said that it was time for us west enders to go to KCL and see how much trouble we could get in. There were always several empty railroad boxcars on the sidings there and stacks of flat lumber needed to make the car liners that KCL was in business to make. We would climb in, on and around the boxcars and on the wood stacks, and most of the time the guards would try to chase us off, but they were not nearly as fast as us kids. Most of this activity was in the summer when weather would allow us to be outdoors; we would sometimes walk in the factory and talk to the workers until we would get chased or thrown out. It was really fun to climb on and over and into the railroad cars. We could sit in the boxcars and dream about all of the magical places that this car could take us. Most times we would be left alone except when we were climbing on top of them, the guards would stop that.
There was a small ravine on the west side of the tracks that was wooded and was used by the hobos that traveled by train; they would stay there until the locomotive would come and bring in new cars and remove the loaded cars. It was not unusual for a traveler to come to your back door and ask for something to eat. They were always polite and as far as I know, Mom or Dad always gave them something. We would only talk to them as a group of kids, as we were warned not to get too close to them. We spent a lot of time in the dump there, either shooting our BB guns or sorting through finding marvelous things that had been thrown away.
We had enough string to go around the world several times. KCL got all of their sewing thread, or string, on paper mache cones that held thousands of feet each. When the sewing machines would have a malfunction or they would change making products, the technicians would remove a cone with a lot of thread on it and replace it with a new cone of thread to keep the machines working. That cone with perfectly good thread ended up on the dump. We salvaged this until we had thousands of feet of string that was perfect for flying kites. It just so happens that our Dad was an expert kite maker and flier in his youth and also flew kites in the commons at KCL. He showed us how to make huge kites from newspaper and fly them until you had let out so much string that the kite could not hold itself up, and would come crashing down.
KCL was our playground; it was baseball, dandelion greens... dreams and hopes when we were kids.
SHS Courier Archive Highlights:
October 3, 1969, Part II
Homecoming had been held Sept. 19 in the SHS cafeteria from 9:30 to 11:30 p.m. “Six of a Kind,” consisting of Phil and Paul Frazier, Kim Green, Doug Payne, Mike Davis and Jim Perry, provided the entertainment. Mr. Boyd, Mr. Blind, Mr. Clapp, Mrs. Bramwell, Mrs. Comstock, Mr. Clay, Mr. and Mrs. Murphy, Mr. and Mrs. Orem, Mrs. Ramey and Mr. and Mrs. Strawn chaperoned approximately 330 students. Refreshments were sold by Robert Haehl, Pete Worland and Tom Warrick.
The SHS football scoreboard was rebuilt. The clock was repaired and 30 bullet holes patched. The board had originally been purchased in the early 1950s.
Mrs. Becky Truman, sponsor of the Booster Club, announced new club officers: Marijane Sawyer, Brooke Benefiel and Marian Thieman.
Dan Hayes set two records in the Shelbyville Invitational Cross Country meet at the Elks Country Club. Hayes, a senior, beat his own school record and broke the course record previously held by Greenfield’s Tom New. Morristown’s Bill Wilson finished just behind Hayes. Shelbyville runners Kim Wolsiefer, Rick Frank, Harry Larrabee, Steve Lutes and Ronnie Lucas also had strong runs.
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.
2014: Thirteen Japanese exchange students visited Shelbyville for a week. They toured several local places and traveled to Indianapolis for an Indians game.
2004: MainStreet Shelbyville announced it had purchased the Strand Theatre, more recently known at Cinema 3, in the 200 block of South Harrison. Because a number of key players were not available, MainStreet scheduled a more formal and comprehensive press conference for a week later. The Strand was built by Will Dorsey and purchased by William Meloy in 1915. Before the advent of “talkies” in 1928, Katie Hinschlager played the piano-organ combination at the theater, using cue sheets that accompanied the films and often was joined by six to eight musicians in the orchestra pit. Through the 1940s, there were still three thriving motion picture theaters downtown, including the Strand, the Ritz (on the north side of East Broadway across from the current CVS site) and the Alhambra (on the northwest corner of the intersection of Harrison and Broadway streets, opening in 1913 and closing in 1951).
1994: Shelbyville Central Schools’ newly appointed board president Terry Hamilton officiated his first school board meeting. After the meeting, he turned to Superintendent James Peck and said, “I was so nervous, I don’t remember anything I just said. As soon as I started talking, all I could hear was the sound of the reporter’s pen.”
Jim Skinner, 115 St. Mary St., who had objected to having a dwarf Vietnamese pot-bellied pig living in his neighborhood, told the common council he didn’t object to pigs in general. He said he supported National Pig Day. “I think that’s wonderful. Everyone likes to eat pork,” he said.
1984: Police Chief Robert Nolley suspended a Shelbyville police officer on allegations he withheld information on a criminal investigation from his superiors so he could collect $500 in reward money.
1974: Cornerstone laying ceremonies were held at the new Waldron and Morristown Elementary School buildings.
1964: The temperature was a record low 45 degrees.
Leon Garrett, the father of Bill and James Garrett and Mildred (Garrett) Powell, died. His wife, Laura (O’Bannon), died in 1965.
1954: Schools would open September 7, local officials announced. Those entering first grade would need their birth certificates to prove they would be six years of age by Nov. 1.
1944: Sgt. Raymond McCarty had been wounded in action in France and was hospitalized in England. His wife, Alice, of Mt. Auburn, received notice from the War Department regarding her husband’s condition.
1934: State police closed three concessions at the Shelby County Fairgrounds following reports from patrons that they had been “gypped” in gambling games. One man, from Hope, had been “relieved of $27,” The Republican reported.
1924: All local kids under 12 were given free admission to Johnny Noonan’s All-Stars baseball game against the Shelbyville Nationals. Noonan had once played for the Nationals.
1914: “Any person wanting children, boys or girls, that can do work, from the Orphans’ Home, see Mrs. Geo. Dunn or D.L. Wilson, at once,” The Republican said. “The ages run from one to 15 years. There are now 38 children in the Orphans’ Homes.”
OBITUARIES
Diana L. “Cookie” Daugherty, 76, of St. Paul, passed away Sunday, August 11, 2024 at her residence. No funeral services will be observed. Glenn E. George & Son Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.
Michael R. Schantz, 71, of Waldron, passed away on Sunday, August 4, 2024 at IU Health Methodist Hospital. Mike was born June 1, 1953, in Shelbyville, the son of Paul and Marilyn (Webster) Schantz. He married Pat Meal on October 7, 2000, she survives.
Mike is also survived by his daughter, Meghan Schantz, of Shelbyville; son, Daniel Schantz of Shelbyville; grandchildren, Alexa, Kylynne, and Logann Schantz, all of Shelbyville; and lifetime friend, Steve Mathies.
Mike was preceded in death by his parents; stepfather, Marion Six; in-laws, Richard and Audrey Meal, and a very special aunt, Josephine Webster.
In 1971, Mike graduated from Shelbyville High School, then furthered his education and graduated from Lincoln Tech. He completed paramedic training and went on to be one of the two first paramedics in Shelby County, Ind. He completed the fire academy, and police academy (in both Indiana and Florida) and served on the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department. He also completed the fire academy, which led to a long career as a firefighter in Washington Township before he retired in 2005. He also served as the fire chief in Greensburg, Ind., later in his career. Mike truly loved being part of the fire department and often shared stories with his family and friends of these times. He kept in touch with many of his fellow firefighters and cherished all the years of friendship.
Mike spent the majority of his career serving the community, and was the first full time Emergency Management director for Shelby County. He was a member of the Shelby Masonic Lodge No. 28 F&AM. He was awarded “Boy of the Year” by the Shelbyville Boys’ Club.
He enjoyed golfing with his friends, and the wonderful friendship he gained from those times. Mike loved to travel, go on RV trips, and spending time with his beloved wife, Pat, and very loved children and grandchildren. He was a lover of all animals, and had two beloved dogs, Bebe and Bix.
Friends may gather starting at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, August 17, 2024, at 3484 S 725 E, Waldron, Ind., 46182, followed by the celebration of Mike’s life at 10 a.m., with Pastor Kim DeKoker (Waldron Baptist Church) officiating. Services have been entrusted to Freeman Family Funeral Homes and Crematory, 819 S. Harrison St. in Shelbyville. This is an outdoor event and casual dress is appropriate. Please consider bringing a chair for your own comfort during the service. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Waldron Fire Department; St. Paul Fire Department; or the Waldron Baptist Church. Online condolences may be shared with Mike’s family at www.freemanfamilyfuneralomes.com.