Wednesday, June 12, 2024
PORK ON PARADE
4-H exhibitors yesterday showed off their hogs, with the Bridges family bringing home banners. Hannah Bridges won Grand Champion Gilt with her Crossbred, and AJ Bridges claimed the Reserve Grand Champion banner with his Duroc.
Moving over to the barrow portion of the show, the Grand Champion Barrow was shown by Ruby England, and the Reserve Grand Champion was shown by Hayden Justus. Both were Crossbreds. | reporting and photos by CAMILLE THOPY
FOOTLOOSE
Indianapolis television personality and Emmy Award-winning anchor Rafael Sanchez leads group of talented local dancers while votes are counted at Monday’s Shelby County’s Got Talent event at the Shelby County Fair. Ripley Schutt was the overall champion. Sophia Idlewine won the Song Vocalist category. Lindy Weaver claimed the Comedy category championship. Johnny A won the Small Band category. | photo by ANNA TUNGATE
New Grandstand Marks 10 Years Since Opening
Mike Hirschauer receives a plaque in 2022 commemorating his 50 years of service on the Shelby County Fair Board. | photo by JACK BOYCE
This month marks a decade since the opening of the 1,500 seat Shelby County Fair grandstand, the replacement for the original, destroyed by fire in 2012. Despite the nostalgia for packed horse races of years gone by, Mike Hirschauer can still only shake his head in amazement at the improvements.
“This is a state-of-the-art grandstand,” Hirschauer said.
He ought to know. He oversaw the facility for some 45 years before becoming an unofficial assistant to his grandson, Austin Teike, who now holds the position.
“Grandma (Sue Hirschauer) and grandpa help him whenever we can. We help him sell tickets and so forth during the week of the fair,” he said.
Hirschauer’s former position gave him an inside view of the previous grandstand’s demise. He recalled getting a phone call in the middle of the night informing him the grandstand, which he estimated to be 90 percent wood, was on fire.
“By the time I left home and pulled into the fairgrounds, the grandstand was completely burned,” he said. “There was just some metal and hotpots that the fire department was putting out. It was devastating.”
But the fair went on. Bleachers were set up and tickets sold for an array of events.
“It was chaotic, but it went over well.”
The owners of the casino donated $250,000 and committed another $250,000 in matching funds, which were raised, for a new grandstand, completed in 2014.
Hirschauer doesn’t miss the logistics of the old facility.
“I couldn’t even pressure wash during the week of the fair because all the water would go down to the vendors underneath,” he said.
Although Teike has taken the reins, Hirschauer still looks forward to his summer responsibilities, a change of pace from winters in Florida.
“I enjoy what I do now, and leaving Austin to do what I did all those years.”
NOTEBOOK:
Despite receiving a reprieve of a few weeks to clean debris off 639 East Jackson, “not much progress” has been made, City Planning Director Adam Rude told the Shelbyville Board of Public Works and Safety yesterday. The board moved to have the city clean the property and bill the owner. A home and garage were recently demolished at the site, and debris has remained for several months.
The Board of Works also provided permission for the Shelbyville High School freshmen basketball team, coached by Doug Brown, to adopt the Japanese garden on West Washington Street as a service project. In other action, the board issued an order to appear for the owner of 1216 Elm St. regarding nuisance issues.
The Board of Works also approved closing West Washington St., noon to 11 p.m., Friday, June 21, for Wine Walk, 5:30 - 11 p.m., hosted by Mainstreet Shelbyville. The event will feature six wineries, several food trucks and live performers, including the Monsters of Yacht, Mainstreet Shelbyville executive director Brandy Coomes said. Mayor Scott Furgeson said he hoped for similar weather as recent large downtown activities. “I’m 2-0 on ordering good weather for events this year,” Furgeson noted.
NATIONAL NEWS: Authorities in New York City have cracked down on illegal weed stores, and now there are about 3,000 vacant storefronts citywide left by pot stores that have up and left town, to the dismay of landlords that had been making a killing from the cash-only businesses. For instance, a weed store in the Broadway McKenna Building was paying $50,000 a month in rent, $156 per square foot annually, well over the $101.46 per square foot average in the neighborhood, and the space will now fetch $40,000 a month. While the heavy hitters in New York retail real estate never bothered with the pot stores — Fifth Avenue, where rents average $2,515 per square foot, did not need to get its hands sticky — the high-margin weed stores that were basically selling untaxed drugs were making a fortune, fueling a bonanza for landlords. (Commercial Observer/Numlock)
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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.
2014: The annual Strawberry Festival was held on Public Square. Maurice Finkel provided calliope music.
2004: Leaders of the Survivors 4-H Club gathered at the home of leader Deana Thurston to make “Cookies for Combat.” Since 2002, groups had been making 1,000 cookies per week for soldiers who were being shipped overseas from Camp Atterbury, the only place in the country where troops were allowed to be given homemade cookies on their departure. With a recent dramatic increase in deployments, 4,200 cookies were needed each week. Those stepping up in local 4-H were Dustin Tresler, Susan Hallman, Derek Tresler, Amanda Green and Livier Guerra.
Simple Pleasures Tea Room, owned by Bonnie Hogan, opened at 5 Public Square. The restaurant offered sandwiches, soups and salads, but no soft drinks. “We’re encouraging alternatives,” Hogan said. But die-hard soda fans would be okay. “If a customer insists, I will go next door and get them a soft drink for the same price I pay,” she said.
1994: Plans were announced for a Flag Day ceremony to be held on Public Square. Ernest Conrad Jr. was slated to give a welcome speech and Rev. Marty Travelstead, of First Baptist Church, would give the invocation. John Lewis, director of Shelby County Veterans Services, would give a speech.
Mayor Bob Williams traveled to Portland for the 62nd annual Conference of Mayors.
1984: Indiana Cities Water Corp. officials re-emphasized that a red discoloration in Shelbyville’s city water was from rust and was not connected to the recent chemical contamination problem. The rust was in the water because the company’s filtering system was inadequate. New filters were being installed.
1974: Demolition neared completion on the old Monte Glove Co. factory, which faced E. Jackson St. The location would be used as a display lot for new and used cars and for customer parking by Shelbyville Motors, the new owners of the property.
1964: Wayne Stiner was named director of instrumental music for Northwestern schools, succeeding Gary Myers, who had joined the Shelbyville High School music department. Stiner, 21, had just graduated from Ball State.
Sea Scouts of Ship 253, sponsored by the Eagles Lodge, sanded and painted the iron fence at Fuller Center, home of SCUFFY. Louis Byrd, Don Potter, Carl Brown, Mike Kelley and Burdette Richards headed up the labor project.
1954: Local officials participated in a civil defense exercise for a simulated atomic bomb drop on Indianapolis. “If that day ever comes, most of Shelby County will know about it sooner than a telephone call or radio message could be dispatched,” The Shelbyville News said. “The northwestern horizon would light up momentarily and blindingly and the ‘deadly-lovely’ mushroom cloud would tower in the sky.” A radio alarm system had been put in place for notification.
Ed Kracht, Rays Crossing resident, resigned as manager of the F.W. Woolworth Company’s local store and announced plans to open a new “five cents to $1.30” variety store at Broadway and Harrison, in the former Alhambra building.
1944: The former Geneva school building, disbanded several years’ prior, was given to the Geneva Methodist Church. The building, a two-story structure located behind the church, had been purchased and renovated by Mr. and Mrs. Chris Steinhauser. The building would be used as an annex to the church and a community hall for the town of Geneva.
1934: A new train, the James Whitcomb Riley, was placed into service on the Big Four railroad. The service was designed for the convenience of “business men” who wished to work in Chicago and return the same day.
1924: An elderly local man, who was known as “exceptionally bright and well-read,” was “in a sadly demented condition,” The Republican said. The man had a revolver and kept attempting to purchase bullets, but local stores would not sell to him due to the threats he was making. The police thus appointed a guardian, who took the man daily to the city park, which seemed to be helping, the paper said.
1914: A snake “as big around as a baseball bat” and five-and-one-half feet long crawled into the Sorden barn stable on East Washington St. The employees were given “a fine scare” but managed to kill the snake.
Mrs. Elmer Slifer of West Taylor St. received a $25 reward check from the Globe Publishing Company in Wisconsin for her help providing information used to arrest an imposter who claimed to be selling for the publishing company. Mrs. Slifer not only notified police, but tracked the man door-to-door until police could locate him for questioning.
OBITUARIES
Marilyn “June” Bansbach, 92, of Waldron, IN, passed away Monday, June 10, 2024 at Waldron Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center. She was born December 26, 1931, in Shelbyville, IN to Walter Thurston and Mable (McDaniel) Thurston.
June was a member of the St. Joseph Catholic Church. She loved going to garage sales. She would find older dolls and restore them to an 1800s style. June was very creative and had a love for arts and crafts. She also enjoyed crocheting and reading in her down time.
She married Maurice A. Bansbach on August 2, 1953, and he preceded her in death on January 10, 2000.
June is survived by her daughters, Debra (husband, Karl) Evert, Anne (husband, Gerry) Lykins; her grandchildren, Scott Comstock, Shane Comstock, Sam Comstock and Aerin Williams; several great-grandchildren; her sisters, Nelda C. and Linda G. and her brothers, Wesley T. and Tony T. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; her brothers, Pierce T., Joseph T., Maurice T. and Kenny T. and her sister, Joan C.
A Rosary will be recited Friday, June 14, 2024 at 3:30 p.m. at Murphy-Parks Funeral Services, 703 S. Harrison St., Shelbyville, IN. Visitation will follow from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be Saturday, June 15, 2024 at 9:30 a.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 125 E. Broadway St., Shelbyville, IN with Father Mike Keucher officiating. Burial will be in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery. Funeral Directors Greg Parks, Sheila Parks, Stuart Parks, and Darin Schutt are honored to serve June’s family.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in honor of June to the St. Joseph Catholic Church, 125 E. Broadway St., Shelbyville, IN. 46176 or Salvation Army, 136 E. Washington St., Shelbyville, IN. 46176. Online condolences may be shared at www.murphyparks.com.