Category: Columns

Local writers and stories

T’was the Night Before Christmas

Penny For Your Thoughts By: Nancy Whitaker T’was the night before Christmas, God glanced over the earth. He looked to and fro,  All over its girth. They missed it again, He said with a sigh, A heavy heart and tear in his eye. I gave them my son, So they could be free. My greatest…

MATT’S MISHAPS

“Serving overseas as a small-town boy from America is intense, stressful and humorous! Enjoy a light-hearted story with me from our last 20 years overseas!” —Matt  When is it my turn I think we might start out in life with more patience than we get when we are older.  Waiting seems harder for adults, except…

Christmas Traditions

When our children were young, they each hung a stocking on the mantle, and before we went to bed Christmas eve, we would fill them with an orange, candy, or small toys. When I grew up we had a similar tradition that I always assumed to be German. Our ancestors came from Alsace Lorraine, and…

The Left Turn

By: Ron Burt Outlaw Supermodifieds At Plymouth Saturday, May 11th the Outlaw 350 Supermodified Series makes its debut at the speedway. The 350’s run a crate motor. The car body can run the standard off-set mid-engine, rear engine, or an outlaw sprint style. All the cars run a rear wing to hold them down on…

Military History in Paulding County 

By: Mark Holtsberry  John Marconi Jacobs was born September 7, 1886 in Paulding Township. The son of Marconi Pettit born March 14, 1838 in Ohio and Ellen (Stout) Jacobs born May 4, 1842 in Ohio. This couple was married August 24, 1865 in Paulding, Ohio. Now this was not Marconi’s first wife. He was married…

AFRAID TO CRY

Penny For Your Thoughts By: Nancy Whitaker  “I’m so Lonesome I could Cry,” “It’s Crying Time again,” “Cry me a river,” “Crying my Heart out over You,” “Crying,” “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” are all songs about crying. They are sad songs, lonely songs and heartbroken songs. Crying for me is almost like a…

Selling Apples

When I think I about fall I think about selling apples. I’ve sold apples or cider nearly all of my life. Back in the day, seems like nearly everyone had an apple tree or two and were glad to get rid of the apples. At that time there were at least two cider mills where…

MATT’S MISHAPS

“Serving overseas as a small-town boy from America is intense, stressful and humorous! Enjoy a light-hearted story with me from our last 20 years overseas!” —Matt  Where do you hide your spare key? I know that now a days people have keyless entry pads, or might use a garage door opener or even a phone…

The Left Turn

By: Ron Burt Attica Raceway Park has announced the official final point standings. The racetrack handed out $47,000 in point fund money to the top 10 in the track’s three weekly divisions for 2023. The 410 Sprint Car Champion is Cap Henry. He won the trifecta of local sprint car racing in 2023. He won…

MILITARY HISTORY IN PAULDING COUNTY

By: Mark Holtsberry Forest McKinley Jenkins was born in Haviland, Ohio, February 5, 1897. The son of John Andrew born March 30, 1862 in Jeffersonville, Ohio and Susie May (Gunderman) Jenkins born October 20, 1872 in Franklin County, Ohio. This couple was married October 23, 1895 in Paulding.  By 1900, this couple, John and Susie,…

MATT’S  MISHAPS

“Serving overseas as a small-town boy from America is intense, stressful and humorous! Enjoy a light-hearted story with me from our last 20 years overseas!” – Matt  Eat where it’s planted In many ways, my tastes have not changed over the years.  You can’t beat eating summer sweet corn with melting butter on it, or picking…

MILITARY HISTORY IN PAULDING COUNTY

By: Mark Holtsberry  Burton Rowland Hoaglin was born May 21, 1891 in Paulding, Ohio. The son of George McClellan, born July 23, 1861 in Van Wert, Ohio, and Geneva C. (Schnorf) Hoaglin, born March 5, 1870 in Preble County, Ohio. This couple was married March 28, 1889 in Paulding, Ohio.  By 1900, this couple along…

WWII Bat Bomb Fiasco

Penny For Your Thoughts By: Nancy Whitaker In another previous column, I wrote about different funny bat stories.  However, I did not know they were almost used in WW II. Any World War 11 veterans may recall what I am talking about.  After the devastating  Pearl Harbor attack, America was working on the atomic bomb,…