Community Organization News
(Belmont Senior Services Photo)
Bethesda Senior Center joyfully celebrated their annual Christmas Party Wednesday this week. Stonerise Hospice provided holiday entertainment with John Kendjorsky at the keyboards.
Barnesville Junior Women’s Club News
(Barnesville Jr. Women’s Club Photos)
A visit by the talented Sally Kurjan and Shannara Harvey, creators of the beloved “Bernie the One-Eyed Puppy” book series and sponsored by the Barnesville Junior Women’s Club Education Committee in collaboration with Amanda Householder of the Barnesville Girls Youth Softball Team, took place at Barnesville Elementary School this past week.
After Sally read the children the story “Bernie Goes to School,” Shannara helped them create a Bernie drawing. The kids had a great time and loved the story. What a remarkable group of young artists. The children were wonderfully prepared for the visit by Angie Pack, the first-grade teacher, and Mary Diegmiller, the elementary school librarian.
Due to Bernie’s poor health, he was unable to attend. Beyond just releasing new stories with Bernie and his pals, the Bernie book series has expanded into other areas as well. A global movement of compassion, tolerance, and inclusion in our world. The Club donated Bernie’s series of six books to the school library.
Barnesville Kiwanis Club News
Kim C. Kuthy of the Tri-State Military Veterans Museum spoke at the November 25 Barnesville Kiwanis Club meeting.
Front, l-r, Kuthy , Doll Applegarth of the Tri-State Military Veterans Museum, Kiwanis President Rick Clift; Back, Jim Misner, Barnesville American Legion; Benny Ankrom, Barnesville VFW; Dave Bunting, Barnesville American Legion; Clarence Atkinson, Barnesville VFW.
November 25 Program: Kim C. Kuthy, Director of the Tri-State Military Veterans Museum in Belmont, was the speaker at this program. She was joined by Assistant Director Doll Applegarth and several guests from Barnesville veterans’ organizations.
While the museum is currently closed for the winter, Kuthy related the museum was founded by Belmont American Legion member Floyd Simpson in the legion post home that was erected in 1869 as a church.
Simpson asked if Kuthy would help him with the museum in 2016. She agreed, but soon found herself at the helm shortly thereafter when Simpson died.
In the intervening years, the museum has expanded to include almost 400 8” x 10” photos of veterans, framed American Flags, uniforms from all branches of the Armed Forces, a tribute to the Navajo Code Talkers, and outside the museum, a black granite Heroes Wall modeled on the Vietnam Veterans Monument that currently consists of eight panels with over 440 inscribed veteran names. Also, outside are a bronze monument of the service dog Prince who served soldiers in Vietnam and a huge wooden eagle with a six-foot wingspan.
The museum also holds framed war time newspapers, artifacts dating to the American Civil War.
In recent years, the museum has served as a stop for bikers taking part in the Rolling Thunder procession to Washington, DC each Memorial Day Weekend.
Veterans and/or families who have items that would like to donate to the museum or to add names to the Hero’s Wall may contact the museum at Belmontcmvm@outlook.com, call (740) 761-0155 or visit the museum’s website at www.BCMV.org
Recent community donations by the Barnesville Kiwanis Club supported the Barnesville Camber’s Ice Skating Rink Project, Faith In Action Winter Clothing Program in memory of Billy Crawford, Two Senior Key Club Member Scholarships and the Tri-State Military Veterans Museum.
The club is also investigating the idea of purchasing Barnesville Shamrock Shirts for all new students who move to the district each year. The district estimates there are approximately 50 new students each school year.
Barnesville Rotary News
New Members recently welcomed into the Barnesville Rotary Club are: Richard Riesbeck, transfer from St. Clairsville, Amy Keiser, Kristina Estle and Susan Lapham.
