The Press-Dispatch
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Local ........ A1-12 Sports ...... B1-10 Classifi eds .... B4-7 Church ........C1-4 East Gibson .... C5 School.........C6-7 Home Life....D1-6 Opinion .......C7-8 Obituaries....... D9 WHAT'S INSIDE: CONNECT WITH US: NetEdition ...pressdispatch.net/edition Facebook.....facebook.com/pressdispatch E-Mail .........news@pressdispatch.net Phone:.................. 812-354-8500 Fax: ...................... 812-354-2014 E-Mail . editor@pressdispatch.net NEWS TIPS: PIKE PUBLISHING See PAVING on page 2 See COUNCIL on page 2 See CELEBR ATIONS on page tw9 $ 1 Four sections Three inserts 40 pages Wednesday, September 20, 2017 Volume 148 Number 38 Phone (812) 354-8500 Petersburg, IN 47567-0068 (USPS 604-34012) By Ed Cahill The Buffalo Trace Festival – which was held on Main Street in downtown Peters- burg on Friday, Sept. 15, and Saturday, Sept. 16 – may be returning to the same location next year. During a meeting of the city's Common Council on Monday, Sept. 18, Mayor R.C. Klipsch said that he had sent an e-mail ear- lier the same day to Indiana Department of Transportation officials to thank them for allowing a portion of Main Street – which is part of State Highway 57 – to be closed for the two-day festival. "I went on to ask the question, is it possi- ble that a festival like this can be done again on an annual basis? " Klipsch said. "And I got a response back, and that response was yes, it can be done." "So if anybody asks you that, tell them, yes, it is going to be possible," Klipsch con- tinued. "I'm working on it, and I'm talking to donors to see if I can get them on board again. I have a general idea what it will cost now." Klipsch told the council that the inaugu- ral Buffalo Trace Festival – which also cel- ebrated Petersburg's bicentennial – was such a big hit, it would be difficult to im- prove upon. "It's really not a question of making it better, because I really don't know how we could have made it much better," Klipsch said. "But the question becomes consisten- cy – how do you do it again? " Klipsch described the festival as "unbe- lievable." "Everybody's been on a high around here for three or four days over this, and it just was beyond my and everybody else's wild- est dreams, from the start to the finish," Klipsch said. "It was a tremendous team ef- fort, what went into this. I don't believe any- body who was involved had any idea what the finished product was really going to Festival may return to Main St. next year By Andy Heuring Pike County Commissioners appropri- ated $ 991,000 to be used for paving dur- ing the Monday night meeting. The mon- ey will actually be reimbursed by an antic- ipated Community Crossings grant. Pike County put up a match of about $ 330,000, which is a 25 percent match for the request- ed $ 991,000 grant. The Indiana Department of Transporta- tion sent out a press release on Tuesday say- ing Governor Eric Holcomb, who is the fea- tured speaker at the Pike County Republi- can Lincoln Day dinner Wednesday night, will announce the recipients of the grants on Wednesday. Commissioner president Brian Davis said last year Pike County's blacktop ven- dor went six months not getting paid near- ly $500,000 because of the reimbursement process. "We had some vendors getting pretty worried," said Highway Superinten- dent Roger Ham. Davis requested the appropriation so the money would be in place and then can be reimbursed with the grant. Monday he said the grant announcement was expected to be made prior to the October County Coun- cil meeting. So councilmen would know if the county was going to get the grant before having to vote on the appropriation request. Winslow and Petersburg have also ap- plied for paving money from the Cross- roads program. The commissioners voted 3-0 to request the money. In other business, the commissioners voted 3-0 to appoint Mark Flint to replace his late father, Marvie Flint, on the Wash- ington Township Advisory Board. They also voted to hire Mike Walburn Commissioners appropriate $991,000 for paving A tractor drive, the Spurgeon 150th Anni- versary Festival and Prides Creek Hallow- een celebration are set for the next three weekends in Pike County. Spurgeon will celebrate their 150th An- niversary with a festival on the weekend of September 29 and 30. It will feature a pa- rade at noon on Saturday and Spurgeon na- tive DeWayne Spaw. TRACTOR DRIVE IS SATURDAY It takes more than a group of antique tractor enthusiasts to make for the 10th An- nual Pike County Tractor Drive that takes off for Saturday, September 23. The Pike County Tractor Club needs fuel in the form of the Pike County Young Farmers, who al- ways handle lunch for the dozens of drivers and passengers on the ride. The ride also takes coordination from members and participants from surround- ing counties and communities who put on the ride in conjunction with the Winslow Lions Club. This 10th anniversary ride includes a Dutch Treat lunch at the Ireland Sports- man's Club after touring through about 19 miles of backroads, beginning at the Ot- well Elementary School parking lot. Dave Yager and Terry Beadles are handling the opening ceremonies at the start and fin- ishing point around the Otwell Elementa- ry School. This year's ride tours Northeastern Pike County and Northwestern Dubois County backroads and is approximately 19 miles in the morning and 14 miles in the afternoon. For more information on the ride, contact club members Jim Lamey at 812-789 -2688, David Yager at 812-483-9532, Mike Whal- ey at 812-582-0270 or Ross Elmore at 812- 582-2628. Dubois County historical features on the ride include McDonald's stage stop, Sher- itt Cemetery and Portersville (old County Seat). The Ireland Sportsman's Club will be the lunch stop catered by the Pike County Young Farmers. As in years past, a drive video can be pre- ordered at the time of registration at a cost Tractor drive, sesquicentennial, Prides Creek Halloween activities up next Hunter Elliott, who has served as the head coach of Pike Central High School's boys' junior varsity basketball team for three seasons, has been hired to succeed Jason Roach as head varsity coach. In an e-mail to school board members and Supt. Suzanne Blake on Monday, ath- letic director Billy Hewig announced that a hiring committee had "unanimously de- cided" to recommend Elliott. The school board approved Elliott's hir- ing during its meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 19. Elliott graduated from Pike Central in 2007, where he played basketball for four years and earned First Team All-PAC hon- ors his senior season. Elliott subsequently graduated from Oakland City University in 2011, where he was a member of the Mighty Oaks basket- ball program. Elliott and his wife, Jordan, have one daughter, Caroline. Roach resigned as the Chargers' head coach in early August to accept a position as head boys' coach at Evansville North. Hunter Elliott is new varsity basketball coach A 'happening' Friday in Petersburg The glowing light of a carnival ride and festival on Main St. Petersburg lights up the night during the Buffalo Trace Festival, celebrating 200 years as a city. The festival was a big hit as crowds flocked to the event Friday night and all day Saturday. See more photos on page A-6. Photo by Mick Hetman Dino Mite time at Winslow Quite possibly the craziest float in the Winslow Light-up parade was the Di- no Mites. These giant dinosaurs, Brittany Coleman and Stephanie and Lo- ra Coleman danced down the street, while B.J. Scales tossed out candy. See more photos on page A-4. PETERSBURG CITY-WIDE YARD SALE THIS SATURDAY! SEE PAGE B-4 FOR 21 YARD SALES