The South Gibson Star-Times serves the towns of Haubstadt, Owensville and Fort Branch.
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Lienemann Raceway Park becoming Owensville attraction By Janice Barniak SG Star-Times Editor editor@sgstartimes.com Sean Lienemann of Ow- ensville said he didn't know when they built a go-kar t track in his backyard it would grow to the kind of local attraction that would draw 150 people on a Satur- day night, but that's what's happened over the last three years, as they've gone from one go-kar t "racing" then to six car ts, to now people bringing up to 30 kar ts to race in junior and adult races. "We built it cheap and in- expensive three years ago," he said. "Friends and then friends-of-friends star ted coming. It just grew." On Saturday, the Liene- mann Raceway Park, as it's now known, hosted a benefit for the Heartland Equine Res- cue. The rescue nurses back to health animals confis- cated from neglectful sit- uations and accepts ani- mals that the owners can no longer care for due to rising food and medical costs. The rescue sold refresh- ments and brought Owen, a miniature horse sur ren- dered because he had can- cer, to interact with the kids. "This track is mainly for the kids," said Lienemann. "A great learning experience for the kids. We don't charge to get in." They do heats, A man and B man features. "Our r ules at the track, first is safety. Second is you race what you bring. You can build anything you want as long as it per tains to a car t, and race it on our track." There's a special race for 14 and under. "It's all made possible by NEWS TIPS Phone: ������������� 812-753-3553 Email ����editor@sgstartimes�com INSIDE Local �����������A4-6 History ������������ A7 Sports ������������� B1 Opinion �����B2-B3 Classifieds ������� B4 Fair Wrap-Up��C1-8 Home Life ����� D1-2 Church ��������D3-4 Two Sections • One Insert Fort Branch, IN 47648-0070 (USPS #205-620) $1.00 24 PAGES TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2022 VOLUME 68, NUMBER 4 South Gibson SPECIAL SECTION C 2022 GIBSON COUNTY FAIR Wrap -Up 10 YEA R 4-HERS FEAT U RE INSIDE Library breaks ground on expansion By Janice Barniak SG Star-Times Editor editor@sgstartimes.com At the For t Branch Li- brar y expansion ground- breaking July 19, Librar y Director Laura Happe imag- ined the conversation the first librar y board likely had when they gathered in 1906, possibly in the living room of a member's home, to discuss establishing the For t Branch Carnegie librar y. "You can picture them say- ing, 'Hey there's this guy on the East Coast who's giving money to towns to build li- braries,'" she said. That group, when they bought a $950 cow lot on Lo- cust Street, wouldn't know how long that legacy would last, and she wondered if raising $950 at that time felt like the librar y board feels as they seek to raise an ad- ditional $800,000 for their expansion today. "I think they'd be ver y proud they have a legacy of 105 years," Happe said. She added the librar y's first seed of an idea was probably sown in 2018 as they decided to track what the librar y could not do for patrons. They tracked re- quests for a place for adults to sit down, a place to tutor children, a community room, Fort Branch Librar y broke ground on their expansion last week. The new space will add study areas, computer and laptop spaces and much more space for librar y programs, especially summer reading programs that currently attract hundreds of people. Coming full cycle: Hitch survivors remember great-grandfather at graveside By Janice Barniak SG Star-Times Editor editor@sgstartimes.com The Cops Cycling for Sur vivors memorial ride for fallen officers has come to Princeton for 21 years now, and it's always come off without a hitch — in more ways than one. Not only have the events been meaningful recogni- tions for those who have lost an officer in the line of duty, they've also been without any representative from the family of Princeton Police Officer Harrison Hitch, who died May 11, 1913. That changed this year, July 18, when Hitch's great-grandsons Nicholas Schneider, 69, of Bloomfield, and Dan Netter, of Martins- ville, visited his grave with the cyclists, but it took a 30- year search, a DNA test, and revealing a long-hidden fam- ily secret for that moment to become a reality. Back in 1913, Officer Harrison Hitch died while attempting to arrest a wom- an's ex-husband at her house. He was shot three times. He then shot the hus- band once and made it out to the woman's porch before dying of his injuries. Hitch was sur vived by his wife and 10 children. His wife died shortly thereaf- ter, and the children raised themselves as a way to keep the siblings together. The children grew up tough, taking care of them- selves, and they raised their children just as tough. So when Hitch's grand- daughter, Shirley Hitch, daughter to Marine boxer James Hitch, became preg- nant at 17 in 1953 she wait- ed almost five months to tell her father. He was parenting his daughters on his own af- ter their mother had left. Her father drove her to an Indianapolis home for un- wed mothers. He stopped the car and made her walk into the home alone. "She said it was the lon- gest walk," Schneider re- Sean Lienemann hand-built this go kart for Lienemann twins who are age six, and his son, age 7. It has a remote kill switch, a headset in the helmet so they can talk to him while they're driving, and several other safety features. Ever ything is customized on the cart. See R ACEWAY on page 2 Community supports bike fundraiser By Janice Barniak SG Star-Times Editor editor@sgstartimes.com Jacob Naas, 8, received widespread community sup- por t at his lemonade stand in Princeton Thursday after word spread he was earning money for a new bicycle. "My idea was my bike kept breaking down, because the pedal was broken. I thought, "how can I get money," and then I thought lemonade," he said. His old bike was the one he'd lear ned on, and had the training wheels taken of f. Naas had found the new bicycle he wanted and it was $130. "I had my eye on it for awhile. It's brand new," he said. "It's orange and I can do tricks and stuff." He gathered his materials, cups, a table, and more, then his mom helped make the lemonade. "I got a little lazy at first. And tired. And I wanted to give up," said Naas. His first customers were homeless, and he didn't charge them for their lem- onade. For awhile he didn't think he'd sell any, and want- ed to give the homeless the rest of his lemonade and close shop. Then Princeton Police heard about his lemonade and came out in force. "Then the police — six police cars! Six police cars came and they put it online. And the fireman came and the superintendent," said Naas. "My grandma bought According to his mother, Jacob Naas hasn't wanted to stop riding the bike he bought with lemonade stand money and community donations. See BIKE on page 2 See LIBRARY on page 2 See HITCH on page 3 Cousins Dan Netter and Nicholas Schneider were the first relatives of Harrison Hitch to attend the Cops Cycling for Sur vivors ride, which stopped in Prince- ton July 18.