By ROD KING Feature Writer
Veterans Day will not be a holiday for Anna Francen, owner of Anna’s Barbershop in New Haven. Instead, she and three of her associates will be giving free haircuts to any veteran who drops in from 8 a.m. to whenever the last veteran is served.
Francen started the Veterans Day haircut practice when she opened a shop six years ago. across the street from her present location 617 Broadway St., just south of the railroad tracks on the west side of the street. Only a handful of vets took advantage of her offer that year, raising $350 for Shepherd’s House transitional living facility in Fort Wayne where veterans struggling with substance abuse can receive help.
Last year, however, the shop raised $2,000 for Shepherd’s House. Over the years, she’s donated more than $5,500 to the organization.
“Yes, the haircuts are free, but veterans just don’t like to get something for nothing. They always toss a donation into the Army boot or purchase
one of the silent auction items.
This year, we’ll have a food basket from Mission Barbecue, a Vietnam jacket, three beautiful quilts and more,” she said.
Francen added, “I always have a lot of fun that day. They like to tell me stories about when they were in the military, and they all have at least one story. I don’t have a lot to give people, but the haircuts make the veterans feel good and let them know they’re appreciated. I give my World War II veteran clients free haircuts any time. Unfortunately, there aren’t many of them left.”
She said she is hoping to be able to raise even more money this year because her new shop is much bigger and has five chairs. The old shop only had two chairs.
“I just support and appreciate those who served or are presently serving,” Francen said.
Her grandfather, Ted Lauderberg, was in the U.S. Coast Guard during World War II and her father, Ralph Wetzel, is a U.S. Army veteran. In addition, her husband, Tim, served in Iraq in both the U.S. Marine Corps. and the U.S. Army and
her son, Brandon Needler, is a U.S. Army veteran.
Francen started doing hair for her Concordia High School friends while learning cutting techniques at Anthus Career Center before attending Ravenscroft Beauty College.
“I worked there for several years, moved to California, married a sailor, lived in Washington for several years and returned to northeast Indiana in 2000.”
The Woodburn native earned her barber’s license 15 years ago.
“I added the barber’s license to my pedigree because I really like to give shaves the old-fashioned way with a straight razor. I guess you could say I’m an ‘old school barber,’” she noted.
The shop is not strictly for men. She also does shampoos, cuts, coloring and styling for women.
“Owning and operating my own shop has been a lifelong dream. The first place was perfect for a starter. It was small, quaint and just right. I brought a few clients along from the shop where I was working and have been able to
from
expand into this new location.
I’m really enjoying being here in New Haven, and am looking forward to cutting a lot of veterans’ hair Nov. 11,” she said.
An appointment isn’t neces-
sary, but the number is (260) 750-3039.
All proceeds from the day will go to Shepherd’s House Transitional Living facility in Fort Wayne.
By CATHY SHOUSE Feature Writer
Last month, Dean Ludwig of Fort Wayne flew to Washington, D.C., hosted by The Honor Flight of Northeast Indiana. Many activities were planned, including visits to the monuments that are memorials of war, and he participated in a special ceremony.
“I was on cloud nine. My feet weren’t touching the ground,” he said. “They’re like angels on earth. I’ve never met a better bunch of people. They treated us like heroes ... and we just served our country.”
One of his daughters, Amber Knapp of Fort Wayne, signed him up and was his guardian on the trip. To his surprise, his daughters, Heather Ludwig and Erin Powell, came from their homes in Annapolis, Md., and Phoenix, Ariz. The Honor Flight organizers allowed them all to travel together for the day.
“I’m blessed that I have three daughters. She’s like a bloodhound,” he said about Knapp. “Well, they all are.”
The women had gotten classes of school children to write letters of gratitude to Ludwig as part of the mailbag activity, designed to emulate soldiers’ lives.
The entire experience was especially meaningful for Ludwig since he has painful memories that remain of his military service. Ludwig turns 77 this month. He still has nightmares of his time overseas, spent mostly in Nah Trang, Vietnam. He served in the U.S. Army from September of 1966 to September of 1969, leaving as a sergeant with two bronze service stars and a National Defense Service Medal, among others.
“The trip helped with the healing process,” he said. “After I was discharged, I got off of my plane in California coming home and some girl walked up to me and spit on me and called me a ‘baby killer.’ It hurt a lot. We were treated that way even by our organization. It was traumatic. We were considered druggies.”
At such a young age, the duties and the negativity cut deep,
when he’d been following orders.
“Wherever they sent you, you had to go. You had to go ... I carried a lot of guilt,” he said.
But his latest trip will remain in his mind going forward.
“I was able to put a wreath on The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,” Ludwig said. “I just couldn’t believe they’d even ask. I can’t say enough great things about them.”
He went to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, a wall with the names of soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice.
“It has 58,000 names,” he said. “It takes my breath away. Especially when you see the name of someone you know.”
Jess Stauffer of J3Designs Photography is a volunteer photographer with the Honor Flight.
“When they arrive back to Fort Wayne, taps is played before they disembark and get the welcome home they so richly deserve and earned,” she said. “We had 77 Vietnam veterans, three Korean War veterans and one Grenada era veteran this time.”
Ludwig was still reading letters given to him days afterward.
“I think it’s one of the most positive things that ever happened to me other than my kids,” Ludwig said, referring to the crowd that welcomed them home from Washington, D.C. “My dentist even came. I couldn’t believe it.”
C O MM UN I T Y
C O MM UN I T Y
NEWLY REMODELED APARTMENTS AVAILABLE! TH
NEWLY REMODELED APARTMENTS AVAILABLE!
NEWLY REMODELED APARTMENTS AVAILABLE!
NEWLY REMODELED APARTMENTS AVAILABLE!
Our active and friendly community provides numerous opportunities to socialize, exercise, connect with others and live life to the fullest.
NEWLY REMODELED APARTMENTS AVAILABLE!
Enjoy the following:
Our active and friendly community provides numerous opportunities to socialize, exercise, connect with others and live life to the fullest.
Our active and friendly community provides numerous opportunities to socialize, exercise, connect with others and live life to the fullest.
24/7 staffing
Personalized care plans
NEWLY REMODELED APARTMENTS AVAILABLE!
NEWLY REMODELED APARTMENTS AVAILABLE!
Nutritious, restaurant-style meals
NEWLY REMODELED APARTMENTS AVAILABLE!
Our active and friendly community provides numerous opportunities to socialize, exercise, connect with others and live life to the fullest.
Enjoy the following:
Enjoy the following:
Special interest clubs
Comfortable, safe apartments
friendly community provides numerous opportunities exercise, connect with others and live life to the fullest.
24/7 staffing
24/7 staffing
On-site therapy and health services
Our active and friendly community provides numerous opportunities to socialize, exercise, connect with others and live life to the fullest.
Daily social programming
Personalized care plans
Personalized care plans
On-site therapy and health services
On-site therapy and health services
24/7 staffing
Daily social programming
Daily social programming
Exercise classes
Nutritious, restaurant-style meals
Nutritious, restaurant-style meals
Our active and friendly community provides numerous opportunities to socialize, exercise, connect with others and live life to the fullest.
Our active and friendly community provides numerous opportunities to socialize, exercise, connect with others and live life to the fullest.
24/7 staffing
24/7 staffing
Personalized care plans
24/7 staffing
Special interest clubs
On-site entertainment
Special interest clubs
Enjoy the following:
Exercise classes
Exercise classes
Enjoy the following:
Enjoy the following:
Comfortable, safe apartments
Comfortable, safe apartments
Utilities, Cable and WIFI included Transportation services
NEWLY REMODELED APARTMENTS AVAILABLE!
Utilities, Cable and WIFI included
Utilities, Cable and WIFI included
Transportation services
Nutritious, restaurant-style meals
Enjoy the following:
Personalized care plans
Personalized care plans
On-site therapy and health services
Personalized care plans
On-site therapy and health services
On-site therapy and health services
Daily social programming
services
Transportation services
On-site entertainment
On-site entertainment
Enjoy the following:
Special interest clubs
Comfortable, safe apartments
Nutritious, restaurant-style meals
Nutritious, restaurant-style meals
Nutritious, restaurant-style meals
Exercise classes
Comfortable, safe apartments
Comfortable, safe apartments
Utilities, Cable and WIFI included
Comfortable, safe apartments
On-site therapy and health services
Daily social programming
Daily social programming
1717 Maplecrest Rd. Fort Wayne, IN 46815
Daily social programming
georgetowneplaceretirement.com
Special interest clubs
Exercise classes
1717 Maplecrest Rd. Fort Wayne, IN 46815 georgetowneplaceretirement.com
On-site entertainment
1717 Maplecrest Rd. Fort Wayne, IN 46815
1717 Maplecrest Rd. Fort Wayne, IN 46815
1717 Maplecrest Rd. Fort Wayne, IN 46815 georgetowneplaceretirement.com
georgetowneplaceretirement.com
1717 Maplecrest Rd. Fort Wayne, IN 46815 georgetowneplaceretirement.com
Special interest clubs
Special interest clubs
Utilities, Cable and WIFI included
Special interest clubs
Exercise classes
Nutritious, restaurant-style meals
1717 Maplecrest Rd. Fort Wayne, IN 46815 georgetowneplaceretirement.com TH E
Exercise classes
On-site entertainment
Exercise classes
On-site entertainment
On-site entertainment
On-site entertainment
Utilities, Cable and WIFI included
Transportation services
Transportation services
Transportation services
The fall and winter seasons are a great time to make the move into our community. Call 260-254-7158 to schedule a tour and enjoy a delicious meal in our dining room.
Utilities, Cable and WIFI included
Comfortable, safe apartments
Transportation services
The fall and winter seasons are a great time to make the move into our community. Call 260-254-7158 to schedule a tour and enjoy a delicious meal in our dining room.
Ask about our specialty memory care program, Magnolia Trails™.
Utilities, Cable and WIFI included
The fall and winter seasons are a great time to make the move into our community. Call 260-254-7158 to schedule a tour and enjoy a delicious meal in our dining room.
Transportation services
Ask about our specialty memory care program, Magnolia Trails™.
The fall and winter seasons are a great time to make the move into our community. Call 260-254-7158 to schedule a tour and enjoy a delicious meal in our dining room.
Ask about our specialty memory care program, Magnolia Trails™.
Enjoy the following:
The fall and winter seasons are a great time to make the move into our community. Call 260-254-7158 to schedule a tour and enjoy a delicious meal in our dining room.
The fall and winter seasons are a great time to make the move into our community. Call 260-254-7158 to schedule a tour and enjoy a delicious meal in our dining room.
The fall and winter seasons are a great time to make the move into our community. Call 260-254-7158 to schedule a tour and enjoy a delicious meal in our dining room.
Ask about our specialty memory care program, Magnolia Trails™.
Ask about our specialty memory care program, Magnolia Trails™.
Ask about our specialty memory care program, Magnolia Trails™.
Ask about our specialty memory care program, Magnolia Trails™.
Nutritious, restaurant-style meals Special interest clubs Comfortable, Utilities,
The fall and winter seasons are a great time to make the move into our community. Call 260-254-7158 to schedule a
By ROD KING Feature Writer
Eight years ago, Karen Lawson and her husband, Al, purchased a single-floor ranch home in Decatur. Now, she’s waiting patiently for her brothers to complete the down-sizing of her kitchen in order to make it handicap accessible.
Lawson was hospitalized for a leg wound in 2016 when
she was dropped on her knees, splintering her titanium knee replacements and doing irreparable damage to her legs.
“When they put me back in, I immediately knew something was wrong because both legs were going sideways,” she said.
The incident resulted in her legs being amputated and confining her to a battery-powered wheelchair for the rest of her life.
CORPORATE OFFICE
That’s not as confining as it seems. When the weather is nice and the farmers market is open downtown, she drives her chair the 24-minute, one-way trip to the center of Decatur to look over and buy vegetables. In addition, she treks to town for the free concerts.
“We’ve done a lot of things to make this house accessible. Medicaid redid the bathroom, putting down new flooring and converting the shower so that I can easily roll in. The kitchen, however, is the one thing I’ve been looking forward to the most. The conventional oven was just too tall, and I couldn’t see or stir what I was cooking. And when I opened the oven door, I couldn’t reach the racks. I love to cook, but that situation was getting increasingly frustrating. We’ve purchased a ceramic cooking surface to replace the oven and I’m anxious to use it,” she said.
The upper cabinetry has been removed and placed in other parts of the house. The soffits have been completed and are in the garage waiting to be placed.
“I couldn’t reach them anyway,” said Lawson.
The garage is where she and Al take their meals. She cooks in a toaster oven sitting on a work bench amid an array of tools and a pile of two-by-fours.
Eckhart Woodworking in Monroe, owned by her brothers, Joe and Tim, is doing the work.
because I know how it was grown, fertilized and maintained. Earlier this year, I canned a bushel of peaches,” she said.
Her front yard is a blaze of colorful flowers and plantings.
a hospital bed. Al, a veteran truck driver, takes the wheel and they leave their cares behind.
“We like to camp and while Al is off hiking, I stay behind to guard the campsite,” she said.
Their top designer has done a layout for the kitchen that looks great, she said. Included will be a lower sink.
The Papers Incorporated, 206 S. Main St., P.O. Box 188, Milford, IN 46542, 574-658-4111 STAFF
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EDITORIAL DEADLINES Elkhart/Kosciusko
Joseph
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ADVERTISING
For advertising deadlines call your sales representative. The existence of advertising in Senior Life is not meant as an endorsement of any product, services or individuals by anyone except the advertisers. Signed letters or columns are the opinion of the writers, and not necessarily the opinion of the publishers. To advertise contact Betty Foster at 260-494-9321 or slallen@the-papers.com.
“We’re having the refrigerator moved to a location that will make it more accessible and the gas stove will be taken out. Unfortunately, my brothers have been terribly busy and my job is two months behind schedule,” Lawson said.
Among her other interests is gardening.
“I like to eat what I grow
And when things become mundane around the house, they get in their RV and wander around the country. Last month, they spent three days touring through Michigan. The RV is fitted with a hydraulic wheelchair lift and
“After being in six different nursing homes, it’s great to have escaped the prison of nursing homes and be in my own home. I just do the best I can and keep going. I’m proud of my life,” she added.
Veterans Health Administration Caregiver Support Program will be hosting a caregiver and family resource fair 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7 in the first floor auditorium at the Fort Wayne VA, 2121 Lake Ave.
Attending this resource fair is an opportunity to learn
about the wealth of resources available to caregivers and families of veterans.
For more information about the resource fair, contact Alicia Herman at (260) 760-0859 or Melody Sandifer at (765) 2515416.
For more information about the VHA, visit caregiver.va.gov.
By CATHY SHOUSE Feature Writer
Pam Blessing has maintained an enthusiasm for sports and fitness throughout her life. That energy has just looked different at various stages. Currently, she is taking a multi-level approach.
“I like to keep physically active by doing several things,” she said. “I belong to the Y and also currently attend an aerobics class three days a week through Bluffton Parks and Recreation. I play pickleball, tennis, and enjoy walking, biking, and cross-country skiing.”
She’s not limited to activities that are in Indiana. She and husband, Eric, her “high school sweetheart,” own a second home that lends itself to more activities. The couple has five children between them, so they stay busy.
“I also enjoy water sports, such as kayaking and a little sailing, very much a novice here,” Blessing said. “We have a home in the upper peninsula of Michigan where we spend many summer days, so add boating to the list as well. I would like to say I was active every day, but my volunteer duties sometimes prevent that. Three days a
week is what I strive for.”
However, golf is something she has a long history with.
“I became interested in golf after I graduated from high school,” Blessing said. “My dad coached the boys’ golf team and I worked at the local municipal golf course my summers in college. I took lessons from the local pro, but he claimed I got interested in boys and didn’t practice as much as I should have.”
These days, she golfs with her husband and enjoys being outside. He encourages her, which she appreciates and having someone to stay active with helps.
“I think if you can have others with you, it is always more enjoyable. I have an exercise buddy, and we keep each other accountable,” Blessing said. “If you are in a class rather than on your own, it is a good opportunity to meet new folks.”
She advises working with a teacher or trainer, as necessary or when challenges of getting older arise.
“They can often suggest alternative exercises or form,” Blessing said. Here are tips for those who have taken a break from fitness or want to get started:
By MICHELLE M. WALTERS Executive Vice President Health Insurance Shop
“Hospice” is one of those words in our vocabulary that when heard universally, it creates feelings of sadness, lost hope, and sometimes even relief for the caregiver. A loved one is not going to suffer much longer.
I learned a bit more about hospice a few years ago when a dear friend was at the end of her battle with breast cancer. For her, it meant that her husband couldn’t call for an ambulance or rush her to an emergency room when she fell out of her bed and lacerated her head. When she was in intolerable pain, the doctor couldn’t be called to increase her dosage of morphine. Instead, in these times of crisis, the hospice coordinator was called, and they assessed the need for additional medical attention. The way I looked at things, she was close to the end of her life and nothing at this point could be considered urgent enough to solicit the same medical response I would expect for myself. Talk about sad.
Even so, when someone signs the agreement to be rendered under the care of hospice, original Medicare Part A pays for the covered expenses. There are some restrictions to what they will and will not pay, so as you make your end-of-life plans with your family, be certain to
know what services you or your estate may be responsible for. The last thing any of us want are surprise bills arriving in the mail.
If you need help sorting things out, give us a call at (260) 484-7010. We’d be happy to walk you through the different options and help you decide what is best for you, your health care, and financial needs.
It was on a stormy Thanksgiving Eve in 1971 that a person who called himself
By RANDAL C. HILL
Dan Cooper leaped into legend in a bizarre escapade that remains history’s only unsolved commercial-airline hijacking.
The night that changed aviation history began in Portland, Oregon, when a well-dressed 40ish man carrying a briefcase approached the flight counter of Northwest Orient Airlines and gave his name as Dan Cooper. (In Canada, “Dan Cooper” was a comic-book hero.) He became D. B. Cooper of popular culture later, when a reporter covering the hijacking mistyped the
name from a police source.
Never asked to show identification or to open his briefcase, he paid cash for a one-way ticket on a Boeing 727 to nearby Seattle. As one of 37 passengers, he sat alone in the last row. Once airborne, Cooper passed a folded note to 23-yearold Florence Schaffner, an attractive steward accustomed to men hitting on her. When she tucked the unread message into her purse, the soft-spoken stranger said, “Miss, you’d better look at that note; I have a bomb.”
The note confirmed his threat, and Cooper ordered Schaffner to sit beside him. When she did, she asked to look inside the briefcase. There she saw a tangle of wires, a battery and six round red sticks. The passenger said that, once they landed in Seattle, he wanted $200,000 cash in a knapsack, as
well as back and front parachutes. If his demands weren’t met, he warned, he would blow up the plane.
Schaffner took the note to the captain. When she returned, Cooper had donned wraparound sunglasses.
It was raining hard when the plane touched down in Seattle. The requested cash was brought onboard, the 727 was refueled, and the remaining passengers were released. The hijacker then ordered the captain to fly to Mexico City.
Cooper was obviously familiar with the aircraft. He ordered the pilot to fly the plane below 10,000 feet and with the wing flaps set at 15 degrees. (This would keep the 727 under 200 knots—230 miles an hour.)
Cooper soon strapped the cash to himself, then slipped on the parachutes. He promised a frightened steward that he
LEAPED INTO LEGEND A person calling himself Dan Cooper, later becoming D.B. Cooper, has never been located after a bazarre escapade that remains history’s only unsolved commercial-airline hijacking. Photo from the FBI.
would dismantle the bomb or take it with him later, but he did neither.
Over the rugged terrain of southwestern Washington, he moved to the aft stairs, which allowed passengers to disembark from the rear of the airliner. He then leapt into the
darkness amid a howling rainstorm and into an area of dense forests, canyons and white-water rapids. He was never seen again.
Rivaling an Alfred Hitchcock fantasy, the Cooper incident has achieved cult status in a Robin Hood sort of way. Never mind that the hijacker threatened to murder people, or that he made off with today’s equivalent of $1.5 million in cash.
Some folks have pronounced him a harebrained daredevil, jumping to certain death in the worst imaginable weather. Others, though, have maintained that D. B. Cooper deserves to be seen as a courageous establishment-beater who’s possibly still alive.
I
By JIM CARPENTER Guest Writer
There’s a lot of things I no longer do.
Some I won’t, a lot I shouldn’t.
And of course, the physical stuff.
Anymore I simply couldn’t. But it seems I can do steps. And quite a few at that.
My former competitive nature, has made a ‘walking’ comeback.
Moving in with a daughter, their basement became our home.
We actually had a lot of upgrades, including a brand new phone. I can hardly use the technology. It just seems a bit complex. However, one feature was quickly mastered.
I became adept at counting steps.
There suddenly came a purpose, for the expanse of kitchen floor.
You’ll find me up there walking laps, on nearly every morning. The day is slowly dawning, As I am getting in those reps.
Before this house awakes, I’ll have 4,000 steps.
I have been wanting to write a poem on steps for awhile now.
Once again, the “in the moment” comes through for me.
Q. I’m starting to feel burnt out caring for my dad. What can I do to lighten the caregiving load?
A. You are not alone. About 70 percent of caregivers report that coordinating care for their loved one is stressful.
The Aging & In-Home Services Family Caregiver Program offers support and services to caregivers of individuals age 60 or over or individuals of any age who have dementia or a related disorder. The goal of the program is to reduce caregiver stress and to support the care recipient’s ability to remain in the community rather than be institutionalized.
One of the many ways the Family Caregiver Program uplifts caregivers is through support groups. These meetings offer education and emotional support to assist caregivers in decision making.
In addition to support groups, the Family Caregiver Program offers the following resources:
Q. Is there a service to help me with my downsizing move?
A. Wanting to downsize from your home to a retirement community can be an overwhelming experience. Many times people want to move, but end up not doing so because of the many things that must be done.
A few comments that I have heard over the years include:
1) I have to spend money to fix up my home before I sell it.
2) My attic and basement are full of stuff; I will have to have a garage sale.
3) I have to pack and move all of my belongings.
Looking at this list of concerns would cause anyone to just say “Forget It!”
This is where we can help!
Our services include selling your home
• Information & Assistance
• Temporary Respite Care
• Supplemental Services
• Telephone-based Coaching
• Specialized Dementia Support
Caregivers are referred to the Family Caregiver Program through the Aging & Disability Resource Center. If you are experiencing caregiver burnout, Just Call Us!
Q. Do I need to do anything if I don’t want to change my
A. The short and sweet response is “No!”. However, the majority of the MAPD plans are passing along some changes that may affect your opinion of your plan – so it might be a good idea to at least look at the options.
When enrolled in a Medicare Advantage Plan, you will receive an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) before the Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) begins. This ANOC will show you side-by-side the benefits for the current year and the next. Occasionally we will see that a carrier will move Beneficiaries into a plan that isn’t expected, so it is a good idea to pay close attention to the plan
as-is
Tim McCulloch, Owner
& moving
& more.
Our firm is highly recommended by many of the leading retirement communities in the Allen County area due to client satisfaction. If you are thinking about making the transition to retirement living, call me at (260) 441-8636. My free analysis will give you the information you will need to make a better decision for yourself!
Sincerely, Timothy McCulloch
Q. What are the big changes that have occurred in the Medicaid arena?
A. The rules around qualifying for Medicaid in Indiana changed drastically beginning in July 2024. The two biggest changes center around IRAs and Personal Services Contracts. Prior to July 1, 2024, any IRA account in the name of the community spouse was considered an exempt asset when determining what assets a married couple could keep.
After July 1, 2024, IRA accounts are no longer exempt. This means that a married couple with substantial IRAs will have to analyze the income tax burden associated with dealing with the IRA assets to see if Medicaid planning makes financial sense.
The second big change deals with
Heidi B. Adair Attorney at Law
It is now required that there be a written and notarized contract in place before you begin paying for services if the services are provided by an individual and not by someone employed by an agency. It is also necessary that care logs be kept detailing the care provided. Now, more than ever, it is important to plan for your long-term care needs.
Editor’s Note: Send listings of events, for nonprofit organizations only, to Senior Life, P.O. Box 188, Milford, IN 46542 or email Editor Phoebe Muthart by the 20th of each month to pmuthart@ the-papers.com. With the listing, include the contact person, area code and phone number.
—o—
The Raise a Glass exhibit runs until Friday, Nov. 1, at Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory, 1100 S. Calhoun St., Fort Wayne.
The conservatory is celebrating 40 years. This unique botanical venue has served as a cultural anchor in Fort Wayne, having welcomed nearly three million visitors. During its 40th anniversary, the conservatory is capturing vivid streams of light and reflecting into glimmers of a vibrant future. Raise a Glass $1 nights are from 5-8 p.m. every Thursday, until Nov. 14.
—o—
Volunteer Invasive Removal is from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Nov. 2, at Lindenwood Nature Preserve, 600 Lindenwood Ave., Fort Wayne.
Help remove invasive plant species, which are threatening biodiversity at Lindenwood Nature Preserve. Volunteers
will join experts from Indiana Native Plant Society in pulling and cutting down burning bush, privet, bush honeysuckle, and multi-flora rose. Some tools and gloves will be provided, but bring your own hand tools, if you have them (manual power only).
—o—
The Rosary Society at Most Precious Blood Catholic Church is hosting its annual Christmas Craft Show from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2, in the school gym, 1529 Barthold St., Fort Wayne, and is wheelchair accessible. Find unique hand-crafted items, home business vendors, baked goods, raffle opportunities and breakfast and lunch options. Tables are still available for rent at $25 for an 8-foot standard-sized table. Contact Ann at (260) 579-2895 with any questions.
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An all-you-can-eat fish fry and pork tenderloin is from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8, at Park Edelweis, 3355 Elmhurst Drive, Fort Wayne. Sponsored by Fort Wayne Maennerchor/Damenchor.
Dinner served with scalloped potatoes, coleslaw, dessert and coffee; full-service bar with German beer and wine and other beverages and soft drinks.
A short, live German concert is included. Cost: $15, adults, $6, children.
—o—
The ninth annual Holiday Bazaar will be at the American Legion No. 241 Auxiliary, 7605 Bluffton Road, Fort Wayne. It will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9. Proceeds benefit veterans and their families and local charities. Public is welcome.
—o—
Northeast Indiana Dementia Alliance will meet at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 12, in Meeting Room B at the Allen County Library Main Branch, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne.
Parking details: Any library lot including the parking garage below the building is $1 an hour or free with a library card.
Virtual Attendees: There will be an option to join the meeting virtually, via Zoom.
—o—
Are you struggling to adapt your favorite recipes to accommodate your household of one or two after years of cooking for a larger family? Educator Molly Hoag will introduce tips and ways to reduce those recipes for smaller households in a lesson at 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14, at the
Allen County Extension Office on the PFW campus. Call (260) 481-6826 to register.
—o—
Christkindlmarkt, a Christmas mart with a German flair, is 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16, at Park Edelweiss, 3355 Elmhurst Drive. Sponsored by Fort Wayne Maennerchor/Damenchor.
This is a two-story clubhouse full of vendors selling all sorts of gifts and decorations for Christmas gifts and decorating.
Also a table full of German delicacies, baked goods and candies. Enjoy lunch while shopping: bratwurst, potato salad, hot dogs and chips. Also for the kids, a visit from St. Nicholas is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for photos and a small gift. Full- service bar available serving Gluehwein (hot spiced wine) and Christmas music.
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“Concept to Celebration” runs until Saturday, Nov. 16, at Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory, 1100 S. Calhoun St., Fort Wayne.
This visual timeline displays the history of the Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory from an original idea to its current day 40th anniversary. Images, news articles and short
stories provide historical context during the celebratory “Raise a Glass” garden exhibit. Enjoy this unique display as a collaboration of archives from both Foellinger Foundation and Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory.
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Christmas Festival, hosted by Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1636 St. Mary’s Ave., Fort Wayne, is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30. This craft fair features a cookie walk, music and Santa. Johnny Appleseed Pancake Rollups and other food will be for sale. All proceeds are going to the church elevator fund.
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Celebrate the Christmas spirit with a tea party at Fort Wayne’s Historic Swinney Homestead, 1424 W. Jefferson Blvd., Fort Wayne, from 1:30-4 p.m. Dec. 6-7. Victorian costumed settlers will be serving delicious sweets, savories, and Christmas tea. The Swinney House will be decorated in Christmas grandeur, and one can find unique items in the gift shop. Tables seat four. Cost: $25 per person; prepayment is required. For reservations, call (260) 432-4232 or (260) 747-1501. Proceeds support the Homestead. Visit settlersinc.org.
The Embassy Theatre has announced that tickets for the Festival of Trees are now on sale. This year, the festival celebrates four decades of holiday splendor as one of the region’s most anticipated traditions.
The organization will host the week-long event from Wednesday, Nov. 27, through Wednesday, Dec. 4, with various hours each day. Ambassador Enterprises has returned as the event’s title sponsor.
Founded in 1984, the Festival of Trees supports ongoing operational and restoration efforts for the Embassy Theatre Foundation. The festival is the organization’s largest annual fundraiser. Last year’s event included 67 lavishly decorated trees and saw over 25,000 visitors.
The annual traditions at the festival continue in 2024 as it
celebrates four decades in this community. The lobbies of the Embassy Theatre and former Indiana Hotel will transform into a wonderland of decorated trees of various sizes, shapes and a broad array of themes.
Admission includes visits with Santa (various dates and times) and entertainment on stage, including the Grande Page pipe organ, youth choirs, dance performances and more.
The organization will also feature refreshed and new holiday windows along Harrison Street and at the corner of Jefferson Boulevard and Harrison Street.
Breakfast with Santa
This annual event includes a private tour of the Festival of Trees first at 8:30 a.m. and then Breakfast with Santa programming to begin around 9 a.m. Mad Anthony will provide a breakfast buffet.
By JUDI HAPKE Publicity Chair Christ Child Festival
It just keeps getting more exciting as new developments surface for our annual Christ Child Festival on Thanksgiving eve and the day after Thanksgiving.
The first hint was when Holly Raney visited us at Christmas in the Library last year. She caught a vision of how the Lincoln Financial Event Center at Parkview Field offers considerably more square feet to spread out our displays and craft areas.
The next blessing was confirming access to having enough white and gold Christmas (decorations that represent the Christ of Christmas) to decorate a 7 ½- foot tree. Gifted with an attractive electric train, plans are for it to be at table height to travel around the tree for easy viewing for the children.
Ideas surfaced for adding four large banner displays to the much-appreciated seven included in the Crimson Thread theme introduced last year.
Presently, Third World Printing is publishing a 12-page take home booklet featuring the message of the Crimson Thread, which has the potential of impacting great appreciation for the continuous narrative of God’s love as revealed from Genesis to Revelation.
You can assist us to repeat a very popular craft of assembling a Christmas gift bag by dropping off used Christian Christmas cards at Grabill Hardware, 13534 Main St., Grabill; Dan’s Porch and Patio, 3710 N. Clinton St., Fort Wayne; or Lutheran Social Services, 333. E. Lewis St., Fort Wayne.
We also need candy canes that will fit in a quart-size Ziplock plastic bag.
Latest News
The Capitol Christmas tree will be spending the night of Nov. 16 in Fort Wayne while in transit from Alaska to Washington, D.C. We will have the privilege of providing a live nativity from 4-7 p.m. along Brackenridge Street next to Parkview Field in Fort Wayne.
It’s easy! Simply find the POPPY on another page in this edition. Go online to www.SeniorLifeNewspapers.com and enter your information, the edition, date and page number you found it on. This will enter you for a chance to win a gift of $25. (Online Entries Only) Entries Must Be In By Monday, November 11, 2024. Brought To You By
The whole family will enjoy an abridged but engaging performance of Anastasia from the Fort Wayne Youtheatre. This is an experience to remember for all in attendance.
Seating is very limited and sells out every year. Cost for the breakfast is $30 per person. There will be special pricing for seniors on Senior Day only, which is Tuesday, Dec. 3, for $8. For more information or tickets, visit fwembassytheatre.org/ festival-of-trees.
Allen County Public Library’s Library at Home provides free delivery of library materials to homebound patrons, and pop-up libraries at facilities throughout Allen County, where residents can sign up for a library card, check out materials, and more!
US: LAH@ACPL.INFO
December 9 d 5:30-8:00 p.m.
$20, reserve by Dec 2 sponsored by American Senior Communities and Select Medical Rehabilitation Hospital at Lutheran Hospital
Thanksgiving Luncheon
November 18 d 12:00 p.m.
$6, reserve by Nov 13 sponsored by Englewood Health & Rehabilitation
Christmas Luncheon
December 16 d 12:00 p.m.
$6, reserve by by Dec 11 sponsored by Hearing Aids Plus+
Community Center
233 W. Main St., Fort Wayne www.fortwayneparks.org (260)427-6460
November 27: 6-9 p.m.
Thanksgiving, November 28: 3-7 p.m. (The Grinch (2018) animated film: 4 p.m.)
November 29-December 2: 11 a.m.–8 p.m. (Breakfast with Santa on Friday and Saturday: 9 a.m.)
December 3-4: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. (Tuesday is Senior Day & open to all ages)
Tickets:
$10 adults
$5 youth ages 1-12 (infants are free)
$30 Breakfast with Santa (per person)
Available online & at the STAR Bank box o ce at the Embassy.
Title Sponsor:
206 S. Main St. Milford, Indiana 46542
The winner of the I Spy Contest for October is Maryann Phelps from Elkhart. The leaves were located on page 8 in Senior Life Allen; page 11 in Senior Life Northwest; page 14 in Senior Life Elko and page 26 in Senior Life St. Joseph.
with
By CATHY SHOUSE Feature Writer
Lyle Ewing’s faith has been a part of the fabric of his life since he was very young. One of the many ways he has expressed his beliefs over the years is from playing taps. As a teenager, he would be called out to play his trumpet at the graveside services of veterans.
“This was back during the 60s and early 70s, back in Iowa where I grew up,” he said. “It was a small rural town. In high school, whenever there was a funeral, the principal gave me and my buddy a pass. No matter what class, he’d let us miss it, and we’d go to the committal service.”
This took place decades ago, yet the memories are fresh.
“One of us would be an echo and would be out of sight. If you’re the echo, you have to replicate the other person if they make a mistake,” he said with a smile. “If he doesn’t hit the high
note, you gotta follow suit.”
In northeast Iowa, he said sometimes the cemeteries were very cold and there might be rough terrain to get to their assigned task. He’d have to keep pressing the trumpet valves up and down while he waited, so they wouldn’t freeze. He might blow his breath through the mouthpiece to keep it warmed up.
Ewing still remembers Bible lessons learned from his Sunday school teacher when he was in second grade. One of his favorite verses today was introduced to him by that teacher. It is Psalms 23.
“I grew up on the King James version,” he said. “I didn’t understand, ‘I shall not want.’ She explained to me that it meant, ‘I’m not in need of anything else.’ My teacher was very musical, and we learned the 10 Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, the books of the Bible and the disciples’ names through music.”
Eventually, his faith led him
into the ministry.
“At age 30, I gave in to God’s calling, sometimes nudging gently, sometimes not so gently,” Ewing said. “It’s interesting how friends can recognize God’s call on your life, even if you can’t see it.”
Married to wife, Teresa, for 43 years, she retired from nursing and has an RN degree. They have three adult children and six grandchildren.
He likes to share that their children’s faith is wide, not all Presbyterians. Son, Michael, is even a Russian Orthodox monk living at a monastery in West Virginia.
Now 67, Ewing is a retired Presbyterian pastor of 35 years, most recently of the Bluffton Presbyterian Church where he was the designated pastor for four years. He still goes where he is called. Last month, he preached at United Faith Presbyterian Church in Fort Wayne.
Yet, playing taps is still something he enjoys looking back on.
“It was an honor to be asked,” Ewing said. “It seems whenever taps is played, it stirs a lot of emotion for people.”
In September, Everette Hornbarger was selected as a Fort Wayne Area Community Band assistant conductor by the 100-plus members of the band, which observes its 45th anniversary Thursday, Nov. 7. Hornbarger replaces David Blackwell, who retired in July. Blackwell had been assistant conductor
EVERETTE HORNBARGER
since 1992. He continues performing with the clarinet section, where he has been playing since 1988.
Hornbarger joined the FWACB earlier this year. Originally from Watervliet, Mich., he moved to Fort Wayne in the fall of 1978 when he accepted his first band director’s job at Woodside Middle School and was a band assistant at Homestead High School.
As a youngster, he attended Watervliet Public Schools, graduating from Watervliet High School in 1974. He received a bachelor’s degree in music education from Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Mich., in 1978 and earned a Master of Science degree in education in 1986 from Indiana University-Purdue University at Fort Wayne.
Interestingly, while studying for his master’s degree, Hornbarger took classes from Dr. William F. Schlacks, FWACB’s founding principal conductor, and also studied with Dr. George Cavanaugh, the band’s
Continued from page 8 and Friday, line dancing
The New Haven United Methodist Women in Faith will be hosting its annual Holiday Craft Bazaar from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at New Haven United Methodist Church at 630 Lincoln Highway East, New Haven.
They will be featuring over 40 tables with unique handcrafted items and a Country Kitchen with pies, cakes, cookies and assorted goodies. Breakfast will be served from 8-10:30 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
All proceeds are used to support mission work, both locally and globally, of the New Haven United Methodist Women in Faith.
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Woodlands Senior Activity Center
The center is located at 710 N. Opportunity Drive, Columbia City. For more information, call (260) 248-8944 or visit whitleycountycouncilonaging.org/woodlands-activity-center.
9 a.m. Wednesday, pixie bingo 9-10 a.m. Monday, Wednesday
9 a.m. Tuesday and Friday, euchre
9 a.m. every Tuesday, Bible study with Cheryl 10-11 a.m. Wednesday, chair exercise
Noon Tuesday, dominoes 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, hand and foot card game
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McMillen Park
Community Center
For information, visit fortwayneparks.org or call (260) 427-6000. The center is located at 3901 Abbott St., Fort Wayne.
Pickleball, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Monday to Friday
Adult yoga, 6-7 p.m. Tuesday and noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday CardioFit, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Monday and Thursday
Adult/open gym/volleyball, 6-8 p.m. Monday through Wednesday
Essential steps, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Monday and 6-8 p.m. Wednesday Yoga for seniors, noon to 1 p.m.
Wednesday Yoga for Adults, 6-7 p.m.
Tuesday
Adams Heritage
From 1982 to 1989, Hornbarger conducted bands at Bellmont High School and Bellmont Junior High in Decatur. From 1989 to 2020, he led the bands and music at Carroll High School and Carroll Middle School, Fort Wayne.
Continued from page 10 and bugle corps and in all the bands available from fourth grade on. In high school, he performed in the concert, jazz, marching and pep bands as well as singing in several choirs, and playing and singing in all the musicals and variety shows.
“My family was very musical,” continued Hornbarger.
“My dad was a first-rate, country-style guitarist. I was blessed with four sisters who mostly played piano and band instruments, and we all sang,” he related. “I began singing at a very early age, and when I was about nine, I started playing the trumpet in fourth grade.”
He also studied guitar, switching to bass guitar at about age 11.
“My early training was singing and playing at home and in church, and playing trumpet in band and singing at school,” he said.
As a youngster, Hornbarger played in a Boy Scout drum
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In college, Hornbarger played for four years in the marching band, three years in concert band, and a year each of pep band and jazz band. In the 1980s, he conducted the Decatur Community Band.
Currently, he plays and arranges for the First Missionary Church music ensemble in Fort Wayne and performs on the worship team. He also performs in Fort Wayne with the Old Crown Brass Band.
Hornbarger and his wife, Pam, have been married for 44 years. They have three sons, three daughters-in-law and six grandchildren. Two sons live in Fort Wayne and one is located in Cincinnati.
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“Dick, I know that the snoring is not intentional. But it has some devastating effects on our health and well-being. What are we going to do about it?”
“I’ve tried everything. It must have to do with the sleeping position.”
“Well, that’s tough to control. But we have to do something.”
“I’ll call the vet first thing in the morning.”
Yes, we have a pet that snores. But it’s not a dog. Believe it or not, we have a cat that snores. Yes, seriously, a cat. Her name is Angel.
Barney and my second beagle, Toby, were snorers. It wasn’t the occasional snort that kept us awake; it was a full blown, get-out-of-my-way foghorn. Both dogs woke themselves up every night, which made them cranky the next day. Dogs need their 18 hours.
Pekingese — are more apt to snore. If your human partner has a short, flat face you just better accept it or trade your significant other for a horse.
We have had two dogs over the years that snored. Both NUTSHELL
By DICK WOLFSIE
I specifically remember the first onset of Toby’s snoring. Knee surgery had slowed him down a bit, resulting in a modest weight gain, a factor in snoring. I had observed no increase in smoking or alcohol consumption in the hound, another common cause. I Googled pets and snoring. Apparently, there’s a real epidemic of sleep disorders in the canine world: narcolepsy, jet lag, insomnia, night terrors and restless paw syndrome.
But cats?
The first thing I learned was those animals with short, flat faces — like bulldogs, pugs,
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The site also noted that when pets sleep on their backs, snoring is more apt to occur. The best solution is to roust them out of a deep sleep, then abruptly flip them over on their stomachs. Mary Ellen thought this sounded like a good idea because that method worked temporarily on me several years ago.
But I still snore. Just like the cat.
One pet owner suggested gluing a tennis ball on a leather belt and wrapping it around the cat’s torso, so the bulge on his back would prevent him from rolling over. I tried this with Toby and Barney years ago. Both were pretty adept at twisting themselves into a knot, snatching the ball from
the strap, and then dropping it on my head at two in the morning so we could play fetch. I got back on Google. I saw that one woman recommended nasal strips for a pet that snores, but sticking one of those on a beagle’s nose is like trying to keep a bandage on a peeled banana. Another idea was giving your pet a nice foam cushion to prop his head up at night, thus opening the nasal airway. Angel had no interest in this. But both beagles loved the pillows. Every bite of them.
Mary Ellen finally Googled the cat snoring issue. It said there wasn’t much you could do to stop a cat from snoring. A vet on the site suggested having the cat sleep in the basement, but my wife quickly rejected that solution. But that did give her another thought. Now she’s calling my doctor to see if he would advise her to do the same thing with me.
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Enthusiastic,
50 Years Ago, Blast From The Past —
Billy Swan
Billy Swan always maintained that his best songs have come easily and fast.
A Boomer Blast To The Past
By RANDAL C. HILL
Case in point: In 1962, at age 20, Swan struck recording gold when a poem he wrote in a high school English class years before morphed into the lyrics of a hastily composed ditty he called “Lover Please.” It became the last Top 10 hit for rhythm-and-blues legend Clyde McPhatter.
One dozen years later, Swan entered Tennessee record producer Chip Young’s Young’un Sound Studio and, in two takes, record-
ed a chart-topping tune that had taken him 20 minutes to write.
Music critics pronounced “I Can Help” a neo-rockabilly shuffle, fueled by an irresistible electric organ line; Swan, though, saw it as an up-tempo blues song. Either way, it became a smash on both sides of the Atlantic.
Born in Missouri, Swan grew up influenced by country artists and such rock ‘n’ roll pioneers as Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly. By age 14, Swan was drumming in local beer joints, while also teaching himself to play rhythm guitar and keyboards. He eventually moved to Memphis, where he wrote several songs for established country artists and, in time, cut his record-production teeth on Tony Joe White’s classic ditty “Polk Salad Annie.”
Billy signed to record for Nashville’s Monument Records. He composed “I Can Help” in
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the “music room” that his wife, Marlu, had converted from a closet inside the small duplex they shared. Those cramped quarters held an electric organ, an amplifier and a Rhythm Master drum machine.
“That Rhythm Master had something like 10 preset sounds,” recalls Swan. “It had mambo, cha-cha, bossa nova, Rock 1 and Rock 2. I used one of those rock settings when I wrote ‘I Can Help.’ ”
Young’un Sound was actually a two-room log house in Murfreesboro, Tenn., about 35 miles southeast of Nashville. To record his million-seller, Swan borrowed a portable organ from a session musician in the studio that day.
Swan explains, “Chip set up a vocal mic. I stood in front of the organ, and what you hear was captured on the second take. While I was playing the
organ and singing, I was also shaking my leg all through that take; Chip’s little puppy named Bowser was tugging on my pants leg all through what you hear on the record.”
Let’s examine “I Can Help.”
On the surface, a kind-hearted man is offering his services to a lady who may appreciate his assistance:
“I got two strong arms, I can help
“Apparently, nothing is too big a task for him:
“If your child needs a daddy, I can help.”
But the song’s refrain shows a change in focus, and Mister Nice Guy is obviously also interested in establishing a romantic relationship:
“When I go to sleep at night
“You’re always a part of my dream
“Holding me tight and telling
me everything
“I want to hear.”
Yes, he’s willing to help, but he yearns for more.
You’ve explained yourself, Billy. Now all you can do is await her decision.
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Denton
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the other person is saying. No more garbled or misunderstood conversations. Simply, READ what you’re hearing.
By ROD KING
There it stands. Right in the middle of modern downtown Fort Wayne. It looks like a castle that should be perched on a hill in 17th century Germany. Its sandstone blocks exude history. History leaks from every door and window.
It’s the Fort Wayne History Center. This is where the city and Allen County history is on display. It’s a great story that starts with the receding of the glaciers, through the era of the American Indians to the coming of General Mad Anthony Wayne, the development of the city and the products that were invented and produced here.
Built in 1893, the building housed the offices of the mayor, city administration, city court, Fort Wayne Police Department and the jail. The only residents of the jail today are a 1950s FWPD motorcycle and a cardboard stand-up of a forlorn-looking prisoner. Prisoners were escorted from the basement jail to city court on the second floor to hear their cases.
The city court room is now the location of the annual Gingerbread Festival. This cherished event has been held there since 1986. It has become one of the city’s holiday traditions featuring the works of local artists ranging from pre-kindergarten to professionals. This year’s event will be Nov. 29 through Dec. 22.
Old city hall became the headquarters of the Fort Wayne Historical Society in 1980. Since then, it has built its collection to more than 32,000 pieces, including photos, artifacts and documents
representing the history of the city and the county displayed in an easy-to-understand presentation.
American Indians were present in the Three Rivers Area well before the Miami tribe settled here. Little is known of those people, but they left behind tools, drills, arrowheads and pottery.
Much more is known about the Miami Indians who established a village, Kekionga, here because of the portage between the Maumee and Wabash Rivers, which was a key part of the trade route that stretched from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico.
Kekionga became a major trading center. The museum’s permanent collection has many artifacts documenting the lifestyle of the Miami Indians and their most prominent leaders, Chief Little Turtle and Jean Baptiste de Richardville.
Probably the most valuable piece in the collection is the fold-up camp bed of General Mad Anthony Wayne. He came to the area in 1794 with the singular purpose of constructing a military fort that would control the region. Following its construction, he left and never returned. The fort was named after him and also became the name of the city that grew up around it. The bed is on loan from the Mary Penrose Wayne Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
The History Center is a timeline that traces the growth of the area and includes special pieces, like the Farnsworth Model 4 prototype television, which was developed here in 1945 and is one of the earliest Farnsworth TVs in existence.
Packard Organ Company’s number one 1872 test organ is also a highlight.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for seniors 65 and over, and $5 for youth.
The Erie Canal played an important role in the growth of the city, bringing people, goods and business to Fort Wayne in the mid-1800s. The railroads supplanted the canal boats, making the
FARNSWORTH TELEVISION This prototype Model No. 4 produced in 1945 is one the earliest Farnsworth TVs in
the
than 15,000
By IGOR LOBANOV
Mature Life Features
Long popular with vacationing royalty, artists and others from across Europe, this rockbound bastion 50 miles south of Sicily at the crossroads of the Mediterranean remains an enigma to many North Americans.
The island’s balmy yearround climate bathes a land whose legacy ranges from temples a thousand years older than Egypt’s Pyramids at Giza through classical Greece and Rome to the palaces of a patrician unit of Christian crusaders.
The Apostle Paul was shipwrecked here. Arabs occupied the outcropping in 879, followed by the Normans. Napoleon dropped by for six days and his troops hung around for a couple of years until sent packing by the English. Britain’s Royal Navy operated out of the island’s superb natural harbors for a century and a half before the Maltese finally attained their independence in 1964.
But it was the Sovereign Military Hospitaler Order of St. John of Jerusalem — better known as the Knights of Malta — whose influence is most heavily felt.
Our arrival here, the island’s capital, was by ship after dark and ventured on deck when the vessel was picked up the harbor pilot and headed for the quay. Nosing past Valletta’s breakwater and into the narrow entrance, we cruised by the massive spotlighted starshaped Fort St. Elmo to the right and the spear-like walls of Fort San Angelo to the left, whose towering ramparts took on a creamy yellowish glow.
Quite appropriate, as they were built by the cream of European aristocracy at the time.
The Knights of St. John, ousted from the Holy Land by the Ottoman Turks and later from the island of Rhodes by Suleiman I The Magnificent, were invited here in the mid16th century by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, who saw Malta as the pivotal bulwark
WEDDING CELEBRATION
Wedding celebrants in Taomina on the northeast coast of Sicily leave the late 17th century baroque Church of San Giuseppe on the Piazza IX Aprile. Photo by Igor Lobanov.
to blunt a Moslem invasion of Southern Europe. The newcomers set to work fortifying the island and, in 1565, withstood a brutal four-month-long Turkish siege that repelled the threat from the East.
Over the next two centuries, they created a place that Scottish novelist Sir Walter Scott called “a city built by gentlemen for gentlemen.”
The Renaissance grid of narrow streets holds palaces, municipal buildings and churches, many still honeycombed with secret passages. There is the hulking dark stone residence of the grand master and nearby, some of the auberges, or palace homes, of the various components of knights, based upon their homeland: Auvergne, Aragon, Castile, Italy, France and Allemagne-Angleterre.
The soaring Co-Cathedral of St. John, with its high Baroque ornamentation, has a marble floor quilt pattern of mosaics that covers the tombs of some 350 knights. A museum houses treasures “liberated” from all over the Mediterranean by the far-ranging cavaliers and, on a wall of the Oratory, Italian Renaissance painter Michelangelo Caravaggio’s chilling masterpiece, “The Beheading of St. John the Baptist.”
Now based in Rome, the Knights of St. John continue
By CECIL SCAGLIONE Mature Life Features
Listening to travellers complain about how they were treated in some foreign land is akin to hearing kids complain about their teachers.
First off, keep in mind that travellers are guests where they are. Just because the locals didn’t understand English is no reason to harp about their rudeness. Many travellers discover they had no concept what language was spoken in the country they visited. They didn’t try to learn a few vital
their charitable work, aimed at alleviating hunger, misery and disease in Third World countries.
Some 160 miles away, on the northeast coast of Sicily and perched on a mountain spur high above the Ionian Sea, is Taormina.
Medieval stone buildings hug cobblestone streets and unexpected portals reveal views past flowering gardens to the deep blue waters where Homer set his tales of Neptune, Ulysses and the Cyclops.
A celebrated resort for well over a century and, much earlier, the preferred residence of wealthy Roman patricians, its quixotic Piazza IX Aprile overlooking the sea has been a social center eliciting such comments as, paraphrasing author D.H. Lawrence, that it was not only a meeting point but also a charming “salon” for continental tea of the Mad Hatter where you wonder who will end up in the teapot.
I don’t know about the teapot, but there are open-air cafes to get a coffee, gelato or marzipan shaped like fruit. It’s also a favorite spot for the lassiggato, the traditional Latin evening stroll.
Aprile is framed by a couple of churches, and a clock tower dating from the Middle Ages that serves as a gateway to the medieval sector. Narrow lanes lead to views of the villa-strewn hillside above and the sea below.
At Taormina’s northeastern fringe, carved into a high spot on the hillside and dating from the 3rd century BC, is the town’s treasured Greco-Roman theater.
The Greeks built it for classical plays and musical events. Imperial-age Romans had more grandiose ideas, transforming the venue into an amphitheater for gladiator contests, hunting spectaculars and even naval battles on a flooded stage.
Today, audiences at summer concerts and other events have, like the Romans before them, a grandstand view past the stage to the sea and the largest active volcano in Europe — Sicily’s Mt. Etna.
Mature Life Features Copyright 2024
words in that language, such as “please” and “thank you.”
Ignorance of one’s surroundings is an all-too-common trait of travellers.
Here is a small sample of such mindlessness.
A member of a small group strolling in the shadow of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City proudly proclaimed loudly how thrilled she felt “walking in the footsteps of Jesus.”
Then she complained — loudly — to her tour guide that the Pope’s noon blessing from his high-up window was too far away to tell if it was really him.
Mature Life Features Copyright 2024
To kick off the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, the Mary Penrose Wayne Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution will be dedicating a marker to commemorate the bravery of the men and women who achieved American independence from 1775-1783.
The ceremony will commence with color guard and playing of the national anthem at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16, near the entrance of Guldlin Park, 401 Van Buren St., Fort Wayne.
Mayor Sharon Tucker will be the guest of honor. She will be introduced by current regent of the Mary Penrose Wayne NSDAR Chapter, Dr. Sue Johnson. The mayor will proclaim Nov. 16 America 250th Revolutionary War Patriot Recognition Day. She will read a proclamation dedicating the marker honoring those patriots who helped win American Independence and acknowl-
edging the 175 members of the Mary Penrose Wayne Chapter, who are direct descendants of at least one of those great patriots.
Other guest speakers include: Charlotte Blair, Indiana State Honorary Regent, Indiana DAR State Chair of America 250!, and chair of the State of Indiana America 250! Committee; and Benita Steyer, former chapter regent and current Allen County Chair Indiana Semi-quincentennial Commission.
Steyer said, “Our identified mission is to commemorate in Indiana, the United States of America’s 250th Anniversary. We are recognizing the dedicating of this marker to commemorate the bravery of the men and women who achieved American Independence from 1775-1783.”
She added, “When we see this marker, we as Hoosiers can reflect positively on Indiana’s and America’s history.”
The Allen County Christmas Bureau is calling on the community to help ensure a merry Christmas for families in need.
ACCB, a volunteer-driven organization, still has a little over 80 families available for adoption this holiday season. These families, ranging from two-person to four-person households, need assistance in making this Christmas a joyful one.
Each year, ACCB partners with agencies throughout Allen County to identify local families facing financial hardships. Companies, churches, social groups, and individual families generously “adopt” these families, providing them with gifts and essentials to brighten their holiday season.
In 2024, ACCB has taken on 380 families, and while many of these families have been matched with adopters, a significant number remain.
Thanks to the incredible generosity of loyal adopters, it has been able to make Christmas special for so many families over the years; however, due to the current economic challenges, some of the regular adopters are unable to participate this year. ACCB is reaching out to the community in hopes of finding new adopters to step in and make a difference.
By adopting a family through ACCB, you are directly impacting the lives of local citizens and ensuring that everyone, regardless of their financial situation, can experience the joy of Christmas. Whether you’re an individual, family, or group, your participation can make a significant difference.
To adopt a family or for more information, contact Kathleen Alter at kathleenalter@gmail. com or (260) 210-0571. Adoption forms and further details can be provided upon request.
By MONA HARTER District Manager, South Bend Social Security Office
Veterans Day is on Monday, Nov. 11. We honor all veterans who served our country and risked their lives to protect us.
If you know a veteran, let them know about our Military and Veterans web page at ssa. gov/people/veterans.
On that page, we have information about Social Security
Disability Insurance benefits for veterans, including:
• How SSDI benefits are different from benefits available through the Department of Veterans Affairs and require a separate application.
• How we expedite the processing of Social Security disability claims for service members.
• Answers to questions asked about Social Security.
Some active-duty military service members are unable to
work due to a disabling condition but continue to receive pay while in a hospital or on medical leave. They should consider applying for SSDI. Active-duty status and receipt of military pay doesn’t necessarily prevent payment of SSDI benefits.
Our Military and Veterans webpage is easy to share on social media and with your friends and family. Consider passing this information along to someone who may need it.
By CECIL SCAGLIONE
Mature Life Features
Cyberspace crooks steal billions of dollars every year from seniors. No one knows exactly how high that figure is because less than half of these robberies are reported, according to
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some experts.
Computer theft from the elderly includes identity theft and credit card, investment, tax return and lottery winnings fraud.
Another cruel caper is attacking the seniors’ computer system with malware that requires payment to remove — and it’s not removed after payment is made.
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has your back!
A helpful mindset on rightsizing and getting rid of things
By NESS BROTHERS
The hardest part of right-sizing is letting go of the items we have become so familiar with and, in some cases, even love. There is no rule saying everything must be liquidated. It’s good to keep your most cherished items or, more practically, to keep parts or pictures of these items. For example, scraps of a wedding dress or pieces of a special blanket are easily stored and can be kept indefinitely.
It’s not the stuff that is hard; it’s the stories behind the stuff.
Just because something is in someone else’s possession doesn’t mean the story is lost. Try not to let sentiment take over, but stay focused on the goal, which is to clear things out and move on to the next chapter.
Unexpected: Renae’s Story
Renae’s parents were in good health and living independently until they got into an unexpected car accident. When she and her sister went to find documents necessary for the hospital and attorney, they
both quickly realized neither of them had any idea where to look. Fortunately, her parents were coherent and able to give them specific instructions and guidance.
How To Be In Control
Over the past several decades of serving our clients, we can attest that not everyone is so lucky. The importance of having information gathered in advance and letting at least one (non-spouse) family member know can greatly reduce the stress and confusion that usually accompanies these situations. Contact our Senior Relocation team to get help and answers to your questions on right-sizing; we’re here to help you deal with unexpected situations.
Reach out to our relocation specialists at (260) 459-3911 in Fort Wayne or (260) 356-3911 in Huntington. You can also contact us through our website, NessBros.com, or stop in one of our offices, located at 3344 Mallard Cove Lane, Fort Wayne, or 519 N. Jefferson St., Huntington.
