Superintendent to speak to parents about referendum
Brown County Schools Superintendent David Shaffer is speaking to elementary school parent-teacher organizations about the school district’s referendum proposal.
Voters will be asked in May to pay 8 cents more per $100 of assessed property value to maintain staff and current class sizes, support current and new programs, provide for teacher salaries and fund the Brown County Career Resource Center.
Shaffer will speak at Van Buren Elementary School at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 12 in the cafeteria.
He visited Helmsburg Elementary on March 1 and Sprunica Elementary on March 28.
Preservation society to meet in April
The Peaceful Valley Heritage Preservation Society will meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 12, in a lower-level meeting room of the Brown County Community Foundation, 209 N. Van Buren St.
The agenda includes election of officers and board members and the annual corporate meeting. Annual membership dues of $10 can be paid at this meeting.
All are welcome. The organization serves to recognize and preserve historic, cultural and natural resources of Brown County. Meetings are the second Tuesday of each month.
For more information, contact Ruth Reichmann at [email protected] or 812-345-1383.
Learn about food safety for farmers market items
BEAN BLOSSOM — From 4 to 5 p.m. Friday, April 15, Brown County Health Department Inspector Jennifer Heller Rugenstein will speak at St. David’s Episcopal Church, at state roads 45 and 135 North, about food safety regulations for farmers markets and other small-scale sales.
She will cover rules and regulations for food sold at a farmers market, the difference between a home-based vendor and a food establishment, and more. The talk is free and open to the public.
Sign up for Spring Blossom Parade soon
The Brown County Lions Club invites organizations to participate in the annual Spring Blossom Parade on Saturday, May 7.
The registration deadline is April 15.
There is no entry fee to be in the parade. Registration and waiver forms are available at the Purdue Extension Office, Visitors Center and online at e-clubhouse.org/sites/browncounty.
Signed waiver forms will be required from all who will be marching or riding in the parade. A confirmation with more information will be sent to each organization after receipt of their registration form. Any questions about registration should be directed to Lion Gene Niednagel at 988-6865 or email him at [email protected].
This marks the 53rd continuous year for the parade, and the theme, “Brown County Celebrates our Superheroes,” recognizes the 50th anniversary of the 1966 “Batman” TV series and movie and the 200th birthday of Indiana.
The 1966 “Batman” movie will play at the Brown County Playhouse on Friday evening, May 6, and the Batmobile will be on display across the street that evening and in the parade Saturday.
Bean dinner is fundraiser for Van Buren Fire
STONE HEAD — Van Buren Volunteer Fire Department, 4040 State Road 135 South, will serve a tax relief lunch/dinner from noon to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, April 16.
The menu will include bowl of ham and beans, sweet cornbread and a drink for $5. Desserts will be available by donation. Eat in or carry out.
New Bellsville annual cemetery meeting set
VAN BUREN TWP. — New Bellsville Cemetery annual meeting will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 16 at 7909 Bellsville Pike. For more information, call 812-988-4539.
Church hosts dinner fundraiser for medical expenses
North Salem United Methodist Church, 7718 State Road 46 East, will serve a chicken noodle benefit dinner from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, April 16.
A donation of $10 per dinner is requested to raise funds for the medical expenses of Joy Jackson, local mother of two children. The daughter-in-law of church members Verel and Leah Jackson, she needs major pancreatic surgery in South Carolina.
Democrats to host dinner, meet-and-greet
The Brown County Democratic Party will host its annual Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 16 at The Seasons Conference Center, State Road 46 East.
Democrat candidates running for local offices will be present to meet with voters.
The featured speaker is Indianapolis attorney Ann DeLaney, known as the Democrat voice for “Indiana Week in Review” public television show.
Tickets, available at the door or in advance, cost $25 per person. Checks made payable to the Brown County Democratic Party can be sent to P.O. Box 1742, Nashville, IN 47448-1742.
Earth Day Festival activities at Harmony Church
NEW BELLSVILLE — Harmony Church will host a concert featuring the Amanda Webb Band at 7 p.m. Friday, April 22.
A Labyrinth walk and tree planting ceremony are planned for 3 p.m. Saturday, April 23. Festivities also will include a pitch-in feast Sunday, April 24 at noon to be followed by a healing aromatherapy experience led by Ingrid Skoog.
Harmony is on Mt Liberty Road at Bellsville Pike. For more information, call Gretchen Laymon at 812-988-1714.
Park friends to sell plants at Nature Center
Friends of Brown County State Park’s annual plant sale will take place Saturday, April 23 at the park Nature Center. It will start at 9 a.m. and end when plants are sold out.
Plant-, seed-sharing event set at Deer Run
A plant and seed exchange will be hosted by SEED Brown County at Deer Run shelter house from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 23.
Bring plants (potted or unpotted), seeds and stories, or just an interest in learning about the movement.
Seeds left over from the first swap have become Brown County’s first community seed box, available for people to pick through and add to, organizer Torrie Birkemeier said.
Simulcast of ministry program planned locally
Nashville Christian Church Women’s Ministry will host a live simulcast featuring Bible teacher Priscilla Shirer from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, April 23 in the church auditorium, 160 S. Van Buren St. The event will include Shirer’s brother, worship artist Anthony Evans.
A repeat showing will take place from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, April 29 at The Lifehouse (former Family Fun Center), 216 S. Van Buren.
Tickets for each event are $15. An optional box meal costs $10.
For more information or to register, visit nashvillechristianchurch.org/womens-ministry; call the church office at 812-988-2889; or email [email protected].
History Center hosts family heritage activities
Family Heritage Day will be celebrated from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 23 at the Brown County History Center, 90 E. Gould St. The event is to help research family histories.
Local family historians are asked to help, share their family histories, or to see what the genealogical society has to offer. Display tables will be provided at no charge.
The free event includes door prizes, handouts, genealogy books for sale and Reeve family studies for sale.
For more information and to RSVP, call 812-320-6237.
Exhibit at the Brown County 4-H Craft Fair
Vendor spaces are still open at the Brown County 4-H Craft Fair, open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 7 at the Brown County fairgrounds.
Ten-by-10-foot spaces in the open pavilion can be reserved for $30 each. Call 812-988-5495 or email [email protected].
Vendors and crafters will be set up in all three green buildings (Exhibit Hall, pavilion and open pavilion).
Wares include sewn, knitted and crocheted items; quilts; soaps; handmade bags; wall hangings; cakes and pies; hand-thrown pottery; “upcycled home decor”; jewelry; wooden bowls and toys; and vendors such as Pampered Chef, Scentsy, ThirtyOne, Usborne Books and Tupperware.
All proceeds benefit the Brown County 4-H program.
Celebrate birthday of Brown County History Center
From 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 24, the Brown County Historical Society will celebrate the first anniversary of the Brown County History Center in its Grand Hall. The event will feature singers and storytellers Tom Roznowski and Carolyn Dutton.
For more information, call 812-320-6237.
Keep Brown County Beautiful kick-off at the library
At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 26, a ceremony and inaugural meeting of the Keep Brown County Beautiful project will take place in the lower level of the Brown County Public Library, 206 Locust Lane.
All are welcome to attend and learn how they can help.
The mission is “to bring together citizens, governmental bodies and businesses to create a beautiful and healthy environment” in the county, which will improve quality of life and enhance economic development and eco-tourism.
Projects will focus on reducing litter, recycling, beautification and education.
Spring two-day plant sale planned
The Friends of the Library will host its annual plant sale at the Brown County Public Library, 205 N. Locust Lane, from 3 to 6 p.m. Friday, April 29; and on the lawn of the Brown County Courthouse from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 30.
A variety of sun and shade perennials will be sold in time for spring planting. Other participating organizations include the Brown County Herb Society, Seed Brown County, Brown County Soil and Water Conservation District and the Brown County Native Woodland Project. BCNWP will give away free native trees.
Proceeds benefit the Friends of the Brown County Library and the garden and ravine projects.
For more information, call the library at 812-988-2850 or visit browncounty.lib.in.us.
Benefit for backpack program honors superintendent
A spring benefit concert honoring David Shaffer, retiring superintendent for Brown County Schools, and benefiting the Brown County Weekend Backpacks Program is slated from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, April 29, at the Brown County High School auditorium.
Students, staff and any local residents can participate in the free event, which will need volunteer workers and musicians. The concert will focus on classical music, but all music genres are welcome.
Donations will be accepted at the door, with all proceeds to benefit the BCWB program. Operating throughout the school year, BCWB provides meals for at-risk students in the Brown County school system. The goal: “No child deserves to go to bed hungry.”
To help with the concert, call coordinator Clara Stanley at 312-310-3617 or email her at [email protected].
Mt. Zion Cemetery clean-up date set
VAN BUREN Township — From 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 30, those interested in maintaining Mt. Zion Cemetery are welcome to the association’s clean-up day at the cemetery between Stone Head and Story on State Road 135 South.
A pitch-in lunch is planned at noon, followed by the cemetery association’s annual meeting at 1 p.m.
Indiana Wine Fair tickets on sale now
STORY — The annual Indiana Wine Fair will take place at the Story Inn Saturday, April 30, rain or shine.
Vintners will dole out one-ounce pours amid food and live music. The first 4,000 general admission ticketholders to enter receive a keepsake wine glass.
Participants must be at least 21. Gates open at 12:30 p.m.; wine service ends at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $30 at the gate and $10 for designated drivers. A free shuttle will run to and from downtown Nashville every 15 minutes.
For more information, visit indianawinefair.com or call 812-988-2273.
‘American Pickers’ looking for characters with antiques
TV show “American Pickers” will be in Indiana in April and is looking for people with valuable antiques to be on the show.
Producers are looking for “characters with interesting and unique items,” such as vintage bicycles, toys, unusual radios, movie memorabilia, advertising, military items, folk art, pre-’50s western gear, early firefighting equipment, vintage musical equipment, automotive items and clothing.
Send name, phone number, location and description of the collection with photos to [email protected] or call 855-old-rust.
Sanders for President group meeting at library
The Bernie Sanders for President group meets at 7 p.m. Wednesdays in the lower level of the Brown County Public Library, 205 N. Locust Lane. “Progressive people for Bernie Sanders are welcome,” the meeting announcement says.
Shop at craft fair to benefit 4-H program
A craft fair supporting Brown County 4-H will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, May 7, at 802 Memorial Drive at the fairgrounds.
For more information, call 812-988-5495.
Farmers market to open in May
BEAN BLOSSOM — The Bean Blossom farmers market will open Friday, May 13 in the St. David’s Episcopal Church parking lot, on State Road 45 just off State Road 135 North.
Church breakfast free to community
HAMBLEN TWP. — Sprunica Baptist Church, 3902 Sprunica Road, will serve a free community breakfast from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday, May 14.
Served the second Saturday of each month, the menu includes biscuits and gravy, rolls, eggs and more.
BCHS 1966 alumni sought for 50th reunion
Organizers of the Brown County High School 50th alumni banquet are seeking help in finding 1966 alumni.
With information, email John Jones at [email protected].
The reunion will begin at 6:30 p.m. Friday, June 24, at Creekside Retreat, 2450 State Road 46 East, and include hors d’oeuvres, beverages and a cash bar. All classmates and others associated with the class are welcome.
To RSVP, contact Buzz King at [email protected] or 812-988-4294.
