Letters to the editor for week of Dec. 29

Help needed to put on next year’s Arts Week

To the editor:

It has been seven months since Peaceful Valley Heritage (PVH) in collaboration with the Town of Nashville, the local art galleries, Brown County Community Foundation and Brown County Schools hosted Arts Week.

In these six months we at PVH have had a chance to reflect on the fruition of our hard work and have come to realize that if we want this event to be a reoccurring one, we need help from our community.

We want Arts Week to be an annual tradition bringing Brown County together to enjoy the arts, in whatever form they may present themselves, each year evolving into a better version of itself. For our first year, we were pleasantly surprised by how smoothly our week played out. We had catered events for our art and essay winners. There were storytellers on the Village Green captivating their audience. Plein air painters dispersed throughout Nashville to display their talents. PVH unveiled a historic marker dedicated to Brown County’s rich historic and cultural ties to art.

Arts Week ended with a children’s art fair featuring all day entertainment consisting of music, a magic act, a Department of Natural Resources representative showcasing animals and, of course, art activities geared toward children.

It is nice to look back on what we did as a community and be proud, but now is the time to start thinking about next Arts Week.

What are we going to do for activities? Are we going to have more plein air artists? Should we start trying to schedule out times for the artists to be out? What could we have done better?

There are so many questions that you could have the answers for and we need our community organizations as well as individuals who wish to get involved to reach out to PVH.

Our hope is to form more inter-connectivity within our county and town groups, making support between them easier and more readily available. We are all Brown County and what we do is for the improvement of our community. Come join our team to make next year’s Arts Week an event no one will forget!

Your Friends,

Peaceful Valley Heritage Preservation, Inc. (Submitted by Lorna Reichmann)

Thanks for Shop With a Cop, ‘priceless’ moments

To the editor:

As 2021 winds down I realize that COVID-19 has caused a lot of cancellations! One event it did not cancel this year was our annual Shop With a Cop event.

After missing in-person shopping with children last year, we were happy to get back to it again this year! We were able to take over 50 children shopping this year.

I’m often asked what it’s like to be a part of this event. When we have taken children whom were shy and/or scared of police to begin with and changed that thought by the end of their shopping experience, there’s not much more to ask for. Seeing how these children react when we tell them they can get something they might not normally get is priceless.

This year I took a child shopping, a sweet young girl. She picked out a sparkly dress and toys she wanted. At the end we had a full cart. She stated: “This is going to be lots of monies! Do you have lots of monies?” I let her know I had plenty!

I would really like to thank all of the officers and volunteers that were able to help! These individuals willingly donated there time, unpaid, to do this.

I would like to thank board members Tammy Roberts, Crissie Oaldon, Chad Williams and Jimmy Green who help plan and raise money for this event all year. I could not do it without them!

Lastly, I would like to thank any person or business whom has donated to Shop With a Cop this year and years past. This event is ran on donations alone raised by our great community!

A program I am proud to be a part of and look forward to its future. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!

Brian Shrader, president, Brown County Shop With a Cop and detective with Brown County Sheriff’s Department

Tips for safe heating in cold months

To the editor:

With cold weather now upon us, there are some considerations for safety in heating the home. Here are some tips from the state health department.

Vents and chimneys: Any heater that burns fuel should be vented to prevent carbon monoxide build up. Have your chimney inspected before heating season and have it cleaned when needed. Think about installing a spark arrestor on top of any chimney that vents a solid-fuel stove or fireplace.

Space heaters: Keep all material that might burn away from portable heaters and space heaters. Make sure these heaters are away from furniture, walls, bedding, throws, etc. Do not plug space heaters into extension cords. Plug them right into a wall outlet that has enough capacity to run the unit. Turn these heaters off when you leave the room or go to bed.

Liquid fuel safety: Use the proper grade fuel for your liquid-fueled space heater. Never use lower grade fuel or gasoline in any heater not approved for gasoline. Refuel the unit outdoors and make sure the equipment is cool.

Gas-fueled heaters: Make sure the unit is vented to the outside and that the venting is clear with no blockages. Never install non-vented gas heaters in bathrooms or bedrooms. Carbon monoxide can build up in small, enclosed spaces.

Wood or coal stove: Protect the floor underneath with a floor protector. Install the stove at least three feet away from walls and furniture. Use only dry seasoned wood to burn. Do not burn trash. Do not use artificial logs.

Fireplaces: Use a fire screen on a fireplace made of sturdy metal or heat-tempered glass. Use dry seasoned wood that you add carefully so sparks and embers don’t get out onto the rug.

For more information visit www.in.gov/dhs/get-prepared/.

Jennifer Heller, Brown County Health Department

Library staff recognizes, thanks director

To the editor:

As we head into another year of pandemic, the staff of the Brown County Public Library would like to thank and recognize our director Stori Snyder for her leadership and compassion during these trying times.

The library is a public place and welcomes everyone, which means making tough decisions. Stori has to walk a fine line between public safety and public service. She has done it with grace and humor. She has gone to great lengths to make the library as accessible as possible even when Brown County’s COVID levels were so high that it required closing the building to the public. Curbside service, socially distanced computer labs and a self-checkout sidewalk library have all been used as a way of keeping the library available to the public.

The introduction of vaccines for kids 5 and up was an exciting day at the library. We serve so many children and just knowing that an even larger segment of our patrons has access to a vaccine makes us feel more secure in offering in-person programming for young ones.

We are all feeling a bit of pandemic overload, tired of masks and social distancing and it’s easy to forget that it is doubly difficult for the decision makers who are trying to keep us safe while having to continue business as usual.

We just want to say that we appreciate all Stori has done for her staff and our community.

Sincerely,

The Staff of the Brown County Public Library (Submitted by Tess Kean)

Help sponsor Playhouse chair in honor of Tom Vornholt

To the editor:

Most of you are aware by now that our community just lost an outstanding gentleman, Tom Vornholt.

Tom, for many years, fought the challenges with Parkinson’s disease. Tom was very active in our community in many ways from the Career Resource Center, Brown County Playhouse and his church.

After the Brown County Community Foundation received the Playhouse from Indiana University, Tom was the first to step in with his outstanding sound system for the Playhouse. The Playhouse used this system for two to three years and it was a lifesaver.

Because of his love of the entertainment industry, we would like to raise $500 to buy a chair in the Playhouse in Tom’s memory. You may mail your check to Bob Kirlin, P.O. Box 1336, Nashville, Indiana 47448. Mark for “Tom’s Chair” and make the check out to the Brown County Playhouse. For more information, you may call Bob Kirlin at 812-720-0222.

To one of my best buddies, Bob Kirlin

Thanks for making Chocolate Walk a ‘great success’

To the editor:

On Saturday, Nov. 13 over 1,200 people joined together to participate in this year’s Chocolate Walk event. It was a bit cold, but that didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits.

In addition to lots of chocolate, the day saw two dog adoptions, one cat adoption and our first-ever Chocolate walk proposal!

This year’s Chocolate Walk included 39 participating shops. The most ever! And, this event would not be possible without the over 70 volunteers who joined forces to make it happen. We are always so grateful to all the shops and every single person who donates their time and effort to make our events a great success.

Throughout the event, attendees voted to declare a winner for each of the following categories: Best Taste, Best Presentation and Most Creative Chocolate.

We received lots of votes and it was a close race, but the following shops were declared the winners: Touch of Silver Gold &Old for Best Presentation and Sweetea’s Tea Shop was a double winner for both Best Taste and Creativity. Congratulations to the winning shops and thank you for going the extra mile to make this year’s event great.

Finally, a big thank you to this year’s sponsors.

Our Dark Chocolate Sponsors: A Stone’s Throw Home Stay, Jones Law Office, Life is Good, Nashville Spice Company, Naughty Dog Books and Sam’s Club Columbus. Our Milk Chocolate Sponsors: A&R Storage, Brown County Bikes, Brown County Inn, Curry Auto Center, The Ferguson House Bistro, Friends O’ Mine Campground &Cabins, Hills O’ Brown Vacation Rentals, the Nashville House, New Leaf and RE/MAX.

Because of our sponsors, participating shops, attendees and volunteers, the Chocolate Walk raised over $38,000 that will go directly toward supporting the homeless dogs and cats of our community. Thank you to everyone who participated to make this year’s event bigger and better than ever.

Mark your calendars for the 2022 Chocolate Walk: Saturday, Nov. 12. Tickets will go on sale Aug. 1, 2022.

Sincerely,

Brown County Humane Society’s Chocolate Walk Committee (Submitted by Megan Gushwa)