Brewer to speak about Ball family

Betty Brewer, president and CEO of Minnestrista in Muncie will speak Tuesday, Sept. 28, at 7 p.m. at Jay County Historical Museum. She will speak about “The Living Legacy of the Ball Family” and also take a look at the future on Minnetrista.
The museum is located at 903 E. Main St. in Portland.

After school special
Jay County Public Library will have an after school special on Friday, Oct. 1, for children in kindergarten through fifth grade. A snack will be provided, stories shared and fall and Halloween crafts will be made.
For more information or to register, call the library at (260) 726-7890 or stop by 315 N. Ship St. in Portland.

Genealogy workshop
The Indiana Daughters of the American Revolution will have a genealogy workshop on Saturday, Oct. 9, at 1 p.m. at Jay County Public Library, 315 N. Ship St. in Portland.
Women who are interested in joining the club must be 18 or older and must prove direct lineal bloodline descent from a man or woman who, with unfailing loyalty to the cause of American Independence, served as a patriot in the Colonies or States during the American Revolution.
Members will be available to help with searches. For more information, contact JoAn Nichols at [email protected], Janet Lloyd at [email protected] or www.dar.org.

At Minnetrista
A Harvest Festival Fun Day will be held Saturday, Oct. 9, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Minnetrista in Muncie. Visit the Farmer’s Market and Antique Tractor club, see cider begin pressed, stuff a scarecrow, join a storytelling circle or paint a pumpkin. The cost is $5.
Camp Minnetrista-Fall Break will be held Friday, Oct. 15 and 22, both from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Children will do crafts, games, explore nature, history, gardens and art and make their own snacks. The cost is $25.
The PBS Program Club at Minnetrista will present American Experience: “ TR: The Story of Theodore Roosevelt” on Wednesday, Oct. 20, from 2 to 4 p.m. There is no cost.
An interactive exhibit about Jamestown in 1906 will be at Minnetrista from Oct. 23 through Jan. 24, 2011.
“Jazz in Black and White” through the eyes of photographer Duncan Schiedt will be on display Oct. 16 through Jan. 16, 2011.
Exhibit hours are Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For more information, call (765) 213-3549 or (800) 428-5887.                 

Fiction contest
The Commercial Review is sponsoring its twelfth annual Christmas fiction contest for area writers.
The contest is open to residents of Jay, Randolph, Adams, Delaware, Wells and Blackford counties in Indiana and Mercer and Darke counties in Ohio. Former area residents who are subscribers to The Commercial Review may also enter.
First-place carries a prize of $250.
Selected entries, including the first-place winner, will be published in The Commercial Review’s annual Christmas Greetings tabloid supplement.
Original stories with a Christmas theme or setting should be sent to The Commercial Review, P.O. Box 1049, Portland, Indiana, 47371 by Nov. 26, 2010.
Entries should be accompanied by a self-addressed envelope with sufficient postage if the manuscript is to be returned.
All entries should be typed, double-spaced, or be a clear computer print-out. Dot matrix printer copies are not acceptable. Each entry should bear the writer’s name, complete address, and telephone number.
For further information, phone (260) 726-8141.[[In-content Ad]]