Portland and Fort to have Octoberfests

The ninth annual Jay County Heritage Festival will be held Saturday, Oct. 1, and Sunday, Oct. 2, on the grounds of the Jay County Historical Museum. The theme will be “From Farm to Factory — The History of Manufacturing in Jay County.”
Saturday’s events will kick-off at 11 a.m. and continue through 7 p.m. and Sunday’s will begin at 11 a.m. and end at 4 p.m.
Ham and beans and cornbread will be served Saturday and chili on Sunday. Other food items will include foot long hot dogs, pork burgers, caramel corn, strawberry shortcake, an ice cream Sundae bar, cotton candy and apple fritters.
Entertainment will be provided by Voyager’s Ancient Drum & Fife Corps, Les Gustafson-Zook, Jay Community Band, Joan Witherspoon’s Harmony String Band, Asbury Bells Handbell Choir, Adlie Hedges & the Green River Boys, Ball State University fencing club, Soarin’ Hawk Birds of Prey, Carol Knarr and the robotics team from Jay County High School.
There will be a children’s area, reenactors, demonstrators, crafters, a stone grist mill, an exhibit from the Indiana Bee Keepers Association and antique tractors and farm machinery on display.
In coordination with the festival, industry tours will be held on Friday, Oct. 7, beginning at 9 a.m. Tours will be offered to Pennville Custom Cabinets, Coca-Cola Bottling Company and POET Biorefining.

Fort fun
A Fort Recovery Archaeology Family Fun Fest will be held Sunday, Oct. 2, from noon until 4 p.m. at the Fort Recovery Historical Society/State Museum grounds.
Ken Soward will speak at 1 p.m. on the “Greenville Treaty Line-Fort Loramie,” Bill Pickard will speak at 2 p.m. on “Ohio Mounds and Earthworks - The Last 200 Years,” and Chris Keller and students from the Ball State University Department of Anthropology will speak at 3 p.m. with “Sharing Discoveries, Secrets and Battle/Fort-Artifacts.”
There will be an artifacts exhibition, a hieroglyphics tent, flint knappers and Indian chunkey game and activities for kids will feature mock digs, hand pump lithic drill, clay cord making and feather hair braiding.
Collectors are welcome to bring artifacts to exhibit.

Crochet club
The first crochet club will meet today from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at Jay County Public Library.  
Anyone, beginners and experts, wanting to participate can bring their own supplies.
The next meeting will be Oct. 18. For more information, call the library at (260) 726-7890.

Writes book
Dr. Eugene Gillum of Portland has written a book on aviation and how Jay County has been affected by it.
“From the Ground Up” includes the first thoughts men had about trying to fly like birds and accounts the Wright Brothers historic flight in 1903. The brothers had relatives in Jay County and had visited the area.
Books will be available at the Jay County Heritage Festival in October.     

Men’s group
A “Men’s Reading Group” will meet for the first time on Tuesday, Sept. 27, at 7 p.m. at Jay County Public Library. The book “Horse Soldiers” by Doug Stanton will be discussed.
Anyone wanting to participate can read the book and meet at the library for pizza, chips and other snacks. Copies of the book are available at the library at 315 N. Ship St. in Portland.

Stateline Singers
Arts Place in Portland is looking for students in grades three through eight to join Stateline Singers. Classes will be held each Wednesday from 3:30 to 5 p.m. beginning Oct. 12 and continuing for 10 weeks.
Registration can be done at Arts Place at 131 E. Walnut St. or online at www.artsland.org.[[In-content Ad]]