First Posted: 1/22/2015
BLUFFTON — Bluffton Maple Crest residents, Stan and Jo Clemens and Mark and Kay Weidner, embarked on a trip that included five days in Antarctica.
Stan Clemens has a nephew who worked at the South Pole in the winter months for six seasons.
“He would come back with stories and pictures and talked about how beautiful it was. I filed those conversations away,” Stan Clemens said.
Stan Clemens invited Mark Weidner to join him on this adventure. Weidner went because every day he walked past the Bluffton University art piece that represents the seven continents of the world, and realized that he had only two continents left to visit, South America and Antarctica, and both could be reached on this journey.
The couples visited the Antarctica via a cruise.
“We got on the cruise ship in Buenos Aires and it went through Antarctica and ended in Chile. It was a 21-day cruise and five days were spent in Antarctica. We only touched on the peninsula. We crossed Drake Passage, which is the ocean between the tip of South America and Antarctica. It is the roughest ocean on the globe. Fortunately not too severe when we crossed it,” Stan Clemens said.
Once near the Antarctic coast the travelers left the comfort of the cruise ship to cross rough waters in a zodiac for about 15 passengers. But, they gained close encounters with penguins, a leopard seal, popcorn ice, icebergs that rose 80 feet above the water level, very blue water, rocks covered with red lichen, and the pristine coastline of the only continent in the world that is an international scientific preserve.
Stan Clemens was enthralled at the beauty of this place.
“I developed a new sense of the word pristine. All of our clothing had to be inspected and vacuumed to make sure no foreign matter would be left on the continent. They gave us parkas and boots,” Clemens said.
The isolated place was entrancing.
“The most perfect day that we had was bright sunshine and clear skies. We were in a little cove with icebergs and the shades of blue, turquoise and the light blue skies, it was a study in blues and whites, he said.
And, just like Mark Weidner, Stan Clemens has now visited all seven continents with this cruise.
Huffman talking WWII at Historical Society
LIMA — This year is the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, which occurred in August 1945.
Two area heroes, William E. Metzger Jr. and Leonard F. Mason, are well-known heroes of this war. However, there are eight other local men who received the Navy Cross and the Distinguished Service Cross who fought in the Pacific theater.
The Allen County Historical Society will present Lawrence A. Huffman at 2 p.m. Sunday at the museum, telling stories of these eight local heroes.
Pheasants Forever chapter forms in Putnam County
FORT JENNINGS —Putnam County has formed the Black Swamp Chapter of Pheasants Forever. The Putnam County group is committed to promoting conservation stewardship through youth education and local wildlife habitat projects.
Pheasants Forever is the nation’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to upland habitat conservation. There are more than 140,000 members and 700 local chapters across the United States and Canada. Pheasants Forever is dedicated to the conservation of pheasants, quail and other wildlife through habitat improvements, public awareness, education and land management policies and programs.
Adam Anspach, of Fort Jennings, has been elected president; Justin Timlinson, of Fort Jennings, as habitat chair, Nick Langhals, of Cloverdale, as treasurer and Cliff Wieging, of Fort Jennings, has been elected youth/education chair.
The chapter will hold its next meeting at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 12 inside the Fort Jennings Park Rec Club. Those interested in joining the chapter as a volunteer are encouraged to attend. A membership fundraising banquet will be held at 6 p.m. March 14 at the American Legion in Fort Jennings. For information about the chapter or to become involved, contact Anspach at 419-771-1747.
Trisco Systems and staff give to charities
LIMA — Trisco Systems, a Lima based restoration contractor, encourages wellness, community involvement and giving back.
In November, more than $500 was raised by employee involvement in the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s Jail ‘N Bail.
In addition, Trisco challenged its employees to achieve a number of walking wellness points. For each walking wellness point, Trisco contributed a dollar to the community charity of their choice. Trisco, in turn, agreed to match the totals dollar for dollar.
Nine staff members achieved and surpassed the goals resulting in contributions being made to nine area charities in the amount of $2,354. Trisco employees Sheri Lybarger, Jack Dunbar, Teri McCormick, Steve Walter, Jay Behr, Todd Zapp, Mary Beth Stein, Mike Grubenhoff, Tim Purdy and Pete Runyon were responsible for these charitable contributions.
