Two of a rural Huntington artist’s sculptures are now gracing an inner courtyard at Huntington North High School, a permanent loan that may serve as an inspiration to student artists coming up through the ranks and honing their craft.

Huntington First Church of the Nazarene celebrated its 100th anniversary in May.

While it was a time to reflect on the church’s century in operation, it was also a time to look forward and envision the church’s future.

A willingness to do that isn’t unique to the church as it presently stands; it’s something its leadership and congregation have been doing since its founding. And that embrace of forward thinking is one of the biggest reasons why the church has reached such a big milestone.

Huntington North High School freshman Addy Wiley won the 1,600-meter run at the Indiana Girls’ Track and Field State Meet on Saturday, June 1, at Indiana University, in Bloomington.

Wiley, a sectional and regional champion heading into the meet, crossed the finish line in 4:46.93 to beat runner-up Abigail Lynch, of Brownsburg, by more than a second. Lynch, a sophomore, finished in 4:48.19 as she and Wiley were the only two runners to break the 4:50 mark.

Mariah Wehrle, a junior from Ritter, placed third in 4:57.56.

Farmers are not known for allowing the public to step foot on their property and take a peek at how they do things, but not only will people get a rare glimpse of how a working dairy farm operates, they will also be invited to sit down with a farm family and have a free breakfast while they learn about the inner operations and importance of agriculture.

The event, called “Breakfast on the Farm,” happens Saturday, June 8, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Beekman Farm, located at 11902 N. Meridian Rd., in rural Huntington.

Sometimes those who sit in church feel like they are a captive audience. At the Huntington County Jail, the audience is, indeed, captive – but they are more than glad to be in church.

“I’ve made some bad choices and so this time around I’m going to prison,” says Gwendera Nevil, who has been incarcerated at the jail “on and off” – in her words – the past 1-1/2 years. “Now that I’m back in here and I’m back at square zero, I’m learning some more tools to try and better my life, and this is definitely inspiring. It’s definitely making me want to give myself back to God.”

Aaron Childress, director of choirs at Huntington North High School, was in the running for the Vocal Vanguard Award at the 2019 Aspire Awards.

The Aspire Awards recognize the show choir industry’s best and brightest members. The award Childress was up for is given to the nation’s top director.

“All the winners in the past are these people that I’ve looked up to forever,” says Childress. “I’ve been doing this for 14 years; some of them have been doing it for 30 years and they kind of were the pioneers of the profession.

The county’s kindergartners now have a better idea of where the food they eat comes from, after they attended the annual FFA Farm Tour, held May 3 at Carriage Lane Farms.

Hosted by Tom and Rosie Wall, they opened their doors to an exhibit of plants and animals that delighted kindergarten students, as members of the Huntington North High School FFA chapter served as educators and guides.

As a career journalist, Bob Hammel was accustomed to working under the pressure of tight deadlines.

So, ironically, when he sat down to write a book that recounted those years of his life, he did so without a deadline in sight.

“It must’ve taken 10 years,” estimates Hammel of the writing process.

“I was never great on deadlines anyway,” he adds with a laugh.

Seventeen Huntington North High School students participated in the science experiments of a lifetime when they spent their recent spring break in the tiny Central American country of Belize.

Led by HNHS science teachers Melanie Leas and Reed Sturm, the group spent nine days on the ecology-based study trip in order to research manatees and water quality. They also spent some time on some unusual tours, Leas says.

The third time proved to be a charm for Larry Buzzard, who defeated Brooks Fetters on his third attempt for the Huntington mayoral nomination in the Republican primary on Tuesday, May 7.

After finishing second to Fetters in races for the GOP mayoral nod in 2011 and 2015, Buzzard flipped the script this time around, garnering 1,373 votes to Fetters’ 1,150.

Buzzard, who currently serves as president of the Huntington County Commissioners, thanked his supporters for their votes of confidence and said he’s looking forward to the race in November.

Lovely Bowers, of Huntington, will be representing Huntington County at the Mrs. Indiana America Pageant on Saturday, May 4, in South Bend.

Bowers received the title of Mrs. Huntington County last September. As no pageant was held in the county to determine a winner, Bowers contacted the Mrs. Indiana America organization and expressed interest in the title. After reviewing her credentials, the organization awarded her the title.

For the third consecutive municipal primary election, Larry Buzzard and Brooks Fetters are pursuing the Republican Party’s nomination to run for mayor of Huntington in the fall.

Fetters triumphed in the two previous primaries, in 2011 and 2015, and won the subsequent municipal elections in November.

Four races on the 2019 municipal primary election ballot – three in Huntington and one in Andrews – have multiple Republican candidates, giving voters some choices when they go to the polls on Election Day, May 7.

In Huntington, four common council seats are contested, one in District 2, one in District 4 and two seats At-Large. Three positions are also up for election on the Andrews Town Council.

• The Common Council Second District has two candidates, incumbent Paul L. Pike and challenger Paul Scalf.

What would Charlie Agnew be doing right now if it weren’t for the Parkview Boys & Girls Club of Huntington County?

Well, by his own admission, he’d probably be in trouble.

The Huntington North High School senior, 17, a standout not only on the school’s football team, but also a state-level wrestler – who landed eighth place in his weight class in the state this year – credits the club for giving him a firm foundation and straight direction in life that is leading him to recognition on a national stage.

In a little over a year, Pete Eshelman went from being a Major League Baseball draft pick to a World Series champion with the New York Yankees.

It was a whirlwind 17 months for Eshelman, to put it mildly. Ultimately, it was a stretch of time that saw his playing career cut short, but a new career, inspired by legendary Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, begin to take shape.

Today, Eshelman is the owner of Joseph Decuis, in Roanoke. But in the 1970s, he was a baseball player at Williams College, in Williamstown, MA, striving to fulfill a lifelong dream.