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January 2019 RISING SUN/ OHIO COUNTY By PG Gentrup Community Correspondent [email protected] Christmas is almost upon us, and the time has come for our family to get together and enjoy each other, especially the grandkids. We just finished Thanksgiving, and we had all five of them together. We had so much fun. My father-in-law, Pee Wee Curry, really enjoyed playing ping pong. Since he passed away, the table doesn’t get used too often. This Thanksgiving changed all of that. The five grandkids had smoke coming off that table as they played and played some more. I know Pee Wee was smiling down on us and enjoying watching them have so much fun. Forget the video games and have some real live action. I know from now on this table will be getting a lot of use when those kids are together. I think I’ll put two tables together so they can play three-on-three or four-on- four and all of us can join in. They can get so serious, but it’s great to hear all of the laughter. We’re still involved with basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, and archery. O Granddaughter Carli recently won her first medal in an archery competition. She enjoys the fun of shooting. I’d recommend you take a ride on the Rising Sun Ferry and go over to Rabbit Hash to visit the general store. We had a lot of fun visiting the old store and seeing it again after it had been rebuilt after the fire. I forgot how narrow that road is to get to the store, so be careful. I enjoyed the opening of the basketball season by watching the Rising Sun Shiners play the South Dearborn Knights at Rising Sun. The game was a barn burner, and South Dearborn won 62-61 with .8 of a second on the clock. The game was a dogfight the whole time. Nick Koons has developed into a good basketball player, and it has been fun watching him grow. His mom, Darla, grew up right across the street from us on Wilson St. a few years ago. I serve with three Honor Guards in Lawrenceburg, Aurora, and Rising Sun. Being able to help pay that final respect to a departed veteran is such a good feeling. We recently lost Tommy Largent. He was such a vital part of the KWVA Honor Guard and the organization. We all learned a lot from Tommy, and we sure will miss him. Tommy and his brother JD, were both Air Force Korean War Veterans and did so much to keep the KWVA going. At Thanksgiving time I THE BEACON Page 7B ur Communities can’t help but think of and remember President John F. Kennedy and his assassination on November 22, 1963. The day is one I will never forget, and it sure changed the world. Last year on November 23, I was enjoying Thanksgiving with Tom Hughes and helping to celebrate his 99th birthday. I was looking forward to celebrating 100 this year, but he passed away in July. He was a member of America’s Greatest Generation, a Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart recipient from Guadalcanal in World War II. Paula and I had dinner with his daughter and son-in-law, Ron and Barb Harrell in Greendale for Thanksgiving. We were so fortunate to know such a man. Take some time to stop in and see the Christmas displays this season. We took the grandkids, and they really enjoyed all the trees and lights. They also enjoyed the live reindeer that we saw. The train display is also something the whole family can enjoy. Congratulations to Sydney Bostic, Danyka Groover, and Kassidy Romans for being chosen for the 2018 All-Ohio River Valley Conference Volleyball Team. A lot of hard work and determination was needed to accomplish this. Also, making All-Conference in boys soccer were Jake Bovard, Zac Brokaw, Landon Cole, and Brent Webb, while Coach Robert Keinhofer was named coach of the year. The girls soccer team included Sidney Pitts, Kinsey Price, and Danyka Groover. Dalton Vinup was named All- Conference for his outstanding running in cross country for RSHS. My buddy Big Joe Halloran, is in Veterans Hospital in Cincinnati and having a real struggle with his health. Everybody loves Big Joe. He has such a big heart for others and enjoys doing things to help others, especially veterans. Big Joe is a Vietnam Veteran. Now, due to his exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam, he is paying the price for his service to our nation. Our thoughts and prayers are with Big Joe and his family as he battles his health problems. Our Vietnam Veterans Lary D. Fogle Chapter 71 is always looking for new members. We now have one hundred ten members in our organization. You can become a Life Member for only $100. One of the best things you can do is to help with our Honor Guard as we pay that final respect to a fellow veteran. We can always use the help, and I guarantee you the experience will be rewarding for you. Watch your local news and try to make one of the area blood drives to help keep an adequate supply of blood. There is always a need for it. I hated to miss the local Veterans Day program at Rising Sun High School, but that Friday I was in Indianapolis for a program with my granddaughter, Alexandra. Under the leadership of Ronna Billingsley, RSHS always does a superb job for our veterans. I attended the program at the Dearborn County Courthouse on Veterans Day where my Vietnam buddy, Nick Ullrich, delivered a heartfelt speech. On Monday, I gave the speech at South Dearborn Middle School and then attended the program at Lawrenceburg High School. Thanks for all of the support for our Veterans. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and that 2019 will be the best year of your life. May God Bless you and your family. Be sure to let your loved ones know just what they mean to you. FRANKLIN COUNTY By Alice Priessman Community Correspondent [email protected] Franklin correspondent Alice Priessman will be back next month with all of the exciting things happening in Franklin County. Send news to franklin@goBEACON- news.com OUR ADVERTISERS ARE YOUR NEIGHBORS. SHOP LOCAL AND TELL THEM YOU SAW THEIR ADS IN THE BEACON.