Phenomenal

By , Tamara , Taylor

Recently I looked out over a field late in the evening and saw a plethora ( isn ’ t that a fun word !) of lightning bugs adding their sparkle to the night sky . So beautiful and peaceful . We are very lucky to live in an area where city lights and concrete don ’ t keep us from enjoying Mother Nature ’ s light show .

I mentioned the fireflies to Dawn Gilb of Manchester . She immediately said , “ Have you ever heard of that firefly thing where they all fire together ?”

Fireflies who fire together sounded interesting to me , so I dug a little deeper . The phenomenon is created by the

firefly species synchronous photinus carolinus . ( I can ’ t say it , but I can type it !) Once a year for about a week in late May through early June this firefly species synchronize their blinkers and light up at the same time . How cool !

The synchronous fireflies can be found in a specific area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Gatlinburg , TN . Should you wish to see this phenomenon , plan to enter a lottery for the privilege . A lot of people share the same idea , but only eighteen hundred parking passes are issued .

You can learn more about this at http :// www . nps . gov / grsm / naturescience / fireflies . htm

We in this area have our own phenomenon of which to be very proud . One of our neighbors quietly steps up and volunteers so much of his time and knowledge to make our community great . His name is Allen Goodman , a lifetime resident of Dearborn County . I met Mr . Goodman only a few years ago and was immediately struck by his

calm demeanor , level head , and fantastic business sense .

Allen Goodman grew up in Dillsboro and has many friends and business connections in this community to this day . When asked about Mr . Goodman , Tom DeVille replied , “ I ’ ve known Allen since he was knee-high to a pup . He worked at DeVille Pharmacy and was a great worker . I would take him back any time .”

There you go Allen , plan B for your retirement !

Mr . Goodman is a member of Dearborn County Council . He sits in so many meetings , some of which can become a bit heated when different opinions about financial discussions arise . Mr . Goodman has demonstrated time and again that he doesn ’ t let other people ’ s judgments or prejudices get in his way . He is dedicated to approaching county finances as one would a business decision while taking into account the impact on the residents . Fellow County Council member Liz Morris said , “ Allen is a heck of a smart man , takes his time to

Allen Goodman and Jim Thatcher discussing issues facing Dearborn County and the effects on the budget .

make a good decision . He is a major asset on council .”

Longtime friend Jim Thatcher described Allen as , “ A successful businessman who believes it is important to oversee the taxpayer dollars .” Exactly what we need as another budget cycle approaches .

Mr . Goodman was once the owner of Logan Supermart which is now owned by Diane and Mike Bender . As one can imagine , that location seems to attract wonderful people who give back to the community in so many ways . The Benders have indeed carried on the great tradition that Mr . Goodman established .

Mr . Goodman is an active member of the Bright Lions Club . He helps with their medical equipment program , always helping with deliveries and equipment acquisition . “ Allen is a very good person . If you needed something , he would be right there ,” said Art Little who oversees the program .

Mr . Goodman is also a member of the Masonic Lodge in Dillsboro . While I do not understand the premise of the organization , I have

learned that the Masonic Lodge is a fraternity of men called Freemasons . Their goal is to take good men and make them better . Their focus is based on the King James Bible , and they take care of their brothers and their families . Mr . Goodman is a Shriner as well as a Mason . He actively supports over twenty-two hospitals in North America that have no cash registers . Not every Mason is a Shriner , but every Shriner is a mason .

Professionally , Mr . Goodman specializes in assisting senior care facilities that are struggling to survive by reviewing their business plans and finances while offering solutions to address their problems . He has applied that experience as a board member of the Community Mental Health Center .

It was rumored once that Mr . Goodman took a vacation . I am sure that his mind was racing the entire time since I think this event is much rarer than the firefly phenomenon

Thank you , Allen Goodman , for all that you do for our community- especially for the quiet efforts that most of us are not even aware of .

The BEACON has launched a new Event

Calendar on our website , goBEACONnews . com . Community events including festivals , community outreach , hikes , park events , performances , and presentations are featured .

Recurring events such as government meetings are listed in a separate section so that you always have meeting times and links at your fingertips .

The BEACON ’ s Event Calendar has been designed to be mobile friendly for ease of use . Information is easily accessible with just one click .

Information about submitting an event for the calendar is also available at goBEA-

CONnews . com / events .

GoBEACONnews . com is filled with handy features like weather information , cool photos , chuckles , history , and a challenging puzzle . Not to mention current articles and news updates .

For example- Do you know in which country was slavery abolished in this month in 1838 ? Email your answers to website @ goBEACONnews . com . A drawing of the names of those who get the answer correct will be done for the prize of two tickets to the Greendale Cinema .

Keep up on what is happening in your community as well as all of the handy information at goBEACONnews . com . Check back often as the fun is always changing .

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The Beacon is an independent monthly publication with distribution in Dearborn , Ripley , Franklin and Ohio Counties in Indiana and Harrison , Ohio .

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