2024 has really been a year for Coshocton — new businesses opening with ribbon-cutting ceremonies all over the county , some new events downtown this year like drag racing on Main Street ( who would have thought it ?), not to mention the Rock Coshocton music events , signs and wonders in the sky with the eclipse and the Northern Lights , election night coverage at the county services building , and community events like Thanksgiving dinner at the high school .

The Salvation Army Christmas Castle and honoring our veterans were all enjoyable stories to cover this year . It ’ s nice to see the younger generation and older folks working together to make something good happen .

There were a lot of great things happening this year in Coshocton , so I chose just a few of my favorites . Being at Madison Miller ’ s send-off to the Miss America Pageant on a freezing cold morning

was pretty neat , and there she was looking beautiful in her gown , wearing her crown , smiling and waving while everyone was shivering in the cold , but it was an event where I was glad to be a witness . The community Thanksgiving dinner at Coshocton High School with people of all ages coming together was nice . The kitchen crew , students and teachers at the high school made it happen . Members of the Coshocton High School band entertained and the cast of “ Sleepy Hollow ” talked with people along with the jazz band , which made for a very enjoyable evening .

It was a privilege to attend some of the groundbreaking and ribboncutting ceremonies in the county . McWane Ductile hosted a ribbon cutting

when they added a new addition in May . There was a groundbreaking ceremony for the new addition to the Coshocton Career Center , offering more opportunities for the next generation entering the workforce . The new justice center , 20 years in the making , held a ribbon cutting , and several new businesses in the area had opening ceremonies as well .

We had a champion llama show at the fairgrounds on the national level in April for the first time . Two-hundred-one llamas were entered in the ORVLA Classic at Hunter Arena . People came from 11 states and 60 different farms to compete . The Ohio River Valley Llama Association had 10 states represented , and 51 farms entered along with a large fiber show . I never knew sheep have wool and llamas have fiber , which goes to show you are never too old to learn something new . Pretty exciting stuff , and the llamas were fun to watch .

• Landscaping Pavers

• Concrete Blocks

• Old Concrete

• Sandstone

• Old Silos

Drag racing on Main Street was something I would have never thought I ’ d see in a million years — drag racing , cars doing a turn and burn right on Main Street — but it happened at the Power-House Cruise , and Mayor Mark Mills was one of the flag men . That was pretty awesome , and it really took me back to the ‘ 60s . It was fun to cover something from my era .

It was an honor to talk with U . S . Army veteran Irwin “ Gibby ” Gibson and his daughter at the veterans picnic at the American Legion in September .

“ I have all kinds of stories ,” he said about his experience in WWII .

Veterans ’ stories show the heroism of these young men in the military , and it can be very emotional to listen to their stories . Always remember

to thank our vets for their sacrifices to keep our country free .

The solar eclipse was a once-in-a-lifetime thing . Coshocton librarian Corazon Britton spoke with young people about the eclipse at a library program last spring .

“ For the first time in over 200 years , Ohio will experience a total eclipse of the sun ,” Britton said .

Each child got a pair of solar eclipse viewing glasses , and they tried an experiment showing how the moon can cast a shadow to make an eclipse by using a flashlight , a

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cotton ball and a globe .

A young man named Theo tried on his glasses and said he couldn ’ t see anything . “ They are so dark you cannot see anything , and that is how protective they are ,” Britton said .

I didn ’ t get special glasses or anything to watch the eclipse , but I sat on my porch and watched the crazy shadows moving across the yard . It was still an interesting , once-in-alifetime thing .

This has been a year full of changes and exciting new things happening here in Coshocton .

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