By Vickie Rhodehamel
Arcanum News
Check out the upcoming programs at the Arcanum Public Library – Sign up for an Adult Craft Night at the APL on Thursday, March 2nd at 6:30 p.m. Join in on the fun-bottle painting! Space is limited, so drop in to sign up or give the library a call at 937-692-8484. They will also offer “A Need for Seed” on Monday, March 6 at 6:30 p.m. for a seed starting program; they will cover the basics of planting, watering, and caring for your young plants. This event will offer a great chance for participants to share with others what works for them. No registration is needed for this program. The library is located at 101 West North Street, Arcanum.
You’ll want to Save the Date for the upcoming High School Drama club’s next performance – they are doing the Wizard of Oz on April 21, 22, at 7 p.m. and April 23 at 3 p.m. More details about tickets to be published soon.
Now more about some of our “hometown proud” Arcanum graduates. Have you heard of Linda Castillo? Linda Castillo is the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Kate Burkholder mystery series, set in the world of Ohio Amish country. Linda (Coble) Castillo grew up in rural Arcanum and graduated from Arcanum High School in 1978. Castillo always wanted to be a writer, and, at age 13, she started her first novel, “about twin sisters who ran away from home on their Appaloosa horses. It was called A Long Journey. She states, “Unfortunately, I never finished it. When my father died, my sister and I were looking through his things, and there it was. My manuscript that he’d kept all those years. It still had my sweaty palm print on it.” After attending community college and holding a variety of jobs which included working at The Daily Advocate in Greenville, Castillo lived in Florida, where she met her husband, Ernest. They married and settled in Dallas. “I was dazzled by Dallas,” she says, which was a far cry from 4-H and rogue piggies.
Her first published book, Sworn to Silence was adapted into a Lifetime original movie titled An Amish Murder starring Neve Campbell as Kate Burkholder. Linda began her first book, The Phoenix Encounter, in March of 1992 and it was sold in 1993. Linda Is the recipient of numerous industry awards including nomination by the International Thriller Writers for Best Hardcover, a nomination for the mystery writers of American’s Sue Grafton Memorial Award and a nomination for the” Audie Award” for best mystery audiobook, The Golden Heart, the Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence, and a nomination for the prestigious Rita. Her work has appeared on numerous bestseller lists and earned a spot on the Boston Globe’s shortlist for best crime novel. This year she released her newest book, The Hidden One. All of her works are available on Amazon in hardcover, paperback, and Kindle; and at the Arcanum Public Library. In addition to her writing, Castillo’s other passion is horses. She lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, three Appaloosas, and two feisty but loveable Blue Heelers. In her spare time, she enjoys trail riding and dabbles in barrel racing. She loves to hear from readers. Contact her at [email protected].
Andrew Buck Michael is a meteorologist for Good Day Columbus in Columbus. Andrew received a degree in Atmospheric Science dream The Ohio State University and is a big BUCKEYE fan. He is a 2004 graduate of Arcanum High School. His love of OSU is so great that he even got married to his wife Dawn on campus; she is also a meteorologist. They have two children: Summer and Evan. Andrew joined ABC 6/Fox 28 in 2012 after working at their sister station WKEF and WRGT in Dayton. Andrew has had a love of weather since he was three-years old when his father (Terry Michael, AHS Class of 75 alum) tried to get him to say Cumulonimbus (a thunderstorm cloud) while watching the storms roll in at their farm just outside of Castine. Andrew has won three Emmy awards for weather, interactivity, and technical achievement for building augmented reality weathercasts. Andrew is a member of the American Meteorological Society and has been designed with the organization’s Certified Meteorologist Seal of Approval. Way to go, Andrew!
Clint Hale, attorney at law, is a graduate of Arcanum High School and a 2008 Arcanum Alumni scholarship recipient. Clint graduated from The Ohio State University in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science with a Minor in Psychology and Accounting. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from Pepperdine School of Law in 2015. For the past seven years he has been employed by the U.S. Treasury, Internal Revenue Service Office as Chief Counsel in San Diego, California. He has successfully litigated Federal tax disputes in United States Tax Court on behalf of the IRS, at an average of one Opinion per year, and negotiated $500,000+ dollar settlements. He is especially effective at the use of litigation strategies including dispositive motions to efficiently conclude litigation. Also, he is an advisor to the IRS Small Business/Self Employed Division on issues ranging from passive activity losses to fraud and collection alternatives, including bankruptcy. Congrats, Clint!
As the month of February ends, we look forward to Spring arriving as soon as possible. Enjoy the sunshine and warmer wind!
“February makes a bridge, and March breaks it.” ~George Herbert
“February is merely as long as is needed to pass the time until March.” ~Dr. J. R. Stockton
