By Vickie Rhodehamel
Arcanum News
Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day and was initiated to honor the soldiers for the Union and Confederate armies who died during the American Civil War. Celebrations honoring Civil War heroes started the year after the war ended. The establishment of a public holiday was meant to unify the celebration as a National Day of Remembrance instead of a holiday celebrated separately by the Union and Confederate states. By the late 19th century, the holiday became known as Memorial Day and was expanded to include the deceased veterans of all the wars fought by American forces. In 1971, Memorial Day became a federal holiday.
The original national celebration of Decoration Day took place on May 30, 1868. When Memorial Day became a federal holiday, it was given the floating date of the last Monday in May. Since many companies close for the holiday, Memorial Day weekend is three days long for most people. It is the unofficial beginning of the summer vacation season that lasts until the first Monday in September, which is Labor Day. Welcome Summer!
Arcanum High School held their annual graduation ceremony this past Saturday. The class of 2023 was an exceptionally talented class and as such had multiple honorees. The Valedictorians were Aiden Psczulkoski, Elanie Hollinger, Mariah Kreusch, Jacob Rice, Claire Lemons, and Ashton Paul. The Salutatorians were Charles Barry, Jaxson Christ, and Zoe Monnin. Caps off to all our graduates!
Franklin-Monroe High School Graduation exercises were also held last weekend. Stephanie Dong was the Valedictorian and Alaina Blackburn was Salutatorian of the class of 2023. Good luck and best wishes to this group of seniors as they pass this major milestone in their lives.
Congrats to Arcanum Track and Field finishes for Faith Wooten and Eain Parks for podium finishes at the regional track meet. Faith’s 4th place in shot put has qualified her for the STATE meet as a FRESHMAN! Eain has a chance to qualify as a wildcard for discus pending other regional results! GO TROJANS!
Congratulations to Isaiah Frazee who earned the Arcanum junior high track and field shot put WOAC Championship with a throw of 46 feet and- 7-1/4 inches breaking current Arcanum head varsity football coach Matt Macy’s junior high record that has stood since 1992.
The Trojan Varsity Baseball team finished the 2023 season as District Runner Up after as a comeback falls short in a 3-2 loss to Waynesville last Thursday evening in Kings Mills, Ohio. Congrats boys and coaches on a great and exciting season!
Our Arcanum HS cheerleaders will be hosting a 5K at the Brick Street Block Party on August 12th! Walkers are welcome! Sign up to support our girls and run/walk with friends! https://runsignup.com/Race/OH/Arcanum/AHSVictory5kRun The 5K will begin in Veteran’s Park (the stage on West George Street) at 9 a.m. and travel through Ivester Park and finish back at the high school track. Entrants will have one hour and thirty minutes to finish the course. The deadline for an event t-shirt is August 1st. Parking will be available behind the library and off West North Street.
Congratulations to Workforce Specialist, Tamala Marley, of Darke County Ohio Economic Development for receiving the first ever Darke County Chamber of Commerce Community Leadership Award! Tamala is the daughter of the late Bill Gunder and is the great great granddaughter of Arcanum’s Founder. She resides in Arcanum and is a 1976 Arcanum High School graduate.
Congratulations and Happy Retirement to Shawn Smith! Shawn has served for 32 years with the Village of Arcanum.
The family of Joan Rench is grateful for everyone who sent 90th birthday wishes to their mother. Joan has enjoyed every card numerous times. Thank you to family and friends for making her big day a big week!
Immanuel Baptist Church, 500 West South Street will present their annual Vacation Bible School for the children of the community. This year’s theme is Jonah’s 3-Day Adventure and will be held on June 6, 7, and 8th (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. each day. There will be all kinds of fun including crafts, music, recreation, and story time. Please call the church office if you have questions or need information to register at 937/692-8188.
The Farmer’s Market will be held every Saturday for the summer and is sponsored by AWTHS in Veteran’s Park in downtown Arcanum. This will begin the first Saturday in June from 9 a.m. to 12 Noon and continue every Saturday. Anyone interested in selling their produce or crafts is invited to set up their booth/stand. There is no fee to participate. Any questions, please call Sharon Troutwine at 692-5128.
“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.” ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald
“Summertime is always the best of what might be.” ~ Charles Bowden
