House demolished ISP troopers catch Bader’s late hit in Petroleum ‘em — from a truck lifts the Cardinals Area State Page 8 Page 3 Sports Page 6 The News-Bannerwww.News-Banner.com MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021 BLUFFTON, INDIANA • Wells County’s Hometown Connection $1.00 THE 2021 WELLS COUNTY 4-H FAIR Captain nets Tenure, Caley awards on opening night • Additional 4-H Fair photos, Page 2 Captain is the daughter of Tim and Becky By JESSICA BRICKER Captain of Lancaster Township. She is a A busy opening night of the 2021 Wells 2021 Norwell High School graduate. Her County 4-H Fair culminated in roughly main projects have included cake decorat- three dozen 4-Hers being recognized for ing, rabbits, photography, corn, and soy- their efforts, including the beans. She plans to attend year’s top honors. Trine University to study After an unprecedented civil engineering. This year’s Tenure Awards went to Grace Captain, left, and Lillyan Gruss, second from left. Pre- fair last summer, the fair- There’s more ... Gruss is the daughter of senting the awards are Marielle Lael, Wells County Farm Bureau Women’s Leader and Jacob grounds on Saturday were • Ten-year 4-H members Steve and Amy Gruss and is Slusher, Wells County Farm Bureau president. (Photos by Jessica Bricker) bustling with people after were also honored a 2021 Norwell High School the opening night parade. Saturday evening. graduate and a 10-year mem- The 2021 Farm Bureau Pictures and profiles, ber of the Horse and Pony Tenure Awards went to Page 12. Club. Her projects have Grace Captain and Lillyan included horse and pony and At right, this Gruss. dairy goats. She will attend year’s Caley Awards went to The Indiana Farm Bureau recognizes two the University of St. Francis and major in Lauren Bales, members in each county who have taken marketing. left, and Grace the most projects in their decade in 4-H. Captain also received a Caley Award. Captain. Marielle Lael, Wells County Farm Bureau The second recipient was Lauren Bales, the Women’s Leader and Jacob Slusher, Wells daughter of Steve and Jodie Bales. County Farm Bureau president, presented Bales is a 10-year member of the Rock- the awards. (Continued on Page 2) Below, The 2021 Junior Ambassadors are Samantha Evans, left, and Eli Ingle, second from Bales is Royal left. The Senior Ambassadors are RieAnn Showmanship Krinn, third from left, and Jonah winner for ’20 Bricker, far right. By GLEN WERLING Lauren Bales is the Wells County 4-H Fair Royal Showmanship winner for 2020. That’s right, 2020. As explained by Chad Captain, coordinator of the Royal Showmanship competition, some 4-H youth qualified for Royal Showmanship — the penul- Lauren Bales hugs Travis Sills as Sills timate showmanship competition — in presents her with the Jack Sills Memorial 2020 who would not be able to qualify Royal Showmanship trophy for 2020 Sat- to compete in 2021 because they aged urday afternoon. (Photo by Glen Werling) out of the competition. Due to fears of the spread of those in charge of the show to hold a COVID-19 changing the way the fair special show at the outset of this year’s was held last year, there was no Royal fair. The show would be an open show Showmanship competition in 2020. that would permit those who had aged In order to allow those youth to still out to compete for the right to have compete, the decision was made by (Continued on Page 2) 2 parents share their experiences with ‘Nothing’s guaranteed’: sports rules during COVID-19 pandemic Part 2 of 2 But her kids run cross country intuition — or stubbornness — but By JESSICA BRICKER and swim. Most of those venues she decided to go anyway, watch- State COVID-19 restrictions were locked down tight. ing from across the street. At one weren’t equitable across all high Parents were not allowed to point her oldest son tripped and school sports due to varying capac- attend another meet until section- had the wind knocked out of him. ity limits and venue sizes. And for als, with the exception of one cross “I just remember thinking back, parents like Cathie Peterson whose country meet at Norwell where if I had been at home watching this athletes compete in sports that it was stipulated that the parents on a livestream and I never saw don’t tend to get a lot of attention, must help out in order to attend. him come back around, I would it was a frustrating position to be in “We went anyway. And we have freaked out,” she said. last year. stood off the properties,” she said Cross country is a high energy She took to Facebook in a six- in April, adding it was always just and emotional sport. minute video Feb. 14 to explain more than Norwell or Bluffton “You see these kids put blood, the situation as she saw it. At last fans with them. sweat and tears into this race. And count, her video garnered 3,200 “Because it doesn’t make sense. at the end of the race, everybody views, 332 reactions and 229 com- It doesn’t make sense why you is cheering for everybody. There’s ments. Most of them appear to be can sit in a football stadium, you just so much energy,” she said. supportive. She thinks people were can sit in the stands, but we can’t She recalled talking with the just unaware of what was hap- be out in the middle of a big open NHS cross country team about pening. She was glad she could field. There’s just no sense to it,” how quiet it was at the meets. She enlighten them. she said. “We didn’t feel like we said it was evident in their perfor- Peterson said she posted some were doing anything wrong. So we mances, which weren’t as good as social media activity during the were there.” the season before. Under normal fall 2020 cross country season, Leading up to one meet at Hun- circumstances, the crowd pushes when the restrictions were new tington University, she wrote let- them, she said. and people weren’t sure what to ters to her sons apologizing for “We were thrilled that they were expect. But by the time February not being able to watch them but able to still run but that doesn’t 2021 came around, fans of football promising she was cheering for mean we don’t want to be a part of and basketball had been allowed to them anyway. She cried recalling it,” she said. Cathie Peterson smiles with her son Jakob through a window after he qual- attend almost everything, depend- the story. — — — ified for the state swim meet last winter. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, she ing on the host school. It may have been her mother’s (Continued on Page 6) was unable to watch in person. 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Main St. Sports. 6-7 Low 63 Low 64 Low 64 Blu ton, IN Classifieds . 8-9 MONDAY Diversions . .10 More Weather on Page 2 July 19, 2021 260.824.2442 • hottfamilydentistry.com Page 2 • The News-Banner • MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021 LOCAL/NATION Bales Weather (Continued from Page 1) Monday, July 19, 2021 their name emblazoned (24-hour observations at 8:25 p.m. Sunday) upon the Jack Sills Memo- High: 79; Low: 64; Precipitation: None rial Trophy. Wabash River Level (at the Main Street bridge): 2.74 Most of the youth who feet at 8:45 p.m. Sunday participated in Saturday’s competition will be eligible to earn the right to compete Wells County forecast again on Wednesday for the Today: Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 80s. North winds 2021 Royal Showmanship trophy. around 10 mph. Bales conceivably could Tonight: Clear. Lows in the lower 60s. North winds win the trophy again on around 10 mph. Wednesday. However, she Tuesday: Sunny. Highs in the mid 80s. Northwest winds must place first in a species around 10 mph. showmanship competition Tuesday Night: Clear. Lows in the mid 60s. Northwest this week. The 4-H Fair winds around 5 mph. Bales joins her sister Wednesday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 80s. Kristen, who won the trophy is back for all Wednesday Night: Mostly clear. Lows in the mid 60s. seven years ago in 2014. The Wells County 4-H Thursday: Mostly sunny in the morning then becoming “My sister won it before, Fair is underway after partly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of showers and thunder- so I wanted to have my Saturday’s opening storms. Highs in the mid 80s. name on the trophy, too. The night festivities. Above, Thursday Night: Mostly clear through midnight then Sills family is super special DeeAnn Johnloz and becoming partly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of showers to me,” Bales said.