We believe we have found a way to help with the rising costs of education by introducing this scholarship program.  It is exclusive to the Centerville-Abington School Corporation and all scholarship money invested will be used to support our students pursuing higher education.  However, we need your support to achieve our goals of giving financial help to the students of Centerville-Abington Schools.

   This year, 19 scholarships were awarded to graduating seniors in the class of 2006 pursuing higher education at 2-year colleges, 4-year colleges, and vocational/technical schools.  We would like to award even more scholarships to the class of 2007!  With your support, we can do this. Donations may be sent to:  

            Centerville Senior High School

            507 Willow Grove Rd.

            Centerville, IN  47330

            Attn: Dollars for Scholars/Christy Tollett,

                                                    Treasurer

Please make checks payable to Centerville-Abington Community Dollars for Scholars.  All donations are tax deductible.  Feel free to donate in honor or memory of a friend or loved one. Donations can be made to the following funds by indication in the memo of your check.  Individuals and/or families are notified by our chapter when donations are made in honor or memory of a friend or loved one.

General Fund

Ryan Bullerdick Memorial Fund       

Scott Abernathy Memorial Fund     

David Elsrod Memorial Fund            

Michelle Alexander Memorial Fund

Don Kehoe Memorial Fund

Nick & Marilee Aughe Honorary Fund   

7/1/06

Community Awards for 2007 were presented by the Centerville Lions Club Monday evening, February 12.  Committee members, Jim Howell, Phil Stevenson, Tim Hill and Joe Elstro introduced the winners.  They were: Gene Kates, Centerville Building Commissioner; Jay and Barbara Klehfoth, Model T Ford Club of America; Steve and Lisa Slonaker, business and country market; and Lion Robert Hobson recieved the Club Award.

     Lion Jim Resh introduced and recognized 36 past winners.  Over 100 attended the annual event, held at the Centerville High School Cafetorium.

2/12/07

All Model Ts ever manufactured and still in existence today are being recalled. The recall is, of course, voluntary and all part of the fun of the 2008 Model T Ford Centennial T Party being held at the Wayne County Fairgrounds and Exposition Center in Richmond, Indiana.

The weeklong event runs from July 21 – 26, 2008, and is being called the “party of the century” for the “car of the century.” While over 15 million Model T cars were built between 1908 and 1927, it is estimated that only 500,000 have survived. At least 1,500 of those (from as far away as Australia, England and Norway) are expected next July in east central Indiana for the celebration of the Ford Model T’s 100th birthday. This will be the largest gathering of Model Ts since they left the factory.

The Centennial T Party is being hosted by the Model T Ford Club of America and will take participants and visitors back to a time when the Model T was new. Highlights of the event include a Model T car show and judging; a mock “recall inspection” in Gasoline Alley; driving and challenge games; a swap meet; a series of Model T road tours along the Old National Road and to historic towns; a vintage baseball game; special displays of antique camping; a period clothing store and fashion show; a vintage airshow with WWI and pre-1930 planes, plus stunt biplanes performing on one of the largest grass strip runways in the country; a visit to the newly opened Model T Ford Museum in nearby Centerville, Indiana, and hand-churned ice cream and a giant birthday cake.

The first production Model T Ford (1909 model year) was assembled at the Piquette Avenue Plant in Detroit on September 27, 1908. At the turn of the century, the vast majority of Americans had never been more than 20 miles away from home. It took Henry Ford’s vision and assembly-line techniques to produce a car that was affordable for everyone. In 1909, the Model T sold for $825. Ford sold over 10,000 Ts in the first year of production—a new record for any automobile model at that time.

By 1914, an assembly line worker could buy a Model T with just four months of pay. The Model T made it possible for doctors to get to patients, reduced the back-breaking work of farmers and gave people spare time for leisure—which often meant a trip through the country in their “Tin Lizzie.”

Model Ts were “put to work” in an amazing number of different roles. Centennial T Party attendees can expect to see the rare, the common and the absurd on display at the event. From Model T campers and tent-topped Touring Ts, to ambulances, delivery wagons and even Model T snowmobiles, the city streets and quiet, backcountry roads will once again be filled with THE “car of the century.”

The Model T Ford Club of America (MTFCA) was organized in 1965 and is the largest Model T club in the world with over one hundred chapters in the U.S., Canada, Argentina, Australia and Europe. A 501(c)(3) educational organization, the MTFCA was formed for the purpose of bringing together people who are interested in the Model T Ford and educating the public on its history, evolution and historic place in the American scene.

Contact Information: The Model T Ford Club of America, P.O. Box 126, Centerville, IN 47330 -0126.

Tel: 765-855-5248. Fax: 765-855-3428.  Web: www.mtfca.com.

10/29/07

The Archway Days Festival officially got underway Friday, August 24 by naming Ron Dixon Centerville's permanent "Old Grouch."  Dixon was named the third Old Grouch at the festival last year.  Dixon, owner of the Old Brass Hog antique shop, said then “Every day of my life I’ve been working for this.”  Festival official Gary Killen said he deserved the honor, even though no one else wanted to be so honored.

   The late Charles Kinder was the first Old Grouch followed by Mike Poynter.

   The  three-day Festival continued through Sunday.

   See pictures from the festival by clicking here >>>

8/26/07

• Preparations are underway for a year-long celebration to honor the Ford Model T as 2008 marks its 100th anniversary.

• Celebrations will begin when Ford features a pristine collection of historic Model Ts from across America at the prestigious Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance.

• Ford Motor Company, with support from Ford Motor Company Fund, is the title sponsor of   the largest Model T centennial celebration in the world.

DEARBORN, Mich., March 5, 2008 – The car that put the world on wheels, the Ford Model T, is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2008 and Ford is planning a year-long series of celebrations to honor the iconic vehicle.

Celebrations will officially commence at the 2008 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance in Amelia Island, Fla., March 7-9.  Ford has many other regional events in the works for a year filled with celebrations, including a special Model T display at the West Coast’s largest Ford enthusiast car show - the Fabulous Fords Forever! event at Knott’s Berry Farm Amusement Park in Anaheim, Calif., on Apr. 20th.  In July, Ford Motor Company will be the title sponsor of the Model T Ford Club of America’s “T Party 2008” that will be held in Richmond, Ind.     

Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance

Among the fine collection of automobiles that will be displayed at the 2008 Amelia Island Concours this weekend will be a class of special Model Ts featured on the “Field of Dreams,” one of the premier locations at the event.  This display will recognize this historic automobile and its contribution to America’s emergence as an industrial power in the early 1900s.

Close to 20,000 spectators and automobile aficionados will attend the weekend’s Concours activities, helping Ford kickoff the Model T centennial celebration.

“T Party 2008”

Ford Motor Company, with support from Ford Motor Company Fund, is the title sponsor for the “T Party 2008” celebration hosted by the Model T Ford Club of America, which plans to bring in close to 1,000 Model Ts for this significant milestone.

The “T Party 2008” will be held July 21-26 in Richmond, Ind., and is expected to be the largest gathering of Model Ts since they left the factory.  The weeklong centennial celebration will draw over ten thousand Model T owners and enthusiasts from around the world.  More than 700 Model Ts are already registered for the event, including entries from England, Norway, Australia and New Zealand.

“The support and response we’re receiving around the T Party has been phenomenal.  The Model T Ford Club of America has been looking forward to celebrating this milestone for many years,” said Jay Klehfoth, chief executive officer, Model T Ford Club of America.  “We’re thankful for Ford’s support in helping bring this event alive to the thousands of Model T enthusiasts who will join us from around the world.”

One hundred years ago, the Ford Model T changed the world with its technology and the same concept has lived with Ford ever since.

“The Ford Model T is rightly credited with putting the world on wheels, and its influence can still be felt today,” said Jim Vella, president, Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services.  “We’re proud to join in the celebration of one hundred years of fantastic Ford heritage and innovation with Model T enthusiasts from around the world, and we look forward to carrying the legacy and spirit of the Model T into the future.”

For more information on the “T Party 2008” centennial celebration, please visit www.tparty2008.com.  Additional Model T centennial celebration events are being planned and will be announced later this year.

Ford Model T Facts

• October 1, 1908 marks the anniversary of the first Model T built for sale.

• The Model T was the first low-priced, mass-produced automobile with standard, interchangeable parts.

• The Model T was equipped with a 20-horsepower, four-cylinder engine with a top speed of about 45 miles per hour, weighed 1,200 pounds, and achieved 13-21 miles per gallon.

• The moving assembly line for the Model T revolutionized manufacturing in 1913.

• More than 15 Million Model Ts had been sold by May 26, 1927, when a ceremony marked the formal end of Model T production.

• Henry Ford called the Model T “the universal car,” a low-cost, reliable vehicle that could be maintained easily and could successfully travel the poor roads of the era.

• On Dec. 18, 1999, the Ford Model T was named “Car of the Century” by a panel of 133 automotive journalists and experts who began with a list of 700 candidates in 1996 and sequentially narrowed the nominees through seven rounds of balloting over three years.

Five individuals were awarded Centerville Lions Club Community Awards Monday evening, April 13.  From 1986 through 1997 awards were presented in catagories such as farmer, educator, citizen, service and business.  But, in 1998 the awards were made simply as Community Service Awards.

2009 recipients are Lion Joe Elstro, Pat Bowers, Anna Lohmoeller, and Sue Wheeler and her son, Scott.

A Centerville High School and Purdue University graduate, Lion Joe is active in the community including the Lions Club.  Pat Bowers retired this spring as executive director of Easter Seals Wayne and Union Counties.  She initiated several programs including the Disabiliy Awareness classes in the all the counties schools.  Anna Lohmoeller has been active in several community projects including collecting clothing for the needy, the Genesis Program, Hope House, food bank and Recycling for the Green Earth Program.  And Centerville antique dealers Sue Wheeler and her son, Scott, have been active in many community projects including Promote Centerville, Inc.

4/13/09

Perennial winner and defending Indiana State Fair Band Day champion Muncie Southside claimed the top spot with its “Spitfire-Frenzy” show.

Centerville’s Blue Regiment was second and Northeastern was third.  Other  bands in the contest included Hagerstown, sixth; Winchester, seventh; Richmond, eighth; and Lincoln, 11th.

The contest was the first of the summer competitions that help prepare bands for Indiana State Fair Band Day competition on Friday, Aug. 7.  Centerville claimed the second spot on its home field for the second year in a row.

The group is performing “Believe,” which is based upon a poem about a boy who is running a race, falls down several times, but finds the wherewithal to get up again and again and keep going to the finish line.

Read more in Palladium-Item

7/16/09

Another school year has come and gone at Centerville United Methodist Church Preschool. On May 19th, 32 students graduated and are ready and excited to start Kindergarten in the fall. Sixteen students completed the 3/4 year of school and will go on to study one more year to prepare for Kindergarten in the fall of 2010. This school year has been filled with many exciting learning experiences. In the fall, the students went on a walk to collect leaves and other nature items that were made into home made paper and given to their parents for Christmas. The students were taught not to fear because "God is Bigger Than the Boogie Man." The older students presented a Thanksgiving program for their families that followed a Thanksgiving feast. Christmas brought the teaching that

Jesus is the real reason for Christmas. However, the popular guy in the red suit who brought each student a collection of storybooks visited the Christmas party.

After Christmas break, the students studied the seasons and weather. A field trip to the Muncie Children's museum reinforced their units on healthy food choices and water. In February, the students were taught how much Jesus loves them. This was celebrated with Valentine parties for each class. The students were also taught to love their neighbors and about St. Patrick.

In the Spring, the students were taught about Jesus dying on the cross for our sins and how he came back to life. Units were taught on plant & seeds and planets and space. A student favorite is an activity where the students pretend they are astronauts, blast off into space, and after a meteor dodging space walk, they fly their space shuttle home. For the wind unit, each child makes their own kite and sail boat and the week is ended with sailboat races.

May brought a flurry of field trips to the ME's zoo, the library, the fire station, Rose Hamilton, and a pizza picnic in the park. One might think that with all this fun there would be little time for academics, however, the students learn letter recognition, letter sounds, number recognition, counting (many to 100!), writing, science, social studies, computer, rhythm, music, arts and and crafts. The students at this preschool also participate in the program "Minds in Motion" which is a pattern of exercises specifically designed to enhance the learning capability of children.

Easter Seals Wayne & Union Counties is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to assist persons with disabilities reach the maximum of their capabilities and achieve as much independence as possible.  Our staff and volunteers work to achieve our mission through Easter Seals programs and services.  One of our programs is a Medical Equipment & Supplies loan program.  Currently we are in need of wheel chairs.  We have had many requests for the extra wide and xx-wide wheel chairs over the past few months.  Due to the number of requests, we are out of the extra wide and xx-wide wheel chairs at this time.  We do have some regular and child wheel chairs, however the stock is dwindling as we are receiving requests of those in need.

Executive Director Cynthia Warren said, "We welcome and greatly appreciate donations of gently used wheel chairs of any size, but especially the extra wide and xx-wide wheel chairs.  Donations are accepted Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.  If you would like to come by with your donation on a Friday or Saturday, please call ahead."  The Easter Seals office is located at 1050 E Main Street, Centerville.  

For more information about Easter Seals programs and services contact Cynthia L. Warren at 765-855-2482 or 765-914-6492.  You may also send an email to info@eastersealswu.com.

9/25/09

Twenty-six year old Joe Zeno spent the night at the Historic Lantz House Inn Wednesday, July 29, 2009.  Joe is walking across American in honor of his mother, a breast cancer survivor.  His mission is to bring additional cancer awareness to individuals and to raise funds for the American Cancer Society.  His goal is to raise $10,000.  To date, he has raised more than $13,000.

Joe left Ocean Beach San Diego, CA on March 8, 2009 and will arrive in New York City on August 27th - a 3,100 mile trek.  When he arrives in New York City, he will appear on the Today Show to share his journey.

Marcia Hoyt, owner of the Historic Lantz House Inn, generously offered Joe a free place to stay for the night.  Joe usually sleeps in a tent along the road he is traveling. 

7/30/09

The great-great grandson of Indiana Civil War Governor Oliver P. Morton planted an Indiana State tulip tree in front of the governor's former home in Centerville on Friday, May 15.  Stephen Santarelli de Brasch of Hamilton, Massachusetts attended the event in which a plaque was also dedicated.  His wife also attended.

Sponsored by the Wayne County Tourism Bureau and First Bank, the Event Coordinator was Jim Resh.   The Tulip Tree was donated by Rose City Nursery.

5/16/09

Warm glow candle company chosen as finalist in Country Business Magazine’s 2011 Vendor of the Year awards

Marian Bogan, who with her family, owned and operated Jody's Restaurant in Centerville, has died at the age of 98.  She died Sunday, January 11, at the Chase Center in Logansport.

Marian was famous for her apple dumplings she created at Jody's.  She is survived by a daughter, Sue Wissler and her husband, Ben of Anaheim, California; two grandchildren and several great grandchilden.  Her husband, Howard, died in 1985.

Funeral services will be at 1 p.m.  Saturday, January 17, at the Centerville Christian Church, where friends may call Friday from 4 to 8 p.m.  Burial will be in Crown View Cemetery in Sheridan.  Arrangements are being handled by the Mills Funeral Home in Centerville.

Centerville Community leader Charles L. Killen died Wednesday morning, January 7, at the Pinehurst Nursing and Rehab Center.  The 83 year old Killen had been ill since last fall and was hospitalized in mid-December, then was transferred to Pinehurst for therapy.

A 50 year member of the Centerville Lions Club, he had served as its president in 1962-63.  He joined the club on April 29, 1958.  He was active in many community activities including the Archway Days Festival each August.  He was awarded the Lions Club Community Award in 1988 and again in 1996 with his son, Gary. 

He was active in many community organizations including Centerville Music Boosters, Centerville Bicentennial Celebration in 1976, Christmas in Centerville and Promote Centerville, Inc. 

He was fire chief for 20 years of his 28 years with the Centerville Volunteer Fire Department and was president of the Wayne County Firemen's Association.

He and his son operated Killens Service Center in Centerville.

Survivors include his son, Gary and daughter, Pam (Killen) Lamb-Johnson, several grandchildren and great grandchildren.  His wife, JoAnn Killen, died in 1994.

Visitation will be Friday from 4-8 p.m. at the Centerville Christian Church where he was a member with Masonic and Scottish Rite services at 7 p.m.  Funeral services will be Saturday at 2 p.m. at the church, with burial in Crownhill Cemetery.

Wasn't it fun to see all the Model Ts running up and down our roads and streets?  Organizers Barbara and Jay Klehfoth have to be proud of the volunteers and others to helped put on a very well organized event of this type.

   We lived through it – the Party of the Century for the Car of the Century – the Model T Party.

Updated 1/31/08

Promote Centerville, Inc. has inherited several projects from the former Centerville Kiwanis Club.  The Kiwanis Club ceased to exist as of March 4.

   The projects include the annual Easter Egg Hunt and Pancake Breakfasts.

4/7/08

3/26/08

Hagerstown, IN – The July 22 “Hagerstown Or Bust” Centennial Ford Model T-Party  and vintage aircraft fly-in celebration will be the “greatest Tuesday” all year for anyone with a passion -- or even a curiosity  -- about vintage aviation, automobiles, or American history.

   This Eastern Indiana community with a rich heritage of both aviation and automotive innovation will be the scene of a unique combination of vintage aircraft and more than 500 Ford Model T’s, as the two wonders of the early 20th Century stage a once-in-a-lifetime show.

  “Hagerstown is excited to be hosting this event. It speaks to our roots in automotive ‘firsts’ and will introduce our warm hospitality to both Model T and vintage aviation lovers alike,” promises Peggy Cenova, president of the Hagerstown Town Council.

   The “Hagerstown Or Bust” event on Tuesday, July 22 is part of the 2008 Centennial Ford Model T-Party celebration July 21-26, near Richmond, Indiana at the Wayne County Fairgrounds, 861 Salisbury Road North.

  Model T owners from at least 44 states and nine countries will drive their cars from the fairgrounds to Hagerstown that Tuesday morning as World War II  era -- and older--aircraft are flying into the town’s 4,000-foot grass airfield for the celebration. 

   “Andrew King, the stunt pilot from the movie ‘Fly Boys,’ will be here with many of his pilot friends. They will be flying pre-1947 aircraft and landing on the longest, smoothest, flattest grass airstrip in the USA,” according to Denny Burns, chairman of the event.

   “The Wright Model B Flyer will be flown from Wright Patterson Air Force Base, will do a fly over Wilbur Wright’s Birthplace at about 11 a.m. and land in Hagerstown a few minutes later. It will be placed on display along with a Ford Tri-Motor and a Pitcairn Auto-Gyro,” he continues. There will be favorite old-fashioned food and ice cream, ample restrooms, cooling stations provided by Best Buys RV Sales and staffed by Reid Hospital and Health Care Services personnel, buggy parking in the shade, and wine served from the Easley Winery’s Model T wine-barrel truck.

   At least 40 vintage aircraft from the early 20th Century are expected to join in the celebration and will stage an aerial parade along with flying demonstrations throughout the day, weather permitting.

   The event is free and open to the public, but parking at the airport will be $5, except for Model Ts, that will park for free. Shuttle buses will be running continuously from Downtown Hagerstown to the southside airport throughout the day and evening. The Model T’s are expected to leave the airport by 8 p.m., and travel through nearby towns along U.S. 40 and Ind. 38 on their return to the fairgrounds.

   All of the restaurants and shops in this home to “2,000 Happy People,” as the sign on the edge of town proclaims, will welcome visitors with open arms July 22, including Welliver’s Smorgasbord, winner of many awards for its quality and wide variety of culinary choices.

   Hagerstown was the home of the Teetor family, that founded the Perfect Circle Piston Ring Corporation.  Ralph Teetor, a blind inventor, was the creator of today’s cruise control. 

   Wilbur Wright was born about seven miles northwest of Hagerstown and lived there with his brother, Orville, while their father was a bishop in the Church of the Brethren.

   The town also is home to the oldest vehicle nameplate in continuous production in the United States, Autocar. The Autocar LLC truck company, headquartered in the former Perfect Circle/Dana manufacturing complex, has been in continuous production of cars and/or trucks since 1897.

7/7/08

Get ready for the biggest party to hit our area in many, many years! Plans are going well for the weeklong Centennial Party headquartered at the Wayne County Fairgrounds in Richmond. Almost 900 Model Ts and families, from as far away as Australia and New Zealand will be in attendance at this once-in-a-lifetime event. One couple from Australia shipped their Model T to Calif., jumped on a plane, picked up their Model T, and are en route to Richmond, traveling as fast as their old car will take them.

   Ford Motor Company, with support from Ford Motor Company Fund, is the title sponsor for the event, and will be creating Ford Village on the Fairgrounds. We can’t reveal their plans for the Village yet. Come and see for yourself during July 21-26, 2008.

   If you would like to be involved first-hand with this event, we are looking for volunteers! We have many categories and shifts of volunteering available. All volunteers will receive a commemorative volunteer t-shirt, meal ticket to be used on the grounds, free admittance to the Wednesday Vintage Base Ball Game, and free entrance to the municipal swimming pool all week. All volunteers must register online and pick the activities for which they would like to volunteer. Log onto www.Tparty2008.com and click on Volunteer at the Centennial! We hope you will join us in the exciting venture. If you have questions, call Debbie Craig at 765-977-4217.

6/30/08

Richmond and Wayne County are featured in the August edition of Midwest Living Magazine. The story is titled "Antiquing with Attitude" and highlights what is known as Indiana's Antique Alley, which includes Richmond, Centerville and Cambridge City. The article covers more than seven pages.

6/23/09

Centerville Senior High School is pleased to announce that Ryan Carman and Hunter Lambright are the 2009 recipients of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship! Congratulations Ryan and Hunter!

Hunter Lambright, Centerville Sr. High senior, has been named as a 2009 Indianapolis Star Academic All-Star Regional honoree!

Congratulations Hunter!

Centerville Lion Charlie Killen died back in January.  His son Gary gathered his dad's Lions Club pins and other memorabilia and asked Lion Phil Benedict what he could do with them.  Lion Phil constructed a shadowbox and put the items, dating back through Killen's 50 year history with the club, in the box.  Benedict will present the shadowbox to Killen's family during the Lions Club Christmas Banquest on December 14.
9/24/09

Dublin, Indiana -- Patricia McDaniel is the chairperson of the Historic National Road Yard Sale which extends 824 miles from Baltimore to ST Louis.  The event is ALWAYS the first Wednesday through Sunday, after Memorial Day. 

McDaniel has made two Promotional Tours encompassing all six states and is now in the process of compiling a cookbook titled:  "Historic National Road Yard Sale Cookbook".

Individuals, restaurants, bed and breakfasts have all begun to donate recipes.  McDaniel is striving to compile unique recipes which incorporate regional foods which reflect a particular city or state.  Ethnic recipes from cities along the route will also be included.

Recipes are still being accepted from  anyone living along US 40 in the states of: MD, PA,WVA, OH, IN and IL until August 20, 2009.  Please mail recipes to HNR Cookbook, P.O.Box 357, Dublin IN 47335 or e-mail them to info@oldstorefrontantiques.com.

Individuals or businesses wishing to make a donation may send checks to:   HNR Cookbook aka Patricia MCDaniel, POB 357, Dublin IN.

The Historic National Road Yard Sale Cookbook will be ready for Christmas.  Preorders are also being accepted.

8/3/09