The Bluffton News, 1959-12-31

The Missionary display was built around the new arrowhead front added to the building in the past year. A giant Christmas wreath was centered in the large window at the front of the addi addition, - tion, addition, with gentle blue lights flood floodhe - he floodhe front of the church, point pointsimplicity!of - simplicity!of pointsimplicity!of tit wreath. use oi lighting also cifcarlfcterized thd second place winner. The waliLpf the church whs bathed in blue light, with spotlights picking out the simple front of the church with the words "Peace On Earth” over the main entrance.

Mr. Amstutz will swear in the new members of the village’s official force at the first meeting of the year on January 12. Incumbent councilmen Charles Aukerman and Charles Haakish Jr., will be joined by newcomers Maynard Badertscher, Clayton Bixel, Wayne Matter and James Hein Heininger. - inger. Heininger. A new clerk, Norman Edinger, and a new treasurer, Lois Basinger, wiU also take office. Re Returning - turning Returning to office will be the present Board of Public Affairs, Don Ream, Harvey Bauman and Clayton Harkness.

Viewed as a serious problem when the retiring council took office in 1958 was the acquisition of more land for Maple Grove cemetery. The ceme cemetery - tery cemetery is not filling as fast as had been expected and the problem is not as acute now as it seemed two years ago. Expansion of the present ceme cemetery - tery cemetery or creation of a new one must come, with accompanying money problems, but this problem may stay out of reach in the next two years.

Christmas decorating contests, a community Hallowe’en party, the Baby Derby, a clean up campaign and the annual Trout Derby all were sponsored by the busy merchants. 1959 saw the completion of a two year community campaign to pay for the bathhouse slab at the municipal swimming pool. Heading the effort wpre die Jay Jaycees. - cees. Jaycees. Payment of this bill open opened - ed opened the way for a new campaign to build a bathhouse at the pool.

When the new route 25 is expanded to a four fourlane - lane fourlane highway Bluffton will be cut off with only two access points, one a mile east of town, the other three miles southwest. Bentley road access has been a key desire of the Business Men’s as association. - sociation. association. When this fight is carried to the state highway department, the council will certainly be asked to carry their share of the burden.

Re-opened in February, after threats of a permanent closing, Ex-Cell-O began their work with a slender working force of 38. "We are now approaching the highest employment we ever had at the Bluffton plant, which came several months before the strike which began in 1958,” personnel manager Don Lytle said. He went on to say that local em employment - ployment employment at the company could set a new record in 1960.

Holding their heads in Octob October - er October were village oficials when a long and cold rain worked under a newly laid surface on South Main street, causing it to stick to the tires of passing traffic. With a village tax levy for street improvements less than a week away, the officials feared disas disaster, - ter, disaster, but they were rewarded when the tax levy passed by a thin margin.