_____ 

 Sat,August 20, 2005 
<08/20/05

Number 19 remembered 

ENGLEWOOD -- Before the first snap Friday night, the Lemon Bay High
<> School community took a
moment of silence to remember a player who never got to fulfill his
promise. 
Varsity and junior varsity football players, their coaches and a stadium
full of people stood in a very emotional remembrance of Kelvin Jackson,
15, who was killed last month when he was struck by a vehicle while
walking to a friend's house. 
"It was emotional," said A.J. Mauger, a Lemon Bay High School student.
"The football team was very emotional about it, because he was one of
them." 
Manta Ray's 2005 football season was dedicated in his honor, as was a
page in Friday night's program. Kelvin's No. 19 football jersey and a
copy of the program were given to his mother, Becky Bergman, in his
honor. 
Wanda Spargur, a member of the Manta Ray Booster Club, made the
presentation. 
Spargur said Kelvin was a member of the spring football team and was
going to be a member of the fall 2005 varsity team. 
"Because of his untimely death," Spargur said, "we decided to do a
dedication page in our football program, and specifically, dedicating
the 2005 football program to Kelvin." 
Jackson was killed July 14 when Sean M. Minor, 20, of Manor Road in
Englewood, veered off the road on East Dearborn Street in his 2004 Ford
pickup and struck Kelvin, authorities said. 
Kelvin was walking home from a teen night at Englewood Bowl with his
friend, Bruce Gordon. They were only a few feet from Gordon's home when
Kelvin was hit. 
The dedication was made on behalf of the Lemon Bay Manta Ray football
players, their coaches and the Manta Ray Booster Club. 
"It's important that we let her know that the kids and Booster Club
still think of him," Spargur said, "and we wanted her to know we still
care about her family." 
Sal Capaccio, the junior varsity football coach at LBHS who spoke at the
dedication, said Kelvin "was a terrific young man." 
"(He) really embodied the model of our program," Capaccio said, "the
five C's -- class, character, commitment, consistency and courage. 
"We all miss him," he said, "and we want to do anything we can to make
sure he is always in our thoughts." 
Mike Messina, LBHS varsity football coach, said Kelvin was a very good
football player and a true team player. 
"I can't say enough good about him," Messina said. "He was a great young
man. Great character. Great teammate. A good friend. A great kid to be
around." 
In honor of Kelvin, Messina said, the team wore a 19 sticker on the back
of their helmets. 
"We have his jersey hanging in the locker room," Messina said. "It was a
big loss to the football team." 
The Sun is accepting donations for a memorial fund for Kelvin's family.
Bergman works in the newspaper's classified department. Donations can be
sent to: 
Becky Bergman 
c/o 
Charlotte Sun 
23170 Harborview Road 
Charlotte Harbor, FL 33980 
You can e-mail Rachel Alexander at ralexander@sun-herald.com. 
By RACHEL ALEXANDER 
Staff Writer 
 C 2005 All rights reserved.
Your Local Internet Service Provider
A division of Sun Coast Media Group Inc.
Publishers of the Sun newspapers. 

Just down the (yellow brick) road

CHESTERTON: Oz festival will gather at larger, central location in 2006
BY BRIAN WILLIAMS
219.462.5151
This story ran on nwitimes.com on Thursday, September 8, 2005 12:51 AM
CDT

CHESTERTON | There's no place like home. New home, that is.

That's the hope organizers have for the venerable Wizard of Oz Festival,
which will open next weekend for the last time in Chesterton.

Festival organizers announced Tuesday that the event will move to the
Porter County Expo Center south of Valparaiso for its 25th anniversary
incarnation in 2006.

Dee Spargur, vice president of Lakeshore Festival & Events and director
of the festival, said it was time for the festival to grow and
Chesterton just didn't allow that.

With its indoor and outdoor exhibition space, central location where all
events can be held together and parking to accommodate the estimated
60,000 to 80,000 annual visitors, the expo center could accommodate that
growth, Spargur said.

Organizers had considered alternatives in the past 18 months, including
Chesterton's Dogwood Park and Sunset Hill Park in Liberty Township,
Spargur said.

Reaction to the announcement has ranged from sadness to high hopes for
the new location.

Laurie Franke-Polz, former director of the Duneland Chamber of Commerce
and now chairwoman of several Oz planning committees, said the move
would be very positive. The size and versatility of the expo center
would allow new opportunities, she said.

Former events President Marilyn Zengler, who co-owns the Yellow Brick
Road Shop, said she had "very mixed emotions" about the move. While she
understands the need for improved logistics, a certain feel will be
lost, she said.

"The charm of Chesterton is surely going to be missed," Zengler said.
"Chesterton has been wonderful."

The move would also leave a void downtown, Zengler said.

But former Town Council member Frank Sessa doesn't think so. He called
the decision "a good move for everyone concerned."

Sessa was on the council at the time of a pivotal January 2004 meeting
when members decried what they called the increasing commercialism,
sprawl and expense of the festival. At that time, Sessa said the
festival's quality was declining.

Sessa, who owns a downtown shoe repair store, said downtown merchants
have benefited from an increase in events in Thomas Park and from the
weekly European Market and would not be adversely affected by the move.

Despite what may be lost in Chesterton, organizers are planning ways to
bring an Emerald City-like feel to the festival's new digs. Backdrops
and props could recreate the spires of Oz, and the expo center would be
a natural for capturing the flavor of Dorothy's Kansas farm, Franke-Polz
said. She also hinted that the new location may allow organizers to
create something they've always wanted: a yellow brick road.

Retaining the special feel that has made the Chesterton location so
attractive to so many visitors may be the biggest challenge.

"Chesterton has an ambiance," Spargur said. " We need to create that. We
think we can do that."

I don't know if this is of interest.

Bill Spargur

_____ 

Fire & Rescue
Private plane accidents: Iowa's worst year since 1990
The third deadly plane accident in two days claimed the life of a
Bloomfield woman.
By 
REGISTER STAFF WRITERS
March 29, 2005 

Three small-plane crashes claimed six lives in Iowa in two days this
week in one of the deadliest stretches of such accidents since at least
1990.

Already, 2005 is above the annual average of five small-plane fatalities
a year since 1990, Iowa Department of Transportation records show. The
most deaths in a year was 16 in 1993.

The Iowa crashes happened after flights in sunny skies with little wind
and no obvious weather trouble.

"This is very definitely an anomaly," said Gary Fisher, a Monticello
optometrist and past president of the Associated Pilots of Iowa. But
until the National Transportation Safety Board investigates, he said,
"anything you could say would be speculation."

"We had a beautiful spring day (Sunday) and there were literally
hundreds of airplanes in the air," he noted. "Chances increase on those
days."

Five people died in two crashes on Easter Sunday. The third crash, about
10 a.m. Monday, claimed the life of 68-year-old Helen Ball of
Bloomfield. Her husband, pilot Vern Ball, also 68, was taken to an Iowa
City hospital, where his condition was unknown.

The Balls took off in their four-seat Mooney airplane from Bloomfield
Municipal Airport in Davis County, headed for Arkansas. They crashed
soon after.

On Sunday, three Iowans died in a crash near West Union. Pilot Andrew
Bryan, 28, of Maynard and Connie Stewart, 37, and daughter Sarah
Stewart, 11, both of West Union, all were killed in the crash.

Caryn Stewart , 8, was injured Sunday in the West Union crash. Her
grandfather, Delmar Stewart, said Monday that Caryn had third-degree
burns on 75 percent of her body and was in serious condition. She is
recovering at the burn unit of University Hospitals in Iowa City.

In the second crash Sunday, pilot David Daniel Culbertson, 38, of
Shellsburg and Steven Ray Redman, 48, of Marion were killed about 6 p.m.
when their plane crashed in a cornfield, the Johnson County sheriff's
office reported.

Lt. Dean Dekoter of the Iowa State Patrol said he doesn't recall a more
deadly two-day stretch in his 26 years as a trooper. "That really
surprises me," Dekoter said, noting weather conditions seemed ideal for
flying.

Do three fatal airplane crashes in Iowa in two days mean that something
was happening that threatened the planes?

"One of the things we need to get across is that the investigation
process has to play out," said Bill Waldock, professor of safety science
at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Ariz.

"What investigators would look for would be common factors - the types
of airplanes, the weather, pilot issues," said Waldock, who is not
involved in the Iowa investigation.

"As to the fact you have had three in two days, I wouldn't call it an
aberration as much as a statistical anomaly."

Added Waldock: "Absent crazy weather, you look for other things. It
could be statistics are catching up. By itself - that there were three
crashes in two days - doesn't mean anything. I've seen it happen
before."

Monday morning's crash near Bloomfield brought the latest Iowa air
tragedy.

Vern and Helen Ball's son, Duke Ball, is one of the owners of Heartland
Aviation at the airport and he was there when the crash occurred.

"Another gentleman was outside and he saw it," said Tony Spargur, a
partner with Duke Ball at Heartland Aviation and a friend of the Ball
family.

The crash "was near the airport, within a half-mile or a mile away,"
Spargur said. There was no radio call to the airport prior to the crash.
Vern Ball, a retired lawyer, was at the controls.

"It looked like he was returning to the airport," said Spargur. "It
looked like he was heading back. I went back into the shop. The other
guy was watching them circle back. Then he ran in and said there had
been a crash."

Spargur said Vern and Helen Ball had taken a lot of trips together in
the airplane, which they had owned for more than a decade.

"I've known them since I was 5 years old and they are like family," he
said. "This is going to be a great loss."

Copyright C 2005, The Des Moines Register.

By Jason Black Daily Courier
Wednesday, March 23, 2005 

For the Connellsville baseball team, the 2005 season is all about
improvement and possibly making a triumphant return to the playoffs
after a year's absence. 

"We know the kids a little bit better now," Connellsville coach Brian
Shipley said as he prepares for his second season as the team's manager.
"We had a fall team, and I watched them throughout the summer, so I'm
familiar with their ability." 

The Falcons struggled through a 9-11 season last year, but there is
plenty of optimism heading into the new campaign. 

"We're very excited," Shipley said. "There is a lot of enthusiasm, and
everybody has been working hard." 

The Falcons will be competing in Section 2-AAAA this year. Section
rivals include Albert Gallatin, Hempfield, Latrobe, Norwin,
Penn-Trafford and Uniontown. 

Shipley knows it's not going to be a picnic. 

"Our section will be tough and very competitive," Shipley said. "We
definitely have to come ready to play." 

The Falcons' biggest strength could be its pitching. Seniors Chris Pepe
and Casey Shultz as well as sophomore Joe Leonard figure to be the top
three guys in the rotation. Senior Rich Schleihauf and junior Andy
Schleihauf are slated to handle the catching duties. 

Around the infield, look for Pepe, Rich Schleihauf and junior Clay
Hurley to be the top candidates at first while senior Bobby Fulton and
juniors Andrew Spargur and Tyler Onusko will see action at second. 

Leonard, Spargur and Fulton all can play shortstop. Expect Fulton, Pepe
and junior Josh Ridenour to handle the hot corner. 

In the outfield, the action in left will be split. Fulton, senior David
Sumner and junior Kasey Eutsey all are candidates. Senior Tom
McCallister figures to be the everyday center fielder, while senior Chad
Schroyer should see most of the action in right. 

Other players that should make a contribution include senior Robert
Halfhill, juniors Kolby Fox, Josh Landman, Josh Coffman and Ryan Murphy.
Sophomores Lou Rose, Colton Wilhelm, Kaitan Smiley, Drew Harvey, Ben
Booher, Mike Blackstone, Jarod Henry, Andrew Snyder, Ben Herrington and
Andrew Kaper round out the varsity and junior varsity roster. 

"Our biggest strength is our competitiveness," Shipley said. "We have
some tough kids that know the game. We just need to maintain our
consistency." 

Shipley, who will be assisted by Marvin Snyder, John Przybylinski,
Sherwood Hughes and Robert Oldham, is hoping that his team will be in
the thick of the playoff race throughout the season. 

"I want us to be competitive," Shipley said. "The playoffs is our goal,
and then we'll take it one step at a time after that." 

The Falcons will begin the season Thursday at Canon-McMillan.