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The verdit is in: Here's the Fest' of Trees cookie contest winners

Winners include: date pinwheel, oatmeal raisin, brown sugar pecan and chocolate chip

By Monty Siekerman
Winners of the Festival of Trees cookie baking contest at Community Health Professionals were determined Monday evening by a panel of judges.

It was rumored that each judge was chosen because he had a sweet tooth.
Lucky judges were (seated, from left) Van Curlis, John Berg, Matt Crawford, (standing, from left) Kevin Mierzejewski and Alec Perrin.

Festival of Trees opening is a big hit

Largest crowd ever on opening day

By Monty Siekerman
Santa drew a large crowd to the opening of the Festival of Trees on Sunday afternoon at Community Health Professionals.

MORE PHOTOS BELOW -

In addition to youngsters telling Santa their wishes, the afternoon event included:
• kids buying gifts for family and friends for $1 and learning how to wrap them, even making their own Christmas cards.
• the beginning of a week-long silent auction.
• a $5 grab and go table of holiday decorations.
* free food, an extensive array of main dishes and desserts.

Santa among runners in Reindeer Run

60-degree weather event supports stuffed polar bears for children at Lima Memorial

By Monty Siekerman
These brave reindeer begin the 5K and 1 mile Reindeer Run on campus Sunday afternoon.

Forty-eight "reindeer" chose the 5K, which is a tad more than 3 miles, while just 2 "reindeer" trekked the 1 mile distance. Even Santa ( a.k.a. Jeff Allison) joined in...can you find him?

MORE PHOTOS BELOW -

The run was held outdoors in sunny, 60 degree weather to support the giving of stuffed polar bears to the children at Lima Memorial Hospital.  Mortar Board honorary and Kappa Alpha Theta sorority sponsored the event.

Here's a real volleyball fan

The Icon spotted this plate in a parking lot near the Bluffton University volleyball court. It's on a red Dodge pick up and we're pretty certain it belongs to Bluffton's volleyball coach, Steve Yarnell.

Jim Pifer speaker at Veterans Day breakfast at Ada school

By Monty Siekerman
Jim Pifer gave some startling facts about our military and suggested a solution to some of the problems of readiness.

Speaking before 75 people at a Veterans Day breakfast on Friday at the Ada High School cafeteria, Jim said:

* 75% of today's young people are not eligible for military service because they cannot pass the education test, have committed crimes, or are physically unfit.
*only 10% of Americans have, or are now, serving in the military.
*only 1% of our population is currently serving in the military.

ONU Veterans Day speaker...

encouraged all those presently in the military to serve their communities on return, helping in schools, churches, local government, and service clubs

By Monty Siekerman
At a Veterans Day program on campus Friday, Ohio Northern University recognized the ultimate sacrifices the men and women gave and saluted those who made it home safely with more than 150 people in attendance near Dr. Henry Solomon Lehr's statue on Main Street.

"I have traveled to 34 countries and the United States is the greatest one on earth," said the main speaker, Col. David D. Kretz. He is commander of the Wright-Patterson AFB, directing over 2,100 personnel with a $54 million budget.

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