When my wife pulled our Pilot into the parking space at the graduation party, I had no idea my life was about to change forever. Then, as soon as my door slammed, I was struck, literally in the face, with the realization that I wasn’t a kid anymore. There, reflected in the window, dressed in farmer’s ball cap, plaid, short sleeve shirt, and blue jeans was the image of a 60-year-old man.

Wait! I don’t look like a 60-year-old man! I look like my friends!…Oh.

Yes, I guess it’s true. Most of my friends are 60-year-old men, or thereabouts, and the ones I’m thinking about, Harry and Larry, like me, also raise sheep.

And, yes, we do tend to have similar taste in fashion. Although we may obtain our shirts from different places, be it Penney’s, TSC or that bastion of style and comfort, L.L.Bean, it’s pretty obvious our favorite color is plaid.

We do differ, however, in the type of sheep we raise. Larry raises club lambs and has done so for over 50 years. These are the black-faced sheep, usually of Suffolk or Hampshire parentage, that most of the 4-H and FFA kids take to the fair. Harry has also raised these over the years, as well as Dorsets but now has a fine flock of Polypays that pay for themselves in “poly” ways.

nspencer@delphosherald.com

OTTOVILLE — Ottoville received one of the numerous Ohio Boards of Education Community Service awards durin hte Northwest Regional Spring Conference held at the Penten Career Cente rin Perrysburg.

The school received the award for Go-Getters After-school Program “Pocket Flags.” Children participating in the program learned to properly fold a flag and sent a pocket versions to troops overseas.

In the High School Report, Principal Jon Thorbahn outlines a busy upcoming month with the high school musical “Peter Panic” at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday; the high school band concert at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday; ALiCE Training for staff next Friday; the Home and School Motivational Lottery on May 2; the County Art Show from 2-4 p.m. May 5 in Miller City; the fifth- and sixth-grade band concert on May 7; the Cancer Walk on May 10; Honors Night on May 13.

He also showed the board a quilt teachers Diane Wurth and Pam Hickey crafted to be raffled at the Cancer Walk.

In the Elementary Report, Superintendent and Principal Scott Mangas announced students in grades 3-8 will take the Ohio Achievements Tests next week. and the K-4 Spring Program will be held at 7 p.m. May 1.

sgroves@delphosherald.com

FORT JENNINGS— During the school board’s monthly meeting on Wednesday night, members completed a busy agenda focusing on new business matters, a resolution expressing opposition to provisions in HB 59 and an update on Race To The Top.

Ottawa-Glandorf graduate Keith Utendorf has been named the new varsity basketball coach. Utendorf has an extensive coaching background as Varsity Assistant at Leipsic from and Varsity Assistant coach in football and basketball at Van Wert.

Utendorf graduated from the University of Toledo with a bachelors in Education and Language Arts.

“I’m looking forward to the opportunity of working with the kids,” Utendorf said. “I have immense respect for Coach Von Sossan and what he has built here. And I look forward to continuing the tradition.”

Utendorf will begin his first day with the administration today.

He and his wife, Andria, reside in Delphos.

Additionally, the board approved the recommendation of a number of candidates to fill vacated coaching, assistant and sports oriented positions: Gregg Luthman, as boys varsity soccer coach; Todd Bullinger as varsity basketball assistant; Kevin Trentman and Neil Whittler as junior high basketball coaches; and Dave Luersman as elementary basketball coach.

Ottoville High School will present the musical comedy “Peter Panic” at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday in the school auditeria. “Peter Panic” follows the misadventures of a cash-strapped school drama club as they attempt to present the play Peter Pan as a fundraiser. However, the football coach has other plans for the auditorium and conspires with his star players and the cheerleaders to ensure that the play is a flop. This clever play-within-a-play was written by Flip Kobler and Cindy Marcus, the team behind several Disney Channel animated shows, and is appropriate for the entire family. Above: Cheerleaders and football players surround football hero Tinkerman played by Jacob Turnwald in Act 1 of the musical. Admission is $6.The cast includes Audrey Rieger, Jacob Turnwald, Jordan Kelch, Emma Eickholt, Tim Feasel, Rachel Turnwald, Kara Hoersten, Abby Siefker, Cory Fischer, Kendra Koester, Elizabeth Luersman, Kelsey Miller, Ryan Kemper, Rachel Beining, Mark Waldick, Johnny Landwehr, Dylan Fortman, Tori Jackson, Tonya Kaufman, Eden Schlagbaum, Amy Tumblin, Natasha Dixon, James Tiller, Amy Looser and Jasmine Jones.

nspencer@delphosherald.com

DELPHOS — Wauseon Lions Club member Jerry Smith was a little disappointed with the turnout at the inception meeting to reform the club in Delphos on Wednesday at the Delphos Public Library.

“We usually have a small turnout for the first one; we hope to get more at the second meeting,” Smith said.

The follow-up meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the library.

Smith described the Lions Club mission and objectives to the small gathering:
“Lions Club mission statement, ‘To create and foster a spirit of understanding among all people for humanitarian needs by providing voluntary services through community involvement and international cooperation,’ hasn’t changed since Melvin Jones started the club in 1917,” Smith said.

Objectives of the club include sight-related projects like eyeglass recycling, eye banks, eye and health screenings, glasses for school children and SightFirst, which builds hospitals and offers cataract surgeries.