(Talk of the Town photos by Jennifer Zartman Romano) First Church of God Senior Pastor Johnny McCallister, left, and Pat Mossburg of Salvation Army of Whitley County share excitement over the church's decision to welcome Salvation Army to their facility on DePoy Drive in Columbia City. Below, to visit the Salvation Army, enter through the church's administration office doors on the far right.

By Jennifer Zartman Romano

The sense of peace and calmness was palpable Wednesday as Whitley County's Salvation Army director Pat Mossburg sat behind the desk of her new office at First Church of God in Columbia City, rosey walls matching the glow in her face.
Now in it's 75th year in this community, Salvation Army has found a new home that will enable further growth and expansion for the future -- enabling Mossburg and her teams of volunteers to serve those most in need.
"Today was our first day of operations here," Mossburg said, prouding patting her desk near the window of her office near the church's administrative offices.
"It was something I never was looking for," Mossburg said. "But our room was so tiny and we had to have more space." Though Mossburg kept these observations to herself and made do with the space she had, others in the community saw the organization was rapidly outgrowing their space in the hospitable Eagle Quest Church on SR 109, just north of Columbia City.
A member of First Church of God quietly noticed Mossburg's need for more space and, unbeknownst to her, brought that need to leaders of First Church of God.
"A member called and said they needed room," Senior Pastor Johnny McCallister recalled. "Our people are really missional minded...this is our Jerusalem. We're wanting to find the avenues to give and we felt it would be cool to find a place for them (here). It's a perfect situation."
While Mossburg is thrilled with the space to grow, McCallister feels equally as blessed, saying that although the church has a dry pantry, they need to better understand how to serve people in need in a way that is beneficial for all concerned.
"We've wanted to do something, but didn't know how to do it," McCallister said. He hopes that by working with the Salvation Army, services already provided through the church can be enhanced. "We want to know how to qualify and assess," he said.
McCallister's church could have very easily begun a program to serve the needy in the community, in addition to their pantry, but he feels it wouldn't have been the right thing to do. "We were trying to figure out what we could do locally. We like who they are. They're a ministry," McCallister said. "If we had to create that it would be redundant. We've got to start tearning down walls and building bridges. This is not about our church getting better -- it's about THE church, the greater good for all of us."
In addition to like-mindedness about serving the community, both First Church and Salvation Army trace their inception to 1885. They are comfortable with the relationship they're forming in the present and eager to work toward the good that can be accomplished in the future.
"We want to hold this loosely," added McCallister. "We are excited! Our mission team and global outreach are really excited about this."
"God had a plan and it was just working through," Mossburg said. "It's amazing what can happen. Now, it's about educating people that I'm here."
The Whitley County Salvation Office is located near the administrative office entrance to First Church of God on the east side of the building. First Church of God is located on DePoy Drive, just off US 30 on the west side of Columbia City.
The Salvation Army's hygiene pantry hours are 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.
Upcoming events for the Whitley County Salvation Army include Light the Way on April 16 from 6 to 7 p.m. at First Church of God and A Night in Italy on March 30 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Grace Lutheran Church.
"We're also still offering the Angel Clipper Coupon Class," Mossburg said. The class resumes on February 15 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the church."
"This is just the most exciting thing to happen to us in a long time," added Mossburg.
For more information, call Pat Mossburg at 248-1711.

(Talk of the Town photo provided)
Whitley County runner Samantha Roush was honored on Sunday, January 29, 2012, as the Fort Wayne Track Club's Runner of the Year. Roush was among three area boys and girls nominated for the award which was presented at the club's annual banquet at the Marriott in Fort Wayne. The keynote speaker for the event was three-time Olympian Shalane Flanagan. Flanegan will compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics. Above, from left, is Shalane Flanagan and Samantha Roush.

(Talk of the Town photo provided)
Tri Lakes resident John Wall made a great discovery in his garden this morning -- a discovery perhaps more telling than whatever a rodent in Pennsylvania saw today -- he saw daffodils sprouting from the earth! Wall wonders if there will be time for them to bloom during this warm spell. Time will tell.

Congratulations to Whitley County Spelling Bee champion Jaeden Roussey and runner up, Samuel Rickerd.
Roussey, 10, is the son of Selda and Rod Roussey and is in the fifth grade at Coesse Elementary School. After 22 rounds of competition, Roussey won with the word "miso," a food paste made of soybeans, salt and typcially fermented grain used in Japanese cooking.
Rickerd, also a fifth grader, is the son of Mark and Sarah Rickerd. Rickerd attends South Whitley Elementary School.
In all, eight children competed in the Whitley County Spelling Bee which was held Wednesday, January 25.

Legislation encouraging students to take at least one virtual instruction course during their four-year high school experience passed the Senate Wednesday in a 38-12 vote. Senate Bill 179 now moves to the House for further action.
Author of the bill, State Senator Jim Banks of Whitley County said this legislation will ensure Indiana students are prepared for a technology-dependent future. The bill was sponsored in the House by fellow Whitley County resident State Representative Kathy Heuer.
“It is essential that students are trained with advanced technological skills before they graduate,” Banks said. “This cost-savings measure gives local schools the support they need to encourage innovation in online learning, which will ultimately help our students achieve success in college and the workforce.”
Ivy Tech Community College has said it will provide the technology for these courses, which would enable high school students to get dual credit for their efforts.
Banks’ legislation would require students – beginning with the freshman class of 2013 – to have at least one virtual instruction course or credit requirement go toward their Core 40 diploma.
In response to the bill's passing, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Tony Bennett stated, "I commend Senator Banks and his colleagues for championing this important piece of legislation. Our mission is to provide every Hoosier student an education that is the best in the nation. To do this, we must graduate tech-savvy students who are ready to be innovators and leaders. Indiana is pushing forward with innovative programs and policies to develop a top-notch workforce — a factor that can be instrumental in driving economic development throughout the state."
Florida, Idaho and Michigan have already passed similar legislation.
Hoosiers can get a full updated copy of the legislation online by visiting http://www.in.gov/legislative/bills/2012/IN/IN0179.1.html.

The competition season for Columbia City High School’s show choirs, City Heat and City Lights began this past Saturday, January 28, 2012.
They traveled to Fishers High School in Fishers, Indiana to compete in the second annual Silver Spotlight Invitational. With this being the first competition of the year, there were a fair amount of butterflies for these amazing students. They not only wanted to perform well for themselves and their parents, they also wanted to represent their school to the best of their abilities.
City Lights, the all ladies show choir, was up first for the day. They were competing in the small school division against three other ladies choirs. Lights performed their show nearly flawlessly and were rewarded for their efforts by being awarded “Grand Champion” of their division and the opportunity to compete in the night finals against two much larger schools. Kassie Yenser was awarded “Best Performer” by the judges during the morning show for Lights.  In the night finals, they competed first. The ladies again performed very well, but it was not to be this night. They finished in third place overall. There were a total of seven ladies choirs that competed, so they’re off to a great start.
City Heat, the mixed show choir, performed later in the afternoon. They were also competing in the small school division against seven other schools. Heat also performed a nearly flawless show for the first time out. They were also awarded “Grand Champion” of their division and the opportunity to perform in the night finals. Michaela Thomas was awarded “Best Performer” from the afternoon performance. Heat competed against four other choirs in the night finals. They were rewarded with a third place finish for the day. There were a total of eleven mixed choirs that competed, another great start.
These students have worked hard since the beginning of the school year to try to perfect their vocals and choreography (dancing). The vocals are professionally arranged and the choreography is also professionally arranged. According to one of our students, the director of the host school’s show choir commented on how “clean” the students performed their shows Saturday. The vocals were beautiful and the choreography flowed well with very few missteps.
City Lights show consists of the songs: “Don’t Rain on my Parade," “Here Comes the Rain," “Come in from the Rain," “It’s Raining on Prom Night," and “Walking on Sunshine / Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows." They are accompanied by the band City Soul, and assisted by the tech crew, City Crew. City Heat’s show consists of the songs: “Big Noise from Winetka," “Paris Holds the Key to My Heart," “Georgia on My Mind," “Slow Boat to China," and “Rio." Their dancing this year includes a tap dancing portion in “Slow Boat." Heat is also accompanied by City Soul and teched by City Crew.
The choirs are under the direction of Rosalie Geller and City Soul is directed by Carolyn Hindbaugh.
Sounds of the City will travel to Fort Wayne on February 4 to compete in the Charisma Classique at Northrop High School.

By Jennifer Zartman Romano

It won't be long until the now empty grandstand seats at Morsches Park are filled with screaming fans, eager to celebrate their child's biggest summer yet at the ball diamond. And because of a few dedicated volunteers, it's going to be a particularly great year. They can feel it already.
As the snow flies, however, volunteer Keith Nickolson is busy doing all he can to prepare, including some much-needed housekeeping that will all but seal the fate for a great softball season.
"We changed the structure of the age ranges," Nickolson said of what was, perhaps, one of the biggest changes he and other members of the softball commission did this year at the Columbia City Parks Department. "We did this to get skill sets matched better. We had 15-year-olds playing alongside 11-year-olds and there is just too much of a difference there."
Additionally, Nickolson said they are now requiring softball (and baseball) players to submit birth certificates as proof of age when registering. "Tournaments require age verification," he said. "We're trying to pattern the program so that we don't have an oops at the end of the year."
A new fee structure is also being implemented that Nickolson hopes will make it more economical for families with multiple children who want to play. "When you have three or four kids in league, it can get expensive," said Nickolson, himself a father of three. It will now cost $80 or less for each child to play, with a $10 per child discount for multiple children in the same household.
"The level of talent we have in this park system...it's amazing," Nickolson said, sharing accounts of the many polished players he's seen grow and develop over the years. "It's very eye-opening. We have a lot of girls in Whitley County that are very, very talented and with this restructuring, we are trying to take their talents and make them what they think they can be."
Looking back, Nickolson concedes that the structure of softball teams didn't really facilitate the growth and development young players required to take their play to the next level.
"We've begun making changes and we're raising the level of competition," he said. "We've heard a lot of positive comments already and we keep telling them we aren't done yet!"
Nickolson sees proof already that changes, big and small, he and other volunteers have been making can be counted in the number of players returning to the Columbia City Parks Department program recently. For several years, he watched as great players left the system to compete in neighboring community programs.
According to Nickolson, 177 girls played softball in the program in 2011. He anticipates those number going up considerably in the next few years.
"I'm really excited about it," he said. "We're looking at bigger and better things. It's all about the girls."
As Nickolson counts down the weeks for softball season to begin, he is looking forward to the big kickoff to the season -- opening day.
"Our opening day parade just gets bigger and better," he said with a grin. "We're looking to local businesses to help with that. We just want a huge opening day."
Mayor Ryan Daniel is expected to throw out the first pitch of the year immediately following the parade, slated for May 5 at 10 a.m. in the park. An estimated 2000 to 4000 people attend opening day each year in Morsches Park.
"It's a great way to start the season. I'm just ready for it to be here," he said.
Registration for summer softball and baseball leagues has begun. For more information, visit www.columbiacityparks.us or call the park office at 248-5180.

(Talk of the Town photo by Jennifer Zartman Romano)
The Whitley County Chamber of Commerce hosted their first networking event of the year, the annual Economic Forecast Breakfast with keynote speaker Huntington University professor Jim O'Donnell, this morning at Parkview Whitley Hospital. More than 50 attended the breakfast sponsored by The Investment Center at Crossroads Bank. According to O'Donnell, the economy is simply not as bad as widely reported. He reminded Chamber members that there is more to life than money and that investing in stocks is still a good option to consider -- particularly when time is on your side.

The Whitley County Extension Homemakers are having a Sewing Day on February 14 at the Purdue Extension-Whitley County Office in Columbia City from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
They will be making tote bags for Parkview and Riley Children's Hospitals and cancer pads for Northeast Indiana Cancer Services.  Bring your portable sewing machine and notions.  Even if you are not a seamstress, you can come and help cut out fabrics, press fabrics and/or sort fabric.  Friends and neighbors and family members are welcome!  Bring a sack lunch.  Come for any length of time. For more information, call 244-7615.

Do you have a cookie recipe that makes your sweethearts swoon? Perhaps an old standby like chocolate chip or something a little more jazzy on the tastebuds?
The South Whitley Public Library is hosting a cookie contest -- determining who makes the best cookies in the area.
Participants will need to provide six baked cookies in a disposable container by 4 p.m. on Thursday, February 16, 2012.
Additionally, entrants will need to provide a copy of their recipe along with their name and phone number.
Two winners will be selected in each of two categories, including best tasting and best appearance.
Winners will be notified by telephone and prizes will be awarded.

The Whitley County Republican Party will host their annual Lincoln Day Dinner on Thursday, February 23, 2012, at the Eagles Nest Event Center in Columbia City.
Dinner will be served at 6 p.m., followed by remarks from keynote speaker Congressman Mike Pence at 7 p.m. Pence is seeking the GOP gubernatorial nomination.
The cost is $40 per person or $320 per table of eight. Corporate sponsorship with recognition is available for those purchasing a table at the event.
RSVPs are due no later than Thursday, February 16.
For more information, contact Laurell Hodges at 723-4495 or via email at laurellhodges@embarqmail.com