Arcanum News: Retiring Band Director Doug Albright gets a surprise

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Doug Albright has served the Arcanum-Butler School District as band director for 29 years and for almost as many years as the choir director.

During his tenure, the Arcanum band program has been recognized as one of the top area programs, almost always receiving top honors in state marching and concert band competitions. This past Monday evening marked the last concert under his direction and while both the middle school and high school bands performed wonderfully, it was Mr. Albright who was in the spotlight.

Following the high school band performance, High School Principal Jason Stephan, on behalf of the staff, students, parents and A# Music Boosters, presented a plaque recognizing Mr. Albright’s years of service. And as a surprise to Mr. Albright, some 60 band alumni came down from the audience, picked up their instruments and under Mr. Albright’s direction played “Celebration” and the school fight song, “Loyal and True.” After several minutes of a standing ovation, students, parents, staff and former band members gathered around Mr. Albright to wish him the best and share special memories.

Thank you to the A# Music Boosters, Mr. Stephan, Brandy Rhodehamel and the many Arcanum alumni who organized the event, provided refreshments, attended or participated. A special thank you to Anne Albright for her many years of service and assistance on the various projects. And thank you to Mr. Doug Albright, who no doubt receives a #1 Rating! Congratulations on your retirement. You will be missed.

Arcanum-Butler baseball and softball players and coaches earned honors from the Cross County Conference. In softball, Coach Rick Stone was named CCC Coach of the Year. Loganne Stone was named CCC Player of the Year for softball. Coach Randy Baker was named CCC Coach of the Year for baseball. Conner Pohl was named CCC Player of the Year for baseball. Also earning honors: Softball First Team All-CCC – Abbie Bruns and Loganne Stone. Softball Second Team All-CCC – Brittany Kinney; and Softball Special Mention – Kaitlyn Zell. Baseball First Team All-CCC – Austin Baker and Conner Pohl. Baseball Second Team All-CCC – Cole Burrell and Jordan Dubbs; and Baseball Special Mention – Nathan Kubik. Congrats everyone!

Abbottsville United Methodist Church will be holding a garage sale in the basement! Mark your calendar for May 26 and 27 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to check out all their bargains and baked goods! Don’t miss it! The church is located at 4135 State Route 49, Arcanum.

Also coming soon will be the Farmer’s Market every Saturday for the summer sponsored by AWTHS in Veteran’s Park in downtown Arcanum. This will begin the first Saturday in June from 9 a.m. to noon and continue every Saturday. Anyone interested in selling their produce or crafts is invited to set up their booth/stand. There is no fee to participate. Any questions, please call Sharon Troutwine at 692-5128.

The Arcanum Athletic Boosters would like to invite you to be a part of the Annual Athletic Boosters Golf Outing on June 11, beginning at 2 p.m. at Stillwater Valley Golf Course in Versailles. Questions, please contact Marcus Bixler at 419-957-0977 or [email protected].

AHS Graduation will be here soon — 98 students from the Class of 2016 will graduate on June 5, at 2 p.m. in the high school gym. This year’s guest speaker will be 1978 graduate, Deb (Oswalt) Dynes. The 2016 valedictorian is Alexis Kreusch and the salutatorian is Holly Grosch. Congratulations to both students on an outstanding career.

Featured this month with the Darke County Visitor’s Bureau is our very own John Smith Co. General Store building in the village of Arcanum. Today, this building houses The Old Arcana restaurant, home of Ohio’s best French Toast, and Smith Merchant Vintages and Antiques. Built in 1851, the store sold dry goods like flour, coffee, and baking powder, as well as bakeware and kitchen items. The building also housed the first post office in Arcanum in 1852, as John Smith was the postmaster. Smith employed five people on the second floor of the building making hats, and the building was the first in Arcanum with electricity. The General Store closed in 1995 after 144 years of the Smith family operating the business.

“However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at.” ~Stephen Hawking

“Love is like a beautiful flower which I may not touch, but whose fragrance makes the garden a place of delight just the same.”~Helen Keller

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By Vickie Rhodehamel

Vickie Rhodehamel is a volunteer citizen columnist, who serves The Daily Advocate readers weekly with her Arcanum community column. She can be reached by calling 937-692-6188, by e-mail at [email protected]. Viewpoints expressed in the article are the work of the author. The Daily Advocate does not endorse these viewpoints or the independent activities of the author.

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