Friday, April 24th, 2009

The race is on

By William Kincaid
The 2009 Governor's Cup Regatta is a now a sure thing for this summer despite earlier reports of a possible no-show due to lack of sponsorship.
Late last month, Co-chairman Tom Saddler said he feared Celina would go without the speed boat race and festivities for the first time in 14 year because of the troubled economy.
Some major sponsors did pull out, but many others came forward since that time, saving the Regatta, Saddler said.
The committee cut the $60,000 budget by a third, in addition to recent confirmation of support by past sponsors.
  So Regatta committee members on Thursday night decided to keep the race afloat. The Governor's Cup is scheduled for Aug. 22nd and 23rd.
"We're pretty happy about that. We didn't want to lose the momentum we built up over the last few years," he said.
"We got a much larger participation from sponsors than we thought we would," Saddler told the newspaper on Friday morning. He thanked those loyal sponsors who stood with the race.
The committee also received assistance from the media.
"We've gotten a lot of support from TV stations and Time Warner. That was a huge help for us," Saddler said, adding that the media response took the pressure off the committee's marketing budget.
Since announcing that the regatta may not have funds to hold the annual summer event, he said, "There's been a lot of good things happening for us,"
Asked about what was lost in the $20,000 budget cut, Saddler said there will be no band hired this year. He also said there were some internal changes and some concessions made by the racers. He remained mum on the those specifics.
However, Saddler promised the cuts will not take away from the spectator's enjoyment of the race.
"It won't affect the show from a spectator standpoint," Saddler said, pointing out the event is still free.
Preregistration for racers will begin the next few weeks.
"I don't think we'll have a problem with boat count at all," he said.
Also, Saddler said the committee is moving ahead with printing posters and brochures and updating the Web site.
The committee is a non-profit organization that puts all returns into additional marketing and advertising. It is intended to provide a race for the community and to promote the area.
Additional online stories on this date
An Indiana woman and her father-in-law were killed when their car slammed into the rear of a dump truck at the intersection of state Routes 29 and 118 Thursday morning. [More]
ST. HENRY - The St. Henry Redskin softball team used some late-inning magic Thursday afternoon to down the New Bremen Cardinals 2-0 in an early season classic in Midwest Athletic Conference play at the Wally Post Athletic Complex. [More]
Subscriber and paid stories on this date
Area leaders are creating "wish lists" for projects they hope to accomplish with upgraded Internet service.
Community leaders from various sectors
Several local communities are included in the list of 324 "intended" projects to receive stimulus funds for water pollution and drinking water projects, as announced Thursday by the Ohio EPA.
Oral arguments are scheduled Tuesday morning in an appeal filed on behalf of former Chickasaw resident Nicholas Schwieterman. The 9 a.m. proceeding takes place at Third District Court of Appeals in Lima.
Tri Star continues to offer students the opportunity to simultaneously earn both high school and college credit, a move officials say can save them much time and money when pursuing higher education.
St. Peters church in New Bremen is sponsoring a Spring Tea event 1-4 p.m. Saturday in memory of a talented congregation member who passed away in July 2006.
Celina shrugged off a first-inning scoring spurt by Marion Local as Bulldog southpaw Jeremy Kerr scattered three hits and retired the last 13 batters he faced as the Bulldogs won 7-2 over the Flyers at Montgomery Field on Thursday.
ST. MARYS - The Defiance softball team managed just one hit, but that lone hit also produced the game's only run.
Lindsay Tobias ripped a two-out RBI single in the first inning to help Defiance to a 1-0 win over St. Marys in Western Buckeye League action at K.C. Geiger Park on Thursday.
Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry
St. Henry got a big defensive play to keep St. John's from taking a lead, then picked up the win in the bottom of the eighth inning with a 3-2 decision over the Blue Jays at the Wally Post Athletic Complex on Thursday.