ILLIANA NEWS

FEBRUARY 2009

 

MEETING:

The first meeting of the year for  the Illiana Antique Power Assoc.  will be Monday, February 16th at 6:30 P.M. at the clubhouse.  There is a lot to discuss on the agenda.  We have to plan  work days to dismantle a building that has been donated to the club, erect a new “wash house”, a soap making building, and a ladies pavilion.  Also for discussion will be plans for our annual History Day for Fountain County Schools and, of course, committees for this year’s show.  A carry-in dinner will precede the meeting, so bring a dish to pass.  Please try to attend.

 

JANUARY 2009:

It has been very ROUGH WINTER so far;.... from freezing temperatures, icy roads and plenty of snow!  January has been especially hard for a few of our members!   President Tom Swanson has spent a long stay (30 days total) at both St. Vincent Hospital’s in Williamsport and Indianapolis. 

Tom had a blockage in his intestine’s and is now at home recuperating.  He would like to THANK everyone for all their calls and cards.  Weather permitting, he is planning to attend the meeting.   Ted Stout is also recovering from blockages to his heart.  After an over night stay at the hospital and some new stents, he is now at home feeling much better.  On January 20th member Dennis Rahn lost his entire house to a fire and past member Jerry Kirsch’s mother passed away.  Our sympathies and prayers go to everyone!  Let’s hope that “spring is just around the corner” and that there are better days ahead!

 

PINE CREEK & WESTERN R.R. NEWS:

Bad weather threw a monkey wrench into the works of January’s meeting of the Pine Creek & Western Division of the IAPA, with members unable to attend, yours truly included.  But enough hearty souls braved the storm to allow a really good meeting to be held anyway.  January 10th found the following members and guests in attendance at Don Bodine’s machine shed.  Don, Terry and Clayton Bodine, Clint Krug, (and his mom & dad), Don Evans,  Richard (Doc) Fontaine,  Ed Grubb,  Jim Lawhorn,  Jim Petty, Tim Sering,  Jeff Turner,  good buddy Randy, John Young, and believe it or not some one from Australia, whose name I didn’t get.  Man they’ve even heard of us “Down Under”!

Members agreed that everyone wants to see something new in 2009, and it was suggested that long standing plans for a passenger waiting station near the club house be brought to fruition.  Terry agreed to check into prices of treated lumber, and Ed said he could get the “pavers” needed for the floor.  Also included in this spring’s projects is the badly needed repair and updating of trackage in the “yards” near the Maintenance of Way shed.  I am really heartened by the apparent upswing of interest in this “Little Corner” of the Illiana Antique Power Association, which I have always felt is a very powerful part of the “crowd appeal” which makes this organization so wonderfully special.  A meeting, once again at Don Bodine’s shed has been scheduled for Sunday,  February 15th,  with all interested parties invited.  See ya there!

Submitted by: Finny Filchak

 

ROCKY FORGE BLACKSMITHS NEWS:

JANUARY 10TH MEETING REPORT

 

What a dedicated bunch the Indiana Blacksmiths can be, Saturday January 10th Mother Nature dished out some pretty mean weather.  There was rain, ice, then snow with a temperature that read 29 degrees, but felt like 18 degrees.  Never mind Mother Nature, we had a large crowd of dedicated individuals at Ted Stout’s forge January 10th!    The count ranged from 38  that signed in to 50 at the lunch table.  Three groups were represented, Wabash Valley Blacksmith Shop, Rural Smiths of Mid-America and the Rocky Forge Blacksmith Guild. 

Dellon Blanton spread out 3 large tables of things he has made and discussed their purpose and how he made them.  We thank Dellon for a great presentation, a lot of questions were asked, and sketches made and photographs shot.

Dellon dedicated the day to our good friend and colleague, Harold Frost, who is battling bone cancer.  Harold has been so generous and done so much for the black smithing community over the years.  Please keep Harold in your thoughts and prayers through his current battle.

Carol, with help of our daughter Diane Gaither, and carry-in dishes prepared a feast that we all enjoyed.  Due to the weather she did this not knowing if we would have 10 or 50.  But with near 50 she pulled it off very well and we truly had a feast!

After lunch Shane Stegmier demonstrated making a nice pair of tongs from a large coil spring.  Dellon Blanton and Nathan Allen both wanted to try the pneumatic hammer and they both worked on railroad spikes and other pieces.

Saturday will go down in my memory as one of the best, a great bunch of guys in one gathering, black smithing talk, stuff to look at, good food, plenty of coffee and doughnuts, fellowship, good black smithing and more black smithing.  Thanks to all of you for a great day, we may have fooled Mother Nature after all!

The next meeting will be February 14th at Ted’s shop with our project emphasis on making hearts (it’s Valentines Day) from round, square, flat, pipe or sheet stock.  Carol will fix a pot of soup and have sandwiches, so if you want to bring a covered dish to go with the meal that would be good.  See you all on the 14th.

Submitted by: Ted Stout

 

FOR SALE: Ground driven John Deere Binder.  Call Don Bodine @ 765-294-4296

 

Take a cup of kindness, Mix it well with love, Add a lot of patience and faith in God above.

Sprinkle very generously with joy and thanks and cheer, And you’ll have lots of “angel food” to feast on all the year.                                                                            -         Reminisce Magazine

 

 

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY & PRESIDENT’S DAY!!