Austin reflects on a year of memorable Coshocton stories

There were a lot of fun and interesting things happening around Coshocton this past year. It was a privilege to be able to attend some of them for The Beacon. It's hard to choose my favorite stories, but these are some of the activities I enjoyed the most.

I had a great time with the West Lafayette Lions Club members at the all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast in February. They have been doing this for a number of years in the same location at the United Methodist Church in West Lafayette.

I always enjoy doing stories about kids and their activities. You never know what you're going to get. Our Town Coshocton sponsored the first and hopefully annual Easter egg hunt on Court Square. The Easter Bunny was hopping up and down Main Street interacting with the children, and they had an opportunity to have their photo taken with him.

The Coshocton County Sportsman’s Club hosted its annual kids fishing derby May 3 at Lake Park. Families really come out and support this event. Even a little rain doesn't stop them. I like to see the excitement on the kids' faces when they catch a fish, jump up and down, and yell, “I caught one!”

The outdoor living history walk in May at Coshocton Elementary School was a neat way to learn about the history of our country. Each student was given a role in their colony or their tribe. Students reenacted their chosen character, came up with their own costume and made tools that went with their role. They worked on this project for about two months and were graded on how well they knew their part, stayed in character all day, whether they had a handmade tool or prop and the costume they created.

Art, Through the Ages was presented in June and July for community children through the Coshocton Public Library, Clary Gardens, Roscoe Village and the Pomerene Center.

Clary Gardens' Frog Day was really fun. This was my all-time favorite. The kids were right down there checking out those frogs.

This year I covered the memorial ceremony for the troop train disaster at West Lafayette and got to hear the complete tragic story. It was wonderful how people pulled together on that day. It is a sobering story. No matter how many years have passed, it still touches the hearts of people.

4-H kids and their projects throughout the year are pretty amazing too. Seeing their hard work at the county fair is pretty impressive.

Christmas on the Court Square with children skating on the new skating rink, music, lights on the courthouse and the stores decorated on Main Street look like a Christmas card at night.

The Opportunity School students hanging winter coats, gloves, hats and scarves from the trees on Main Street for anyone in need of some warm outer wear was another great story I got to write about. It was a lot of work but a feel-good experience for the students to learn about considering other people who may need a little help at times.