Kick back and relax, you deserve it! All of the stories in this section are unique, original entertainment by our local Waynedale, (Fort Wayne) Indiana columnists, created just especially for you. Our columnists love to hear from their dedicated readers!
I was recently asked if the Dunce Hat was real. Here is the answer:
Originally the Dunce hat was a symbol of high intelligence. It was worn by the respected scholars who followed John Duns Scotus (c. 1265-1308). Scotus was a Scottish Franciscan priest . . .
The designated National Day is on the first Friday of the month, February 7. If you’re reading this after that date – you missed it! But, you can still participate at home any day.
Prepare yourself for an article that uncovers the cheeky origins and the fascinating history of this unique holiday. Get ready to strip away the layers of curiosity and dive into the exposed truth about this unconventional annual celebration.
Happy new year to all my readers. As it does, every new year brings anticipation as to what will happen to make the year memorable for better or worse. This year, for the first time, I plan to attend my high school reunion. This May it will be 50 years . . .
Did you celebrate National “Do Nothing Day”on January 16? This day is an ode to all the couch potatoes out there, providing them with a guilt-free excuse to embrace their inner sloth and avoid any form of productivity by grabbing their favorite . . .
A few years ago, my brother Richard Levihn was volunteering at one of the Community Harvest Food Bank sites when he got to talking to a fellow volunteer, Dennis Claymiller. During one of their conversations, Richard mentioned that I owned a quilt/fabric . . .
The European holiday customs centered around St. Nicholas; a charitable Catholic Turkish Bishop born in the 4th century. St. Nicholas was associated with gift giving to children on December 6, St. Nicholas Day.
In America, circa 1800s, the Puritans . . .
As I wrap my screening of this year’s holiday movies, I enlisted my daughter to help me evaluate two new children’s films: That Christmas on Netflix and The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland on Hulu and Disney+. We enjoyed snuggling up for festive . . .
“O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, how lovely are thy branches…”
But when my wife and I hear those lyrics, while charming, we recall some harrowing memories. That’s because when we hear the carol about the fir tree’s evergreen quality of . . .
Last December I received an email from Jim Parry of Science Central asking me if I’d do a quilt presentation for the opening of their exhibit Quilts: Light the World. I was honored and excited to share various quilts and show how the use of light . . .
Once upon a time, in a small village plagued by famine, the people lived in a state of fear and isolation. Food was scarce, and each family hoarded whatever little they had, worried that sharing would leave them with nothing. The village was silent, . . .
What do we know about the trinkets and treasures of the Christmas holiday season? When did all this hoopla happen?
Decorations are mentioned in descriptions of the Roman feast of Saturnalia which originated in the 5th century BC. Evergreen adornments . . .
While Hurricane Milton was creating havoc a few weeks ago, I was preparing a bundle of Halloween counted cross stitch patterns to sell including one entitled “Frank’s Family Portrait” of Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein standing in front . . .
In 1892, John Froelich of Girard, Iowa, introduced the pioneering 2-cylinder gas powered tractor engine capable of propelling the tractor forward and backward. Previously, steam-powered engines were used, but they were heavy, hard to maneuver, and . . .
by local poet, David Sowards
Little creatures prowl on beggar’s night.
Looking to cause their neighbor’s fright.
In quest of candy, they want to eat.
They knock on doors and go, “trick or treat!”
Cowboys, movie stars, and mummies.
Look . . .
Back on September 9, 2016, The Waynedale News published my column entitled Hillcrest School: Out of the ashes, Hope! Now eight years later that hope has turned into reality. After a lot of planning, budgeting and finding the right partners, there is . . .
What’s It Like To Attend A Notre Dame Game?
As a graduate of the University of Notre Dame – I won’t tell you when but it was an all-male school then – I can answer the above question. It’s an incomparable experience!
A rich tapestry of traditions . . .
Cave people may have played with small round balls. Clay balls have been found in the tombs of Egypt, in Native American burial grounds and in the ancient Aztec pyramids. Smooth stones, nuts, fruit pits and fired balls of clay were used for games. . . .
In a small village nestled in the shadow of a towering mountain, there lived a humble stonecutter. Day after day, he worked tirelessly, chipping away at massive stones to earn a modest living. His work was hard and his hands rough, but it provided . . .
At this year’s 47th Annual Maumee Valley Antique Gas and Steam Association Quilt Show, one quilt got me buzzing. It was a quilt entitled Honeybees and Sunflowers created by Rae Fuhrmann of Decatur. I wasn’t the only visitor buzzed by it as it took . . .
How’s it go again, “Thirty days hath September, April, June and November…?” Did we have to memorize that rhyme in school or have we just heard it so much some of the words still stick?
In any event, there’s something for everyone in September . . .
The Literacy Alliance is hosting Laughs for Literacy on September 20, 2024, at the Baker Street Centre, with emcee Alyssa Ivanson and comedians Cyrus Steele and Dan Brown. This event supports programs for adult education and K-3 reading proficiency, aiming to break cycles of illiteracy and poverty in the community. Tickets are $75.
Bridging Worlds, a Fort Wayne based cross-cultural arts and education organization, is excited to announce its live 2024 International Concert Series in collaboration with the Chilean Ministry of Arts & Culture, Purdue University Fort Wayne, Indiana . . .
Lightning strikes are dangerous when they hit a structure resulting in a fire, or electrocution if they hit a person. Lightning is caused when excess negative electrical charge builds up in the clouds. It is discharged when a lightning bolt jumps from . . .
It’s certainly not something celebrated annually but the month of August is remembered for the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, an active volcano at the Bay of Naples in southern Italy, on August 24, 79 A.D., destroying the ancient Roman cities of Pompeii, . . .
August 13 will mark the 48th annual celebration of International Lefthanders Day. First celebrated two months and 9 days after the United States Bicentennial, the Bill of Lefts were proclaimed.
Lefthanders International, the organization responsible . . .
An umbrella, as well as a parasol, is a folding canopy supported by wooden or metal ribs that is usually mounted on a wooden, metal, or plastic pole. They fold and close along the pole and are opened when needed. The umbrella is used when it rains . . .
Recently, on the way to Indiana Beach with my brother Richard, we got to talk about how we’d like our lives to be celebrated after we die. Richard is a very patriotic guy, so it wasn’t surprising he wants patriotic music like “The Star- Spangled . . .
Remarkedly, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, the only two signatories of the Declaration of Independence later to serve as presidents of the United States, both died on the same day: July 4, 1826, which was the 50th anniversary of the Declaration.
And . . .
A crayon is a stick of pigmented wax used for writing or drawing. Wax crayons differ from pastels which use a dry binder such as Arabic gum powder mixed with the pigment. In oil pastels, the binder is a mixture of wax and oil.
Ancient Egyptians left . . .
Flag Day, June 14, is a celebration of the American flag occurring each year on the anniversary of the flag’s official adoption. It’s not a federal holiday, but its observance is traditionally proclaimed yearly by the president of the United States. . . .