Best in show
Columbus North’s Tucker Smith enjoys cracking jokes outside the shot put ring, but his skills inside it are nothing to laugh about.
The Bull Dogs junior threw a state meet-record 67 feet, 11 1/4 inches at Ben Davis High School on June 3 to claim top honors in the competition after dominating the entire 2021 season.
While Smith was the only local athlete to win an event at state, there were other competitors who were close to a championship.
Bull Dogs junior Reese Kilbarger-Stumpff narrowly missed winning the 1,600-meter run, as he was a half-second behind Corydon Central’s Camden Marshall.
The following day, North’s girls team also just missed taking home a state championship, but in the 4×800 relay, as Mackenzie Barnett, Julie Klaus, Brianna Newell and Lily Baker finished runners-up to Carmel by just 14-hundredths of a second. Another top-five performance at state came from North’s Emily Herndon, who placed fourth in the shot put to help the team finish third overall in the meet.
We wish all of the local athletes that competed in the state meet well in the future, and thank them for representing the community well on the big stage.
Losing a leader
“Thoughtful,” “compassionate,” “professional,” and “a tremendous volunteer” were just a few of the words used to describe Sarah Cannon’s life.
Cannon, 74, died June 2 at Our Hospice of South Central Indiana.
In September, Cannon retired as vice president of First Financial Bank and financial advisor for Raymond James Financial Services, both in Columbus, after finding out she had non-small cell lung cancer.
When she died, Cannon was still the president of the Columbus Redevelopment Commission.
On top of spending 25 years helping locals manage finances through her work, Cannon was also involved in many community boards during her lifetime, including Turning Point Domestic Violence Services, Columbus Area Arts Council, United Way, and Family Service.
Cannon made a positive impact on Bartholomew County that will be remembered for years to come.
Welcoming diversity
Last week, Mayor Jim Lienhoop signed a proclamation declaring June as Gay Pride Month in Columbus; marking the first time there has been such a designation in the city.
Organizers of the Columbus Pride Festival that worked with the city on the declaration said that the action signals that “Columbus is more welcoming to those of the LGBTQ+ community and makes them proud to be residents of a city that is finally recognizing them and their achievements in the community.”
The third annual festival, delayed due to COVID-19, will take place on Sept. 18 at Mill Race Park.
The gathering of music, food and various vendors, which attracted an estimated crowd of more than 2,000 people and international attention in the first year in 2018 and 3,500 in 2019, has become one of the most popular downtown events.
Lienhoop’s declaration reflects changing attitudes in Columbus, and our community becoming a more welcoming place to live and work for everyone.
