Life in the Naughties in Holmes County
As January 1, 2010, rolls around, it is time for us to bid adieu to the Naughties — aka: Those years from 2000 to 2009 — which saw the birth of Segways, iPods, hybrid cars, YouTube, steroids in America's pastime and the first black President of the United States.Here at home, the events may not have had the significant power of national and worldwide events, but many did have a huge impact on those who reside and work here, and who call Holmes County home.
This is a list of our top stories for the Naughties.
No. 1 — The Ice Storm of 2004-05
There may have been national and state-wide catastrophes in the 2000s, but nothing hit home for Holmes countians more than the ice storm, which wreaked havoc on homes for weeks after Mother Nature doused the entire county in a thick layer of ice.
Holmes County was one of 56 Ohio counties petitioning for federal aid to compensate for ice and flood related damages incurred over a three-week period beginning with a Dec. 23 ice storm.
Holmes county was among the first in Ohio to declare a state of emergency Dec. 23, when ice damage to trees and power lines left 98 percent of the county without power in subzero temperatures. With no way to travel, many homes without electric and the county grinding to a standstill, the problem was exacerbated several weeks after the storm when the ice turned to water, creating major flooding throughout the lower lying areas around the county.
The Jan. 7 state of emergency status marked the third time in seven months that Holmes County had been placed under such a declaration to ask for federal aid.
The ice storm resulted in dozens of road closings countywide, as downed trees and branches made roads impassable. American Electric Power reported Jan. 8 that more than 100 power lines were snapped as a result of the Dec. 23 storm alone. The problems on roadways got to the point that Ohio Department of Transportation crews were busy correcting two landslides on state routes 62 and 39 as waterlogged soils gave out above and below roadways. Work crews came in from all over the nation, as linemen worked night and day to repair downed lines. Despite the despair, it was not uncommon to see home owners delivering coffee, hot chocolate, and food to the harried workers.
No. 2 — Sept. 11, 2001
One could certainly argue that this should be at the top of the list, but the effects of 9/11, while devastating at the time, and altering the way the entire world now operates, had less of an impact here in Holmes County, because the county remained somewhat removed from the epicenter of the attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. Still, the after-effects of that day continue to haunt even Holmes County, as soldiers continue to go overseas to battle terrorism. Sept. 11 is one of those rare events in which almost everyone can pinpoint exactly where they were at the exact moment they heard the news of four large airliners becoming weapons of mass destruction. One immediate result of the attacks could be seen in the panic of the people in the county. It took but minutes for long lines to form at area gas pumps, as people pulled in carrying 55-gallon drums, and any other kinds of containers big or small which could carry gas, whether legal or not. Area stations sold out of gas as the public panicked in fear of end-of-the-world-like circumstances. Ditto for the grocery stores, where water became like gold, and long lines formed of people stocking up on canned goods. While the end of the world never came, it did provide a glimpse at how evil people can be.
No. 3 — The economy, 2008 (and counting)
It's hard to nail down exactly when and where the fateful moment took place that sent Dow Jones tumbling, large banks bumbling, the auto industry stumbling and families grumbling, but it certainly has taken a huge toll on the American psyche. Poised at a record-high 1,400 points, Dow Jones began a quick descent, and in the span of weeks, the stock market had dropped to unfathomable lows. One year after the market dropped severely on Oct. 9, 2007, the Dow had lost 39 percent of its value. By March 9, 2009, the market closed at a low of 6,547.05. Ouch! Always the last place in the continental United States to get everything, Holmes County was immune early, but it was only a matter of time before the world came crashing down in Amish Country too. Jobs seemed to disintegrate, county budgets were carved to pieces and families sought to make it from paycheck to paycheck (those fortunate enough to still have jobs). By the time the government jumped into the fray to bail out America's banking industry and some of the auto industry, many folks were screaming for the government to back off and let those who greedily had ruined those big businesses take their medicine. The severe effects of the struggling economy continue despite a gigantic rebound from the stock market. The big question remains: What has America learned?
4. The Maysville Murder, 2009
Murder happens across the United States on a daily basis. For crime-riddled cities it is nothing new. To the calm sanctity of Amish Country, it is devastating news. On June 2, 2009, 30-year-old Barbara Weaver was found unresponsive in her bed by a family member who summoned help from a neighbor, who in turn called 911 shortly after 8 a.m.
At the time the call was made, Weaver was on a fishing trip with friends, having left the home somewhere between 3-3:30 a.m. Upon his return, he was questioned by the Wayne County Sheriff's Department and returned to his home later the same day. According to Wayne County Sheriff's Department Captain Doug Hunter, in the course of the investigation, detectives learned that the 29-year-old Weaver was romantically involved with several women, including 39-year-old Barbara A. Raber of Millersburg.
Weaver and Raber were arrested on June 10, in connection with Barbara Weaver's death and were taken into custody by sheriff's deputies.
With courtroom number one in the Wayne County Courthouse filled to capacity Sept. 23, Wayne County Common Pleas Judge Robert Brown asked Weaver whether he had anything he wished to say to the court before sentencing was pronounced.
"I'm very sorry for what I did and I hope everybody here can forgive me for what I did," Weaver said, after a long silence.
After hearing from Weaver's attorney and the prosecuting attorney, Judge Brown handed down a sentence of 15 years to life on the charge of complicity to commit murder in the June 2 death of his wife. Weaver's sentencing was less than 24 hours after Raber was found guilty of aggravated murder by a Wayne County jury in Barbara Weaver's death.
The story of murder in Amish Country became news statewide, and even made national news.
5. The cornfield killing, Marion Weaver, 2003
What started out as a Halloween prank in the cornfields of Mt. Hope turned into a media circus in early September of 2003, when Marion Weaver of Benton returned to the site of where a number of young adults had tomatoed his car outside of Mt. Hope, with shotgun in hand. After Weaver fired into the cornfield, 22 year-old Steven Keim lay dead, and a number of lives were forever changed.
Oddly, After serving 90 days in prison, Weaver was found not guilty of murder, and was let go with time served. However, two years later, he found himself back in court facing charges of extortion, retaliation and aggravated menacing following a June 2, 2006 incident. The Holmes County Prosecuting Attorney's office argued that Weaver had vocally threatened a former business associate to extort the associate to drop civil proceedings that would result in the collection of a debt through the sale of Weaver's Benton home. The grand jury further found that Weaver attempted to retaliate against the business associate for instigating and testifying in the civil proceedings. Holmes County Common Pleas Judge Thomas D. White imposed two, four-year sentences, to be served by Weaver concurrently, largely based on the findings of the evaluation and Weaver's past criminal history. On Feb. 8, while incarcerated in the Hocking State Correctional Facility, Weaver, 62, passed away from an apparent heart attack, bringing an end to this surreal saga.
No. 6 — The Midwife Trial of Freida Miller, 2002-2003
What seemed like an insignificant trial of a midwife accused of distributing potentially dangerous drugs to patients for the purpose of home birth turned into a media frenzy which eventually created a statewide stir. Freida Miller had been aiding in the birth of infants for Amish women for years. While the trial never took place, thanks to a pleas bargain, Miller was given six months in prison when she refused to identify the source of her drugs. Surrounded by a pack of television cameras and reporters, Miller was taken into custody and served her time.
The trial could have played a significant role in the way midwives are able to distribute drugs to patients; however, because of the plea bargain, it faded away into obscurity. Like many of the bigger trials in the area, the major media outlets flocked to it mainly because it was in a major Amish community.
No. 7 — The barn burnings of 2001
For a period of several months during 2001, nearly two dozen barns throughout Wayne and Holmes counties were burned to the ground. Who was doing it and why, were anyone's guess, and have remained so to this day, because on Sept. 26, the arsonist(s) set two barns ablaze — and were not heard from again. However, in the wake of destruction lay more than $500,000 worth of charred, smoldering ashes, and for many of the barn owners, livelihood and memories. Holmes Fire District #1 Chaplain Dan Kirtlan publicly denounced the person or persons responsible for burning more than 20 barns in the area as "an unfeeling terrorist." A reward of $28,000 for information leading to an arrest went unclaimed.
No. 8 — Death at Wal-Mart, 2006
Perhaps it was the fact that young Civanna Christian was an innocent 3 year-old girl. Maybe it was because the driver of the automobile which ran down Christian in the Millersburg Walmart parking lot was a war veteran. For whatever reason, the death of Christian on Aug. 28, 2006, caused the county to mourn in shock and sadness. John Besancon Jr. sped through the Walmart parking, lot crushing Christian against the building, while nearly killing himself. Besancon was charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, a lengthy trial ensued, with Besancon undergoing psychiatric evaluation and being found competent to stand trial. He was found guilty in October. A number of people who jammed the courtroom — in support of both the Christian and Besancon families — sat weeping as Judge Thomas D. White explained his guilty verdict. Besancon sat quietly alongside his attorney, Jeff Kellogg, and cried as White pronounced him guilty.
No. 9 — German Village goes down in flames, 2003
For decades, a site of activity as the hub of Berlin, German Village had long been one of the most beloved businesses in Holmes County. That all changed on Jan. 21, 2003, when Jerry and John Kandel's large pole metal building burned to the ground. Jerry Kandel, who lives near Charm, could see the orange glow from his home, and knew something horrible was happening. With a lifetime of family work and memories gone in the beat of a heart, the Kandels dove back into rebuilding, producing the 65,000 square foot mall which stands today as the home of several businesses. At the groundbreaking, Jerry's father, Homer, who owned and dedicated the original building in 1962, read from Psalm 127: "Unless the Lord builds the house, the laborers build in vain." It was the same Psalm he had read 30 years before while breaking ground for the original store. The Kandel family would eventually sell the building to a trio of area businessmen: Rod Mast, Bruce Hummel and David Schlabach.
No. 10 — The Hiller murder/suicide
June 1, 2008 saw a crime of the most heinous nature take place, when Brooks Hiller took the life of his wife, Rebekah, before turning the gun on himself and taking his own life. In the aftermath, four young children were left to ponder what would happen to them. Fortunately, caring and compassionate people from all over Wayne and Holmes counties reached out to the Lakeville clan. A couple from the opposite end of the county helped the four boys--Jessie, Tyler, Wesley and Kenneth--ages 8 to 2 at the time. Ivan and Betty Hershberger of Charm took the boys in, providing a place of warmth, comfort and love.
"There is such a huge transition for everyone here, that I am sure it would be nearly impossible for any of us to comprehend it fully," said Dove Outreach Center member Randy Goff, whose organization helped the boys find a home. "Everything was in such disarray when this happened, but God opens doors and answers prayers."
Five events from the Naughties which have had far-reaching effects on Holmes County
While there have been many events which have shown off the goodness in Holmes County, such as the annual Relay for Life or Share-A-Christmas events, the 2000s provided a number of significant stories which have continued to provide mightily toward the county's success.
In 2002, the Holmes County Education Foundation (HCEF) was created, in order to give those seeking higher education a place to find their way.
The HCEF, working through a board of trustees in tandem with the Ohio College Access Network (OCAN), was designed to introduce students to the post-high school world before they graduate. The College Access Program has been instrumental in providing students with information on possible careers, outlining the educational needs of each field so that students may get a head start on the future.
That same year, another entity provided a new avenue of luring tourists to Holmes County while providing ample opportunity for area folks to travel safely as well as exercise.
The Holmes County Rails to Trails Coalition secured more than $800,000 in funding from the state to complete a trail project from Millersburg to Fredericksburg. The trail not only boosted the tourism economy, it improved the county's appreciation for its natural resources and landscape and provided a safe haven for bikers and Amish buggies to travel along the SR 83 corridor without the dangers involved in traversing the major roadways. In years following, the trail eventually was built from Millersburg to Killbuck, and on to Brinkhaven.
In 2003, who would have guessed that amidst the farming, charming shops and woodworking facilities, that a round orange ball would become instrumental in bringing millions of dollars to Holmes County's economy. When Classic In the Country began to form in the minds of Hiland Lady Hawks girls basketball coach Dave Schlabach and Tom Jenkins, owner of the Ohio Girls' Basketball Report, they firmly believed that a display of the finest girls high school hoops in the middle of winter over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend would generate major income during a traditionally slow time for Holmes County. They were correct, and for the past seven years, Classic in the Country has brought millions of dollars of revenue into Holmes County. Few other entities can come close to making that kind of statement.
Perhaps one of the largest events of the 2000s was not what did happen, but what didn't happen. When State Representative Bob Gibbs put his foot down concerning streamline sales tax, he may saved the tourism economy as we know it.
The sales tax bomb and the possible future as a money drain on the general fund and hassle to businesses was brutal. Retailers were informed that they would be required to track the tax rate of shipped merchandise to its county of destination. The private sector's outcry against the tax initiative was soon joined by the county as public officials began crunching numbers in the general fund's sales tax revenue and realized the county may stand to lose $1.2 million per year.
After Gibbs secured a six-month delay for counties and businesses to come into compliance with the streamline sales tax, he pushed for the abolishment, stating it would destroy small business, as well as Holmes County's tourism-based entities. Gibbs played hardball, and won, saving the county millions of dollars in sales tax annually.
In 2007, the Holmes County Senior Center finally found a home. The West Fork Community and Senior Center was designed to provide a meeting place for the county's seniors, as well as serve as a community center for organizations looking for a place to meet. The center continues to provide a safe haven for seniors, with numerous activities, daily meals and much more. The growing pains of the center were rough, with a $1.1 million move being rather significant.
Notable Others
Ÿ The West Nile Virus
The West Nile threat of 2002 hit Holmes County's equine population hard. With horses at such a premium in the county, this critical virus hit very close to home.
Ÿ Hurricane Katrina, 2005
While Hurricane Katrina crushed Louisiana and Mississippi, its overall affects here in Holmes County could be felt days later when the hurricane declared war on most of the East and Midwest, dumping unimaginable amounts of water in a hurry. Flooding ravaged Killbuck, again, but what made the biggest news for Holmes County wasn't the weather itself, but the way the county's people responded to the needs in the South. Hundreds of people here took the time to head south and help try to rebuild and rekindle hope for those who lives were forever changed.
Ÿ The World's Largest Buffet
Gentlemen, start your engines... your eating engines, that is. Holmes County gorged its way into the record books by creating the world's largest buffet ever. On March 26, 2007, the Holmes County Lodging Council and Chamber of Commerce shattered the Guinness World Record for the "World's Largest Buffet," creating and serving a record 547 dishes to hungry patrons.
Ÿ Holmes County Landfill woes
It's a dirty job that just kept getting dirtier. Facing the options of closing the Holmes County Landfill or finding a new suitor, while the wrath of the state to the tune of an $85,000 fine, the Holmes County commissioners' ongoing battle with World Resources, and the daunting task of finding the millions of dollars to close the facility, remains a huge thorn in the county's collective side.
Of course, if you really want to include all of the years of Naughties, no list would be complete without the event which took place on 01-01-2000, at 12:00:01.
That would be the moment when the world was supposed to explode, according to many, who firmly believed that Y2K would spell the end of the world as we know it.
For years, those who enjoy predicting the future were certain that computers would flip out once the date changed into the new millennium. Amazingly, all of the chaos which was supposed to ensue disappeared as clocks rolled into 12:02 a.m. and well beyond, and nothing changed. Lives remained the same, the world continued to rotate, and humankind was once again reminded that as the third rock from the sun continues to rotate, we may not have as much control as we think.
Good luck to one and all, as the 2010s begin. Don't agree with our Top 10-plus? If you have a story you think was deserving of a Top 10 rating, let us know. We'll be glad to pass them along. Just e-mail them to: dmast@gpubs.com.