The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

Many years ago, my wife and I were on our way to a friend’s house for Christmas on a terribly cold and snowy morning in Northern Indiana. While taking a turn in our early 80s LTD, we slid on the ice and got bellied up in the snow on the side of...

Early in the book of Acts, Peter and John are arrested and put on trial for preaching. The pair refused to back down under pressure from the religious authorities of the time, at least partially because they hadn’t broken any laws. The court...

The Virgelle valley has always been a beautiful place to visit. If you are like me, the sound of the moving water calms your heart and soul. The trees’ tranquility singing with the breeze and animals and birds sounds all around me makes me smile...

Halloween was two weeks ago. On Halloween night, my kids trick or treated for several hours and accumulated a treasure trove of candy that has been sitting in my pantry since. The problem with this arrangement is that I tend to head to the kitchen fo...

Before coming to Big Sandy, the organization I worked for was struggling. As a result, my job had stretched to cover work left undone by folks who had been laid off or whose hours had been cut. I was often working six and seven day weeks. At times,...

I want to give all the readers of my articles a thank you for the encouraging words for me to continue writing for the Mountaineer. I struggle with ideas. I usually get ideas when I visit with patrons using the ferry. This year I had many ferry...

“Worry is like a rocking chair. It’ll keep you busy, but you won’t get anywhere doing it.” I first heard this line from a 16-year old kid in a rehab program I was working with. I’ve repeated it hundreds of times because a great deal of the...

Our “Trump 2020 sign was taken from our front lawn last week. We have since learned several others have had their signs taken as well as the “Trump Train” by the highway being vandalized. These are not acts owe expect to happen in Big Sandy....

Dear Big Sandy Community: I am writing this out of an inherent obligation to be transparent with the Big Sandy community. By the time this letter is published, I will be fully recovered and back to work after testing positive for COVID-19. This is a...

Editor’s Note: Pam Gasvoda expressed to me their deep appreciation for Big Sandy for the care and support they have received; however, she didn’t want to have to keep repeating the following information over and over. In January 1998, Arnie...

Throughout elementary school, junior high, high school, and college, I was a poor student. I had brief spurts where I’d manage to bring my grades up to decent levels, but for the most part I did my best to not drop below C’s. I was a poor note...

One day, James and John, two of Jesus’ disciples, came to him and asked for a place of honor in Heaven. It was a lofty request that Jesus denied by explaining that the Father decides who will be where in eternity. When the rest of the disciples...

The Big Sandy Medical Center (BSMC) has remained a cornerstone business and healthcare provider for the Big Sandy community and surrounding area since its doors opened in 1965 and expanded to add the long-term care facility in 1985. Big Sandy...

In 1884, George Eastman founded the Kodak company and patented the first roll of film. This invention revolutionized photography. In 1900, Kodak released the Brownie camera, the first camera aimed at mass ownership. It cost $1, was easy to use, and...

A couple months ago, my Facebook feed showed me a handful of videos of of baby skunks wandering around town. I’m sure I didn’t see all of them, but I’ve heard stories of folks filming themselves feeding the babies and heard all sorts of...

Dear friends and neighbors, I have placed an ad in the Mountaineer promoting what I have called an “America Rally” in Big Sandy on Friday evening, September 18th. Let me explain my rationale. First, the public health restrictions imposed by the p...

Importance of Vaccination for Influenza 2020 By Dr. Ann Rudinger (Editor’s note- Dr. Rudinger is the wife of Ed Blazek, Class of BSHS ’72) With all the attention given to COVID-19, it is easy to overlook a basic health care step- the annual FLU...

“Wealth should be like a light coat on a cool day. It should bring us comfort while we have it, but it can throw off at any moment without worry.” I read this line years ago in school, but I can’t find the name of the speaker. At the time, it...

For the past 3 years, I have maintained a fairly rigid morning routine that began at 4 AM, when I would get out of bed, read for an hour, walk to the gym, and exercise. 6 months ago, the Covid lockdowns began and my carefully established routine fell...

Summer is nearly gone, and I cannot say I will miss much of it. I was dealing with back pain most of the summer, which definitely puts a damper on gardening and doing the work I usually enjoy. Generally, we have an enjoyable summer, busy working,...

I love Johnny Cash. I think my all time favorite Cash song is “A Boy Named Sue.” The song was a huge hit for Cash, but was actually written by Shel Silverstein, who is famous for writing books of children’s poetry. In the song, a young man is n...