Mark’s Musings – Oct. 22, 2014

| October 21, 2014
Mark Fortune

Mark Fortune

Fall fun. You have to admit that when our county has events – there are plenty of things to do. This past weekend featured the always fun Apple Butter Stirrin’ in Roscoe Village with plenty of folks buying a jar of apple butter, candy, loaf of freshly baked bread or other sweet treats and goodies. People do come from many of Ohio’s 88 counties to partake in this wonderful weekend getaway – from Franklin, Delaware, Licking, Muskingum, Holmes, Tuscarawas, Stark, Summit and many more. Even license plates from West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Indiana are among those scattered among the parking lots. Talking to people after they had been through the village- “It was fun”, “A nice place”, “Wonderful community” and other positive comments give our community a big thumbs up.

Then you could take the 48 mile 2014 Fall Foliage and Farm Tour – literally taking some back roads that are a staple of our county and well maintained by our county engineer’s office and townships. Someone did a fantastic job of planning the stops and the route – ensuring that the roads were freshly graveled – or whatever that combination of white gravel and tar is – well, it worked. Now, I will be the first to admit – I did see places that I did not know existed in our county for the first time. I think we crossed the county line a few times and then back in – but that was probably my own lack of being able to read a map. And stop for directions the couple of times we did take a wrong turn? Come on, I’m a male for gosh sakes. So no, we just figured it out. Needless to say, our trip took a few more than 48 miles. Glad we had some water and granola bars just in case. But the friendly folks along the route were just neat to talk to – and that little train (1/8 scale) at the Mill Creek Central Railroad – that’s just way cool!

Unfortunately we have to turn a bit of our column to the mishap in Jacksonville on Sunday. And just when you thought it was safe to think that this year’s Browns team was good enough to – perhaps – perhaps – eek into the playoffs. But the season is so young you say? That’s true so let’s keep the faith (and secretly start watching Cavaliers hoops in a big way).

But – for those of us who do indeed bleed scarlet and gray – we are starting to believe. The Buckeyes have climbed to number 13 in the AP poll and are number 12 in the USA Today poll after week nine. Key matchups with Penn State and Michigan State are coming up. Several of the top 10 teams will play each other – thus putting them with two losses – although that does not guarantee they will drop out of the top 10. While unlikely, it is still feasible that the Bucks could make the four team playoff. As we all know in Ohio sports – never take things for granted one way or another.

Category: Mark's Musings

About the Author ()

I live with my beautiful wife Nancy on a small farm just outside Coshocton. We have been married for thirty two years and have two grown children, Jessica and Jacob. Jessica is married to Aaron Mencer and they are employed with Coshocton City Schools. Jacob is a sophomore at Kent State University. I graduated from River View High School, have a Bachelor’s Degree from North Carolina Wesleyan University and am actively involved with the Roscoe United Methodist Church, serve on several local committees and am a member of the Coshocton Kiwanis Club, having served as Past-President. I love reading, especially military thrillers, the Civil War and history in general. My goal is to write a novel. My wife and I are also AdvoCare distributors and encourage anyone wanting to lose weight, gain energy and better health to explore AdvoCare at our website; www.fortunes4advocare.com. I love the media field, innovative technology and have worked in newspapers for over 30 years – in fact, my first job was delivering newspapers. The Beacon is a dream made possible by the support of this community and a great team. I hope to continue serving Coshocton County for many years.

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