Clark County REMC’s third motorcycle Ride for Charity will be held Saturday, September 8. Last year’s Ride for Charity attracted more than 300 bikes and 450 participants. The start time for the first group to leave is 11 a.m.
    Motorcyclist can pre-register by logging on to www.remcrideforcharity.com and completing the pre-registration form or by stopping by the REMC office. There is a registration gift for the first 250 bikers and riders to register.
    Participants can also register the day of the Ride between 9 and 10 a.m. at the REMC headquarters located on Highway 60 in Sellersburg. The registration fee is $25 for the biker and $15 for the rider.
    According to Leroy Parker, chair of the REMC Ride Committee, "Thanks to everyone and especially our local police departments, this ride continues to grow. Last year’s ride was awesome and we’re working to make this one even better."
    Ride t-shirts are also available to purchase before the ride. This can be done when pre-registering or by stopping by the REMC’s office. DVD’s of last year’s ride will also be available for purchase.
    The 95-mile ride will begin and end at the REMC Shelter House with three other stops along the way. Music, food, door prizes and fun will be held at the conclusion of the run.
    All proceeds will benefit Bridge Point Services/Goodwill. For further information contact Clark County REMC at 246-3316. The rain date is September 15.
    Clark County REMC is a member-owned electric cooperative serving 22,000 homes and businesses located in five southern Indiana counties. David A. Vince serves as the General Manager.

    The Sellersburg Celebrates! planning committee have been working hard for months to ensure everything goes smoothly for the hugely successful annual festival.
    The time has come for them to reap the benefits as the festival will begin tomorrow evening and conclude with a huge free concert on Saturday night. The three-day festival is packed with fun for the entire family including carnival rides, games, gift booths, a Business Showcase and of course all the yummy carnival food and drinks.
    The following is the featured events for the festival:
    Thursday, August 23
    5 to 10 p.m.
    Tethered Hot Air Balloon Rides for just $5, carnival rides and games, a parachute jump show, a live DJ from 6 to 10 p.m., the Silver Creek Drama Shows from 6 to 10 p.m., Business Showcase, gift booths, Fire Department Air Boat at 6 p.m. and food and drinks.
    Friday, August 24
    5 to 11 p.m.
    The annual Kick-off Luncheon will be held at Rock Creek Christian Academy, formerly known as Restoration Christian School, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The featured guest speaker this year is Indiana University Men’s Basketball Coach Kelvin Sampson. The price of a luncheon ticket is $20.
    Free live concerts will also be held. The Rigbys will be on the entertainment stage from 6:30 to 8 p.m. followed by The Rumors from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m.
    The festival will again offer carnival rides, kids games, Business Showcase, gift booths and food and drinks at the Silver Creek Township Park.
    Saturday, August 25
    12 noon to 11 p.m.
    The Silver Creek Kiwanis annual pancake breakfast will be held from 7 to 10 a.m. next to the Sellersburg Police Department on New Albany Street in Sellersburg. The free pancake and sausage breakfast is open to the public, monetary donations are welcomed.
    People will start lining the streets early for the annual Sellersburg Celebrates parade. The parade will begin at 10 a.m. Sellersburg Police Chief Russ Whelan will be the Grand Marshall of the parade.
    The committee has decided to alter the parade route to help alleviate traffic delays. The parade route has been altered this year. The Blast from the Past Parade will begin at Haas Cabinet Company and run straight onto Utica Street, through the intersection of Highway 31 and New Albany Street, ending at Silver Creek Township Park. Parade participants are asked to enter for line up at Prather Lane.
    1 to2 p.m.- SIGS Tumblers
    1 p.m.- Kids Tractor Pull
    3:30 to 4:15 p.m.- KY Martial Arts
    4:30 to 5:15 p.m.- SC Drumline
    5:30 to 7:30 p.m.- Michael Archer
    Free Historical Tours will be given at 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.
    A Classic Car Show will held from 12:30 to 4 p.m. with registration being held from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
    The local K-9 officers will hold a demonstration from 4 to 5 p.m.
    Another featured event that will draw a huge crowd will be the free concert featuring BJ Thomas and Billy Joe Royal. The concert will be held from 8 to 10 p.m. The rain site will be Silver Creek High School gymnasium.
    Thomas has sold over 70 million records dating back to his first hit "I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry" in 1967. He has recorded 15 Top 40 pop hits, 10 Top 40 country hits, earned five grammys, two Dove Awards and 15 Gold and Platinum Records.
    Royal has a string of country and pop hits that stretch from the 1960's to the 1990's. His first smash hit was "Down in the Boondocks" and since his first hit he has recorded six country albums and over 12 hit singles including "I’ll Pin a Note on your Pillow," "It Keeps Right on Hurting," and "Tell It Like It Is."
    Again the festival will offer booths, food, drinks, carnival rides and kids games.

    During the regular scheduled meeting of the Clark County Cemetery Commission last Tuesday evening at the Community Room of the Sellersburg Police Department, the Commission elected a new President.
   David Abbott was elected President for the one-year term. Abbott will fill the position held previously by Dan Johnson. Johnson held the position for the past two years. He has been involved with the Cemetery Commission for the past 10 years.
   "I can not say enough about the hard work that Dan and his wife Betty have put into the Clark County Cemeteries and this Commission. They have devoted so much of their time for this worthy cause," Abbott stated. "The local citizens have been noticing a difference at the local somewhat forgotten cemeteries, that difference has come from the sweat and labor of Dan and Betty."
   He continued, "I realize I have some really big shoes to fill. I know the tradition that the Johnsons have put into the Commission. I plan to keep them involved and active in the cemeteries. I told Dan ‘You are not retiring. I am not going to let you go," Abbott added with a laugh.
   Also elected during the meeting were Vice President Teresa James and Secretary/Treasurer Tamsie Meurer.
   "I am very excited about the opportunity to work with these two devoted individuals. I truly believe we will be able to work together as a team and accomplish what the Commission has been developed for," Abbott stated. "This is a completely volunteer board. The only pay these board members receive is the satisfaction of seeing a forgotten cemetery come back to the high standards it was meant to be by our ancestors."
   The Clark County Cemetery Commission meets four times a year. Abbott said the agenda covers concerns about the local cemeteries. During an upcoming meeting Abbott will lead the discussion regarding the clean up of the Smith Cemetery. The Smith Cemetery is located on Sellersburg-Utica Road in Utica.
   Abbott recently contacted Clark County Sheriff Danny Rodden to see if any assistance could be given to the planned clean up.
   "I called Danny and just asked him if they could help in the clean up process. He said they could send some of the prisoners as part of the work detail," Abbott said. "We really appreciate any assistance that Sheriff Rodden and the Clark County Sheriff’s Department could give us in the clean ups."
   The clean up process is just the first step in the overall plan that the Clark County Cemetery Commission has. The next step, according to Abbott, is to place signs at each of the cemeteries after the clean up.
   "It is a priority to place a sign to identify each of the cemeteries after they are cleaned up," Abbott said.
   But Abbott admits that the Commission can only purchase so many signs with the yearly budget. A total of five signs have already been purchased. The signs have been purchased for the Kern, Bottorff, Keibler-Hagesp, Frances Wells and Antioch Cemeteries.
   Abbott was quick to praise the efforts of the Clark County Commissioners.
   "Without their support this Commission would not exist. I am grateful for their trust and loyalty to the Clark County Cemetery Commission. This Commission was developed to protect the forgotten cemeteries. I feel like when you are laid to rest, you should be at rest for eternity. The Commissioners have worked with us to ensure that is what is happening in Clark County," Abbott stated.
   The next scheduled meeting of the Clark County Cemetery Commission will be November 13 at the Charlestown Public Library at 7 p.m. The Library is located at 51 Clark Road in Charlestown. Abbott encouraged anyone interested in the preserving the lost cemeteries in Clark County to attend this meeting.
   In conclusion, when Abbott was asked about his involvement in so many different boards and organizations, why he felt he needed to become involved with the Clark County Cemetery Commission, he was quick to answer.
   "I am just trying my best to do my part to make Clark County a better place to live. I want the citizens of Clark County to be proud of where they live and raise their families," Abbott stated with a warm smile.