barn ball, Jersey cows & Blackhawks

Sustaining a legacy can be tough.  Take Sheridan for example.  First entering tournament play in 1916, the Blackhawks had success in the late '30s & early '40s (Regional champs in 1938) and especially in the 1950s - winning the Sectional from 1950 to1955 and the Regional in 1950 & 1955.  Lately they have had the misfortune to be in the same Sectional as Lapel (State Champs in 2005 & 2016) and Frankton (State Champs in 2017).  But, maintaining a legacy can take many forms.  Just outside of town at the Dandy Breeze Dairy Farm Tom Waitt (former ball player and current 7th grade science teacher) & his wife Sally oversee  a herd of 85 grass fed Jersey milk cows, producing some of the best tasting non-homogenized milk (white, chocolate & strawberry) around.  Sharing space in the 115 year old barn is a half court complete with backboard & hoop (occasionally co-opted by hay bales) where the Waitt boys used to play ball during the winter months.  And during the summer?  Well, there's a concrete court surrounded by pasture and dairy cows serving as loyal fans.  Up the road in Sheridan another legacy is being re-shaped as the old Adams Elementary (& former high school) is being converted into housing (to be named Blackhawk Commons), scheduled to open in December 2019. The gymnasium (& original floor) will also be refurbished and used by the Sheridan Youth Recreation League. Sustaining a legacy takes work, whether in a brewpub, distillery, county library or inside an old dairy barn, but work that is well worth the time.  © Chris Smith