CONSTRUCTION TO

BEGIN FOR NEW

BARGAIN BIN 3A

COLUMBUS GROVE
INVITATIONAL 1B
Cross Country results from Saturday

WEDNESDAY,
APRIL 30,19,
2014
WEDNESDAY,
WEDNESDAY,
NOVEMBER
SEPTEMBER
9,
2015
2014

E Edition at www.progressnewspaper.org
Volume 141 No. 3, Paulding, Ohio

INSIDE
Special sales
events from ...
Chief, Rite Aid,
Rural King

Around
Paulding
County
Pete the Cat!
At the library

PAULDING Who knew

that the fun childrens book
character, Pete the Cat is based
on a real cat? Here is a chance
for your preschooler and/or
kindergartner to come to a funfilled Pete the Cat program and
delight in the many adventures
made by this mischievous
blue cat. (Well, the real Pete
was black, but blue is much
more fun!) Join your friends
in the Childrens Room of
the main historic Carnegie
library in Paulding at 6 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 17. Kids will
enjoy snacks, crafts, stories
and more. Space is limited, so
register soon to ensure a spot.
Call 419-399-2032 for more
information and to register a
child.

Fish fry benefits

Bargain Bin

PAULDING Paulding
Knights of Columbus will
host a fish fry Friday, Sept.
11 with proceeds going to the
Bargain Bin building fund.
Lunch will be served 11 a.m.1 p.m. and dinner from 4-7
p.m. The public is welcome.
The K of C Hall is located
one mile south of Paulding on
U.S. 127.

Ice cream social

MELROSE Melrose
United Methodist Church
will host an ice cream social
from 4-7 p.m. Saturday, Sept.
12 with sandwiches, soup,
desserts and homemade ice
cream. Free-will donations
accepted.

Annual car show

Sunday, Sept. 13
PAULDING The Paulding County Senior Centers
annual car show will be held
noon-4 p.m. Sunday, Sept.
13 on the north and east
sides of the square in Paulding. Entry is open to all car
and truck classes. Judging
starts at 2 p.m. For more information or to pre-register,
call the senior center at 419399-3650.

One Dollar

USPS 423630

Stage set for Flat Rock Creek Fall Festival

By JIM LANGHAM
Feature Writer
PAULDING Paulding
Chamber of Commerce executive director Peggy Emerson
sat behind her office desk earlier
this week reflecting on the potential success of the upcoming
annual Flat Rock Creek Fall
Festival.
Ive been in lots of communities over the years, but the
social, fund-raising, helping climate of this community is something else, said Emerson. This
years Flat Rock Creek Festival
looks to be as huge as any weve

ever had to
this point.
Emerson
credited the
presence of
new barns
and
the
spreading news
about the
festivals
success every year for the potential of this
years event which will be held
at the Paulding County Fairgrounds, Sept. 18-20.
The new barns are a won-

derful thing. They are going to

provide more room than ever
for vendors, said Emerson.
We have at least 120 vendors
that will be there, and we have
90 more vendors who are on a

waiting list.
We are
going
to
have a ton
more music
this
year
than weve
ever had,
continued
Emerson.
There will
be
blue
grass on the main stage starting
at 1 p.m. every day.
The blue grass extravaganza,
which will go from 1-4 p.m.,
will feature such bands as the

Steve Scott Band, New Mountain Heritage, Paul Bryant and

Kentucky Border, Shades of
Grass, Charity Moore and Big
Ugly Boys and Sound Man.
Other music features will
include The Bulldogs at the
Main Stage on Friday Night,
Strawberry Hill on Saturday
night and Pete Schlegel at the
Extension Building on Saturday
night. Other bands making their
presence known include Stockdale Family Band, John Reichly
and Black Sheep, from the First
See FESTIVAL, page 2A

Teens life-saving advice:

Wear your helmet

By JOE SHOUSE Progress Staff Writer

A week ago Saturday was just another normal day at

the Merriman house. Or at least it started out that way.
Oh, it would be a busy day with places to go and people
to see.
The day started early with the alarm
sounding at 5 a.m. Dixie needed new
shoes and a quick trip to southern Indiana was necessary. Then it was off in
the other direction heading north to
Hillsdale, Mich. That may sound a little
strange, but for Jordan Merriman, who
will turn 14 next month, it was simply
one of those things you do when you
compete to be one of the best one of
the fastest at barrel racing.
For Jordan, riding horses and competing in open shows most weekends
has been a way of life for the Paulding
eighth grader. Her mother, Jamie, says
her daughter was riding before she was
walking and she had her first pony at
age five. Since that early age, Jordan
has always known what she wanted to
do in life.
I want to be the youngest competitor in barrel racing within the Womens
Professional Rodeo Association. I want
to compete in Las Vegas and then I
want to turn pro, Jordan said.
Setting her goals high, working hard
and staying confident, Jordan participated in every open show in the area.
She was well on her way at achieving
her dream, being one of the best in her
age group and possibly the best in barrel racing among all competitors. But
late Saturday night, while riding her
four legged friend Dixie, everything
changed in a matter of seconds.
Arriving at the open show at Hillsdale, along with her parents and younger sister Ally Jo, and a few close friends,
there was little time to prepare.
We barely had time to unload Dixie

and get her saddle on when we heard

Jordans name called. There was no
time to warm up, so she quickly took to
the arena stage.
Dixie, seemed a little nervous or
high strung, possibly feeling the effects
of the long trip and not able to properly
warm up, Jamie said.
Admitting that something didnt feel
right about the arena and the way it was
laid out, Jamie was concerned.
It had an odd set up. The arena was
smaller than usual and there were no
gates at some of the entrances. It was
small and a bad set up. It was a confusing layout for not only Dixie, but to
some of the other horses, Jamie commented.
After her first ride and all the scores
and times were totaled, Jordan finished
fourth and Jordan, who is usually at
the top of the standings, was not happy. She was determined to do better
the next race. There would be a second
opportunity to improve, but she would
have to wait until later that evening,
near 10 p.m.
With time on her hands, Jordan was
able to replay her first attempt over and
over in her mind. After all, fourth place
was not good enough. With a competitive spirit, Jordan was going to ride
faster and place higher. Admittedly,
she was upset with fourth place and she
would do what it takes to do better the
next time.
The second race, a down -and-out
event, is a race of speed. Starting at
See JORDAN, page 2A

Jordan Merriman, of Paulding, is recovering from broken bones, blood clot and
level three concussion following a riding accident during competition just over a
week ago. She and her family believes the helmet she was wearing saved her life.

First jobs offered responsibility, money, memories

From Progress Staff Reports
How well do you remember
your first job? Whether it was
mowing lawns or babysitting,
waiting tables or working on a
factory floor, it was probably
a learning experience not soon
forgotten.
The pay, the conditions and
the workloads likely were
very different than any youth
would encounter today. Some
entry-level jobs of a generation
or two ago dont even exist

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today.
A first job can be the one
you hate the most, or it can be
the introduction to a lifelong
career path.
With Labor Day on this
months calendar, the Progress
asked several local residents
about their first employment
experiences.
Karen Davenport and Kathryn Spencer
These two gals are sisters
and both worked their first
paid jobs as carhops at Frischs
Big Boy in Lima. Kathryn was
the oldest and got hired before
Karen; however, Karen, who
was only 14, told her employers she was 16 and worked
there also.
Both sisters donned black
pants and white shirts and were
paid a whopping 55 cents per
hour. They worked 20 hours a
week and appreciated the extra
money.
Both sisters said, We could
still be carhops, but not for 55
cents an hour and we could
probably only do it for four
hours a week, not 20.
William Sonny Jewell
Sonny Jewell worked a
farming job when he was only

11 years old. A farmer, Glen

Barnes, had a heart attack and
could no longer farm, and Sonnys family lived across the
road. So this youngster got the
job of working on the farm.
Sonny was asked, Did you
drive a tractor at age 11?
He replied, I could drive
anything at age 8.
I worked from 6 a.m.
until 6 p.m. six days a week.
I brought home $36 a week,
which I gave to my mom to
help the family out, he recalls.
His duties included plowing,
planting and harvesting. He
also milked cows. Sonny was
provided his breakfast and
lunch on the farm and said that
Mr. Barnes was a good, kind
boss.
Lorna Jewell
Lorna, wife of Sonny Jewell,
recalls one of her first paying
jobs was at a factory in Hicksville where she made $1.25 per
hour.
She enjoyed the money she
brought home, but her husband
worked at the same factory and
was promoted to foreman. She
said that they thought it was
See FIRST JOBS, page 2A

Judy Wells/Paulding County Progress

Even though this crate looks rather small now, Max Kochensparger says back when he was filling one just like it with potatoes hed picked up in the fields of Michigan, it seemed huge.

2A - Paulding County Progress Wednesday, September 9, 2015

n FIRST

JOBS

Continued from Page 1A

best she quit because it would

have been awkward with Sonny being her boss.
Dave Prior
Dave Prior, who is the pastor
of Mt. Zion United Methodist
Church, said that his first paying job was a carry-out boy and
stocker. He was employed by
Pangles, a grocery store. He
made $1.25 per hour.
Most of the guys wanted to
stock shelves as it was easier
than carry-out. As a carry-out
boy, especially in the winter,
you had to bundle up to carry
out a persons groceries, then
come back in and you would
get warm with all those clothes
on, he said.
When we stocked shelves,
we had to stamp all the canned
goods and products by hand
with a stamper.
Did he put an expiration date
on the products?
Dave replied, Are you kidding? No one paid any attention
to that back then.
Bill Strahley
Back in 1954, when Bill
Strahley was riding his bicycle
around Paulding with nothing
to do, hed often stop in at the
newsstand owned by P. and
Nell Hoover just to hang out.
One day, they asked me if
Id deliver the Toledo Blade for
them, Bill, now 77, recalls. I
said I would, so they gave me
the whole west end of town.
I had 62 customers and made
$2.52 a week. It was a pretty
good job and I kept it for five or
six years, but I hated the winters! Do you know how hard
it is to ride a bike through the
snow with a basketful of newspapers?
Jane Stouffer
When her older sister turned
16, got her work permit and
started working part-time,
Paulding resident Jane Stouffer,
now 74, was jealous. I figured
anything she could do, I could
do, too, Jane says with a grin.
So when I turned 16 a few
years later, I got my work permit, too.
Janes first paying job was
as a clerk at Mentzers Five &
Dime in Paulding, which was
owned by Homer and Bess
Mentzer. The retail business
later became the Ben Franklin
Store.
I worked after school and on
Saturdays, she recalls. Mom
or Dad would bring me into
town and drop me off, then
come back and get me when
my shift was over. The store
sold a little bit of everything,
and I enjoyed the variety of
things we carried. I sometimes
worked at the candy counter or
in one of the other departments.
We sold craft supplies, womens underwear and blouses, a
few household goods, and even
some hardware.
The best part of the whole
thing was knowing that I was
earning my own money to
spend on school clothes, my

horse, or whatever I wanted,

she said.
Max Kochensparger
Everybody loves potatoes.
But as a third-grader walking
the fields behind a digger and
trying to fill a one-bushel crate,
Max Kochensparger often had
other thoughts about the crop.
I was in the third grade
twice, Max admits. And both
years I helped my two older
brothers and older sister pick
up potatoes from the fields of
various farmers near where
we lived. We grew up about
60 miles north and east of
Grand Rapids, Michigan, and
the ground up there was quite
sandy. It was ideal for growing
potatoes.
Max remembers that he and
his siblings and 40 or 50 other
kids would start harvesting the
root crop around the first or
second week of September.
We would work on Saturdays and take a sack lunch and
stay all day, he says. That
was in about 1947 or 48. Our
parents would drop us off or
wed walk, depending on how
far the field was from home.
Wed mark the crates with our
initials as we filled them, then
theyd go up a conveyor and get
dumped. And we were paid 10
to 12 cents a bushel, depending
on how much each farmer paid.
My sister bought a brand
new bike for $39.95 with the
money she earned, but she was
older than me and could pick up
faster, he remembers. I had
to wait until Id earned some
money from mowing yards,
too, to buy my bike.
Phyllis Bidlack
In 1944-45, as World War
II was coming to a close, there
was a shortage of workers for
manufacturing, assembly and
other manual labor jobs in the
United States. Factories all over
the country were desperate for
qualified workers, and would
hire just about anyone who was
willing and able to work.
We lived near Laura, Ohio,
in Miami County, says Phyllis
(Wagner) Bidlack, who now
lives in Oakwood. There were
two large tomato-canning factories near us, and they were
always advertising for help to
peel tomatoes. One day, when I
was 12, I asked Mom if I could
apply and she said yes. So I
rode my bike down to the closest factory and applied. I was
hired on the spot.
Phyllis, whos now 82, spent
a year working at that factory,
then, when she was 13, went
to another a little farther from
home and owned by the Netzley family.
At my first job, I was paid
10 cents a bucket for the tomatoes Id peeled, she says.
But I think Mrs. Netzley saw
potential in me and took me
under her wing. She moved me
up to the Grade A line, where I
was paid 10 cents a tray. When
she did that, I was getting paid

more than some of the women

whod been there longer than
me. The trays were smaller than
the buckets, so it was like getting a raise. Can you imagine
how those other women felt
about me? I learned then what
discrimination felt like!
Each day during tomato season, Phyllis would ride her bike
to the factory after school. Id
change clothes there and work
my shift, she says. Then Mrs.
Netzley would take me home
when I was finished if Mom
or Dad couldnt come and get
me.
All the tomatoes processed
at the plant were canned, and
then later some were made into
ketchup, sauce or other tomato
products.
When we had a bucket or a
tray full, wed let the supervisor
know, Phyllis says. Shed
come over and punch our ticket,
then the tray would go up on
the line and the tomatoes would
be poured into a big can. After
a salt nugget was added to each
one, the tomatoes would be
processed. Then the cans would
go to the labeler. But all I ever
did was peel.
And what was the most important lesson Phyllis learned
from her experience at the tomato factory?
That was my first experience standing on concrete, she
says. I noticed that some of the
women stood on rubber mats
while they worked and some
didnt. I learned right away that
I should get there early every
day so I could pick out a good
mat to stand on!
Sue Weible
Growing up in Defiance, Sue
(Warner) Weibles first job was
at Brinkmans Drive-In on Holgate Avenue. And even though
the eatery is no longer there,
Sue remembers the details of
her first paying job well.
I started when I was 15,
she says. I just went down and
applied and got hired. My job
was to go out to the cars and
take their orders. Then when the
food would come out on a tray,
Id carry it to the car and collect
the money for it. I really liked
waiting on people but I only
worked there about a year, parttime. I made 50 cents an hour.
And why did Sue leave her
first job? Schiffs Shoe Store
came to town, she remembers.
All the other stores in town
carried brand-name shoes, but
Schiffs were lower priced and
sales were good. I was offered
75 cents an hour to work there,
so I went!
Laura Glancy
Laura Glancy of Paulding
County has fond memories
of her first real paying job.
She was a teacher at Antwerp
School and said, I taught phys
ed, biology and math, plus we
all had to help with after-school
activities. My pay was $1,850
per year.
She noted that she always

Oakwood
Homecoming
Jim Bowers/Paulding County Progress

Oakwood hosted its annual four-day Homecoming

celebration, which ended
on Labor Day. This years
theme was Oakwood
Country Fair. Events included a kickoff dinner,
parade, cemetery walk,
games, music and several
pageants. Jocelynn Parrett
(left) was Little Miss Oakwood.

n FESTIVAL
Continued from Page 1A
Presbyterian Church.
In addition, there will be a
gospel stage that will facilitate
gospel groups from the area.
Other traditional events will
include the hit and miss en-

Paulding County Progress

copyright 2015 Published weekly by The
Paulding County Progress, Inc. P.O. Box 180,
113 S. Williams St., Paulding, Ohio 45879
Phone 419-399-4015 Fax: 419-399-4030
website: www.progressnewspaper.org
Doug Nutter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Publisher
Advertising - dnutter@progressnewspaper.org

Melinda Krick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Editor

News - progress@progressnewspaper.org

Ruth Snodgrass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Circulation

subscription@progressnewspaper.org

USPS 423620
Entered at the Post Office in Paulding, Ohio, as
2nd class matter. Subscription rates: $38 per
year for mailing addresses in Defiance, Van
Wert Putnam and Paulding counties. $46 per
year outside these counties;
local rate for Military personnel and students. Deadline
for display advertising 1 p.m.
Monday. News deadline 3
p.m. Thursday.

gines, horse pulls and truck

show, quilt show, antique tractor
pulls and demonstrations such
as broom making, pottery, cider press, blacksmith, threshing,
woodcarving and many more.
Of course, there will be lots
of home-cooked food, all from
local vendors, noted Emerson.
One major emphasis we
are having this year is encouraging local businesses to get
involved, said Emerson. We
have several companies that are
going to help staff the gates. This
is a great way for companies to
get involved, and many chamber
members are volunteering their
services.
I am excited about the widespread interest in this, not only
from this area but from other
surrounding counties in Ohio
and Indiana, continued Emerson. We dont want people to
just drive in and leave. We want

people to enjoy the festival and

take a look at our community
while they are here. We have
reached out to other communities to do advertising.
Emerson said she is amazed at
all of the talent that is available
in Paulding County and regionally from the likes of Van Wert
and Putnam counties in Ohio
and eastern Indiana counties
who bring their talent to the festival.
The apple cider lady will be
back this year, Emerson said.
Theres no end to the family
enjoyment that will be available.
Cost for entry is $5 per person at the gate, $10 per person
for all three days free for those
12-years old and under. Parking
is also free.
A full schedule of events will
be published in the Sept. 16 edition of the Progress.

Judy Wells/Paulding County Progress

Jane Stouffer looks over some of the memorabilia from the Ben Franklin Store in Paulding. Her
first job was at Mentzers Five & Dime, which later became the Ben Franklin Store.
wore a dress and heels to work.
She taught at Antwerp School
for five years, but then taught
math, her favorite subject, in
various schools for 31 years.
Bob Glancy
Bob Glancy, who later married Laura, said his first line of
work was teaching. In fact, he
had just started his teaching career at Atwood High School in
Indiana, and got to teach for six
weeks, when the military called
and he had to report for duty.
Following his tour of duty,
he returned to teaching fifth
and sixth graders. His pay was
a little more than wife Lauras
because he made approximately
$1,900 a year. Bob was also a
basketball coach for many years
along with his teaching career.
Both Bob and Laura are retired and reside in the rural Grover Hill area. They both they
loved every minute of being
teachers.
Ruth Snodgrass
Ruth Snodgrass of Paulding worked her first job at St.
Josephs Hospital in Augusta,
Ga., at the age of 12. She got
the job through her sister, who
also worked in the hospital.
Ruths tasks included filing,
cleaning the chapel and working in the cafeteria. Too young
to get a paycheck, she was paid
in penny candy, which she
took home to share with family
members.
She remembers it was fun,
and she got to meet some of the
local stars, such as Brandy Lee
and Sheriff John, who came in
to pay bills.
William Snodgrass
Bill Snodgrass, 85, worked
in a chicken hatchery at the
age of 12. When he moved to
Paulding, he began hauling
chickens, eggs and bottled pop
for the business. He made $5 to
$6 a week. At 15, he was driving loads to Chicago. Bill has
remained a truck driver to this
day.
Anonymous
A 84-year-old citizen of
Paulding, who asked not to be
named, remembers working
in a Van Wert factory making

overalls as her first job. She

said she went with a friend to
speak to the owner, who offered
them a job, telling them that
if they didnt work, hed kick
their rears. She later worked at a
cigar factory in Van Wert, preparing cigars and sending them
to Delphos. She made 80 cents
an hour at both jobs.
Linda Reinhart
Linda Reinhart of Paulding
recalled, After I graduated
from college at beauty school
in Fort Wayne, I worked for
Nancy Foltz as a beautician. I
enjoyed meeting new people. I
really liked what I was doing.
Bill Baxter
Bill Baxters first job was
working for Jacksons Poultry
House, building wooden egg
crates for 15 cents a crate. I
was about 14 or 15 years old
at the time and they (Jacksons)
were right next door to us, he
said.
That was a lot of money
then because candy cost 5 cents
a bar and there was a lot of candy that could be purchased for
a penny apiece. Fifteen cents
would certainly buy a lot more
then than it does now. One
thing is certain, I learned how to
work hard.
Joanne Phipps
Joanne Phipps first worked
at Balyeats Restaurant in Van
Wert as a waitress. One thing
that stands out the most to me is
the way we helped this elderly
couple. They didnt have much;
they came in at closing time and
were able to work a deal with
the restaurant to get food to help
them. I really enjoyed working
with people.
She was eventually employed
by Wayne Trace Schools for 31
years as a food supervisor.
Jack Phipps
Payne resident Jack Phipps
recalled, When I was a
sophomore in high school, I
started working for a guy out
on Highway 49 spreading
straw and planting grass seed.
I got 90 cents an hour, which
was a lot of money in 1948. I
earned enough money to buy a
Whizzer motor bike.

Peggy Emerson
When I was 17 years old,
before my senior year in high
school, I worked at Wendys,
said Peggy Emerson. I worked
the drive through window; it
gave me an appreciation for
working hard and working fast.
It gave me good food experience.
I especially remember one
time when a guy paid me with a
$100 dollar bill and then drove
off and never got his food. He
never did come back.
Joe Shouse
My first paid job was that of
a paperboy at age 13 or so, recalled Joe Shouse of Haviland.
I delivered the Indianapolis
Star every morning, even Sunday. For the Sunday paper, my
dad would take me in the car
because the paper was so big.
I dont remember how many I
delivered but it seemed like it
was close to 100 on Sunday.
More people got the Sunday
paper than the daily.
I got paid maybe $10 per
week, he continued. Besides
delivering the paper, I would
have to collect the money from
my customers. Just like today,
some paid better than others.
What does he remember
most about that job?
Delivering the paper on
those cold winter mornings.
One of my customers lived in a
small apartment in the back of
a large old house. You had to
go inside the entry way where
it was dark, but you could see
into the kitchen where the lights
were on and breakfast was in
the works.
The small entryway had an
old wooden stove that always
had a fire going in it and when I
got inside I would stand there a
few minutes to warm up before
leaving to face the winter wind
that seemed to always be blowing in my face.
The lesson I learned was
that I hated delivering the paper,
but I love writing for one.
Reporting by Nancy Whitaker, Judy Wells, Samantha
Habern, Jim Langham, Joe
Shouse and Melinda Krick.

lady grabbed the hand of Jamie and her husband John and
they started praying. With Jordans eyes shut and no movement, Jamie thought for a moment that maybe her little girl
wouldnt make it.
With Jordans face swelling and confusion all around
them, the arena became stone
cold quiet. All that could be
heard was the faint sound of an
ambulance siren that seemed
miles away.
The lifeflight helicopter had
been notified, but in an attempt
to proceed to the fairgrounds,
it was forced back because of
weather. As the ambulance arrived to transport Jordan to the
Hillsdale hospital, it was then
she started responding ever so
slightly.
After arriving at the small
Michigan hospital and remaining for a few hours it was obvious Jordan needed additional
care. Transferred to a Toledo
hospital where she was eventually admitted to ICU, the injuries she received were being
evaluated.
A broken hand, a broken
thumb in two places, a large
blood clot near the carotid artery, bleeding in her lungs,
large brain bruise associated
with a level three concussion
along with many abrasions.
It was devastating, We
didnt know if there was adequate blood flow to the brain
and so we had no idea what to
expect. But what we do know
is that the helmet she was
wearing saved her life, said

Jamie.
After spending four days
in ICU, the fighting spirit that
Jordan displays in racing was
also with her in the hospital.
Refusing to take pain medication and wanting to go home,
the doctors agreed after giving
John and Jamie some lessons
on what to look for when one
has a concussion.
Since being home, the family has talked about the accident in length. Because of her
concussion, Jordan is not to
engage her mind and therefore
can not watch television, play
video games or read. There is
time to talk about all that has
transpired since that typical
Saturday that turned out so untypical. Time to replay the accident and time to be thankful
for an outcome that could have
been so much more painful.
At only 13, Jordan is fighting through the physical pain
but at the same time she is
seeking the silver lining in this
tragic time in her young life.
Jordan has asked many
times, What good can come
from all this? Strongly believing that everything happens for
a reason, Jordan has looked at
the helmet that protected her
brain and in that protection she
has been able to fit some of the
pieces together on why.
I think I am a good rider, but
accidents do happen. Wearing
a helmet is so important. If one
person hears about this maybe
they will think twice and wear
a helmet. It most likely will
save your life, Jordan said.

n JORDAN
Continued from Page 1A

one end of the arena and making your way to the other end,
around a barrel and then back.
In simple terms, a one-lap race.
This kind of open show always ends with the down-andout. You do one lap and the
fastest competitor is the winner, said Jamie.
A combination of a small
arena, a very fast horse like
Dixie and a confused layout
disaster seemed imminent.
I remember telling Jordan,
just slow down and take it
easy. Its not about winning,
Jordans mother recalls.
The race itself went as
planned until the final portion
when it was time to slow down
by making a wide turn in order
to come to a stop. In the process to slow down, both horse
and rider came near the fence
opening, Jordan was leaning to
the right when Dixie dodged
left.
At that point, everything
powers down to slow motion
as John and Jamie Merriman
watch frantically as their innocent 13-year-old propels off
Dixie into the open arena some
10 feet in the air, colliding with
a 6x6-inch fence post before
resting on a railing.
As our instincts directed
us, we ran to her as quickly as
possible. When we reached her
side she was knocked out cold.
There was no pulse and no response for six minutes, said
Jamie.
As they gathered at her side,
others complete strangers
were there offering help. One