KOSCIUSKO COUNTY — Christmas is a special time of year and local cities and towns want to help make it a special celebration for their friends, families and neighbors. One of the most popular ways to bring the community together for the holidays is with a Christmas tree lighting gathering.

SYRACUSE — “Several hundred” Christmastime revelers braved the elements to enjoy a variety of Yuletide festivities offered by Chautauqua Wawasee Saturday, Nov. 30, at Oakwood Park. For the most part, the rain held off. The cold and blustery winds did not. The temperature hovered just above freezing and a blustery 16-mph wind off Lake Wawasee …read more.

SYRACUSE – Kip and Pamela (Juday) Schumm, Syracuse, are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. The couple were married July 28, 1979, at Calvary United Methodist Church, Syracuse. Rev. Don Sheline officiated the ceremony. They have two children: Katrina (Chris) Berg, South Bend, and Kristin (Matt) Stetz, Syracuse. They also have three grandchildren. Kip is director …read more.

SYRACUSE — Syracuse Park Board was asked to review its 2017 budget during its regular meeting Monday night, Aug. 8. Park Superintendent Chad Jonsson explained the Syracuse Town Council questioned the park board’s plan to tear down the concession stand located at the top of the hill in Lakeside Park, removing a set of rest …read more.

The good news is that I hit on every pick last week, a perfect 7-0. The bad news is that many of my picks went against local teams. So, it was a relatively bad week for the local athletes. The best news, however, is that I was successful in beating Ink Free’s very own Mike …read more.

After some discussion the Syracuse Park Board chose to table making a decision on naming the Syracuse Youth Athletic Complex until the full board could be present during its regular monthly meeting. Board president Dave VanLue and board member Jason Traycoff were absent from the meeting. The matter was brought up during Chad Jonsson’s park …read more.