Updates, hitching posts and more

On February 5 I wrote about old hitching posts in Rensselaer. A comment noted that there was one on East Washington Street, in front of the old Huntington/Halleck House, which is next to one of our old gasoline stations that now has a new use. Of course, I had to go out and take a photograph.

Many years ago this house was on a tour of homes. I am not sure who sponsored it, but it might have been the Jasper County Historical Society. I remember that the house is divided into apartments, but I do not remember anything of its history.

The house has some old stonework in the front that looks like it may have one time been a decorative pond. It reminded me of the stonework in the grottos at Saint Joes and in Beaverville. Does anyone know more about it?
On another note, the annual Science Olympiad was held at Saint Joseph's College last weekend (Valentine's Day). I saw no announcements at all about it, or I would have mentioned it and maybe even gone out to take some pictures. The Rensselaer Central Middle School did very well, advancing to state competition, while the high school team did well enough to advance to a wildcard competition that they need to win in order to make it to state. Congratulations to the coaches and the students.

Here is a picture from several years ago of the trebuchet competition. The goal here was to get a trebuchet that was accurate and could fling a projective a long distance. Some teams used kits, and others experienced the joy of designing and making their own.
For more recent and much better pictures, go here.

There are two art-exhibit receptions on Sunday, the 22nd, the high school show at SJC and the Special Creations show at the Carnegie Center. I am not sure why they did not plan that right.

Finally, from Tod Samra:

Next Tuesday, February 24th at 7:00 PM central time in the College Chapel, The SJC Concert Choir and the SJC Chamber Singers present the Winter Choral Concert. Admission is free and open to all.

The Chamber Singers will present three works by Russian composers, including Rachmaninoff; and three works by American composers, including Samuel Barber. The Concert Choir will sing two movements from the Andrew Lloyd Webber "Requiem," and three students will be featured as soloists: Renee Rybolt, Paige Popravak, and Michael Booth.

The choir is very good. You can see a sample of a past concert here, and of Renee Rybold here.

(If you have any announcements that you want to get to the very limited but select audience of this blog, feel free to send them to the e-mail address given in the contact information. It is best if you send them a couple weeks before the event. I do not guarenteee publication.)