Local Schools Achieve!

Congratulations to Hillsboro Middle School and Whiteoak High School for receiving "Excellent" ratings from the Ohio Department of Education. What an accomplishment for the youth in our area as well as the staff of these two schools! Way to Go!

Helping Feed the Hungry

Two local churches, New Life Church and Ministries and the Hillsboro Church of the Nazarene have teamed up to distribute over 50,000 pounds of food at Liberty Park in Hillsboro today! Contained in two semi truck loads of food, the food which is obtained through Operation Outreach in Washington Court House is intended to give hope and help to people in Highland County.

There will be entertainment and a sermon by pastor Bill Bowman. Also, prior to the start of the event at 6 p.m., a "Scoring Touchdowns in Life" message will be shared by NFL referee Steve Wilson, who also serves as an associate pastor of the Nazarene Church in Washington state. All are invited to attend and receive food. Each individual will receive food at the end of the program, regardless of income.

Thank you to these two local churches! For more information, please contact Help the Hungry at 937-393-2429.

New School Year in a New Building!

The new school year starts this week for all Highland County Schools! Hillsboro Middle School and High School start in a new building that has been described as "big" and "beautiful"! New traffic routes and parking areas for buses, students, parents and teachers can be found in the article linked below!

Click here for traffic routes

Free Money

There is only four months left to recieve an $8,000 tax credit for purchasing a new home! You must have your home closed by November 30, 2009 when the tax credit expires! To close by November 30 you need to go on contract to buy a home no later than September! Call us for details!

Home Prices on the Rise

It's always good to read something positive in the newspaper....

According to a recent article published in the Wall Street Journal, home prices in the U.S. are on the rise. Home prices in major U.S. cities registered the first monthly gain in nearly three years. This is an indication that the severe U.S. housing downturn could be easing.This is good news!

To read more, click here.

It's Been a Busy Summer!

Houses are selling and The Dickey Group is busy! We love it!

In the past few weeks, we have sold several homes:

52 Walnut Creek Rd., Greenfield
8607 Stoney Point Rd., Hillsboro
247 East Main St., Hillsboro
5430 Grande Rd., Hillsboro
2145 Stringtown Rd., Sardinia
9439 US 62 N., Hillsboro
3521 St. Rt. 247, Hillsboro
9072 Evans Rd., Leesburg
6695 Golden Doubloon Ln., Hillsboro

We have had great success and thank all the wonderful families with which we have worked. We have seen an increase in the number of short sales. With this situation, transactions become more difficult and time consuming. We continue to work with sellers, buyers, lenders, and mortgage companies to get homes sold!

If you or someone you know is interested in buying or selling, please call us 937.393.7222 or visit us on the website www.TheDickeyGroup.com

Visit and Vacation in Highland County

Highland County offers many upcoming events for family and friends to share. An entire list can be found at the Highland County Visitor's Bureau. Among others is the upcoming Festival of the Bells to be held in downtown Hillsboro July 2-4th. This is always a special community event providing a chance to visit with neighbors and enjoy the music, activities, and fun. A full schedule for this event can be found at www.FestivalOfTheBells.com. We hope to see you there!

Swackhamer Named SCOL Baseball Coach of the Year

Congratulations goes out to Rusty Swackhamer and the Hillsboro Indians baseball team!

Hillsboro head baseball coach Rusty Swackhamer was recently named the 2009 South Central Ohio League Coach of the Year. Swackhamer and the Indians went undefeated in the league with a 12-0 record. HHS finished the season 16-1 overall. Swackhamer has coached the Indians for four seasons.

It's great to see such hard work and dedication. What a fantastic honor!

These Kids Are Amazing

This was at a Texas Tech Basketball game in February of 2008.
The National Anthem is sung by five young ladies (ages 6-8).
You have never heard it performed better than this! An entire arena remains completely silent throughout the song. You could hear a pin drop. Take a moment to listen to this. The two young ladies on the right are six years old. The two in the middle are seven and the one on the left is eight.
This young group continues to impress!

Check them out on YouTube!
Visit their website at The Cactus Cuties!

Black Bear Spotted in Highland County

For the first time in recent years, a black bear has been sighted in Highland County. The bear, believed to be a male around 200 pounds, is being tracked by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife. According to ODNR, the bear was first spotted in Adams County adn has covered dozens of miles since. He has been seen in Brown, Highland and Fayette counties. This roaming behavior is typical of a young male bear around 2 years of age.

Ohio's bear population is rising steadily as bears migrate from nearby states. In the past, the population had declined due to deforestation during the mid 1800's. The new surge in the number of bear inhabiting our area does require residents to use common sense when coming in contact with a black bear.

This black bear may makes its home near us or it may move on, either way those that had a rare glimpse of this bear have had a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Celebrating Flag Day June 14th!

You're a grand old flag,

You're a high flying flag

And forever in peace may you wave.

You're the emblem of

The land I love.

The home of the free and the brave.

Ev'ry heart beats true

'neath the Red, White and Blue,

Where there's never a boast or brag.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

Keep your eye on the grand old flag.

To read more about the history of Flag Day, click here.

Congratulations Jill!

Jill Minter, our Client Service Manager, graduated from Whiteoak High School on May 22nd.

Congratulations!

Jill accepts The Dickey Group Scholarship from Mr. Roush, Principal.

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. It is not important who was the very first, what is important is that Memorial Day was established. Memorial Day is not about division. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all.

Craig Krenzel to Speak at Hillsboro High School Graduation

The Hillsboro Ministerial Association is bringing Craig Krenzel to be the keynote speaker at the Hillsboro High School Graduation which is to be held this Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Krenzel is the Ohio State University quarterback who led the Buckeyes to the 2002 national championship and went on to play two years in the NFL. The Ministerial Association is pleased to have a speaker that will give the graduates a spiritual sendoff as they wrap up that phase of their life and head out into the world. This goal of the Association has been in the works for several years - and only this year has been accomplished due to donations and fundraising to bring Krenzel to the ceremonies. We at The Dickey Group support the Hillsboro Ministerial Association's vision for the graduation ceremony and are excited to be a part of this effort. Congratulations and blessings to all the local area graduates!

The full article appears in the Friday, May 15th edition of The Times-Gazette.

Whiteoak High School Prom

Whiteoak High School held its Junior/Senior Prom a couple of weeks ago. This is always an exciting time to make memories that last a lifetime.

Someday many years from now
We'll sit beside the candles glow
Exchanging tales about our past
And laughing as the memories flow
And when that distant day arrives
I know it will be understood
That friendship is the key to live
And we were friends and it was good.
- Eileen Hehl

I do hope that the prom season was fun, safe and special to all who attended. Cherish the memories!

Barn of the Year

We would like to congratulate Bill Fling for his award winning "Barn of the Year" as designated by the Friends of Ohio Barns organization. Winning Barn of the Year for Adaptive Use, the Fling Barn is used to host receptions and conferences. The activities at the farm include many demonstrations and displays. This barn was built by Fling's great-grandfather and is relaxing sancutary for all who visit.

To learn more.... visit www.flingbarn.com or click here.

Annual Chamber of Commerce Dinner

The annual Chamber of Commerce Dinner was held on April 23rd. Over 200 people attended to network, enjoy local catering, and laugh - Drew Hastings provided entertainment for the evening.

The Highland County Chamber of Commerce is a membership driven business organization dedicated to representing and providing assistance for the local business community. For more information, call 393-1111 or go to http://www.highlandcountychamber.com/.

To read the entire article that appears in the Times-Gazette, click here.

A Recent Visit from Trisha Mullenix

This morning, Trisha Mullinex, a college student attending Marshall University and friend of our office, visited with us to gain insight into our information systems. She is taking a course about Management Information Systems and is completing a project about systems in real estate. It was great to share how we use technology to enhance our services for our clients. Trisha was excited to learn how we use multiple systems to manage our office and communications allowing us to bring a high level of service to all of our clients. We were glad to help Trisha - we hope we helped her get an A on the project!

Annual Trout Derby Held at Rocky Fork Lake

On April 4th over 500 children ages 15 and under participated in the Annual Trout Derby held at Rocky Fork Lake. This event, held every year on the first Saturday in April, is sponsored by the Highland County Rod and Gun Club. It provides youth the opportunity to experience outdoor sports and enjoy quality time with their families. To read more, click here.

2009 Dickey Group Scholarship Winner

We are pleased to announce that Jill Minter has been awarded the 2009 Dickey Group Scholarship. Jill has been a member of our team since April 2008, serving as our Client Service Manager. Jill plans to continue to attend Southern State Community College after graduation from Whiteoak High School. She currently attends Southern State under the Post-Secondary Enrollment Option. Jill plans to obtain her Assoicate degree in Human Services and fulfilling her goal of becoming a social worker. We are excited to help Jill pursue her dreams! Congratulations!