Starke County Chamber of Commerce Announces Award Recipients

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

Members of the Starke County Chamber of Commerce met earlier this week to officially decide the winners of Business of the Year, the Above and Beyond Award and the Henry F. Schricker “Service Before Self” Award.

Starke County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jessica Craig reported that the winner of Business of the Year is the North Judson-based company First Choice Insurance owned by Carrie Block.

The winner of this year’s Henry F. Schricker Award is Jim Kersting. Craig said that Kersting was a recipient of the Business of the Year award back in 2015 but he has been nominated for the Schricker award three years in a row. Henry F. Schricker Award Committee members, as well as past winners, decided to grant Kersting with the award this year for his continued service to the community.

The winner of the Above and Beyond award is Starke County A.B.A.T.E. This award can go to an individual, a business or an organization. This year the award when to the Starke County American Bikers Aimed Toward Education for their countless fundraising efforts and immersive community involvement. Continue reading →

Cooley Named Yellowstone Trail Festival Grand Marshal

Posted on Author WKVI
Jim Cooley and his granddaughter, Riley, are frequently spotted on his blue tricycle

A lifelong Hamlet resident is the grand marshal for this year’s Yellowstone Trail Festival Parade. Jim Cooley is known as the Hamlet Inventor. He’s been tinkering since his teenage years, when he worked at Jones’ Repair Shop. Cooley did body work, mechanical repairs, painting and whatever else needed done on a vehicle. He also got hands-on lessons about gyrocopter manufacturing from Merle Jones. Continue reading →

Starke Chamber Names Kersting’s Cycle Center Business of the Year

Posted on Author WKVI
Kerstings Business of the Year
Kersting’s Cycle Center is the Starke County Chamber of Commerce 2015 Business of the Year

“The little shop in the middle of nowhere where wonderful folks come from everywhere” is the 2015 Starke County Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year.

Kersting’s Cycle Center owner Jim Kersting and his late wife, Nella, opened a small engine repair shop south of North Judson on State Road 39 in 1960. The original building has grown to more than 37,000 square feet with more than 20 employees during the busy motorcycle riding season. Continue reading →

North Judson BZA Members Sworn In

Posted on Author WKVI

North Judson BZA The North Judson Town Board honored a longtime board of zoning appeals member who is stepping aside after 15 years of service.

Jim Kersting will continue to serve as a senior consultant. Jerry Jernas is replacing Kersting on the North Judson BZA. Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry swore him in Monday night along with Teena Hittle and John Silhavy, who have each agreed to serve another two-year term. Marv Peters and Chris Konefsky are in the second year of their two-year terms of service.

Kersting’s Cycle Center Annual Charity Event This Weekend

Posted on Author WKVI

Kersting’s Cycle Center will be hosting their 10th annual charity event this weekend. The Motorcycle, Music and Memories event is a large celebration put on at the center for only one day, featuring live bands, food vendors, and a motorcycle ride in the afternoon. The event raises money for a number of charities, including the Muscular Dystrophy Association and the Nella Kersting Memorial Scholarship.

Jim and Nella Kersting developed their love of motorcycles into a growing, successful family business over the span of 40 years. Nella tragically passed away in 2003 as the result of a two-vehicle crash in Pulaski County which also left Jim critically injured.

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Walkerton Fourth of July Celebration Begins Today

Posted on Author WKVI

Going back to the 1950’s, Walkerton, Indiana has been one of the places to be over the 4th of July weekend. This year is no exception and it all gets started today with the Independence Day Parade at 7:30 p.m. ET. The parade will begin at the Urey Middle School and ends at the John Glenn High School. There’s plenty of weekend fun, so grab a schedule, and enjoy some of the events.

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Governor Daniels Visits Kersting’s Motorcycle Museum

Posted on Author WKVI
Governor Daniels talks to Jim Kersting about the motorcycles in the museum

It’s not unusual for people from far and wide to stop by Kersting’s Motorcycle Museum in North Judson. The Governor of the State of Indiana, Mitch Daniels, stopped in for a visit yesterday and took a tour of the most famous motorcycle museum in the Midwest and the most interesting in the United States. He was given the tour by Jim Kersting.

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