The Mail-Journal, Volume 14, Number 52, Milford, Kosciusko County, 18 January 1978 — Page 3

Leisure Time

Mikals have inventive and creative hobby

By MARY LEE WILLMAN An inventive and creative * hobby of unbelievable -■ proportions is housed in the 25 x 25 foot basement area in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Mikals and daughter, Barbara, r 1 Warsaw. The miniature world, designed, created, painted and constructed by Mr. Mikals and Barbara is constantly changing, growing, being phased out and re-created. Everything is carefully built to scale of one-eighth inch to the foot. The entire main street of North Webster has been carefully reproduced in detail. Barbara stated, “The Counting House bank building measures exactly 196 feet. Dad and I measured it twice to be sure. We measured all the other buildings on main street and then took photographs.” The reproduction was built from memory and the photos.

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Some of the buildings are made from cardboard and covered with a fast drying latex paint for strength. Other buildings are built from kits that the Mikals redesign to fit the theme of the display and stay within the oneeighth inch scale. The Amish community features a school, horse and buggy, farm house and bam with rabbits, chickens and other farm animals. A field of grain is growing close to the bam. The towns, farms, businesses, industrial, service and scenic areas are all connected by three levels of train track. The 40 engines and 12 trains travel from one level to another, but, Mr. Mikals chuckled, “It sure takes a lot of switch throwing.” According to scale there are about 3,000 miles of railroad track encompassing tne three levels of track in the display area. A curved railroad round ho|se

is completely operational and keeps the trains running. There also is a storage building for unused equipment and railroad cars. According to the Mikals, the brass train rails are layed on a base of one half inch insulation board to provide smooth, quiet running. The brass tracks oxidize and must be cleaned once a month. The train wheels must also be cleaned. The trains will wreck if foreign objects happen to get on them. “Just like real trains,” says Barbara. The small world has black topped streets with electric street lights and roads with sigfe and billboards. Kitty litter makes excellent gravel and charcoal from aquariums serves as tiny pieces of coal. All manner of trucks, cars and other vehicles traverse the roads and highways. A wrecker is at the scene of an accident, trucks are .making deliveries at businesses and the volunteer fire department is represented. Barbara builds all needed items that cannot be purchased at a hobby shop. She buys “regular stock” that can be customized and rebuilt to fit the scene she is creating. If she can’t buy it, anything available is fair game for Barbara’s creative hands. An oil refinery is made from croquet balls. The circus ferris wheel was built from pieces of railroad rails and is turned by the motor from a Christmas tree color wheel light. Things such as fences, machinery, etc., are made from tooth picks, odd pieces of plastic, match boxes, string, spools, bottle caps and most anything else imaginable. P Barbara paints uniforms, costumes and work clothes on the tiny human figures so they correspond with the theme of their location. The most recent addition to the ever changing display is a circus tent containing three rings, circus band, wagons, animals and parade in progress. The bejeweled and spangled performers’ costumes and trappings for the horses and elephants were made by Barbara. At the moment she and her father are trying to figure out how to make the trapeze performers actually swing on their trapeze. All background scenery covering the walls is painted on old sheets, tarps or “Whatever was handy.” The mountains, hills and other landscaping was created from plaster sculptured over a base of screening material. A waterfall spilling out of the

It Happened ... in Milford

14 YEARS AGO, JAN. 23,1964 Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Hollar of Milford were Sunday night guests of Mr. and Mrs. Jackie Miller and family of Nappanee. Mr. and Mrs. Amos Steffen and Mr. and Mrs. Theo Beer of Milford left on January 14 for Phoenix, Ariz., where they are visiting Mr. and Mrs. Joe Heinold and Mr. and Mrs. Alan Beer. Mrs. Heinold is a sister of Mrs. Steffen, and Mr. Beer is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Theo Beer. Sunday guests of Mrs. Anna Honan of Milford were Mrs. Dean Wagner of Elkhart and her daughter, Beverly, and two children of Michigan, Mr. and Mrs. John Down and Ezra Wenger, all of Goshen.

mountainside turns a water wheel and flows into a lake containing boats and piers. Hillsides throughout the entire display feature trees, shrubs and typical assorted greenery. As if the table top displays weren’t delightful enough the Mikals have gone a step further. A coal mine complete with workmen, coal cars and coal is built beneath one of the display areas. In another area there is a mountain cave. Its interior is constructed from old rags dipped in a plaster mix, molded over a screen wire frame, then painted. The interior of the cave is lit, revealing a skeleton, relics, stalactites and stalagmites. Railroad and train sounds are piped throughout the basement area from a stereo unit. It is hoped that calliope and circus band music can soon be added. .. Mr. Mikals does all the display area electrical work. He set up the control panel that operates the tiny lights, vast complex of trains and motors for the water wheel, merry-go-round, ferris wheel, etc. Mrs. Mikals says she is, “mostly an interested observer,” but she is a very talented lady who does beautiful macrame and other hand work. The Mikals estimate that two or three thousand hours of work have gone into their hobby during the last four years. They admit it is all a lot of fun and quite a challange to keep everything to scale. Asked if it wasn’t an awful lot of work, the family was quick to reply that it’s so much fun it couldn’t be considered work. “Also, it goes in stages, one piece or one area at a time and you don’t really notice the time.” Barbara has a special pair of needle nose pliers that are used to handle the tiny bits and pieces of construction material. She sometimes uses a magnifying glass. Once in awhile the ideas are planned out on paper before they are built. Otliter times, “We just get an idea and go with it.” Asked if there were any problems created by such an intricate hobby, Mr. Mikals chuckled, “Not really. The grandchildren like to run the trains so fast they wreck. We don’t really consider that a problem. We are glad they can enjoy our project.” The finishing touch — an airplane suspended from the ceiling by a nearly invisible thread. It moves with the air currents and appears to be flying over the peaceful, yet busy, miniature countryside.

24 YEARS AGO, JAN. 29,1954 Friday overnight guests of Mr. and Mrs. Raymaid Pinkerton were Mr. and Mrs. Edward Hepler of Oak Park, 111. They and Mr. and Mrs. Glen Pinkerton, Mr. and Mrs. Leon Tucker, and Mrs. Stanley Hoopingamer and daughter, Elaine Ann, were dinner guests Friday evening. Everett Price and children, Ronnie, Tommie, and Anna, and Mr. and Mrs. Russell Price of LaPaz visited Mr. and Mrs. Charles price on Sunday. Mrs. Lehman Wemple was hostess to the Thursday afternoon bridge club last week and to the Merry Jayness of Friday evening. 30 YEARS AGO, FEB. 5,1948 Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Kupferschmid and sons, Robert and Paul, Rankin, 111., were guests of Mr. and Mrs. Levi Beer, Friday and Saturday. Philip H. Snyder of Milford, and Betty Tom of Leesburg rural route, are among the approximately 150 Indiana University student musicians chosen to make up this year’s university band. The uniforms worn by the Milford high school band before their present new uniforms were purchased by the Lions club and other interested friends have been sold to the high school band of Compton, California. The money received will be used to , buy new instruments and more uniforms for new members of the Milford band. 60 YEARS AGO, JAN. 31,1918 Mr. and Mrs. Carl Haab of Wyatt spent Sunday with Mr. and Mrs. Ed Haab. The Milford men who handle the nght express at Milford Junction, were covered up Monday morning with express that could not be shipped out because of a lack of cars. R. J. Stanley, who has recently purchased a stock of hardware and implements at Hagerstown,

Lakeland calendar of events

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 18 6:30 p.m. — Adult education at Wawasee Room 215 and 300 THURSDAY, JAN. 19 4 p.m. — Milford Junior High seven and eighth grade girls basketball vs Nappanee here 5 p.m. — Syracuse Junior High boys basketball at Bremen 6 p.m. — Wawasee freshmen wrestling vs Elkhart Northside at Wawasee 6:30 p.m. — Wawasee swim vs s .Concord-here 6:30 p.m. — Wawasee girls basketball vs Columbia Citythere 6:30 p.m. — Ball State University class-Room 101 7 p.m. — Wawasee wrestling vs Concord here 7:30 p.m. — Kiwanis Travelogue Wawasee Auditorium 7:30 p.m. — Adult farmer class at Wawasee Ag Annex FRIDAY, JAN. 20 No school for students, end of semester 6:30 p.m. — WaWasee basketball vs Goshen at Wawasee SATURDAY, JAN. 21 All Day — Wawasee girls basketball invitational at Concord AH Day — Speech contest at Concord 9 a.m. — Wawasee J.V. wrestling tournament at North Wood 9 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. — Milford seventh grade boys four-way tourney at Syracuse 9:40-10:45 a.m.-l:30-2:45 p.m. — Wawasee freshman basketball four-way tourney at West Noble

FFA competes at Marion

The Wawasee Future Farmers of America livestock judging team participated in the annual Indiana Duroc Breeders judging contest held Saturday at Marion. Riders to hold benefit dance The Pony Express Riders will hold a benefit dance on February 11, at the American Legion in Pierceton. The Night Riders will play for the benefit that will take [dace from 7 p.m. to midnight. A one dollar donation is asked, all ages are invited. Proceeds from the dance will be channeled through the Easter Seal Society to help crippled persons in Kosciusko County. Some of the services available through the society include direct case service, summer camping, physical and occupational therapy, loan equipment, speech therapy, swimming programs, day camps, information and referral service and public education and information.

and whose family is yet in Milford, was here over Sunday. He is soon to make a sale of his personal property on the farm north of Milford and will move his family to Hagerstown early in the spring. Alpha Nu Chapter has book review A review of the book, “Profiles in Inspiration,” by William and Paul Ruben, was the program presented to members of Alpha Nu Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma Society, Syracuse, at a recent meeting in Bourbon. Maud L. Yontz presented the program which revealed how many well-known women have shown great ability and deep inner strength when faced with disappointments, failures, unhappiness and sometimes personal tragedy. Among the women discussed were Shirley Chisolm, Barbara Jordan, Joan Kennedy, Patricia Neal, Beverly Sills; Totie Fields and Rachel Carson. A total of 46 members were present at the meeting. A short business meeting was also held, presided over by chapter president Mrs. Darrell Phillips. FREE BOOKLET You can get some great recipes for using brandy in appetizers, main courses, desserts and drinks. Just write for a free 16-page booklet prepared by the California Brandy Advisory Board to: Brandy Cookery, P.O. Box 1130, Modesto, California 95353.

1 p.m. — Wawasee wrestling vs Plymouth at Plymouth 6:30 p.m. — Wawasee basketball vs Manchester at Manchester MONDAY, JAN. 23 4 p.m. — Syracuse seveneichth grade girls basketball at Pierceton 6 p.m. — Wawasee freshman wrestling vs North Wood at North Wood 6 p.m. — Milford Junior High boys basketball vs Warsaw here 6:30 p.m. — Wawasee swim vs Elkhart Memorial at Elkhart 6:30 p.m. — Wawasee gymnastics vs West Noble at West Noble 7:30 p.m. — Concerned citizen’s forum Room 101 TUESDAY, JAN. 24 3:45 p.m. — Milford Junior High boys sixth grade basketball vs New Paris here 4:30 p.m. — Syracuse Junior high boys basketball vs Goshen here 6:30 p.m. — Wawasee girls basketball vs Plymouth at Wawasee 7 p.m. — Wawasee wrestling vs North Wood at North Wood WEDNESDAY, JAN. 25 Report cards go home 4 p.m. — North Webster girls basketball vs South Whitley 4 p.m. — Syracuse sixth grade boys basketball at Pierceton 4:30 p.m. — Syracuse girls basketball at Bremen 5 p.m. — Wawasee swim vs Howe Military and Plymouth at Wawasee 7 p.m. — Wawasee intramurals

Wawasee in-

7 p.m. tramurals

Nearly 40 teams and over 150 individuals from throughout Indiana competed. The Wawasee team of Tim Butt, Allen Coy, Brian Roberts and Jeff Beezley placed eighth overall. Another Wawasee team comprised of Charlie Cretcher, Gene Tyler, Gary Weaver and Ron Aaron placed 15th. In the individual competition, Jeff Beezley finished eighth and Brian Roberts and Charlie Cretcher placed 22 and 21 respectively. Kevin Coy and Randy Warren accompanied the group. Some say pearls are unlucky.

Howto have your money and spend it,too. H' - > B Mr Lovisa Wiseman "Let Me Send You A Check Every Month" First National Bank of Warsaw has a plan that can pay you $62.50 per month, every month, guaranteed safe. Here's how it works. Deposit SIO,OOO in a 6 year certificate of deposit at First National Bank. We will send you your interest, based on 7’/»% per year, as a monthly check. Each month. Your SIO,OOO remains intact. At the end of the 6 years, you will have received $4,500 in checks, and you still have your original SIO,OOO, which you may re-invest if you wish. And since your deposit is insured safe by the federal government, we guarantee the interest for the life of the certificate. Because federal law requires a substantial interest penalty for early withdrawal. First National Bank has a wide selection of investment certificates with higher and lower interest checks, based on your deposit and date of maturity. But all investment certificates pay the highest interest rates allowable by law. Start receiving your monthly income check right away. Apply at any First National Bank office, where people like you come first.

Wed., January 18,1978 — THE MAIL-JOURNAL

Youth Center events

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 18 Macrame class, 9-10 a.m., beginning February 1; Junior High exercise, 3:30-5 p.m.; women's exercise, 7-8 p.m. THURSDAY, JAN. 19 Women’s exercise, 9-10 a.m.; elementary basketball, 6:30-8:30 p.m. SATURDAY, JAN. 21 Gymnastics, 8:30-12:30 a.m.beginning January 28. MONDAY, JAN. 23 Elementary basketball, 5-7 p.m.; women’s exercise, 7:158:15 p.m. TUESDAY, JAN. 24 Women’s exercise, 9-10 a.m.; children’s puppets 3:30-5 p.m.; adult volleyball, 7-9 p.m. beginning January 24 A Gymnastics Gymirastics is back! Gymnastic classes are set to begin at the youth center January 28. Classes will be held each Saturday on the beginning, intermediate and advanced levels. Mrs. Kim Conrad will be conducting the 12 week program. To register, contact the youth center or Mrs. Conrad after 5:30 p.m. Adult Volleyball Adult volleyball will begin

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Tuesday, Jan. 24, from 7-9 p.m. in the Syracuse Elementary School gymnasium. The group will meet for eight weeks. For more information, contact the youth center. Macrame Class Everything you wanted to know about macrame, but were afraid to ask will be answered at the youth center’s new class on macrame, beginning Wednesday, Feb. 1, at 9:30 a.m. The class, which will run through March 8, will be taught by Mrs. John (Leilani) Nemeth. The class size will be limited to 15. To register, call the youth center or Mrs. Nemeth after 5 P-m. » Robert Harkness, youth center director, also announces that winter Olympics are coming to the center. More information will be available at a later date.

Roger Bannister, the English runner, was the first man to break the four minute mile. He did it in 1954.

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