Gene Leroy Ditsler loved life and lived it to the fullest for nearly 88 years, from his birth on February 8, 1937 in Valparaiso, IN, until his death on November 7, in Granville, OH. Gene grew up loving sports, especially basketball, and though he wasn’t tall enough to play on the high school team, he […]
Mark Fortune
Mark Fortune, along with his wife Nancy, is the former owner and founder of The Coshocton County Beacon, the highest circulated newspaper in Coshocton County. He has over 40 years in the publishing business with sales, marketing, and journalism experience. After selling The Beacon to the AloNovus Corp., in January 2020, Mark has been a Business Development Strategist with the company. They publish a network of weekly news publications with almost a half million distribution weekly, a quarterly tourism magazine and a digital division. Mark enjoys
history, and has a passion for genealogy, currently researching and discovering his Fortune ancestry. He and his wife Nancy live on a small farm outside of Coshocton.
Mark Fortune's Latest Posts
There’s a sweet, sweet smell in the air!
We’re fortunate to live here. I’m not sure if you take time to ponder your life circumstances – as in, how did I end up here? Most people probably don’t think about it too much. Most people are probably way too busy just trying to put bread on the table and get the kids to […]
It’s time to be nice, be kind and give away a smile
Yes, we’ve all noticed it, been a part of it, and had it happen to us at least a time or two. Especially in the past year and a half. I’m talking about folks just generally not being very friendly. Oh, I know what you’re thinking. This is one of those negative nelly, down the […]
The dog days of summer are more about July than August
That internet thing is just a wonderful tool – you can find out things both meaningful and meaningless. The dog days of summer is just one example – you get to choose whether it is something important – or not important. It certainly won’t put food on your table or help your portfolio grow or […]
Maybe we’re returning to normal, and this could be it
Last year “returning to normal,” “returning to a new normal” and several other phrases were all the rage. I hesitated to say, “all the norm.” Our new normal could be anything but as we now face the “Delta variant” of the COVID-19 virus. There is an Alpha variant, a Beta variant, a Delta variant and […]
Summertime, summertime, in the good old’ summertime
You know the tune. If you’re in the right age bracket you certainly know this wonderful ditty, but it is likely that you have heard it on a commercial or somewhere. I thought I would use some “poetic license” this week and conjure up my own version. According to the expert on all things – […]
The mid-summer doldrums are here
The mid-summer doldrums are here – and this gloomy weather and forecast does me no good. Either mentally or physically – damp and humid weather conditions are not fun for aged bones, and I will admit – I am one for the sunshine. Now, mind you – not too hot. Nor too humid. More like […]
A lot can happen in a couple of weeks
A lot can happen in a couple of weeks. Last week’s column fell victim to the woes of technology – more precisely, technology not working. Something buggered up my Microsoft Word – (it wasn’t me, I’m sure of it!) and despite several efforts to work around the issue, things just did not fall into place […]
It’s time to soar to new heights
The Coshocton Hot Air Balloon Festival takes off this weekend at the fairgrounds, returning after a one-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, offering all the fun and thrills that you would expect. This event is a terrific family focused opportunity to get outdoors and enjoy early June in Coshocton County. Take advantage of it […]
