Claypool put on a safe and fun day for all in the “small town with the big heart” on Saturday. Called Claypool Fun Day, the theme was “Bridging Generations of the Past-Present and Future” and also celebrated the completion of the new railroad overpass bridge on SR 15 just to the west of town.

The kiddie parade kicked off the event at 11 a.m. with several entries from kids from town and as far away as Fort Wayne and Shelbyville. They all had a family connection to Claypool or Silver Lake, however.

After the parade there were free contests and activities on the main drag. Adults enjoyed playing cornhole while kids got their faces painted. During the afternoon was a pie eating contest and live music. At dusk, a movie was shown outdoors.

Claypool has been revitalized by the location of the Louis Dreyfus Commodities, which located south of town in 2007. It is home to the world’s largest fully-integrated soybean processing and biodiesel plant. The plant uses soybeans purchased from farmers and elevators throughout the Midwest to make not only biodiesel, but also soybean meal and soyhull pellets used as feed sources in the livestock industry.

After Louis Dreyfus came to town, Warsaw Community Schools reopened Claypool Elementary School after building a new addition. Students from both the Claypool and Silver Lake areas attend there. Two restaurants have opened up in town, which was once down to the post office being the only viable business.

Claypool Lions Club has spruced up its park, too. The pendulum is swinging upward for Claypool with the assistance of local businesses and concerned citizens.