Smile

What makes Ann Vernon Barnes smile? “Kindness, people that tell you they’re going to do something and actually do it, ice cream and pizza, and my family and friends who support me,” said the Noblesville native and 1986 Noblesville High School graduate. She has a daughter, Chandler, 26, and son-in-law, Andrew Jessup; and son, Ryan Barnes (NHS Class of 2018), 23, who just graduated from Indiana University where he played football for five years. “I’m super proud of both of them,” she said. “This is the first fall that I will not be attending football every single week.” She was found at the Boys & Girls Club of Noblesville admiring the Club Kids’ quilt coloring contest entries, which are now on display through Saturday at the Noblesville Township Community Center during the Hamilton County Bicentennial Fabric Arts Show. As Noblesville Township Trustee Resource Coordinator, she helped coordinate the show. For the past 25 years, she’s lived all over the nation and returned to Noblesville about 10 years ago. At NHS, she was class president and played on the NHS Lady Millers girls basketball team with the late Krissi Davis and Courtney Cox Cole. Ann was a senior when Krissi was a junior and Courtney was a freshman. “They were dear friends of mine.” Greatest passion? “I love basketball. I love basketball, and I would play to this day if I could.” She said, “I’m very passionate about children. I’m very passionate about people.” She coaches Boys & Girls Club Girls Youth Basketball, Grades 4-6, at the Club’s Community Center. “We went undefeated this year and won the tournament.” She’ll be coaching girls basketball again this school year at the Boys & Girls Club. What else? She got engaged to Mike Huber on the Fourth of July weekend. Read more about the Fabric Arts Show and quilt coloring contest in the Betsy Reason column in today’s edition of The Times.