Benjamin Coll
Ben is the co-owner and editor of The Weekly Villager and actively guides the James A. Garfield Local School District's student media programs. He oversees GGtv broadcasting, the High School yearbook, and Podcasting initiatives, fostering student creativity for the JAG community. In Garrettsville, he serves as vice president of the Garrettsville Area Chamber, vice president of the Garrettsville Board of Public Affairs, and contributes as a board member for the Nelson Garrettsville Community cupboard,
Garrettsville Will Be Going Green March 17th
Garrettsville - O’Henry, O’Malley, O’My! Grab your friends and neighbors, and follow the road to Garrettsville on March 17th for a fun-filled St. Patrick’s Day you won’t soon forget. And that’s no blarney!
The historic village of Garrettsville knows how to celebrate, and it will start first thing in the...
Nelson Trustee News
Nelson Twp – Officials present at the February 19th, 2014 trustee meeting were fiscal officer J. David Finney and township trustees Joe Leonard, Mike Elias, and Tom Matota. Also present were, Roads Supervisor Chuck Vanek, Zoning Inspector Anna Mae VanDerHoeven, and Community House Caretaker Michelle Cmunt.
As the first order...
Upcoming Chamber of Commerce Events
Garrettsville - Spring is right around the corner, probably buried in a snowdrift but it is coming nevertheless.
One of the first signs of spring is the Garrettsville Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Celebration. Grab your friends and neighbors, and follow the road to Garrettsville Monday, March...
Nelson Township Trustee News
Nelson Twp - Officials present at the February 5th, 2014 trustee meeting were fiscal officer J. David Finney and township trustees Joe Leonard, Mike Elias, and Tom Matota. Also present were, Roads Supervisor Chuck Vanek, Zoning Inspector Anna Mae VanDerHoeven, and Community House Caretaker Michelle Cmunt.
As the first order...
Nelson Township Trustee News
Nelson Twp. – Officials present at the January 15th, 2014 trustee meeting were fiscal officer J. David Finney and township trustees Joe Leonard, Mike Elias, and Tom Matota. Also present were, Roads Supervisor Chuck Vanek, Zoning Inspector Anna Mae VanDerHoeven, and Community House Caretaker Michelle Cmunt.
As the first order...
A Fresh Start for Nelson Township
Nelson Twp. – Acting as the Chairman-Pro Tem, Nelson Township Fiscal Officer Dave Finney called the first trustee meeting of 2014 to order on January 8 and lead those in attendance in reciting the pledge of allegiance. Officials present at the meeting were trustees Joe Leonard, Mike Elias, and...
Garrettsville Area Chamber News
Garrettsville - The Garrettsville Area Chamber of Commerce wrapped up 2013 by celebrating another successful year of community involvement at its annual Holiday Social held on December 18th at Sugar Bush Golf Course. Over forty chamber members were treated to a delicious meal prepared by The Pasta House &...
Think Local: Happy Holidays from Your Chamber of Commerce
Garrettsville - On Saturday, November 30 hundreds of area residents gathered at Garrettsville’s clock tower for the annual Clock Tower Lighting & Visit with Santa Claus. At exactly 5:30 PM, village mayor Rick Patrick flipped the switch illuminating Garrettsville’s historic timepiece in dazzling yuletide colors. Those in attendance were...
Residents Express Ire at Absentee Trustee
Nelson Twp - Meeting at 7:15pm on November 20, trustees Tom Matota and Joe Leonard were in attendance for a special meeting scheduled to decide the fate of two proposed amendments. Outgoing trustee Jim Turos was once again absent.
After the November 6 meeting, the trustees followed up with Township...
Break Out The Ice Cream Cake…
Garrettsville — Break out the ice cream cake, another area business is celebrating a major anniversary. This November marks the 40th anniversary of Garrettsville’s Dairy Queen, and the 38th year of Roger and Connie Angel’s ownership of the franchise. At the November 6th meeting of the Garrettsville Area Chamber...
Nelson Trustees News
Following the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, trustee Tom Matota opened the floor to those present. Jacob Seinc of Scout Troop 465 presented the trustees with updates on his Eagle Scout project (the cleaning and restoration of the Pixley Park hiking trail). Seinc has revised his plan to...
Think Local: News & Events from the Garrettsville Area Chamber of...
Bruce Abraham, and his team at Charles Auto Family recently celebrated the Grand Re-Opening of the newly remodeled Charles Chevrolet. Hundreds of local residents, and customers -- past and present -- were on hand for a day filled with great food, family activities, and entertainment by K-105. Attendees also...
Second Style Boutique Opens in Garrettsville
Second Style resale boutique held their grand opening on Saturday, September 7th in downtown Garrettsville. Located at 8089 Main Street (the former Denette's Designs), Second Style is packed with a range of new and gently used clothing items, accessories, children's gear and toy.
Hours of operation for Second Style are...
Nelson Township Trustee Meeting News
Nelson Twp. - Calling the meeting to order at 7:30 PM, Chairman Tom Matota opened the floor to those in attendance. A resident from Kyle Road was present to ask whether Dave Finney had been able to find information regarding cable service contracts within the township. The resident mentioned...
Facet Salon Hosts Open House
Garrettsville–On Tuesday, August 6th Rachelle King and the staff of Facet Salon and Day Spa played host to over 100 area residents and business owners during their business open house. Attendees were treated to a tour of the entire TLC facility, comprised of vision, wellness, and fitness centers in...
Fireman’s Association Dedicates Building
Garrettsville–Following a brief history of the Garrettsville Freedom Nelson Joint Fire District, and the Fire Station, representatives of the district Fireman’s Association held a dedication ceremony Saturday evening during the 2013 Peach Social & Car Cruise. The new outbuilding located between the fire station, and Community EMS houses an...
Three Area Businesses Celebrate Anniversaries in July
Garrettsville - The Garrettsville Area Chamber of Commerce is proud to recognize three member businesses who celebrated anniversaries in July.
Now in her 25th year of business, Allene Fodor has welcomed customers into her beautiful butter-yellow century home since 1988. From the moment they cross the threshold, treasure-seekers visiting...
IvaFest 2013
Garrettsville - On Sunday, July 7th the Villager’s own Iva Walker recently hosted a Riparian Lawn Party to celebrate the repetitive 39th Birthday of one of Garrettsville’s own. This time with live entertainment.
The crowd of over 100 “close personal friends” gathered at The Walker Riparian Cottage & Convention Centre...
July Events at the Windham Library
Windham Library and the Renaissance Family Center invite everyone to a fun filled July. We’ll start off being entertained with the magic of Drew Murray on Tuesday, July 16 at 12:30 p.m. Kent State Summer Stock 2013 will be doing their theatrical performance of Puss & Boots on July...
Original Quality & Fresh Ingredients Return to Italian Garden
Garrettsville - After briefly franchising-out their flagship restaurant in Garrettsville, owners Tim and Joselle Weiss have returned to the helm of The Italian Garden. Opening fifteen years ago in the former Mario Angelo Pizza building (8116 Main Street), The Italian Garden quickly became known as the place to go...
Garfield Schools Celebrating Excellence
Garrettsville - Congratulations to the students and staff of the James A. Garfield Local School District. The district as a whole has achieved an "Excellent", or "Excellent with Distinction" rating for five consecutive years with many of the schools holding these titles individually much longer than that. Beginning with...
2013 Garrettsville Area Chamber of Commerce Scholarship Recipients
Garrettsville - On June 5th the Garrettsville Area Chamber held their annual Scholarship Luncheon at Cal’s Restaurant. Pictured above are the 2013 recipients of the scholarships. Kaleigh Gilmer (left) will be attending the Indiana University of Pennsylvania to study nursing and psychology; Garrett McArdle (center) will be persuing a...
At Cedar Point the World-Class Thrills Start at the Gate
Sandusky — On Thursday, May 9th thousands of coaster enthusiasts from across the globe flocked to America’s “roller-coast”, Cedar Point, for the opportunity to take flight on the amusement park’s latest record-shattering rollercoaster—GateKeeper.
“GateKeeper is unlike anything our guests have experienced before,” said John Hildebrandt, Cedar Point’s Vice President and...
Stirring Up Success: Pasta House Thrives in Garrettsville
Garrettsville – After four months of outstanding support from the community, Garrettsville’s latest culinary destination—The Pasta House—is serving up extended hours and a bevy of exciting new entrees this spring.
Following months of dividing their time between their Italian Garden franchise, and The Pasta House, mother and son team Sherry...
Find Your Way to Historic Garrettsville This St. Patrick’s Day
O’Henry, O’Malley, O’My! Grab your friends and neighbors, and follow the road to Garrettsville on March 17th for a fun-filled St. Patrick’s Day you won’t soon forget. And that’s no blarney!
The historic village of Garrettsville knows how to celebrate, and they are starting first thing in the morn’. Start...
Excavation at Cleveland Museum of Art Brings The Last Days of...
Cleveland - Working in conjunction with the Theatre Ninjas, a Cleveland-based theater troupe committed to creating “experiences that are out-of-the-ordinary, unforgettable events”, the Cleveland Museum of Art is bringing the tragic history of Pompeii to life.
Located within the Cleveland Museum of Art’s exhibition titled The Last Days of...
Help “Shut The Door on Hunger” This Saturday
Garrettsville - The Garrettsville Police Department, and Save-A-Lot are teaming up to “shut the door on hunger” this weekend. The first Fill-A-Cruiser promotion of 2013 will take place Saturday, February 9th from 8:00 AM—1:00 PM; allowing Save-A-Lot shoppers an opportunity to help fill Garrettsville police cruisers with donations of...
‘We Regret to Inform You’ Rocks Cleveland
CLEVELAND—"This next band isn’t from Streetsboro High School, it IS Streetsboro High School!" quipped emcee Jeff Kutz as he introduced Streetsboro’s own ‘We Regret to Inform You’ at the Tri-C® High School Rock Off on January 27th. All joking aside, Kutz wasn’t too far from the truth. Brought together...
When East Meets West: Dralion Takes Cleveland by Storm
CLEVELAND—The roar of dralions (a clever blending of eastern dragons and western lions) could be heard throughout lower Cleveland over the holiday weekend, drawing thousands to their temporary home within Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center. Billed as a performance that “transcends the boundaries of imagination”, the performers and crew...
East Meets West in Cleveland This Weekend
CLEVELAND—Billed as a performance that “transcends the boundaries of imagination”, the performers and crew of Cirque Du Soleil’s Dralion achieve just that. Running April 4th through 8th at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center, spectators are drawn into a dazzling world of rich colors, moving instrumentals and flowing textiles. Showcasing...
