Iva Walker

So…when did single digits on the thermometer become a “norm”? Good Grief ! I must say, the hill in back of the Y has got the biggest workout in some time; we’ve had several winters when the snow cover was not sufficient to make sledding a very pleasurable activity–who...

The January 13, 2025 meeting of the Garrettsville-Hiram Rotary Club was all about organizing and planning for new recruits, new programs & people, scaling back to focus on what’s already on the plate (HopeTownOhio, for instance), invitations to “people who know”, as well as people who can connect.  There...

Time for the annual...or semi-annual...or when I da—d-well feel like it... chance to point out the error of the ways of anybody not me. Such a list I’ve got !Let’s start with a commercial message...Not!You know how the prices of things have been going up while the portions have...

Members of the Twentieth Century Club of Garrettsville revealed their outre’ activities on New Year’s Eve as their responses to the roll call on January 2 at the home of Kathy Countryman, (who had the assistance of co-hostesses Pat Amor and Carol Torda. These ranged from parties and “homebodying”...

Happy New Rotary Year was the general tenor of the January 6, 2025 meeting of the Garrettsville-Hiram Rotary and it was conveyed by District Governor Dale Smith in his address focussing on the “Magic of Rotary” in the community and in the world. Outreach adventures such as Polio Plus,...

The elegantly decorated Victorian home of member Jan Boehm was the scene of the December, 2024 meeting of the Twentieth Century Club of Garrettsville. Roll call was answered by offering up wishes for Christmas…heavy on family harmony and world peace, with occasional comical situation references. Co-hostess Leah Schultz revealed...

The Garrettsville-Hiram Rotary meeting on December 9, 2024, featured a program from Project Promise/SOAR (Savvy, Observant, Animated, Resourceful). This initiative, created by John Clark and Kali Roberts with support from the James Woods Foundation, addresses the effects of online existence on today’s youth. The program focuses on key issues...

…that winter–meteorological/astronomical/calendar-wise–is all of three weeks away (December 21, 2024) and about that long ago we were all marveling at how unseasonably warm it had been for, how long? And speaking of the Winter Solstice (December 21, 2024)--the shortest day of the year–before it even gets here, we get...

The recent meeting focused on updates from the successful Reverse Raffle. Discussion included positive financial outcomes, suggestions for improvements, and notes for future events, which have been uploaded to the Google Drive for reference. The annual Dictionary Project will wrap up on December 13. Labels will be applied to the...

The James A. Garfield Historical Society convened Nov. 18, 2024, to celebrate the success of the recent Christmas Walk and address upcoming projects and events. Members praised the community’s involvement in the holiday event, particularly the Village’s efforts to enhance decorations. Special thanks were extended to Randy and his team...

The November 14, 2024 meeting of the Twentieth Century Club of Garrettsville got enlightenment from the program, presented by Kim Curry and Michelle Zivoder of the Nelson Garrettsville Community Cupboard, but not from the power grid, which, inconveniently, conked out just before the meeting hour of seven o’ clock....

The Freedom Historical Society meeting on November 12 featured a video presentation focused on local worthies–Bob Bossow and his sister, Delores Reed. Bossow has been a well-known and respected builder/contractor/businessman/pilot; Reed served as Portage County Clerk of Courts for a number of years; they are now mostly retired (but...

Yes, indeed. Another Christmas Walk has come and not yet gone. You’ve got time to finish it off in fine style if you hit the second weekend (November 15, 16, 17). Pray for the kind of weather the first weekend had…not counting Sunday, which was a tad damp, but...

The Garrettsville-Hiram Rotary gathered for its November meeting at noon on Veterans’ Day, November 11, 2024, at Cal’s II in Sky Plaza. The club took a moment to honor veterans before diving into updates on various projects, fundraising efforts, and upcoming events. Much of the meeting centered on preparations for...

I have got to get out more. That’s going to be my approach to being gob-smacked by the prices of all sorts of things. Shop more, get more accustomed to seeing items of dubious value ( and I do mean dubious–possibly not long-lasting enough to survive the trip in the...

This is what happens when we have our Trick-or-Treat Night on an evening when nobody else around is having theirs: Lots o’ strangers showing up at our front porches, that’s what. Wowzah ! There were packs of ghosts’n’ goblins, dragons & dinosaurs, police and prisoners making their way up...

And I’m not talking about the fall colors and all that… though they are quite lovely, as usual. My pawpaw patch is a brilliant yellow—no fruit though. The maples are a pretty red (syrup isn’t all they’re good for). It’s autumn in Ohio for sure, but this is just...

The October 17, 2024 meeting of the Twentieth Century Club of Garrettsville was held at the home of Nasreen Kitko and focussed on music, with the roll call response being “My Favorite Song” and the program presented by Karen Miller illustrating tunes from her childhood memories of the movies....

Garrettsville-Hiram Rotary was cruising right along at their meeting on October 21, 2024. Principal items of business were the finishing arrangements for the Reverse Raffle night on November 9 at Sugar Bush–tablecloths, tickets, flyers, baskets, sponsors (and thank yous), tech issues, as well as consultation with Dee Synnestvedt of...

The Twentieth Century Club of Garrettsville met on October 3, 2024 at the home of Jane Hill, who was assisted in hostessing by Linda Fitt and Connie Pesecky. Roll call was answered by noting one’s favorite walking trail; winter residences, the Headwaters Trail, Lake Erie Bluffs, the Hiram Bio...

At the October 7, 2024, meeting of the Garrettsville-Hiram Rotary Club, members were in high spirits as they celebrated the successful dedication of the Tom Collins Rotary Memorial Walking Trail. With the trail officially opened, the club will soon be organizing a clean-up to ensure the area remains pristine...

As in, “Be careful what you ask for, you may get it.” Having passed the astronomical beginning of Fall (the Autumnal Equinox, September 22)( interesting note from the OFA–”As the wind and weather at the equinoxes, so will they be for the next 3 months”...think about that.)with a continued appearance...

The Garrettsville-Hiram Rotary Club held its meeting on September 30, 2024, with a focus on final preparations for the much-anticipated dedication of the Tom Collins Rotary Memorial Walking Trail. The event will take place on October 6, 2024, at the South Street (Bill Phelps) Park, starting at 4:30 p.m. A...

Our local United Methodist churches–Garrettsville, Nelson, Windham– are joining up on September 29 for a joint potluck dinner/brunch following a combined worship service at 10:00 a.m. in the Garrettsville sanctuary. Everyone (with a dish) is invited; plates, napkins, tableware, beverages will be provided; there’ll be cake too. How can...

Does it seem that we’ve had more than our share of “moon events” lately?There was the total solar eclipse back on April 8 (Still finding eclipse glasses around the house are we?), where the moon passed in front of the sun and just left us slightly in the dark,...

As the election signs pop up in yards in local communities around the nation, the election season begins to heat up. Instead of focusing on whether preferred candidates are red or blue, one local faith community is choosing to direct their attention on where the two groups intersect. They...

The September 16, 2024, meeting of the Garrettsville-Hiram Rotary Club dealt with upcoming events that have been long in the planning stages. Documents to be included in the new time capsule were finalized for the ceremony on September 21. The mural producers, Cleveland Wraps, brought up issues such as permissions,...

Garrettsville-Hiram Rotary meeting on September 9, 2024 covered plenty o’ ground, beginning with the items/documents to be placed in the new ( 80 year) time capsule to be dedicated on September 21, 2024 by the James A. Garfield Historical Society; these include Rotary officers, events and projects across the...