Iva Walker

Garrettsville - Well, wasn’t it just!  The heavens opened and at least some of us got a taste of the other end of the spectrum.   If having several feet of water in the basement or watching the backyard doghouse swirling down the street doesn’t qualify as a premature look...

You know, the saying goes, “Be careful what you wish for.”  Ain’t it the truth! The Villager took a brief hiatus on the Fourth, giving staff and media stars (That’s you, Benjamin.) a little time to set off and/or observe firecrackers and recoup after all of the frenetic activity of...

So…the lightning storm took out the computers—desk top, laptop, probably the remote control for the alarm clock, for all I know—and the Villager deadline is looming on Monday.  What  to do?  What to do? The schedule is filling up : The computer guru who is working on the problem will...

If it isn’t one thing, it’s another…how’s that for original thought? I went to my computer, the desktop, which is one of the newer dinosaurs, as compared to the iPads and tablets and such, intending to turn it on and get started on my weekly offering of deathless prose and...

Garrettsville-Hiram Rotarians have sent Laura Wilburn, Joseph Miranda and Britney Collins to the annual RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Assembly) at Baldwin-Wallace, sponsored by the local club and others in the district.  The young people were drawn from Garfield HS and Windham HS and should return with many ideas and...

Well, it’s all the talk.  Superman, in the new movie coming out soon, “Man of Steel”, has a new look--no tights!   The new costume still sports the iconic red capital “S” across the--very broad--chest on an all-blue, sort of metallic, more-armored-look unitard.  No belt, exactly, but a waist-defining red...

The triumphal return of Jessica Lyons from her stint as a Rotary Exchange student in Norway was celebrated at the June 3rd meeting of the Garrettsville-Hiram Rotary Club. Jessica and her parents, Doug and Karen Lyons, recounted their experiences on both sides of the Atlantic and expressed appreciation for the...

Just in time for the summer cooking-out season, the Hormel company has now fessed up to producing ten--that’s 10 different kinds of SPAM.  Well, who’d a thunk it?  Yes! You have your regular old Spam ( which the company likes to call “Spam Classic”).  You have Spam Lite, Spam ”with...

How about being a “do-gooder”? helptheparrots@parrothope.org is seeking individuals who desire to help animals in need.  This group would like to put to good use your skills and/or talents to benefit the community and the birds.(“It’s for the birds” is not a bad thing).  This could result in volunteer experience...

It wasn’t pretty. The brain trust here at the Weekly Villager sallied forth to adventures in orthography by participating in the22nd Annual Community Spelling Bee for Literacy, co-sponsored by the Portage County Literacy Coalition Community Partners at the NEOMED Conference Center on Friday, May 24, 20013.  And fourth…maybe fifth… was...

Garrettsville - Well, there weren’t 76 trombones but there were lots of  families and awards and plenty of  recognition for the members of the James A. Garfield Marching Pride at the annual band awards banquet, held on Wednesday, May 8, 2013. ‘Twas a pretty full house too, upwards of one...

The James A. Garfield Historical Society was happy to accept a number of donations for its collections at the May 20, 2013 meeting:  Bob and Jean Farley contributed pictures, maps and merchants’ placards from early days in business (C.W. Payne Insurance) in the village.  Rhonda McCullough Jones  contributed  pictures...

That was a fine old time! Well, if you weren’t trying to get anyplace in a hurry, that is.  The annual Garrettsville community garage/yard/porch sale seems to have attracted quite a crowd for most of the weekend.  Some of the narrower thoroughfares were a challenge for those just trying to...

So, is this how the Opera House was lost? The James A. Garfield Historical Society withdrew its application to the Portage County commissioners for consideration to receive a community development  grant intended to facilitate the rescue and restoration of the former Paul’s Grist Mill/Foote Building in downtown Garrettsville.   It...

Elizabeth DeLuca, recently of the University of Findlay, was on the program of the Garrettsville-Hiram Rotary at their meeting on May 13, 2013.  She is a well-traveled young lady and offered insights on her stays in Japan, Argentina, Peru and Brazil. Her title for this presentation was ”Through the Looking...

`You thought that spring had come, just because you looked at a calendar and got out your flip-flops and sunscreen (I wear sunglasses all year, so that’s really no indication), not to mention making pool plans.  Think again, Hummingbird-watcher. I DID hang out four loads of wash on the line...

Garrettsville - Sincere apologies and grateful thanks go to the folks who showed up for the Machine-0-Mania / Touch-A-Truck event last Saturday at Garfield H.S.   Apologies go to the parents, grandparents and such who came expecting to see LOTS more trucks and big rigs of all sorts that simply...

Garrettsville-Hiram Rotarians we’re offered renewed insights on the operations and goals of the Coleman Professional Services--Fostering Recovery, Building Independence, Changing Destinies--being offered to the citizens of Portage, Summit, Stark and Trumbull counties here in northeast Ohio and in Allen, Auglaize and Hardin counties in northwestern Ohio. One of the first...

Just dealing with the medical and insurance issues is enough to send a rational individual(That would be me…no snickering out there) around the bend. I will be the first to admit that my medical and insurance issues are--knock on wood--WAY less fraught with difficulty than many other folk out there...

A select but enthusiastic group, including previous honorees, Mitch Collins ’76, John Bennett ’77 and Darrin Perusek ’93, attended the 5th annual James A. Garfield Hall of Fame induction on Saturday, April 27, 2013 in the HS/MS Commons honoring Martin Paul ‘61 and  Mark Manno ’74. The social hour allowed...

Garrettsville - The newest business to locate in Garrettsville, S&K Sales & Service, Inc., held a Grand Opening celebration at their new location at 8018 French St.  Success at their previous venue in Freedom Township led the family--and it IS a family operation, with everyone pitching in at everything...

Garrettsville-Hiram Rotarians hit the trail last Saturday for their semi-annual roadside clean-up between--where else--Garrettsville and Hiram.  Interact members from James A. Garfield High School--Laura Wilburn, Brittany Sisson, Abigail Hahn, Laura Curby, and Annie Sheller--assisted in completing the project then joined Rotarians at McDonald’s for a pick-me-up after the effort. ...

The Ohio State University extends itself into every county in the state--all 88 of them.  These are called--what else--extension offices and they offer information, advice and services to local residents.  This can cover agriculture & natural resources, community development, nutrition, family & consumer science, 4-H programs--a whole bunch of...

The Kiko folks have taken to putting up signs of this nature along roads where one of their commercial activities is going on, and with good reason.  These secondary highways are plenty full of just plain drivers, let alone the avid auction-goers looking for a place to park--without sliding...

Cool event in Hudson recently.  The Hudson Library and Historical Society--in their amazing facility in back of Off Main (It really IS off Main St.) entertained a whole slew of   Ohio authors, who proved to be pretty amazing in their own right. Straight ahead from the entrance was the...

The James A. Garfield Historical Society meeting on April 15 hosted two guests--Jim Shank, who brought information on the county’s revolving loan fund (terms and requirements for projects) and Tommie Jo Marsilio, county commissioner, offering similar commentary on possible undertakings involving county support.  Re-roofing of the Mott Building and...

Garrettsville - Two more distinguished alumni are set to enter the James A. Garfield Hall of Fame on Saturday, April 27.  Tickets for the dinner and the presentation are still available by contacting Sheri Johnson at 330-527-5384. This year’s honorees are Mark Manno, ‘74 and Martin Paul, ’61. Mark was the...

Garrettsville - It’s that time again.  James A.Garfield High School’s Academic Challenge team, the Quiz Masters, will once again be sponsoring their fund-raising event,  Machine-O-Mania/ Touch-A-Truck, at the Garfield parking area on Saturday, May 11 from 11:00 to 3:00. It’s a chance for kids of all ages to see the...

Good Grief!  Polar Fleece and long johns, peeps and bunnies with frost on their little noses…er…beaks…er …whatever.  Deep frozen chocolate eggs and jelly beans, rock-hard marshmallow anything.  How crazy has this season been so far?  This is Spring from the old days, the ones where hardy ancestors walked two...

Music lovers, seekers after interesting stuff,…here’s your calendar of events coming up in the Hiram College Music department; you’re all invited.   Tuesday, April 2--7:30 p.m.--Hayden Auditorium --Wind Ensemble, Ken Young, conductor   Thursday, April 4--12:15-1:15 p.m.--Frohring Recital Hall --Spring Honors Convocation--outstanding student performers Thursday, April 4 --7:30 p.m.--Hiram Christian Church --Alexis Alvorado, Junior Recital   Friday, April 5--7:30...