Portage Park District launches community Park Prescription program
Portage Park District recently launched its Park Prescription program, known as Park Rx. The program’s goal is to help the community get healthy and stay healthy while enjoying Portage Parks. Park Rx encourages visitors to use parks to focus on taking care of their health, including taking part in activities like walking or biking, rehabilitating after surgery or simply...
Clerical Error Corrected at Nelson Trustee Meeting
Nelson Twp. – Township officials present at the second Nelson Township trustee meeting of June were Fiscal Officer John David Finney; Trustees Kevin Cihan, Anne Mae VanDerHoeven, and Joe Leonard. The meeting was called to order by Leonard at 7:00pm. The trustees were presented with meeting minutes from the previous meeting held on June 6, which were approved with minor...
Thomas Wadkins Recognized at Hiram Village Meeting
Hiram - At the last Village Council meeting, Mayor Lou Bertrand and Council issued a public proclamation honoring Council President Thomas Wadkins. He noted that Wadkins was a 2003 Hiram College graduate who has served his community as a councilman for 12 years, serving as Village Council President for the past 10. The mayor’s proclamation reads, “Whereas, Thomas Wadkins has...
A Garfield Teacher And An American Hero
As baby boomers most of us hardly paid attention to the heroes around us. They may have been our parents, aunts, uncles , mailmen steelworkers or teachers. More than likely we chose our heroes from the bulky box in the family room that flickered black and white images across the screen. John Wayne, Davey Crockett, The Lone Ranger, were...
Protect Geauga Parks Shelter Sound-Off
Protect Geauga Parks will be having a Shelter Sound- Off on Thursday evening, July 12, 6:30 - 8:30 pm at the Minnow Pond Shelter at Beartown Lakes Reservation in Auburn Township. There will be refreshments and opportunity to meet and greet at 6:30 with updates and discussion beginning at 7. Come and hear updates on what PGP has been doing...
Upcoming Events At Angelic Presence
Garrettsville - Angelic Presence will be hosting a class with Carol Borkoski entitiled “How different are you willing to be?” Join us for a fun, interactive class that will help you create a more fun and joyful life. Cost is $30 includes a manual which we will work through. The class will be held on July 1st from 10...
Red Cross urges donors to fill Missing Types to prevent summer blood shortage
The American Red Cross needs help to bring back the A’s, B’s and O’s. This is not a typo. These letters represent blood types, and the reality is that during blood shortages these letters do go missing from hospital shelves. The American Red Cross urges donors of all blood types to give now to help prevent delays in patient...
Upcoming Community Events – Week of June 29
Portage Senior Citizens Opportunities Weekdays The Portage County Senior Center, located at 705 Oakwood St., in Ravenna has many daily opportunities for local seniors to enjoy. On any given day, you can enjoy, bingo, Tai Chi, educational programs, art class, corn hole, cards & dominos with friends, and they even have a pool table. They serve lunch daily (by reservation) and...
First Responders Honored At Garrettsville Summerfest
Garrettsville’s first responders were honored this past weekend as the Grand Marshals for the 2018 Garrettsville Summerfest Parade. Although they only recognized the chiefs of each department -- Fire, EMS and Police -- on stage, homage was paid to all of those who served the community. The Garrettsville Fire Department was established in 1888 and became a joint district in...
Garrettsville History Book Coming! By Popular Demand!
Well, it was a request from Ellen at The Village Bookstore and you know how popular she is. It seems that she’s had people asking if there was a book about Garrettsville, its history and local culture (Might be a stretch to call what we’ve got “culture”, but we’re plenty local.) No such thing exists! Pam Montgomery of the James...
Crestwood District Shares 5-Year Forecast
Mantua - When news of the recent reductions was made public in recent months, many in the community expressed surprise at the state of their school District’s financial situation. It’s important to note that two times each year, the District Treasurer shares the District’s Five-Year Forecast publically, at the monthly School Board meetings. As is the common practice, the...
CHS’s American Experience II Class speaks to the Mantua Village Garden Club
Andy Brown, teacher of the American Experience Academy II class at CHS, brought 5 of his students to a recent Mantua Village Garden Club meeting. The students shared their knowledge and stories relating to the Aquaponics Program, and also spoke about learning to write grants to fund this amazing new project at CHS - the Aquaponic Research Center. Aquaponics is...
Garrettsville-Hiram Rotary Discusses Boardwalk Lighting
The June 18, 2018 meeting of the Garrettsville-Hiram Rotary Club welcomed Portage County Auditor Janet Esposito, who presented information on the activities and responsibilities of her office and answered questions of members. Her office handles building permits in the county. She stated the Portage County ranks 2nd in Ohio in the number of mobile homes on the tax rolls....
Garrettsville Summerfest, Something for Everyone
Garrettsville - Its almost here. The event you’ve been waiting for will kick off Friday night in downtown Garrettsville, Garrettsville Summerfest 2018. This year opening ceremonies will begin at 6:30 pm and will pay tribute to our first responders. The chief from each entity, police, fire and EMS will receive a plaque to hang in their facility. An honor...
Hiram Village News
Hiram - Over the Memorial Day weekend, the Hiram Police Department held its annual Kick off to summer, “Click it or Ticket” event. Approximately 300 vehicles were briefly stopped at the intersection of Garfield and Wakefield Roads from 11 am to 1 pm. During these stops, motorists wearing seat belts were rewarded, receiving vouchers for free ice cream from...
Garrettsville Summerfest Announces the 8th Annual Memorial 5K
It’s that time again to dust off the running shoes and start training for the 8th Annual Melana Matson Memorial 5K and One Mile Fun Run which will be held again this year at Garrettsville Summerfest. The race will be held at 9a.m., (runners/walkers should arrive by 8:30 a.m.) on Sunday June 24, 2018 starting right down town. The...
Freedom Township Historical News
The Freedom Township Historical Society reached a historic milestone in May. Our officers, founding members, and charter members signed our charter document at a special ceremony on May 8. The charter was designed by Freedom resident and James A. Garfield High School junior Samantha Ensinger as part of teacher Kristine Gilmer’s digital photography class. It will have a place...
CMS Heroes Honored for Service
Mantua - As you may expect, at the recent eight grade awards night, Crestwood Middle School students were honored for their accomplishments in academics, sports, and school leadership. But special recognition was given to honor students’ involvement in their community, as well. CMS teacher Kim Marfy explained, “In January, our students were challenged to complete 15 hours of community...
Spread the Word: Kids Eat Free This Summer!
This summer, the Ohio Department of Education is sponsoring the Summer Food Service Program, providing children with free, healthy meals. It’s easy to participate and no sign up is required. Simply call 1-866-3-HUNGRY (1-866-348-6479), visit education.ohio.gov/ KidsEat or use the department’s mobile app for meal times and locations (coming soon to the app). The Ohio Department of Education Mobile App...
Garrettsville – Hiram Rotary Report
The June 4, 2018 meeting of the Garrettsville-Hiram Rotary Club, at Cal’s II, Sky Plaza, Garrettsville was a regular business meeting and covered the following topics : Programs for June are still being sought. President Amy Crawford presented the Rotary Scholarship on May 30 to Carissa White and Simon Varner. There was discussion of recent topics—weather, restaurant reviews, graduation, Memorial...
CHS Places At Envirothon
Mantua - Recently, the Portage and Cuyahoga County Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) co-hosted the Area 2 Envirothon at the Cuyahoga County Fairgounds in Middleburg Heights. At that event, 32 high schools from the 14 counties that comprise the region (Ashland, Ashtabula, Columbiana, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Huron, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Stark, Summit, and Trumbull) sent teams to...
J.A. Garfield Sixth Graders Tour Washington DC
Garrettsville - The sixth grade class of Garfield Elementary recently did a two-day tour of the nation’s capital. It was the type of educational experience that these students will not soon forget. Packed into the busy itinerary were stops at Arlington National Cemetery, the viewing of the memorials, a picture at the White House, the Smithsonian Museums, and George...
So You Think You Can Fly?
Garrettsville - Fifth grade students from James A. Garfield Elementary School flew across the gym floor. In the spirit of our May JAG core value of engagement, we promote an environment of ownership and pride; students in teams built and flew a hovercraft. Mr. Matt Chase from Chase Educational Consulting, developer of The Hovercraft Project, coached students in this...
Area Students Explore Living History
Mantua - For the sixth consecutive year, a group of around thirty colonists and Native Americans populated an 18th century encampment in Mantua this week. Roughly 600 curious visitors from present-day elementary schools came to investigate the area and interact with these special visitors on the grounds of Crestwood High School, taking part in the CHS American Experience Academy...
Portage County employers awarded for excellence in workplace safety
Ravenna – Forty-eight employers in Portage County have earned recognition from the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) for reaching a year without workplace injuries or illnesses that kept workers away from work for more than a day. The employers received BWC’s 100% Award during the Portage County Safety Council’s annual awards ceremony. “When speaking with employers, I encourage them to...
J.A. Garfield Historical Society News
Garrettsville - The May 21, 2018 meeting of the James A. Garfield Historical Society was prefaced by a presentation from secretary Pam Montgomery on her recent researches on local holders of U.S. patents. The devices, processes and products she discovered were quite varied and interesting, including items associated with the maple industry and ophthalmological discoveries. Whew! Smart people around...
JA Garfield Students Explore Careers
Garrettsville - “We spend a lot of time teaching things like math, science, and how to write,” Libby Frato-Sweeney explained,” but not so much about what happens after graduation.” In an effort to better prepare students for what comes next, Frato-Sweeney, who teaches art as well as college & career readiness at James A. Garfield High School, planned this...
And Then There Were None
Garrettsville - The Book Discussion Club of the Garrettsville branch of the Portage County District Library will meet on Tuesday June 19, 2018, in the library meeting room from 5-6 p.m. The month’s selection is And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. Christie was pleased with this murder mystery because the difficulty in writing it captivated her as her...
Veteran’s Appreciation Picnic in Claridon Township
Geauga Park District looks forward to celebrating veterans on Flag Day with a special picnic to say thank-you for serving our country on Thursday, June 14, at Claridon Woodlands. Registration is required at the new www.geaugaparkdistrict.org or 440-286-9516 for veterans wishing to attend, with up to one guest, to enjoy food, live music and this exciting new park between 4:30...
Have You Seen Wandering Wally?
Garrettsville - You may have noticed Wandering Wally, a cousin of Where’s Waldo, at various establishments downtown. He makes his appearance randomly, and stays in one place for an unknown amount of time. If you see him, snap his photo (with yourself and/or your friends) and post it on the Garrettsville Farmers’ Market Facebook Page (as well as Twitter, Instagram...
