Ravenna Community Choir 45th Anniversary Concert
The Ravenna Community Choir will present its 45th Anniversary Concert on Sunday, April 3 at 2 p.m. at the Ravenna Assembly of God. Special guest will be world renown composer Heather Sorenson who will conduct, sing and play piano with the choir. She is hired by the largest and most respected publishers in the world, and her pieces remain...
Portage County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society
The Portage County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society will meet on Saturday, April 2, 2022 at the Portage County Historical Society at 10:00 a.m. The Society is located at 6549 North Chestnut Street, Ravenna Ohio. The chapter will have a business meeting followed by a power point presentation by Barb Petroski. The topic will be What Mistakes to...
Pot O’ Gold 5K
Ravenna - Join us the week of March 13, 2022 for the 17th annual Pot O’ Gold Fun Run / Walk. Participants will register with the Ravenna Parks & Rec and will walk or run 3.1 miles on or before March 19th. All participants will receive a spectacular event medal and entered into a drawing for prizes including the...
United Way of Portage County Emergency Food & Shelter Program
Ravenna - The United Way of Portage County (UWPC) Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) has received two grant awards, $58,482 (EFSP Phase 39) and $180,754 (Phase ARPA-R (American Rescue Plan Act)) from the EFSP National Board Program, a federal program administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Funds received from EFSP National are...
Portage County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society
The Portage County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society will meet on Saturday, March 5, 2022 at the Portage County Historical Society at 10:00 a.m. The Society is located at 6549 North Chestnut Street, Ravenna Ohio. The chapter will have a business meeting followed by a presentation by Lynnea St. John. Her topic will be Early Settlers of Windham...
Haven of Portage County Ribbon Cutting
Ravenna - A few months ago, this reporter wrote an article about the Haven of Portage County, and how it was progressing. At that time (November of ‘21) the building facility was still in the process of finalization. Wiring was in place for the computer stations, but there were no computers yet. Beds were there for the future ‘guests’...
Portage County Master Gardeners to hold virtual workshop
Ravenna - Are you eager to get back in the garden? Then why not start the season early with some good gardening tips to improve your soil health and reduce the amount of chemicals you use?The Portage County Master Gardeners and Portage SWCD are collaborating to offer a VIRTUAL workshop on Saturday, February 26th from 10 - 11:30 a.m.,...
Ravenna Celebrates Gary & Trish Krause
It was the coldest day of the new year, 15 degrees with a real-feel of 1 degree. Yet, there was a crowd, bundled in their coats and hats, on the corner of West Main Street and South Park Way. Posing, talking, taking pictures. What would bring so many people out when it was so cold? They came out to...
Date Night At The Library
Ravenna - Date night at the library? Really? Sounds rather boring! Well, maybe not. If your library has been transformed into a miniature golf course and serves delicious appetizers and wine, sounds like a fun date! Saturday, November 20, Reed Memorial Library did just that. It was Date Night, Ladies’ Night Out, Bro Night, call it what you will-it...
Portage Financial Wellness Fair Receives State Recognition
Ravenna – The Portage County Financial Wellness Fair, a free program held in November and aimed at helping area residents improve their financial lives, has been recognized by the Ohio Treasurer of State with a Compass Award for December 2021. The monthly recognition program commends organizations, programs, and individuals across the state who are working to guide Ohioans toward...
Behind The Scenes: Ravenna Balloon-A-Fair
Festivals are a wonderful part of life here in Portage County. They bring people together, strengthen community ties, boost the local economy, and are downright fun. There is Art On Main, the Ox Roast in Mantua, Garrettsville Summerfest, numerous festivals in Kent, not to mention the Portage County Fair. Then there is the festival in a class by itself. ...
Barn’s Storied Past Lives On
Ravenna - Gary Jones is the proud owner of a historic Mail Pouch Tobacco barn visible on State Route 88. The barn, which was originally built in 1906, still proudly extolls the Mail Pouch Tobacco message to, “Treat Yourself to the Best”. Mail Pouch Tobacco barns like this one are historic structures with one or more sides painted with...
Portage County Job & Family Services Announces Upcoming Outage of Ohio Benefits System
Ravenna - The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services has scheduled an outage of the Ohio Benefits system on Friday, December 3, 2021. The Ohio Benefits Worker Portal will be inaccessible on this date. As a result of the outage, Portage County and other counties throughout the state will be unable to process applications or reported changes on TANF,...
Portage Senior Center News
The Portage County Senior Center is holding registration for all Portage Seniors aged 60 and up who wish to join friends on December 8th, for their annual Holiday celebration. They are also holding an official “Ribbon-Cutting” ceremony to celebrate their new slate-topped pool table. The day’s events start early, with bingo to begin at 10 a.m., also a few...
Midnight Madness Festivities Take Place Friday In Ravenna
For those of Portage County who do celebrate Christmas, how do you welcome in the Christmas Season? For many, it is putting up the tree and decorating the house. For others it is a day of frantic shopping to take advantage of the Black Friday sales. Still, there are people that begin the season with volunteerism and good deeds....
Mini Golf At The Library
Ravenna - If you were asked to list the activities you expect to do at a library, might the list include read and research? Most likely. Might it include Miniature Golf. Not likely at all. Yet, that is exactly what will be occurring at Reed Memorial Library on November 20 and 21. Intrigued? You bet this reporter is! The event...
Suicide Loss Day Event
The Suicide Prevention Coalition of Portage County is holding an event those who have been affected by suicide loss on Saturday, November 20 from 1-3pm. The event will include a screening of a short documentary on grief and the healing journey that follows a suicide loss over time. A discussion will follow and local resources will be provided. The Suicide...
Employers Help Employees with Mental Health
Mental health is essential to a person’s overall health and well-being. A healthy mind and body can help individuals work to the best of their ability and reach their full potential. The pandemic has given employers an opportunity to be more supportive and understanding of the difficulties employees may be experiencing, however, a stigma still exists concerning mental health conditions....
Maplewood Career Center Offers Adults Evening Workforce Development Classes
Ravenna - Maplewood Career Center’s Adult Education Department is offering Workforce Development classes beginning Fall 2021. Classes for adults include: Dental Assisting, Industrial Maintenance, Module Industrial Maintenance – Electrical, Module Industrial Maintenance – Fluid Power, Module Industrial Maintenance – Mechanical, Medical Coding & Billing, Precision Machining, Module Welding, or Welding Technologies. There are additional Life Enrichment classes being offered, which...
Children’s Advocacy Center or Portage County Multi-Disciplinary Team Wants You to Bowl Against Abuse!
Ravenna - The 22nd Bowl Against Abuse event is happy to be returning! The annual child abuse awareness fundraiser benefitting The Children’s Advocacy Center of Portage County (CAC) is on Saturday, October 2nd at Kent Lanes. Since 1998 the CAC has provided FREE holistic services to children, youth and families navigating the trauma of child abuse, including: crisis intervention, education,...
Community Reunion Event Planned For September 25
In celebration of National Recovery Month Portage NAMI, Open United Recovery Place, and OhioCAN Portage have come together to host a Community Reunion Event in support of those impacted by mental illness and substance use disorder. The event will be held Saturday September 25th at Ravenna City Park from 11am to 4pm. It will begin with NAMI Walk for Mental...
Ravenna Lions Collecting Plastics
Ravenna – The Ravenna Lions are joining the challenge to help dispose of some of the common plastics that enter your house but aren’t acceptable for traditional curbside recycling…It’s the TREX Recycling Program – The aim is to divert certain kinds of plastics from landfills and turn them into sturdy wood alternative products. The Ravenna Lions will be hosting a...
Annual Ravenna Raven Awards Ceremony To Be Held In September
Ravenna - The Annual Ravenna Area Chamber of Commerce Raven Awards’ Ceremony will be held on Wednesday, September 1, 2021 at the Ravenna High School Football Stadium. We are excited to make this NEW change of venue to our annual event while still honoring individuals and businesses representing the “best” of Ravenna in the areas of New Businesses, New Construction,...
Main Street Ravenna Director Accepts New Position with Stow-Munroe Falls Chamber of Commerce
Ravenna - The first Executive Director of Main Street Ravenna, Julie McLain, has accepted a new position as the Executive Director of the Stow-Munroe Falls Chamber of Commerce. “I’ve truly enjoyed getting to know the Ravenna community and look forward to seeing the revitalization efforts continue,” said McLain. “Julie’s work will always be a part of the DNA of...
Jolly July Fundraiser for Children’s Advantage
From Thursday July 1st through Sunday, July 31st, Children’s Advantage is celebrating Jolly July with a toy drive benefitting our CA clients and their families. Donations raised will be used to buy our clients holiday gifts and help fund our annual Holiday Party for them. For 15 years, we have hosted a holiday party for the children receiving our services, their...
Ravenna’s Loaves and Fishes
Ravenna - Ravenna is on the rise! This lovely town of roughly 12,000 is home to unique businesses, unique history and a caring community. The Loaves and Fishes outreach program is an example of the care that is evident in Ravenna. Loaves and Fishes is a program aimed at food-insecure people in the area, all are welcome to participate. This...
Community Resource Connect Event
Ravenna - On Friday, July 30, 2021, Portage County Housing Services Council is proud to present its second Community Resource Connect event. The event planning is a collaboration of staff from numerous agencies such as Portage Metropolitan Housing Authority, United Way of Portage County, Coleman Professional Services, The Haven of Portage County, Portage County Job & Family Services, PARTA,...
5th Annual Art on Main is Scheduled for August 7 in downtown Ravenna!
Ravenna - Ravenna Creates... Art on Main! is scheduled for Saturday, August 7, 2021 from 11am-7pm on Main Street in beautiful, historic downtown Ravenna! Typically held in June every year, Art on Main was rescheduled this year due to the pandemic. “We didn’t want to wait another year to bring people downtown to enjoy art, wine and fun” said Brian Hare,...
The Portage County Literacy Coalition and Aspire Receives Grant
The Portage County Literacy Coalition received a grant from the Portage Foundation for the Maplewood Career Center Aspire Program. The amount of the grant is $3,500 dollars. The grant from the Portage Foundation will be used for adult students in the Aspire Program to work towards their GED/HSE while working on a certification in the area of retail/customer service...
Straw Bale Gardening in Ravenna
Ravenna - Please mark your calendar and join us LIVE and in person at SWCD, 6970 State Route 88 Ravenna, Ohio, on Saturday morning, June 19th from 9:30 to 11:00. What is Straw Bale Gardening? Straw bales can be used like raised beds in the yard so that no additional soil is needed. That’s good news for older...