Well, THAT was Fun!
Garrettsville- Hiram Rotary’s annual Family Week ended with a bang, as all—or a lot, anyway—of the folks who had been cooped up by the weather for longer than had been the case for quite a while came out to do a whole raft of things on Saturday, February 1. There was something for everybody.
Displays of photo contest winners were in the entrance for all to see. The piles of coats, mittens, boots and gloves marked the REAL start of it all.
The Boy Scouts of troop 4262 were on hand with refreshments, the usual suspects, hot dogs, sloppy joes, cookies and cupcakes, etc. The Portage Park District turned up with a display of some of the critters to be found in the area; a mole and a beaver and some skulls figured prominently. They also had maps and literature for anyone with interest in getting out and about in the available attractions. Crafts involving stickers and stencils, Crayons and foam thingies were in use to provide Valentines for the Troops…and just fun items to take home. The intrepid could do the bounce house—Star Walk– or tackle the climb-n-slide or try the ring toss or toss a ball in a hole or paddle over to the Lucky Ducky or take a shot at the chicken fling, wherein the contestant attempted to whack a catapult device with a mallet, thereby tossing a rubber chicken into one of a series of revolving pots. Now there’s a skill for you. These enterprises were being supervised by the kids from the Garfield Interact Club, sponsored by Rotary, by more Boy Scouts and by assorted grandchildren of members.
There was a long line waiting to interact with the Balloon Man, who was able to produce a bow & arrow, a dog, a flower, a hat, a monkey or a sword on request. His creations were wandering throughout the crowd; some dads were carrying them , they claimed, for their kids.
The Longest Married Couple award was bestowed upon Jean and Bob Farley.
The Family of the Year was announced and the recognition went to Woody and Anita Bennett of Elm St., Garrettsville, their children, Michalene and Trevor, assorted brothers and the grandparents on both sides. The runners-up were Willard and Carolyn Miller of Windham.
