Around Randolph

Get ready to celebrate with our county’s greatest show! The 168th Portage County Fair (Aug. 25-30) will be bigger than ever partly due to an increase of 4-H youth who are participating. 

Due to a desire to increase focusing, and social interaction skills, this fall all students and staff at Waterloo School District will be undergoing a 'Digital Diet.'

Sixty senior citizens walked 7 to 12 miles a day with the Great Ohio Climate March to bring greater awareness of the dangers of horizontal shale drilling on public lands and mega data centers.

“Show me your cemeteries, and I will show what kind of people you have.” The oldest organization in Randolph, the Ladies Cemetery Association, is taking that quote to heart and is in the midst of restoring Sand Hill Cemetery, which is the oldest part of Hillside Cemetery.

With the average age of U.S. farmers being 58, it was heartwarming to see 22 young people at Friendship Bible Church eager to learn about gardening. Afterward these members of Trailside Troop 1703 planted seeds in flower pots they decorated for their moms for Mother’s Day. 

On March 21, five visionary farmers will be presenting at the “Spring Into Health” event at the Randolph Community Center, located at 1657 State Route 44. This event is dedicated to promoting the health and wellness of farmers and gardeners, and the intention is to instill hope and provide workable solutions.

Last fall, a tragic incident at Waterloo High School left Chastity grief-stricken. She contacted Representative Heidi Workman, who calmly listened to Chastity’s concerns. Now, Heidi and Chastity frequently converse regarding ways to help teens be more resilient and by engaging in service work Chastity has rediscovered joy!

Randolph resident Cindy Laford has been bird sitting, grooming and rescuing birds for 28 years and continues to be astonished at their intellect. Recently her son visited and said, “This coffee is horrible.” Cindy replied, “Then take it back.” He responded, “Naw, I’ll just drink this foul-tasting stuff.” Maynard, a blue and gold macaw, replied, “Coward.”

On Dec. 13, more than 40 students and many community members braved the frigid temperatures to honor the veterans buried in Hillside Cemetery. Students placed a wreath on the graves of each veteran.

Nov. 9-15 was Ohio Soil Health Week, and throughout Ohio there were events to honor the soil. Surprisingly, within a spoonful of soil there are more living organisms than there are people currently on this planet. As we enter this season of delicious festivities, may we be grateful to the farmers and soil microbes which make our food nutritious and tasty.

Staff members from Portage Soil and Water Conservation and Portage Parks have shared that it is important to monitor what is happening with zoning in your community because your input is important. In Randolph, there will be a public zoning meeting at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 9 at the Randolph Senior Center.

In a time when it’s easy to dwell on the world’s problems, Portage County Auditor Matt Kelly is choosing action over apathy. He was inspired by a friend who walked 22 miles a day across America to increase awareness of the 22 veterans a day that lose their life to suicide.

There was a huge turnout for the Waterloo Back to School Bash. Besides having a dedication ceremony for the new track and performances by the Waterloo marching band, many wellness organizations were present to share about the services they provide. All proceeds from the PTO raffle went to the Hayes family.

In the midst of colony collapse, extreme weather patterns, pesticides, neonicotinoid treated seeds, and varroa mites, Mary Lovin has found ways to help bees thrive. Since a third of all food is pollinated by bees, all of us in Randolph are fortunate that Mary (and other local beekeepers) are enhancing the productivity of our farms and gardens.

The Randolph Lions intertwined a diversity of local groups into a meaningful Memorial Day parade honoring the 700 veterans buried within Randolph. Allie Makin, Waterloo senior, gave a thought-provoking speech at the memorial service. The morning concluded with the adorning of local veterans with Quilts of Valor.

Before Covid my daughter and I journeyed to the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. to see Matilda. When we heard Waterloo students would be performing The Matilda Musical we knew we had to see this.

Over 100 people attended “Spring into Health” at the Randolph Community Center. The keynote speaker, Klaas Martens, was the first farmer in his county to use glyphosate (Roundup). He was a successful conventional farmer for 20 years. One day while wearing protective garb and following precise herbicide instructions for 2-4-D, he became paralyzed within an hour. The entire summer, his right side was paralyzed.

The truth is, none of us would be alive without farmers. Unfortunately, farming is becoming even more challenging with weather changes, reduction of farm aid and frozen funding for conservation/easement programs (which make farms more resilient against droughts and floods). Farmers have the highest suicide rate of all occupations. However, people in Randolph care.