Garrettsville
Garrettsville’s annual luncheon cruise aboard the Lady Caroline, a Garrettsville Summerfest fundraiser, will be on Tuesday, Aug. 18. The Lady Caroline is a four-deck, 120-foot-long ship featuring more than 15,000 square feet for passengers to enjoy. Three of her decks are fully enclosed and climate controlled. The sky deck features a covered bar and open views for sweeping panoramic sightseeing. Guests will cruise under historic bridges and experience the breathtaking view of downtown Cleveland’s skyline. The cruise will include a chef-created buffet luncheon.
After the cruise, guests will enjoy four hours of gaming at the JACK Cleveland Casino. The bus departs Skylane Bowling at 10 a.m. The bus returns to Skylane at 7:45 p.m. The cost is $140 per person. To reserve a seat and for more details, call or text Aaron at (330) 524-2646.
The annual Garrettsville Peach Social/Car Cruise – the final Car Cruise of the summer – will be from 5 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 15, at the Garrettsville Freedom Nelson Joint Fire District at 8035 Elm St. Peach pies, fresh peaches and bowls of peaches and ice cream will be on sale, as well as Domino’s pizza. Live entertainment will be provided by the Dennis Chandler Band. Must be a classic car or truck. Plaques will be awarded. Fifty dash plaques for the first 50 classic vehicle owners who arrive. This is a fundraiser for the Garrettsville Area Chamber of Commerce.
The village’s annual “Shop with a Hero” fundraiser will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 8, at the fire station. Included will be a car show. Money raised from donations will go toward the program in which police, fire and ambulance first responders will take children and their families shopping for the holidays.
Village of Hiram
Hiram Village Council has rezoned two properties in the village to allow for college properties to be sold and transitioned out of the institutional district. One of them will be a mixed-use property for a short-term rental in the former observatory, and the other is the historic Buckingham Place, which will be restored and become an agritourism site.
“Essentially, we’ve rezoned our conservation district, which is where farm land is in our zoning code,” Mayor Anne Haynam said. “They’re going to be developing a little farm stand and an interactive farm experience over time. They’re restoring the old house, which we’re super excited about.”
The fireworks display originally scheduled for July 3 but cancelled due to inclement weather has been rescheduled for Monday, Sept. 7, which is Labor Day. The fireworks display will be held at the Hiram College athletic fields and will start at approximately 9 p.m. It will be a festival atmosphere with food trucks and live music. All are welcome.
Hiram Township
The Hiram Township Trustees passed a resolution, per request by the state of Ohio, that resulted in the development of a cybersecurity policy.
A brand-new flagpole and American flag have been installed outside the Township Hall at 6352 state Route 82.
Village of Mantua
he Mantua-Shalersville Area Chamber of Commerce will have a free picnic from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 13, on the green space next to R44 Deli & Meats in the village of Mantua. Games and dunking booth: dunk a local celebrity! $10 for three throws, $25 for 10 throws, $50 for five minutes of unlimited throwing and $100 for a guaranteed dunk. Donations are welcome. The chamber sponsors three $1,000 scholarships to local students to continue their postsecondary education. All proceeds from this event will go toward the scholarship fund. The chamber hopes the fund itself can generate an additional scholarship or make these renewable.
A Mantua Village planning meeting will be held from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 20, at the R44 event space at 10675 Main St. The village is putting together a comprehensive plan to help guide it through the year 2050. Now is the time for residents to let officials know what they think is important and on which services or infrastructure tax dollars should be spent. All ideas are welcome and appreciated as the Portage County Regional Planning Commission helps guide the village through this process.
The next two Downtown Mantua Revitalization Corporation meetings will be at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 3, in the Martin S. Hura Lodge at Buchert Park at 4810 E. High St. and at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 28, at Jake’s Eats at 4680 E. Prospect St. (upper room). Find out what exciting projects the DMRC will be tackling next. Input is needed. All are welcome.
Stop by the Portage County District Library’s Bookmobile at Buchert Park from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, Aug. 5, Aug. 12, Aug. 19 and Aug. 26. The Bookmobile is a traveling library, bringing the joy of reading and more right to neighborhoods. Best of all, it’s completely free.
The Rotary Club is the place for residents who want to help improve the Mantua community. The Rotary Club sponsors Safety Town at Crestwood School, among other philanthropic activities.
The meetings are open to everyone. The club meets at 6:30 p.m. on the first three Thursdays of each month at the R44 Coffee event space at 10675 Main St. The next three meetings are on Aug. 6, Aug. 13 and Aug. 20.
Grab a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area drink, enjoy the music and join in at a Farmers & Makers Market at 4 p.m. on both Friday, Aug. 14, and Aug. 28, at the Granary Building at 4690 E. Prospect St. There will be food, sweets, jellies and jams, honey, syrup, plants, goodies and more. Support the community and enjoy the summer harvest items.
Crestwood School Rally Night will be at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 15. Get ready to go back to school with a fun evening of children’s activities, concessions, a 50/50 raffle, vendors and music. Bring extra school supplies to contribute to the supply drive. For more information or to participate, contact Kim Krueger at kkrueger@crestwoodschools.com.
Free grilled brats and corn, a bounce house, corn hole and more activities for kids and kids-at-heart: the Community Corn & Brat Roast will be held at the Christ Lutheran Church, 10827 Main St., Mantua Village from 5-8 p.m. Aug 15.
The following events will be held in the Martin S. Hura Lodge at Buchert Park at 4810 E. High St. through Aug. 11 and at the Crestwood Central Offices at 10880 John Edward Dr. beginning Aug. 12:
- Stay Active in Life (SAIL), Wednesdays, Aug. 5, Aug. 12, Aug. 19 and Aug. 26, 11 a.m. – A gentle exercise class to get the blood flowing.
- The Crestwood Community Center’s (CCC) Lunch on Your Own/Bingo, Wednesday, Aug. 5, noon – Last meeting at the lodge. Bring a brown bag lunch or a dish to share and enjoy time with friends. Join in at 1 p.m. for just bingo.
- Lunch and Education with the CCC, Wednesday, Aug. 12, noon – Lunch provided by Evan Webster from Anna Maria. At 1 p.m., the Ohio Center for Hope will talk about “Forgetfulness: What Is Normal?”
- Join the CCC at noon Wednesday, Aug. 19, for a field trip to Boulder Crossing for a free BBQ lunch provided by Boulder Crossing. Meet at the Crestwood Central Offices. RSVP to crestwoodcommunitycenter@gmail.com so there is enough lunch.
CCC Lunch and Craft, Wednesday, Aug. 26, noon – Bring a brown bag lunch or a dish to share and enjoy time with friends. Join in at 1 p.m. for a craft: diamond dot butterfly ($4 to cover cost of supplies).
Mantua Township
The next fundraising dinner for the Mantua Restoration Society will be from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 14, at the Mantua Center School Gym at 11741 Mantua Center Rd. in Mantua Township.
Dine-in or carry-out. No charge, but donations accepted. Please consider giving what a comparable meal at a restaurant plus tip would cost. A variety of entrées provided, including one supplied each month from Main Street on the River. Several salads and a variety of desserts, including homemade pies. All food is home-cooked and donated by the MaRSI members: soups to casseroles to cornbread to salads and desserts. Light piano music provided by Steve Stork. Note: this is not a free community meal, but rather a fundraiser for the society, which helps provide funds for the restoration and upkeep of Mantua Center’s historic buildings and sites. For more information, contact Susan Pollard at (330) 586-8337.
Village of Windham
The Windham Police Department will host its annual Family Night Out from 5 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 4, at the station at 9015 Maple Grove Rd. in the village of Windham with food, a dunk tank, a bounce house, face painting, games and emergency vehicles for the kids.
The Windham Historical Society will have a dedication ceremony for the brand new, free-standing clock on a pedestal recently installed on North Main Street from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 5, on the Windham Green. The historical society received a grant that was used to purchase the clock.
Windham Township
The freestanding columbarium for the Windham Township Cemetery should be installed by Sept. 1.
Freedom
The Hewins Road resurfacing project in Freedom is tentatively scheduled to begin on Wednesday, Aug. 5. The chip and seal projects will begin later in the month.
The Freedom Community Park Boosters will host their car show and fall festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26.
The August township trustees meeting was rescheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 6.
Nelson
The Nelson Township Trustees passed a resolution in June to extend the moratorium on AI data centers and digital mining centers another six months through Dec. 3.