Village of Hiram

James A. Garfield is coming home – in a sense.

A statue of the 20th president of the United States, who resided in the village of Hiram for several years, including graduating from what is now known as Hiram College, will be relocated to the village from Wilmington, Delaware, where it has been on display for 131 years. The statue, which was built — and the design of it approved by Garfield’s wife Lucretia — and dedicated all the way back in 1895, is scheduled to be delivered to the village on Monday, Oct. 12.

“When Garfield was assassinated, communities throughout the country came up with different ways to honor him,” Mayor Anne Haynam said. “The statue was how Wilmington created a memorial to him. The section of town where it was located was once glorious, but now it’s a less-than-glorious location. They thought it would be good to bring him home.”

The statue, which will be placed in Hiram’s Village Park, will be restored and remounted through fundraising events and donations made to the Hiram Historical Society.

“The whole thing weighed 20,000 pounds and stood 17 feet tall. This is huge,” said Haynam, who is also the president of the historical society. She added that the bottom two granite stones will not even be moved here just to reduce costs. “The statue will look fine, though, because we’ll still have the stones that have the engraving on them. There are still 16,000 pounds worth of stone coming on a semi-truck, the statue on a crate and the stones on palates.”

Once the statue and base are up, there will be a ceremony and party.

The village’s annual autumn fest will be on Sunday, Sept. 27, rain or shine. “This is a huge community event,” Haynam said, noting two highlights:

• Cyclocross, a unique, non-Olympic discipline of cycling that can be best described as a cross between road cycling, mountain biking and steeplechase
• The Hiram Historical Society will give two rounds of guided tours of James A. Garfield history in the village

The village’s wiffle ball field officially opened recently at Hadsell Park. The field, funded through Friends of Hiram Parks, has professional specs and is open to the public.

“The Portage Foundation assisted and then, of course, the village laborers did the work,” Haynam said. “A wiffle ball field has different angled bases and is much smaller than a baseball and softball field. The sport is popular with youth and adults. Why we thought it fit was that kids were playing it in the park and using mulch for bases.”

Groups can reserve the field for a special outing at a small fee (less expensive for residents).

Hiram Township

The Hiram Township trustees opened bids for the paving of the fire department/township garage’s driveway. The least expensive estimate was $137,000. The bid must be approved by the Portage County engineer.

Village of Mantua

The Fall Fest Car & Tractor Show will be at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3, at Christ Lutheran Church at 10827 Main St. in the village of Mantua. Experience the roar of fun with a DJ, kids activities, raffle baskets and the church’s world famous potato pancakes. There will also be a pumpkin sale and a kid and pet costume parade; proceeds benefit the general church fund. Registration information can be found on the church’s Facebook page.

The next Downtown Mantua Revitalization Corporation meeting will be at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 9, at Jake’s Eats at 4680 E. Prospect St. in the upper room. Join in and find out what exciting projects the DMRC will be tackling next. Input needed and all are welcome.

The annual Wine and Chocolate Walk downtown that begins at the Sisterhood of St. Joseph is at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3. Open to all. Details to follow.

For those who want to help improve the Mantua community, the Rotary Club might be the place. The Rotary Club sponsors Safety Town at Crestwood school among other philanthropic activities. The club meets on the first three Thursdays of each month at 6:30 p.m. at the R44 Coffee event space at 10675 Main St. The next meeting is Thursday, Oct. 15. There is no fee to attend, and everyone is welcome.

Upcoming Crestwood Community Center events at the Crestwood central offices at 10880 John Edward Dr. in Room 114:

• Immunization clinic, Wednesday, Sept. 30, at 9 a.m. – The Portage County Health District will be on site to deliver free COVID and flu shots with insurance. Also offered will be free blood pressure and cholesterol checks in room 114 by Jodi Neu.
  
  
• MyChart presentation, Wednesday, Sept. 30, at 9:30 a.m. – Tayana Williams will present the University Hospitals MyChart portal and answer questions.
  
  
• UH Pharmacy, Wednesday, Sept. 30, at 10:10 a.m. – Kristen Gillespie will speak.
  
  
• Lunch, Wednesday, Sept. 30, at noon – Lunch will be provided by Rebecca Moore from Boulder Crossing. RSVP with name to crestwoodcommunitycenter@gmail.com or text to 234-973-8863.
  
  
• Know Your Numbers: Diabetes Awareness, Wednesday, Sept. 30, at 1 p.m. – Marc Streem will speak.
  
  
• Polka Dancing, Wednesday, Sept. 30, at 2 p.m. – Neu will offer instructions for polka dancing.

Mantua Township

The next fundraising dinner for the Mantua Restoration Society will be from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 9, at the Mantua Center School’s gymnasium 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 to 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. 

Join fellow Mantua-Shalersville Area Chamber of Commerce members for a guided hike at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, at Kame-Esker Bog Park in Brimfield. Snacks afterwards. RSVP for a head count by emailing msacoc@gmail.com. For info on the park, visit https://www.portagecounty-oh.gov/portage-park-district/parks-maps/pages/kame-esker-bog.

The Monster Dash at University Hospitals Portage Medical Center will be on Sunday, Oct. 18. Have some fun with this 5K. The Kids Fun Run starts at 8:30 a.m. with the 5K to follow at 9 a.m. 

Village of Windham

The fall clean-up for the village of Windham and Windham Township will be from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 2, and Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Windham wastewater plant at 9958 East Center St. in the village. Restrictions: Limit eight tires per household, no agriculture tires, no construction material, no flammable or hazardous items or paint. 

Halloween in the village is set for Saturday, Oct. 31, from 5 to 7 p.m.

The village’s Fun in the Sun Festival was on Sept. 12. It was a smashing success even with the light rain. Next year’s Fun in the Sun is already being planned.

Officially hired were police officers Michael Cirello and Jonathan Smith, who finished their probationary period.

Council approved a contract for a new website management service, GovPilot.

Windham Village Council approved entering into a contract with Paychex for processing payroll. 

Windham Township

Portage County Commissioner candidate Jenny Adams stopped in at the Windham Township Trustees meeting on Sept. 3 to introduce herself.

The columbarium has been installed at Windham Cemetery. 

Garrettsville  

The third annual Garrettsville Oktoberfest took place downtown on Sept. 19 and was a huge success. There were several vendors and lots of people. It was also a chance for the village to initiate the Buckeye Block Amphitheater, a park-like gathering space owned by the Garrettsville Area Chamber of Commerce designed for concerts, community events and outdoor programs that opened in June with a ribbon cutting. The new outdoor venue is located at 8088 Main St.  

“There are no seats in front of the amphitheater, so you need to bring your own lawn chairs if you attend an event there,” Mayor Rick Patrick said. “They’re already scheduling different things.” 

The second annual Halloween Pub Crawl, a Summerfest fundraiser, will be from 5 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24, downtown. Entrants go from bar/restaurant to bar/restaurant and draw a playing card at each establishment to make a poker hand. A haunted hayride will be available for those who would rather ride the route. Cost is $25. Register at SkyLane Bowling at 8311 Windham St. all the way until the start of the Pub Crawl. Prizes and pizza at the end at the bowling alley.

Freedom

Freedom Township’s Zoning Commission is reviewing data center verbiage for updating its zoning resolution. The commission’s next meeting will be on Wednesday, Oct. 21.

Trunk or Treat will be from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, at Freedom Town Hall at 8966 state Route 700.

Cookies with Santa, hosted by the Freedom Community Park Boosters, will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 12, at Freedom Town Hall.

The next township trustees meeting is at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 9. The architect who completed the township’s ADA study for its buildings will be present to answer questions from the board.