Village of Mantua
A multi-Chamber Lunch & Learn, including Mantua-Shalersville, will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, May 21 at University Hospitals Portage Medical Center at 6847 N. Chestnut St. in Ravenna (PMAB Room 150). Other participating chambers are Ravenna, Aurora, Kent, Rootstown and Streetsboro. Enjoy lunch, make new connections and take part in a Q&A with University Hospitals leaders. Cost is $15. RSVP at tinyurl.com/UHMultiChambers5-21.
Stop by the Portage County District Library’s Bookmobile from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Wednesdays, May 13, May 20, May 27 and June 3 at Buchert Park. A wide selection of books will be available.
The Mantua Rotary Club meets at 6:30 p.m. the first three Thursdays of each month at the R44 Coffee Event Space at 10675 Main St. The next meeting is May 14. Rotary meetings are open to everyone. The Mantua Rotary Club sponsors Safety Town at Crestwood schools, among other philanthropic activities.
The next two Downtown Mantua Revitalization Corporation (DMRC) meetings will take place at Jake’s Eats at 7:30 a.m. Friday, May 15 and Friday, June 5. All are welcome to attend – the DMRC needs your input. Jake’s Eats is located at 4680 E. Prospect St. The meeting will be in the upper room.
Volunteer Clean Up Day will be at 8 a.m. Wednesday, May 13. Crestwood High School students need to complete volunteer hours, and they will clean up the village. Support this annual tradition and provide some adult supervision. Volunteers are needed to cover some two-hour shifts in the morning. Meet at Jake’s Market at 10710 Main St. Submit ideas of what you think is a priority to be cleaned up either to the Chamber or the Downtown Mantua Revitalization Corporation at msacoc@gmail.com.
Triple Trail Fest will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 6. Meet at Buchert Park, where there will be a canoe launch. The village celebrates its status as a trail town with the Buckeye Trail, a trailhead for the Portage Park District’s Headwaters Trail and a stop along the scenic Cuyahoga River Trail. Visit tripletrailfest.com for activities planned for the day.
Upcoming events in Buchert Park’s Martin S. Hura Lodge at 4810 E. High St.:
- SAIL Class, Stay Active in Life – 11 a.m. Wednesdays. A gentle exercise class to get your blood flowing. Next class is May 13.
- Free Lunch – noon Wednesday, May 13, Crestwood Community Center (CCC). Lunch provided by Rebecca Moore of Boulder Crossing. Be sure to RSVP to crestwoodcommunitycenter@gmail.com so there’s enough food. Moore will bring supplies to plant herbs. At 1 p.m., Holly Stoneberg will speak on the history of the Headwaters Trail.
- Free Lunch – noon Wednesday, May 20, CCC. Lunch provided by Rich and the Gardens of the Western Reserve. RSVP to crestwoodcommunitycenter@gmail.com so there’s enough food. At 1 p.m., Lynn Vogel from the Portage Soil and Water Conservation District will present “Rain Gardens and Composting in Your Yard.”
- Lunch on Your Own/Coffee Class – noon Wednesday, May 27, CCC. Bring a brown-bag lunch to enjoy before Tracy and Rosemary tell about their adventures in pictures. The class will start around 1 p.m.
- Mantua-Shalersville Area Chamber of Commerce meeting – 5 p.m. Thursday, May 28. Join in to learn what’s happening. Networking starts at 5 p.m., with the meeting getting underway at 5:30 p.m. The event will feature updates from local government officials as well as Chamber and community events that are coming up (find out how you can be involved). Some of the topics will include the Triple Trail Fest/Adventure Race, Art on the Hill, Scholarship Picnic, Scarecrow Contest, Golf Outing, Merry Evening and more. Food will be provided. Afterward, at 6:30 p.m., the Chamber will host a Crestwood Community One Fund organizational meeting open to any community member interested in helping to set up a nonprofit to serve as a hub for donations and make it easier for community groups to request donations. The Chamber is partnering with the Portage Foundation to create this new program. Community members are needed to help the Chamber figure out the best way to manage this organization. A team of people is needed that will put together the bylaws and determine who can ask for money. Also needed is a board of community members ranging in age from 16 years old and up. The Chamber is looking for a wide range of input from current nonprofits, boosters, churches, businesses, retired citizens and high schoolers.
Nelson
Garrettsville Village Council President Tom Hardesty and Council Member John Brachna recently presented the opportunity to form a Joint Economic Development District between Garrettsville and Nelson Township. Brachna is president of JAACZ Business Growth Services. Discussion followed to see if there was any potential benefit for Nelson.
The recent Nelson Township Community Cleanup was very well attended. Five 40-yard dumpsters were filled with refuse, two 40-yard dumpsters with scrap metal, and two 40-yard dumpsters with tires.
Village of Hiram
Meet interim Hiram Fire Chief Tony Marotta and his crew at a fire department open house at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 13 and Thursday, May 14. The fire department is located at 11617 Garfield Rd. Marotta will answer questions and offer his vision of how to build the department. Learn how the fire department operates and what equipment is used. Kids will be able to climb on and around the department’s vehicles.
The Terra Hiram apartment complex at 6720 Bancroft Exch. has had extensive renovations. The 45-unit – and soon to be gated – community is now leasing out.
“It looks way, way better than before. Really, really nice,” Mayor Anne Haynam said. “They’re very well done apartments. They’re just entering into the landscaping phase.”
Village of Windham
The Village of Windham Fire Department will have its annual Open House from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 16. The fire department is located at 9601 E. Center St. Community members can learn how the department operates, and complimentary hot dogs, chips and drinks will be available. The event will also feature kids activities, including climbing on and around the department’s vehicles.
Multiple village roads will be resurfaced this summer pending passage of the legislation at the May 21 village council meeting.
Stephen Dyer was appointed to fill a council seat vacated when Sherry Pennington stepped down recently. Dyer will take the oath at the next committee meeting May 13.
Council passed an ordinance to sell property – four lots to be exact – in the village to two individuals.
Garrettsville
The annual Garrettsville Summerfest Golf Outing fundraiser will take place Saturday, May 23 at Riverview Golf Course at 3903 State Route 82 in Newton Falls. The outing is a four-person, 18-hole scramble. Registration is at 9 a.m., with tee off at 10 a.m. Cost is $90 per person or $360 per team, which includes beverages, lunch and dinner. There will be a $360 cash prize for lowest score. Other prizes: Longest Drive, Longest Putt, Closest to Pin, and Skins. Sponsor a hole for $50. Make checks payable to Garrettsville Summerfest, 8311 Windham St., Garrettsville, OH 44231. For more information, call or text Aaron King at 330-524-2646.
The Garrettsville Area Chamber of Commerce’s first car cruise-in of the year will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, May 23 on Main Street. There will be live music, and trophies will be awarded in various categories.