Aurora
The City of Aurora will celebrate America’s 250th birthday as the third event of its Party in the Park Event Series on Saturday, July 4. The lineup:
- Fun Run – 1 Mile/8 a.m., 5K/8:30 a.m. at Bicentennial Park
- Parade – 11 a.m. at state Route 306-West Pioneer Trail
- Festival – Noon to 3 p.m. at Kiwanis-Moore Park
- Concert (Moonshine Groove) – 7 to 9 p.m. at Kiwanis-Moore baseball fields 3 & 4
- Fireworks – 9:45 p.m. along West Pioneer Trail
More details at auroraoh.com. Register for the Fun Run at the parks and rec website.
A month earlier, on Saturday, June 6, the second event in the Party in the Park Event Series will be “Ohio Goes to the Movies” – a showing of the 1978 movie “Superman” at 3 p.m. at Atlas Cinemas Barrington 10 at 140 Barrington Town Square Dr. A pre-movie party will take place at 1:30 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Park at 40 W. Garfield Rd.
Mill Distributors will host a celebration of the company’s 100th anniversary from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, June 4 at 45 Aurora Industrial Pkwy. Proclamations and remarks will be at 5:15 p.m.
Heavy hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be available. RSVP at allaboutaurora.com.
Food Truck Wednesdays will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. the second and fourth Wednesdays of every month through August at Kiwanis-Moore Park at 35 W. Pioneer Trl.
Aurora’s Summer Concert Series will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. the second and fourth Thursdays of each month at Veterans Memorial Park at 40 W. Garfield Rd.
A Splash Bash will be held from noon to 3 p.m. Friday, June 19 at the Splash Pad at Kiwanis-Moore Park at 35 W. Pioneer Trl. There will be music, giveaways and more fun. There is no cost.
The Youth Fishing Derby will be held Saturday, June 13 at Sunny Lake Park. Check-in is at 8:30 a.m. Rain date is June 27.
The city received an additional Federal Emergency Management Agency grant for flood mitigation, and Aurora City Council approved the city’s purchase of four more homes in the Geauga Lake neighborhood pursuant to that grant. The city will take the homes down, and the land will be vacant for drainage purposes.
Mayor Ann Womer Benjamin’s administration is taking a proposal to city council to build a unique adventure play area at Aurora Park that would be open next year. Work on the project would need to start this year.
The mayor’s administration is taking a request for a self-serve kayak rental kiosk, which it hopes to have installed this summer.
Aurora has a sidewalk assistance program in which the city works with residents who have damaged sidewalks, meaning the city shares in the cost of repair of those sidewalks. Residents must apply to the program by Aug. 5; they can do that by contacting the service department at 330-995-9116 or stopping into the department at 158 W. Pioneer Trl.
City council approved the mayor’s administration’s recommendation that concrete for new residential streets will no longer be permitted due to the high cost of concrete and that it is expensive to maintain and repair.
Council approved the mayor’s administration’s recommendation to renew the 0.9-mill road and bridge levy.
City of Ravenna
The Ravenna Area Chamber of Commerce’s Raven Award winners have been announced. They will be honored at the Raven Awards ceremony that will take place from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 3 at the Ravenna Elks Lodge at 776 Freedom St. These awards celebrate excellence in Ravenna.
Here are the winners:
- Lifetime Achievement – Connie Bennett
- Volunteer of the Year 2025 – Brad Crislip
- Citizen of the Year 2025 – Larry Silinius
- Young Entrepreneur 2025 – Zonuts and Lattes
- New Construction 2025 – Portage Crisis Center
- New Renovation 2025 – UH Portage Medical Center, Buckeye Residential Solution, Battleground Game Center, Portage County Board of Commissioners, Portage Metropolitan Housing
- Authority, MLS Business Properties, Ravenna Board of Education, Ravenna Eagles, and Townhall II
- New Businesses 2025 – Ravenna Business Hub, Tav’s Burgers and Brews, Upward City Church, Smashology Burgers, Books a Go Go, LED Lighting Solutions, Nova Women’s Health, The Yellow
- House in Ravenna, Linking Lives, Precision Roofing Event Center, This & That New & Used Goods, ETC Sports, Wild Bill’s Tobacco, Rooted, and Co Salon
- Honorary Way Street Sign 2025 – Patti Hicks
- Ravenna High School Senior Scholarship 2026 – Alexis Day, Kylie Hogan, Giana McKamey, Alexia Kaschalk, Kaydence Sanders, Kora Scalia
All award winners have been called and either spoken to or left a message. If you are a winner that is listed and have not connected with the Chamber yet, reach out to Ryann at 330-296-3886 or ryann@ravennaareachamber.com.
Tickets cost $50. The deadline for tickets and sponsorships is Monday, May 25. To purchase tickets and sponsorships, contact Ryann at the info above.
“The Last Shop on Walnut” movie premiere will be Thursday, May 28 at Ravenna 7 Movies at 215 W. Cedar Ave. The movie, which was filmed in, of all places, Ravenna, stars Kym Whitley, Peter Lawson Jones and Donald Webber, Jr.
Highlights of the evening:
Afterparty
Meet the cast
Q&A session
Photo ops
Doors open at 6 p.m.; showtime is at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $30, which includes admission to the afterparty. Tickets can be purchased in advance at the theater or box office, or online at ravenna7movies.com. For more information, call the theater at 330-296-7287.
The city’s annual Memorial Day Parade, organized by the American Legion Ravenna Post 331, will start at 10 a.m. on Elm Street on Memorial Day, Monday, May 25. The parade will stop at the courthouse, where there will be a ceremony and the firing of rifles. It will conclude at Grandview Memorial Park, where another service will be held with several speeches. Mayor Frank Seman will do the proclamation.
The second annual Community Resource Fair will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 30 at the Ravenna Elks Lodge at 776 Freedom St. Community agencies are invited to participate.
It’s a great chance to showcase your agency, meet new people and expand your outreach in a community-focused setting. For more information or to register, contact Housing Resource Specialist Carolyn Danes at 330-297-1489, ext. 258, or cdanes@portagehousing.org.
Join in for a day of art, wine and music as Main Street Ravenna presents the 10th Annual Art on Main event from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 13 downtown. Enjoy amazing artwork alongside local wineries and incredible music.
Two ribbon cuttings are coming up in the city of Ravenna:
- The Portage Crisis Center, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 26 at 3922 Lovers Ln. RSVP by contacting Kathy at 330-676-6926 or email howtohelp@colemanservices.org
- ETC Sports, 2 p.m. Thursday, May 28 at 137 E. Main St.
Ravenna Township
On May 13, Ravenna Township Trustee Vince Coia and staff from the Portage County Engineer’s Office attended a virtual meeting with the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) to discuss some troubled intersections that travel through the township.
One is at the intersection of the state Route 5 Bypass and Hayes Road, and the other is at the intersection of state Route 14 and state Route 44. Despite the fact that there are traffic lights and/or stop signs at both intersections, there have been an alarming number of accidents there of late. Limited visibility for various reasons is one cause of these accidents.
“ODOT talked about multiple things they’re looking at but haven’t set their mind on one particular thing. They’re still researching what would be best,” Coia said. “The township and the [Portage County] Engineer were present just to add to the meeting and give our opinions on what ODOT is putting out there.”
The township trustees put a six-month moratorium on data centers.
“There needs to be a lot more studying the pluses and minuses of them,” Coia said. “Right now, from what we can see, there seems to be more negative than positive. We’ll probably do some more investigation on it and possibly even work with some neighboring townships and municipalities and maybe have more of a unified front.”
There was a free CPR training session May 1 in the trustees’ meeting room for township residents that was provided by Ravenna Township Fire Chief Abbie Buday and EMS staff.
“We had a decent turnout,” Coia said. “The chief had the appropriate training materials, and everyone had a mannequin/dummy to work on so they knew whether they were doing it correctly or not. It was very informative.”
The Red Cross held a blood drive May 8 in the trustees’ meeting room. It was a success, with the Red Cross meeting its goal.
Demolition has been completed and groundbreaking has commenced for a new gas station/convenience store where the former AAA Travel Agency was located on the west end of state Route 59.
Shalersville
The Mantua-Shalersville Area Chamber of Commerce’s next meeting will take place at 5 p.m. May 28 at Buchert Park’s Martin S. Hura Lodge at 4810 E. High St. in the village of Mantua.
Shalersville residents are invited to attend. Networking starts at 5 p.m., and the meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. There will be updates from local governmental officials and on upcoming Chamber and community events. Some of the topics will include the Triple Trail Fest/Adventure Race, Art on the Hill, the Scholarship Picnic, the Scarecrow Contest, the Golf Outing, Merry Evening and more. Bring your calendars and questions. Find out how you can be involved. Food will be provided.
Afterward, the Chamber will host a Crestwood Community One Fund organizational meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the lodge. This is for any community member interested in helping to serve as a hub for donations to 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 figure out the best way to manage this organization. Needed is a team of people who will put together the bylaws and determine who can ask for money. Then needed will be a board of community members ranging in age from 16 years old and up. A wide range of input from current nonprofits, boosters, churches, businesses, retired citizens and high schoolers is needed.
The Shalersville Historical Society will host a car show from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 30. The rain date is Sunday, May 31. There is a $10 fee to enter your car in the show. Food can be purchased from the Crestwood Lions Club, and a DJ will provide entertainment.
The township trustees approved a road maintenance plan for the upcoming season. Shalersville will partner with Freedom Township to split the cost of a double chip-and-seal project for Wygle Road. Bids will be sent out to single chip-and-seal Babcock Road, Gray Road, Work Road and Coit Road.
Work continues on the historic 1881 mausoleum at Hillside Cemetery, where rotting ceiling joists were discovered. The old ceiling is being removed as restoration efforts move forward.
Clay LePard, a reporter from WEWS Channel 5 in Cleveland, attended the May 19 township meeting to inquire about data center activity. A public meeting will be held June 16 during which Geis Construction will present its proposal for a data center.
The newly added six acres for Riverside Cemetery was prepped for grass seed by Jason Karlton. Karlton had rented the unused land adjacent to the cemetery for farming purposes.
The Shalersville Trustees approved $3,800 for the replacement of the old roof on the park pavilion. The old roof will be replaced with a new metal roof.
The township’s spring clean-up was highly successful, with residents filling a total of 18 dumpsters.