Garrettsville
Garrettsville Summerfest 2023 will take place Friday, June 23 through Sunday, June 25. The annual event will kick off at 6:30 p.m. Friday with the festival commencement and grand marshal presentation to Mark Apple and Summerfest sponsor Daystar Ford. The rest of the evening will be devoted to music: Ty’s Tunes playing classic rock and blues, Sudden Change “A Tribute to the Ladies of Music” and Invincible “Pat Benatar Tribute.”
Activities on Saturday will commence with a church service at 10:30 a.m. Other activities that day will include doggie bowling, a cornhole tournament, an ice cream-eating contest, Arrow Band playing classic rock, the James A. Garfield All-Sports Boosters Rubber Duck Race, a hamburger-eating contest, Crazy James and the Plaid Sandwich playing acoustic ’90s music, and The Huckin Fillbillys rock-n-roll show. The evening will conclude with a gigantic fireworks display at 10 p.m.
Sunday activities will open at 12:30 p.m. with the 18th Annual Summerfest Grand Parade. Other activities that day will include the Walnut Hills Cloggers, belly dancing, a Sky Aerial Studios interactive circus show, and Garrettsville’s Got Talent, emceed by Mayor Rick Patrick and FOX TV8’s Lil’ John Rinaldi. Summerfest will conclude at 10 p.m. with a raffle drawing in which the grand prize is a Massimo Crew golf cart valued at $10,000. Second place receives two summer grilling packages valued at $500, and third place is free Domino’s pizza for a year.
*****
Garrettsville Village Council approved the Village Plan, which is normally done every 20 years. It is a marketing plan to show what can be done with the village in the future as far as retail, residential, possible roads, parks and so forth. The planning commission, in conjunction with Mark Majewski, president of Northstar Planning & Design LLC in Cleveland, put the Village Plan together.
“We’ve been working on it for the last few years,” Patrick said. “Finally, through a lot of creativity and a lot of meetings, we brought it through review at our council meeting June 14 for the public.”
*****
Village council approved a resolution to put in a pickleball court at Craig Moser Park. “We’re taking the existing skateboard park there to use for the pickleball court,” Patrick said. “The skateboard park will move to Bill Phelps Park.”
Village of Hiram
The Village of Hiram will hold an “Old-Fashioned Fourth of July” on Monday, July 3 and Tuesday, July 4. At 8 p.m. July 3, the event will include food, entertainment provided by Swifty the Clown, and a medical helicopter. The national anthem will be sung at 9 p.m., followed by a fireworks display at 9:15 p.m. thanks to a grant from the Hiram Village Fire Department.
The July 4 festivities will kick off at 9:30 a.m. with a softball game at Jagow Field. That will be followed by a bike rodeo from 10:30 a.m. to noon in the parking lot of the Hiram Christian Church at 6868 Wakefield Rd. A parade will start at noon at the church’s parking lot. The grand marshal is longtime Portage County Prosecutor Victor Vigluicci. At 12:30 p.m., there will be a potluck and kids games at Hiram College’s Gerstacker Green. At 4 p.m., the Hiram Community Band will perform at the college’s Frohring Building. That will be followed by a pie contest at the college’s Gerstacker Arch at 5:30 p.m. The day’s festivities will conclude at 7:30 p.m. with a big-band performance, a dance and an ice cream social at Gerstacker Green.
Mantua Township
*****
Advertisements for bids are out for the 2023 Mantua Township chip-and-seal project. Sealed proposals will be received at the office of the Mantua Township Service Department at 11621 Mantua Center Rd. until 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 6.. See Record-Courier legal ad dated June 9 for more information.
*****
Mantua Township trustees will be reviewing updated plans with CT Consultants regarding the Mantua Township Sewer Project at the next trustees meeting Thursday, July 6. The project planning is entering the final phase before an approval by township legal counsel and township trustees can be made. Township officials are anticipating construction to begin in late summer or early fall.
*****
Mantua Township trustees and the Mantua Township fiscal officer held a records retention review session June 17 for “all public records” currently on file. Trustees and volunteers worked with the fiscal officer to review and separate out the records that have reached or exceeded their retention obligations. Call the township fiscal officer at (330) 357-8013 if additional information is needed.
*****
Anyone interested in what is happening in Mantua Township need not look any further than the official Mantua Township website – mantuatownshipohio.gov. Lots of information, including current announcements, officials’ contact info, facility rentals, videotaped trustees meetings, policy, news items, events and much more, is available there.
Village of Mantua
There will be an adventure race Saturday, July 8. The event is sponsored primarily by the Portage Park District. The race will start and end at Buchert Park downtown. The competition will consist of a 2-mile run/walk, a 12-mile bike, and a 6-mile canoe or kayak ride from Camp Hi back down the Cuyahoga River to Mantua.
*****
Art on the Hill will take place Saturday, July 8. More than 65 artisans will be there along with a kids tent, three or four wineries, food trucks and more.
*****
There will be a Farmers and Makers Market from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, June 23; 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, July 14; and 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, July 28 on Main Street in downtown Mantua by the mural.
*****
St. Joseph’s Ox Roast Fair will take place July 21-23.
*****
The Village Tavern at 10678 Main St. has been sold, and it is closed while the new owners are doing some light remodeling. The name will stay the same.
Nelson
The Nelson Township road crew has finished about half of the asphalt overlay on Prentiss Road, Kyle Road, Hopkins Road and Fenstermaker Road. The overlay is a ground work to make sure that the actual road bed is smooth and solid.
“We should be getting bids for the stone that will be used for chip-and-seal, which is what will be done to cover the overlay,” township Chair Mike Kortan said. “We do the chip-and-seal ourselves. Fortunately enough for the township, we purchased the equipment a couple years ago, and it saves the township anywhere from $10- to $15,000 a mile.”
*****
The township passed a resolution allowing the newly formed Nelson Restoration Committee to work in conjunction with the sexton for both Harrington Cemetery and Prentiss Cemetery. The sexton is the person who oversees a cemetery, including the cleaning, preservation, maintenance and restoration of old portions of a cemetery that essentially are in disrepair. Anyone interested in helping can call the Nelson Township zoning inspector at (330) 527-5142.
Freedom
The Freedom Community & Park Boosters will host their Christmas in July Car Show and Craft/Vendor Show from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 8 at Freedom Town Hall. Cars can be pre-registered or accepted that day. Anyone interested in a vendor spot should call (330) 931-8227 or email [email protected].
*****
The Hankee Road culvert replacement is near completion. The Asbury Road culvert replacement will go out to bid soon.
Windham Township
Windham Township Chair Rich Gano recently retired as WVFD Joint Fire District chief. Gano served as fire chief since 2016 and was with the department for 41 years. His last day was June 1. Replacing Gano is Nick Bushek.
Village of Windham
Brugmann’s Auto Clinic at 9710 E. Center St. recently closed its doors.
