News Briefs Week Of 11/28/2022

Warm Hearts,
Warm Hands
Bay Area Credit Union is once again conducting its “Warm Heart, Warm Hands” effort to help local community organizations reach out to those in need.
Through the end of the year, the credit union, located at 4202 Navarre Ave., Oregon, is accepting new mittens, gloves, hats, scarves, and socks for its Mitten & Sock Tree.
Items collected through the Warm Heart, Warm Hands effort will be distributed through local organizations, including Backpacks for Humans, Clay Cares Closet, Hannah’s Socks, East Toledo Family Center, East Toledo YMCA, Aurora House, Genoa Schools, Oregon Schools, Mom’s House and Head Start, to name a few.
Donations may be dropped off Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m.-noon.

Holiday Sweater
Stand Up Comedy
Put on a holiday sweater and settle in for a night of clean, stand-up comedy Friday, Dec. 2 on the Playmakers Civic Theatre Stage, 604 W. Sixth St., Port Clinton.
Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Fremont native, Joe Binkley, will get the laughter started at 8 p.m. Then, headliner Lee Hardin, based out of Nashville, will take the stage for 90 minutes of jokes, relatable stories and laughter. Beer and wine will be available for purchase.
The “clean comedy” show is suitable for families. Attendees are encouraged to wear their favorite holiday sweaters.
Tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for students and are available online at pcplaymakers.org or at the door.

Home Sweet Home
holiday events set
Downtown Fremont will be transformed into Candy Cane Lane for the holiday season as Downtown Fremont Inc. hosts Home Sweet Home Holiday events.
As part of the celebration, downtown businesses will be decorating their front windows for the season starting Nov. 25. The Fremont Community is being asked to vote on the Downtown Fremont Inc. Facebook Page, at downtownfremontohio.org or at the Downtown Fremont Inc. office at 315 Garrison St. until Saturday, Dec. 3 after the Holiday Parade.
The annual Tree Lighting will be held Friday, Nov. 25 at 7 p.m. at the corner of Front and Croghan streets. A trackless train ride will be available through the Downtown Historic District from 4-9 p.m.
Hot and sweet treats and roasted chestnuts will also be available. Community groups will entertain with Christmas songs and dancing. Members of the Terra State Concert Choir will also perform.
Santa will be in his house Friday, Nov. 25 from 5-7 p.m. before the Tree Lighting. Visits with Santa will continue Fridays from 5-7 p.m. and Saturdays from 1-3 p.m. until Christmas.
Can’t make it to see Santa? Drop off letters and Christmas lists until Dec. 19. Letters dropped into the mailbox will receive a free letter back from Santa, so they should include a return address.
Adults and children of all ages are invited to a Breakfast with Buddy the Elf Saturday, Nov. 26 at 9 and 10 a.m. Call Down Thyme Café at 419-332-4334 for reservations and more information.
Nov. 26 is also Small Business Saturday. While shopping on Small Business Saturday, shoppers are invited to participate in the Candy Cane Scavenger Hunt by stopping at the 13 participating businesses to get a hunt card and uncover the code by Saturday, Dec. 3. Completed hunt cards may be put in Santa’s mailbox to be entered in a drawing for a $25 Think Fremont Community ecard.
Holiday Parade
The Terra State Community College “Home Sweet Home” Holiday Parade will step off Saturday, Dec. 3 at 6 p.m. The parade will start at Roger Young Park and proceed north on Front and State streets, ending on Front Street.

Ukrainian nonprofit
sets Cookie Walk
4UA.org +Toledo Helps Ukraine, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is hosting a Cookie Walk Saturday, Dec. 3, from 9 a.m.-noon or until sold out at Sunshine Communities Gym, 7223 Maumee Western Rd., Maumee.
All proceeds will go to initiative such as relief and refugee efforts for Ukrainians impacted by the war in Ukraine and abroad.
Visitors can select from hundreds of cookies, including traditional Christmas cookies, and Eastern European favorites like Kolache and nut rolls. Cookies will be available by the dozen for $8.
Handmade Ukrainian ornaments painted by local artists will also be available for purchase.
“Fundraisers like these help us to share the tremendous need there is among Ukrainians impacted by the war,” said Alona Matchenko, co-founder of 4UA.org/Toledo Helps Ukraine. “Every time we are in the public eye, we are educating others about the horrors of this war, its impact on families and the desperate plight of those seeking to find a safe home in the United States.”
Since its inception in March 2022, 4UA.org + Toledo Helps Ukraine has:
• Secured and delivered over 26,000 pounds humanitarian supplies to Ukraine.
• Raised over $50,000 in donations.
• Assisted 30 Ukrainians in obtaining travel authorization for temporary refuge in the United States.
• Organized five fundraisers in Northwest Ohio.
• Participated in 57 community events to raise awareness and educate the community about the plight of Ukrainian refugees
Cookie donations are also appreciated for the Cookie Walk. Donations of homemade cookies may be dropped off at Sunshine Communities Gym on Friday, Dec. 2, from 3:30-6 p.m. Please package the cookies in disposable containers.

Drive-thru Nativity
Gibsonburg area churches will present a Drive-thru Nativity Dec. 3 and 4 from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Area individuals and families are invited to enjoy the presentation of the Biblical Christmas Story as it comes to life in nine scenes portrayed by families from the community. Narration of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem for the birth of a son, Jesus, is available in cassette, CD and flash drive formats to accommodate all vehicles.
For more information, call Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, 500 S. Brentwood Ave., Gibsonburg, at 419-637-2812.

Holiday Directory
A local female duo is rolling out the second annual online Holiday Directory presented by Stroll, Shop & Dine, designed to help to entrepreneurs, artists and makers market their goods and services.
Greater Toledo-area small businesses can get their products and services in front of local shoppers by submitting a listing at strollshopdine.com.
Stroll, Shop & Dine is led by small business owners, Rebecca Tansel and Taylor Holloway. Holloway runs Callisto Terra, a handmade candle studio and Tansel is the owner of Rebecca Rae Creative Services which offers graphic design, branding and marketing solutions.
The organization launched its first holiday shopping directory last winter. In this digital directory, businesses can highlight their gifts and holiday best sellers. Among items listed on the site are handcrafted jewelry, candles, home décor, gift packages, health and wellness products, fine art, local restaurants, spas, apparel and more.
The businesses are organized by category pages, making it easy and convenient for shoppers to find gifts. Website visitors can also sort by business type, including handmade, minority-owned, eco-friendly and more. Each business can share what it offers, and each listing has a button to click through to the business’s website.
“As a brand designer, I’ve had the honor of working with dozens of small businesses and start-ups over the years.” Tansel said. “Let me tell you, the work it takes to run a business, let alone, get customers to know about it, is no small venture.”
Small businesses may join the directory at strollshopdine.com. Additional updates are available at facebook.com/strollshopdine.

Elections board
meeting set
The Ottawa County Board of Elections will meet Nov. 28 at 1 p.m. for a regular board meeting and to conduct the official canvass of the Nov. 8 general election. The meeting and canvass will be held at the board office, 8444 West SR 163, Oak Harbor, in the Veterans Memorial Building.

Lake Firebelles
plan holiday
food basket effort
The Lake Township Firebelles are seeking donations for their Operation Feeding Our Neighbors holiday food basket program.
“With the uncertainty and the current climate of our country, many families are struggling just to put food on the table,” said Ashley Hagen, Committee Chairman, Feeding our Neighbors and secretary of the Lake Township Firebelles.
Last year, the Firebelles helped 59 families. “Our ‘food baskets’ are not baskets,” Hagen said. “We provide two huge boxes with enough food to feed the families for over a week.
“Every penny we raise goes directly back to the food baskets, clothing or toys we give out to residents of Lake Township,” she said. “Our first priority is food, then warm clothing and coats, then if we have raised enough, toys for the children in the families.”
Those who are interested in helping may send donations to Firebelles, 5741 Blue Grass Dr., Walbridge, OH 43465. Note in the check memo that the donation is for “Feeding Our Neighbors.”
Donations are requested by Friday, Dec. 2.

Holiday drain clog warning
The Northwestern Water and Sewer District is reminding those preparing meals this holiday season that fats, oils, and grease can solidify and cause blockages in pipes.
When they are warm, it’s easy to pour them down the drain; but as they cool, they harden and can cause sewer pipes to clog.
Through December, the district will be giving away free lids to use to cover canned grease at the main office, 12560 Middleton Pike, Bowling Green, Ohio, 43402. Stop by during regular business hours, weekdays 7:30 a.m. through 4:30 p.m.

Haye’s Library sponsoring gingerbread photo contest
Create a festive gingerbread house or building and enter it in to the Hayes Presidential Library & Museums’ online contest for a chance to win passes, a Museum Store gift card and other prizes.
Hayes Presidential is seeking submissions of photos of your gingerbread house creations for its gingerbread house contest running in conjunction with Lights of Spiegel Grove, its annual holiday lighting event on Dec. 8.
Contest entrants can make a gingerbread structure and take a photo of it and enter it online here: https://www.rbhayes.org/news/2022/11/21/general/enter-gingerbread-house-....
Hayes Presidential will then post the entries online and give people a chance to vote on them. This will be done on Hayes Presidential’s website and Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. On Instagram, the voting will take place on Instagram stories.
Entries are due by 2 p.m. Dec. 5. Voting will then take place online Dec. 6 – through 7:30 p.m. The winners will be announced online Dec. 8 night at the end of Lights of Spiegel Grove.
Each participant may enter one gingerbread house/building or one compilation of gingerbread houses if they are part of the same entry. All entries must have a gingerbread building base.
The first-place winner will receive a $30 gift card to Hayes Presidential’s Museum Store, their choice of either two site passes to the museum and Hayes Home or two passes to Hayes Home Holidays and two posters of the historic Hayes Home.
The second-place finisher will receive two passes to the Hayes Home and museum, a Hayes Presidential Christmas ornament and a poster of the Hayes Home.
The third-place finisher will receive a Hayes Presidential Christmas ornament, magnet and squirrel finger puppet.
For information, call 419-332-2081 and ask for Makennah Rettig or Kristina Smith.