News Briefs Week of 12/30/19
New Year’s Eve
Bash set in Fremont
Party like its 1820 at the New Year’s Eve celebration, hosted by the Sandusky County Bicentennial Committee at the Elks Lodge, 436 Croghan St. The party will be held from 8 p.m.-12:30 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31, on the second floor of the Elks.
Tickets are $20 per person and include hors d’ oeuvres and the midnight champagne toast. Classic Trendz will perform live music, and there will be a cash bar.
Tickets are available online at www.bicentennial2020.org or in-person at Color Haven Paint & Supply, 105 N. Stone St., Fremont, and the Sandusky County Convention & Visitors Bureau, 712 North St., Fremont.
Ticket holders will receive a wrist band that will allow them to leave the event to participate in other New Year’s events happening in downtown Fremont and return to the party.
The party is the kickoff to a year of celebration for the county bicentennial. The bicentennial committee is planning numerous events throughout the year around the county. A schedule of events and details are available at www.bicentennial2020.org. For updates, like the bicentennial on Facebook at @SanduskyCounty2020.
It's Friday! concert
The Toledo Museum of Art (TMA) It’s Friday! Music series continues in 2020 with its first concert Friday, Jan. 3.
The concert by Rela Percussion, featuring musicians from Toledo and Detroit, begins at 6:30 p.m. in the GlasSalon.
“With performances that are very engaging and highly visual, Rela Percussion combines music from around the world with jazz and art music sensibilities,” said Scott Boberg TMA’s manager of programs and audience engagement. “And this performance is especially interesting because in 2017 the band created some of the glass instruments that will be used in this performance as part of the TMA’s Guest Artist Pavilion Project.”
Along with a cash bar, light refreshments will be available for purchase in the Glass Pavilion.
For more information, visit toledomuseum.org.
Quilters to meet
The Maumee Bay Country Quilters’ Guild will hold their monthly meeting Tuesday, Jan. 7 at Northwood Church of God, 3375 Curtice Rd.
Doors open at 6 p.m. The meeting begins at 6:45 p.m. Visitors are welcome. The fee for visitors is $10.
State of the City
Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz will deliver the 2020 State of the City address in the Great Hall at the Toledo Zoo at 5 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 30.
Mayor Kapszukiewicz’s address will highlight accomplishments of the past year and his vision and initiatives for 2020 and beyond.
Doors will open at 4:30 p.m. Parking will be available in the zoo’s Broadway lot, located at 2700 Broadway. The event is free and open to the public. An American Sign Language interpreter will be present.
The speech will air live in its entirety on BCAN (Buckeye Community Arts Network). Watch the live broadcast on Buckeye Cable Channel 109/609HD or on Facebook by following BCAN Arts, https://www.facebook.com/BCANarts.
The city of Toledo supports the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request a reasonable accommodation, contact Joan Easler, ADA coordinator, at 419-245-1059.
Ohio BMV to launch
recall safety notices
In an effort to ensure the safety of Ohio’s motorists, the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV), a division of the Ohio Department of Public Safety (ODPS), is among the first in the nation to launch a vehicle safety recall notification program using the state’s vehicle registration renewal process.
Through the program, vehicle safety recall information is printed on registration renewal notices, which are sent through the mail. Customers will begin receiving open recall notifications beginning in January 2020.
“The safety of Ohioans is top priority,” said Gov. Mike DeWine. “By putting recall information on vehicle registration notices, we want to proactively alert motorists to potential vehicle safety issues to help prevent crashes, injuries, and deaths.”
“We are able to use the Vehicle Recall Search Service to help inform Ohioans so they can address recalls for free,” said Faisal Hasan, General Manager of Data at CARFAX. “This partnership means more vehicle recalls will be remedied, and Ohio roadways will be safer for it.”
Drivers who were not the original owners of their vehicle may not be aware of an open recall or inadvertently dismissed the notification from the manufacturer. Together with stakeholders, the BMV identified this as a severe gap and worked to close it at no cost to customers.
“The BMV is committed to providing excellent, innovative customer service,” said Charles Norman, Ohio BMV Registrar. “The safety recall notification program is another example of our dedication to improving and enhancing the overall customer experience by providing innovative options to meet their needs and keep them safe.”
An open recall does not affect the ability of a customer to renew their vehicle registration. Customers should check their Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) for open recalls by using the VIN look-up tool on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website www.nhtsa.gov or contacting their authorized dealership.
Judge Hany to
run for probate
& juvenile court
Municipal Court Judge Frederick C. (Fritz) Hany II announced he is seeking election to the Ottawa County Probate and Juvenile Court in 2020.
“Current Judge Kathleen Geisler has done a terrific job, and also implemented many effective programs benefitting Ottawa County families,” Hany said. “Susan and I wish her and her husband, Ron, all the best in their future endeavors.
“I am very grateful to our citizens for their trust in me as their Municipal Court Judge and would like to take my judicial experience to the next level, our Probate and Juvenile Court,” Hany added.
Four previous Municipal Court judges have moved on to the Common Pleas Court level. Judges Donald Wargowsky, James Thierry and Paul Moon moved to the Common Pleas Court General Division and Judges Wargowsky and Merrill Rudes moved to the Probate and Juvenile Court. Judge Wargowsky is the only person to be elected to all three courts.
In addition to his current duties at the Municipal Court, Judge Hany serves as a faculty member of the Ohio Judicial College (“Judges teaching Judges”), and he is a former member of both the Ohio Sentencing Commission and the Commission on the Rules of Practice and Procedure in Ohio Courts.
Beyond the bench, his local community service includes serving as the first president of the Ottawa County’s Visitor’s Bureau, a past member of the Magruder Hospital Board of Trustees and past president of the Oak Harbor Lions Club.
Hany and his wife, Susan (Loeffler), who is an Oak Harbor High School teacher, have two daughters, Joan and Elizabeth (Mookie).
Noon Year’s Eve
Bring the entire family to the Toledo Zoo on New Year’s Eve to ring in the New Year a little early – at noon. This family-friendly event, focusing on making 2020 a greener year, will take place Tuesday, Dec. 31 from 11 a.m-1 p.m.
Together with family and friends, the Zoo will celebrate the stroke of noon with the raising of its re-designed recycling ball, a cascade of biodegradable confetti, apple juice toast, a chorus of “Auld Lang Syne” and more. Throughout the celebration, guests can make conservation reZOOlutions and enjoy craft time, an ice-carving demonstration, animal feeds/enrichment and the Ice Slide in the Winter Village sponsored by Kroger.
Noon Year’s Eve is free with Zoo admission. The Zoo admission gates will be open on New Year’s Eve from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. with Lights Before Christmas presented by KeyBank beginning at 3 p.m. and grounds closing at 9 p.m.
More information about Noon Year’s Eve and all Toledo Zoo events can be found at toledozoo.org.
Great Art Escape
Celebrate the season with a diverse array of activities, events, and performances during the Great Art Escape, which returns to the Toledo Museum of Art (TMA) Dec. 26 through 29, Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, 2020.
Activities include music and dance performances, Dutch organ concerts, glassblowing demonstrations, glass art workshops, Family Center activities, drawing in the galleries, and more.
As part of the Great Art Escape, visitors are invited to celebrate (Re)New Year’s Day by participating in a unique experience inspired by art and movement.
At noon and 2 p.m., visitors will have the opportunity to learn the basic rhythms and history of Afro Cuban Dance with instructor Lisa McCall. Registration at tickets.toledomuseum.org is required and a $5 donation the day of the event is suggested. There will also be a kombucha tasting and healthy snacks in the Cloister and a gallery hunt activity available throughout the event.
(Re)New Year's Day is presented by Circle, the Toledo Museum of Art's affinity group dedicated to inclusive and innovative programming that engages new audiences with the Museum. Circle is sponsored in part by ProMedica and HCR ManorCare.
Peristyle performances include Aha! Indian Dance, El Corazon de Mexico Ballet Folkorico, JP Dynasty, the Ardan Academy of Irish Dance, and the Greater Toledo International Youth Orchestra.
Dutch organ concerts will take place at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. in Gallery 24 each day of the Great Art Escape except Sunday when there will only be a 1 p.m. concert.
Frosty Glass Workshops will take place Saturday, Dec. 28 and Sunday, Dec. 29. Fun for all ages, participants will apply stickers and decals to a clear glass or mug that will be frosted to reveal your own unique design. The cost is $20 for Museum members and $25 for nonmembers and includes one child and an accompanying adult. Advance registration can be done at tickets.toledomuseum.org. The workshops are sponsored in part by Libbey, Inc.
At 2 p.m. on New Year’s Day, The AntiVillians will perform a free concert in the GlasSalon.
Admission to the Toledo Museum of Art is free. Parking is also free for Museum members and $8 for nonmembers. For more information, visit toledomuseum.org.
The Great Art Escape is supported in part by Taylor Cadillac.
Fisheries Research Funding
The State Controlling Board has approved the release of funding for improvements to the state’s fish research office in Sandusky.
The $290,000 project at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ (ODNR) Sandusky Fisheries Research Unit office involves several elements, including a new roof.
“I appreciate ODNR’s continued investment in our region,” said State Rep. D.J. Swearingen (R-Huron). “The work being done at the Sandusky Fisheries office and by ODNR throughout the area is an important part of our local tourism economy as well as our natural resources.”
The primary mission of the Sandusky Fisheries Research Unit is to assess and manage fish populations and fisheries in Lake Erie's Western and Central basins and their tributary streams.
The facility houses staff members, a research lab, and research vessel to monitor the food web, the spread of exotic species in the lake, and the abundance, growth, age, diet and health of fish to insure habitat protection and resource integrity, according to ODNR.
All work on the project is scheduled for completion by June 15, 2020.
Silent Movie Night
A Silent Movie Night featuring “The Circus” starring Charlie Chaplin will be held Saturday, Jan. 4 at 7:30 p.m. at the historic Pemberville Opera House.
The presentation is part of the ongoing Live! in the House Concert Series.
In “The Circus,” the Tramp finds himself at a circus where he is promptly chased around by the police who think he is a pickpocket. Running into the Big Top, he is an accidental sensation with his hilarious efforts to elude the police. The circus owner immediately hires him, but soon discovers that the Tramp cannot be funny on purpose, so he takes advantage of the situation by making the Tramp a janitor who just happens to always be in the Big Top at showtime. The Tramp falls for the owner’s acrobatic stepdaughter and his chances seem good, until a dashing rival comes in.
Lynne Long will accompany the film on the piano.
Tickets are $12 and are available at Beeker’s General Store, at the door or by contacting Carol at 419-287-4848 or carol@pembervilleoperahouse.org.
Visit pembervilleoperahouse.org for more details.
Fatal crash
The Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Toledo Post is investigating a fatal crash that occurred around 4:51 p.m. Dec. 21 on Park Colony near Corduroy Road in Jerusalem Township.
A 2003 Honda Accord driven by Raymond Sheperd, Curtice, was traveling southbound on Park Colony and went off the left side of the roadway. The vehicle struck a ditch and rolled over before stopping in a field.
Sheperd was transported by Life-Flight to St. Vincent Medical Center where he was pronounced deceased.
The crash is under investigation and a medical emergency is suspected as the cause of the crash. Sheperd was wearing his seatbelt and no alcohol or drug impairment is suspected.
The Highway Patrol was assisted on scene by the Oregon Police Department, the Jerusalem Township Fire Department, and Life Flight.
Zoning change
request filed
A request to rezone property along Cummings Road in Lake Township is on the agenda of the Jan. 7 meeting of the Wood County Planning Commission.
Kenneth Swartz has submitted a request to rezone a 60-acre parcel from A-1 agricultural to B-2 commercial zoning.
Swartz has informed the commission he intends to sell the property and is seeking the zoning change to make it more marketable.
The property is located about 1,800 feet south of the intersection of State Rt. 795 and Cummings Road. Latcha Road borders it to the south.