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Bay United Methodist Pastor Jonathan McCleery, Laura Russell of the Ohio History Connection, local historian Kay Laughlin, Bay Village Historical Society President Cathy Flament, and Bay Village Mayor Paul Koomar unveiled the historical marker on Sept. 9. Photo by Denny Wendell

Although rain sprinkles fell, it didn’t dampen the joy and spirit of the day for the Bay United Methodist Church congregation when Pastor Jonathan McCleery, Scott Gregory and Mayor Paul Koomar unveiled the new historical marker for the Dover Lake Shore Methodist Episcopal Church. Spearheaded by Kay Laughlin, church historian, it all came to a conclusion with the unveiling and dedication of the marker during Rally Day, Sunday, Sept. 9.

Laura Russell presented proclamations from the Ohio Historical Connection and Governor John Kasich to the church and Bay Village Historical Society. She remarked about our furthering the knowledge of our state heritage and the governor recognized the Dover Lake Shore Methodist Episcopal Church on how we have encouraged the history of our past as we look to our future.

Debbie Jenkins as Mavis Templeton Hollister, Terry Smith as James Crandall,  
Nancy Allen as Mrs. Lottie Molloy, Caitlin Halstead as Susan Hollister, and Simon Sedmak as Barry Draper. Photo by Terry Schordock

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"Murder Room" will begin Clague Playhouse's 91st season. In this crime thriller spoof, Mavis and her lover plan to rub out her wealthy husband, and they seem to have succeeded all too easily. But have they? A sophisticated and witty gem of a play. 

The play is written by Jack Sharkey and is directed by Ron Newell and our cast features Nancy Allen as Mrs. Lottie Molloy, Caitlin Halstead as Susan Hollister, Debbie Jenkins as Mavis Templeton Hollister, Simon Sedmak as Barry Draper, Terry Smith as James Crandall and Lou Will as Edgar Hollister and Abel Howard.

Bay Village Kiwanis past-President Alan Waddle, center, and treasurer Russ Bauknecht present a check to Bay High School Athletic Director Matthew Spellman.

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The Bay Village Kiwanis Club has joined in the support of the Bay Village Rockets Renovation campaign. In 2008 the Bay Rockets Association with the support of the Bay Alumni Association, Bay Village Schools, the city of Bay Village and others began a “Field of Dreams” campaign to renovate the Bay High School Memorial Stadium.

Phases I and II of the renovation campaign have been completed and now it is on to Phase III. Phase III is the construction of a plaza and a 4,000-square-foot building at the south end of the stadium. The building will house a concession stand with storage, restroom facilities and team rooms.

As a result of numerous fundraising efforts held throughout the year the Bay Village Kiwanis Club has the ability to support many worthwhile programs, the most recent being the Rockets Renovation.

Fifty years ago, a small group of people worshiped in a small chapel on Detroit Road at the border of Rocky River and Westlake. They caught the vision to expand their ministry and needed a much larger and better-equipped building to meet the needs of the growing community.

A house and adjoining land became available on Columbia Road in Westlake. After much prayer, they made the commitment to purchase the house and land and establish the Westlake Free Methodist Church, which now is known as CrossPointe Community and CrossPointe Community Hispana.

On Sunday, Sept. 23, at 10:30 a.m. at CrossPointe Community, 1800 Columbia Road, we will celebrate 50 years in the city of Westlake. Rev. William L. Cryderman will be our special speaker. His father, Rev. Dale Cryderman, who later became Bishop, was the special speaker 50 years ago.

Want to learn more about how to get and stay healthy? Stop by the Westlake Porter Public Library Health Fair on Saturday, Sept. 22, from 1 to 4 p.m. for free health screenings, programs, visits with local health organizations and more.

Participants will be able to have their blood pressure, stroke risk assessment, hearing and vision all checked. The programs will include "Yoga with Inner Bliss Yoga Studio" at 1 p.m., "Healthy Living for Brain and Body" presented by the Alzheimer’s Association at 1:30 p.m., and "What Is Functional Medicine?" led by Dr. Emily Brawner at 3 p.m. Registration is required for all three programs. To register please visit westlakelibrary.evanced.info/eventcalendar or call 440-871-2600.

Students of the Bay Village City School District are meeting and exceeding state academic standards, earning their district an overall grade of A on the Ohio Report Card, released Sept. 13.

A comparison of the Performance Index, which factors in every test taken by every student, shows Bay Village ranking 6th of 31 districts in Cuyahoga County, and 16th of 608 districts in the State of Ohio. The district’s Performance Index was 106.4.

“These report card results reflect the hard work that takes place every day in our schools,” said Superintendent Jodie Hausmann. “Our students, teachers and administrators should be extremely proud of this significant achievement. In addition, our parents, support staff, board members and community members should celebrate the important roles they play in helping us reach this level of success.”

School Resource Officers Ted Morley, left, and Pat Foye have been assigned to Dover Intermediate and Lee Burneson this year.

The Westlake City School District is starting the 2018-2019 school year with two new School Resource Officers through the Westlake Police Department.

Officer Pat Foye and Officer Ted Morley are the new School Resource Officers/Drug Abuse Prevention Officers at Lee Burneson Middle School and Dover Intermediate School, respectively. Foye and Morley, who both previously served with the Lakewood Police Department, join Officer Scott Fortkamp, who has been the SRO at Westlake High School for 18 years.

Foye, who spent 25 years in Lakewood, is a U.S. Army Reserves veteran with multiple deployments and served on WEB SWAT, as a WEB negotiator and a narcotics detective.

Morley, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, served 30 years in Lakewood. He was a member of Westshore Enforcement Bureau (WEB) SWAT and the U.S. Marshals Service Task Force. He also served as a community officer, and a firearms and tactics trainer.

The next time you get a hankering for some homemade oregano vinegar, think of the Bay Village Democratic Club.

Oregano vinegar – it really is homemade – will be among zany raffle prizes offered at the club's annual hot dog and corn roast. Other prizes include books on political history and essays, a carafe, a canvas briefcase and gift cards from several Bay Village merchants.

The annual corn roast is Wednesday, Sept. 19, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Bay Lodge, 492 Bradley Road.

Food and beverages will be provided by the club, while you can bring family, kids and friends. Some members will bring a side dish or dessert to share.

The Bay Village Sea Scouts paddle a boat they constructed out of post-consumer recyclable materials. Photo by Richard Gash

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The 10th annual Great Lake Erie Boat Float was held on Sept. 8 at Edgewater Beach. The Boat Float is a fun competition in which participants build boats using post-consumer recyclable materials.

The purpose of the event is to help raise awareness about the impacts of plastic on the environment and of course to have fun! The event is hosted by Sustainable Cleveland, the Cleveland Metroparks, and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. 

This year, the Bay Village Sea Scouts entered the contest. Their group was led by Sea Scouts leader, Richard Gash, with five scouts as the crew. The crew members were Leo Cavalier, Nick LaRosa, Isadora Miller, John Cannata and Gwynn Miller. They constructed a boat using large white plastic drums that were donated by a local farmer and had previously contained a biodegradable herbicide. They also used a wooden pallet that had been utilized to ship a consignment of aluminum plate.

Cruising Sanibel Island on a single-speed beach bike, my neighbor Sharon, then 52, did a “Flintstone front brake” (remember how Fred Flintstone stopped his stone car by dragging his heels? Yup, that one) and broke her right foot.

Her doctor frowned. “Something’s off,” he told her. A bone density study later, she was diagnosed with osteoporosis.

Two years ago, an infection caused a dental implant to fall off. Sharon became alarmed when two dentists refused to operate on her because she’d been on “antiresorptive medications” for osteoporosis for 12 years.

Sharon – and four out of 10 white females in the U.S. – will experience a spine, hip or wrist fracture sometime in their lifetimes; the rate is 13 percent for white male per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Bay Village Senior Center has launched BV60+, a new group for more active “seniors,” along with activities to appeal to this population.

While anyone age 55+ may actually come to the senior center, focus groups revealed that “younger seniors” do not want to come to a senior center because 1) they are still working, and 2) they do not consider themselves seniors. We also learned, however, that this age group wants to socialize and get to know people in their age group and community.

The Herb Guild Garden Club will hold its October meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 10, at Westlake Porter Public Library. After a short business meeting there will be a paper mosaic workshop put on by The Emerald & Violet Studio of Olmsted Falls. Guests are welcome but asked to register by Oct. 1 so that enough materials may be provided by the art studio.

The workshop will start at 12:30 p.m. The cost to non-members is $35. Please contact Joyce Hayward at 330-801-7202 if you want to attend.

Kiera Kette and her kitty, Brine, were both blessed at last year's event. Photo by Dan Straitiff

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Hedgehogs, bearded dragons and less-exotic household animals and their families are invited to the 14th annual Blessing of the Pets on Thursday, Oct. 4, at 6:30 p.m. on the front lawn of St. Raphael Church in Bay Village.

Individual blessings will be given to each animal. Giveaways from Hot Diggity Dog Pet Sitting will be distributed and a garden statue of St. Francis will be given away. The event is free and all are welcome!

The event was first held in 2005 to commemorate the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals.

In Cuyahoga County, talking about a “charter” is a cutting-edge, 21st-century topic, not something from the old English history books. Cuyahoga is one of only two counties in the state that operate under a chartered, elected legislative body instead of three elected commissioners. Voter-approved charters such as Cuyahoga’s need frequent review and revision to keep the administration of county services in conformity with laws and best practices.

On Saturday, Oct. 6, at 2 p.m., residents can hear about the proposed charter amendments that will appear on the Nov. 6 ballot. The forum will take place in the Porter Room of Westlake Porter Public Library, 27333 Center Ridge Road. Charter Review Commission Chair, the Honorable Ronald B. Adrine, will be assisted by other Commission members in describing the proposals and in answering audience questions.

As we prepare for the upcoming colder temperatures and the leaves get ready to fall, it's time to start thinking about cleaning up your garden and getting it ready for the winter weather. Join us at the Bay Village branch library on Saturday, Sept. 22, at 2 p.m. as the Master Gardeners present "Putting Your Garden to Bed." Learn what chores to do to make your gardening easier come springtime.

CHILDREN

• Mondays (10 a.m.) Toddler Storytime – ages 19-35 months
• Tuesdays (10 a.m.) Toddler Storytime – ages 19-35 months
• Tuesdays (6:45 p.m.) Family Storytime – for all ages
• Wednesdays (10 a.m.) Baby and Me Storytime – ages birth-18 months
• Thursdays (10 a.m.) Preschool Storytime – ages 3-5 (not yet in kindergarten)
• Fridays (10 a.m.) Family Storytime – for all ages

Thursday, Sept. 20 (4 p.m.) American Girl: Caroline – Grades 2-4: Learn about the times and cultures represented by the dolls. Feel free to bring your doll to the program if you have one.

Thursday, Oct. 4 (4 p.m.) Trains, Planes and Automobiles – Join us for transportation stories, songs and activities!

Wednesdays, Sept. 19 and 26 (10:15 & 11 a.m.) Let’s Sing and Dance! – Sing and move to the music with Miss Nancy! For children ages 2-6 with a caregiver. Please arrive early to receive a ticket.

Wednesdays, Sept. 19 and 26 (4-5:30 p.m.) and Thursdays, September 20 and 27 (6:30-8 p.m.) Bow Wow Books – Stop by Youth Services to sign up for a 10-minute reading time with a reading therapy dog. Registration begins each Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. and Thursday at 6 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 19 (6:30-8:45 p.m.) Cuyahoga West Genealogical Society – Liz Pearson will speak about "English and Welsh Parish Records, 1538-1837."

Thursday, Sept. 20 (noon-1:30 p.m.) Small Business Lunch & Learn: Business Law – This seminar will cover the legal topics that most entrepreneurs and business owners will encounter in the start-up and running of their businesses. Attendees will learn about business start-up issues, doing business with a partner, lease review, general contract matters and general intellectual property issues. Attendees will also have an opportunity to ask questions pertaining to his/her business. Please register.

Thursdays, Sept. 20 and 27 (4-5 p.m.) Code Club! – Learn how to build an app, design a video game, and change the world through code! Grades 3-4. Registration begins one week before each session.

Thursday, Sept. 20 (Preschool session: 6:30 p.m.) and Friday, Sept. 21 (Preschool session: 9:30 a.m. and Toddler Session: 11:30 a.m.) Teach Me to Play – A play-based program for families and their children (Toddler: ages 18 months-2 years and Preschool: ages 3-6 years) who are struggling in an area of development. Diverse opportunities for learning are provided, with an emphasis on facilitating communication, practicing social interactions and responding to behaviors in a positive way. Each themed session offers a variety of engaging individual, small and whole group activities. Led by an experienced early intervention specialist and speech-language pathologist. To register, call 440-250-5563 or visit connectingforkids.org.

Friday, Sept. 21 (3:30-4:15 p.m.) Fun Science Friday: Dinosaur Discovery – Join Mrs. K as we explore the wonders of our world. What happened to the dinosaurs? We’ll answer that question and more. Discoveries will be made through hands-on experiments, active participation and a simple fossil to take home. Ages 4-6. Please register.

Saturday, Sept. 22 (10:30-11:30 a.m.) Pokemon Fun! – A fun morning of Pokemon-themed play, prizes, and crafts! Ages 6-11.

Saturday, Sept. 22 (1-4 p.m.) WPPL Health Fair – Learn more about your health and how to stay healthy at all ages. You’ll have a chance to participate in three different programs (registration required), get health screenings (vision, blood pressure and stroke risk assessment), and visit with area health organizations. Registration required for programs only.

Saturday, Sept. 22 (1-1:30 p.m.) Yoga with Inner Bliss Yoga Studio – Join us for a free yoga class. Presented as part of the WPPL Health Fair. Please register.

Saturday, Sept. 22 (1:30-2:30 p.m.) Healthy Living for Brain and Body – For centuries, we’ve known that the health of the brain and the body are connected. But now, science is able to provide insights into how to make lifestyle choices that may help you keep your brain and body healthy as you age. Join us to learn about research in the areas of diet and nutrition, exercise, cognitive activity and social engagement, and use hands-on tools to help you incorporate these recommendations into a plan for healthy aging. Presented by the Alzheimer’s Association as part of the WPPL Health Fair. Please register.

The Constitution of the United States is on display at the National Archives Museum in Washington, D.C. Photo courtesy archives.gov

In 1955, the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution petitioned Congress with a resolution to use the week of Sept. 17-23 as an observance for the foundation of the American government. The resolution was signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on Aug. 2, 1955. President George W. Bush officially declared the inception of Constitution Week in 2002.

This year celebrates the 63rd anniversary of the first resolution. It also celebrates the 231st anniversary of the signing of the Constitution and the 227th anniversary of the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights are the first 10 Amendments in the Constitution.

Members of the Bay Village Community Council met on Sept. 13 to discuss their groups' exciting fall events. Here are some highlights.

American Legion Post 385's Color Guard will lead the Bay Village Homecoming Parade on Friday, Sept. 21. On Monday, Oct. 1, members of the Post will host a free Bingo Night at the Wade Park Veterans Hospital. St. Paul Lutheran Church's Military Support Ministry will join the Post by offering snacks to the veterans during the Bingo sessions. 

Bay Village Community Theater will present "War of the Worlds: The Panic Broadcast," at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, Parkside Hall from Friday, Oct. 19, through Sunday, Oct. 29.  Friday and Saturday evening performances begin at 8 p.m. and the Sunday matinee begins at 3 p.m. Tickets are available online at baytheater.org or by calling 440-847-8494.

Bay Village Educational Foundation accepted grant applications from Bay Village teachers, staff members and students. Foundation trustees will meet Oct. 16 to decide on grant funding for activities or projects that directly benefit students enrolled in the Bay Village City Schools. For more information, visit bayedfoundation.org. 

Bay Village Foundation is hosting a 5K run/1 mile walk on Saturday, Oct. 20, at 9:00 a.m. All participants will receive a loaded goody bag and the first 300 participants will receive a cool, dry-tech run shirt. In addition, the top three male and female finishers in each age group will receive a medal and great prizes. Funds collected by the not-for-profit, Bay Village Foundation are used to support Bay Village community projects. More details at thebayvillagefoundation.org.

Bay Village Garden Club will have their "Christmas Greening" workshops on Dec. 4 and 5 at Bay United Methodist Church. This is a hands-on workshop to help people make their own fresh arrangements for their home decorations. The club provides the greens and materials and demonstrates how to make the projects. See more at bayvillagegardenclub.com.

This is the first in a series of articles about mobile phones and plans.

Just like there are AM and FM radio waves, aka bands, there are two mobile radio wave standards, or bands, in use in our country: GSM and CDMA. The important thing is that there are two bands and not what the acronyms stand for. Keen readers and geeks alike will point out that the word “band” is used slightly in a different manner when talking about the mobile phone industry but to keep matters simple, we’ll ignore that it is used differently.

If rock 'n' roll is your favorite music genre, you can tune your radio to 100.7 WMMS or 98.5 WNCX stations on the FM band to get your fix. For traffic reports, news and sports news during your daily commute, you may tune to WTAM 1100 on the AM band.

Like WMMS and WNCX in the FM band, or WTAM in the AM band, analogy here is that we have T-Mobile and AT&T using the GSM standard while Verizon and Sprint are using the CDMA standard.

Broadcast Hysteria: Orson Welles’s War of the Worlds and the Art of Fake News by A. Brad Schwartz

Let's take a moment to look back 80 years to see how a 23-year-old Orson Welles awoke to find himself the most talked about man in America as his face and name appeared on newspapers from coast to coast.

The book, "Broadcast Hysteria: Orson Welles’s War of the Worlds and the Art of Fake News" by A. Brad Schwartz, describes the scenario that caused some listeners to mistake the Mercury Theatre on the Air performance as a real alien invasion.

In the aftermath of the broadcast, Welles went before dozens of reporters to answer a question that followed him for the rest of his life. Did he intend or anticipate, that "War of the Worlds" would throw its audience into panic?

Learn about life in early Dover Township at a tour of Lakeside Cemetery on Sunday, Sept. 30, planned by the Bay Village Historical Society.

Tours will depart at regular intervals from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Lakeside Cemetery on Lake Road in Bay Village. Actors will be at Lakeside Cemetery, where they will relate the stories of several individuals buried in the cemetery. Become intrigued while hearing tales of the Cahoon, Jaycox, Osborn, Oviatt, Sadler and Wischmeyer families.

Westlake senior Matt Eppele was selected as a member of the All-State Orchestra.

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Westlake High School senior Matt Eppele was selected for the second time as a member of the All-State Orchestra. Last year he participated in the All-State Band.

Several WHS musicians were selected as alternates for the All-State groups, including Jessica Barrick, Nathan Hsaio and Juyoung Lee. All-State groups are selected from auditions throughout the state and perform at the Ohio Music Education Association Conference, which will be held at the Cleveland Convention Center Jan. 31-Feb. 2.

The convention will provide a platform for several performances by Westlake students. Jazz I will perform Feb. 1 at 9:30 a.m. and then serve as the clinic group for University of Louisville Jazz professor Jerry Tolson. The Chamber Orchestra will perform Feb. 2 at 9:30 a.m.

Westlake High School's 2018 National Merit Semifinalists.

Nine Westlake High School seniors were named 2018 National Merit Semifinalists.

Seniors Claire Brewer, Isabella DiGiulio, Ella Gray, Nate Gray, Hyun Park, Akhilesh Reddy, Mihir Shetty, Meghana Tandon and Talia Zheng are among the 16,000 students across the country who took the PSAT in their junior year and earned scores high enough to qualify as Semifinalists. These students will move on to compete for approximately 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $34 million.

Roughly 95 percent of the waste generated at Moondance was recycled or composted. Photo by Lori Kubiak

Why were there no garbage cans at BAYarts' annual Moondance fundraiser on Sept. 8? Because attendees were participating in a zero-waste event.

"Everything [guests] use to enjoy the evening was composted by Rust Belt Riders," says BAYarts' special events coordinator Diana Brewer. "From the food to the plates, napkins and forks. We work with all of the restaurant vendors to encourage they bring nothing that isn't in those parameters. People really get on board."

As soon as someone placed their empty plate on a table, the trained staff was there to take the refuse and sort it into the proper piles of what is compostable or recyclable.

For those who had questions during the event, they could talk to the point people manning the two large stations where items were sorted. This was led by Amy Coursen and Kathy Boehnlein of the Bay Village Green Team.

An exciting exhibit by local artist JoAnn DePolo is coming to the Center for Artful Living in Westlake. The exhibit features recent abstract works by DePolo and a selection of paintings from “Display the Music” which is inspired by original orchestral music composed by her twin sons, Jared and Andrew DePolo.

The Display the Music collection combines visual and musical art forms as sound is captured in multihued layers of paint. Visitors can fully experience this exhibit by bringing earbuds or headphones so they can listen to the sounds that accompany each painting.

This exhibit is truly unique for many reasons. DePolo is an artist who is internationally known among art collectors for her unique paintings of cityscapes, water scenes and bold abstracts. Widely regarded as a visionary, JoAnn’s art can be found hanging in the homes of several celebrities, including world renowned artist Peter Max.

Medals will be awarded to the first three finishers in all age groups. Photo by Denny Wendell

The Bay Village Foundation will host their annual 5K run/1-mile walk on Saturday, Oct. 20, at 9:00 a.m. at Bay Middle School. Adults and children of all ages are invited to run or walk through beautiful Bay Village during this event which benefits the Foundation’s mission of providing support for projects and programs fostering Bay Village’s historical, cultural, social and educational heritage.

Participants will receive goodie bags and Cool Dry Tech shirts will be given to the first 300 to register. Gold, silver and bronze medals featuring the Foundation’s new logo will be awarded to the top three overall male and female finishers in the following age divisions based on race-day age: 11 & under, 12-14, 15-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, and 65 & over.

Westlake High School was named a 2017-2018 Cleveland Clinic Banner School. The award recognizes the school’s noteworthy success in leveraging community resources to advance student learning.

Fewer than 30 percent of the 179 schools in four states that participate in the Cleveland Clinic Civic Education Department’s programming received this recognition.

The efforts of WHS art teachers Kelly Atkinson and William Wilson, and language arts teacher Julie Davidson, were recognized for implementing the eXpressions program, demonstration an “exceptional commitment to student enrichment.”

Musicians Armand and Angelina will bring uplifting and inspirational experiences to Unity Spiritual Center.

Unity Spiritual Center will welcome Armand and Angelina, international performing artists and classical pop music duo. Armand and Angelina will provide three opportunities to be uplifted by their beautiful music and inspirational stories.

On Sunday, Sept. 23, at 9:00 and 11:00 a.m., Armand and Angelina will bring their unique musical and story-telling talents to lead USC’s Sunday services with a talk entitled “An Attitude of Gratitude.” You will learn how to infuse your daily prayer with the addition of Affirmative Prayer, as well as learning how to include gratitude and the Law of Attraction in your spiritual practice.

Viiolinist James Thompson

The Rocky River Chamber Music Society will be celebrating its 60th anniversary all season long, and everyone is invited! The kickoff concert, on Monday, Oct. 1, at 7:30 p.m. at West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church, 20401 Hilliard Blvd. in Rocky River, will applaud the extraordinary young talent in our region’s distinguished music schools. 

The Society will present an ensemble comprised of violinist James Thompson, a Cleveland native and Artist Diploma student at the Cleveland Institute of Music, along with his CIM classmates cellist Anna Hurt and pianist Sarah Ha. This ensemble will perform works by Mozart and Shostakovich.

This fall, the West Shore Family YMCA will introduce new soccer and flag football leagues for adults in the community, in addition to current adult basketball leagues. 

Adult soccer and flag football leagues will run from Oct. 8 through Nov. 27. Soccer games will be held on Mondays and Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m.; flag football games will be held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. Adult basketball will run from Sept. 24 through early December. Basketball games will be held on Mondays and Tuesdays between 7:00 and 10:00 p.m.