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A rendering of the library's front, east-facing elevation. The building's white plank siding and stone work mirrors other structures in Bay. (Courtesy HBM Architects)

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Representatives from the Cuyahoga County Public Library and HBM Architects visited Bay Village to present an update of the design process for the new branch library. Exterior and interior renderings, as well as site plans, were shared with the Cahoon Park trustees – the mayor and members of City Council – during the Feb. 4 council meeting.

This was the first public glimpse of design drafts since last March. Those were rejected amid residents’ concerns that the architecture didn’t fit in with the style and structure of other buildings in the city.

CCPL then restarted the process by hiring a new architecture firm and engaging in more substantive discussions with the public. The library system held several input sessions with the community, students and branch staff to help provide guidance to the new team of architects.

Vince Sovacool, center, with fellow WHS SADD officers Molly Schillace, Allison Hook and Lindsey Jenkins.

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Westlake High School senior Vince Sovacool was named the Ohio SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) Student of the Year for his “passion, activities and creativity” in his local chapter, community and school.

In their nomination of Vince, his fellow WHS SADD members and advisor Kathy McGinty called Vince an excellent friend and role model. They said he “embodies the SADD mission in his daily life and has never been shy about incorporating the SADD principles in the activities that are important to him.”

Winter’s polar blast have you trapped inside? Did you know your Westlake Porter Public Library card gives you access to hours and hours of free digital media content through Hoopla, Kanopy, Acorn TV and Stingray Qello?

All these streaming services are available online or via apps for your mobile devices. Each requires a simple account setup attached to your WPPL card to access a variety of TV shows, movies, documentaries and digital books and music.

Well, that certainly didn’t last long, did it?

I’m referring, of course, to the lavish praise with which I bathed Browns GM John Dorsey after the spectacular job he did in his year-and-a-half on the job by making nothing but brilliant moves in bringing the Browns back to respectability. I mean, I went “all in” with these guys. I even started to give Jimmy Haslam credit for not getting in Dorsey’s way.

And then this.

Cuyahoga River Fire from Nov. 3, 1952. Courtesy of Cleveland Press Collection at Cleveland State University Library

An upcoming program at Cuyahoga Community College will examine how the infamous Cuyahoga River fire of 1969 ignited an environmental revolution across the United States.

The topic is the focus of the latest “Learning for Life” lecture series program, taking place Thursday, Feb. 28, at Corporate College West.

The discussion will be led by David A. Bernatowicz, an associate professor of history at Tri-C. Bernatowicz frequently speaks on Cleveland’s industrial heritage – a past that created the polluted river that burst into flames.

Origami from the 1800s, part of Jennifer Gallant's collection.

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What does a New England seafarer bring home from the orient? How did grandma spend time in her late years? Which farm chore was for the “girls”? 

You can visualize the past at the Bay Antiques & Vintage Show, on Saturday, March 2, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, March 3, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The location is Bay High School, 29230 Wolf Road. This is the 50th anniversary of this fundraising event for Bay High scholarships, hosted by the Bay Village Women’s Club.

To celebrate the anniversary, Club members will bring their own antiques to display, along with the dealers selling jewelry, shabby chic, home décor, toys and much more. The display provides a window to the past, along with the item’s story.

Doctors appointments can be tough on your mom, when she’s faced with ever-changing offices and doctors, distant parking, check-in terminals, increased testing, shorter appointments ... all at an age when her hearing, vision, thinking and confidence aren’t where they were even five to 10 years ago. 

To improve the odds of her staying healthier and happier, and living longer, it helps to focus on the three P’s to improve the outcomes of her appointments.

Preparation

The days before her appointment are as important as the 20 minutes your mom will spend with the doctor. It’s time to discuss who she’ll be seeing, why, where and when, and to create a plan for the day.

Bay Village Schools Director of Curriculum Char Shryock (left) is joined by Superintendent Jodie Hausmann in accepting the SECO Administrator Award for Leadership in Science Education.

Char Shryock, curriculum director for the Bay Village Schools, is known to dive deeply into just about any project or initiative in which she’s involved. Her passion for educating children has her regularly meeting with teachers to select the best learning materials to meet educational standards, to study best practices for teaching and learning, and to formulate measures that quantify what students have learned, as well as where they need to keep trying.

If that sounds like a scientific approach to a field that many consider an art, it is one that comes naturally to this daughter of a science teacher who then grew up to be a science teacher herself. It seems inevitable that she would be recognized as a leading advocate for science education, as she was last month by the Science Education Council of Ohio (SECO) who presented her with their Administrator Award for Leadership in Science Education.

M.C. Kutchin in front of his drug store at 676 Dover Center, circa 1930. Photo courtesy of Kutchin family

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When individuals have a question about a building in Westlake one place they look for answers is Westlake City Hall. If it is an older building they tend to get referred to the Westlake Planning Department, where I work as assistant planning director.

Descendants of Milo Kutchin showed up one day with a number of family pictures. I believe they knew that Milo had lived on First Street and that he had run a drug store on Dover Center Road near the railroad tracks in the early 20th century. Most tantalizing was a photograph of a trim brick building complete with a pharmacy trade sign consisting of an over-sized mortar and pestle mounted on a pole in the sidewalk. The question they posed: Could this building have been located in Dover?

Years ago, Deb, my neighbor, found a litter of kittens. The mother, a ropey black-and-white feral, was a neighborhood darling. “A working girl,” Deb said proudly, as she kept garden mice in check.

We called the Cleveland Animal Protective League for help. “The kittens need to be socialized, neutered and adopted; the mother, spayed and released,” we were told.

I’m cat-allergy exhibit A-Z: rash, runny nose, itchy eyes, coughing, sneezing, wheezing. After visiting cat homes, it takes me days to breathe normally. Deb handed me a kitten, the silky hair, wicked pupils, electrifying purring. In seconds, I was kitten-hooked.

Students work on the robot inside and out. From left: Khaled Hamil, Patrick Brophy, Matt Semler.

Quantum Steam is Bay High School's robotics team led by physics teacher and advisor Michael Clifford and captain Matt Semler. It was formed last school year (2017-18) by the teacher and enthusiastic students. The team competes annually in the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC). This competition is known as the most intense available to high school students and has taught the team a lot about designing, building, programming and marketing the robot and team. The team also is active, and still building on, community outreach and science education and fundraising.

During the FRC competition, teams compete in a game specifically created for the season. This year's game is titled "Destination: Deep Space" and requires the players to load hatch panels and cargo, in the form of playground balls, onto the team's rocket and cargo hold to earn points in order to win the game. Competing teams are given six weeks after the official "Kick Off" to build and then have to bag up the robot until competition day. The team learned a lot in 2018 as rookies and is looking forward to FRC this spring.

Tuesday, Feb. 19 (7-9 p.m.) Dietrich Bonhoeffer: The Man Who Stood Up to Hitler – Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Protestant minister and German theologian who came of age between the two World Wars. His writings reflect the increasing alarm as he watched his fellow Germans believe the lies of the National Socialists, turning anger into madness. A lone voice that stood up to Hitler. What message do his words hold for us today? Please register.

Wednesdays, Feb. 20 and 27 (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, Feb. 20 and 27 (4-5:30 p.m.) and Thursdays, February 21 and 28 (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, Feb. 20 (7-8:30 p.m.) Recycling: Current and Future Technologies – Recycling is a lot more than sorting out bottles, paper and cans. Join Dr. Joel Keller as he teaches us all about the processes of recycling. What can be recycled? How do our communities currently handle recycling? Do those blue and green bins at the end of the driveway really work? And going forward, what are some recycling systems we can look to in the future? Please register.

Thursday, Feb. 21 (noon-1:30 p.m.) Small Business Lunch & Learn: Financial Statement Basics – Learn what financial statements are, why they are important, and how they are used in the process of running a business. Good bookkeeping and financial management are critical to the health of a business. Please register.

Thursdays, Feb. 21 and 28 (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, Feb. 21 (6:30 p.m., Preschool session) and Friday, Feb. 22 (9:30 a.m., Preschool session; 11:30 a.m., Toddler Session) 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. Register at connectingforkids.org/register or call 440-570-5908.

Friday, Feb. 22 (10 a.m.-noon) Fiber Fanatics – A time for needlecrafters to share, solve problems and show off.

Friday, Feb. 22 (10-10:30 a.m.) Little Hands Art – Nurture your child’s creative side with this hands-on program featuring a story, craft and music. For children ages 3-5 and their caregiver. Please register.

Saturday, Feb. 23 (1-2:30 p.m.) Grants for Children with Special Needs – Would you like to apply for a grant to help fund your child’s therapies, camps or equipment needs but aren’t sure where to begin? Join Julie K. Robie of Community Fund Management Foundation (CFMF) as she takes participants step-by-step through the process of applying for CFMF Accessibility Grants and CFMF Education, Therapy, and Services Grants. Also, Amy Clawson of Ohio Family 2 Family will present how to create your child’s medical summary and how to write a vision statement to supplement your grant applications and other uses. Families are encouraged to bring a laptop or other device to begin their application. To register visit connectingforkids.org/register or call 440-570-5908.

Saturday, Feb. 23 (2-4 p.m.) Carry Out Crafts – Stop by the Youth Services Department to see our featured craft. We have all the supplies you’ll need to create something fantastic!

Saturday, Feb. 23 (3-5 p.m.) Anime Club – A great club for anime and manga lovers! All otakus and newbies are welcome! Grades 7 to adult.

Sunday, Feb. 24 (2-4 p.m.) Chess Club – Hone your chess skills or learn how to play the game. Recommended for ages 6+, but all ages are welcome. If you have a chess set, please bring it with you.

Monday, Feb. 25 (12:30-1:30 p.m.) Senior Storytime: LoveNotes – Join us for short stories read by librarians that will warm your heart with love and happiness. Bring a brown bag lunch if you wish! Please register.

Monday, Feb. 25 (2-3 p.m.) 19th Century Mourning Rituals – Lysa Stanton of the Westlake Historical Society will discuss 19th-century mourning rituals and how our ancestors understood the grieving process. Some of these rituals may sound familiar to us and many will strike us as a little out of the ordinary. Please register.

CHILDREN

Weekly Storytimes:

• 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. and 11 a.m.) Family Storytime – for all ages

Wednesday, Feb. 20 (3:15 p.m.) Stuffed Animal Sleepover – Ages 2-5: Join us for a stuffed animal sleepover party for stories, crafts and activities when you pick up your favorite stuffed friend. One stuffed animal per child.

Thursday, Feb. 21 (4 p.m.) American Girl: Julie – Learn about the times and cultures represented by the dolls. Feel free to bring your doll to the program if you have one.

Saturday, Feb. 23 (10 a.m.) Wonderful World of Bubbles – Prepare to be amazed at this spectacular show! You won’t believe your eyes as the Bubble Lady herself creates bubbles like you’ve never seen before!

Monday, March 4 (11 a.m.) Homeschool: Spray Bottle Art – Spray your boredom away! Make your own spray bottle silhouette art of your favorite cartoon or book character.

Emma Jarvi works with a student on a previous volunteer school trip. 

Come raise a glass, raise the roof with The Feedbacks Band, and raise money for a great cause on Friday, Feb. 22, kicking off at 9 p.m. at Panini’s Westlake! Bay Village native Emma Jarvi and friends are hosting the evening’s festivities, with a $10 cover that includes a drink ticket (beer, wine, well drinks), 50/50 raffles and auction baskets, and live music. All proceeds go toward Emma’s volunteer trip this summer to India, as part of the Global Autism Project.

Pamela and Gary Ebert

Each year at BAYarts' annual fundraiser Moondance, a person (or people) who has made a difference in the community and in the arts gets a chance to "shine in the moonlight." On Sept. 14 this year, BAYarts will honor Gary and Pamela Ebert, who individually and together have contributed a lifetime of service to Bay Village and to BAYarts' continuing expansion.

In 2006, when BAYarts was forming a new board and hurdling other challenges, Gary stepped up with legal counsel and a genuine interest in seeing the new organization succeed. He has remained on the board ever since (only occasionally leaving a meeting early for another city meeting or a grandchild's sporting match). Pam was the creative force behind BAYarts' sold out ENCORE! last year, a benefit for the playhouse renovation, raising twice the targeted funding goal (while making it look incredibly easy).

Photo from left, front row: Juliana Reising, Chris Nagel, Cate Kapalczynski, Christina Randazzo, Audrey Ray; middle row: Maggie Allen, Megan Huntington, Courtney Brewer; back row: James Lyons, Jacob Dodd, Kendall Thomas and Elizabeth Holup.

Bay High School students garnered a total of 27 writing awards in the Regional Scholastic Art and Writing Awards competition held at the Cleveland Institute of Art.

Eight Gold Key award-winning works by five of the student writers will be forwarded to the national-level competition held in New York City.

The Gold Keys go to Bay High seniors Megan Huntington (poetry, “Papa Poems”); Cate Kapalczynski (personal essay/memoir and American Voices Nominee, “The Phoenix” and poetry, “Jacket”); Christina Randazzo (poetry, “Generation Z”); junior Elizabeth Holup (poetry, “The Colors of You” and “Unfinished Business” and humor, “What Makes Odd Numbers Odd, Anyway?”); and sophomore Kendall Thomas (short story, “One More Day”). These top award-winning works demonstrate the highest levels of achievement in originality, personal voice and technical skills.

How’s your pet lizard doing? You do own a pet chameleon if you have a smartphone or a tablet.

A chameleon, my favorite analogy for a smartphone, can change its body colors for “camouflage, but most commonly in social signaling and in reactions to temperature and other conditions” per Wikipedia. If environmental conditions trigger a chameleon's multiple palette skin tones to adapt to their surroundings, apps enable a smartphone to be more than a phone.

But there are too many apps in the mutually exclusive “App Store” for Apple devices and Google’s “Play Store” for Android-based devices. I quickly searched for a magnifying glass app and at least 200 different magnifying glass apps were in the Play Store; probably similar observations can be made in the App Store. Fortunately, there are tips to narrow down your candidates by looking at the data presented for each app listed.

The third annual Bay Alumni Madness fundraising bowling tournament will be held Saturday, March 23, at 6:00 p.m. at Bay Lanes. Last year there were approximately 60 people at the event; 41 bowlers and the rest social. The net proceeds went to fund two college scholarships given out by Bay Alumni Foundation.

Early bird specials are $25 for a social ticket, $35 for a bowling ticket that includes two games and rental shoes. After Feb. 28, prices go up to $30 for a social ticket and $40 for a bowling ticket.

BW Rising Star Courtney Hausman

On Tuesday, Feb. 26, the Westlake-Westshore Arts Council will sponsor "Catch a Rising Star," a program showcasing the talents of Courtney Hausman, a senior student in Baldwin Wallace University's prestigious music theater program. This musical presentation, which is offered free to the community by the WWAC, is at 7 p.m. at Westlake Porter Public Library, 27333 Center Ridge Road.

Beth Burrier, BW associate professor and music director, will accompany Hausman on the piano to provide the audience a delightful array of musical show tunes. Citing "West Side Story" as her “favorite show to date,” Hausman said, ”Jerome Robbin’s choreography was the perfect personification of the music, always boiling right under the surface.”

It is pretty standard to receive a message with a character or a symbol attached to it these days. The emblem suggests our mood and how we would like the message to be accepted.

It's pretty terrific when you think about it. In the past, we had to rely on the state of mind of the recipient, when the message was delivered. Today, we can attach a simple smiley face or thumbs up or even a personalized Bitmoji to convey our intent. The addition to the message can be beneficial.

When email first appeared as a form of communication, many messages were received out of context because of the wording, delivery style or the recipient's state of mind. Mistakes were made because communicating by email was used instead of a face-to-face conversation.

The Zydeco Kings will be playing at the BAYarts Mardi Gras on March 2.

If you can't make it to New Orleans this February, BAYarts has a Mardi Gras party you'll want to attend. Born out of talks between Pam Mills (BAYarts Special Projects) and Scott Pohlkamp (BAYarts board member) the event is scheduled for Saturday, March 2.

"Scott Pohlkamp has always enjoyed hosting Mardi Gras parties," explains Mills. "He thought it would be a fun late-winter event at BAYarts, giving guests the opportunity to experience the newly renovated Phase One of the former Playhouse."

The Westlake Early Childhood PTA (WECPTA) will hold its spring Kiddie Kloset kids resale event on Saturday, March 23, from 8:00 a.m. to noon. The event will be held at Westlake High School, 27830 Hilliard Blvd.

As an incentive to shop the Kiddie Kloset early this year, everyone that pays for early-bird admission between 8:00-9:00 a.m. will be entered into a drawing for a $50 Target gift certificate. The winner will be drawn at 9:15 a.m. and must be present to win.

The Holly Lane Elementary PTA will hold its annual Big Kid Resale event on Saturday, April 13, from 8:00 a.m. to noon. The event will be held at Westlake High School, 27830 Hilliard Blvd.

The sale will feature gently used children's clothing, size 5T to juniors, kids' toys, games, and books, as well as sports, music and computer equipment, furniture and miscellaneous items.

Are you a relative of a veteran and want to honor them? Are you a civilian that has an interest in veteran and community support? Do you have the desire but not an opportunity? VFW Post 9693 wants to help.

The VFW has a formal organization called Auxiliaries that perform these functions. They are a great help for the Posts and communities they support. However, Bay Village VFW Post 9693 does not have the membership to establish a VFW Auxillary, but we do have a need.

Two boys' teams take a timeout for some extra instruction during a previous March Madness competition.

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Registration for the annual March Madness 3-on-3 Tournament at the Westlake Recreation Center has begun. For over 10 years boys and girls have participated in this friendly double-elimination competition. We are excited to continue this long tradition of friendly competition and sportsmanship.

The tournament has separate divisions for boys and girls subdivided in grades 3 and 4, 5 and 6, and 7 and 8. Rosters are limited four players per team with games being played on quarter courts officiated by certified referees. The Girls Division will play on Thursday, March 14, and the Boys Division will play on Saturday, March 16.

Dr. Casen DeMaria of the Drugless Doctors will share what you can do to keep your brain healthy on Tuesday, March 12, from noon to 12:45 p.m. at Westlake Porter Public Library. At this dynamic and fun workshop attendees will learn what they can do naturally to help their brains function at peak, no matter their age. Registration is required.

A new chapter of "happy" is written as Cupid's arrow has struck Rick and Carol with "bonus" love and friendship.

February is the month of love. Cupid is the most recognized symbol of love in Roman mythology. The myth of Cupid’s arrow is known to cause a person to be “struck” to fall in love and no one is entirely immune to Cupid’s arrow.

This holds true in the community of Brookdale Westlake Village where there is no age limit to finding love … again. A new love among seniors that have been widowed can be delicate. There is a sensitivity on many levels when love opens a new chapter in one’s life.

Ageism, a form of discrimination that, at times, silently exists in how we view being “senior” has struggled with finding love after the loss of a spouse. In a senior living community, the language of loss is common and it is the thread that weaves new friendships.

Photo by Jessica Stockdale

Thanks to all who helped make BAYarts' third annual SOUPer Bowl, a benefit for the BAYarts Scholarship Fund, a success. Sue Peplin of Westlake took first place with her Zuppa Toscana. Second place went to Sgt. Robert Gillespie of the Bay Village Police Department with Sausage Tortellini Soup. Third place went to Marianna Orro with Vegetarian Corn Chowder. The event was one of the first to be held in the new Hearth Room of the former Playhouse. For more events, please check bayarts.net.

Audrey Saccardi waits to transport a cancer patient home from UH Westlake.

When Audrey Saccardi, a Westlake resident, retired from her career at Key Bank a few years back she began to look for volunteer opportunities to help fill her days. She decided to join a team of three other volunteers from Westlake that drive cancer patients to their treatment. This was a no-brainer for Saccardi – she had just finished her own battle with cancer two years earlier.

In February 2014, Saccardi was diagnosed with a rare cancer called Primary Peritoneal and went through a series of chemotherapy, surgery, then chemotherapy again to remove the disease. While she felt lucky to have a sister-in-law nearby who helped drive her to treatments, she noticed that not everyone was so fortunate. She heard hospital staff talking with other patients about transportation options for when they did not have family available to help. This is how she learned about the American Cancer Society’s transportation service called Road To Recovery.