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Mrs. Alison Volkmann’s third-grade students honor Martin Luther King Jr. during Black History Month with their own “ I Have a Dream...” project.

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On Feb. 1, Bay Village Schools’ Diversity and Equity Committee kicked off its inaugural Black History Month 28-Day Challenge. The team of administrators, educators, students and community members curated a calendar with events for each day of the month, and participants are encouraged to choose three events per week, or participate in one major event during the entire month. Events include everything from virtual museum tours and podcasts, to family story times and poetry projects.

Participants who meet the challenge by the end of February will receive a digital badge to add to their email signature line.

Hunger issues have risen in the city of Cleveland as well as its suburbs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Details on how two suburbs, Westlake and North Olmsted, are addressing this challenge will be discussed at a meeting of the Westlake-North Olmsted chapter of the League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland on Monday, Feb. 22. The meeting will take place on Zoom. Non-members who are interested in attending (by computer or by phone) can request admission by calling the chapter’s voicemail to leave an e-mail address. The voicemail number is 216-264-6496.

The meeting will start at 7:30 p.m. and the speakers’ presentations will begin at 8 p.m.

Westlake Mayor Dennis Clough reads a proclamation to Daniel Michelich during his retirement sendoff at Fire Station #1 in Westlake. 

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The City of Westlake sends best wishes to Daniel Michelich who celebrated his retirement on Tuesday, Feb. 9, after nearly 30 years with the Westlake Fire Department.

Michelich is a 1978 graduate of Westlake High School who started with the City of Westlake in 1992 and has served as a firefighter and paramedic for the city ever since. Prior to coming to Westlake, he worked as a Cleveland police officer.

Liz Maugans' "Leftover Casserole" exhibit is on display at BAYarts through March.

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Bay Village resident Liz Maugans believes our world needs a huge casserole right now. Her large, colorful, mixed media collages at BAYarts, “Leftover Casserole,” are both humorous and meaningful, images of comfort food that sticks to your bones and warms your heart.

“My studio practice is a big kitchen. I use what I have, particularly during the quarantine.” says Maugans. “Like leftovers that go into the casserole, these works are made from my stockpile, my dumping grounds, mixed thoroughly with the world’s unprecedented moment of change.”

Westlake Porter Public Library has announced a new early literacy initiative aimed at children ages 4 and under. The Myrna Chelko Early Literacy Initiative is named for the long-time, dedicated library volunteer who helped found the Friends of Porter Library and the Westlake Porter Library Foundation, served on the Library’s board of trustees, and gave her time to the library in many other capacities. It is funded by a generous donation in her honor.

Participating in this initiative will help build habits that foster early literacy development and lifelong learning. Literacy and language development are closely linked to a baby’s earliest positive experiences with parents and caregivers.

Grace, Emma and Heidi, future scientists, inspect Petri dishes containing bacteria. Photo by Richard Gash

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While the world was scrambling for cleaning supplies, three local Sea Scout ninth-grade girls decided to take the initiative and develop a solution. These scouts decided to use science to solve the problem of store shelves empty of disinfectants. Each girl searched for two recipes that contained materials that most people have easy access to or grown in their backyard.

“We wanted to use ingredients that everyone would be able to use so they could successfully replicate our results,” said Heidi Moody. The girls then experimented to see the most effective solution. They swabbed their refrigerator door handles without a cleaner as a control, and then each handle with a different recipe that they developed. After placing the swabbings on agar in Petri dishes, the girls took the sealed plates to a laboratory to see if bacteria would grow. The results were exciting. While some recipes didn’t work very well, some show promising results.

Turbo, a golden retriever from Bay Village with a malignant tumor, has improved with a change in diet and supplements.

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Meet Turbo, an adult male golden retriever who is owned by Ed and Jackie Noonan of Bay Village.

Turbo is an 8-year-old rescue dog that was adopted at the age of a year-and-a-half from Love-A-Stray Dog Division in Avon Lake.  

The popular and beloved golden retriever was originally bred in Scotland. They were originally bred to retrieve for hunting purposes. The breed is one of the most popular family dogs in the world. They have been trained in multiple capacities such as search and rescue, disability dogs, hunting dogs, detection and show dogs. Goldens love water and are easy to train. Their long coats do require regular grooming.

Ptl. Matt Craig and Ptl. Rick Dudas with Westlake Mayor Dennis Clough and Police Chief Kevin Bielozer

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The Westlake Police Department is pleased to honor five officers whose efforts exemplified the department's commitment to its mission to protect and serve our community this past year. These admirable officers and the awards they earned through their work are as follows:

Officer of the Year: Patrolman Dennis Funari (selected by his peers)

Blue Shield Award: Patrolman JP Toth (for most self-initiated arrests)

Lifesaving Award: Patrolmen Matt Craig & Rick Dudas (for their actions which saved a mentally-disabled non-ambulatory adult from a house fire on Feb. 13, 2020)

Employee of the Year: Community Service Officer Tim Gut (selected by all members of the WPD for this honor reserved for non-sworn WPD employees)

It should be noted that these selfless officers did not seek out recognition for their actions but deserve it nonetheless.

I recently earned the title “Recycling Ambassador” by completing an 8-hour program with the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District (CCSWD). Before you think this is an exclusive title, please know that you too can be a Recycling Ambassador!

What does this mean and how does one go about earning this title? A Recycling Ambassador is a resident of Cuyahoga County who has a passion for ensuring as much waste is kept out of the landfill as possible and knowing how to dispose of different kinds of waste properly. The program was taught by an employee of the CCSWD for four, two-hour sessions over four weeks on Zoom. The course is offered 3-4 times a year, with the next session starting Wednesday, March 3.

Following is Westlake Porter Public Library’s late February 2021 calendar of events. All programs are subject to change. Please check westlakelibrary.org or follow the library on Facebook and Twitter (@WestlakePorter) for the latest updates.

Wednesday, Feb. 17 (11-11:30 a.m.) Foodies @ 11 Part Deux (Live) – Join Miss Cathy and Miss Natalie on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube as they test popular kitchen hacks! All ages.

Wednesday, Feb. 17 (2-3 p.m.) Wednesday Afternoon Book Discussion (Live) – This month’s book is "The Second Mrs. Hockaday" by Susan Rivers. Please note that this monthly discussion will take place on the THIRD Wednesday of the month from now on. Discussion will be held via Zoom. Please register.

Wednesday, Feb. 17 (7-8 p.m.) Creative Writing for Adults (Live) – This class is designed to wake up the creativity within. No experience is necessary, just a desire to try new things! Practice the art of putting pen to paper and spontaneously creating. This class will be taught on Zoom. Please register. Please provide an email address to receive a link to the program. To make the class more interactive, a working camera and microphone are recommended.

Thursday, Feb. 18 (11-11:30 a.m.) Storytime (Live) – Join us on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube for a fun storytime!

Thursdays, Feb. 18 and 25 (3:30-4:30 p.m.) WPPL Roblox Club – Love Roblox? Then WPPL has a club for you! We have some private servers set up for Tweens in grades 4-6 to hang out with their friends and enjoy some of the most popular games via Zoom. Please register.

Friday, Feb. 19 (9 a.m.-6 p.m.) Got Science? Supply Pick Up – Join us as we explore phases of the moon! Kits will be available beginning Feb. 19. You will need a kit to participate in the program. Grades 1 & 2. Registering for the supply pick up will also register you for the Zoom event on Feb. 26 at 4 p.m. Please register. Participants must provide an email address to receive Zoom instructions.

On many occasions I've been asked about which app I use for a certain task. I happily share the app I actually use on my Android smartphone. If my favorite app is not available on the iPhone, I consult my wife's iPhone as I manage what is on her smartphone too. My answers, though, do raise an eyebrow when I rattle off more than one app for the task in question. Let me explain ...

Apps for making video calls are a good example. I have no less than five video calling apps installed. Currently, they are Duo and Meet (from Google), Skype and Teams (from Microsoft), and Zoom.

Now that our beloved elderly are being vaccinated, according to my dear friend, Dr. Charleen Jaeb, resident of Generations Senior Living of Strongsville, they would love a visit!

Charleen and I met in college as “non-traditional” students many moons ago. Charleen continued her education, completing both an MBA and law degree to pursue her career as a college professor at various colleges in Cleveland. Charleen received multiple awards throughout her career. Most recently she won the Women’s Club “Woman of the Year” in Middleburg Heights.

Upon retirement from teaching, she accepted the position of Bus Tour Guide for Lake Front Bus Lines, where she wrote articles for the Bus Tours Magazine. Her favorite articles were “20 Tips for Bus Tour Planners.”

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The Friends of the Bay Village Kennel would like to send a huge thank you to all of the people who donated to the collection of pet-related items and financial donations to The Friendship APL in Elyria. Also to the Bay Village safety forces for donating and promoting the cause. A big shout-out goes to the Bay Village Police Department for allowing the front of the station to be a drop-off location. A car load of items was taken almost each day.

In addition to the donated items, Dennis Driscoll and Susan Murnane presented a check from the Friends of the Bay Village Kennel in the amount of $500 to Greg Willey, executive director of Friendship APL. Please visit the Facebook page of either organization for updates.

Life during a pandemic sure has changed us some.
Instead of going out to party I'm home sitting on my bum.

I've notice a man around my house and his identity is unclear.
But he seems real nice and says, “I’m your husband, dear.”

Dining out at restaurants? No, that just will not do.
So I guess it's time to open another can of veggie stew.

The kids have done all kind of crafts and played games with screaming cheer.
So now I've taken to day drinking. Please pass another beer.

I'll be glad when this is over and we can end this strife.
Now we have a vaccine and I want back to regular life.

Izzy is a Malipoo belonging to Westlake Meals on Wheels recipient Kim, and received food, treats and toys through the grant. 

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If you are a pet owner, you understand how important pets are to our families. For many senior citizens, they are a great source of companionship and support, especially during this past year of extreme isolation. Westlake Meals on Wheels received a grant from Meals on Wheels America and PetSmart Charities to assist their recipients with pet food, treats and supplies. 

Like many Americans affected by the pandemic, some seniors have had to make difficult financial decisions, including choosing to feed their pets before themselves, or sharing their food with their pets. This grant allowed Westlake Meals on Wheels to help with that financial burden.

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Cuyahoga Community College earned a LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for the new Liberal Arts and Technology building at Westshore Campus. 

LEED certification is a nationally recognized benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. This is the College’s seventh building with a LEED designation. 

Westshore’s Health Careers and Sciences building previously earned a LEED Gold designation after opening a decade ago. Development of the campus along Clemens Road in Westlake coincided with the College’s creation of a sustainability plan.

It was 20 years ago when the Browns schedule came out and my left-coast Bro called and hatched a brilliant plot. "The Browns visit Oakland this year, my buddy has season tickets and he can get me two. C'mon out!" That weekend of Sept. 24, 2000, was the sports vacation made in heaven. Both Bay Area baseball teams were headed for the playoffs. The SF Giants had just built a new stadium. I love Progressive Field but the new Giants stadium had some really cool features.

One of the outfield walls had a peephole built into it where people could look in at the action without a ticket. If someone hit a homer far enough out to right field the ball landed in the bay, where boaters vied for the souvenir. The concessions were uniquely Bay Area with garlic fries and cioppino on the menu. When many Italian fishermen came in from a day on their boats they would chip in part of their catch to make a delicious sea food stew that over the years became known as cioppino. It's not an actual Italian word but kind of a hybrid Italo-American colloquialism.

Since 2009 the Observer has strived to fulfill our founding mission – to strengthen our community by informing and engaging Westlake and Bay Village residents. 

Times are tough, and the pandemic has presented an added challenge at a time when emotional connection and togetherness matter so much. Please help us continue to provide a free medium where the community can share news, share stories and share laughs.

If you’d like to keep the Observer serving the community, please send a cash or check donation along with your name for recognition in a future edition of the Observer. Donations may also be made via credit card using the links in the left column of the website. All supporters will be recognized in a future edition of the Observer.

Please make checks payable to WBV Observer and mail to: 451 Queenswood Drive, Bay Village, OH 44140.

The Observer is an independent, community owned publication. Please note that charitable contributions are gratefully accepted but not tax-deductible. For questions about donating or more information on how to get involved, contact publishers Denny Wendell or Tara Wendell at 440-409-0114, staff@wbvobserver.com.