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Aerial photo by Paul Tulli, highendaerial.com

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Public invited to tour new, consolidated elementary school

The public is invited to tour the new Westlake Elementary School on Saturday, Sept. 21. A brief ceremony and ribbon-cutting will be held in front of the main entrance to the building, 27555 Center Ridge Road, beginning at 5:15 p.m. Enjoy performances by the Westlake High School Marching Band and the Westlake Elementary School choir.

Parking will be available on site; enter from Center Ridge Road. Parking also will be available across the street at Westlake United Methodist Church. Do not park at Westlake Porter Public Library or on Westown Boulevard. In the event of rain, festivities will be moved inside.

Westlake Schools Superintendent Dr. Scott Goggin and School Board member Joe Kraft packing boxes bound for Chinandega, Nicaragua.

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Westlake Bay Village Rotary recently sent 890 shoe boxes filled with personal care items, clothing and toys as well as 35 Layette bags filled with clothing and accessories for newborns to Chinandega Nicaragua for “the Children of the Dump.”

The boxes and bags were put together by Rotary Clubs all over Northeast Ohio. The project’s coordinator, Kevin Krantz, who is a CPA based in Westlake, said “some of the smaller clubs will fill 10 boxes for us while other larger clubs may fill as many as 60.” In addition to overseeing the distribution of empty boxes and retrieving the filled ones, Westlake Bay Village Rotary completed 15 boxes.

Chinandega was devastated by Hurricane Mitch in 1998 which led to over 800 children scavenging off the local dump to subside.

Bay Schools Superintendent Jodie Hausmann invites clergy and city leaders to partner in supporting social, emotional and mental health needs of students.

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Superintendent Jodie Hausmann welcomed faith leaders and city leaders from Bay Village last week to partner with the Bay Village City School District's efforts in supporting student social, emotional and mental health needs and development.

“We know that our students can only learn when they feel accepted, valued and cared for,” said Hausmann. “They also need to develop social skills to help them build good relationships, and they need to manage their emotions so they can make good decisions. It truly takes a community effort to support them in all these areas."

The district has organized myriad supports under its “We Care” umbrella of programs that go well beyond the academic requirements of education. These were presented to the audience as opportunities to understand the efforts underway in the schools, and to present possible opportunities for partnerships to spread those efforts throughout Bay Village.

Maybe you saw the footage of the Browns fan who poured his beer on a Titans player who jumped into the stands during the Browns home opener. Or maybe you watched the video of the fan who was playing with his cell phone and stepped off the top of a van (and broke the fall with his head) while tailgating in the stadium parking lot. (The man's son later came forward to say that his father is epileptic and a seizure caused the fall, but the video had already gone viral as an example of the drunkenness of tailgaters.)

Maybe you, like myself, noted the outrage of other Browns fans aimed at the idiot who dumped his beer on the player, as well as calls for action against the powers-that-be who allow such foolishness as exemplified by the swan-diving van texter to occur at or outside of Browns games.

This just in: It doesn’t just happen at Browns games, people. It occurs regularly at all NFL football games whenever the home team’s in town. And just for the record, all the screaming in the world will not change the reality or the impact of alcohol consumption at football games.

Tri-C Westshore Campus will be one of the exhibitors at the Exploring 50+ Expo, providing information about their Encore 55+ lifelong learning programs. Photo by Jennifer Yoo

High schools and colleges usually host an orientation fair highlighting all the extracurricular clubs as well as social and service opportunities that a prospective student can partake in. This is usually an exciting time for a new student, looking for ways to engage and enrich their campus life. 

Once we begin "adulting" these fairs are non-existent, yet it seems that it would be quite helpful to have such a venue during key transitional times like retirement, for example.

Retirement planning is generally a term that refers to the financial aspects of retirement. While this is obviously of paramount importance, there is so much more to retirement than the financial piece, and the more we can be prepared, the more successful our retirement will be.

Fiona Harp and Max the Tortoise were both blessed at last year's event. Photo by Dan Straitiff

Lions, tigers and bears are not welcome, but household animals and their families are invited to the 15th Annual Blessing of the Pets on Thursday, Oct. 3, from 6:30–7:00 p.m. on the front lawn of St. Raphael Church in Bay Village.

Individual blessings will be given to each animal. Dog and cat treats and 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.

Nolan Sooy, a junior at Bay High School, with some of the children at a vacation bible school, where he assisted during the CARE for AIDS Impact trip.

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In July, as father and son we had the opportunity to travel from our home in Bay Village with a group of 18 other individuals from Northeast Ohio and other parts of the U.S. to Nairobi, Kenya, on an “impact trip,” with an organization called CARE for AIDS. The purpose of the organization is to empower people, who are HIV positive or have AIDS, to live beyond their condition spiritually, physically, emotionally, socially and economically.

During the trip we had the chance to see all levels of the work carried out by CARE for AIDS in partnership with local churches. The people or clients whom we observed ranged from those who were early in their journey with the organization to those who were graduating from its 9-month program. Every step of the way we saw them in their medical and spiritual counselling, visited with them in their homes where we built relationships and shared meals with them, and worshiped and engaged with them in vacation bible school.

I'd like to share three simple steps which can significantly reduce your drug costs. No, they don’t work all the time (I don’t know what to do with drugs like Lantus, a long-acting insulin, either). But when they do work – oh, you’re gonna love me.

First, let’s debunk some myths.

1. Only one drug works.
2. Insurance offers the cheapest option.
3. Doctors know drug prices.

All false.

Just like we expect the “white things” to start making their appearance by late November/early December each year in Cleveland, we have come to expect the smartphone giants, Apple and Google, to unveil their new smartphones this time of the year. As I type this article, Apple has announced their 2019 iPhone model (iPhone 11) while Google is slated to unveil their 2019 Pixel model (Pixel 4) in mid-October.

As always, the popular media outlets have penned a smorgasbord of information on the titans’ 2019 smartphone refreshes; if you're interested in learning more, they are only a “googling” away! You can also visit Westlake Porter Public Library or Cuyahoga County Public Library’s Bay Village branch for periodicals. The same magazines you find there, like research favorite Consumer Reports, are available in the digital world as “eMagazines” to read on your tablet, smartphone, or computer from the comfort of your home. Not limited to eMagazines, their digital services include available eBooks, movies, TV shows, music, and many other benefits that you can access over the internet.

Join Bay Village Community Theater for golf and humor when they present the comedy, "The Ladies Foursome." The playwright, Norm Foster, has been called the "Canadian Neil Simon" and his plays have been described as "humor with a heart."

Set on a golf course, four women gather to play a round in honor of their recently departed friend, Catherine, and over 18 holes, confessions and surprising secrets are unveiled as the women discuss love, sex, children and everything in between. Directed by John Hnat, the play features Kaycee Craig, Margaret Hnat, Mary Manos-Mitchem and Valerie Young.

An upcoming program at the Westshore Campus of Cuyahoga Community College will examine efforts to restore and rejuvenate Lake Erie and the other Great Lakes. The topic is the focus of the latest “Learning for Life” lecture series program at the campus. The free program takes place Wednesday, Sept. 25.

The discussion will be led by members of Ohio Sea Grant, which works with coastal groups and communities to solve the lake’s most pressing environmental and economic issues. The conversation will address issues such as harmful algal blooms, the threat of invasive marine species and the impact of climate change – all critical to the long-term health of Lake Erie. Speakers will include Ohio Sea Grant’s director, Christopher Winslow, and extension educator Sarah Orlando.

"Introspection: Thoughts on our Planet's Future" by Sharon Pomales

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Both Sharon Pomales and Robert Hartshorn have both always resided near a body of water, and it is this affinity that drew them toward a realism-based gallery exhibition called "Just Add Water."

These award-winning artists, who both currently live in Cleveland, will be bringing underwater scenes of mermaids and sea life, along with lakes, waterfalls, aquariums and more to the Sullivan Family Gallery starting Oct. 11. The mediums in use will be acrylic and oil paints as well as watercolor and pastels. They will all be in a representational style of art, with hyper-realistic details that the artists are renowned for.

Mental health problems are not uncommon among teenagers. However, despite 20% of youth experiencing a diagnosable mental illness, the National Institute of Mental Health estimates that only half of those suffering ever seek treatment.

There are many reasons why a young person may not seek medical help for mental illness – shame being a large factor. It is safe to assume, though, that someone with a broken bone wouldn’t get embarrassed to get medical help. I mean, can you think of the last time a student broke their leg, and the gym teacher said, “You’re fine. Just ignore it and run!” I can’t. Why? Well, this all comes down to one detrimental factor: mental illness is still very stigmatized.

NASA image of Jupiter. 

Summer is coming to a close, but on the bright side – there will be more time to look up each night and enjoy the night sky. Lake Erie Nature & Science Center's planetarium specialist Katy Downing shares some of the astronomical events, visible planets and constellations to watch out for this month.

Autumnal Equinox

An equinox is the moment when Earth’s Northern and Southern Hemispheres receive approximately equal amounts of sunlight – this year on Monday, Sept. 23, at approximately 3:50 a.m. EDT. Equinoxes occur twice a year – spring and fall – when the tilt of the Earth’s axis and orbit around the sun combine in such a way that the axis is tilted neither away from nor toward the sun.

Washington Lawrence's sons-in-law play golf at Dover Bay in 1895.

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Another golfing season is coming to an end. In Bay Village back in the early 1950s, the once thriving nine-hole course at the corner of Clague and Lake roads would still be going in use on a beautiful, sunshiny fall day.

We can revisit the history of the club by enjoying a Plain Dealer article written by Cornelia Curtiss announcing the celebration of the club’s 50th birthday in 1945.

"Dover Bay Country Club, second oldest in the district, is about to celebrate its golden anniversary.

With the coming of the early spring, members of the club, which is on the lake shore west of town, are anticipating a long season of golf and other attractions which the club offers.

Photograph of Valentine and Barbara Limpert from a public member family tree on Ancestry.com.

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Part three of a four-part series on the Limpert family and their bygone fruit farm on Detroit Road in Westlake. The property is up for sale.

Claire Gebben, an author and native of the Cleveland area whose German ancestor came to Cleveland in 1857 to become an apprentice blacksmith in his uncle’s carriage works, has written several books about her German relatives in Cleveland. The first is a historical novel titled “The Last of the Blacksmiths” and the second a memoir, “How We Survive Here: Families Across Time.”

Interesting things I have learned or have had re-iterated to me from her books about German immigration to Cleveland include:

• Chain migration, when one member or nuclear family of an extended family immigrates and creates a “beachhead” for later members of the extended family to immigrate was common;
• Many of the German immigrants around 1850 were called “’48-ers” because they were members of the German society who had fought for the unification of the many German-speaking kingdoms into one country and for a measure of democracy, they faced persecution and possible imprisonment if they remained, therefore they came to the United States from all strata of society, not just the lowest ones;

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

Saturday, Sept. 28 (10 a.m.) Lego WeDo Big Bot Challenge – Grades 1-4:Team up with your grown-up for a hands-on building adventure using Lego WeDo Robotics Kits. Build and program your own Smart Spinner and other Amazing Mechanisms. Space is limited. Registration is required.

TEEN

Wednesdays, Sept. 18, 25 and Oct. 2 (3-4 p.m.) Teen Zone – Grades 5 & up: Hang out with something fun to do after school – gaming, art, movies, technology and more! Parents/guardians must complete a Release and Hold Harmless form.

Tuesday, Sept. 17 (1:30-2:30 p.m.) Crafty Adults – Create your own art based on the work of a famous artist or holiday. Specifically for adults with developmental or intellectual disabilities. No previous art experience necessary.

Tuesday, Sept. 17 (6:30-8:30 p.m.) Scrapbooking and Stamping – Learn how to make three 12 x 12 layouts to put your pictures in when you get home by combining stamping and scrapbooking. Please register.

Tuesday, Sept. 17 (7-8 p.m.) Myths of College Admissions – College tutors will dispel myths, spill secrets of college admissions and shed light on what admission officers are thinking when they come across your child’s college application. For teens and their parents. Registration begins Sept. 10.

Tuesday, Sept. 17 (7-7:30 p.m.) Bedtime Stories – Put on your pajamas and join Mrs. K as we unwind at the end of the day with stories, songs, fingerplays and other activities. Siblings welcome.

Wednesday, Sept. 18 (3-4 p.m.) Traveling Through Europe – Karen Kulow, who has many years of experience in the travel industry, will share tips to help you maximize your time, money and enjoyment while traveling through Europe. Please register.

Wednesdays (4-5:30 p.m.) and Thursdays (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. Dogs will stay for 10 minutes past the last registered reader or 1.5 hours, whichever comes first. Sign-ups begin Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. and Thursday at 6 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 18 (6:30-8:45 p.m.) Cuyahoga West Genealogical Society – Dorothy Titera from the Westlake Family History Center will present "Researching Your Czech/Slovak Ancestors." Free and open to the public.

Wednesday, Sept. 18 (7-8:30 p.m.) Beginning 3D Design – Use the free, web-based software TinkerCad to create simple 3D designs. Students will create user accounts in class. Valid email address required. Please register.

Thursdays, Sept. 19 and 26, and Mondays, Sept. 23 and 30 (4-5 p.m.) Code Club! – Learn how to build an app, design a video game, and change the world through code! We’ll start with Khan Academy and Google’s CS First. Grades 3-4 on Thursdays and 3-8 on Mondays. Registration begins one week before each session. Please register for just one session per week.

Thursday, Sept. 19 (6-6:45 p.m.) Adapted Storytime – This 30-minute storytime followed by a time for socialization is designed for children who may not be successful in a typical storytime experience. Content is geared to ages 3-7 but all ages are welcome. Siblings may also attend but must register separately. Registration begins one week before each session.

Friday, Sept. 20 (10-10:45 a.m.) Come Play With Me! – Open playtime with age-appropriate toys. For children ages 2-5 with a caring adult. Siblings welcome.

BAYarts board president Mary Conway Sullivan discusses the future of the playhouse with guests at the Moondance event. Photo by Denny Wendell

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BAYarts held their annual Moondance fundraiser on Sept. 14 at the Huntington Reservation campus.

The cultural arts center’s event under the stars featured live music, local restaurants and breweries, fine wine, strolling entertainment and a preview of the organization’s future plans for the renovation of the playhouse.

Joe Romano, an attorney specializing in consumer protection and bankruptcy, and Monique Smith, a community activist and former marketing specialist, are both seeking the Democratic nomination for state representative for Bay Village, Westlake, Rocky River, Fairview Park and North Olmsted.

They will speak Wednesday, Sept. 18, at the annual corn roast sponsored by the Bay Village Democratic Club. Corn, hot dogs, soda, desserts and other goodies will be provided at no charge starting at 6 p.m. at the Bay Lodge, 492 Bradley Road.

Roberty Parry's paintings are on display in the Clague Playhouse lobby gallery.

Robert Parry is displaying 28 recent paintings in the lobby gallery at Clague Playhouse located at 1371 Clague Road in Westlake. Robert’s interest in painting started as a young child and continued into college where he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from Ohio State University. He also took two years of architecture classes before receiving a Master’s Degree in City and Regional Planning, also from Ohio State University. His professional city planning career spanned 44 years with the last 26 years as the director of Planning and Economic Development for the city of Westlake.

After retiring in 2013, Robert has had time to return to his interest in art, photography and fine art painting. He paints mostly in watercolors on imported paper or yupo and has also painted in oils on canvas. His favorite subjects are scenes with buildings such as European street scenes and old buildings.

On Sunday, Sept. 22, at 10 a.m., Dr. Donald Lain will be installed as Senior Pastor at Parkside Church of the Nazarene in Westlake, 23600 Hilliard Blvd., Westlake.

Pastor Lain was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and raised in a Nazarene Church parsonage. At age 13, his family became missionaries to Haiti after one year in Albertville, France. Don graduated from an international high school in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He attended Nazarene Theological Seminary in 1988 and completed his Doctor of Ministry degree at Asbury Theological Seminary in 2009.

If you don’t have a Westlake Porter Public Library card, now is the time to get one. September is National Library Card Sign-Up Month, and all who register for a library card through Sept. 30 will receive a special gift in addition to their card, and all the library materials, services and programs you can access with it.

Whether you’re a new cardholder or an existing one, your library card opens a world of infinite possibilities through resources and services that give students the tools to succeed in school and beyond. From STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) programs, family storytimes, to maker programs and devices, and streaming and downloadable media, libraries transform lives through education.

The Touch-a-Truck event held Sept. 14 featured vehicles from the Bay Village fire, police and service departments plus a landing of the Cleveland Metro Life Flight helicopter at Cahoon Memorial Park.

Kids could climb aboard to see and touch the equipment of many of the city’s vehicles. Over 2,000 people attended the event and had an opportunity to meet police officers, firefighters/paramedics and service department employees.

Friday, Sept. 20, is designated as a national day of recognition and remembrance of our many military members that have no closure, they are not known to be deceased or captured.

The families of these service members have not been able to properly grieve and honor their family. Many today do not know the fate of their loved ones. This is a terrible burden on them and it will continue until they know for sure.

Just this past year, the remains of several Korean War heroes have been returned to their families. This effort to find and identify our missing comrades will never end!

Rev. Barbara Hribar

Conscious parenting, based on the Conscious Discipline Program of Dr. Becky Blailey, offers an opportunity for parents, grandparents and others who work with children to build a new bridge to meaningful relationships and cooperative children. Through conscious parenting, adults are supported in transforming their relationships with children through problem solving, compassion, freedom, structure, connection, confidence, enjoyment, life skills, cooperation and positivity.

Conscious Discipline is a multidisciplinary approach that integrates the brain stem, limbic system, and prefrontal lobes. The brain stem is responsible for our survival state. It is in feeling safe that we soothe our survival state. The limbic system is responsible for our emotional state. The only way to soothe an upset emotional state is through connection. The prefrontal lobes are responsible for problem solving and learning. We support the development of the prefrontal lobes as we ask the question, "What can I learn from this?"

The Northeast Ohio Youth Chamber Chorus (NEOYCC) provides choral music performance opportunities for a talented array of students in grades 6-12. NEOYCC enables members to grow vocally in an amazing variety of musical styles: Broadway, spirituals, classics and more.

If you read music, that's great! If you don't, you will be learning music theory as we proceed with weekly practices. All you need is a love and passion for music, singing, performance and competition!

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Congratulations to Lysa Stanton on winning first place in the CP Division of the 2019 Ames Performance Pontiac Nationals automobile show. This year’s show was held at the Summit Motorsports Park on Aug. 3-4 in Norwalk, Ohio, and attracts hundreds of entries from all over the United States.

The show is an annual event that is limited primarily to Pontiac automobiles, and is considered to be the largest juried event of its kind in the country. Some of the other types of cars in her category included the Pontiac Astre, Sunfire, Fiero, and Solstice.

Renowned cimbalomist Alexander Fedoriouk

The Rocky River Chamber Music Society opens its 61st season on Monday, Oct. 14, at 7:30 p.m. at West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church, 20401 Hilliard Blvd., Rocky River. Come prepared for a lively evening of Hungarian classical and folk music as presented by members of The Cleveland Orchestra, and nationally renowned master of the cimbalom, Alexander Fedoriouk. Music to be performed includes Bartok’s String Quartet #2, Monti’s Csárdás, Brahms’s Hungarian Dance #5, and traditional folk songs from Hungary and Romania.  

This concert’s musicians include Emma Shook, second violin of The Cleveland Orchestra since 2001; Katherine Bormann, first violin of the Orchestra since 2011; Stanley Konopka, assistant principal viola of the Orchestra since 1991; Martha Baldwin, cello, who joined the Orchestra in 2001; and Henry Peyrebrune, bass, who joined The Cleveland Orchestra in 1997.