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Avon, Ohio
The required maintenance and renovations are complete and the Miller Nature Preserve Conservatory, 2739 Center Road, is now open for visitors. According to information listed in the Lorain County Metro Parks Arrowhead publication, during the closure the staff was busy with paint touch-ups, revitalizing the floors, replacing the shade cloth in the Conservatory, and other necessary repairs. The largest improvement included reimagined mobile-planting beds.
The Miller Nature Preserve Conservatory is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $2.Julie A Short
The mobile planting beds are designed to stand alone or with other beds. The flexible option allows numerous possibilities for configuration for display and programming needs. The beds can now be moved for ample open floor space for plant care demonstrations for adult gardening enthusiasts or hands-on activities for young aspiring horticulturalists. The new beds were fabricated by staff to accommodate plants in a wide range of sizes, including trees and understory herbs. Additional plants were brought in to reinvigorate existing beds and to fill the new ones. Funding for the project was made possible through donations.
The Conservatory is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $2. For more information on the Miller Nature Preserve, go to loraincountymetroparks.com/miller-nature-preserve.
AVON
Playground Days: Registration is now open for the Parks and Recreation Department’s annual Playground Days. The program is for Avon residents ages 5-10 and provides supervised playtime at Northgate and Schwartz Road parks from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. The goal of the program is to get kids outside, make new friends and enjoy the city’s parks. Counselors are high school and college students (ages 16+). Each location will have an adult supervisor to oversee staff and program participants. Cost is $35 per child for the summer. For more information and to register, go to cityofavon.com/848/Playground-Days
ABC closing: In addition to writing my weekly Short Takes column, I sometimes write separate stories that appear on cleveland.com and in this newspaper. This week I wrote a story regarding Avon Brewing Company (ABC) owners purchasing the Shipyards in Lorain and converting the space into the Lorain Brewing Company and Event Center. If you have followed the many stories I have written regarding ABC, you will remember they had hoped to open a new production facility and restaurant east of their current location on Detroit Road. As you know, that is no longer happening, but the owners still had a vision to open a new facility/restaurant. That will happen early this summer in Lorain and with that, the Avon location will close. An exact date for the closing has not been announced. Congratulations to the owners for finding a new space for their vision. It’s going to be amazing, but sad for Avon that a locally-owned family business is leaving. ABC has been a huge supporter of the schools and community. Come out and watch the sunsets off Lake Erie on the patio at the new location this summer at 500 Shipyard Way in Lorain.
New city website design: Frequent visitors to the city’s website will notice a new updated design. CivicPlus is the software platform the city uses for its website. As part of the contract, the city is entitled to a redesign every four years and this is a redesign year. Updated features to the website include the calendar, and having more ‘popular links’ on the front page, so residents do not have to dig through the website for the most frequently used website pages. The hope is residents will find the website easier to navigate.
One major change is that the Avon Aquatic Facility page that was previously hosted on another site and not within the city website, will now move to the CivicPlus site. There may be some delay in transitioning over, but once completed, it will be nice to have the pool information actually on the city’s website. To view the new website design, go to cityofavon.com.
Republican club meeting: The Avon-Avon Lake Republican Club will host incumbent Republican Lorain County Commissioner David J. Moore and Primary challenger candidate, Matthew Spear at 5 p.m. March 14 at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 1783 Moore Road. Attorney Peter N. Kirsanow, formerly a conservative member of the National Labor Relations Board and now on the U S Commission on Civil Rights, will also speak on a variety of topics. Admission for guests is $5.
AVON LAKE
Pool passes: Residents can now register for pool passes and swim lessons. For more information, go to avonlakeoh.myrec.com/info/home_page_photos.aspx.
Book sale, Tiny Art Show: Thanks to the generous abundance of book donations since last fall at the Avon Lake Public Library (ALPL), the upcoming Friends of the Spring Book Sale is targeted to be one the largest on record. The annual sale is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 9; and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 10. The Friends will have hundreds of gently used books (best sellers, fiction, mysteries, science fiction, non-fiction, kids books, cook books, etc.), movies, and other items all for sale. Proceeds from the sale go to support library programs and events. The library is still welcoming book donations that can be dropped off anytime during open hours at the circulation desk, 32649 Electric Blvd. For more information, go to alpl.org/friends.
Also at the library, stop by and visit the Tiny Art Show on display throughout the month. More than 100 4×4-inch masterpieces are on display from artists of all ages with a variety of styles and subjects.
Historic neighborhoods presentation: Learn about the diversity in Lorain County during the “Historic Ethnic Communities & Neighborhoods of Lorain County,” presentation from the Avon Lake Historical Society at 1 p.m. March 11 at the Avon Lake Public Library Waugaman Gallery, 32649 Electric Boulevard.
Environmentally Speaking: The next program, Helping Monarch Butterflies to Thrive, features Diana Wyrock, Avon-on-the-Lake Garden Club member, and Terry Wyrock, a Avon Lake Environmental Affairs Advisory Board member, to discuss the importance of helping monarch butterflies, including how to raise, tag, and release these beautiful insects, at 7 p.m. March 19 at the Avon Lake Public Library, 32649 Electric Boulevard,
The program is part of a year-long environmental series, presented in partnership with the Avon Lake Public Library and Avon Lake’s Environmental Affairs Advisory Board (EAAB), that addresses the environmental concerns of Avon Lake’s residents expressed via the EAAB survey. Each session focuses on a different topic presented by experts who will educate, as well as provide tools and resources for making an impact in our community.
NORTH RIDGEVILLE
Master Plan update: The Ridgeville Ready Steering Committee has been gathering data and reviewing the final draft of the city’s Master Plan for several weeks. A meeting was held Feb. 21 for the committee to review the public input collected from the last round of community engagement sessions. The Master Plan will be formally presented to the city’s Planning Commission at 7 p.m. March 12 at City Hall, 7307 Avon Belden Road. The final plan is the result of more than a year of work which included technical analysis and three rounds of community engagement sessions which yielded over 2,195 pieces of input. The document contains 83 recommendations organized into eight chapters. There is so much detail in the plan, it would be impossible to include in just one story. To view the entire plan, go to ridgevilleready.com.
Garden club meeting: The Garden Club of North Ridgeville will meet at 6 p.m. March 12 at the Sandy Ridge Reservation, 6195 Otten Road. Guest speaker for the evening will be Gary Gerrone, from the Lorain County Metro Parks, discussing bird migration.
Save the date for the club’s annual Plant and Bake Sale set to take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 18 at South Central Park Pavilion #1, 7565 Avon Belden Road. The perennial plants are dug from club members’ own gardens and are reasonably priced.
The club is an active club with speakers, programs and garden tours for anyone interested in gardening. Visitors are welcome, for further information call 440-365-8522.
Module classrooms coming: During last month’s Planning Commission meeting (Feb. 13), members heard a proposal to add modular classrooms to Liberty Elementary School, 5700 Jaycox Road, which are necessary to support growing enrollment. According to information presented in the project summary application letter to city officials, the project will create space for eight classrooms, office and breakout work space, restrooms and storage. The addition will connect to the rear (northwest side) of the building in an area that is currently lawn. No required parking is lost due to the addition. For the purposes of the zoning review, the Jaycox Road frontage is considered the front yard. The required rear yard, the setback from the west property line, is 50-feet, which the modular classrooms just meet. The classrooms will be connected to the main building by an enclosed corridor, with two additional means of egress at either end of the structure.
Easter Egg Hunt: The annual Easter Egg Hunt, sponsored by the Rotary Club of North Ridgeville, will take place March 23 at Ranger Stadium, 34600 Bainbridge Road. Gates open at 12:30 p.m. and the free egg hunt starts at 1 p.m. sharp. The egg hunt is for children ages 1-9. Remember to bring a basket to collect the eggs.
Drive-in opens soon: A sure sign Summer is right around the corner is the opening of the Aut-O-Rama Drive-In Theatre, 33395 Lorain Road. The season begins March 22 with the movie, “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire”. The drive-in will also open at 11 a.m. April 8 for the public to view the solar eclipse. This is a ticketed event. RVs, trucks, trailers and buses are welcome. For more information, go to autoramadrivein.com.
National Merit finalist: Lake Ridge Academy senior and Medina resident Katie Vanderaar has been named a National Merit Scholarship Program finalist. She is among 15,000 out of 1.3 million student entrants who have advanced to Finalist standing. Vanderaar’s high school activities include vice president of the school’s Beekeeping Club, treasurer of Spectrum, National Honor Society, roles in theatrical productions, and is also a competitive dancer outside of school. She plans on attending Carnegie Mellon University, where she will study computer science.
Resale event: The North Ridgeville Early Childhood PTA (NRECHPTA) Kiddie Kloset will take place March 23 at the North Ridgeville Academic Center, 34620 Bainbridge Road. The sale will include baby items, kids clothing, toys, games, maternity wear and other items, as well as a bake sale and a 50/50 raffle. Early bird admission, from 7:30 to 9 a.m. is $5; and regular admission from 9 a.m. to noon is $2.
Community members can purchase a table to sell items. Tables are $25 for NRECHPTA members and $30 for non-members until March 9. After March 9, table prices increase to $30 and $35, respectively. To sign up for a table, go to nrechpta.org/kiddiekloset. Setup will be on March 22. For more information, email kiddiekloset@nrechpta.org.
Shout-out: The North Ridgeville Lions Club recently presented the North Ridgeville City Schools with a check for $3,304. Teachers and other staff members can apply yearly for mini grants up to $300 for supplies or materials to enhance the learning environment. This year, the Lions Club was able to give out 17 grants to help educators in the school district.
LORAIN COUNTY
Seed program: The Lorain Public Library System (Avon and North Ridgeville branches are included) has once again partnered with Cleveland Seed Bank to offer Seed Libraries. Each location will offer a selection of 20 different varieties of organic, open-pollinated, non-GMO vegetable, herb and edible flower seeds beginning in late March. The seeds are free and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Patrons are invited to take up to five seed packets per month while supplies last. For more information on the Cleveland Seed Bank, go to .hummingbirdproject.org/cleveland-seed-bank.
If you have news/information or a story idea you’d like to share or a ‘shout-out’, please send an email to jshortavon@aol.com. Follow me on X (Twitter) @jshortavon.
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