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JUNE 2014
FUN GUIDE More than100 cool places to go. Pg. 18
FREE
5
WAYS TO GET KIDS TO
EAT THEIR GREENS
MIDWEST FAMILY
DESTINATIONS HITTING HOME WITH
CLEVELAND
INDIANS’
DAVID MURPHY
SPLASH into Local Watering Spots
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JUNE Contents Vol. 1 No. 4 2014
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Features
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18 Summertime Fun Starts with a Splash When summer in Northeast Ohio finally does arrive, the steamy temperatures often leave families in search of ways to cool off. We share some local water spots. By Denise Koeth
34 Get Kids to Eat Their Greens
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Turn your picky eater onto produce with these five clever ideas. Also, shop fresh at the local market, and find a recipe for a green smoothie for all ages. By Kristen Gough
40 De-Stress Your Care Dilemma Daycare plays such a vital role, from providing safe childcare to building an educational foundation. Here are some tips to help you weigh your options. By Denise Koeth
42 Battling Heroin in Northeast Ohio Rob Brandt recalls his son Robby’s fight with addiction. Their family isn’t alone as health officials are calling the levels of heroin use an epidemic. By Amanda Lloyd
36 It’s Tribe Time with David Murphy Cleveland Indians’ David Murphy swings and doesn’t miss on being a father. The right fielder gives us an inside look at life off the field. By Angela Gartner
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June Contents
Columns & Departments
10 8 10 12 14 44 46 52 53 54 56 69 70
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Editor’s Note: Start of Summer Fun Worth Noting: Something for Everyone Family Health: Stay Safe Outside Education: Avoid the Summer Slide Travel: Explore the Midwest Community Focus: The Bustling City of Green
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Ages & Stages: Home Alone Compassion Corner: Help Local Food Banks Home & Garden: Family Planting Fun
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June Calendar: What To Do Around Town Aging Answers: Benefits of Helping Others Mom’s Squad Get Inspired with Friends
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COMMUNITY
FOCUS
On the cover and page 4:
Cleveland Indians player David Murphy Photography by Michael Allen Blair
Oops, we mistakely left out a photo credit on May issue’s editor’s page. Prelude Photography should have been credited. We regret the omission.
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Green
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Editor’s Note
Photo by Prelude Photography preludephoto.net
By Angela Gartner
June is Just The Beginning of Summertime Fun In Northeast Ohio I need a vacation. Do you ever feel that way? In fact, as summer break gets closer, I feel my own “out-of-school” fever, and the need to go on the open road intensifies. It’s been a few years since my family has been on an adventure filled with family activities, car games and kids jumping on hotel beds. This summer, I think it’s time to do something different. If you’re thinking the same thing — whether it’s a short or long car ride — look on page 44 as we have highlighted some places you may want to consider. Also, as the weather starts to heat up, jumping into one of the many watering spots around town seems like a refreshing idea. In this issue, you can find a variety of places to make a splash. See our summer fun ideas starting on page 17. With summer, also comes a variety of sports, including baseball. In my family, life is all about America’s Favorite Pastime. From playing on the hometown dirt fields to traveling to the Big League games, it has become a family event. When I told my sons that I would be interviewing the new Cleveland Indians outfielder David Murphy, they were really excited. I couldn’t help catch that fever too. Any jitters I had quickly dissolved as I talked to Murphy — he’s just a regular dad who’s doing what’s best for his family. Learn about him and his move to Cleveland on page 36. While we celebrate Father’s Day this month, we also wanted to get the mom’s point-of-view in our new column from 95.5 The Fish’s radio co-host Brooke Taylor. She provides us with a little insight about being mom and introduces us to the radio station’s Mom Squad on page 70. Each month, we will hear from a different mom from this inspiring local women’s forum. Finally, I would be remiss to not mention another dad who makes me smile every day. My husband, who seems to have more patience than I do, is a great coach and teacher and is very brave to go shopping alone with two rowdy boys. Happy Father’s Day, honey.
Angela angela@northeastohioparent.com
Parent Bloggers! Do you have a story to tell? Do you have a blog about being a parent, fashionista or yoga guru that you’d like to share with other local parents? If so, we want to hear from you. We may include you on our soon-to-launch blogger page on NortheastOhioParent.com. Just email me at angela@northeastohioparent.com
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Northeast Ohio Parent is a property of Blue Bug Media, a division of Babcox Media, Inc. 3550 Embassy Parkway, Fairlawn, OH 44333 • 330-670-1234 24500 Chagrin Blvd., Suite 300, Cleveland, OH 44122 • 440-842-8600 NortheastOhioParent.com Publisher Brad Mitchell brad@northeastohioparent.com Editorial Angela Gartner, Editor angela@northeastohioparent.com Jennifer Clements, Managing Editor jennifer@northeastohioparent.com Emma Kanagaki, Associate/Digital Editor emma@northeastohioparent.com Contributors: Mary Ellen Bramwell, Marie Elium, Kristen Gough, Jennifer Reece, Brooke Taylor, Denise Koeth, Angela Zam Art & Production Tammy House, Art Director | thouse@babcox.com Kelly Gifford, Designer | kgifford@babcox.com Melinda Kiba, Designer | mkiba@babcox.com Advertising Services Cindy Ott, Ad Services Director | cott@babcox.com Amanda Wingerter, Ad Services Coordinator | awingerter@babcox.com 330-670-1234 ext. 223 Advertising Sales Chris Geer, 330-670-1234 ext. 246 chris@northeastohioparent.com Janyse Heidy, 330-670-1234 ext. 250 janyse@northeastohioparent.com Tarah King, 330-670-1234 ext. 245 tarah@northeastohioparent.com Andie Martin, 330-670-1234 ext. 207 andie@northeastohioparent.com Subscription Services Hallie Brown, Subscription and Distribution Coordinator | hallie@northeastohioparent.com Audience Development Brandi Gangel, Audience Development Manager | bgangel@babcox.com eMedia Jeff Philip, eMedia Development Manager | jphilip@babcox.com Cecilia Locke, eMedia Developer | clocke@babcox.com Emily Bobb, Digital Ad Specialist | ebobb@babcox.com Corporate Bill Babcox, President Greg Cira, Vice President/Chief Financial Officer Jeff Stankard, Vice President/Group Publisher Beth Scheetz, Controller
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Family Living At Its Best
Northeast Ohio Parent
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Worth Noting
Reading Room This summer your children can read books or listen to stories while outdoors. Here are some recommendations for audio books from Rebecca Shook, special needs resource librarian at the Westlake Porter Public Library. Contact 440-871-2600 or visit westlakelibrary.org.
Matilda by Roald Dahl Kate Winslet narrates this award-winning rendition of Matilda — a sweet, exceptional young girl whose parents think she’s just a nuisance. At school, she has to face the kid-hating Miss Trunchbull, and she eventually realizes she has a remarkable power in which to fight back. For ages 7 and older.
Paperboy by Vince Vawter An 11-year-old boy living in Memphis throws the best fastball in town, but he can barely say a word without stuttering — not even his own name. When he takes over his best friend’s paper route for a month, he knows he’ll be forced to communicate with customers. While the paper route poses many challenges, this coming-of-age novel portrays a moving story of a boy and his struggle to speak. For ages 10 and older.
Libraries across Northeast Ohio celebrate the summer with reading programs. Each year, they offer an opportunity for children — and adults — a way to worm into reading. “You’re never too young or old to enjoy the written word or the spoken tale, and to spend time gardening, hiking, cycling or running — each to his or her own ability, to his or her own interests,” says Barb White, general manager for branches at the Akron-Summit County Public Library. The Akron-Summit County Public Library will challenge readers to make reading and exercise a part of their every day this summer. The library’s Mind, Body & Sole: Read At Your Own Pace program is a reading/wellness experience for the whole family to enjoy. “Summer reading programs are one more way that libraries help people keep learning their entire lives,” said Jason Lea, the community outreach coordinator at Mentor Library. “There is the potential for students to backslide when they’re not in school. We want to make sure everyone — adults included — never stop learning and have fun while they’re doing it.” Mentor Public Library will run a trio of summer reading programs this year — one for kids, teens and adults — and all three are focused on science. The children’s program is
Photo courtesy of Mentor Library
Take the Summer Reading Challenge with Area Libraries This Summer
Fizz, Boom, Read; the teens’ is Spark a Reaction; and adults’ is Literary Elements. At the Westlake Porter Public Library’s summer reading, kids earn prizes and the library has a program for adults, too. The Cuyahoga Library system is doing one comprehensive reading program for all of its branches. The big prize this year will be a chance to attend a very special author event. The library system is also offering library patrons a list of the “Top 100 Books That You Should Read in Your Lifetime,” along with monthly themed displays to engage readers on new topics. One of the most important things for parents to do is to model reading behavior, says Hallie Rich, the library system’s marketing and communication director. She also suggests parents or caregivers ask about what the child is reading and keep them engaged by finding ways to connect with books they enjoy.
Is your child looking for his or her school’s summer reading list? Many area libraries connect with their local school districts to provide additional copies for summer reading requirements. See what you can borrow this summer by stopping by your library or checking its website.
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that Can Make a Child Thrive Foster parents Jerome and Theresa Howard are currently celebrating the adoption of their two medically fragile foster children. “When Deshawn was born, he was only two pounds and three ounces,” says both parents Jerome and Theresa. “So, just imagine how delayed he was compared to a typical infant. We were worried, but our doctors kept saying to give it time. We helped and supported him with physical and occupational therapy. We wondered if he was ever going to talk. And then, one day, when he was 2-1/2 years old, he looked right at us and said ‘mommy’ plain as day. We cheered, and I think we scared him. That was a strong moment in our lives. All he needed was love and support.” Drug abuse among pregnant women is on the rise, causing more premature
births and behavioral and cognitive problems in exposed children. After giving birth at a county hospital, if a mother and/or her baby test positive for illicit drugs, the infant is placed into child protective custody and enters into the foster care system. These little innocent newborns are often fighting for their lives with undeveloped organs, as well as fighting drug withdrawal. They desperately need families that can provide love and support to help them make drastic improvements. To address this need, programs such as OhioGuidestone’s Medically Fragile Foster Care finds these children, along with other children who have disorders, illnesses or delays due to abuse or
medical neglect, a loving home. “Medically fragile children need specialized services, medications, shots, physical therapy, assistance doing small tasks that you and I can do so easily, or even mechanical devices to help them eat or breath,” says Debora Gault, OhioGuidestone’s director of foster care. “Our foster parents are one of a kind, and continually make miracles happen. We are fortunate to have them and support them with knowledgeable staff and nurses, as well as extensive training.” Learn about helping medically fragile children and supporting the program, contact Debora Gault at 440-260-8367 or debora.gault@ohioguidestone.org.
Bringing Hope to Those Touched by Cancer More than 460 walkers came out to support Stewart’s Caring Place Cancer Wellness Center for the 8th annual Hope Walk at the Fairlawn Community Center on May 10. The 2.3-mile walk and family event raises money to make it possible for Stewart's Caring Place to offer services free-of-charge to those who have been touched by cancer. Chairperson for the event Liz Banasiak
Milestones 12th Annual Autism Spectrum Conference Offers New Parent Features Join more than 1,000 attendees at the Milestones 12th Annual Autism Spectrum Disorder Conference, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on June 18-19 at the Cleveland I-X Center. The conference brings family members and professionals in the field of autism together to share evidence-based practical strategies and best practices. Attendees can engage in more than 75 educational workshops focusing on field-tested ideas and be inspired by the national keynotes: Dr. Peter Gerhardt, EdD, national autism consultant, and self advocates Brittany Lauber and Justin Rooney. The two-day event will also provide the opportunity to network and visit with dozens of exhibits featuring autism-specific products and services. New parent and family member features for this year include a separate parent check-in with Milestones staff and volunteers readily available to help family members select which workshops are best for them and a Family Networking Lunch, where attendees can connect with other families. Register and learn more at milestones.org. Family Living At Its Best
reported that Elaine Neumann was the top fundraiser, bringing in $2,694. Honorary Chair Dr. Terry Gordon spoke to the audience before the walk. WQMX’s Sue Wilson and WONE’s Tim Daugherty were on hand to emcee the event while musician Doug Kaufman entertained the crowd with his mix of pop and folk tunes. Learn about Stewart’s Caring Place, visit stewartscaringplace.org or call 330-836-1772. Northeast Ohio Parent
June 2014
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Family Health
Staying Safe Outside This Summer From head to toe, here are the basics to having fun in the sun. With summer already underway, now is the time to protect yourself and your family from the summer sun. Before the sun hits its maximum strength, this is a good time to review with your family some of the basic dangers the sun poses. “The American Academy of Dermatology recommends at least a 15 (sun protection factor or SPF), but for my patients who have had any exposure, any history, any risk factors, I recommend at least 30,” says Dr. Jennifer Lucas, a dermatologist at Cleveland Clinic. You should also make sure your sunscreen has the words “broad spectrum” on its label. Broadspectrum sunscreens protect against both UVA and UVB rays. The Sun Safety Alliance reminds us that the sun is strongest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and UV rays reflect off sand, concrete and water. Bug repellents can reduce a sunscreen’s effectiveness by as much as 30 percent, so if you’re using them in combination, use a sunscreen with a higher SPF. For even better protection, wear dark clothing that has tightly woven fabric, Lucas says. Also, do not forget about wearing wide-brimmed hats. “Everyone goes for the baseball cap,” she says. “The problem is that it’s just shielding one portion of your face, so you’re still getting sun exposure on all other aspects of your face.” She notes it’s not only important to choose a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15, but to also use the correct amount. Lucas says, “A shot glass amount or a golf ball-sized amount is enough to cover your exposed skin if you are in a bathing suit.”
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The FDA now requires sunscreens that aren’t broad spectrum and lack an SPF of at least 15 to carry a warning. It reminds people that particular product will not protect against skin cancer and early signs of aging. Lucas says regardless of the strength of sunscreen you choose, you should regularly reapply. “The typical rules are you’re going to need to reapply every two hours — more often if you’re sweating or doing something that will physically remove the sunscreen (such as) something like swimming,” she says. The Environmental Protection Agency and the American Cancer Society promote this message when it comes to sun protection:“Slip! Slop! Slap! and Wrap!” In other words, slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen, slap on a hat and wrap on sunglasses. Lucas also notes that babies 6 months and younger should never be exposed to the sun’s damaging rays. Always seek shade with little ones whenever possible. Summer Bug Bites Of the few things we don’t like about summer, bugs and the bites they leave behind are among the worst. Experts at Cleveland Clinic say mosquito bites in particular can become a problem. Keep in mind mosquitoes can carry the West Nile Virus. Adults are at a higher risk of contracting the disease than children. If fever and muscle weakness result from a bug bite, you may need to seek medical treatment. Tick bites are also a common concern during this time of year. They can transmit diseases such as Lyme disease or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. It’s always best to perform a quick “tick check” after spending time in high grass or the woods, and, of course, remove them right away. Most ticks don’t cause infection unless they’ve attached to the skin for more than 24 hours, Cleveland Clinic experts note. The Centers for Disease Control recommends removing
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a tick with a pair of tweezers by grabbing it as close to the skin’s surface as possible. Heat Warnings June produces some of the hottest weather of the year in Northeast Ohio with forecasters often predicting temperatures above 90 degrees. “When the temp is very high, it inhibits your body’s ability to dissipate heat, especially when it’s humid,” says Dr. Tom Waters, an emergency medicine physician at Cleveland Clinic. “Our main mechanism to get rid of heat is through sweating, and when it’s very hot and humid we’re not very efficient at getting rid of heat, so both of those two conditions can predispose a person to a heat emergency.” Warning signs of a heat emergency can include a general sick feeling, nausea, headache and confusion. If extreme, a heat emergency could even cause someone to fall into a coma. Waters says that it’s incredibly important to keep a watchful eye out for these symptoms and to get help, if necessary. “If you notice that yourself or a loved one is experiencing any of those signs, remove yourself (or loved one) from the heat and start hydrating,” he says. “If you noticed a loved one has started to act confused, that’s a true heat emergency and you need to get them to a hospital right away.” Waters recommends frequent breaks if you’re outside for long periods, and drinking plenty of fluids. He says you don’t want to lose too much sodium through sweat, so alternating between water and electrolyte drinks is best. Young children and the elderly are more susceptible to high heat, so Family Living At Its Best
make sure you monitor them closely. Flip-Flop Facts Flip-flop season is here, but just because it’s the perfect time of year for them doesn’t mean you should be putting them on everywhere you go. Dr. Brian Donley, orthopedic surgeon and president of Cleveland Clinic Community Hospitals and Family Health Centers, says flip-flops are fun and fashionable, but not for everyday use. “They can be damaging because they don’t provide support and protection to your foot,” Donley says. “And they also don’t provide support to the arch to allow you to support your foot as you go on the normal walking cycle of the foot.” He also notes that while flip-flops
are great because they’re easy to get on and off, you should avoid wearing them if you’re going on a long walk. You’re better off having something that supports your feet from heel strike to toe push-off. Flip-flops affect the way we walk because they have a tendency to slide or slip off our feet. Flip-flop wearers typically experience heel and arch pain if they’re worn for too long. The best place to flaunt your flipflops is poolside or at the beach, Donley says. It’s recommended that you throw away flip-flops that are worn or torn, and when shopping for a new pair, avoid those with soles that freely bend or twist. Article courtesy of Cleveland Clinic News Wire. For more information, visit health.clevelandclinic.org.
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Education Corner
Keep Kids Sharp and Avoid the ‘Summer Slide’ By Marie Elium
Summer vacation is a welcome classroom break for most students. The downside is that many lose academic ground and spend weeks or months in the fall making up for lost skills. Educators call it the “summer slide.” However, with standardized tests becoming increasingly important in school, students can’t afford to fall behind when summer arrives. Retaining Reading Skills Many parents who will have thirdgraders next fall might be feeling a little
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nervous. Their child will be taking Ohio’s Third Grade Reading Guarantee, which is a program to identify students behind in reading from kindergarten through third grade. According to the Ohio Department of Education’s website,”a minimum score must be attained either in the fall or spring administration of the state reading test. Except for students with special circumstances, students must meet a minimum score on the state reading test to move on to the
fourth grade.” “It’s the first time that Ohio has tied grade promotion to a reading assessment,” says John Charlton, ODE spokesman. Ohio’s Third Grade Reading Guarantee provides some exclusions as there is an opportunity for a child, if ready, to take fourth-grade classes in other subject areas while working on third-grade reading
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skills, according to the ODE website. Schools can move students to the fourth grade in the middle of the year, if the student's reading improves. This past year’s third-graders were tested last fall and again this spring to evaluate reading skills. Charlton says 66 percent of Ohio’s third-graders met the reading promotion score in the fall. However, the pressure is on for teachers, parents and students — no one wants to keep a child from moving on to the next grade level. As a result, most public schools are providing extra help for kids. Districts also must tell parents about at least one approved tutoring provider whose services are free of charge to students who don’t meet the standards. “Districts should be communicating with parents about the reading tests and how well their kid has done on it,” Charlton says. “If not, call the district and find out about the free summer tutoring and other options for getting your child’s reading skills up to grade level. “We want districts to be as creative as possible (to help) students,” he says. To prepare incoming third-graders next fall, he notes, parents can work with their children by looking at practice questions online through the Ohio Department of Education’s website (education.ohio.gov) and have students practice keyboarding skills. Parents can look outside their districts as some area educational institutes offer summer programs in reading and other subjects. For example, John Carroll University’s Summer Reading Program for Children and Adults offers five-week classroom instruction at their University Heights campus and other locations such as Cleveland, Mentor, Parma Heights, Solon, Strongsville and Westlake. The eight different programs, from preschoolers (age 4) through college-age and adults, provide comprehensive reading lessons taught by instructors from the Institute of Reading Development. Learning Throughout Summer Summertime offers a break from formal education, but that doesn’t mean that learning takes a break. A handy link from the National PTA (pta.org) is titled, “Parents’ Guide to Student Success.” It has downloadable guides about what children should be learning at each grade level, how to build relationships with teachers and planning for college and careers. Education experts remind parents that learning can and should take place year round in informal and fun ways. For example, a trip to the grocery store offers an opportunity for a math lesson by comparing prices. Storytelling and memory games are great conversation and recall skill builders. Board games and other traditional “toys” all are learning opportunities in disguise. Family Living At Its Best
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“What we would say to parents is to be creative, to make use of outstanding games like Stratego or Bop It!” says Steve Buie, director of Learning Rx Akron-Bath Brain Training Center. “These games are wonderful for keeping the edge sharp on their cognitive skills. They will help them keep their skill sets sharp. It’s not about information; it’s about keeping their skills sharp. “To sharpen math skills play games such as Simon, which develop reasoning, math, processing speed and attention levels,” Buie adds. “Also, the game Battleship involves planning, logic, reasoning and memory. LEGOs are terrific for sequential processing and reasoning. Card games such as gin rummy or other strategy games like Sudoku and Clue are just a few others that help develop skills.” He also advises finding books that focus on your child’s interests. Parents of younger children should read with them daily. The “summer slide” is a real threat to academic success, but parents have plenty of options to prevent it or at least lessen its impact. For example, area libraries offer specialized summer programs that offer a way for children to hone skills while having fun. Programs such as Learning Rx can help. Students get specialized “brain training” that develops cognitive, one-on-one customized cognitive skills training. Tutors can also offer help to work on subjects such as math or reading. In fact, parents can talk to their area educators as many conduct private tutoring during the summer months. If your child has a favorite teacher, ask if he or she is available. This summer, make sure your child soars, not slides.
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Cool off this summer at the area’s best w
Crocker Park Splash Zone Photo courtesy of Lisa Schwan
When summer in Northeast Ohio arrives, the steamy temperatures often leave families in search of ways to cool off. Whether you’re seeking a full-day trip or a quick dip, fast thrills to relaxing chills, there are some great waterthemed activities — that are affordable or free — close to home. While we can’t cover them all, read on for some highlights to add to your family’s summer itinerary. Make a Splash Get all the thrills of a waterpark without the long drive and high admission price by visiting Pioneer Waterland & Dry Fun Park in Chardon, Clay’s Park in North Lawrence or Water Works Family Fun Center in Cuyahoga Falls. Pioneer Waterland offers four sixstory high slides, swimming pool, Water Cannon War Zone and a lazy river. Situated around a 10-acre sand-bottom lake, Clay’s Park attractions include two 150-foot Wet Willie slides, inflata-
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bles and separate small children’s area. Water Works Family Fun Center boasts a variety of slides, from larger enclosed tube and open body slides to a lazy river, waterfalls and geysers. Looking for some free water fun for the kids? Don’t overlook local splash pads, including one at Crocker Park in Westlake. Splash Pad, presented by Lake Ridge Academy, is open daily and offers kids an opportunity to cool down while burning off some energy. As an added bonus, most evenings, the pad transforms into a light show. “The Splash (Pad) is a really fun place for parents to bring their kids, whether they’re out shopping for the day and want to make a quick stop, or they plan to spend a few hours there,” says Lisa Schwan, director of communications for Stark Enterprises.
Edgewater Park Photos courtesy of Cleveland Metroparks
Watersports, Fast and Slow Whether you’re more of the spectating type or the kind who likes to jump in on the action, watersport opportunities abound in Northeast Ohio. Check out Crooked River Adventures, located in Kent, which offers canoe, kayak and tube rentals for trips along the Cuyahoga River to three destinations, all with easy-to-navigate routes and beautiful views (don’t worry, return transportation is provided). Additional
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t watering spots. By Denise Koeth
re & Sto ouse h t a o ke B ley La Hinck
in Norton to watch a free weekly performance by the Chippewa Lake Water Ski Show Team. Shows take place Wednesday evenings from mid-June through August. “It’s show skiing that can’t be had anywhere else in Ohio,” says Tom Melter, team president. “We are the only competitive water ski show team in the state — and we’re comprised of families.”
options include a guided tour, or having a bike delivered to the paddling destination to make the return trip. The Cleveland Metroparks’ Hinckley Lake Boathouse & Store rents canoes, kayaks, rowboats, motorized rowboats, stand-up paddleboards, paddleboats and pontoons for use on the park’s 90acre lake. The facility also offers refreshments, fishing tackle and bait. If you’d rather watch the water thrills from the shore, head to Emerald Lake Family Living At Its Best
Beaches, Great (Lakes) and Small The shores of Lake Erie provide several beaches from the east to the west. For those a little farther south, sandy swim areas are closer than you think. For a magnificent view of Cleveland’s skyline while you picnic and swim, check out Edgewater Park, part of the Cleveland Metroparks’ Lakefront Reservation, which was acquired by the parks system last year. Edgewater offers a 900-foot swimming beach, playground, pavilions and a nearby fishing pier. “We’re proud to offer several very safe areas for families to get out and enjoy the water and summer weather,” says Christy Szoke, Cleveland Metroparks’ aquatics facilities manager. “They’re spread throughout Northeast Ohio so
they’re easy to get to for everyone. It’s great for families, individuals, couples and friends of all age groups.” Go east and enjoy Lake Metroparks’ Fairport Harbor Lakefront Park. This 21-acre park features a beach with a gradual slope and sandy bottom, according to Lake Metroparks’ website. Visitors can also go kayaking, canoeing and attend the special beach programs/festivals. Families who don’t want to leave Fido at home can use the designated “Dog Swim Area,” which is located at the east end of the beach. Farther south, the 411-acre Portage Lakes State Park, located in New Franklin, offers visitors a variety of water fun, including boating and fishing on several lakes — Turkeyfoot Lake features a 900-foot public swimming beach. The park also offers a dog park, disc golf course, hiking trails and several picnic areas to round out your family’s day. With summer around the corner, it’s time to grab your towels and stock up on sunscreen so your family will be ready for these fun-in-the-sun attractions. Northeast Ohio Parent
June 2014
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Northeast Ohio Parent brings you the rundown of the area’s top summer outings!
The Medina Toy & Train Museum 7 Public Square, Medina 330-764-4455, ormandys.com/museum.htm
Children’s Museum of Cleveland 10730 Euclid Ave., Cleveland 216-791-7114, clevelandchildrensmuseum.org
The Merry-Go-Round Museum 301 Jackson St., Sandusky 419-626-6111, merrygoroundmuseum.org
Cleveland Museum of Art 11150 East Blvd., Cleveland 216-421-7350, clevelandart.org
Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland 11400 Euclid Ave., Cleveland 216-421-8671
Cleveland Museum of Natural History 1 Wade Oval Drive, Cleveland 216-231-4600, cmnh.org
Pro Football Hall of Fame 2121 George Halas Drive NW, Canton 330-456-8207, profootballhof.com
Crawford Auto Aviation Collection 10825 East Blvd., Cleveland 216-721-5722, wrhs.org
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum 1100 Rock and Roll Blvd., Cleveland 216-781-7625, rockhall.com
International Women’s Air & Space Museum 1501 N. Marginal Road, Cleveland 216-623-1111, iwasm.org
Historical Sites & Tours
Zack Frank / Shutterstock.com
Museums Akron Art Museum 1 S. High St., Akron 330-376-9185, akronartmuseum.org The Bonfoey Gallery 1710 Euclid Ave., Cleveland 216-621-0178, bonfoey.com Canton Classic Car Museum 123 6th St. SW, Canton 330-455-3603, cantonclassiccar.org Canton Museum of Art 1001 Market Ave. N, Canton 330-453-7666, cantonart.org
Kent State University Museum Corner of Main and Lincoln Streets, Kent 330-672-3450, kent.edu/museum
A Christmas Story House 3159 W. 11th St., Cleveland 216-298-4919, achristmasstoryhouse.com
Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage 2929 Richmond Road, Beachwood 216-593-0575, maltzmuseum.org
AC & J Scenic Railroad 161 E Jefferson St., Jefferson 440-576-6346
McKinley Presidential Library & Museum 800 McKinley Monument Drive NW, Canton 330-455-7043, mckinleymuseum.org
Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad Office: 2325 Stine Road, Peninsula 800-468-4070, cvsr.com Kenneth Sponsler / Shutterstock.com
The Farm at Walnut Creek 4147 CR 114, Sugarcreek 330-893-4200, thefarmatwalnutcreek.com
Lolly the Trolley The Trolley Station for boarding tours is located at the Powerhouse at Nautica on the West Bank of Cleveland’s Flats. The Powerhouse is the red brick building with the two tall smokestacks. 216-771-4484, lollytrolley.com
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GUIDE Franklin Castle 4308 Franklin Blvd., Cleveland
GOODTIME III Excursion Ship 825 E, 9th St. Pier, North Coast Harbor, Cleveland 216-861-5110, goodtimeiii.com Hale Farm & Village 2686 Oak Hill Road, Bath 330-666-3711, halefarm.org Hastings Dairy 13181 Claridon Troy Road, Burton 440-635-0313, hastingsdairy.com Mapleside Farms 294 Pearl Road, Brunswick 330-225-5577, mapleside.com Roscoe Village 600 N. Whitewoman St., Coshocton 740-622-7644, roscoevillage.com St. Helena III Canal Boat Rides 155 E. Market St., Canal Fulton 330-854-2225, cityofcanalfulton-oh.gov The Steamship Mather 601 Erieside Ave., Cleveland 216-694-2000, glsc.org Tree Frog Canopy Tours 21899 Wally Road, Glenmont 740-599-2662, treefrogcanopytours.com
Family Living At Its Best
Henryk Sadura / Shutterstock.com
Wildwood Cultural Center 7645 Little Mountain Road, Mentor 440-974-5720, cityofmentor.com
Nature & Science Centers Akron Fossils and Science Center 2080 S. Cleveland-Massillon Road, Copley 330-665-3466 akronfossils.com Brecksville Nature Center 9000 Chippewa Creek Drive, Brecksville 440-526-1012, clevelandmetroparks.com CanalWay Center 4524 East 49th St., Cuyahoga Heights 216-206-1000, clevelandmetroparks.com
Great Lakes Science Center Love LEGO bricks? See the special exhibition, LEGO Travel Adventure through Sept. 7. Use your imagination and build the perfect dream machine to take you wherever you want to go. Sign up for special LEGO-themed programs, too. Get details at GreatScience.com. 601 Erieside Ave., Cleveland 216-694-2000, glsc.org
Lake Erie Nature and Science Center 28728 Wolf Road, Cleveland 440-871-2900, lensc.org The Nature Center at Shaker Lakes 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland 216-321-5935, shakerlakes.org
Crown Point Ecology Center 3220 Ira Road, Bath 330-668-8992, crownpt.org
Nature Education Building Buttermilk Falls Pkwy. Entrance, Mayfield Village 440-473-3370, clevelandmetroparks.com
Garfield Park Nature Center 11350 Broadway Ave., Garfield Heights 216-341-3152, clevelandmetroparks.com
North Chagrin Nature Center Off Buttermilk Falls Pkwy., Willoughby Hills 440-473-3370, clevelandmetroparks.com
The Holden Arboretum 9500 Sperry Road, Kirtland 440-946-4400, holdenarb.org
Ohio Bird Sanctuary 3774 Orweiler Road, Mansfield 419-884-4295 ohiobirdsanctuary.com
Rocky River Nature Center (Cleveland Metroparks) 24000 Valley Pkwy., North Olmsted 440-734-6660, clevelandmetroparks.com Susan Hambley Nature Center 1473 Parschen Blvd., Brunswick 330-722-9364, medinacountyparks.com The Wilderness Center 9877 Alabama Ave. S.W., Wilmot 330-359-5235, wildernesscenter.org Wolf Creek Environmental Center 6100 Ridge Road, Sharon Center 330-722-9364, medinacountyparks.com
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GUIDE Theatres
Weathervane Playhouse 1301 Weathervane Lane, Akron 330-836-2626, weathervaneplayhouse.com
Akron Civic Theatre 182 S. Main St., Akron 330-253-2488, akroncivic.com
Festivals, Fairs & Concerts Blossom Music Center 1145 W. Steels Corners Road, Cuyahoga Falls 330-920-8040, theblossommusiccenter.com
E.J Thomas Hall 198 Hill St., Akron 330-972-7570, uaevents.com Hanna Theatre 2067 E. 14th St., Cleveland greatlakestheater.org
Fridays & Saturdays, 6-8:30 p.m. 189 Crocker Park Blvd., Westlake 440-871-6880
Akron Zoo 500 Edgewood Ave., Akron 330-375-2550, akronzoo.org
Nelson Ledges Quarry Park 12001 State Rt. 282, Nelson Ledge Road Garrettsville 440-548-2716, nlqp.com
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo 3900 Wildlife Way, Cleveland 216-661-6500, clevelandmetroparks.com/zoo
Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica 2014 Sycamore St., Cleveland 216-861-4080, nauticaflats.com
The Summer Market July 25, 4-9 p.m.; July 26, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Lake Road & Ohio 83, Avon Lake thesummermarket.com
Greater Cleveland Aquarium 2000 Sycamore St., Cleveland 216-862-8803, greaterclevelandaquarium.com
The Kent Stage 175 East Main St., Kent 330-677-5005, thekentstage.com
Zoos & Aquariums
Music in the Park - Crocker Park
African Safari Wildlife Park 267 S Lightner Road, Port Clinton 419-732-3606, africansafariwildlifepark.com
Cain Park- Evans Amphitheater 14591 Superior Road, Cleveland Heights 216-371-3000, cainpark.com
House of Blues 308 Euclid Ave., Cleveland 216-523-2583, houseofblues.com Lock 3 in Akron 200 S. Main St., Akron 330-375-2877, lock3live.com PlayhouseSquare: Allen, Ohio, Palace and State Theatres 1501 Euclid Ave., Cleveland 216-771-4444, playhousesquare.org
The FEST The FEST is a free family festival for all ages held on Sunday, August 3, noon-10 p.m. Live, national Christian bands on stage, entertainment, games, BMX shows, kids’ areas, opportunities for inspiring prayer, tents with vendors from all over our area, giveaways, and your favorite festival foods. 28700 Euclid Ave., Wickliffe, thefest.us
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Walking With Dinosaurs The Arena Spectacular July 9-13: Dinosaurs once again roam the earth in this spectacular production, based on the award-winning BBC television series. Quicken Loans Arena, 1 Center Court, Cleveland 888-894-9424, theqarena.com
June 2014
The Farm at Walnut Creek 4147 County Road 114, Sugarcreek 330-893-4200, walnutcreekfarmohio.com Lake Metroparks Farmpark 8800 Euclid Chardon Road, Kirtland 440-256-2122, lakemetroparks.com/ select-park/farmpark.shtml
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GUIDE Monsoon Lagoon 1530 S. Danbury Road, Port Clinton 419-732-6671, monsoonlagoonwaterpark.com Pioneer Waterland 10661 Kile Road, Chardon 440-285-5200, pioneerwaterland.com Wildwater Kingdom
Rolling Ridge Ranch Animal Park 3961 CR 168, Millersburg 330-893-3777, visitrollingridge.com Wagon Trails Animal Park 907 Youngstown Kingsville Road SE (State Rt. 193), Vienna 330-539-4494, wagontrails.com
Clay’s Park 13190 Patterson St. NW, North Lawrence 330-854-6691, clayspark.com Clear Water Park 12712 Hoover Ave NW, Uniontown 330-877-9800, akroncantonjellystone.com
Water Parks Baylor Beach Park 8725 Manchester Ave. SW, Navarre 330-767-3031, baylorbeachpark.com Castaway Bay 2001 Cleveland Road, Sandusky 419-627-2500, castawaybay.com
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Great Wolf Lodge 4600 Milan Road, Sandusky 419-609-6000, greatwolf.com/sandusky/waterpark Kalahari Water Park 7000 Kalahari Drive, Sandusky 888-707-4155, kalahariresorts52.reachlocal.net/ ohio/contact-us
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Soak City 1 Cedar Point Drive, Sandusky 419-627-2350, cedarpoint.com Twinsburg Water Park 10260 1/2 Ravenna Road, Twinsburg 330-963-8710, mytwinsburg.com Water Works family Aquatic 2025 Munroe Falls Ave., Cuyahoga Falls 330-971-8433, cfo.cityofcf.com/web/parks-and-recreation/water-works-aquatic-center Wildwater Kingdom 1100 Squires Road, Aurora 330-562-7131, wildwaterfun.com
Amusement Parks Cedar Point 1 Cedar Point Drive, Sandusky 419-627-2350, cedarpoint.com Memphis Kiddie Park 10340 Memphis Ave., Brooklyn 216-941-5995, memphiskiddiepark.com Stricker’s Grove 11490 Hamilton-Cleves Road, Hamilton 513-521-9747, strickersgrove.com
Parks, Gardens & Trails Buckeye Woods Park 6335 Wedgewood Road, Medina 330-722-9364, medinacountyparks.com Buffalo Creek Retreat 8708 Hubbard Valley Road, Seville 330-722-9322, medinacountyparks.com
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Cedar Point
Sporting Events
Summit Metro Parks SUMMIT METRO PARKS manages, 500 acres, including four parks, several conservation areas and more than 25 miles of trails, with the 34mile Bike & Hike Trail and 22.4 miles of the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail. Annual attendance averages 5.2 million visits. 975 Treaty Line Road, Akron 330-867-5511, summitmetroparks.org
Cleveland Browns (pre-season) FirstEnergy Stadium, 100 Alfred Lerner Way, Cleveland 440-891-5001, clevelandbrowns.com
Nature Realm 1828 Smith Road, Akron 330-865-8065, summitmetroparks.org
Cleveland Metroparks clevelandmetroparks.com Acacia Reservation Entrance is on the right at the traffic light across from Cleveland Clinic/Beachwood Mall, 216-635-3200 Bedford Reservation Located in Bedford, Bedford Heights, Oakwood, Valley View and Walton Hills, 216-635-3200 Big Creek Reservation The reservation runs parallel to Pearl Road from Valley Pkwy. to Brookpark Road, and is located in Brooklyn, Parma, Parma Heights, Middleburg Heights and Strongsville, 216-635-3200 Bradley Woods Reservation Located in North Olmsted and Westlake, 216-635-3200 Brecksville Reservation Located on Brecksville Road, 440-526-1012 Brookside Reservation John Nagy Blvd., Cleveland, 216-635-3200 Euclid Creek Reservation Euclid Creek Pkwy., Euclid, 216-635-3200 Garfield Park Reservation Located in Garfield Heights, 216-341-3152 Hinckley Reservation Located at the southern end of the Cleveland Metroparks, 330-278-2160 Huntington Reservation Located in Bay Village on the shores of Lake Erie, 216-635-3200 Rocky River Reservation Located in Berea, Brook Park, Cleveland, Fairview Park, Lakewood, North Olmsted, Olmsted Township and Rocky River, 440-734-6660 South Chagrin Reservation Located in Bentleyville, Solon and Moreland Hills, 440-247-7075
Chippewa Lake, Krabill Shelter 7597 Ballash Road, Medina 330-722-9364, medinacountyparks.com Civic Center Park 8600 Munson Road, Mentor 440-974-5720, cityofmentor.com Cleveland Botanical Garden 11030 East Blvd., Cleveland 216-721-1600, cbgarden.org Cleveland Cultural Gardens in Rockefeller Park 750 E 88th St, Cleveland culturalgardens.org Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park 1403 W. Hines Hill Road, Peninsula 330-657-2909, conservancyforcvnp.org
Cleveland Gladiators Quicken Loans Arena, 1 Center Court, Cleveland 216-420-2000, theqarena.com
Akron Rubberducks The Akron RubberDucks Minor League Baseball team plays out of Canal Park in Akron. Formerly the Akron Aeros, this team provides great family-friendly entertainment at an affordable price. Throughout the season, check out theme nights like Doppelganger Night and Bark in the Park where you can bring your dog to the game! Every Friday features a spectacular fireworks show that is certain to wow everyone. Canal Park, 300 S Main St., Akron 330-253-5151, milb.com
Coventry P.E.A.C.E. Park Coventry Road & Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Heights 216-556-0927 Cuyahoga Valley National Park 7104 Canal Road, Cleveland 216-524-1497, nps.gov Hubbard Valley Park 8600 Hubbard Valley Road, Seville 330-722-9364, medinacountyparks.com Ohio & Erie Canal 330-860-0825, ohioanderiecanalway.com Preston’s H.O.P.E. Playground Park The Mandel JCC, 26001 South Woodland Road, Beachwood prestonshope.com
Washington Reservation Located in Newburgh Heights
River Styx Park 8200 River Styx Road, Wadsworth 330-722-9364, medinacountyparks.com
West Creek Reservation Located on W. Ridgewood Dr., Parma, 440-887-1968
Stan Hwyet Hall and Gardens 714 N. Portage Path, Akron 330-836-5533, stanhywet.org
Whipp’s Ledges Hinckley Lake Loop Trail, Hinckley, 330-278-2160
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GUIDE Cleveland Indians Progressive Field, 2401 Ontario St., Cleveland, 216420-4487, cleveland.indians.mlb.com Lake County Captains 35300 Vine St., Eastlake 440-975-8085, milb.com Rubber City Roller Girls 77 E. Mill St., Akron rubbercityrollergirls.com
Skate Parks- Indoor/ Outdoor Mentor Skateland Roller Rink 5615 Andrews Road, Mentor on the Lake 440-257-3387, mentorskateland.com
Pools, Swimming & Splash Parks Beachwood Outdoor Pool South Woodland Road, Beachwood 216-831-0700, mandeljcc.org Dogwood Park Pool & Sprayground 241 7th St. NE, North Canton 330-499-2052, northcantonohio.gov Eagle Park Splash Pad 14730 Springdale Ave., Middlefield 855-209-8469, middlefieldohio.com Falls River Square Interactive Fountains 2nd St., Cuyahoga Falls 330-971-8142 Gemini Center Sprayground 21225 Lorain Road, Fairview Park 440-356-4444 Hinckley Spillway Swim 4101 Fulton Pkwy., Cleveland 440-331-8635, clevelandmetroparks.com
Knights Field Park Sprayground 701 Rebecca St., Wooster 330-262-8468, woosteroh.com Luke Easter Park and Pool MLK Jr. Blvd. and Ramona Ave., Cleveland 216-664-3189 Lyndhurst Brainard Sprayground Brainard Park, 1840 Brainard Road, Lyndhurst 440-442-5844 Morton Park Splash Pad W. 223rd St. and Morton Ave, Fairview Park 440-356-4444 Munroe Falls, Summit Metro Parks Lake 975 Treaty Line Road, Akron 330-867-5511, summitmetroparks.org Orlando Spray Park 30100 Twin Lakes Drive, Wickliffe 440-943-7100 Silver Creek, Summit Metro Parks Lake 975 Treaty Line Road, Akron 330-867-5511, summitmetroparks.org Sprayground at Richmond Heights Community Park 27285 Highland Road, Richmond Heights Spray Park at Quarry Park Quarry Park South – South Euclid 216-381-7674 Walsh SprayPark 7221 Bellflower Road, Mentor 440-974-5720, cityofmentor.com Water Works Family Aquatic Center 2025 Munroe Falls Ave., Cuyahoga Falls 330-971-8433, 330-971-8299, cfo.cityofcf.com
Beaches & Boating Indian Hills Spray Park 1941 Sagamore Drive, Euclid 216-289-8114
Beachwood Outdoor Pool
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GOODTIME III Excursion Ship 825 E. 9th Street Pier, North Coast Harbor, Cleveland, 216-861-5110, goodtimeiii.com
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GUIDE The Golf Dome 8198 E. Washington St., Chagrin Falls 440-543-1211, thegolfdome.com/main2.htm Lake County Speedway Go Karts 500 Fairport Nursery Road, Painesville 440-354-3505, lakecounty speedway.com/go-karts.php Lake Erie - Rocky River
Rinky Dink Family Fun Center 2390 Medina Road, Medina 330-239-1567, rinkydinkminigolf.com
Headlands Beach State Park 9601 Headlands Road, Mentor 440-466-8400, parks.ohiodnr.gov/headlandsbeach
Go Karts, Putt Putt Golf & More Huntington Beach 4101 Fulton Pkwy., Cleveland 440-331-8635, clevelandmetroparks.com
Adventure Zone 5600 Lake Rd., Geneva on the Lake 440-466-4447, adventurezonefun.com
Edgewater Beach 4101 Fulton Pkwy., Cleveland 440-331-8635, clevelandmetroparks.com
Airport Go-Karts 16208 Brookpark Road, Cleveland 216-265-075, airportgokarts.com
Lake Erie Shores & Islands 4424 Milan Road, Suite A (US 250), Sandusky 419-625-2984, shoresandislands.com
Chip’s Clubhouse 214 5th Ave., Chardon 440-285-3456, chipsclubhouse.com
Mentor Harbor Yachting Club 5330 Coronada Drive, Mentor-on-the-Lake 440-57-7214, mhyc.us/boating/index.html St. Helena III Canal Boat Rides 155 E. Market St., Canal Fulton 330-854-2225, cityofcanalfulton-oh.gov
Sluggers & Putters 333 Lafayette Dr., Canal Fulton 330-854-6999, sluggers-putters.com Sweeties Golfland 6770 Brookpark Road, Cleveland 216-472-1340, sweetiesgolfland.com Swings-N-Things 8501 Stearns Road, Olmsted Township 440-235-4420, swings-n-things.com
Firefly’s Mini Golf 200 Southpark Center, Strongsville 440-846-4569, fireflysminigolf.com Fun-N-Stuff Amusement Park 661 E. Highland Road Macedonia 800-467-0820, fun-n-stuff.com
Wickliffe Lanes Wickliffe Lanes is a family-run bowling center that provides families the opportunity to enjoy 40 lanes of bowling, billiards, video games and food with a full-service snack bar. 30315 Euclid Ave, Wickliffe 440-585-3505, wickliffelanes.com
Canoeing, Camping & Fishing Audubon Lakes Campground 3935 N. Broadway, Geneva 440-466-1293, ohiocamper.com/audubonlakes. html?Audubon+Lakes+Campground Camp Hi Canoe Livery 12274 Abbott Road, Hiram 330-569-7621, camphicanoe.com Countryside Campground 2687 State Route 43, Mogadore 330-628-1212, countrysidecampgrounds.com Crooked River Adventures 100 Stow Street, Kent 330-541-7467, kent.edu/crookedriver/index.cfm Grand River Canoe Livery 3825 Fobes Rd, Rock Creek 1-800-Me-Canoe, grandrivercanoe.com
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GUIDE Great Lakes Kayaking 14th and Broadway, Lorain 440-244-5370, visitloraincounty.com/ directory/great-lakes-kayaking/
Kayak the Bay Oak Point State Park, Put-in-Bay 419-967-0796, kayakthebay.net Pine Lake’s Campground 3001 Hague Road, Orwell 440-437-6218, pinelakescampground.net
Jelly Stone Park 12712 Hoover Ave.,Uniontown 330-877-9800, akroncantonjellystone.com/camping
Roundup Lake Campground 3392 State Route 82, Mantua 330-562-9100, rounduplakecampground.com Timber Ridge Campground 51900 Portman Road, Amherst 440-965-4113, timberridgecamping.com Lake Metroparks Fishing The following do not require a fishing license:
Gelfand STEM Center Engage your child in authentic STEM learning experiences at CWRU this summer. Ignite your child’s interest in exploration, science and technology while having fun. Take a look at the possibilities this summer for elementary, middle and high school age students. Located at the Guilford House, Suite 412, Case Western Reserve University. 11112 Bellflower Road, Cleveland 216-368-5075, gelfand.case.edu
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Chapin Forest Reservation 9938 Chillicothe Road (Rt. 306), Kirtland 440-358-7275, lakemetroparks.com/ select-park/chapin.shtml Concord Woods Nature Park 11211 Spear Road, Concord Township 440-358-7275, lakemetroparks.com/ select-park/concord-woods.shtml
John Carroll University Join John Carroll University for summer sports camps. The university’s Department of Athletics offers a variety of 2014 summer sports camps and clinics for students of all ages. They provide a safe, fun, learning environment on a beautiful campus in University Heights. Respected head coaches for John Carroll’s varsity and club sports teams lead the summer athletic programs. For details, visit go.jcu.edu/sportscamps. Sign up early. Spaces are limited. 1 John Carroll Blvd., University Heights 216-397-1886, jcu.edu River Road Park 5808 River Road, Madison Twp. 440-358-7275, lakemetroparks.com/ select-park/river-road.shtml#home
Community Recreation & Camps Academic Fun & Fitness Camp Lakeland Community College 440-914-0200, northcoasted.com Blue Streak Camps 9155 Old Meadow Lane, Chagrin Falls 440-543-1676, bluestreakcamps.com Camp Buckeye Retreat Center 10055 Camp Road NW, Beach City 330-756-2380, campbuckeye.org
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Camp Carl 8054 Calvin Road, Ravenna 330-315-5665, campcarl.org Camp Y-Noah 815 Mt Pleasant Road NW, Clinton 330-896-1964, akronymca.org Classroom Antics 800-595-3776, classroomantics.com Falcon Camp 4251 Delta Road SW, Carrollton 800-837-2267, falconcamp.com
Lake County YMCA At the Y, we value the unique personalities and potential of every child and teen. Summer camp creates an environment where kids are encouraged to explore and discover exciting new things, cultivate friendships and make memories that last a lifetime. The Lake County Y Central, East End, West End, Perry Child Care and Outdoor Y offer a variety of summer day camp experiences for preschools and children ages 4-14, as well as overnight camp experiences for teens. Lakecountyymca.org
Total Education Solutions This summer, Total Education Solutions is hosting several camps that target an array of developmental goals for children and young adults with various skill levels and abilities. The therapeutic summer programs include Speech and Language Camp; Teen Group Camp; Girl Power Camp; Total Therapy Camp, which will include Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy services, among others; and a traditional full-day camp that will inspire and motivate through weekly themes like inventing. 61 N. Cleveland Massillon Road, Fairlawn 330-668-4041, tesidea.com Blue Sky Drive-In Theater 959 Broad St., Wadsworth 330-334-1809, blueskydrive-in.com Magic City Drive-In Theater 5602 S. Cleveland-Massillon Road, Barberton 330-825-4333, magiccitydrive-in.com Mayfield Road Drive-In Theater 2100 SR 322, Chardon 440-286-7173, funflick.com/Mayfield Midway Twin Drive-In Theater SR-59 – 1/2 Mile east of Kent, west of Ravenna 330-296-9829, funflick.com/midway
Farmers Markets Cuyahoga County
Cleveland Clinic Market North Union Farmers’ Market, E. 100 St. and Carnegie northunionfarmersmarket.org Cleveland Heights Community Farmers Market 3740 Mayfield Road, Cleveland Heights 440-263-1792, greatfarmersmarkets.com Cleveland State Farmers Market 1930 Euclid Ave., northunionfarmersmarket.org Covenant Farmers Market 19000 Libby Road, Maple Heights 216-662-0370, covenantmaplehts.org Crocker Park / North Union Farmers Market 189 Crocker Park Blvd., Westlake northunionfarmersmarket.org
FitGirl Camps 216-496-1244, fitgirlcamp.com Peak Potential Therapy- SMILE Summer Camp 8848 Commons Blvd., Suite 101, Twinsburg 440-424-5839, peakpotentialtherapy.com Red Oak Camp 9057 Kirtland Chardon Road, Willoughby 440-256-0716, redoakcamp.org
Drive-In Theaters Aut-O-Rama Twin Drive-In Theatre 33395 Lorain Road, North Ridgeville 440-327-9595, autoramadrivein.com
Lawrence School Get ready to learn, grow and play at Lawrence School this summer. Programs for students entering Kindergarten through 8th grade make learning more fun and playtime more rewarding. Themes include kindergarten readiness, academic review, technology exploration, organizational skill-building and study “tips and tricks.” Our afternoon programs are full of exciting summer fun activities and field trips. Enhance skills, have fun, explore, create, make new friends and build confidence. 440-526-0717, lawrenceschool.org Family Living At Its Best
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Downtown Farmers Market at Public Square Across from Old Stone Church downtownclevelandmarket.blogspot.c om Euclid Community Farmers Market Shore Cultural Center Parking Lot, 291 E. 222nd St. Frostville Museum Farmers Market 24101 Cedar Point Road, North Olmsted 330-592-6518, olmstedhistoricalsociety.org Gateway105 Farmers Market E. 105th and Ashbury Ave. Gordon Square Farmers Market West 65th St. and West Clinton Ave., Cleveland gordonsquaremarket.org Green Road Farmers Market 1534 S. Green Road, South Euclid 440-263-1792, greatfarmersmarkets.com Kamm’s Corners Farmers Market W. 168th & Lorain Ave., Cleveland kammscorners.com/farmersmarket
Lake Metroparks Farm Park Farmers’ Market 8800 Chardon Road 440-256-2122 Lakewood Farmers Market City Center Plaza, Lakewood lakewoodfarmersmarket. blogspot.com LEAF Community Farmers Market 15425 Detroit Road, Lakewood 216-367-2834, leafcommunity.org North Coast Harbor Farmers Market E. 9th St. Pier burkeairport.com North Union Farmers Market at Playhouse Square/CSU E. 14th St. and Euclid Ave., Cleveland 216-751-7656, northunionfarmersmarket.org Ohio City Farm Stand W. 24th St. and Bridge Ave., Cleveland 216-781-3222, ext. 108 ohiocityfarm.com Shaker Square Market North Union Farmers Market, 13209 Shaker Square northunionfarmersmarket.org Stearns Homestead Farmers Market
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GUIDE 6975 Ridge Road, Parma 440-882-6234, stearnshomestead.com Strongsville Farmers Market Strongsville Town Commons, Pearl and Royalton Roads, 440-580-3276 Tremont Farmers Market Lincoln Park, W. 14th St. between Kenilworth and Starkweather, tremontfarmersmarket.com
Chagrin Falls Market Gazebo Triangle Park, N. Main St. and N. Franklin St., Chagrin Falls, northunionfarmersmarket.org Chardon Square Farmers Market Short Court Street, Chardon 440-279-3130, chardonsquareassociation.org Geauga Fresh Farmers’ Market 5205 Chillicothe Road, South Russell geaugafarmersmarket.com
Summit County
Akron General Farmers Market 4125 Medina Road, Akron 44333 330-344-7101, akrongeneral.org Copley Creekside Farmers Market 1245 S. Cleveland-Massillon Road, Copley 330-957-3509, copleycreeksidefarmersmarket.com Countryside Farmers Market at Highland Square West Market St. and Conger Ave., Akron 330-657-2542, ext. 224, cvcountryside.org Countryside Farmers Market at Howe Meadow 4040 Riverview Road, Peninsula cvcountryside.org Countryside Farmers Market at Old Trail School 3221 Ira Road, Bath 330-657-2542, ext. 224, cvcountryside.org Green Farmers Market 1781 Town Park Blvd., Green 330-896-6621, cityofgreen.org
Lake County
Lake Metroparks Farmpark Farmers Market 8800 Euclid Chardon Road, Kirtland 440-256-3800, lakemetroparks.com Mentor Farmers Market 8500 Civic Center Blvd., Mentor 440-974-5794 cityofmentor.com/visit/mentormarket Willoughby Farmer’s Market 1 Public Square, City Hall parking lot 440-946-6245, willoughbyohio.com/events.htm Portage County
Aurora Farmers Market 146 S. Chillicothe Road, Aurora 608-469-7034, redrockfarmersmarket.com Haymaker Farmers Market Franklin Avenue and Summit Street Kent 330-472-5801, haymakermarket.com
Hudson Farmers Market OH-303 and OH-91, Hudson hudsonfarmersmarket.org
Medina County
Market at Lock 3 200 S. Main St., Akron 330-374-7676, downtownakron.com/market
Brunswick Farmers Market 4613 Laurel Road, Brunswick 330-558-6894, brunswickhistory.com
North Canton Farmers Market 123 S. Main St., North Canton 330-497-8775, northcantonfarmersmarket.org
Medina County Farmers Market Medina Public Square, U.S. 42 and Ohio 18 330-921-9088, medinafarmersmarket.com
Richfield Market on the Square Ohio 303 and 176, Richfield 330-659-5818, richfieldvillageohio.org
Wadsworth Trinity Farmers Market 215 High St., Wadsworth 330-336-9617, ucctrinity.com
Stow Community Farmers Market 1567 Pilgrim Drive, Stow 330-688-8927, facebook.com/Stow CommunityFarmersMarket Tallmadge Farmers Market 46 N. Munroe Ave., Tallmadge 330-633-5639, facebook.com/ TallmadgeFarmersMarket
Stark County
Canal Fulton Lions Club Farmers Market 2309 Locust St., Canal Fulton, 330-854-4645 Jackson Township Farmers Market 7660 Fulton Drive NW (across from Jackson High School), 330-832-7416, jacksontwp.com
Twinsburg Farmers Market Church St., twinsburgfarmersmarket.com Geauga County
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CleverWays to Get Kids to Eat Their Greens Turn your picky eater onto produce with these ideas. By Kristen Gough
As parents, we’ve all been there. You’ve picked out fresh broccoli, bell peppers or maybe something fun like spinach at the farmer’s market or your local growers. When you serve it to your child you’re greeted to a chorus of “I’m not going to eat that!” or “I don’t like (this or that vegetable).” Convincing kids to eat their greens can be a challenge. It’s worth the effort to get your child in the habit of eating — and even liking — good-for-them foods. These tips can help. Keep it handy. The more your child sees produce, the more familiar it becomes — and the more their curiosity may kick in so they’re willing to give it a try. Place your vegetables right on the counter where they’re visible. Mix in cucumbers, zucchini or others with your child’s favorite fruits, such as apples and oranges, instead of stowing them away in your refrigerator’s produce drawer. Blend it in. Steam cauliflower and blend it with mashed potatoes or into the sauce for macaroni and cheese. Blend spinach or kale into fruit smoothies. Most kids don’t even notice the difference. Cook it in new ways. Lyn Trier’s son Grant, 6, loves kohlrabi, beets and other vegetables that many kids shy away from sampling. Trier, a customer service specialist for Fresh Fork Market in Cleveland, a community-supported agriculture business, says she offers her kids new vegetables in various ways. She might introRachel Gough, receiving her family’s Fresh Fork Market order from salesman Eric Szymborski.
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duce a vegetable, like kohlrabi, by grilling it, which brings out its natural sweetness and is familiar to her son. Once he gets more used to the flavor, Trier prepares it differently, such as roasted. Find a veggie idol. Point out to your kids that to become strong like their favorite athlete, they need to eat their vegetables. Reinforce when they eat vegetables their bodies are gaining the nutrients needed to stay in shape and to feel energized. Go back to the beginning. Let your kids be “picky” — at the farm. Visit a u-pick produce farm with your kids. They’ll be more likely to eat vegetables if they choose them right out of the ground.
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Going Fresh While Saving Money You don’t have to drain your wallet to give your family fresh fruits and vegetables. Frank Cangemi, owner of Miles Farmers Market in Solon, offers his advice on staying on a budget while buying the best produce.
1.
Look for what’s on sale. Expense doesn’t equal better produce, Cangemi says. Instead, fresher produce tends to be more affordable because it’s also more plentiful.
2.
Figure out what’s in season. Not sure what’s in season? Your grocer gives you a big hint. Usually, seasonal produce is placed in bigger bins that are prominently displayed.
3.
Go to a dedicated seller. “We hang our hat on the fact that produce is our main thing,” Cangemi says. Markets that specialize in produce tend to carry a larger assortment and the freshest varieties because that’s their primary business.
Hot Trend: Going Back To The Farm Farmers markets are becoming more common throughout the region. Beyond supporting the area’s economy, there are numerous benefits to eating local. “Farm-fresh food hasn’t traveled as far so it’s at the peak of ripeness — and flavor — usually both fruits and vegetables are sweeter and even pack more nutrients,” says Trevor Clatterbuck, the owner of Fresh Fork Market, a community-supported agriculture business in Cleveland. If you’re new to farmers markets, Clatterbuck encourages customers to ask the farmer if he or she grew the product to make sure the person is indeed the producer. He also says to embrace a little dirt on the produce as a good sign: “Rejoice that you know its coming directly from the farm.”
Gre l l A x i Vitam
en
ie h t o o Sm
Visit NortheastOhioParent.com to learn the Dos and Don’ts for Green Smoothie Success. Anne Thacker, a registered dietician with Vitamix and mom of two, provides tips on creating kid-friendly veggie smoothies that will satisfy even the pickiest eater.
u need: What yo er
t 1/4 c. wa pple juice ea 1/2 c. pin en grapes d, halved re 1-3/4 c. g pear, ripe, seede tt 1/4 Bartle , pitted, peeled do coli 1/2 avoca ely chopped broc s r 1/4 c. coa ch, washed ina 1/2 c. sp cubes 1/4 c. ice
r rve to you e s d n a Blend
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kids!
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For This Baseball Dad, Father’s Day Is Tribe Time Cleveland Indians’ David Murphy swings and knocks fatherhood and baseball out of the park. By Angela Gartner
Being a professional baseball player is an aspiration most little boys strive for. The newest addition to the Cleveland Indians, right fielder David Murphy, was no different.
Photo by Michael Allen Blair
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This father of three has made his dream happen, and while he views this as a blessing, he also admits it can be a struggle when raising kids. Murphy came to the Cleveland Indians this year as a free agent. He previously played for the Texas Rangers and two World Series for that team. He was signed during the off-season for a $12 million, two-year deal. “Honestly, it was an answer to a prayer,” Murphy says about the team change. “It was an obvious decision. The Indians showed a lot of interest in the beginning. (Cleveland) sounded like a great city from a family standpoint.” Like any husband and father, he spread the good news to his wife, Andrea, and then to their daughters Madison, 6, and Faith, 5, and son Cole, 3. He didn’t realize that the family meeting about moving to Cleveland would have an interesting aftermath. The couple’s daughter Faith happened to be studying pilgrims and Indians at her preschool during that time, as it was around the Thanksgiving holiday, when she told her class, “Daddy is going to play for the Indians.” The announcement leaked outside of the school and then spilled onto social media channels. Murphy says it was a good lesson on how quickly things spread on social media. It’s also another moment in fatherhood as their children begin to understand what their father does for a living. For Murphy, being a professional baseball player was a dream since age 5. He said his father coached and managed teams he was on. “He was there every bit of the way,” Murphy says. “He instilled a great work ethic to help me get to where I am, and commitment.” He added, noting some are not fortunate to have their parents around to coach them, “I was able to share that with my dad and spend that time with him. He would sacrifice plenty of time off work. He knew I had a gift and so he nurtured it.” Major League Futures Knowing what being a professional baseball player entails, Murphy was asked what he thinks about his kids becoming athletes. “I am definitely going to encourage my kids to play sports,” he says. “But, I see how much pressure is at this level, I don’t want my kids to think just because I do this for a living, that this is something they have to do. I want them to do what they enjoy and if they want to play sports, that’s great. If they pursued it and they really don’t enjoy it, I don’t think there’s any reason to put any pressure on them to continue.” Murphy says the kids are starting to understand that their father being a Major Leaguer means it’s a little bit different from the average lifestyle. During the baseball season, while things are hectic, he works to help his wife as much as he can. “I will try to let (my wife) sleep in, since she doesn’t get to do that when I am on the road,” he says. “During the home stand, I will spend a whole lot of time with the kids in the morning and in the early afternoon before I go to the ballpark.” He uses technology such as Skype and Facetime to connect with his family during away games. “It’s definitely hard to be away,” he says. “The positive is with the technology advancing the way it has, I can see them while on the road.” Off-Season Family Time During the four- to five-month off-season, the Murphys have a sense of normalcy as the whole family is together. “It’s refreshing,” Murphy says. “During the off-season I really try to make up for lost time. I really try to spend quality time with them.” Action photos courtesy of the Cleveland Indians.
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He says, like most couples, he and his wife balance priorities, such as taking the kids back and forth to activities and school. “Basically, family is priority,” he says about off-season life. The family has moved to Westlake, and he says he really loves the idea of living in the city. “It’s an ideal area for my family and me,” adding that the Cleveland Indians have been helpful with the family’s transition from Texas to Northeast Ohio. The Cleveland Indians are rich with families as many players have children. “Eighteen players in that group (the team roster) have children,” according to an Indians official. “It includes starting pitchers Justin Masterson, whose wife, Meryl, had twins in the off-season, and Corey Kluber, whose wife, Amanda, gave birth in January. Yan Gomes’ wife, Jenna, had their first child during the first months of the season.” Lonnie Chisenhall spoke with an Indians official on the team’s website in March about the challenges of being away from family while out on the road. “It’s challenging at times, especially on her,” he says about his wife Meredith.
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“You leave for extended periods of time.” The couple has a 2-year-old son, Cutter, and also recently had a second child, Cannon. “Hat’s off to all the wives and moms who stay home,” Chisenhall said. “Meredith has a 2-year-old boy who is … active. Sometimes he’s great, sometimes he’s a handful.” “This (Cleveland Indians) organization definitely shows they care from top down,” Murphy says. “There are so many people involved with the organization to help answer questions (such as best places for child care or health care).” He says, like everything, it’s still a transition and it will take time to get used to being in a new city. “As a family we were overall excited about this new adventure in our lives,” Murphy says. “Not everyone gets to do what I do, and not every family gets to do what our family is doing. On one hand, it’s a struggle, as they are not used to being away from the friends and church they were going to. All the same, they get to experience so many cool things and travel to so many cool places. More than anything, we want
them to understand, that as long as we are together as a family, that’s the most important thing.”
Favorite Baseball Movie: “Little Big League” Favorite Baseball Player Growing Up: Ken Griffey Jr. What’s he doing for Father’s Day? He says it’s up to his family and is putting no expectations for that day. “I like the sentimental things,” he says about Father’s Day gifts he has received in the past. “My wife gave me a decorated plate from my oldest daughter when she was about 2 or 3 with her handprint.”
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Combating Seasonal Allergies After a bitterly cold winter, many of us rejoice in the coming of spring. But for those who suffer from seasonal allergies or asthma, the change in seasons may come with mixed blessings. Valerie Powers, DO, a board-certified family medicine physician on the Medical Staff at Southwest General, says good housekeeping is one precaution allergy sufferers can take to reduce the symptoms of allergies. Here, she explains what allergies are and what you can do about them. Q. What are the symptoms of spring allergies? A. Allergy symptoms include runny, stuffy or itchy nose, runny or itchy eyes, wheezing, dark circles under the eyes or a scratchy throat. The symptoms usually recur each year during the allergy season. Q. Why do these symptoms occur? A. An allergy is the body’s overreaction to airborne stimuli such as tree pollen, grass, weeds and pet dander. In defense against a perceived invader, the body releases a
Family Living At Its Best
chemical called histamine, which causes nasal inflammation and secretions that result in the allergy symptoms. Q. When are the symptoms most severe? A. Depending on the specific allergen, the peak allergy season is April through September. Q. How can allergies be reduced inside the home? A. You can reduce the introduction of pollen and other allergens into your home by keeping the windows closed and running the air conditioner. Pollen that is carried in on people and pets can stick to anything from hair to carpeting to furniture, so it’s important to keep your home as clean as possible. You should vacuum your floors often using a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter. Wash your hair more often than usual to keep pollen off your pillow. Some people use allergy covers on their mattresses, but avoid plastic covers because they are flammable and noisy. Also, wash your sheets often in hot water to kill dust mites.
Clutter in your home can trap allergens, so be sure to de-clutter as much as possible. Using a damp cloth for cleaning will trap allergens, rather than sending them into the air. To avoid inhaling any loose allergens, you should wear a dust mask while you’re cleaning the house.
Valerie Powers, DO, is a board-certified family medicine physician who cares for patients of all ages—from infants to seniors. Dr. Powers has special medical interest in preventive medicine, osteopathic manipulative diagnosis and treatment, and primary care for patients of all ages—traditional family practice and geriatric (homebound) patients. To schedule an appointment, call Southwest General’s Valerie Powers, DO Health Connection at 440-816-5050.
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De-Stress Your Care Dilemma Sending your children to daycare isn’t easy. Here are some tips to help weigh your options.
Because daycare plays such a vital role — from providing safe childcare to building an educational foundation for your little ones — there can be a lot of pressure when it comes to selecting the right facility. What to Consider Touring a daycare center is the only way to get the full picture of what classes are offered, what procedures are followed and how comfortable the facility makes you feel. “Visit the center’s website prior to your tour to gather as much information as you can in order to roster up your questions,” says Mike Colant, onsite owner, along with his wife, Lisa, of Goddard School in Medina. He suggested considering the following: credentials and certifications of teachers, cleanliness, and safety
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and security. He also advises checking the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services website (jfs.ohio.gov) to find out if a center has had any violations. The site also details state requirements and provides information on the Step Up To Quality rating and improvement system. According to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, “The program is for licensed learning and development programs. Step Up To Quality recognizes learning and development programs that exceed licensing health and safety standards. The standards have been expanded from three to five levels and have been revised to include family and community engagement and health promotion.” “While you’re evaluating options, be sure to visit the provider and observe the activities for your child’s age group,” says Debra Speidel, division
vice president of Learning Care Group, which operates Childtime Learning Centers, among other brands. “Meet the staff members, including those who would be working in your child’s
Photo courtesy of Kindercare
By Denise Koeth
room. For those schools where you feel comfortable, a follow-up tour with your child should occur.” Amber Bowling, district manager of KinderCare Learning Center, cited four important areas to consider: atmosphere, health and safety, teachers, and the facility’s programs and curriculum. Each source recommended ques-
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tions to ask during a tour — see the accompanying sidebar for this helpful information. Educational Offerings Because one of daycare’s primary benefits is to help prepare your child for school, finding the right curriculum is just as important as the overall feel of a facility. “Parents can evaluate the overall program offering and curriculum by looking at the educational materials and by watching to see if there is creative play taking place in the classrooms,” Speidel says. “Consider whether the children appear engaged in their activities. Other important factors may include small and large group time, child assessment technology, classroom learning centers, outdoor play and teacher professional development.” Bowling stressed the importance of seeking a firm curriculum that’s aligned to the Ohio Academic Content Standards. “A lot of daycare base activities are on just play,” she says. “Play is an important part of learning, but all areas of development should be covered: social and emotional; physical wellbeing; cognitive and general knowledge; and language and literacy development. Each should be addressed by the curriculum and the activities done on a daily basis.” “Parents need to ask themselves if they’re looking for someone to take care of their child, or if they want a program that has a formal education curriculum,” Colant says, citing the added benefits of technology — Smart Boards, computers, iPads, etc. — in early education. Overcoming Daycare Guilt Whether it’s immediately after a maternity leave ends or later down the road, there is often a certain amount of guilt associated with sending a child to daycare. Each of our experts offered some advice to diminish those feelings. “First of all, it’s usually harder on the parent than it is on the child — they’re very excited to be around other children and are so busily engaged in activities Family Living At Its Best
Photo courtesy of Kindercare
throughout the day that they don’t even realize they’re away from their parents,” Bowling says. “Although it’s hard to be away from your child, if you have a great child care center, your child will benefit.” “It’s a natural instinct to feel guilty, but when you see what your child learns, it overshadows everything else,” Colant agrees. “It is so important for children to get involved in the preschool setting prior to
going to elementary school. They will be much better prepared, especially from a social skills standpoint.” “What your child learns today is helping lay the foundation for a lifetime,” Speidel says. “Stimulating early childhood experiences where children learn to solve problems, make difficult decisions and assess the consequences of their choices are critical to future success in school, and eventually in a career.”
Questions to Ask During a Tour 1. 2. 3. 4.
What safety features are in place? What is the drop-off and pick-up process for your child? What is the teacher-to-student ratio? Is the school a “Step Up To Quality” star rated center? This is a program through the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
5. Is the school nationally accredited through NAEYC, NAC or NECPA? 6. How does the school approach learning and curriculum? 7. Do teachers receive ongoing development and training? 8. Are there regular parent/teacher conferences throughout the year? 9. Is there an activity report given at the end of each day? 10. What is the discipline policy? 11. Are there separate cribs for infants and mats for children? 12. Is food offered, and if so, are options healthy and well varied? Northeast Ohio Parent
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Battling Heroin By Jennifer Reece
Health officials in Northeast Ohio are calling the levels of heroin use an epidemic, and statistics show that young people in both cities and suburbs are at risk. Would you know if your child was an addict? Rob Brandt wistfully recalled his son’s outgoing personality, infectious smile and the way he joked around at home with his two younger siblings. Mixed with the joy of those memories is the painful story of Robby’s drug problem — a heroin addiction so powerful it claimed his life at the young age of 20. “Neither of us (Brandt and his wife) would ever have believed that something like this would ever enter our world,” Brandt explained. “We had the drug talk with our kids early and often.” For the Brandt family, their difficult journey began when then high school sophomore Robby was given prescription painkillers after having his wisdom teeth removed. The Brandts would later learn this was the start of his abuse with prescription pain medication. After graduating from high school in Olmsted Falls in 2010, Robby kicked his drug habit and joined the Ohio National Guard. However, when he came home several months later, a friend introduced him to heroin. His family quickly noticed a change in his personality. “We sat him down and he admitted he had a problem,” Brandt said. “For him, it was a relief. He didn’t have to deal with it alone anymore. He was more than willing to go down the road of getting help.” After an eight-week outpatient program, Robby was back to his old self.
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Private Schools in Northeast Ohio To Begin Drug Testing
Robby Brandt
“It worked and he had his life back,” Brandt recalled. However, a few months later, Robby relapsed. This time, he sought inpatient treatment, and was doing well once again. Days before he was set to deploy to Afghanistan, Robby left home one afternoon and didn’t return. Police discovered Robby’s body inside his car in a restaurant parking lot. “Robby made four calls that day,” Brandt said. “He called his sponsor and got a voicemail … he called a friend and got a voicemail … he called another friend and got voicemail and then he called the drug dealer.” The Numbers Tell the Story The Brandt family is not alone in their struggle. Statistics show the number of people using heroin is rising, both nationally and in Northeast Ohio. The problem is everywhere, in every county — and the number of people dying from heroin overdose has increased. In fact, the latest figures by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office show 195 heroin-related deaths in 2013. In contrast, 40 people died from heroin in 2007 in the Cleveland area. There were 49 deaths attributed to heroin in 2013 in Summit County, which is an increase from previous years. Many Northeast Ohio, county and state agencies are creating programs to fight the rampant heroin problem. In Lake and Geauga counties, an Opiate Task Force has been formed and recently, the Akron Police Department created a new unit to crack down on heroin dealers. Family Living At Its Best
Three Catholic schools in Northeast Ohio — Gilmour Academy, St. Edward High School and Saint Ignatius High School — recently announced an initiative for the next school year aimed at keeping students substance-free. The schools have hired a Boston firm to conduct periodic drug assessments of students, using a non-invasive hair-sampling procedure. Hair analysis can detect drug use for several months after ingestion. According to school officials, the testing is designed as a prevention and intervention strategy, not a punitive program. Parents of any students identified as “at risk” will be notified, and options such as counseling, will be addressed. The purpose of the initiative is give students another reason to say “no” to the pressures of using drugs, which will save them from long-term problems related to abuse and addiction. Dr. Jason Jerry, an addiction specialist with The Cleveland Clinic Alcohol and Drug Recovery Center, says the greatest rise in heroin use is among ages 18-25. “I think what is so surprising to many is that I’ve seen all-American kids who nobody would ever guess had a problem,” Jerry says. “They look clean cut, so I think it is rather scary that these kids fly under the radar. We think because their grades are decent and they are involved in extracurricular activities, that they are fine. We don’t think there is any way they have a problem.” The pathway from prescription drugs to a heroin addiction that claimed the life of Robby Brandt is not uncommon. Jerry explains young people commonly start off with an addiction to prescription painkillers before discovering a cheaper way to get high. However, the battle begins once someone tries heroin. Even after treatment, there is always the risk of relapse. According to Jerry, only 10 to 20 percent of those who seek treatment for a heroin addiction stay clean for the long haul. “The numbers show 99 adolescents per day try heroin for the first time.”
Addiction Signs The best advice for parents is to become educated on the subject, have open discussions with their children about the dangers of heroin and stay vigilant. “There’s not a ‘one size fits all’ for how to talk to your child,” Jerry says. “Sit down with them, be non-confrontational and be aware of raising concerns. Say that you’ve observed ‘some things have changed’ and explain what you’ve noticed.” Addiction warning signs include: • Changes in school performance; • Abrupt changes in behavior, such as irritability and being secretive; • Becoming increasingly isolated; • Changes in friends and peer groups; • Missing money; • Truancy; • Changes in sleep patterns, such as going to bed very late or sleeping all day; • Pinpoint pupils; • Abrupt weight loss; and • Withdrawal symptoms. Jerry says, “There are effective treatments, but the real key is to never start down path. It is a long road.”
Resources: Robby’s Voice (started by the Brandt family): robbysvoice.com ADAMHS Board of Cuyahoga County: adamhscc.org, 216-623-6888 New Directions: newdirect.org, 216-591-0324 Recovery Resources: recres.org, 216-431-4131 Lake-Geauga Recovery Centers: lgrc.us, 440-285-9119
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6.9 hrs. 8.5 hrs.
.
3 hrs.
4.9 hrs. 4.9 hrs. By Kristen Gough
Looking for a vacation spot close to home? Try these five family-friendly destinations. You don’t need to go far to find adventure. The Midwest offers a variety of activities for families with children of all ages. Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin Drive time: 8 hours, 20 minutes What it’s known for: With more than 200 water slides, Wisconsin Dells deserves its name — the waterpark capital of the world. Surrounded by steep cliffs with the Wisconsin River weaving between, the area has plenty of places to hike, fish and boat. Family hotspots: As the birthplace of indoor waterparks, you’ll have your pick here. Noah’s Ark, with its 70 acres of waterslides and watercoasters, is the largest. To explore the river, a number of boat tours are available. One popular choice is a land-to-sea amphibious vehicle — several operators offer this type of tour. For more: wisdells.com/wisconsindells.htm
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Sleeping Bear Dunes, Michigan Drive time: 6 hours, 45 minutes What it’s known for: Lapping up the shores in the northwest stretch of Lake Michigan, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore has miles of dunes and sandy beaches to explore. Hiking, driving tours and beaches are all part of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
the fun. Park entrance is $10 per car. Family hotspots: Located within the national lakeshore, the Dune Climb is a must-do stop. The 130-foot dune is deceptively hard to summit but offers gorgeous views at the top. The 7.4-mile Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive is worth the trip and includes several places to stop to see the views and snap a picture or two. For more: sleepingbeardunes.com
and nps.gov/slbe/index.htm. Indianapolis, Indiana Drive time: 4 hours, 45 minutes What it’s known for: If you have car buffs or racing fans in your family, Indianapolis is the place to be. Here you’ll find the largest collection of racecars under one roof at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame. Beyond cars, the city is dotted with museums and parks. Family hotspots: The Indianapolis Children’s Museum is one of the country’s largest and best of its kind. Its five levels cover science, art, history and culture — all disguised as fun exhibits you could spend a whole weekend exploring in this one museum. The White River State Park links several of the city’s best museums with walkways — and waterways. You can take a gondola (like those in Venice) to get around. For more: visitindy.com Laurel Highlands, Pennsylvania Drive time: 3 hours What it’s known for: If you’ve ever wanted to try white water rafting, head
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The Indianapolis Children’s Museum
White Water Rafting on the Youghiogheny River, Ohiopyle State Park
Zone Soak d n a ild Idlew
Photos courtesy of Visit Indy, Benzie County Visitors Bureau and Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau.
for the highlands. Surrounded by state parks and rivers, this area is a draw for outdoor enthusiasts. Family hotspots: You can choose from calm waters to rumbling rapids, depending on the age of your kids (children ages 4 and older can go rafting). For gentler waters, head to Idlewild and SoakZone, a popular family amusement park. For more: laurelhighlands.org, laurelhighlands.com/ rafting, idlewild.com Hocking Hills, Ohio Drive time: Around 3 hours What it’s known for: Also called the Ohio Appalachia, visiting Hocking Hills is like stepping into a fairy tale. There are caves to explore and trails that lead to towering waterfalls and much more natural wonders tucked throughout the parks that circle the area. Family hotspots: The most visited site in Hocking Hills is Old Man’s Cave — a towering recessed cave that digs into a cliffside. Beyond exploring on the ground, fly through the trees as part of the Hocking Hills Canopy Tours. The complex includes a variety of zipline courses, from a basic beginner route to a canopy tour to the SuperZip, which plunges you as fast as 50 miles per hour — on your stomach. For more: hockinghills.com Note: All drive times approximate from Cleveland — stops for traffic, meals, bathroom breaks and running around to get everyone’s wiggles out, not included. Family Living At Its Best
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COMMUNITY
FOCUS
Green
What was once a farm town, in recent years the city of Green has become a bustling, developing city. The rapidly growing area provides all the amenities of city life without all the noise. Close to Akron and Canton and less than an hour away from Cleveland, Green is a location that’s accessible, especially with the Akron/Canton airport in its backyard.
Parks and Outdoors Currently, Green is in the process of planning and creating a new Central Park nestled in the heart of the city. Over the past few years, the city has been designing a park that will serve as an essential part of the community with an amphitheater for concerts, plays, movies and events; a splash pad and play space; an outdoor playground for all age groups; an open lawn area and ample parking space. The committee overseeing the creation and planning of this park is receiving feedback from the community and looks to open the park in the near future. Green also has more than 530 acres of land across 10 parks. Boettler Park — home to FreedomFest and Taste of Green — has two playgrounds, eight acres of protected wetlands, a fishing pond, four tennis courts, two sand volleyball courts, two large pavilions and the historic Lichtenwalter Schoolhouse. Southgate Park, a dog-friendly location, is filled with natural landscapes including more than five miles of trails, fishing ponds, Horseshoe Lake, Mirror Lake, North Lake and forest. Portage Lakes State Park largely resides in Green and includes Miller Lake, Mud Lake and Turkeyfoot Lake.
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Calendar
Events
June 12-July 24 — Children’s Concert Series, Thursdays, 11 a.m. June 17-Oct. 7 — Farmer’s Market, Tuesdays, 3-7 p.m. June 27-28 — FreedomFest and Taste of Green Aug. 2 — East Liberty Park Appreciation Day Aug. 9 — Community Movie and Campout Aug. 23 — Art-A-Palooza, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 18 — Trick-or-Treat Trail & Touch-a-Truck, 3-5 p.m. Nov. 11 — Veteran’s Day Ceremony, 11 a.m. Dec. 6 — Christmas-at-Town Park, 4-7 p.m. Dec. 17 — Holiday POPS Concert
Demographics: The city of Green supports a population of approximately 25,699.
Distance From: Akron – 11 miles, 17 minutes on I-77S Cleveland – 48 miles, 51 minutes on I-77S Westlake – 56 miles, 64 minutes on I-77S Medina – 30 miles, 37 minutes on OH 57S and I-76E
Shopping & Dining Green offers ways for parents to shop, dine with the kids or go out alone in the city. Kelly MacAleese of Green, and mother of four, says, “When my husband and I want to sneak away for a night out, we like to head to Legends Sports Pub and Grille (1840 Town Park Blvd.)” The Bistro of Green (3459 Massillon Road) and the Nauti Vine Winery (3950 S. Main St.), which is located on the shores of Portage Lakes, also allow for parents night out options, whereas the new restaurant, Twisted Olive (5430 Massillon Road), scheduled to open this fall, will provide a more familyfriendly dining environment. Shopping in Green has favorites such as Target and Kohl’s, and the city is in close proximity to shopping centers like Belden Village, Montrose and Chapel Hill. The Arlington Road area is home to the city’s auto-mile where car dealerships are plentiful. A Place to Live The city of Green covers 33.5 square miles of land in southern Family Living At Its Best
Summit County and is located equidistant between Akron and Canton. With foundations that date back to 1809, Green is deeply rooted in history but constantly looking forward to a prosperous future. Home to bustling businesses and historic landmarks alike, Green balances preservation with prosperity. Notable historical landmarks include the Lichtenwalter Schoolhouse, the Levi J. Hartong House and Farm, the Henry Heiss Home and the Aultman Schoolhouse. “I have had the pleasure of being raised in Green,” MacAleese says. “My parents moved to Green in 1973 when Massillon Road consisted of merely one stop sign. Massillon Road has much more to offer now and a lot more than just one stop sign.” Green’s school district has maintained an “Excellent” rating from the Ohio Department of Education since 1999. Access to higher education is a close proximity to The University of Akron, Walsh University, Stark State College, Kent State University, University of Mount Union and Malone University. Less than an hour away are universities and colleges such as Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Institute of Art & Design and John Carroll University. “After my husband and I got married and had children, we truly wanted to raise them in a community with a strong school system and in a community that supported that school system,” MacAleese says. “To show how much the community supports each other, head to the Green Infocision High School stadium for a Friday night football game and you’ll see the pride the community has in their kids.” Health care is also a priority to the community of Green and it shows with three major hospitals in the area. Akron General Medical Center, Summa health systems and Akron Children’s Hospital all have a home in Green. Northeast Ohio Parent
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COMMUNITY
FOCUS
Green
Meeting
with the
Mayor
Since 2008, Mayor Richard Norton has created and initiated a plan to promote prosperity in the growing city of Green. “We are doing things to make it happen so that we become one of the top 10 places to live in the country — that creates the ‘can do’ attitude, confidence in the voters and in the people who want to come here. It’s easier said than done, but we’re confident in what we are working toward,” Mayor Norton says. “(This thinking) helps us decide our projects and how we decide about investments. We really want to become that place and that city. We’re well on our way to that and we have a great reputation. So many cities just don’t have a vision and don’t know what they want to be, or they don’t share it with their city, but it is pretty clear in our city.” Norton shares his vision and some of the reasons why it is feasible that in the near future, Green could become one of those top cities. What makes the city of Green so uniquely appealing? What was once farmland is now a growing and prosperous city. There is, of course, no one thing, but there are several that separate us from the pack — I call them differentiating factors. Certainly, that’s location; we’re halfway to Akron and halfway to Canton and you can get to Cleveland in 50 minutes. We also have the Akron-Canton Airport.
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When you have clean, well-managed sidewalks, roads and parks, you have this very visible, valuable quality-of-life issue. With the airport, our location, our public school system — which ranks in the top percentage in the state of Ohio and has 96-97 percent graduation rate and a low tax rate — you get a lot of quality of life for a modest price. Why should families visit the area? How does the city work to create an environment that is family friendly? We are a family community. With all that we’ve been doing in terms of investing in our infrastructure (schools, airport, parks) and the wide variety of housing with modest pricing, when you have that, people do want to come here. We’re blessed with a lot of businesses and we work hard to attract them. All three of the major hospitals have invested yet again in Green, including Akron General and Summa Health Systems, and Akron Children’s is moving into an expanded space. We have a vibrant health care aspect to our city with two full-service emergency rooms. Akron General’s big wellness center is trying to move to a “wellness” model from a “sick model” to keep people
healthy and out of the hospital, and we want to adopt a “wellness” model for our city too. You can’t ignore these major investments in health and education. Green hosts the World Series of Golf and is home to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. We have 840 hotel rooms in the city of Green and most of them are new, so visitors can stay here and have access to all of these things and attractions. When they come, they stay. Our income tax collection rate is up 20 percent this year and that is a function of us building jobs and really expanding businesses. We try to spend our city’s dollars wisely. We believe in collaborations and we have a lot of them — I call them functional collaborations. We built a new city administration building that we share and we constantly make improvements to Green schools. Another collaboration is that we don’t have our own police, we subcontract to Summit County Sheriff, we’ve partnered with the Summit County Health Department, we hire our own building department to the county and we have athletic fields that we rent out. Are there any plans to grow or expand areas of the city? We have a lot of quality-of-life amenities
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such as land for parks. Our first-ever central park — think of New York City’s Central Park — is in the design process. For the next several years, Central Park will consume a lot of our parks capital since it is a $6 million project. It will have a large body of water, three splash pads, a playground, facilities, our first permanent amphitheater right by our Green Memorial Stadium, great parking, and will be adjacent to the school and central administration building. The park is geographically central Green. The response has been good to that, and we plan to invest at least $1 million a year to build our parks because as soon as you stop investing in infrastructure, the city starts to decay and businesses leave. They want to come to places like Green where business is thriving. We’ve invested majorly into our ball fields in the past few years and a world-class soccer field. We have high-end restroom facilities in our parks and we have continually, in a very deliberate way, invested in those kinds of amenities. How does economic development and growth happen in the city of Green? We’ve had continued job growth and we are growing business faster than residential growth, so we have a very well-planned growth pattern, which really makes it the way we want it. I never want it to be the fastest growing but the best growing and there are priorities set to help us do that. Again, with our location to the airport, we have dedicated resources that promote business activity called “Charting the Course” to reach out to businesses to keep them apprised on what is going on in Green. In fact, we have every piece of (commercial) property that is for sale on a website to keep people aware, and we have special meetings set aside for retailers and realtors. We brand the city and the combination of all these things, we pursue the people we want to come to Green and we react to those that come to Green because they’ve heard about us. In terms of our finance — we’re in a great position, we have excellent ratings and cash balance and our revenue is growing. We’re able to invest in infrastructure and all of the things that people notice. They want to go to a city that has a strong financial position not only today but also where we’re going in the future. We’re a young city and we’re looking to the future. We’re going to decide our own course and we won’t be assimilated into another community.
Family Living At Its Best
Northeast Ohio Parent
June 2014
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COMMUNITY
FOCUS
Parents Night Out
Celebrate Being Together
By Stephen Dyer
A couple enjoys remembering moments and learning about each other. My wife, Melissa, and I moved to Green for family reasons. The schools are great, the housing values prime, the community nurturing. Little did we know that we’d moved to the perfect dating spot as well. Green has great places to eat, gather and have plenty of fun without the kiddos. Just to prove it, we left them home with Grandpa for a few hours one recent Friday night. We started out at the Nauti Vine Winery on South Main Street. The place used to be Bob’s — one of the Portage Lakes staples. Like my wife and I, Bob’s grew up. It’s now a sophisticated wine bar that is a fun, rustic hint of Napa Valley replete with plenty of wine options and exciting food options as well. Melissa and I went for two wine flights — hers were sweet whites (from sweet to cupcake, as I lovingly refer to my wife’s wine palate). Mine were classic reds, including an interesting sweet cabernet that was surprisingly good. I’m more of the bold cabernet, heavy tannin type, but the Nauti Vine’s blackberry cabernet got me thinking. The caprese flat bread pizza came with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and a wonderful balsamic glaze.
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Mostly, though, Melissa and I marveled at the inside of the place, while yearning for warm summer days when the patio would be viable. We would then be able to pull up dockside and spend a few hours sipping wine on the spacious cedar deck. The Nauti Vine has heavy wood tables and chairs, a perfect stone fireplace and board games (yes, we saw couples busting out Scrabble). The place also welcomed folks who brought their own eats. We sat and enjoyed our wine, pizza and, especially, company. Sitting and talking about our days current, past and future is awfully tough to do with children running around. Yet, when we’re alone, we always find ourselves coming back to telling our favorite kid stories. Ah, parenthood. After about an hour spent trying to figure out how many times we’d be sneaking off to enjoy more of Green’s Napa-inspired winery, we left for a late dinner at the Bistro of Green.
The Bistro (3459 Massillon Road) is tucked into a plaza next to Handel’s Ice Cream. Having honeymooned in and visited Paris several times, we always enjoy the Bistro’s hints at sophisticated continental cuisine. None more so than the onion soup. When we’re in Paris, Melissa and I get Soupe a l’Oignon everywhere we go to eat — comparison shopping. The Bistro’s is right there for rich, bold flavor, and it brought me right back to the Left Bank, even though I was eating it on the left bank of Massillon Road. Melissa and I both went with our Bistro favorites — Bistro Mac and Cheese for me (infused with bacon and ham — amazing) and lobster ravioli for her (the lemon cream sauce is to die for). We spent the rest of our evening talking about our days, and spending every free moment learning more about each other. An hour later, we were back home to two sleeping kids with the warm, fuzzy memory of just how much fun a date is, which inspired one primary thought, “Let’s do that again.”
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Ages & Stages
Home Alone Assessing your child’s readiness to handle the household when Mom and Dad are away. By Marie Elium Preparation Is Key To A Successful Summer Just about every parent at one time or another has had to make an honest assessment of their child’s maturity. And, at no time is that assessment more crucial than when children are home for summer break. The convenience of having a “built-in” babysitter is tough to argue, however, is your child ready to stay home alone or be responsible for siblings? Determining Readiness State law doesn’t designate a specific age — that decision is entirely up to parents as long as the children are safe. Fortunately, plenty of organizations are available to help them decide. “It’s not a question of age but of how your child reacts in an emergency,” says Heather Trnka, injury prevention coalition coordinator at Akron Children’s Hospital. Competency in three general areas — physical, intellectual and emotional — can help a parent determine a child’s readiness to stay home alone or to care for siblings. “Regarding physical readiness, the evaluation is straightforward,” Trnka says. “Can your child lock the doors, use the telephone or fix themselves food or a snack? Intellectually, can your child follow directions? How well will they react in an emergency?” Trnka, who also is a paramedic, notes children need to know when to call and who to call if an emergency arises. If a child said he doesn’t want to stay home alone, uncover the reason. Maybe he or she is afraid a stranger may come to the door, or that they won’t have enough to do. “If they’re not ready, they’re not ready,” Trnka says. Practice Helps One of the most important things a parent can do is to talk about situations kids may encounter. What happens if the
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power goes off or if the weather turns severe? Who is the “back up” if a parent can’t be reached? Are other children allowed to visit? Trnka advises parents to take short-term “practice” outings to prepare children for a longer homestay. “Parents should encourage their children to be independent,” she says. “However, staying home alone or caring for a younger sibling is a big step. We never recommend that a preteen or teen care for an infant less than 6 months until he’s had about two years of babysitting experience. A mature 11- or 12-year-old generally can care for children ages 3 to 5. Also, experience is crucial before caring for toddlers. Trnka says staying home alone or being responsible for a younger sibling can be an important milestone for a child. To help your child before he or she is alone, you might want to put a craft box together or make a plan for what types of activities will take place while you’re gone. This will hopefully help keep boredom at bay. Also, go over basic food preparation and talk about possible emergencies. Learning How To Babysit If possible, have your child attend a first aid or babysitting class. Parents can check with recreation departments, parks, hospitals, fire departments and other community groups for a babysitting course. Babysitting courses such as the nationally recognized Safe Sitter program are geared toward ages 11 and older. Safesitter.org is an easy-to-use site that helps parents find a local class. The website also has checklists that include “Is my child ready to babysit?” Great local sources include Akron Children’s Hospital’s Safe Sitter Program, which is offered throughout the year and covers basic first aid, pool safety and injury prevention, among other topics. The Cleveland Clinic and Aultman Orville Hospital offer the program as well. The American Red Cross also runs classes for babysitters. Check with your local chapter for in-person class times or visit redcross.org for a four-hour online Babysitting Basics class for kids 11 and older with videos, games and other activities. They learn how to stay safe, to choose age-appropriate activities and how to recognize and handle a variety of behaviors. The goal is to nurture confident babysitters. A confident, mature child can be a terrific babysitter but only if everyone — parent and child alike — is ready for this important step.
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Compassion Corner Get Involved With Your Local Food Bank “With the school year almost over, most school meal programs will end too,” says Dan Flowers, president and CEO of the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank. “That means thousands of children locally who depend on those programs could be without a reliable source of balanced meals this summer.” Donate your time this summer to help food banks in Northeast Ohio stay stocked with supplies for year-long programs. Have a Summer Food Drive — You and your family can donate food by hosting a food drive. One suggestion for your children’s lemonade stand this year, have neighbors or friends drop-off food donations during the stand’s “business hours.” Volunteer — The Greater Cleveland Food Bank volunteers can be ages 12 and older. To learn about special opportunities for volunteers between the ages 6-11 such as Family Night, Volunteer Services at 216-738-7240. The Akron-Canton Regional Food Bank has volunteer opportunities for ages 10 and older. Call 330-535-6900 for information or register online. Greater Cleveland Food Bank, 15500 Waterloo Road, Cleveland, 216-738-2265, greaterclevelandfoodbank.org The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, 350 Opportunity Parkway, Akron, 330-535-6900, akroncantonfoodbank.org
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Let’s Play in the Dirt! Creating a garden with your child or grandchild can bring a crop of sweetness to your home. By Jennifer Clements If you’re new to vegetable gardening, and want to make it a family project, here are a few pointers to get you started, along with some advice from local garden club members. Budding Gardeners While kids love to play in the dirt, getting children interested in gardening takes a little bit of time and effort to make it a fun-filled learning project. “There are many ways to get children interested in gardening,” says Sally Knurek, member of the Westlake Garden Club. “Planting a sunflower seed in a cup, then transferring it outside to the garden and having the child measure it every week is just one activity. Of course the old standby, rooting an avocado seed or a sweet potato vine in a glass of water, exposes children to plant growth.”
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“Start with plants that kids identify with such as pumpkins and sunflowers,” says Pam Reitz, president of the Bath Gamma Garden Club. “Plant crops that are easy to grow, have a short growing season and are fun to harvest like lettuces, radishes, carrots and nasturtiums. “Give them their own space in the garden and engage them to take charge through the whole process from starting seeds, to planting the plants then watering and watching them grow,” Reitz continues. “Boast about their efforts by taking pictures and sending them to family, show visitors their garden space, give recognition and serve their crops at the family table. This helps keep them engaged.”
Or, if you decide to purchase plants, discuss as a group on the way to the garden center what plants you’d like to grow. Kathleen Rhodes, a member of the Sunday Afternoon Garden Club in the Akron area, suggests, “Pick plants that will grow quickly to keep the child’s interest, such as cherry tomatoes or lettuce. Watching pumpkins ripening on the vine is also fun for kids to experience.” Even picky eaters may try new veggies if they’ve grown them themselves. Once you decide on what you’d like to plant, it’s usually best to start small. Tending a large garden can quickly become overwhelming. Picking a small plot to work for your first garden venture will keep the project manageable. Choose a sunny location — generally, vegetable plants need about six hours of sunlight a day.
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Cultivating a Garden Plan The seed packets or plant tags that are included in each pot provide a wealth of information, including the plant’s common name as well as its scientific name. When you’re picking plants at the garden center, check the tags for the plant’s sun, water and size requirements. Some plants, such as tomatoes, may grow to be 2 feet wide and 5-6 feet tall, so you also may need to pick up some stakes or a tomato cage while you’re at the garden center. Space out your plants according to the plant’s “mature size.” This is approximately how large the plant will grow under the proper conditions. Give the plants some room to grow. You may need to leave a little room between rows to walk around the plants to check on their growth and to harvest the vegetables. After you and your helpers change into grubby clothes and old shoes — no one wants to worry about his or her good clothes getting messed up — you’ll need to prepare the bed. Other Sunday Afternoon Garden Club members suggested purchasing child-sized gloves, trowels and watering cans to make it easy for little ones to be involved. If you have heavy clay you might need to mix in some peat moss or compost to loosen the soil enough for the roots to have some room to move and grow. Once you’ve got the plants in the ground, you should “water gardens once a week, moistening the soil to a depth of 6 to 8 inches for best root development and plant growth,” according to Garden Guides.com. “Frequent light watering causes shallow root systems.” Your plant tag or seed packet
Family Living At Its Best
should also tell you approximately how long until you can harvest your produce. “Describe to the kids what to look for — whether the fruit is ready to pick or if it needs a little more time on the vine,” Rhodes says. If your garden produces more than your family can devour, have the kids donate some of the fresh produce to an elderly neighbor or friend. Growing Interest There are many ways to keep kids interested in their new garden even when the sun isn’t shining. Keep a journal and include pictures the child has drawn of the plants at different stages. Older kids or parents can take photos of the work they’ve done and the plants’ growth to include them in the journal. “Keeping a journal of observations of what is growing in the neighborhood teaches an appreciation for nature and plants,” Knurek says. Your next craft can be painting plant markers or rocks to help distinguish one sprout from another. “Many other activities are detailed in a book called ‘Green Thumbs: A Kid’s Activity Guide to Indoor and Outdoor Gardening’ by Laurie Carlson,” Knurek says. “I would also suggest a visit to the Hershey Children’s Garden at the Cleveland Botanical Garden. The gift shop there is full of items to interest children in gardening. Another book of interest is ‘A Child’s Garden: Enchanting Outdoor Spaces for Children and Parents’ by Molly Dannenmaier. The Cleveland Metroparks also have wildflower trails for visiting in the spring.” “Kids are curious and like to learn by doing things, plus they love an opportunity to play in the dirt,” Reitz says. “Through gardening, children can experience the satisfaction of nurturing something over time and see the results of a seed sprouting into a growing, living plant. Gardening also teaches environmental awareness and is an opportunity to teach them early on to be good stewards of the land.” Kneeling together with your child or grandchild may even cultivate more memories than produce. Watch our “Gardening Fun!” Pinterest board for more gardenrelated ideas and activities.
If you’ve wondered how you could help the planet locally, that’s easy — just look for a yellow bin from Planet Aid This nonprofit organization, which has an office in Solon, collects and recycles used clothing and shoes to protect the environment and support sustainable development in impoverished communities around the world. There are approximately 2,000 bins in Northern Ohio. “We have found that our yellow donation bins are the key to increasing our recycling efforts in the future,” says Patrick Kearney, operations manager of the Northeast Ohio Planet Aid branch. “For any recycling program to be successful it must be convenient, so we have our yellow bins strategically placed throughout local communities where people frequent most. This way, people can set their items aside and donate 24/7 when it is most convenient for them.” Planet Aid serves Cuyahoga, Lorain, Medina, Erie, Richland, Summit, Huron, Ashland, Wayne, Lake, Ashtabula, Geauga, Portage, Trumbull, Stark, Mahoning, Tuscarawas and Columbiana counties. People can drop off used clothing and shoes, but the organization also accepts used textiles such as sheet, blankets, coats, towels, etc. “All donations are packed into cap sacks or bales and sold to various customers around the world, both domestically and abroad where the demand more intense,” Kearney says. “We are a recycling company that diverts hundreds of millions of pounds of textiles from our local landfills and the environmental impacts alone are enormous. By diverting these items, we are preserving our precious resources, in a landfill these items would end up emitting greenhouse gases, polluting our water and increasing our solid waste disposal taxes/fees. We support programs that educate in basic schools, healthcare, agriculture and self-sustaining activities.” In Northeast Ohio they have over 1,900 partnerships, including local food banks and shelters. “Just this past winter with the extreme cold weather we experienced in the Midwest, we mobilized our resources to help the city mission collect blankets, coats and personal hygiene items and donated over 2,000 pounds of these items,” Kearney says. “Our goal is to work with partners and communities to increase this percentage and continue raising awareness, educating others on what we do, how we do it and why. This will enable us to continue helping other communities around the world to be self-sustaining.”
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JUNE Calendar of Events June 3, 5 & 7
Stories on Stage: Backbeard: Pirate for Hire The Solon Center for the Arts presents Stories on Stage: Backbeard: Pirate for Hire, based on the book by Matthew McElligott. Come with the whole family. Free. When the Pirate Council tells Backbeard that he must stop wearing colorful clothing and look more fearsome, he decides to quit being a pirate and get a job on shore, if only he can find work that matches his particular skills. To register, call the Solon Center for the Arts at 440-337-1400. June 3: Twinsburg Branch Library, 7 p.m. June 5: Solon Branch Library, 7 p.m. June 7: Solon Center for the Arts, 2 p.m.
Get more info on these events on your smart device. June 2 Mind, Body & Sole Open House, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Science Explorations with the Fizz, Boom, Read Team. Enjoy a frozen treat and take part in some crazy science activities with teen volunteers. Get a head start on your reading and walking goal by taking part in the library storywalk. Tallmadge Branch Library, 90 Community Road, Tallmadge, 330-633-4345, tallmadgebranch.akronlibrary.org Baby Sign Language, 11-11:45 a.m. Ages Birth-3 years with caregiver. Join for the second half of the fun and interactive six-week Basic Sign Language program for adults with babies. The event will incorporate games, activities and visual aids into this languagedevelopment experience, increasing communication between child and caregiver. Also June 9 and 16. Brooklyn Branch Library, 4480 Ridge Road, Brooklyn, 216-3984600, cuyahogalibrary.org June 3 Get Your Child Ready To Read, 10:30-11:30 a.m. For parents and caregivers of children ages birth to 6. Learn simple and fun ways to prepare your child for reading and
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Northeast Ohio Parent
school success. Activities and crafts will be provided. Ellet Branch Library, 2470 E. Market St., Akron, 330-784-2019, elletbranch.akronlibrary.org Skunk Haven, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Teens and families come and meet some of the “little stinkers” from Skunk Haven as expert Renee Pearlstein talks about domestic and wild skunks. Parents must sign permission forms prior to the program. Registration required. Bay Village Branch Library, 502 Cahoon Road, Bay Village, 440871-6392, cuyahogalibrary.org Key College Prep Academy, 5-7 p.m. Do you want to go to college, but fear the struggle with some of the skills needed for entry? Meet with Cleveland State University professors and mentors via video conference to improve reading comprehension, writing and math. Please register. For more dates and locations, search “College Prep” at cuyahogalibrary.org. Garfield Heights Branch Library, 5409 Turney Road, Garfield Heights, 216-475-8178 Mini Flower Pots Family Time, 6:30 p.m. Decorate a mini flower pot and plant a flower to grow in
June 2014
your windowsill or transfer it outside. For families of all ages. Register in advance. Nordonia Hills Branch Library, 9458 Olde Eight Road, Northfield, 330-467-8595, nordoniahillsbranch.akronlibrary.org Whooo’s Ready for School? Kindergarten Readiness – Alphabet, 7-8 p.m. Alphabet: Help your preschooler make the transition into their first year of school. Explore hands-on activity stations together. Build early reading and writing skills. For children ages 4-5 with a caregiver. Registration required. For more dates and locations, search “Alphabet” at cuyahogalibrary.org. North Olmsted Branch Library, 27403 Lorain Road, North Olmsted, 440-777-6211 Popsicles in the Park Storytimes, 1-1:30 p.m. Children ages 0-6 with a caregiver. Come to Riverside Park pavilion to meet the children’s librarians (weather permitting). They will share some storytime favorites as you enjoy a frozen treat. First-timers, come early to sign a release form. For more dates and locations, search “Alphabet” at cuyahogalibrary.org. Chagrin Falls Branch Library, 100 E. Orange St., Chagrin Falls, 440-247-3556
June 5 Creative Playdate: Yoga and a Picnic Basket, 11:15 a.m. Join Nirvana Yoga instructors in guided yoga exercises followed by a reflective studio arts activity. Bring a snack basket and meet a friend over a picnic lunch in the sun. Free. No registration required. Akron Art Museum, 1 S. High St., Akron, 330-376-9185, akronartmuseum.org
Celebration Days, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Looking for something a little unusual? Celebrate Wacky Days this summer during Celebration Day events. Maple Heights Branch Library, 5225 Library Lane, Maple Heights, 216-475-5000, cuyahogalibrary.org Youngsters in the Yard: NatureConnect Storytime, 6:307:30 p.m. Thursday evenings, June 5-July 10. Geared to ages 1-6 years with a caregiver. Songs, rhymes, dancing and short stories, followed by a fun and sometimesmessy outdoors activity. Wear older clothes in case you get dirty. Program will be moved indoors if it rains. Firestone Park Branch Library, 1486 Aster Ave., Akron, 330-724-2126, firestoneparkbranch.akronlibrary.org Moon Party, 7:30-8:30 p.m. Go outside with a representative from the Cuyahoga Astronomical Association to examine the features of the moon. Telescopes will Popsicles in the Park
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be provided, or bring your own to get tips on viewing the night sky. In case of inclement weather, join us inside the library to learn about the moon, telescopes and astronomy. Beachwood Branch Library, 25501 Shaker Boulevard, Beachwood, 216-831-6868, cuyahogalibrary.org June 6-8 Wild Weekends: Frogtastic, noon-5 p.m. Frogs can breathe through their skin, flip their stomachs inside out and even survive being frozen solid. Learn which types of frogs can do these and other amazing things. Try some frog games and activities, and then take a hike to see if you can hear them along the trail. All ages welcome. Free. Susan Hambley Nature Center, 1473 Parschen Blvd., Brunswick, 330-722-9364, medinacountyparks.com June 7 Daring to be Dumbo, 11-11:45 a.m. A reimagining of the original story that is set in a contemporary junior high school, where Dumbo is now a 13-year-old girl who is bullied. The original themes of triumph over adversity still ring through at the core of this new program. For more dates and locations, search “Dumbo” at cuyahogalibrary.org. Garfield Heights Branch Library, 5409 Turney Road, Garfield Heights, 216-475-8178
Fizz Boom Read, 12-1 p.m. Allow Dr. Fizz to take the audience on an interesting exploration of science and story. Audiences will explore the scientific theories behind fascinating natural phenomena as well as how people around the world have explained the same phenomena for centuries. Please register. For more dates and locations, search “Fizz” at cuyahogalibrary.org. North
Family Living At Its Best
Royalton Branch Library, 5071 Wallings Road, North Royalton, 440-237-3800
Library, 4261 Manchester Road, Akron, 330-644-7050, portagelakesbranch.akronlibrary.org
Tails-N-Tales, 2 p.m. Visit with favorite furry friends and practice your reading skills. These dogs just love to hear a good story. Children not yet reading are welcome to share a favorite picture book. All ages welcome. Portage Lakes Branch Library, 4261 Manchester Road, Akron, 330-644-7050, portagelakesbranch.akronlibrary.org
Annual Ice Cream Social, 2-3 p.m. Kick-off Mind, Body & Sole Summer Reading Program with free ice cream sundaes outside in the square. Highland Square Branch Library, 807 W. Market St., Akron, 330-376-2927, highlandsquarebranch. akronlibrary.org
Summer Reading Kick-Off Carnival, 2-4 p.m. Play carnival games and learn about all the different kinds of reading you can do at your library. Prizes and treats. Parma Branch Library, 6996 Powers Blvd., Parma, 440-8855362, cuyahogalibrary.org June 8 Natural Discoveries Hiking Series: Reptiles of Land and Water, 3-4 p.m. Did you know that we have turtles and snakes adapted for life on land and in our ponds and wetlands? Learn about where they lay their eggs, how they survive our winters and what senses they possess to find food. Ages 7 to adult. Free. Wolf Creek Environmental Center, 6100 Ridge Road, Sharon Center, 330-7229364, medinacountyparks.com June 9 VolunTeens, 1-3 p.m. Need community service hours? The library is looking for a few good volunteers. Teen volunteer applications can be picked up at the reference desk. Register online, by phone or in person for volunteer shifts. For more dates and locations, search “VolunTeens” at cuyahogalibrary.org. North Olmsted Branch Library, 27403 Lorain Road, North Olmsted, 440-777-6211 Book Buddies, 1:30-2:30 p.m. Calling young readers to join Book Buddies and be paired with a Student Friend to practice reading aloud. You may bring a book from home each week or choose from the library’s collection. Berea Branch Library, 7 Berea Commons, Berea, 440-234-5475, cuyahogalibrary.org
June 7 Kids Day of Play 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Explore a squad car, climb aboard a fire ladder truck, scramble over the hummer, pet a pony, check out the latest reads in the bookmobile. There will be fun activities for everyone at local businesses on the square including a fitness challenge, crafts, magic show, juggling and more. Medina Square, Medina, mainstreetmedina.com
June 10 School Age Fun: Bubbles and Chalk, 2 p.m. Chalk it up to a good time. Blow and pop some bubbles and use your artistic skills to decorate the pavement. For students in K-5th grade, program is every Tuesday at 2 p.m. throughout the summer. Register in advance for each program. Nordonia Hills Branch Library, 9458 Olde Eight Road, Northfield, 330-467-8595, nordoniahillsbranch.akronlibrary.org Totally Teen Tuesdays at Two, 2 p.m. Make your own tie-dye library T-shirt you can wear all summer long. Also bring an old T-shirt from home to turn into a handy tote bag to carry all your cargo in. For grades 5 and up. Register in advance. Portage Lakes Branch
Cycling Makes Sense Fitness Ride, 6:30-8:30 p.m. This program, offered by Medina County Park District and Century Cycles, is a great way to get out on your bicycle for a non-aggressive ride and experience the park district’s multipurpose trails. Before the sixto 10-mile ride, Lynne Nawalaniec of Century Cycles will share basic tips on how to keep you and your bike fit. Helmets are required. Park in the parking lot by the ball fields to meet for this ride. Ages 16 to adult. Register by June 9. Free. Buckeye Woods Park, 6335 Wedgewood Road, Medina, 330-722-9364, medinacountyparks.com June 11 Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead — Art, 1011:30 a.m. Join for hands-on activities from the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Museum Zoo. Explore a suitcase of animal treasures, along with folk tales and facts about animals around the world, including a brass elephant from India, a dancing bear puppet from Russia and many others. For children ages 4-8 with caregiver. Registration required. Orange Branch Library, 31300 Chagrin Blvd., Pepper Pike, 216-831-4282, cuyahogalibrary.org Summertime Family Movies, 1 p.m. “DisneyNature African Cats,” 89 minutes, G. For all ages, children under age 5 must be accompanied by an adult. Bring a packed lunch if you like. A drink will be provided. Tallmadge Branch Library, 90 Community Road, Tallmadge, 330-633-4345, tallmadgebranch.akronlibrary.org
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JUNE Calendar of Events Wednesday Matinees, 1-3 p.m. Join for a movie and a snack. “Despicable Me 2,” 98 minutes, PG. Maple Valley Branch Library, 1187 Copley Road, Akron, 330-864-5721, maplevalleybranch.akronlibrary.org Teen Entrepreneurship Camp, 2-4:30 p.m. Have you ever considered starting your own business? Join the library for a series of interactive workshops on professional development, leadership, international business and entrepreneurship. Registration required. For more dates and locations, search “Entrepreneurship” at cuyahogalibrary.org. Garfield Heights Branch Library, 5409 Turney Road, Garfield Heights, 216-475-8178 Zombie Fun, 3:30-4:30 p.m. For ages 11-18. Play a creepy game called Zombie Dice where you collect and eat brains. Make zombie treats and turn innocent little rubber duckies into Zombie Ducks. Please register. Goodyear Branch Library, 60 Goodyear Blvd., Akron, 330-784-7522, goodyearbranch.akronlibrary.org Scratch Animation! 6-8 p.m. Students ages 9-14 are invited to a series of lessons in coding and
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computer animation using Scratch. Register only if all sessions can be attended. For more dates and locations, search “Scratch” at cuyahogalibrary.org. North Royalton Branch Library, 5071 Wallings Road, North Royalton, 440-237-3800
June 17
Puppypalooza at Progressive Field, 7 p.m.
June 12 Outback Ray, 1-2 p.m. Meet Ray’s real-life exotic animals. Maple Valley Branch Library, 1187 Copley Road, Akron, 330-864-5721, maplevalleybranch.akronlibrary.org Sci-Mobile, 1-2 p.m. Science on the go with hands-on fun discovery stations. Kenmore Branch Library, 969 Kenmore Blvd., Akron, 330-745-6126, kenmorebranch.akronlibrary.org Kids Studio Class: Incredible Shrinking Art, 1-3 p.m. Studio classes at the museum venture far beyond your standard classroom offerings. Students will get creative with unique materials, outlandish techniques and imaginative ideas as they create projects that will raise the bar for your refrigerator art gallery. Parents are welcome but not required to stay. Akron Art Museum, 1 S. High St., Akron, 330376-9185, akronartmuseum.org
June 2014
Photo by Dan Mendlik
The Cleveland Indians invite all canine friends to the return of Puppypalooza. Fans can bring their dogs to the ballpark and cheer on the home team as the Indians play host to the Los Angeles Angels at 7:05 p.m. All participants must register on game day, which begins at 5:30. The evening will be filled with activities, pet vendors and fun for your favorite pooch. This event is a partnership with the Cleveland Animal Protective League (APL) and a portion of the proceeds from each Dog Package will benefit the APL. Tickets can be purchased at indians.mlb.com
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Fabulous Family Fun, 2 p.m. Entertainment and creative fun for all ages with magician Rick Smith Jr. Tallmadge Branch Library, 90 Community Road, Tallmadge, 330-633-4345, tallmadgebranch.akronlibrary.org Movies@Main, 5-8 p.m. “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” 161 minutes, PG-13. Main Library, 60 S. High St., Akron, 330-6439000, akronlibrary.org/mainlib.html Art on the Rocks: Mojitos, Margaritas and Cupcakes with Kristen Cliffel, 6:30 p.m. Get to know some of Akron Art’s favorite artists over a drink as they discuss what goes into their artistic processes as well as their favorite cocktails. Free, registration required. For adults 21 and over. Akron Art Museum, 1 S. High St., Akron, 330-376-9185, akronartmuseum.org
Family Living At Its Best
Imagination Builders Building Session, 6:45-7:45 p.m. Children ages 7-11 will use their imagination while building, using LEGOs, Lincoln Logs, blocks and other materials to design unique creations. Garfield Heights Branch Library, 5409 Turney Road, Garfield Heights, 216-475-8178, cuyahogalibrary.org June 13 The Curious Case of the Missing Library Book, 2-3:30 p.m. Mrs. Haag’s evil twin, Penelope Haag was spotted casing the joint and now all of the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” books and Miss Jen are missing. Join Detective Carpenter and help solve the mystery. The library needs the books and librarian back. Garfield Heights Branch Library, 5409 Turney Road, Garfield Heights, 216-475-8178, cuyahogalibrary.org
Bill Cosby, 8 p.m. One of America’s most beloved comedians, Bill Cosby has captivated generations of fans with his comedy routines, iconic albums and bestselling books such as “Fatherhood.” Akron Civic Theatre, 182 S. Main St., Akron, 330-2532488, akroncivic.com June 14 Practical Parenting: Education with a Child, 10-11:30 a.m. Are you a young parent trying to figure things out? Join the library for a seven-part series to find out about the services and resources available. Each session will focus on a different issue that young families face. Registration required. Garfield Heights Branch Library, 5409 Turney Road, Garfield Heights, 216-475-8178, cuyahogalibrary.org
Meet Your Best Friend at the Zoo, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Before you visit the elephants, lions and giraffes, consider adding a fourlegged friend to your family. Find the perfect pup or kitty at one of the largest animal adoption events in the area. More than 100 adoptable dogs, cats, puppies and kittens will be looking for their forever homes on the zoo’s Ticket Plaza. Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, 3900 Wildlife Way, Cleveland, 216-661-6500, clevelandmetroparks.com All City Musical presents “Bye Bye Birdie,” 2:30 p.m. “Bye-Bye Birdie” tells the story of a rock and roll singer who is about to be inducted into the army. Second performance at 7:30 p.m. For additional performances, search “byebye birdie.” Akron Civic Theatre, 182 S. Main St., Akron, 330-253-2488, akroncivic.com
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TS N E V E
June 13 Father’s Day Surprise, 2-3 p.m. Grades K-3, let’s celebrate daddies and all the special men in our lives. Enjoy stories, sing songs and make a card to take home and share. Registration required. Parma Branch Library, 6996 Powers Blvd., Parma, 440-885-5362, cuyahogalibrary.org June 14 Father-Daughter Hackday, 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Celebrate Father’s Day by learning to code with your dad, daughter, grandpa, uncle or friend. Recommended for anyone ages 9
and older. Enjoy the holiday learning to code and building a real web project together that you can take with you after the workshop. Cost is $50 per couple. LeanDog, 1151 North Marginal Road, Cleveland Dads, Duct Tape and Donuts, 2 p.m. What better way to celebrate Father’s Day than by making something out of duct tape and eating donuts? Please register. Green Branch Library, 4046 Massillon Road, Uniontown, 330-896-9074, greenbranch.akronlibrary.org June 15 Father’s Day Music at the Library: The Songs of Burt Bacharach, 2-3 p.m. “The Look of Love: The Songs of Burt
JUNE Calendar of Events Science Saturday, 2:30 p.m. The Sci-Mobile is coming. Join the SciLadies for their hands-on explorations and experiments. For families of all ages. Register in advance. Nordonia Hills Branch Library, 9458 Olde Eight Road, Northfield, 330-467-8595, nordoniahillsbranch.akronlibrary.org
children ages 7-8. For more dates and locations, search “Discovery” at cuyahogalibrary.org. Southeast Branch Library, 70 Columbus Road, Bedford, 440-439-4997
Teens Rock Akron 2014, 6 p.m. A spectacular evening of music by some of the area’s most talented teen musicians. Admission and parking are free. Call 330-6439067 for more information. Main Library, 60 S. High St., Akron, 330-643-9000, akronlibrary.org/mainlib.html
Girl Power Camp. Enjoy fun activities that build self esteem: learn about dance, career and college planning, financial literacy, goal setting, jewelry making, bullying, drug and alcohol prevention, and building a healthy mind and body. Monday-Friday, 1-4 p.m. Ages 1214. For more dates and locations, search “Girl Power” at cuyahogalibrary.org. Parma-Snow Branch Library, 2121 Snow Road, Parma, 216-661-4240
June 16 Jr. Discovery Camp: Get Your Think On! 1-4 p.m. Summer brain drain got you down? Leap ahead and get into the global groove with four days of interactive math, science, reading, art and culture. Registration required. Open to
Sock Monster Family Night, 6:30 p.m. Bring out your creative sides and put together a sock monster. For families of all ages. Please register. Nordonia Hills Branch Library, 9458 Olde Eight Road, Northfield, 330-467-8595, nordoniahillsbranch.akronlibrary.org
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June 2014
Bacharach” is a 90-minute cabaret performance featuring the music of Burt Bacharach performed by Tara Hawley and the Matt Skitzki Trio. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Beachwood Branch Library, 25501 Shaker Boulevard, Beachwood, 216-831-6868, cuyahogalibrary.org/ Branches/Beachwood.aspx Father’s Day Aboard the Nautica Queen, 11 a.m. or 4 p.m. Forget the tie! Show Dad he’s special with a Nautica Queen cruise. Brunch will be from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Early dinner will be from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The Nautica Queen, 1153 Main Ave., Cleveland, 216-696-8888, nauticaqueen.com Father’s Day at the Zoo, 10 a.m.7 p.m. Let Dad know you love him with a trip to Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. All dads receive free admission to the zoo on Father’s Day and special activities for the whole family will be offered throughout the day. Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, 3900 Wildlife Way, Cleveland, June 17 Teen Fun, 1 p.m. Movie Bingo: Play bingo by matching scenes from a movie with the description on the bingo squares for prizes. Ellet Branch Library, 2470 E. Market St., Akron, 330-784-2019, elletbranch.akronlibrary.org Family Show, 1-2 p.m. Magician Rick Smith Jr. is a Guinness world record holder for card throwing. He will wow the audience with his comedy-filed magic show. Groups please call ahead to the children's librarian to make a reservation. Goodyear Branch Library, 60 Goodyear Blvd., Akron, 330-784-7522, goodyearbranch.akronlibrary.org Cartooning 101: Beyond Doodling, 2-4 p.m. Ever wish you could draw your favorite character or create one yourself? Get ready for your ideas to come to life at this two-day class. Artist Jonathan Harris will guide you through the creation of your character. Registration requested. Warrensville Heights Branch
216-661-6500, clevelandmetroparks.com Father’s Day Lunch Cruise, 12-3 p.m. Enjoy a special Father’s Day lunch cruise with live entertainment. Boarding with lunch begins at noon and cruise lasts from 1 to 3 p.m. Reservations are required. Adults $31.95, Children $23.95 (212). 825 East 9th Street Pier, North Coast Harbor, Cleveland, 216-861-5110, goodtimeiii.com Father’s Day Car Show at Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens, 9 a.m.4:30 p.m. Celebrate Father’s Day at one of the oldest car shows in America, the 56th annual Classic, Antique & Collector Car Show, showcasing more than 350 antique and collector automobiles manufactured between 1896 and 1989, on display in 29 separate classes. Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens, 714 N. Portage Path, Akron, 330-836-5533, stanhywet.org
Library, 4415 Northfield Road, Warrensville Heights, 216-4645280, cuyahogalibrary.org Movie Matinee, 2 p.m. “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” 146 minutes, PG-13. Maple Valley Branch Library, 1187 Copley Road, Akron, 330-864-5721, maplevalleybranch.akronlibrary.org and Tallmadge Branch Library, 90 Community Road, Tallmadge, 330-633-4345, tallmadgebranch.akronlibrary.org Drip E. Faucet, 2 p.m. Magician, juggler and plumber who features amazing and amusing feats of magic and funny, high-flying, gravity-defying juggling. For students in K-5th grade, program is every Tuesday at 2 p.m. throughout the summer. Register in advance for each program. Nordonia Hills Branch Library, 9458 Olde Eight Road, Northfield, 330-467-8595, nordoniahillsbranch.akronlibrary.org Meet local author Marjorie Tannehill, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Join Tannehill as she discusses her
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JUNE Calendar of Events book “Serendipity Happens: The Sassy Adventures of A Girl Traveling On Her Own.” Books will be available for purchase and signing. Ellet Branch Library, 2470 E. Market St., Akron, 330-784-2019, elletbranch.akronlibrary.org June 18 Mind, Body & Sole WOW. Wednesdays Community Fun Day, 1 p.m. Meet some of community helpers and heroes: firemen, policemen, EMTs and more will be on hand for a visit. Portage Lakes Branch Library, 4261 Manchester Road, Akron, 330-644-7050, portagelakesbranch.akronlibrary.org Pet Pals, 7-7:20 p.m. Children in second through fifth grades who struggle with reading skills will have the opportunity to improve
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their skills by reading aloud to very special dogs. Each reader will be paired with a certified therapy dog for 20 minutes of reading. Participants should plan to attend each week. Registration required. For more dates and locations, search “Pet Pals” at cuyahogalibrary.org. Garfield Heights Branch Library, 5409 Turney Road, Garfield Heights, 216-475-8178 Dinosaur Dance Party! 7-8 p.m. Storyteller Jennifer Johnson invites you to a fun-filled program of silly stories, songs and activities featuring herds of prehistoric party animals. For families with children ages 3 and up. Solon Branch Library, 34125 Portz Pkwy., Solon, 440-248-8777, cuyahogalibrary.org
June 2014
June 19 Story Time in the Galleries, 11:15 a.m. Start with a book and then take a look. Grown-ups and children will see beautiful picture books, hear fantastic stories, sing silly songs and play wacky games — all while surrounded by amazing artwork. Free. No registration required. Akron Art Museum, 1 S. High St., Akron, 330-376-9185, akronartmuseum.org Kid Creators, 6:45-7:45 p.m. Kids will use a variety of items from around the house to create projects and art using recycled materials. Kid Creators masterpieces will be featured in a branch display. Garfield Heights Branch Library, 5409 Turney Road, Garfield Heights, 216-475-8178, cuyahogalibrary.org Katie Bee, 1-2 p.m. Fun with puppets, magic and balloons. Maple
Valley Branch Library, 1187 Copley Road, Akron, 330-864-5721, maplevalleybranch.akronlibrary.org Summer Reading Family Fun, 1:30-2:30 p.m. Mr. Zap-Science and Magic. Ellet Branch Library, 2470 E. Market St., Akron, 330-784-2019, elletbranch.akronlibrary.org Cosmic Teen Outer Space Party, 3:30-4:30 p.m. For ages 11-18. Create your own constellation night sky, participate in space trivia and eat some alien food. Register for this program. Goodyear Branch Library, 60 Goodyear Blvd., Akron, 330-784-7522, goodyearbranch.akronlibrary.org June 20-22 Wild Weekends: Bubble Buddies, 12-5 p.m. Join for some summertime fun with bubbles. All the materials will be provided to make your own bubble wands and
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s n o i t a r b e l e C June 29 American Liberty Fest. Bring the whole family for a day full of activities ending with a spectacular American-themed fireworks show. Crocker Park, 189 Crocker Park Blvd., Westlake, 440-871-6880, crockerpark.com
July 2-5 Rib, White and Blue! Akron’s National Rib Festival. This summer tradition, sponsored by the City of Akron, features rib vendors vying for cash prizes and bragging rights as they travel from all over the U.S. On stage will be tribute bands Bruce in the USA, Hotel California and 1964. Come July 4 for the Akron Symphony Orchestra pops concert and fireworks finale. Opens each day at 11 a.m. S. Main St., Akron in front of Lock 3, akronribfestival.org
parking lot at Summit Mall. The American Judges Association will be awarding winners in the categories of floats, novelty, marching units and bands with trophies. Be sure to come to the reviewing stand in the Dillard’s parking lot after the parade for the award ceremony hosted by Mayor Bill Roth. City of Mentor Headlands Annual Parade, 12-1 p.m. Kids can decorate their bikes and meet at the corner of Garden and Forest at 11 a.m. Complete details and registration form for parade at mentorheadlandscommunity center.com. Corduroy Road to Lake Overlook, Mentor, cityofmentor.com
July 4
Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field, 7:05 p.m. Watch the Cleveland Indians play the Kansas City Royals with an extended fireworks show following the end of the game. Also enjoy Sugardale Dollar Dog night. cleveland.indians.mlb.com
Fairlawn 2014 Independence Day Parade, 6:30 p.m. The parade steps off at the Fairlawn Town Center and proceeds west to the Dillard’s
City of Mentor Fireworks Display, 9:50-10:20 p.m. Free fireworks display. Plenty of parking at
to spend the afternoon blowing bubbles. All ages welcome. No registration required. Free. Susan Hambley Nature Center, 1473 Parschen Blvd., Brunswick, 330-722-9364, medinacountyparks.com June 21 Sensory Story Time, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Designed specifically for children with special needs and their families, this program incorporates a schedule board, double visuals and sensory opportunities for participants. Independence Branch Library, 6361 Selig Drive, Independence, 216-447-0160, cuyahogalibrary.org June 22 Wadsworth Community Band Concert, 7-8:30 p.m. Under the direction of Pat Santelli, the band will present this free, old-fashioned concert. Bring lawn chairs and a picnic and enjoy an evening of music with family and friends. No
Family Living At Its Best
registration required. Free. Buffalo Creek Retreat, 8708 Hubbard Valley Road, Seville, 330-7229322, medinacountyparks.com June 23 Jr. Scientists, 2-3 p.m. Children in Grades 1-3 are invited to join for a story and hands-on science activity stations. For more dates and locations, search “Scientists” at cuyahogalibrary.org. Bay Village Branch Library, 502 Cahoon Road, Bay Village, 440-871-6392, cuyahogalibrary.org June 24 The Wizard of Oz: Puppet Show, 2-3 p.m. The Stevens Puppets Company will perform the magical story, “The Wizard of Oz,” with classic marionettes. Following the puppet show there will be a short demonstration of the marionettes. Registration requested beginning June 4. Berea Branch Library, 7 Berea Commons, Berea, 440-2345475, cuyahogalibrary.org
Civic Center Park, Mentor Sr. High School or in the Laketran Lot on Market Street. Civic Center Park, 8500 Civic Center Blvd., Mentor, cityofmentor.com Fourth of July Fireworks, 10-10:30 p.m. Bring the family for a day of Water Park fun and activities or camp for the weekend and enjoy a fabulous 4th of July Fireworks display. Clay’s Park Resort, 13190 Patterson Road NW, North Lawrence, 330-854-6691, visitcantonstark.com 4th of July Parade and Fireworks Westlake’s annual 4th of July parade begins at Westlake High School and proceeds east on Hilliard Boulevard to Clague Park. Walkers join the parade at Westlake Christian Church, 25800 Hilliard Blvd. Evening festivities take place at Clague Park. Food and drink vendors are located near Clague Cabin along with musical entertainment. Fireworks begin at dusk, weather permitting.
Teens Talk Books: “The Fault in Our Stars,” 7-8 p.m. Calling all John Green fans, join for food, fun and an exciting discussion about the book “The Fault in Our Stars.” The discussion will include how the book was made into a movie to be released June 6. Ages 13-18. Registration requested. Brook Park Branch Library, 6155 Engle Road, Brook Park, 216-267-5250, cuyahogalibrary.org Teen Fun: Project Runway, 1 p.m. Register to be a designer or model in the library’s first Project Runway event. Designers will have an hour and a half to design an outfit with materials provided by the library. Models will have hair and makeup done and will wear the designers’ outfits for judging. All participants are invited to take part in our joint runway show with the Fairlawn-Bath Branch Project Runway teens on June 28 in the auditorium of Main Library at noon. Registration begins June 10. Limit
of 10 designers and 10 models. Ellet Branch Library, 2470 E. Market St., Akron, 330-784-2019, elletbranch.akronlibrary.org Weathervane Playhouse’s Superhero Training Camp, 1-2 p.m. This is an interactive theater class where you will design your own mask and cape, solve a mystery, defeat obstacles, create comic book pages and find your inner superpowers. Register for this program, no large groups please due to limited space. Goodyear Branch Library, 60 Goodyear Blvd., Akron, 330-784-7522, goodyearbranch.akronlibrary.org Hot Wheels Derby, 2 p.m. Come and race your car. If you don't have a car some will be available to borrow. Top three winners get a small prize. For students in K-5th grade, program is every Tuesday at 2 p.m. throughout the summer. Registration in advance is required.
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JUNE Calendar of Events Nordonia Hills Branch Library, 9458 Olde Eight Road, Northfield, 330-467-8595, nordoniahillsbranch.akronlibrary.org Totally Teen Tuesdays at Two. Make a Mess Day, 2 p.m. Wear old clothes because we’re going to get messy. Make your own slime, erupting elephant toothpaste, exploding sodas and more. For grades 5 and up. Register in advance. Portage Lakes Branch
Library, 4261 Manchester Road, Akron, 330-644-7050, portagelakesbranch.akronlibrary.org June 25 Creative Composer’s Youth Writing Camp, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. A fun-filled day with an array of activities where kids can explore and create a variety of writings. There will be indoor and outdoor activities. Cost is $40 and includes activi-
Summer Festivals June 1 West Park Summerfest, noon to 4 p.m. The festival features live music on stage throughout the day, food vendors, hands-on art for children, community groups and many other attractions. Jefferson Park, Lorain Ave. between W. 132nd St. and W.133rd St., Cleveland, bpdc.org/events/ westparksummerfest June 3-7 Dennison Railroad Festival The 35th Annual DRRF will be held in the beautifully restored Historic Center Street District, taking in the gazebo and Historic Railroad Depot Museum. Amusement rides, food, games, activities, train exhibit and entertainment for all ages. Midway opens at 5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and noon Saturday. The Depot Museum will extend hours. Parade Saturday at 5 p.m. Car show June 8 at noon. Dennison Railroad Festival, P.O. Box 222, Dennison
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June 8 Strawberry Festival, Ice Cream Social and Antique Car Show, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Veteran Motor Car Club of America Antique Car Show, musical entertainment, Mel’s Pottery and Napoleon Library Book Sale. Henry County Historical Society’s Dr. Bloomfield Home, the corner of West Clinton and Webster streets in Napoleon, 419-7583262, henrycountyhistory.org June 12-14 The Country Fest Three full days of national country performers, vendors, swimming lake, miniature golf, camping and more. For tickets, call 330-930-0398 or visit thecountryfest.com. Clay’s Park Resort, 13190 Patterson St. N.W., North Lawrence, 330-854-6691, clayspark.com June 12-15 The 54th Annual Kirtland Kiwanis Strawberry Festival Featuring strawberry shortcakes,
June 2014
ties, snacks, t-shirt and goodie bag. Register online by June 13. Kent State University, 800 E. Summit St., Kent, 216-926-1218, nwp-ksu.org Wednesday Word Game Showdown, 2-3 p.m. This gameshow style competition will challenge your word smarts. Stretch your mind to win prizes. Registration required. Parma Branch Library, 6996 Powers Blvd., Parma, 440-885-5362, cuyahogalibrary.org
sundaes, fresh strawberries, rides, games, flea market, crafts, food, fun and entertainment for the whole family. Kirtland High School, 9150 Chillicothe Road (Rt. 306), Kirtland, kiwanisofkirtland.org/ Berry-Festival.html June 13-15 Ox Roast Morgan Hose Co. VFD The Ox Roast is a tradition that has been going on for 50+ years. Roast beef is cooked on an open spit then sliced for dinners and sandwiches. A variety of food is available from area vendors. Family entertainment all weekend long from live bands, fireworks, tractor pull, corn hole tournament, parade and games. E. Water St., Rock Creek, 440-567-2325, rockcreekareachamber.com/ coming_events June 13-15 Avon Heritage Duck Tape Festival This year’s Duck Tape Festival is Out Of This World, featuring everything Duck Tape from fashions and sculptures to a crafting tent and a Duck Tape Parade on Saturday, June 14 at 10 a.m. starting at Avon High School. Free admission, entertainment and parking. Enjoy rides, games and food too. 3701 Veteran’s Memorial
June 26 WGFH Productions: DJ for a Day Session I, 9:30-10:15 a.m. What would you do if you had your own radio show? Tweens ages 9-12 will have a chance to record a demo for their own show. Registration required and spaces are limited. Garfield Heights Branch Library, 5409 Turney Road, Garfield Heights, 216-475-8178, cuyahogalibrary.org Kids Studio Classes: Nature Odyssey, 1-3 p.m. Studio classes
Pkwy., Avon, 866-818-1116, ducktapefestival.com June 13-15 Festival of the Fish Enjoy fishing, the lighted boat parade, crazy craft race, sand castle-building contests, queens pageant, games, food, crafts, Father’s Day parade and more. Downtown, Corner of Ohio & Main Streets, Vermilion, 440-967-4477, vermilionchamber.net June 13-15 Cleveland Pizzafest The finest pizzerias will be tossed together to compete for the title of the Best Pizza on the North Coast. The weekend will be filled with great food, live entertainment, special events and judging by famous culinary experts and celebrities. Sample various pizza places and enjoy a zesty weekend of uppercrust fun. Cuyahoga Fairgrounds, 164 Eastland Road, Berea, 216965-3478, clevelandpizzafest.com June 14 Port Clinton Arts & Crafts Festival, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Stroll the heart of town and select art from one of 60+ artists on hand. Watch various demonstrations, listen to the musicians and enjoy a great day at the lake with the arts. Free. Lakeview Park, 1100 E. Perry St., Port Clinton, 419-341-0979, portclintonarts.org June 18-21 Alive Festival The Alive Festival is an annual Christian music festival featuring more than 70 Christian
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North Royalton Branch Library, 5071 Wallings Road, North Royalton, 440-237-3800, cuyahogalibrary.org
at the museum venture far beyond your standard classroom offerings. Students will get creative with unique materials, outlandish techniques and imaginative ideas as they create projects that will raise the bar for your refrigerator art gallery. Parents are welcome but not required to stay. Akron Art Museum, 1 S. High St., Akron, 330376-9185, akronartmuseum.org
active workshop that will help you learn some important tips about filling out job applications and job interviewing. You will also have a chance to practice your interview skills and review job applications for popular teen jobs. Registration required. Warrensville Heights Branch Library, 4415 Northfield Road, Warrensville Heights, 216464-5280, cuyahogalibrary.org
What Teens Need to Know About Applications & Interviewing, 2:30-4 p.m. Are you looking for a summer job? If so, join for an inter-
Y.E.S. Youth Enjoying Service, 3-4 p.m. Join the fun as we work together to provide a community service. Registration required.
artists and speakers, as well as 25+ seminars, camping, swimming and many recreational options. For tickets, call 330-9660023 or visit alive.org. Atwood Lake Park, 9500 Lakeview Road NE, Mineral City, 330-343-6780, mwcd.org
has grown over the past 20 years to include activities such as a parade, carnival rides, spaghetti dinner, pancake breakfast, dog parade and fireworks display. Bohlken Park (on W. 210th behind Westgate Shopping Plaza), Fairview Park, fairviewsummerfest.com
shows. Garrettsville Summerfest, 330-527-9910, garrettsvillesummerfest.com
June 27-29 Ohio Celtic Fest Three days of Celtic and American music, song and dance on five stages. There will be 18 musical groups from the U.S., Ireland and Canada, three bagpipe bands and four Irish dance schools, American and Celtic vendors, American and Celtic food, domestic and import beverages, Lake Co. Historical Society. Lake County Fairgrounds, Painesville Township, ohiocelticfest.com
June 27-29 Lorain International Festival The 48th Annual Lorain International Festival celebrates the diverse ethnic, religious and cultural heritage of the “International City.” Enjoy ethnic foods, pastries, crafts, nonstop entertainment and a fun-filled kid’s area. The International Parade takes place June 29 at 11:30 a.m. This year’s spotlight nationality is the Polish community. Downtown Lorain behind
June 21 Mayfly Festival Discover the importance of the Mayfly through songs, crafts and lectures at the Perry Memorial. Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial, 93 Delaware Ave., Put-in-Bay, 419-285-2184, nps.gov/pevi June 21-22 Lake Erie Wine Fest Enjoy wines from many local Ashtabula County wineries. Enjoy music, entertainment and more. Event located at The Landing at Geneva-on-theLake. Tickets are $25, designated driver tickets, $10, and optional adventure ticket is $5. Geneva on the Lake, 800-518-8650, genevalanding.com/WF_internal.htm June 26-28 Bellevue Community Days Festival Enjoy a fun-filled weekend of family activities including live entertainment, great food, contests, tournaments, amusement rides, parade, fireworks and more. Robert Peters Athletic Field, 400 Greenwood Heights, Bellevue, 419-483-5555, bellevuerec.com
June 27-29 10th Annunal Garrettsville Summerfest The largest summer celebration in Portage County. This three-day event is packed with live entertainment and music in addition to rides, games, contests and car
Downtown@Dusk, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Enjoy live music from The Numbers Band at Downtown@Dusk. This year, concerts will be moved into the shade of the Northeast Ohio Golf Charities Terrace. Grab refreshments from the museum’s iQcafe. It’s Free Thursday, so take a stroll around the galleries for free. Akron Art Museum, 1 S. High St., Akron, 330-
June 27-29 Columbia Station Homecoming Fireworks Saturday, parade Sunday. columbiastation.com/ homecomingfestival.html
376-9185, akronartmuseum.org Jungle Terry, 7-8 p.m. Join Jungle Terry and his menagerie of animals. Jungle Terry will entertain and educate you with stories and facts about his furry friends. Mayfield Branch Library, 500 SOM Center Road, Mayfield, 440-4730350, cuyahogalibrary.org June 27 Diversity Awareness, 2-3 p.m. This inclusive activity is for children to share a story about diversity using puppets made from
the Palace Civic Center, loraininternational.com June 28-29 Ashtabula Harbor Beach Glass Festival, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Come and see what beach glass artisans have created with the treasurers they have found on Lake Erie beaches. Search for your own beach glass at Walnut Beach. The Ashtabula Harbor-Bridge St., Ashtabula, 440-964-8453, beachesinc.com/festival.html June 28-29 Old European Days & Bierfest We have bands, dancers, ethnic foods and pastries and on Sunday we have a Kirchweihfest with church service and games and rides for children all day. Entrance is $5 (12 and older), under 12 free. Parking is free. German Family Society, 3871 Ranfield Road, Kent Brimfield, 330678-8229
June 26-29 Summerfest at Fairview Park This multi-day fun-filled festival
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JUNE Calendar of Events household objects and recycled materials. Jerry Devis from the Parma City School District will introduce the concept of respect and acceptance of differently abled children and adults. Participants will also have an opportunity to make a puppet based on the story. Registration required. Parma-Snow Branch Library, 2121 Snow Road, Parma, 216-661-4240, cuyahogalibrary.org Tri-C Jazz Fest on Star Plaza, 311:45 p.m. For the first time, Tri-C Jazz Fest takes to Star Plaza for two dates presenting the best of local musical entertainment. There are plenty of great food offerings from neighborhood restaurants and Cleveland food trucks, an area for dancing outdoors under the stars and loads of fun for every-
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one. All the Tri-C Jazz Fest entertainment on the plaza is free. Also takes place on June 28. Star Plaza, E. 14th St. and Euclid Ave., Cleveland, 216-771-4444 June 28 The Great American Cereal Book: How Breakfast Got Its Crunch, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. What was your favorite childhood breakfast cereal? Marty Gitlin, author of “The Great American Cereal Book,” will discuss the history of those sugary breakfast treats. Registration required. Garfield Heights Branch Library, 5409 Turney Road, Garfield Heights, 216-475-8178, cuyahogalibrary.org Great American Backyard Campout — Thousands of people
June 2014
like you all across the nation will head outside with their family and friends to enjoy a fun-filled night under the stars. It doesn’t matter whether you camp in your own backyard, with neighbors, in a local park or campground — what matters is that you get outside and enjoy the wonders of nature. The Great American Backyard Campout helps generate support for vital programs to protect wildlife and connect people to nature. For details and donations, visit nwf.org/Great-AmericanBackyard-Campout.aspx June 29 K9 Search & Rescue Demonstration, 2-3 p.m. The North Central Ohio K9 Search & Rescue Team will be demonstrating how its specially trained dogs are used to track and find missing persons in a variety of environ-
ments, both urban and rural. All ages welcome. No registration required. Free. Buckeye Woods Park, 6335 Wedgewood Road, Medina, 330-722-9364, medinacountyparks.com June 30 The Basics of Resumes for Teens, 2:30-4 p.m. Attention ages 14-18, are you looking for a summer job? If so, join for an interactive workshop that will teach you how you can create an impressive resume with or without actual work experience. You will also be introduced to “Got Resume Builder,” a program that yxou can use later to build your resume for free when you access the library’s database with your library card. Garfield Heights Branch Library, 5409 Turney Road, Garfield Heights, 216475-8178, cuyahogalibrary.org
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To advertise in Northeast Ohio Parent’s MarketPlace, contact sales consultant Andie Martin at 330-670-1234 ext. 207 or email her at andie@northeastohioparent.com.
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Love
Nurturing a for Community Benefits of helping others provides advantages to all. By Emma Kanagaki
Volunteering is good for the spirit at any age, but it can be especially important for aging seniors to help them keep active and social. As caregivers, here are some ideas to share with your loved ones on how to give back to their community, find new friendships or renew interests. Investing Your Time “For generations, seniors have been making a powerful impact in their communities, and their service is more important now than ever,” said Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. “With so many people in need, senior volunteers are making a difference in the lives of children, veterans, elderly and disaster survivors.” So where does a senior start when looking to invest some time into volunteering? Local chapters of national organizations are a safe bet. Often, these organizations have set programming with a wide variety of events and jobs that allow volunteers to find something enjoyable that best suits their interests and the needs of the community. The Lake County chapter of the Council on Aging has programs such as Meals on Wheels, which needs volunteers to pack and/or deliver hot meals to homebound clients. HandsOn Northeast Ohio is a Cleveland-based nonprofit group that hosts National Days of Service and puts volunteers in touch with projects that help local organizations. The United Way of Summit County is an affiliate of the HandsOn network Family Living At Its Best
and provides volunteer events and opportunities throughout the year. In fact, many chapters host The United Way Day of Action — a popular regional event with a full day of building, painting, cooking or other work activities that help the community. Another option is the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP). Many area counties help provide chapters of this national program, which has available volunteer opportunities for adults age 55 and older. “(RSVP helps) find the ideal match for their talents, energy, and desires for helping others and the community,” according to RSVP/Lake County’s website. Options With AARP The AARP Foundation supports local organizations and programs by coordinating efforts to fill in the gaps and help effective initiatives grow. The group’s online “Volunteer Wizard” tool allows a person to fill in his or her interests and preferences in order to match them with volunteer opportunities. Through AARP’s Senior Corps programming, the group has created several programs that raise awareness, as
well as provide opportunities to work with either children or adults. Senior Corps programming offers the chance for those 55 and older to involve themselves in mentor programs, coaching or as companions. Among the Senior Corps programs are Foster Grandparents and Senior Companions. Foster Grandparents is a great opportunity to mentor young mothers or children help troubled teenagers, or help infants or children with disabilities. Participants typically serve anywhere from 15 to 40 hours per week and will receive training and orientation prior to volunteering. The Senior Companions program allows volunteers the chance to work 15 to 40 hours per week with adult clients in order to help them live independently in their own home. These volunteers allow caregivers, family members or friends the time to run errands while their loved ones are in good hands, and often provide friendship in the process. Whether it’s with a local group or a nationwide organization, for several hours a week or just a handful, volunteering is rewarding for those who participate and beneficial to those in their care. Northeast Ohio Parent
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Photography by Julie Dreelin
A community of women supporting each other through motherhood and beyond. By Brooke Taylor
(Left to right) Garrett (8), Karolina (3), Brooke, Augustine (2), Jim, Gabriel (12) and Grant (10)
In just a few months, my oldest child will turn 13. As I try to grasp how my cherub-faced firstborn sped into his teens and suddenly shares my height and his father’s appetite, I can’t help but flashback to the day he was born. It was Sept. 14, 2001. My husband Jim and I were living in Forth Bragg, N.C., where he was stationed as an Army paratrooper. During a routine training mission on Sept. 11, my husband’s unit received word that America was under attack. Meanwhile, I was in our apartment, nine months pregnant, without any family nearby. Jim called to tell me they would be on lockdown and not to call him unless I was sure I was in labor. “Okay,” I thought. “How hard could that be?” Well, I made that call on Sept. 13, except, I wasn’t sure if it was labor or a bad pizza from the night before, so I said, “I think this is it.” After a harried ride, a big-belly waddle to the ER and 12 hours of labor, our firstborn child, a son, was born. In the years since, I’ve been co-hosting the morning show on 95.5 The Fish (a Christian radio station) for nearly nine years, we’ve expanded our family to five children, experienced infertility, homeschooling, adoption, a diagnosis of autism, various medical issues and a few minivans. I may be terrible at completing my child’s baby book and perhaps even once forgot to call the Tooth Fairy, but I’m at peace with that. I think I’ve come along way since then, but it took time and faith. I am blessedly more content with reality (as messy and imperfect as it may be) and who God is calling me to be as a mom. I believe two things really helped me get to that place. The first is my faith. Experiencing pregnancy and birth was such a profound miracle that it took my breath away. It reminded me that God has a purpose for us all. Little did I know then, that with five children, I would be on my knees in prayer a lot and that faith would be my most powerful anchor.
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The second is the gift of friends. My work at The Fish allows me to connect with other women in a way I normally never would have the opportunity. What helped me get comfortable in my “mom skin” was the gift of Godly girlfriends, which it was through that the Mom Squad was born. I saw how common our hurts and hopes were, even if our family dynamics and ages were far different. We laugh, they allow me to share my long-winded toddler tales and together we walk through life, encouraging each other. Today, the Mom Squad consists of 11 panel members from all walks of life. Our moms include a gourmet chef (clearly not me), a stepmom striving to strengthen her blended family, as well as a money-saving guru mama, a grandmother, a special-needs mom, a military wife and many more. The Mom Squad has always been there. Good council and good laughs with these women have saved my sanity more than once. In January, we re-launched the ministry and I invite you to be a part of the sisterhood. It’s a place to come if you are looking to connect with ladies on a heart and spirit level, and to be reminded that we are all on this journey together. My husband is my best friend, but there are some things that other women just uniquely understand like no one else. Waddling through the hospital with a big baby belly, is one of them. To be a part of the Mom Squad, please visit our blog (we love hearing from you) and also find us on Facebook. Look for the Mom Squad on 955thefish.com or themom squad.blogspot.com. Like on Facebook at TheFishMomSquad.
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