Middlef ieldPOST Volume 8 ~ Issue 18
April 30, 2014
www.middlefieldpost.com
Neighborly News from Middlefield, Parkman, Huntsburg and Surrounding Communities
Raising a Reader
Inside ...
By Christina Grand Porter
A Middlefield Village Page 5
Mother’s Day Pages 6-7 Home ~ Inside and Out Pages 12-14 Local Cuisine Guide Inside
s a working mother, Kara Walker has learned how to expertly juggle a baby and books. When Kara and Chet Walker’s daughter Ava was born 2 years ago, it was immediately obvious that she’s the daughter of two librarians. The couple has video of Ava, just hours old in the hospital, being introduced to her first book and the baby’s eyes were actually darting back and forth along the page of the big board book. Ava now lives in a house with books in every room and they’re clearly her favorite “toys.” She even takes them to bed with her. Ava was just 6 weeks old when Kara returned to work. “As much as I love my job, it was very hard to leave her,” Kara said. At first Kara Skyped with her each work day during her lunch breaks but now keeps in touch by phone. Chet sometimes brings Ava to the Middlefield Library to be with her mom during her dinner breaks, and Ava attends her mom’s storytimes once a month while Chet delivers books to the Amish schools. The couple knows they have to grab every minute they can with their daughter. It would be easy to say they’re tired and simply zone out when they get home from work, but they both feel time goes by too fast; children grow up in the blink of an eye, so they use every minute they can engaging in quality interaction with Ava. Kara is the head of Youth Services and assistant manager at the Middlefield Library and Chet works the reference desk at the Geauga West Library in Chesterland. The couple synchronizes their work schedules in what Kara calls “tag team parenting.” They sometimes meet at a gas station to transfer Ava from one car to another as one parent goes off to work and the other heads home. Although Kara has a 40-minute commute
to her job, she makes it a priority to think ahead to allow herself as much time with Ava as possible. She plans weekly activities that are both fun and educational and when she gets home the cell phone is put away so she can focus on her daughter. Ava already knows the written alphabet, both upper and lower case, and their sounds. Kara reports, “It’s so much fun to teach her. It’s amazing to see her progress and so rewarding to know you’re the one who taught her and worked with her to develop new skills.” She added, “We read everything,
everywhere. We read before bed, we read in the tub, in the car and in line at the grocery store. I hope that reading continues to be fun for her, and that she’ll always find joy in books and learning.” The family probably checks out about 50 books a month from the library and if Ava falls in love with one, they buy it. So the little girl’s book collection had already outgrown her bedroom and many of her books have to be stored in another room. But she always knows exactly which book Continued On Page 2
The Moxies Are Moving – Up By Christina Grand Porter
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Middlefield Post P.O. Box 626 Middlefield, OH 44062
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Plain Country Inside
Enjoying a favorite past time are Kara Walker and daughter Ava. (Post Photo/Kara Walker)
he Moxies are a very popular band in northeastern Ohio and they will soon gain even wider and greater popularity. They’ve been picked up by producer Marti Frederickson and will be moving to Nashville in May. Frederickson is a record producer and songwriter who is best known for his work with Aerosmith, Gavin Rossdale, Carrie Underwood, Buckcherry, Daughtry, Ozzy Osbourne and Faith Hill. The band is leaving to work with Frederickson at his studio on Music Row in Nashville, writing and composing music full time. “You have to gel with producers and that happened with Marti,” Marco Ciofani, vocalist and guitarist, explained. They instantly clicked and were treated like kin when they initially traveled to Nashville to meet with Frederickson. All three of the band members are from Middlefield and are Cardinal High School graduates. About two years ago, Ciofani Continued On Page 2
The Moxies: Kevin Werfield, Marco Ciofani and Tyler Adams (Post Photo/The Moxies)