Middlef ieldPOST Volume 9 ~ Issue 4
Sept. 3, 2014
www.middlefieldpost.com
Neighborly News from Middlefield, Parkman, Huntsburg and Surrounding Communities
Blind Love
Inside ... by Amanda Boggs
Middlefield Village Page 5
The Great Geauga County Fair
Page 11
Cardinal Schools Pages 12-13
Berkshire Schools Page 14
Plain Pages Pages 16-17
Tied to a trailer waiting to head off to wait until the girls were older. As fate would an ulcer on her left eye, despite endless her next home was a 14-year-old Quarter have it, Rich told Betty maybe the kids efforts to fix it, caused Bella to become Horse mare at the Sugarcreek Horse Sale. could try this new mare. She seemed quiet, fully blind in one eye. The girls lost a year Rich Bradshaw, a local respected horse sweet, willing and safe enough for some of showing while Bella learned to adjust trainer, who has to her blindness. had a training They were not stable at The sure if she would Geauga County ever fully recover Fairgrounds for enough to be 40 years, was ridden again. attending the With time and sale that day. Rich dedication, a saw this good year later, Bella looking mare and seemed back offered the buyer to her original $50 more than self. No one he paid. With that would ever have the rope, attached known she had to her halter, was no sight in that planted firmly in eye. She struted his hand, and the into the show deal was made. ring without Rich thought hesitation, she looked like c o m p e t e d a decent horse without a step who could be a out of place, nice trail horse and came home and serve better show after show Lauren (left) and Ashley Patterson at The Youth Horse Show in Columbus, OH in 2014. purpose than with two smiling this auction may little girls and a have had destined for her. Time went by kids to ride. A few days later, the mare not rainbow of awarded ribbons. and Rich found himself at a loss for words only had two little girls to call her own, but Lauren and Ashley recently competed at the skills and training this mare had. She a pretty new name, “Bella”. Bella loved the at The Youth Show in Columbus, Ohio. was not some throw-away horse. This mare girls, Lauren age 7 and Ashley age 9. Before Lauren won ribbons in the Walk Trot Division, was someone’s well-trained show horse you could blink, they were going to shows second place in Western Showmanship; she that somehow fell through the cracks. Betty and winning. was called back for the championship class Rose, who has worked for Rich for nearly Soon tragedy struck. Not too long into where she won Reserve Champion, placed thirty years, had been looking for a horse their success, Bella started having issues second in English Hunter Equitation, and for her granddaughters for quite some time. in one of her eyes. After extensive exams Continued on Page 2 They had finally given up and decided to and trips to Ohio State Veterinary Hospital,
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By Christina Grand Porter Kent State University is an institute of learning and they believe that learning is a life-long process. On Aug. 20, they hosted a program for seniors at the Geauga campus with numerous workshops and lectures to keep seniors learning. Topics included music therapy, the Cleveland Indians, Geauga’s drug epidemic, how speech changes as we age, benefits of essential oils, computer searching and maintenance, the benefits of dogs, strokes, yoga, reading, meditation and chair Zumba. Michael Fath spoke of his involvement as a steward of the South Newbury Chapel, a small building on Route 44 just south of Punderson. This building, built in the 1850s is on the National Historic Register for good reason. It was a free speech chapel where issues such as women’s suffrage, the abolitionist’s movement, the temperance movement, the Cold Water Army and women’s dress reform were discussed by historical figures such as Susan B. Anthony and Louisa May Alcott. James Garfield was the catalyst for the building of the chapel when, due to his sometimes controversial ideas, he was banned from speaking at a
Molly Sergi, Kent State University Associate Lecturer and history professor, shared her exciting experiences visiting Pompeii and also spoke about the Civil War in Geauga County. nearby church. The chapel is only 24 feet by 36 feet, but large ideas were housed there. One of the long tables, still inside, was
actually used by the prominent historical figures who visited, and handmade suffragette samplers are displayed on the walls, carefully framed and sealed. One of many interesting facts Fath shared is that Music Street got its name because there was once a band stand in that area and Newbury had a lot of musicians who lived on the street. In 1998, the Geauga Park District purchased the property the chapel is on and in 2010 a formal working agreement between the chapel stewards and the park was made. That same year the chapel received an Ohio Historic Marker that reads “The Cradle of Equal Suffrage” and it was awarded its status in the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. Tours of the chapel are by appointment only. For a tour and more information, contact Michael Fath at 440-834-1085. One of Kent’s highest regarded treasures is Molly Sergi, Kent State University associate lecturer and history professor. Sergi has a well-earned reputation as a captivating instructor whose enthusiasm for history and archeology is infectious. She Continued on Page 2