Lorain County Community Guide

Countdown to the eclipse

Four days to 4 minutes of darkness

significant uptick in interest about the eclipse from safely viewing to how it is going to affect our community in particular,” Alltmont said. “It’s going to be a lot of people, a lot of bodies. People are going to want to be here.”

As a result, county officials are estimating the population to increase to more than 1 million people during the eclipse.

Pinning ceremony honors Viet vets

Signed into law by presidential proclamation in 2017, National Vietnam War Veterans Day is long overdue, said Don Attie, commander of the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 20 in Lorain. “What a better place to dedicate Vietnam veterans than on Vietnam War Veterans Day here at our Lorain County memorial for the 98 who made that ultimate sacrifice,” Attie said. “This memorial was dedicated in 2007 and was done by the Vietnam Memorial Committee, which formed in 1999.” The Nathan Perry chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, or NSDAR, has held pinning ceremonies at the memorial for the past nine years, former Regent Mary Jane Burger said. “We have done events for Memorial Day in the past but since today is specifically for Vietnam veterans, we wanted to honor them with a pinning ceremony,” she said. “On behalf of a very grateful nation, we gather to honor and express our deepest gratitude for the brave men and women who served during the Vietnam War. You answered the call of duty with unwavering courage and devotion, you showed remarkable resilience in the face of great

And for good reason. The last time a total solar eclipse happened in our area was 1806. The next time it will happen is 2099.

Eclipse chasers, also known as umbraphiles, will be filling the area looking for entertainment, and our cities plan to deliver.

“Two and a half years ago, the city invited the schools, library, police, fire and county safety forces to get together,” said Shea Alltmont, of the Avon Lake Public Library. “They said, ‘Hey, let’s talk about this because it’s coming.’ Since we really do not have a center of town in the traditional sense, the library is pretty much at the center of things, so we were very much on board.”

Eclipse-related talks and events began in the fall with a huge “preshow to the big show” held Feb. 15.

The library has been offering up information, speakers and eclipse-viewing glasses in advance of April 8.

“Since January, we have all seen a

adversity and it is important that we take the time to honor your service.”

Fourteen local Vietnam veterans who served between 1955 and 1975 were given lapel pins provided to the Nathan Perry chapter by the Vietnam War Commemoration. Each pin featured an Eagle in the center banded in blue. On either side of the eagle are laurel wreaths

and behind the eagle are stripes and six stars honoring the six allies who fought alongside each other in Vietnam.

In addition to the 14 veterans honored, two Vietnam veterans were guest speakers during the ceremony. Tom Temerario shared a poem written by Maj. Michael Davis O’Donnell, who was killed in action

The library will be closed Sunday and Monday so that the parking lot can be used for volunteers, police, fire and city staff. “We have a great day filled with activities planned, we have food trucks and vendors in place,” said Avon Lake Parks and Recreation Director Erin Fachs. “We’re going to be on the centerline. You can’t get much closer than that.”

The Avon Lake Solar Eclipse Watch Party opens at 11 a.m. with vendors and kids STEM activities and inflatables.

Entertainment begins at 11:30 a.m. with the band Audiophile. The eclipse starts at 1:59 p.m. with totality ending at 3:17 p.m., but the total eclipse does not end until 4:28 p.m. At 3:30 p.m., the band Follow the Sun performs. The watch party is over at 5:30 p.m.

Each viewer will receive one pair of eclipse glasses and will be able to enjoy a live stream of the eclipse broadcast on big screens as it crosses the country and hear from local astronomer, Suzie Dills, to help prepare for and experience the eclipse. All have access to the observation area.

See ECLIPSE, A2

Man indicted in murder of grandfather

death of Malcolm Watters.

Lauren Hoffman The Community Guide AMHERST — Fourteen Vietnam veterans were honored during a pinning ceremony last week in Amherst in commemoration of National Vietnam War Veterans Day.

BRUCE BISHOP / COMMUNITY GUIDE Vietnam veteran Tom Temerario reads a poem by Maj. Michael Davis O’Donnell, who was killed in action, during a ceremony honoring Vietnam Veterans Day at the Lorain County memorial in Amherst. The monument honors the 98 Lorain County residents who were killed in the war.

PHOTO PROVIDED Suzie Dills, of Avon Lake, director of the Hoover Price Planetarium at the McKinley Presidential Library and Museum, will be part of the events taking place at Avon Lake Memorial Stadium Monday.

Christina Jolliffe The Community Guide Lorain County is one of nine counties in Ohio that is on the centerline of totality with Avon Lake to see three minutes and 52.6 seconds of totality.

Ward

ECLIPSE From A1 ence the eclipse. And everyone will have access to the telescope observation area.

“One of the things unique to our watch party is the big LED screen broadcast of the NASA coverage and Suzie Dills onstage,” Fachs said. “We want to maximize everyone’s experience so that they are not missing a thing.”

Early bird wristbands can be purchased online at www.avonlakeoh.myrec.com for $15 each. A limited number of early bird wristbands are available. Wristbands are $25 each following the early bird offer. Children 2 and younger are free and do not need a wristband.

Parking for the event opens at 8 a.m., but an advance purchase parking pass is required. Cost is $25.

Lawn chairs are not permitted inside the stadium.

“Having this special event brings a whole other level of attention to Avon Lake,” Fachs said. “We are offering shuttle service with the Solar Express giving visitors an opportunity to go out and shop and eat and explore Avon Lake.”

Overnight parking, RV parking and camping will be available at Miller Road Park and Weiss Field for a fee. While most of the hotels around Northeast Ohio are already booked, these campsites still have availability.

Additional events in Avon Lake include:

n The first Star Party of the year takes place from 8:30 to 10 p.m. Saturday, April 6, at Walker Road Park, where astronomers will point out Jupiter, its Galilean moons and several of the brightest stars of the year. This is a free event with no registration required.

n Also on Saturday, guests can enjoy the Solar Sip & Shop with participating restaurants and bars offering eclipse specials. Parker’s Grille and Tavern, Old School Pizza & Wings by Parker’s, John Christ Winery, Spevock’s Nautical Lanes and Marco’s Pizza are some of the participants.

n Burn some of those calories at 10 a.m. Sunday, April 7, with the Eclipse Chaser 5K. The city partnered with Hermes Sports & Events to host the 5K and 1-mile walk, which takes off from Beach Park Station. Registration is open. The city is anticipating 400 to 500 runners from all across the U.S, Fachs said. So far, 35 cities across Ohio, 28 states and Canada, Ireland and Dubai are represented.

n The Totality Rocks Music Festival kicks off at 11 a.m. Sunday at Beach Park Station Stop 65 with local acts, including Billy Morris and the Sunset Strip and students from Ron Zehel Avon Lake Rock Academy. This free day of music lasts until 9 p.m.

With so many events happening around town, the city is offering a hop on/hop off Solar Express Shuttle from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The free shuttle will offer rides to all of the restaurants, bars and shops throughout Avon Lake.

The Friends of the Avon Lake Public Library is selling eclipse glasses for $3 a pair. The city also is selling glasses for $3 each. Avon Lake Schools will be giving one pair of glasses to each student. “They are selling at a very brisk pace right now,” Alltmont said of the library spectacles. The city also will have some merchandise for sale to help cover the expenses of the event, which includes overtime for many employees. Overall, the city has only had to make one additional hire,

instead tapping into its existing part-time, seasonal staff and interns to help with preparations.

Community Resource Services, a nonprofit food pantry, will be volunteering as well with some money from the event going toward their cause.

“This is a great opportunity for Avon Lake,” Fachs said. “We have totality’s best seat. We can’t get any closer to centerline.”

For information on events or to purchase tickets, visit www.avonlakesolareclipse. com.

While the city is not sponsoring any events, it is preparing for large crowds and keeping residents safe, said Avon Mayor Bryan Jensen. And there will be activities throughout the city.

n Lights Out in the Land takes place from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday, April 8, at Crushers Stadium, 2009 Baseball Blvd., Avon.

The Lake Erie Crushers and Fusion Marketing Group are hosting the event, an eclipse watch party with music, vendors, children’s activities, dancing and prizes.

A Planet Passport will give viewers the opportunity to follow a journey along the solar system, while completing different STEM activities and crafts. Once the passport is completed, participants will be able to enter to win a prize pack worth more than $500.

Prior to and after the eclipse, Fusion will get the crowd excited with its live performances. Tickets are available online at mlb.tickets.com for $30 per person.

n Four Avon schools parking lots will be open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. for people to park to view the eclipse. Those who preregister pay $35. The price increases to $50 per day the day of the event.

Parking is available at the following

locations:

Mark Wahlberg Chevrolet Stadium, 3075 Stoney Ridge Road, Avon. Money from spaces purchased for this location goes to the Avon football team.

Avon Heritage Elementary School, 35600 Bentley Drive, Avon. Money from spaces purchased for this location goes to the school and eSports.

Avon Middle School, 3445 Long Road, Avon. Money from spaces purchased for this location goes to the Avon track and field program.

Avon High School, 37545 Detroit Road, Avon. Money from spaces purchased for this location goes to the band and orchestra programs.

Concessions will be available at the parking locations. Eclipse glasses also are available to purchase online for $2 in advance, or $4 the day of the event.

While the village is not hosting any specific events, public viewing for the eclipse will be available at the following

locations:

n Freedom Park/Dog Park — South Avenue and West Drive

n Ferndale Park — Ferndale Avenue and Allen Avenue

n Gary Green Park — Richelieu Avenue

n Shell Cove Park — 4845 E. Lake Road

n Guenther Park — 5532 Walker Road

The Joyce Hanks Community Center will be used as a first aid station and the Sheffield Lake Boat Launch will be closed to make room for food trucks.

Contact Christina Jolliffe at ctnews@ chroniclet.com.

Carissa Woytach

The Community Guide Lorain County Public Health hopes to end traffic deaths in the county.

LCPH is working on a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan to reduce traffic deaths on county roadways — be it pedestrians, bicyclists or motorists — through proposed policy and infrastructure changes, Health Education Specialist Kat Bray said. By the end of the year, LCPH will have a Countywide Safety Action Plan identifying problem locations and potential projects to increase safety — from better lighting and bike paths to upgraded sidewalks and crosswalks to lower speed limits.

“Part of this safety action planning helps to acknowledge that it’s a multilevel issue and it’s not just behavior that’s causing deaths, it’s not just the environment and the way our roads are built, it’s not just speed limits,” Bray said. “All of these things go into what we’re calling the safe systems approach — it’s really a new way of approaching roadway safety.”

The planning process, underway for about a year, is funded through a $200,000 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All program. Lorain County Public Health was one of 510 entities nationwide to receive funding.

In the past five years

VIET VETS

From A1

in Vietnam on March 24, Bill Nosse, a Vietnam veteran who was given the Purple Heart Award, meanwhile, took time to describe the war in Vietnam and its importance to Vietnam veterans today. “For thousands of years, a long narrow nation shaped like the letter ‘S’ on the southeast edge of the peninsula known as Indochina remained the possession of China until 1857 when the French invaded Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia and we named it French Indochina,” Nosse said. “They ruled the region for over 100 years but in 1946 the Indochina war broke out, which was funded and supplied by the U.S., and French rule came to an end … the country was split in half … into Communist north and noncommunist south and a few years later the U.S. would again find itself in another undeclared war.”

Nosse said that while

most Americans back home only got bits and pieces of information from the war, that all changed when reporters like Walter Cronkite began covering firsthand reports of major events.

“As the years passed and the war raged on, 18-, 19-, 20-year-olds, our buddies, our high school classmates and neighbors and even the kid down the street that kept to himself became KIAs,” Nosse said. “The body count kept rising and many of us fresh out of high school were pulled from our homes, away from our families, wives, girlfriends, muscle cars and motorcycles to fight in provinces and mountains, the central highlands, rivers and the delta in places unknown to those at home.”

Still, Nosse said, a brotherhood was formed by these young soldiers and memories of their time in Vietnam are still fresh today. A total of 58,479 died in Vietnam with thousands more wounded.

“Historians say the war was lost in America’s

108 people died on Lorain County roads, Bray said. LCPH will finish the plan by the end of the year, and use it to apply for implementation funding with buy-in from municipalities across Lorain County.

She said the most vulnerable population are pedestrians and bicyclists.

living room, not on the battlefield. And, although we may not be the greatest generation, we are their children and in the end, we prevail,” Nosse said. “There were no tears of welcome home, no ticker tape parades, no kissing in Times Square; we quietly resumed our lives where we left off. We will never forget our fallen brothers.”

The Nathan Perry chapter of the NSDAR is holding a second pinning ceremony luncheon at noon today at American Legion Post 12, 393 Ohio St., Elyria. Lunch is free for veterans. It is $5 for nonveterans.

The NSDAR pinning ceremonies program will come to a close in October of this year. Veterans who have not been pinned and would like to be are encouraged to contact the Nathan Perry chapter at nathanperrynsdar@gmail. com or visit its website at https://nathanperrynsdar. wixsite.com/nathanperrynsdar.

Four charged with selling tobacco, alcohol to minors

AMHERST

—

Four people have been charged with sale of alcohol and tobacco to minors in connection with an investigation conducted by the Amherst Police Department.

On March 21, Amherst police used an 18-year-old confidential informant to attempt to buy alcohol or tobacco at retail outlets in Amherst. During the operation, 14 establishments were found in violation of the law.

Employees responsible for selling the products were charged with illegal distribution, a fourth-degree misdemeanor, or of tobacco products or sales to underage persons, a first-degree misdemeanor.

Cindy Bado, 61, of Wellington, was charged with selling alcohol to the underage informant at Giant Eagle, 2201 Kresge Drive in Amherst. Dakoi Schroeder, 22, of Lorain, was charged with selling tobacco at Planet of the Vapes, 933 N. Leavitt Road. Mohammad Masamleh, 21, of Lakewood, was charged with selling tobacco at Cloud 9 Vape & Smoke Shop, 7582 Leavitt Road. Mian Aziz, 54, of Cleveland, was charged with selling tobacco and alcohol at Shell Gas Station, 7580 Leavitt Road. Aziz was additionally charged with obstructing, a second-degree misdemeanor.

“The Amherst Police Department has continued to work in partnership with the Amherst Schools to prevent the use of alcohol and tobacco products by our youth,”

Detective Sgt. Brian Griffin said in a statement. “We wish to express the importance of age and identity verification when selling alcohol and tobacco products.”

Spring Fling tickets on sale

Tickets are now on sale for Workshop

Players’ Spring Fling barbecue fundraiser scheduled for May 31. The event is at 6 p.m. at the Amherst Fraternal Order of Eagles Club, 1161 Milan Ave. Dinner will be served from 6:30-8 p.m. Live music by Jen Zocchi and Jen-nerations is planned. There will be raffles and a cash bar available.

Tickets are $26 and must be purchased by May 26. Call (440) 864-4654.

The landmark theater-in-the-round, housed in a historic brick schoolhouse on Middle Ridge Road, has operated since the 1940s. Funds help maintain the building and keep the theater operating.

Mingle on first Thursdays

Main Street Amherst hosts a Morning

Mingle at 9 a.m. on the first Thursday of each month at the group’s Community Center, 255 Park Ave. Business owners, civic officials and community members gather to discuss their businesses and network. For information, visit mainstreetamherst.org. There is a session today.

Upcoming library events

Improve your balance and prevent falls by learning tai chi at 10:30 a.m. Thursdays through April 11 at the Amherst Public Library, 221 Spring St. Classes are led by Mary Cordray and focus on using the basic movements of tai chi to improve balance, flexibility and coordination while strengthening muscles of the ankles, knees, hips and legs. No previous experience is necessary. Guests should wear loose, comfortable clothing and closed shoes and should bring a water bottle. Registration for each session is required and can be done online at amherst.lib.oh.us or by calling the library at (440) 988-4230.

— from staff reports

Special

In addition, the Erie County Health Department plans to take action against the company’s license to do business and is pursuing possible criminal charges. Septic tank contents apparently have been dumped on the site for years, said Craig Ward, the health department’s chief environmental public health officer. Health officials describe the site as a “cesspool of sewage.”

Pete Schade, Erie County’s health commissioner,

told the health board he was furious about the allegations. “Can you believe somebody would really do that?” Schade said.

A document shared with members of Erie County’s health board states that the health department telephoned Father & Son owner Jim Coon on March 18.

Knew it was wrong “Jim admitted to dumping raw sewage onto the farmland and admitted he knew it was against the rules,” it says. The waste is supposed to be taken to a wastewater treatment plant.

Coon recently resumed taking the waste to Erie County’s sewage treatment plant in Huron. Coon, when reached for comment, said he has had trouble getting sewage treatment plants to take septic tank waste.

“There’s no place to dispose of the waste,” Coon said. The health board voted to approve three resolutions in connection with the sewage dumping allegations.

n An enforcement order telling Coon to stop dumping raw sewage in the farm field.

n A notice to Father & Son that the health department has the right to suspend or revoke the company’s license to do business in Erie County. Coon, who said he owns three septic tank companies and does business in Erie, Lorain, Huron, Ashland and Richland counties, said he will be at a health board hearing at its

In this undated photo, a tube is shown on a farm field at 12312 Green Road, Wakeman, where alleged septic tank dumping raw sewage has occurred for years, according to health department officials. The waste is supposed to be taken to a treatment plant.

Carol Burke presented Weber with the Kiwanian Champion of Children Award during a pause in the breakfast Thursday morning, thanking him for eight years of service to the community as superintendent.

“Ed has been very active in informing and supporting our efforts to support the children of Wellington,” Burke said. “He is also a major reason why our annual Morris Furcron nut sale has been so successful these last few years that helps us provide high school graduates $1,000 scholarships.” Weber’s time as superintendent of the school district is coming to a close this June. He announced his

retirement in December.

Weber also discussed the improvements the district has seen over the past year under his care and what is to come. “We started on a turnaround plan to help improve our schools each year and we have seen some steady positive growth,” Weber said. “Under our strategic plan we implemented a few years ago, we conducted an internal and external communication survey and asked the community how they felt about the district. Seventy-five percent of our respondents said that we were going on the right track in our most recent survey.”

The district was rated 3.5 stars out of five on the most recent state report card rating. Westwood Elementary School ranked the highest in the district at 4.5 stars while Wellington High School was rated four stars. “We went from the bot-

tom of the grade book to the top,” Weber said, and thanked his staff for their hard work.

Weber said the district will hold a public information and meet-the-candidates night at 4 p.m. April 9 in the Westwood Elementary School dining hall as part of its search for a new superintendent. The district is expected to announce its new superintendent shortly after the public events once a decision has been made.

The village also saw multiple improvements over the past year, according to Wellington Mayor Hans Schneider and Village Manager Johnathan Greever. “We made a lot of progress this year on a number of projects which we’ve been working on for several years, most notably the new police station,” Greever said. “We also set a new electric rate for the first time in 13 years, which was badly needed and we finished our downtown tree

replacement project and the Union School Park project kicked off.”

Greever said that the year also saw its fair share of triumphs through adversity including the 500-year flood event and tornado that hit the village back to back in August.

“Our teams hit the ground running and we had all of our businesses giving food and support and this shows what we do as a community together when we’re close to each other in a tightknit village,” Greever said.

The village’s electric study conducted last year was also a necessity, Greever said, and while it led to the village increasing electric rates, it was badly needed.

“Council worked with staff and consultant coordinate associates for six months to look at what is the cost of doing business around the village,” Greever said. “Council did a great deep dive and we put this in

Oberlin gets fed funds for Resource Center

Carissa Woytach

The Community Guide

OBERLIN — Oberlin Community Services received a $1.28 million federal allocation to improve its Cooper Community Resource Center.

The funding, included in the federal agricultural and rural development bill, will help the nonprofit with capital improvements to its building at 500 E. Lorain St., said Jason Hawk, communications and development coordinator.

Those improvements include a rooftop solar array of about 200 panels to permanently lower the organization’s utility bills; a parking lot redesign to add 10 additional spaces near the front door; accessibility upgrades and lobby and community room renovations.

place in the fall so the key takeaway number is there’s about a 4.9 percent increase for each of the next four years. At the end of this, we still will be less than Edison Ohio and LMRE (Lorain Medina Rural Electric) right now.”

Schneider said the village has big goals ahead.

“This year we are going to be restoring the roof line features of town hall and we have our Beautify Wellington Initiative that is coming,” Schneider said. “We are also working on addressing the nuisance property and derelict vehicles complaints as well as some concerns over chickens.”

The mayor said the village has continued work on Union School Park redevelopment including planting the first tree in the center of the park.

“The Kiwanis has been instrumental in raising and donating funds for the playground that will go there

and we also secured a grant for a hydration station for humans and dogs to be put in,” Schneider said.

The village will also welcome back the traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall Sept. 19 to 23 at the Union School Park site.

Finally, the mayor presented numerous community members with the key to the village award, thanking them for their work to make a difference in the community. The Wellington Kiwanis Club was one of them.

“The Wellington Kiwanis Club is in their 100th year and we are certainly a better community with the Kiwanis Club,” Schneider said. “They are a continuous flow through our community that makes lasting differences. … Together we have accomplished more than we could have on our

Westwood principal heads to curriculum

Lauren Hoffman The Community Guide

WELLINGTON — Westwood Elementary School Principal Janet Kubasak has been named as the Wellington district’s new curriculum director and will resign as principal at the end of the school year.

“Right now Janet is doing both the principal job and the curriculum job until the end of the school year and Dan Rahm, another educator licensed to be a principal, is helping her manage Westwood when needed,” said Ed Weber, superintendent for Wellington Schools.

“Janet is still the lead for the school but Dan is there to help tag team.”

(Ohio School Boards Association) to fill the superintendent position,” Weber said.

“We should be looking to know who our new superintendent is by late April or May if our timeline continues to go smoothly.”

Weber said because of the quick timeline Ohio School Boards Association has on the superintendent search, the new superintendent could have some say in the hiring of the two new principals.

Hawk said engineering still needs to be completed to finalize plans for the rooftop solar farm and the parking upgrades. The parking upgrades will increase the number of handicapped-accessible spaces by four spots, Hawk said, and have six additional angled parking slots available.

Oberlin Community Services purchased the Cooper Community Resource Center for $1 million in 2023, and has since renovated it to house offices and its food pantry.

In the six months since its opening at 500 E. Lorain St., more than 1,600 households with 4,782 members have come to OCS’ food pantry. Many of those households have visited more than once, totaling more than 8,700 trips and 170 tons of food moved through its doors.

Since September, 367 households have also received $88,614 in emergency financial assistance.

The Cooper Community Resource Center houses Oberlin Community Services; Providing Oberlin with Efficiency Responsibility, or POWER, which helps Oberlin residents weatherproof their homes to lower their energy bills; Colors+ Counseling; and workshops hosted by Legal Aid Society of Greater Cleveland.

A large-scale kitchen will be finished this spring for its Weekday Community Meals program. The program prepares 80 to 100 meals every Monday through Friday.

Rahm is a new hire from last year who previously worked in Sheffield. He is now Wellington’s director of student services and handles special education, gifted and other student programs.

Kubasak officially announced her resignation as principal in February when she applied for the curriculum director position. It was accepted during a Wellington Board of Education meeting on March 19.

The board also recently accepted the resignation of Wellington High School Principal Donna Keenan, who will leave at the end of the school year.

“With Janet’s resignation we will be looking for two principals now as well as continuing to work with

“We have put out the posting for the new principal spot for Westwood and should be getting some applications soon,” Weber said.

Kubasak came to Wellington after serving as an educational consultant for the State Support Team Region Two. She has more than 20 years in educational environments, starting as a special education teacher in an urban city school district.

“When we posted the position for curriculum director a few months ago, Janet applied and ended up being one of our two finalists,” Weber said.

“She did really good in her second interview and so we offered her the job.”

Weber said Kubasak’s decision to transition into the role comes as the district works to usher in a new curriculum for the middle school.

Kubasak has served as the Westwood Elementary School principal since August 2020.

During her time as principal, she raised the state score for Westwood to 4.5 stars, the highest rating the district has ever earned.

“I am thrilled to have her impacting students and staff in this newly created role as director of curriculum,” Weber said.

“I know she will have a positive impact on all students throughout the district.”

Kubasak

BRUCE BISHOP / COMMUNITY GUIDE

Jason Hawk, communications and development coordinator for Oberlin Community Services, stands Monday inside the Cooper Community Resource Center at 500 E. Lorain St. in Oberlin.

Lauren Hoffman The Community Guide WELLINGTON — Outgoing Wellington Schools Superintendent Ed Weber was honored at the seventh annual State of Wellington breakfast hosted by the Kiwanis Club.

Kiwanis Club President

John Benson

The Community Guide

So many films, so little time. That’s the 48th annual Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF), which returns to downtown Cleveland through April 13 at Playhouse Square.

The in-person festival will showcase 137 feature films and 225 short films representing 60 countries during its 11-day run.

More importantly, the festival is expanding.

“We’ve entered the Connor Palace into our screening venues,” Cleveland International Film Festival Associate Director Patrick Shepherd said. “That’ll increase the number of in-person screenings to 263 this year. At Tower City, we had 10 auditoriums and last year we were in four. “This puts us closer to the number of screenings that we had in the Tower City years, so we’re just thrilled to have the Connor Palace in the portfolio.”

Once headquartered at Tower City and two years after moving into the theater district, CIFF’s

presence in Playhouse Square doesn’t go unnoticed by visitors.

“You wouldn’t believe the looks on these filmmakers’ eyes — we’ll have over 300 filmmakers at the festival once again this year — when they come into town and cannot believe their film is screening in these historic, 100-plusyear-old iconic theaters,” he said.

The spring film fun kicks off with the opening movie “Thelma” appearing at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Connor Palace.

Oscar nominee June Squibb (“Nebraska”) stars as the 93-yearold titular character who, when she is scammed out of $10,000, embarks on a daring mission across Los Angeles to recover her money by any means necessary. The film features one of the final performances of legendary actor Richard Roundtree (“Shaft”).

“We’re very excited about ‘Thelma,’” he said. “The cast is led by June Squibb as she steps into her first leading role in her 70-year career.

“We’re told that she got her start here in Cleveland at the Cleve-

John Benson The Community Guide

Many comedians have commented coming through the Hilarities 4th Street Theatre how Clevelanders are the only people in the nation who love to wear shirts boasting they come from the Cleveland area.

Similar to how ESPN makes a living out of Stephen A. Smith offering a tough take in the morning with the sports network spending the rest of the day commenting on its own commentator’s commentary, this “Mistake on the Lake” inferiority complex actually reaches the 48th annual Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF), which returns to downtown Cleveland from April 3-13 at Playhouse Square.

The festival’s annual Local Heroes Competition has a simple theme — films made about Ohio, in Ohio or by Ohioans. “Clevelanders just love local stories,” Cleveland International Film Festival Associate Director Patrick Shepherd said. “We love to elevate the stories of people from Cleveland and from the Northeast Ohio region. They are often the most soughtafter films in the festival.”

This year’s popular film festival features more than half a dozen Buckeye State-related movies with filmmakers vying for a $7,500 cash prize.

“We have a robust Local Heroes competition once again this year,” he said. “Some highlights are ‘American Delivery,’ which is also in our global health competition.

“It’s about maternal care and birthing babies, particularly as it relates to MetroHealth, which is prominently featured. ‘American Delivery’ is going to be a great interest.”

land Playhouse, so that’ll be fun.”

A special CIFF presentation is “Celebrating Julia Reichert: Her Life and Legacy,” which takes place at 4:55 p.m. April 11 at the Connor Palace.

“We’re also celebrating the life and legacy of Julia Reichert, who unfortunately passed away,” he said. “She and Stephen Bognar are Academy Award-winning directors from here in Ohio. We miss her very much.”

Early on during its run, CIFF is taking a short road trip to celebrate total solar eclipse Monday at the Great Lakes Science Center.

As part of the venue’s Total Eclipse Fest, which takes place April Saturday through Monday at the downtown destination, CIFF will screen documentaries “Maestra” (11 a.m. Sunday) and “Small Town Universe” (5 p.m. Monday in the Cleveland Clinic DOME Theater.

The former follows five female conductors from different backgrounds as they compete in the first all-women competition for conducting, while the latter tells

the story of residents and scientists who live around a worldfamous radio telescope. Akron rock ’n’ roll heroes are also taking center stage at CIFF.

“This Is a Film About the Black Keys” is being screened at 7:35 p.m. Friday at the KeyBank State Theatre with the closing film “Devo” scheduled at 7:30 p.m. April 13 at the Connor Palace.

“We’re closing with a film about the Akron band Devo,” he said.

“We expect a lot of energy around that film. We love local bands and we do think that this will be a bigger closing night than usual just because of the local interest in the band.”

Regarding the attendance of band members from either act at the screenings, Shepherd said, “We are, of course, making the ask but we just don’t know.”

Also returning is CIFF48 Streams, which allows online viewing of more than half of the festival’s in-person feature films, along with nearly its full lineup of in-person short films.

“Streaming will run April 14

Another film with a warm heart is the Northeast Ohio-centered “What’s Next?”

“That’s about Dr. Howard Tucker, who is more than 100 years old,” he said. “Dr. Tucker has the Guinness World Record for being the oldest practicing doctor.

“He’s from here in Cleveland, so we’re hoping Dr. Tucker will be able to join us for the ‘What’s Next’ screening.” Shepherd also pointed to “Trust in Black and White.”

“This is about Debbie Plumber and her work,” he said. “It’s a bridging and bonding conversation between white and Black women that we think will have great local interest.

“And then there’s ‘False Positive.’ It’s about an Akron man who — wrongly accused of taking steroids — has to overcome adversity.”

The Local Heroes Competition films include “American Delivery” (7:30 p.m. Saturday, 9:45 a.m. Sunday), “False Positive” (4:55 p.m. Saturday, 2:20 p.m. April 11), “ROUGE” (2:20 p.m. Saturday, 9:40 a.m. Sunday), “Sofa, So Good” (7:25 p.m. Tuesday, 12:10 p.m. Wednesday), “Trust in Black and White” (4:50 p.m. Tuesday, 2:35 p.m. Wednesday), “Unspoken” (12:15 p.m. Sunday), “What’s Next?” (2:20 p.m. Sunday, 2:25 p.m. Tuesday) and “Yaniv” (5 p.m. Wednesday). Shepherd noted a few CIFF films that aren’t part of the Local Heroes Competition have ties to Akron.

This includes flicks “This Is a Film About The Black Keys”

Groups get funds for home repairs

Assistance available for those in need

help

Ohio Department of Development announced a total of $7.3 million in awards to 23 nonprofit agencies for emergency home repairs and down payment assistance on Thursday. Among them were The Great Lakes Community Action Partnership, serving Lorain, Erie, Huron, Ottawa, Sandusky, Seneca and Wood counties, which will receive a $553,462 grant to provide 95 home repairs to income-eligible homeowners, according to the state. The Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging, serving Lorain, Cuyahoga, Medina, Geauga and Lake counties, will receive a $100,000 grant to provide 10 home repairs to incomeeligible homeowners age 60 and older, according to the state.

qualify

Habitat for Humanity, and 42 affiliated agencies, also will receive a $400,000 grant to provide home repairs to income-eligible homeowners in all 88 Ohio counties, the state Department of Development said.

The funding comes from the Housing Assistance Grant Program, which uses Ohio Housing Trust Fund dollars to help nonprofit organizations promote more affordable housing opportunities and improve housing conditions through emergency home repair, renovations for handicapped

accessibility, limited down payment assistance and homebuyer education.

Nonprofits can contpanies to complete essential home repairs such as heating systems, water heaters, plumbing systems, severely deteriorated roofs, walls, windows, doors, hazardous electrical systems and more.

The grants also allow investments of up to $5,000 per home toward down payment assistance and associated out-of-pocket expenses, as well as up to $500 per household for homebuyer education.

through 21,” he said. “The people who are among the biggest festival fans are very strategic about what they see in person. They only have so much time to see films at the festival, so they can catch up on what they might have on CIFF48 Streams.”

With a half-century anniversary not too far off, CIFF, it appears, remains a popular springtime ritual for movie fans.

“It’s important for people to understand a typical festival day will have at least 25 screenings of international and independent films,” he said.

“We always like to say there’s a little bit in the film festival for everyone.”

Tickets for in-person screenings are $16 for CIFF members and $18 for nonmembers. Tickets for CIFF48 Streams screenings are $12 for CIFF members and $14 for nonmembers.

Countdown to the eclipse

Tourism boon expected, weather permitting

The thousands of people expected to flock to Lorain County this weekend to get the nearly four minutes and 30 seconds of Monday’s total solar eclipse could be an economic boon to area businesses.

Hotels are booked solid, with many requiring a two-night minimum. The Lorain County Chamber of Commerce has encouraged bars and restaurants that might usually be closed Mondays to open to handle the food and beverage needs of thousands of visitors.

Estimates vary from 125,000 to nearly 1 million people will be pouring into Lorain County and surrounding communities over the weekend for the best view of an event that won’t take place again in the county for another 400 years.

Those same people who booked hotels need to eat and spend money on gas and necessities, a potential boost to the service and retail economy.

Traffic is another matter. Un-

known is whether manufacturers or commercial businesses will be able to receive or deliver shipments with the expected congestion on roads and highways.

To encourage visitors and tourism in one of the best places in the U.S. to view the eclipse, the Lorain County Convention & Visitors Bureau has been aggressively promoting Lorain County’s place in the “path of totality” for the event.

“We have an opportunity to showcase Lorain County,” Director Garry Gibbs said.

Lorain County will have the 14th-longest amount of viewing time of any location in the world.

The number of people coming here to witness it could make the 2024 solar eclipse the largest tourist attraction in county history, Gibbs said.

Online data gathered by the bureau shows the kind of interest generated ahead of time — a surprising amount of it from Canada, Gibbs said.

The Convention & Visitors Bureau has had 19,000-plus views on its 30-second prepared-

ness video on its YouTube page.

The top seven cities served by impressions/views within the bureau’s target radius include London, Ontario, Canada; Detroit; Windsor, Ontario; Columbus; Cleveland; Pittsburgh; and Toledo, according to data provided by Gibbs.

Gibbs’ office recently spent more than $15,000 on billboard and magazine advertising.Gibbs said he negotiated a good price for billboards in Cuyahoga County — 23 at $400 apiece — to promote Lorain County as one of the best destinations to get a view of the eclipse.

Gibbs also worked with public and private event organizers throughout the county to help draw crowds.

He said the daylong 2024 Avon Lake Total Solar Eclipse Watch Party at the high school’s Memorial Stadium — sponsored by the city of Avon Lake and Avon Lake Schools — had bookings from 30 states and seven countries as of March 27.

Food trucks, concessions and other vendors will add to what

people spend that day. The bureau also worked to promote websites for private and public watch parties, and it could be a “Christmas-in-April” for local retailers, Gibbs said.

“This is driving traffic. You never know the number of people we touched who saw a promotion on one of the local TV stations, a billboard, who maybe didn’t even come to our county, and will come north from an outlying area,” he said. “You never know who you touch.”

Lorain County Chamber of Commerce President Tony Gallo predicted hotels, restaurants and bars will see the biggest benefit.

“Those places are definitely going to see an uptick in business from people coming here, for sure,” he said.

There will be people arriving in Lorain County and the surrounding area Friday, Saturday and Sunday prior to Monday’s eclipse, many of whom will be sticking around until Tuesday.

That means “four days of potentially really good numbers for our hospitality and beverage

people out there,” he said. “I think that’s all going to be very good.”

Then there are traffic and safety concerns the chamber’s Safety Council recently discussed.

Responses to crashes, medical emergencies, fires or other public safety might be delayed, and Gallo said that edge of the “doubleedged” sword has been taken into consideration by officials.

“There’s going to be good, and there’s going to be some bad,” he said. “Someone may not get something they expect to get delivered that day because traffic is too bad.”

All these are considerations for a once-, possibly twice-in-a-lifetime event if someone was alive in 1970 when the last big eclipse happened over Lorain County, he said.

And of course, all depends on the weather, Gallo said. Based on feedback he said he received, Gibbs said others seem to share his excitement. Contact Dave O’Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.

What exactly will happen? When can you shed glasses?

Owen MacMillan The Community Guide

In the months and weeks ahead of the total solar eclipse that will pass over Lorain County Monday, residents have been told about what a unique and impressive experience it will be, but they may not understand exactly why.

Chris Hartenstein, head of public engagement at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, said from both a scientific perspective and his personal experience that the description is spot on.

Hartenstein said he became the “de facto expert on eclipses” when it was learned one would pass so close to Glenn because it is mostly a research and engineering facility with few dedicated astronomers.

He was chosen because he was in Jefferson City, Missouri, in 2017 during the last total solar eclipse in the U.S. and had helped form the educational plan for residents there.

Recounting his own experience viewing a total solar eclipse, Hartenstein said that much of its beauty comes from the ability to see things that are always there, but are usually hidden by the sun.

“In my opinion, it was a lifechanging experience,” Hartenstein said.

“Not like, ‘Oh I’m gonna go do philanthropy for the whole world,’ but more just respecting our actual place in the universe.”

Lights out

Simply put, a total solar eclipse is when the moon passes directly between the sun and a particular location on the planet, completely blocking direct sunlight. There will be a partial solar eclipse while the moon is covering only a portion of the sun before and after “totality.”

On Monday, the partial eclipse will run 1:59-4:29 p.m. and totality will be from approximately 3:13-3:17 p.m.

That snuffing out of the light

is what makes it special, as it allows viewers to remove their eclipse glasses and look directly at it.

“You get this lead up of the partial (eclipse) as the moon moves in front of the sun,” Hartenstein said. “You have to have the glasses on, and it’s really kind of a nifty experience to happen. But once you get to totality and you can take the glasses off, you have to take the glasses off. Because they are filtering out 99.999 percent of the light. If you don’t take them off, you won’t see anything.”

Hartenstein said there has been a misunderstanding about this fact; the eclipse glasses are not actually needed to view the four minute eclipse itself, but only during the partial eclipse before and after.

Totality will last less than four minutes, so viewers should not

take their glasses off until after 3:13 p.m. and should put them back on prior to 3:17 p.m.

Being able to view the eclipse directly opens up a new world of beauty, Hartenstein said.

He described how as the partial eclipse takes over, viewers will experience what looks like a 360-degree sunset, followed by something of a false night as the eclipse becomes total.

This all happens in a matter of seconds, as the sun goes from partially to totally eclipsed.

Looking directly at the eclipse the sun’s corona, the colorful outermost layer of the sun’s atmosphere, becomes visible. It is always present, blocked out by the glare of the surface of the sun at all times except during an eclipse. “As soon as you put something in front of (the surface) and you can see the atmosphere radiate

across, you get a perspective for how immense the influence of the sun is in our solar system,” Hartenstein said. “And that just blew me away.”

The corona can appear to be green, pink or other iridescent colors, and viewers with telescopes may be able to see the flickers of flames the size of planets attempting to escape the sun’s atmosphere. On the ground, there will be even more to see.

It will appear to go from day to night in a matter of seconds, and Hartenstein said wildlife will respond as such; with birds flocking to their nests to bed down for the night and nocturnal insects growing active in the middle of the day. The temperature in the air will drop approximately 10 degrees Fahrenheit almost instantly.

He also said that the blockage

of the sun would cause the visual world within the path of totality to “sharpen.”

“You get these, I call it, it kind of feels like video game graphics, where the outlines of things are perfectly sharp,” Hartenstein said. “There’s no blurs around the edges of things that are there all the time and our eyes are just used to. The light tints, there’s just a different look and feel to it.”

Back to normal

As totality ends and the sun begins to reappear, the eclipse glasses must be put back on, but the experience is not quite over.

“The glasses have to come back on, and we can sit here and then you hear this, just this eruption of cheer,” Hartenstein said. “It’s the finale from the audience and wherever you’re located, all of a sudden you have a bonded experience with everybody that you’re watching with.”

Eclipses are not exceedingly rare in general. They occur every 18 to 24 months, as the orbits of Earth and moon align.

But, many of them simply pass over the oceans that cover 71 percent of the planet, and they are expected to occur in the same location only once every 400 years.

The contiguous U.S. will not see another total solar eclipse until 2044, Ohio will not have another until 2099. Lorain County will not again be in the path of totality until 2444.

“This is a celestial phenomenon that happens very rarely,” Hartenstein said. “And so for us to be able to experience it, I totally understand why people become eclipse chasers… this is your once-in-a-generation, once-in-a-lifetime chance to see an eclipse from your backyard. Whether it’s your actual backyard or the backyard of your community, it is very rare.”

Dave

Oberlin books too tasty for words

enjoy.”

Hotchkiss said that when she moved to become the director of libraries at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, the idea continued. When she made her move to Oberlin in 2021, the idea followed soon after.

lege students, which is something we are always working on trying to achieve.”

County OKs $84M budget

Dave O’Brien

The Community Guide

The Lorain County Board of Commissioners has passed an $84.4 million budget.

Without holding any budget hearings with elected officials or department directors, as has been done in the past, the board used up what remained of its American Rescue Plan Act money to give officials everything they asked for. That money must be earmarked by the end of 2024 and spent by the end of 2025.

Commissioner Michelle Hung, a Republican, questioned why officials weren’t being brought in for a series of hearings where the commissioners can learn more about their submitted budgets and ask questions.

dell, a Republican, said the prosecutor’s office increase was one of the “more moderate” ones that was approved.

“The entire budget we are deliberating on at this moment was on the record back in July and November and has been on the website and I’ve had zero inquiries from anyone for more information on what we’ve posted,” he said.

The board is funding what its departments asked for, without deficit spending or spending its carryover, Riddell said.

stories, all in cake form.

Valerie Hotchkiss, director of Oberlin College Libraries, said the idea first came from her time at the University of Illinois.

“When I was at the University of Illinois, they had a long-standing tradition of the edible book festival,” she said. “Basically it is a day when book lovers came together to make literally edible books out of cake to

“I was nervous initially because I wasn’t sure Oberlin was going to be able to do it, but boy, did they,” Hotchkiss said. “It’s incredible. The skill, the punny-ness, they are witty, they’re well baked and they really went all out. All sorts of genres of food are represented here and I am proud of our town and I’m proud of the community.”

Oberlin Public Library Director David Fausnaugh said the event would not have been possible without community support.

“It’s a great representation of what Oberlin is,” he said. “It’s been a perfect collaboration between the city, community members and col-

Twenty-two bakers put together cakes and other desserts based on their favorite literary work. They competed against each other for places in seven categories, ranging from best depictions to most appetizing and of course, punniest.

The only requirement was it had to be tied to a piece of literature.

“It was left open-ended on purpose so people could interpret it and so what they felt would be fun and creative,” he said.

While some opted for direct depictions, such as Karen Reynolds’ interpretation of Frank Herbert’s ShaiHulud from “Dune,” which won best depiction of a classic, others went for a looser approach, like Marilyn McDonald, who made a banana cream pie named for Leo Tolstoy’s “Anna Karenina.”

“We did not have that for the 2024 budget for those folks to come in,” she said, using the example of a $200,000 increase in Lorain County Prosecutor J.D. Tomlinson’s budget.

Chief Assistant Prosecutor Dan Petticord said he wasn’t involved in his office’s budget, but some positions in his office were filled after being vacant for some time. Some salaries also increased to help retain employees who could go to other counties like Cuyahoga and get paid more.

“Our office made a fairly significant move on the salary side this year,” he said. “We asked for a fairly significant increase to try and fill professional positions.”

Commissioner Jeff Rid-

Commissioner David Moore, also a Republican, agreed. He said he hadn’t gotten any negative feedback on the budget process. Only one department head called him to ask why it was taking so long, he said. Moore and Riddell voted to table the budget on March 15 as Hung was out sick, saying they wanted all three commissioners to vote on it.

The 2024 budget is due to Lorain County Auditor Craig Snodgrass by Friday.

It is being bolstered by more than $6.1 million in remaining ARPA funds received by the county to aid in pandemic recovery.

It also includes $2 million in capital improvement funding for construction projects such as sewers and infrastructure, or economic development, to help match local, state or federal grant funds.

The county general fund carryover, sometimes called its “rainy day fund,” was more than $23 million in December, Riddell said

Lauren Hoffman The Community Guide

OBERLIN — As the visitors began to file into the book fair, they licked their lips in anticipation. One visitor locked eyes with “The Hobbit” book and dove in to take a bite. This was a completely normal occurrence at the edible book fair at Oberlin’s Center for Convergence’s StudiOC.

Hosted by Oberlin Public Library, the edible book fair welcomed bakers and book lovers alike to share their favorite

Bruce Bishop / COMMUNITY GUIDE

People judge the book-themed desserts at The Hotel of Oberlin, where the edible book fair hosted by the Oberlin Public Library was held.

Imagine,itisdaytime andsuddenly thebirds stop chirping Animals curl up to go to sleepand the sky begins to darken It isn’tanythingtoworryabout,though. It’s a solareclipse!

Duringasolar eclipse,peopleand animals sometimesget a little confused!

WherecanIwatch asolar eclipse?

When the Moon blocks the Sun’s light, it castsa_ on partof the Earth.

Theonly people who will the total solar eclipse will be people in the of totality.

Thesun is surroundedbyalayer of gases that arehardto seeuntil atotaleclipse. This layeriscalled the corona. Thecoronaisverydim.It’susually hardtosee because the Sunissomuch brighter.

During an eclipse, the corona shines around theoutside of the moon’s shadow.Use the code to discover what the word corona means.

TheMoon’s shadowfollows along path as the Earth ________. This is called the path of totality

In thatpath, the Moon completely the Sun’s lightfor a fewminutes.Itgetsso_ thatitlooks like nighttime!

Howoften does atotal eclipse happen over land?

It’seasiestfor peopletosee asolar eclipse when it happens over land. Usethe letters and numbers found alongthe correct path through the maze to reveal how often a total solar eclipseisvisibleonland.

Whatisa partial solar eclipse?

Sometimesthe Moon onlyblocks partofthe Sun’s light.Thisiscalled a partial solar eclipse

Grammar Eclipse

Asolar eclipseis visible on the Earth’s surface approximately:

Select two sentences fromthe newspaper.In one sentence,black out eachofthe nouns. In the other, black out eachof the vowels. Give the sentences to apartner. Which oneiseasier for them to understand?The one without nouns, or the onewithout vowels?