Hayes program offers advice to keep model trains on track
It’s the time of the year when most people are taking down the Christmas decoration to be stored for another year. If a model train is part of your holiday décor, now’s the time to ensure that your equipment will be in tip-top shape for next year by attending the Train Clinic being held Jan. 7 from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Hayes Museum at the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center in Fremont.

Ken Fullenlove Sr., a model train enthusiast and former employee of Gladieaux Train Depot, will lead the clinic, assisting participants with advice related to model train maintenance and repair, as well as estimating the value of older model trains. Clinic attendees who own G-, O-, or standard-gauge trains are invited to see their models run on the Hayes train layout during the clinic.

Model train enthusiast Ken Fullenlovw shows a young man how to maintain his model train engine at last year's Hayes Model Train Clinic.

Admission to the clinic is $2 per person, or free with the purchase of a Hayes Museum ticket. In the event of inclement weather, the clinic will be canceled.

For information, call 800-998-PRES or visit www.rbhayes.org. The Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center is located at the corner of Hayes and Buckland avenues.

“New Lands, New Discoveries”
Three new exhibits open Saturday, Jan. 7 and continue through April 1 at the National Center for Nature Photography, a Metroparks facility located at Secor Metropark.

“New Lands, New Discoveries” offers a revealing look at some of the special qualities to be discovered on lands recently acquired by Metroparks, but not yet open to the public.

Metroparks director of nature photography Art Weber set out to capture the beauty of these lands that have been added to the Metroparks system since passage of a land acquisition levy in 2002.

From sand barrens in the Oak Openings to Lake Erie wetlands, the exhibit is a celebration of a historical period for Metroparks, which has grown from about 7,500 acres in 2002 to more than 11,500 acres.

The exhibit was made possible by a grant from Metroparks members, and will also travel to other venues around the Toledo Area in 2012.

Two other exhibits also open Jan. 7:
• “Travelogue: North Shore Minnesota,” also by Art Weber, captures the beauty of the North Woods landscape along Minnesota’s Lake Superior coast.

• “Winning photos from the 2011 Outdoor Writers Association of America” is a traveling exhibit featuring this year’s winners of OWAA’s Excellence in Craft Contest.

The Nature Photography Center is open Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free. Secor Metropark is on Central Avenue, six miles west of US23/I-475 in Berkey.

For more information, visit www.naturephotocenter.com.

Fandemonium
Baseball fans are invited to sit by the fire of the baseball “hot stove” at this year’s Mud Hens Fandemonium! which is set for Jan. 18 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Fifth Third Field in downtown Toledo.

Tigers manager Jim Leyland, top pitching prospect Jacob Turner and other Tigers players and coaches will be at the event, offering a preview of the upcoming season.

Tickets are $10 and are available at the Fifth Third Field box office, by phone at 419-725-4367 or online at www.mudhens.com.

CSI ASAP
The elegant Manor House at Wildwood Preserve will make the perfect backdrop for “CSI ASAP,” a mysterious “who done it” planned for Jan. 20 from 6 to 9 p.m. The Manor House is located at 5100 W. Central Ave., Toledo.

Attendees are invited to relax, enjoy a fine meal and test their detective skills during the event, which will center around the murder of soap opera icon Susan Kane.

The cost is $50 and $40 for Metroparks members. Register online at www.mertroparkstoledo.com or call 419-407-9700.

Hens & Tigers to play April 4
The Toledo Mud Hens and Detroit Tigers will be playing a benefit game at Fifth Third Field April 4 at noon.

The benefit game will mark the first exhibition game between the clubs since they met at Ned Skeldon Stadium in Maumee on June 1, 2000. All proceeds from the game will be split between the Helping Hens Charitable Fund and the Detroit Tigers Foundation.

There will be 1,000 tickets released to the general public on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 11 a.m. Visit www.mudhens.com or call 419-725-4367 for more information.

Watercolor workshop
The Port Clinton Artists’ Club will offer watercolor painting workshop at the Our Guest Inn featuring guest artist/instructor Mark Polomchak Jan. 13 to 15 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

A 1975 graduate in fine art from Indiana University, Polomchak has exhibited his watercolors in various art shows and galleries throughout the U.S. and Canada. His teaching style is step-by-step, so beginners as well as seasoned painters will go home with a painting suitable for framing from each day of class.

Interested artists can view the class offerings at www.portclintonartistsclub.com where they’ll find the registration brochure under the “workshop” tab. The cost for the workshop, which is open to the public, is $55 per day. For more information, call club President Dee Cochran at 419-898-6914.

Docent training
The Toledo Museum of Art will soon be recruiting and training for its next class of art docents.

Interviews will be held during spring 2012, and training will begin in the fall. Docents are trained museum volunteers who interact with visitors by providing tours and other collection-focused activities and information. While these “gallery teachers” come from a wide range of backgrounds and professions, all have strong interpersonal skills and enjoy working with the public.

Those interested in learning more are invited to attend one of two free information sessions being held in the museum’s Little Theater Jan. 19 from noon to 1:30 p.m. or Jan. 20 from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Visit toledomuseum.org/about/jobs-volunteer/docents for more information.

Guide highlights Civil War sites
A new full-color brochure detailing important Civil War sites in an around Erie County has just been released by the Erie County Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee.

The “Lake Erie Shores & Islands Civil War Destination Guide” highlights several museums, libraries, monuments, and pertinent sites with regards to the American Civil War in this region.

The brochure, created by the committee to promote the region’s rich Civil War-era heritage, was funded by a grant from the Sandusky/Erie County Community Foundation and the Lake Erie Shores & Islands Welcome Center.

Brochures are available at LES&I Welcome Centers and many area libraries and museums. Outside of the area, call 1-800-255-3743 or request one by emailing This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

577 programs
The 577 Foundation, located in Perrysburg, will offer a number of youth and family programs in January. Class offerings include Partners in Fun, Musical Jamboree, Stamped Cards & Paper Crafts, Christmas Mini Album, Nourishing Our Children, Pottery & Plants, Urban Homesteading, Making Cards with the Cricut, Easy & Delicious Homemade Bread, Beaded Jewelry with Gemstones and Saturday Pottery Featuring Teapots.

Pre-registration required for all classes. To register or obtain more information, visit www.577foundation.org or call 419-874-4174.

Library’s Most Requested List
•“Explosive Eighteen: A Stephanie Plum Novel,” by Janet Evanovich;

•“V is for Vengeance,” by Sue Grafton;

•“The Drop,” by Michael Connelly;

•“Kill Alex Cross,” by James Patterson;

•“Private: #1 Suspect,” by James Patterson, author Maxine Paetro;

•“Steve Jobs,” by Walter Isaacson;

•“Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever,” by Bill O’Reilly, author Martin Dugard;

•“Red Mist,” by Patricia Cornwell;

•“The Heroes of Olympus, Book Two: The Son of Neptune,” by Rick Riordan;

•“Longing,” by Karen Kingsbury.

Model train enthusiast Ken Fullenlove shows a young man how to maintain his model train engine at last year’s Hayes Model Train clinic.

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