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Christmas card Party
Friends of Otterbein Portage Valley Auxiliary will host their Annual Christmas Card Party Dec. 2 at 1:30 p.m. at Otterbein Portage Valley in Pemberville.
The event will include cards, Bunco, bingo, dominoes and more. Door prizes and refreshments will be provided. Admission is $5 at the door. Proceeds will benefit auxiliary efforts throughout the year.
For directions or more information, call Jessica Derkis at 419-833-7000.
Shopping Extravaganza
A Christmas Shopping Extravaganza will be held Dec. 9 from 6 to 10 p.m. at Fun Spot Arena in Oregon.
The event will bring together an eclectic mix of vendors, crafters, clubs and charities. A booth will also be available for families to get a family Christmas photo on the spot. There will also be raffles featuring door prizes donated by vendors. “I came up with this idea to give those who have a home-based business with a place to display their products and earn some money for Christmas,” said Jodi Ziegler, Fun Spot office manager and event coordinator. “We may be adding a second show on Dec. 18 and will possibly be doing this event once a month, starting in January.”
A portion of the admission fee, which is $2, will be donated to Planned Pethood and Delaney’s Doggy, which will be raising funds to get an assistance dog for a local young girl.
Donations will also be collected for a local family that is recovering from a fire that destroyed the home they were renting Nov. 11. “The family has three small children and had no renters’ insurance,” Ziegler said.
Vaccines recommended
`Tis the season – the holidays and flu season too.
The Ohio Department of Health is reporting low levels of influenza viruses circulating across the state and is urging all Ohioans ages 6 months and older to get a flu vaccine.
“Flu vaccinations are very safe and are the best way to keep yourself and your loved ones healthy this flu season,” said ODH Director Alvin D. Jackson M.D. “Most people who get the flu usually recover in one to two weeks, but the flu can be deadly for those considered at-risk.”
The 2010-2011 seasonal flu vaccine protects against 2009 H1N1 and two other influenza viruses (an H3N2 virus and an influenza B virus). It generally takes at least two weeks after a vaccination for individuals to develop protection from influenza.
It is important that the following groups get vaccinated either because they are at high risk of having serious flu-related complications or because they live with or care for people at high risk – pregnant women; children younger than 5, but especially children younger than 2 years old; people 50 years of age and older; people of any age with certain chronic medical conditions; people who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities and people who live with infants, because the infants cannot protect themselves from the flu.
There are two types of flu vaccines available. The “flu shot” is an inactivated vaccine, (containing killed virus) that is given with a needle. The flu shot is approved for use in people older than 6 months, including healthy people and people with chronic medical conditions. The nasal-spray flu vaccine is made with live, weakened flu viruses that do not cause the flu and is approved for use in healthy people 2-49 years of age who are not pregnant.
Ohioans can help stop the spread of illness by washing hands thoroughly and often; covering mouths when sneezing or coughing; and staying home from work or school if sick. For more information on influenza, the flu vaccine or prevention methods, visit www.flu.ohio.gov.
Holiday band concert
The Owens Community College Band will present a Holiday Band Concert Dec. 5 at 2:30 p.m. in the Theater of the Fine & Performing Arts Building on the Owens campus.
The program will include traditional holiday favorites including “The Nutcracker,” “A Chanukah Celebration,” a new composition, “Cowboy Christmas,” and assorted other selections to usher in the season. Guest conductor Nathan Pienta, who leads the Polish American Concert Band of Toledo, will direct a patriotic medley entitled “Let Freedom Ring.”
The concert is free and refreshments will be served in the lobby following the program. For more information, e-mail William
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.
Hydrant flushing
The Northwestern Water and Sewer District’s Maintenance Department will be flushing and testing fire hydrants through Dec. 3.
Testing will be performed Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday on hydrants on the west side of the City of Northwood (served by Toledo water) The area is bounded by the Wood County line to the north, Tracy Road to the east, I-75 to the west and Caple Boulevard and Reuthinger Road to the south.
Residents may experience rusty water during this period and should run tap water prior to using water for laundry purposes. Those who notice rust on clothing may request rust-removing chemicals at the district office, located at 12560 Middleton Pike, Bowling Green or call 419-354-9090 or 877-354-9090 (toll free).
Nov. 29 through Dec. 31, testing will be performed on the hydrants in the areas of Lake Township served by Oregon Water, parts of Northwood and the Village of Millbury. The area is bounded by the Wood County line to the north and east, Drouillard Road and I-280 to the west and south to the Village of Millbury at SR 795.
Drive-through Nativity
On Dec. 4 and 5, Gibsonburg area churches will present a live drive-through Nativity from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Zion Lutheran Church, 500 S. Brentwood Ave.
The display will consist of nine stations, each depicting a part of the Christmas story. Stations will be manned by members of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Hessville, Shiloh United Methodist Church in Helena and St. Michael’s Catholic Trinity United Methodist, Faith United Methodist, First English Lutheran and Zion Lutheran churches in Gibsonburg.
The Christmas story will be told through song and scripture. Visitors will be given a CD or a cassette to listen to as they travel the parking lot in their vehicles. A player will be provided for those who do not have one.
Christmas Parade Dec. 4
The 39th Annual East Toledo Christmas Parade will step off Dec. 4 at 11 a.m.
The theme of this year’s parade is “Christmas – a Joyous Time of Year for Everyone.” River East Associates, sponsors of the parade, invite community groups, clubs, bands, church groups, scout packs/troops, equestrian units and individuals to join the festivities.
Those participating are asked not to dress as Santa or Mrs. Claus, who will be arriving at the end of the parade. Any candy being passed out during the parade must be individually wrapped and sealed.
Parade participants must be lined up no later than 10:20 a.m. The line will begin at North Ravine at East Broadway, adjacent to the Waite High School stadium, and continue back toward Dearborn Avenue. The parade route will follow East Broadway, right to Starr Avenue, right on Main Street and then right on Front, disbanding at Waite High School.
Participants are invited for hot cocoa, coffee and doughnuts in the lobby of the Weber Block Building at Front and Main streets after disbanding.
For more information, call 419-693-9517.
Mission series planned
“Give God a Second Thought?” is the theme of a three-day mission scheduled for early December at Port Clinton’s Immaculate Conception Church.
Fr. John Collins, former Diocesan Director of Campus Ministry and Pastor at Ohio State University, will conduct the mission. Over the past decade, Fr. Collins has conducted more than 300 missions and preached over 30 retreats for priests and religious. He presently devotes his full-time energies to evangelization and mission work from his home parish, St. Paul the Apostle in New York City.
The dates for the mission will be Dec. 6-8 featuring two sessions per day. The morning sessions will follow 8:30 a.m. Mass, while the evening schedule will begin with an opening prayer at 7 p.m. The Monday talk will be themed “What Good is God?” The Tuesday theme is “Why prayers don’t work.” The Wednesday theme is “Ten kinds of people we don’t have to love.”
The mission is not just for the “every-Sunday church-goer,” but also for those who may have wandered off, or those seeking a church home of their own.
Pre-registration is not required. For more information, call Immaculate Conception Church at 419-734-4004.
Holiday Open House
The annual Holiday Open House at Magee Marsh Wildlife Area will be held Dec. 4 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Sportsmen’s Migratory Bird Center.
Vendors will have unique items for sale, and the Friends of Magee Marsh gift ship will be open and offering discounts on most merchandise. Free gift wrapping will be available for purchases. There will also be live music, refreshments, kids’ activities and a raffle.
Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge and the Black Swamp Observatory will also be holding their open houses on the same day.
Magee Marsh Wildlife Area is located at 13229 W. SR 2 near Oak Harbor. For more information, call Mary at 419-898-0960, ext. 31.
Foundation grants
The Toledo Community Foundation recently awarded grants totaling $112,125 to nine nonprofit organizations.
Among the recipients were:
• $15,000 to the Catholic Club to support child care services;
• $20,000 to the Family and Child Abuse Prevention Center to support the Domestic Violence Advocacy Program;
• $10,000 to the International Boxing Club to provide youth with practical, hands-on training in construction, plumbing and electrical installation.
• $15,000 to Planned Parenthood of Northwest Ohio, Inc., to support the cost of providing health care services to low-income women.
For more information about the Toledo Community Foundation, visit www.toledocf.org.
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