ETC: Bill Nolte cabaret-style show to highlight Genoa Homecoming

        Award-winning singer and dancer Bill Nolte is “Coming Home” to Genoa to perform during Genoa's annual homecoming celebration, set for June 2-4.
         Nolte, who’s been entertaining crowds for 45 years, will perform at the stage of the Historic Genoa Town Hall on June 3 and 4 in a one-man cabaret-style show titled appropriately, “Coming Home.” Curtain time is 8 p.m. June 3 and 2 p.m. June 4.
        Proceeds from the event will be donated to the Genoa Civic Theater and the Genoa High School music department. Mark Waldrop will direct the show. Musical arrangements are by Pam Drew Phillips
        In Nolte’s honor, the theme for the homecoming celebration, which began back in 1946, is “On Broadway.”
         Nolte has performed in 12 Broadway shows, including the original runs of “Cats,” “The Producers,” “Me and My Girl,” “The Secret Garden,” “Jane Eyre,” “Amour” and “Waitress” as well as revivals of “1776,” “La Cage aux Folles” and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.”
        He’s starred around the country in roles like Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof,” Don Quixote in “Man of La Mancha,” Tony in “The Most Happy Fella,” Doolittle in “My Fair Lady” and the Pirate King in “Pirates of Penzance.”
        Other highlights of the Genoa Homecoming include a Grand Parade Friday at 6:30 p.m., amusement rides, live music, bingo, home run derbies, food vendors, and more.
        Saturday’s schedule includes:
        12 p.m.: Veterans Memorial Service, Garden Tractor Pull.
        1 p.m.: Wine Tasting, music by Elixir, corn hole tournament, 30 & Under Home Run Derby.
        2 p.m.: Bill Nolte in “Coming Home” Cabaret, bingo.
        3 p.m.: 30 & Over Home Run Derby.
        4 p.m. Kiwanis Bike Giveaway, Catch a Pig.
        5 p.m. Home Run Derby (12U and 14U).
        7 p.m. Bill Nolte “Coming Home” Cabaret, Music by Risk Factor.
        8 p.m. 14U Boys Home Run Derby Finals.
        8:30 p.m.: 12U Boys Home Run Derby Finals.
        Dusk: Fireworks
        11 p.m.: Raffle drawing.
        A complete schedule of events is available online at genoahomecoming.org.
 
Old West End Festival
        The 49th Annual Old West End Festival will be held June 4 and 5.
        House Tour tickets are $15 per person, $25 per couple and $5 per single house. Children 12 and under are admitted free. Credit cards will be accepted at the info booths.
        The festival will feature tours of five historic homes, an Art Fair on the grounds of the Toledo Museum of Art Glass Pavilion, a Marketplace on Woodruff Avenue, a Food & Beer Garden, entertainment at three locations.
        In addition, garage and yard sales will be held throughout the entire Old West End. Children’s activities will be located near the Marketplace/Art Fair and at Glenwood Park (Robinwood and Collins streets).
        The 113th King Wamba Carnival Parade will step off Saturday at 10 a.m. Participants from throughout the Midwest journey to Toledo to create a visual odyssey of art cars, floats, performance art and musical presentations.
        A 5K Run/Walk will take place Sunday morning.
        For more info, visit toledooldwestend.com/festival.
 
Walbridge Library to
host Monday movies
        Join the Wood County District Public Library every Monday during the Summer Reading Program: “Oceans of Possibilities” to watch movies about your favorite ocean-dwelling characters.
        Movies will be shown Monday throughout summer at 10:30 a.m. in the library meeting room.
The schedule includes:
        • June 6 – Moana.
        • June 13 - Luca
        • June 27 - The Little Mermaid
        • July 11 - Muppet Treasure Island
        • July 18 - Atlantis: The Lost Empire
        • July 25 - Finding Nemo and Finding Dory double feature
        Registration is required. To register, call 419-352-8253, email woodkids@wcdpl.org, or register online at wcdpl.org.
 
“Stroll the Street”
moves to Tuesdays
        The Rossford Convention & Visitors Bureau’s (RCVB) summer “Stroll the Street” events have moved to Tuesdays this year.
        “Stroll the Street,” which will be held Tuesdays from 4:30-7:30 p.m., rain or shine, through Aug. 31, is a celebration of summer featuring food trucks, farm markets, arts and crafts, business vendors, live entertainment, kids’ activities and face painting.
        “We were competing with too many other events in Northwest Ohio on Wednesdays,” said Beth Genson, director of the RCVB.
        Food trucks and vendors will be spaced out in and around Ford Memorial Park and along Dixie Highway toward the downtown.
        New this year is a Cruise-In Car Show in the Fifth Third Bank parking lot to cap the other end of the “Stroll” toward downtown Rossford. Cars may arrive after 5 p.m. when the bank closes and can fill the parking lot, first-come, first-served, leaving the drives and ATM lane open for bank customers. No registration is required.
        “We have so many great food trucks in this area, we decided to alternate weeks with 10 trucks each week,” said Genson. “This allows us to have greater variety and gives more vendors an opportunity to be in Rossford.”
        Free parking for the event is available at both IPS and the United Methodist Church, both on Dixie Highway.
        The June entertainment schedule includes:
        • June 7:  Enjoy the music of The Cheeks, from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
        •  June 14:  Ohio’s favorite one-man band – Johnny Rodriquez will perform from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
        • June 21: Grape Smugglers from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
        • June 28: Enjoy classic rock tunes with New Moon from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
        Visit visitrossfordohio.com/sts for more information.
 
Community Festival
        The Wood County Board of Developmental Disabilities will present the 3rd Annual Community Festival Friday, June 10 from 5-8 p.m., 1921 E. Gypsy Lane, Bowling Green.
        The community is invited to the evening of family fun, including kind-friendly activities including a bounce house and face painting, live music by Timmy C and the Game Changers and The Only’s, local vendors and artisans; food, a bake walk and dog treats provided by Kiwanis Aktion Club, raffles and more.,
        For more information, visit woodcountydd.org.
 
Boat Race Challenge
        Families are invited to join the Wood County District Public Library for a Boat Race Challenge Saturday, June 11 from 2-4 p.m. at the Walbridge Library, 108 N. Main St.
        Build a miniature boat out of recyclable materials and test its speed and seaworthiness on the special outdoor rain gutter racetrack. WCDPL librarians will have plenty of books to help build the best boat possible.
        No registration is required. Simply stop by the library to participate. For more information, visit wcdpl.org.
 
Great Lakes creatures
focus of library program
        Join author and speaker Shetan Noir as the Pemberville Public Library explores the creepy, weird and wondrous lake monsters and odd creatures of the Great Lakes at a program June 11 at 1 p.m.
        To register for the “Cryptozoology of the Great Lakes,” program, call 419-287-4012 or stop in at the library, located at 325 E. Front St.
        Trip to the lavender farm
        Join the library at the Luckey Road Lavender Farm, 19587 Luckey Rd., Pemberville, Saturday, June 25 at 4 p.m. Tour the lavender field, learn about great uses for lavender and get tips on how to grow it in our area. Bring your own garden shears to gather a bundle of lavender for $10.
 
Kidney Walk
        The National Kidney Foundation invites the community to support families facing kidney disease at the Northwest Ohio Kidney Walk Sunday, Sunday, June 12 at 9 a.m. at the University of Toledo, 2801 Bancroft St., Toledo.
        To help keep kidney patients and those who care for them safe during the ongoing pandemic, participants are invited to join in person or participate virtually.
        The in-person event will feature legislative speakers, patient stories, children’s activities and more. Register at kidneywalk.org/northwestohio.
        “Funds raised from this critical opportunity will allow NKF to provide all patients with a better quality of life through research, advocacy and increasing living kidney donation,” said Jenna Maruskin, medical student at University of Toledo and chairperson of the Kidney Walk.
        The Kidney Walk is the nation’s largest fundraiser to fight kidney disease. Held in more than 70 communities, thousands of walkers join NKF annually to raise over $10 million to help kidney patients and their families each year. More than 84 cents of every dollar donated directly supports NKF programs and services.
 
OSU walleye webinar
        Walleye fishing in Ohio significantly contributes to the state’s $1.9 billion sportfishing industry, but the fish are experiencing significant changes to their environment due to harmful algal blooms.
        For walleye, who are visual hunters, those changes affect finding food and mates, and anglers who fish for walleye may have to change their approach to selecting lures.
        On Tuesday, June 14 from 12-12:30 p.m., Dr. Suzanne Gray at The Ohio State University will present a webinar, “Can Walleye See the Bait on the Hook?” Dr. Gray is linking walleye vision, murky waters from harmful algal blooms and lure colors to determine the impacts algal blooms can have on visual hunters like walleye and on the success of Lake Erie’s sportfishing industry.
        The webinar is free, but registration is required to receive log-in information. Visit ohioseagrant.osu.edu/news/calendar for more details.
       
History Happy Hour
        On Thursday, June 16 from 5:30-7:30 p.m., the National Museum of the Great Lakes (NMGL) is partnering with North Cape Yacht Club to host the next History Happy Hour – “Sailor Songs.”
        The event will take place in front of the historic Col. James M. Schoonmaker Museum Ship at the NMGL and features singer, songwriter, and musician Lee Murdock, whose music celebrates the people who live, work, and play on the Great Lakes.
        “Finding unique ways to bring Great Lakes history into people’s lives is why we created History Happy Hour,” said Kate Fineske, the museum's Senior Director of Institutional Advancement. “Lee Murdock’s music combines ragtime, Irish, blues and folk styles with Great Lakes storytelling and brings together original compositions with music grounded in the sea shanty tradition.”
        North Cape Yacht Club is a private sailing club located on the shores of Lake Erie next to Toledo Beach in LaSalle, Michigan. The club focuses on the cultivation of racing and cruising sailboats.
        Participants are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and/or blankets to enjoy the sights and sounds. Tickets are $30 for NMGL and North Cape Yacht Club members, and $35 for non-members and include light snacks, specialty drinks created by Toledo Spirits, beer, wine and soft drinks.
        The National Museum of the Great Lakes is located at 1701 Front St., Toledo. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit nmgl.org or call 419-214-5000.
 
Gibsonburg Donut Mile
        The Gibsonburg Donut Mile – featuring three legendary Ideal Bakery donuts, three laps and one mile – will be held Friday, June 24 at 6 p.m. in Williams Park, located at E. Stone Street.
        The entry fee is $15 if registered by Friday, June 17 (includes race shirt). The $20 race day registration begins at 4:30 p.m. at the Williams Park enclosed Shelterhouse. Online entry is available at runsignup.com (search the Gibsonburg Donut Mile; service fee applies).
        The course is a timed, one-mile running or walking event around the one-third mile path at the Williams Park Quarry. Participants will eat donut, run/walk a lap, eat a donut, run/walk a lap, and eat another donut and run/walk a lap.
        Awards will be presented to the top five finishers in youth boys and girls (under 18) and adult male and female divisions. Special awards will be presented to participants with the best donut costumes.
        Post-run, enjoy the Gibsonburg Homecoming Festival in Williams Park. The event will feature carnival rides, games, vendors, food, a beer tent and live entertainment. The festival runs June 22-25.
        For more information, contact Marc Glotzbecker at 419-637-2634 or m.glotzbecker@gibsonburgohio.org.
 
“Distinctive” homes
sought for holiday tour
        The Oregon-Jerusalem Historical Society will host its Holiday Tour of Distinctive Homes Saturday, Dec. 3 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
        The society is looking for Oregon-Jerusalem homes that are interesting, distinctive and will be decorated for the holidays. “They can be century-old homes and they can be new builds, and everything in between,” said Linda Wise, historical society member. “We are looking for individuals or families that are willing to open up their homes for six hours on the first Saturday of December to help a very worthwhile cause.
        “Also, recommendations of distinctive homes are encouraged and appreciated,” Wise said. “The event is a major fundraiser for the Oregon-Jerusalem Historical Society, and homeowners would be helping the preservation of local history.”
        Homeowners who are interested in volunteering, or who have a recommendation, may call 419-698-1045 and leave a message.
 
Historical Society
launches podcast
        Catawba Island Historical Society (CIHS) will launch a new podcast titled “Now Listen to Me…Catawba Island Fun Facts, Lore, Anecdotes and Sometimes Even a Little History.”
        According to Amy Heflinger, CIHS Board member and creator of the podcast, “It will share conversations and oral histories of the people, places, artifacts and industries of Catawba Island, Ohio. Most of the stories and histories come from conversations and interviews with the late Don Rhodes, a lifelong Catawba resident. They are an enlightening complement to the exhibits at Catawba’s Union Chapel Museum.”
        The first episode, Catawba Island Driving Tour Part 1, was released May 29. New episodes will be available each Sunday for 10 weeks thereafter. They can be found on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple and other podcast platforms.