Family briefs
Editor's note: events were current as of press time. Call ahead or visit event websites to check to see if events are ongoing.
Think spring! Floral and Garden Symposium promises to be blooming fun
With Spring upon us (the first day is Friday, March 20), Beeker’s General Store and Downtown Deco in Pemberville are eager to welcome the new season with a “blooming” event – the 2020 Floral and Garden Symposium.
On Saturday, March 21 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., immerse yourself in a botanical world of lush plants, exquisite blooms and on-the-hour demonstrations featuring experts in the floral and garden field.
A sampling of field experts for the day will include:
• North Branch Nursery – outdoor garden and landscape experts;
• SoBee Honey – local honey and pollinator education; Downtown Deco – fine floral design, floral composition demonstrations and houseplant repotting clinic (nominal fee);
• Rupp Seeds – garden seed education and seed pre-order; “In A Class by Itself” – creative yard art for garden inspiration;
• The Good Dog Farms microgreens;
• Z Farms organic mushrooms;
• Schedel Gardens and Arboretum;
• Bench's Greenhouse;
A number of informational demonstrations and presentations will take place including everyday floral designs; designing with materials from the backyard/roadside; contemporary floral design and unique tablescape ideas.
Additionally, the symposium will feature a wide array of garden reads for sale; taste-testing of Beeker’s Amish edibles including canned peaches, fried green beans, roasted green peas, pineapple salsa, hot cherry salsa, mint jelly and tomato jam; a fresh cut florals exhibit from around the world; classic and modern houseplant information and plant sale featuring unique succulents and more.
Beeker’s General Store is located at 226 E. Front St., SR 105, Pemberville. For more details, visit beekersgeneralstore.com.
Breakfast fundraiser
The Oliver H. Perry Masonic Lodge is hosting a fundraiser for the Humane Society of Ottawa County on Saturday, March 21 from 8 a.m.-11a.m. An all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet will be served, including pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns and coffee. Cost is a donation.
Proceeds benefit the Humane Society of Ottawa County. The Masonic Lodge is located at 118 Monroe St., Port Clinton.
Financial planning
seminars offered
Terra State Community College and Parkmont Retirement Solutions are teaming up to offer free financial planning seminars around the Sandusky County area throughout March, April and May. There will be a wide variety of seminars with some geared for ages 17 and older and others for ages 50 and up.
“Offering these free seminars is a great way to help educate our community,” said Terra State Coordinator of Community Education Holly Hoffman. “There are seminars covering budgeting, health insurance, retirement plans, taxes and so much more.”
Seminars for ages 17 and older begin March 17 and will all be offered in the Doepker Leadership and Entrepreneurial Center on the Terra State campus in Fremont:
• March 17: Goals, Planning and Budgeting.
• March 19: Résumé Writing and Interview Skills.
• March 24: Health Insurance and Health Savings Accounts.
• March 26: Writing Your Plan.
Senior-specific classes for ages 50 and over begin April 17 and will also be offered in the Doepker Leadership and Entrepreneurial Center on the Terra State campus:
• April 27: Goals, Planning, Budgeting and Taxes.
• April 29: Managing Risk Qualified Retirement Plans, Medical Expenses and Care Facilities.
• May 4: Social Security, Retirement Income, Protecting Your Estate and Establishing Your Legacy.
• May 6: Writing Your Plan.
Financial seminars for all ages offered at Gibsonburg Town Hall, 526 N. Webster St., will be:
• May 11: Goals, Planning and Budgeting.
• May 13: Résumé Writing and Interview Skills.
• May 18: Managing Risk Qualified Retirement Plans, Medical Expenses and Care Facilities.
Presenters will be Parkmont Retirement Solutions retirement planners Patricia Gerber and Eliot Parker, Terra State Interim Director of Workforce Success Erin Cremean and other guests.
For more info or to register, visit learn.terra.edu or call 419-559-2255. Registration is not required, but preferred.
These seminars are made possible through a grant received through the Terra College Foundation from the U.S. Bank.
Volunteers needed at Magee Marsh
The Friends of Magee Marsh are looking for a few good volunteers to help staff the gift shop March through November. Visitors from throughout the world come to the Bird Center at Magee Marsh, located at 13531 W. SR 2, Oak Harbor.
A Volunteer Training Session will be held Saturday, March 21 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Bird Center. A free pizza lunch will be offered.
To reserve a spot or to find out more information, contact Mary at windbird@bex.net.
Spay-ghetti & No Balls event rescheduled
Due to current public health concerns, this year's Spay-ghetti & No Balls Dinner & Silent Auction has been rescheduled to June 27. The event, which benefits Humane Ohio, will still be held at the Hilton Garden Inn in Perrysburg (6165 Levis Commons Blvd.) from 5- 9:30 p.m.
“This event is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and postponing it was not a decision we took lightly,” said Julie Lyle, director of Humane Ohio. “We rely heavily on the revenue from this fundraiser to cover our day-to-day costs of operating a non-profit spay/neuter clinic. However, our number one concern at the end of the day is the health and safety of our community.
“Spay-ghetti makes a huge difference in the reduction of homeless cats and dogs in our community. We are disappointed that we cannot hold our event on the original date, but we hope this June date will give our attendees a chance to continue support us without any worries or reservations,” Lyle said.
Purchased tickets for the original March 21 date will be honored on June 27. Those who have purchased a ticket but are unable to attend in June may email aaron@humaneohio.org.
For more information about the Spay-ghetti & No Balls Dinner & Silent Auction, including a preview of auction items, or to donate an auction item, visit www.humaneohio.org/spayghetti or call 419-266-5607, ext. 108.
Antique Road Show
For the sixth year, the Auxiliary at Riverview Healthcare is hosting an Antique Road Show. The program is open
to the public and will be held on Saturday, April 4 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in the multi-purpose room at Riverview Healthcare Campus.
Open registration for those presenting an item(s) will begin at 9:30 a.m. and continue throughout the day, with the program of appraisals beginning at 10 a.m.
Guest appraiser Robert Palicki, ISA, will be returning as the master of ceremonies and will be presenting interesting descriptions, history and estimated values on the items that attendees share.
The Auxiliary will be offering Coney dogs and homemade pies for lunch for a donation.
The event is funded by the Thrivent Action Team.
Easter Egg Hunt set in Oak Harbor
The Oak Harbor Area Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual Easter Egg Hunt Saturday April 4 at 2 p.m. The event will begin in Adolphus Kraemer Park at the Log Cabin with an Easter Egg Hunt, followed by a candy hunt downtown, and then move to the Portage Fire Station on Water Street where children can visit and take photos with the Easter Bunny and have a chance to win one of our special Golden Egg baskets.
The event is free to the public and open to children ages 12 and under. For more info, call the chamber office at 419-898-0479.
OHHS Easter Egg-Stravaganza
Oak Harbor High School Student Council will host a free, fun-filled Easter event for kids through age 9 on Wednesday, April 8 from 6-7:30 p.m. at OHHS.
All little bunnies and peeps must be accompanied by an adult.
The Easter Egg-stravaganza will include egg hunts, photos with the Easter Bunny, crafts, games and face painting. Bake sale items will also be available for purchase.
Easter Egg Hunt
The Genoa Area Kiwanis’ Annual Easter Egg Hunt will be held Saturday, April 11 at 1 p.m. at Veterans Park. In case of rain, the event will be held at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, 204 Main St., Genoa, 600 Washington St.
Age categories for young egg hunters include ages 1-2, 3-4, 5 and kindergarten, first grade, second grade and third grade.
Schedel plans egg hunt, kids’ activities
An Easter Egg Hunt will be held Saturday, April 11 from 1-3 p.m. at Schedel Arboretum & Gardens, 19255 W. Portage River S. Rd., Elmore.
The rain-or-shine event will include Easter Egg Hunts at 1:15 and 1:45 p.m. Separate egg-hunting areas will be dedicated for different age groups between the ages of 1 and 12.
Egg hunters should bring their own baskets. The event is free, however, donations of canned goods for the Elmore Food Bank will be appreciated.
Other activities will include photos with the Easter Bunny, an Easter egg decorating station, storytime with the Harris-Elmore Library director; a Bench’s Greenhouse planting station and an Easter coloring station
New this year will be a petting station with chicks, ducks and bunnies.
The Easter Egg Hunt at Schedel is sponsored by North Branch Nursery, Inc. and GenoaBank.
Teen Summer Job Fair
The Oak Harbor Area Chamber of Commerce and the Ottawa County Ohio Means Jobs are hosting a free Teen Summer Job Fair Tuesday, April 21 at Oak Harbor High School.
The event, which will run from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., is for teens seeking summer employment, internships and/or volunteer opportunities.
There is no cost to employers/organizations to participate, but everyone must register. To register or learn more, call 419-898-0479 or email chamber@oakharborohio.net.
Call for entries for TMA poetry contest
Visitors who have been inspired to write about an object in the Museum’s collection are invited to participate in the Toledo Museum of Art’s 11th annual Ekphrastic Poetry Contest by submitting an original poem. The Museum offers writing prompts and activities for guided or self-guided visitors. The deadline to enter is Tuesday, March 31.
Ekphrastic writing, or writing about art, was created by the Greeks but popularized by the Romans. The goal of ekphrasis was to make the reader or listener envision a work of art as if it were physically present. Looking at art and describing art is central to being visually literate in our image-saturated world.
The contest is open to adults, college students and students in grades 6-12. Previous entrants, including finalists and winners, are welcome to participate with fresh material.
The awards ceremony will take place at the Museum on May 22 at 7 p.m. The jury panel for this year’s competition includes Lucas Fannin, Timothy Geiger, Joel Lipman and Sandra Rivers-Gill.
For info and submission guidelines, visit toledomuseum.org/education/ekphrastic-poetry-contest and view the contest flyer.
Children Services names deputy director
Lucas County Children Services (LCCS), the county agency responsible for leading the community in the protection of children, has named Sophia Lloyd to the newly created position of deputy director.
Lloyd brings 30 years of experience in social services to LCCS, most of them at the director level, in both the public and private sectors. She has served as executive director of a 24-hour emergency shelter for homeless families; as chief operating officer for two organizations with multi-million dollar budgets; as an affordable housing and social service provider at a faith-based community organization; as director of a social service agency, where she directed and provided strategic planning and oversight of public assistance programs; as well as a director responsible for developing multi-generational and cross-discipline programs for a faith-based system.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Toledo, a master’s degree in social work from the University of Michigan, and a certificate in organizational development from DePaul University in Chicago.