Joy of Medina County Magazine June 2021 by Joy of Medina County

A TICKET TO RIDE PG. 20 When dementia strikes, there can be one more trip to take.

WHERE HAS ALL THE DATA GONE? PG. 27 New column premieres with a mystery and an investigation.

GOODBYE, TRAINING WHEELS PG. 32 How to help kids let go and pedal on

A Fish, a Book and a Mission

It was 70 years ago that locals joined together to form a chapter of the Izaak Walton League in Medina County and dedicated themselves to preservation and respect for land and life. Pg. 4 A locally owned, independent publication dedicated to higher standards of journalism

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

VOLUME 4 NUMBER 5 JOYOFMEDINACOUNTY.COM

Accepting Changes by Amy Barnes It was an article in the Akron Beacon Journal that caught my attention. It was about a program called UnderSupport sponsored by OutSupport, an organization founded by two mothers who found there was a lack of local support and education regarding having transgender children. The story caught my attention because I search for understanding when I do not have it. I ask questions and try to learn as much as I can. I try to bring information to readers so they, too, have a chance to gain a better, clearer understanding. My hope with doing an article in the “Gems” column on Sandy Varndell and Amy Demlow’s efforts is for others to gain a better understanding, as I did. I deeply appreciate the kindness and openness they both extended to me as I stumbled through awkward questions and attempted to learn the correct terminology while I reached for education and understanding. As a mother, it is heartbreaking to learn about children who are driven to the point of suicide because of the confusion between what the body is and what the mind says, compounded by the lack of understanding and acceptance from the community around them. This is a human issue. I refuse to address any of the so-called politics that have been dragged into this issue, that is not what this story is about. This story is about saving lives and finding our way, as a society, to acceptance. This month, a few changes have been made to the magazine. Our photo feature, “Oh, Snap!” is now in the back of the magazine, near “Let’s Do It!” the calendar of events. It makes more sense to have it there since most of the photos are from events that happen around the county. Other changes are two new features that have been added to the Business and Home and Garden sections. The first is “Applause!” which can be found in the Business section and is an area for businesses to list new hires, promotions, and certifications of their employees. With all of the changes in the business world caused by the pandemic, those changes will be reflected in employees and careers, making it the perfect time to applaud those up-andcomers. Our second new addition is in the Home and Garden section and is called “Watchdog.” The column is a consumer-watch column that will examine a variety of consumer issues. First up is an investigation into why a local household was experiencing data usage spikes, and it very surprisingly had nothing to do with the teenagers!

PUBLISHER Blake House Publishing, LLC EDITOR Amy Barnes ART DIRECTOR Danny Feller PHOTOGRAPHERS Allison Waltz-Boebel FlashBang Photography CARTOONIST Jerry King CONTRIBUTORS Bob Arnold Kelly Bailey Hunter Barnard Tyler Hatfield Michelle Riley Robert Soroky Kent Von Der Vellen MASCOT Rico Houdini ADVERTISING SALES AND OFFICE 330-461-0589 E-MAIL Joy@BlakeHousePublishing.com WEBSITE JoyOfMedinaCountyMagazine.com Learn more about the staff at Behind The Scenes, JoyofMedinaCountyMagazine.com Open positions are listed on the website at Open Positions. JOY of MEDINA COUNTY MAGAZINE is published monthly by Blake House Publishing, LLC, 1114 N. Court, #144, Medina, Ohio 44256. It is distributed as an e-edition and in a print edition. Both editions can be found at JoyofMedinaCountyMagazine.com Copyright 2020 by Blake House Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of editorial or pictorial content without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited. Any unsolicited materials, manuscripts, artwork, cartoons, or photos will not be returned.

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

HOME AND GARDEN

WATCHDOG

VEXING VAMPIRE by Amy Barnes Have you found that you are using an excessive amount of internet data, even after life has started returning to pre-pandemic conditions? The reason why may surprise you.

BITE ME!

RUEBEN CASSEROLE recipe by Martha Evans Sharing one of her cherished recipes this month is a woman from Seville who is known as a “friend to the world.”

DIG IT!

BLOOMS BECOMING by Michelle Riley There are flowers to fit every personality’s garden and every gardener’s whim.

HEALTH

4 20

They are the guardians of a legacy that has been handed down since 1951, and it is all based on a book that was published in 1653.

by Amy Barnes

by Kelly Bailey

WHEN FLASH DRIVES FAIL by Tyler Hatfield

THE NETWORKER

FINDING FEEDERS

SIGN OF THE TIMES

36 37

APPLAUSE! Celebrating local new hires, promotions and certifications.

On the front and back covers: photos by Allison Waltz-Boebel Bill Gibbs, Brenda Swartz and Tom Swartz hangout on the Izaak Walton League grounds.

by Amy Barnes

JOYFUL LETTER DETECTIVES CLUE BOX Solve the puzzle and send in the correct answer to get your name included in an upcoming Joyful Word Search!

ROLL ’EM!

ROBOT REVOLT by Hunter Barnard Take the quirkiest, most uncoordinated family possible and pit them against a sophisticated robot uprising. What could possibly go right? Everything, says our reviewer.

by Amy Barnes An inappropriate sign at a local store emphasizes the need to support and communicate with employees in these trying retail times.

THEIR AUTHENTIC LIVES

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

by Bob Arnold

THE IN BOX

GEMS When Sandy Varndell and Amy Demlow could not find the answers they needed locally, they took action and found they inadvertently had become the local voices listened to.

Networking is not about you, it is about whom you can help.

WINNING THE WEIGHT WAR

COMMUNITY

FROM A TECHNICAL MIND Learn what causes the end of a flash drive’s life span.

OF MIND AND BODY

THE WAY-BACK GAME

BUSINESS

by Robert Soroky

Tracking, rising, stopping are common-sense keys to achieving your best health.

THE READING NOOK If someone in your life is suffering from dementia, there is a way to discover joy that will rise above your sorrow.

BIKES FOR TYKES Advice and tips for choosing the right bike and building confidence in young riders.

MISSION IMMORTAL by Amy Barnes

HEALTHY TRAILS

JOYFUL WORD SEARCH

WALTON WANDERINGS Words that give meaning to what the Izaak Walton League is and why it exists.

MIRTH AND JOY by Jerry King

39 42 47

OH, SNAP! photos byFlashBang Photography There were birds and snails all over the place!

LET’S DO IT! Find the events that are waiting for you!

CELEBRATE! Our clickable directory of vetted businesses who bring you Joy!

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

The sign for the Izaak Walton League at 7085 Friendsville Road, Medina. photo by Amy Barnes

by Amy Barnes photos by Allison Waltz-Boebel

It all began with the book “The Compleat Angler,” by Izaak Walton in 1653. he unassuming, dark green wooden sign Published in London by Richard Marriot, the book is surrounded by daylilies on Friendsville Road, considered one of the most important environmental Medina, gives little clue as to what lies down the books in history, according to the national Izaak winding gravel driveway that pauses at a padlocked Walton League of America. gate. Walton used prose and verse to teach about fish It is easy to drive past the sign and barely notice it. and fishing while sharing his view of the natural Follow the driveway to peek at what lies past the world. He believed that a healthy environment was gate, and little can be seen because of a bend in the vital to preserving the outdoor recreation he loved. driveway that takes it behind a stand of large trees. He wanted to see sportsmen create a brotherhood Unless familiar with Izaak Walton, the words on the that would act as stewards of the world. sign only spark curiosity: “Izaak Walton League, In 1922, Walton’s vision came to fruition when 54 Medina-Chapter.” sportsmen met in Chicago to found a group that For the past 70 years, the league’s members have would protect the environment for future been the environmental guardians of Medina County, generations. They named it the Izaak Walton League but the history of the league goes much farther back to honor the man who first spoke up for the world than that. almost three centuries earlier.

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

The league was founded with the mission “to conserve, restore, and promote the sustainable use and enjoyment of our natural resources, including soil, air, woods, waters, and wildlife.” At the time of the league’s founding, there was industrial waste and raw sewage being discharged without regulation, logging was unrestricted, and soil erosion was causing damage to waterways, according to the league’s national website. The league claims to be America’s oldest and most successful conservation organization and also the only one training, equipping and coordinating waterquality monitors on a national scale. Locally, a chapter was founded in 1951 because there were residents who wanted to safeguard and restore some of the local farmland that was being sold. Members pooled their funds and bought a 78-

acre cow farm, said Brenda Swartz, Medina chapter president. Later, some of the acreage along the front of the property was sold in order to pay back the founding members for funds they contributed to the original purchase. This decreased the league’s acreage to approximately 73 acres. Since that time, league members have planted 33,000 trees to change the land from open pasture to what it was before being used for cattle. Swartz said that the league was responsible for the creation of Save Our Streams, a national effort that monitors the health of streams, and locally helped to create the Medina County Park District. “We are conservation,” Swartz said. She said the Izaak Walton League of America has environmental lobbyists in Washington D.C.

A long gravel driveway leads from Friendsville Road back to the padlocked gate to enter the grounds of the Izaak Walton League. photo by Amy Barnes continued, Page 6

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

continued from Page 5

Individual chapters study such things as salt levels in ditches and how fertilizer runoff is affecting streams. Their methods and data are so respected that the EPA accepts and utilizes their data, she added. Swartz also is the local treasurer, a national director, and the president elect of the league’s Ohio division. She will be sworn in as president in September. She said the local chapter has between 85 and 90 members. Statewide, there are 24 chapters, with a total nationwide of 420 chapters and 42,000 members, Swartz said. She said the average age of local members stretch from those in their 20s up to 90 years old. “We have a good group of members,” Swartz said. The youngest member is 11-year-old Jayden Haywood, Brenda and Tom Swartz’s grandson. They bought him a league membership of his own as a gift. Tom Swartz is the grounds manager for the league. “I get to do all the mowing and stuff,” he said, with a

smile. Tom Swartz became a league member as a high schooler when a neighbor got him involved, which led to his father also joining the league. Bill Gibbs, a descendant of one of the original founders of the local chapter, is a league trustee. The three attended Medina High School together and share an easy-going camaraderie. They make joking pokes at each other, enjoying not only their roles with the league but also the deep friendship they share. In 1971, Brenda and Tom wed. That was the beginning of Brenda’s involvement with the league since Tom already was a member. August will mark 50 years of marriage for the couple. Brenda Swartz works at a lumberyard. Tom Swartz and Gibbs are both retired. “This is my job out here (at the league),” Tom Swartz said. “This is my home away from home.” Gibbs chimed in that he also is retired, “way retired.” Tom Swartz and Gibbs are so much alike that they

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

grow the same beards during the winter, and people mix them up because of it, Brenda Swartz said, laughing. Originally, the league was more of a men’s club, with the women invited to the grounds on women’s nights when the men would cook and make homemade ice cream. “It used to be more of a boys’ club,” Brenda said, sighing and rolling her eyes over the condition of the kitchen then. Even though fishing and shooting are allowed and encouraged on league grounds in specific areas, hunting is not. Hiking and nature photography also are encouraged on the grounds. “We have trails in the woods,” said Brenda Swartz. The league also hosts fishing derbies and offers free beginning archery lessons. Tom Swartz and Gibbs run the trap-shoot contests the league hosts. Turkey shoots also are held every spring and fall with trap shooting every Tuesday, weather permitting. While not everyone may know of the league’s existence, it is deeply rooted in the community. Boy Scout troops use the league for camping, and the 4-H Sharpshooters Club uses the shooting range for practice. In 1979, a local Boy Scout troop made the picnic tables that fill the pavilion attached to the clubhouse. Some of the expenses for the league include building, equipment and trail maintenance; high insurance rates because of the shooting range; stocking the pond with fish; and utilities. To upgrade, maintain and improve league facilities, funds are raised through activities such as fishing derbies and the annual auction of a shell reloader, which was donated to the league by local dentist Dr. Stan Nichols after he had used it for 40 years. The annual auction of the shell reloader is a running joke among local chapter members. Each year, the reloader is auctioned off, the winning bidder pays the bid, and walks away with nothing but thanks from fellow members.

Past auction “winners” have the honor of having their names posted in a framed tribute that hangs near the reloader. Woe to the newbie who does not know the auction rules and thinks he or she is walking away with an antique reloader! It has been bolted to the fireplace’s blower system for years and remains in the clubhouse, just so there are no misunderstandings in case the auction winner tries to take it home. Other funding has come from grants for such projects as the construction of a couple of bridges, installation of a small butterfly garden and the building of an archery range. In the late 1970s, when a tornado took down a stand of pine trees on the property, league members did not want the downed trees to be wasted. They cut the trees into planks and used them to panel the inside of the clubhouse. When the need for the clubhouse to have a functioning kitchen became overwhelming, league members once again joined together to solve the problem. Brenda Swartz said that Nichols donated half of the funds for an addition to the clubhouse for a new kitchen. The league chapter raised the remaining $20,000 needed through fundraisers, and the addition was built in 1997. Last year, Wi-Fi was added to the clubhouse. Currently, they are working on installing better security cameras. Brenda Swartz said one of her goals is to establish a youth group. She said it has been difficult to start because of the competition with school sports and electronics. Another issue is parents being busy and finding it difficult to find time to bring their children to the league, Swartz said. Prior to the COVID-19 shutdown, the first Monday of the month was the officers’ meeting and the second Saturday of every month was a members’ potluck dinner. They have not yet returned to that schedule. League members enjoy the use of the shooting range during restricted hours, fishing and limited camping. Members have access to the grounds 24 hours a day, seven days a week. continued, Page 8

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

continued from Page 7

The original petition to organize a local chapter of the Izaak Walton League.

The original list of founding members and those who asked to be on the mailing list for the league, held by Brenda Swartz.

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

Some of the history of the Medina league was preserved in photos mounted in a display case entirely assembled by Paul Muha, who was a principal at Medina’s Claggett Junior High School, said Brenda Swartz, league president. Muha died in 2001.

continued, Page 10

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

continued from Page 9

Members of the league also receive a monthly newsletter, a subscription to the league’s magazine “Outdoor America” and can participate in the monthly dinner. The league’s annual three-day national convention will be virtual and is scheduled for July. Brenda Swartz said anyone interested in attending can contact her for more information. A family membership, which includes league voting rights, is $138 a year; individual membership is $122 a year; a youth membership, for those younger than 18, is $18 annually; and a student membership, for those 18 to 21, is $33 a year. Brenda Swartz encourages those interested in becoming league members or in attending the virtual conference to contact her at bswartz@zoominternet.net. More information about the league is available at https://bit.ly/3gq4YVr and at https://bit.ly/3wnw2Kb The unassuming, dark green wooden sign surrounded by daylilies on Friendsville Road, Medina, gives little clue as to what lies down the winding gravel driveway that pauses at a padlocked gate. It is easy to drive past the sign and barely notice it. Follow the driveway to peek at what lies past the gate, and little can be seen because of a bend in the driveway that takes it behind a stand of large trees. Unless familiar with Izaak Walton, the words on the sign only spark curiosity: “Izaak Walton League, Medina-Chapter.” For the past 70 years, the league’s members have been the environmental guardians of Medina County, but the history of the league goes much farther back than that. It all began with the book “The Compleat Angler,” by Izaak Walton in 1653. Published in London by Richard Marriot, the book is considered one of the most important environmental books in history, according to the national Izaak Walton League of America. Walton used prose and verse to teach about fish and fishing while sharing his view of the natural world. He believed that a healthy environment was

vital to preserving the outdoor recreation he loved. He wanted to see sportsmen create a brotherhood that would act as stewards of the world. In 1922, Walton’s vision came to fruition when 54 sportsmen met in Chicago to found a group that would protect the environment for future generations. They named it the Izaak Walton League to honor the man who first spoke up for the world almost three centuries earlier. The league was founded with the mission “to conserve, restore, and promote the sustainable use and enjoyment of our natural resources, including soil, air, woods, waters, and wildlife.” At the time of the league’s founding, there was industrial waste and raw sewage being discharged without regulation, logging was unrestricted, and soil erosion was causing damage to waterways, according to the league’s national website. The league claims to be America’s oldest and most successful conservation organization and also the only one training, equipping and coordinating waterquality monitors on a national scale. Locally, a chapter was founded in 1951 because there were residents who wanted to safeguard and restore some of the local farmland that was being sold. Members pooled their funds and bought a 78acre cow farm, said Brenda Swartz, Medina chapter president. Later, some of the acreage along the front of the property was sold in order to pay back the founding members for funds they contributed to the original purchase. This decreased the league’s acreage to approximately 73 acres. Since that time, league members have planted 33,000 trees to change the land from open pasture to what it was before being used for cattle. Swartz said that the league was responsible for the creation of Save Our Streams, a national effort that monitors the health of streams, and locally helped to create the Medina County Park District. “We are conservation,” Swartz said. She said the Izaak Walton League of America has environmental lobbyists in Washington D.C. Individual chapters study such things as salt levels in ditches and how fertilizer runoff is affecting

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

Tom Swartz, league grounds manager, checks out the old hand pump on the league property.

streams. Their methods and data are so respected that the EPA accepts and utilizes their data, she added. Swartz also is the local treasurer, a national director, and the president elect of the league’s Ohio division. She will be sworn in as president in September. She said the local chapter has between 85 and 90 members. Statewide, there are 24 chapters, with a total nationwide of 420 chapters and 42,000 members, Swartz said. She said the average age of local members stretch from those in their 20s up to 90 years old. “We have a good group of members,” Swartz said. The youngest member is 11-year-old Jayden Haywood, Brenda and Tom Swartz’s grandson. They bought him a league membership of his own as a gift. Tom Swartz is the grounds manager for the league. “I get to do all the mowing and stuff,” he said, with a smile.

Tom Swartz became a league member as a high schooler when a neighbor got him involved, which led to his father also joining the league. Bill Gibbs, a descendant of one of the original founders of the local chapter, is a league trustee. The three attended Medina High School together and share an easy-going camaraderie. They make joking pokes at each other, enjoying not only their roles with the league but also the deep friendship they share. In 1971, Brenda and Tom wed. That was the beginning of Brenda’s involvement with the league since Tom already was a member. August will mark 50 years of marriage for the couple. Brenda Swartz works at a lumberyard. Tom Swartz and Gibbs are both retired. “This is my job out here (at the league),” Tom Swartz said. “This is my home away from home.” Gibbs chimed in that he also is retired, “way retired.” Tom Swartz and Gibbs are so much alike that they continued, Page 12

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

continued from Page 11

Izaak Walton’s likeness and story hang in the league’s clubhouse.

Brad Hamblen, Medina, instructs family friend 12-year-old David Robinson, Cuyahoga Falls, on how to handle and shoot a pistol at the Izaak Walton League shooting range. Hamblen has been a league member for 11 years.

A manual clay pigeon launcher formerly used in the league’s trap shooting contests.

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

In 1979, a local Boy Scout troop made the picnic tables that fill the pavilion attached to the clubhouse. Some of the expenses for the league include building, equipment and trail maintenance; high insurance rates because of the shooting range; stocking the pond with fish; and utilities. To upgrade, maintain and improve league facilities, funds are raised through activities such as fishing derbies and the annual auction of a shell reloader, which was donated to the league by local dentist Dr. Stan Nichols after he had used it for 40 years. The annual auction of the shell reloader is a running joke among local chapter members. Each year, the reloader is auctioned off, the winning bidder pays the bid, and walks away with nothing but thanks from fellow members. Past auction “winners” have the honor of having their names posted in a framed tribute that hangs near the reloader. Woe to the newbie who does not know the auction rules and thinks he or she is walking away with an antique reloader! It has been bolted to the fireplace’s blower system for years and remains in the clubhouse, just so there are no misunderstandings in case the auction winner tries to take it home.

Things seem to accumulate in the league’s clubhouse. Like the pheasant on this magazine’s table of contents page, this mounted muskelunge fish was not caught on the property but was donated to display in the clubhouse. According to a typewritten note on the plaque, the fish was caught on June 20, 1938, by Edythe F. Fisher with the assistance of her husband, John H. Fisher. continued, Page 14

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

continued from Page 13

Tom and Brenda Swartz enjoy the view overlooking one of the league’s ponds from a bench that was installed to honor Tom’s father, Arthur Swartz, who served in World War II.

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

Every year, the league holds a lighthearted “auction” for this shell reloader to raise funds. Highest bidder wins only the obligation to pay the bid, the reloader is bolted down so it never leaves the clubhouse. A framed tribute to past “winners” is posted by the reloader.

The Norton Nature Trail is named after long-time member Bill Norton. continued, Page 16

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

continued from Page 15

Tom Swartz stands by the tree and plaque that honor his mother, Shirley Swartz. In the background can be seen the trap shooting area.

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

Other funding has come from grants for such projects as the construction of a couple of bridges, installation of a small butterfly garden and the building of an archery range. In the late 1970s, when a tornado took down a stand of pine trees on the property, league members did not want the downed trees to be wasted. They cut the trees into planks and used them to panel the inside of the clubhouse. When the need for the clubhouse to have a functioning kitchen became overwhelming, league members once again joined together to solve the problem. Brenda Swartz said that Nichols donated half of the funds for an addition to the clubhouse for a new kitchen. The league chapter raised the remaining $20,000 needed through fundraisers, and the addition was built in 1997. Last year, Wi-Fi was added to the clubhouse. Currently, they are working on installing better security cameras. Brenda Swartz said one of her goals is to establish a youth group. She said it has been difficult to start because of the competition with school sports and electronics. Another issue is parents being busy and finding it difficult to find time to bring their children to the league, Swartz said. Prior to the COVID-19 shutdown, the first Monday of

the month was the officers’ meeting and the second Saturday of every month was a members’ potluck dinner. They have not yet returned to that schedule. League members enjoy the use of the shooting range during restricted hours, fishing and limited camping. Members have access to the grounds 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Members of the league also receive a monthly newsletter, a subscription to the league’s magazine “Outdoor America” and can participate in the monthly dinner. The league’s annual three-day national convention will be virtual and is scheduled for July. Brenda Swartz said anyone interested in attending can contact her for more information. A family membership, which includes league voting rights, is $138 a year; individual membership is $122 a year; a youth membership, for those younger than 18, is $18 annually; and a student membership, for those 18 to 21, is $33 a year. Brenda Swartz encourages those interested in becoming league members or in attending the virtual conference to contact her at bswartz@zoominternet.net. More information about the league is available at https://bit.ly/3gq4YVr and at https://bit.ly/3wnw2Kb Turn page for more photos.

continued, Page 18

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

continued from Page 17

From left, Tom Swartz scans the water for the fish Bill Gibbs is pointing out.

Bill Gibbs by the memorial tree and plaque in honor of his great-uncle Earle Gibbs, who was an original charter member of the league. In the background is the league’s clubhouse.

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

THE READING NOOK

by Amy Barnes

should have been shared long ago. Our game helped her feel at ease because I was no longer making her be “now,” she did not have to struggle to remember the present or even who I was. She could go to any time she wanted and live there for a little while. Usually, we traveled to when she was young and strong. While it helped her, it helped me, too. I knew only small scraps of her history. I had to guess and try to use a scrap of what I knew as her ticket for the Way-Back train. I learned so much about her and her history. So many things, I did not know. Her story would come to life in the air around us, as her body was slowly giving up. When she died, that is what I ended up missing most. Not the present-day her who could no longer walk, who had strong flashes of anger and rage, who cried because she wanted to go home or to have a pet dog. She died several years ago, her lungs drowning in her bed from too many years of too many cigarettes. One morning, the phone rang and it was a nurse at the nursing home telling me that my aunt had “expired.” I remember not understanding because all I could think of was that she was not a library book that was overdue. To this day, I miss our Way-Back Game. It was a way to connect and learn and to find a treasure in the middle of all the pain and loss. In those moments, she found her greatness again and her eyes would come alive with the snap of defiance that she once had carried so proudly. Even though my aunt would often not know me when we played the game, I could recognize her and that meant the world to me and eased the heartbreak of being lost to her. Dementia is a horrible foe, but I learned that, in spite of it, there still can be joy and lessons to be shared. It was the last lesson she had left to teach.

hen my aunt was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, she was several states away. It was not until she was well into it that she was moved to the state I was living in and I once again got to see her on a regular basis. It was quickly apparent, though, that it was too late for us to have anything close to the already less-than-perfect relationship we once had. I grieved and did what a lot of people do, on every visit I tried to get her to recognize me, to bring her back to the present, to get her to comprehend where and when she was. It caused us both to grieve even more, her in deep confusion and me over the last chance to connect with her. There was a lot of stress for both of us and shouting (on her part). She fought everything around her in every way she could. For me, the pain was unbearable. It was a lot like seeing a once great race horse struggle to stand in the quicksand of age and fail to even get off its knees. The confusion in her eyes and her attempts to cover it up were heart wrenching. Then, one day, I accidentally discovered that there still was a way for us to connect and to share a whole new world. When I would arrive for a visit with her, I could easily tell if she did not recognize me. Those were the hardest visits, but the game I created helped me swallow my pain as I watched her fade. We ended up naming it the Way-Back Game. It started with me asking how she was. Then I would tell her that we were going to play the Way-Back Game and go waaaay back, to as far back as she could remember. “Oh, boy, “ she would say every time, and after a slight pause, “How far are we going?” I would smile because she sounded like a timid child boarding a train. “Well, how far back can we go? Can we go back to when you used to train horses?” She would happily board the train and go on the trip Have you written a fiction or nonfiction story (short or with me. We would go back in time to a place she could chapter) that you would like to share with Joy’s easily remember. What was amazing was how it would readers? Go to https://bit.ly/2Zmc98z for lead to all kinds of wonderful stops along the way, as well details on how to submit it. as the discovery of some very old, hidden secrets that

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

BUSINESS: FROM A TECHNICAL MIND

When Flash Drives Fail

by Tyler Hatfield When talking about technology life spans, it is important to include flash drives, an integral part of making information portable. While flash storage technology has been improving greatly over the years, it still does have its limits. For example, a modern flash drive is intended to handle

level flash drives that can handle up to 100,000 write cycles may be a better investment. Leaving a flash drive constantly plugged in and idle also can eat up the flash drive’s life. When idle, some small, random requests are sent to the device every so often by the computer to ensure it is still plugged in or to do background

only around 10,000 write cycles (the process of removing

tasks like indexing so the computer program knows where

and replacing old data with new data). This means that after

all of the files are. If a drive is left plugged in all the time,

a flash drive has been written to around 10,000 times, it will

these small tasks will slowly kill the drive.

no longer work. Ten thousand cycles sound like a lot, but over time those cycles do get eaten up. Certain workloads are harder than others for flash drives as well. For example, moving a lot of small files back and forth for school or work can eat up those cycles faster than storing files for occasional use. For applications like these, higher-

So why does flash media, which is the technology used in flash drives and solid-state storage drives, have a limit? Instead of using slow-moving disks like hard drives, flash media never moves and is made with small microchips that store data with electrical charges. As those charges are changed when data is added or deleted, it slowly wears down the individual chips that store them. Eventually, like any product, the chips simply become worn out and cannot function properly to store data anymore.

Tyler Hatfield has a passion for technology that he would like to someday turn into his own business. He runs a small media group, hatsmediagroup.com, and works on computers on the side. He can be contacted with questions and for recommendations at hatsmediagroup@gmail.com

photo by Sara Kurfess

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

BUSINESS: THE NETWORKER

Finding Feeders

Bringing good people good companies

by Bob Arnold I was so excited to see it! Grass! (No, not that kind!) Real lawn grass growing in the ground. I had planted the seeds two-and-a-half weeks ago, and yesterday there still was no indication of roots taking hold. Then, today, there it was, standing tall at about an inch in height, hidden under the hay. Just like in networking, I had found two entities that worked well together and put them in touch with each other: the grass seed and the ground. Then, I nurtured the new relationship by adding a layer of hay to hold in moisture to grow the seed. Now, it is out in the open and standing tall. This is a part of my focus on grassroots networking. As we meet people, we should ask questions in order to get a feel for whom we can connect them with so they flourish. This is the connector factor, and it is an important part of networking. Most people love being connectors! In fact, my favorite relationship to engage in is the feeder connection. This is someone who can provide multiple purchases or projects over the next few years. I have made this kind of connection several times and always seek to make more. How do you recognize a feeder when you meet one? You will notice something different in how they talk about their business. They do not focus on what they do; they talk about work they have had done by other companies. We do not always pick up on this little difference in a person’s conversation, but when we do, it can make a huge difference in our networking. One connection I made years ago has provided at least seven levels of connections that have used the services this person offers. It helps that people tend to talk with others about good service they received. Networking is not about what you can get, it is more about whom you can help through connections. Who can you connect today? Contact me to share the best connections you have made, I would love to hear about them. Bob Arnold is the founder of ONward Networking and the international best-selling author of “The Uncanny Power of the Networking Pencil,” which can be purchased at https:// amzn.to/2KSy3Xm. More networking tips are available at “Bob’s Pencil Points” blog at http://onwardnetworking.com/ or by contacting Arnold at TheNetworkingPencil@gmail.com

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Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

BUSINESS: THE IN BOX

Sign of the Times

column and photo by Amy Barnes It is not too often that I see a sign that takes my breath away. It is even more rare when I see a sign posted in a store that so clearly shows a tremendous lack of support from management for its employees and demonstrates a lack of management training. This is a great example of what not to do when in a management position and provides several great business learning opportunities. At a local grocery store, above a workspace located behind the deli counter, hung a sign that said: “No backs to the counter, Ever. You are missing customers. Thanks, ” Now, in addition to the remarkably awful punctuation and odd capitalization, it should be noted that this particular sign was hanging above a back counter that had various food production tools, including a high-temperature plastic-wrap applicator. If an employee were to actually obey the sign, this would mean that they would have to stand at an odd angle to work, be unable to clearly see what they were working on, and endanger themselves with the knives and the hot plastic-wrap machine they use. I have used such a machine, and in only seconds it burns badly enough to leave scars. I would bet that ordering

employees to face away from their work is a violation of worker safety laws or regulations at some level. Even if all of that were put aside, the sign does not accomplish what its creator is attempting. First, employees will snort and disrespect management for such a careless disregard for their safety and workload, as did happen. Second, the sign assumes all deli employees are ignoring customers. This is a huge morale breaker. Third, this sign was posted where customers could easily see it. This drags customers into the drama that management has now created. The message it sends to customers is either that management is being particularly outrageous or that the employees are not to be trusted. The sign clearly indicates that management does not trust employees to do their jobs. It also sends the message that it must be an awful place to work, not a message that businesses can afford to promote, especially now, in a time of employee shortages. A few of the side effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been wide-ranging product shortages, slow deliveries, and everchanging rules and fears. All of which have combined to cause a higher-than-usual number of people to have meltdowns of varying degrees when they do not get what they want at a store. Ask anyone in customer service, and they will unhesitatingly confirm this. So, when management makes it clear that it will not support its employees by posting such a sign, it throws employees under the wheels of public dissatisfaction with no hope of help from management. Posting signs like this is an ineffective way to communicate with or to train employees. Instead, pull aside the employees that have been reported as ignoring customers. Talk to them privately and individually, find out first if the complaint is valid. This shows respect, helps employees feel valued, and can even build morale and team spirit. If the complaint is valid, then use it as a teaching opportunity. If it is absolutely impossible to rearrange things so employees are not forced to stand with their backs to approaching customers, how about installing a mirror or unbreakable reflective surface at eye level so employees can easily keep an eye on customers approaching behind them? Show employees ways to make it so that when they have to

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

work on production with their backs to approaching customers that they can still safely keep an eye out for customers. For instance, pausing in their work after each task or after each step of a task if it is a longer task and checking for any waiting customers. Most customer service people are truly doing their best to meet customer needs, with many facing impossible situations and demands from customers, all while short staffed. Managers, too, have been facing overwhelming customer service circumstances, with the yell, “I want to talk to a manager,” becoming all too common.

Now, more than ever, proper training and teamwork are important. As a final note, the store’s corporate office was contacted, and they are taking action so that the manager who posted the sign has a chance for retraining. Have small business pointers you would like to share as a columnist? Contact Amy Barnes at Joy@BlakeHousePublishing.com Be sure to include information about your business experience and a sample column of no more than 350 words.

BUSINESS

New hires, promotions and certifications earned

Dawn Headrick-Yager, L.M.T., F.M.T., is a licensed massage and fascial movement therapist and Reiki master. She recently joined the staff of Knot Yourself, located inside of GotMilt Health and Fitness at 238 S. Elmwood Avenue, Medina. Headrick-Yager specializes in helping clients with musculoskeletal pain, dysfunction and disease. She offers Reiki, reflexology and fascial release.

Lisa Marie Keller, who holds a master’s in physical therapy, has joined the staff of Knot Yourself, located inside of GotMilt Health and Fitness at 238 S. Elmwood Avenue, Medina. Keller has been practicing physical therapy for almost 20 years with a specialty in soft tissue and joint mobilization. A few years ago, she added dry needling to address muscle spasms, tightness and scar tissue. Through Keller, dry needling is now offered at Knot Yourself.

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

HOME AND GARDEN: WATCHDOG

Vexing Vampire

by Amy Barnes Data usage became an issue recently when notices started arriving from our internet provider that we were using excessive amounts of data, more than 1,000 GB per month more than usual and a few hundred gigs over our limit. It had nothing to do with people in the household, that number had decreased while the gigs increased. The first thought was that there was a virus or zombie in my computer and that it was using excessive data for nefarious purposes. We soon learned that was not the cause because, in the middle of doing an intensive, deep scan of the computer, it crashed. Parts had to be replaced, memory wiped and restored. If there were a zombie or virus, it was killed. Yet, daily checks of the data usage showed the data still was being sucked up by something, somehow, even while my computer was out of commission. Plus, the usage pattern made no sense. Even a usage calculator said we should have been using about 900 GB fewer a month even after including everything from movie streaming, videos, watching TV using a WiFi stick, internet access, all the way through to gaming.

Nothing, absolutely nothing was showing where the data was going, even with the help of our internet provider. Nothing was hacked, no zombie, no virus. The investigation was turning up a lot of noes but no culprit. It was getting to the point that I was looking at the hamster and dog and wondering if they had teamed up to operate the TV or computer. That is, until someone had a small thought that turned into a big thing, it was a little fact about TV streaming sticks. It turns out that the streaming sticks do not automatically turn off when the TV is turned off. Those sticks stay on and continue to stream hour after hour of shows, movies and more. They are slurping up data like a kid with a milkshake. Take heart, though. There is an easy and effective fix that puts a stake through those vampire sticks. Before turning off the TV, be sure to hit the “home” button to return to the main screen. Then, turn off the TV. When the TV is turned on, if it goes right to a show without any other button being touched, that is an indicator that the stick was left on and streaming from the last time the TV was watched.

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

Jakob F. Von Der Vellen Memorial Fundraiser Williams on the Lake 787 Lafayette Rd. Medina, OH 44256 Friday, July 23, 2021 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm $10 Suggested Donation to Attend

Event will include:  Basket Raffles  50/50 Raffle  Door prizes

This year we will have an online component! Look for more information to come on how you can participate virtually. Proceeds are used to build an endowment for the Jakob F. Von Der Vellen Memorial Foundation. The Jake Foundation has given $12,000 dollars in scholarships to date and for the second year is donating a $1,000 to MYBA to help Medina youth play baseball. All done in Jake’s memory and made possible with your support. For more information or to make a donation, contact us at JFVFoundation@yahoo.com or call 330-421-0863.

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

HOME AND GARDEN: BITE ME!

Rueben Casserole recipe by Martha Evans

Described as a “friend to the world,” Martha Evans of Seville is known by “literally everyone because we can’t take her anywhere without her stopping to talk to people,” said her great-grandson Tyler Hatfield. After almost 20 years of doing tax preparation, Evans is slowly working her way into retirement. She plans to live happily and quietly in Seville after working and traveling for most of her life. According to Evans, ”this is an unusual recipe created by a busy homemaker to serve a family. If you like a Rueben sandwich and have a family or guests, you may want to try this casserole.” • • • • • • •

12 ounces sour cream 1 chopped onion 1 1-pound bag sauerkraut 1 pound sliced corned beef 1 pound sliced Swiss cheese 8 slices rye bread 1 stick melted margarine or butter to pour over bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Layer the ingredients, in the order listed, in a 9-inch-by-13-inch pan, preferably glass or non-stick pan. Bake one hour. Serves six to eight.

Want to have your recipe featured in a future issue? Send it with your name, phone number (in case we have questions), the city you live in, and some information about you to: Joy@BlakeHousePublishing.com with “recipe” in the subject line. Recipes MUST be your original recipe or one you have highly modified and thus made it your own. By submitting a recipe, you are guaranteeing it is one you have developed or modified and used. This is open to anyone who would like to submit a recipe.

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

HOME AND GARDEN: DIG IT!

Blooms Becoming

Column and photos by Michelle Riley I believe we all have this secret urge to own all the gorgeous bloomers we meet on our travels outside of our private domains. Being a gardener, you understand the garden is in an endless process of becoming. Much like you and I, all becoming something beautiful in bloom. You must admit that when you visit another’s garden there is a sense of awe, excitement and a bit of plant envy as you think to yourself, where can I place that in my garden? Plant inspiration seems to come in waves, all dependent upon the season, the reason or the space. It is June, do you have an affinity for hot air balloons? Hello, balloon flower (Platycodon), quite the eye-catching perennial with an amazingly whimsical bloom. Named for the shape of the flower bud, this beauty spreads easily, creating a drift of hot-air balloons in the garden. Messy hair, do not care kind of person? Check out the dazzler pink poppy, one of my personal favorite perennials. Photographer? An abundance of color and variety is presented in another tough perennial, the coneflower (Echinacea), which grants many options for macro photos of pollinators at their best. Finches enjoy the flowers once they have gone to seed, thanking you with their aerial ingenuity and song.

Balloon flower

Like it wet? Dive on into the water lily. They glide softly above the water holding their blossoms as a queen would her crown. Are you a candy lover? Spirea candy corn may be just what your tastebuds ordered. A bright and lively moderate shrub sporting hues of orange and yellow. Flowering in June, they are easily eye candy from spring through fall. If you really want an edible, you will love the serviceberry tree (Amelanchier). Blooming with small, soft white blossoms in the spring, the fruit is ripe and ready for picking at about mid-June. They are like blueberries in shape and are so delicious you need to harvest your bounty before the birds discover them. This tree will challenge the spirea with a warm sunset of fall color. Perennials, shrubs, trees. Just one more, please! Michelle Riley is a local horticulturist, landscape designer, and consultant. She is the founder of the gardening subscription service, https://theplantmall.com/; MichelleRileyHorticulturist.com; and NeOhioGarden.com. She also is the president of All About You Signature Landscape Design, Inc. Riley can be contacted at info@MichelleRileyHorticulturist.com or by calling 234-678-8266.

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

Razzle Dazzle Poppy

Opening Razzle Dazzle Poppy

Water Lily

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

HEALTH: HEALTHY TRAILS

Bikes for Tykes by Robert Soroky

“I only loved you because you co-signed my bank account,” joked a teenager to a parent.

“I think it’s just my brain banging around in my head too much. It happens sometimes.”

“I can’t be the only one who doesn’t want to drink and then go golfing!”

Finding the right bike for yourself can be challenging, but an even bigger challenge can be finding the right bike for your kids! There are a few things to keep in mind when making that important purchase. Like with adult bikes, getting the right size is half the battle. But kids can have some wacky growth spurts, and many parents struggle with spending lots of money at a bike shop if their kid will just outgrow the bike in a season or two anyway. In this case, purchasing a less expensive bike at a big box store until their growth steadies might be the way to go. When sizing, keep in mind that as bikes get taller, they also get longer, so what fits them in height might not fit them in length. A good test is to turn the handlebar while your child is on the bike holding the bar. As you turn the bar left and right, make sure they can keep their grip and use the brake levers. If they start to lose their grip, the bike may be too long (hence, too big). Rider ability also plays a factor. If your little one has mad skills, you can usually err on the side of a slightly larger bike because they can easily handle it and will naturally grow into it, granting them an extra season or two. But, if they are sketchy in their skills, then getting what fits now will help them gain more confidence as a rider. Finally, a bonus tip for helping get kids off training wheels. On the bike they are currently riding, remove the training wheels. Then, remove the pedals and raise the seat so when they are standing over the seat, their feet are flat on the ground, knees straight and butt planted squarely on the seat. You have now turned the bike into a “strider” style, allowing them to scoot along at their own pace. At some point, they will pick up their feet and start coasting around. When you see this happen, you will know they have the balance figured out, and you can re-install the pedals. Now, grab the kids and go enjoy a day on your new bikes! Robert Soroky is a lifelong cyclist regularly participating in long distance charity rides and manager of the Century Cycles Medina location. Contact Soroky at robert@centurycycles.com to suggest column topics, for further information or to chat about bikes.

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

HEALTH: OF MIND AND BODY Winning the Weight War by Kelly Bailey Health is not really as complicated as it is made out to be, but you might think otherwise given that there are hundreds of diet and exercise programs on the market. Americans spend more than $70 billion on weight loss every year, yet we are heavier than ever. Wellness and maintaining a healthy weight are actually simple common sense. But it is not easy. The following simple practices can be life changing, but 90 percent of people reading this will not actually put them into practice because change is hard. 1. Track what and when you eat for a week. Is tracking tedious work? Yes, but if you really want to know why you feel bad and cannot lose weight, look no farther than what you put into your body. Tracking food intake, at least occasionally, is hands-down the best eating awareness exercise you can do. 2. Get up 30 minutes earlier. I instantly lost half my audience. Initiating a powerful morning routine will snowball into creating better days. You can create any type of routine you want, but here is a good start for the first 30 minutes of the day: Drink 16 ounces of water as soon as your feet hit the floor. Spend 10 minutes planning what and when you will eat for the day, spend 15 minutes in movement, and spend the final five taking a few deep breaths in gratitude. 3. Stop eating at least three hours before bedtime. I just lost the second half of my audience. Eating just before going to bed causes two negative events: It bumps insulin, the hormone that causes fat storage, and digestion disrupts sleep. Sleep is critical for health and maintenance of a normal weight. If you have eaten dinner at 6 p.m. or 7 p.m., the nighttime noshing is just a bad habit. You are not hungry. Kick that habit and you will be much better off!

A certified personal trainer and certified holistic nutrition coach, Kelly Baily owns and operates Kelly Bailey Wellness. Find her blog, visit the Food Freedom page, and contact her at https://www.kellybailey.fit/ Following any recommendations are solely at your discretion and responsibility. Consult your medical professional prior to undertaking any suggested diet, lifestyle or exercise change or routine.

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

COMMUNITY: GEMS

Their Authentic Lives by Amy Barnes In the simplest of terms, this is the story of two mothers who love their children. The more complicated version is that this is the story of two mothers who rose to meet a dramatic change in their families, with no knowledge, no training, and little information, but they refused to stand by and let their children become part of a suicide statistic. As often happens in life, Sandy Varndell and Amy Demlow did not set out to change the world. If asked, they will say they are not, yet their efforts affect lives in ever-spreading ripples. In fact, in the beginning, they did not even know each other, but a change was about to take place in each of their families that they were not prepared for and would cause their paths to cross. It all started with a secret that could no longer be contained.

She decided to start her own group and ran an ad in a local paper for an LGBTQ+ support group. At the first meeting, there were four families who attended. Demlow was one of them. That meeting was in 2013, the same year that Medina County had the highest overall suicide rate in Ohio. The meeting was the beginning of OutSupport and the forging of a partnership between Varndell and Demlow. At first, adults and teens met together in the same group, but as time passed, attendees increased to 60 and it became apparent to Varndell and Demlow that the adults faced different issues from what the kids faced, so they split the group into two, one for adults and one for teens and children. It was in the kid group that the dream was first mentioned. Varndell and Demlow were about to learn more about being a transgender person and a dream that is part release and part torture. It is a dream that is common among trans teens. In the dream, they are the corrected gender, their bodies match what their minds insist they are. But the dream ends and every morning, they awaken, look in the mirror, and are again hit with their reality. Every day starts with the battle to decide to live or end the conflict. They each had a daughter who came out to them as a The dream sticks in Varndell and Demlow’s minds, helping to transgender male. feed their drive. A transgender person is a person who has a body that is the “That’s what drives us to do what we do,” Varndell said, “If we opposite gender of what their minds are. A transgender male can help just one.” would be someone with a female body but a male brain. “There are some trans kids who are scared to tell their The fear of coming out and facing possible rejection, being families,” Demlow said. disowned, homelessness, and lack of community support or She added that often they will first come out as gay to test the understanding is so great in the transgender community that waters and see if their families will accept that and then later they have the highest rate of attempted suicides, successful admit they are transgender. suicides and self-harm, such as cutting, of any segment of the Demlow said, “That is a very lonely place if your family rejects population, Varndell said. She flinches as she mentions the acts you.” of self-harm that she has knowledge of. “We’re moms, we want to see our kids thrive and other kids, Without knowing it, both Varndell and Demlow made the too. That’s our goal,” said Varndell. “We can’t change the world, same decision, they were not going to lose their children to but we can help the kids become teachers.” suicide or allow them to self-harm. The two were going to do The irony is that while OutSupport was started so families everything they could to educate themselves and find answers would not have to travel for support and help, there are families on how they could support and help their children. that travel from as far away as Youngstown to attend. Varndell traveled 30 minutes to attend a PFLAG meeting to try They often are asked to start other OutSupport groups, but to get the information she needed to understand what her child instead they encourage people to simply form their own group. was going through and how she could help. They are not interested in becoming somewhat of a franchise. PFLAG is an organization for families, allies, lesbians, gays, “Thank goodness for the internet, these kids learn they are not bisexuals, transgenders, and questioning or gender fluid. Its alone,” Demlow said. mission is to support, educate, and advocate. Because of what their children went through and what they After the meeting, Varndell thought about families who were have heard in the group meetings, Varndell and Demlow know less likely to have the time or ability to travel so far. how important it is for transgender youth to have access to specialized undergarments that help give a corrected gender appearance.

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

One of the worst days in Varndell’s son’s life was when he OutSupport, Inc. graduated from Medina High School and was forced to wear a P.O. Box 1728 dress and the female graduation gown. She said that any pictures of Ross taken before he transitioned Medina, Ohio 44256 330-241-1281 show him not smiling. “This is just about letting these individuals live their authentic www.outsupport.org life and trying to make sure they know they are accepted,” Date of formation: 02/26/2015 Demlow said. Organization type: 501(c)(3) When the two mothers realized that there were families who Description of Organization’s Purpose: OutSupport Inc. could not afford the undergarments their children needed to promoted the health and well-being of LBGTQ persons and transition, they decided to start UnderSupport as an outreach their family and friends through direct support, education and program of OutSupport. UnderSupport provides either a compression undergarment for advocacy. We exist to enlighten ourselves and the public to flattening breasts or a gaff, which is used to tuck away male end discrimination and secure equal rights. parts. Is the organization's registration status current? Yes “It is very expensive to be transgender,” Varndell said, starting Reporting Year: 2020 with the undergarments that cost approximately $40 each. Reporting Start Date: 1/1/2020 It is important to use the proper undergarments because selfReporting End Date: 12/31/2020 binding can cause injury, the moms said. Total Revenue: Besides the undergarments, there are many additional costs and documents to change in order to transition. There are court Total Expenses: costs for name changes, name change documents, driver’s Total Program Expenses: license changes, Social Security card changes, passport updates, Percent of Total Expenses: therapists, doctors, and birth certificate changes. Total Assets: For those who choose surgery, they face an average of $7,000 to $8,000 in out-of-pocket expenses. Another option is administration of puberty-blocking A side effect of starting OutSupport and being willing to share hormones which, started early enough, can make transitioning any information they gather is that they have become known as easier. The hormones are reversible and are helpful to teens unofficial local experts and are asked to speak to various groups since surgery is not an option until they are at least 18 and have and churches. gone through years of therapy first, the two moms said. “People seek understanding,” Demlow said. “We get asked to Further complicating matters, insurance coverage can vary by speak at a lot of different groups.” employer. Varndell said, “We have gotten so many calls from parents of Varndell sets her jaw and explains battling insurance children age 6 and up” asking for information and direction. companies is difficult and time consuming. While they enjoy sharing the information they have gathered, “It’s never easy,” she said, adding it is important to put it to both chuckle at the idea of being experts. insurance companies that “this is a medical need of my family.” “We’re not experts. We’re just moms who have gone through “At the end of the day, it is a medical issue,” Varndell said. it,” Varndell said. Varndell’s son, Ross, is now a registered nurse and is working In 2019, Varndell and Demlow’s efforts were recognized when on his master’s. He teaches families how to administer the they won the Ally for Equality award from Equality Ohio. hormone shots and talks to families about how to be supportive. The UnderSupport program receives funding from the “We’re all students and we’re all teachers. The kids can teach Millenium Fund through the Akron Community Foundation. what it’s like to be transgender,” Varndell said. Major expenses for the group include providing informational Demlow’s son, Aaron, started hormone treatment when 16 and pamphlets and books and undergarments. changed from attending Medina High School to attending the Varndell is a part-time social worker and an aging and disability Medina County Career Center. Changing schools was partly due resource specialist at the Office for Older Adults. to the transitioning and partly due to his interest in the career Demlow is the managing member in the local law firm of center’s graphic design program. Critchfield, Critchfield and Johnston, Ltd. Aaron told his mother that, “If they take away my hormones, I More information about OutSupport and UnderSupport is will kill myself.” available at http://outsupport.org/ Donations can be mailed to Demlow said it was not said as a threat, but rather as a fact of OutSupport, P.O. Box 1728, Medina, Oh. 44258 existence. D “No one would take insulin away from a diabetic,” Demlow said.

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

Want more Joy? Subscribe to our e-edition and get Joy no matter where you go! Use this link https://bit.ly/30duSlB to start your subscription. Want to read Joy in print? Visit Medina County libraries where you can find Joy of Medina County Magazine as an official, cataloged publication in the Periodicals section of the library. Joy also can be found in the Medina Library’s Historic Archives! For more information about Joy of Medina County Magazine, visit our website: https://bit.ly/38WotiH

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT: ROLL ’EM!

Robot Revolt by Hunter Barnard

photo provided by Netflix

but I liked her a lot and thought she was great. She has a little brother who really loves dinosaurs, more than anyone I have ever met, and their parents are really nice. They also have a dog named Monchi (played by Doug the Pug) who looks really cute and is just as silly as the rest of the family. I could not pick a favorite character for this movie because I liked all of them, but my favorite part was definitely when they were trying to get away from the robots and they had a lot of scenes where they made funny faces while they were trying to escape. They had lots of added drawings in the movie, too, that were really bright and colorful, and they had silly animations, which I liked. The movie is a happy one which is my favorite kind, and it made me laugh almost the whole time so I would say it is pretty good. Katie also made really cool movies that looked like they would be a lot of fun to watch in real life, too. I liked this movie a lot, and I think everyone should watch it. I am already going to watch it again because I want to show everyone else how funny it is!

The “Mitchells vs. the Machines” is a really funny movie about robots that try to take over the humans and one family, the Mitchells, are the last humans on Earth trying to save everyone. This movie was really cool and fun. It had lots of robots, which I liked, and the story was really good. Hunter Barnard is an energetic 7-year-old who attends Berea The Mitchells are a very silly family, but they were still cool. City Schools and likes to share his opinion. He is assisted in Katie Mitchell is the main character, and she is a little weird writing his column by his mother, Jessica Rapenchuk.

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o f M e d i nSearch a C o u n t y M aJune g a z i n e 2021 | June 2021 Joyful 38 J o yWord

Joyful Word Search Walton Wanderings

MIRTH AND JOY

Walton Wanderings

C O N N E C T I O N D G R R T

N P A D V O C A T E E R Y V K

W K R R Z Q W D X N M Z D Y L

M R G E D L N I V I Z A A K N

S D F M S M Z I L S Z H N N L

V D V A R E R D R D W B S M D

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Z C J A N C O V A Y P I K W F

N B N M L D O R A R Q L F Z K

W V E E T T C N E T A Y E E P

OUTDOORS

K N Z U I H E S R R I R T K Q

T B O J E C P W U Y U O X Q W

T B M R M E S T D T D Y N R Y

by Jerry King

B N Y Z C M A Y U T N L X M Q

Z R Y T P N D F N R A T Z Y W

Q R X V Z M G G M M L Z T M R

CONNECTION

OUTDOORS PRESERVATION PRESERVATION ARCHERY ARCHERY FALCONRY FALCONRY LAND LAND RESPECT RESPECT IZAAK WETLANDS IZAAK

CONNECTION FUTURE FUTURE ENVIRONMENT ENVIRONMENT FISH FISH NATURAL NATURAL SCIENCE SCIENCE WILDLIFE ADVOCATE WILDLIFE

WETLANDS

ADVOCATE

Joyful Word Search May 2021 Answer Key for Last Month’s Search

Caring Katy Caring Katy

B L N L Z G Y C G I D E A S D

R N M Q V G L H J N D D Z D L

N J L P P Q Q I E R I J T B M

Y R Y D Y S P L D S M V E J O

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G L B T L N V R Z Y K O T M P

M B Q D J Y V E A N R R H K M

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Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

A few geese dropped by to check out the displays, but it was hard to tell if they were impressed!

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

June 2021 Nonprofit Calendar All month: June Community Scavenger Hunt, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Wadsworth. Pickup scavenger hunt bingo card at Children’s Department at Wadsworth Library, 132 Broad Street, Wadsworth. Travel around Wadsworth to find everything listed on bingo card, then return to library for sticker. Feeding Medina County and Writers in Residence Fundraiser: No Empty Bowls or Minds, starting June 15 and going until supplies run out, virtual. Make a $150 or more donation, put "bowls" in the special note section and you will receive a hand-painted bowl and a chapbook of writings by Medina County Juvenile Detention Center residents. For more information and to donate, go to https://feedingmedinacounty.org/donate/ Sign up now: Reader’s Theater, sponsored by Seville Library. Scripts will be sent to each registrant’s library branch ahead of time. For children entering Grades 1 to 3. Will read through scripts and assign parts through virtual meeting on Monday, June 21, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.. Register at https://bit.ly/3x7Ton6 Tuesday, June 1 Say Something Nice Day Wednesday, June 2 National Leave the Office Early Day Although, if you are still working from home, that might be a challenge! South Town Cruise-In, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Habitat for Humanity parking lot, 233 Lafayette Road, Medina. Open to all antique, classic or collectible cars. Weather permitting. Free. Music in the Circle: Yankee Bravo, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Sharon Center Circle, intersection of State Routes 94 and 162, Sharon Township. Americana/rock music performed. Bring chair, blanket and have cherry cobbler, courtesy of Access the Arts. Thursday, June 3 National Repeat Day What? Friday, June 4 Hug Your Cat Day But not too hard! Safe Sleep Drive-Thru, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Job and Family Services, 232 Northland Drive, Medina. Cosponsored by Akron Children’s Hospital and JFS. Program to prevent infant sleep-related deaths with education and cribs to families who cannot afford them. Open to Medina County resident, 32 weeks pregnant or have child younger than 1, eligible for benefits, must not have a place for baby to sleep. Registration is required. Contact Cesley Hayes, 330-5435419. First Friday: Celebrate Our Safety Forces, 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., downtown Wadsworth. Sponsored by Main Street Wadsworth. Meet and greet with police and safety officers, firefighters, EMS team members. Stop by Main Street Wadsworth’s table at 102 Main Street for flyer of evening’s offerings. Saturday, June 5 National Moonshine Day and National Black Bear Day Probably best not to combine the two! ORMACO Jazz Under the Stars: Soundevr With Daniel Spearman, 7 p.m., Medina Public Square. Free. Kids Day, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Medina Public Square, in conjunction with the weekly farmers market. Demonstrations of martial arts, yoga; juggler; games; face painting, balloon animals, first responder vehicles, more. Free. Sunday, June 6 National Yo-Yo Day John Smart House Museum Open House, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., 206 N. Elmwood, Medina. Includes new display about Dorothy Hart who died in the 1908 Cleveland

Collinwood School fire and her connection to Medina County. Masks required. Admission $4 for senior citizens and historical society members, $5 for adults, $3 for students ages 7 to 18. For more information, call 330-722-1341 or e-mail mchs@zoominternet.net. Monday, June 7 National VCR Day Tuesday, June 8 Best Friends Day and National Upsy-Daisy Day https://bit.ly/3gfBk3z American Red Cross Blood Drive, 1 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., The Chapel Wadsworth Campus, 1391 State Road, Wadsworth. https://rdcrss.org/2ybO4Rp Food Truck Fest Fundraiser, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Medina County University Center, 6300 Technology Lane, #204, Medina. DJ, corn hole, life-sized Jenga, and other games. It will be a picnic-type event, with five food trucks with a wide variety of foods. Silent auction baskets, 50/50 raffle, there also will be a visit from a Dalmatian from the Seville Fire Department. $10 donation requested for entrance, but not required. For more information, go to https://bit.ly/3eLGQM9 Wednesday, June 9 Donald Duck Day Cuyahoga Valley Area Plein Air Painters, 9 a.m. to noonish, River Styx Park, 8200 River Styx Road, Wadsworth. Subjects: pond, unique aeration tower, family fishing, daylily garden, overlooks farmland. American Red Cross Blood Drive, 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., Brunswick United Methodist Church, 1395 Pearl Road, Brunswick. https://rdcrss.org/2ybO4Rp South Town Cruise-In, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Habitat for Humanity parking lot, 233 Lafayette Road, Medina. Open to all antique, classic or collectible cars. Weather permitting. Free. Thursday, June 10 National Black Cow Day Summer Fest, all day, Lodi Library, 635 Wooster Road, Wooster, and Seville Library, 45 Center Street, Seville. While supplies last. American Red Cross Blood Drive, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., St. Ambrose Church, 929 Pearl Road, Brunswick. https://rdcrss.org/2ybO4Rp Rise and Shine Yoga in the Park, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., Sharon Center Circle, intersection of State Routes 94 and 162, Sharon Township. Donations requested. Seasons of Giving, 7 p.m., virtual. Hosted by the Medina County Women’s Endowment Fund. For more information, contact Deb Hoffman at dhoffman@akroncf.org Friday, June 11 National Making Life Beautiful Day American Red Cross Blood Drive, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Medina Community Recreation Center, 855 Weymouth Road, Medina. https://rdcrss.org/2ybO4Rp Saturday, June 12 Red Rose Day https://bit.ly/2ScLoSY Cemetery Preservation Class, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Woodlawn Cemetery, 200 College Street West and Beck Street entrance, Wadsworth. Sponsored by Friends of Woodlawn Cemetery. Hands-on training for those new to cemetery preservation in biological growth cleaning, tablet setting, slotted bases, multipiece monument basics, repair, more. Rain date: June 26. Tickets $20. Contact Mark Watkins, 330-701-3581. American Red Cross Blood Drive, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., St. Mark Lutheran Church, 1330 N. Carpenter Street, Brunswick. https://rdcrss.org/2ybO4Rp

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021 Spectacular Sharks, 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., virtual. Sponsored by Medina Library. Meet ocean predators with the WAVE Foundation. Monitored by staff. Best for Grades 2 to 4, but all ages welcome. Register only once at https://bit.ly/3ziL1qC Sharon Showcase: Music and Art Festival, 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Sharon Center Circle, intersection of State Routes 94 and 162, Sharon Township. Sponsored by Access the Arts. All profits go toward funding free arts programs for troubled youth, senior citizens and those with special needs. Family-friendly event. More than 60 art, craft, food, and beer and wine vendors. Raffles and children’s activities throughout the day. Jungle Terry at noon, Rachel Brown and the Beatnik Playboys at 6 p.m., The Buck Naked Band at 8:30 p.m. Free until 5:30 p.m., then there is a $5 cover charge. Bring folding chair, blanket, for the day. Free shuttle from Sharon Elementary School, 6335 Ridge Road, Wadsworth, and Sharon Community Park, 6640 Ridge Road, Wadsworth. Sunday, June 13 National Kitchen Klutzes of America Day and International Ax Throwing Day Hmmm, maybe after messing up in the kitchen, throwing axes will relieve the stress? Monday, June 14 International Bath Day and Monkey Around Day We will let your imagination take this one! American Red Cross Blood Drive, 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., Medina Fire Station 1, 300 W. Reagan Parkway, Medina. https://rdcrss.org/2ybO4Rp Monday Night Intrigue: “Say Nothing,” 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., virtua and in-person optionsl. Sponsored by Wadsworth Library. Story is about the December 1972 disappearance of a 38-year-old mother in Belfast. Masked intruders dragged her from her home, her children clinging to her legs. The IRA was suspected, but no one would speak. Register for link at https://bit.ly/3xivCoJ Tuesday, June 15 Smile Power Day It means so much more this year with masks off, we can finally see each other’s smiles again! Knitting and Crocheting Circle, 10 a.m. to noon., Hickory Room, Brunswick Library, 3649 Center Road, Brunswick. Beginners welcome. Making Warm Up Medina County donations. American Red Cross Blood Drive, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., Northside Christian Church, 7615 Ridge Road, Wadsworth. https://rdcrss.org/2ybO4Rp Wednesday, June 16 National Fudge Day Oh, yeah! Lfe-Sized Candy Land, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Community Rooms A and B, Medina Library, 210 S. Broadway Street, Medina. Be the game piece in summer reading themed life-size Candy Land. Ages 3 and up. Call to reserve 15-minute slot, 330725-0588, Ext. 2060 Party in the Park, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Memorial Park, 421 E. Homestead Street, Medina. Sponsored by Medina Community Recreation Center and Cleveland Clinic Medina Hospital. Music, games, food, more. Free, but registration is required at https://bit.ly/3ptCHjG Chalk the Walk, noon to 5 p.m., Brunswick Library, 3649 Center Road, Brunswick. Bring chalk, some provided. Stop by and add your own creation to the library’s front walk. Around the World: Let’s Visit China, 30-minute sessions at noon, 1 p.m., 1:45 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 3:15 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 7:15 p.m., Wadsworth Library, 132 Broad Street, Wadsworth. Noon session is virtual and can be viewed at https://bit.ly/ 3vjz412, supply packets available until June 23 at the library after registering. For ages 5 to 12. Go to https://bit.ly/3iyvJYY to pick which session to register for. South Town Cruise-In, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Habitat for Humanity parking lot, 233 Lafayette Road, Medina. Open to all antique, classic or collectible cars. Weather permitting. Free. The Story of Euclid Beach Park, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., virtual. Sponsored by Medina Library. Learn about the beginnings of Euclid Beach Park in 1895 and its closing in 1969. Meeting link sent after registration at https://bit.ly/3wnb3aJ Music in the Circle: Sisters in Song, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Sharon Center Circle, intersection of State Routes 94 and 162, Sharon Township. Americana music performed. Bring chair, blanket. Refreshments courtesy of Access the Arts. Thursday, June 17 National Dump the Pump Day https://bit.ly/3wXW2fh It has nothing to do with shoes! Legal Resource Center, 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., Brunswick Library, 3649 Center Road, Brunswick. Domestic Relations Court volunteers help those not represented by a lawyer in family court. First come, first served. Masks required. Explorastory: Blueberries for Sal, 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., virtual. Sponsored by Wadsworth Library. Read story, count berries, sing berry songs, make blueberry

art. After registration, pick up supply packet at the library, 132 Broad Street, Wadsworth, until June 24. Register at https://bit.ly/3pKSV8a Trivia Night: I love the 80s, 8 p.m. to 9 p.m., virtual. Sponsored by Medina Library. Fast-paced trivia game. First prize will be awarded. Need stable internet connection; two devices, one for Zoom and one to use as a game controller. Link will be sent after registration at https://bit.ly/3xbVkek Friday, June 18 Take a Road Trip Day, International Picnic Day, and Go Fishing Day What a perfect combination! American Red Cross Blood Drive, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., St. Mark Lutheran Church, 1330 N. Carpenter Street, Brunswick. https://rdcrss.org/2ybO4Rp Saturday, June 19 Lookout! It is World Juggling Day, good idea to watch out for falling objects! Pizza Palooza and Social Service Showcase, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Public Square, Medina. In conjunction with weekly farmers market. Buy a “pizza passport” for $7 and get to sample pizza from contestants and then vote. Music, nonprofit booths, farmers market. American Red Cross Blood Drive, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Hinckley Fire Department, 1616 Ridge Road, Hinckley. https://rdcrss.org/2ybO4Rp Butterflies, Birds and Bees, Oh, My; 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.; virtual. Sponsored by Medina Library. Stories, music, movement teach about animals that help gardens grow. Ages 2 to 5. Register household once. Link will be sent after registering at https://bit.ly/3ioBubB Sunday, June 20 National Hike With a Geek Day Monday, June 21

Brunswick 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays, June 13 through October 2, 2020 Produce, consumables and crafts Heritage Farm, 4613 Laurel Road, Brunswick Vendor registration information at https://bit.ly/2I4I5DV Medina 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays, May 1 through October 30 Produce, consumables, crafts, and knife sharpening Front parking lot, May 1 through 22 Main Market behind VFW Post, May 30 through October 30 Medina VFW Post 5137 3916 Pearl Road, Medina 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays, May 15 through October 16 Produce and consumables Medina Public Square Vendor registration information at https://bit.ly/3vLZY2W Seville 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays, May 29 through September 25 Produce, consumables and crafts Gazebo at Maria Stanhope Park, 73 W. Main Street, Seville Vendor registration information at https://bit.ly/3r1v9ni Wadsworth 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays, June 12 through September 25 Produce, consumables and crafts Central Intermediate School, 151 Main Street, Wadsworth Vendor registration information at https://bit.ly/3r8trRd

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

National Day of the Gong Please be considerate of neighbors while celebrating! Summer Art Camp 2021, 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., fourth through sixth grade; noon to 2:30 p.m. for first through third grade; Medina Community Recreation Center, 855 Weymouth Road, Medina. Fee: $130. For more information or to register, call 330-721-6901 or go to https://bit.ly/3b8cYHs American Red Cross Blood Drive, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., Cleveland Clinic Family Health Center Brunswick, 3574 Center Road, Brunswick. https://rdcrss.org/2ybO4Rp Reader’s Theater, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., virtual. Sponsored by Seville Library. Scripts will be sent to each registrant’s library branch ahead of time. For children entering Grades 1 to 3. Read through scripts and assign parts. Register at https:/ /bit.ly/3x7Ton6 American Red Cross Blood Drive, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., First Congregational Church, 114 Church Street, Lodi. https://rdcrss.org/2ybO4Rp Tuesday, June 22 National Onion Ring Day Sing-along, Play-along and Read-along With Jim Gill, 10:30 a.m., virtual. Sponsored by Medina Library. Live program has singing, dancing, clapping,

U A list of golf outings that benefit area non-profit organizations. To have your golf outing listed, send the information to joy@BlakeHousePublishing.com at least two months in advance. There is no such thing as too early, but there is too late. Contact the hosting golf course for pricing, registration and

Address Guide: Bunker Hill Golf Course 3060 Pearl Road, Medina 330-722-4174 or 216-469-9241 Coppertop at Cherokee Hills 5740 Center Road, Valley City 330-225-6122 Fox Meadow Country Club 4260 Fox Meadow Drive, Medina 330-723-4653 Weymouth Country Club 3946 Weymouth Road, Medina 330-725-6297 Monday, June 14 St. Jude Cleveland Dream Home Golf Outing 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Benefits: St. Jude Children Research Hospital Fox Meadow Country Club Jack Vigneault Memorial Golf Outing 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Benefits: Cleveland Clinic Medina Hospital Weymouth Country Club Thursday, June 17 NMCCA Saddle Up Country/Western Golf Outing 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Benefits: Northern Medina County Chamber Alliance Coppertop Golf Club Saturday, June 19 Medina Odd Fellows 2021 Fundraiser 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Benefits: Medina Odd Fellows Fox Meadow Country Club Monday, June 21 First Annual Bill Harrington Memorial Golf Outing 11 a.m. Benefits: Habitat for Humanity of Medina County Weymouth Country Club Saturday, June 26 Love INC Medina Fundraiser Golf Outing 6:30 a.m. Benefits: Love Inc. Bunker Hill Golf Course

more. Jim Gill’s songs invite children to play. Register household only once. Details will be sent after registering at https://bit.ly/3fZAkSl American Red Cross Blood Drive, 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., Medina Performing Arts Center, 851 Weymouth Road, Medina. https://rdcrss.org/2ybO4Rp Otaku Tuesdays, 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., virtual. Sponsored by Medina Library. A discussion of all things anime, for Grades 6 through 12. Register for required meeting link at https://bit.ly/3crZXsS Untold Stories of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., virtual. Hosted by Wadsworth Library. Join a park ranger and explore the stories of happiness, heartbreak, victory, defeat, and extraordinary moments. Register at https://bit.ly/3pHBJ37 Wednesday, June 23 Typewriter Day Cuyahoga Valley Area Plein Air Painters, 9 a.m. to noonish, Hinckley Lake, bounded by Bellus Road, Sate Road, East Drive, and West Drive. Choice of boat house (off driveway on west side of lake) or spillway (Bellus Road entrance). Bubblemania! 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., virtual. Sponsored by Medina Library and Great Lakes Science Center. Learn about shapes and colors. Ages 4 and up. Register only once, details will be e-mailed after registering at https://bit.ly/ 3cqID7J American Red Cross Blood Drive, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., Brunswick United Methodist Church, 1395 Pearl Road, Brunswick. https://rdcrss.org/2ybO4Rp American Red Cross Blood Drive, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., Wadsworth YMCA, 623 School Drive, Wadsworth. https://rdcrss.org/2ybO4Rp South Town Cruise-In, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Habitat for Humanity parking lot, 233 Lafayette Road, Medina. Open to all antique, classic or collectible cars. Weather permitting. Free. Introduction to Zoom, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., virtual. Sponsored by Buckeye Library. Learn how to use Zoom. Meeting link will be sent after registering at https://bit.ly/3za2rWD Trivia Night, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., virtual. Sponsored by Medina Library. Event uses Kahoot, need stable internet connection and a computer or tablet and a smart phone or second tablet. Details sent after registering at https://bit.ly/ 3gha5FT Party in the Park, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Ray Mellert Park, 331 N. Huntington Street, Medina. Sponsored by Medina Community Recreation Center and Cleveland Clinic Medina Hospital. Music, games, food, more. Free, but registration is required at https://bit.ly/3ptCHjG Thursday, June 24 International Fairy Day Tween Scene: France, 1 pm. To 1:20 p.m., virtual. Sponsored by Wadsworth Library. Lean how to play French solitaire, make a bilboquet game. Register at https://bit.ly/3whERFm View program at https://bit.ly/3vjz412 Reader’s Theater, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., virtual. Sponsored by Seville Library. Children practice script and develop a simple costume for performance. Register to watch performance at https://bit.ly/3pwzxvt Can You Escape? A European Vacation, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., virtual with Wadsworth Library. You are planning the ultimate European field trip and it is a once-in-alifetime opportunity. If your plan is chosen, your team will have all of your expenses paid for the trip! Clues were left to solve how to get into the camp. No download or special software needed. See tutorial at https://bit.ly/345sWiL Register at https://bit.ly/2TncVkP Teeth Telling Tales: Fossils Uncover Ancient Ecosystems, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., virtual. Sponsored by Medina Library. Dr. Darin Croft, palenontologist, demonstrates how measurements of fossilized teeth help build a picture of entire ancient ecosystems. Recent discoveries in South American fieldwork included. Event supervised by library staff. Grades 3 to 8. Register household only once at https://bit.ly/2THMMNS Slo Roll: Bottom of the Lake 4.4-mile Ride, 6:30 p.m., Lake Medina, 3733 Granger Road, Medina. Bike Medina County hosts guided rides through part of county parks and areas. Children under age 12 must be accompanied by a parent. Helmets required. Water bottle recommended. Waivers must be signed before beginning of ride. Free. Friday, June 25 Take Your Dog to Work Day Mission: STEMpossible, 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., virtual. Sponsored by Medina Library. Pick up mission supply kit to complete top secret, classified STEM

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

missions. Kits contain small pieces not recommended for very young children. Music in the Circle: Mo Mojo, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Sharon Center Circle, Event is for students entering Grade 3 and up. EACH participant must be intersection of State Routes 94 and 162, Sharon Township. Zydeco/Cajun music registered individually. Kits will be in limited supply. E-mail will be sent when kit performed. Bring chair, blanket. Refreshments courtesy of Access the Arts. is ready. After registering, meeting details will be e-mailed. Event will be supervised by library staff. Register at https://bit.ly/3uXS7O8 Saturday, June 26 Forgiveness Day Movie Night and Swimming Party, swimming party is 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., movie is 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., Medina Community Recreation Center, 855 Weymouth Road, Medina. Swimming is $3 per person, movie is free but premium parking is $5. Register at https://bit.ly/3ptCHjG Sunday, June 27 Sunglasses Day Mill Street Makers’ Market, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Mill Street alleyway between South Court and South Elmwood Streets, Medina. Handmade arts and crafts and food. Live Americana Folk music, noon to 3 p.m. More information and vendor form are available at https://bit.ly/3gagvrA A list of art shows in Medina County. Monday, June 28 To have a show listed, send the information to Paul Bunyan Day https://bit.ly/3poGsXu joy@blakehousepublishing.com at least two months in advance. Nature Story Walk, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., through July 3, Brunswick Library 3649 There is no such thing as too early, but there is too late. Center Road, Brunswick. Enjoy a story walk of “The Hidden Rainbow” around the building. Nature-themed activities in children’s department. Linda Kenski Collection Jackbox Game Night, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., virtual. Hosted by Medina Library. Play Through June 12 games from the Jackbox Party Pack 6, including Push the Button, Murder Trivia Alcohol ink abstract landscapes on YUPO paper Party and Dictionarium. Need smartphone or tablet to use as a controller and B. Smith Gallery, Medina Library computer or other device to use as main screen and to access Discord. Link for 210 S. Broadway Street, Medina private game room will be sent after registration. Information about Discord is available at Painting Through the Pandemic https://bit.ly/3cu9ik2 Grades 6 to 12. Register at https://bit.ly/3cu9lwe June 21 through July 17 Virtual Sensory Friendly Story Time, 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., virtual. Sponsored by Brad Rice’s watercolor and acrylic night scenes Wadsworth Library. Designed for children on the autism spectrum or with illuminated by moonscapes sensory integration challenges and their families and caregivers. View at https:// B. Smith Gallery, Medina Library bit.ly/3vjz412 210 S. Broadway Street, Medina Tuesday, June 29 National Camera Day, Hug Holiday and International Mud Day It could be a lot of fun combining the three! Nature Story Walk, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., through July 3, Brunswick Library 3649 Center Road, Brunswick. Enjoy a story walk of “The Hidden Rainbow” around the building. Nature-themed activities in children’s department. Knitting and Crocheting Circle, 10 a.m. to noon., Hickory Room, Brunswick Library, 3649 Center Road, Brunswick. Beginners welcome. Making Warm Up Medina County donations. A list of runs and walks that benefit area non-profit Understanding Christianity, 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m., virtual. Sponsored by Medina organizations. Library and Medina Diversity Project. Moderated dialogue with five Medina County clergy members. Required virtual link will be e-mailed to registered To have your run listed, send the information to participants. Register at https://bit.ly/3z2Ez7n joy@blakehousepublishing.com at least two months in advance. Wednesday, June 30 There is no such thing as too early, but there is too late. National Meteor Watch Day Go outside and just stand there looking up, you will not be alone for long! Saturday, June 12 Nature Story Walk, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., through July 3, Brunswick Library 3649 It’s a Fair Day to Run 5k and 1 mile Center Road, Brunswick. Enjoy a story walk of “The Hidden Rainbow” around the 9 a.m.; rain or shine, no refunds; Medina County Fairgrounds, 720 building. Nature-themed activities in children’s department. W. Smith Road, Medina. Celebrating the 175th Medina County American Red Cross Blood Drive, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Root Candles, 640 Liberty Fair. For fees, information and registration, go to: Street, Medina. https://rdcrss.org/2ybO4Rp https://bit.ly/3oj9abM Comedy Juggling Shows, 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m., Sunday, June 13 Brunswick Library, 3649 Center Road, Brunswick. Outdoor juggling shows by Hornet Dash 5k international gold medalist Matt Jergens. 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Highland High School, 4150 Ridge Road, Party in the Park, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Fred Greenwood Park, 350 W. Sturbridge Medina. Tentative, may be cancelled. For updated information, Drive, Medina. Sponsored by Medina Community Recreation Center and go to: https://bit.ly/3bsKkB6 Cleveland Clinic Medina Hospital. Music, games, food, more. Free, but Friday, June 25 registration is required at https://bit.ly/3ptCHjG Wadsworth MatchStick 5k/10k/Half Marathon Around the World: Let’s Visit England, 30-minute sessions at noon, 1 p.m., 1:45 For updated information, go to: p.m., 2:30 p.m., 3:15 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 7:15 p.m., Wadsworth Library, 132 Broad https://bit.ly/3ePzl6M and Street, Wadsworth. Noon session is virtual and can be viewed at https://bit.ly/ https://bit.ly/3eRqpxN 3vjz412 , supply packets available June 23 to July 7 at the library after registering. Thursday, July 1-25 For ages 5 to 12. Go to Save the Farm https://bit.ly/3iyvJYY to pick which session to register for. 6 a.m. to 8:59 p.m., virtual. Event to raise awareness and money South Town Cruise-In, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Habitat for Humanity parking lot, 233 for the Heritage Farm, an 1860s era small Ohio farm. Proceeds Lafayette Road, Medina. Open to all antique, classic or collectible cars. Weather support educational programs and expansion project. For fees, permitting. Free. information and registration, go to: https://bit.ly/3tQLYml

Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

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Joy of Medina County Magazine | June 2021

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R Click on “follow” below so you don’t miss a single edition of Joy of Medina County Magazine! Joy of Medina County Magazine 1114 N. Court, #144, Medina, Ohio 44256 E-mail: joy@blakehousepublishing.com Website: JoyOfMedinaCountyMagazine.com Phone: 330-461-0589