Laurel Lake Living - Summer 2014

A lifestyle with all the advantages Summer 2014 IN THIS ISSUE

Laurel Lake Dedicates New Tranquility Courtyard PAGE 2

You’re Invited to an Open House PAGE 3

Next Step: Secure Your Home of Choice!

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25th Anniversary Silver Ball PAGE 4

Laurel Lake Camps It Up: Camp Week 2014 PAGES 5-7

Gardening By The Square Foot PAGE 8

Wild About Wildflowers!

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What’s Cooking? Foodie Finds Fun, Friends PAGE 10

Distance Learning with University Circle PAGE 11

Hudson Ranks Among Best NE Ohio Suburbs PAGE 12

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Laurel Laurel Lake Lake Living Living II Summer Fall 20102014

Laurel Lake dedicates new courtyard

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esidents have a gorgeous new outdoor living space to enjoy, thanks to the generosity of Laurel Lake Foundation supporters. On June 13, 2014 the community unveiled its new Sutcliffe Tranquility Courtyard with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and Garden Party.

The courtyard, one of many “hidden gems” on Laurel Lake’s 150-acre campus, is designed to provide therapeutic and healing benefits for Crown Center residents and their families. The newly transformed space features a wandering path encircling a patio with comfortable seating under a shady pergola, and an inspiring mix of kinetic wind art, sculptures, raised garden beds, a pondless

waterfall, and beautifully refreshed landscaping with blooming shrubs and perennials. Four mature shade trees add to the cool, relaxing beauty of the space.

The renovated garden is located at the heart of Laurel Lake’s Crown Center, which provides advanced therapy and restorative programs for residents so they can quickly recover after an injury or surgery— at little extra cost, thanks to their Life Care contract—and get back to their Laurel Lake homes and normal routines as soon as possible.

The garden renovation was funded by the Laurel Lake Foundation’s 2012 “Gifts from the Heart” Campaign and a bequest from the estate of former residents Allen and Doris Sutcliffe.

Join us for an

Open House!

Here’s the perfect introduction to our Laurel Lake community for first-time and returning visitors. At our next Four Seasons Open House, join Residents for seasonal refreshments and stimulating conversation.

Take a Walking Tour of our Town Center and get an exclusive “peek” into select apartment and villa homes with unique design options.

Coming Events

October 14 @ 10am – Brunch October 16 @ 2pm – Appetizers

Space is limited. To RSVP, call 1-866-650-2100.

Do you want to visit Laurel Lake sooner? Call us to arrange a personal tour today.

Next Step: Secure Your Home of Choice!

If you’re considering a move to Laurel Lake, please plan ahead.

“People are often surprised to learn that our Priority Wait List ranges from one month to well over a year long, depending on the home style they desire,” says Kathy Chadwick, Director of Marketing.

“That’s why you should get on the list now.”

Joining the Priority Wait List means you’ll have the inside track on your preferred home style as it becomes available. Once your application is approved and Laurel

Lake receives your refundable deposit, you’ll be given the next position on the Priority Wait List.

When it’s your turn and one of your favorite floor plans becomes available, you’ll be contacted immediately. Most people accept the preferred model when offered, but if you’d rather wait, your name stays on the list. The choices are all yours! For more information, call 1-866-650-2100 today.

What’s Your Style?

Laurel Lake offers an amazing variety of home styles, including studios, one and two-bedroom apartments of various sizes,

Find Your Perfect Fit

Home Styles at Laurel Lake

Conversions, Vistas, and spacious Villas. Our new Home Style Portfolio gives you a sampling of our 20+ unique floor plans. To request your copy, call 1-866-6502100 today. Better still, call us now to schedule a time to walk through your favorite models.

on the cover

Laurel Lake Living Is published quarterly for the residents, family and friends of Laurel Lake Retirement Community.

Please submit suggestions to: Laurel Lake Living 200 Laurel Lake Dr, Hudson OH 44236 (330)650-2100 www.laurellake.org info@laurellake.org

Laurel Lake strives to be the community of choice for adults who aspire to lead lives filled with meaning, purpose, and lifelong opportunities for growth and service.

We are a not-for-profit Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) offering multiple home styles on 150 acres in Hudson, Ohio. We are firmly committed to Equal Opportunity in both housing and employment.

A Least Bittern was recently spotted near Rider Lake.

This elusive bird, one of the smallest herons in the world, lives in cattail marshes and will stand tall and sway, like a reed, to escape notice.

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25th Anniversary

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On June 27, over 250 Laurel Lake residents joined with staff to celebrate our community’s 25th Anniversary with a gala dinner dance.

The cuisine, music and warm summer night all united to produce a splendid occasion.

Photos: 1) Bill and Diane Widdowson enjoy a night on the town. 2) Partygoers Bill and Peg Staley, Betsy and Ching Redmond, and Julia and Ralph Weary meet for drinks before dinner. 3) The Don Disantis Band performs hits from the 40s, 50s and 60s.

4) Carol and Jim Stanley enjoy the festive atmosphere. 5) Jennifer Wagner, Rachel Romano and Amanda Apicella tend the Wine Bar. 6) Jean Zapytowski, George and Winnie Blozis, Gerda Kahle, Jean Weisehan and Carl Bacik gather in The Pub. 7) Alicia Nordan, Ruth Studer, Carol Awender, Gerry Jones and Carol Jones smile for the camera. 8) Couples crowd the dance floor for three hours. 9) Joan Harris and Bob Chapman enjoy the evening’s ambience. 10) Joe Meagher, Marion Else, Nancy and Fid Crowe, your Lakeside Room table is ready. 11) The wonderful appetizers and gourmet dinner prepared by Chef Keith Jones and his team are a hit with guests.

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Laurel Lake camps it up

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hy should kids have all the fun? Laurel Lake’s very first Camp Week for residents and staff, August 11-15, was an action-packed, fun-filled week of activities from A to Z. Laurel Lake’s programming staff went all out to produce the 25th Anniversary Theme Week, with a boatload of activities that took residents straight back to their childhood. Archery, campfires, canoeing, crafts, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, kayaking, nature walks, orienteering, overnight tent camping, sing-alongs, safety courses, scavenger hunts, s’mores, stargazing, stone skipping, t-shirt tie-dying, wiener roasts, wilderness hikes and zip lining—you name it, Laurel Lake campers did it!

According to the American Camp Association, 11 million children and adults attend camp in the U.S. every year. It’s a $15 billion dollar industry employing 1.5 million staff in 12,000 day and resident camps across the U.S. Parents report that sending their child to camp helps them feel good about themselves, gain more self-confidence, increase independence and leadership skills, make new friends, and inspire a sense of adventure and willingness to try new things.

Our Laurel Lake campers threw themselves into Camp Week with gusto—just like kids! Turn the page to see a photo essay of this fabulous week at our gorgeous, 150-acre Camp Laurel Lake.

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eek Camp TW 2014 AUGUS

Camp Week 2014 kicks off with an epic Cornhole Tournament battle for supremacy. Here, Jackie Krabill and Ila Klatka focus on their game.

Sixteen daredevils go zip lining at Zip City in Streetsboro. Louise Sandercock mugs for the camera. Bob Chapman completes his run with a grin.

Mike Leslein & Jill Rango set up for overnight camping. Liz Murphy tells ghost stories to Carole Harr, Bertie & Vic DeMarco, Ann Briechle, others.

Naturalist Dick Hein leads a Wilderness Hike. Frank Spring & Kirk Reid explore Laurel Lake. Susan Busko & Ann Briechle help launch watercraft.

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Laurel Lake Living I Summer 2014

Residents make a splash with Water Valleyball. Marcia Luce & Marge Ferrazza work on Camp Crafts. Mary Clevenger displays her tie-dye tshirt.

Over 100 campers enjoy the Wiener Roast & Hay Rides at Rider Like. Julie Trexter & Connor Alderman man the bar. Hot dogs sizzle over the fire.

The Emery’s dog Waggy enjoys the company. Kathy Marged, Susan Busko & Jill Rango lead a Sing-along. Overnight campers relax by the fire.

Cathy Webb, Billie Corbett, Diana Yee and many more go horseback riding. Thanks to Rita Raimer and her horse Tootsie for a memorable day.

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o weeding, no digging, no toiling—no kidding!

Square Foot Gardening is a clever way to grow all the food you want in just 20% of the space of a conventional row garden. One garden box (measuring 16 sq. ft.) can grow enough produce for one person to enjoy fresh salads all summer long, with plenty to spare.

Made popular by retired engineer and efficiency expert Mel Bartholomew in the 1980s, this high-yield gardening method has a whole new generation of fans at Laurel Lake. This Spring, a dozen enthusiastic members of the Garden & Grounds Committee partnered with resident woodworkers,

Environmental Services Director Mike Rowe and Maintenance to build new raised, “no dig” boxes for the Community Garden.

Each bed is filled with nutrientrich, loamy soil, elevated well above the reach of most garden pests, and requires virtually no weeding, bending or kneeling. With the garden’s other key advantages— conveniently spaced watering hoses, a tool shed, deer fencing, and an endless supply of quality compost thanks to Laurel Lake’s foodscrap recycling partnership with Summit ReWorks—residents find that raising fruits, veggies and cutting flowers has never been easier.

Avid gardener Carol Stanley

loves the new raised beds. “I don’t think my home-grown lettuce has ever tasted this good,” she says.

Rick and Lyn Mild, who with Carl Bacik helped spearhead the project, are pleased with the results.

“Our first year has been a learning experience, from building the boxes to harvesting. But being able to care for our garden without crawling on the ground or weeding paths between the rows is wonderful.”

Gardener Marion Else still prefers the traditional row method, especially when it comes to growing her basil. “I make pesto sauce and caprese salads,” she laughs. “But I’ll have to throw a Basil Bash and give some away to friends soon!”

gardening by the square foot

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Laurel Lake Living I Summer 2014

wild about wildflowers Monarch on Indian Blanket

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American Goldfinch on Purple Coneflower

aurel Lakers are enjoying a display of bold, beautiful color this summer, thanks to eco-friendly land management practices.

Two years ago, the community planted a few acres of wildflower meadow on the sunny slopes above Rider Lake. The meadow is a collaborative effort between the resident-run Garden & Grounds Committee and Green Team, head groundskeeper Don Nesbitt, and Laurel Lake’s Maintenance Department.

This “mini-prairie” on Laurel Lake’s 150-acre campus grew out of a land management decision made back in 2011, as the Hudson retirement community embarked on a $2.3 expansion of its Crown Center nursing and rehab center. When excavating the building site for the new wing, Laurel Lake saved and relocated most of the rich topsoil to build up the slope which overlooks Rider Lake.

Swallowtail on Orange Milkweed

That fresh field of fertile soil, truly a “blank canvas,” became Laurel Lake’s perfect opportunity to create a colorful display of native flowers and grasses, and to provide vital habitat for pollinating insects such as honeybees and butterflies. The smart land choice also reduced mowing, improved storm water filtering, and cut back on the use of pesticides and fertilizers.

A seed mix of purple coneflower, lemon beebalm, black-eyed Susan, coreopsis, Indian blanket, thistle and orange milkweed was planted.

The results are now there for all to see and hear. The meadow glows with color, hosts active colonies of bees, butterflies, moths and birds, and has an almost jubilant dawn chorus. It has become a favorite educational stop for residents and their families while hiking the trails around Rider Lake. It’s one more example of Laurel Lake’s careful stewardship of this 150-acre property.

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What’s cooking? Foodie finds fun, friends at Laurel Lake

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ost residents can hardly wait to trade in their aprons for seats in one of Laurel Lake’s two restaurants, the Greenwood Grille or Lakeside Room.

But not Diana Yee. This Akron native still enjoys preparing favorite dishes for herself, family and friends in her two-bedroom apartment home at Laurel Lake.

“I love to cook!” Diana laughs.

“There’s nothing like assembling fresh ingredients into something that’s healthy and delicious.”

This active mother and grandmother especially loves authentic Chinese cuisine, and has taken classes in some of the cooking techniques used.

“It’s easy to cook in my new kitchen,” Diana notes. “I have sufficient counter space, and if an appliance stops working, Laurel Lake will replace it right away.”

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The Right Ingredients Diana first visited Laurel Lake in 2009, and was immediately impressed. “I liked the security Laurel Lake offers, the activities, beautiful grounds, and worryfree living. The relaxed, friendly atmosphere was also a plus.”

But, after a lifetime of careful planning, Diana wasn’t about to rush into anything. She looked at five other retirement communities, including one in Chicago where her brother lives. She also considered buying a condo, but quickly rejected that idea because, Diana asserts, “it will probably mean another big move later on, and I only want to do this once!”

After that, her choice was clear.

“Laurel Lake, hands down, is the place I want to live.”

Diana moved into her new Laurel Lake apartment last June,

and has been having fun ever since.

“I love to be busy! So I’m taking fitness classes, volunteering in the Garage Sale, playing golf, and teaching Mahjong to friends.”

The energetic senior also helps students to practice their English skills through an on-site intergenerational program, The American Experience, sponsored by Western Reserve Academy’s English Language Institute.

Adding Zest to Life Diana still cooks whenever she feels like it. The biggest surprise, however, is that she often doesn’t.

“I find that I’m taking advantage of many dining options here.”

Laurel Lake residents pick the meal plan that best suits their lifestyle. For Diana, that’s fifteen meals a month. “This works perfectly for my schedule, and it’s a great way to socialize and

keep up on what’s going on in the community,” she says.

Diana and her fellow Laurel Lake “foodies” also find fresh inspiration in monthly Lunch Bunch outings to popular local eateries; VeggieLicious luncheons where they can try out new vegetarian and vegan cuisine; frequent trips to Cleveland’s West Side Market and Akron’s West Point Market to stock up

on specialty food items; and the Hudson Farmers Market for fresh locally-sourced produce, just one mile from campus.

Of all the dining options at Laurel Lake, there’s one Diana has especially grown to love.

“Take out!” she laughs. “Who knew I would like it so much?

When I’ve been running around all day, and I’m in my sweats and don’t feel like changing for dinner, I just

check the day’s menu and make a quick phone call.”

Minutes later, her evening meal is ready for pick-up (or delivery, if she prefers).

Moving to Laurel Lake is one of the smartest things Diana has ever done for herself and her family, and she highly recommends it.

“But do it sooner, rather than later,” Diana advises. “You don’t want to miss out on anything!”

FALL 2014 DISTANCE LEARNING CLASSES University Circle offers the following programs at Laurel Lake, linking you to worldclass museums and educational institutions via live video, onsite lectures and field trips. To register, call (866) 650-2100.

For a complete schedule, visit www.laurellake.org.

overview of architectural aspects of history in Central Asia and parts of the Islamic world along the famous Silk Road. Learn about artistic Islamic architectural design and the geographic and historical context of their construction. Includes a look at contemporary architecture in modern-day Central Asia.

n Music of Inner Asia n History of the Silk Road

September 22 @ 3:30 PM. Live from the Inner Asian & Uralic National Resource Center. Take a journey across Asia and discover the sights, sounds and stories of the greatest trade route of ancient times. Imagine a world in which the latest ideas traveled by camel. Learn about the Silk Road: Its route, who traveled it, its importance in history, what it teaches us about world trade. n Central Asian Architecture

September 29 @ 3:30 PM. Live from the Inner Asian & Uralic National Resource Center. Join us for an

October 6 @ 3:30 PM. Live from the Inner Asian & Uralic National Resource Center. This program offers a brief overview of the Inner Asian region, then delves into a survey of music and instruments found today in various countries.

Includes music clips and sounds from instruments showcased. n Building the Transcontinental

Railroad: Uniting A Country

October 13 @ 3:30 PM. Live from Durham Museum, Omaha NE. Opened for through traffic on May 10, 1869, with the driving of the “Last Spike” at Promontory Summit, Utah, the Transcontinental Railroad established a mechanized

transportation network that revolutionized the settlement of the American West by bringing western states and territories firmly into the Union, and making goods and transportation much quicker and cheaper from coast to coast.

This session is loaded with original documents, photos and artifacts.

n Train Robbers of the Old West

October 20 @ 3:30 PM. Learn about the Rock Island James Gang Robbery of 1873 (first robbery of a moving train); Big Nosed George’s attempted 1878 robbery at Medicine Bow, WY; and the Tipton Wyoming Union Pacific robbery on which the film, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was based.

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Nonprofit Organization U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

Cleveland, OH PERMIT NO. 491

A lifestyle with all the advantages 200 Laurel Lake Drive Hudson OH 44236 1-866-650-2100 www.laurellake.org

Bits and Pieces Hudson ranks #5 among best Northeast Ohio suburbs

Laurel Lake’s hometown of Hudson continues to rank among the best places to live in Northeast Ohio.

The city was #5 overall in this year’s Cleveland Magazine “Rating the Suburbs” survey, and #1 in Summit County. Seventy-seven suburbs were rated this year, with Richfield Village earning top spot.

Each year, Cleveland Magazine rates communities across seven counties on factors like neighborhoods, education, safety, and tax rates. Hudson ranked 3rd

in education, 8th in safety. Median home sale price was $325,000.

Laurel Lakers certainly appreciate Hudson’s award-winning First & Main shopping and dining district, pedestrian-friendly streets, parks, safe atmosphere, historic charm, and easy access to both Cleveland and Akron.

Encore Chorale seeks singers 55+

Laurel Lake’s 65-voice Encore Chorale kicks off a new season on Tuesday, Sept. 9 at 3 PM. The group will rehearse a fun, challenging chorale repertoire in four (or more) part harmony, culminating in a Holiday Concert. No audition required. Call Donna Anderson at 330-655-1436 for info today.

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