weeklyvillager.com

I have attended so many wine and cheese parties since opening the winery that it has been very difficult to keep track of which cheeses I have tried and which wine I have tried. When I first started to attend these parties I would try to remember which wines and which cheeses I really liked so I could get them in the store. But unfortunately by the time I got home I had forgotten the name or label.

Pretty soon I started to keep a small notebook in my purse and would write down the wine or cheese variety as soon as I tried it. Of course my friends snickered at my notebook when I first started carrying it around but now they usually call me the day after a party asking what kind of wine we drank or where could they buy the cheese that was served. 

Newton Falls - There may not have been peanuts and crackerjacks at the Newton Falls ball field this past Sunday, but crazy antics and wisecracks were plentiful as the NF Fire and Police Departments battled it out on the local diamond for a day of “friendly” fun and good-natured rivalry.

Friends and family members came out to support their favorite first-responders, serving as pseudo-cheerleaders for the afternoon, and all present were able to root, root, root for the home team(s), with the fire department represented in red, the police players in blue. 

Garrettsville - The demolition and reconstruction project of the Windham Street (State Route 82) bridge has been ongoing all summer long, blocking a main artery to the downtown and rerouting motorists to State Routes 88, 303 and 700. Now that school is about to start and traffic is due to increase, Garrettsville residents are wondering if the end is in sight.

The original ODOT road sign erected prior to construction read: “SR 82 will be closed May 3 for 150 days.” Unfortunately, the Ohio Department of Transportation inspector now reports that the project is running three weeks behind schedule due to complications, pushing the estimated completion date from October 1 to late October.

Freedom Township - The James A. Garfield Historical Society , taking their cue from the season and the weather, held a picnic in the Freedom Town Hall on August 16--pleasant venue, new pavilion to check out.

Business discussed included possible venues for the Christmas Walk Craft Show, disruptions caused by the bridge closing and what to do about them, location/relocation of the Maple marker, the on-going saga of the old Garrettsville depot and the visit of Lewis Bradford Noah, genealogist, who has a Garrettsville history connection.  He will be coming on September 20  to give a presentation; the public will be invited to attend.

John Zizka, Freedom Township trustee, offered some facts and insights about    the township, including the bicentennial display mounted for the celebration of the two hundredth birthday of Portage County, and the receipts and paperwork covering major portions of the township history which were found in some old storage space in the town hall building during its renovation.

The food was good too!