The Ottawa County Fair is up and running through this Sunday (no wonder it was 100-degrees on Tuesday!). One of the great traditions is to crown the Junior Fair King and Queen on Monday night, the first night of the fair. Congratulations to Anna Johnson and Zachary Estes, the Ottawa County Fair’s 2012 Junior Fair King and Queen. The Fair is located on Ohio 163 between Port Clinton and Oak Harbor.
One of the other plusses about the Ottawa County Fair is the opportunity for local folks to meet and talk to the local candidates who will be running this coming November. Both the Republicans and Democrats have booths there to facilitate that meet and greet idea. Also, the Ottawa County Republicans have opened their new headquarters at the Port Clinton Knights of Columbus Hall at 109 E. Perry St. in Port Clinton. They will hold an open house there from 6 to 8 p.m. this Monday, July 23.

Our Find Wylie winner this week is Vicki Valentine from Catawba who was among the 142 contestants who found Wylie in the ad for Re-Max on page 4B in last week’s Beacon. Vicki wins our weekly $20 gift card from Friendship Food Stores. We’ll be hiding Wylie again this week, if you find him, drop off an entry form at our office in the Beacon Place Business Center or click on the Find Wylie Icon at our website, www.thebeacon.net.

Debi Hahn of Catawba turned 60 last weekend and her husband Steve Hahn made a donation of $800 to the Catawba Volunteer Fire Department in her honor which was matched by a donation from Prudential Financial Services. Steve also bought 55 chicken dinners at the CIVFD’s barbecue last Saturday night for a party for Debi. We also heard that longtime Catawba Island Township worker and former Fire Chief Dan Barlow was stricken while at the barbecue and had to be taken by Life Flight. We hope and pray that he will be OK.

For more than 40 years, Geoff Elliott has studied the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln. He is coming to the Ida Rupp Public Library at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 21, to share his knowledge of this fascinating, complex and even controversial man.

The Ottawa County Humane Society and the Fort Firelands Family Campground are teaming up for a “Potluck for Paws” event at 6 p.m. Saturday, July 21. Admission is free. There will be Bluegrass music to enjoy, 50/50 raffles, a Chinese auction, kids’ games and prizes. And of course, lots of animals! So bring a dish to share and your lawn chairs for a good time this Saturday. Fort Firelands is located at 5650 E. Harbor Road at the junction of Ohio 269 and 163.

The date has been set for the fifth annual Gem Beach Rocks event. It will be held again from noon to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept.8, at Gem Beach. Four bands will be playing for your enjoyment all day long. For information, log onto gembeachrocks.com or call 419-734-6645.

The second annual Conestoga West End 3-on-3 basketball tournament will be held on Saturday, Aug. 11. They will start at 10 a.m. and go until the last team wins. The cost is $10 per player for a team of three or four players. A T-shirt and officials will be provided. For information, call Lee Horne at 419-573-9432 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Following the tournament there will be a neighborhood party with hamburgers, hot dogs, a DJ, kids games, prizes, a 50/50 raffle and a dunk tank featuring Mayor Vince Leone and Police Chief Rob Hickman. That ought to be fun to watch!

The Island Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary is holding a Poker Run starting from the Excuses Lounge at the corner of Columbus Avenue and Strub Road. in Sandusky on Saturday, Aug. 11. The entry fee is $15 per person and $25 per couple which includes a meal at Excuses Lounge. Registration is at 10 a.m. with the first bike out at 11 a.m. For information call the Island Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary at 419-960-7487.

On Saturday, July 28, there will be an indoor/outdoor Flea Market at Harbor Lanes on Buckeye Boulevard in Port Clinton from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can reserve your spot now with only 15 spaces available inside. For information, call Sue at 419-734-2695.

The interest in our area was once again demonstrated to us this past weekend during the 2012 Parade of Homes. We had literally thousands of folks touring all of the top developments in our area. All of our customers on the Tour of Homes told us that they had incredible traffic over the weekend and will be able to spend the next several weeks just following up on the serious prospects. My thanks to our sponsors and to the developers for helping make the 5th Annual Catawba/Marblehead Parade of Homes a HUGE SUCCESS!!!

This is it! The Catawba/Marblehead Parade of Homes is this coming weekend. Be sure to check out our 40-page special section inserted into this week’s Beacon for all the particulars. Extra copies will be available at the Lake Erie Shores and Islands Visitor’s Center and at Bassett’s Market. It all kicks off Thursday night at the Crow’s Nest on Ohio 269 N. on Marblehead from 6 to 8 p.m. There will be a special wine tasting and lots of hors d’oeuvres. Tickets are $20 and will be available at the door. We have a tremendous group of developments in our area that will have some fantastic condos, villas, etc. on display. Hours of the tour are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 4 on Sunday.

We had a lot of local folks as well as folks with local ties perform well in last weekend’s Mills Trophy Yacht Race. Jim Fredericks and his crew got first place in the multi hull class sailing Big Storm. My nephew Chip Schaffner was tactician aboard the J-122 First Tracks took first in class and second overall on the long course —72 miles. Dave Caracci of Catawba sailed his 24-foot Cracker Jack to first place in JAM D. Also Rob Kyle, a member of Port Clinton Yacht Club, sailed Sally Jo to second place in his class.

Another correction!!! We apologize for giving you the wrong date for the Faith United Methodist Women’s Group’s Fabulous Flea Market, Artists and Crafters Show at Port Clinton’s City Park. It will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 23, not on Tuesday, July 31, as we reported. They are looking for Flea Market and Garage Sale Vendors. If you are interested, call Stacy at 419-635-2257. For me to make two mistakes in two weeks is unheard of!!! I usually only make one or two a year!!!