Past members, pastors and friends will join the congregation at Firelands Presbyterian Church Sunday to celebrate 30 years of history and look to the future.
In 1980, two couples — Pat and Bud True and Betty and Sam Carter — met with officials to start a Presbyterian church in the area. The first service was held that year in the fellowship hall of Catawba Union Chapel on Porter Road. Two years later, on May 30, 1982, the growing congregation was chartered as Firelands Presbyterian Church and a tradition of dedication and community was born.
“I thought there must be something really wonderful happening here because there was no ambiance,” said Connie Brand, of the Union Chapel site. “It was just a room filled with enthusiastic people and this old record player.”
Throughout the years, that enthusiasm has helped the church to grow.

Karen Demangos, then executive director of Joyful Connections, was recently honored with the Larry L. Noblitt Liberty Bell Award. The accolade was given by the Ottawa County Bar Association for outstanding service to the community for her work at the supervised exchange and visitation site in Oak Harbor.
“It was very exciting,” Demangos said, but not just for personal reasons. “I’m just glad for Joyful Connections to get this recognition.”
Perfect timing.
May is Supervised Visitation Awareness Month and the local organization is using this — and the representative orange ribbon — to get the word out about what they do. There is a coloring contest, the Rally for the Kids event last weekend in Bassett’s Market parking lot and literature being handed out around town.
The board for Joyful Connections was formed in 2007 as a Leadership Ottawa County class project. Next came bylaws, 501(c)(3) status, the hiring of an executive director and securing the site at 8200 W. Ohio 163, Oak Harbor.
“There was nothing here but junk,” Demangos said.

The Port Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce has planned a celebration on the Lake that we love on Thursday, July 12, on the Jet Express. The sightseeing cruise will depart Port Clinton at 7:30 p.m. and cruise past the Catawba shoreline, Marblehead and the historic lighthouse, then continue on past the islands of Kelleys, Rattlesnake, Sugar, Green and the Bass before enjoying the sunset on the way back into Port Clinton. The Jet will be traveling at high speed to reach the different points of interest and then slow down to enjoy the sights.

The Port Clinton Artists’ Club’s 55th Arts in the Park will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 4-5, at Lakeview Park in Port Clinton. Many artists return to this exciting festival year after year due to their success and the serenity the area has to offer. Exceptional, original art is displayed and sold by nearly 120 artists coming from as far away as Florida. The show is free and open to the public. One of the oldest art festivals in Ohio, Arts in the Park is celebrating 55 years of continuing to bring unique and original art to Ottawa County. 
“This is the best art show in Ottawa County,” said watercolor artist Jim Siemer. “I have been doing shows around Ohio for a long time, and I’m always successful here, while having a great time.” 

The Oak Harbor Area Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring the third annual village-wide Garage Sale Days on June 1-2. Anyone in the Oak Harbor area may sign up, and some of the downtown businesses will be having sidewalk sales as well.
New this year, the chamber will have spaces available at Flat Iron Park for rent for those who live out of town but would like to participate. A 10-foot by 20-foot space will be $20 for Friday and Saturday.

Magruder Hospital has been recognized by The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society for achieving Stage 6 of the Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model. This comes as a result of the hospital’s implementation of the Cerner Millennium Electronic Medical Record. Magruder is the first critical access hospital in the state of Ohio to earn this recognition. Currently, across the United States, only 5.2 percent of hospitals have reached this level of technology.

A few spots remain for the annual Terra State Community College golf outing June 1 at Sycamore Hills Golf Course.
The “Fore Student Scholarships Golf Tournament,” sponsored by the Terra College Foundation, raises funds to provide scholarships for Terra students.
Fee is $100 per person and includes 18 holes of golf, lunch and dinner. The outing is limited to the first 32 paid teams. There are also a variety of sponsorship opportunities, ranging from $100 to $1,000.
The Terra Ladies Golf Outing will be July 9, also at Sycamore Hills. Proceeds go to the St. Francis Guild Scholarship Fund to assist women students at Terra.
Fee is $55 per person and includes 18 holes of golf, continental breakfast and lunch. Hole sponsorships are $100.
New this year, as an added opportunity on the day of the ladies outing, is the Ohio LPGA Golf Professionals “Swing Like a Girl” Clinic. LPGA golf professionals will share tips on grip, posture, alignment and swing fundamentals. The clinic begins at 8 a.m., prior to the 9:45 a.m. shotgun start of the tournament. Fee is $15 per golfer.
For information, contact Ed Mayer, Executive Director of the Terra College Foundation, at 419-559-2263.

Steven Quartly will showcase his latest images Friday through Monday, May 25-28, at Wyland Gallery at Put-in-Bay. Located at 495 Catawba Ave., the gallery opened for the season May 19.
Quartly will be on hand daily and by appointment during his Memorial Day Weekend show to unveil colorful new seascapes, landscapes and street scenes alive with romance and emotion.
Many of his paintings were influenced by his travels in Europe, Hawaii and the Caribbean. Some of his most powerful canvases are painted from sketches made or photographs taken during his travels.

The 2012 Summer Cooling Program operated by WSOS will begin June 1 and last until Aug. 31 or until funds are exhausted, whichever comes first. Appointments are being accepted now.
The program, which operated for two months the last several years, has expanded this year to include June. The benefit amount per household has also increased this year to $250, up $75 from previous years.

The Walleye Festival weekend marks the beginning of the busy summer season and Port Clinton kicks it off with the Main Street Port Clinton Walleye Festival and family friendly events.

Main Street gives back
Local non-profit organizations will be helping to make the 32nd anniversary of the Walleye Festival the biggest and best event ever. Local groups will be volunteering in the Entertainment Tent all weekend long. Main Street Port Clinton encourages you to come to the Walleye Festival and support the following: Compassionate Friends, Goodwill, Greater Port Clinton Area Arts Council, Leadership Ottawa County, the Oak House, Port Clinton Business and Professional Women and Port Clinton Rotary.