Discarded trash in our communities and along our roadways is ugly and unwanted. It can also be costly in time and maintenance of equipment for township and county road crews when they are working, or mowing along our roadways. Litter is also a hazard for animals in their natural habitats.

In an effort to reduce those costs and the danger of unsightly litter, local agencies are cooperating together to solve the problem. The OSS Solid Waste District contracts with the county Juvenile Courts in Ottawa, Sandusky and Seneca Counties for supervision of a Litter Crew to clean District roadways. Weather permitting; thousands of pounds of debris are being removed from township and county thoroughfares during the course of a year.

The second annual list ranking the country’s best bass lakes has been released by Bassmaster Magazine. Michigan’s Lake St. Clair took the No. 1 spot, while Falcon Lake, which was last year’s No.1, fell to seventh.

“It is truly amazing how much a fishery can change in the span of 12 months,” said Bassmaster Magazine Editor James Hall. “Most bass anglers, including me, figured Falcon would be ranked number one for the next decade. However, the fishing there has been tough because of drought and fishing pressure. And based on the metrics we use to create the list, then rank the lakes, Lake St. Clair deserved the title of best bass lake in America.”

On Tuesday, April 30, U.S. Representative Marcy Kaptur came to Lakeview Estates to present vegetable plants and seeds to the residents there.  Kaptur is promoting community gardening and healthy eating.  She presented a short program on growing your own food and emphasized how much money you can save by gardening, the benefits of the fresh fruits and vegetables and the exercise gardening provides.

Port Clinton Mayor Vincent Leone was also present and provided kneeling pads and garden tools for the residents.  It became obvious that more soil was needed for the garden boxes, that the gardens could not be planted until more was obtained. Leone made a phone call and within the half hour there was soil to fill the boxes and then he helped in filling the boxes.

United Way in Ottawa County would like to thank all the volunteers, sponsors, and golfers who made our 3rd Golf Invitational held at the Catawba Island Club on May 3a huge success. We would especially like to thank, Ben, Patrick, Ken and the entire staff at the club for making the event a great experience for all the golfers.

We would also like to thank Bassett’s Market for their donation to the Summer Lunch & Fun Program. Our volunteers had a great time helping at their Weber Grill demonstration on Saturday, May 4th. The weather was perfect and the food was great. It always amazes us with the way the community comes together in unexpected ways to make Port Clinton such a wonderful place to live.

With sincere appreciation,
Chris Galvin & Kristen Gerwin
United Way in Ottawa County

One of the planned events to celebrate National Nursing Home week at the Riverview Healthcare Campus will be the dedication of five new seating benches in the portico entrance area of the facility on Wednesday, May 15, at 2:15 pm.

Last year the Riverview Auxiliary identified the need to replace these benches which had been originally donated by the Lutheran Brotherhood many years ago. In the meantime, Lutheran Brotherhood’s name has changed to Thrivent Financial. The Ottawa County Chapter #30011 of Thrivent Financial was approached for financial support. The Thrivent board under leadership of Wayne Smith, Chapter President, and Terry Hetrick, Thrivent Associate, responded that they would provide the funds for this project.

Port Clinton Boys tennis took on Perkins on Monday at Port Clinton High School in an SBC Match.  The Redskins fell to 7-5  (4-3) on the year losing 0-5.  The Pirates improved to 11-0 (8-0).

The scores were as follows:

• 1st Singles: Manickam Manickam (P) def. Matheus Rodrigues (PC) 6 - 2, 6 -0
• 2nd Singles:  Josh Rohrbacher (P) def. Noah Cross (PC) 6 - 1, 6 - 1
• 3rd Singles:  Gabe Murray (P) def. Leandro Papa (PC) 6 - 0, 6 - 0
• 1st Doubles: Zach Greally/Cody Dominick def.  Matt Fillmore/Jeff Griffin (PC) 6 - 4, 6 - 3
• 2nd Doubles:  Alex Cebull/Brian Kurtz def. Max Mercurio/Ryan Norgard (PC) 6 - 1, 7 - 5

Coach Aaron Taylor: “Matheus had a difficult match against Manickan who is undefeated in the SBC.  Noah had a very tough test as well as Josh played excellent tennis.  Leandro ran into a buzz saw at 3rd singles as Gabe played with excellent poise as a senior.  1st doubles was a very exciting match that was indicative of two great doubles teams.  2nd Doubles was also very exciting with a very close second set once Max and Ryan got going.”

State Representative Chris Redfern has scheduled office hours in Ottawa County. Office hours will be Monday, May 13, from 2-3 p.m. in the Oak Harbor Public Library Lower Level Meeting Room, located at 147 West Main Street in Oak Harbor. The public is invited to attend.

On June 8th a daughter of Ottawa County will be heading on a grand adventure, and we have been invited along. Woodmore graduate Madelyn Hille, 23, and her partner Adam Hoffmeister, 25, will set out with their canoe and their dog Joschko to paddle and capture the Mississippi--all 2500 miles of it, beginning at the headwaters at Itasca State Park in Minnesota and ending with the Gulf of Mexico. 

Along the way Hille, an aspiring photojournalist now living in Indianapolis, will be documenting the trip. She will select one photo each day that captures that day’s experience, then compile the photos into a hard-cover book titled “Capturing the Mississippi”. Madelyn will also be sharing photos each week with Beacon readers.