From left, Mary Anderson, Doris Telliard, Sharon Park and Deborah Hepp traveled from their homes in Oak Harbor for the Port Clinton Senior Picnic on Aug. 1. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

BY SHERI TRUSTY

PORT CLINTON – For over two decades, the City of Port Clinton and Ottawa County Senior Resources have partnered to host one of the biggest picnics in town. This year, the 22nd annual Port Clinton Senior Picnic was held at Lakeview Park on Aug. 1. The event featured a picnic lunch, an ice cream social, live music and health screenings.

Everything was free for senior citizens 60 and older. City of Port Clinton Administrative Assistant Sandye Ostheimer said they planned for 200 attendees.

“It’s not just Port Clinton residents. We always have people from Danbury attend,” she said.

Magruder Hospital RN Ruth Scott checks Sharon Snider’s blood pressure. Snider is the mother of Port Clinton Mayor Mike Snider. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

A group of women from Oak Harbor also attended the event: Mary Anderson, Doris Telliard, Sharon Park and Deborah Hepp. Anderson said she attends every year to connect with friends and meet new people.

“I come because of the people and the food. They are great with the food,” Anderson said. “They do a lot for seniors, and this is one of the special things they do.”

Edgewood Manor Marketing Director Barbara Mullholand and Activity Director Angela Snyder brought six residents to the picnic, giving them a chance to engage in the community and see friends.

Seniors enjoyed lunch, live music, health screenings and the chance to visit with friends at the Port Clinton Senior Picnic on Aug. 1. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

“We have an initiative to include our residents in the community. Angela is the driving force to that,” Mullholand said.

Snyder tries to take residents on outings, such as fishing trips or visits to restaurants, once or twice a week.

“They love to go out,” Snyder said. “It’s good for them, and there are so many different things to do in Port Clinton.”

On Aug. 1, the fun thing to do was the Port Clinton Senior Picnic. In addition to food and entertainment, attendees had the opportunity to receive free health screenings. Magruder Hospital RN Ruth Scott offered blood pressure checks, and Whitney Kingsborough, a public health nurse with the Ottawa County Health Department, offered hemoglobin, blood sugar, and oxygen saturation checks.

From left, City of Port Clinton Administrative Assistant, Sandye Ostheimer; Port Clinton Mayor Mike Snider; and Ottawa County Senior Resources Director Tory Thompson helped host the Port Clinton Senior Picnic on Aug. 1. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

The picnic was successful thanks to wide community support. The city funded and cooked hamburgers and hot dogs. Toft’s Dairy supplied the lemonade. Hal and Diane Hawk and Crown Battery provided Ballreich’s chips. Edgewood Manor donated cookies, and Neidecker, Crosser & Priesman Funeral Homes sponsored an ice cream social.

Ostheimer and Ottawa County Senior Resources Director Tory Thompson are grateful for the community support that created a meaningful event that impacted seniors across the county.

“We do this to get people together, to lift up our senior community, and to show them how significant they are to us,” Ostheimer said. “We want to gather them together so they can see friends they haven’t seen in a while.”