BY JOHN SCHAFFNER

Welcome to the 45th anniversary of The Blizzard of ’78! I was working at The Port Clinton Press at the time, and had recently bought my first home, an “All Electric” domicile. Much at our new home, including heat, did not operate.

I remember almost running out of wood for the fireplace and living off of canned soup cooked on a camp stove. We still got a paper out that weekend, thanks to the efforts of Jeff Koehler on Put-in-Bay. He “walked” across the ice, hopped into his VW Bug, picked me up and took me to Sandusky, where we had the paper printed.

It was an amazing snow event.

Peter Wagner and Judy Geiger get ready for Sunday’s March for Life that began at Waterworks Park in Port Clinton and wrapped up at Denny Bergeman Hall at the Knights of Columbus in downtown Port Clinton.

I was privileged to serve as Master of Ceremonies helping to launch last Saturday’s Port Clinton March for Life. I ran into Peter Wagner, son of a former Magruder Hospital physician and 1975 graduate of Port Clinton High School.

Wagner lives in Key West now, but is making frequent trips back this way. He reminded me that he served as a statistician when I did radio play-by-play back in the 1970s.

Congratulations to my friend Corbin Carpenter who has officially retired from the Port Clinton Police Department. He was a good cop, and I kidded him the other night that the criminal element around Ottawa County must be celebrating!!

This Sunday, Jan. 29, the Oak Harbor Knights of Columbus will be sponsoring an “All You Can Eat” Pancake and Sausage Family Breakfast at St. Boniface Catholic Church beginning at 9 a.m. Donation is $8 for adults, senior citizens $7 and children under 12 $5. The menu includes homemade applesauce, homemade rolls, coffee, hot chocolate and juice. Carry-outs will be available.

All proceeds will benefit the Heartbeat Pregnancy Center of Ottawa County. Also, the council is conducting a “Big Hearts for Little Hearts” baby shower for Heartbeat through the end of February.

The Oak Harbor Athletic Department would like to honor ALL current and former military personnel with free admission to the boys basketball game vs. Fremont Ross this Saturday, Jan. 28. The JV game begins at 5:45 p.m. Please show your Military ID at the gate.

The Red Cross Bloodmobile will be making a number of visits to our area in the coming weeks: Oak Harbor Methodist Church on Tuesday, Jan. 31 from noon to 5 p.m.; and again at Holiday Inn Express on Thursday, Feb. 9 from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Save a life. Give Blood.

Here are some upcoming events hosted by the Marblehead Peninsula Chamber of Commerce: Valentine’s Wine & Chocolate Walk – February 11; Marblehead Purse Bingo – March 11; Marblehead Chili Cook-Off – April 1.

There will be a free hip screening at the Magruder Orthopedic Clinic on Friday, Feb. 10, from 1-3 p.m. The screening will include an x-ray, consultation with one of the Orthopedic Nurse Practitioners or Orthopedic Surgeon, and a chance to meet with a Physical Therapist and have other questions answered about post-surgical needs participants might have. The Magruder Orthopedic Clinic is located at 611 Fulton St., Port Clinton — Suite G.  Appointments for this screening are required. Call 419-732-4061.

Also at Magruder, the next Magruder Diabetes Get-Together will be on Thursday, Feb. 2, in the Magruder Conference Center at 11 a.m. These free get-togethers are for anyone dealing with Diabetes or Pre-Diabetes, including family and friends.

The topic for February will be “Diabetes & Foot Health.” Discussions are led by Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialists. Join them to learn, have your questions answered, support one another and share stories. No RSVP is necessary, but if you have questions you can call 419-732-4047 or email tstadler@magruderhospital.com.

Congratulations to the following local students who have earned Dean’s List honors at South New Hampshire University: Briana Carlson and Asia Taylor, both of Port Clinton. Also congratulations to Jaxon Martinez of Port Clinton for being named to the Dean’s List at Hiram College for the Fall 2022 semester.

Eric Bechtel of Port Clinton, a graduate of Westlake High School, has graduated from Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, with a Bachelor of Arts: Finance.

Katlyn Dulgar of Port Clinton has been placed as a student teacher at Margaretta High School in Castalia. Dulgar is pursuing a degree in adolescent/young adult/integrated mathematics education.