BY JOHN SCHAFFNER

Beginning next week, The Beacon will begin to be printed at the Findlay Courier. This is the result of the Ogden Publishing Company’s purchase of the Findlay Courier, Fostoria Review Times, Norwalk Reflector and the Sandusky Register. They already owned the Tiffin Advertiser Tribune.

Due to this change, The Beacon will be moving its printing and distribution day ahead by 24 hours. Just about all of The Beacon’s print deadlines for the foreseeable future will be Fridays at 4 p.m.

Congratulations to Past Commodore Don Rodwancy for receiving the prestigious Oliver True Memorial Trophy last Saturday evening at the Port Clinton Yacht Club’s annual Recognition Dinner. The Oliver True award is emblematic of PCYC’s most valuable member. It is well deserved.

The Shark Trophy, given to a contributing member of the sail fleet went to Krista Kyle. The George Schade Memorial award for the top junior sailor went to Lucas Kyle.

Mike Chura is the winner this week in our “Find Wylie” contest. Mike was chosen from among 61 entries who found Wylie hiding in the ad for Ohio Living at the Vineyard on Page 5A in last week’s Beacon. So, Mike wins our weekly $25 gas card graciously donated by Friendship Stores. Each week we hide Wylie Walleye in an ad and our readers, when one of them finds him, can either bring in a contest entry cut out of the paper or log onto our website … www.thebeacon.net … and let us know where he is, thus entering, and possibly winning our weekly contest.

The annual Salvation Army Bell Ringing campaign has concluded, and not only did they make their goal if $67,000, but they exceeded it! Thanks to countless volunteers and millions of “ding-a-lings” they hit $69,169.47!

We say goodbye to Port Clinton’s Safety Service Director Olen Martin and welcome back, for a little while anyway, Tracy Colston, who will fill the position on an interim basis. Olen says he looks forward to “coming home” to Port Clinton.

Destination Toledo, Lucas County’s convention and visitors bureau, has named Lance Woodworth its new president and general manager, effective immediately. The decision was announced by Bill Carroll, chairman of the board of trustees, Toledo-Lucas County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Throughout 2019, Lance Woodworth was Destination Toledo’s vice president of sales and relationship management. In that role, he represented Toledo in September at the 2019 Solheim Cup in Scotland, an event Toledo’s Inverness Club will host in 2021.

Woodworth was general manager of the Jet Express ferry service in Port Clinton for 14 years. He also served as board chairman of the Lake Erie Shores & Islands and the Port Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce, and was a board member of the Erie County Visitors and Convention Bureau. He represented Northwest Ohio on the Ohio Travel Association. Congratulations Lance!

From my “I wish I was there” file, the 2019-2020 boys basketball team got a “talking to” the other day. Three former Rocket greats, Greg Holman, along with Don and Dave Christy, spoke to the team about Rocket Pride. Holman was an All-Ohio performer at OHHS. My old friend Dave Christy was the coach of the 1982-83 basketball team led by Don and his brother that went all the way to State.

Longtime active Port Clinton resident and now an Otterbein resident, Joyce Murphy enjoyed lunch and a “Noon Year’s Eve” celebration at Otterbein’s Boulevard Bistro. Joyce was a local Republican advocate and an officer of the local Garden Club for many years.

The Benton-Carroll-Salem Music Boosters will hold their 6th Annual Dueling Pianos Fundraiser on Saturday, Feb. 1 at the VFW Hall. Tickets are $45 per person or $85 per couple. The Main Street Dueling Pianos will entertain from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:30. Included in the ticket cost will be dinner, drinks, a silent auction and 50/50 raffles. For tickets, call Tina Brough at 419-266-7171 or Ann Johnson at 419-271-1278. They will also be available at the concessions at Boys home basketball games.

Magruder Hospital will host the monthly Alzheimer’s Support Group on Monday, Jan. 13, at 9 a.m. in the Conference Center. Meeting on the second Monday of each month, the group provides helpful tips, education, encouragement and resources to family, friends and caregivers of anyone dealing with dementia and memory loss.

Also, the Magruder Hospital Nutrition Department is offering monthly Diabetes Get-Togethers on the third Thursday each month at Noon in the Conference Center. There will be a different topic & speaker each month. For the Jan. 16, get together, the Magruder Diabetic Educators will discuss “What should I choose to eat when in restaurants?”

The group meets from September through May and is for anyone dealing with Diabetes or Pre-Diabetes, including family and friends. Light refreshments will be provided and no RSVP is necessary. For more information, call 419-732-4027.