BY JOHN SCHAFFNER

Congratulations to the Oak Harbor Rocket football team for finishing their regular season at 10-0! That is a tremendous accomplishment for these young people, along with Coach Mike May and his staff. Well done! The Rockets meet Beechwood on Saturday night in the first round of the 2019 State Playoffs.

The Ottawa County Salvation Army Toy Drive begins Monday, Nov. 11. This event is co-sponsored by the Port Clinton Kiwanis Club, the Ottawa County Republican Women’s Club, Toys for Tots, Weapons Company 1/24 and the Ottawa County Holiday Bureau. They anticipate serving over 1,000 children county-wide. There are nearly 50 county drop off locations. All toys collected will stay in Ottawa County to help local residents in need.

Emma Shao of Port Clinton is our winner this week in our “Find Wylie” contest. She was chosen from among 59 entries who successfully found our friendly fish hiding in the ad for Ohio Living on Page 4B in The Beacon last week. Arleen wins a $25 gas card graciously donated by Friendship Stores. Each week we generally 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 the contest.

The Annual Port Clinton Fire Fighters Association Feather Party will be held this Saturday, Nov. 9, at the Port Clinton Fire Station on State Street. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the “first spin” happens at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free.

While voting on Tuesday, one of the volunteers at the Catawba Township Hall stopped me to thank us for the publicity we gave her office (she works for Dr. Patrick Reineck). They did a “Teddy Bear” collection drive to be donated to local EMS squads to help calm young children who have been involved in an accident or some other trauma event. She told me that they
collected over 100 stuffed animals! Thank you to our readers for sharing.

The Port Clinton Knights of Columbus will be conducting a Blood Drive in conjunction with the American Red Cross at Denny Bergeman Hall, 109 E. Perry St., Port Clinton, on Wednesday, Nov. 20 from noon to 6 p.m. Donors should call 1-800-Red Cross to make an advance payment. Walk-ins are also welcome.

Main Street Port Clinton recently awarded a check for $5,000 to Bill and Lisa Black to purchase new siding for the front of their building at 221 S. Madison St., part of the chamber’s Downtown Improvement Grand Program. Since 2013, Main Street has awarded $110,000 in grants, all made possible from funds generated from the Walleye Festival.

There will be a Downtown Business and Property Owners’ Round Table on Thursday, Nov. 14 at the Denny Bergeman Knights of Columbus Hall, 109 E. Perry St., Port Clinton starting at 5 p.m. There will be a cash bar. RSVPs are requested by email … admin@portclintonchamber.com.

Tonight (Thursday, Nov. 7) at 7:30 p.m. the Oak Harbor High School band will be doing its second annual “Season in Review” concert at “The Launch Pad.” I’m told there may even be a rubber chicken involved!

Magruder Hospital will host the monthly Alzheimer’s Support Group on Monday, Nov. 11 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, Magruder Hospital will offer their monthly screening on the second Thursday of every month starting at 9 a.m. in the lab. The test is a venipuncture/blood draw rather than a finger stick, and will include a Basic Metabolic Panel (glucose, BUN/Creatinine, calcium, potassium, sodium, chloride, CO2, etc.) and a Lipid profile (Total Cholesterol/LDL/HDL/Triglycerides), as well as a Blood Pressure check.  The cost is $16. The next screening will be Nov.14, and appointments can be made by calling 419-734-3131 Ext. 3420. For more information on events and screenings, go to Magruder’s website at www.magruderhospital.com.

The Jessie Schenk Memorial Turkey Chase will be held on Saturday, Nov. 30, at The Resort at Erie Landing. It is a 5K Run/Walk to benefit the Jessica Schenk Scholar/Athlete Memorial Scholarship. Pre-Registration is $27 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under. For more information and for registration, search Jessie Schenk Memorial Turkey Chase online.

On Thanksgiving Day, United Way in Ottawa County (UWOC,) along with local volunteers, will organize a community-wide Thanksgiving Day meal for those in need. This is the 28th year of the gathering being hosted in Port Clinton, and the first to be organized by UWOC. Currently, UWOC is asking community members to donate ready-to-eat pies, raw turkeys or make monetary donations for the event. There are also volunteer opportunities to help prepare the meal the day before (Nov. 27) or serve the day-of the feast (Nov. 28). UWOC also welcomes local businesses to donate bulk side dishes or assist with the transportation of items. To donate or sign up to supply a ready-to-eat item for “A United Thanksgiving,” call UWOC’s office at 419-734-6645.