There will be a new holiday tradition in Port Clinton starting this Sunday, Dec. 19. It will be a local parade based on Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem seeking lodging prior to the birth of the baby Jesus. It will start at the Trinity Methodist Church parking lot at 6 p.m., followed by St. John Lutheran Church, St. Thomas Episcopal Church and RJ’s Ice Cream shop. They will finish back at Trinity for cookies, cocoa and fellowship. Also sponsoring will be Truth Ministries. It sounds like a very nice Christmas event.

Beginning next school year (2022-23), Benton-Carroll-Salem’s Seventh Grade students will attend classes at Oak Harbor High School. That will bring the total of students at the facility to close to 700. To put this number in perspective, this current school year (2021-2022), they have a head count of 546 students in grades 8 through 12.

How do these numbers compare historically? In the 1992-1993 school year, when Oak Harbor High School housed only grades 9-12, there was a head count of 624 students. During the 1978-1979 school year, just a few years after Oak Harbor High School was constructed, the building housed 753 students in grades 9-12.

The Ottawa County Wreaths across America committee invites you to join them this Saturday, Dec.18 for the Wreaths Across America celebration. This year’s event will take place at 11 a.m. at the Salem Twp. Union Cemetery on State Route 105, west of Oak Harbor. Following the ceremony, you are invited to help place the wreaths on the graves of veterans buried there.

The committee’s goal is to annually place a wreath on the grave of every Ottawa County veteran. This goal can only be reached with your donations. Each wreath that is placed costs $15. We have one township that helps raise the funds for their cemeteries. Local efforts to help raise funds for the remaining cemeteries in each township would be appreciated by the committee.

Contact Sara Toris at 419-898-2099 to learn more. Funds are being collected for the 2022 ceremony. Checks payable to Wreaths Across America can be sent to: Wreaths across America, 8444 W. SR 163, Oak Harbor, Ohio 43449. All donations are tax deductible.

Connie Hetrick was selected from among 118 entries who found Wylie hiding in the ad for Genoa Bank on Page 6A in last week’s Beacon. So, congratulations to Connie, the winner of 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.

Thanks to Rod Gale for letting me know that former Port Clinton High School football standout Dan Dalrymple, who was a 4-year starter at Miami (Ohio), has been named the Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year by his association. Dan is currently serving as the strength and conditioning coach for the New Orleans Saints.

The free ELMS Community Meal is being held tonight (Thursday Dec. 16) from 5-6 p.m. It is featuring ham, cheesy potatoes, vegetable and, of course, lots of Christmas cookies. It is carryout dinners only at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, East Second Street, Port Clinton. The free dinners are created at Peace Lutheran Church and St. Thomas Episcopal Church, whose parishioners wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

Gov. Mike DeWine has reappointed a couple of Ottawa County experts to state positions. James Stouffer Jr. of Port Clinton has been reappointed to the Ohio Lake Erie Commission for a term beginning on Friday, Dec. 10, and ending Sept. 1, 2024. Brenda Brandon of Port Clinton has been reappointed to the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council for a term beginning Dec. 10 and ending Dec. 31, 2023.

The annual dinner of the Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce on Friday, Jan. 28 at the Ottawa County Fairgrounds Hall is going to offer offer an opportunity to network with your peers, promote your business and make connections with colleagues. The hot buffet dinner is at 6:30 p.m., with a short business meeting at 7:45 p.m.

The speaker is David Horning, whose topic is: Think Like a Comedian, Act Like a Leader: Pivot Problems to Punchlines. Horning has the microphone at 8 p.m. To reserve tickets call 419-898-0479 or email: oakharborohio.net/annual-dinner.

The Humane Society of Ottawa County has placed a Giving Tree in three local locations for anyone wishing to donate to the Humane Society over the Christmas holiday. Trees are located at Miller’s New Market, 22361 W. Holt Harrigan Rd., Genoa; Bassett’s Market, 3994 E. Harbor Rd., Port Clinton; and The Lake House, 3874 E. Harbor Light Landing Dr., Port Clinton.

These 6-foot Christmas trees have paper ornaments with items listed that are needed at the shelter.

Shoppers take an ornament off the tree, purchase the item and return it to the store. A box is provided with the tree for these items. Items needed include dog and cat food, cleaning supplies, toys and gas cards.

Congratulations to Drew Kopchak, of Port Clinton, who was among over 660 students who earned named scholarships at Baldwin Wallace University this fall. Kopchak, a graduate of Port Clinton High School majoring in physics, earned the O.L. Dustheimer Astronomy Prize.

To put smiles on the faces of the older citizens around town, says Ottawa County Senior Resources, think of gifting socks for seniors. And blankets, too! Ottawa County Senior Resources is collecting “Socks & Blankets for Seniors” to keep tootsies warm now that the cold weather has arrived.

The socks and blankets will be distributed to Ottawa County seniors and homebound clients. Collection points include all Ottawa County Senior Centers, the Senior Resources Main Office in the Ottawa County Courthouse, or by calling Senior Resources at 419-898-6459.

There will be another visit from the American Red Cross Bloodmobile at the Holiday Inn Express, 50 N.E. Catawba Road, on Thursday, Dec. 30, from noon to 6 p.m. For more information, contact Kim Bartish at 419-732-7322.