To all of our readers, due to press problems with our printer, the “I Shop Local” promotion pages in the Beacon can be found on Page 3B and Page 6B. We apologize for any inconvenience to our advertisers and ask our readers to please go out and support these local businesses during this holiday season.

I want to thank everyone who stopped by The Beacon offices to donate to our annual Mitten Tree, which provides gloves, scarves, mittens and caps to those in need. We were a little late in announcing it this year, and wrapping it up early because of the coronavirus, and were overwhelmed by your generosity. As always, thank you!

The Covid-19 pandemic is making this a lonely Christmas season for many in the community. Local churches and Bistro 163 are welcoming everyone to enjoy a free home-cooked meal this holiday season over the coming week to brighten spirits, even though many neighbors and friends won’t be able to break bread together because of social distancing requirements.

Bistro 163, so gracious with their carry out dinners during the coronavirus, will wish everyone a season’s greetings with a drive-through dinner on Wednesday, Dec. 23 from 4-6 p.m. Take home a wonderful turkey dinner with all of the trimmings, courtesy of Bistro 163’s fantastic chefs and volunteers. Reservations are required, so call Bistro 163 at 419-734-9887.

As always, donations are appreciated. And if you stop at Bistro 163 for lunch, be sure to pay it forward at the cash register.

The wonderful parishioners and Father Andrew Bartek at Holy Assumption Orthodox Church on E. Main Street in Marblehead will ensure that everyone has a delicious free ham dinner and all of the fixings available to pick up and take home on Christmas Day, Friday, Dec. 25. The meals will be available from 1-3 p.m., and will be delivered in the immediate area after 3 p.m.

The meals must be pre-ordered by Sunday, Dec. 20 by calling 419-798-4591.

The chaplain for the Marblehead Police Department, Father Bartek has become a wonderful presence in the village. Unfortunately, he won’t be performing the annual Blessing of the Lake in Marblehead this year because of a ban on large gatherings.

The free ELMS Community Christmas Dinner will be held today (Thursday, Dec. 17) at 5 p.m. to celebrate Christmas a week early at St. Thomas Episcopal Church on East Second Street in Port Clinton. This year’s Christmas Dinner will feature a traditional baked ham and cheesy potatoes, compliments of St. Thomas Episcopal and Peace Lutheran churches. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, only drive-by carryout dinners will be available.

In these difficult times, The Port Clinton Unit of the Ottawa County Holiday Bureau is providing food vouchers for area families to help them have a Merry Christmas. To make that happen, the Holiday Bureau urgently needs last-minute contributions from friends and families around the area before the food voucher distribution on Saturday, Dec. 19. For last-minute donations, call Port Clinton Unit Chairman Bonnie Kaspar at 419-341-1470.

Barb Boebel was chosen from among 118 entries who found Wylie hiding in the ad for First Federal Savings of Lorain on Page 3B in last week’s Beacon. So, Barb 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 Gift of Lights Christmas Trees are dazzling visitors at Adams Street Park in downtown Port Clinton this week! Cruise the attractively-decorated Adams Street Park, pick a favorite decorated tree, and vote for your choice by donating $1. The winning business or organization that garners the most votes for their Christmas tree will donate its winnings to their favorite charity.

Voting began this week, and ballot boxes are waiting for dollar donations. Drop them off at the Main Street Port Clinton/Chamber of Commerce office, Coffee Express, Lilly & Gerts, Slater’s Madison Street Pub and the Ala Carte Café. The deadline to vote is Friday, Jan. 1 at noon.

It’s sad to see the COVID-19 pandemic will be closing the doors of a very cool Ottawa County social hot spot, Wine Flight in Elmore. After four years of outstanding reviews for its wines and a lot of regular customers making one of the most social locations in town, Rebekah and Tony Zimmerman will be closing Wine Flight for now on Wednesday, Dec. 23.

In a message to her many fans, Rebekah is asking friends and customers to come see them, use their gift certificates, collect their wine club and give them an air hug.

“The spirit of who we are has been stripped down, regulation after regulation,” she lamented.

Friends of Otterbein Senior Life, Bridget Scherf and friend, helped make Christmas a little merrier this year by donating a beautiful manger for the residents to enjoy.

Gov. Mike DeWine has designated $38.7 million of funding received by the State of Ohio from the federal CARES Act to provide $2,500 assistance payments to on-premise liquor permit holders to help them through the financial difficulties experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lake Erie Shores & Islands was recently notified that more than 100 eligible businesses in the Ottawa and Erie county region have not applied yet for these dollars.

If you qualify, be sure to apply. The Bar and Restaurant Assistance Fund is designed to assist Ohio’s on-premise liquor permit holders that have not been able to fully use their liquor permit, and it’s had an impact on their business. The program, which began accepting applications last month, is administered by the Ohio Development Services Agency.