All of us here at The Beacon would like to wish all of you, our readers, a very Merry Christmas! My wife and I were doing a driving tour of Port Clinton Christmas lights last Sunday and made it a point to visit the Lemke family display at 419 E. 5th Street. Over 37,000 LED lights flashing in rhythm to Christmas music provided by 93.3 FM. I have no idea how they did it, but we stayed for a half hour and enjoyed it all.

Just like the Cleveland Browns’ roster, Ottawa County has taken a bit of a hit from this new Omicron strain of Covid-19. Last week alone, there were 164 new cases, 24 hospitalizations and, sadly, two deaths reported by the Ottawa County Health Department. We’ve been dealing with this for two years now! Enough is enough!

Many thanks to all of those who donated to the 2021 Mitten Tree here at The Beacon. We decorated our tree with over 300 mittens, scarves, stocking caps and gloves by the time Salvation Army came around to pick them up for Christmas distribution. The Mitten Tree is a tradition almost as old as The Beacon itself!

Nancy Wolf from Marblehead was selected from among 127 entries who found Wylie hiding in the ad for Fulton Street Coffee House & Cafe on Page 6B in last week’s Beacon. So, congratulations to Nancy, 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.

Father Andrew Bartek wants to bring everyone together on Christmas Day for companionship and a wonderful free meal of ham and mashed potatoes on Saturday, Dec. 25 from 1-4 p.m. at Holy Assumption Orthodox Church, 110 E. Main St., Marblehead. Meals are carryout or eat in, but reservations are requested. Call 419-798-4591. Providing sponsorship of Father Bartek’s special holiday meal are Big Boppers Restaurant, Camp Runinmuck, Marblehead Galley Restaurant, Latitude Cafe, Wee Willie’s Sports Bar, Howard Hanna and Respect Life Ministry.

The 5th annual Bash on the Bay on Aug. 24-25 at the Put-in-Bay Airport on South Bass Island will have country stars Brad Paisley headlining on Wednesday, Aug. 24 and the Zac Brown Band on Thursday, Aug. 25. If that’s not enough of a reason for cowboys and cowgirls to kick up their heels for a couple of nights in a row, Paisley tops a card that includes Jake Owen, Blanco Brown, and The Hubie Ashcroft Band. Zac Brown Band will be joined by Chris Janson, Morgan Evans and David Graham and the Eskimo Brothers. For ticket information visit eTix.com.

Magruder Hospital hosts Blood Drive! The American Red Cross is in need of blood and will have a blood drive in the Magruder Hospital Conference Center Friday, Jan. 7, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Appointments are required and can be made by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS, or visiting RedCrossBlood.org.  Donors should enter Magruder through the Outpatient Entrance where they will be screened and escorted to the conference center. Nearby blood drives can always be found by going to redcrossblood.org and entering your zip code. There will also be another visit from the American Red Cross Bloodmobile at the Holiday Inn Express, 50 N.E. Catawba Road, on Thurs. Dec. 30, from Noon to 6 p.m. For more information, contact Kim Bartish at 419-732-7322.

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.

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” right now 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.