BY JOHN SCHAFFNER

I am very sad to report three prominent folks who passed away in the last week or so…

Lock Zeis was the Mayor of Port Clinton back in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was also a Past Commodore of Port Clinton Yacht Club and considered by many as the true leader and mentor of Port Clinton. He was also a partner in the Tadsen Insurance Agency along with Ro Chapman and Ron Blackburn. Most of all, he was a tremendous human being.

Don Rhodes was Catawba Island’s Number One historian who created the Ottawa City General Store back in the 1970s.

Finally, Ginny Wise of Fremont who was the longest standing employee of The Beacon. She was also very active in community theater in Fremont and with the Playmakers Civic Theater here. She always had a smile on her face when she came to work and was very good at what she did as a typesetter and graphic designer.

Gary Durdel was selected from among 121 entries who found Wylie hiding in the ad for Batdorff Real Estate on Page 6B in last week’s Beacon. So, congratulations to Gary, 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.

The Red Cross is experiencing the worst blood shortage in over a decade, and patient care is being affected. Without enough blood on hospital shelves, some doctors may have to delay potentially lifesaving and life-enhancing treatments and surgeries. We can’t let that happen.

The Bloodmobile will be making three visits locally in the next few weeks. Today (Thursday, Dec. 30) from noon to 6 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Express on State Route 53 just north of the intersection of State Route 163; next Friday, Jan. 7 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Magruder Hospital; and again at the Holiday Inn Express on Friday, Jan. 14 from noon to 5:30.

The Lake Erie Marine Trades Association has announced the 65th Progressive Cleveland Boat Show has been rescheduled to March 17-20. “This change reflects an abundance of caution considering the rise in cases of the Omicron variant and expected growth over the Christmas and New Year holidays,” said Michelle Burke, LEMTA president. “We look forward to presenting our show on the new March dates and we believe the boaters will respond as always.”

Burke also emphasized the show’s plans to increase the entertainment and hands-on activities planned for this January will not change. “In 2020, we reimagined the show by making it a more experiential family event. People loved it and will see more of those features in March,” Burke promised.

The 2022 Women’s Leadership Conference will feature the program “Unleash Your Inner Boss” at the CMP Gary Anderson Competition Center at Camp Perry on Friday, Jan. 14. Carrie Sanchez is the featured speaker at the conference from 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Presented by the Port Clinton Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors, cost is $55 for chamber members and $65 for non-members. Included are lunch, a swag bag, time on the rifle range and the presentation.

Deadline to register is Friday, Jan. 7 at admin@portclintonchamber.com. The Gary Anderson Center at Camp Perry is located at 1000 N. Lawrence Rd., Bldg. 600, Port Clinton.

To provoke a few summertime vibes, including thoughts of sunny skies and warm weather, check out the 2022 dates just announced for the 2022 Ottawa County Fair — and the big fairs in neighboring counties and at the Ohio State Fairgrounds in Columbus. The Ottawa County Fair in Oak Harbor will be held on July 18-24, with the Ohio State Fair right behind on July 27-Aug. 7.

The Walleye Drop folks will be selling Grand Prize Drawing tickets until Wylie’s Walleye Drop on Friday. Fill out completed entries and drop them in the contest drum on the Wylie Walleye Stage in downtown Port Clinton or buy online at walleyedrop.com. You don’t have to be in attendance to win. If you’re a walleye angler, check out the trio of top-notch walleye fishing trips, complete with an all-day Lake Erie charter, dinner and overnight accommodations.

The Giant Dice Game will also return on Friday at 4 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Port Clinton. The dice will roll from 7-11:30 p.m.

The Walleye Drop’s “Bar Swim” will have four charter buses looping around the peninsula starting at 7 p.m., and rides are free. Buses have heat, bathrooms, Wifi and power outlets. All buses will end their night in downtown Port Clinton at 11:30 p.m. The buses will arrive at each destination approximately every 30 minutes. “Taxi Alley” will be located on Jefferson Street. All taxis, buses, Uber and group transportation may use the area as a turnaround.