Otterbein resident Bud Engle watches as his wife Shirley has her blood pressure taken at the 1st annual Otterbein Wellness Fair.

BY JOHN SCHAFFNER

I heard this week that the new movie “The Irishman,” a Martin Scorsese mobster film about the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa, has specific references to Port Clinton in it. Then I learned that the theme to the 2020 New Years Eve Walleye Drop will be the roaring 20s!

How appropriate since Jan. 16, 2020 is the 100th Anniversary of the start of prohibition, which changed the complexion of our sleepy little town for many years during the era. It was a time of rumrunners, bootleggers and other forms of vice which became part of the fabric of the community. More to come.

This Saturday, Dec. 7, is Port Clinton’s Community Christmas! Beginning at 3 p.m. families can visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus at the Clinton House. Downtown retail stores and restaurants will be holding open houses and fun activities for the entire family from 2-5 p.m. Along with crafts, many stores will be serving up chili for our Chili Tasting competition. Voting takes place at the Port Clinton Chamber of Commerce office.

The Lighted Christmas Parade begins at 5:30 p.m. The route begins on Monroe Street travels down Second Street to Adams Street Park. There will be a Tree Lighting Ceremony and Gift of Lights at 6 p.m. at Adams Street Park.

Carl Voss of Port Clinton is our winner this week in our “Find Wylie” contest. Carl was chosen from 87 entries who found Wylie hiding in the ad for Nightingales on Page 1B in last week’s Beacon. So, Carl wins our weekly $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.

My personal congratulations to Coach Mike May and the 2019 Oak Harbor Rocket football team for their incredible accomplishments this year. The magical journey came to an end last Saturday in Strongsville as the Rockets fell to Kirtland, 28-14, in the State Semfinals. There is great pride in what these young men accomplished, not just for those in the BCS School System, but for all of us in Ottawa County.

Santa arrives in Oak Harbor this Saturday, Dec. 7 at 4:15 p.m. with the help of the Portage District Fire Department. At 5 p.m., Santa arrives at the Log Cabin to light the Village Christmas Tree and visit with the children. After visiting with Santa, the children will then receive special Santa Bucks and be able to shop for two free gift items for their loved ones from several businesses downtown.

There will be a special show and sale of local handcrafted offerings this Saturday, Dec. 7 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Catawba Township Hall. Door prizes of handmade items from their vendors will be given away during the day. Lunch will also be served. A portion of the proceeds from this show benefit ARC of Ottawa County.

The North Coast Concert Band will present their annual Christmas Concert this Sunday, Dec. 8, at 3 p.m. in the Port Clinton High School Performing Arts Center. The concert will feature a wide variety of Christmas music, from traditional to jazz to contemporary. Some of the music that will be featured includes arrangements from the movie Polar Express; a jazz arrangement of Go Tell It On the Mountain; a medley of Irving Berlin’s Christmas music.; and Leroy Anderson’s A Christmas Festival.

Magruder Hospital will offer its 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 Dec. 12, and appointments can be made by calling 419-734-3131 Ext. 3420.

Magruder Hospital will host the monthly Alzheimer’s Support Group on Monday, Dec. 9, 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. For more information about this program as well as other support groups, events and screenings, go to www.magruderhospital.com and click on the events calendar.

There will be a Free Community Dinner at Bistro 163 at the Sutton Center on E. Perry Street this Monday, Dec. 9 from 5-7 p.m. This is something they do there on the second Monday of each month.

The Marblehead Purse Bingo has begun. Tickets are now on sale for $40. The event will be held on Saturday, March 7. You can purchase your tickets at Marblehead Bank or the Holiday Inn Express. The $40 ticket gets your 16 games of Bingo and a buffet dinner.