Covid-19 has us all in its nasty grip!

I like all of those in the media that remind us that we are all in this together. That especially means all of us here in Ottawa County. Think for a second the impact the pandemic has been having at Magruder Hospital. They have had some traffic in the Emergency Room, but much of the other activity that keeps our community hospital running on a day-to-day basis has dried up. I could probably mention nearly every business here.

If you get a chance to do ANYTHING to support local businesses, please do it. Thank you.

In the meantime, The Beacon and thebeacon.net maintain our commitment to providing you with the news and information to help you see the “good news” of the week. We plan to continue our normal publishing schedule. We ask that you also keep us posted by submitting it to editor@athebeacon.net. Knowledge is power for us all, and as we spend less time in face-to-face dialogue with each other, publications like ours can help maintain the sense of community we all share. Please stay healthy and safe.

I lost another good friend last week in Dr. Gil Bucholz. He was 86, and I am quite certain that he got more out of his 86 years than 20 of us combined! Gil was a prominent Osteopath and Radiologist. He spent four years as Ottawa County Coroner. He was on the board of trustees at the University of Des Moines. He was an accomplished pilot and flew himself to most of their board meetings.

If you looked up the definition of “Absent Minded Professor” in Webster’s Dictionary, his picture would be there. But let there be no doubt, Gil Bucholz was a brilliant man. For the last 25 years or so, he has personally sponsored a $10,000 Hole-in-One prize for the Chick Schaffner Memorial Charity Golf Classic. Gil Bucholz was a kind, generous, and brilliant soul, and I am a better man for having known him.

Virginia Cordy of Oak Harbor was chosen from among 96 entries who found Wylie hiding in the ad for Bolte Insurance on Page 6B in last week’s Beacon. So, Virgina 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.

Covid-19 has captured yet another classic local event. The 31st Annual Chick Schaffner Charity Golf Classic, normally held in mid to late June, has been rescheduled for Sept. 21.

I heard earlier this week that my good friend Don Dougherty of Catawba celebrated his 84th birthday and, unfortunately, had a pretty serious heart attack and has been hospitalized. Get well soon Don! (Those poor nurses!)

I got a note on Friday from Rob Constein with an idea. Why not purchase gift cards and mail them to our local First Responders? Maybe buy some local restaurant gift cards? Good idea Rob.

I also saw on Facebook where Coffee Express and Main St. Port Clinton sent over breakfast and coffee to the Port Clinton Police Department. They responded “Thanks a Latte”!

The Easter Bunny paid a visit to Otterbein North Shore Retirement Center on a beautiful sunny spring day last week.