The Bistro 163 fundraising effort to benefit World Central Kitchen in the Ukraine has had a grand start. As of April 12th, the donation page on the Bistro 163 website has risen to $6,427 towards its goal of $10,000 — and that total will be matched. “Donations will be accepted through April, and we hope everyone will consider donating today!” said spokesperson Mary Caracci. The three ways for people to contribute: Pay It Forward at the restaurant; Contribute on the website (www.bistro163.org) by clicking on the “donate” button; Mail a check to Bistro 163, 1848 E Perry St., Port Clinton OH 43452. World Central Kitchen and its affiliate, Chefs for Ukraine, are a worthy cause, feeding refugees who have had to flee the war. These are mothers, children and seniors who wonder how they will eat tomorrow.

Brian Snyder and his wife, Jana, made the Easter holiday something very special last week, hosting a free Community Dinner at Bistro 163 in Port Clinton to honor Brian’s dad, Bob Snyder, who died a year ago. Bob and his wife, Linda Snyder, are known for their good works, including the creation of Portage Resale Center in Port Clinton that donates every penny of its profits to groups and organizations in need.

Bistro 163 served a record 384 meals — delicious traditional ham dinners — that included 217 meals delivered by volunteers. The $674 in dinner donations were given by Bistro 163 to the World Center Kitchen in the war-torn Ukraine.

The Bataan Memorial Elementary Parents Club is sponsoring a Family Getaway and Fundraiser at America’s largest indoor water park. Stay Sunday, June 12 and play at the waterpark on Monday, June 13. The special rate of $139 includes four waterpark passes, and up to two additional guests passes may be purchased for $50 each. A portion of the room rate is donated to Bataan Parents Club. Call Kalahari (1-877-525-2427) and ask for the Port Clinton Schools special rate for members of the community, family, and friends.

Howard Routson was selected from 121 entries who found Wylie Walleye hiding in the ad for Bassett’s Markets on Page 3A in last week’s Beacon. Howard wins our weekly $25 gas card graciously donated by Friendship Stores. Each week we hide Wylie in an ad for our readers to find. When one does, they can log onto our website www.thebeacon.net and let us know where he is!

Speaking of Wylie, ladies and gents do not forget to send in any questions to Wylie the Walleye. He is squirming with anticipation of the questions that he gets to answer with the help of his friends. You send us a message on our Facebook page, our website www.thebeacon.net, email them to askwylie@thebeacon.net or mail any questions that you want answered to P.O. Box 46, Port Clinton, Ohio 43452.

We have a new section looking for sponsorship for only $50 per week, we are printing old pictures of our beautiful Ottawa County and our community members. If you would like to submit a photo and sponsor it, please send it to us with a return envelope or email it to us at memories@thebeacon.net. Come on, folks, lets start getting our history in the paper.

The Red Cross and its partners in Northern Ohio will once again participate in a national effort to save lives and make homes safer. “Sound the Alarm. Save a Life.” is a month-long campaign with a goal to install more than 2,700 free smoke alarms in Northern Ohio Volunteers are needed across the region to make this event a success.

Slava Ukraini! That means “Glory to the Ukraine,” and is the name of the new dry hopped golden ale created by the Catawba Island Brewing Company in Port Clinton. Proceeds from the ale have been earmarked to support the Ukraine relief effort in its war with invading Russia. The recipe for Slava Ukraini was one of many the Pravda Brewing Company in the Ukraine released to brewers all over the world.

The Ohio Small Business Development Center at Terra State Community College is offering free, three-hour Wednesday seminars on May 4 (8:30 a.m.) and May 18 (4:30 p.m.), “Small Business Basics,” that will take the confusion out of your efforts and help avoid costly mistakes. Learn the basics of name registration, licensing, taxes, zoning, business entities, employees, insurance, financing, and business planning. To register or for more information, contact Miranda Hoffman, Director of the Ohio Small Business Development Center, 419-559-2210 or mhoffma05@terra.edu.

Getting tested for the coronavirus is now as easy as breathing into a tube for 10 seconds, reports The Washington Post. The Food and Drug Administration authorized a first-of-its-kind breath test called the InspectIR COVID-19 Breathalyzer last week. It must be administered by a trained operator but only takes about three minutes to return results. Although the test will miss about 1 in 10 positive cases, it performs about as well — or even a little better — than many at-home nasal swab tests on the market.

The travel schedule for Gov. Mike DeWine and his wife, Fran, has been frightful of late, crisscrossing the Buckeye State together in recent weeks. Both tested positive for Covid-19 in the past week. Both have had vaccinations and boosters. With mild symptoms they will quarantine at home according to Ohio Department of Health guidelines.

The Ohio Department of Insurance OSHIIP Division will present a Welcome to Medicare program for those who will be eligible for Medicare soon, are on Medicare but still have questions, or those who help a family member with Medicare issues. The in-person event is Tuesday, May 31 from 5-6 p.m. at the Civilian Marksmanship building on the Camp Perry campus in Port Clinton. If you are interested in attending, call 419-898-6459.

Catawba Island Volunteer Fire Department (CIVFD is proud to announce, congratulate and recognize Richard J. Adams Jr., David Amerine, Marty Auxter, Chris Boyd, Kevin Howe, Isiah Garza, Brad James, Scott Tanner, and Jason Waggoner to our CIVFD family. Finding time in our busy schedules to volunteer is difficult for anyone. This department shows us what profound beliefs they have in neighbors helping neighbors is all about. Remember, CIVFD continues to offer opportunities to our community to become an integral part of this department on a volunteer basis. For more information on volunteering call CIVFD at 419-797-2424 or email them at catawwbaislandfd@gmail.com. They can also be contacted on their Facebook page Facebook.com/CATWABAISLANDFD.

As, we begin to look upon our season of 2022, without this snow, let’s not to forget to support each other in our small business endeavors. All the small businesses can continue to use the support of each other and the community including the Beacon. Let’s keep this vibrant community thriving more than ever!

Also, congratulations to the Class of 2021 recruits and to those future Class of 2022 recruits.