By John Schaffner

We had a fabulous time Saturday night at the Jefferson Starship performance at Rock the Light! That has turned into an amazing event. The band came back for a two-song encore that I felt carried an extremely important message in today’s culture.

We have both national media and social media telling us all the time to “hate” people who don’t think like we do politically. You can even see it on local strands on Facebook. That has to end. We’re all in this together!

The Red Cross Bloodmobile is having a huge presence in our area this week. They are at the Holiday Inn Express today from noon to 6 p.m. They will be in Oak Harbor this Friday, at St. John’s Lutheran Church; the Port Clinton Elks Lodge on Thursday, Sept. 26 from 1-6 p.m.; and at Catawba Community Hall on Saturday, Sept. 28 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. When you give blood, you save a life.

Tom Donaldson of Elmore is our winner this week in our “Find Wylie” contest. He was chosen from among 101 entries who successfully found our friendly fish hiding in the ad for the Ottawa County Community Foundation in The Beacon last week. So, Tom wins a $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.

Our annual Best of The Best Awards Dinner and gala will be held this Wednesday, Sept. 18 at the Camp Perry Clubhouse again this year. If you would like to attend, please call us at 419-732-2154 or stop into our office next to Goodwill in the next few days. Last year we had nearly 400 in attendance. It is Ottawa County’s version of the Oscars!

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has begun a restoration project of the Marblehead Lighthouse. As part of the restoration, scaffolding will surround our favorite historical site for several months. As a result, there will be no tower tours during the Lighthouse Festival the weekend of Oct. 12-13.
The Port Clinton Friends of the Cemetery will host their annual Chicken Barbecue on Sunday, Sept. 22 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Adams Street Gazebo.

Actress Sarah Hernandez, who performed in the movie “Unplanned” will be the featured guest speaker at Heartbeat of Ottawa County’s “Feel the Beat” fundraising event on Saturday, Sept. 28 from 6 to 9:30 p.m. at the Port Clinton Elks Lodge. Classic Trendz will provide the entertainment for the dinner/dance. Tickets are $40 per person and can be acquired by calling 419-734-9359,

The Ottawa County Genealogical Society will meet Sept. 17 at the Ida Rupp Public Library at 6:30 p.m. The Speaker will be Bill Subsara and he will talk on his Genealogical Journey. His interest stems from his paternal roots and family name changes. The public is invited to attend.

This Monday, Sept. 16 at noon, Magruder Hospital will host an educational luncheon in the Conference Center. Jenn Caligiuri, ATC, LAT, LMT with Magruder Lake Erie Sports Medicine & Rehab, will present a program on Joint Health.  Learn techniques for preventing and treating the aches and pains from joint overuse and injury. This luncheon is part of a monthly education series in the hospital’s conference center, which features a different topic and speaker each month. The luncheon series is open to the public and the cost is $6. The program is free if you do not wish to have lunch. An RSVP for the September program is required by noon on Friday, Sept. 13, by calling 419-732-4061.

All past employees of Standard Products in Port Clinton are invited to a special reunion this Saturday, Sept. 14 at 1 p.m. at the Fulton Street Café inside Magruder Hospital. Menu price or lunch special prices will apply. Contact Patti at 419-967-1510 or Arlene 419-732-2375.

Your new Mobile App is available for you use! It is called “Lake Erie Coastlines” and it’s FREE! Just download it on your iPhone or Android device from the App Store. It is chock full of useful information on local events, things to do and places to go. “Lake Erie Coastlines” … enjoy!