Board of elections
Mercer County Board of Elections members have scheduled a special meeting Friday morning to recommend a new director.
But agreeing on one person is unlikely, according to board member Betty Cook.
COLDWATER - How long does it take to quit smoking?
Gordon Self hopes 83 miles will do.
The 54-year-old Coldwater man is officially kicking his 40
Celina High School
CELINA - The 197 members of Celina High School's class of 2010 will graduate at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the football field.
Jay Clouse and Gina Everman are this year's valedictorians and Sara Schiavone is the salutatorian.
Area community swimming pools will open for the season this weekend. Here is a listing of opening dates and admission prices:
Celina City Bryson Pool
Opens Saturday with season passes available at the parks and recreation department.
Division III Track Regional at Troy
TROY - For many Grand Lake area athletes, Wednesday was their opportunity to qualify for the state track meet, and for others, it was a chance to gain an opportunity to earn their trip on Friday night.
ST. HENRY - Victor Fortkamp will go from being a Redskin to a Student Prince after the St. Henry boys basketball standout made his intention of going to Heidelberg College known on Wednesday.
One More Curtain Call
With springtime quietly budging for the subtle signs of the approaching summer, this week in 1960 was a calm one for local athletics, as baseball and track had closed shop a couple of weeks prior.
The Grand Lake area and the communities surrounding it have lots to offer thrifty visitors. There's outdoor activities such as boating, fishing, bicycling and golf and festivals galore throughout the summer.
ST. ANTHONY - The time is nearly "ripe" for the 2010 Pomona Strawberry Festival.
This year's event is slated June 3, and as always, will be held at the Unity Grange Hall on St. Anthony Road, east of the unincorporated village of St. Anthony.
MENDON - The Mendon Firecracker Festival, sponsored by the Mendon Lions Club, is set for June 3, 4 and 5 at the former Mendon school grounds.
Proceeds will help finance charitable activities of the Lions club and the Mendon Committee for Future Development.
NEW BREMEN - The New Bremen Historic Association will hold its annual picnic June 6 at its museum at 120 N. Main St. The event, which features food, beverages and entertainment, takes place 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
COLDWATER - The annual Coldwater Knights of Columbus Picnic will be held June 5-6 on the Holy Trinity Church grounds in Coldwater.
New this year is a corn hole tournament. The popular children's game tent will be back with a new variety of prizes, and Bingo will be played in the church basement.
CHICKASAW - Visitors to the 32nd annual Chickasaw Community Picnic will find new events and entertainment opportunities June 11-13.
Corn hole enthu
ST. MARYS - The Holy Rosary Festival is ready to go June 11, 12 and 13 on the grounds of the Holy Rosary Church.
Entertainment this year includes T
ROCKFORD - Rockford Community days is set for June 18 and 19. Chair Amy Joseph calls it the best ever with a big fireworks show Saturday night at 10.
FORT RECOVERY - The 105th annual Fort Recovery Harvest Jubilee is scheduled for June 17-20 at Ambassador Park.
The 2010 Jubilee committee chairmen
MARIA STEIN - New features, old favorites and tasty treats await visitors at the 23rd annual Maria Stein Country Fest. The event takes place June 25-27 on the grounds of the Maria Stein Center.
MONTEZUMA - Annual Zuma Days festivities will be held at Zuma Park, located on the outskirts of the village of Montezuma, on June 18-19. All proceeds benefit the park.
CELINA - Country star Aaron Tippin will headline this year's Freedom Days Picnic in Celina.
Tippin is scheduled to play on the main stage at Celina
CELINA - The Immaculate Conception Parish Picnic will be held this summer July 16-18 on the parish grounds.
On July 16, the food stand opens at 10 a.m. before the annual auction gets under way around 11 a.m.
ST. HENRY - Organizers of the 2010 St. Henry Community Picnic are sponsoring a pre-picnic movie night this year at the village's North Park.
The new event will kick off festivities at dusk July 1; the picnic continues through July 4 along Main Street in the downtown area.
BURKETTSVILLE - A lawn tractor pull will debut this year at the Burkettsville Community Picnic on July 23 and 24.
Also new is the date of the picnic; due to a conflict with another St. Henry-area event, the picnic is being held in July instead of August.
CELINA - The original parade route for the Lake Festival will return this summer after being altered in 2009 due to road work on Johnson Avenue.
The annual Lake Festival is scheduled for July 23-25, with the pageant on July 19.
COLDWATER - Joe Hibner of Coldwater is heading up the 50th annual Coldwater Community Picnic, an event that was co-founded by his father, Robert Hibner Sr.
NEW BREMEN - The 89th annual New Bremen Fireman's Festival will be moving across West Plum Street to the Crown Pavilion. The event takes place July 24 from 9 a.m. to midnight.
CHATTANOOGA - The 96th annual Chatt Farmers Picnic will include numerous events this year when it kicks off July 29.
The festival takes place annually on the last Thursday in July along Tama Road, about 21/2 miles east of Chattanooga.
FORT RECOVERY - The 37th annual nationally sanctioned truck and tractor pulls will be held July 30-31 at Ambassador Park in Fort Recovery.
The even
WAPAKONETA - The 158th Auglaize County Fair, set for Aug. 1-7, has a lot of all-free grandstand entertainment lined up, some old favorites and some new events on the grounds, like the Fire Fighting Training Show with performances three times a day.
A host of new activities and music - as well as the return of popular favorites - highlight this year's Mercer County Banner Fair at the fairgrounds in Celina from Aug. 13 to 19.
ST. MARYS - SummerFest is set for Aug. 13, 14 and 15.
Activities prior to the festival include the 2010 SummerFest Queen pageant at 5 p.m. Aug. 8 i
COLDWATER - The 31st annual Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Benefit Softball Tournament will be held Aug. 18-22 at Memorial Park in Coldwater.
CELINA - The 2009 Ohio Governor's Cup Regatta returns to Grand Lake on Aug. 28 and 29 as top hydroplane drivers in the American Power Boat Association return for 16th year since the revival of the event in 1995.
NEW BREMEN - Visitors to the 36th annual Bremenfest will find some tents, rides and stands in new locations Aug. 20-22
"We're trying to get everything more centralized and accessible," chairman Cory Suchland said.
CELINA - Another summer of music is scheduled for the annual Celina Concert Series at Lake Shore Park.
"We have a strong base of regulars that we see every Sunday night - they're very loyal to the concert series," concert director Chris Mohler said of the audience.
FORT RECOVERY - Former Cincinnati 700 WLW radio personality Gary Burbank will perform at Van Trees Park for the second consecutive year as part of the Fort Recovery Friends of the Arts 2010 Summer Concert Series.
The parks will be filled with the sounds of music this summer as Minster and New Bremen team up for the 2010 Summer Concert Series.
Events alternat
Neil Armstrong Air & Space Museum, Wapakoneta
Located along I-75 (exit 111), the museum is named in honor of astronaut and Wapakoneta native Neil A
ST. MARYS - Labor Day weekend (Sept. 4 and 5) will see the return of the blues to St. Marys when Riverside Bluesfest 2010 features headliners Chris Duarte and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Proceeds benefit St. Marys' K.C. Geiger Park.
DURBIN - The Labor Day Durbin Bean Bake again will wrap up end of summer activities on Sept. 6.
Since 1898, people have been gathering in the wooded area on Erastus- Durbin Road, west of Celina, on the Labor Day holiday to enjoy socializing and bean soup.
ST. JOE - The 27th annual St. Joe Homecoming takes place Sept. 11 and 12 on the grounds of St. Joseph Catholic Church.
Entertainment features disc jockey RJ Slick on Saturday night with the Thien Snipps taking to the stage at 6 p.m. Sunday.
The 14h annual Fall Harvest Antique Tractor and Engine Show will be held Sept. 10-12 at the Mercer County Fairgrounds.
Featured this year will be M
NEW BREMEN - The Giant Pumpkin Growers hope to break their own world record Sept. 25 with a huge pumpkin pie. The seventh annual Pumpkinfest will take place on the Crown Pavilion grounds.
The Grand Lake Mariners is a wooden-bat baseball team comprised of college players.
Their schedule is as follows:
June
5 Geneva
(Exhibition-DH) 4 p.m.
MINSTER - This Auglaize County community will roll out the barrels Oct. 1-3 for the 36th annual Minster Oktoberfest. Some 80,000 visitors are expected if prior festivals are any indication.
Many lodging options exist for visitors to the Grand Lake area.
The Grand Lake St. Marys State Park offers traditional camp sites and cabins for those seeking that back-to-nature feel. The area also has numerous hotels, motels and inns for utmost comfort.
June
9 Prelude to the Dream All-Star Event (Featuring many NASCAR drivers racing late models)
11-12 Late Model Dream ($100,000 to win)
19 Fathe
Arrowhead Park Golf Course
Directions: Take Ohio 66 south out of St. Marys to Minster. Once in Minster, take a right onto First Street and follow it to Canal Road. Turn left on Canal. The course is located on the corner of Canal and Dirksen.
