Westlake Porter Public Library Plans Free Comic Book Day: West Shore Chatter

WESTLAKE, Ohio — Comic book and graphic novel fans of all ages are invited to celebrate Free Comic Book Day at Westlake Porter Public Library 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 7. The event will allow attendees to pick up a free comic, learn how to draw their own comic, or meet and pose with popular comic book characters.

Free superhero buttons and crafting activities will also be available.

Free comics are courtesy of Carol & John’s Comic Shop in Cleveland. They will be available while supplies last, with a limit of three per person. The characters, which are in the library lobby, are provided by Mel Maurer of Westlake. Minifigures include Superman, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Batman, Hulk, Black Panther, Flash, a Minion, SpongeBob, Sonic the Hedgehog and some members of the Peanuts Gang.

Budding comic book artists can learn how to create their own comics in a drop-in session from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Library designer Jessica Meek will be on hand with patterns and how-to tips. No registration is required for this session.

Free Comic Book Day is an annual national event promoting reading and appreciation of the comic book and graphic novel genre.

Centennial continues: Ohio Rep. Monique Smith, D-6, plans to attend the upcoming centennial event of bay high school to share a centennial commendation on behalf of himself and Ohio House President Robert Cupp.

At 4:30 p.m. on May 11, schools in Bay Village City will join the Bay Alumni Foundationthe town of Bay Village and the Bay Village Green Team to honor 100 years of high school in the city with a ceremonial tree planting groundbreaking ceremony. The event is also a celebration of Arbor Day. It will take place at BHS, 29230 Wolf Road, Bay Village. The event is open to the public.

The plan is to plant a white oak about 5 feet in the BHS front lawn. A plaque will also be placed on the site to explain the significance of the tree.

An identical tree will be planted on the grounds of Bay Middle School, 27725 Wolf Road, which is the original site of Parkview School, the first school in Bay Village to offer a secondary school for grades 9-12. This tree will be planted west of the Bay Middle School football field to replace a tree that was damaged and removed after a recent storm.

A plaque will also be installed near this tree to share the history and significance of this planting.

Run for Mom: the Moms Rock 5K the event will start at 9 a.m. on Mother’s Day – May 8 – at the Market Square in Crocker Park, 239 Market Street, Westlake. The event will celebrate all the moms and women in people’s lives.

All runners receive a personalized jersey and a finisher’s medal. Those who prefer not to run with the group can run alone and post their times online. Individual participants have until May 14 to submit their time.

Runners planning to participate on May 7 will be able to pick up their kit starting at 8 a.m. The race will be timed. Pre-registration is required. The cost is $30 for an individual 5k runner, $35 for virtual registration, which includes a race t-shirt and finisher medal. Packages for virtual runners will be mailed after the in-person event.

Prizes will be awarded to the top three men and top three women overall and to the top three men and women in various age groups. There is also a stroller division in which the best man and the best woman will win a prize.

The event is organized by Hermès Road Race. Contest winners: Last week we shared news of the preliminary winners of the Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky RiverFour-way speech contest. Winners of this competition as well as music and visual arts competitions were honored at a gala at the Beck Center on April 11.

The competition annually showcases the talents of students who attend one of five secondary schools in Lakewood and Rocky River: Lakewood, Lutheran West, Magnificat, Rocky River and St. Edward Secondary Schools.

Beck Center for the Arts in Lakewood partnered with the Rotary club for this event, liaising with high school educators and providing the venue and judges for the various phases of the competitions.

The first-place winner of the speech contest was Alex Hodson, who represented the club in the Rotary District 6630 contest on April 9.

Grace Lamparyk, second place, was also honored; Helen Rocheshe, third place; and Lydia Kress, honorable mention. All students come from Lakewood High School. Their teacher is Amy Garritano.

The competition requires speeches to have original content and be based on “The Rotary Four-Prong Test” which asks: “Is this the truth, Is this fair to all concerned, Will it build goodwill and better friendships and Will it benefit all concerned?”

This is the 77th year of the club’s speech contest and the 25th year that the Beck Center has partnered with the Rotary club for this student contest.

The winners of the music competition were Adam Wilcsewski, piano, first place, St. Edward High School, performing Beethoven’s “Sonata No 8, Op 13, Movement 1”; Sophia Craciun, oboe, second place, Lakewood High School, “Oboe Concerto, Movement 3” by Martino; Max Morscher, trombone, third place, St. Edward High School, “Hasse Suite” by Johann Adolf Hasse; and Morgan Way, piano, honorable mention, Rocky River High School, “Impromptu in A flat Major, Op 90, No 4” by Schubert.

The visual arts winners were Lila Wright, “Moose and Duck,” pencil drawing, Lakewood High School, first place; Grace Hoppel, “Going Up,” photography, Lakewood, second place; and Audrey Slankard, “Still Life,” colored pencil, Rocky River, third place.

Honorable mentions went to Alexa Colburn, Lakewood; Billy Hamilton, Lakewood; and Lexi Miles, Lutheran West.

Over 140 artworks of various styles and media were submitted. A jury of visual arts educators selected outstanding works that met the competition requirements. From this gallery, the judges chose the winners. The art exhibit can be viewed in the Jean Bulicek Gallery at the Beck Center.

In recognition of their achievements, all winners received a Rotary cash prize, made possible by the Rotary Lakewood-Rocky River Foundation.

Potluck and Program: Bay Village Historical Society offers “Preserving the Character of Our Town”, a potluck and program, starting with a social at 6 p.m. on May 19 at the Bay Lodge. The potluck dinner is at 6:30 p.m. and the program at 7 p.m.

The main course – a variety of mini sandwiches – will be provided by the historical society. Participants whose last name begins with AL must bring an appetizer or dessert for 10 people. Those whose last name begins with MZ must bring a side dish for 10 people. All participants must bring their own cutlery and a drink. Alcohol is permitted at the Bay Lodge.

There will be a $10 fee at the door for non-members of the historical society.

The guest speaker will be Carol Starre-Kmiecik who will present a one-man show featuring Dorothy Fuldheim, the well-known and sometimes controversial Cleveland newscaster and journalist of the 1960s and 1970s.

RSVP to Pamela Ebert 216-789-1272 or Blinglady17@gmail.com by May 12.

Information, please: Readers are invited to share information about themselves, their families and friends, organizations, religious events, etc. of Bay Village, Rocky River and Westlake for the West Shore Chatter column, which I write as a freelancer. Awards, honors, milestone anniversaries or birthdays and other items are welcome. Submit information at least 10 days before the requested publication date to carolkovach@hotmail.com.

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