Today is Sept. 16, 2022.

• We’re going to have a nice final weekend of summer (remember these days when we’re buried in snow in January). Today is going to be mostly sunny and warm with a high of 82 and a low of 60, then we’ll be in the mid-80s and dry over the weekend. We could get a thunderstorm Monday, but all in all we couldn’t ask for a better way to close out summer 2022.

Latest news in brief

’Tis the season: Check out the Haunted Hayride to see the ghoulish side of Silver Springs Park

The Stow Haunted Hayride will take place from 6-9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, at Silver Springs Park (5238 Young Rd.) in Stow. Wagons leave every 10 to 15 minutes from the parking lot by the baseball fields and take you through the campground and roads near the Heritage Barn for a look at the spooky side of the park (be on the lookout for ghouls and goblins).

Following your hayride, go over to the barn to hear a scary story, take photos by the Halloween decorations, grab your S’mores kit, and head to the bonfire-lined Toasty Trail that leads back to the parking lot. Food trucks will also be onsite.

Cost is $5 for Stow residents and $7 for non-residents (children aged 2 and under are free). Registration is required at StowOhio.RecDesk.com or by calling 330-689-5100.

More local news:

• The City of Stow Mental Health Coalition is reminding everyone that September is Suicide Awareness Month. Do not remain silent if you are having thoughts of suicide, feeling alone or are in a crisis, or know someone who is. Call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 9-8-8 (note: this is a new number) 24 hours a day to receive immediate assistance from trained professionals.

• The City of Stow is hiring adults to work as school crossing guards for Stow-Munroe Falls City Schools. If you want to help students get to and from school safely, apply in person at City Hall or find an application here.

• Brust Park in Munroe Falls isn’t the only park in The Spotlight’s coverage area that is a “Birding Hotspot” according to birdinghotspots.org. Adell Durbin Park & Arboretum, located at 3300 Darrow Rd. in Stow and less than a mile from Brust Park, has also earned that distinction. The 34-acre park has had registered sightings of 85 different bird species, including osprey, great blue heron and great horned owl. See the complete list.

• Registration is open for LaTuchie Tennis Center’s fall instruction program for ages 7-15. The fall session begins Sept. 19 and runs through Oct. 5. Classes will be held at the Adell Durbin Park tennis courts (3300 Darrow Rd. in Stow) on Mondays and Wednesdays (6-7 p.m. for ages 7-10, and 7-8 p.m. for ages 11-15). Cost is $66 for Stow residents and $71 for non-residents. Go here to register.

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Community calendar

🎺 Sat., Sept. 17, 7 p.m.: Stow Band Show. What: High school band performance featuring Stow-Munroe Falls, Kent Roosevelt, Mogadore, Canton South and Painesville Riverside. Where: Stow-Munroe Falls High School stadium. For tickets, go to the band website.

🐕 Sun., Sept. 18, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.: 15th Annual PAW Fest. What: Stow-Munroe Falls Lions Club fundraiser featuring dog vendors, rescue groups, raffles, dog contests, food vendors and more. Where: Bow Wow Beach Dog Park (5027 Stow Rd.) at Silver Springs Park in Stow. Fee: $1 donation for parking or donation of used eyeglasses. For more information, contact 330-607-2242 or [email protected].

🎶 Wed., Sept. 21, 6-7:30 p.m.: Concerts on the Green. What: Outdoor concert series sponsored by the City of Stow. This concert features Overboard the Love Boat Band playing music from the 1970s and ’80s. This is a rescheduled concert from July 27, when it was postponed due to inclement weather. Where: Stow City Center Campus (3870 Darrow Rd.). Bring your lawn chair!

🧘 Thurs., Sept. 22, 6:30 p.m.: Sunset Salutations Yoga. What: Free program for adults (families are welcome) featuring yoga under the stars led by Maria Grimm. To register, visit StowOhio.RecDesk.com, click on programs and search for “Yoga.”

📚 Thurs., Sept. 22, 4-6 p.m.: Book Donation Day. What: Bring your good, clean, used books and puzzles to the back door of the library. Curbside pickup service will be available. Materials will be used by the library or sold at the Friends’ Book Sale. Where: Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library (3512 Darrow Rd.). If you can’t make it that day or time, call Joan at 330-388-0355 to schedule an appointment to drop off donations.

🌟 Thurs., Sept. 22, 7:30 p.m.: Sunset Salutations Stargazing. What: Free program for adults (families are welcome) to sit and gaze at the stars under the guidance of local astronomy gurus, who will instruct attendees and highlight celestial objects in their telescopes. Where: Groundhog Hill (near baseball fields) at Silver Springs Park (5238 Young Rd.) in Stow. Bring your own chairs, blankets and telescopes (if you have one). To register, visit StowOhio.RecDesk.com, click on programs and search for “Stargazing.”

👻 Sat., Sept. 24, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.: Halloween Costume Swap. What: Donate unopened makeup and clean costumes and accessories for children, teens and adults at the Checkout Desk beginning Sept. 17. Then, return Sept. 24 to pick new items to take home. Swapping is first-come, first-served. Where: Stow-Munroe Falls Room at the Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library (3512 Darrow Rd.). No registration required.

🌽 Sat.-Sun., Sept. 24-25, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.: Stow Harvest Festival. What: Annual festival sponsored by the Stow Historical Society featuring free tours of three historic houses and a one-room schoolhouse, a blacksmith, apple butter stirring, musical entertainment and more. Art, handmade crafts and food will be for sale both days. Where: Heritage Park (5120 Young Rd.) at Silver Springs Park in Stow. Proceeds from the festival go toward preservation of artifacts and maintenance of archives, and support the history of Stow, Ohio. Email [email protected] for more information.

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Obituaries for Sept. 9-15

William Lee MiholerWilliam Lee Miholer, 79, passed away Sept. 8, 2022. Born in Three Rivers, Michigan, on Sept. 1, 1943, he was a 1961 graduate of Three Rivers High School and Western Michigan University in 1969.Read more

Joseph F. SigmundJoseph F. Sigmund, 93, passed away peacefully at his home with family at his side on Sept. 11, 2022. Born in Cleveland, he was a first generation American and a resident of Stow/Munroe Falls since 1960.Read more

Verne T. RowlandVerne T. Rowland, 92, died September 9, 2022. Born in Newport, Ohio, he moved to Stow as a young boy, and graduated from Stow High School, where he excelled as an athlete.Read more

Janelle M. KelleyJanelle M. Kelley, 76, died September 7, 2022. Born in Akron, she was a resident of Stow since 1984. Read more

Stow

New city ordinance still lets you feed strays, but you can’t let it become a nuisance to your neighbors

Don’t feed them, and they won’t come. That’s the stance taken by city council regarding feral and wild animals, prompting a new ordinance that bans residents from feeding critters in the hopes of curtailing problems between neighbors.

• The Do Not Feed list covers dogs, cats, raccoons, skunks and other wild animals. You can still feed ducks and birds.

• This doesn’t mean you have to leave stray dogs or cats to fend for themselves. You can feed them as long as it doesn’t create a nuisance.

• “The defecation part of this is a real issue,” Council Member Brian Lowdermilk said.

Business

Still waiting… No news yet about who’s moving into the empty Macy’s building and when

It might be the most pressing question in Stow right now: When will the vacant Macy’s building in the Stow-Kent Shopping Center on Kent Road be occupied? The Spotlight published a story Aug. 30 about the situation, with Nathan Leppo, the City of Stow’s planning and development director, saying then that something could be announced “any day now” regarding the Macy’s building.

• The most recent update: Stow Mayor John Pribonic said on his Facebook page Sept. 13 that “the developer has not given the name of the tenant or date yet.”

• The Spotlight is waiting with you to hear something. Macy’s closed in 2020 after the building had been continuously occupied since opening in 1965, and what’s going on with it is discussed almost daily on social media.

Sports

Stow football great Larry Csonka commemorates ’72 Dolphins with a book about his legendary career

Timing is everything: 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins, and one of the stars of that iconic NFL team, Stow’s own Larry Csonka, has a new book coming out Oct. 4. Titled “Head On: A Memoir,” the book details the storied career of the 1964 Stow High School graduate, Syracuse University All-American, and two-time Super Bowl champion and Pro Football Hall of Famer in his own words.

• In the book, Csonka talks about his days hanging out with such luminaries as Burt Reynolds, Joe Namath and Elvis Presley.

• Csonka also tells of taking sniper fire while on a USO tour of Vietnam and spending a night adrift in the Bering Sea as gale-force winds raged around him.

• As a high school senior, Csonka helped lead the Bulldogs, coached by Dick Fortner, to the Metro League championship in 1963, catapulting the bruising running back to a storybook football career.

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Reader: I don't think you need to give us the weather. That's available so many other places, seems like a filler. Is it? I did learn 2 new pieces of info this morning- Beef O' Brady and the tie in the Board of Education. I was pleased you told others about the mosquito spraying-I have been watching that and put our home on the do not spray list-are you aware of that possibility?

Tom: Some people love the weather updates, some people don't. But remember: This is Ohio, where predicting the weather is like reading tea leaves. Take it for what it's worth.

And there’s another edition of The Spotlight — No. 14 if you’re scoring at home. We hope you’re enjoying your bi-weekly dose of local news — a dose that will get bigger as we grow. Have a great weekend, and we’ll do this again Tuesday!

Tom [email protected]