Today is Sept. 7, 2022.

• After a few dreary days, we finally get some sunshine today. It’s going to be partly sunny and humid, with a high of 77 and a crisp low of 59. And not much chance of rain until Sunday. So if you have some yard work to tend to, this is a good week for it.

Latest news in brief

Get an inside look at the Kent State Airport at the A&E Expo on Sept. 10

If you’re a fan of aviation, you’ll want to check out the Kent State Aeronautics & Engineering Expo that will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, at the Kent State University Airport (4020 Kent Rd.) in Stow.

The exhibition will give attendees a unique look into the Kent State Airport and features activities and events for all ages, including flights in Kent State aircraft, flight simulator rides, drones and robotics activities, and vintage aircraft displays.

Go here for tickets or more information.

More local news:

• Commerce Drive in Stow will be closed today and Sept. 8 approximately 400 feet from Darrow Road. Commerce will be open to local traffic only off of Hudson Drive. Detour signs will be posted.

• Stow Mayor John Pribonic has confirmed via Facebook that Crumbl Cookies will be opening a location in Stow in a month to six weeks. The new Crumbl Cookies will be located near Hobby Lobby on Kent Road.

• It’s that time of year already: Stow’s Citywide Trick-or-Treat night will take place from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29. Remember to turn your porch light on if you’re planning to hand out treats to the ghosts and goblins.

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Community calendar

🛋️ Sept. 1-7: Furniture and Equipment Silent Auction. Bidding: opened at noon Sept. 1 and closes at 7 p.m. today. Item pickup: today after close of sale and Sept. 8-12. Where: Stow Room at the Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library, 3512 Darrow Rd. All items are sold as-is.

🗣 Sept. 8, 7-8:30 p.m.: What Not to Say: Dealing with Death, Diagnosis, and Divorce. What: Discussion with Rev. Jill Smith of Serenity Hospice in Stow about best practices for reacting supportively to another person’s bad news and being present with them in their grief. Where: Stow-Munroe Falls Room at the Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library, 3512 Darrow Rd. To register, call (330) 688-3295 ext. 4 or visit events.smfpl.org.

⬛ Sept. 11, 8:30 a.m.: 9-11 Memorial Ceremony. What: All are invited to come together to honor and remember those who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001. Where: Stow City Center, Memorial Site (3760 Darrow Rd.).

🪕 Sept. 14, 7-8 p.m.: Acoustic Night. What: Bring your guitar, banjo, harmonica and more to learn from other musicians and play at this informal jam session. All skill levels are encouraged to attend. Where: Stow-Munroe Falls Room at the Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library, 3512 Darrow Rd. Drop-in only, no registration required. For more information, call (330) 688-3295 ext. 4.

🐕 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].

🧘 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.”

🌟 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.”

🌽 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.

Obituaries for Sept. 2-6

Elaine B. Ayers (Bergstrom)Elaine Ayers, 73, of Stow passed away on September 3, 2022 after a long illness. She was born in West Virginia the daughter of the late Ellery and Evelyn Bergstrom.Read more

Stow

Weather puts a damper on Summer Sunset Blast – fireworks show will be rescheduled

Well, the weather didn’t cooperate after all. The annual Stow Summer Sunset Blast at Silver Springs Park had a nice night of festivities on Day 1 Sept. 3, but the next night … not so much.

A steady rain Sept. 4 made for a sloshy mess at the park on Day 2, forcing the cancellation of the popular grand finale fireworks show that caps the event. The City of Stow plans to reschedule the fireworks for later this year.

Schools

How safe are your kids at school? Police and administrators work closely to protect SMF students

We live in an era when parents send their children off to school each morning wondering how safe they really are inside those walls. So what kind of security do students have in the Stow-Munroe Falls School District?

• The Stow Police Department works closely with the district to provide safety throughout each school day.

• That includes regular officer training geared toward an active-shooter situation on school grounds, plus collaboration with other law enforcement agencies in the event of a shooting.

• “Our goal is to respond as quickly as possible,” Stow Police Chief Jeff Film said.

Read the full story.

Sports

Bulldog Sports Roundup: Early lead slips away as football falls to Solon on last-second field goal

The Stow-Munroe Falls football team was oh-so-close to victory Sept. 2 at Solon, building a 14-0 lead on two first-half touchdown passes by freshman quarterback Jake Harrington. But the Bulldogs couldn’t put the Comets away, and it came back to bite them.

Solon rallied to score the game’s final 17 points, capped by a field goal as time ran out to hand the Bulldogs their second straight loss. “We let Solon hang around,” Stow coach Martin Poder lamented.

In other Bulldog action last week:

• Jayla Atkinson won the Division I title at the Ashland Cross Country Invitational.

• Girls volleyball rallied for an improbable five-set victory over Louisville.

• Field hockey picked up its first win of the season with a shutout of Shaker Heights Laurel.

Read Roger Gordon's weekly sports roundup.

Mailbox

We got lots of comments from readers about the first part of our school safety series, regarding the district's decision not to arm teachers. The comments pretty much stand on their own, so I'll simply publish them all below.

Reader: Teachers have enough to do now without having to learn to shoot to protect their students! Much less being held liable if they make a mistake.

Reader: I’d just like to know what measures, including new measures, the district will have instituted that will assure the parents of any attending children that their safety is promised? Too many times we are learning of short comings on the administration after an incident.

Reader: I feel confident that our Stow-Munroe Falls schools are competent of all types of security for the students and staff. If guns in schools would become a state law, hopefully not, there would be several opportunities for theft, accidents and possible loss of teachers who would leave the district because of the law. Thanks for keeping guns out of our schools!

Reader: Teachers are there to teach.

Reader: Retired educator here. WRONG to arm teachers. It's difficult enough to educate students in these times, considering the effects of the pandemic, students not prepared to learn, angry parents and school boards, lack of respect and pay for teachers. Now give educators a gun? What could go wrong?! :(

Reader: We don't need guns in teachers' hands in school!!! The crossfire would kill.

Reader: If a teacher is properly trained and can handle a firearm, I am TOTALLY in favor of allowing him or her to carry a weapon.

Tom: Thank you all for taking the time to share your thoughts. School district and city officials are reading The Spotlight, so your comments here can have a real impact.

So there’s your rare Wednesday edition of The Spotlight, courtesy of Labor Day pushing us back a day. Keep those story ideas coming (yes, we’re making a list), and I’ll see everyone Friday — we’re a little condensed this week, but it’s all good!

Tom [email protected]