Today is Aug. 12, 2022.

• The fall-like weather continues today with sunny skies and a high of 78 degrees with a low of 57. We know the heat and humidity will be back at some point, so we’ll take what we can get.

• We can’t thank everyone at Brandon Heating & Air Conditioning in Stow enough for their very generous support of The Spotlight by becoming a launch sponsor. Their investment allows us to share local news with the community, stimulating civic engagement and connecting neighbors in ways that were not possible just a few weeks ago. Thank you sincerely from The Spotlight community.

Latest news in brief

Munroe Falls man stops for gas in Florida – and wins a million bucks

Munroe Falls resident Solomon Garens is living right. The 45-year-old and his family were driving on vacation in Florida when they made a pit stop at a RaceTrac gas station in Palm Coast. There he bought a Gold Rush Limited scratch-off lottery ticket for $20 — and won $1 million!

Lottery officials announced Garens’ winnings Aug. 10. Garens chose to receive the one-time, lump-sum payment of $795,000.

More news:

• If you haven’t already, mark your calendar for the Stow Summer Sunset Blast at Silver Springs Park (5238 Young Rd. in Stow) from 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3, and Sunday, Sept. 4. You know the drill: all-day food, fun and music, culminating with the grand finale fireworks show the night of Sept. 4 starting at 9 p.m. Here's the whole lineup.

• The Akron Zoo is offering free admission for all Summit County residents for the entire month of September as part of its 2022 Community Days. Tickets must be reserved online in advance on the Akron Zoo website.

• The Kiwanis Club of Stow-Munroe Falls will host a Wine and Cheese Meet-and Greet from 5-7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 19, at the Stillwood Pavilion on Kent Road in Stow. No RSVP necessary. For more information, contact event co-chairs Vicki Huff ([email protected]) and Karen Fritschel ([email protected]) or club president Tom Stephan ([email protected]).

• The Stow-Munroe Falls Lions Club needs your help. Its 15th Annual Paw Fest fundraiser is set for Sunday, Sept. 15, at Bow Wow Beach in Silver Springs Park (5027 Stow Rd.), and the club needs food vendors for the event. If interested, contact Lions Club Chairman Marty Dennis at [email protected].

Ask about ads!

Community calendar

🍔 Aug. 15, 6-7:30 p.m. – Cooked Up Fun! Campfire Cooking In Cast Iron. What: How-to and hands-on cooking program by professional caterer Jeff Kline. Where: Silver Springs Campground (concrete pad near site #17), 5238 Young Rd. Cost: $5.

📖 Aug. 17, 2-3:30 p.m. – Facing the Mountain: A True Story of Japanese American Heroes in WWII. What: Book Discussion Group program featuring New York Times bestselling author Daniel James Brown, who talks about his book chronicling three Japanese American soldiers who volunteered to fight on the battlefields of Europe in World War II. Where: Community Room at the Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library, 3512 Darrow Rd. Registration not required.

🧩 Aug. 20, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. – Puzzle and Game Sale at Stow Farmers Market. What: Bargains on pre-owned puzzles and games at the Friends of the Library summer sale. Free and open to the public. Where: Stow Farmers Market (Community Church of Stow, 1567 Pilgrim Dr. in Stow).

🌽 Aug. 24, 6-8 p.m. – Summer Harvest Exchange. What: Share the bounties of your garden at the Stow-Munroe Falls Library’s free Summer Harvest Exchange, held outside behind the library on the south side of the building. Bring any fruits, herbs or vegetables from your home garden. Where: Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library, 3512 Darrow Rd. To register, visit events.smfpl.org or call (330) 688-3295 ext. 4.

Obituaries for Aug. 8-11

Jane (Haley) OsmanJane (Haley) Osman passed peacefully at her home of 68 years on the day after her 92nd birthday. She was born in Kent and moved to Stow when she married her husband, Howard Osman in 1952.Read more

Cynthia “Cindy” A. BoyleCynthia “Cindy” A. Boyle, 62, passed peacefully on August 2, 2022. Born in Torrance, CA, she moved to Stow as an infant and had been a resident ever since.Read more

Philip P. KamlowskyPhilip P. Kamlowsky, 78, died August 8, 2022. Born in Akron, he was a Stow resident since 1973, and for over 49 years, served his communities as a trusted and respected pharmacist.Read more

Dr. Ganeswara Rao Rapaka, MBBS, DTM&HDr. Ganeswara Rao Rapaka, MBBS, DTM&H, 74, died on August 10, 2022. 2 Timothy 4:7-8: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me.Read more

Carl H. (Sonny) EskerCarl H. “Sonny” Esker, 87, passed away while surrounded by his loving family on August 9, 2022. Born in Akron, he was a resident of Stow since 1967.Read more

Munroe Falls

Safety first: City wants its own ladder truck

When it comes to fighting fires, Munroe Falls has always gotten by with a little help from its friends. In this case, that means borrowing a ladder truck from nearby communities, which is fraught with pesky problems such as trucks being too big to fit on some of the city’s streets and unable to get to fires.

It looks like that’s about to change, though, and the city soon could — for the first time — have its very own ladder truck.

• Having its own truck would save the city money because it wouldn’t have to pay other fire departments to use theirs.

• “This is what our fire professionals are saying we need for the safety of our citizens,” City Council Member Chris Ritzinger said.

You name it, they found it while cleaning up the Cuyahoga during a Float the River event

Sixteen tires. A bicycle. A safe. And … a toilet.

That’s just some of the stuff that Float the River owners TJ and Savannah Mack pulled out of the Cuyahoga River during their Aug. 7 river cleanup event that attracted about 80 volunteers to help them.

• The Macks hauled so much trash and debris out of the river in three hours that it completely filled their small boat.

• The volunteers received free float trips in exchange for clearing the river of garbage and debris along the way.

Schools

SMF board vacancy comes with a lot at stake for the district

The domino effect of Stow-Munroe Falls School Board President Jessica Wright’s resignation, which takes effect Aug. 14, is that there is now a vacant seat that must be filled by mid-September. The shakeup comes just as the new school year is about to start and the district begins ramping up support for a 10-year emergency tax levy on the Nov. 8 ballot.

• Vice President Nancy Brown will take over as board president Aug. 14. “Our new board member must be ready to get to work immediately,” she said.

• The board will interview candidates in a series of special meetings Aug. 24, 25 and 31. Interested applicants can visit this page for information.

Read all about it here.

Mailbox

📪 Comments from the Aug. 9 issue

Reader: The Spotlight is easy to scan quickly and contains concise, well-written stories that really matter to Stow residents. I’m seeing information in The Spotlight that I’m not getting from any other source. The high quality writing is especially appreciated!

Reader: I live in kent but have worked in stow for the past 15 years. The Spotlight gives me a deeper connection to second home.

Reader: Great to have local news back in our city.

Reader: Loved the mini updates, especially the update regarding cast iron cooking, my husband plans to attend.

Tom: Local news is relevant and important to people, and your responses to our first editions of The Spotlight demonstrate that. It's right in our name: We want to spotlight what is happening in Stow, Munroe Falls and Silver Lake. We're glad you're enjoying it, and it's only the beginning. Oh, and make sure to send us some photos of the cast iron cooking concoctions!

(By the way, you can use the comments to spout off on whatever you want, whether it's feedback on the newsletter or things happening in our community. This is a platform for constructive dialogue.)

Another newsletter is in the books. We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed putting it together. Send any news tips or story ideas to me, and see you next Tuesday!

Tom [email protected]

PS. We haven't launched our subscription drive yet, but we wanted to give you the opportunity to support our work if you believe it's important. Later we'll ask everyone to pay (or request a free subscription if it's not in your budget). But for now it's just to start covering some costs. Thanks!