Today is Sept. 23, 2022.

• Happy fall! A switch flipped between the last day of summer and the first day of autumn, and we’ve gone from hot to cool just like that. Today it’ll be partly sunny with a high of 61, then down to 46 tonight. And we won’t break 70 the rest of the weekend. The seasons changed overnight, but we shouldn’t be surprised. This is Northeast Ohio, after all.

We had a very rough start to the subscription drive on Tuesday. So far, we've only brought in 16 paid subscriptions, which is 284 below the bare minimum number we need to run The Spotlight without losing too much money. What's weird is that we've only received positive feedback, and The Spotlight has rapidly grown to nearly 1,300 readers who say a local news source is much needed. Over 55% of people open a given email, which is far better than most newsletters. And you consistently tell us you "love!" each email:

It's clear you love what we're doing, but we haven't earned your dollars yet. So we've decided to keep investing in local journalism for Stow, Munroe Falls and Silver Lake. Tom and I talked yesterday and decided it was too soon to give up. We still have cash left from the Brandon ads (I can't thank them enough) and the large donation from one reader, and I'll put in my own money if necessary.

You'll notice below that this is our first issue with a paywall. Those 16 of you with Full Spotlight Access won't see it, but the rest of you will. It only cuts off the summaries of the news stories and the responses to the Mailbox. News briefs, calendar events and obits will always be free. And most importantly, it does not prevent you from reading articles by visiting our website. We very much do not want to put up a paywall on the stories themselves because I think paywalls are really annoying.

And of course, if you truly can't afford a subscription but want full access, just reply to this email and request a free subscription. We grant 100% of requests.

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Thanks for reading!

Ben Wolford, publisher330-249-1338

Latest news in brief

If you want a paver for Silver Lake’s Veterans Garden, order now: Construction is about to begin

Silver Lake’s Veterans Tribute Garden is almost a reality. Mayor Bernie Hovey announced in a blog post that the village is now just $13,000 shy of having the funds necessary to cover the project and that construction “should begin any day now.”

Pavers for the garden will be ordered within a few days, so if you want to buy one, you’d better hurry. Once the inscribed pavers are ordered, it will be too late to purchase one. Call 330-923-5233 to buy a paver or make any other donation to the project.

More local news briefs:

• The annual Holiday Craft Show at Twin Falls United Methodist Church (60 N. River Rd.) in Munroe Falls will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8. Attendees can shop for handmade holiday crafts to support missions and the community. Lunch, refreshments and home-baked goods will also be available. Call 330-688-5676 for more information or to register a vendor table.

• It’s that time of year to do the mash — and you can do it at the All About Dance! by Kristen dance school’s Monster Mash Bash Oct. 24-29. Dancers are invited to wear their costumes to class that week to celebrate Halloween. Call 330-688-6000 for more information.

• You can support the Stow-Munroe Falls High School football team by having dinner at Texas Roadhouse (4310 Lakepointe Corporate Dr.) in Stow from 3-10 p.m. Monday, Sept. 26. Present a flyer (call 330-920-9844 to get one), and Texas Roadhouse will donate 10% of your total food purchases to SMF football.

• The 237th Support Battalion of the Ohio Army National Guard’s 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team will conduct a call-to-duty ceremony at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24, at Stow-Munroe Falls High School (3227 Graham Rd.). It is one of several such ceremonies that will be conducted across Ohio by the Combat Team ahead of its yearlong deployment of approximately 1,800 soldiers in support of Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, the military coalition to defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The 237th Support Battalion, headquartered in Cleveland, has previously deployed to Kuwait and Afghanistan.

Sponsored by Brandon Heating and Air Conditioning

Community calendar

👻 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.

🌱 Wed., Sept. 28, 7-8:30 p.m.: Planting for Pollinators. What: Judy Semroc, president of the Northeastern Ohio Chapter of the American Butterfly Association, will discuss planting options for attracting and aiding migratory species and late-season pollinators. 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.

🧘 Thurs., Sept. 29, 6:30 p.m.: Sunset Salutations Yoga. What: Free program for adults (families are welcome) featuring yoga under the stars led by Maria Grimm (bring your mat or towel). Where: Groundhog Hill (near baseball fields) at Silver Springs Park (5238 Young Rd.) in Stow. To register, visit StowOhio.RecDesk.com, click on programs and search for “Yoga.” Rescheduled from Sept. 22.

🌟 Thurs., Sept. 29, 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.” Rescheduled from Sept. 22.

🚓 Sat., Oct. 1, 9 a.m.-noon: Touch A Truck. What: Explore large and small vehicles, including a police car, fire truck, construction trucks and more. Attendees can purchase food from a food truck onsite. Where: Parking lot at the Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library (3512 Darrow Rd.). Admission is free.

🏃 Sat, Oct. 1, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.: NAMI Poker Run. What: National Alliance on Mental Illness event featuring several vehicle stops as well as music, a 50/50 raffle and door prizes. Dinner will be served from 4:30-5 p.m. Where: Acker-Moore Memorial Post banquet hall (3733 Fishcreek Rd.) in Stow. Cost: $25 for bike with driver (passenger $15) and $25 for other vehicle driver (passenger $25 each). Registration begins at 9 a.m

📚 Mon., Oct. 3, all-day event: Acme Community Cashback. What: Donate your Acme receipts to help the library add books to its shelves. Where: Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library (3512 Darrow Rd.). A collection box will be located near the checkout desk, or you can drop your Acme receipts into the book drop. The library has participated in Acme’s Community Cashback since 2002, with Acme donating a total of $18,300 in that time.

🍺 Sat, Oct. 8, 2-5 p.m.: 10th Annual Craft Beer Fest. What: Beer offerings from 12 local breweries, plus musical artist Sammi Butler performs from 1:30-4:30 p.m. Special VIP access from 1-2 p.m. Where: Heritage Barn at Silver Springs Park (5238 Young Rd.) in Stow. Tickets are available here.

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Obituaries for Sept. 20-22

John RebreyJohn P. Rebrey (78) passed on September 18,2022 from Alzheimer’s. John enjoyed his motorcycles and cars in his early years, in his later years, it was building things for his home, working in the yard, going on vacation and being with his grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Read more

Donald L. GindlesbergerDonald L. Gindlesberger went home to be with the Lord and the love of his life, Margie, on September 17, 2022, surrounded by his family. He was born to Waldo and Erma (Logsdon) Gindlesberger on January 7, 1935, in Millersburg, Ohio.Read more

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