Today is Sept. 2, 2022.

• The calendar has flipped to September and we might be thinking about fall, but it is still summer — and it’s going to feel like it today. It’s going to be warm and sunny with a high of 87, then going down to 66 tonight. Your Labor Day weekend weather will have temps in the mid-80s with chances of thunderstorms Saturday and Sunday, then a high of 80 degrees on Labor Day itself with an 88% chance of rain and thunderstorms. If you’re planning on going to the Summer Sunset Blast fireworks at 9 p.m. Sunday at Silver Springs Park, prepare yourself: There's a 61% chance of rain.

• Speaking of Labor Day, we're observing the holiday and taking production night off. So your Tuesday Spotlight will arrive Wednesday morning instead.

Latest news in brief

Open your pantry for canned food drive at multiple Stow sites

The Fox 8 High School Football Game of the Week Canned Food Drive is coming to Stow. From today through Sept. 8, canned food donations will be accepted 24/7 in the Stow City Hall atrium; at the Summer Sunset Blast, which is from 5-10 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 3, and Monday, Sept. 4, at Silver Springs Park in Stow; and at Stow-Munroe Falls High School.

Any non-perishable food items will be accepted.

More local news:

• Munroe Falls Metro Park is among the participating sites in Summit Metro Parks’ 59th Annual Fall Hiking Spree, which runs from Sept. 1-Nov. 30. The 2.2-mile Indian Spring Trail (rating of 2, or moderate) at Munroe Falls Metro Park counts toward the minimum of eight trails completed in the Spree in order for hikers to receive a reward. Rewards are free for Summit County residents and include either a shield for veteran hikers, or a hiking staff and shield for first-year participants. More info and registration here.

• Twin Falls United Methodist Church at 60 N. River Rd. in Munroe Falls will hold its last flea market of the season from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10. Shopping and a bake sale/lunch are featured, and spaces for vendors are still available. While you’re there, be sure to check out the Little Free Library at the edge of the entrance along the side of the driveway. Call Debbie at 330-283-6893 for more information.

• The members of Team Stow, comprised of employees of The Landing of Stow senior living community, are inviting anyone in the community to join them in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s fundraiser Sunday, Oct. 9, at Canal Park (300 S. Main St.) in downtown Akron. Entry for the event starts at 8:15 a.m., with a ceremony at 9 a.m. and the walk getting underway at 9:30 a.m. For more information, contact coordinator Kaitlyn Kelly at 234-284-2756 or [email protected].

Sponsored by Brandon Heating and Air Conditioning

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Community calendar

🛋️ Sept. 1-7: Furniture and Equipment Silent Auction. Bidding: opens at noon Sept. 1 and closes at 7 p.m. Sept. 7. Item pickup: Sept. 7 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. 3-4, 5-10 p.m.: Summer Sunset Blast. What: Annual outdoor festival featuring live entertainment, food vendors, petting zoo and grand finale fireworks show. Where: Silver Springs Park in Stow (5238 Young Rd.). Admission to the event is free; admission to the Fun Zone (which includes the petting zoo) is $5.

🗣 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. 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.

Obituaries for Aug. 30 - Sept. 1

Margie T. EasterlingMargie T. Easterling, 79, a beloved mother, grandmother, aunt, and friend, died Aug. 30, 2022. Born in Mechanicsburg, Ohio, she left the farm for greener pastures and was a longtime Stow resident.Read more

Munroe Falls

Triple Crown property remains vacant, but that could soon change if permits come through

Who among us doesn’t drive past the empty Triple Crown building on Route 91 and long for the good old days when it featured elegant dining in a unique, horse racing-themed setting? Well, plans are in the works to open a new restaurant on the site – maybe.

• The building has been vacant since 2011.

• For the past year, the mother-son team of Sandy and Chris Kanieski has been working to secure permits to open an “American style” restaurant at the site.

• So far, getting those necessary permits has proven to be a struggle “due to the place being closed for a while,” according to the property’s owner, Anthony Salem.

Schools

New law, new school year, same policy for SMF schools: no guns for teachers in the classroom

With mass school shootings becoming all too commonplace in the United States, calls to arm teachers in the classroom have grown louder. House Bill 99, signed into law in June, gives school boards across Ohio the option to let teachers carry guns. But they won’t be packing heat in Stow-Munroe Falls schools in 2022-23.

• The district’s policy manual forbids teachers, staff or anyone else from bringing weapons of any kind onto school grounds.

• Superintendent Tom Bratten says the district already has the training and protocols in place to properly handle an active-shooter situation in a district building. “Lockdown drills and emergency procedures are practiced throughout the school year in every single school,” he said.

Read the full story here.

Schools

That knock on your door could be SMF orchestra students making their Tag Day rounds

You don’t have to go to Blossom Music Center or Severance Hall to see the orchestra. Stow-Munroe Falls City Schools has its own orchestra program, and its members will be going door to door in the community as part of its Tag Day fundraiser event from 9-11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 3, to help keep the program going.

• Students will accept donations, educate residents about the school’s orchestra program, and provide the concert schedule for the school year. Cash or checks made out to Stow Schools are accepted (write “Orchestra” on the check’s memo line).

• The orchestra program is composed of students from Stow-Munroe Falls High School, Kimpton Middle School and Lakeview Intermediate.

• Funds go toward expanding performance opportunities, purchasing instruments and music, repairing instruments, and buying supplies.

Mailbox

Reader: Leave it empty!! We don’t need another car wash or Mexican restaurant.

Tom: This one refers to the story about the future of several vacant commercial buildings in Stow, including the old Macy's building. Macy's is enormous. There's not going to be a car wash there, and if a Mexican restaurant is going in, it'll be the world's largest. (Given Stow's track record, don't bet against it.)

And … all done. Thanks for reading and supporting us! Let’s hope the forecasters are wrong about rain Saturday and Sunday. We want the Summer Sunset Blast to go off without a hitch, and we especially need a dry night for the grand finale fireworks show, which really is awesome.

Oh, and remember I’ll see you next Wednesday instead of Tuesday because of Labor Day pushing us back a day. Have a great (long) holiday weekend!

Tom [email protected]