Today is May 30, 2024.

• Morning, all! Well, Memorial Day was the unofficial start of summer — with emphasis on unofficial. Because the calendar says it’s still spring, and we’ve had the chilly nights lately to prove it. It’ll be mostly sunny with a high of 67 degrees today, with another chilly night in store as temps drop to 45 tonight. We’ll gradually warm up as the calendar flips to June, with highs hitting the 80s by Monday. Then the humidity moves in and we’re in line for some thunderstorms Tuesday and Wednesday. Now that’s summer.
  

• Attention Silver Lake residents: A reminder from the village that trash collection this week will be Saturday, June 1.
  

• The Spotlight recently debuted our new feature called “Reader Spotlight,” where you can send us your comments, concerns and suggestions on anything going on in our communities of Stow, Munroe Falls and Silver Lake. We will publish comments as we receive them. Send your email to [email protected], put “Reader Spotlight” in the subject line, and please include your name and town. Let your voice be heard!
  

• If you just subscribed or missed something in an earlier newsletter, don’t fret: Subscribers have access to every edition of The Spotlight at www.stowmunroefalls.com. Check out back issues to catch up on everything that’s going on in our communities — you never know what you might have missed!

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Stow

Slowly but surely: Restoration of the fire-ravaged Heritage House is coming along

The Stow Historical Society and City of Stow officials decided back in March to go all in and save the Heritage House museum, which had been badly damaged by fire in the early morning hours of Oct. 15.

Since then, “the Heritage House restoration project is slowly making progress,” Bryan Menke, president of the historical society, said in the organization’s May newsletter. “Negotiations with city officials on architectural plans, estimates, contractor bids, and the approval of City Council will pave the way for a complete restoration of our museum.”

• The Heritage House, built in 1838, is one of four historical buildings that comprise the Stow Historical Society’s Heritage Reserve Park, which is part of Silver Springs Park.

• The Oct. 15 blaze started on the second floor, which then collapsed onto the first floor. The fire destroyed most of the second story and 90% of its contents. The roof was also heavily damaged.

• The official investigation report states the cause of the fire as “undetermined.”

• The historical society’s goal is to restore the museum to as close to its original design as possible.

However, insurance will only cover repairs to structural damage. The Stow Historical Society is raising funds to complete the restoration project through its GoFundMe account as well as the Joshua Stow Festival and Harvest Festival events.

“Thank you for all the support from the community in helping us raise the funds that will go toward our restoration project,” Menke said. “These donations as well as our future fundraising efforts will help in maintaining this important museum for future generations.”

Go to stowhistory.org for more information.

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