Today is Sept. 9, 2022.

• We’re headed for a nice one today: Partly sunny and warm with a high of 84, then dropping down to 56 tonight. We’ll be in the low 80s on Saturday before rain moves in Sunday and Monday as we race headlong toward fall.

• Since we've had so many new readers join The Spotlight in the last couple weeks, I wanted to take a second to welcome you all. We're a locally owned source for news about Stow, Munroe Falls and Silver Lake. We don't cover any national or state news unless it has a direct relevance to our community. Our mission is to be a catalyst for ideas and action that help our community thrive. And we do that through news coverage about our schools (and students), businesses, nonprofits and local governments. You're here at the very beginning of this project, which means you can have a big impact on the way we grow and continue to serve the community. At some point in the next few weeks we'll be launching a subscription drive with a goal to cover the $6,000/month minimum cost to run this operation. But although we will ask everyone to subscribe, The Spotlight will always be free to those who can't afford it. Also, you can always share your thoughts directly with me via the Mailbox section at the bottom of every email. Thanks for being here.

Latest news in brief

Get your rake out: Munroe Falls leaf pick-up gets underway Oct. 31

The City of Munroe Falls’ Leaf Pick-Up Program will start the week of Oct. 31 and run through the week of Dec. 5. Residents must have leaves raked to the curb by 7 a.m. Monday the week of pickup. They must keep piles as close to the edge of the road as possible and within reach. Don't block fire hydrants, mailboxes, culverts or catch basins, and do not put grass clippings, branches or rocks in leaf piles or your leaves will not be collected. Never pile leaves in the street or obstruct traffic.

Weather and personnel changes (or shortages) may affect the collection schedule without notice. To see when your neighborhood’s leaves will be collected, check out the leaf pick-up zone map.

More local news:

• Attention all monsters: Munroe Falls’ Halloween Trick-or-Treat will be held the night of Saturday, Oct. 29. Ghouls can go door-to-door loading up on treats from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Silver Lake goblins will have their trick-or-treat the same day from 6-8 p.m. Happy haunting!

• Props 4 Paws, a nonprofit that collects food and supplies for the APL of Portage County as well as the Summit County Humane Society, will hold its largest fundraiser of the year from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 10 at the Kent State Aeronautics & Engineering Expo at Kent State Airport (see more on that event in Community Calendar below). Props 4 Paws will be accepting donations of pet food and supplies along with cash and Venmo. Props 4 Paws merchandise will also be on sale, with proceeds benefiting shelters.

• Brust Park in Munroe Falls has been selected as a “Birding Hotspot” by birdinghotspots.org. Dozens of species, including bald eagles, hawks, owls and cuckoos, have been spotted in the park, which is situated on the north bank of the Cuyahoga River. It is connected to a larger network of hiking and biking trails. To see what’s been spotted and when, check out eBird’s Brust Park chart.

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Community calendar

🛋️ Sept. 8-12: Furniture and Equipment Silent Auction. Item pickup is from Sept. 8-12. Where: Stow Room at the Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library, 3512 Darrow Rd. All items sold as-is.

✈️ Sept. 10, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.: Kent State Aeronautics & Engineering Expo. What: An aircraft exhibition that gives attendees a unique look into the Kent State Airport and features activities and events for all ages. Where: Kent State University Airport (4020 Kent Rd.) in Stow. Tickets and more information here.

⬛ 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. 21, 6-7:30 p.m.: Concerts on the Green. What: Outdoor concert series sponsored by the City of Stow. This concert features Overboard the Love Boat Band playing music from the 1970s and ’80s. This is a rescheduled concert from July 27, when it was postponed due to inclement weather. Where: Stow City Center Campus (3870 Darrow Rd.). Bring your lawn chair!

🧘 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. 7-8

Gary M. KeeverGary M. Keever, 72, died September 7, 2022. Born in Cleveland, he was a resident of Stow since 2000, and a U.S. Navy veteran.Read more

Stow

Kindness of strangers does more than just give woman her lost engagement ring back

With a lot of luck and the generosity of strangers, Caitlin Honniball has her engagement ring back — and a brighter view of humanity. She lost the ring at a Hike and Bike trail in Stow last week and was unable to find it for a couple days. With the help of people using a metal detector, the ring was discovered in an area that Honnibal had already searched.

• The metal detectorists were none other than Ed and Denise Gazdacko, the owners of the Sto-Kent Family Entertainment bowling alley before it closed.

• “It means so much that someone cared about someone they didn’t know,” Honniball said.

Schools

SMF competing against Medina on two fronts: Fox 8’s Rivalry Game of the Week and Food Drive

The Stow-Munroe Falls football team’s home game tonight against Medina has been voted the Chick-fil-A Rivalry Game of the Week by Fox 8 in Cleveland. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

• As part of the Game of the Week distinction, SMF is also battling Medina in the Football Rivalry Food Drive, in which each school competes to collect the most non-perishable food items (determined by the number of boxes filled). That competition ended Sept. 8, and the winner will be announced today.

• A big shout-out to the Stow Giant Eagle, which donated an entire pallet of canned goods for the food drive.

Nature

Get your tree application for the Stow Urban Forestry Department’s spring planting campaign

If you’re a Stow homeowner looking to spruce up your yard, you can get an application to buy a tree through the City of Stow Urban Forestry Department’s spring 2023 planting program. The deadline to apply is Monday, Oct. 31.

• The cost is $125 per tree and is matched by the city.

• Certified arborists will do the planting and mulching for you next spring.

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So that wraps up our condensed week of The Spotlight due to Labor Day. Next week it’s back to our normal schedule, which means newsletters waiting for you Tuesday and Friday morning. Hope you found this issue informative and engaging. Remember to send me news tips, and have a great weekend!

Tom [email protected]