The Pledge to Fledge project is an effort to mobilize everyday birders across six continents to share their interest in birding with the non-birders in their everyday lives. The Pledge to Fledge website is www.fledgetopledge.org
Magee Marsh Wildlife area will join other places around the globe during the kickoff weekend by offering a Beginning Birder walk on Saturday, Aug. 25.
Beginning at 10 a.m. (to allow the non-birders to wake up!), it will be an easy walk and binoculars will be provided for those who need them. All birders are encouraged to bring a friend, relative, neighbor, co-worker, young person or any other “non-birding” person with them for this walk. Participants should meet at the Bird Center at Magee Marsh.  
If you need directions or have questions, call Mary at 419-898-0960, ext. 31.

At the regular meeting of the Danbury Township Trustees held Aug. 8, the following business was conducted:
• Road Superintendent Brett Waldron reported the department had one service at the cemetery; the first draft of the record retention schedule was completed; the athletic complex is changing over from baseball and softball to football and soccer; the crosswalk on Erie Beach was painted; the flashing “cross traffic does not stop” signs were installed on the “stop ahead” signs in both directions on Port Clinton Eastern Road; road signs are being inventoried to be brought up to the new reflectivity standards; a new snowplow truck is being researched; and brush has been ground into mulch and is ready for distribution beginning Aug. 13.

A representative from Life Connection of Ohio will cover myths and truths about organ donation during Magruder Hospital’s next educational luncheon at noon Monday, Aug. 20.
This luncheon is part of a monthly education series in the hospital’s conference center, which features a different topic and speaker each month. The luncheon series is open to the public and the cost is $6. The program is free if you do not wish to have lunch.
An RSVP for the August luncheon is required by noon on Friday, Aug. 17, by calling 419-732-4061.

It’s Summertime, and in Marblehead, folks will soon smell the cabbage rolls a-cookin’ and hear the lively sounds of polka music at the 56th annual Halupki Festival. The event, a celebration of Carpatho-Russian foods and culture, is presented each year on the third Sunday of August by Holy Assumption Orthodox Church, 114 E. Main St. (Ohio 163), Marblehead. This year’s event takes place on Sunday, Aug. 19.
The day’s activities begin with Divine Liturgy in the historic church at 9:30 a.m. The choir of SS. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church in Lorain will sing. The parish family extends an invitation to one and all to join with them in worship.

Two Stein Hospice nurses recently earned certification from the National Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Nurses. Registered nurses Denise Bowerman and Laura Mercer are now Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurses.
Bowerman has been with Stein Hospice for nearly 18 years. She is a Quality Clinical Educator and assists in the Care Center. She and her husband, Tim, have five children and live in Bellevue.
Laura Mercer joined Stein Hospice three years ago after a lengthy career with Mercy St. Charles Hospital in Oregon. Laura works in the Care Center in Sandusky. She and her husband, Dale, live in Catawba. 

St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church is planning an all-new Fall Festival from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 21.
The cost to rent one 10-foot table is $20. Flea market or garage sale items are prohibited.
Contact Exhibitor Chairwoman, Monette Garn, at 419-635-5863 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to receive an application and contract with the terms and conditions. Contracts must be postmarked by Aug. 31. There is limited space.

Lady Thunderbolts Travel Softball will be holding tryouts to fill openings on the 10U, 12U and 14U teams for next year. Tryouts will be held at Dorn Park, 699 Bardshar Road, in Sandusky, from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 18.
For information or questions, contact Troy Hayberger at 419-271-0478

“Tin Goose” Chapter 1247 of the Experimental Aircraft Association will be hosting its annual Fly-In/Drive-In Pancake Breakfast on Sunday, Aug. 19. This event is open to the public and will be held at the Erie-Ottawa Regional Airport, 3255 E. State Road, Port Clinton, from 8 a.m. to noon.
Breakfast includes coffee, juice, sausage and all-you-can-eat pancakes. Cost is $6 for adults and $4 for children.
There will be free introductory airplane rides for youth ages 8-17. These Young Eagle flights are provided by local EAA volunteers and give kids and opportunity to take a ride in a general aviation aircraft.
Also on hand will be tickets for Baumann's Auto Charity Raffle, a 50/50 drawing, airplanes, classic cars and Ford Tri-Motor souvenirs.
For information, visit the Chapter 1247 website at www.tingoose.org. All money raised at this event will go toward Chapter 1247’s college scholarship fund, public programs and on-going Ford Tri-Motor restoration project.

The Ottawa Wildlife Refuge Auto Tour will be open to all visitors with wheels on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 18-19. Drive through 7 miles of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge that are normally closed to the public. New entrance from the Visitor Center parking lot opens at 8 a.m. and closes and 4 p.m.
If you’ve always wondered what all the “birders” are doing running around Northwest Ohio, come to the refuge at 9 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 26, for a Beginner Bird Walk. A seasoned naturalist will guide you on how to spot and identify birds on Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. Binoculars and field guide will be available to borrow.
All events are free of charge and are held at the Visitor Center. Call 419- 898-0014 for questions.

Caly Anne Laurents, of Port Clinton, and Tamera Lynn Helle, of Oak Harbor, have received the Bowling Green State University Firelands College Community Scholarship. Laurents will receive $1,244 toward tuition for the 2012-2013 academic year. She is a junior majoring in visual communication technology at BGSU Firelands where she has been on the Dean’s List and maintained a 3.95 GPA. She has won the Visual Communication Technology Award and twice won the Outstanding Technical Award for Theatre. She has been inducted into the Society of the Flame, Phi Eta Sigma and Wellgates International Honor Society. She is active with the Speech Activities Organization – Theatre and Visual Communications Technology Organization.
She is married to Joe Simko and she is the daughter of Phil Lacer and Victoria Laurents, of Port Clinton.
Helle has received the Health Careers Unlimited Scholarship and will receive $300 toward tuition plus an additional $200 book as a companion scholarship. has received the Health Careers Unlimited Scholarship
This award, sponsored by the Health Careers Unlimited organization, is available to a sophomore majoring in a health career field at BGSU Firelands. Recipients must have a “B” average and be from Erie, Ottawa, Sandusky, Huron, or Seneca counties.
Helle is a 2010 graduate of Oak Harbor High School and a sophomore majoring in nursing at BGSU Firelands. She is the daughter of Ron Helle and Tracey Schiller.
For information about these and other scholarships available at BGSU Firelands, contact Debralee Divers, director of enrollment management and student retention services, at 419-433-5560, 800-322-4787 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .