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Winterfest: New coach off to strong start, leads Walleye at long-awaited outdoor hockey event

By
Joel Sensenig
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It’s been more than three years in the making, but Toledo Walleye Winterfest has finally slid into Fifth Third Field.

Toledo Walleye Winterfest, featuring outdoor hockey games and more at Fifth Third Field, runs Dec. 26 through Jan. 4.

Toledo Free Press Photo by James A. Molnar

“There is a tremendous amount of excitement,” said Mike Keedy, manager of special events for the Walleye. “To finally see the rink on the field and all of our plans and projects coming to fruition — it’s a rewarding feeling. Our entire staff has worked extremely hard and we are ready!”

Winterfest, presented by ProMedica, kicks off Dec. 26 and runs through Jan. 4. Its biggest events are the outdoor Walleye hockey games Dec. 27 and Jan. 3. The outdoor rink will also host more than 150 free youth, high school and adult recreational teams.

Also planned 6-10 p.m. Jan. 2 is the Walleye Winter Brewfest, featuring more than 250 beers from more than 50 breweries.

The baseball stadium underwent an extreme makeover to prepare for the inaugural winter event.

The outdoor rink was constructed by Rink Specialists, a North Carolina-based company that has set up NHL-sized rinks at venues such as Fenway Park in Boston and Comerica Park in Detroit.

Since Dec. 8, the company has been setting up the rink, dropping a huge generator into the outfield via crane to power its equipment, testing 13 miles of plastic tubing that goes underneath the rink and putting ice where the infield normally sits.

At 5:30 p.m. Dec. 27, the Walleye will host the Kalamazoo Wings in the first outdoor hockey game in ECHL history. The Walleye will also host the Fort Wayne Komets at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 3. Prior to that game, there will be a 4:30 p.m. showdown featuring alumni teams from Toledo and Fort Wayne.

“This is going to be a first-class experience for the fans and the participating teams,” Keedy said. “People will want to be in the ballpark early to not miss a thing.”

Open skate sessions will be offered Dec. 28-29 and 31. The Stanley Cup will be on display Dec. 29.

There is also a game at 4 p.m. Dec. 31 featuring Adrian College vs. the U.S. National Under-18 team. At noon Jan. 3, the Bowling Green State University Falcons will play its first outdoor game vs. Robert Morris.

The Walleye are off to a 19-4 start this seasion under new head coach Derek Lalonde. He took over the head coaching spot vacated by Nick Vitucci in February.

“I’m ecstatic,” LaLonde said. “If you told us we were going to be on record pace, 19-4 at this time, I would have said not a chance. With that said, we did concentrate on bringing in the right kid that was going to buy in to the culture we wanted: team-first culture.”

PHOTO GALLERY: Find a Winterfest photo album on our Facebook page

Part of what attracted LaLonde to Toledo was the city’s enthusiastic fanbase, which has been showing up in strong numbers even with last year’s poor results on the ice.

“Now that we’re winning, the response has been extremely great,” he said.

Winterfest marks LaLonde’s first time being involved in an outdoor hockey game. The buzz around the games in undeniable, he said.

“I’m very excited,” he said. “I tip my hat to how hard everyone has worked here. My job has been easy when you relate it to what people have done to get ready for this event. My job is to put the best team on the ice I can.”

For a full schedule, visit www.toledowalleye.com/winterfest.

Culbreath: The slugfest

By
Matt Culbreath
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I’ve been trying to put into words what we watched Thursday night without using the typical cliches and, for the life of me, I can’t.

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The Division III State Championship game between Central Catholic and Athens was a slugfest. A neck-and-neck race. A back-and-forth affair. A heavyweight bout. All those cliches we hear thrown about in regards to a Week 3 game that doesn’t mean a whole lot should be reserved so that they could apply to Thursday’s night masterpiece.

And yes, I’d be saying that even if the Irish lost.

The good news is they pulled it off: a 56-52 victory over the previously unbeaten Bulldogs to give Central Catholic its third title in school history, and second state crown in the last three years.

It was a classic pass vs. rush matchup between the two schools. The Irish had made their bread and butter in the trenches, with QB Marcus Winters and running backs Michael Warren and Tre’Von Wade each having over 1,000 rushing yards coming into the title game.

For Athens, the star was Joe Burrow, the quarterback who earlier this week was named Ohio’s Mr. Football, who is already committed to playing for Ohio State next year, and who came in with just under 4,000 yards passing, 57 touchdowns and only one pick.

So it was just about right that this game was punch after punch after punch. Just when it seemed like Central Catholic had the momentum, Burrow would find the right receiver on third and long to keep the Dogs going. Just when Athens looked like they were about to open things up, the Irish defense brought down an interception.

And so when the Bulldogs took 52-49 lead with under three minutes left, the Irish had the destiny in their own hands, and they had to fight for every inch — converting on three separate fourth downs, including a 4th-and-1 from the 7-yard line, where Winters would run it in himself for the go-ahead score with 15 seconds left on the clock.

A perfect end? It doesn’t get much better. You make that the game winning touchdown as time expired, and I’d say it was almost too cheesy. In a game that felt like the last team with the ball was going to win it, the Irish managed to score with too little time on the clock for Mr. Football to make anything of it.

Winters, Warren and Wade got it done, Coach Greg Dempsey gets his third trophy, and Northwest Ohio tastes success yet again.

Congratulations.

Matt “Shaggy” Culbreath is sports director for 1370 WSPD.

Hays: ’Twas the night before Christmas in a land far away

By
Toledo Free Press
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I recognize not everyone celebrates Christmas, but this take on the popular poem written in 1822 by Clement Clarke Moore is dedicated in honor of our service members who can’t be with their loved ones this holiday season, as well as those who are home battling a new war with their visible and invisible wounds.

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’Twas the night before Christmas in a land far away,

Our military is watching both night and day.

The rifles are cleaned and the Humvees ready,

The strength of a warrior, always there, always steady.

As they lay their head down, weary from the fights,

Thoughts dance in their head of other Christmas nights.

They remember those they love; now separated by miles,

And past Christmas memories that bring glowing smiles.

Both seen and unseen, so many challenges and struggles,

The 99 percent who never served remain in denial bubbles.

As the wounds to the brain and spirit remain invisible,

How does our country work toward remaining indivisible?

While the band of brothers and sisters unites,

Civilians, in the name of politics, divide and fight.

The time has come to listen and learn,

Give our military the respect and honor they earned.

Honor and respect don’t just come in a gift basket wrapped neat,

It doesn’t just come in a weeklong retreat.

It comes in the daily living of our warriors back home,

As they work to find meaning, taking to streets to roam.

We spend lots of money and we say we care,

But, when asked to become involved, do we dare?

Do we find it easier to just attend an event,

Than to get personally involved and try to make a dent?

The lives of our veterans are in danger to crumble.

Why are we not on rooftops making a rumble?

Why have we sat quietly all cozy by the fire,

As employers turn their backs on veterans to hire?

What will make America more aware

Of the need for new and better ways to show we care?

Quit saying “We should” and walking away;

Take the time to listen to what they say.

Encourage your neighbor to learn and give back,

And teach the children what they so lack.

To honor the past, the present and future,

By changing a life through gifts of caring and nurture.

When you open a gift on Christmas morn,

Remember families who lost gifts of life they mourn.

Remember the families, whose children still breathe,

But are losing the battle of life’s basic needs.

Understanding and purpose, such a small thing to ask,

Warriors whose brains have been altered from just doing their task.

Losing hope in a future that they can envision,

Many times leads to tragedy from clouded decisions.

Their lives can glow once again in a joyful renewal,

Finding the keys to their success is more than crucial.

It is a matter of life and death and it is what they deserve,

Provide for and protect the ones who so honorably served.

Reach out your hand and open your ears;

Hear their silent cries and wipe their dry tears.

They won’t come shouting “Help me,” no, not them,

But we can hear the pleas, if we take the time to know them.

Rise up America, as you always do,

To take on the challenge that is in front of you.

If we don’t mend the protectors and bring hope as our mission,

We will fail individuals; we will have failed as a nation.

Pam Hays is president and founder of The Arms Forces, thearmsforces.org; (419) 891-2111.

Grand Rapids restaurant owner wins preservation award

By
Matt Liasse
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When local restaurant owner Dave LaRoe traveled to Columbus to accept the Ohio History Connections 2014 State Historic Preservation Award, he was unaware he’d have to give a speech — but he got through it.

Dave LaRoe, owner of LaRoe’s Restaurant in Grand Rapids, holds his Ohio History Connections 2014 State Historic Preservation Award at the business, 24138 Front St.. Photo courtesy Joe Long

“It’s tremendous that an organization in Columbus sees what an individual does for a building that maybe wouldn’t have been restored,” LaRoe said.

LaRoe is one of 12 recipients of the award, which he received in October. He said it was fun to see others be honored as well.

“It was cool to see the other projects that people put their heart and soul into,” LaRoe said.

Honorees were from all over the state, but LaRoe was one of two from Northwest Ohio.

LaRoe was honored for the work he’s done with LaRoe’s Restaurant, 24138 Front St. in Grand Rapids, which he began restoring in 1981. The two buildings that house his restaurant had been left damaged by an 1898 fire that destroyed all of the other buildings on the northside of the main street.

Most of the architecture destroyed in the fire was wood while LaRoe’s buildings are brick. It was possibly because of this that the fire was stopped and LaRoe’s was not completely destroyed, LaRoe said.

Originally built to house dry goods, LaRoe bought the property in 1978 with a loan that had a 21 percent interest rate.

He was only a few years out of college when he made the purchase of his life. He said it’s not something a young person would have an easy time doing today.

“With a handshake, they had faith in us,” LaRoe said. “I needed the faith and trust of these bankers. No one can build a building like this in today’s economics.”

The eatery stayed open during the renovations (important because it generated LaRoe’s only income), as the floors were refinished and the linoleum, ceilings, electricity and plumbing were brought back up to code.

The structure was restored to look exactly how it had before the fire, something that was important to LaRoe.

The restaurant includes a tavern with a brass-railed bar, a dining room with a fireplace and historic portraits and a riverside patio overlooking the Sidecut Canal and Maumee River, according to its website. The renovations did not come easy or cheaply LaRoe said, in total costing more than $500,000.

“What you quickly learn as a young person is you’ve got to realize there are unexpected costs,” he said.

The restaurant has also undergone renovations after being hit by floodwaters in 1982 and a minivan that crashed through its front doors in 2010, according to the website.

LaRoe’s award was unique because he won it as an individual, according to Joe Long of the Historical Society of Grand Rapids Ohio.

LaRoe was one of two recipients that were awarded as an individual rather than a firm, government or institution, Long said.

“He did that single-handedly, more or less,” Long said. “[The award is] not to a city, it’s not to an architect, it’s not to a church. It’s to his name.”

Long said the award brings awareness to all of the renovations the town as a whole has undergone.

“I think it highlights what has occurred in the village starting in the 1970s in terms of a real turnaround,” Long said. “That award is Dave’s, no doubt about it, but it signifies what has happened in that area.”

For more information, visit laroesrestaurant.com.

Holiday heritage: Wolcott Center’s Christmas exhibit celebrates 150 years of history

By
Toledo Free Press
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The Maumee Valley Historical Society has been celebrating its 150th anniversary all year. The theme for this year’s special holiday exhibit highlights Christmas traditions and decorations of the mid- to late 1800s.

Nutcrackers at the Wolcott House. Photo by Matt Liasse

Walking into the Wolcott Heritage Center’s “150 Years of Christmas by the River” exhibit is like walking out of a time machine into a winter wonderland.

Each room features decorations from a different era. One room shows the simple trappings of the early settlers while another shows lavish decorations from the Victorian period.

The Judge’s Room represents the 1840-50s, the parlor the 1850-70s, the dining room the 1870-90s and the second floor the 1880-1910s. The exhibit features toys, handmade items, Christmas cards and elegant gowns from the Toledo area — many of which were donated.

Curator Marilyn Wendler said that’s what makes the exhibit special.

“A lot of Toledo families are represented here,” she said. “It’s important to keep local items.”

The exhibit also features a number of nutcrackers, which are hidden around the various rooms. Wendler said they are hidden for children to discover.

The Wolcott House was named for James Wolcott, a 19th century businessman from the area. It was built as a log cabin for him and his wife, but later evolved into a 14-room, Federal-style mansion.

The house was later owned by Mary Ann Wolcott Gilbert, Fredrica Gilbert Hull and Rilla E. Hull.

The displays will be up until Dec. 28, and the house is closed only on Christmas Day. The center is open Thursday to Sunday with tours at 12:30 and 2:30 p.m.

Special tours can be made by appointment. Admission is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and $2 for students. Members of the historical society can visit free of charge.

For more information, contact Wendler at [email protected] or Amy Denforth at (419) 893-9602.

Walleye to sport special jerseys at Winterfest

By
Tom Konecny
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It’s always fun to wear something special at holiday functions, and that’s exactly what the Toledo Walleye will do for the historic outdoor 10-day Winterfest event.

Photo courtesy Toledo Walleye

The Walleye created two unique jerseys for its upcoming games at Fifth Third Field.

“In April 2013 we started talking about what we wanted to do,” said Dan Royer, Walleye creative director. “We look at trends and what other teams are doing.”

Royer said the team wanted something distinctive for the first outdoor games in ECHL history.

“I really like how some of the teams wear things that represent how it used to be, how that vintage white used to be, and how some of the materials looked,” Royer said. “[Ours] was a nod to that era. It has a touch of history.”

One of Toledo’s opponents, the Kalamazoo Wings, is joining in the fun by also employing a special Winterfest-only jersey for the Dec. 27 game. Fort Wayne plans to wear its standard uniform for the Jan. 3 outdoor game.

“We wanted to be a part of it as well, because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime event,” said Mike Modugno, Kalamazoo Wings director of public relations. “We’re getting excited as a staff. We were just in Toledo last weekend, so it’s tough not to take a peek when you’re driving by and see the boards and getting excited about it.”

A design specialist by trade, Royer wanted to incorporate a unique touch by giving the jersey’s letters a hand-stitched look.

The team briefly considered wearing true throwback hockey sweaters, incorporating former jerseys from Toledo’s rich hockey history, including the Mercurys, Hornets and Goaldiggers.

“The idea was there,” Royer said. “We talked about wearing different jerseys, but we’ve done that with hockey history weekends, and we’ve worn a lot of those teams and fans have enjoyed it. But we felt like it needed to be Walleye because it is such a huge event.”

Royer has designed all the Walleye jerseys since the franchise’s reincarnation in 2009.

“It is a lot of fun. It’s one of my favorite things to do,” said Royer, who works in tandem with Craig Katz, director of merchandise and licensing.

Royer said the team is already working on its next designs, some which may or may not happen.

“The one thing I’ll hint at for the Walleye, is where it looks like there’s fish gills on the side of the jersey,” Royer said. “We’ve played around with the fins on the shoulders, and it has a sharp, aggressive feel with good clean lines, but without looking too campy or corny. There’s some ideas in the hopper.”

As for the Winterfest jerseys, it is undecided if the team will wear them again, but Royer said players seem to like them and they are selling well in the Swamp Shop.

After many months spent making plans for them, it was a thrill for Royer to see his design come to life.

“I love it,” Royer said. “That’s what it’s all about. It’s one thing to see it on a screen, but when you see it on fabric and it’s something you can hold, that’s a great feeling.”

TFP planning special focus on health, dining in 2015

By
Dock David Treece
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Toledo Free Press will expand its coverage of health and dining topics in 2015 with the introduction of monthly special sections called Eye on Health and Indulge Toledo.

Eye on Health

Eye on Health will appear first, debuting Jan. 4 with a focus on diet and fitness.

The section will feature articles on a wide range of diet and fitness related subjects, including how local companies are helping adults and adolescents manage their weight; the CrossFit exercise regimen; a local group addressing eating disorders; and fitness for senior citizens, to name a few.

Other upcoming Eye on Health topics include heart health, obesity, diabetes, women’s health, men’s health, cancer, aging, kids and teens, the marketplace, active lifestyles and mind and body.

“Eye on Health is intended to be a comprehensive, topical guide to the health issues affecting our community today,” said Toledo Free Press Editor in Chief Sarah Ottney.

“From heart health to cancer to aging, each month’s section will be dedicated to one aspect of health that will include interesting, dynamic and informative articles on a particular topic.

“Our goal each month will be to really dive into that particular topic. I hope the coverage will both enlighten readers and help them make informed decisions about their health.”

Health experts from Toledo and Northwest Ohio will be asked to contribute guest columns, and each section will also include a calendar of events that pertain to the area of health being explored that month.

“We are always looking for story ideas, whether it’s someone who has overcome a health challenge or an upcoming event to profile or add to our monthly calendar,” Ottney said.

“Managing Editor Joel Sensenig will be taking the lead, but our whole team will be working to make sure these sections are robust, informative and useful for readers.”

Indulge Toledo

A commonly shared statistic is that Toledo has the most restaurants per capita than any city in the U.S.

True or not, more than 90 percent of Toledo Free Press readers say they dine out and purchase food and beverages at dining establishments on a regular basis.

With so many choices in the area’s dining scene, Toledo Free Press will introduce a new monthly section called Indulge Toledo. The section, debuting Jan. 18, will allow the paper to dedicate more space each month to the region’s food and drink scene.

The section will be devoted to all things cooking, dining, beer, wine and spirits in Northwest Ohio, including chef and business profiles, restaurant reviews, recipes, cooking classes, culinary trends and more.

“We have done regular dining guides, including patio guides, holiday dining guides and more, for years and they are always popular with readers and advertisers alike,” Ottney said. “Each time, we find there are always more great restaurants to profile and more stories to tell than we have room to include in print, so now we want to dedicate more regular coverage to this topic.

“We know Toledoans love to try new restaurants and discover hidden gems so we want to help share those stories with our readers.

“There are a lot of places out there to spend your dining dough, with more popping up every month. We will help you navigate the constantly changing dining and drinking scene in the region.”

The changes are also expected to be highly beneficial to advertisers, said John McNamara, Toledo Free Press sales and marketing manager.

“We are always looking for ways to add value and offer unique opportunities for our advertising partners, and these new sections in 2015 will allow us to do both,” he said.

“These sections will give our advertisers the ability to talk to an audience that is actively looking for products and services they offer. Having a monthly section dedicated to popular topics such as health and dining will allow us to offer a highly targeted medium for our advertisers.”

Business owners or other potential advertisers interested in learning more about these special sections can contact McNamara at [email protected].

Toledo Free Press is always interested in hearing story ideas from readers, Ottney said.

“Ideas might include a new business to profile, an established business marking a milestone or doing something unique, a particular person doing something unique in the community or an upcoming special event people might be interested to know about,” she said.

Those interested in sharing a story  idea can email [email protected] for Eye on Heath or [email protected] for Indulge Toledo.

— Staff Reports

Ottney: Yule do better

By
Erin Holden
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On Dec. 17, city officials unveiled the first of 55 planned “You Will Do Better in Toledo” signs, which will be installed at city entry points over the next few weeks.

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The black and white road signs are modeled after the original display, which debuted 101 years ago on Dec. 17, 1913. That one topped Valentine Theatre and featured the slogan spelled out in lights.

“This sign demonstrated the viability and vitality of this great city 100 years ago, a city with a Downtown that was booming, where entrepreneurism flourished,” Toledo Mayor D. Michael Collins said afterward.

“As you come off the turnpike and you’re coming into Toledo, perhaps this is something that will capture the attention of those who are not familiar with Toledo,” he said. “You will do better in Toledo. It was proven 100 years ago and we’re going to prove it in 2015 and every year there forward.”

John Amato, owner of Jupmode, a Perrysburg-based screen-printing company whose flagship T-shirt design features the slogan, was among those who advocated for the installation of the signs. He attended the unveiling and said it’s “surreal” to see the slogan beside the street.

Toledo Mayor D. Michael Collins and other city officials and community members look on as the first of 55 planned

Toledo Mayor D. Michael Collins and other city officials and community members look on as the first of 55 planned “You Will Do Better in Toledo” sign is unveiled near the intersection of Reynolds Road and Heatherdowns Boulevard Dec. 17. Toledo Free Press Photo by Sarah Ottney

“It’s just really neat to see so many people get behind the slogan, because it really is about the city as a whole, the pride we have in the area, the optimism we have right now,” Amato said.

The slogan has organically dovetailed into Toledo Region Branding Initiative’s official slogan, “It Matters Where You Make It.”

“Everybody talks about how a city has to have an identification. It’s all part of marketing and labeling,” Collins said. “To market, you have to label. To label, you have to be able to capture a difference and this is the best way to do it.”

Collins also hopes the message makes its way to Chrysler, which is deciding the future of Jeep Wrangler production in Toledo.

“[We want to] demonstrate to Fiat Chrysler that it matters where you make it,” Collins said. “In January I’ll be going up to Auburn Hills to speak with Mr. [CEO Sergio] Marchionne and this is the type of message I’m going to give.”

The idea for the signs evolved last winter after Amato, with Dustin Hostetler of Grumpy’s and Adam Sattler of The Ottawa Tavern, met with Collins to discuss the possibility of rebuilding the original sign. Instead, Collins suggested the welcome signs.

He announced the initiative during his Dec. 9 State of the City address. Afterward, he said he thinks the signs represent a step in the right direction.

“We’ve been a government that’s been reactive instead of where I really wanted to be and that was to be more proactive in terms of giving us a different direction,” he told me. “I’m hoping in 2015 we can take those dynamic steps to redefine Toledo.”

Toledo Free Press Design and Illustration by James A. Molnar

Toledo Free Press Design and Illustration by James A. Molnar

Not everyone is a fan of the slogan.

“I hate to be the one to say this but ‘You will do better in Toledo’ is incredibly lame. Better than what?” a Facebook friend posted.

“Respectfully, what is the point? There is no discernible plan that I can find to help do better here. Are the signs magic?” a Twitter follower asked.

Yes, an actionable plan is needed. But basic civic pride is a good foundation to build on. I love that residents and community leaders are embracing Toledo for what it is while dreaming of what it could be.

This is a time of year when magical thinking is embraced and disbelief suspended.

On Jan. 2, the sparkle of the season will begin to fade for another year and we’ll all have to face the new year and its challenges head on.

The holidays bring a uniquely mixed bag of emotions. Many local households will be full of joyful reunions, twinkling lights, overflowing tables and bountiful gifts. But thousands are without food, clothing, housing or are missing a loved one. A family in Sylvania is burying their 19-year-old son, Zachary Wagenhauser, killed in a car crash Dec. 16. Firefighter Jamie Dickman’s widow is preparing for their son’s first birthday on Christmas Day.

Amanda Aldrich and her Resolve Toledo “sisters” are bracing themselves for more bad news from their fertility specialists and preparing to spend the holiday season surrounded by well-meaning but often hurtful friends and relatives. Some of these women have bravely shared their stories with us in these pages.

Toledo Free Press does better in Toledo because of our readers. Because of our advertisers.

Because of you.

Thank you for reading and happy holidays.

Sarah Ottney is Editor in Chief at Toledo Free Press. She can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @sarahottney.

Alternate pipeline routes discussed

By
Don Lee
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In a contentious public meeting marked by accusations of dishonesty and promises of profit, backers and foes of a proposed high-pressure pipeline in Swancreek Township might have found something to talk about.

“This is my Christmas present to you,” said NEXUS pipeline foe Liz Athaide-Victor, plopping a stapled-together copy of a map onto a conference table in front of Arthur Diestel, spokesman for the company planning the pipeline. The map contained a proposal for an alternate route through Swancreek Township and surrounding townships for the NEXUS high-pressure transport pipeline.

“That’s the sort of great Dec. 15 feedback we’re looking for,” Diestel told her in front of about 80 people crowded into the Swancreek Township building in Delta.

The map is a compromise of sorts, considering the pipeline opponents had already received backing from Swancreek Township trustees in the form of a Dec. 8 resolution opposing the passage of the pipeline through the township at all.

NEXUS is a proposed 42-inch, 2-billion-cubic-feet-a-day pipeline meant to link the Marcellus and Utica shale fields in southeast Ohio to the natural-gas pipeline grid in southeast Michigan and Ontario, Canada. Spectra Energy Corp. and Detroit-based DTE Energy are the lead developers on the project.

Spectra promises a safe, environmentally friendly pipeline that will provide jobs and other economic benefits to the areas through which the pipeline passes, but opposition groups aren’t buying that. They cite safety concerns, both about the high-pressure pipeline itself and from the natural gas it would carry.

The group Athaide-Victor represents, Neighbors against NEXUS, has argued for the pipeline to be relocated within an alternative “energy transmission corridor” established through a sparsely populated area and in which any pipelines could be more easily monitored for safety.

One suggested route is the already established path of the ET Rover pipeline through northwestern Fulton County. However, Diestel and others note that the “study corridor” proposed by NEXUS already follows the route of a high-tension electric line north and south through the township, making that an “energy transmission corridor.”

The Neighbors’ alternative corridor would swing west about two and a half miles, crossing the Ohio Turnpike before angling northeast, running through the hamlet of Ai, to rejoin the original NEXUS study corridor. A second alternative loop proposed by the Neighbors would swing south of, instead of north of, the village of Neapolis in Providence Township.

Diestel said the study corridor is only a starting point, and the final route could shift before the pipeline begins operation in late 2017.

Fernando Mora, who owns Johnston Fruit Farm in Swancreek Township, said it would take time for his operation to recover from a pipeline going through it.

Diestel attempted to reassure Mora that crop planting could begin almost immediately after the pipeline was buried and the land filled in, but Mora responded: “Sir, I don’t know if you know anything about orchards, but these are trees.”

Trees would not be allowed to be planted above the pipeline, according to the land-use restrictions provided by the company.

Not everyone there was in opposition, however.

Brett LaFaso, business representative for Local 18 of the International Union of Operating Engineers in Toledo, said the pipeline will mean jobs, and the gas it carries will mean “more energy, and the cheaper it gets, the more jobs [it will bring].”

“This energy will benefit us, if not this generation, then the next. Ultimately this is about people who want to work hard and pay their own way,” he said.

In answer to a challenge from another audience member, LaFaso said there’s a pipeline within 1,500 feet of  his home on Jeffers Road.

Brewfest to heat up Fifth Third Field Jan. 2

By
Joel Sensenig
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Beer lovers will get a chance to exercise their taste buds from 6-10 p.m. Jan. 2 with Walleye Winter Brewfest, a beer festival offering more than 250 beers.

The inaugural event, part of the Walleye Winterfest activities, will feature offerings from more than 50 breweries, including Toledo’s own Maumee Bay Brewing Co. and Great Black Swamp Brewing Co.

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“We’d looked into doing this at other times in the last year, in other seasons, but this looked like a good time to do it with everything going on with Winterfest and bring some more focus to it,” said Joe Welker, catering manager for the Mud Hens.

Organizers expect about 2,000 people at the event, which Welker said will likely take place in the fall in future years.

Other Ohio brewers scheduled to be in attendance are TLC Brew Kettle, Strongsville; Catawba Island Brewing Co., Port Clinton; Cellar Rats Brewery, Madison; Fat Head’s Brewery, North Olmsted; Great Lakes Brewing Co., Cleveland; Jackie O’s Pub & Brewery, Athens; Rivertown Brewing Co., Lockland; Rockmill Brewery, Lancaster; and Thirsty Dog Brewing Co., Akron.

“We’re excited to be involved with Brewfest,” said Paul Traver of Great Black Swamp Brewing Co. “It’s always great to see new craft beer events in Toledo.”

Advance tickets are $35 or $25 for a designated driver ticket. Day-of regular tickets are $45. Each admission includes 15 taste tickets, each good for a 3-ounce beer sample. Additional taste tickets are also available for purchase.

Brewfest VIP tickets are available for $55. These tickets include 20 taste tickets, grazing stations and access to exclusive beer drafts. Designated driver VIP tickets, which include early access to the grazing stations, are $45. Doors open to VIP ticket holders at 5:30 p.m., with regular admission beginning at 6 p.m.

The Bradberries will perform in the VIP area, while Zak Ward & Co. and Black Swamp Rebels will play on two stages set up on the main concourse.

Tickets may be purchased at toledowalleye.com/winterfest or at the Fifth Third Field box office.

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