Walkers carry balloon letters spelling 'pride' in Toledo Pride's parade, marking its 15th year. (TFP Photo/Au'Ree Antoinette)
15 years of Pride celebrated in the streets of Downtown Toledo
TOLEDO – The city came alive over the weekend as the annual Toledo Pride Festival kicked off on Friday at Promenade Park. This year’s celebration offered a vibrant and diverse array of activities designed to honor love, diversity and community.
Friday’s festivities opened with a dynamic lineup of live music, DJs and drag performances. Performers, such as Ann Arbor Drag Queen Jessi Hex and Toledo’s very own Sam Tolson provided an evening of entertainment that kept attendees dancing well into the night. Once the sun went down, Fleet Feet held their Toledo Night Pride 5k Glo and 1-mile Fun Run.
Two spectators listen to live music by local band Street Light Curfew. (TFP Photo/Au’ Ree Antoinette)
Belly dancers from House of Spice dressed up as Disney princesses as they walked along with the Old West End float during the Pride Parade on Saturday. (TFP Photos/Au’Ree Antoinette)
The festivities continued on Saturday, with the Pride Parade, which started on Adams St. and concluded on Summit St. Hundreds of supporters, covered in their rainbow gear, lined the streets to cheer on the colorful procession.
Following the parade, Promenade Park became the epicenter of celebration once again for a second night of festivities. The day’s events featured even more live music, entertainment, and an expanded array of food trucks and community vendors.
“This year marks 15 years of pride here in Toledo,” said Pride Fest’s MC, DJ Savanna.
“Celebrating 15 years of Toledo Pride and my 5th year of participation, the parade remains my favorite. Seeing local businesses and people come together in joyful celebration highlights the strength and unity of our community, making each year a powerful reflection of who we are,” said Taylor Shettlewood.
With something for everyone, from captivating performances to local shopping opportunities, the weekend was filled with joy and unity. Toledo Pride remained a family-friendly event, welcoming people of all ages to join in and experience the city’s biggest pride celebration of the year.
Local spectators start a group dance of the Macarena. (TFP Photos/Au’Ree Antoinette)Pride Festival MC DJ Savanna expresses her excitement for the upcoming performances at the annual Toledo Pride Fest. (TFP Photo/Au’Ree Antoinette)Drag queen Jessi Hex putting on their theatrics for the crowd. (TFP Photo/Au’Ree Antoinette)
Chair and vice chair of VIP section Mike Willinger and Wendy Mueller talk outside the VIP tent. (TFP Photo/Steven Bieber)
Thousands gather for the 58th German-American Festival
Oregon – Thousands of people crowded together to celebrate the heritage and culture of Germany at the 58th annual German-American Festival at Oak Shade Grove from Friday through Sunday.
Germany’s sights, smells and sounds filled the festival grounds over the weekend. Attendees had the chance to watch live dance and musical performances, sample authentic German food and drink over 150 different types of beer. Visitors could also purchase souvenirs, such as t-shirts or authentic beer steins.
Every hour, attendees witnessed a live performance of the Glockenspiel, where dancers dressed in costume would act out a skit and transition to a dance routine. The show would end with the performers enjoying a drink and throwing items at the crowd. This live show is an homage to the Glockenspiel at the Marienplatz in Munich, Germany.
Wendy Mueller, vice chair of the VIP area, explained that the festival started at the Toledo Raceway park in the 1960s, and moved to its current location at Oak Shade Grove in the ’80s.
A performance at the Glockenspiel. They wore monk robes but eventually removed and started dancing. (TFP Photo/Steven Bieber)
Ohio’s population is over 20 percent ethnic German, according to the United States Census Bureau. Mueller gave her thoughts on why it is important to have this festival, and to provide people with a place to express their German heritage.
“You don’t want to lose the culture, and this is a way, once a year, to celebrate the culture and have a great weekend at the end of the summer and start the holiday season,” she said.
The festival draws people from a multitude of backgrounds. It also brings in a combination of first-time attendees and people who have attended for several years.
One long-time attendee is Karen Foster, who has been to the festival for 30 years. She used to work at the festival when she belonged to the GBU foundation with her parents. Since her mother was from Frankfurt, she has strong ties to Germany. She shared what she would say to someone who has never attended the German-American Festival.
I would tell them they’d have to just come out and enjoy the dancing, the food, everything. Come on out and enjoy it, it’s a good time.
Karen Foster
Aileen Starkey, from left, Donald Sroczynski, Steve Flores and Barbara McGee sell merchandise at Mitzie’s Hütte. (TFP Photo/Steven Bieber)
Mike Willinger, chairman of the VIP area, shared that all the food enjoyed at the festival is homemade. The world-famous potato pancakes and salad are made from the 2,500 pounds of potatoes peeled and sliced the night before the festival. He also discussed his favorite part of the festival.
“The fact that we can get between two and three thousand people to come out here and help us get design, the camaraderie, the friendship, all the people that work so very, very hard to accomplish all this,” Willinger said.
He concluded by saying that “it just really pleases me that we can share that culture with people, and they are coming to enjoy it. So we’ll continue to do it as long as they keep coming.”
Wetland habitat at the Little Portage Wildlife Area helps filter excess nutrients from agriculture runoff such as phosphorus before the water reaches Lake Erie. (TFP Photo/Christy Frank)
Little Portage Wildlife Area provides cleaner water
Port Clinton – A quiet, hidden gem of a wild wetland about 45 minutes east of Toledo is thriving thanks to the recent completion of a restoration project.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) took about four years to transform the Little Portage Wildlife Area in Ottawa County into 357 acres of quality habitat that serves to improve water quality.
Sign at the west parking lot of the newly restored Little Portage Wildlife Area in Ottawa County. (TFP Photo/Christy Frank)
As part of Gov. Mike DeWine’s H2Ohio initiative, the restoration project involved redirecting water from over 400 acres of farmland into the wetland before entering the Little Portage River. This project was distinctive because ODNR worked with two local farmers, Todd Winke and Dick Lano, to fund the new tile system diverting the water. This will help filter out excess nutrients contributing to harmful algae blooms, such as phosphorus, before reaching the rivers that drain to Lake Erie.
The most unique aspect of the project is that this is Ohio’s first depetitioned ditch. This means that a ditch was removed from the petition process so that it could remain a natural habitat and won’t be disturbed by maintenance every few years, a better solution for wildlife.
Sarah Schott, wildlife communication specialist for the Ohio Division of Wildlife, said “those landowners were crucial partners for us in that they allowed us to do work on their property and redirect the water through pump systems.”
Part of the pump system is seen along the road at the newly restored Little Portage Wildlife Area in Ottawa County. (TFP Photo/Christy Frank)
The bulk of the project was funded with a $3,086,673 H2Ohio grant, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Ducks Unlimited and federal Pittman-Robertson funding making up the rest.
Water quality is just one aspect of the project. The project also greatly enhances the habitat for various species, such as ducks and other waterfowl, birds, reptiles and amphibians.
However, invasive species are a challenge and large amounts of both phragmites and purple loosestrife are visible throughout the property.
“It’s a constant battle all across the state with all sorts of different invasive plants that our wildlife management team is constantly battling,” Schott said.
She explained that the ODNR wildlife team will have to continue to manage the project in a way that balances their resources with benefiting wildlife as best as they can. The Division of Wildlife will also be able to use the new pump system to manipulate water levels for vegetation control, in addition to more traditional aerial treatments.
Aerial view of the Little Portage Wildlife Area depicting the Little Portage River on the west flowing into the Portage River which flows to Lake Erie. (TFP Photo/Christy Frank)
Another significant change is that the ODNR decided to remove the boat ramp and gate the main road leading back to the prior ramp area to better protect people and wildlife. Schott shared that their staff never wants to restrict access, but it was necessary in this case.
“There was just so much illegal activity going on that our officers and wildlife management people just couldn’t keep up with that,” she said. “So, this is a solution to hopefully curb some of that.”
She explained that people are still welcome to walk, fish, hunt and explore, and kayaking is also allowed, though she recommends that kayakers use a cart to walk the road and get further into the area.
The Little Portage Project is among over 100 completed H2Ohio water quality projects. Approximately 80 additional projects are underway, and Schott shared how busy her team is.
“Every single person in our wildlife staff in northwest Ohio is working on or is a part of an H2Ohio project in some capacity,” she added.
Cattails make up part of the flora in the Little Portage Wildife Area in Ottawa County. (TFP Photo/Christy Frank)
Visitors interested in exploring the new restoration can park in one of two gravel lots on each side of the wildlife area and walk the updated roads which lead to views of the Little Portage River on the west and the Portage River on the north.
Guests will experience a diverse ecosystem with trees, river marsh and dense flora.
The cardinal-flower, this one taken at Secor Metropark, will be available for sale at Blue Creek Metropark on Sept. 14-15. (TFP Photo/Art Weber
Cardinal-flower for sale at upcoming plant sale at Blue Creek Metropark
BERKEY – The cardinal-flower isn’t a common wildflower, but, where it blooms it’s impossible to miss. Its time is now, from late summer into early fall. The spikes of deep red flowers stand on stalks up to four feet tall, typically in wet woods, along streams and other places where it can keep its feet wet.
It’s an ideal plant for attracting hummingbirds, which enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship with this deep-tubed wildflower. Ruby-throated hummingbirds are attracted to the red flowers and enjoy a fine nectar meal. In doing so the forehead of the hummingbird brushes against the male part of the flower, depositing pollen on the bird’s head. The hummingbird pollinates the plant when it visits other cardinal-flowers.
This attractive member of the bellflower family is an ideal plant to incorporate in rain gardens. Look for it at the upcoming wildflower plant sale at Blue Creek Metropark in Whitehouse, Ohio on Sept. 14-15. It’s an ideal opportunity get acquainted with other wildflowers for your home garden, as well.
Thomas J. Winston, president and CEO of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, speaks during a levy renewal press conference on Thursday at the Ironville Terminal in Toledo. (TFP Photo/Scott W. Grau)
Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority seeks renewal of .4-mill property tax
TOLEDO – Voters will be asked on the Nov. 5 ballot to renew a levy for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority – funding that the agency said it uses in part to support local economic development projects.
“With your support, we can keep momentum going,” said Robin Whitney, chair of the Committee for Jobs, during a kickoff press conference Thursday at Ironville Terminal, located at 2863 Front St.
Wendy Gramza, president and CEO of the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce, speaks during a levy renewal press conference. (TFP Photo/Scott W. Grau)
The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority was established in 1955. Its core responsibilities involve cargo and passenger transportation via the Port of Toledo, Toledo Shipyard, Eugene F. Kranz Toledo Express Airport, Toledo Express Airport and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza.
But as explained at the levy kickoff and on the Committee for Jobs website, the agency’s impact goes beyond the sites under its jurisdiction, and supports a range of economic development projects.
Over the last few years, we have adopted the model that the Port Authority is ‘more than a port,’
Thomas Winston, Port Authority president and CEO
The real estate levy is for all of Lucas County. It has been on the books for decades, and was last passed in 2018. It is a five-year renewal of .4 mills using historic valuation, starting in 2024, with the first payment due in 2025.
For many taxpayers, Winston explained, the amount works out to about $8 in taxes a year for each $100,000 in property value.
Lucas County commissioner Anita Lopez, one of the presenters at the press conference, said in her previous role as Lucas County auditor that the port authority tax amounts were so minimal that it was “the levy no one complained about.”
But that collection results in about $2.5 million a year for the Port Authority, or about 7 percent of the agency’s overall budget. This is the money that supports capital improvement projects for maritime and aviation transportation services; investment into wetlands restoration and sustainability projects; along with providing local support toward economic development.
In some cases, the local financial support helps leverage state or federal funding.
Waterville mayor Tim Pedro speaks during a press conference to discuss the upcoming levy renewal. (TFP Photo/Scott W. Grau)
Specifically, the Port Authority runs the Northwest Ohio Bond Fund, with 100 new business or business expansion projects financially supported since its launch 36 years ago. The bond fund earned a national rating of “A” earlier this year from S&P Global Ratings. Recent examples, according to the Committee for Jobs website, include the Toledo YWCA building renovations.
Administrative costs and salaries in the Port Authority’s budget, along with other operating expenses, come from other sources, such as revenue generated by its services.
Those speaking Thursday on behalf of the port authority work and the levy renewal request included Waterville mayor Tom Pedro and Wendy Gramza, president and CEO of Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce.
