"Ireland's Happy Man"

The Wellsville Alumni Activities Committee will present a concert by Irish singer, pianist & entertainer Cahal Dunne on Wednesday evening, October 28. The concert will be held at the Wellsville Alumni Center on 3rd St. It's a fund raiser in preparation of next year's All-Class Reunion and their annual scholarships.

Dunne, shown here, is a native of County Cork, Ireland, and graduated with a degree in music from University College of Cork. He was the winner of an Ireland National Song Contest with the song he composed entitled "Happy Man". He represented the nation of Ireland in the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest. He is a composer, pianist, comedian, singer, story teller and T.V. personality. He is an entertainer extraordinaire with a style that is rich & deep according to his web site. He appears nationwide and just recently completed a tour as part of an entertainment package on a cruise. Dunne immigrated to the U.S. in 1983 and he and his family now make their home in the Pittsburgh area. He sings a wide range of songs from popular modern numbers to traditional Irish ballads.

The concert is set to begin at 7 P.M. Tickets are $20 per person. There will be refreshments served at the intermission. Doors open at 6:30 P.M. Reservations can be made by calling Carmella at 330-532-1936 or Carrie at 330-843-6338 or Toni at 330-532-1517. Seats are limited. Get your reservations as soon as possible for this worthwhile fund raiser.

Toora loora, loora...

ole nib

The Ghosts of Ohio At The Library

No, Wellsville's Library is not haunted. At least it is thought it's not. Ghost of Ohio is a company that specializes in paranormal research and investigations. They are headquartered in Columbus with additional offices in Cleveland and Cincinnati.

This past Thursday evening, October 8, 2009, the Wellsville Carnegie Library hosted a program presented by ghost hunters James & Stephanie Willis. The program is another service provided by the library free of charge and open to the public. There were about 40 patrons that attended.

James Willis said he had 25 years experience. He started in Atlanta and relocated to Ohio in 1999. Ghosts of Ohio currently have 35 members. In 2004 they spent sometime in Columbiana County looking for Gretchen out at Beaver Creek State Park and checking to see if Pretty Boy Floyd's spirit is still around the old Conkle farm.

Paranormal research & investigation is simply ghost hunting. It is said that human bodies possess energy. That energy doesn't die when a body quits breathing. It is believed that sometimes when an unnatural death occurs that energy lingers. In other words its spirit haunts old familiar surroundings, sometimes for hundred of years. It can be visual sightings, a voice out of the blue or finding objects that have been moved or rearranged.

Ghosts of Ohio provide a service to people who experience such things and are looking for an explanation. Before conducting an on-site investigation Ghosts of Ohio representatives research the histories of the location and records of such happenings. They use an array of scientific equipment to measure atmospheric & electrical changes plus cameras and recorders. It has been found if a spirit is present there is a drop in temperature from the surrounding area. At one haunted house they investigated in southern Ohio there was a 30 degree drop in temperature where the spirit was located.

Ghosts of Ohio has investigated Loveland Castle where shadowy figures have been spotted at night walking a path between the house and the close by river bank. Loveland Castle is located near Cincinnati and was built by hand by Harry Andrews. A woman died on that path a long time ago. They also conducted an investigation at the old Mansfield Reformatory. They didn't film any spirits but did discovered an unknown source of a man's voice on the tapes.

If you have something unusual happening Ghosts of Ohio are the people you want to talk to. It's your decision whether to have them check it out or not. They just want to simply educate and ease people's concerns. More information on the company can be found at www.ghostsofohio.org.

Continuing to provide services and activities the Wellsville Library is sponsoring "Make A Plate" craft from October 12 through November 16. For $5.95 you can purchase a 10" plate and decorate it. The library will provide templates and special markers to do the decorating. Call 330-532-1526 for more details. Also the Friends of the Library will be meeting Thursday, October 22, at 6:30 P.M.

ole nib

WHS Tigers Shut Out Leetonia

The Leetonia Bears came to town this past Friday with a 5 & 1 record. When they got on the bus to go home after the game both the Bears & the Tigers had records of 5 & 2 on the season. With an impressive display of some hard hitting defense Wellsville held Leetonia scoreless winning the game 18 - 0. There were a couple of times I could hear #25 - Jacob Cole's pads cracking when tackling a Leetonia ball carrier. Reminded me of Donnie Shell of Steelers fame when they started winning Super Bowls - nice, clean hard hitting defense.

My vote for game ball goes to Chad Elliott. He scored two of the Tiger's three touch downs. The first was a pass reception from Bubba Dowling and the second was an interception return for a TD. That score on the pass reception was the only completed pass for WHS on a wet & rainy night. The other TD was scored by Jeremy Carter on a 45 yard sprint around the outside corner. Carter finished the night with 94 total yards rushing. My second choice would be the defense. Not only did they shut out the Bears they had four interceptions and made one heckuva goal line stance denying Leetonia a chance to score.

Half-time was crowning the Homecoming Queen. Lindsy Koontz came home from Akron U to do the honors crowning this year's queen, Krislyn Dalrymple. Other members of this year's Fall Homecoming court were Celeste Hanselman, Rachel Vallera, Taylor Buzzard, Britne Thomas and Emmalee McIntosh.

Wellsville faces Jackson-Milton at home next Friday. The drive for a play-off spot will continue.

I apologize for not having any pictures this week. Something happen to my camera card and I can't get the pictures to download. It's distressing!

ole nib

Boy And The Boot

As reported at this week's Council meeting renovation has begun at the Boy and the Boot along Lisbon Street here in Wellsville, Ohio. No one seems to know the exact history of that statue or when that little island was put in at that location. There's copies of post cards from the early 1900s around that show the boy at the intersection of Lisbon Street & Wells Avenue when there were two bridges. Those post cards show that was before Route 45 went from Highland Avenue to Wells Avenue and long before the floodwall was erected. That was even before the Roadside Park when Lisbon Street & Wells Avenue merged at the Boy and the boot.

Wellsville Historical Society President Robert "Brassy" Beresford recently received a box of photographs donated by decendents of the late Luella Thompson. Among those pictures was an early picture of the Boy.

At that time the Boy faced up-river. It's the original statue shown here that was destroyed when a truck accidentally ran up over the curb and hit it. That is believed to have happened in the early 1950s. There is a history on the statue & who manufactured it. The Amato family went to the trouble of tracking that down and getting a duplicate made. That's the statue you see today. I think Pete & Chuck Amato got a mold and had it made.

Brassy is trying to date this photo. Neither one of us have any idea what the year is of that car in the background. If anybody can tell us it would give an excellent idea on the time. There's a lady standing on the sidewalk in an almost ankle length skirt. Brassy thinks it might have been before the floodwall was erected and the car dates back to the early 1940s. They started building the floodwall in 1938. You can't see any evidence of Katz's junk yard that was at the corner of Wells Ave. & 2nd St. Anybody remember when Paul Katz got started?

At any rate it's an angle of the Boy that Brassy said he has never seen. I got excited and this is the kind of picture we would love to get copies of. It's the kind of picture "hootch2" can add to his video for next years All-Class Reunion and no, Lance, no one recalls statues of ducks at that location! You can click on the picture to enlarge for a better look.

ole nib

"Men are suppose to be made out of steel or something"

That's a line from the off-Broadway play Steel Magnolias. The Potter Players Community Theater group have been working hard getting ready to open a week from tonight bringing this comedy-drama presentation to our area. It's a story about the bond among a group of Southern women in northwest Louisiana. It's a Robert Harling play that debuted in NYC in 1987. It proved so popular that two years later they made a movie based on the original script.

Stop by and see what goes on in Truvy's beauty shop and the women that gather there. Wellsville's Erin Roberts-Orr will be making her own debut with the zany PPCT cast of characters. As they say on their web cite "come prepared to laugh a lot and maybe shed a tear or two". If you bring a receipt from any local salon you will get a dollar off the regular ticket price.

It's an award winning play that you won't want to miss.

ole nib

Council Meeting - Tuesday - 10/6/09

The Village Council met in regular session this week. All council members were present except the vacationing Tony Cataldo. Also present was Mayor Joe Surace, Village Administrator Jim Saracco, Village Solicitor Andy Beech, Fiscal Officer Dale Davis and Zoning Administrator Rick Williams.

For Public Speaking Connie Carmichael of 10th St spoke on behalf of the Revitalization Committee. She informed Council that the committee is going to pursue working with Heritage Ohio. Presently they are attempting to establish a board and working out details for the financial end of it. Plans are to have Heritage Ohio Director of Revitalization Jeff Siegler back again in November.

Diane Dinch of Aten Ave. asked Council what it cost the Village when they engaged a Cleveland area law firm to investigate allegations against a WPD officer and to revise and update the Police Manual. Dinch remarked she had never heard what the actual costs were. FO Dale Davis advised he would have the numbers available at the next Council meeting. Without prior notice they were not readily available.

Opal Lombardozzi of Wood St. then addressed Council in regards to the now vacant cemetery house stating "things have been done wrong". After requesting copies of documents she advised they found out the insurance company recommended the house not be reoccupied until proven safe after a cleaning project. There had been a chimney collapse back in 2007 and the Lombardozzis were temporarily provided housing in the Meadow Woods Apts. Mrs. Lombardozzi said they were never told of the recommendation and asked why.

Councilman Joe Soldano asked "who okayed moving back into the house?" Lombardozzi replied "no one knows" and vouched to get to the bottom of it. Soldano then questioned where the Cemetery Board is. He stated that they are suppose to govern everything at the cemetery and they have not met in two years. (A correction was later printed in the newspaper that they haven't met in two months. The Cemetery Board held a meeting in September, '09.) Soldano then advised the Mayor "you have to get on them".

Lombardozzi then stated they were told repairs to the house would cost $25,000/$30,000 when she had a copy of the architech's letter saying it would be less than $10,000. She then requested a meeting be arranged with the insurance company representatives, the Mayor and her. Surace remarked he would be glad to have a meeting but ultimately it will come back to a council decision.

The discussion then went to the Lombardozzis being made to move out of the house when they received a letter from the Village Administrator stating it "was council's decision" that they can't live there. Soldano remarked that wasn't true. Council only voted to make it "not mandatory to live there like it's been for 100 years". The Mayor said he didn't know it was in such bad shape and Saracco remarked the Village does not have the money to fix it. Lombardozzi responded they found money to buy the trailer and at that point the Mayor put an end to the discussion.

Faye Lombardozzi of Clover St. next stated that there were three items paid for recently that she felt was not in the Village's best interest. Those were the new roof on Village Hall, the buying of the vacant lot at 12th & Main and the lack of maintaining the historical cemetery house. She indicated she thought the roof repair could have been done at a cost a lot less than what was spent. She noted that she thought buying the vacant lot for additional parking was frivolous when there are "three football fields of space behind Village Hall" for parking. Lombardozzi then asked where the cemetery caretaker's office will be located and Sarcco answered that it be in Village Hall. She asked about cemetery records and Surace responded it takes time to move but they will be moved too. Councilman Randy Allmon then remarked he felt that the move to Village Hall was the "best solution". Lombardozzi closed her comments saying that she felt Council has not been acting in the best interest of the Village and suggested that all members of Council "tender their resignations".

Former Mayor Nunzio Lombardozzi, also of Clover St., then remarked that Council's decision on the cemetery house was immature and it should have been taken care of two years ago. The pointing of fingers for this is a "terrible shame". He noted that most council members haven't even seen the house and commended Councilman Don Brown's efforts for trying to make it right. Stating it was a "council decision not administration". Lombardozzi noted he felt Soldano had a guilty conscious and called him an idiot. He noted that money was found for the trailer. Soldano replied that the Administrator can spend up to $25,000 to which Saracco remarked "if the money is there" before the Mayor rapped an end to that conversation.

Cris McNicol next got up and stated it was unbelievable that in two days Council changed a 60 to 70 year old tradition. He also stated that he thought the trailer was in violation of Zoning Codes. Saracco replied the trailer is classified a construction trailer which is not covered in the Zoning Codes. McNicol then went on to ask about security at the cemetery. Surace answered that police officers are closing the gate every evening at dusk.

For Administration Reports Jim Saracco advised that work has begun to renovate the Boy-In-The-Boot site. Noting a generous donation from the Eagles made it possible to purchase everything and do the work. The grass has been stripped off and will be replace with weed barrier plastic. Marble chips will be put on top of that. A new flag pole and a memorial to Wellsville native Cathy Salter will be installed. Salter perished in the World Trade Center bombing of 9/11. Lights will be installed per specification and I believe that includes lights for the floodwall murals. Lights for the murals were approved by Council not long ago.

Zoning Administrator Rick Williams reported $330 was taken in for permits in September. He also provided McNicol with a copy of the Zoning ordinance for trailers.

Animal Control Officer Leslie Dean left her Activity Report covering 8/23 to 9/23. In that time frame she had 27 calls. Five of those calls were reports of lost dogs and another five were to investigate reports of abuse & neglect. Dean was not present at the meeting.

For the Mayor's Report Surace noted that he's been in office for six years and still feels there are people with "vendettas" out there. Stating it was a shame and that energy could be better spent to improve the village. He said that Council was here for the betterment of the Village and those people holding grudges should turn the tide and also work for the betterment of the Village.

For the Zoning Board Surace nominated Gene Beadnell for the 6 year term, Jack Cataldo for the 4 year term and Jack Call for the 2 year term. Council approved those nominations. Rick Williams will remain the Zoning Administrator and John McMahon will be the Council liaison.

For Committee Reports Joe Soldano questioned the status of the street sweeper for Streets, Lights & Parking. Saracco replied they are still waiting for a company inspector to show up. Soldano said if it can be repaired it might be used to pick up some leaves. If not it should gotten rid of.

Councilman John McMahon stated there have been a lot of complaints of unauthorized people illegally using handicapped parking permits. He noted any violators caught will be ticketed.

Councilwoman Rosie Goss referring to the bills paid to LSW for jet rodding and smoking sewers included $814 the Village paid for water usage for those services. She felt since it wasn't covered in the agreement that LSW should pay for the water. Surace said that has to be negotiated and Saracco stated the LSW has offered to refund that amount. Goss then noted that the total amount paid to LSW exceeded the Administrator's allowable maximum of $25,000. Saracco answered there were four different projects paid for and none of them went over the maximum. Discussion then turned to what United Water is capable of doing with Don Brown noting they did not have any complaints of sewers backing up or water in basements. Saracco replied that the sewers had to be jet rodded and cleaned before smoke testing and the EPA was threatening to fine the Village if the smoke testing wasn't done. Surace noted that United Water is only capable of cleaning sewers in town. Saracco added that of the 35 violations found none of them were in Russell Heights.

For Legislation a resolution was approved under suspension of rules to adopt the rates of levies and certifying them to the County Auditor. This was for levies already voted in at the polls.

Under New Business Council set Halloween Trick or Treat for Saturday, October 31, from 5:30 - 7 P.M.

Councilman & Chamber-of-Commerce President Randy Allmon reported that treated lumber has been bought of the gazebo renovation. The lumber was still "wet" and they have to wait on it to dry before cutting. It is hoped to have that project completed before the end of the year. That project is being sponsored by the Chamber at no cost to the Village.

The meeting was adjourned at 6:54. Next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 20 at 6 P.M. at Village Hall.

ole nib

Wellsville's Clergy Honored

October is National Clergy Month, a time to say thanks to all members of the cloth for all they do. I forget where I read it but I saw where someone said that clergy members are on duty 24/7 for members of their congregations. That is so true. They're not someone who just shows up on Sunday to conduct services at your church. With just a call on the phone they are there to comfort and aid in times of trouble & trauma. They provide counseling to anyone in need whether it's for the loss of a loved one or just someone hitting a bump in the road of life. They go out of their way to provide food, shelter, clothes and even gather used furniture in case a member of the community loses everything in a fire. They hold a men's prayer breakfasts that is open to all the community for free if you're running short on cash.

The accolades and list of things they do could go on and on for what our members of the clergy provide for us all. They are unsung heroes who ask for nothing in return. More than anyone they realize that the Good Lord will bless them for their deeds even though some on earth show little appreciation. It doesn't matter what denomination or what doctrine you believe in, our clergy is always there.

There is one lady who recently took it upon herself to show a little appreciation for her pastor and all others in the Wellsville area. In honor of National Clergy month she sponsored a Community Appreciate Your Clergy In-Gathering this past Sunday, October 4. She set out a couple of months ago organizing the event. She asked Bishop Rudder of the New Life Worship Center to provide the location. She got someone to compose the invitations sent out to all area clergy and members of their congregations. She arranged to have food & refreshments at the event and had plaques made up to honor each minister. She even had a hometown funeral director to volunteer as a doorman. She did this out of the goodness of her heart and would not accept a penny in return for her efforts.

Pictured above are the members of the clergy that attended last Sunday's reception. From the left is Rev. Dirk Hall, Bishop Bill Rudder, Mayor Joe Surace, Revs. Troy Warner, Roosevelt Thompson, Ken Malone, Bob Phillips & Deacon Terry McCuen.

Thanks Mary. We pray you're feeling better.

ole nib