News Briefs

The Bexley Farmers’ Market will be open for business in front of Bexley City Hall on Saturdays through October. Hours are from 10 a.m. till 1 p.m.  

Central Ohio farmers will be featuring a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, flowers and much more.  

Aug. 16 will be the Farmers’ Market Festival, also from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., when Bexley food vendors and other businesses will have display tables with free food samples, coupons, and other information.  Loosely Strung will again be performing music at the Festival in front of City Hall.  For information, or to reserve a table for the Festival, contact the Bexley Development Department at 559-4255 or by e-mail at blangner@bexley.org.

Reynoldsburg Chamber to host golf classic

The Reynoldsburg Area Chamber of Commerce will host its 2008 "Get Into the Swing" golf classic Sept. 10 at Willow Run Golf Course, State Route 161 and State Route 310.

The event, a four-person scramble, begins at 11:30 a.m. with lunch and registration.

A shotgun start begins at 12:30 p.m. Cost is $85 per person, $300 per team, and includes green’s fees, riding cart, special treats, lunch and a steak dinner at conclusion of play.

Registration deadline is Sept. 2.

For more information, contact the Chamber office at (614) 866-4753.

Learning center receives Quality Star Award

Child’s Play Learning Center Inc. has been awarded the Step Up to Quality Star Award by the Department of Jobs and Family Services of Fairfield County.

The program is the only full-time program in Fairfield County serving children 6 weeks to 12 years old with this award.

The program has been accredited by the National Association for the Education of Early Childhood since 1999.

The learning center’s curriculum is based on the guidelines set by the Ohio Department of Education Early Learning Content Standards.

The center is located at 11795 Pickerington Road, Pickerington.

For more information, call Karen at 833-1836.

Walk/run to benefit free clothing store

On Aug. 2, Reynoldsburg United Methodist Church, 1636 Graham Rd. Reynoldsburg, will hold its 13th annual 5K Walk/Run at 8:30 am. There will also be a quarter-mile and half-mile Kid’s Fun Run following the 5K event.  

The race course follows residential streets behind the church.  

Awards will be given to the top 50 male and top 50 female finishers, and ribbons to all other finishers.  

All Kid’s Run participants receive medals.

Forms are available at www.rumc.org. Same-day registration begins at 7:30 a.m.   

All proceeds will benefit The Sheperd’s Place, a free clothing store in Reynoldsburg established for those in need.

Hartley golf outing

Bishop Hartley High School’s fourth annual alumni-sponsored golf outing will be held Aug. 2 starting at 8:30 a.m. at Cumberland Trail Golf Club, 8244 Columbia Road SW in Pataskala. Proceeds benefit Bishop Hartley students through the Alumni Scholarship and Tuition Assistance Fund.

It will be a four-golfer scramble, shot-gun start. Cost is $85/golfer; $95/golfer for skins game and mulligan. Fee covers golf, cart, range and lunch. Call (614) 352-8441.

Rosary reunion

The Holy Rosary class of 1953 will hold its 55 year class reunion at the Jessing Center at the Josephinum on Sept. 7. For information call Mary Jane (Pumphrey) Ritter at (740) 929-2942.

Short term radon kits

The city of Bexley, in conjunction with the Franklin County Board of Health, has free, short term radon testing kits available for residents to check radon levels in their homes.

Radon is odorless, tasteless, and invisible, but it could be a problem in a home. Radon comes from the natural decay of uranium found in nearly all soils. According to to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, indoor radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. and leading cause among non-smokers.

To pick up a free radon testing kit, visit the Bexley Municipal Building, 2242 E. Main St., Monday through Friday during normal business hours. For information call the Franklin County Board of Health at (614) 462-3859 or visit www.franklincountyohio.gov/health

At the Bexley Library

•The Bexley Public Library will host the Bexley Historical Society’s tribute to the city’s "Centennial Celebration" exhibit with its display of photographs and artifacts recording Bexley’s early history and founding families. Items are from the Historical Society’s collection and the public is invited to submit additional photographs.

•Young people can "Catch the Reading Bug" during the summer with the library’s reading program. Prize incentives include stickers, temporary tattoos, free Johnston’s ice cream and roller-skating at United Skates of America. A colorful "buggy" picnic display encourages reading. Teens can select pool side reads from a wide collection of recently added young adult paperbacks. Also, area students can obtain copies of books on summer reading lists in the children’s and adult circulating areas. The library maintains lists from many local schools.

•For information call 231-9709.

Reynoldsburg reunion

The Reynoldsburg High School Class of 1978 will celebrate its 30-year class reunion Aug. 1-3.

For more information visit the Web site reynoldsburgclassof1978.googlepages.com or call (614) 864-1947.

Send reservations/contact information to reynoldsburgclassof1978@gmail.com.

Learning center meetings scheduled

Parent information meetings will be held at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 6 and 13 at Brookwood Presbyterian Church, 2685 E. Livingston Ave., as well as at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 12 and Aug. 27 at Highlands Presbyterian Church, 6906 Smoky Row Road.

The meetings are intended to provide information for parents about the Alternative Learning Center offered by Brookwood for students in grades 4 through 12.

The Learning Center provides education and social skill training for special education eligible youth with significant social skill deficits.

The students typically suffer from Pervasive Development Disorder, Asperger Syndrome or other Autistic Spectrum Disorders. For information, call 235-3451.

McFarland earns Girl Scout award

Senior Girl Scout Abigail McFarland  recently earned the Girl Scout Gold Award for her work in the community. She is among only five percent of Girl Scouts nationally who earned the award this year.  For her project, entitled "The ACPA Student Pride Program," McFarland created an orientation program for freshman and new students at the Arts and College Preparatory Academy.

Club hosts garden program

A program featuring miniature arrangements and a plant exchange will be held at the monthly meeting of the Pickerington Garden Club at 1 p.m. Aug. 20 at the Pickerington Public Library, 201 Opportunity Way. The library is located directly across from Pickerington Central High School. Visitors and new members are welcomed. For more information and reservations, call Barbara Kochick at 837-3951 or Anna Weber at 833-2358.

JCC winter cruise

The JCC Travel Group is planning a Caribbean cruise on board the Emerald Princess for 10 days beginning Feb. 8, 2009.

The cruise will depart from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and include ports of call at Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Barbados, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Thomas, and Princess Cay, Bahamas. Pricing starts at $970 for an inside cabin, $1,250 for an ocean view cabin, and $1,599 for a balcony cabin. Prices are per person, double occupancy, and include 10 nights on board the Emerald Princess, all cruise features on board the ship, and all meals and entertainment. For information, contact Tour Leader Peggy Kaplan at (614) 235-8813 or (614) 560-5652.

Bexley Schools ‘excellent’

For the eighth year in a row, Bexley Schools has achieved an "Excellent" rating on the annual Ohio Department of Education Report Card.  Bexley is one of a handful of Ohio districts to have consistently earned the "Excellent" designation.  In addition, the district again met all AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) standards.

Rotary Club sponsoring golf event

The Whitehall-Bexley Rotary Club is sponsoring its 11th annual golf event, The Klayman Charity Open, Aug. 11. The event will benefit Kids N Kamp Families, which provides a camping experience for children with cancer and maintains relations with the children’s families and with families who have lost children to cancer. The vent will be held at the Willow Run Golf Course at State Route 310 and State Route 161 in Alexandria, Ohio. The tournament is open to all men and women. Cost is $75 per person, which includes golf, use of a golf cart, lunch and a steak dinner. There will be prizes for every participant. Registration and lunch are at 11 a.m. Tee-off is at noon. Entry deadline is July 31. For more information, call David Martinelli at 235-5400 or John Goetz at 866-8184.

Farmers’ Market

The Reynoldsburg Farmers’ Market will be open for business from 3:30-6:30 p.m. every Thursday until Sept. 25 in Huber Park on Davidson Drive, just south of  Main Street.

For information about becoming a vendor or other questions about the Reynoldsburg Farmers’ Market contact Nadine Morse, market manager at (614) 322-6832.

Tomato Festival seeks court candidates

The Reynoldsburg Tomato Festival is seeking candidates for the 2008 Reynoldsburg Tomato Festival Queen and Court.  

Young ladies ages 16-18 entering the 11th or 12th grade who live in the Reynoldsburg School District are eligible. Candidates may complete an application or nominations for a candidate may be made.

Nominations for candidates can be made be by sending a resume of 100 words or less about the nominee, plus the nominee’s name, address, and phone number, the name of the person nominating the candidate and the address and phone number of the nominator.

For an application and contestant rules and guidelines call Nancy Mergel, Queen’s Program Chair at (614) 866-2861, e-mail TomatoFestival@aol.com or download the information at our Web site at www.ReynoldsburgTomatoFestival.com.

Applications must be returned by July 31.

The Queen and Court must be willing and able to attend at least 15 festivals during their year’s reign.

This year the pageant will be Sept. 7 at 4 p.m.