Stark County roundup: News from around the Canton region

Recital at Mount Union tonight

ALLIANCE — University of Mount Union will present a Faculty and Guest Artist Recital featuring the band Rock Salt and Nails at 7:30 tonight in Brush Performance Hall in Giese Center for the Performing Arts.

Rock Salt and Nails is an acoustic band based in Northeast Ohio. Members of the band include Priscilla Roggenkamp, Keith McMahon, Jim Dutter and Jim Perone. Perone is an emeritus faculty member at Mount Union. The group has performed at local wineries, clubs, farmers markets and festivals. The program for the recital will include original works from Rock Salt and Nails as well as covers by artists like Tom Waits, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Vince Gill.

Face coverings are required for this performance. The event is free and open to the public.

Museum to livestream
wreath-laying ceremony

CANTON – The annual wreath-laying Ceremony in honor of William McKinley’s birthday will be streamed live on Facebook at noon Saturday. The ceremony includes local government representatives, a general representing the White House, a bagpiper, and a bugler to play taps.

In addition to the wreath-laying ceremony, the McKinley Museum will be holding a Pet Appreciation Day and collecting pet supplies to donate to the Stark County Humane Society. Those who donate applicable pet supplies will receive $1 off their entry fee from until Friday. On Saturday, those who donate will receive $2 off their entry fee. William McKinley's birthate was Jan. 29, 1843 – 179 years ago.

Stacy Remark to chair
'Let Your Light Shine'

CANTON – Stacy Remark will be the chairwoman for the 2022 Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Let Your Light Shine annual fundraiser. This year’s theme is Glamping, and the event is planned Sept. 17 at the DoubleTree Hilton in downtown Canton.

Remark, whose professional career was spent as a school nurse, is a C&A board member and sits on the Mission Advancement Committee for the agency.

Remark’s committee chairpersons include Jen Frey, vice and auction chair; Nicole Dietz Hunt, logistics chair; Jamie Lowre, decorations chair; Colleen Porter, marketing chair; Karen Shackelford, invitation chair; Trina Miller, online access chair; Lindsay Smith, raffle chair; and Heather Chapman and Lori Martino, program/writing co-chairs.

Dover Library to host local author Jeff Beitzel

DOVER – Jeff Beitzel, local author, artist and musician, will present his first novella, "Sideman,” at the Dover Library at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. He will explain how his personal life translated into a fictional work. Beitzel will talk about the real-life characters and events that were part of the Columbus music scene in the early 1980s. A book signing will follow the program.

Beitzel was born in Dover in 1957. He graduated from the University of Akron with a degree in political science and was a four-year letterman as a pitcher on the baseball team, while also involving himself in the downtown club scene as a musician. After a brief career as a working musician in Columbus, Jeff returned to his hometown, where he still resides with his wife, Shelly. He is pursuing his passion for music composition, painting, and writing.

This program will be in the Community Room at the library, 525 N. Walnut St. To register, call the library at 330-343-6123 or register online.

Dover Library hosts heart screening

DOVER – February is American Heart Month, and the first Friday of February is Go Red Day. Dover Library partners with Cleveland Clinic Union Hospital to raise awareness about cardiovascular disease. Members of Cleveland Clinic Union Hospital will provide pertinent information and conduct a heart and lipid panel from 9 to 11 a.m. Feb. 4 in the community room, 525 N. Walnut St. The most accurate results for the screening are obtained after a 12-hour fast. Registration is required for this screening. To make an appointment, call 330-602-0779.

Minerva library plans programs

MINERVA – Minerva Public Library has announced the following programs:

• Story Time, 10:30 to 11 a.m. Wednesdays from 10:30-11:00 AM in Youth Services. For children ages 0-5 and their caregivers Registration not required. Canceled when Minerva Local Schools are not in session.

• Evening Family Story Time, 6 to 6:30 p.m. Thursdays in Youth Services. Registration not required. Canceled when Minerva Local Schools are not in session.

• Reading Buddies program, Jan. 24 through Feb. 9. Children through 2nd grade are invited to participate. Beginning Monday, pick up a cuddly reading friend and reading challenge sheet from the Youth Desk, then read books to earn small prizes. Available while supplies last.

• Going On a Bear Hunt, 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. Join librarians in Youth Services to follow a bear hunt path, act out the classic story, and enjoy themed activities. For young children and their caregivers. No registration required.

• Chocolate Trials, 6 to 7 p.m. Feb. 14. Compete in chocolate-themed challenges, answer trivia questions, taste test sweets, and more. For youth in fourth through 12th grades. Walk-ins are welcome, but registration is recommended. Registration opens Jan. 31. To register, call 330-868-4101 or visit the Youth Desk.

• Visit Youth Services to play in the Sensory Spot, which is filled with hands-on activities to stimulate the senses. This month, enjoy Goldilocks and the Three Bears-themed sensory activities; build a chair for toys, play with oats in the sensory bin, sort hard and soft objects, and more. All ages are welcome, but minors must be accompanied by an adult.

• Youth in third through 12th grades can visit the Youth Desk beginning Jan. 31 to pick up Winter Mystery Break-In Bags. What is a break-in bag? Think mini reverse escape room in bag form. Sort through the clues to solve the wintry mystery and unlock the bag of goodies. Available in two different difficulty levels while supplies last.

The Minerva Public Library is at 677 Lynnwood Drive, one block from US Route 30. For more information, stop by the library or call 330-868-4101. Visit the library online at www.minervalibrary.info, and follow the library on Facebook and Instagram.

'Negro Leagues in Ohio'
presentation is Feb. 2

MASSILLON – Massillon Public Library, 208 Lincoln Way E, will host the presentation “The Negro Leagues in Ohio” on Feb. 2 in the its auditorium. Guest speaker will be Leslie Heaphy, associate professor of history at Kent State University at Stark and author of “The Negro Leagues 1869-1960.”

This program is free, open to the public, and is presented in partnership with the Massillon Local History and Genealogy Society. The program will be from 1 to 2 p.m., and a MLHGS meeting will be from 2 to 3 p.m. Visit www.massillonlibrary.org to register. Registration is required for the program and ends at 11:59 p.m. Jan. 31.

New photography
exhibition at museum

MASSILLON – The Massillon Museum’s second-floor Photography Gallery now features Collection Snapshot: Faces of Massillon Business – images spanning about a century selected from more than 75,000 photographs in the permanent collection.

Small downtown businesses local visitors might remember include Frieg’s Restaurant, Kanner’s Store for Men, Segel’s, Bordner’s, The Ideal Company, the Sugar Bowl, and Baltzly Drug Store. A busy barbershop from a century ago, the horse-drawn Breckel’s Grocery wagon in 1894, the Evening Independent press crew, and the Sterling School Lunch Bread truck from the 1940s depict local life in days gone by.

Massillon industries are represented by several 1960s-era images of Republic Steel, the inside of the Superior Brand Meats meat locker in the 1950s, and the men and boys who worked at the Rhodes Glass and Bottle Works early in the 20th century.

The exhibition can be seen during regular museum hours – 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday. In collaboration with Massillon’s “Last Saturday” event, Massillon Museum extends its hours until 7 p.m. on the last Saturday of each month. The Massillon Museum is at 121 Lincoln Way E. Admission is free.

Learn about classic automobile era

MASSILLON – The Massillon Museum will present a three-part class, the "Classic Automobile Era (1916–1942): The Cars and the People” from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Feb. 1, 8 and 15.

Automobile historian David Schultz, instructor, became interested in vintage cars as a youngster. Although he has owned a variety of classic automobiles over the years, he considers himself more of a historian than a collector. He is chairman of the Lincoln Motor Car Foundation, which built the Lincoln Motor Car Heritage Museum in 2014. He is president of the Lincoln Owners Club, past president of the Classic Car Club of America, and a columnist for Hemmings Classic Cars. He has been chief judge at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance.

Registration is open and space is limited. Visit massillonmuseum.org/tickets or call 330-833-4061 by 5 p.m. Friday. The fee is $45 ($30 for Massillon Museum members) per person. The class is recommended for persons 18 and older.

Eric Myers to present
Brown Bag Lunch Talk

MASSILLON – Eric J. Myers, chairman of the Spring Hill Historic Home board of trustees, will present the Massillon Museum’s Brown Bag Lunch program on Tuesday. The program will begin at 12:10 p.m. and conclude at 12:50 to accommodate those who attend on their lunch hours.

Portraying Kendal founder and first resident of Spring Hill, Thomas Rotch, Myers will recount Rotch’s life, the arduous trip to and colorful history of what we know today as Spring Hill Historic Home, and the home’s significance in world events.

Admission to Brown Bag Lunches is free to everyone, and no reservations are required. Gessner Hall provides ample space and seating for the Brown Bag Lunch audience. The museum provides free cookies and coffee for Brown Bag Lunch guests. Sandwiches, salad, and smoothies can be purchased at Greatness Cafe in the Museum lobby, or guests are welcome to bring their own. Program attendees are required to wear masks when not consuming food.

Poetry writing group to meet

MASSILLON – Local author Cat Russell will lead a poetry-writing group from 6 to 7 p.m. Feb. 2 in the Massillon Public Library auditorium. The group meets on the first Wednesday of each month. All poets 18 and older are welcome, from beginners to seasoned writers. Bring several copies of your favorite poems and plan to share them with the group. Participants will exchange poems, give feedback and share tips on crafting poetry.

No registration is necessary. For more information about this free program, contact Miranda Greathouse at greatmi@massillonlibrary.org or 330-832-9831, ext. 304.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Stark County roundup: News from around the Canton region