Stark County roundup: News from around the Canton region

Latino Fest at Centennial Plaza on Saturday

CANTON − The Canton Latino Fest will be held at Centennial Plaza, 330 Court Ave. NW, from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday.

The free family event celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with live music, cultural dancers, a children’s play area, bounce houses, authentic Latin food trucks, artisans and shopping vendors. For more information, call 330-617-9362 or visit https://tinyurl.com/2s4u4tfu.

Three Stooges Film Fest at the Palace

CANTON − The Palace Theatre, 605 Market Ave. N, will present a Three Stooges Film Fest at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Tickets are $10 in advance or at the door. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Four Three Stooges film shorts will be shown. There will be a raffle for Stooges prizes and the Curly Shuffle at intermission.

For more information or tickets, visit https://tinyurl.com/barn67mp or call 330-454-8172

Comic Con is Saturday

CANTON − The Hall of Fame City Comic Con will be held at the Memorial Civic Center, 1101 Market Ave. N, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.

There will be comics, toys, collectibles, panels and door prizes. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children 12 and younger, with preschoolers admitted free. For more information, visit https://www.hofcitycomiccon.com/ or call 330-715-2319.

Haunted house to open at fairgrounds

CANTON − The Carnival of Horrors Haunted House opens Friday and continues through Oct. 29 at the Stark County Fairgrounds, 305 Wertz Ave. NW.

Hours are 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. Fridays, 7:30 p.m. to midnight Saturdays and 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Sundays. Parking is free.

For more information and tickets, visit https://carnivalofhorrors.com or call 330-644-4473.

Wish-a-thon breaks fundraising goals

CANTON − The News/Talk 1480 WHBC & Mix 94.1 AultCare Wish-a-thon to benefit Wishes Can Happen raised more than $2.4 million in its 16th year. A little more than $283,000 was raised during the 36-hour wish-a-thon Aug. 10 and 11, a $60,000 increase over last year.

Market Manager Larry Gawthrop says Wishes Can Happen has fulfilled more than 40 wishes so far and at least 35 more are planned. The average wish costs around $8,000, according to a news release.

The WHBC-AM and FM teams broadcast live for 36 hours straight from a tent at Springbrook Plaza in Canton taking donations by phone, online and in person. Wishes Can Happen is a local charity that grants wishes to seriously ill children in the Northeast Ohio area.

Reception for formerly incarcerated is Wednesday

CANTON – A free welcome-home reception for citizens recently released from incarceration will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday at the Drop In Center, 1492 Cherry St. SE.

The homecoming reception provides access to services. It is sponsored by the Stark County Urban Minority Alcoholism and Drug Addiction Outreach Project and CareSource. To make a reservation, call 234-214-0037 or 330-949-1927.

Country dances Oct. 1, 8

CANTON − Canton Country Music will hold dances at the American Legion, 1633 Cleveland Ave. NW, on Oct. 1 with the Kenny Falls Band and Oct. 8 with Along the Way Band. Donation is $3 at the door. The dance is open to the public. Doors open at 1:15 p.m., and music and dancing is from 2 to 5 p.m. Food is available as well as a 50/50 drawing and lottery tree.

Jackson Township Historical Society open house is Oct. 1

JACKSON TWP. − The Jackson Township Historical Society, 7756 Fulton Drive, will host an open house about life in the township, 1921-1950, from 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 1.

See pictures and memorabilia from the schools, residents, and neighborhoods. Members will be available to answer questions. Admission is $5 (ages 14 and up) and free for members.

‘The Addams Family Musical’ at Players Guild Theatre

JACKSON TWP. − The Players Guild Theatre, located at the Kent State University Stark Fine Arts Building, 6000 Frank Ave. NW, will present "The Addams Family Musical" at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. today and Oct. 1.

For tickets or more information, visit https://playersguildtheatre.com or call 330-244-3224.

School board to hold information meetings about substitute levy ballot issue

LOUISVILLE − Two special meetings of the Louisville City School Board of Education are being called to present information regarding the substitute levy ballot issue. The public is welcome to attend one or both meetings.

The meetings will be at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday and 6:30 p.m. Oct. 2, both at Louisville Middle School, 1300 S. Chapel St.

Concert at Massillon Museum on Thursday

MASSILLON − Cleveland-based musician Austin Walkin' Cane will perform as part of the Rhythms concert series Thursday in the Massillon Museum’s Gessner Hall, 121 Lincoln Way E.

He performs original and classic Delta-style blues. Opening the show will be a local musician, Cody J. Martin.

Doors open at 6 p.m. The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 each ($10 for Massillon Museum members). Membership will be verified at the door; memberships can be purchased at any time. A cash bar will be available. For more information or tickets, visit https://tinyurl.com/2tvwsb84 or call 330-833-4061.

Women’s suffrage movement is Brown Bag Lunch topic

MASSILLON − Learn how Ohio’s women influenced the national women’s suffrage movement at the Massillon Museum’s Brown Bag Lunch from 12:10 to 12:50 p.m. Tuesday.

Author Jamie C. Capuzza, a scholar and award-winning teacher, will discuss her book, "The Fifth Star: Ohio’s Fight for Women’s Right to Vote," which will be available for purchase and signing.

Capuzza will explain how influential Ohio women were from 1850 through 1920, as the first to petition a government for women’s enfranchisement. Many of the movement’s early leaders were Ohioans. Victoria Claflin Woodhull, who briefly lived in Massillon, was the first woman to run for the U.S. presidency in 1872.

The Brown Bag Lunch series is free and open to everyone. Guests may bring lunch or purchase sandwiches, salad and smoothies at Greatness Cafe in the museum lobby. The Massillon Museum provides free cookies and coffee for attendees.

Community Freedom Summit against human trafficking is Saturday

NORTH CANTON − Walsh University and Not For Sale: One Step At A Time are partnering in the fight against human trafficking by hosting the annual Community Freedom Summit and Freedom Walk from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at Walsh University.

This year’s event will focus on the topic of sextortion, when an adult pretends to be the same age as a younger victim to get them to share explicit photos or videos of themselves on camera and then starts demanding money.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost will deliver the keynote on the Human Trafficking Initiative he created to build awareness of the problem and empower Ohioans to act. Streetsboro residents Tamia and Tim Woods, with the Do It for James Foundation, will share their personal testimony on behalf of their son who took his own life after being sextorted.

The event will end with a one-mile Freedom Walk in silence to pray and reflect on those who have been victims of human trafficking. Participants should register in advance at www.walsh.edu/freedomwalk.

Ranger for a Day event at Sippo Lake Park

PERRY TWP. − Stark Parks invites children to see what it is like to be a Stark Parks ranger for a day on Saturday. All activities are from 1 to 4 p.m. at Exploration Gateway at Sippo Lake Park, 5712 12th St. NW, with a K-9 demonstration at 4 p.m.

Each child will have the opportunity to try different stations and activities. Youth will try on ballistic vests, climb in ranger vehicles, take shots at the shooting range and try the archery station. The free event is geared toward elementary-age children and their families. For more information, visit www.StarkParks.com.

Learn about reptiles

SUGAR CREEK TWP. – The Wilderness Center, 9877 Alabama Ave. SW, invites children to the Animal Keeper for a Day program from 10:30 to noon Saturday.

Participants will learn about the center’s ambassador reptiles, eastern box turtles and corn snake, and be trained how to safely handle them. Activities will include animal care and husbandry tasks such as diet preparation and feeding, tank cleaning, enrichment and weighing the animals.

For more information and to register, visit https://wildernesscenter.org/inspire_events or call 330-359-5235. Cost is $6. This program will be offered again Nov. 4.

Visit the Enchanted Forest at The Wilderness Center

SUGAR CREEK TWP. − The Wilderness Center, 9877 Alabama Ave. SW, will transform into the Enchanted Forest on Oct. 6 and 7.

Costumed characters will use stories, rhymes, and songs, to teach families about the importance of different nocturnal animals and conservation. A friendly firefly with a lantern will lead visitors into the forest on a trail lined with glowing jack-o-lanterns. Along the way, the group will meet animal-costumed volunteers who will share stories of life in the woodlands.

Timeslots are available for Enchanted Forest on the evening of Oct. 6 and the afternoon and evening of Oct. 7. Following the 45-minute walk, families can enjoy refreshments and, weather permitting, can star watch with the Astronomy Club. Children and adults are welcome to wear non-scary costumes.

Tickets are $10 per person and are available online. Advance registration for this event is required; visit www.WildernessCenter.org or call 330-359-5235.

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