July 2012

Home 

Celina Kiwanis Blog

Coldwater Kiwanis Club

Archived Newsletters

Mercer County Aktion Club
Newsletter - July 10th, 2012

Aktion Club Convention 2012

August 25 - 26

Recreation Unlimited in Ashley, Ohio.
Cost is $50 per member attending.

Please bring in your pop tabs by the August meeting.

The Aktion club will be able to utilize Petermann buses to go on field trips. The only costs involved would be to pay for the driver and gas.

Program.

Their guest speakers were Betty Feliciano, General Manager of the Grand Lake Mariners. Along with her house guests Grand Lake Mariner players, Dakota Irwin from Leland, NC and Michael Timm from Twinsburg, Ohio.

Their guest speakers were Betty Feliciano, General Manager of the Grand Lake Mariners. Along with her house guests Grand Lake Mariner players, Dakota Irwin from Leland, NC and Michael Timm from Twinsburg, Ohio.

A little history about the Grand Lake Mariners.

A lifelong baseball fan, Dave dreamed of seeing a minor league team, or its equivalent, playing games in his native Celina. So Dave wrote a letter, and the next day, Celina received a visit from Lou Laslo, commissioner of the three-year old Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League (GLSCL). Laslo liked what he saw, and in September of 1989, the Grand Lake franchise was born, beginning play in 1990, under the direction of the club’s first skipper, Universityof North Carolina assistant Mark Halvorsen. The team was part of an eight-team alignment in the GLSCL that included Toledo, Bowling Green, Sandusky and Lima in the North Division, and Grand Lake, Columbus, Cincinnati and Muncie in the South Division. Of the league members at the time of the Mariners’start, only Lima remains, making Grand Lake the team with the second-longest tenure in the league.

The Great Lakes Summer Collegiate Baseball began its twenty-third (23rd) season in 2012. Grand Lake is the second oldest member of the Great Lakes "The Lakes" Summer Collegiate Baseball League. The Great Lakes league is one of eight (8) summer leagues approved by the National Alliance of College Summer Baseball (NACSB) and the only summer collegiate league sponsored by major league baseball which also requires the use of wood bats.

All players in summer collegiate baseball teams under NACSB sanctions are members of college teams and have completedtheir freshman year and have at least one year of college eligibility remaining in addition to meeting all eligibility requirements of the NACSB which are NCAA based.

The 2011 Great Lakes League will consist of twelve (12) teams. Licking County, Cincinnati, Xenia, Lake Erie, Southern Ohio, Lima, Grand Lake, and Stark County. Hamilton, OH and Delaware returned in 2010. Lexington, KY will join the league as its newest member. League play will consist of forty (40) games for each team. Final alignment of league and championship playoffs will be determined at the league meeting early in 2011. The league champion is determined by the championship playoff series.

They ended their presentation by handing out door prizes of hats and programs from the Grand Lake Mariners.

Mauri Cron of the Coldwater Kiwanis club annouced that July 21st had been designated "Kiwanis Day" by the Mariners. That day is a Saturday and it is going to be a double header against the team from Xenia, Ohio. The Coldwater, Celina, and Aktion clubs are invited. The ballpark is located in Celina's Westview Park off Fairground Road.



Betty Feliciano, General Manager of the Grand Lake Mariners

Dakota Irwin from Leland, NC (standing) and Michael Timm from Twinsburg, Ohio

Mark, the winner of the ball cap.

The next regular meeting of the Mercer County Aktion Club 

will be at 6 pm on August 14th, 2012 at the Briarwood in Coldwater.

June 2012

Home 

Celina Kiwanis Blog

Coldwater Kiwanis Club

Archived Newsletters

Aktion Club Convention 2012

August 25 & 26

Recreation Unlimited in Ashley, Ohio

Mercer County Aktion Club

Newsletter - June 12th, 2012

New Member Pinning.

Steve Hausfeld

Program.

Norm and Mary Zahn of Coldwater Creek Alpacas were today's speakers. The Zahn's, who raise Alpacas for their wool, presented today's program. Alpacas are native to Peru in South America and prized for their wool.

Mary Zahn presented a very informative program.

Her husband Norm, brought in two of their Alpacas.

He even let club members touch them.

The Zahn's live at 5254 Younger Road and have a store where various very nice products made from Alpaca wool may be purchased. Their phone number is (419) 678-8621.

The next regular meeting of the Mercer County Aktion Club 

will be at 6 pm on July 10th, 2012 at the Briarwood in Coldwater.

May 2012

Home 

Celina Kiwanis Blog

Coldwater Kiwanis Club

Archived Newsletters

Mercer County Aktion Club

Newsletter - May 8th, 2012

Program.

Todays speaker was Chip Brogan, a seimologist. He spoke about earthquakes and waves created by them. There is a wealth of

information at http://www.geo.mtu.edu/UPSeis/waves.html.

Chip Brogan

The next regular meeting of the Mercer County Aktion Club

will be at 6 pm on June 12th, 2012 at the Briarwood in Coldwater.

April 2012

Home 

Celina Kiwanis Blog

Coldwater Kiwanis Club

Archived Newsletters

Mercer County Aktion Club

Newsletter - April 10, 2012

Program

Steve Schulte, the Mercer County Fair Manager, spoke aboute the Fair and the fact the fair itself is just one part about what is going on at the fairgrounds. There is a full time schedule of events. There is a lot of information by clicking on the above link.

Steve Schulte.

The next regular meeting of the Mercer County Aktion Club 

will be at 6 pm on May 8th, 2012 at the Briarwood in Coldwater.

February 2012

Home

Celina Kiwanis Blog 

Coldwater Kiwanis Club 

Archived Newsletters 

Mercer County Aktion Club

Newsletter - February 14, 2012

Beth Butler of Cheryl Ann was tonights speaker.

Please visit this web site to download a Resource Handbook.

Minutes from last month's meeting

The next regular meeting of the Mercer County Aktion Club 

will be at 6 pm on March 13th, 2012 at the Briarwood in Coldwater.

January 2012

Home

Celina Kiwanis Blog 

Coldwater Kiwanis Club 

Archived Newsletters 

Mercer County Aktion Club

Newsletter - January 11, 2012

Coldwater Kiwanis Club President Ken Gelhaus installed the new officers for 2012.
Go to Officer Installation to see the pictures.

New member, Emily Kunk, receiving her pin from Kelly Reigesperger

The next regular meeting of the Mercer County Aktion Club 

will be at 6 pm on February 14th, 2012 at the Briarwood in Coldwater.

December 2011

Home

Celina Kiwanis Blog 

Coldwater Kiwanis Club 

Archived Newsletters 

Mercer County Aktion Club

Newsletter - December 13, 2011

Christmas Party at Pla-Mor Lanes in Coldwater.

Special Guests were Mauri Cron, Bob King, Linda Noll, Chris Dean, and Hans Rehrmann.

It appeared that everyone thoroughly enjoyed the evening.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The next regular meeting of the Mercer County Aktion Club will be at 6 pm on January 10th, 2011 at the Briarwood in Coldwater.

November 2011

Home

Celina Kiwanis Blog 

Archived Newsletters 

Note: Click on any picture twice to see a larger image.

Mercer County Aktion Club

Newsletter - November 8, 2011

President Cindy May called the meeting to order. The club members said the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. 

Mauri Cron awarded a t-shirt to Cindy May for raising the most money for pediatric trauma. Congratulations Cindy.

Brian Miller, Grand Lake St. Marys State Park Manager was the speaker for today. He spoke about the history of Grand Lake, the activities available and the efforts to alleviate its current green algae problems.

Camping  176 electric sites 28 non-electric sites Facilities include flush toilets, laundry, showers and a dump station. Pets are permitted except for the area in and around the Getaway Rentals Free WiFi access is available at the camp store to registered campers Separate swimming beach, boat launch and boat docks/tie-ups are available to registered campers Seasonal naturalist programs are offered on weekends Memorial Day through Labor Day Full-service camp store loans games, fishing and sporting equipment to registered campers Bike rentals and miniature golf course Getaway Rentals  5 air-conditioned Camper Cabins may be rented April through October 2 spacious Cedar Cabins with all the amenities of a fully-equipped RV are also available for daily or weekly rental Pets are not permitted in the Getaway Rental units or area Boating Boats of unlimited horsepower are permitted on the 13,500-acre lake 8 state-operated launch ramps provide access to the lake Several private launch ramps also exist along the shallow shoreline Seasonal dock rentals are available, call the park office for information 300 foot no-wake zone has been established and is enforced around the lake's 52 miles of shoreline The state wildlife refuge, located on the southwest corner, is off limits to boats at all times Boating laws & information Fishing Year-round fishing offers crappie, bass, bluegill, walleye and yellow perch Valid Ohio fishing license is required Swimming 4 public swimming beaches as well as other swimming areas provided for boaters Swimming is permitted during daylight hours only Swim at your own risk & be sure to keep an eye on the kids Pets are NOT permitted on swimming beaches Check for water quality advisories Picnicking   9 Picnic areas with tables and grills are located in scenic areas around the lake 4 picnic shelters can be reserved online or by calling 866-644-6727 Hunting Limited hunting is permitted in designated areas, hunting maps are available in the park office 70 seasonal duck blinds are available by a lottery administered by ODNR Division of Wildlife Valid Ohio hunting license is required Winter Recreation (conditions permitting) Snowmobiling Cross country skiing More To Do Basketball and volleyball courts Horseshoe pits Playground equipment Nature center offers programs during the summer Fur-Ever Friends Dog Park , thanks to the efforts of the volunteers of the Fur-Ever Friends Dog Park and the Celina Rotary Dog Park of the West Bank, is open and offers a place for your pets to frolic without a leash Area Attractions Lake Loramie State Park, southeast of Grand Lake St. Marys, offers fishing, boating, swimming and camping. The Miami-Erie Trail, a 47-mile portion of the statewide Buckeye Trail, begins at Lake Loramie and passes within a mile and a half of Grand Lake St. Marys State Park • The Miami-Erie Trail terminates at Delphos, approximately 22 miles north of St. Marys St. Marys Fish Hatchery, located on the lake's eastern shore is operated by the ODNR Division of Wildlife • The hatchery raises saugeye, walleye, channel catfish and bass for distribution in the public fishing waters of the state The Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum is located in Wapakoneta, Armstrong's boyhood home For more information on area attractions, visit Auglaize-Mercer County Convention/Visitors Bureau website or call 800-860-4726 Ohio Tourism Division website or call 800-BUCKEYE (800-282-5393) Nature of the Area Although hard to imagine, at one time the Grand Lake St. Marys region was part of a vast forest wilderness that stretched from the Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania to the prairies of Illinois • Today, in place of this forest are fields of corn, soybeans and wheat In addition to forests, pre-settlement Ohio contained large prairies and wetlands • The land which now lies beneath St. Marys reservoir was once a vast wet prairie • Today, the park contains varying habitats including woodlands, wetlands, and prairies in addition to the surrounding croplands Grand Lake St. Marys lies along one of the country's major migration routes • Water birds using the lake as a resting stop include Canada geese, ducks, grebes, swans, egrets, loons, herons, cormorants and ospreys • Many ducks, geese and heron also nest here • Bald eagles, magnificent birds long absent from the area, have again nested on the southwest corner of the lake at the wildlife refuge • Other animals of the park include fox squirrel, mink, raccoon, beaver, coyote, white-tailed deer and many others History of the Area The area in and around Grand lake St. Marys State Park played an important part in the development of the Northwest territory • The St. Marys River served as a vital link between the Great Lakes and the Ohio River • Because of this heavy water traffic, the renegades Simon and James Girty established a trading post, which eventually evolved into the town of St. Marys • General “Mad” Anthony Wayne passed through the area in 1794 during this march to drive out the Shawnee, which culminated in the Battle of Fallen Timbers • Some of Wayne's men returned here to make their homes In 1837, work commenced on a reservoir for the Miami-Erie canal to maintain the canal’s five-foot water depth • Workers using hand tools were paid 35 cents a day and a jigger of whiskey to keep malaria away • At its completion in 1845, 13,500-acre Grand Lake was the largest man-made lake in the world • The lake was connected to the canal by a three-mile feeder The canal prospered until the coming of the railroads in the 1870s • The area experienced another boom in the late 1890s when oil was discovered • For a time the lake was dotted with oil derricks • Today a pile of rocks near the center of the lake marks the spot of the last producing well Grand Lake St. Marys and other canal feeder lakes in the state were the first areas to be dedicated as Ohio state parks in 1949. Link to YouTube of Amphibian Plane.

Brian Miller

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The next regular meeting of the Mercer County Aktion Club will be at 6 pm on December 13th, 2011 at the Briarwood Manor in 

Coldwater.

October 2011

Home

Celina Kiwanis Blog 

Archived Newsletters 

Note: Click on any picture twice to see a larger image.

Mercer County Aktion Club

Newsletter - October 11, 2011

President Cindy May called the meeting to order. The club members said the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. 

Program.

Patrolman Luke Wolfe of the Coldwater Police Department was today's speaker. He spoke briefly about himself and how he became a policeman. He then opened himself to a question and answer period which was quite informative.

Patrolman Luke Wolfe

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The next regular meeting of the Mercer County Aktion Club will be at 6 pm on November 8th, 2011 at the Briarwood Manor in 

Coldwater.