SAFETY TOWN
The Conneaut Lions Safety Town may be the oldest in Ohio, according to Lion Mike David, chairman.
For a pair of weeks every June, children who will enter kindergarten in the fall learn basic safety rules dealing with traffic, fire, railroad crossings and even firearms. Jodie Pape, a Conneaut educator, oversees the program. This year's classes will run June 10 through June 14 and June 17 through June 21. Graduation for both classes will be June 22..
Conneaut Patrolman Greg Keborek helps the youngsters at Safety Town learn that police officers “are your friends.”
Another key part of the program are the high school students who buddy up with the kindergarteners for the week, reinforcing lessons and helping them with assignments. Between forty and fifty Conneaut High School students work Safety Town each year.
A highlight of the kids’ morning are their trips around the Town, a miniature version of Conneaut set up on the Lakeshore Primary parking lot. Children aboard tricycles pedal on “streets” past tiny buildings, all the while learning about traffic signals and signs. The kids are accompanied by their buddies while making the rounds.
Another important facet of the program is the visual screening of those participants whose parents or guardians want their vision screened with the PlusOptix equipment provided by Ohio Lions District 13-OH4 to the Ashtabula Lions Club. Ashtabula Lions trained in the use of the equipment take quick "photos" of children's eyes, which can then be used as indicators of any problems that should be reviewed by a vision care specialist.
Probably most of the youngsters would agree that the best day of their week is the field trip to the city's firehouse, then to Conneaut Dairy Queen, where they enjoy a special treat courtesy of the owners.
With the help of community donations and fund-raisers to support the program, Safety Town has celebrated almost 60 years of operations!
FMI on registering your kindergartener for this year's Safety Town, contact Director Jodie Pape at jpape@cacsk12.org
For a look at Safety Town 2015 go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXGxUQBIr70
LUKE STOUGH ANNUAL MEMORIAL GOLF OUTING
The annual golf outing will take place at the Village Green Golf Course again this year on Saturday, July 27, 2024. The participating teams will enjoy lunch, 18 holes of golf, beverages on course, carts and a fresh Lake Erie fish dinner all for only $300 a team.
Golfers will also have a chance to win cash prizes for the first, fifth and fourteenth places, as well as hole prizes, door prizes and raffles.
Anyone interested in participating in this year's event or sponsoring a hole may contact Lion Ken Powell (440-812-2405) or Lion Mike David (440-381-1196) for more information. This event has been ongoing for about sixty years and always promises a good time.
All profits will benefit the Luke Stough Scholarship Fund, which provides one or more graduating seniors from Conneaut High School with a scholarship to the college of their choice.
NATIVE NURSERY at ED MALEK PARK
Early in the spring of 2021, the Conneaut Lions Club received a generous grant from the Manitou Foundation through the efforts of The Ohio State University’s Program Director of Pollinator Education, Denise Ellsworth. The grant provided the club with three to four plants of ten different native species, which members and friends of the club planted in late May inside three raised garden beds provided by Conneaut Councilperson Richard Gaugh.
The nursery is being maintained by members throughout its first growing season and will hopefully need only occasionally weeding and pruning maintenance in years ahead.
The club’s purpose for creating this native nursery is to educate those using the park’s Walking Trail on the importance of native plants and biodiversity in home landscapes. A poster in one of the beds explains each plant’s use both as a food source and a host plant for various pollinators.
