The Wauseon Lady Indians defeated the Swanton Lady Bulldogs and the Patrick Henry Lady Patriots in an NWOAL Golf tri-match at Ironwood Golf Course in Wauseon yesterday afternoon. Wauseon shot a score of 177 to easily outdistance Swanton and Patrick Henry who both finished with a 224 score.
Click on the link above to access photos from the match. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
Photo: Wauseon coach Mike Marshall explains the ground rules to the golfers prior to the match
This past Saturday at 6:00 PM on the corner of Main Street and Zeiter Way, The Swanton Area Chamber of Commerce held a grand opening and ribbon cutting of The Spot, a new ice cream and donut shop in the heart of downtown Swanton. The celebration kicked off just before the August Block Party and offered tastes of handcrafted treats, specialty beverages, and community fun.
The Spot Offers • Assorted gourmet donuts and small-batch ice cream • Coffee drinks like cold brew • Dirty sodas made with premium mixers • Red Bull Refreshers and other specialty beverages • Donut Ice Cream Sandwiches. Operating hours will be announced soon • Follow The Spot on Facebook for updates: https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Spot-Swanton/
“We are excited to welcome residents and visitors to The Spot,” said Delray E Busch, Executive Director of the Swanton Area Chamber of Commerce. “It’s rewarding to see this location brought back to life with new energy and purpose. The Spot is a fun addition to downtown and the perfect place to grab a treat before enjoying the Block Party.” The Spot Contact Information: • Phone: (419) 389-7132 • Email: thespotswanton@gmail.com
About The Spot: The Spot is Swanton’s newest donut and beverage destination, offering donuts, ice cream, and custom drinks in a welcoming atmosphere.
About the Swanton Area Chamber of Commerce: The Swanton Area Chamber of Commerce supports local businesses, fosters economic growth, and organizes events that celebrate and strengthen our community. For more information, contact swantoncc@gmail.com or call (419) 826-1941.
Photo: Trevor Bowman cuts the ribbon alongside Amber Willard to officially open The Spot as Swanton Chamber Director Delray Busch and Swanton Mayor Neil Toeppe hold the ends.
Down 3-2 late in the match while playing on a hot sweltering afternoon at Swanton’s Krupitzer Field, junior Brendan Upham drilled a penalty kick past Toledo Christian goalie Logan Teems, allowing the Bulldogs to tie the Eagles 3-3 in the 2025 Boys Soccer opener. Swanton was given the opportunity even the score when sophomore Eli Bolyard was knocked to the ground by two Eagle defenders inside the penalty box with 3:31 remaining in the game. Upham lined up the kick and fired just past the fingertips of the outstretched keeper.
The teams were tied 1-1 at the end of the first half with the Bulldog goal being scored by Luke Bettinger around the 24-minute mark and Toledo Christian’s Nate Flagg answering on a breakaway with 2:34 left before halftime. Swanton wasted little time in retaking the lead when Eli Bolyard scored after just 14 seconds had ticked off the clock to start the second 40-minute half. The visitors tied the game approximately 10 minutes later and then went on top 3-2 when Flagg scored his second of the contest on another breakaway setting the stage for Upham’s heroics.
Click on the link to access photos from the match. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website
Photo: Swanton’s Brendan Upham scores on a penalty kick
PRESS RELEASE: The Swanton Area Chamber of Commerce is proud to welcome The Good Vibe Guild to our downtown business community. A Ribbon Cutting and Grand Opening Celebration will take place on Wednesday, August 20 at 6:00 PM at their location, 109 S. Main Street, Swanton, OH 43558.
The Good Vibe Guild is a maker’s collective that draws inspiration from the 1960s and 1970s—an era of creativity, peace, and bold self-expression. The shop features a variety of handcrafted and repurposed goods, including:
Artwork created from vinyl records, Macramé pieces and wall hangings, Handmade birdhouses and feeders, Dried flower creations, Jewelry, leather goods, and select apparel.
Owner Renee Tufts is a long-time Swanton resident, a passionate supporter of our community, and the friendly face behind many local craft shows at the Swanton Sports Center- including the well-loved Bulldog Market. Her commitment to uplifting local artisans and fostering community spirit is at the heart of The Good Vibe Guild.
Initial Store Hours (Subject to Change): Tuesdays: 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM and Saturdays: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
The public is invited to attend the ribbon cutting, meet Renee, and explore this exciting new addition to Swanton’s growing small business scene. Light refreshments and coffee will be served. Guests can shop locally made items and celebrate another step forward for our downtown.
Throughout the years, the members of the Swanton Corn Festival Committee have never been ones to rest on their laurels. Every year, when they reconvene to start the arduous task of planning and organizing the next big show, they brainstorm and research to find new and creative attractions to keep the Corn Festival fresh, fun, inviting and entertaining. However, with the 2025 edition this past weekend, the Committee may have just outdid themselves and exceeded everyone’s expectations.
For starters, they added one day and one crazy-fun event with Thursday evening’s Color Run up on the “hill” at Memorial Park. With approximately 400 entries, the runners had to be divided into several groups. Each runner took off wearing white T-Shirts and returned after making their way through a Kodachrome explosion and looking completely unrecognizable.
“The Swanton Corn Festival Color Run was pure joy from start to finish. From little ones to grandparents, the smiles and laughter were endless and a great way to kick off the Swanton Corn Festival. Huge thanks to our amazing sponsors and rockstar volunteers who made it happen. Big shout-out to Junior Ambassador Brooklyn Kahl—she jumped right in, learned the ropes, and brought a new outlook to the festival with her energy, said Committee Co-Chair Stephaie Fessenden who brought the idea to the group. “We can’t wait to announce what we have planned for the 2026 Corn Festival—it’s going to be bigger and better than ever!”
Friday night brought the widely popular All-Class Reunion under the Beard Pavilion in Memorial Park. Several local businesses provided adult beverages, food trucks were staged just outside the pavilion and Swanton High School alum Vinnie Towel (’07) served as the DJ to crank out the tunes.
The big day, of course, was Saturday. Park activities got started early with a 5K run, a volleyball tournament and a pickleball tournament among other things. At 10:30, the Swanton Corn Festival Parade, with its “Cornival” theme, began traveling South from the Swanton Sports Center down a crowded Main Street, crossing the railroad tracks and turning right onto West Garfield. Lasting over an hour, many said it was the biggest and best Corn Festival Parade they had ever witnessed.
“Every year our parade entrants don’t disappoint; and it was great to see so many decorated floats, involved businesses, great performances and fantastic bands. Everyone’s enthusiasm is what makes the parade so fun every year,” exclaimed Hannah Gombash, Chair of the Parade Committee.
For the record, the float entered by Tri-County Block and Brick, won the trophy for best decorated float and the owner of Tri-County, Rodger Cooley, served as the parade’s Grand Marshal. The floats from Kesters tis the Season and the Swanton Wrestling Club placed second and third, respectively.
Soon after the parade ended, Memorial Park was filled with one of the highest turnouts that anyone could remember. It was especially surprising considering the temperature hovered in the low 90’s for most of the day.
“I am amazed, year after year, by the incredible turnout we see each day of the Swanton Corn Festival—but this past weekend truly took my breath away. The energy, the laughter, the smiling faces at every corner… that’s the best reward we could ever ask for. Watching friends, families, and neighbors enjoy themselves from morning to night is exactly why we do what we do. This festival is more than just an event—it’s a celebration of Swanton pride and community spirit. If you were here, you could feel it in the air. We had record-breaking numbers for both our car show and our vendors, and that’s a testament to how special this town is,” related Co-Committee Chair Alyssa Walberg. “I am beyond grateful for our amazing committee members, who worked tirelessly all year to make this possible, and for every single volunteer who gave their time—whether it was running a booth, helping at a tournament, parking cars, setting up, helping with the race, or serving beer in the beer tent. It takes a village to put on something of this scale… and I truly believe Swanton has the best village there is.”
If you did not have any fun during the three days of the Swanton Corn Festival, then you probably were not there. It will be a challenge for next year’s Committee to top 2025 but we have all come to never doubt what this hard-working tireless group of volunteers are capable of.
Photo: Swanton Corn Festival Committee
Front: Renee Tufts, Alyssa Walberg Middle: Rebecca Porter, Tara Shaver Back: Monique Gombash, Hannah Gombash, Stephanie Fessenden, Marcus Schmidt, Betty Joe Sadowski, Alan Robasser
Swanton’s Memorial Park was bursting at the seams with people enjoying the many activities brought together by the 2025 Swanton Corn Festival Committee. The fun began at 8:00 AM with the 5K Run and lasted until 11:00 PM with the band “Not Fast Enuff” rocking the house in the Beard Pavilion.
Click on the link above to access photos from the park activities. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and an be downloaded for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
The Swanton Corn Festival Parades seem to get better and better every year and the 2025 edition was another prime example of that belief. The crowd was enormous, the parade had record-setting entries and the floats were creative in keeping with the Cornival (carnival) theme and spectacular works of art in their own right.
Click on the link above to access more than 800 photos from the parade. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
Acting on the suggestion of Committee Co-Chair Stephanie Fessenden, the Swanton Corn Festival added a Thursday evening event to the weekend celebration in the form of Color Run held on the upper baseball fields at Memorial Park. Approximately 400 participants, wearing white sponsored t-shirts, ran a gauntlet of seven “color” stations where volunteers, armed with cups full of FDA-approved dyed corn starch, would toss the contents onto the runners as they passed by.
Prior to starting the run, Swanton Fire Department’s Engine 71 showered the runners with water to help ensure the corn starch would stick to the shirts, and everything else as it turned out. By the time each runner completed the course they looked to be part of a Zombie Apocalypse but, they were all smiling and laughing. And we know zombies don’t have much of a sense of humor.
All participants were treated to hot dogs from Hot Dogs 2 Go and donuts and drinks after the run. The Color Run was a prime example of the Corn Festival Committee’s hard work and willingness to think outside the box to improve the festival for the community every year. It was a great lead-in to tonight’s All-Class Reunion and tomorrow’s parade and park activities.
Click on the link above to access photos from the event. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
The Swanton Bulldogs boys golf team fired a score of 320 to finish in second place, six strokes behind the Montpelier Locomotives in Monday’s 10-team Bulldog Invitational held at Valleywood Golf Club on Airport Highway in Swanton. Dylan Smigelski led the Bulldogs with a 74 to finish one shot behind Maumee Valley Country Day School’s Cranston Bannister’s 72 for medalist honors on the par 71 course. Scores and order of finish are listed below. Only the top four scores factor in the team total.
Click on the link above to access the more than 400 photos from the Invitational. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
Photo: Swanton Bulldogs (L to R) – Coach Nick Cole, Dylan Smigelski, Grady Tipton, Brady O’Shea, Carter Malak, Kamden Kozakiewicz, Carson Bond
For the third time in as many years, Mazin Rukieh, Swanton High School Class of 2025, qualified to compete in the Toledo Junior Golf Association (TJGA) Founders Invitational held at the prestigious Inverness (Golf) Club in Toledo this past Monday. Only the top 30 golfers in each age and gender group, make the cut based on their overall scores after playing in TJGA tournaments throughout the summer on golf courses around Northwest Ohio, including Valleywood Golf Club in Swanton, and Southeast Michigan.
Teeing off just prior to the noon hour, Mazin had to battle the sweltering heat and humidity in addition to one of the most challenging golf courses in the country, site of many PGA and LPGA tournaments in its over 100-year history. Despite the difficult conditions, he was able to fire an impressive round of 76 (+5) on the day to finish in eight place.
In fact, between the 14th and 16th holes, Mazin and his foursome had to play through heavy showers. However, the sudden downpour did not throw Mazin off his game. “I’m kind of used to it. I played in a lot of rain in Scotland,” he said, recalling the week he spent golfing with a team of fellow Americans under harsh conditions on the courses at St. Andrews in Scotland just last year. “I had three pars on those holes, but it was tough on everybody. One guy in my group had a triple bogey.”
The Founders Invitational was Mazin’s final golf experience with the TJGA. In his previous Invitationals at Inverness, he carded scores of 79 (+8), 73 (+4) to go along with Monday’s 76.
Going forward, Mazin will be taking his golfing talents to Lourdes University in Sylvania to play for the Grey Wolves under the tutelage of veteran golf coach Gil Guerrero. The Grey Wolves will have a Fall season and a Spring season and their home course is the Sylvania Country Club. Mazin, a former NWOAL Golf Player of the Year, said he expects to see a lot of familiar faces on the Grey Wolves roster when he begins school in August. “I’m familiar with a lot of my teammates already. A lot of them are from local schools like Anthony Wayne,” he explained. They’re recognized for their golf talent.”
Another familiar face at Lourdes this Fall will be Mazin’s good friend and fellow Swanton Bulldog, Adam Lemon. Adam, served as Mazin’s caddie in all three tournaments at Inverness. A talented golfer in his own right as part of some very good Bulldog teams along with Mazin, he will be playing baseball for the Grey Wolves, bringing a strong right arm to their pitching staff.
Fulton County Ohio Media 