Swancreek Township is partnering with the Swanton American Legion for Wreaths Across America Day on Saturday, December 13, 2025. The community is invited to a ceremony at Swanton Cemetery, South Main Street, at 12:00 p.m.
Details: Wreath sponsorship: $17 per wreath. Sponsor a wreath for any participating cemetery by contacting Commander John Schmidt. Wreath placement locations: Swanton Cemetery, East Swanton Cemetery on Scott Road, St. Richard’s Cemetery on Dodge Street.
Volunteers: Gather at American Legion Post 47, 200 S. Hallett Ave. at 9:30 a.m. for light refreshments, then proceed to cemeteries. Volunteers will be on site to direct activities.
Sponsorship deadline: November 26, 2025.
About Wreaths Across America: Wreaths Across America is a national nonprofit that coordinates wreath-laying ceremonies each December with a mission to Remember, Honor, and Teach.
Contact: Commander John Schmidt Swanton American Legion Post 47 swantonlegion@spectrum.net 419-345-4600
Photo: Swanton Wreath Across America December 16, 2023
The Bryan Golden Bears placed five runners out of the top ten finishers to easily win the 2025 NWOAL Cross Country team Championship at Wauseon’s Homecoming Park last Saturday morning. Leading the Purple and Gold was John Deitemyer (2nd), Colton Sheline (3rd), Josiah Cummins (4th), Kristopher Aspaugh (6th), and Cael Neilson (8th). Bryan totaled 23 points to outdistance the Archbold Blue Streaks (62), the Liberty Center Tigers (84), the Delta Panthers (111), the Wauseon Indians (116), the Swanton Bulldogs (156) and the Evergreen Vikings (188). The Patrick Henry Patriots did not have the minimum number of five entrants to qualify for the team standings.
Individually, Liberty Center senior Mason Like finished the course with a time of 15:46.59, well ahead of Bryan freshman John Deitemyer’s time of 16:24.90 to be crowned NWOAL Champion of the 84-runner field.
Click on the link above to access photos from the meet. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded and shared for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultonsountymedia.com website
Photo: Mason Like crosses the finish line in first place
With a time of 18:16.66, Wauseon senior Ella Rhoades won the NWOAL Girls Cross Country Championship by a relatively comfortable margin of almost 16 seconds. Finishing in second place was Mia Amador of Patrick Henry with a time of 18:32.42 followed by Nicolette Stickney of Bryan (18:44.31), Colbie Strayer of Liberty Center and Hadley Hudson of Archbold (18:57.69), completing the top five in the field of 54 runners.
The Liberty Center Lady Tigers took home the team trophy by placing five runners, all under classmen, in the top 12 including Colbie Strayer in 4th, Mya Stark in 6th, Castyn Miller in 7th, Hailey Bowen in 10th and Riley Miller in 12th for a total of 34 points. The Archbold Lady Streaks finished in second place with 50 points followed by the Wauseon Lady Indians (87), the Bryan Lady Golden Bears (107), the Delta Lady Panthers (111) and the Evergreen Lady Vikings (147). The Patrick Henry Lady Patriots and the Swanton Lady Bulldogs did not field the minimum number of five runners to be able to qualify for placement.
Click on the link above to access photos from the meet. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded and shared for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
Click on the link above to access photos from the event. Swanton Band includes several alumni for homecoming. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded and shared courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
Bryce Bolger and Quinten Eisel each carried 12 times for over 70 yards and scored three touchdowns , leading the Evergreen Vikings to a 53-2 win over the Swanton Bulldogs. Swanton’s only score came when Bulldog senior Connor Mitchey tackled Bolger in the end zone for a 2-point safety in the second quarter.
Click on the link above to access photos from the game. Photos are in the jpeg formam to allow form editing and can be downloaded and reposted for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
Photo: Quinten Eisel dives into the end zone for one of his three touchdowns on the night
Approximately at 2:00 PM on Friday, the entire Village of Swanton and much of the surrounding area was subjected to a major power outage. An early Toledo Edison estimate of power restoration was first at 4:00 PM, then 5:00 PM, then 6:00 PM. Not good news for Swanton High School which was getting ready for the presentation of its 2025 Homecoming Court followed by its football game against the Evergreen Vikings.
Sometime around 6:15 PM, the lights on the scoreboard flickered, light was seen coming from the concession stand and eventually full power was restored, much to the relief of everyone in attendance. And so, the show went on.
Click on the link above to access photos from the coronation. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
Click on the link above to access photos from the parade. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for NO CHARGE courtesy of thefultoncountymedia.com website.
School consolidation is a topic of discussion because the Ohio legislature’s current school funding laws are heavily reliant on local property taxes. Lake County Auditor, Chris Galloway, responded to our recent consolidation letter by reaffirming his support of school consolidation. Here’s the truth, some officials believe true savings will only be realized when school buildings are closed and local identities are stripped away. This is why our school communities will continue to receive information from the Fulton County superintendents; not to scare you, but to inform you of what’s going on at the state and local levels regarding your child’s public education.
This is not a joke or an exaggeration of facts. We believe this topic of consolidation is just one of the many ways the state legislature is trying to dismantle Ohio’s public education system. It all starts with the information displayed in the graphs below. You will see that decisions from our legislators in Columbus have shifted the tax burden to our local tax payers. As a result of legislative mandates, the reliance on local tax revenue has increased significantly since 1975. Less state funding means more money is needed from our local communities in order to maintain the level of education our students deserve.
This is a broken system created by legislators now weaponizing property tax reform against public school districts and your voting rights. They are literally pitting our homeowners against the very schools that are the heart of our communities while holding hostage the quality of education our children receive. The Ohio Educational Policy Institute released a property tax policy analysis, entitled Analysis of Residential Property Taxes in Ohio: A Balanced Approach to Reform, that illustrates how Ohio’s reliance on local control, along with economic factors and state tax policy changes, has led to a significant shift in the state-local funding partnership toward residential taxpayers.
Key Takeaways • Rising home values, slow economic growth and 20 years of state tax policy changes have intensified local school funding challenges. • Homeowners and farmers now carry 67.5% of school property taxes, up from 46.1% in 1975. Meanwhile, the business share has nearly been cut in half. • Cuts and eliminations of state taxes have reduced state support, forcing schools and local governments to raise property taxes, leaving Ohio with the eighth-highest property tax rate nationally. In contrast, the state’s overall tax burden ranks 46th.
Why it Matters This imbalance creates growing pressure on communities and limits how schools can fund essential services for students.
Stay tuned for the next Your Rights Matter – School Vouchers
Sincerely,
Dr. Jayson Selgo, Superintendent – Archbold Area Schools, Mr. Eric Smola, Superintendent – Evergreen Local Schools, Dr. Angela Belcher, Superintendent – Fayette Local School District, Mr. Josh Clark, Superintendent – Pettisville Schools, Mr. Doug Ford, Superintendent – Pike-Delta-York Local School District, Mr. Chris Lake, Superintendent – Swanton Local School District, Mr. Troy Armstrong, Superintendent – Wauseon Exempted Village School District
PRESS RELEASE: The Swanton Area Chamber of Commerce is inviting the community to attend a Village Council Candidate Town Hall ahead of the upcoming election on Tuesday, November 4, 2025. The event will take place on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, from 7:00 to 8:30 pm at Birchwood Meadows, 10 Turtle Creek Circle, Swanton, Ohio 43558. The evening will begin promptly at 7:00 pm. Moderated by Julia Benfield, the town hall is designed to give residents the opportunity to hear directly from all candidates running for the Swanton Village Council.
The format will include: ● Equal opening remarks from each candidate. ● A moderated Q&A with questions submitted in advance by the community. ● Equal closing remarks from each candidate.
The Swanton Area Chamber of Commerce is a non-partisan organization and does not endorse or oppose any candidate or political party. The purpose of this event is to ensure that residents have direct access to candidates and the information they need to make informed decisions on Election Day. Community members are encouraged to attend and participate in this important discussion.
Questions for candidates may be submitted in advance through the online form provided by the Chamber here: https://forms.gle/oHUzc4vkLrsHDE147
Event Details: ● Date: Tuesday, October 21, 2025 ● Time: 7:00 – 8:30 pm (beginning promptly at 7 pm) ● Location: Birchwood Meadows, 10 Turtle Creek Circle, Swanton, OH 43558 ● Moderator: Julia Benfield For more information, please contact the Swanton Area Chamber of Commerce at 419-826-1941 or swantoncc@gmail.com. PO Box 116 Swanton, OH 43558 | Facebook | SwantonCC@gmail.com | 419.826.1941
In a rare Monday afternoon football game, the Swanton Bulldogs lost to the Montpelier Locomotives 44-7.
Click on the link above to access photos from the game. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
Photo: Evan Stambaugh (3) caught several passes including one for a touchdown
Fulton County Ohio Media 