Fulton County Ohio Media

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For the first in many years, the Swanton Corn Festival featured a 5K Fun Run that kick started the activities for the day on Saturday morning. In all, 29 runners took of from the Fisher Gym on Cherry Street and finished the 3.1 mile trek at the North end of Memorial Park. Corn Fest Committee member Rita Cote chaired the event and Dave’s Running Shop handled the setup and time keeping for the runners. Cameron Madden, a 15-year old boy from Swanton, finished in first place with a time of 19 minutes and 30 seconds.

Photo quality taken at the finish line was very challenging due to the mix of sun and shadows in the park. Click on the link above to access photos from the 5K run and he volleyball competition. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.

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Hats off once again to the Swanton Corn Festival Committee for the incredibly amazing event that took place at Memorial Park this past Saturday.  From a 9:00 AM 5K run that finished at the North exit of the park to the band, Amelia Airharts, rocking the night away in the Beard Pavilion until close, there was non-stop action, non-stop food, non-stop entertainment and non-stop fun for one of the best attended Corn Fests in recent memory.  And let’s not forget the great parade that went down Main Street that morning as well.

“We had an amazing turn out.  Our car show was the largest corn festival car show in Corn Festival History. The pickleball tournament took off amazingly and we had a turnout of 43 teams who pickle balled all morning and into the afternoon,” exclaimed Corn Festival Committee Chair Alyssa Walberg.  “Walking throughout the festival it was absolutely amazing to see all of the people and families walking through our park and enjoying the festival. That is why the committee works so hard to throw the festival. I can honestly say we had shed many happy tears throughout the day seeing how many people were there and having fun.  We love putting this event on for Swanton and hope to see everyone next year.”

The festival is billed as a one-day affair, but in truth, it is a three-day event when you throw in the All Class Reunion and the Alumni Softball Game on Friday night and the clean-up of the park on Sunday morning.  For the Committee, however, it is far more than that as they begin to organize many months in advance of the big weekend.

“I am so incredibly proud of our committee members.  These people have been meeting with me since February, answering texts, emails, questions. Set up started technically Tuesday before and if you drove through the park on Thursday and Friday you saw the dedicated members of the committee and some of our Swanton High School students helping to turn our park into a festival.  Then, on Sunday morning, after all of the fun, they were there tearing down and putting everything away.  This team is absolutely amazing and we could not have had the amazing festival that we did without all of their hard work and dedication,” said Alyssa.

Click on the link to access photos from the festival. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.

Photo: Corn Festival Committee – Alan Robasser, Brittany Ventimiglia, Betty Jo Sadowski, Marcus Schmidt, Patricia Pilliod, Monique Gombash, Stephanie Fessenden, Garrick Grey, Sara Swartz, Brandon Walberg, Hannah Gombash, Kevin Tufts Front – Renee Tufts, Alyssa Walberg.

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Many came early, even before 9:00 AM for the 10:30 AM start time.  And they kept coming and coming and coming until they filled up on both sides of Main Street from the Swanton Sports Center parking lot all the way to West Garfield and beyond in anticipation for the “Corn in the USA” themed parade.  Once again, local parade lovers were treated to a fantastic 2024 Swanton Corn Festival Parade lead by the Color Guard of Swanton American Legion Post #479 and included numerous creatively decorated floats (Foertmeyer & Sons took top honors followed by Little Explorers Learning Center and Tri-County Block), six very talented high school bands (Anthony Wayne, Eastwood, Liberty Center, Springfield, St. John’s, Swanton and Wauseon) and many other candy-throwing organizations.  Bill Rittenberry, former United States Marine, long-time Swanton resident and beloved Swanton High School substitute teacher, served as the Grand Marshal.

Parade Co-Chairs Hannah Gombash and Taylor Truckor returned for a second year to put the show together and did not disappoint.  Rumor has it that Mother Nature was an uncredited sponsor for the parade and the entire Festival as the whole event took place in near perfect weather conditions.  The Swanton Police Department also did an excellent job keeping everyone safe and traffic clear of the parade route.

Click on the link above to access over 700 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.

Photo: Parade Grand Marshal Bill Rittenberry

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A few dozen of former Swanton High School athletes got together the night before the Corn Festival on the high school baseball diamond at Memorial Park to battle for bragging rights for another year. Three teams were formed from a mix of those who still have it, those who hoped they still had it and those who never really had it to begin with. Everyone had a good time, there was no call to EMS and the oxygen tank in the dugout was not completely empty when games were finished.

Click on the link above to access photos from the games. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.

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For the first time since anyone can remember, the Swanton Bulldog boys golf team won their own Bulldog Invitational at Valleywood Golf Club yesterday morning, defeating nine other teams in the process.  They did so in convincing fashion, outdistancing their nearest competitor, the Anthony Wayne Generals, by 14 strokes, 311-325.  The Bulldogs were led by seniors Mazin Rukieh who fired a two under par 69 to grab medalist honors and Adam Lemon who finished second in the field with a 74.

“In my four years so far, I want to say year one, I think we got pretty close.  Coming from the team back, graduating a long long time ago I don’t remember ever touching it.  Maybe a team in the early 90’s did,” said Bulldog Coach and Swanton alum Andrew Emerine.  “It was good to bring the trophy back home.  Hopefully the next generation can feed off of this and win it every year.”

Rukieh started off hot, shooting a three under 34 on the first nine holes then finished the final nine with a 35 and was the only golfer to score under par on the day.  His teammate, Lemon, was also very steady with a 37 score on both the front and back nine.  “He (Lemon) played really consistent, lost a couple on the front and the back.  But for a couple of my seniors playing most the round under par, I was really proud,” exclaimed Coach Emerine.

Team Scoring (Only the scores from the top four golfers compile the team total)

First Team All-Tournament = *

Swanton Bulldogs (311):  *Mazin Rukieh (69), *Adam Lemon (74), Dylan Smigelski (81), Brady O’Shea (87), Grady Tipton (98), Owen Hurst (103)

Antony Wayne Generals (325):  *Tyler Shaw (78), Will Zorn (80), Ben Carver (82), James Geary (85), Grant Gibbons (90), Billy Dean (93)

Archbold Blue Streaks (339):  *Grady Short (76), Griffin Valentine (83), Zach Short (85), Michah Nofziger (95), Sonny Phillips 9102), Trevor Osterland (118)

Delta Panthers (341):  *Lanse Copez (75), *Slade Young (77), Adam Mattin (91), Logan Ringle 998), Keegan Clapp (103), Luke Spiess (114)

Evergreen Vikings (352):  Haden Timbrock (80), John Herdman (88), Michael Laver (92), Brady Seabolt (92), Caden Beier (93), Jake Farley (98)

Liberty Center Tigers (353):  Brady Wyckhouse (80), Tony Capretta (84), Stone Roth (93), Brandon Like (96), Nolan Covdes (116), Owen Gebers (136)

Otsego Knights (354):  Wes Kellermeier (87), Thomas Makowski (89), Easton Jeremy (89), Philip Baranski (89), Brodie Irmen (103), Brandon Hillyard (105)

Maumee Valley Hawks (356):  *Cranston Bannister (79), Yesh Rathore (87), Harlan Poupard (96), Cam Lloyd (103), Anushka Rathore (104), Jet Canover (108)

Springfield Blue Devils (421):  Bubba Burditt (93), Brady Ruckman (93), Landon Korb (113), Chayce walker (122), Xander Seija (128), Brayden Addis (129)

Northwood Rangers (505):  Brandon Clair (104), Scott Russell (129), Brandon Didion (134), Bryceson Laurel (135), Mason Hurley (137)

Click on the link above to access 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.

Feature Photo courtesy of Becky O’Shea: (L to R) – Coach Andrew Emerine, Dylan Smigelski, Brady O’Shea, Mazin Rukieh, Adam Lemon, Grady Tipton, Owen Hurst

The following announcement was just released by the Lucas County Engineer’s Office:

SWAN CREEK DITCH PETITION UPDATE

The Board of Lucas County Commissioners, along with the Joint Board of Henry and Fulton Counties voted 7-1 in favor of the County Engineer’s recommendation to continue the Final Hearing until July 15, 2025.  These are the takeaways from today’s hearing (Aug. 6, 2024):

1.  The Final Hearing will now be July 15, 2025.

•  The portions of Fulton and Henry County involved in this petition were removed, meaning no one in those counties will receive an assessment.  THIS IS NOW A SINGLE COUNTY PETITION.

•  Our office will host more informational sessions and provide more outreach and education on this proposed project and our drainage system in general over the next year to help the public understand the scope and nature of the project and the issues we are faced with.

Photo:  Mike Pniewski, Lucas County Engineer fielding questions from affected residents outside the Swanton Public Library on July 23rd

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This past Friday afternoon, the Swanton Area Chamber of Commerce put on its 28th annual golf outing and the 9th Annual Andrew McNeill Memorial Golf Outing at Valleywood Golf Club in Swanton. For the second consecutive year, the team headed by Taylor McNeill, Andrew’s son, took top honors with a score of 58 (-13) in the 25-team scramble tournament.

The Swanton Chamber would like to thank all of its sponsors and all participants that helped make the event a tremendous and successful experience.

Click on the link above to access photos from the outing. Photos are in the jpeg format and can be downloaded for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.

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A well-known method of elevating skills, abilities and igniting motivation in any sport is to challenge the strongest competition available.  In the sport of golf, however, the toughest competition often comes not from your opponents, but from the golf course itself.   In early July, Swanton senior golfer Mazin Rukieh, the NWOAL reigning Player of the Year with a long resume of medalist honors and low score rounds, was offered the opportunity of a lifetime .  Mazin was extended an invitation to join 23 other talented American golfers from around the country to play seven days of golf in the Scotland Junior Golf Invitational and challenge himself by playing against some of the most demanding golf courses in the world at St. Andrews in Scotland.

For golfers who are passionate about the sport, and Mazin places himself among them, a visit to St, Andrews is not just a golf trip.  It’s a pilgrimage, in this case of almost 3700 miles, to the mecca of the sport, near where it was born sometime in the Middle Ages.  To not only visit and walk the hallowed grounds of St. Andrews, but to compete where all of history’s golfing greats battled for golfing immortality, has to be a dream come true.  When the dream became reality, reality was extremely eye-opening for this teenager from Swanton, Ohio, with the unusual course layouts and the quickly changing Scottish weather.

The courses at St. Andrews, which hug the coast of the North Sea are “links style” courses, a firm sandy soil with few, if any trees, relatively flat landscape, but lots of heather (small shrubs), tall grass and the infamous deep bunkers. “Links golf.  It’s the hardest golf I’ve ever played in my life.  The first day was a practice round just to see what it’s like to play in Scotland.  And boy was that humbling.  It was rough,” recounted Mazin.  “And the weather was crazy sometimes with the winds gusting at 30 miles an hour with rain.  There were times I had three jackets on.”

There are seven different courses associated with St. Andrews and the American contingent played on several of them.  On the third day Mazin and another American were paired with two Scottish players for a true international golfing experience.  “They are really good over there,” exclaimed Mazin of his Scottish opponents.  “I mean they are born into golf.  That’s what they do.”

Despite everyone in the group speaking English, the thick Scottish accent combined with the local jargon proved to be a bit of a language barrier.  Adding to his culture shock was the local food favorites.  Mazin liked the fries or “chips” as they are called in the United Kingdom, but he did not care much for haggis, the national dish of Scotland, made with the heart, lungs and liver of a sheep and traditionally cooked in the animal’s stomach.

The final day of golf was a match play tournament among all the American players.  Mazin did well, finishing fourth overall.  “The golf was fun, but meeting new friends, it was awesome.  I still stay in touch with some of them,” he said.  From there, it was back to the United States after an unplanned one day stop in the Netherlands for Mazin and his father, Sy, who accompanied him on this incredible adventure.  His summer golfing, however, was far from over.

Mazin picked up where he left off and rejoined the competition with the Toledo Junior Golf Association (TJGA).  As in the summer of 2023, he qualified among the top golfers in the area to play the final TJGA round and at the prestigious Inverness Golf Club in Toledo.  In its 123-year history, Inverness has hosted the world’s best golfers contending for many PGA major championships like the U.S. Open and PGA Championship as well as U.S. Amateur and NCAA Championships. 

Last year Mazin fired an impressive 79 on the very challenging course.  This past Monday, he bettered that score by an incredible six strokes with a 73, finishing in sixth place.  Later that evening, the Club and the TJGA hosted an awards dinner for all the golfers and their caddies (close friend and fellow Bulldog golfer Adam Lemon in Mazin’s case).

Next Wednesday, August 7^th, the Swanton Bulldogs Boys Golf Team begins their home schedule with the Bulldog Invitational at Valleywood Golf Club with an 8:00 a.m. tee-time.  Mazin has personal goals for his final high school campaign such as repeating as the league’s POY and advancing through the state tournament all the way to Columbus.  He also has team goals like capturing the NWOAL Championship and continuing deep into the state tournament as well.  “Our team is looking pretty good here.  We’re all looking pretty solid,” explained Mazin of his team’s chances for success this season.  “I want to make it to “state” which we can do as a team if we’re all on our “A” game.  That would be awesome.”

As Mazin enters his last year of high school, he has a lot to ponder regarding his future.  What academics will he need to focus on, what college he may apply to and will he be able to continue his golf career at the school he believes he is best suited.  One thing is undisputable.  Mazin has put the work in and is as prepared as possible for the next chapter of his golfing life.

Click on the link above to access photos from Scotland provided by Sy Rukieh and photos from Inverness Golf Club provided by the fultoncountymedia.com website, Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing,

Photo: Mazin and Sy at St. Andrews in Scotland

The Swanton Lions Club has officially scheduled their widely popular Halloween Hoopla for Saturday, October 26, 2024, from 3:00-5:00 PM in Downtown Swanton. With the five-day gap between the Hoopla date and the traditional Halloween date, the Village of Swanton has decided to schedule their Trick-or-Treat night for Thursday, October 31, 2024.

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If you ever need assistance organizing an event for hundreds of people to help them understand why and when they must give more money to the government, DO NOT contact the Office of the Lucas County Engineer for “How To” lessons.  If you were anywhere in the vicinity of the Swanton Public Library on Chestnut Street between the hours of 3:00 PM and well beyond the scheduled 7:00 PM allotted time, you were witness to, what many described as, a “cluster ____.”  And what a cluster it was.

The event by was put on by the Office of the Lucas County Engineer (LCE) to allow property owners affected by Joint-County Ditch Improvement Petition filed by the Village of Whitehouse on March 20, 2021, to ask questions of LCE personnel.  Unfortunately, the resources devoted to the meeting were woefully inadequate with only six LCE employees to separately respond to every individual property owner’s questions and concerns.  And, with all due respect to the Swanton Public Library and its employees, the venue was far too small and completely unsuitable.  It appeared the LCE totally misjudged the response to the event and they were absolutely overwhelmed and under staffed.

The end result was hundreds of people waiting outside in a Cedar Point-like queue in the hot sun with temperatures in the mid-80’s.  The queue began at the door of a room in the back of the library with the six LCE personnel serving one customer at a time then spilled down the hall, past the front desk, out the door, turned east then north down the sidewalk and finally into the parking lot.  Both the library and Pilliod Park parking lots were filled and the overflow vehicles took up a lot of the grassy areas in Pilliod Park and Rotary Park to the west.

There were also several dozen people gathered around Mike Pniewski, Lucas County Engineer, firing off questions and trying to get answers in a very chaotic atmosphere.  As you would expect, emotions ran high as some people talked over others and Mr. Pniewski struggled to give answers quickly enough before being pelted with more questions.  What possibly exacerbated the situation was the initial distribution of information cards to land owners with significantly inaccurate assessment values, which the LCE attributed to a computer glitch.  A new set of cards were mailed out but this created a serious credibility issue for the LCE.

I do not know why another venue such as the gymnasium at Swanton High School could not have been used or more LCE personnel could have been assigned to handle the response.  It would have kept everyone out of the weather and there would have been a lot more room to set up separate queues for easier and quicker flow and to field more questions.  School is not in session right now but the library was open as normal until 7:00 PM today.

Without commenting on the necessity of the ditch improvement project and annual maintenance fees for the Swan Creek Watershed, the implementation of this project has been poorly handled.  When you are telling taxpayers they are required to pay more, it should never be done in the hit-and-run manner that the Lucas County Engineer used today.  They deserve better.  Another Q&A session is set for next week, 7/30/24 at the Whitehouse Village Hall from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM.  The hall is located at 6925 Providence Street in Whitehouse.  I do not know the venue’s capacity, but I would recommend you get there early and bring a lunch.

Click on the link above to access photos from the meeting.

Photo: Mike Pniewski, Lucas County Engineer addressing the crowd.