Blogs > N-H Media Lab and Archive

Following the happenings of The News-Herald Community Media Lab, as well as the library and archive, where we're digging to find historic people, places, events and things to see how much the times have changed or how much they have stayed the same.

Monday, April 30, 2012

This date in area sports history: April 30

1957: Dick Price sweeps the 120 low and 180 high hurdles and also wins the high jump and pole vault for Riverside as the Beavers defeat Chardon, 66-52.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

This date in area sports history: April 29

1946: Thompson edges Perry, 12-11, in extra innings after the Pirates substituted their entire varsity lineup for their JV in the final four innings due to two upcoming Western Reserve League games.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

This date in area sports history: April 28

1935: The first annual Burton Relays is contested, featuring high school track athletes from Parkman, Burton, Chester and Chardon, with the Chardon boys and Burton girls sweeping all events.

Friday, April 27, 2012

This date in area sports history: April 27

2011: Browns running back Peyton Hillis wins the “Madden NFL 12” cover contest, and the Captains withstand a late rally bid in a 10-9 win at Fort Wayne.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

This date in area sports history: April 26

2000: Phil Bojc tosses a complete game and belts two home runs in Euclid’s 11-6 win over Valley Forge, and Holly Dennison singles in Katie Adams in the 18th as Perry edges Wickliffe, 4-3.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

This date in area sports history: April 25

1989: Ron Skok and Shawn Sabin combine on a no-hitter, with Skok striking out nine before leaving in the sixth with a tight shoulder as Lakeland defeats Penn State-Shenango, 8-1.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Looking back at the Geauga County Maple Festival

It's the sweetest time of year in Chardon -- time for the Geauga County Maple Festival!

I took a look through the newsroom archives and found some clippings from the festival from the mid-1990s (when Chardon was still a village).

I was surprised to see that in 1994, "CBS This Morning" filmed a segment from Geauga County. Champion ax tosser Rudy Dettmer made quick work of a log in front of 4.5 million viewers:
(Check out that snow on the ground -- part of the reason the festival now takes place at the end of April.)

Published the same day as the above article: Heavy snow caused a tent to collapse:

I liked this photo, also from the 1994 Maple Festival, of two girls on the paratrooper ride. (I hope the ride was a bit more fun once it started, because these girls look a little bored.)

Also from 1994: This story starts out with a cute anecdote of a man who proposed to woman with the help of a plane's banner, which had her name spelled wrong. Sure hope he got his money back. (But at least she said yes.)

Also in 1994, Staff Writer John Horton participated in the famous bathtub races. His News-Herald team didn't win, but sounds like they had fun trying.

The clipping below is a nice feature on the grand marshal of the 1997 Geauga County Maple Festival parade. Ture Johnson of Burton Township has quite the resume. Johnson died in 2001, and his obituary lists his accomplishments: Burton High basketball coach; volunteer fireman with the Burton Volunteer Fire Department; officer and founding member of Berkshire Athletic Booster Club (where he was instrumental in establishing a lighted football field with stadium seating and a concession stand); director/coach of man youth league teams; several responsibilities with Burton Congregational Church; member of the Burton Chamber of Commerce for 50 years; member of Geauga Maple Festival Board for more than 40 years; organizer of the Ohio Christmas Tree Growers Association and the Maple Syrup Council; and planter of more than 1 million trees in Northeast Ohio. Johnson was clearly an incredible asset to the region and a great choice for the parade's grand marshal.
Read more about Johnson's life and accomplishments in his obituary.

Another clipping from 1997: 7-year-old Alex Armstrong and 8-year-old Andy Weybrect in a pizza-eating contest.

Staff Writer John Horton returned to the bathtub races again in 1997. The News-Herald team -- which also included Horton's wife, Debbie, and Joe Milicia -- cruised to a first-place finish.

What are your favorite memories of the Geauga County Maple Festival?

-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

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This date in area sports history: April 24

1978: Gerry Schmetzer and Bill Farbus earn wins in singles play as Perry edges Conneaut, 3-2, in area tennis, and Bob Fisher’s two-run single propels Berkshire past Richmond Heights, 4-2, in baseball.

Monday, April 23, 2012

This date in area sports history: April 23

1967: Debbi Sprecher places 11th in the 400-yard individual medley while representing the Central Branch YMCA swim team during the first YMCA national meet in Indianapolis.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

This date in area sports history: April 22

1956: Bob Lemon works his first complete game in nearly a year as the 35-year-old right-hander paces the Indians in a 5-2 victory to salvage a twinbill split with the visiting Tigers.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

This date in area sports history: April 21

1945: The Indians are unable to solve Tigers starter Dizzy Trout and don’t help their cause with four errors and Allie Reynolds’ eight walks in a 6-3 loss.

Friday, April 20, 2012

This date in area sports history: April 20

1934: Lost Nation Country Club opens for the season, with course director Carl Aves saying the course has been mowed and rolled and presents a “marvelous playing surface.”

Thursday, April 19, 2012

This date in area sports history: April 19

2010: Colt McCoy tells an Atlanta radio station if he could hand pick a team in the upcoming draft, it would be the Browns, and Stefanie Podlogar’s four-hitter paces West Geauga in a 5-3 win over Perry.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

This date in area sports history: April 18

1999: The Browns conclude the draft by selecting six players – including Virginia linebacker Wali Ranier in the fourth round and Colorado wide receiver Darrin Chiaverini in the fifth round.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

This date in area sports history: April 17

1988: John Farrell tosses 8 1/3 innings, striking out four, and Dan Schatzeder records the final two outs in the Indians’ 4-1 victory at Baltimore.

Monday, April 16, 2012

This date in area sports history: April 16

1977: Wickliffe’s Dave Fisher crosses the line first in the 120 high hurdles and takes part on two winning relays as the Blue Devils score 99 points to edge North for the South Spring Invitational team title.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

This date in area sports history: April 15

1966: Dennis Boyd wins the broad jump and sweeps the 100, 220 and 440 and Tom Davis captures both hurling events to lead Newbury past Cardinal, 88-38, in boys track and field action.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

This date in area sports history: April 14

1955: Herald Horn takes first in the 100- and 220-yard dashes, two of 10 event wins as Mentor opens its boys track and field season with an 83-34 win over Willoughby.

Friday, April 13, 2012

This date in area sports history: April 13

1944: Ohio State coach Paul Brown assures his interim successor will take his annual high school coaching clinic as he heads into the Navy to serve as a recruit training officer.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

This date in area sports history: April 12

1933: The Indians open with a 4-1 marathon win at Detroit in 13 innings, as Willie Kamm’s two-out single to right plates Bill Cissel with the go-ahead run.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

This date in area sports history: April 11

2009: Tim Erjavec sweeps the 100- and 200-meter dashes and runs a leg on Lake Catholic’s winning 4x200 relay as the Cougars take the boys team title at Chardon’s Hilltopper Invitational.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

This date in area sports history: April 10

1998: Jim Thome’s three-run home run in the bottom of the 10th, after a stretch in which he struck out 12 times in 23 at-bats, gives the Indians an 8-5 win over the Angels on opening day.

Monday, April 9, 2012

This date in area sports history: April 9

1987: Renee Guillory’s two-run single in the seventh propels Euclid to a 4-3 softball win over Brush, and Bill Timko’s three-hitter paces the Arcs in a 3-1 baseball victory over the Panthers.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

This date in area sports history: April 8

1976: Bob Bertram wins the 880-yard run and is on the first-place mile relay as Wickliffe edges Madison and West Geauga in a boys track and field dual.

Saturday, April 7, 2012

This date in area sports history: April 7

1965: Bill Conley’s steal of home in the bottom of the sixth is the difference as Kirtland edges Mentor, 8-7, in a high school baseball season opener.

Friday, April 6, 2012

This date in area sports history: April 6

1954: The Barons tie their Calder Cup playoff series with a 4-2 win over the Hershey Bears, getting an insurance goal in the third period and staving off the Bears from there.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

This date in area sports history: April 5

1943: Ohio State coach Paul Brown talks about football’s role during the war, saying it’ll serve as entertainment for members of the armed forces but “it won’t be the same game fans knew last year.”

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

This date in area sports history: April 4

1932: The Lake County YMCA handball tournament draws 24 entries including returning champions C.E. Bowden and S.M. Smith and many first-time players.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

This date in area sports history: April 3

2008: Chris Nash goes 2-for-4 with a run and two RBI as the Captains open their South Atlantic League season with a 4-0 over the BlueClaws in Lakewood, N.J.

Monday, April 2, 2012

This date in area sports history: April 2

1997: Cavaliers forward Danny Ferry and Celtics guard David Wesley get into a skirmish during the Cavs’ 96-87 win, with Chris Mills getting a forearm for his troubles from Celtics coach M.L. Carr.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

This date in area sports history: April 1

1986: The Indians are unable to find a trade partner for starting catcher Jerry Willard and instead release him, in part because of the “steamrolling development” of Andy Allanson behind the plate.