June 29, 2026
Short Takes on the Westside by Julie Short features several area events to celebrate Independence Day
Independence Day celebrations: The city’s annual Bike Parade takes place at 10 a.m. July 4 at the Avon Aquatic Center, 36265 Detroit Road. The parade crosses over to Healthway Drive then heads back to the pool area. Spectators can watch on Healthway Drive. Participants will receive one complimentary admission to the pool (valid through the end of this season).
If you want to catch fireworks in the city, there are two opportunities after upcoming Lake Erie Crushers baseball games.
The city will host a Red, White, and BOOM! July 3 after the baseball game. If you miss that fireworks show, another fireworks show celebrating America’s 250th anniversary will take place July 4 after the game. You don’t have to attend the games to see the shows as there are ample parking areas near the stadium where you can view the shows, but the best seats are at the game (support the Crushers). Tickets for the games are available online.
New zoning: Planning Commission members recently discussed recommending to City Council approval to rezone 95.24 acres located on Just Imagine Drive, east of Nagel Road from C-4/M-1 General Business/General Industrial Overlay Districts to C-4, General Business District. The property on Just Imagine Drive is from the Cleveland Clinic sign, west to Nagel. City officials want to remove the Industrial Zoning (M-1) around the Cleveland Clinic.
Aging information: Hear directly from the Lorain County Office On Aging whose mission is to ‘provide support, resources and advocacy to ensure that older adults can age successfully in Lorain County,’ during a presentation from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. July 2 at the library, 37485 Harvest Drive.
250th Jubilee: The party continues as the city continues to host a number of events to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary. The Lake Erie Liberty 5K Run/Walk takes place from 9 to 11 a.m. June 27 at Beach Park Station, 33489 Lake Road. Registration is available online. A complete list of other events is also available online.
Tree planting update: Residents hoping to get a new tree planted in the tree lawn in front of their home will have to wait as city officials have temporarily paused all new street tree plantings.
The city is launching a City Tree Inventory project this summer and teams will be out in the field gathering data on all of the existing publicly-owned street trees and available locations to plant new street trees.
The goal is to make sure the community forest grows, stays healthy, and is well-maintained. The data collected from the inventory will serve two major purposes including caring for existing trees and planning for the future.
The next steps include creation of a Master Street Tree Plan. Once the Master Plan is finalized, street tree plantings will be able to resume.
Ward meeting: Meet with Ward 1 Councilman Rob Shahmir from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. June 30 at the library, 32649 Electric Blvd.
Let freedom ring: The city’s 250 Jubilee Fireworks Celebration, presented by Ford Motor Company and Kopf Builders, will take place July 3 at Weiss Field, 33401 Webber Road.
Food trucks will be onsite from 4 to 9 p.m. Additional activities from 5 to 7 p.m. include live music by Rock Academy, contests, dunk tank, and kids’ activities. From 7 to 10 p.m. Music by 97 Crosses (John Cougar Mellencamp tribute band) will take the stage. A grand fireworks show begins at 10 p.m.
The Avon Lake 250 Jubilee Fireworks Celebration is made possible through the support of presenting sponsors Ford Motor Company and Kopf Builders, and corporate sponsors Hinkley Lighting and Minutemen OHIOCOMP.
High honors: Congratulations to Avon Lake City Schools Assistant Superintendent Dr. Jack Dibee, recipient of the Paul Harris Award from North Coast Rotary.
The recognition is one of the ‘highest honors in Rotary International, and is given to Rotarians and non-Rotarians alike, who demonstrate the spirit of "service above self," in their communities.’
Also, effective Aug. 1, Dibee’s title with the district will change to Deputy Superintendent. Dr. Ned Lauver title will go from Director of Operations to Assistant Superintendent of Operations.
Bay Days events: The 2026 Annual Bay Days, sponsored by the Bay Kiwanis Club, is packed with fun for the whole family. The four day carnival from July 1-4 offers rides, food, music, pooch parade, fireworks, and much more. There is so much to do it’s impossible to list everything here. A complete schedule of events is available on the city’s website.
The Patriotic Pooch Parade, sponsored by For the Love of Bay Village Dogs, takes place at 12:30 p.m. July 4. At 1 p.m. a concert featuring Monic Robins and the Whiskey Kings will take place at the Cahoon Memorial Park Gazebo. Grand Marshal for the parade is Chomps from the Cleveland Browns. The event features vendors, pup cups rescue groups, and contests Dogs must be on non-retrackable leashes.
Fire station concerns: Ward 2 Councilwoman Lydia A DeGeorge posted on social media last week that during a recent City Council meeting (June 15), Justin Fischbach, president of Bay Village Firefighters' Local 1144, referenced his letter sent to Mayor Paul Koomar and members of City Council to memorialize the members objections to the unilateral changes made to the design of the new $11.4 million fire station expansion and renovation.
He said that the firefighters had made concessions during the renovation and move in process, but felt the city had not fully recognized those efforts. He said the purpose of addressing City Council was to discuss the concerns outlined in the letter, answer any questions City Council may have, and provide additional clarification as needed.
He went on to say that the firefighters believed they had been given a meaningful role in the design and specifications for the new fire station through committee meetings and discussions with the city. Based on that understanding, the firefighters agreed to continue living and working in the station while it was being rebuilt, rather than requiring the city provide temporary trailers. He said the firefighters also agreed to relocate within the station during construction, which he stated saved the city approximately $900,000.
He explained that the firefighters initially understood the project would include features important to department operations, including workout space, training rooms, and related facilities. According to Fischbach, a firefighter committee worked closely with the city on the project until its members were later told not to attend further meetings. He said that, after the committee was excluded, project reductions began to occur, prompting him to contact the mayor to ask why the firefighters were no longer involved and to request that committee members be brought back into the process.
He said that the committee was eventually allowed to participate again, but only on a limited basis. At that point, he said the firefighters learned of several changes to the project, including that a proposed three-story training tower had been reduced to a one-story garage, with only the possibility of an alternate training component. He also noted concerns regarding reductions to the garage access, workout facility, skills training space, and dormitory bedroom doors.
Garden party: Kudos to the Bay Village Kiwanis Foundation for recently presenting the Lake Erie Nature & Science Center with a check for $5,000 for their Wildlife Gardens.
Intersection update: City officials recently posted an update on social media regarding the Lorain and Lear Nagle roads pedestrian improvement project including the recent installation of ADA ramps and sidewalks. The sidewalks remain closed at this time. Pedestrian signals are expected to be installed this week and operational by Thursday. Stop bars and crosswalks will be painted Friday or early the following week. Once pavement markings are complete, the crossings will open.
Summer market: Shop nearly 40 vendors during the Blue Barn Shops Summer Market from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 27 (rain or shine) at 33904 Center Ridge Road.
Lions Club party: Celebrate the 250th birthday of America and learn more about the North Ridgeville Lions Club July 1 at South Central Park (Pavilion 2), 7565 Avon Belden Road. The first 250 people to stop by between 6 to 8 p.m. will receive a free foil baking pan, cake mix, frosting, can of soda, candles and birthday banner.
Freedom festival: Victory Park Ohio, 7777 Victory Lane, will host its Freedom Festival from 4 to 11 p.m. July 3. The event features food vendors, live music, games, and other activities.
During the Freedom Festival, there will be food and beverages available to purchase onsite from local vendor trailers, carts and the Victory Grille. There will be several family-fun activities including inflatables, carnival games, miscellaneous sporting activities, a balloon twister, patriotic stilt walker, pony rides and petting zoo, three different shows by Performance Dogs of Ohio, an animal show with Jungle Bob, a Ninja Warrior Course, and live music.
The city-sponsored fireworks show will last approximately 30 minutes. Proceeds from the ticket sales will benefit North Ridgeville Community Care, Canine Superheroes Foundation and Save 22.
Tickets are available online (per car, not per person).
America’s 250th: Join in an historic commemoration at 6 p.m. July 8 by participating in the reading of the Declaration of Independence in Council Chambers at City Hall, 7307 Avon Belden Road.
Money matters: The city’s Finance Department recently earned its first-ever PAFR Award for Outstanding Achievement from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for the fiscal year that ended December 31, 2024.
In order to be eligible for the PAFR Award, a government must also submit its annual comprehensive financial report to GFOA’s Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting Program and receive the Certificate for the current fiscal year. Each eligible report is reviewed by judges who evaluate the report based on the following categories: reader appeal, understandability, distribution methods, creativity and other elements, according to the press release.
Historical exhibit coming: The Nathan Perry Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, in partnership with the City of North Ridgeville, the North Ridgeville Historical Society and the North Ridgeville Branch Library, is recently announced that the American Revolution Experience traveling exhibit will be on display at the North Ridgeville Branch Library, 35700 Bainbridge Road, Sept. 15-24 during regular library hours.
The American Revolution Experience is an innovative pop-up exhibition featuring display panels and interactive digital kiosks. The exhibit uses storytelling, illustration, technology, artifacts and primary accounts to help modern audiences better understand the Revolutionary War and the individuals who experienced it, according to the press release.
Opa!: Get your Greek on during the annual St. Demetrios Festival June 25-28 at 22909 Center Ridge Road. A convenient drive-thru option (from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily) is available to purchase the amazing Greek food if you are in a hurry and can’t attend the festival.
The festival offers authentic Greek food, drinks, dancing, and Greek souvenirs from local vendors. Additional information is available online.
Contractor registrations: The mayor recently advised City Council that the city will be sending a ReadyNotify alert from the Building Department about the need for residents to check their contractor’s registrations. All construction contractors, no matter their discipline, are to be registered with the city.
Residents need to make sure they are registered with the city, ensure they have pulled all the appropriate permits, and that they post the permits correctly. City officials are having issues with contractors not pulling permits and residents being unaware. The issue was recently brought on by a Board of Zoning and Building Appeals (BZA) meeting where there were individuals that the Building Department found constructing projects which required a variance. This puts the BZA in the difficult position of telling these residents to remove the work that was completed as they weren’t inclined to grant the variance, according to the mayor.
The administration’s hope is that if residents are more informed, they can eliminate this issue in the future. The mayor also shared some Building Department statistics. Through May, there have been 724 permits issued (both residential and commercial) compared to 618 last year with a total valuation of $35.5 million as compared to $20.5 million. The city is seeing an increase in both residential and commercial projects.
Shop closing: One World Shop, 19321 Detroit Road, will be closing its doors by the end of the month. While serving the community for 47 years, the owners posted on social media that ‘it’s time to make a change and see where our fair trade mission needs to go next.’ A closing sale is taking place.
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Patriotic picnic: Celebrate Independence Day at the Senior Center, 21012 Hilliard Blvd., with a picnic at 11:30 a.m. and a concert from Blue Lunch at 1:30 p.m. July 2. Cost is $10 for residents ($8 if you pre-register) and $11 for non-residents. Call 440-333-6660.
Lifesaving equipment: New AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators) are in place and functioning at both Rocky River Park and Bradstreet’s Landing. There is also one located in Tri-City Park. The city is trying to deploy them in all the parks including Linden Park.
Senior care: Members of the Westshore Chamber of Commerce will host a new member ribbon cutting ceremony and Business After Hours from 5 to 7 p.m. June 25 for Senior Helpers (provider of in-home senior care) of Lorain and Western Cuyahoga, 29160 Center Ridge Road, Suite F.
Independence Day celebration: The city’s free Independence Day tradition continues July 4 with a full day of patriotic celebrations beginning with the morning parade and culminating with fireworks over Clague Park at dusk.
The parade kicks off at 10 a.m. from Lee Burneson Middle School, 2260 Dover Center Road and ends at Clague Park.
The Classic Car show begins at 10 a.m. at Clague Park. The food trucks and beer tent will open at noon for visitors. The Westlake Lions Club will ring the Liberty Bell on the main stage at 2 p.m.
A complete schedule of events is available online.
Clague Playhouse is also getting into the action July 3-5 with a host of events planned including free performances, tours and food trucks onsite. More information is available online.
Preschool coming: Leon Sampat, representing Rise School, recently submitted a request to the city for a Conditional Use Permit for the property at 1299 Columbia Road (next to Taco Bell) for a preschool.
If you have a news item or event to share, please email jshortavon@gmail.com.
