March 30, 2026
Short Takes on the Westside by Julie Short
Happy Easter!
Hoop dreams: Congratulations to Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception School student Aiden Callahan, recently crowned the 2026 Knights of Columbus Free Throw State Champion. He successfully made 23 of 25 free throw attempts.
Reading champions: Avon East Elementary School was recently recognized as a Governor’s Science of Reading Champion School. The designation celebrates the school’s commitment to “providing every student with high-quality literacy instruction aligned to the Science of Reading.”
Men’s health: Men are invited to attend a presentation regarding prostate health from Joseph Emery, clinical liaison lead at University Hospitals Cutler Center for Men, at 7 p.m. April 16 at the Knights of Columbus, Father Ragan Hall, 1783 Moore Road.
RSVP by April 13 to rudybreglia@gmail.com. Snacks and refreshments will be served.
Ballet highlights: Children ages 4-11 can get a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to be a real professional ballet dancer during a presentation from North Pointe Ballet from 11 a.m. to noon April 9 at the Avon Library, 37485 Harvest Drive.
Play ball: The Mid-American Conference (MAC) Baseball Championship returns to ForeFront Field (home of the Lake Erie Crushers) May 20-24. Teams representing six MAC schools will battle for the MAC Championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Locally, two Avon High School alums, brothers Ryan and Troy Sudbrook, play for the University of Toledo.
Tickets are currently available online.
New police addition: Welcome Avon Lake Police Department’s newest member, Crisis K9 Ruby. She is a two-year-old chocolate lab mix. Ruby and her handler Detective Robert Walborn recently completed training at Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy's First Crisis K9 Certification Class. Residents will see Ruby around town as she is needed at calls for service and community outreach events.
New coffee shop: As mentioned in a previous Short Takes, Love Coffee Company owned by Love Coffee Roasters founders Chris and Landry Schilla, is opening in the former Goonie’s Hot Dog shop space, 33473 Lake Road. The official opening date is April 4.
“My family and I are from Cleveland , and have been here for several generations,” said Chris. “My great grandfather on my mother’s side immigrated to the United States from Sant’Agata di Militello, Sicily in the early 1900s and owned a produce stand at the Westside Market (Cleveland). My great-grandmother is still pictured to this day in the Westside Market cafe and I often go there to see her picture etched into Cleveland’s history.”
After serving honorably in the U.S. Army as a medic from 2019 to 2023, I moved back home to Avon Lake. I served full-time as a first responder, while also running a mobile coffee cart on the side with my wife.”
Love Coffee Company will be the couple’s first brick and mortar location.
Another new business: A ribbon cutting ceremony will take place at 1 p.m. April 2 to celebrate the opening of Blue Willow Reiki, 33382 Walker Road (Drug Mart Plaza).
Avon Lake resident Karen Kyser owns the new business, as well as Bella’s Boutique and Gifts in Amherst and the Sandusky Mall.
For those who may not be familiar with Reiki, it is a Japanese energy-healing technique that promotes stress reduction, pain relief, emotional healing, and relaxation.
In addition to Reiki treatment, Blue Willow Reiki offers a variety of gift items.
Safe city: Moving up from 10th last year, Avon Lake is now ranked Ohio's fifth safest city according to a recent study published by home security company SafeWise.
SafeWise creates the rankings based on crime data reported to the FBI through the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS).
To view the report, click here.
Good Friday concert: TrueNorth Chorale and Chamber Orchestra and the Avon Lake Presbyterian Chancel Choir, joined by musicians from neighboring churches, will be leading the community in a Good Friday Tenebrae Service at 7:30 p.m. April 3 at Avon Lake Presbyterian Church, 32340 Electric Blvd.
Wine fundraiser: North Coast Rotary, in partnership with presenting sponsor Tri-C Westshore, is hosting the annual Culinary & Wine Experience from 5 to 8 p.m. April 18 at the Tri-C Westshore Campus, 31001 Clemens Road, Westlake.
Purchase tickets online in advance (25% of the ticket price is tax deductible).
Advisor honors: Congratulations to Warren Remein for recently receiving the Outstanding Key Club Kiwanis Advisor Award at the Ohio District Leadership Conference.
In other Kiwanis news, Bay High School juniors Elizabeth Rahm and Cameryn Williams, were recently selected to attend the American Legion Auxiliary Buckeye Girls State in June at Bowling Green. Bay Kiwanis sponsors the mock government experience.
Dog whisper: Spend an evening with Sharon Harvey, president and CEO of the Cleveland Animal Protective League (APL) at 6 p.m. April 16 at St. Barnabas Parkside Hall, 468 Bradley Road. The event is sponsored by For the Love of Bay Dogs.
A collection of hygiene items for Community Cupboard, as well as donations for the APL, will also take place.
Bay Days: It’s never too early to start planning for summer. Bay Days, sponsored by Kiwanis, is one of the most popular summertime activities in the community. This year’s event takes place July 1-4 in Cahoon Memorial Park. The Fireworks Gala is July 4. A complete schedule of activities is currently available online.
Science fun: The second annual Good Friday Science Magic Show will take place at 10 a.m. April 3 at Lorain County Community College University Partnership Ridge Campus, 32121 Lorain Road. The event is free, but registration is required. Call 440- 366-4800
Republican club meeting: The North Ridgeville Republican Club will meet at 6:30 p.m. April 9 at the North Ridgeville Fire Station #1, 7000 Ranger Way.
This month’s speakers are Brandon Rossi, Turning Point Action field director and Jeff Riddell, county commissioner.
Planning and zoning: Developers, businesses, and residents will now be able to submit and track a variety of planning and zoning-related requests and applications online through the city’s new online services system powered by GovWell.
Building permits and inspections are not included, but will be available in a future phase to the system.
For more information, contact the city’s Building Division at 440-490-2081.
New principal: Last week the Rocky River City Schools Board of Education approved the hiring of current Highland High School Principal Carrie Knapp to serve as the next principal of Rocky River High School (beginning with the 2026–2027 school year).
Prior to becoming principal, she served as assistant principal at Highland High School for four years and began her career in education as an English teacher at Wadsworth High School.
Knapp holds a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education from Bowling Green State University, a Master of Arts in Education from the University of Akron, and Superintendent Licensure from the University of Dayton.
Art show entries: Creative artists ages 50 and older are invited to submit art for the annual Senior Center Art Show. All mediums welcome including painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, and mixed media.
Submission details include: Limit of three pieces per artist, artwork must be original and not previously exhibited at the Rocky River Senior Center.
The show will be on display from June 6 to July 2 at the Senior Center, 21014 Hilliard Blvd.
For questions or more information, contact Laurie Schaefer at lschaefer@rockyriverohio.gov. Application and Art Show details can be found online.
Growing business: The Grow Room at River Plant Co., 20145 Lake Road, is officially open and available for booking. Located right inside the Rocky River location, the new event space is ideal for groups of 15–20 people for just about any event.
The Grow Room features different planting classes, along with options for kids and adult birthday parties, bachelorette private shopping events and other celebrations.
For more information or to check availability, stop by the location or email events@riverplantco.com.
School improvements: The Westlake City Schools Board of Education recently voted to authorize the district’s treasurer to enter into a contract for design build services to improve the entrances to Dover Intermediate School (DIS) in an amount not to exceed $79,568.
The school district would like to improve the appearance and ease of entry at the main entrance of DIS and the side entrance prior to the start of the 2026-2027 school year.
Food donation: Kudos to the Westlake Kiwanis for $500 to the Westlake Community Center for their food distribution program. Members also assisted with food distribution for those in need. More than 30 families received a variety of items including fresh fruits, vegetables, hams, cleaning supplies and some clothing items.
Garden Club meeting: The Westlake Garden Club will meet at 10:30 a.m. April 15 in the Porter Room at Westlake Porter Public Library, 27333 Center Ridge Road. Kim Hawkins from the Cuyahoga County Master Gardener program will be presenting, "Pruning Your Plants the Correct Way," emphasizing pruning hydrangeas.
Board awards: Westlake-based Connecting for Kids recently recognized the following individuals with its 2026 Board Awards.
Educator of the Year is Patricia Wagner, preschool Teacher at Beach School in Rocky River.
Wagner’s nomination noted how “she goes above and beyond as an educator for students with disabilities in her classroom.”
The Kathleen Louise Nash Board Member Award is named in honor of the founding president of Connecting for Kids and is awarded annually to a board member who exemplifies “outstanding leadership and dedication to the mission of the organization.” This year’s recipient is Bay Village resident Julia M. Pritchard.
