Amherst News-Times, 1999-06-30

              Blacksmith shop planned — Page 3 I Players to stage summer show — Page
Amherst News-Time
Wodne'.day.  June  30.   1999
Amherst.  Ohio
Jamboree includes fun, food, entertainment
Cleveland TV news personality Del Donahoo will be the
grand marshall of 26th annual
Old Time Jamboree's July 11
parade at 1 p.m.
Donahoo will ride in his
well-known "folkswagon,"
with which he has visited and
reported for WKYC-TV on
tourist spots and restaurants
throughout Ohio for more
than IS years.
The jamboree will be one
of the most ambitious community activities sponsored by
the Amherst Historical Society
in the event's history, according to Scott Kodger, executive
director of the society and
this year's jamboree director.
Over the years, the jamboree has been a major fundraiser for the society and
will continue to be.
Unlike other years, it is being managed, planned and run
by Kodger and a group of
volunteers within the society.
Previously, it has been mainly
organized by a small group
of community volunteers
working with the historical
group.
"This year, we are making
the jamboree a real community effort within the historical
society," he said. "I'm just
playing a very nominal part.
There's a lot of hard-working
and dedicated community volunteers involved in this, not
just me."
It also is the first year an
historical but lightheatted
event is being held as part of
the event People visiting the
jamboree can watch the re-
enactment of a Civil War
drama along Park Avenue, the
staging site for nearly all this
year's jamboree events.
People coming to the jam
boree can purchase $1 raffle
tickets entitling them to guess
the identity of a mysterious
rebel sympathizer. His or her
presence will be discovered
by members of the 8th Ohio
Volunteer Infantry, an area civil war re-enactment group
from the Greater Cleveland
area.
The sympathizer will be
brought to trial in front of
city hall. A volunteer has
stepped forward and offered
to play the part, although the
person's identity will not be
revealed until the raffle, Kodger said.
The jamboree will begin
July 9 at 6 p.m. in front of
city hall with a flag raising
ceremony, the national anthem, a veteran's color guard
and a welcoming address by
CONTINUED on page 2
Local teen laughs
her way through
pageant contest
by QLEN MILLER
News-Times reporter
Little did Larena Krone think an
application she received in the mail
would thrust her into the spotlight or
become a doorway toward making
her dreams come true.
But it did.
Last week the recent 18-year-old
j Firelands High School graduate
took a step toward celebrity hood
when she became Miss Junior Ohio.
Not having competed in a pageant
since she was a small child. Krone
won the title by just being herself, a
comedian who enjoys making people laugh. Besides, her entry as a
Potato Festival pageant contestant
when she was four or five was her
mother's idea.
Still, she has no idea how the
Miss Junior Ohio application got
mailed to her or who may have submitted her name to the pageant's
organizers.
"I just thought, 'Oh, why not?'
You'll never know unless you try,"
she said of her decision.
Now, she is getting ready to compete in the National Junior Miss
Contest in New York City July 25
and mulling over whether she
should register with talent agents in
New York or Cincinnati.
It seems Krohe, who dreams of
being a comedian, wowed judges at
the July 19 Columbus event with
her humor and unrehearsed, natural
comments about what she was wearing and how she hopes to make people laugh.
A lot of the contestants had rehearsed comments about how they
would stop violence among
America's youth and improve the
world.
Not Krohe.
She simply told judges she wants
to become a cast member on one of
her favorite TV shows, "Saturday
Night Live," make lots of money,
eventually buy the rights to the
program and then make millions
more.
She didn't stop there.
"With all the violence and sadness in the world, I said what the
world needs is some good jokes and
I am the one to tell them."
Her relaxed and honest answer
impressed the judges.
When one judge decided to test
her comedic talents, Krohe said she
picked up a microphone and strutted
across the stage as she "kind of
acted out the joke."
"I just let it roll," she explained.
"I figured, 'what the heck?' It was
the kind of thing I like doing and
have done for my friends and have
done at school."
The judges and the audience burst
into laughter. The rest is history.
One of the judges, New York talent agent Bob Luke, later handed
her his card as did another person
with a Cincinnati agency.
She's already turned down an offer to try out for a potato chip commercial because it conflicts with her
work as a flower shop employee at
the Amherst Giant Eagle.
CONTINUED on pas* 6
Larena Krohe
New safety signs
will warn drivers
to slow near kids
In an effort to alert drivers
to the presence of children,
the city plans to purchase 100
bright yellow signs that parents can place in front yards
warning drivers to slow down.
The "Be Alert — Children"
signs were brought to the attention of city council's finance committee June 21 by
councilmember John Mishak,
who first saw one in the yard
of a constituent.
He proposed buying the $7
plastic signs and then either
selling or lending them to
families with children. Although they should not be
viewed as a substitute for police traffic enforcement or parental supervision, Mishak
said the signs can serve as a
safety supplement and alert
motorists to the presence of
children.
After lengthy discussion,
the committee agreed the
E would be useful aad
» let the mayor's of-
j
COn*atittec members fall coun-
a#il
tat city will
about $700. It normally approves the purchase of items
costing $10,000 or more.
Council members suggested
the signs be distributed
through the police department's annual Safety City
program but changed their
mind after learning the program is nearly complete for
the year.
Instead, mayor John Higgins said the signs will be
distributed to interested families through the Amherst Police Department's Block
Watch Program and DARE
anti-drug program for youth.
They will be ordered this
week and are expected to be
available within a month, he
added.
Some council members feel
the signs should be sold for
at least the coat of the city's
purchase through treasurer
Kathleen Litkoviu's office.
That idea was abandoned after Utkovitz said her office
already is understaffed and
overtHirdened. Keeping Mack
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Private donors
ante up $600,000
for new city park
After nearly 18 months of
work, the goal to raise
$600,000 in community donations for the new West Side
Park has been reached.
Achievement of the goal
was jointly announced during
Monday's council meeting by
Lorain County MetroParks director Dan Martin and mayor
John Higgins.
A total of $601,575 has
been collected in pledges and
gifts from people and corporations in the community.
"I'm not saying we
wouldn't like to get more just
to be safe, but this does put
us over the goal," Martin
said.
Cash donations total
$427,757, leaving $173,800 in
pledges to be recieved.
The goal is the final third
of the joint project announced
nearly 18 months ago for the
$1.8 million park. The city
and the park system have
each provided an additional
$600,000 for the park, work
on which is expected to begin
next spring.
The nearly 60-acre park
will be built immediately
north of the Amherst Police
Department between N. Lake
and N. Main streets. It will
include a mile-long walking,
hiking and biking trail, picnic
shelters, parking lot, soccer
field, a small childrens' playground and a large nature
preserve.
Rather than having two
large open picnic shelters,
Martin proposed having one
that will be enclosed and include restrooms and a donor
recognition area.
"I think we can have one
ycar-around building that will
be a nice quality space,"
Martin said. "It can be
worked out and can fit into
the budget, and would be
beneficial because it would be
heated, too."
Several such buildings have
been built in other metro
parks. They have gotten a
good reception and are widely
used, he added.
Much of the fundraising
has been done through private
letters to area businesses and
corporations, and special fundraisers held by city
administrators.
"This has been a lot of
work and a long time coming, but I think it will be
well worth it," Higgins added.
The architects are expected
to be selected this late this
summer or early fall and construction drawings will be
completed by late winter.
Work is expected to be
completed by fall of next
year.
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Law director says
he may not assist
city in future suit
by QLEN MILLER
News-Times reporter
An attempt by law director Alan
Anderson to resolve a potential conflict of interest issue involving the
cky has been placed in limbo by chy
council's finance committee.
Members tabled Anderson's June
21 request to create a budgetary line
item through which an attorney
could be hired when a conflict of interest arises in any case handled by
him or assistant law director Steven
List.
His request for a budget line item
containing at least $3,000 was debated for a balf-bour before it was
tabled because of lack of agreement
AndMtna later indkated he ex*
pacts ae conflict may arise to
I*4ovenkber ia a ease involving Ae
city. Although be declined to dis-
> case ia public, the law a-
aid be any be called at a
for the
After ae
■id be has ae
IP the
aa
San Spring building and other
needs, $3,000 was not asking too
much, he said.
"Either they're going to approve
it or they're not I just don't see)
them as approving it," he added]
"They know what case is on the hor-i
izon because I've talked to them at*
out it It's not going to do me any
good to come back at some point;
We'll just have to deal with it when;
it happens."
Anderson declined to confirm da-
deny the case may involve Crystal;
Mortgage, a local company which ht
involved in a legal dispute with dMt
city over im 1997 chy income tab;
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During a May pretrial hearing kt
Oberlin Mirf*tritfl Court, ataa******
with Wickene, Honor aad Faaaati
who represent the cosnaany, aaaa
Anderson might be called at tit
witness.
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