Amherst News-Times, 2001-09-05

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Wednesday, September 5, 2001
Amherst. Ohio
I
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i
That's a whole lotta pumpkin
by ERIK YORKE
Newt-Time* reporter
Five hundred and forty-
three pounds is a whole lot
of pumpkin, but it isn't
necessarily the biggest pumpkin in this part of Ohio.
The 543-pounder now sits
outside of Thome Farms
Greenhouse on 9261 Leavitt
Road, in South Amherst after
making a good showing at
the county fair.
That pumpkin took third
place in a competition at the
Lorain County Fair, meaning
there were two pumpkins
even bigger than that. Roberta
Thome entered the third place
pumpkin and her husband
Jerry Thome entered the second place pumpkin, measuriiig
in at 556 pounds.
"I always wanted to grow
a big one," Jerry Thome said.
The second place pumpkin is
now on display at a friend's
market in Avon. '
Jerry and Roberta Thome
have run their greenhouse and
farmer's market since 1991,
one year after they were married. They live with their two
children Hanna, 7, and Josh,   .
3, next to their greenhouses.
This is the first time they
have taken their vegetables to
competition at the Lorain
County Fair.
*T figured that I wanted to
beat the previous (county) record," Jerry Thome said. That
record was in the 400-pound
range, which Thome did exceed. However, a man from
Medina County brought in a
pumpkin weighing in at 940
pounds. The Lorain County
Fair allows people from surrounding counties to compete
as well.
"(Jerry Thome) got the biggest pumpkin in Lorain
County," Roberta Thome
joked.
o
X
CO
BOE, MetroP
agree to easement
and walking path
to new junior high
by PAUL MORTON
Roberta Thome is with one of the winning' ^^"Ihen entered in competition at the Lof
pumpkins she and her husband grew, and       County Fair.
The world, national and
Ohio state record for the
largest pumpkin is 1,140
pounds, grown around
Steubenville, Ohio.
Thome said that he does
plan on trying again next
year.
"It took quite a bit to get
to (556 pounds)," Thome
said. "I'll have to try something different"
Roberta Thome said mat
they may sell the two huge
pumpkins. She said that she
didn't know how much they
would sell the pumpkins for,
as pumpkins are usually priced by weight
Associate editor
Depending on how one looks at
the situation, a requirement by the
city that the schools move a storm
sewer connection from Milan Av(-
cnuc to Beaver Creek will save the
schools $20,000 or cost an additional $23,750.
At the school board's Aug. 27
meeting, John Mazze of Clark &
Post Architects said the city had originally given the schools permission to tie a storm sewer line for the
new junior high school into the
city's storm sewer along Milan Avenue. But a history of problems with
that storm sewer caused the city to
rethink that decision.
"They had an apprehension about
the storm sewer connection at Milan," Mazze said. "They asked us to
make the connection to the east to
Beaver Creek."
He said doing so would cost about $20,000 less than the connection
at Milan Avenue. But it would also
require obtaining an easement for
the sewer line across land owned by
the Lorain County MetroParks.
"MetroParks has requested that
we get involved, in exchange for
easement, in a terminus to phase
two of a MetroParks path development," Mazze said.
The path development  would
eventually link the police station,
the MetroParks Beaver Creek Reservation, and the new junior high
CONTINUED on page 3
Walt Wyvill marks
35th anniversary
with 99-cent gas
Amid competitors selling unleaded gasoline at or near the $1.80
a gallon mark, Wyvill's Marathon in
downtown Amherst drew a lot of attention Friday morning by selling
gas for 99 cents a gallon. Potential
customers were alerted to the low
prices while listening to 99.5 FM
WGAR.
"It was backed up all the way
down Cleveland Street," said
Amanda Pippert, an employee at the
service station for three years.
The cheap gas, offered between
7:30 and 8:30 a.m. on Friday morning was the kick off to the station's
St. John's
celebrates
100 years
of service
by ERIK YORKE
News-Times reporter
Members of SL John United
Church of Christ in South Amherst
will celebrate the church's 100th anniversary later this montlv
On Sunday, SepL 30, SL John's
will boat a joint worship service
with the Henrietta United Church of
Christ with special guest the Rev.
Ralph QoeUhorat
St John's belongs to the Ohio
Conference along with other united
churches of Christ and Quellhont is
the conference minister.
Following the joint service, a
meal will be provided. Alter that
there will be a program in which
church memorabilia will be displayed at well as other activities to
be announced.
While the origins of St John's
goes back as far as 1888. when
members met in their *"jM|,yst the
building was built in 1901. Services
would start die following year.
Many of the early members of the
church were of German ancestry, so
services were conducted completely
m German until 1922. Also in those
early yean, it was customary for
women to sit on the left side of me
church while men sat on the right
side.
Many changes have been made to
,   she banting «■ *c«e hundred yean.
1   The perking lot wat changed from
gravel lo blacktop in 1977. InJ992
t
The Rev. Paul Eaton stands next to the brand
St. John United Church of Christ tn South
new organ ai the
The church
celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.
The newest addition, bought and dedicated 100 yean after the original
construction of the church, is a new
digital organ.
St John's has welcomed 27 pas-
ion in 100 yean, the tint being (he
Rev. F.M. Haefele who minlitnnd
before the construction of the
minister p» the 100-year-old building was the Rev. Sarauel linden
myer. The cunent pastor, fas Rev.
Paul Eaton hat been at St John's for
11 yean.
"We hope he stays for a little
white longer yet." arid St John's
r. Lily Krebs.
held i
South
The next
'a hornet or at fas
Swiss Hall,
and*
Since 1952, SL John's hat beta
yoked to the Henrietta United
of (^iet on Garfield Road.
Yoking is the sharing of a pastor be
tween two churches. Prior to that
St John's was in charge of St Peter
United Church of Christ in Amherst
Improvements over the yean
have been paid for via memorials to
the church at well as generous donation*. At the Sept 30 celebration,
St John's patrons should know that
dontttone toward the coat of the
provided meal will be greatly appre-
fbr the meal
should be forwarded to Gay Zurcher
at 965-4385.
The church will alto be selling
commemorative souvenirs, including tote bags, note cards and re-
frigerator magnets, all with a picture
of the church drawn by area artist
Neal Jenne.
Eaton invites members to bring
old pictures or any other church
customer appreciation days. Station
owner Walt Wyvill said that he hat
been in business in Amherst for 35
years.
"We had a great time doing it,"
Wyvill said of the gasoline giveaway. The station sold about 1,500
gallons of gasoline at the 99-cent
price, Wyvill said.
In addition to the gasoline sale,
Wyvill's Marathon provided customers with hot dogs and had drawings for prizes such as eight gallons
of free gas as well as free oil
changes.
"It's just a fun day," Wyvill said
No contest
in November
school race
There will be some challenge for
seats on city council as well as the
city administration, but it looks like
business as usual in the race for
school board.
Six will challenge incumbent
members of Amherst City Council
There are also challengers to both
the city auditor and city treasurer
positions.
Five total candidates, three incumbent will vie for three council-
at-large seats. Twenty-year-old college student Nicholas Brusky and
Barbara Kilgore will run on the Republican ticket The three incumbents, Nancy Brown, David Kukucka and David Williams are all
Democrats. ^
Second Ward councilmember Edwin Cowger, a Democrat is challenged by Republican Ronald M.
Skolnik. Third Ward councilmember Steve P'Simer, also a Democrat
will have two challengers this year.
Republican Mark Costilow and independent former city councilmember David Rice. Republican Fourth
Ward councilmember Jennifer Wasilk will be challenged by John Mia-
hak. Democrat the former council-
member for the Fourth Want
Amherst Board of Education
president Michael Sutton, a Republican, will challenge Democratic
incumbent Diane Eswine Cor her
city auditor office. Treasurer Kathleen Litkovitz, Democrat, will be
challenged by Republican Daniel
Gross.
City council president John Dietrich, Democrat will run unopposed
for reelection as will Pint Ward
councilmember Terry Traater.
Amherst Board of Bdarsrina
fteedmaa and Ron Yacobocsi wiU
far