Fallsnewspress.com - Village News: Past, present villagers attend annual garden club festival

by Karen Fuller

The members of the Silver Lake Garden Club are able to sit back and relax a bit as they look back at yet another successful Silver Lake Festival. Planning for the 2011 event will soon be under way. The Festival has become so much more than a Garden Club fundraiser. It is the highlight of summer for villagers young and old, past and present. The Festival has become a Homecoming. Ric and Megan Grant Chura, along with daughters Ella and Olivia came from Colorado. Ric, Megan and Stu Grant formed a family Triathlon team for the morning kick-off to the Festival. Olivia and Ella ran in the kids' races along with Grady Fuller, son of Paul and Jen Fuller of Columbus. Paul also competed in the Triathlon as an individual entrant. He and Megan reminisced about their festival races as tots, their triathlons as teens and now their continued participation as adults with their own children beginning the cycle again. Bentley and Audrey Wright Stansbury came from California to introduce baby Shae to Silver Lake. Shae is Bruce and Mary Helen Wright's first grandchild. Angie Darling Carrano and her family come from Atlanta each year. Lisa Tibbals Gilcrest flew in from Chicago to attend the festival with her mom, Ann Tibbbals Carlton.

Two Silver Lake School classes planned reunions around this year's Festival.

The Silver Lake Class of 1960 celebrated their 50th anniversary with a gathering July 16, a tour of the school the morning of July 17, an all day picnic at the Festival and dinner at the Sheraton that evening. Bob Heydorn was eighth grade class president in 1960. At that time Silver Lake was an independent school district with its own Board of Education. Silver Lake School served grades K - 8. After graduation from Silver Lake, the students had to choose between Cuyahoga Falls High School and the Kent State University School. Heydorn said that the class numbered 52 with an almost even split of high school choices. He attended CFHS. The reunion committee of Sherry Whitters Bjerke of Columbus, Bob Heydorn, Candy Christman, Dianna Lucco Stalker, John Eden and Gary Housley of Nashville, Tenn., put together a weekend of good food, good memories and lots of laughter as the years melted away. Classmates Dana German and Pam Cox traveled from Florida to attend. All agreed that the tour of the school was like a step back in time. The classrooms, the gym, the library, and the building as a whole is essentially the same as it was 50 years ago.

The Silver Lake School Class of 1982 also chose festival weekend for their 28th anniversary reunion. Committee member Cami Buzzi Golding said, "It's an odd year for a reunion, but we are all turning 40 so it seemed liked perfect timing." Facebook was the inspiration for this reunion, as many classmates found each other on the networking site. Credit goes to Kevin Kosar, now of Washington, D.C. for originating the idea. He joined with Cami Golding, Tim Lyons and Beth Held Sucharewski in planning the event. All agreed that the best place to begin the reunion was at the Silver Lake Festival. Classmates got reacquainted while they introduced their spouses and children to a bit of their childhood. The kids even got to meet mom or dad's teachers! Mrs. Roberta Ewing Marks (music), Ms. Piffer (P.E.), Mrs. Marilynn Lynch (1st grade), Mrs. Holloway (1st grade), Mrs. Kendall Taylor (K and 2nd grade), Mrs. Shirley Arnold (3rd grade), and Mrs. Cam Schneider (4th grade) were all on hand to greet their former students. An evening dinner party at The River followed the Festival. Kevin Kosar presented each classmate with a booklet containing random trivia from their years at Silver Lake School. Beth Sucharzewski even made a batch of the beloved Hollywood Squares for dessert. Gary Miller surprised the group with videotape of the girls cheerleading and the boys playing football in sixth grade. Dr. Nick Marsico and his wife won the award for traveling the most distance. They drove in from California.

Grandparent News: Rosanne Smith is proud to announce the arrival of her first grandchild. Parents Amanda and Jeff Staloch welcomed Avellana Rose Staloch into the world on June 3. Grandma Rosanne has already made the trip to San Francisco to be with the new family.

Happy Anniversary: Congratulations to Phil and Mary Bradley on their Golden Wedding Anniversary.

Editor's note: To submit information, call Fuller at 330-688-5561, or e-mail her at karenleefuller@sbcglobal.net.