Short Takes on the Westside, January 13: Avon Art, AL Open Mics, Bay Pizza, and charity basketball

Avon

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Another Mexican restaurant: Qdoba recently opened with a drive-thru in the retail space at 36320 Detroit Road alongside Jersey Mike’s Subs and University Hospitals Urgent Care.

The fast-casual restaurant’s menu features burritos, bowls, and tacos.

‍Book worms: The Friends of the Avon Library Book Room is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Jan. 17 and Jan. 24 at the library, 37485 Harvest Drive. Find books and DVDs for all ages for a suggested donation of $1 per item.

‍Art awards: The Avon Local Schools recently announced winners from the Regional Scholastic Art Show. This year, there are 451 works in the show represented by 32 different high schools from Lorain, Erie and Hudson counties.  Avon received 50 spots in the show (roughly 11%). Awards included 31 Honorable Mentions, 12 Silver Keys, and seven Gold Keys (highest honor).

Senior Sofia Valdez received a Gold Key American Vision Award (top five in show) for her work "Transcendence."  All Gold Key works move on for national judging.

An artist reception for all Scholastic winners in the region will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. Jan. 13 at the Stocker Art Center at Lorain County Community College, 1005 Abbe Road N, Elyria.

Gold Key winners will be celebrated from 1 to 3 p.m. Feb. 1 in the Hoke Auditorium at the Stocker Center.  

The art show runs from now through Feb. 8 for public viewing. The Stocker Center is open M-F from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Tuesday, Wednesdays and Thursday evenings from 4 to 6:30 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 3 p.m.

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Avon Lake

‍Talent showcase: The Avon Lake Public Library, 32649 Electric Blvd., is hosting its first-ever Open Mic Night at 7 p.m. Jan. 13. Whether you're a seasoned performer or trying the stage for the first time, this is your chance to share your music in a relaxed, supportive environment.

Bring your instrument, your voice, or your band. Basic audio setup provided. All music needs to be suitable for the general public. The event is for performers ages 14 and up.

Come to perform or just come to enjoy an evening of live music and community vibes. Coffee and tea will be provided. Sign up at alpl.org/programs.

Holiday lights winners: The votes are in and the winners of the city’s annual Deck the House Holiday Lights Contest are: Knox Family, 579 Wedgewood Drive, first place; Smith Family, 32885 Redwood Blvd., second place; and the Handy Family, 32956 Webber Road, third place.

The displays brought joy to neighbors, families, and visitors all season long and helped make the city shine a little brighter during the holiday season.

‍Creepy and kooky: Get your tickets now for the Mighty Goliath Productions’ performances of “The Addams Family.” Show dates/times are 7 p.m. Feb. 5, 6, and 7; and 1:30 p.m. Feb. 7-8 at the Avon Lake High School's Daniel B. Ross Performing Arts Center, 175 Avon Belden Road. The Feb. 7 date is a sensory-friendly performance.

New catalog system: The Avon Lake Public Library (ALPL) recently announced its changing the catalog system from Sirsi to Polaris this month going live by Jan. 28. The upgrade represents an important investment in improved service for the community, while also saving taxpayer dollars.

The ALPL library app and online website catalog will be inaccurate from Jan. 19- 28 as the library will be working in “offline mode.” Library materials will not be checked in when returned between Jan.19-28 and will still be visible on library patrons accounts until Jan. 28. No fines will accrue.

All checked-out items, except equipment, will have a seven-week loan period now through Jan. 28. Holds cannot be placed from Jan. 13-28; ILLs (inter-library loans) cannot be placed from now through Jan. 28. Finding materials on the shelf may be challenging. Library officials encourage asking librarians for assistance in more easily finding library materials.

Online fine and fee payments will not be accepted Jan. 16 -28.

The ALPL library app is staying the same with no need to re-download. Digital Resource access will not be affected. Patrons who have opted to keep a checkout history will have their reading history carried over to the new catalog system.

Shout-out: Congratulations to the Avon Lake High School Academic Challenge team, winners of the first match of 2026 on WEWS TV 5’s Academic Challenge high school quiz show. Avon Lake topped Geneva and Lawrence high schools with a score of 490.

Avon High School competes March 14 and Rocky River High School is scheduled for May 16. The quiz show airs at 11:30 a.m. on Saturdays.

Bay Village

‍Essay contest winners: Last month St. Raphael Parish School eighth-grade winners of the “Knights of Columbus Catholic Citizenship Essay Contest” were presented with cash or gift cards by Knight Rudy Breglia of the Father Ragan Knights of Columbus Council #3269 of Avon and Avon Lake.

The students wrote timely essays on the topic “Out of the 267 popes that have led the Catholic Church, who are your three favorite popes and why?”

Congratulations to Marina Mahoney,  Destiny Danaj, and Mallory Cox.

‍Possible merger: City officials are considering whether to combine the city’s senior center and recreation department into one building.

Some of the benefits highlighted in a draft plan presented during a recent council meeting include intergenerational engagement as mixing age groups fosters interaction between seniors and younger community members, which can reduce loneliness and improve mental health for older members.

There is also a cost efficiency factor as sharing facilities and staff between senior centers and recreation departments can cut down on operational costs and infrastructure duplication.

Expanded programming is also a plus as seniors can gain access to more diverse fitness, arts, and social programs.

Like the city’s fire station and library, a facility assessment was conducted (by Sixmo Architecture) at the current Senior Center to understand what investment would be needed to reinvent the space for continued use and to incorporate the recreation department.

The purpose of this assessment was to review and determine if: The building could withstand upgrades and remodeling.

A draft copy of the report is available here.

Pizza samples: Mark your calendar for another amazing Bay High Key Club Pizza Bake Off  from 5 to 8 p.m. Feb. 3 in the Bay High School cafeteria, 29230 Wolf Road. Proceeds benefit the BHS Thirst Project.

Sample pizzas from Danny Boy’s, Pizza by Robert, Pizza Hut, Dominos, Dirte Pi, and Gina’s.

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North Ridgeville

Hoop dreams: The community is invited to come out and cheer on the employees from the city’s police, fire and public works departments as they participate in a Charity Basketball Tournament at 4:30 p.m. Jan. 17 at the North Ridgeville Academic Center, 34620 Bainbridge Road.

‍Night at the Races: January can be dull, but the North Ridgeville Lions Club has the perfect remedy - a fun night out for a great cause. Join the Lions for the annual Night at the Races event Jan. 31 at St. Clarence Pavilion, 30106 Lorain Road, North Olmsted.  Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

For a $40 donation, you'll enjoy a buffet dinner, beer/soda, and an exciting night of entertainment with raffle baskets, sideboards, and games. Obtain your tickets from your favorite Lion or order them online.

‍New council rep: City Council voted last week to appoint Robert Holub as Ward 2 Council representative following a formal application and nomination process to fill the vacancy. The Ward 2 seat became available upon the resignation of Eric Shaffer.

Holub will serve as Ward 2’s representative through December 31, 2027.  

He is the recreation director for Rocky River.

‍City updates: 2025 was a record-breaking year for the city’s fire department. Firefighter/Paramedics responded to 6,057 calls for service, averaging just under 17 calls per day. Of those calls, 38% were overlapping incidents, meaning at least one company was already committed to another emergency.

• Sugar Ridge Road Rehabilitation and the Sugar Ridge Road and Bender Road roundabout are in the early stages of design. Engineering firms have begun preliminary fieldwork and surveying, so residents may notice activity in that area.

• The Taylor Parkway Rehabilitation Project is currently out for bid. Bids are expected to be opened Jan. 15, with the city anticipating a contractor to be under contract within the next month.

• The Cypress Avenue Extension Project is underway. Digioia Suburban Excavating, has completed initial striping and grading work and plans to begin utilities work and a culvert replacement later this week. The project remains on track for completion in mid-July.

• Root Road Park is temporarily closed for improvements. The project is expected to be completed by June 12.

• Windstream Communications plans to replace approximately 30 miles of underground cable this year. Work is expected in Mills Creek, Meadow Lakes, Avalon Estates, Case Road, Bender Road and parts of Waterbury.

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Rocky River

‍Book sale: The Friends of the Rocky River Public Library will host a Book Sale from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 17 at the library, 1600 Hampton Road. Fill a bag of books, music, and movies for $5. Bags will be provided– get a free tote bag while supplies last.

Also new at the library, Friends Board Member at Large Jody Hobson, has created a new Little Library located near the front entrance.

The library also announced the debut of its first Cowan Pottery Museum exhibition of 2026. Around the Table with Cowan is now open to the public and showcases objects from the permanent collection.

This interpretive exhibit tells the story of how food and dining were changing in the 1920s/1930s and will be displayed until Aug. 16.

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Westlake

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Planning for the future: Dave Herwerden of WestPoint Wealth Management, LLC, will discuss tax planning changes through the four stages of retirement during his “Tax Planning for Retirement” presentation from 7 to 8 p.m. Jan. 19 at the Westlake Porter Public Library, 27333 Center Ridge Road. To register, click here.  

‍Sports complex: City officials from the Planning, Zoning, Legislative Committee are discussing plans for approval of a conditional use permit application from Westlake Indoor Sports, Liberty Development Company, to permit construction and operation of a new indoor sports facility primarily focusing on indoor volleyball and basketball on Viking Parkway.

‍Happy anniversary America: Welcome to 2026- the year of America’s 250th anniversary. Westlake plans to celebrate America’s 250th all year long with special events and activities for residents. As part of the celebration, city officials will hold 250th Tuesdays on the city’s Facebook page, sharing fun facts and telling the story of America’s 250th through the eyes of Westlake. To learn more about the city’s celebration plans, click here.

Westlake also plans to honor its residents and their family members who are veterans or active-duty military with a special “Saluting Our Service” campaign. The campaign will provide those who have served with a complimentary personalized light pole banner hung at one of Westlake’s highly trafficked intersections or Clague Park. To register yourself or a loved one for this special campaign, click here.  

As part of the 250^th anniversary year, Westlake will elevate its traditional Fourth of July July 4 celebration with a larger fireworks show and a full day of festivities including food trucks, bands and family entertainment.

The city plans to conclude the year’s events with a formal dinner/dance fundraiser on Nov. 14, Westlake’s 215^th birthday, to generate funds for residents in need.  

As a result of its efforts to celebrate the semiquincentennial, Westlake will receive special recognition and designation as an official America 250-Ohio Community.  

Shout-out: Thank you to the Westlake Town Criers who worked with Columbia Gas of Cleveland to obtain a grant of $5,000 for the police public donation fund.  The funds will be used to help pay for continued public outreach initiatives.

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