Rain Hurts Attendance, Chicken Dinner Sales At Freedom Celebration
BY KELLY J. KACZALA — MIRROR REPORTER
The annual Fourth of July Freedom Celebration in Springfield Township went off without a hitch, though attendance was slightly down.
The event was held June 29 in Community Home-coming Park.
“In spite of the weather, I think things went very well,” said township administrator Leslie Kohli at a July 7 meeting.
She said attendance was lighter from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. compared to last year.
“I think people were skeptical because it poured rain at 1:00 and again at 3:00,” she said.
She also blamed the weather for lower turnout for the car show, which went from 100 registrants last year to 40 this year.
The fire department sold 550 chicken dinners this year, compared to 850 last year. Because the dinners sold out last year, the department had ordered enough food for 1,100 this year.
The fire department made about $3,000 after expenses for its scholarship fund, compared to $5,000 last year, said Kohli.
“The weather really hurt them,” Kohli said. “We did get really busy once 7:00 p.m. came around. It got busier and busier, but a lot of people had already eaten by then. They’re coming for the fireworks or something other than the chicken dinners.
“But all around, I think things went really well, and it didn’t rain once it got started.”
Trustee Bob Bethel said that he had heard that traffic flow was smoother this year.
“All the traffic was gone by at least 11:00 p.m.,” Kohli said.
She said a follow-up meeting with the Freedom Celebration committee, originally planned on July 9, was rescheduled for the following week. She planned to give an update on revenue, expenses and sponsorship at the next trustee meeting.
“We can talk about the committee’s recommendations for next year,” she said.
Dates for next year’s celebration were discussed. For the past three years, the event has taken place on the weekend before the Fourth of July, but next year the Fourth falls on a Saturday.
“Maumee, Perrysburg, Sylvania, Swanton and Stone Oak all will be doing (their fireworks) on July 3,” Kohli said. “I don’t know if Friday, July 3 would be the best option because most of our competition is having it on that day. Toledo will be doing it on Saturday, July 4.”
Another factor to consider is the cost of paying township staff, Kohli said.
“If we had it on a Saturday, we would be paying time and a half rather than the double time that we pay on a holiday or on Sunday as we have the last two years,” she said.
Holding the event the weekend before July 4 would make Springfield Township among the first events in the area. Trustees agreed to wait to make a decision until they got more information.
Kohli suggested hiring a different fireworks company next year instead of Pyrotechnics, which has been providing the fireworks display for the event.
“They were good this year, but I don’t think they were as good as past years,” she said.
Bethel agreed.
“I had the same feeling. They were good, but not great,” Bethel said.
Trustee Marylin Yoder said the township had previously discussed hiring Miller Fireworks of Holland for the event.
Kohli said she spoke to John Miller to see what date was available next year and to discuss what the company would offer for the same price range.
She said another fireworks company contacted her and is also expected to submit a quote for next year.
Kohli said she was impressed by a fireworks display in Sylvania that she had attended.
“It was a nice blend of the music they used and the fireworks,” she said.
Also at the meeting, the trustees:
• Heard about a public hearing to be held on Tuesday, August 5 at 2:00 p.m. by the Lucas County commissioners in the hearing room on the first floor of Government Center.
The purpose is to amend various sections of Lucas County subdivision rules and regulations.
• Approved a resolution in support of state funding to the Clean Ohio Fund that will be submitted to the Ohio Legislature.
Locomotive Engineer Shares Rules of Railroad With Youth
BY KAREN BERGER — MIRROR REPORTER
Witnessing fatalities and injuries from atop a locomotive motivated engineer and Springfield Township resident Steve Rathke to join Operation Lifesaver, a nonprofit program focused on ending collisions, deaths and injuries at railroad crossings.
Last week, Rathke, clad in his striped overalls, white engineer’s cap and friendly smile, was a kid magnet as he shared the rules of the railroad with Safety Town students at Holloway Elementary.
“Can I blow your whistle?” asked several children.
Rathke was just one of the guest speakers for the two-week program for incoming kindergartners. While the cartoon, train song and Engineer Teddy were fun, the message was serious: Playing on or near the tracks is dangerous – and against the law.
“The biggest misconception is that trains can stop quickly. We can’t swerve and it can take a mile to stop a train going 50 miles per hour because it’s so big and heavy,” said Rathke, who has worked as a locomotive engineer with Norfolk Southern for 15 years.
Items thrown at a train can hit an engineer, or bounce back and hurt someone, he said. Placing items on the tracks, such as spikes, cans, coins and rocks, can be lethal.
“Those spikes shoot off just like a bullet,” Rathke said, demonstrating with a spike and a portion of a track.
In his years of teaching youth, he’s heard several tell him about grown-ups driving around gates that are down and flashing.
“Remind your mommies and daddies to wait at the gate,” he told the kids.
All nine Holland and Springfield Township railroad crossings have lights and gates. The Norfolk Southern tracks run right through Holland, he said, holding up the familiar black horse on white background logo. He also showed children the yellow circular advance warning sign and finally the crossbuck.
As an engineer, he’s seen several accidents, and he won’t forget any of them.
“Being involved in a fatality affects the emergency response team, witnesses and crew members, not to mention the families. It’s an emotional and dangerous situation,” he said.
According to the Federal Railroad Administration, Ohio ranks seventh in the country for the number of highway-rail grade crossing collisions for 2007, with 117 incidences. That same year, Ohio had eight crossing fatalities, 38 crossing injuries, 20 trespass fatalities and 16 trespass injuries.
Some railroad safety tips from Operation Lifesaver:
• Railroad tracks, trestles, yards and equipment are private property and trespassers are subject to arrest and fines.
• Cross tracks only at designated pedestrian or roadway crossings.
• Trains can overhang the tracks by at least three feet on either side in both directions, and loose straps hanging from rail cars may extend even further.
• The only safe place to cross is at a designated public crossing with either a crossbuck, flashing red lights or gate. If you cross at any other place, you are trespassing and can be ticketed or fined.
• Do not cross the tracks immediately after a train passes. The view of a second train might be hidden by the first. Trains can come from either direction. Wait until you can see clearly in both directions.
• Flashing red lights signal that a train is approaching from either direction. Never walk around lowered gates at a crossing. Do not cross the tracks until the lights have stopped flashing and it is safe to do so.
• Freight trains do not travel on a predictable schedule; schedules for passenger trains change also. Always expect a train at every highway-rail grade crossing at anytime from any direction.
Coordinated by fire office manager Nellie Hutchinson, Safety Town is presented by the Springfield Township Fire Department and Holland Police Department with assistance from the Lucas County Sheriff’s Office.
These are a couple of articles that ran in The Mirror Newspaper.
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