The Putnam County Fair begins on Monday but it will look quite different due to the pandemic.

Director Kendra Von Lehmden-Wentz says, while there will be no rides or games and only about half the food vendors, there will be plenty of other things to enjoy.

“We’re just elated that we could at least have the Junior Fair shows and the displays, the projects on display in the Junior Fair building are really the focus of the fair this year.”

She says admission to the fair will be free this year, but there will be a cost to attend the truck and tractor pull and demolition derby.

She says masks are not required but they are asking people to follow social distancing guidelines.

Sanitizer will be available everywhere, she said, and there will be signs marking one-way traffic in barns to help people keep their distance.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has designated the Blanchard River as Ohio’s 14th state water trail.

ODNR Director Mary Mertz stopped by Zonta Landing at Findlay’s Riverside Park to present the designation.

A water trail is a stretch of waterway that has been identified as a recreational resource with maps, signage, and informational resources that show official access points, amenities, and safety information.

“Promoting an increase in canoe and kayak traffic downstream from Blanchard River Nature Preserve to Blanchard Landing will boost the Blanchard River’s reputation as an outdoor recreation resource and magnet for nature lovers and outdoor recreation enthusiasts, thus drawing visitation locally and from throughout the region,” said Gary Pruitt, Director of the Hancock Park District.

“The designation of the Blanchard River as a state water trail is an important step in that direction.”

Mertz and Pruitt then hopped into some kayaks and took some time to explore a portion of the 37.6 mile water trail.

First Federal Bank is now Premier Bank.

You may have seen the new signs going up at the location in downtown Findlay on Friday.

Earlier this year it was announced that First Federal Bank would be merging with Home Savings Bank out of Youngstown and the new unified banking business would be known as Premier Bank.

The combined 77 branches have begun adopting the Premier Bank name this month and the transition will be completed by the middle of July.

Get more on the merger here. 

Governor Mike DeWine says it’s “very, very, very important” that Ohioans continue to wear face masks in public.

Speaking on CNN Friday morning, DeWine said he’s trying to do two things at once: reopen the state’s economy while keeping Ohioans safe.

When asked if he would consider shutting down the state again if cases of COVID-19 spike, he said he’s not ruling anything out but that they have “some tools that we need to use first.”

He said one of the tools they have is more testing and more tracing.

Watch the governor’s interview with CNN below or here.

The Findlay Rotary Club has presented its Service Above Self Award.

Details are in the following news release from the rotary club.

At the club’s Monday, June 15 meeting, The Findlay Rotary Club presented the Service Above Self Award to Wendy McCormick. The award is presented annually to a non-Rotarian in the community who exemplifies the Rotary ideals of professional leadership and service.

Findlay Rotarian William Reist wrote in nominating “I first met Wendy in the early days of Backyard Mission. I was struck by Wendy”s welcome and gracious attitude and her desire to partner with us to serve homeowners with simple (and sometimes not so simple) housing needs. She led Habitat into a significant home remodeling program which takes existing marginal housing and transforms it into habitable living space. Wendy has been active in numerous housing affiliations throughout the community.”

McCormick is the Executive Director of Habitat of Humanity. She is an active volunteer and serves on numerous non-profit organizations, including the Affordable Housing Alliance, Housing Coalition, Backyard Mission Trip, Congregate Shelter Collaborative, City of Findlay CRA Housing Council, Emergency Rental Assistance Collaborative, Hancock County Housing Study Collaborative, State of Ohio Habitat Board of Directors, One Matters Project Connect, Coats for Christmas, Hancock County Land Bank Collaborative and is a 2008 Hancock Leadership graduate.

Wendy has designated a $500 contribution made in her name by the Findlay Rotary Club to Habitat for Humanity.

The Findlay Rotary Club was founded in 1920 and is a member of Rotary International, an association of Rotary clubs around the world, which today numbers almost 32,000 clubs in over 200 countries. The Rotary Club of Findlay was founded by the city’s leaders in 1920, and continues with the leaders of today. The club also sponsors the Rotaract Club at The University of Findlay and an Interact Club at Findlay High School.

Habitat for Humanity of Findlay-Hancock County will dedicate its largest build ever in Findlay.

Construction Manager Steve Gibbs says the new homeowner will be blown away by how her new house at 831 Putnam Street turned out.

“She has, by design, not been here for about a week, so this Saturday will be a true reveal as she gets to see the finished product for the first time.”

He says the new homeowner was required to put in 400 hours of sweat equity, and she reached that a long time ago and continued to work on getting her house ready.

Gibbs says the house was set to be demolished but they knew that with a lot of hard work they could make it into a great home for the family of nine.

He says this is the organization’s 44th house overall, and 3rd rehab.

Habitat for Humanity will be holding a dedication ceremony Saturday morning at 9 at the house and people can also follow along on the organization’s Facebook page.

People who attend in person will be required to wear a face mask to tour the home.

Gibbs says they are already getting to work on their next project, on Logan Avenue in the West Park neighborhood.

The Findlay Police Department says a woman ran a red light causing an injury crash.

The crash happened at about 9:10 Wednesday night at North Main Street and Trenton Avenue.

Police say Cynthia Adkins, 65, of Findlay, was going south on North Main and entered the intersection against a red light when she was hit by a vehicle that was westbound on Trenton Avenue.

Adkins was taken to Blanchard Valley Hospital with an apparent neck injury.

Police say she was issued a citation for running the red light.

Both vehicles had to be towed from the scene.

College football powerhouses Ohio State and Alabama have scheduled a home-and-home series for the first time.

The Ohio State Department of Athletics announced that the Buckeyes and Crimson Tide will square off in 2027 and 2028.

The 2027 game will be at Ohio Stadium on September 18th, while the 2028 game will be at Bryant-Denny Stadium on September 9th of that year.

Ohio State last played Alabama in the 2014 playoffs, defeating the Crimson Tide and going on to win the national title.

Ohio State now has six nationally significant home-and-home series scheduled with Power 5 teams over the next 12 years: versus Oregon, Notre Dame, Washington, Texas, Alabama and Georgia.

The statue of Christopher Columbus outside City Hall in Ohio’s capital city is coming down.

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther announced that the monument to the explorer will be removed from its location outside City Hall as soon as possible.

“By replacing the statue, we are removing one more barrier to meaningful and lasting change to end systemic racism,” Ginther said.

“Its removal will allow us to remain focused on critical police reforms and increasing equity in housing, health outcomes, education and employment.”

Ginther says the statue will be placed in storage until the Columbus Art Commission helps decide its fate.

The statue was a gift to Columbus from Genoa, Italy in 1955.

Columbus State Community College recently announced it would be taking down its Columbus statue.

There is also a Christopher Columbus statue outside the Ohio Statehouse.

(ONN) – The number of Ohioans signing up for unemployment benefits for the first time during the pandemic is declining, but still remains significant.

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services says just under 33,000 people signed up last week, that’s 287,000 fewer than the biggest week for new filings recorded during the peak lay-offs in April.

Over the past 13 weeks 1,360,000 Ohioans have applied for jobless benefits, representing about a quarter of the state’s workforce who have either temporarily furloughed at some point or lost their job.

94 percent of the claims have been processed and the state has paid out about $4 billion in benefits.