Findlay’s Riverside Pool has opened for the season.

The pool is open Monday through Friday for open swim from 1 to 7, and noon to 6 on the weekends.

Day passes are $3 for kids and $5 for adults.

Individual and family passes are for sale at the downtown branch of the YMCA.

In the video below we speak with YMCA Aquatics Director Katie Nielson.

No one under the age of 13 is allowed to enter the pool without an adult 18 years of age or older.

Get more pool rules and prices by clicking here.

The Y is reminding people that on Father’s Day weekend the pool will be closed due to the 42^nd annual Flag City Swim Meet.

Riverside Pool is operated by the Findlay Family YMCA in partnership with the City of Findlay.

The Findlay Police Department’s 8^th Annual Bicycle Rodeo is coming up on Saturday, June 3^rd.

It will be held at the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts from 9 to 11 a.m.

Findlay Police Officer Brian White says the event is for kids of 4 to 12 years of age.

There will be a series of different bike courses and educational activities and there will also be bike helmets given away.

There will also be safety lessons, bike inspections and agility and road courses.

Get more information below.

(From Myron Lewis, President and CEO of Blanchard Valley Health System)

We at Blanchard Valley Health System are grateful to each and every one of you who showed your support for us during National Healthcare Week. We are honored to be entrusted with your care and to be so deeply woven into this community, which means so much to all of us.

Moving forward, we continue to ask for your support. As we emerge out of the COVID-19 pandemic, and as health care nationwide faces significant challenges, we urge community members to support local hospitals – and to let their legislators know that they offer that support.

A community depends on its health system and vice versa. When you think of a strong, thriving community, what comes to mind? It probably includes flourishing local businesses, robust parks and a good school system. Similarly, a hospital or healthcare system is a part of the fabric of the community. It helps connect all the pieces together, making sure community members – and thus the community itself – remain strong and healthy.

Health care is also an important part of a community’s economy. In Northwest Ohio, for example, BVHS employs more than 3,000 associates. Some directly provide health care for their friends, families and neighbors, while others support these caregivers in various crucial roles. In this way, too, the health system helps the rest of the community prosper and grow.

Health care has always played an integral role in its community, but the pandemic has made that perhaps more apparent than it has been in decades. Still, it’s easy to take a hospital for granted until you or your family need it.

The recent closure of McLaren St. Luke’s Hospital in Maumee reminds us that hospitals should not be taken for granted. Other healthcare leaders in Northwest Ohio are watching our friends and neighbors deal with the ripple effects – on Maumee residents’ ability to get access to care, and on employment options in their community.

Thankfully, Blanchard Valley Hospital remains a vital part of Hancock County, and we are permanently committed to providing care in this community now and into the future. But recent events, including both the pandemic and the St. Luke’s closure, are a reminder that we can best do so with our community’s support. This relationship works both ways – a community depends on its hospital, and a hospital depends on its community.

We ask you to continue to be vocal with your support. Legislators at both the state and federal levels make important decisions that impact health care, both financially and in other ways.

We know so many residents of Northwest Ohio are already deeply engaged citizens who regularly write or call their legislators to voice their opinion. We encourage you to do so, keeping in mind how deeply the well-being of a health system and its community are tied together.

We value each of you for the support you have shown us in so many ways for so long. We now look forward to a successful future, serving the community in a new way in this post-pandemic era.

Let your state and federal government representatives know how important health care continues to be to you.

More information can be found at the following sites:

https://www.ohiosenate.gov/ https://ohiohouse.gov/ https://www.house.gov/ https://www.brown.senate.gov/ https://www.vance.senate.gov/

Myron D. Lewis Blanchard Valley Health System President & CEO

Boogie on the Block will be held on Friday, June 2^nd at the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts.

There will be live music from Nashville Crush with guests Exploit Deluxe along with food trucks, libations, dancing and fun.

Doors open at 6 p.m.

Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children. Strollers get in free.

MCPA says, while this is a family-friendly event, there will be no Kid’s Zone this year.

Get more information below and by clicking here.

(From the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library)

Readers of all ages are encouraged to keep reading during the summer months and celebrate friendship and kindness as The Findlay-Hancock County Public Library presents “SummerREAD-All Together Now,” their summer reading program.

Brittany Lutes, Youth Services Manager at the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library said of the SummerREAD program, “Each year our library staff work hard to plan and organize a fun and engaging lineup of summer programming. This year with our SummerREAD theme of “All Together Now” we are especially proud of the many opportunities to come together as a community and celebrate each other through reading, activities, and programs. We hope everyone else will be as excited as we are!”

Activities include crafts, art projects, games and puzzles, science and engineering experiments, and of course, reading. Partners for exciting, new programs include The Marathon Center for the Performing Arts, the Lima Symphony Orchestra, Hancock Park District, the Greater Cleveland Aquarium, and more.

SummerREAD registration is open to all ages, infant through adult. The library is providing a free gift book to all early literacy, children’s and teen registrants.

This summer, the library is again using an online platform, READsquared, for participants to keep track of their reading progress. Registration for “All Together Now” begins on May 28 at findlaylibrary.readsquared.com, and all programs are free of charge.

Participants can earn great prizes by logging reading, writing a review, or completing fun activities. There will be weekly drawings for great prizes. If you prefer not to track your reading online, there will be paper forms available at the library to log reading progress.

Families are invited to join in reading together, and to attend programs such as Storytime in the Park, an escape room, Symphony Storytime, Family Book Bingo, and Family Night: Treasure Hunt at the Oakwoods Nature Preserve. Teen activities include Teen Book Bingo, a virtual Zoom program to hear about Aquatic Careers and Animal Conservation with the Greater Cleveland Aquarium, Sand Art & Succulents, and a Teen Game Night.

Adults can enjoy book discussions, cooking programs, crafts, a grant writing program, and many more informative presentations. Please check the library’s website at findlaylibrary.org for more information on programming by clicking on the Calendar tab.

Be sure to check the library’s Facebook page for updates, surprises, and entertaining contests all summer.

SummerREAD is generously sponsored by The Friends of the Library.

For more information, call the library at 419-422-1712 or check the website at findlaylibrary.org.

Findlay City Schools has a new district website.

Communications Director Kelly Cheney says the new website makes it quicker and easier for people to access information.

She says news and announcements will be updated on the website as will important alerts.

Kelly says the website supports features for mass communications directly to families in the form of test messages and e-mails.

She says the district will continue to add content over the summer so it’ll be full of information by the beginning of the school year.

A new mobile app will also be launching soon.

Click here to check out the new website, and more information is below as well.

The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) District 1, in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), is seeking public comments regarding five proposed projects in District 1, including two in Hancock County.

The two Hancock County projects involve shoulder paving along State Route 37 and signal replacements in Arlington. Details on each are below.

HANCOCK COUNTY

State Route 37 Shoulder Paving (PID: 117074) – ODOT is proposing to pave the shoulder, add edge and centerline rumble strips, relocate utility poles, and replace the guardrail on State Route 37 from County Road 180 to State Route 15 just southeast of the city of Findlay.

Construction activities will result in temporary roadway closures. Vehicular through traffic will be detoured temporarily. Access for local traffic to all properties will be maintained throughout construction.

Construction is anticipated to occur in the spring and summer of 2025.

Additional information about the project can be found on the project website: www.transportation.ohio.gov/projects/projects/117074

Signal Replacements in the village of Arlington (PID: 118746) – ODOT is proposing to replace the signal at U.S. 68 and Liberty Street in the village of Arlington in Hancock County. Additionally, the signal in front of Arlington Local School will be replaced with a marked pedestrian crosswalk and flashing signage to promote pedestrian safety.

Construction activities will result in the temporary closure of Liberty Street. Vehicular through traffic will be detoured temporarily. Access for local traffic to all properties will be maintained throughout construction.

Construction is anticipated to occur in the spring and summer of 2024.

Additional information about the project can be found on the project website: www.transportation.ohio.gov/projects/projects/118746

Written comments may be submitted via the link provided for each project or mailed to the Ohio Department of Transportation District 1, Attn: Nate Tessler, 1885 N. McCullough Street, Lima, Ohio 45801; or to nate.tessler@dot.ohio.gov.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol says 23 people were killed in 22 crashes on Ohio’s roadways during the 2023 Memorial Day weekend, an increase of five from 2022.

This is the highest number of traffic fatalities in Ohio since 2020 when 20 people were killed. The four-day reporting period began Friday, May 26 and ran through Monday, May 29.

During the reporting period, state troopers made 19,980 traffic enforcement contacts, including 399 impaired driving arrests, 233 drug arrests and 2,797 safety belt citations.

In addition, the Patrol made 10,463 non-enforcement contacts including 2,107 motorist assists.

Motorists are reminded that roadway safety is a shared responsibility and are encouraged to call #677 to report drug activity and dangerous or impaired driving.

For a statewide breakdown of enforcement and crashes during the Memorial Day holiday weekend, click here.

The Hancock County Engineer’s Office says it has been informed by CSX that some railroad crossings will be closed for a few days.

The engineer’s office says the crossings on Hancock County Road 257 and Washington Township Roads 261, 262 and 272 will be closed from Tuesday, May 30^th until approximately Friday, June 2^nd.

Drivers are advised to use alternate routes and use caution if traveling in the area.

CSX is doing some general maintenance at the crossings and is paving some of the crossings.

The City of Findlay previously said that it had been in contact with CSX specifically to repair the 6^th Street, 2nd Street, and Bigelow Avenue crossings, with that work to happen in June.

The Hancock Historical Museum will host its monthly Brown Bag Lecture on Thursday, June 1st at noon.

Cincinnati-based artist, Dr. Robert Kroeger, will give a painting demonstration and speak about his most recent book, Round Barns of America. Books will be available to be purchased and signed.

While staying at a bed and breakfast in Licking County, Ohio, in the early 2000s, a deteriorating barn captivated the eye of artist and retired dentist, Robert Kroeger. This first barn would ignite Kroeger’s “Ohio Barn Project,” which has taken the artist to all of Ohio’s 88 counties to paint, research, and write about historic barns.

In nearly every county, Dr. Kroeger has donated the proceeds from the sale of his paintings to a local historical organization. A collection of Kroeger’s essays and paintings from every Ohio county was compiled in Historic Barns of Ohio, published in 2021.

More recently, Dr. Kroeger’s interest in historic barns has taken him outside the boundaries of Ohio to paint and document rare round barns across the country. In his new book, Round Barns of America, Kroeger shares the stories and paintings of 75 round barns that represent a cross-section of American pioneers, dating from years before the American Revolution to the glory decades of round barn construction—1870s to 1920s.

Thursday’s lecture is free for museum members, and $3 for nonmembers.

For more information, call the Hancock Historical Museum at 419-423-4433, or visit hancockhistoricalmuseum.org.