Monday, January 11, 2010
Get Active: Winter in Lorain County
We’re all resolving to be more active in 2010, so why not have fun while getting fit? Here are a few winter activities in Lorain County, North Central Ohio to help you get out and get moving.
Sledding: not just for kids. You’d be surprised how many calories you burn sled riding! After polling the locals, we’ve determined these are some of the best Lorain County sledding hills:
Vermilion River Reservation,
Carlisle Reservation in LaGrange,
Cascade Park in Elyria, behind Philips Gym in Oberlin, behind Golden Acres Nursing Home in Amherst and South Central Park in
North Ridgeville. (If we missed your favorite spot, comment below & let us know.)
Cross-country skiing and snow-shoeing is another rewarding activity. Fresh air, beautiful scenery and toned legs, what more could you ask for? Cross-country skiing and snow-shoeing is allowed in all
Lorain County Metro Parks, even at Forest Hills Golf Club (when snow exceeds a 3” depth.)
The LCMP offers snow-shoe hikes throughout the winter season (they even provide the snow-shoes, so there’s no excuse!) Findley State Park in Wellington is another favorite winter locale for cross-country skiing and snow-shoeing. Findley may not provide the snow-shoes or skis, but it’s well worth the investment to experience this park in the wintertime. Try
Molnar Outdoor in Elyria to purchase snow-shoes; they carry a selection of Redfeather, a nice, lightweight version.
Both Findley State Park and the Lorain County Metro Parks offer a variety of
winter hiking programs for adults and children. How about a Winter Tree I.D. Hike, Mid-Winter’s Eve Hike, or a Hot Chocolate Hike? Here’s a list of the Metro Park’s
upcoming programs. The 30th Annual Winter Hike at Findley is Feb. 6th at 10 am; includes 10k, 5k and interpretive lead hikes. According to the folks at Findley, the best part of the hike is the bean soup afterwards!
Buckeye Winter Hike, photo courtesy of Findley State Park
Of course, there are plenty of indoor activities in Lorain County to get your blood flowing. Show off your figure 8s while ice skating at North Park Complex Ice Arena in Elyria or give the Wii a rest and experience real bowling at Rebman Recreation; they have electronic scoring (no thinking necessary) and bumper rails for the kiddies.
Splash Zone in Oberlin added to their already impressive facility, another pool and a Field House with a three-lane rubberized walking track and four volleyball/basketball courts. Sign up for league play or any of Splash Zone’s land and water fitness classes.
Send us your active Lorain County photo; we’d love to see you and your family out & about, enjoying Lorain County. Send photos along with a description and name of photographer to visitors@visitloraincounty.com. Who knows, you may see your photo featured in an upcoming blog entry!
For other ideas on staying active in Lorain County, check out http://www.backroadsandbeachesohio.com/ and http://www.visitloraincounty.com/.
Labels: bowling, cross country skiing, Findley State Park, gym, Lorain County Airport, Lorain County Metro Parks, Ohio, skating, sledding, winter
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
May Flowers in Lorain County
April showers bring May flowers! Thanks to the warm weather we've been having in north central Ohio, flowers and trees are blooming much faster and lasting longer. It's a beautiful time of year to visit Lorain County!
Lakeview Beach by Lynne Lisner, Visit Lorain County
May also brings many opportunities throughout Lorain County to get excited about flowers, gardening and Spring:
Tulip Garden at Lakeview Park, Lorain. As of May 6, the tulips are still in bloom. Click on the photo below to learn how this beautiful garden was recently discovered.
Lakeview Park Tulip Garden by Rona Proudfoot
Oberlin's Farmers Market, Saturdays, beginning in May, 9am-1pm. Fresh flowers and locally grown and prepared foods.
Oberlin Farmers Market by Barb Bickel, Visit Lorain County
Gazebo Garden Walk, Howk Memorial Park, Wellington, May 9, 10am-4pm. 
Stroll through displays of unique antiques and gardening items from some of the area’s finest crafters and vendors.
Growers, Gardens, and Homes Tour, North Ridgeville, May 16. Visit North Ridgeville's finest home builders, home related retailers, and horticultural growers during this free, self guided 18th annual tour.
Growing Arts Tour/Spring Open House, Don Mould's Plantation, Amherst & North Ridgeville, May 16, 9am-5pm. Fun, informative day with sales reps and industry specialists, special sales, and drawings.
Music, Flowers & a Sunset, downtown Vermilion, beginning May 21, every third Thursday, 5:30-9pm. Free musical entertainment with over 12 bands scattered throughout Harbour Town. Lots of flowers to enjoy, artwork to browse, and a stunning sunset over Lake Erie.
Third Thursdays, photo courtesy of Main Street Vermilion.
For additional event listings from Visit Lorain County, visit
http://www.visitloraincounty.com/ or call 1.800.334.1673 to request a printed events calendar.
Labels: flowers, gardening, Lorain County Airport, Lorain County Visitors Bureau, May, Ohio, roses, spring, Visit Lorain County
Thursday, March 5, 2009
March Performances in Lorain County
From hilarious improv comedy, to a world-class German opera, to a Broadway production...I'm not talking about New York or Chicago; I'm talking about Lorain County, North Central Ohio! That's right, Lorain County, home to the world renowned Oberlin Conservatory and many beautiful performance venues, has its fair share of extraordinary performances. Here's a sampling of what March has to offer.
Mar 6First Friday Improv, First Church Fellowship Hall, Oberlin, 7pm. Entertainment by
The Mad Factory’s talented improvisational troupe.
Mar 6–8, 12–15I Do! I Do!,
French Creek Nature Center, Sheffield Village, 7:30pm, Sun 3pm. Romantic musical about the ups and downs of 50 years of marriage.
Mar 5–7 A Grand Night For Singing, The Olde Towne Hall Theatre, N. Ridgeville, 8pm, Sun 3pm. Musical revue with more than 30 Rodgers and Hammerstein songs.
Mar 10 Artist Recital Series, Finney Chapel,
Oberlin College, 8pm. Apollo’s Fire performs Vivaldi’s Oboe Concerto in D minor. Join Apollo’s Fire, the Cleveland baroque orchestra, for a trip back in time to 18th-century Venice.
Photo: Apollo's Fire by Sally Brown, courtesy of Oberlin CollegeMar 11, 13–15 The Magic Flute, Hall Auditorium,
Oberlin College, 8pm, Sun 2pm. With a lovable cast of characters and some of the most sublime music ever written for the stage, The Magic Flute is Mozart’s brilliant final opera, often hailed as among his greatest achievements. Sung in English.
Mar 16 The Drowsy Chaperone,
Stocker Arts Center, Elyria, 7:30pm. A musical comedy filled with tons of laughs and screwball antics. Take a journey to glamorous 1928 and the hilarious tale of a celebrity bride and her uproarious wedding day. The Drowsy Chaperone has the most 2006 Tony Awards of any musical on Broadway.
Photo courtesy of Stocker Arts CenterMar 21 Oberlin Choristers Lorain County Children’s Honors Choir, Stocker Arts Center, Elyria, 3pm. Children’s choir concert featuring 160 children from 20 schools.
Mar 26 Charlotte Blake Alston,
Stocker Arts Center, Elyria, 7:30pm. A Philadelphia-based storyteller, she breathes life into traditional and contemporary stories from the African and African American oral and cultural traditions. She often enhances her performances with traditional instruments such as djembe, berimbau, nkoning, mbira and the 21-stringed kora.
Photo courtesy of Stocker Arts Center
Mar 28 Sweet Adelines International’s Lake Ridge Chorus Dinner Show and Silent Auction, Elyria, 6pm. Award-winning a cappella show chorus.
For additional events, check out the Visit Lorain County Calendar of Events, or call 1-800-334-1673 to request a printed version.Labels: Lorain County Airport, Lorain Ohio, Oberlin Conservatory, performing arts, Stocker Arts Center, Visit Lorain County
Friday, November 7, 2008
Lorain County's Farmers Markets
Lorain County is known for its agriculture; so naturally, we have some excellent farmer's markets.
A recent trip to Spiegelberg Orchards in Lorain yielded fresh produce and a variety of apples including caramel apples.
For some reason, the apples always taste better from local orchards than from the grocery store. Maybe it’s because the apples are fresher and because you know it’s good for our local economy--buying directly from family farmers helps them stay in business.
In addition to apples, Spiegelberg Orchards features maple syrup, grapes and other fresh produce. They are located at 6161 Middle Ridge Road, Lorain, OH 44053.
For a listing of additional Lorain County farmers’ markets, gardens and orchards, visit the Lorain County Visitors Bureau website.
Labels: farmers market, fresh, Lorain, Lorain County Airport, Lorain County Visitors Bureau, Lorain Ohio, orchards
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Meet the Commemorative Air Force - Cleveland Wing
The Commemorative Air Force - Cleveland Wing graciously donated to the Lorain County Visitors Bureau an opportunity to ride in their World War II SNJ-4 trainer aircraft, known as the “Texan”. They wanted us to experience the thrill and excitement for ourselves so we could better promote them as a LCVB member. Well, we are definitely doing what we can to promote the Commemorative Air Force - Cleveland Wing and their flight experience package, but we thought our hardworking friends at the Lorain Coast Guard Station deserved the free ride instead. (OK, truth is, I get queasy just riding in a car!) But I did go to the Lorain County Airport to watch in person. 
Pilot Richard Whelan of the Commemorative Air Force-Cleveland Wing, Mike Yokubaitus from USCG Station Lorain, and Lynne Lisner of the Lorain County Visitors Bureau. Not only did I get to see the Texan aircraft up close, but they had quite a few unique items in their gallery. 
Commemorative Air Force - Cleveland Wing hangar at the Lorain County Airport.
I would like to introduce to you a few gentlemen I had a chance to meet while visiting the hangar.
CAF members Tom Muller, Pilot Richard Whelan, and Robert Koran, CAF Finance Officer/Photographer.
They are all part of this organization that preserves and presents the heritage of World War II aviation. Membership to the CAF is open to anyone with a sincere interest in the preservation of World War II aircraft; you don’t have to be a pilot or military veteran. The CAF- Cleveland Wing meets once a month at the Lorain County Airport in Elyria and they appear at many regional air shows and events.
You can even schedule them to appear at your own event!
For a tax deductable donation, you can experience a 30 minute flight in this beautifully preserved and well maintained historic military aircraft. If flying is not your thing, what a unique gift this would be! 
Jason Fouse and his family traveled from PA for the Flight Experience. Photo by Bob Koran.
Thanks again to the Commemorative Air Force - Cleveland Wing for showing us one of Lorain County's most exciting and unique attractions!
Labels: Cleveland Wing, Commemorative Air Force, Lorain County Airport, Lorain County Visitors Bureau, Ohio, WWII Airplane
Sledding in Amherst, photo by Holly Miller
