In this Issue of: Mentor Local Buzz 🐝

☀️ Weather: Mostly Sunny - Temps 66-70

 📢 Local Events from Mentor & the Area: MentorLocalBuzz.com/Events!

 📰 Local News: 🎉Fairport’s Downtown Comes Alive for First-Ever Spring Festival

🚍 Lake County Expands Free Transit for Seniors, Adds New Destinations

🏘️ A New Chapter for Van Gorder Manor: Hospitality with Heart in Willoughby

 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Food & Recipes: 🥗 Bold Flavors Meet Fresh Ingredients in This BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad

 🥘Spring into Brunch: Blueberry French Toast Casserole Brightens Mornings

⚾ Sports: 🥎 Mentor Girls End Riverside's 18-Game Win Streak in Senior Day Statement Victory

⚾ Guardians Power Past Phillies with 6-0 Shutout in Homestand Opener

 🏀 Cavaliers Roar Back in Game 3, Dominate Pacers to Stay Alive in Series

⚾ Mentor Baseball Tops University School, Improves to 14-4

 🤔 Trivia Question

 🤣 Something Funny

 📢 Advertise With Us! 

Contact Mentor Local Buzz - [email protected] - 440-256-6115

👉 Events in Mentor & the Area! Visit MentorLocalBuzz.com/Events
Featured Event for May 10

See All the Events
MentorLocalEvents.com/Events

🎉 Fairport’s Downtown Comes Alive for First-Ever Spring Festival Today

The Finnish Heritage Museum is launching a brand-new community event in Fairport Harbor Village—Vappu: Fairport Harbor Spring Festival, inspired by Finland’s national May Day celebration. Set for Saturday, May 10 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., the downtown Fairport Harbor event will combine food, music, art, and community recognition in a day-long celebration of spring and local pride.

At the heart of the festival is a tribute to the Fairport Harding High School Class of 2025. In keeping with Finnish tradition—where Vappu honors students completing secondary school—the local version will celebrate graduating seniors with gifts provided by local businesses. Harding seniors can check in at the Finnish Heritage Museum (301 High St.) to receive a Vappu cinch bag and begin collecting gifts from participating shops and restaurants throughout the village.

In addition to honoring graduates, the festival will offer entertainment and activities for all ages, centered around Finn Hollow Park, next to the museum. Scheduled highlights include:

• 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.: Live performances in Finn Hollow Park

• 1 – 5 p.m.: Open mic and talent show (sign-up at the museum welcome table)

• 1 – 5 p.m.: Climb to the top of the Fairport Harbor lighthouse, free for all Fairport Harbor Schools students

• 5 – 7 p.m.: Dance party at Lyric Bistro (225 High St.) with DJ Tillavision

Throughout the day, festivalgoers can enjoy face painting, canvas painting, mini golf, cornhole, and arcade games. A variety of food trucks will be serving up breakfast items, fat rolls (cheesy pepperoni rolls), smashburgers, and specialty hot dogs.

Festival maps and details will be available at the Finnish Heritage Museum’s welcome table, which also serves as the central hub for activities, information, and Harding senior check-ins.

Vappu: Fairport Harbor Spring Festival marks a unique blending of cultural heritage and local community spirit, creating a vibrant new spring tradition for residents and visitors alike. See the Event Flyer Here.

🚍 Lake County Expands Free Transit for Seniors, Adds New Destinations

Lake County and Laketran have expanded their Seniors on the Go partnership to offer free dial-a-ride transportation for residents 60 and older. Now covering destinations like grocery stores, pharmacies, parks, fitness centers, and more, the program is designed to combat social isolation and support independent living. Originally launched in 2019, the service continues to be funded by the Senior Services Levy and will replace the Lake County Mobile Food Pantry by offering free rides to 40 food pantry locations. Seniors can schedule trips by phone or online.

Read More at masstransitmag.com

🏘️ A New Chapter for Van Gorder Manor: Hospitality with Heart in Willoughby

Van Gorder Manor, a historic stone estate in Downtown Willoughby, has been revived after a decade of vacancy. Originally a private home, then a medical center and assisted-living facility, the building is now home to Willoughby House, a luxury inn, and Julia’s 1902, a fine-dining restaurant. Owners Mike and Marcia Neundorfer led a two-year restoration that preserved its architectural charm and earned the property a place on the National Register of Historic Places.

Located at 37819 Euclid Ave., Willoughby House features ten elegant guest suites across the main house and a nearby carriage house. Guests enjoy continental breakfast and a 15% discount at Julia’s 1902. The restaurant, led by Chef Jose Coronado and managed by his wife Anna Cutaia, offers globally inspired dishes with bold, creative ingredients. A cozy bar hosts a popular happy hour and small plates Tuesdays.

Staff at both the inn and restaurant benefit from a living wage, health insurance, paid time off, and profit sharing. The Neundorfers maintain a hands-on approach, combining hospitality, history, and community in a unique and thriving destination.

Link to the Van Corder Manor

🥗 Bold Flavors Meet Fresh Ingredients in This BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad

A summer-ready BBQ chicken chopped salad combines grilled chicken, sweet corn, black beans, cheddar, and fresh veggies, all tossed in barbecue sauce and finished with a tangy honey mustard vinaigrette for a vibrant and flavorful meal.

Mother’s Day Brunch anyone? Check out the full recipe here at howsweeteats.com.

🥘Spring into Brunch: Blueberry French Toast Casserole Brightens Holiday Mornings

This spring-ready overnight French toast casserole adds a fruity twist with blueberries, or any berries of your choice, for a flavorful, make-ahead holiday breakfast.

Whether you're hosting a brunch or simply treating yourself, this dish is a delicious celebration of spring’s berry bounty.

See the full recipe here at delish.com

🥎 Mentor Girls End Riverside's 18-Game Win Streak in Senior Day Statement Victory

Mentor softball delivered a statement victory on May 9, ending Riverside’s 18-game winning streak with a 6-3 triumph on the Cardinals’ Senior Day. The win marked Mentor’s 12th straight and solidified their rise in the rankings by knocking off the state’s third-ranked Division II team, just days after defeating No. 2 Gilmour.

Down 2-0 and struggling at the plate with eight strikeouts in the first three innings, Mentor’s offense erupted in the fourth. Senior Maddie Menough sparked the comeback with an RBI triple. Chy Harville and Aubree Colon followed with back-to-back doubles, giving the Cardinals a 3-2 lead and igniting the home crowd.

In the fifth, Ireland Rainey added to the momentum with a solo home run to left-center, extending the lead to 4-2. Menough struck again in the sixth with a leadoff homer, followed by a triple from Maddie Beam-Jones, who scored on a sacrifice fly by Colon to make it 6-2.

Senior pitcher Maggie Haydu kept the high-powered Riverside offense in check, allowing only one earned run while striking out four. Riverside mounted a brief rally in the seventh behind doubles from Clara Granchi and Maddi Proud, trimming the deficit to 6-3. But Colon secured the final out in left field to close the game.

Riverside's earlier runs came from an RBI groundout by Becca Tornow and an RBI double by Olivia Powell. Despite the loss, Riverside looks to rebound quickly, while Mentor continues to build momentum with its blend of veteran leadership and timely hitting.

⚾ Guardians Power Past Phillies with 6-0 Shutout in Homestand Opener

The Cleveland Guardians kicked off their homestand in dominant fashion Friday night, shutting out the Philadelphia Phillies 6-0 behind a trio of home runs and a strong pitching performance.

Cleveland’s offense came alive with homers from José Ramírez, Kyle Manzardo, and Angel Martínez. Manzardo opened the scoring with a solo blast in the fourth inning, followed by Martínez’s two-run shot in the fifth off Phillies starter Aaron Nola, who fell to 1-6 on the season. Ramírez capped the night with a solo homer in the seventh, driving a hanging curveball into the right-field stands.

The Guardians didn’t just rely on the long ball—Daniel Schneemann and Carlos Santana each added RBI hits to contribute to the six-run effort.

On the mound, starter Gavin Williams struck out eight across five scoreless innings, supported by three relievers who closed out the combined shutout. The Guardians improved their record with a third straight win and now have victories in five of their last six games.

Philadelphia’s offense faltered, going 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and ending their own three-game winning streak.

Cleveland will send Tanner Bibee (3-2, 4.26 ERA) to the mound Saturday, while Philadelphia counters with Ranger Suárez (0-0, 17.18 ERA) in his second start of the season.

🏀 Cavaliers Roar Back in Game 3, Dominate Pacers to Stay Alive in Series

The Cleveland Cavaliers responded forcefully in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, earning a 126-104 win over the Indiana Pacers to cut the series deficit to 2-1. After two disappointing losses, Cleveland found its rhythm with the return of Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, and De'Andre Hunter, all of whom missed Game 2 due to injury.

Their return sparked an 11-0 opening run that set the tone inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Donovan Mitchell led the charge with 43 points, his second straight 40-point effort, while adding nine rebounds and five assists.

With Mobley and Jarrett Allen dominating the paint, Cleveland built a commanding edge in rebounding (58-34) and points in the paint (48-32). Mobley finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds, while Allen added 19 points and 12 boards.

Indiana struggled to respond, particularly point guard Tyrese Haliburton, who was held to just four points and failed to make an impact after a strong Game 2.

The pivotal Game 4 is set for Sunday, with Cleveland looking to even the series.

Read the Full Article at sports.yahoo.com

⚾ Mentor Baseball Tops University School, Improves to 14-4

The Mentor Cardinals boys varsity baseball team earned a 4-1 road victory over University School in a non-conference game on Friday in Hunting Valley, improving their record to 14-4.

Mentor struck early with two runs in the third inning. The Preppers answered with a run in the bottom of the inning, but the Cardinals added insurance runs in the fifth and sixth to secure the win.

Dom Luvison led the way on the mound, pitching five strong innings and allowing just four hits and one run. Tyler Black entered in relief, delivering two scoreless innings and giving up only one hit to earn the save.

Offensively, Mentor got key contributions from Austin VanHuss, Timmy Pozsgai, and Tyson Cendrowski, each of whom had two hits. VanHuss and Cendrowski added doubles, while Jake McCartney chipped in a solo home run, going 1-for-4 on the day.

With efficient pitching, timely hitting, and solid defense, the Cardinals maintained control throughout and now look ahead to a May 12 matchup at North.

Source: Google

🤣 Something Funny 🤣

Animals at play! Wow.