In this Issue of Mentor Local Buzz 🐝

🌨️ Weather: Cloudy with Snow Showers - Temps 31-33

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

 📰 Local News: 📰 Honor a Hero: Mentor’s Banner Program Returns for 2026

🗓️ Weather Delays Trash Pickup in Mentor Until Friday and Saturday

 📰 Laketran Expands Fare Options with Smartcards, Transit Vending Machines

 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Event Spotlight: 🗓️ Kick Off 2026 with Wellness at Mentor’s “New Year, New Energy” Event

 🏀 Sports: ⚾Guardians Set Spring Training Dates, Top Prospects Prepare to Shine

 🤔 Trivia Question

 🤣 Something Funny

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

👉 Events in Mentor & the Area! Visit
MentorLocalBuzz.com/Events
Featured Event for Jan 16

See All the Events
MentorLocalBuzz.com/Events

📰 Honor a Hero: Mentor’s Banner Program Returns for 2026 Season

Mentor’s Hometown Heroes Banner Program Returns for 2026

The City of Mentor invites the community to honor local military members through its 2026 Hometown Heroes Banner Program. Launched in 2017, the program pays tribute to current and former Mentor residents who served in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, or Coast Guard.

Banners featuring each honoree will hang on light posts along Center Street—between I-90 and Mentor Avenue—from Memorial Day through Veterans Day. These double-sided banners, measuring 30 by 60 inches, offer families a special way to recognize a loved one’s service. After the season, banners are returned to sponsors as keepsakes.

Spaces are limited and filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Each sponsorship costs $100 to cover production. Applications are due by April 15, 2026, or sooner if spots fill up. Banners will be available for pickup after November 15, 2026.

Please note: the City cannot replace banners that are lost or damaged due to weather, vandalism, or aging.

To participate or learn more, contact the Public Information Office at (440) 974-5794 or email [email protected].

Download the application packet

🗓️ Weather Delays Trash Pickup in Mentor Until Friday and Saturday

Trash Pickup Delayed in Mentor Due to Weather

Residential trash and recycling pickup in Mentor has been delayed due to weather conditions. Waste Management has canceled curbside collection for Thursday, January 15, 2026.

Residents originally scheduled for Thursday pickup will have their trash and recycling collected on Friday, January 16. Those with regular Friday service will instead be serviced on Saturday, January 17.

The schedule change comes in response to weather-related disruptions. Residents are encouraged to place bins at the curb by 7 a.m. on their adjusted pickup day and to check Waste Management’s website for further updates.

For more details, visit Waste Management’s Mentor location page.

📰 Laketran Expands Fare Options with Smartcards, Transit Vending Machines

Laketran Launches EZfare Smartcards and Transit Vending Machines

Laketran has introduced EZfare smartcards and installed transit vending machines, offering new fare options for riders who prefer cash or don’t use smartphones.

This update continues the agency’s push to make transit more accessible. Since launching the EZfare mobile app in 2019, Laketran has added features like cash loading at over 70 retail locations via VanillaDirect and Tap and Ride, introduced in 2023, which lets users scan a QR code to pay fares from stored funds.

The new EZfare smartcards provide the same Tap and Ride convenience without a smartphone. Riders can store value on the card and tap to board.

To support the rollout, vending machines have been installed at four locations: transit centers in Wickliffe, Painesville, and Lakeland Community College, and the Mentor Park-n-Ride. These machines let customers buy smartcards and load funds or passes using cash. Machines at Lakeland and Painesville are currently in a testing phase.

Smartcards will also be available soon at Laketran Headquarters and online.

The vending machines are expected to eventually replace electronic fareboxes currently on over 40 buses. Officials note the new system reduces maintenance and operating costs while giving riders more flexibility.

For more details, visit www.ezfare.us or www.laketran.com.

🗓️ Kick Off 2026 with Wellness at Mentor’s “New Year, New Energy” Event

Mentor’s Matchworks Building Hosts “New Year, New Energy” Wellness Event

Mentor locals can kick off 2026 with health and inspiration at the “New Year, New Energy Celebration,” happening SUNDAY, January 18 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Matchworks Building, 8500 Station Street in Mentor.

Hosted by Synergy Wellness and 8 Minutes to Wellness, the free event offers a drop-in format across all three floors, featuring complimentary five-minute chair massages, self-care sessions, wellness demos, and healthy recipes.

A wide variety of local vendors will be on-site, including The Itsy Bitsy Veggie Co., Erie Kneads Sourdough, Healing Harmonics, The Olive and the Grape, Rooted and Rising Pilates, Fit 4 Life Physical Therapy, and more—each offering products, promotions, or raffles.

Guests are encouraged to bring donations of hats, mittens, gloves, or cash to support Erie Street Miracles, a nonprofit that will be present to share information about their community work.

The first 100 attendees will receive a free wellness book, and many vendors will offer giveaways to promote healthy, energized living in the new year.

See More Information on their Facebook Event

⚾ Guardians Set Spring Training Dates as Top Prospects Prepare to Shine

Cleveland Guardians Set Spring Training Start Dates, Eyes on Top Prospects

The countdown to Guardians baseball is on, with 2026 Spring Training set to begin in Goodyear, Arizona. Pitchers and catchers report February 12, followed by the first full-squad workout on February 17.

With few offseason moves, especially on long-term signings, the Guardians are leaning into player development. This spring offers a big opportunity for young talent to earn spots on the Opening Day roster.

Top prospects George Valera, CJ Kayfus, Travis Bazzana, Parker Messick, and Khal Stephen are among those expected to get significant Cactus League playing time. Some, like Bazzana and Stephen, are still awaiting their MLB debuts but are inching closer.

Valera, Kayfus, and Chase DeLauter each changed jersey numbers this offseason—often a sign the team sees them as long-term contributors.

Parker Messick impressed late last season and is in the mix for a rotation spot, particularly if the team shifts from a six-man to a five-man setup. Travis Bazzana could break into the infield rotation, especially with questions surrounding Brayan Rocchio’s consistency at the plate.

Bazzana, who missed time in 2025 due to injury, brings a balanced mix of contact, power, and speed. If healthy, he’s expected to become a key piece in the lineup, while Rocchio and Gabriel Arias split time at shortstop or serve in backup roles.

With the roster wide open, this spring will help answer critical questions: Which prospects are ready? Will an under-the-radar name emerge? Can the Guardians rely on their farm system to fill key roles?

Those answers begin to take shape February 12 in Goodyear.

Read More at si.com

Source: Google

🤣 Something Funny 🤣

Future Hall of Famer!