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

📰 Local News: 🎈 Food, Music and Family Fun at St. John Vianney Festival

💙 Young Mentor Resident Brightens Officers' Day with Summer Treats

📰 Lake County Needs Men to Become Phone Pal Volunteers

🎶 Event Spotlight: 🎷 Tunes at the Lagoons Continues Tonight with Doobie Brothers Tribute

📰 Business Spotlight: 📢 A New Steward for a 66-Year NE Ohio Business Legacy

⚾ Sports: ⚾ Three Homers Power Guardians Past Twins

⚾ Four Homers Power Captains Past Lansing in Wild Finish

🤔 Trivia Question

🤣 Something Funny

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

The St. John Vianney Parish Summer Festival returns to Mentor from Friday, July 10, through Sunday, July 12, offering three days of food, live music, games, raffles and family activities.

The festival will take place at St. John Vianney Parish, 7575 Bellflower Road. Hours are 6 to 11 p.m. Friday, 5 to 11 p.m. Saturday and 3 to 9 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free. Free parking will be available at Lake Catholic High School, with Laketran shuttle service during festival hours.

Food options include pavilion favorites, fast food, Sweet Street, bakery items, funnel cakes, lemonade, beer and wine. Families can enjoy midway and sports games, a train, slide and pirate ship. Tickets or wristbands are required for some children’s activities.

Friday’s entertainment features Pieces of Eight and Soubirous Priest Band. Saturday includes BIG IN JAPAN, Three-n-Easy and Post Road Country. Sunday features Funkology, Ace Molar, Dueling Pianos, Mad Town Jazz and Jungle Terry.

Sunday is Family Fun Day, with character visits, face painting and discounted wristbands. Adults 21 and older can also visit the air-conditioned Monte Carlo area.

👉🏻 From food and games to live music and family-friendly fun, the St. John Vianney Festival has a full weekend planned — see the schedule, highlights and what to know before you go in the full story.

A simple act of kindness brought plenty of smiles to the Mentor Police Department as a young community member stopped by with a cool surprise.

Brayden, accompanied by his mother, visited the department to deliver refreshing popsicles to officers working during the summer heat. The thoughtful visit was warmly received, offering both a welcome treat and a meaningful reminder of the strong connection between the police department and the community it serves.

Department officials expressed their appreciation for Brayden's generosity, noting that gestures like his help boost morale and demonstrate the continued support officers receive from local residents.

The Mentor Police Department thanked Brayden for his kindness and wished him a fun and memorable summer.

Lake County is looking for male volunteers willing to make regular phone calls to older men who may be feeling lonely or socially isolated.

The Phone Pal program matches volunteers age 55 and older with Lake County residents age 60 and older for scheduled conversations. Participants and volunteers can share stories, talk about common interests and build a friendship over time.

County officials say male volunteers are especially needed so more men waiting for companionship can be paired with an appropriate Phone Pal.

Volunteers do not need to travel or visit someone’s home. Calls can be made from home at an agreed-upon time, making the program an accessible option for residents who want to help but cannot commit to a traditional volunteer assignment.

The Lake County Volunteer Network screens volunteers and works to create compatible matches. The program also uses a special calling system, allowing participants and volunteers to connect without exchanging personal phone numbers.

Men interested in volunteering can complete the Phone Pal interest form through Lake County’s Senior Services website or call the Lake County Volunteer Network at 440-350-5360.

Adults age 60 and older can also apply to receive calls or be referred by a family member, friend or organization. There is no cost to participate.

👉🏻 Thinking about becoming a Phone Pal? Read more about the time commitment, matching process and privacy safeguards before signing up.

Mentor’s Tunes at the Lagoons concert series continues tonight, Friday, July 10, with China Grove, a Doobie Brothers tribute band, performing from 7 to 9 p.m. at Mentor Lagoons Marina, 8365 Harbor Drive.

China Grove is a nine-piece band featuring horns, percussion and vocals, performing live-style versions of classic Doobie Brothers songs inspired by the group’s Live at Wolf Trap, Live at the Beacon Theater and Rockin’ Down the Highway collections.

Admission and parking are free. Field seating only, so guests should bring a lawn chair or blanket. Accessible parking is available, and parking attendants will be on site to help direct traffic.

Food trucks and beverage tents open at 6 p.m. A selection of beers and sparkling beverages will be available for guests 21 and older. Beverage tents accept cash, major credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay and Venmo.

Upcoming concerts include Shadow of Doubt, a Tom Petty tribute, on July 24; One, a U2 tribute, on Aug. 7; and Pieces of Eight on Aug. 21.

For more than six decades, Mentor Office Furniture has quietly helped shape the workplaces of Northeast Ohio. From small businesses opening their first office to established companies redesigning their work environments, the Mentor-based company has been a trusted resource since 1960. Now, the business is entering a new chapter.

Mentor Office Furniture recently announced an ownership transition as longtime owner Ron Fitchko officially passed the business to local entrepreneur Steve Morano, ensuring the company remains locally owned and focused on serving the region's business community.

The transition marks more than a change in leadership. It represents the continuation of a legacy built on relationships, personalized service and a commitment to helping organizations create productive, professional workspaces.

“Mentor Office Furniture has been a respected local business for generations, and I'm honored to carry that legacy forward,” Morano said. “Our goal is to preserve the trusted service customers have come to expect while bringing fresh energy, updated ideas and expanded solutions for today's workplaces.”

While ownership has changed, customers will continue to see a familiar face. Fitchko remains active in the company's sales department and has no immediate plans to retire, helping ensure continuity for longtime clients and relationships built over the years.

Another advantage for customers is Mentor Office Furniture's location on Mentor Avenue, next door to Calvetta Brothers Floor Show. Together, the neighboring businesses provide a convenient destination for commercial office furniture and commercial flooring solutions.

As the company begins its next era, one thing remains unchanged: a commitment to serving businesses throughout Greater Cleveland and Northeast Ohio from its Mentor showroom.

Gavin Williams struck out 11 over seven strong innings Thursday as the Cleveland Guardians beat the Minnesota Twins 5-2 in Minneapolis to avoid a three-game sweep.

Williams improved to 10-4, tying Boston’s Sonny Gray for the American League lead in wins. He allowed two runs on three hits and one walk while earning his first victory since June 3.

Cleveland received home runs from Gabriel Arias, Chase DeLauter and Patrick Bailey, while Brayan Rocchio delivered a key two-run double.

Williams retired the first 13 Twins batters, eight by strikeout, before Royce Lewis singled in the fifth. Minnesota loaded the bases and tied the game on Tristan Gray’s RBI single, but Williams escaped further damage.

DeLauter put Cleveland ahead 2-1 with a solo homer in the sixth, and Rocchio extended the lead with a two-run double in the seventh.

Lewis homered in the bottom half, but Hunter Gaddis pitched a scoreless eighth and Cade Smith earned his 27th save. Bailey added a ninth-inning homer.

See Highlights at espn.com

The Lake County Captains launched four home runs and scored five times in the first inning before holding off a late Lansing rally for an 8-7 victory Thursday evening in Eastlake.

Lansing opened the scoring on Jared Sprague-Lott’s solo homer, but Lake County quickly responded. Aaron Walton tied the game with an RBI double, Jace LaViolette followed with a two-run homer and Nolan Schubart added a solo shot. Garrett Howe’s RBI single completed the five-run inning.

The Captains extended their lead to 7-1 in the third on Esteban González’s homer and Logun Clark’s RBI single. Ryan Cesarini added a solo home run in the fifth for an 8-2 advantage.

Starter Michael Kennedy improved to 9-3, allowing two runs on five hits over five innings with four strikeouts and one walk.

Lansing scored five runs against the Captains’ bullpen, including two on Myles Naylor’s ninth-inning homer. Jogly García recorded the final outs for his second save.

Lake County improved to 11-6 in the second half and remained two games out of first place. The series continues Friday in Eastlake.

See the boxscore and more here

🐝 Buzz Fact: Before smartphones, Americans still found plenty of ways to stand in long lines, eat questionable food, and call it the best day ever.
Answer: Google

It’s the season for extra little family helpers… 😄