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

📰 Local News: 📰 Mentor Seeks Bids for Nearly $1 Million Wildwood Cultural Center Project

👮🏻‍♂️ Mentor Police Department Welcomes Six New Patrol Officers

📰 Mentor to Auction Water Barrel Wonders Beginning Aug. 26

🛣️ Sunday Drives by Next Stop: One Sunday, Two Very Different Escapes

⚾ Sports: ⚾ Guardians Earn 10,000th Franchise Win With Victory

⚾ Captains Rally Falls One Run Short in 6-5 Loss to Dayton

🏈 Watson Shows Progress as Browns Open Preseason With Loss in Chicago

🤔 Trivia Question

🤣 Something Funny

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

A significant new investment is moving closer to construction at Mentor’s Wildwood Cultural Center.

The City of Mentor is seeking bids for a project with an estimated $995,500 base construction cost. During the 2026 State of the City address, City Manager Kenneth J. Filipiak described plans for an addition to the north end of Wildwood’s main building, calling it an approximately $1 million improvement.

The project represents another substantial city investment in a facility used for arts programming, classes, weddings, community events and other activities.

The city’s legal notice does not spell out what the addition described by city officials will contain or how the new space will be used. Detailed construction plans and specifications are being distributed separately through the project’s plan room.

Contractors interested in the project must attend a mandatory pre-bid meeting at Wildwood, 7645 Little Mountain Road, at 10 a.m. Friday, August 21. Bids are due by 10:30 a.m. September 4.

The city’s $995,500 figure is an estimate for base-bid construction, not a final contract price. Once the city issues a Notice to Proceed, the selected contractor will have 220 days to complete the work.

👉🏻 We took a closer look at what the nearly $1 million estimate means, what city officials have said about the planned addition, what remains unknown and what happens next as the Wildwood project moves toward construction.

The Mentor Police Department has welcomed six new patrol officers to its ranks.

The department announced the additions in a Facebook post, congratulating Ptl. Shelby Salatin, Ptl. Jeffrey Cochran, Ptl. Gabrielle Hornung, Ptl. Jason Hosey, Ptl. Vincent Iaboni and Ptl. Mervin Williams.

All six are beginning a new chapter in their law enforcement careers with the Mentor Police Department.

The announcement gives residents an introduction to some of the department’s newest members as they begin serving the community. Mentor Police said it looks forward to seeing the positive impact the officers will make and wished each of them safe, successful and rewarding careers.

The department did not provide additional details about the officers’ backgrounds, assignments or training timelines in its announcement.

For now, the focus is simply on welcoming six new officers who will be serving the Mentor community.

See Facebook Post from Mentor Police Department

Those colorful rain barrels that have been popping up around Mentor this summer are about to get new owners.

The City of Mentor will auction its Water Barrel Wonders through the Public Surplus website beginning at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 26. The online auction runs through Sept. 9, with 12 decorated rain barrels listed for sale under the City of Mentor.

Water Barrel Wonders was created as more than a public art display. The city and Mentor Community Arts Commission invited artists to turn functional rain barrels into original works of art while drawing attention to water conservation and reducing runoff into Lake Erie. The finished barrels were displayed around Mentor from June through August as part of a citywide scavenger hunt.

Interested buyers can inspect the barrels at their respective Mentor locations between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. by scheduling an appointment through the contact information provided with each auction listing. The city is selling all items as is, without warranties.

Opening bids, payment requirements and pickup details are not included in the city's public notice, so bidders should review each Public Surplus listing carefully once the auction begins.

👉🏻 Want to know the story behind the Water Barrel Wonders—and what to check before bidding? We have the details, including how the project combined local art with Lake Erie conservation and what prospective buyers should know.

Spend the morning among waterfalls, woods and the winding Cuyahoga River. Then trade trail time for lunch, shops and a walk through historic Hudson. The contrast is what makes the day feel like a getaway.

Some Sunday drives work because one destination gives you everything.

This one works because Cuyahoga Valley National Park and Hudson give you two completely different experiences in the same day.

Start in the park, where the Cuyahoga River winds through forests, wetlands and rolling terrain between Cleveland and Akron. The park offers an extensive trail network, including portions of the nearly level Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail, so a rewarding morning does not have to mean a strenuous hike.

Choose one experience and give it time.

Walk a short stretch of the Towpath. Make a waterfall or scenic area the morning’s destination. Or begin at Boston Mill Visitor Center, where maps and park information can help you decide what fits the day.

Then change the mood entirely.

Head to Hudson, where downtown offers more than 100 shops and restaurants, along with historic walking-tour options and a compact area made for browsing rather than rushing.

If the morning ran long, that is fine. Hudson does not require a checklist; even lunch and a short walk can provide the change of pace that makes the pairing work.

Have lunch. Walk Main Street. Browse a bookstore or shop that catches your attention. Get coffee if nobody is ready to leave.

That is the advantage of this pairing.

Cuyahoga Valley gives you woods, water and movement.

Hudson gives you sidewalks, storefronts and somewhere comfortable to slow down afterward.

You do not need three trails before noon or an afternoon packed with stops.

Pick one memorable outdoor experience. Give Hudson enough time to wander. Then head home while the day still feels easy.

A nearby trip does not have to feel small.

Sometimes it just needs two places that make the same Sunday feel completely different.

👉🏻 Ready to plan the day? The full Next Stop guide shows how to build a relaxed Cuyahoga Valley-to-Hudson Sunday, with easier outdoor options, a simple morning-to-evening itinerary, smart ways to avoid overplanning and the Hudson stops that make the second half of the trip worth staying for.

The Guardians reached a major franchise milestone Saturday night, beating the San Diego Padres 6-1 for the 10,000th win in team history.

Joey Cantillo delivered six strong innings, allowing just one hit before Colin Holderman, Hunter Gaddis and Erik Sabrowski finished the one-hitter. Cleveland became the third American League franchise to reach 10,000 victories, joining the Yankees and Red Sox.

José Ramírez also provided a positive sign in his return from hand surgery. He recorded his first extra-base hit since the procedure and added a sacrifice fly as Cleveland built a 4-1 lead in the fifth. Steven Kwan contributed an RBI double and later scored on a seventh-inning play that included two San Diego errors.

The timing mattered for Cleveland. The Guardians had lost eight of 11 since the trade deadline and were slipping in the American League playoff race.

Cleveland will look to finish the series with another win Sunday, when Tanner Bibee is scheduled to face Casey Mize.

See Highlights at espn.com

The Lake County Captains nearly erased a five-run second-inning deficit Saturday, but their comeback stopped one run short in a 6-5 loss to the Dayton Dragons.

Dayton did nearly all of its early damage in the second. Eric Becker was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force home the first run, then Justin Lebron followed with a grand slam to left-center that quickly put Lake County in a 5-0 hole.

The Captains answered with a run in the bottom of the inning when Juan Benjamin singled home Riley Nelson, but Dayton added another in the fifth to make it 6-1.

From there, Lake County took control of the momentum.

Jose Pirela drove in two runs in the sixth, Garrett Howe scored on a wild pitch in the seventh and Nelson singled home Welbyn Francisca in the eighth to pull the Captains within 6-5.

The bullpen gave Lake County every chance to finish the rally, holding Dayton scoreless after the fifth inning. Starter Will McCausland took the loss after allowing six runs on eight hits over five innings.

Lake County fell to 22-24 in the second half and now sits 5½ games back.

The Captains continue the series Sunday with 2016 AL Champions Night and Family Fun Sunday, featuring pregame catch on the field, player autographs and postgame kids run the bases.

👉🏻 Lake County made it a game after falling behind 5-0 — head to the website for a closer look at how the bullpen fueled the comeback, where the Captains stand now and why Sunday’s game matters.

Deshaun Watson’s return and Cleveland’s quarterback competition were the biggest takeaways Saturday, even as the Browns fell 34-10 to the Bears in their preseason opener.

Watson led Cleveland on two scoring drives in the first half and finished 11-of-15 for 126 yards in his first game action since October 2024. The Browns built a 10-0 lead before Chicago took control, while Watson also lost a fumble on a second-quarter sack.

Rookie wide receiver KC Concepcion scored Cleveland’s only touchdown on a 14-yard run and added three catches for 27 yards.

Shedeur Sanders took over in the third quarter and finished 6-of-11 for 79 yards, including a fourth-quarter interception.

Next week should offer a clearer comparison. Coach Todd Monken plans to start Sanders against Buffalo, with Watson opening the second half, as Cleveland continues evaluating both quarterbacks before making a decision on the starting job.

See highlights at espn.com

🐝 Buzz Fact: National parks can be so vast that a “short scenic drive” sometimes lasts long enough for everyone in the car to develop strong opinions about the playlist.
Answer: Google

When the neighbor stops by unexpectedly…