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

📰 Local News: 🚧 Paving Project Targets Garfield Park, Mentor Cemetery and Local Roads

💻 Mentor Library Offering 4 Free Computer Classes at Lake Branch

👻 Poe Party Brings a Spooky Literary Night to Mentor Public Library

🌿 EVERGREEN: Spend More Time on What Gives Something Back

⚾ Sports: 🏈 Cardinals Head to Riverside for Early GCC Test Tonight

🏈 Lake Catholic Hosts Benedictine Tonight in Mentor

🤔 Trivia Question

🤣 Something Funny

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

Mentor residents will see paving work this fall at Garfield Park, Mentor Cemetery and several local roadway sections under a $776,488 project approved by City Council.

Council awarded the 2026 Mentor Facilities Paving Project to Ohio Paving and Construction Company of Willoughby for $776,488.10.

The work covers several familiar locations. Both the upper and lower parking lots at Garfield Park will be resurfaced, while pavement repairs are planned for Dogwood Lane and State Route 306 both north and south of Mentor Avenue.

Mentor Cemetery will receive some of the most extensive improvements. The project calls for five new roadway sections to be built inside the cemetery along with resurfacing of 10 existing cemetery roads.

The winning bid was also notably below the city engineer’s $990,000 construction estimate. Five bids were received, ranging from $776,488.10 to about $1.1 million.

City Engineer Dave Swiger said the SR 306 portion of the project will be performed at night. The work does not require special ODOT contractor certification.

The city expects the overall project to be completed by Nov. 13.

👉🏻 Want a closer look? Click Here: We break down where the work is happening, how the winning bid compares with the city’s estimate and what residents should watch for as paving gets underway.

Mentor Public Library will offer four free computer classes at its Lake Branch in October, giving residents a chance to build everyday skills with email, Microsoft Word and Excel.

The series begins Tuesday, Oct. 6, with Basic Email at 2 p.m. Participants will learn how to send and reply to messages, add attachments, and organize email using labels and archiving.

Excel 1 follows at 6:30 p.m. and covers introductory spreadsheet skills, including worksheets, simple formulas and basic formatting.

Two more classes are scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 7. Word 1 begins at 2 p.m. and will cover creating, opening, saving and formatting documents. Excel 2 starts at 6:30 p.m. and moves into formulas, functions and troubleshooting common spreadsheet errors.

Laptops will be provided for the classes.

All four sessions are free, but registration is required and opens Tuesday, Sept. 22. Residents can register through Mentor Public Library or call the Lake Branch at 440-257-2512.

The Lake Branch is located at 5642 Andrews Road in Mentor-on-the-Lake.

Mentor Public Library is also offering separate technology classes at its Main Branch Sept. 22–24.

👉🏻 Not sure which October class best matches your skill level? Click to read our full guide as it breaks down each class and what to know before registration opens.

Young Edgar Allan Poe fans can celebrate Halloween with a spooky-but-not-too-scary evening at Mentor Public Library’s Main Branch on Tuesday, Oct. 20, from 6:30–7:30 p.m.

The Poe Party is designed for children ages 8–12 and will feature activities inspired by the famous author’s mysterious stories and creepy creatures. Kids are encouraged to come in Halloween costumes, and the library says a special visitor may even make an appearance.

The event will be held in the children’s area at the Main Branch, 8215 Mentor Avenue. No fee is listed, but advance registration is required.

Registration opens at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6.

For families looking for a Halloween activity that is festive without being too scary, this is one of the more distinctive children’s programs on the October calendar.

Register here or call the library

Time has a way of filling itself.

A weekly obligation continues because it always has. An activity stays on the calendar even though the enjoyment has faded. A relationship receives attention mostly because you feel you should keep it going.

None of this necessarily means something is wrong. Responsibilities matter, and worthwhile parts of life are not always easy or enjoyable. Caring for someone, helping family or keeping a commitment can be tiring and still carry tremendous meaning.

But there is value in occasionally asking a different question: What does this give back?

The return does not have to be excitement. A morning walk might offer calm. Volunteering may provide purpose. Lunch with an old friend can bring connection. Gardening might leave you tired but deeply satisfied. Even a difficult responsibility can give something back when it reflects love, loyalty or a value you want to live by.

Then there are commitments that seem to return very little. They remain because of habit, guilt or the assumption that stopping would somehow require a defense.

You do not need to overhaul your life to respond to that realization.

Instead, notice one activity or obligation that consistently feels less worthwhile than the time and energy it requires. Could you do it less often, shorten it, share the responsibility or simply let it go?

Then decide what you would rather make room for.

Perhaps it is an extra afternoon with the grandchildren, more time in the workshop, a regular lunch with someone you enjoy or an hour to read without feeling that you should be doing something else.

The goal is not to optimize every hour.

It is to make sure more of your time is going toward the people, responsibilities and experiences that make life feel like your own.

👉🏻 Some commitments deserve their place even when they are difficult, while others may simply have outlived their usefulness. In this week’s expanded Evergreen, we look at how to tell the difference—and how one small change can make room for something that matters more.

The Mentor Cardinals won't have to travel far for their next road game, but Friday night's trip to Painesville carries some added importance.

Mentor faces Riverside at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18, with both teams entering the matchup 1-0 in Greater Cleveland Conference play. The Cardinals are 3-1 overall, while the Beavers are 2-2, according to MaxPreps.

Both teams opened conference play with convincing wins.

Mentor bounced back from its loss to St. Ignatius with a 63-18 victory over Brunswick. The Cardinals scored 42 points in the first half on their way to their third home victory of the season.

Riverside opened GCC play with a 33-3 victory at Shaker Heights. According to statistics reported by MaxPreps, the Beavers produced 215 rushing yards in the win.

Friday's matchup also has a new dimension this season. Riverside has joined the GCC, turning a familiar Lake County matchup into a conference game.

For Mentor, it's an opportunity to build on last week's offensive performance, earn its first road victory of the season and move to 2-0 in conference play.

Mentor at Riverside
Friday, Sept. 18 | 7 p.m.
Riverside High School, Painesville

👉🏻 What changes now that Riverside is in the GCC? Click here to read our full game preview looks at the new conference matchup, how the teams stack up and three things to watch Friday night.

Friday night football returns to Jerome T. Osborne, Sr. Stadium as the Lake Catholic Cougars welcome the Benedictine Bengals for a 7 p.m. kickoff in Mentor.

Lake Catholic enters at 2-2 after a 14-7 victory over Gilmour Academy last Saturday. The Cougars have played three straight games decided by seven points or fewer, beating Avon Lake 14-13, falling to Buchtel 14-13 and getting back in the win column against Gilmour.

Benedictine arrives at 3-1 with a more productive offense through four games. The Bengals have scored 93 points compared with Lake Catholic's 48, but they're also looking to bounce back after NDCL handed them their first loss, 31-13, last Friday.

That sets up an interesting contrast.

Lake Catholic has shown it can win close, low-scoring games. Benedictine has already topped 30 points twice this season. If the Cougars can limit big plays, protect the football and keep the game within reach, Friday could develop into the kind of fourth-quarter contest Lake Catholic has experienced repeatedly this season.

There's recent history, too. Lake Catholic defeated Benedictine 6-3 last season in a defensive battle in which neither team scored after the first quarter.

Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18
Location: Jerome T. Osborne, Sr. Stadium, 8600 Munson Road, Mentor

For the Cougars, Friday offers a chance to move above .500 and build momentum heading into the second half of the regular season.

👉🏻 What could decide Friday night’s matchup? We break down the numbers, last year’s 6-3 battle and three things to watch when the Cougars and Bengals take the field. Click here to read more…

🐝 Buzz Fact: Relationship experts say small positive moments can matter a lot over time — which is encouraging news for anyone whose strongest romantic gesture this week was remembering to buy the right coffee creamer.
Answer: Google

Please honk choo choo…. run for your lives!!! LOL!