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

📰 Local News: 🚧 Mentor Avenue Water Main Project Brings Lane Closures Through November

🏫 Ridge Elementary Recognizes Positive Postcard Students

🍎 Apple & Honey Harvest Weekend Brings Fall Fun to Farmpark

🍽️ Dinner RESCUE: One Main Ingredient, Two Completely Different Dinners

⚾ Sports: 🏈 Mentor Takes Down Riverside 35-14 in GCC Matchup

🏈 Lake Catholic Falls 6–0 in Defensive Battle With Benedictine

⚾ Guardians Move Into First as José Ramírez Reaches 1,000 RBIs

🤔 Trivia Question

🤣 Something Funny

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

Drivers along Mentor Avenue should expect lane restrictions through the end of November as Aqua Ohio begins a $3 million water system improvement project between Reynolds Road and Plaza Boulevard.

Work began Friday evening, Sept. 18. Crews will replace about 4,000 feet of 8-inch cast iron water main using cured-in-place technology, which allows the work to be completed without digging a trench along the entire construction route.

For drivers, the biggest impact will be eastbound.

The eastbound curb lane will remain closed throughout the project. During the day, Mentor Avenue will be re-striped to maintain two lanes of traffic in each direction.

Additional restrictions are possible overnight. Between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m., one of the two remaining eastbound through lanes may also close while crews are working.

The project also includes seven replacement fire hydrants and 11 new valves designed to help reduce water-service interruptions during future maintenance or repairs.

Customers along the project route will experience brief water interruptions later in the project as individual connections are transferred to the new main. Aqua Ohio says affected customers will be notified in advance.

👉🏻 Want a closer look at what to expect? Our full story breaks down the daytime and overnight traffic pattern, why the new water-system upgrades matter, when customers could see service interruptions, and what happens between now and the project’s expected completion in November.

Here’s a little good news from Ridge Elementary.

The school has announced its latest Positive Postcard students, recognizing children who demonstrated Ridge’s Core Values between Sept. 4 and Sept. 18.

Those values are Responsibility, Integrity, Dignity, Gratitude and Effort — qualities the school encourages students to show in their everyday choices.

According to Ridge Elementary, the recognition highlights students who are putting those values into practice.

It’s a simple reminder that some of the best school news comes from everyday moments of kindness, effort and doing the right thing.

Congratulations to Ridge’s latest honorees. See the announcement from the school here.

Source: Ridge Elementary School

Apple butter, fresh cider, honeybees and a three-acre corn maze are waiting at Lake Metroparks Farmpark this weekend, giving Mentor-area families a nearby option for a fall day out.

Apple & Honey Harvest Weekend runs Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 19–20, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Farmpark, 8800 Euclid Chardon Road in Kirtland. Regular Farmpark admission applies.

Visitors can watch apple butter being made and cider being pressed, sample apples, walk the Johnny Appleseed Trail and explore Paul Revere’s Run, a three-acre corn maze. Johnny Appleseed reenactments are also scheduled both days.

At the Plant Science Center, families can get a closer look at Farmpark’s apiary through an observation hive, beekeeping displays and programs about bees, honey and the role pollinators play in the food we eat. The regular Farmpark experience continues throughout the day, including farm animals and other scheduled demonstrations.

Admission is $9 for ages 12–59, $8 for ages 60 and older and $7 for children ages 2–11. Children younger than 2 are free, and Farmpark members are admitted free with ID. Advance reservations are not required for general admission. Pets are not permitted.

👉🏻 Check the official event page and schedule before heading out, particularly if there’s a demonstration your family doesn’t want to miss.

Garlic-Parmesan Pork Tenderloin tonight. Sweet-and-savory pork fried rice later. One smart plan makes two dinners easier without making either one feel like a repeat.

Cooking once and eating twice only works when the second dinner feels like a new idea, not an obligation.

This week’s Dinner Rescue starts with Garlic-Parmesan Pork Tenderloin: juicy slices of pork with a savory garlic-Parmesan coating and the kind of crisp, browned edges that make a simple dinner feel finished. Serve it with roasted vegetables, potatoes, salad or whatever fits the night. This meal should stand completely on its own.

The smart move happens before the leftovers disappear. Roast enough pork to intentionally save some for later, then refrigerate that portion promptly in a shallow, covered container.

A few days later, the pork returns in a completely different form. Dice it small and fold it into Sweet-and-Savory Pork Fried Rice with browned rice, vegetables, egg and a glossy soy-based sauce. The flavor changes. The texture changes. Even the format changes—from sliced entrée to one-pan dinner.

That second meal is where the planning pays off. The protein is already cooked, so most of the work is gone before you begin. Cold leftover rice is ideal, but microwaveable or refrigerated ready-cooked rice is an easy shortcut. Frozen peas and carrots, edamame or a stir-fry vegetable blend can cut prep even further.

For safe storage, USDA guidance says cooked pork should be refrigerated within two hours, kept at 40°F or below and used within three to four days. Reheat leftovers to 165°F. Whole cuts of pork should reach 145°F, followed by a three-minute rest.

Prefer chicken? The same strategy works: cook extra the first night, save a portion safely, then give it a new identity in fried rice.

The goal is not to disguise leftovers. It is to plan for a second dinner worth looking forward to.

👉🏻 See the complete two-dinner strategy, including what to save after the first meal, the shortcuts that make fried rice faster and the simple changes that keep dinner from feeling repeated.

Mentor football moved to 4-1 Friday night with a 35-14 road win over Riverside — and picked up an important Greater Cleveland Conference victory in the process.

Junior running back Braylon Callahan led the Cardinals with 117 rushing yards and three touchdowns, according to game statistics reported by John Kampf of The News-Herald.

Mentor built a 19-8 halftime lead before Riverside made things interesting early in the third quarter. The Beavers recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff of the half and quickly scored, cutting the Cardinals' lead to 19-14.

Mentor answered immediately.

Callahan broke a 60-yard touchdown run on the Cardinals' next offensive play, helping swing the momentum back to Mentor. He later added another touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Quarterback Brogan Jones finished with 217 passing yards, while Mentor totaled 209 yards on the ground, according to The News-Herald. The Cardinals also benefited from three Riverside turnovers.

The win moves Mentor to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in GCC play. Riverside, playing its first season in the conference, falls to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the GCC.

Next up: Mentor returns home Friday, Sept. 25, to face Cleveland Heights.

👉🏻 Want more from Friday night's win? Head to our website for the full game recap, including how Mentor built its early lead, Riverside's second-half push and the key numbers behind the Cardinals' 2-0 start in GCC play.

Lake Catholic’s defense kept Benedictine scoreless for three quarters Friday night, but a fourth-quarter touchdown allowed the Bengals to escape Jerome T. Osborne Sr. Stadium with a 6–0 victory.

The Cougars remained within one play of taking the lead despite struggling to sustain drives. Max Pisano provided Lake Catholic’s biggest offensive spark, rushing for 105 yards on 12 carries. Giovanni Magistrelli contributed another 38 yards on the ground.

Benedictine finally broke the scoreless tie when Kayden Forte scored on a one-yard run. The Bengals failed on the conversion attempt, keeping Lake Catholic within six points and giving the Cougars an opportunity to respond late.

Forte finished with 112 rushing yards and the game’s only touchdown. Lake Catholic’s passing attack produced just one completion, leaving the Cougars heavily dependent on Pisano and the running game.

The loss dropped Lake Catholic to 2–3, while Benedictine improved to 4–1. The Cougars will look to rebound when they visit Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy at 7 p.m. Sept. 25.

👉🏻 How did Lake Catholic remain one play from tying the game despite a 163-yard difference in total offense? Click here to read the website article and see the key numbers, standout performances and late sequence that finally decided it.

The Guardians have first place to themselves.

Cleveland rallied from an early three-run deficit Friday night to beat the Athletics 5-3, moving one game ahead of Chicago in the AL Central after the White Sox lost 11-8 to Detroit.

José Ramírez made the night even more memorable. His sixth-inning home run produced the 1,000th RBI of his career, making him just the second player in Cleveland history to reach the milestone. Earl Averill holds the franchise record with 1,084.

Rookie Travis Bazzana delivered the go-ahead run an inning earlier, launching a 411-foot solo homer to center for his 15th of the season.

Cleveland’s comeback began in the fourth. Brayan Rocchio drove in two runs with a double, then scored when Ramírez singled to tie the game 3-3.

Joey Cantillo helped make the rally stand up. After Daniel Espino surrendered a three-run homer in the first, Cantillo took over and pitched six scoreless innings while allowing just two hits. Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith closed it out, with Smith earning his 38th save.

The Guardians are now 18-9 since Aug. 20 as the AL Central race enters its final stretch. Chicago still owns the head-to-head tiebreaker, making every remaining game especially important.

Tanner Bibee is scheduled to start Saturday for Cleveland against Oakland left-hander Jacob Lopez.

See the highlights at espn.com

🐝 Buzz Fact: Carbonara is one of those dishes with very few ingredients—which somehow guarantees that every Italian family has 47 rules about how you’re allowed to make it.
Answer: Google

Never lose sight of the goal! LOL!