National Make A Difference Day (MDDay) is the largest national day of community service which began over 20 years ago. It is always held on the fourth Saturday of October. This will be the first year Mantua will be actively participating during that Saturday. Between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. volunteers will be taking part in a variety of different cleanup and improvement projects to keep Mantua beautiful. Many students from Crestwood High School’s Senior Seminar group have already signed up. All are encouraged to lend a few hours of time on the 25th to help the community maintain it’s reputation as a quaint historic place of beauty. Contact contact Greg at (330) 274-0218 or DMRCemail@gmail.com for more information about participating in MDDay.
Costume Contest and Halloween Carnival
From 1 to 3 p.m. at Crestwood High School, children up to 8th grade can go door to door trick or treating! Plan on attending this fun event!
Portage Park District to Present Talk on the Glacial Esker Trail
Join the fun of “GET” – ting to know the Glacial Esker Trail (GET) with its autumnal splendor for a mid day free “talk & tour” of the trail in Mantua on Saturday, October 25. This activity is hosted by the Downtown Mantua Revitalization Corporation (DMRC) as a special “treat” as part of its MDDay commitment.
The GET is located behind the village water treatment plant and its well heads near the Cuyahoga River in the southwest portion of Mantua. Mantua’s GET is an unimproved 8-foot wide trail on the top of a ridge resulting from the last glacial retreat. It runs between a small marsh lake and the Cuyahoga River and is intended to be a loop trail in the future.
The name “esker” is derived from the Irish word “eiscir” (Old Irish: escir) which, according to the dictionary of the Irish Language, means: a ridge or elevation, especially one separating two plains or depressed surfaces. Eskers formed as (and from) long, winding ridges of stratified sand and gravel, examples of which occurred in glaciated and former glacier regions of Europe and North America. A vigorous sub glacial stream eroded a channel bed, with most eskers believed to have formed in ice-walled tunnels by streams which flowed under glaciers. The retaining ice walls then melted away and the deposits remained as long, winding ridges of stratified sand and gravel. Come see it!
As Mantua’s GET closely ties into the nearby crushed limestone of Headwaters Hike and Bike Trail designed for hiking, biking, and horseback riding, it does enjoy close involvement with Portage Park District activities. Plan to participate in the “brown bag” lunch time talk when many volunteers break from work projects during National Make A Difference Day between 11:45 a.m.to 12:30 p.m. Led by Portage Park District Executive Director Christine Craycroft, they will be presenting information about the Glacial Esker Trail. Free municipal parking is available at the Mantua Water Treatment Plant on Line Street and Mats Road, off of Orchard Road.
Portage Park’s Fall Frolic
Saturday, Oct 25, 2014
Dix Park 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Still more fun on this jam packed day! Join Portage Park volunteer naturalist Joe Malmisur as he walks you through Dix Park learning about the true color of leaves. Learn to use the true color to correctly identify trees and also learn how to ID trees by their bark. You’ll also look for signs animals make as they prepare for winter.
For further information, contact Portage Park District, 705 Oakwood St., Suite 4, Ravenna, Ohio 44266, 330-297-7728, or visit the website.