EExplorexplore MMaumeeaumee BayBay & NNorthwestorthwest OhioOhio Fantastic Fishing....Page 4 Glorious Colors......Page 6 Hit the Links.............Page 9 Family Fun.............Page 12 Fall Issue 2021 www.presspublications.com Volume 33, No. 3 A ffreeree publicationpublication ofof TheThe PressPress NewspapersNewspapers Oregon on the Bay off ers visitors access to the shoreline of Lake Erie, Maumee Bay State Park, Pearson Metropark, shopping, dining and lodging. Oregon is conveniently located as a gateway to and from Lake Erie, the Lake Erie Islands, Cedar Point and all of the attractions along the way. Th e City of Oregon is a great place to visit, but an even better place to live! Sincerely, Mayor Michael Seferian Pearson Metropark Walking, running and biking paths, paddle boats, fi shing, children’s playgrounds, tennis courts, picnic areas, “Window on Wildlife” Exhibit, and Historic Johlin Cabin. Howard Marsh Metropark 6 miles of water trails for canoeing and kayaking and 5 miles of trails for hiking and bicycling. Howard Marsh is a birding hot spot of over 230 species including many rare and unexpected visitors German American Festival, Oak Shade Grove during migration. Maumee Bay State Park Beaches, Boardwalk, picnic areas, bike paths, view of Lake Erie and Toledo Harbor Lighthouse, indoor/outdoor pools and play areas, Nature Center, Storybook Interactive Nature Trail (1/2 mile), lodge, cabins and restaurant. Coontz Recreation Complex Baseball, soft ball, soccer, skate park, basketball, volleyball, pickleball and fi tness courts, (3) playgrounds, children’s water splash pad and bike trails. Storybook Interactive Nature Trail Rollin’ Food and Farm Market 2021 First Wednesday of each month --Sept 1 and Oct 6 Event located at 2973 Dustin Road (between Isaac Streets Drive & Harbor Drive) South Shore Park Boardwalk on Maumee Bay, fi tness trail, picnic area and children’s playground. Oregon Boat Ramp Launch for small craft and wave runners. Johlin Cabin, Pearson Metropark See additional events and updates at www.oregonohio.org City of Oregon, 5330 Seaman Road, Oregon, Ohio 43616, 419-698-7045 Page 2 Explore Fall 2021 Advertiser Index Story Index African Safari Wildlife Park….....................…8 Calendar of Events ....................................20 Bench Farms......................…..............…..…4 Family Fun .................................................12 Dining Guide…………................…........…..11 Fantastic Fishing ......................................... 4 Fleitz Pumpkin Farm....................................9 Map ............................................................ 23 Fulton County Visitor’s Bureau…….......…..13 Start Enjoying Fall ....................................... 6 Do-It-Best Home Center...............................5 Tee Time ......................................................9 Historic Lyme Village.....................................5 Toledo Museum of Art European Arms & Armor ........................10 Jamie’s Flea Market......................................5 Lake Erie Shores & Islands…......................14 Meinke Marina…….......….................…..…...4 Oregon, City of......…........................………..2 Packer Creek Pottery....................................5 Sauder Village…….................……..........…24 Explore “Maximilian” Field Armor, from about 1525– Maumee Bay & NW Ohio 1530 is among the highlights of “The Age of Armor” Published by The Press Newspapers General Manager: Mary Perkins Editor: Tammy Walro Photographer: Ken Grosjean Sales Representatives: Cindy Harder, Lesley Willmeth, Leeanne LaForme Staff Artists: Ken Grosjean, Pat Eaken General Business, Advertising and Editorial Offices P.O. Box 169 1550 Woodville, Millbury, OH 43447 419-836-2221 Fax 419-836-1319 Visit us at www.presspublications.com Enjoy the colors of fall, Serving 22 communities in Lucas, Ottawa, page 6 Sandusky and Wood Counties including Oregon, Northwood, Genoa, Elmore, Woodville, Pemberville, Gibsonburg, Walbridge, Oak Harbor & East Toledo. Explore Fall 2021 Page 3 Anglers find fantastic fishing in NW Ohio’s lakes, reservoirs Northwest Ohio’s public lakes and sible for conserving andd iimprovingmproving fi shsh reservoirs offer some of the best fi shing and wildlife resourc- in the Buckeye State for yellow perch, es in the Buckeye saugeye, and more, according to the State. Follow the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife on (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. Twitter (twitter.com/ Ohio has 124,000 acres of inland OhioDivWildlife) and water, 7,000 miles of streams, 2.25 mil- Facebook (facebook. lion acres of Lake Erie water, and 481 com/ohiodivisionof- miles of the Ohio River. wildlife) for news sto- At $25 for a resident one-year fi sh- ries, outdoor recreation ing license, fi shing is a cost-effective and ideas, local wildlife in- accessible outdoor reactional activity. formation, and more. The Division of Wildlife has nu- The Your Wildd merous resources available to assist an- Ohio Explorer pagee glers, including lake maps, fi shing tips provides wildlife suc-- by species, and fi shing forecasts. Many cess stories and ways too of these resources are available at your help wildlife throughoutut fi ngertips with the HuntFish OH mo- the seasons. Visit wildo-o- bile app, available from the Apple and hio.gov to fi nd locationsns Google Play stores. to hunt, fi sh, trap, andnd Fishing regulations and an inter- view wildlife. Followw Fantastic fishing in lakes, reservoirs active fi shing map (gis.ohiodnr.gov/ on Instagram (instagram.m. MapViewer/?confi g=Fishinglakes) can com/your_wild_ohio) to be located with ease from any mobile view the best of Ohio’s wildlifeildlif photog- h t resources for the benefi benefit t of all. all Visit the device. For more information on fi shing raphy. ODNR website at ohiodnr.gov. tips and forecasts, visit wildohio.gov. ODNR ensures a balance between The Division of Wildlife is respon- wise use and protection of our natural Big Dave’s Super Sweet Corn Bench Farms St. Rt. 2 Home Grown Veggies & Fruit FARM MARKET & GREENHOUSE Owners: David & Cindy Bench Open Daily 10am-7pm 9151 Jerusalem Rd. (St. Rt. 2) Curtice, Ohio 43412 (2 miles east of N. Curtice Rd.) 419-836-9443 Mums • Perennials • Herbs Where gardening friends gather Visit Our Online Store www.benchfarms.com House Plants Page 4 Explore Fall 2021 Where bargains and treasures abound! Genoa Gallery 103 E. 8th Street Genoa, OH 43430 419-855-3858 M-F 10am-5:30pm, Sat.10am-4pm Perrysburg Gallery 322 Louisiana Ave. Perrysburg, OH 43551 Over 40 years of great À nds and family fun! 419-806-1355 W-F 10am-5:30pm, Sat.10am-4pm • Open year round Every Wednesday and Saturday Stop by and schedule a group tour of our studio! 8am-4pm • 200 inside vendors and up to 450 outside vendors Follow us on Facebook for all the updates and events www.jamiesŇ eamarket.com 46388 Telegraph Road (Rt 113) Amherst, Ohio 44001 • 440-986-4402 experience FireFire UpUp thethe Grill!!Grill!! life in the 19th century PROPANE 2021 special events *Reservations Required 0000 Kids Pioneer Camp, June 21 – 25* $12.$12. Tax included Civil War Days, July 10 & 11 Pioneer Days, September 11 & 12 w/couponw/coupon expiresexpires 9-30-219-30-21 Harvest Barn Dance, September 25 Storybook Adventure, October 23 2020 lb.lb. TankTank RefillRefill Victorian Christmas Dinners, December 4, 5 & 6* Christmas of Yesteryear, December 11 & 12 WeWe FillFill historic lyme village RV’sRV’s Too!Too! 5001 State Route 4, Bellevue, OH 44811 (4 miles south of Ohio Turnpike exit 110) 419-483-4949 • www.lymevillage.org June, July & August Wed.- Sat. 11am-5pm - Last tour 4pm 5120 Navarre Ave. Oregon 419-693-0601 *Reservations required Please check our website for details. Hours: Mon.-Fri. 7:30 am-6pm Sat. 8-5, Sun. 10-4 Explore Fall 2021 Page 5 Glorious splashes of color abound in Maumee Bay Region By Art Weber Explore Contributing Writer Nature’s seasons are seamless; one season fl ows into the next. We try to put dates on the fi rst and last days of a season, but it’s not a clear-cut issue. Astronomers regard the beginning of fall as the autumnal equinox. It has to do with the sun’s crossing the celestial equa- tor but think of it more simply as a date when the length of daylight and night is virtually the same. This year, the equinox is Wednesday, Sept. 22. Meteorologists have a different view. “Meteorological fall begins on Sept. 1,” 13abc chief meteorologist Jay Berschback said. “We break up the year in three-month segments, starting the fi rst of the month.” That view is backed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which ex- plains, “In short, it’s because the astronomical seasons are based on the position of Earth in relation to the sun, whereas the meteorologi- cal seasons are based on the annu- al temperature cycle.” No matter the date, summer and fall are both special here in Lake Erie’s Western Basin, and the transition to fall is a favorite time. One sure sign that summer is winding down is the striking ap- pearance of one of the last wood- land wildfl owers. The wonderful- Cardinal-flower is one of the last wildflowers of our wet woods and shaded waterways, ly rich red of the cardinal-fl ower sporting an unmistakably deep red color on unusual tubular flowers. The color attracts made its appearance in late July, several months after most wood- hummingbirds, which are uniquely suited to nectar on the deep-throated flowers and, in doing land wildfl owers have bloomed so, pollinate them. and faded. It’s more than a hap- (Photo by Art Weber) py coincidence that humming- birds are still around, some of them al- ready passing through on their way to color is the black gum, also known as There’s a barrage of color along their wintering grounds. The rich red black tupelo. It’s not that common, but those trails and roadsides – yellows, deep-throated cardinal-fl ower blooms its rich red leaves are unmistakable. whites, blues and purples. Asters, gen- are irresistible to the voracious hum- Black gum gives our woods early tians, goldenrods, ironweed, Joe-Pye- mingbirds. Those small fl ying jewels color, joined on the edges by sumac, poi- weed, ladies’-tresses, lobelia, and sun- are uniquely suited to pollinating the son ivy, and Virginia creeper.