Home Care In Avon Lake, OH

AVON LAKE, Ohio (WOIO) - A trio of real-life Clark Griswolds sure know a thing or two about “exterior illumination” as they make Avon Lake merry and (very) bright with their Christmas lights!

194 FAY AVE

It all started nearly 30 years ago when James Gerrasch of 194 Fay Ave. decided to really deck the halls inside and outside of his home when his daughter, Cathy Vocaire, was a kid.

Each holiday season, Gerrasch became the definition of “bigger and better than ever,” especially when he retired over 15 years ago.

Over three decades, Gerrasch has grown the display to include over 40,000 lights with homemade Sparkle Balls out of cocktail cups and wooden sculptures he handcrafted himself.

The community has even helped expand the display by donating more than 35 artificial Christmas trees over the years.

Vocaire said with so many decorations, his neighbors have even encouraged the display to spill on over to their properties.

Even now that Gerrasch 81 years old, he is still carrying on the tradition of decorating for the community every year.

“You will not be disappointed!” his daughter, Vocaire praised.

688 LEAR RD

Gerrasch’s glowing Christmas spirit inspired his long-time friend, Kevin Devere of 688 Lear Rd., to make his home sparkle and shine for Christmastime.

Furthermore, Gerrasch showed Devere the tricks of the trade, like how to build homemade Sparkle Balls and keep those artificial Christmas trees mounted even when the weather is snowing and blowing.

Devere has been expanding his radiant display each year as well... and the community has chipped in with donating several artificial Christmas trees too!

His display also includes dazzling Christmas ornaments and light post figures throughout the yard.

This year’s addition is a festive wooden red truck on the garage.

“It is truly amazing!” Vocaire applauded.

384 CRESTWOOD AVE

Kevin Devere then influenced his friend, Kevin Moore, to try to make his Christmas decorations outshine the rest in his neighborhood (literally).

Moore has transformed his home at 384 Crestwood Ave. into a replica of the National Lampoons Christmas Vacation house.

No word yet on if he has an Aunt Bethany who asked if his house was on fire...

“It is absolutely stunning as well!” Vocaire beamed. “The amount of lights, trees, displays and beautiful arcs is something to see!”

This year, Moore found another way to get the community involved.

Whoever guesses the correct amount of lights (or closest to the exact number without going over) that he used in the display will win a $50 Amazon gift card.

“You need to check this one out!” Vocaire urged.

GOOD THINGS COME IN THREES

Since Gerrasch was already friends with Devere, and the two Kevins were alrady friend, Devere introduced Moore to Gerrasch in 2023.

Now, the three of them have come together as a trio of merry makers.

These three houses are not just leaving Avon Lake residents in awe... these three displays are also featured on the the Northeast Ohio Family Fun list of best Christmas displays.

The displays will light up Avon Lake until Jan. 7, 2024.

Gerrasch is pictured in the middle with Moore on the left and Devere on the right in the next two pictures:

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The bald eagle parents, named Stars and Stripes, have had a nest at Avon Lake's Redwood Elementary School since 2014. Eggs usually take 40 days to hatch.

AVON LAKE, Ohio — Want a sure sign that spring is just around the corner? Look no further than Redwood Elementary School in Avon Lake.

On Feb. 29, Avon Lake City Schools announced that a bald eagle egg was spotted in the nest near the school.

According to the district, the confirmed date and time the egg was spotted from watchers on the Avon Lake Bald Eagles Nest Facebook page is Feb. 29, 2024 at 12:26 p.m.

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Then, on March 3, Avon Lake City Schools revealed that a second bald eagle egg was seen in the nest at 3:49 p.m. Additionally, on March 6, at 6:59 p.m. a third egg was discovered.

Credit: Avon Lake City School District

If this story sounds familiar, it's because the eagle parents -- named Stars and Stripes -- have welcomed multiple eaglets throughout recent years, all of which gained coverage through a live streaming camera. Stars and Stripes first started to build a nest in a tree in the back of the school in the fall of 2014. A web camera was first installed in September of 2015.

So when might we see our first eaglet? Avon Lake officials say eagle eggs at Redwood usually take approximately 40 days to hatch.

To use last year as a reference, the first eagle egg was discovered on Feb. 25, 2023, with the first of two hatchings on April 5, 2023. The second eaglet hatched the following day. The eaglets were named Anchor and Arrow.

Editor's note: You can watch live video 24/7 of the eagle nest at Redwood Elementary School in the player below (courtesy of Avon Lake City Schools).

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The suit claims the board failed to post notices and the purpose of multiple special meetings, including a meeting that approved the new superintendent's contract.

AVON LAKE, Ohio — The Avon Lake Board of Education is facing a lawsuit from a mom who lives within the district.

"This was a hard thing for me to do," says 35-year-old Erin Myers. “I have three kids in the district, and I love Avon Lake Schools.”

With her lawyer Matthew Miller-Novak by her side via Zoom, Myers explains to 3News why she filed the lawsuit against the Board of Education, which serves the district she loves.

“I want to see more transparency,” Myers says. “I noticed that a lot of meetings were happening without proper notice. There were meetings (that) happened that I didn't know about.”

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In the lawsuit, which was originally filed in early November, Myers accuses the board of failing to follow aspects of Ohio’s Open Meetings Act. The law requires all “public bodies in Ohio to conduct all public business in open meetings that the public may attend and observe.”

Both Myers and Miller-Novak say filing a lawsuit is the best way to get the Board of Education to operate in a transparent manner.

“The violations here are so habitual, it really seemed like the only logical option to put a stop to it,” Miller-Novak says. “We’re talking about making sure that people who go to the ballot box have the proper information that they need to evaluate their elected officials.”

The suit claims the board failed to post notices and the purpose of multiple special meetings, including a meeting that approved the employment contract of the district’s new superintendent. The suit calls these actions unlawful and accuses the board of not taking proper minutes as required by the Open Meetings Act.

“I really want to be in tune with what's going on, and that requires transparency,” Myers shares.

She says there’s a misperception that the lawsuit was filed to stop the $170 million bond issue that would have given the district the money from taxpayers to build new schools and renovate the high school.

RELATED: Education Station: Avon Lake asking voters for $170M to build, renovate schools

“I was a proponent of the bond issue,” Myers points out. “I volunteered for it. I was on the facilities committee that came up with the plan. I wanted to see Issue 11 pass.”

The measure failed by just 441 votes on election day.

RELATED: Supporters of Issue 11 in Avon Lake reflect on election loss, what it means for future of school district

The lawsuit was amended after the board held a special meeting on Nov. 12 in Columbus to discuss a resolution to place the bond issue back on the ballot in March. The suit claims holding a meeting over two hours away while the board attended an Ohio School Boards Association conference violates the spirit of the Open Meetings Act.

“We had already sent the lawsuit to Lorain County and then that meeting happened,” Myers explains. “It really confirmed to me that I did the right thing.”

According to a message posted to the district’s website from Avon Lake Superintendent Joelle Magyar, the Board of Education voted on Nov. 29 “to table the Resolution to Proceed which would have placed a bond issue on the March 19, 2024 Primary Election.” The message goes on to say, “after reviewing our financial outlook, the decision to 'press pause' was reasonable.”

“It (the lawsuit) isn't about a bond issue or trying to stop a bond issue,” Myers explains. “It's trying to stop bad government.”

3News reached out to the Avon Lake Board of Education and their lawyer about the claims. Board President Jim Stobe responded by saying “the Board does not comment on pending litigation.”

According to the lawsuit, Myers is asking for the following:

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If passed, Issue 11 would have generated $170 million from tax payers to build three new schools and renovate Avon Lake High School. The measure failed by 441 votes.

AVON LAKE, Ohio — Voters in Avon Lake have voted down Issue 11, a $170 million bond issue for Avon Lake City Schools to build three new school buildings and renovate the high School.

"Obviously it hurts,” says Katie Koch, a 2005 graduate of Avon Lake High who moved back to the community with her family two years ago.

Koch has two young children and volunteers for the group Avon Lake Citizens for Schools. She and her lifelong friend Mallory Wehage were both pushing for the passage of Issue 11.

The measure failed on Election Day by 441 votes.

"It's hard to go to other districts and see the opportunities that their students have based on the physical facilities and then seeing ours," Koch shared.

Wehage is also a 2005 Avon Lake grad. Her children are fifth-generation Avon Lake students who now attend Eastview Elementary.

"The school where my children attend, my grandparents went to elementary school there when it first opened in the '50s, and it really just needs some work," Wehage told 3News. "It's not conducive to a learning environment for our kids."

Avon Lake Superintendent Joelle Magyar says she's disappointed the bond issue to build two new pre-K to fifth grade elementary schools and a new sixth through eighth grade middle school, in addition to renovating the high school, failed. However, she's energized to figure out what's next for the district.

"We will be meeting with our board to determine what those next steps would be," Magyar explained. "Just kind of assess where we are with the community right now, maybe engage the community and have some understanding as to what some of those roadblocks are before we might consider putting it [the construction project] back on the ballot again."

Those opposed to Issue 11 say the district was asking for too much at once. However, Magyar believes breaking up the project and spreading it out over a longer period had the potential to be more expensive because of rising building costs.

"The need is still there for us regardless of what the plan is," she said. "Our buildings are still in the same condition that they were yesterday."

Magyar adds one thing the district could have done differently is give themselves more time to engage the community.

"I think we started maybe a little bit later in the process," she admitted. "Next time, [we will] consider giving ourselves a little more runway to have more community engagement so that there really isn’t any misunderstanding out in our community. … Our kids deserve spaces in which we can educate them to the best of our abilities."

AVON LAKE, Ohio -- Life has come full circle for Avon Lake resident Jennifer Birk. She is about to celebrate the grand opening of her new store, Talents •Gifts•Boutique•Home•Market, 33491 Lake Road, at 4 p.m. Nov. 1.

The location is in Beach Park Station shopping plaza, which holds lots of memories for Birk. She grew up in Avon Lake and always dreamed of owning a business in the city.

Birk and her husband, Brian,were high school sweethearts and graduated from Avon Lake High School in 1989. Their first date was at the Avon Lake movie theater, which was in the same building where they are now opening their business.

And Jennifer Birk’s first job was at the bakery in the same building.

Brian’s great-grandfather was a Motorman for the Lake Shore Electric Railway based out of Beach Park Station. And Brian’s grandfather would empty the trash bins at the Saddle Inn above the plaza.

“I do beach glass jewelry,” said Jennifer. “I started with that six years ago. I sold my items up in Coldwater, Mich., where my family has a lake house. I did really well. That got me really motivated.

“I then started finding boutiques around here and started doing that, but my vision was always to have my own place. I really stalked this space (Beach Park Station) and knew it would be perfect for my vision.”

A nurse by profession, Jennifer worked at Our Lady of the Wayside for many years, but always enjoyed crafting and making things to sell. She loves art, history and supporting all types of creators.

She chose the name Talents for her business because she knew so many talented people. She also has a knack for throwing great parties and is a talented decorator.

“Talents will have something for everyone in all price ranges,” Jennifer said in a press release. “From nostalgic candy to fine art, our customers will be thrilled to shop with us.

“DiFiore Designs is creating original spirit wear. Gold Arrow Studio will have Avon Lake jewelry, as well as their well-known boho jewelry. Tori Rudkin from Avon Lake High School is bringing her college spirit items, as well as her mom’s beach glass art.”

The long list of other items for sale at Talents also includes Joda-Ly Jewelry (Jennifer’s designs), shadow boxes, dog toys and accessories, winter accessories, loungewear, Potter’s Perch pottery, floral creations, bath bombs, gift baskets, ornaments, embroidered towels and baskets, candles, trendy tumblers and glasses, home decor, items for the kids and a section of books from local authors.

“My cousin does pottery and she is from Michigan,” said Jennifer. “Another friend does beach glass art. I wanted Talents to be the nicest products I could find.

“About 90 percent of the people selling items in the store are handpicked. I really wanted a nice mix of talented people. My goal is to make sure all my vendors are happy and successful. I want people to feel ownership.”

In addition to the many vendors selling items at Talents, the location will also spotlight various artists right as you enter the store. The first artist on display is Robert Stella.

Longtime Avon Lake residents will remember him as the owner of the former Stella’s Italian Restaurant in Avon Lake. During the pandemic, he started experimenting with various art media, and now at the age of 88, he spends his retirement expressing himself through paintings with a combination of brush and palette knife techniques.

“We will also spotlight a student artist,” said Jennifer. “Avon Lake High School student Hattie Hobar will have her award-winning sculptures on display.”

Jennifer credits her supportive family for helping Talents become a reality.

“My family has been so supportive,” she said. “My husband calls himself my silent partner and he has been so sweet to set this all up. All of my family have just been so great.

“I really want this little area (Beach Park Station) to be a place where people come to eat and shop. I always refer to this store as ‘Talents;’ I want people to say you can buy this at ‘Talents.’ I want it to roll off people’s tongues so they know this is where they can go to find stuff.

“This area should be hopping now.

“And another reason Brian and I love Beach Park Station is that our first house we lived in as newlyweds was on York Street, which is a very short walk to Beach Park Station. We used to enjoy walking over there to listen to music and dance at a nightclub that used to be there. So many wonderful memories.”

Jennifer is still deciding on the hours of operation for Talents, but notes that it will be closed on Sundays and Mondays.

For more information, go to talentsgifts.com, or follow Talents on Facebook. Email address is [email protected].

“Not only is this business in a focus area in our Comprehensive Land Use Plan, but it is in an area being transformed by the demolition and eventual redevelopment of the Avon Lake Power Plant,” Ted Esborn, Avon Lake’s community development director, said in the press release.

“We look forward to Talents being part of that long-term transformation of the city’s west end.”

Read more from the Sun Sentinel.

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