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Volume 57, No. 14
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CHESTERLAND NEWS Wednesday, December 17, 2025
Your Community Newspaper Since 1967
Patterson Re-elected Ohio Farm Bureau Pres.
INSIDE
Submitted Bill Patterson of Chester Township has been re-elected president of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, the highest elected office in the state’s largest farm and food organization. Patterson was re-elected during the Ohio Farm Bureau’s 107th annual meeting, held Dec. 11–12 in Columbus. He will continue to Patterson serve as the organization’s District 4 trustee, representing members in Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake and Trumbull counties. A longtime leader within the organization, Patterson has served on the Ohio Farm Bureau’s state board since 2011. He previously held leadership roles as first vice president and treasurer and has been a member of the Geauga County Farm Bureau for 30 years. Patterson farms with his family, producing apples, strawberries and peaches, along with maple syrup. See Patterson • Page 4
ROSE NEMUNAITIS/KMG
Chester Township residents Donna Lauerhahs, her husband, Eric Custis, and their son, Sam Custis, enjoy creating holiday centerpieces at Geauga Park District’s annual Greens for Giving event Dec. 6.
Holiday Spirit Sparkles Inside The West Woods
By Rose Nemunaitis editor@karlovecmedia.com The West Woods Nature Center’s Oak Room filled with the heartfelt ambiance of the holidays Dec. 6, highlighting the true spirit and meaning of the season. The fresh-cut scent of evergreens mixed with joyous conversations as participants celebrated Geauga Park District’s 12th annual Greens for Giving event.
“The event has become an annual holiday tradition for our county … with neighbor truly helping neighbor,” GPD Special Events Coordinator Holly Sauder said. “It is a make and give event. Participants come to experience the fun of creating something special and for the feeling of making a difference for their community. People are often looking for ways to give back at this time of year and Geauga Park District is glad to host
Warm wishes for a
Merry Christmas and a joyous
Hanukkah
such an opportunity.” The popular event, held across four sessions, focused on a 2025 goal of creating 320 centerpieces — 220 for Geauga County Department on Aging’s home delivered meals and 100 for recipients of the Geauga Veterans Food Pantry. The centerpieces have gone to the department on aging since 2015 and the pantry since 2019. See Spirit • Page 5
Beagle Chester Wins #1 Dog Contest By Emma MacNiven macniven@karlovecmedia.com Lindsey Elementary School fifth-grader Elana Trentanelli recently won the annual #1 Dog Contest for an essay she wrote about her funny, friendly beagle named Chester. The contest is facilitated by Geauga County Auditor Chuck Walder, who asks children from across the county to write an essay explaining why their dog is the best. On Dec. 10, Elana and Chester celebrated their win during a presentation at Lindsey Elementary School
“Chester is the best because he can cheer anyone up! Whenever you are sad, he will sit with you, which makes most people feel better and happy,” Elana said in her essay. “Other times, when I’m sad, Chester gets the zoomies, which takes my mind off of being sad.” Elana’s father, Nick Trentanelli, said he is really happy for her. “We're happy (with) the timing of getting (Chester) because when we went into the shelter to get him, there was somebody who walked in 15 seconds after us and asked to see the same dog,” he said. “So yeah, so we're very excited. We love Chester very much. He's the best
dog that me and my wife have ever had.” Also attending the presentation were Fiscal Office Manager Pam McMahan, Chief Compliance Officer and Administrator Kate Jacob, Dog Warden Matt Granito, Russell Township Fiscal Officer Karen Walder and Rescue Village Executive Director Ken Clarke. This year, the contest had 37 entries, McMahan told students. “They were from every school across the county, including some See Dog • Page 4
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