Olde Pickerington Village Holiday Gathering Returns
Olde Pickerington Village is decking the streets and lighting the village tree for an expanded old-fashioned holiday gathering.
On Friday, Dec. 2, the Olde Pickerington Village Business Association and the City Parks and Recreation Department will sponsor the free seasonal gathering from 5-8:30 p.m.
The festivities feature strolling carolers, ice carving demonstrations, holiday gift ideas, children’s crafts, storytelling and a visit from Santa Claus at the David Beckham Photography studio.
Horse-drawn carriage rides, sponsored by Chesta Company, will also run through the village that is lined by luminaries, provided by the Pickerington High School Key Club. Though the rides are free, donations to the PCMA Food Pantry of Pickerington are accepted.
The event this year has expanded to include activities from East Columbus Street to Hill Road and over to the pantry at Cross and Borland streets, said Pickerington-Violet Township Historical Society President Peggy Portier.
There will also be activities inside businesses, including children’s games, popcorn, face painting, a larger holiday gift market area for vendors on the second floor of the creamery building and children’s cookie decorating at Froggy’s Sweets & More.
This year, a free trolley, sponsored by KEMBA Financial Credit Union, will allow holiday gatherers to take in the events at the various locations.
“This is a wonderful community event that is friendly to all ages. Families can bring the kids to see Santa and enjoy an inexpensive evening of activities,” Portier said. “Couples can come for dinner, stroll around the luminaries and do a little shopping.”
To brighten the holidays of those in need, the pantry will light up the City with its annual light display. Due to construction in the village, the Plaza of Lights, the pantry’s main fundraiser, will illuminate the pantry at Cross and Borland streets instead of the plaza at 6 p.m.
“We hope the community continues to support the Food Pantry’s biggest fundraising event. They’ll just be lighting the pantry this year instead of the plaza,” Portier said.
At 7 p.m., residents and visitors will gather around the huge pine tree near the gazebo at the corner of Columbus and Center streets and officially mark the beginning of the holidays by lighting the City tree.
Residents can also adorn the Dorothy Steiger Memorial Mitten Tree in City Hall on Dec. 2. Hats, mittens, gloves, scarves and other warm gear are the ornaments that can be placed on the tree in City Hall, located at 100 Lockville Rd., through Friday, Dec. 16.
The “decorations” will then be taken down and given to Fairfield County Job and Family Services to distribute to county families in need of some holiday warmth.
Pickerington Parks and Recreation Director Rebecca Medinger said the mitten tree is one of the nice ways residents can give to those in need of some holiday kindness.
“The real meaning of community shines when you gather to give someone else the gift of warmth through the cold months,” Medinger said. “The person receiving the items is truly appreciative of what they are given, and all those that were able to help provide the items should know that they really made a difference in someone’s life.”
Let it Snow
While many Pickerington residents are not ready for Mother Nature to blanket the area with snow, the City is prepared.
Already, the salt barn is full with 600 tons of salt, and the City’s six large dump trucks and nine pick-up trucks with attached plows are equipped and ready to clear 168 lane miles when the flurries begin to fly.
Pickerington Service Director Ed Drobina said his 11 snow removal road warriors often work 16-hour staggered shifts when they are fighting flurries to make sure the pathway for motorists is free of snow and safe.
City workers begin by clearing snow from the path of main roads. Side streets are next on the plow priority list, followed by subdivisions.
During heavy, continued snowfall, road warriors may have to stop what they are working on to return to plowing the main roads.
“One of our biggest challenges is snow removal during rush hour traffic,” Drobina said.
Another challenge is cul-de-sac plowing because it is difficult for the trucks to turn around due to safety concerns and there is not much room to place the snow.
Residents can make it easier for the road warriors to clear streets by not parking on the roadways when it is snowing. If the vehicle is on the street when the plows come through, it will be snowed in.
“We make every effort to keep from plowing snow into driveways, but in most instances, it cannot be avoided,” Drobina said. “Before your street is plowed, push or shovel the snow or ice to the left side of your driveway as you are looking at your house from the street. This will minimize the amount of snow and ice that gets pushed back into your driveway from the snow plows.”
Pushing snow into the streets is dangerous and illegal, so the City encourages residents to move it to the side of driveways and walkways.
It is also up to each resident to make sure the path to the mailbox is clear for the postal service carrier to deliver mail.
With all these excellent measures in place, Drobina said the City and its road warriors are ready when Mother Nature lets it snow.
(Police)man’s Best Friend
Pickerington Police Officer Nicholas Baehr’s new partner’s bark can be just as bad as his bite.
In fact, Officer Foe is aptly named. The 18-month-old German Shepherd is definitely the enemy of anyone who violates the law.
Together, Baehr and Foe will be providing the department and City with another way to take a bite out of crime.
When Baehr expressed an interest in working with a canine partner, Pickerington Police Chief Mike Taylor asked the City to add the new officer to the department’s ranks.
Fresh off of training by Mark Emdee of Precinct 45-K-9 LLC, Foe will be on the job when the new year begins.
Baehr said the hardest part of the training is “learning the dog, adapting to how the dog acts, and relating and working with the dog.”
“The K-9 handler and the dog have to bond,” he added.
Foe not only received obedience training, he was taught to look for lost children and adults, track suspects, search for drugs and articles, act as backup for his state certified K-9 officer, and even apprehend suspects.
Taylor said most suspects are “more than willing to surrender when they know a dog is hunting them.” As a result, the risk of a police officer losing his or her life is also greatly diminished if the dog is sent into a building to locate a suspect.
“The vital role the dog plays is in a search, not just for the bad guy, but any lost child or older relative,” Taylor said. “To the bad guy, the dog has a strong psychological effect. They might challenge an officer with a gun, but give up almost immediately when they know a dog will attack.”
Taylor recalled two incidents when the current K-9 officer was instrumental in assisting the department. The first encounter was when he tracked down a suspect in the woods and, 30 minutes later, was able to recover the suspect’s gun.
The second incident was when, at a traffic stop, the dog sniffed out a very large quantity of drugs in a car.
Foe not only works with Baehr, a five-year member of the department, each day on active patrol, he also goes home with him every night.
“The best part of having the dog as a partner is the dog is with me 24 hours a day,” Baehr said. “We are very excited that Foe is the newest member of our family.”
And the Pickerington Police Department is proud to add another worthy officer to active duty.
