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Articles by Sandy Engle
Around Randolph: Meet the Candidates night set for Monday
Around Randolph / Randolph / Opinion October 16, 2026 - Sandy Engle "Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education." — Franklin D. Roosevelt The Lions Club Meet Your Candidates Night will be held Monday, Oct. 19, at 7 p.m. at the Randolph Community Center. Come and learn how candidates stand on your key issues. Sip & Shop will be held at 1875 Winery Oct.
Voters in apartment complexes face registration challenges
Registering to vote may not be as self-evident as one might think. Enter your address and other identifying information, and off you go. Turns out that’s often not the case with people who live in apartment complexes. The Portage County Board of Elections may reject their best efforts, mostly because acceptable address formats are unique to apartment complexes. For instance, people who live in 345 Flats must enter 245 S.
Around Randolph: Time for a digital diet like Waterloo's
Randolph / Around Randolph / Local government September 14, 2026 - Sandy Engle “Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.” Carl Sagan As I wrote this column by candlelight, it made me wonder what life was like for our ancestors who lived before electricity. Without the distraction of blue light screens, they most likely slept better and without the massive onslaught of information they probably were more peaceful.
Rooted Ramblings: August is for Dahlias
Written by Nancy Polz, Portage County Master Gardener Volunteer Just as summer starts to wane, dahlias step in to show their spectacular blooms. Dahlias are native to Mexico and Central America where their tubers were originally grown as an edible vegetable. At that time, the flower was unimpressive. Explorers took the tubers back to Europe where flower development was the interest rather than a food source. Dahlias are named after Swedish botanist Andrea Dahl.
Around Windham: Help Windham PTO fulfill every school supply list for the new school year
Hello Windham Family! August is such a special time in Bomber Country. Fall sports are gearing up, the excitement of back-to-school is in the air, and hints of autumn are beginning to show. More than just a change in the calendar, back-to-school season carries a feeling of anticipation, renewal, and possibility. As students head back to class after a long summer break, we welcome a new school year filled with opportunities, growth, and fresh beginnings.
Op-ed: One meal. One child. One family at a time
August 19, 2026 - Op-Ed Contributor By John Kennedy, Executive Director, Community Action Council of Portage County 2026 has been a challenging and difficult year for a lot of families in Portage County, with many living paycheck to paycheck, barely keeping up with the rising cost of, well, everything. But even in these trying times, it is important – and perhaps necessary – to celebrate some of the good that is happening, too.
The Setlist: Portage County live music for Aug. 19-25
Hey Folks, I hope you all are getting ready for the 2026-2027 school year. Summer is once again slowly moving to the rearview mirror of 2026. As fall approaches, outdoor shows/concerts are starting to dwindle. But there still is time to enjoy a few more before the leaves begin to fall and the cold north winds start to blow. The weather looks to be quite nice this coming week, with highs in the mid to upper 70’s through next week. Perfect temps to enjoy a few more outdoor shows this summer.
Around Randolph: The 168th Portage County Randolph Fair is coming
Get ready to celebrate with our county’s greatest show! The 168th Portage County Fair (Aug. 25-30) will be bigger than ever partly due to an increase of 4-H youth who are participating. Seniors and veterans are free on Aug. 29 and on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday admission is $5 before 3 p.m. Please consider bringing canned goods, dry cereal or other non-perishables to the fair to support our local RSA Foodshelf.
Around Randolph: Waterloo starts a 'Digital Diet'
Opinion / Randolph / Around Randolph / Schools “Our technological powers increase, but the side effects and potential hazards also escalate.” Alvin Toffler Research studies have shown a correlation between high usage of computers/smartphones in youth with an increase in anxiety, depression, and a thinning of the cerebral cortex of the brain (which is associated with attention span).
Around Randolph: Data center and environmental protection petitions taken up around Randolph
“The future depends on what we do in the present.” Mahatma Gandhi Sixty senior citizens walked 7 to 12 miles a day with the Great Ohio Climate March to bring greater awareness of the dangers of horizontal shale drilling on public lands and mega data centers. As the only participant from Portage County, I learned that Ohio is the only state in the nation that allows its state parks to be horizontally drilled (commonly nicknamed fracking).
Around Randolph: Plan your Memorial Day in the township and buy local goods
“Show me your cemeteries, and I will show what kind of people you have.” – Ben Franklin The oldest organization in Randolph, the Ladies Cemetery Association, is taking that quote to heart and is in the midst of restoring Sand Hill Cemetery, which is the oldest part of Hillside Cemetery.
Around Randolph: Spring into Health drew over 100 to learn about healthy agriculture
With the average age of U.S. farmers being 58, it was heartwarming to see 22 young people at Friendship Bible Church eager to learn about gardening. Afterward these members of Trailside Troop 1703 planted seeds in flower pots they decorated for their moms for Mother’s Day. What if Portage County was known for growing nutritionally rich food? On March 21, two county commissioners (Jill Crawford and Sabrina Christian-Bennett), state Rep.
Around Randolph: Spring Into Health event promotes farmers' health and safety
Visionary people face the same problems everyone else faces; but rather than get paralyzed by their problems, visionaries immediately commit themselves to finding a solution. – Bill Hybels On March 21, five visionary farmers will be presenting at the “Spring Into Health” event at the Randolph Community Center, located at 1657 State Route 44. This event is dedicated to promoting the health and wellness of farmers and gardeners, and the intention is to instill hope and provide workable solutions.
Around Randolph: Imagining futures
“It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.” Aristotle Balken Young After having lost three loved ones, Chastity Baldwin felt like a shell of herself. A heavy fog filled her which made daily living and parenting joyless. All she wanted was to feel joy. After a challenging day she asked God to help and said she would do anything he asked of her. The response that came forth was not what she expected.
Around Randolph: Wreaths Across America and carolers at the gazebo
“Kindness is like snow. It beautifies everything it covers.” — Kahlil Gibson Local youth participate in Wreaths Across America ceremony On Dec. 13, more than 40 students and many community members braved the frigid temperatures to honor the veterans buried in Hillside Cemetery. Students placed a wreath on the graves of each veteran.
Around Randolph: For the birds
“What kind of intelligence allows a bird to anticipate the arrival of a distant storm? Or find its way to a place it has never been before? Or precisely imitate the complex songs of hundreds of other species? Or hide tens of thousands of seeds over hundreds of square miles and remember where it put them six months later?” – Jennifer Ackerman Randolph resident Cindy Laford has been bird sitting, grooming and rescuing birds for 28 years and continues to be astonished at their intellect.
Around Randolph: Waterloo agriculture students excited for the future of farming
“Hope is the fertile soil that makes flowers blossom.” – Lailah Gifty Akita Nov. 9-15 was Ohio Soil Health Week, and throughout Ohio there were events to honor the soil. Surprisingly, within a spoonful of soil there are more living organisms than there are people currently on this planet. As we enter this season of delicious festivities, may we be grateful to the farmers and soil microbes which make our food nutritious and tasty.
Around Randolph: Have your say in the future of the township
“Zoning says a lot about who we are and who we are becoming.” – Conor Dougherty Staff members from Portage Soil and Water Conservation and Portage Parks have shared that it is important to monitor what is happening with zoning in your community because your input is important. In Randolph, there will be a public zoning meeting at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 9 at the Randolph Senior Center.
Around Randolph: Walk a mile for veterans
“Great things can be accomplished with enthusiasm.” – Rudolph Steiner In a time when it’s easy to dwell on the world’s problems, Portage County Auditor Matt Kelly is choosing action over apathy. He was inspired by a friend who walked 22 miles a day across America to increase awareness of the 22 veterans a day that lose their life to suicide. Kelly — a veteran himself — is leading a county-wide effort to bring attention to the mental health struggles many veterans face.
Around Randolph: Waterloo raffle supports local family
There was a huge turnout for the Waterloo Back to School Bash. Besides having a dedication ceremony for the new track and performances by the Waterloo marching band, many wellness organizations were present to share about the services they provide. All proceeds from the PTO raffle went to the Hayes family. Elizabeth Hayes is a Waterloo teacher, and JJ Hayes is a nurse/Randolph firefighter. Recently, their 10-year-old daughter, Eva, passed away from leukemia. Please keep this family in your prayers.
Rooted Ramblings: Climate-smart gardening
Although we can’t wave a magic wand and change our weather, by gardening smartly we can continue to have resilient and flourishing gardens no matter what the weather may bring. Excessive heat can cause rapid evaporation of water and literally bakes out nutrients from the soil. To counteract this, always heavily mulch your garden with leaves, grass clippings, wood chips, hay, straw or other organic matter. Mulching helps to reduce the temperature of the soil and to retain water.
Around Randolph: Combating bee colony collapse in Portage County
“Be like the honeybee who gathers only nectar wherever it goes.” – Amma In the midst of colony collapse, extreme weather patterns, pesticides, neonicotinoid treated seeds, and varroa mites, Mary Lovin has found ways to help bees thrive. Since a third of all food is pollinated by bees, all of us in Randolph are fortunate that Mary (and other local beekeepers) are enhancing the productivity of our farms and gardens.
Around Randolph: Memorial Day recap and upcoming summer events in Randolph
“All of us know that freedom is not free.” – Allie Makin The Randolph Lions intertwined a diversity of local groups into a meaningful Memorial Day parade honoring the 700 veterans buried within Randolph. Allie Makin, Waterloo senior, gave a thought-provoking speech at the memorial service. The morning concluded with the adorning of local veterans with Quilts of Valor. During Memorial Day, community members with differing beliefs stood side by side and greeted each other with smiles and laughter.
Around Randolph: Waterloo kids take on Matilda
“The arts make a bridge across this world in ways that nothing else can.” Julie Andrews Before Covid my daughter and I journeyed to the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. to see Matilda. When we heard Waterloo students would be performing The Matilda Musical we knew we had to see this. Both of us were awed by the well-cast and expertly choreographed performances by Waterloo students which ranged from 2nd to 11th grade.
Around Randolph: Huge turnout for Spring into Health’ event
“When enough people come together, then change will come and we can achieve almost anything.” – Greta Thunberg Over 100 people attended “Spring into Health” at the Randolph Community Center. The keynote speaker, Klaas Martens, was the first farmer in his county to use glyphosate (Roundup). He was a successful conventional farmer for 20 years. One day while wearing protective garb and following precise herbicide instructions for 2-4-D, he became paralyzed within an hour.
Around Randolph: Free event for farmers’ health is March 22 at the community center
“The welfare of the farmer is vital to that of the whole country.” – William Howard Taft The truth is, none of us would be alive without farmers. Unfortunately, farming is becoming even more challenging with weather changes, reduction of farm aid and frozen funding for conservation/easement programs (which make farms more resilient against droughts and floods). Farmers have the highest suicide rate of all occupations. However, people in Randolph care.
Around Randolph: Meet a local watercolor artist, plus events and more
Vitality is radiated from exceptional art and architecture. – Arthur Erickson Despite his humble beginnings and history of severe reading difficulties, Tom Mayer is now a well-known watercolorist who has won numerous art awards. However, if it wasn’t for his older brother’s support, Tom never would have been accepted into college. While attending Kent State University, Tom was unable to complete one of the comprehensive exams needed to become an architect because of his slow reading speed.
Around Randolph: Spring into health and safer parks in the township
Every moment is a fresh beginning. – T.S. Eliot This year, several friends have decided to focus on words like “rejoice,” “beauty” and “awe” instead of making New Year’s resolutions. So, instead of shaming themselves for not keeping New Year’s goals during challenging times, they are choosing to shift their thoughts to an attribute that is uplifting. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 22, there will be a “Spring into Health” event at the Randolph Community Center.
Around Randolph: Quilt making for a cause, plus a local shopping guide and holiday events
Gather the threads of your life and stitch them into joy! Jody Houghton Twice a month, the Country Piecemakers Guild meets at the Randolph Community Center to learn new ways of intertwining fabric. This month, seven members donated patriotic-themed quilts to veterans. Forty hand-made dresses are sent each month to Africa. They also donate to Children’s Hospital, Ravenna University Hospital and Blessings of Kent.
Around Randolph: Waterloo Schools are bringing nature back
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” – Albert Einstein Numerous studies reveal that being in nature enhances attention span, reduces anxiety, decreases depression and improves math computation, math reasoning, science test scores, language arts and creativity.
Around Randolph: Portage County Randolph Fair preview, plus library events, news from clubs and school
“Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.” — Zig Zigler Let’s give thanks to the individuals and organizations who have donated their time/money to make the 2024 Randolph County Fair a success. As you stroll through the aisles thank the members of the Randolph Garden Club for planting the colorful floral displays.
Around Randolph: Introducing new columnist Sandy Engle, plus upcoming happenings in Randolph
Editor’s note: This is the first Around Randolph column in The Portager. Columnist Sandy Engle is a retired school psychologist. She has been a flower essence practitioner and flower essence producer for over 25 years. During her free time, she enjoys gardening, hiking, traveling with her husband Newt, and playing with her four grandchildren. “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you.
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