Black River Cleanup was a success

BOUQUETS >> To the organizers and the hundreds of volunteers who participated in the fifth annual Black River Cleanup.

We commend those who braved below normal temperatures and soggy conditions to canvass the historic river to pick up trash May 6-7.

Despite the weather, organizers said they retrieved more than 200 tires from the river and even a 10-foot motor boat.

The Lorain County Kayak and Paddle Sports Group organized the cleanup and featured six cleanup locations: Black River Wharf, 1355 Black River Parkway; Lakeside Landing, 301 Lakeside Ave.; Hot Waters Boat Launch at the end of Second Street and Oberlin Avenue; Cromwell Park on the south end of Missouri Avenue; and Black River Landing, 421 Black River Lane.

Kurt Hernon, co-owner of the Lorain County Kayak and Paddle Sports Group, said this year’s turnout was a culmination of five years of unqualified success and he thanked volunteers for supporting the initiative.

Hernon said, “We owe a huge thank you to citizens who showed up and helped out. Without them we would get only a fraction of what we accomplished done.”

This effort demonstrated how much pride residents and others have in the Black River.

Job well done.

BOUQUETS » To the organizers of the annual FireFish Festival for growing the one-day event to a two-day celebration of the arts in downtown Lorain.

Also new this year, the FireFish Festival will take place Oct. 6-7.

On May 5, FireFish Festival announced its return with the promise to “once again transform downtown Lorain into an exciting stage for sizzling fire, arts performances and installations set to the rhythms of local and world musicians.”

FireFish Executive Director James Levin said, “We are excited to expand the festival this year to two days, offering more opportunity for northeastern Ohioans of all ages to experience this unforgettable, one-of-a-kind festival. We are thrilled to be attracting high profile artists wanting to be a part of the creative FireFish experience and hope to continue to draw thousands of new visitors to this hidden gem on the water that is becoming known as an art mecca.”

This year’s festival opens Oct. 6 concert with “an eclectic array of regionally acclaimed music groups to kick off the celebration.”

There will be a main stage on Broadway, art installations in Lorain’s storefronts and buildings and makeshift galleries along the street.

And Oct. 7 will be a day of family-friendly music, dance, theater, art and fire performers.

The festival again will have a percussion parade and the ceremonial burning of the FireFish, scheduled for Oct. 7.

The FireFish Festival was nice as a one-day event. We’re confident it’ll be twice as nice as a two-day extravaganza.

BRICKBATS » To the criminal who invaded an Avon Lake residence and attacked and struggled with the homeowner who suffered a minor injury in the early morning hours of May 8.

According to Avon Lake police, officers responded to a residential burglary in progress at 2:40 a.m. in the 100 block of Hermann Drive.

The homeowner reported an unknown male kicked in the door leading from the garage into the main area of the residence.

The resident engaged the intruder in a brief struggle in the home’s foyer before he fled, heading south on Hermann.

The homeowner suffered a cut above his right eye as a result of the confrontation.

Police said the suspect is a white male, approximately 6 feet tall, weighing between 220 and 230 pounds with a clean shave. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, a black stocking cap and black gloves.

Investigators are still looking for this moronic intruder.

Police need to quickly arrest this culprit and remove him from the streets before he severely hurts someone else over their own property.

BRICKBATS » To Nicholas A. Camp, the 21-year-old Lorain man who was sentenced to six years in prison May 8 for trading gunfire with police.

Camp fired multiple shots from the attic of a Lorain home Oct. 24 while the occupants hid in a neighbor’s home and contacted police.

When officers arrived and began giving commands for Camp to exit the home, an officer noticed him attempting to slip out of the back.

When the officer ordered Camp to stop running, he turned and fired several shots in the officer’s direction. The officer returned fire. Camp is very lucky he wasn’t shot and killed that day.

Why did Camp think he could get away with shooting at police?

Well, for the next six years, he’ll have plenty of time behind bars to ponder his foolish decision.