Mill Creek MetroParks Announces New $100,000.00 Title Sponsor for the American Junior Golf Association’s (AJGA) Junior All Star Tournament at Mill Creek Golf Course

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Mill Creek MetroParks is excited to announce a multi-year title sponsorship agreement with the Mercy Health Foundation of the Mahoning Valley, Farmers Trust and the Howard and Jeanne Karr Charitable Foundation and Meridian Healthcare and other organizations for the 7th Annual AJGA Junior All Star Golf Tournament to be held at Mill Creek Golf Course. The four-year sponsorship agreement includes $25,000.00 per year and succeeds the Mahoning Valley Hospital Foundation who held the 2018 – 2021 tournament sponsor title. Since the events inception, the AJGA Junior All Star Tournament has had a financial impact of around $2,000,000.00 in hotel stays, dining, shopping, and included over $70,000.00+ towards local charities.

“We’re excited to have this partnership which collaborates to support this wonderful event that does so much financially for the Mahoning Valley. The local community has enthusiastically embraced the event since its inception in 2016. This event continues to showcase the MetroParks on a national level,” says Brian Tolnar, PGA Golf & Recreation Director.

The 2022 tournament will take place on Mill Creek’s South Golf Course from June 19 – 24 and will consist of a two-part tournament series (Pre-Season Tournament & All Start Tournament). An AJGA Junior Amateur Tournament will be held on Monday, June 20, 2022, for those wishing to play with one of the top junior golfers from around the world. Information regarding the schedule of events can be found at www.ajga.org.

Notice of June Board Meeting

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The next Regular Meeting of the Board of Park Commissioners, of Mill Creek MetroParks is scheduled for Monday, June 13, 2022, at 6 p.m., in the Education Building – McMahon Hall, at the MetroParks Farm, on Rt. 46, in Canfield. The agenda will be available on the website after 2 p.m. on the day of the meeting.

Mill Creek Golf Course to Host the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Golf Championship in 2023

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The Mill Creek Golf Course will host the 2023 Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Spring Golf Championships for the first time in history. The event will take place on Friday, April 21 & Saturday, April 22, 2023, with the women playing on the North Course and the men playing on the South Course. The two rounds will get underway at 10:00 a.m. each day.

This year’s PAC Championships will feature a 72-hole stroke play event, with 36 holes contested this fall and another 36 holes played in April. From 2017-18 to 2021-22, the PAC Championships featured a 54-hole championship format for both the men and women, with 36 holes contested at the Fall Championships and another 18 holes played at the Spring Championships.

The combined 72-hole team totals will determine PAC team champions and winners of the league’s automatic qualifying bids to the 2023 NCAA Division III Championships. The All-PAC teams, as well the PAC Players of the Year and PAC Newcomers of the Year, are determined by the combined 72-hole scores from the PAC’s Fall and Spring Championships.

The event will showcase 10 collegiate institutions between Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia which include: Allegheny College, Bethany College, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Geneva College, Grove City College, Saint Vincent College, Thiel College, Washington & Jefferson College, Waynesburg University and Westminster College.

Last year, the men’s spring event was held at the world-renowned Oglebay Resort in West Virginia. The women’s spring event was played at Cedarbrook Golf Course in Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania.

“We’re excited to host this prestigious event in the Mahoning Valley for 2023. Events like the PAC Championships really exemplify what Mill Creek MetroParks are all about in its mission to provide park, recreational, educational, and open space facilities of regional significance. In addition, the opportunity to fill area hotels and restaurants as well as showcase the MetroParks, makes this another great golf tournament for our community,” said Brian Tolnar, PGA Director of Golf.

“The PAC is excited to bring its spring tournaments to Mill Creek MetroParks and its two outstanding Donald Ross courses. This gives us the opportunity to host both our men’s and women’s championship at the same site, which has been a goal for our league coaches over the past several years,” said PAC Commissioner Joe Onderko. “I am looking forward to working with Bryan Tolnar and the rest of the staff at Mill Creek to provide our student-athletes with an outstanding championship experience in the spring of 2023.”

In addition to the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA), Notah BeGay III East Coast Regional, Junior Optimist Eastern Regional Tournament, Roseanne Schwartz NCAA Invitation, Youngstown State Kick-Off Classic, PGA Hope Program, U.S. Kids Cleveland Tour and Northern Ohio PGA Sections Junior Tour, the PAC event will be the 8th national and/or regional golf event in which Mill Creek serves as host. Spectators are welcome to attend the 2023 PAC Men’s & Women’s Championships and a small number of volunteers will be needed for the event. Details on volunteering opportunities will be announced in the Spring of 2023.

Live! at the Morley Outdoor Summer Concert Series to Begin in June

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Mill Creek MetroParks has once again teamed up with iHeart Radio, Mix 98.9 to provide the Live! at the Morley Concert Series at Wick Recreation Area. The summer evening concert series, held on the lawn at the Judge Morley Pavilion, runs on select Wednesdays beginning June 8, 2022 through August 17, 2022. All performances are free and family friendly. For a complete concert schedule, visit https://www.millcreekmetroparks.org/visit/things-to-do/concerts/

Due to the concert series being held outdoors, concerts may need to be cancelled due to weather conditions. Every effort will be made to reschedule a concert with the rescheduled date announced via social media and on the MetroParks website.

Notice of MetroParks Citizens Advisory Committee Meeting

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The Natural Resources Citizens Advisory Committee to the Board of Park Commissioners of Mill Creek MetroParks will meet on Thursday, May 19, 2022, at 4:00 p.m. at Stitt Pavilion, located on West Golf Drive in Boardman.

Farm throws shower for newborn animals

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It was a special day Saturday at the Mill Creek MetroParks Farm as the public had the chance to see baby animals born this spring.

The popular family-fun event has in past years drawn as many as 5,000 visitors who get to see, feed and pet everything from baby pigs, goats, horses, rabbits and peacocks.

Lynn Zocolo, a 20-year educator at the farm, said the annual “baby shower” has been held in the spring since 1992 with a few recent years missed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“We are back open and have a variety of wonderful baby animals for our visitors to enjoy. This a free event for families. It makes your heart smile when you see the baby animals,” she said.

New this year are tractor and wagon rides around the property and also feeding the animals a small “baby snack” ice cream cone filled with grain for $1.

Zocolo said most of the babies are born in mid-April through May.

She said children like seeing the foal, calves, alpacas, pygmy goats and peacocks.

Helping at the event were 4-H students and Canfield Junior Fair members.

Zocolo said the farm, located across from the Canfield Fairgrounds, is open seven days a week all summer for visitors. Also twice a month in the summer will be tractor and wagon rides that will be 45 minutes around the property and to see the century barn off Leffingwell Road as well as poultry and horse barns.

“There have been some years we get as many as 4,000 to 5,000 people stopping during a four-hour time period,” Zocolo said.

Olivia Griffith of Austintown said her son, Zackary, 1, loves animals, especially horses and cows.

“He is so excited to see the animals, I used to come here when I was little when they held the baby shower event. This is his first time here. The whole family is here,” she said.

Griffith said Zackary’s second birthday will have a barnyard theme.

Frank Lanterman of Austintown, Zackary’s grandfather, said “This is an awesome event. The kids see animals on TV and don’t get to interact with them. This lets them interact with the animals and see them up close.”

Tug and Suzie Sanner of Boardman brought their twin sons, Beau and Keegan, 2, to the event.

“This is the first time for all of us to be here. We want to feed the baby animals,” said Suzie Sanner.

Beau said his favorite animal is the piglets.

Karen Hartman of Canfield had her two children, Bronson, 6, and Kaelyn, 4, at the event.

“We wanted to stop today and see all the baby animals,” she said, noting her children loved the tiny pygmy goats.

Jamie Yohman, community engagement director for Mill Creek MetroParks, said the event is popular every year.

“Baby animals are always a big draw. People just love to see them. The tractor and wagon rides are new. We educate people on the history of the farm and the crops and animals,” she said.

There were long lines of people waiting to get on the wagon ride.

 

Read the original article at The Vindicator.

Notice of May Board Meeting

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The next Regular Meeting of the Board of Park Commissioners, of Mill Creek MetroParks is scheduled for Monday, May 9, 2022, at 6 p.m., in the Education Building – McMahon Hall, at the MetroParks Farm, on Rt. 46, in Canfield. The agenda will be available on the website after 2 p.m. on the day of the meeting.

Prescribed Burn Scheduled for Collier Preserve

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The MetroParks is working in conjunction with Davey Resource Group (Kent, Ohio) to conduct a prescribed burn at Collier Preserve, a ~45-acre restored native grass prairie located at the corner of Tippecanoe Road and Western Reserve Road. Weather permitting, the project is anticipated to be completed in one day and will take place on Thursday, April 28, 2022, with Friday April 29 serving as an alternate date. Collier Preserve will be closed to the public for the duration of the project.

The controlled use of fire is a safe and effective management tool which provides several benefits including the suppression of invasive/undesirable species, removal of woody growth, reduction of thatch build-up, and the stimulation of native seed banks. In the case of Collier Preserve, Mill Creek MetroParks is entering the 4th year of post-planting management of the native warm season grass prairie. This stage is an ideal time to introduce fire as a management tool to bolster the maturing native grasses ensuring their success for years to come.

Mill Creek MetroParks to hold Farm Animal Baby Shower

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Mill Creek MetroParks will be holding its annual Farm Animal Baby Shower at the MetroParks Farm (7574 Columbiana-Canfield Rd, Canfield) on Saturday, May 7, 2022. Sponsored by 21 WFMJ / WBCB, this is a free, family-friendly event. Families are encouraged to visit from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. to meet new arrivals at the MetroParks Farm including goats, piglets, calves, chicks, alpacas, a peacock, and more. There will also be mother animals who are still expecting. Mahoning County Jr. Fair participants will also be on site with their animals and available to share their knowledge. Mill Creek MetroParks merchandise, tractor wagon rides, cones with feed for animal feedings, concession trailers and drinks will be available for purchase. Credit cards are accepted, cash preferred for tractor wagon rides and animal feeding. Parking is free on-site with additional free parking available across the street at the Canfield Fairgrounds.

The barns at the MetroParks Farm are currently open for the season to the public for viewing the animals daily from 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., with extended hours until 6 p.m. from June – October.

Mill Creek MetroParks Foundation Receives Large Gift

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The Mill Creek MetroParks Foundation has received a $175,000 gift from the John & Joanne Beeghly Family for the refurbishment of the primitive trail system surrounding Lake Newport. The gift will be utilized for trail restoration and enhancements at the trailheads. The funding supports a $250,000 capital improvement project for the primitive trails known as the Newport Loop. All funding for this project will be provided by donations.

The project will see the installation of new drainage systems along the trails, surface improvements, as well as erosion control. The work will also address improvements to existing retaining walls, borders, and stone steps, much of which were constructed by the WPA during the 1930s.

Chris Litton, Director of Development for Mill Creek MetroParks said, “The John & Joanne Beeghly Family have been friends and supporters of the MetroParks for many years. Their philanthropic reach has touched every corner of the MetroParks system, and we are profoundly grateful for their continued support of our mission. This latest gift will help to ensure that our trail system continues to be an essential part of recreation at the MetroParks for generations to come.”

The Newport Loop Trail Restoration is part of a $20 million comprehensive campaign launched by the Mill Creek MetroParks Foundation to add $10 million in donated funding towards capital improvements in Mill Creek MetroParks and $10 million towards endowments for the long-term care and preservation of the MetroParks.

Individuals interested in contributing to the trail restoration fund at the MetroParks should contact Chris Litton, Director of Development at 330.702.3000 ext. 118.