Open house Thursday at All Souls

BELLVILLE — All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church of Bellville, 25 Church St., will be open Thursday from 5:30-7:30 p.m. for an open house during the Bellville Street Fair. Visitors will have an opportunity to enjoy the Enjoy the Sounds and Sights of All Souls. The church will feature music from its historic pipe organ during the festival. During the open house, songs will be played on the All Souls’ pipe organ, originally built in 1873 for a Pennsylvania church by the A.B. Felgemaker Organ Company in Erie, Pennsylvania. It was purchased and shipped via Lake Erie to Port Clinton and then by wagon to Bellville in 1910.

The organ has a complement of 396 pipes. The current All Souls Church building was constructed between 1894 and 1897 in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. The sandstone came from the Cyrus Gatton Farm on Ohio Route 97, east of Bellville, and another quarry west of the village. Stones were cut to fit and the cornerstone laid in 1894. Native lumber was used for the rough structure. The fourteen stained glass windows were ordered through an importing firm in Boston and came from Germany. The building was dedicated in 1897. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Jan. 1, 1976.

‘Reclaiming Witchcraft’ is Sunday message at All Souls

BELLVILLE — Cara Mia will deliver the message Sunday at the 10:30 a.m. service at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, 25 Church St. Mia’s topic is “Reclaiming Witchcraft: Ritual, Activism, and Magick.” In 1979, a book called “The Spiral Dance” was published, written by Starhawk. It is considered one of the most influential books of the neopagan movement in the United States, and has been translated and shared all over the world. A lot of people have heard of the book, but fewer people know that a tradition of Witchcraft was born from the material shared in that first book (and many other books followed). That tradition is the Reclaiming Tradition of Witchcraft.

For more information, visit the church website at www.allsoulsuuohio.org

State Route 13/97 closes Wednesday BELLVILLE — SR 13/97, within the Village of Bellville, will close Wednesday, Sept. 11 due to the annual Bellville Street Fair. SR 13/97 will be closed between Durbin Ave. and Ogle St. The detour route for southbound motorists is west on Ogle St, south on Belle St., east on Durbin Ave., and back to SR 13/97. The detour route for northbound motorists is east on Durbin Ave., north on Huron St., and west on Ogle St., and back to SR 13/97. The road is expected to reopen Saturday, Sept. 15.

Judge to promote CASA at fair

BELLVILLE — Judge Steve McKinley of the Richland County Juvenile Court, will be at the Bellville Street Fair from September 11 -14 to promote the Court’s CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) program. The program recruits and trains volunteers to advocate for a child’s best interests in court. McKinley will be available at the CASA tent at the Bellville Street Fair to answer questions and provide information on becoming a CASA volunteer.

“If you care about kids and want to make a positive difference in our community, stop by the CASA tent and learn how you can advocate in Juvenile Court as a CASA volunteer.” McKinley said. “You could change a child’s life for the better.”