NORTH OLMSTED, Ohio - Spring-like weather is causing some people to start thinking about home improvements. And that can be a daunting experience.

North Olmsted residents are invited to a special residential building permit forum sponsored by the city to help them learn how to ensure a smooth process for upcoming home improvement projects. The forum is set for 7 p.m. Feb. 27 in council chambers at North Olmsted City hall, 5200 Dover Center Road.

Among the questions that will be answered are:

• Do I need a building permit for my project?
• What kind of information do I need to submit?
• How do I find a contractor?

Members of the building department staff will be on hand to answer questions.

For more information, contact Nicole Rambo-Ackerman at 440-716-4134.

Knowing your home series returns: Speaking of home improvement projects, LakewoodAlive is unveiling the schedule for the fourth year of its popular Knowing Your Home series. The home maintenance educational program is a collection of 15 workshops from March through November led by experts in the industry.

The workshops cover a range of topics designed to educate homeowners about home improvements and the best practices for their homes. Workshops are free and open to the public. Those attending are encouraged consider making a donation to LakewoodAlive or bringing canned food or other non-perishable items for donation to the Lakewood Community Services Center.

The first workshop, "Creating a Sound Investment," will be 7-9 p.m. March 2 at the Bottlehouse Brewery, 13368 Madison Ave., Lakewood. Presenters will be Scalish Construction, Cleveland Lumber and William J. Gaydos & Associates, LLC.

Other workshop topics and dates are:

• "Flooring Options," 10 a.m. to noon March 11 at Cleveland Lumber.
• "Managing Pests," 10 a.m. to noon March 25, at Lakewood Public Library.
• "Masonry Basics," 7-9 p.m. April 6, at 1st Choice Roofing.
• "Garage Repair and Replacement," 10 a.m. to noon April 22 at Cleveland Lumber.
• "Historic Roof Materials Maintenance," 7-9 p.m. May 18 at 1st Choice Roofing.
• "How to Contract a Repair," 7-8:30 p.m. May 25 at the Madison Branch of Lakewood Public Library.
• "Windows 101," 7-9 p.m. June 15 at the Nicholson House.
• "Stripping and Refinishing Woodwork," 7-9 p.m. July 13 at Sherwin-Williams.
• "Windows 101 - Hands-on Repair," 6-8 p.m., July 20 at Lakewood Hardware.
• "Electrical 101," 7-9 p.m. Aug. 17 at Clock Electric.
• "Plumbing 101," 7-9 p.m. Sept. 14 at the Turkish Cultural Center.
• "Bathroom Remodeling," 10 a.m. to noon Oct. 21 at Cleveland Lumber.
• "Kitchen Remodeling," 10 a.m. to noon Nov. 4 at Cleveland Lumber and
• "Waterproofing Basics," 7-9 p.m. Nov. 16 at Deagan's Kitchen & Bar.

More information on the workshop series or LakewoodAlive can be found at lakewoodalive.com, or call 216-521-0655.

Youth in Government: The Fairview Park Chapter of the League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland will present its annual Youth in Government program March 7-8 at the Gemini Center in Fairview Park.

The program, in cooperation with Fairview High School's social studies department, will feature two 90-minute sessions for members of the junior class. Featured speakers are Mayor Eileen Patton, Police Chief Erich Upperman and Fire Chief Anthony Raffin on March 7 and school board members and Councilwoman at-large Peggy Cleary on March 8.

Save the date: Mark your calendar for the eighth annual Hooley on Kamm's Corners, which will take place on May 13. The popular outdoor festival, which takes place along Lorain Avenue from Rocky River Drive to West 165th Street in Cleveland's West Park neighborhood, is similar to a homecoming celebration.

There is live music, Irish dancers, entertainment, food, handmade arts, crafts and gifts. Organized by the Kamm's Corners Development Corp., the event draws about 30,000 people from West Park and other nearby cities.

Vendor space is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Nonprofit vendor space already is sold out.

For more information, visit kammscorners.com, or contact Jackie Wohleber, 216-252-6559, Ext. 1000, or email her at TheHooley@kammscorners.com.

Pasta, please: Boy Scout Troop 630 from St. Brendan Parish in North Olmsted will sponsor its annual rigatoni and meatball dinner 4-7 p.m. March 4 in St. Brendan's Kenny Center, 4242 Brendan Lane, North Olmsted.

Dinner consists of rigatoni, homemade meatballs, salad, rolls, homemade desserts and beverages, all served by the scouts. Cost is $9 for adults; $7 for senior citizens and $4 for children ages 4-10; free for children younger than 4. Carryout is available and delivery is offered within a three-mile radius of St. Brendan's for orders of five or more dinners.

 Call 440-227-4815 from 3-5 p.m. on March 4 to arrange for delivery.

 College Club West scholarships: College Club West is offering minimum of $2,000 scholarships for the 2017-2018 academic year. Application deadline is March 15.

For information on the scholarships, including eligibility and application requirements, visit collegeclubwest.org.

College Club West is a nonprofit group of women college graduates who live in Greater Cleveland.

Community meals: West Park United Church of Christ will host its next free community meal 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Feb. 26 at the church, 3909 Rocky River Drive, West Park. Enter through the double back doors.

Church of the Redeemer and Clague Road United Church of Christ also will host a free community meal 4:30-6 p.m. Feb. 25 at Clague Road UCC, 3650 Clague Road, North Olmsted. No carryout orders are available. The church is handicap accessible.

In memoriam: Condolences to the Begin family on the death of the Rev. Daniel Begin, 68, who died Feb. 18 after a lengthy illness. He was a West Park native who grew up in St. Patrick Parish.

Rev. Begin was one of 13 children. Survivors include siblings the Rev. Robert Begin, a retired priest in the Diocese of Cleveland; Lenore; Jerome; Laura Kuhn; Barbara Campbell and Madonna Tkachyk. Deceased siblings are Floyd, Mary Handley, Leroy, James, Eugene and Sheila Zimmerer.

He was ordained in 1975 and most recently served as pastor of St. Mary/Our Lady of Hope Parish in Bedford.

The Rev. Jim Ols, pastor of St. Patrick Parish, West Park, knew Rev. Begin in the seminary and spoke fondly of him at Masses last weekend.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Feb. 22 at St. Mary Church, Bedford and burial will be in Bedford Cemetery.

Memorial gifts can be made to the St. Mary/Our Lady of Hope Hunger Center.

ShroveFest: Messiah Lutheran Church will host its annual ShroveFest community celebration 4-8 p.m. Feb. 28 at the church, 21485 Lorain Road, Fairview Park.

Entertainment will be provided by Cleveland's German Brass Band and the Messiah Lutheran School Igniters Choir. German dinners will be served 4-7:30 p.m. Eat in, drive-through and carryout meals are available, Cost is $15 for an adult dinner, with children's meals starting as $3. Ala carte items also are available.

The event will end at 8 p.m., outdoors with the burning of palms and a songfest to prepare for Ash Wednesday, which is on March 1.

Celebrate the Academy: St. Joseph Academy, the 127-year-old, all-girls Catholic high school in West Park, will have its major fundraiser, Celebrate the Academy, 6-11 p.m. Feb. 25 at the school, 3470 Rocky River Drive. Theme is "All That Glitters is Purple & Gold."

Over the last seven years, the event has raised more than $1.5 million to support academic initiatives and scholarships. School officials said 68 percent of SJA students receive tuition assistance.

For more information on the event, call Carolyn Novak, 216-251-6788, or email her at cnoval@sja1890.org.

Women's scholarship: North Olmsted Junior Women's Club is accepting applications for a $1,500 scholarship available to residents of North Olmsted, Cleveland's West Side and suburbs.

Additional information and the application documents are available at //northolmsted.wixsite.com/nojwc, look under the section labeled "projects." Family members of club members are not eligible to apply.

Fish fry time: Lent arrives on March 1, which means it's fish fry season.

Blessed Trinity Parish in West Park will have a fish fry 5:30-7:30 p.m. Fridays in Lent from March 3 through April 7. The church, 14040 Puritas Ave., is handicap accessible

Dinner prices are $6 to $14. Macaroni and cheese, pierogies, cabbage and noodles, rice and beans and more will be available.

For takeout orders, call 216-941-0457 after 6 p.m. For more information, call 216-671-5890.

Cookie orders: Angels on the Avenue are accepting orders for St. Patrick's Day cookies until March 3. Pickup/delivery will be March 9-10. Cost is $2 each for large shamrock, smiley face, peanut butter, snickerdoodle, maple oatmeal raisin or chocolate chip cookies.

To order, contact Joe Dailey, 216-701-3143, or email jdailey@ppg.com. Proceeds will benefit St. Augustine Health Ministries.

Information, please: Readers are invited to share information about themselves, their families and friends, organizations, church events, etc. in Fairview Park, Lakewood, North Olmsted and West Park for the A Place in the Sun column, which I write on a freelance basis. Awards, honors, milestone birthdays or anniversaries and other items are welcome. Submit information at least 10 days before the requested publication date to carolkovach@hotmail.com.

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