AVON, Ohio -- Things are about to get a little groovy and psychedelic in Avon. Peace, Love & Little Donuts, the hip little donut shop founded in the Strip District of Pittsburgh in 2009, is set to open soon (no official opening date announced at this time) at 37300 Detroit Road, Avon, in the former Avon Cafe location.
Avon residents and Avon High School sweethearts Becky (Kimpton) and Todd Bailey purchased a franchise and are excited to bring the 1970s vibe to Avon.
"I went to the Peace, Love & Little Donuts West Park location one day with my husband and daughter and thought, wow, Avon needs one of these," said Becky, a 2004 Avon High School graduate. "The atmosphere was so cool, and with our growing community filled with kids, I thought it would be a hit. So I contacted the franchise and began the process."
Nemo Grille patrons will likely recognize Becky, as she has worked at the well-known Avon restaurant for the past 16 years. She loves the food-service industry and has always wanted to be her own boss.
She attended Bowling Green State University and earned a bachelor's degree in exercise science and a master's degree at Cleveland State University, also in exercise science. She worked in the corporate wellness industry for eight years, but never left behind her restaurant industry love.
"I'm thankful that my husband and 3-year-old daughter are as excited and supportive of this dream," she said.
In addition to having fresh donuts made to order, Peace Love & Little Donuts will also serve coffee from local coffee distributor Red Cedar Coffee in Berea. Part of the deal when owning a Peace Love & Little Donuts franchise is contracting with local vendors. Dairy products will come from Austintown Dairy in Boardman.
A fun detail of Peace, Love & Little Donuts is the unique small size of the donuts, which originally were actually made by mistake by the owner of the company. As the story goes, he was given an old donut machine from a friend. His intention was to make a regular-size cake donut. No matter how hard he tried to adjust the machine, he kept getting the same small donuts. Months later, he realized he had put the machine together wrong.
The business has since grown, with about 22 franchises in Colorado, Michigan, Florida, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and several other states. The nearest location is on Rocky River Drive in Cleveland's West Park neighborhood.
When customers enter a store location, they are able to see the employees frying the donuts daily. Once the customer orders a donut, they can select from a variety of toppings, including Banana Split, Oreo, Fruity Pebbles, Salted Pretzel and Strawberry Shortcake, just to name a few. Donut prices range from 90 cents to $1.45, depending on the toppings selected. The donut shop will be nut-free. According to Becky, gluten-friendly donuts will be available, as well as some dairy-free options.
While the location continues to undergo renovations, catering orders are currently being accepted for future events. The donuts are ideal for weddings, company events, birthday parties, baby showers, wedding showers, fundraisers, etc. Email Becky for catering information at plldofavon@gmail.com. Stay up to date on grand opening information by following @PLLDAvon on social media and "like" them on Facebook at Peace, Love and Little Donuts of Avon.
AVON
Theater production: Avon Middle School Principal Dr. Craig Koehler stars as the ship's captain in the upcoming Lorain County Music Theater (LCMT) production of "Anything Goes." Show dates and times are 7:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and July 20; 7:30 p.m. July 21; and 2 p.m. July 22 at the Lorain Performing Arts Center, 2600 Ashland Ave., Lorain.
Koehler has performed in several LCMT productions over the years, including "Annie," "The Music Man," "Mary Poppins" and "Into the Woods."
"I have always loved the theater," said Koehler. "It's been a wonderful experience -- professional, enriching, visionary. People coming out to see this show can expect an entertaining, outstanding show with superb talent. LCMT always produces an outstanding show."
To purchase tickets, go to loraincommunitymusictheater.org/buy-tickets.
AVON
Road closure: Drivers will want to begin planning accordingly as Jaycox Road, between Chester and Detroit roads, will close July 17 for bridge repairs on the structure over Interstate 90. The detour route for southbound drivers is Jaycox Road to Chester Road, east on Chester Road to Nagel Road, south on Nagel Road to Detroit Road, west on Detroit Road to Jaycox Road, and reverse for northbound drivers. The road is expected to reopen July 31.
Children's Farmer's Market: Open to the entire community, Avon Montessori is hosting a Children's Farmer's Market from 1 to 5 p.m. July 22 in the school's parking lot, 37701 Colorado Ave. Rent space for $30 and have your child create his or her own business. Examples include rock collections, lemonade, books, candies, homemade cards, etc. to sell. General admission for the event is $5 (children under 3 years old are admitted free). For more information, email AvonMontessori@gmail.com.
Butterfly House: Be sure to check out the Miller Nature Preserve Butterfly House, 2739 Center Road, open daily from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. now through Labor Day. The display is free.
The Ode to Nature display opens in the Conservatory at the Miller Nature Preserve July 18. The exhibit is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Sept. 16. Admission is $2. Poetry will be enhanced through paintings by local artists.
Beer, Beats and Eats: Tickets are going fast for the annual Beer, Beats and Eats event sponsored by Strip Steakhouse and Olde Avon Village. The event -- from 5 to 9 p.m. July 19 at Olde Avon Village, 36840 Detroit Road -- includes live bands, local artists, food and beer samplings. Presale tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the Tree House in Olde Avon Village, or by phone at 440-934-1636. All tickets will be sold with proper identification. A limited number of $15 tickets will be available at the event.
Artist/local vendor applications are still being accepted and there is no fee to participate. For an application, email TreeHouseAv@gmail.com.
PowerPoint: Learn how to create presentations with slides that include charts, clip art and other graphics during a PowerPoint for Beginners class from 6 to 8 p.m. July 23 at the Avon Library.
Dean's lists: The following students earned a place on the Dean's List at Miami University: Emily Wild, Christopher Carney, Christian Contessa, Kenzie Delaney, Grace Kahl, Matt Ziegman, Nathan Suhay, Catherine Warren, and Audrey Payne. The President's List at Miami University includes Gregory Pataky, Regan Kapalko, Evan Miller, Thomas Murray, Emily Nester, Nick DiFilippo, Kira McDonald, Nicholas Saxton, Jackie Ziegman and Alexis Klonk.
Wittenberg University recently announced Dean's List (3.5. GPA or higher) students, including David Quayle.
College graduate: Payton Mitchell recently earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ohio Wesleyan University.
AVON LAKE
Summer Market: The 13th annual Summer Market, held on the shore of Lake Erie at Veterans Memorial Park, Ohio 83 and Lake Road, Avon Lake, is from 3 to 9 p.m. July 27 and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 28. Shop for furniture, jewelry, art, vintage items, fresh produce, home decor and a variety of other goods from more than 80 vendors.
Guests can grab a bite from several featured restaurants and food trucks, listen to live music, watch the sun set on the lake or shop.
Founded in 2006 by Erin Stack and Kristen Weeden -- two friends with a shared creative passion for vintage finds, lakeside living and helping others -- the Summer Market benefits Girls Give Back, their nonprofit organization based in Avon Lake. All proceeds from the Summer Market fund the "Gift of Home," an annual Girls Give Back project that creates a place of serenity, comfort and well-being for local families in need.
Rewarding safety: The Avon Lake Police Department, Avon Lake Dairy Queen and Fenik's Frozen Custard are teaming up to reward kids around town for wearing bike helmets. Officers on patrol are passing out a coupon for a free ice cream cone if they see someone wearing a bike helmet.
Dean's lists: The following Miami University students are members of the Dean's List: Mark Loper, Chris Santos, Kayla Stallard, Dominic Barilla, Ryan Becker, Brendan Wasilko, Rocco Campo, Joseph Dean, Conor McGrath, Natalie Quintero, and Tesia Neujahr. The President's List at Miami University includes Andrew Peachman.
Wittenberg University recently announced Dean's List (3.5 GPA or higher) students, including Lacey Medlyn.
NORTH RIDGEVILLE
Paving project: Plan accordingly beginning July 16 as portions of Lorain Road/Ohio 10 and the Alternate Ohio 83 access to Ohio 10 will be resurfaced. Lorain Road will be repaved from the Ohio Turnpike ramps to the Cuyahoga County line, including the Interstate-480 ramps. Lorain Road west of Ohio 83 to Alternate 83, and across Alternate 83 to Chestnut Ridge Road, will be repaved.
The Ohio Department of Transportation's contractor is scheduled to begin work the week of July 16, with a project completion date of Aug. 29. Traffic will be maintained during construction.
Theater production: Fun for the entire family: Come out to see "Peter Pan Jr." at the Olde Towne Hall Theatre, 36119 Center Ridge Road. Show dates and times are 7:30 p.m. July 19-21 and a 2 p.m. matinee July 21. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and students, and $8 for children. For more information, call 440-327-2909.
Men's Breakfast: The North Ridgeville Senior Center welcomes guest speaker Guhan Venkatu, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, to the Men's Breakfast at 9 a.m. July 19. He will share the regional economic outlook, which covers commentary on economic and financial issues of interest to residents and businesses in the Fourth District -- Ohio, western Pennsylvania, eastern Kentucky and the northern panhandle of West Virginia.
The Men's Breakfast is open to senior men ages 55 and older. The breakfast is a hot entree along with fruit cup, juice and coffee for $3. Deadline for reservations is 10 a.m. July 17. Call 440-353-0828.
Dean's lists: Bruce Imbacuan is a member of the Dean's List at Miami University. Wittenberg University recently announced Dean's List (3.5. GPA or higher) students, including Jack Smith.
College graduate: Kayleigh Zander recently earned a bachelor of music degree from Ohio Wesleyan University.
Book sale: The Friends of the North Ridgeville Branch Library are hosting a Book Sale from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. July 27-28. Find an assortment of books, movies, puzzles and music at the public event. A preview sale for Library Friends is from 5 to 8 p.m. July 26.
If you have news to share regarding an event, award or other interesting tidbit happening in Avon or Avon Lake, and North Ridgeville send me an email at jshortavon@aol.com. The column's online version is at Cleveland.com.