Carolyn Lewis loved singing and sewing

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MIDDLETOWN — Carolyn Lewis always had a song on her lips and her nimble fingers could be counted on to sew up an award-winning Halloween costume.

Two carefully crafted matching penguin costumes, donned by her son and daughter, clinched the Silver Dollar Award at the Fireman’s Halloween parade decades ago in Morrow, where she and late husband Bruce raised two children.

“She could do anything on a sewing machine. We never had store-bought Halloween costumes,” said son Bruce Lewis of Loveland.

Mrs. Lewis, who served as a Washington Township trustee in the 1980s, died Sunday at the Inn at Renaissance Village in Middletown, an assisted living center where she had resided for the past year and a half. Mrs. Lewis was 82. Family members said her health had declined rapidly following the death of her husband in March.

Mrs. Lewis grew up on the border of Norwood and Hyde Park, where the Rookwood Exchange development is now being built.

Her family moved to the Morrow area when she was a child, the youngest of five, in a household where everyone was expected to take music lessons. Mrs. Lewis’ gift was her voice and she always sang during family jam sessions. She also taught herself to play the piano.

“Music was such a big part of her life,” her son said. “It didn’t take much for her to break into a song about anything.”

Mrs. Lewis graduated from high school in 1948. By then, she had met her husband Bruce, a man eight years her senior and a World War II Army veteran, at a local canteen. She had stopped there one day on her way home from school. The couple married in 1949.

A typical stay-at-home mom of the times, Mrs. Lewis was active in her community, serving as a 4-H leader helping her son show pigs and rabbits and teaching female club members how to sew. She taught Sunday school and helped children with disabilities as a teacher’s aide in Little Miami Schools, where her husband worked.

Later in life, when zoning issues in her eastern Warren County township became a hot topic, Mrs. Lewis stepped in to help preserve the rural flavor of her community by serving as a Washington Township trustee.

Dear to Mrs. Lewis’ heart was her participation in a “Mothers Club” she helped form 60 years ago after her daughter was born, her family said.

A eulogy prepared by relatives put it this way: “Skeet (Mrs. Lewis’ nickname) was a devoted member of her beloved club, a group of nine women from Morrow who met on a monthly basis. No one was ever really sure if they had bylaws, a purpose, theme or club rules. But we hear they had plenty of food, friendship, loyalty and best of all – juicy gossip.”

Besides her son, Mrs. Lewis leaves a daughter, Beverly Williams of Lebanon; sister, Jean Harper of Morrow; five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

A memorial service was held Friday at Lebanon United Methodist Church.

Archery: Falls’ Koehl earns spot on Olympic team as alternate

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Teresa Iaconi, a spokesperson for USA Archery — the national archery governing body that selects and trains Olympic archers — said 150 people competed in the Texas shoot. The top 16 men and 16 women advanced to a second nomination shoot earlier this year in California.

The top eight women after that event moved on to a third nomination shoot, held June 1-3 in Colorado.

The top three female archers remaining after all three events earned potential spots on the U.S. Olympic team. The fourth-place finisher — Heather — was named the alternate.

Archers’ spots on the team also are pending approval by the U.S. Olympic Committee, though Iaconi said it’s rare for the committee to turn down athletes nominated to an Olympic team.

A young start

Heather still has her first bow-and-arrow set.

The little plastic arrows have suction cups on the end, and they’re kept in a Pringles can “quiver.” The bow is a small plastic toy.

The set was practically useless for actually shooting arrows. But, paired with a green outfit, it made for a perfect Halloween costume.

“She fell in love with Robin Hood when she was 5 years old,” Kelly said, noting her daughter continued wearing the costume for months after Halloween. (Her little brother got to play the role of Maid Marian when the two played together.)

Kelly said after a few months of watching her daughter dress up in her costume, she decided to take Heather to an archery range in California, where the family lived at the time.

Right away, the little girl was hooked.

“I found it a unique sport,” Heather said. “I really enjoyed the people in it.”

She was about 5 or 6 years old when she got her first real bow. A nice improvement over the plastic one she’d worn with her costume, her first bow was taller than she was — and, at about $100, cost a “fortune,” Kelly said.

A few years later, Heather got another, more expensive bow — another small fortune, said Kelly.

It’s proved a worthwhile investment, though. Heather kept improving — a fact attested to by the countless trophies, plaques and medals that adorn her bedroom walls.

Heather won the silver medal at the Hoyt World Open in 2011, setting herself up to compete later that year in the Pan American Games in Mexico, where she earned another silver medal.

And now — maybe — she’ll get to compete in the Olympics.

“She’s the alternate,” Kelly said proudly. “Not many people can say that. It’s a phenomenal achievement.”

Eagles host sock hop costume party Saturday

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Salem Eagles are hosting a 1950s and ’60s sock-hop party beginning at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at 2771 Pence Loop SE.

Attendees are encouraged to wear costumes from the time, including poodle skirts and saddle shoes.

Hamburgers, French fries, root beer floats and milkshakes will be served from 5:30 to 8 p.m. and live music is planned from 8 p.m. to midnight.

Cost is $3 per person or $5 per couple.

For more information, call (503) 363-4637.

— Elida S. Perez

Asheville celebrates Beer Week with tasting, quirky events and two festivals – Asheville Citizen

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Ongoing Thursday through June 3:

• Brews Cruise, the local beer tour service, will offer tours each day of Beer Week.

• The Lobster Trap restaurant is serving a new cask every day during Asheville Beer Week.

• Highland Brewing is hosting Scotty’s Scavenger Hunt during Beer Week, with contestants searching for specially labeled beers.

• Thursday: Asheville Beer Masters final competition, 6:30-9 p.m., Asheville Brewing, 77 Coxe Ave; Bavarian Music Night with an oom-pah band, 7-10 p.m., Lexington Avenue Brewery, 39 N. Lexington Ave.; Chatoe Rogue beers from Rogue Brewing, served 5-10 p.m. at Thirsty Monk, 92 Patton Ave; French Broad Brewing beer dinner, details to be announced.

• May 25: Beer 101 open class, 4-6 p.m., Barley’s Taproom, 42 Biltmore Ave. French Broad Brewing cask night at the brewery, 5-9 p.m., 101 Fairview Road; hop infused Shiva IPA served 5:30-10 p.m., Asheville Brewing, 77 Coxe Ave.; Appalachian Trail fundraiser, 6-9 p.m. at Nantahala Brewing, Bryson City, $5.

• May 26: West Asheville Can Crawl costume party, 6-10 p.m. Westville Pub, 777 Haywood Road; Mountain Sports Beer Jam, 4-8 p.m., Carrrier Park; Iron Brewer Competition, 1-6 p.m., Fifth Season Garden Co., $35 to enter, free to watch.

• May 27: LaZoom Beer Run, tour of of breweries, 1-3 p.m., $25 per person; Beer Week rootball championship, 4-10 p.m., Root Bar, 1410 Tunnel Road; Beer Week Trivia Night, 8-10 p.m., Lexington Avenue Brewery, free; Hash House Harriers beer run from Asheville Brewing to Wedge Brewing, 2-6 p.m., no charge; to run.

• May 28: Asheville Brewing’s Rocket Girl model search, 8-11 p.m., Asheville Music Hall, 31 Patton Ave. $5.

• May 29: Glass Trade Party, bring your old pint glasses and growlers to trade, 5-8 p.m., Bar of Soap, 333 Merrimon Ave.; Stone Brewing beer tasting, 5-7 p.m., Bruisin’ Ales, 66 Broadway St., ticketed event; Flight Night at The Market Place, Pisgah Brewing beer and food pairing, 6-10 p.m., $16; Southern Tier beers on tap all day at Mellow Mushroom, 50 Broadway St.; tacos and beer all day, White Duck Taco, 1 Roberts St.; progressive dinner at Curate by the Thirsty Monk, 6:30-10 p.m., ticketed event.

A serious costume party in Cape Coral

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Sal Cossentino and his wife, Marie, wore T-shirts today emblazoned with photos of their parents.

“All four of them had different types of cancer,” said Cossentino, 53, of North Fort Myers, who walked in the Cape Coral Relay For Life at Mariner High School.

Cossentino’s shirt read “Forever Loved,” and paid tribute to his father, Frank, who died of colon cancer in 2005, along with his mother, Rose, who died in 2008 from carcinoma of the palate.

“It’s important to come out and support this because one day you might get that phone call,” Cossentino said.

About 45 teams participated in the 18-hour American Cancer Society event, raising nearly $90,000 by this afternoon. The group hopes to bring in $170,000 — $13,000 more than last year — before fundraising ends in August, event chairwoman Donna Germain said.

“Each relay has a different flavor … but the unifying factor is that we’re all working toward a common goal,” said ACS board member Sybil Edgar, a 17-year breast cancer survivor.

Participants shrug-ged off rain as they walked laps dressed in “Alice in Wonderland” costumes and “Toy Story” T-shirts during the Disney-themed event.

Mike Curley, 63, of south Fort Myers, carried a pink flamingo and said it felt good to support fellow survivors and caregivers after radiation and removal of his prostate four years ago.

Edgar recognized faces she’s seen since the first Cape relay helped raise $113,000 in 2002.

“I see people who are still fighting,” she said. “It’s like when you have a child and you watch them grow.”

A serious costume party in Cape Coral – The News

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Sal Cossentino and his wife, Marie, wore T-shirts today emblazoned with photos of their parents.

“All four of them had different types of cancer,” said Cossentino, 53, of North Fort Myers, who walked in the Cape Coral Relay For Life at Mariner High School.

Cossentino’s shirt read “Forever Loved,” and paid tribute to his father, Frank, who died of colon cancer in 2005, along with his mother, Rose, who died in 2008 from carcinoma of the palate.

“It’s important to come out and support this because one day you might get that phone call,” Cossentino said.

About 45 teams participated in the 18-hour American Cancer Society event, raising nearly $90,000 by this afternoon. The group hopes to bring in $170,000 — $13,000 more than last year — before fundraising ends in August, event chairwoman Donna Germain said.

“Each relay has a different flavor … but the unifying factor is that we’re all working toward a common goal,” said ACS board member Sybil Edgar, a 17-year breast cancer survivor.

Participants shrug-ged off rain as they walked laps dressed in “Alice in Wonderland” costumes and “Toy Story” T-shirts during the Disney-themed event.

Mike Curley, 63, of south Fort Myers, carried a pink flamingo and said it felt good to support fellow survivors and caregivers after radiation and removal of his prostate four years ago.

Edgar recognized faces she’s seen since the first Cape relay helped raise $113,000 in 2002.

“I see people who are still fighting,” she said. “It’s like when you have a child and you watch them grow.”

Heidi Klum files for divorce from Seal

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LOS ANGELES — Heidi Klum moved to formally end her marriage Friday from singer Seal a little over two months after they separated.

The supermodel’s divorce filing in a Los Angeles court draws to a close a storybook romance that included numerous testaments to their affection for one another, including renewing their wedding vows annually and throwing elaborate Halloween costume parties.

The couple has four children together, including Klum’s daughter from a previous relationship. They had been married for more than six and a half years when they announced their separation in January, vowing to keep their breakup amicable.

Klum’s filing, which she signed Thursday, cites irreconcilable differences. It provides no details about their split, other than that they entered into a financial agreement after they were married on how to divide their assets.

The model and star of the TV competition series “Project Runway” is asking for sole physical custody of the children, with Seal getting visitation and joint legal custody.

The Grammy-winning soul and RB singer’s real name Henry Samuel. He released an album days after the couple announced their breakup and told talk show host Ellen DeGeneres that their split didn’t mean a total end to their relationship.

“We will be connected in many ways ’til the rest of our lives,” the singer said, “through our children and also through this tremendous admiration, respect and love that we have for each other.”

Recycle in Style fashion show to put Goodwill in spotlight

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When people think of Goodwill, they might think of a place to shop for Halloween costume components — or purple paisley shirts.

But Goodwill is more than those things, and the local store is going to show the community all it has to offer, thrift store staff members said.

Recycle in Style, a fashion show set for Saturday, will highlight donated goods and spotlight some of the people who make sure those items get on the shelves.

The show is a first for the Wisconsin Rapids store, which has been in business for 27 years and at its current location for more than 15 years. Employees, program participants — and some of their friends and relatives — will model clothes and display other items available at Goodwill.

“We have (special needs) students from Lincoln High School and folks from our senior citizen program and folks from ODC who are all involved in it,” said Jude Martin, a store team leader. “We employ people who would not even get a look at another business.”

At the local store, more than 80 cents of every dollar received is invested in programs, services and job training for individuals with barriers to traditional employment and people with limited work history, according to the organization’s website. The Wisconsin Rapids store is part of Goodwill Northcentral Wisconsin, a nonprofit organization that helps support more than 25 programs to aid families and children, provide employment and vocational training, and promote diversity and the community.

The local store has 28 employees, three of whom have special needs.

Lincoln High School students with special needs learn job skills through Goodwill’s school-to-work program, and the store works with Opportunity Development Centers employees and senior citizens through an adult work experience program.

Some of the participants are used to working behind the scenes at the store, said Sue Gildenzopf, a team leader at the store who is organizing the show.

“They’re really going out of the box,” she said.

Gildenzopf got the fashion show idea from other stores. When she first started at Goodwill about four years ago, she realized how much more than clothing the store had to offer to the community.

She also wanted to change a mindset she felt many people have about the thrift shop.

“People have that thought in their head that it’s just like junky clothes that nobody wants,” Gildenzopf said. “We have people who work very hard in the back to pick out items that they think people would love to wear.

“It’s not just the purple paisley tops,” she said.

More than clothing will be modeled at Saturday’s show.

“The actual stand Jude will be standing in front of is from the furniture department,” Gildenzopf said. The music for the show will come from a stereo available at the store.

Gildenzopf hopes the show will give the community an idea of not only the items, but also how the organization helps people become more independent.

“It’s an informational thing with a little fun,” Gildenzopf said. “We have so much to offer as a store and for the community.”

Party Arty: Jake Souik merges his love of music, art and holiday parties for …

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“I was pretty healthy at the time, and she was wheezing. I was like, ‘C’mon, let’s go,’” he laughed.

As Souik looked ahead to his holiday party for 2011, he wanted “to do something different,” according to Candace Teetzen. She and Dennis had completely gutted their huge banquet hall, starting in 2000, when Dennis insulated and soundproofed the walls, installing a state-of-the-art sound system that he said could “stand up to the largest band that can come in.”

The Teetzens’ goal was to offer Sheboygan a place for bands and parties, and Souik wanted to do something to make the space memorable. Candace said they “needed new, young ideas, something new,” and they turned to Souik for inspiration.

After the walls were drywalled and base-coated by Jamie Farr, Souik came along and painted them bright cobalt. Over the past year, he designed a geometric pattern, based on a hexagon, that dominates the west wall, clear green and lines of white adding punches of color.

“There’s a lot of optical illusions you can get out of just straight lines and angles,” he said, the appeal being “the fact that you can have something that’s flat and it gives dimension. Art can be an illusion and it provokes feelings.”

Candace can identify with that. When the shock of the blue walls wore off, the geometric design that unfolded on them wowed her. Dennis was equally impressed.

“(Souik) has his ideas, and that’s what’s going to go,” Dennis said, dimming the lights and turning on spotlights that glowed red, blue and green, the cavernous space taking on a whole new dimension.

This year’s theme is based on “The Octopus’s Garden” by the Beatles, and Souik plans to create “a little underwater world in here.” When the doors open to the public on Dec. 17, they’ll be welcomed to not only the mural, but to Roster McCabe and the music that has become such an important part of Souik’s life, music he wants to share with Sheboygan.

“I’m fortunate that I’m as healthy as I am,” he said.

When asked if cystic fibrosis has changed his perspective on life, Souik gave a simple nod.

“Yep,” he said. “Don’t sweat the small stuff.”

Photos: Check out kids’ Halloween costume contest entries

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This Halloween, we asked for photos of your own little monster dressed up for trick-or-treating. You readers then had the difficult task of picking a favorite from more than 80 adorable entries.

The winner was Tracy Everard of Brussels, who submitted a snapshot of her son, Collin, dressed like a gnome. She wins a $150 gift certificate to contest sponsor Meyer Jewelers.

The second-place winner was Lauren Swan of Green Bay, with a photo of her daughter, Summer, as a little Dutch girl. She gets a $100 Meyer certificate.