Hebron Crossroads 11-16-03
By Jeff Gill

Dedication day on Remembrance Day, aka Veterans Day, was quite a day!
OK, so the weather could have been better, but as Phil Herman and Kevin Blade both pinted out, “the veterans we honor put up with a whole lot colder and wetter than this so we could be here today.”
Hebron Village staff put out immense effort to make the surroundings and ceremony all that they could be, plus Ila Mason and Annette Price co-ordinated seating and refreshments through Hebron Christian Church, Hebron United Methodist Church, and Likcing Baptist Church. The VFW and American Legion contingents, Lakewood Band, and the delegation from Hebron Elementary did their parts well.
If you haven’t yet been out to Evans Park to see the memorial, please make a point of doing so. The three flagpoles will have round the clock flags when the proper lighting is installed, says Donna Braig, and kudos to her and co-chair Marian Davis, who as a former school board member got to present the replica Hebron High School diplomas to the six families who lost their loved one in combat before they could return to finish their schooling. Phil and his staff did a great job duplicating the diploma from 1942, and a tip of the hat to Lou Staffilino, who couldn’t be with us but started the idea rolling as a further tribute to our fallen seven.

Last weekend it was out to one of the other Evans Parks in Licking County (thanks, Uncle Tom! T.J. Evans is still doing good for his community long after his passing). The premier show band in Licking County was performing as part of a United Way fundraiser around a flag football game between police and fire personnel. Well, they said it was flag football, anyhow: awful lot of tackling from where I sat!
Another band organization which shall not be named was not present, so the Lakewood Band played pretty much right through the first half and then still put on a great halftime show, which tells you how much material they’ve worked up this year. It was a great fall afternoon, with a medical helicopter and a harvester in an adjoining soybean field to keep even a five year old fascinated.
Add half a dozen costumed mascots from around the county, and you have again quite a day.

But the band is winding down, and it is time for other artists and art forms to take the fore at Lakewood. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 21 & 22 at 7:30 pm, the Lakewood Theatre Department will present “In The Middle of Grand Central Station.” Tickets are $6, and you can order them from any Drama Club or Drama Booster member, or call 928-8340.
Then on Sunday, Nov. 23, at 7 pm in the same auditorium at Lakewood High School, youth and others from many different area churches will offer a combined Community Thanksgiving Service. Song, drama, music, and readings will all be a part of this service of celebration, and an offering is intended for Buckeye Lake LEADS food pantry.

At the Hebron Crossroads, we’ll have Clifford Mason back as mayor for his history-making third term, with Mike Halter returning to council and Christine Taylor joining the work of that panel of elected leaders. A Crossroads salute to Bob Gilbert, who stepped out of the fray to take a post on the sidelines with the exalted title “coach” in place of councilmember: he will be missed. On Lakewood School Board, Tim Spitzer knows he’s got some work to do the next few years on Monday nights, but Frosty Cooperrider and Pam DeVaul are waiting on the provisional ballot results. . .stay tuned!
Sadly, with the circulation at the last minute by dark of night of a flyer with a wide variety of untruths, there will be hearings with the State Board of Elections relating to campaign materials. Nothing that will affect the outcome, but we should get a bit more clarity about claims that have been made, given by an independent, bipartisan tribunal, which is probably for the best even if regrettable.
As the old saying goes, “Lies have wings, while the truth trudges along the side of the road one step at a time.” I asked Scott Walters about some of the latest facts and figures about Lake Forest, the Dominion Homes development on the southeast side of town. This subdivision, which will have 220 homes when complete, “currently has sold 48 homes since January of 2003.”
He also shared with me that “nine of those homes were sold to residents currently renting or owning in the village, plus twelve to residents of areas neighboring Hebron like Buckeye Lake, Jacksontown, and Heath.”
With historic 35 year low interest rates, home ownership is within reach of many who just a few years ago thought they couldn’t get there anytime soon. Isn’t helping people become home owners and property owners, with a neighborhood and community they are well and truly invested in, good for building that “small town spirit” we all value and want to preserve? It sure is better than seeing the owner-occupied housing numbers going down, as we’ve had in the Hebron area for too long.
So welcome to our newest Hebron residents, and get involved! Every council member we have now lives on the west side of High Street; good thing we re-elected Cliff so the east half of town has someone to represent them. But this writer suspects that Lake Forest will have a resident on village council someday soon, as we continue to build our community at the Hebron Crossroads.

Jeff Gill is pastor of Hebron Christian Church, and he’s ready to give thanks; or at least to eat pumpkin pie. If you have stuffing receipes to share or news of note, call 928-4066 or e-mail disciple@voyager.net.