Man, it feels like I just said my goodbyes, but I'm at it again. I'll be taking a few more days off from North Canton Patch. I'll be away the site from now through Dec. 30 and won't be checking email or phone messages, and won't be tweeting, updating Facebook or posting Instagram photos (I'm @northcantonpatch, by the way). Journalist Kasha Legeza will take over the site until the 21st, which means she'll be responding to news, posting stories and updating North Canton Patch's social media accounts. You can reach her at Legeza.Kasha@gmail.com. Patch Editor Mitch Cooper will fill in for me from…

See you soon, North Canton Patch. I'll be away the site from now through Dec. 5 and won't be checking email or phone messages, and won't be tweeting, updating Facebook or posting Instagram photos (I'm @northcantonpatch, by the way). Journalist Kasha Legeza will take over the site until the 5th, which means she'll be responding to news, posting stories and updating North Canton Patch's social media accounts. Have a story tip? Email her at Legeza.Kasha@gmail.com. Need to upload an announcement? You can do that here. Or have an event you need to tell people about? Post it here. Thanks for your …

Being interviewed by a CNN reporter isn't exactly something I envisioned putting on my check-list Friday morning. But I'm glad I did. I woke up that morning to find an email from Janet DiGiacomo of the CNN Politics page. She said she thought it was a pretty neat thing for North Canton Patch readers to have voiced their opinions on Mitt Romney coming to town the same night as our big rival game against Jackson High School (which we won!). She asked if she could interview me. Uh, yes ... So Janet whipped up a story in just a few hours and posted it to CNN's Political Ticker page, putting the …

We've got a new North Canton Patch blogger to welcome! Say hi to Stephanie Precourt, who describes her self as a "mom of four, blogger, writer, director and producer." I met Stephanie Wednesday night at my first meeting of the North Canton Public Library social issues book group at the Barrel Room. Stephanie was actually the only person there whom I had never met before, so it was a real pleasure to get to sit and talk with her over wine and an interesting book. And, when I got home and saw that Stephanie had submitted her first blog post on Patch, I had one of those moments of "editor joy," …

Whether you’re a longtime Republican, a loyal Democrat, a staunch third-party supporter or a life-long independent, one thing is true: You have an opinion. And Patch wants to hear it.  While the blogs on North Canton Patch are open to any topic, I (Morgan) thought the month leading up to the 2012 presidential election was a good time to let locals know that politics has a platform here. Wherever you stand on the issues — and regardless of whether your passion is national politics or local issues — you can blog about it on Patch. If you’d like to get started, it’s simple and free. Simply log …

I think it was clear after Monday night: TJ Murphy and I will stick to our day jobs. With shaky hands and faulty memories (what did you order again?), we served up drinks that night inside the Barrel Room Wine & Beer Bar to raise money for the Canton Chapter of the Foundation for Community Betterment.  All tips and 10 percent of sales will benefit the recipients for this year's fifth annual Rocktoberfest event, which takes place at 6 p.m. Sept. 29 at the Cultural Center for the Arts, 1001 Market Ave. N., Canton. Tickets are $45 a person, $80 for a couple and $50 at the door. You can get …

Join North Canton Patch and the North Canton Area Chamber of Commerce for a cash mob at one of the city's longstanding local businesses today.How's it work? Just show up at Logan Sports between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. today ready to spend a few bucks on some sports gear.Why? It's a way to say "thanks" to a family-owned business that's been in the community for years. Plus, it's a great way to boost the local economy.What else? The first 10 people to show up at Logan's get a $10 gift certificate. And you can enter a drawing to win a $100 gift certificate (after signing up for our Patch newsletter, …

As if saying "thanks" to a longstanding, family-owned business wasn't enough, Patch is making this Saturday's cash mob at Logan Sports a little sweeter. The first 10 people to show up at the sports shop for the city's first ever cash mob automatically get a $10 gift card. What's more? You could also be entered into a drawing to win a $100 gift card after signing up for our Patch newsletter. Now that's a lot of sports gear. Logan Sports also plans to give out a coupon with each purchase. We're hoping for a great turnout Saturday, so make sure to spread the word about the cash mob by telling …

Have your calendars handy?  Get ready to mark this down: We're excited to announce the city's first cash mob will take place from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. July 28 at Logan Sports. We worked with the North Canton Area Chamber of Commerce to pick five locally owned businesses that could benefit from a cash mob, and you folks chose the winner, Logan Sports. In fact, the sports shop brought in almost half the votes in the poll. So here's what happens on the 28th: North Canton residents and those who love Logan Sports show up with $10 or $20 in hand, ready to give the local economy a little boost. Another …

Don't let the word "mob" get to you. This mob's a good one. Patch is working alongside the North Canton Area Chamber of Commerce to orchestrate a cash mob, where residents "mob" a locally owned business and purchase up to $20 in merchandise all at the same time. Why? Well, it's two-fold. It's a way to say "thank you" to the business owners who've stuck around the community and also a way to boost the local economy. Fun, right? Cash mobs (a play on flash mobs) is a new craze started by a local Cleveland guy, Andrew Samtoy. We've seen cash mobs in other Patch towns, like Solon, where customers …

1. Water Balloon Fight Soaks Whole Neighborhood When I got an email from a reader asking if I'd come out to a neighborhood-wide water balloon fight a few weeks ago, my initial reaction was "Oh heck yes!" And I'm glad I did. The water balloon fight in the Boroughs neighborhood of Uniontown now is in its 15th year and is as much fun as you'd imagine it to be. 2. Fire Rips Through Microtel Hotel on Sunset Strip Patch ad manager Brandon Tidd really showed what he was made of when he reported live from a fire at Microtel Inns and Suites May 25. Brandon sent me photos, videos and evacuee interviews…

6. Rebecca Tolson's Passion to Help Dyslexic Students Paid Off North Canton resident Rebecca Tolson authored and advocated for Ohio House Bill 157, which was passed by the General Assembly in December and aims to help dyslexic students throughout the state. North Canton Patch viewers voted Tolson as the city's Person of the Year for 2011. 7. Amelia Finefrock of North Canton Makes it to Hollywood Week on 'American Idol' We checked in with Amelia Finefrock back in January after she made it to Hollywood Week on American Idol. The 17-year-old told us then, "I am so overly excited and so grateful …

Sports shots.  They're not easy to capture. The players move fast and the balls move faster. So how do you ever truly capture a great moment on the field? Well, Patch can help with that. Patch contributor Rob Netro will host a sports photography workshop at the boys baseball double-header Saturday, and he'll give you the lowdown on camera techniques that can come in handy when photographing your favorite North Canton athletes. We're looking for anyone who's interested in honing their photography skills and folks who'd like to post their sports photos to North Canton Patch after the games. …

One of the nation's most widely read magazines is asking readers to submit their towns for a contest naming the most interesting locale in America. Reader's Digest is asking residents in communities across the country to nominate their town for the magazine's "America's Most Interesting Town" contest.  It works like this: to nominate North Canton, a resident would write a story — or a letter to-the-editor style piece — explaining why they think North Canton is the most interesting town in America. Then, you submit your letter to Reader's Digest's phase two of its "We Hear You America" …

The weekly "Mood Food" column that has not only entertained us, but inspired us to put some creative and delicious dishes on our dinner tables, has come to an end. Today marks the last day of Meegan Massello's cooking column. If we didn't love Meegan and her delicious recipe columns that are wrapped up in wit, we'd let "Mood Food" fade into oblivion. But we won't do that. And Meegan isn't the kind of lady who fades into oblivion. If you've been following her columns, that's pretty apparent, right? Since September, we've been surfing and turfing, going on ghost hunts, dressing up our pork for …

  Think of this as requesting a song from a DJ. Just, well, way in advance. I'm taking recommendations for songs to play at the April 14 "North Canton Gone Mad!" event, which I'm helping organize with the North Canton Area Chamber of Commerce and other folks from the community. The event is based off of Mad Men, the multi-Emmy and Golden Globe award winning TV series that's set in the '60s. So, sticking with that time period, we're looking for your favorite '60s songs to create a playlist for the event. Sure, we'll have an amazing band there (Wesley Bright and the Hi-Lites), but we plan on …

Hi, everybody! I'm in town all the time, but I'm here and there, and sometimes it's tough to find me. So I'll be scheduling office hours periodically, in a place where you can easily find me. Office hours This coming week I'll be at Caffe Gelato from 4 p.m.-6 p.m. Thursday. Stop by and say hello! Bring your story ideas, bring your complaints, bring your thoughts on change and North Canton and anything else you'd like to talk about — or just stop by and have a cup of coffee (or bowl of gelato) with me and my ad manager Brandon Tidd.   Patch Bootcamp! There's lots that you, your business and …

  I certainly am no blonde, but I intend to rock the Betty Draper look like nobody's business at the upcoming "North Canton Gone Mad!" event. In fact, I plan to be among a slew of Betties that night — all of us hair-flipped, hair-sprayed and high-heeled, reliving (or for those like me, living for the first time) the early '60s. That's sort of the magic of it, isn't it? Taking yourself back to a time we're so far removed from now? Getting to wear your winged eyeliner and fire engine-red lipstick without curious stares? And men, for you it's a chance to slick your hair back, slap on a tie and …

Teresa (Teri) Theiss is on her way to the U.S. United Pageant in July, and she's giving us an inside look at what it's like to prepare for such a big event. When we talked to her back in November for a North Canton Patch story, she told us winning a crown isn't based on outside beauty. A burn survivor, Teri has had to overcome a complex that she's "less than" because of the way she looks. "The scars are just outside and that’s not what makes up who I am," she told us. "It’s what’s on the inside that makes the person. That’s where true beauty lies.” So stay tuned for her blogs, which will help…

I have to say, I'm ecstatic over the reception we got at our one-year Patchiversary at Einstein Bros Bagels at The Strip today. I arrived about 7:40 this morning and set up shop with a North Canton Patch banner, tons of newsletter sign-up sheets, information about Patch, Patch pens, balloons and lots more swag. We gave away free coffee in Patch coffee cups to dozens of folks who either knew about and loved North Canton Patch, or didn't know a thing about us. It was a great chance to show non-viewers the site and tell them about all the great things they can do with Patch. I can't tell you …