Millions in Infrastructure Upgrades; Meteor Showers; and Little League Issue: Week in Review

Catch up on seven days worth of North Canton news with our Week in Review update.

Get the full story by clicking on the blurbs below: 1. The new North Canton YMCA Child Care center is just a few months away from completion. Click here and learn more about the project. 2. Infrastructure upgrades aren't cheap! $90 million will be spent on renovations to Canton's sewer plant, and North Canton has to pick up $2 million of the tab.  3. Councilman Doug Foltz would like the city to spend $50,000 to create more parking near the little league ballfields. Should more spots be added, or could the money be better spent elsewhere? 4. No need for the TV guide this week when looking for something to watch. Just step outside for the 2013 Lyrids meteor shower. 5. Hoover High School earns national recognition from The Washington Post. 6…

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North Canton YMCA Center Eyeing Summer Completion Date

The new-and-improved North Canton YMCA Child Care Center should be open by August.

As you may have noticed, construction on the new North Canton YMCA Child Care Center is underway at the old Willis Motor Co. building, and both the staff and children are already eager for the project's completion.  The 16,000-square-foot building will house 200-plus children from birth to eighth grade, and, according to YMCA Child Care Director Julie Daugherty, the new kitchen will feed at least 100 kids per day.  Workers from the St. Clair-Pavlis Group have begun to lay down the plumbing, and they intend on pouring concrete floors and building wooden framework this week, said Craig Greenlee, vice president of operations at the YMCA of Central Stark County.  The building and property acquisition costs have totaled roughly $2 million, with…

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Major Gymnastics Event Springs Into North Canton

500 gymnasts, 300 volunteers and scores of spectators will convene at Hoover High School this weekend for the 2013 YMCA "In10sity" regional championship.

Roughly 500 gymnasts representing YMCA teams from Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio will descend upon Hoover High School this weekend for the 2013 "In10sity" regional championship.   The two-day tournament will feature mid-level to highly skilled gymnasts that will compete in four events: bars, beam, floor exercises and vault, said YMCA Communications and Marketing Director Kathy Yaros.  27 teams will face off in the event, including the North Canton Y Team, led by head coach Jennifer Anderson. The local team is comprised of 65 gymnasts — including top-ranked Hoover High sophomore Kathleen Shier — that will represent virtually every high school in the Stark County area, said Anderson.  “This event is really a very big deal for us,” she said. "We…

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Reader Adds Vintage Hummel's Photos

Pudge Hammen added some pictures to this Patch story: "History Revealed at Willis Motor Co. Building and LaVerne's Pastry Shop."

History Revealed at Willis Motor Co. Building and LaVerne's Pastry Shop

Have you seen the history that was uncovered at the soon-to-be YMCA Child Care Center?

Construction workers didn't just remove a false roof at the old Willis Motor Co. building this past week — they revealed a little history, too. Check out the accompanying photos, sent to North Canton Patch by reader Toni Senff. The photos show some old signage of the LaVerne's Pastry Shop that used to occupy the building on North Main Street. Kathy Fernandez, executive director of the North Canton Heritage Society sent in the black-and-white photo, saying this: LaVerne’s (which had another bakery on Cleveland Ave. in Canton) was part of Hummel’s IGA grocery store, which built the building being remodeled. It later became the Willis Pontiac showroom when Hummel’s closed in 1988. The Canton LaVerne’s  Bakery burned around 1976. The YMCA of …

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YMCA Closes Saturday After Towels Catch Fire in Dryer

North Canton firefighters responded to the fire about 7:37 a.m. Saturday

The North Canton YMCA will be closed Saturday after firefighters extinguished a small, morning fire. The North Canton Fire Department was dispatched at 7:37 a.m. for a fire alarm and a report of fire in a dryer, according to a news release from the department. The smoke detector alerted the building's occupants and triggered the fire alarm. By the time responders arrived, the building had been evacuated and no one was harmed. First-in crews opened the laundry room door and extinguished burning towels in the dryer. The northwest section of the building had a large amount of smoke in it and firefighters had to ventilate the building.   Only fire damage was to the laundry room and dryer, and no damage estimate was determined. The first unit …

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Kathy Yaros

4:00 pm on Sunday, March 24, 2013

Also a huge thank you to the North Canton Fire Department for their quick and effective response when we needed them!   more ›

Growing Up With the North Canton YMCA

Councilman Mark Cerreta shares his experiences at the YMCA, which include meeting his wife Lauri and then taking their kids to enjoy the Y, too

YMCA Honors Its Eldest Members: Pic of the Day

Would you have guessed the oldest member of the North Canton YMCA is 96 years old?

It didn't take much to get Jane Wong into the North Canton YMCA. And once she was there, she had no trouble staying. Wong, the eldest member of the North Canton YMCA at the age of 96, said a YMCA member approached her in a supermarket in 1987 and suggested she join the Y. And that is all it took for the Hong Kong native to try it out. What's kept her coming back all these years? The swimming programs and the walking track, she said. Plus, "I like it!" she told North Canton Patch Wednesday during the weekly Senior Social group. That day's event honored the YMCA's eldest members, who were treated to a showing of Channel 11's YMCA documentary. The documentary highlights the Y's changes through the past 90 years. Check here to see a blog post …

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Kathy Yaros

8:49 am on Thursday, February 28, 2013

Getting to know our seniors has been a joy. These amazing people are active, fun (and funny!), wise and so caring. They show the real benefits of taking care of one's health and well-being. It's more than looking great in a certain size, its all about feeling great at whatever age (or size) you are!   more ›

Blog: Hoover Students Produce Documentary on North Canton YMCA History

Producing a documentary worth making starts with a great story, and the YMCA in North Canton has one.

North Canton YMCA Gets Proclamation at Council Meeting Tuesday

The organization will be honored for its 90 years in the community

Has the North Canton YMCA made an impact on your life? If it has, YMCA and city officials are hoping you'll stop by City Hall Tuesday evening for a special ceremony honoring the community organization. The YMCA is celebrating 90 years in the community this month (click here to see a photo gallery of the YMCA throughout the years). A special meeting to approve the 2013 budget will take place at 6:50 p.m., and the council of the whole meeting begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

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