Good deeds, good times fill fall calendar in Toledo

Toledo jazz great Jon Hendricks is flanked by his wife, Judith, left, and daughter, Aria, at his birthday party.

Nearly 1,300 supporters turned out Sunday at the Toledo Zoo for the Toledo Area Memory Walk to benefit the Northwest Ohio Alzheimer's Association. The annual walk, also held in Lima, Findlay, and Mansfield, raises awareness and funds for programs and services for people with Alzheimer's disease and their families and caregivers. The Tiffin walk is this Sunday and the Ashland walk is Oct. 21.

The honorary chairman of this year's Toledo walk, Carl Hedlund, president and CEO of Therma-Tru, one of the regional sponsors, said the event netted more than $100,000, and donations keep coming in. That's thanks to the individual, team, and corporate donations. Contact nwoalz.org to be a virtual walker for Toledo or to register for the upcoming area walks.

Toledo jazz great Jon Hendricks is flanked by his wife, Judith, left, and daughter, Aria, at his birthday party.

WHEN five-time Grammy winner Jon Hendricks celebrated birthday No. 85 recently, the guests celebrated the vocal legend with four rounds of "Happy Birthday," including a touchingly personal one by daughter Aria.

The gathering was held Sept. 13 at the Exmoor home of Alan and Anne Goodridge a few days before Jon's Sept. 16 birthday because the jazz singer was leaving for a series of concerts on the West Coast. Hendricks, a Toledo native who created the harmonic singing style known as vocalese, teaches at the University of Toledo when he's not jetting around the world to perform.

Those in attendance at the party included glass master Tom McGlauchlin, Renay and Tom Conlin of the Toledo Opera, and brothers Jeff Jaffe and Ivan Jaffe of Jaffe Jewelers, founded by their late father, Harold, who was a jazz buff. Ivan was there with fiancee Michelle Cicak. Also seen were Jon Richardson, president of the Jazz Society, Sue Ott Rowlands, interim dean of the college of arts and sciences at the University of Toledo, and John Rockwood of local blues label, Blue Suit Records. Mr. Rockwood was there with his wife, Jennifer.

GUESTS in classy attire mingled with new and long-time friends Sept. 15 at the annual Toledo Ski Club (TSC) Cocktail Party. The event, always in the fall, was held in the gardens at Brandywine Country Club with hosts Dick and Sheri Luedtke, who are long-time members.

The event, which was open to the public, included tasty hors d'oeuvres, a cash bar with drink specials, and tunes by Sounds of Music D.J. Ron Shore.

From left, Sheri and Dick Luedtke and Lisa McClain enjoy the Toledo Ski Club s fall cocktail party at Brandywine.

Lisa McClain, social director, said TSC has events for everyone: a coffee house every week, volleyball, tennis, trips to festivals, cook-outs at the Clubhaus, a Halloween party, ski trips to the club's lodge in the Boyne Mountain, Mich., area, and more.

Member Rick Popiolek said more than 50 people have already signed up for the club's 60th anniversary ski trip to Aspen, Colo., scheduled for Jan. 10-17 for $1,250. To register, go to www.ToledoSkiClub.org, said president Ginger Safford.

THE SRO - that stands for Supporters Reaching Out - "Dancin' in the Moonlight" Sept. 9 at Centennial Terrace was a natural with the bandstand, a giant dance floor, and gazebos sparkling with lights. The weather was so perfect that no one noticed that the moon was behind clouds. Of course, for 16 years it has never rained on the parade.

Music filled the air all night, starting with Clemency and the Monday Program bands and ending with Voodoo Libido. The grand finale was the glamorous Twila Starr, who entertained guests with her act.

There was a lot to do throughout the venue but emcee Alexis Means of WTVG-TV, Channel 13 kept things on target.

Tasty edibles were cooked up by Manhattan's Restaurant and placed on tables decorated with colorful flowers from Cooper Florist. US Foods, Sisco, Rohr Fish, and Tyler Meats supplied a lot of the food.

A silent auction of art, restaurant certificates, and more offered a great start on holiday shopping. Chris Clymer was commissioned to do a painting and it was sold in the auction, then someone else commissioned him to paint another one for the cause. And who can resist a 50/50 raffle?

The event had plenty of community support, including top patron Key Bank, plus more than 100 other donors.

All proceeds from the event benefited AIDS Resource Center Ohio (ARC) and the programs of David's House. Chairmen David Wishart and Chris Clymer said the net was about $10,000. Committee members included Tami Williams, Lance Stoll, Sandra McClendon, Dave Arnold, Scott Herr, Joan Nowak, and Debbie Dryer-McClure, whose late brother Ron Dryer founded the house in 1990 with David Gercak, for whom the house was named. The first SRO was in 1991.

Among the nearly 200 guests were Pete Gerkin, Buzz and Linda Liber, Barbara Trimmer and Frank Ayers, and Bill Hardy, executive director of ARC, Dayton.

Blade staff writer David Yonke contributed to this column.