A pair of bald eagles sit on a perch at Utopia Wildlife Rehabilitators in Hope on Oct. 13.
Mike Wolanin | The Republic
To hear Kathy Hershey tell it, Utopia Wildlife Rehabilitators outside of Hope started its mission to care for injured animals almost by default.
As Hershey told The Republic’s Mark Webber, it was 2002 and West Nile virus was decimating birds of prey such as eagles, hawks and falcons. Hershey was working as a surgical technician at Columbus Animal Hospital for Dr. Melissa Newcomb, the other co-founder of Utopia, and they were known to care for injured wildlife.
Eventually, West Nile’s impact on the bird population was so severe, Hershey recalled, that “Animal Control came to us and said ‘Hey, are you guys officially going to do something?’”
From that nudge forward, you might say Utopia has existed on a wing and a prayer as the regional go-to source for mending injured wildlife of all sorts. With no dedicated source of funding, Utopia is sustained only by the kindness of those who support its mission — something you can do today while also celebrating Utopia’s 20th birthday.
The annual Owloween Anniversary Bash will take place from 1 to 4 today at Utopia, 18300 E. County Road 200N. Along with the menagerie of resident wildlife, guests can also enjoy a live performance by a jazz trio, an ice cream truck, cake, popcorn, an auction, pumpkin carving and more.
Ride on! Bike charity event is back
Is anyone happier than a youngster who gets a new bicycle for Christmas?
We’re hard pressed to think of anyone, which is why it’s happy news that the Friendship Wheels charity will be back today after a three-year absence due to a rainout in 2019 and two years of COVID cancellations that followed.
Nine years ago, elementary school students Siddha Hall, Solomon Hall, Ty Greathouse and Cameron Greathouse began Friendship Wheels as a way to raise money to purchase bikes as holiday gifts through the Columbus Firemen’s Cheer Fund.
Siddha and Solomon are now a senior and junior, respectively, at Trinity Lutheran High School in Seymour, but they continue to organize the event in Columbus and even raised money during its off years — a total of $24,000 over the years.
“Going into our ninth year, we are hoping to receive enough money to reach our goal of having $28,000 in total donations over all the years of Friendship Wheels,” Siddha told The Republic’s Jana Wiersema. The siblings also hope to reach a milestone of 400 bikes donated to children in the community.
You can help with a donation of $5 or more to join today’s annual ride. The three-mile trek begins at 1 p.m. at Columbus Fire Station 2, 2376 Arnold St., follows the People Trail to Parkside Elementary and circles back.
Farewell to a mom-and-pop shop
Carolyn and Dennis Behrman for 27 years have helped local folks live their best lives, but the couple who operated Natural Choices for Healthful Living on Central Avenue are closing up shop.
At 75, Carolyn told The Republic’s Brian Blair that the call of grandchildren far away was too strong to resist, so the tough decision was made to close. “It was a very challenging decision,” she said. “I have felt like I was in some way letting down the community.”
But as Carolyn noted, much has changed in the past 27 years, including the availability of healthful, nutritious foods and supplements from many sources.
Still, loyal customers like Myra Foster, who’s been going to the store since it opened, told Blair they will miss the shop, its proprietors and the tailored help they received.
“She has been an absolute jewel to this community, and has performed a great community service,” Foster said of Carolyn. “She’ll be leaving a big hole.”
