Link to celebrate 10 years

CAREY — It's been a busy decade for The Link. The nonprofit dedicated to promoting sustainability and community has sponsored talks, shown documentaries, organized summer farmers markets, held repair clinics and organized a community garden. More recently, its volunteers helped create Elm Hill Nature's Edge park and nature preserve on the east edge of the village. The Link also moved into the town's historic train depot. Board member Ted Reinhart said the public's reaction to the group "has been great." "That core group that started things out was pretty liberal. But since then, I think people in the group have changed as well as the makeup of the board," he said. "But even at the beginning, we were really focused on environmental issues. But we also were all Careyites that really cared about our town so we wanted to do educational things." The organization will celebrate with a party at 5 p.m. Aug. 18 at the Carey Brewing Station, 300 E. Findlay St. Community members and current and past volunteers are invited to attend. The event will feature free food, music and a cash bar. They will look back at past projects and events, and some videos from Carey's history, including a color film from the 1958 Centennial parade, will be shown. Tours of Elm Hill Nature's Edge and their new home at the depot will also be available. Longtime volunteers Dean and Nancy Kessler said that Reinhart is the group's founder and visionary. He's always been interested in the environment, the community and how they relate locally. In about 2012, he started showing monthly documentaries in his home for those who were interested. One night they watched a film about the Transition Network, a movement started in Ireland to bring communities together to reimagine and rebuild the world. It inspired them, according to Reinhart. "They were just trying to create a network of little groups like ours that were going out into their communities and doing stuff like whatever it was that you were inspired to do and you felt like your community needed," he said. Projects they learned about ranged from starting a community garden to creating local currency to encourage people to buy and sell locally. "We just took that model and we're like, OK, let's do what we can do here," he recalled. The first center opened in a rental location on Vance Street in August 2014. Funds were provided by an anonymous donor for the first year's operations. Within a year, local business owners Randy Niederkohr and Angel Moreno purchased the building at 112 E. Findlay St. and offered it to the group rent-free. The center was filled with big comfy couches and chairs along with foosball and ping pong tables and board games. At first they thought the center would have a coffee shop atmosphere, but that never took hold. So they decided to focus instead on a community garden, a farmers' market and speakers to help educate the residents. "We wanted to listen to what the community was actually interested in and think about the things that they would want to support, and we tried to focus on those things," said Reinhart. They experimented with a lot of ideas with mixed results, he said. "But overall, I think that approach has worked really well and people have gotten involved. People have come to events. People have supported us amazingly well with donations," he said. One of the first projects they took on for a few years was Taste of Carey. The meal was prepared using a majority of ingredients grown and produced around Carey. A community garden was started in 2015 to provide space and resources for people to grow their own food. Plots are available free of charge. The only requirements are that gardeners sign a liability release form and agree to keep up with the weeding. Repair clinics are held on the third Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. "I don't fix a lot. I am not a fixer," said Stephanie Wage, who began volunteering in 2023 and joined the board this year. "But Ted and Dean really do a lot of the fixing and some volunteers as well. I know there's a lot that people can bring up and they'll work to try and fix it as well as they can." For a while people would bring in TVs, computer equipment and small appliances. "A lot of what needs repaired out there, it needs a new end put on a power cord, the power switch is bad or you open it up and a motor needs lubrication or one part burned out. So we're not up here doing brain surgery. We're not specialists," said Reinhart. People also brought in bicycles for repair. Later, they donated bikes their children had outgrown to give to others. Wade said they try to host at least one big event each month. During the summer, members host a weekly farmers market on Wednesdays from 4-7 p.m. There are guidelines to follow and items need to be handmade or homegrown, not purchased and resold. Food items have to follow state regulations for safety. Vendors are asked to contact The Link before bringing items for sale, they said. Volunteers also helped create Elm's Hill Nature's Edge, new park and nature's preserve located on the east edge of the village along Township Highway 98. The park, which was dedicated in 2022, features native prairie grasslands, an orchard and dog park. A moonglow pear tree and a moonglow magnolia tree were planted during the eclipse. The University of Findlay later donated a pair of the large 3D glasses. These are now displayed at the park. One of the most recent changes was moving into the town's historic train depot. "Honestly, I think it's been a really good move," said Wade. "I obviously didn't partake too much in the old building, but I know the kitchen has been nice to have here." There are also two meeting rooms and better parking. Multiple events have been held this summer including a volunteer appreciation dinner, a talk on smoking meats by the "Mad Canadian," and hosting a rain barrel clinic. Ashley Swain has also given programs on traditional homesteading skills. "We're really focused on that kind of education in the community itself and perhaps eventually getting into some youth activities as well. Being able to host maybe game nights or something of that nature would be nice," Wade said. The Link will be hosting monks from Gaden Shartse Monastery in southern India who will visit in September. A stone soup event is planned at Elm's Hill in October. "And obviously now we're celebrating 10 years and wanting to honor everybody who's volunteered, all of our members, and then really wanting to welcome some more volunteers," said Wade. "Obviously we're wanting to get some more community involvement and people who want to help out and volunteer or people who are interested in doing different sessions." But they're under no obligation, Reinhart added. "We're a community organization. It's a party for the community. It's for anyone who wants to come and hang out," he said. For more information, message the group on its Facebook page.