An Ohio-based vodka company has concocted three cocktails inspired by legendary Ohio eateries, including Tony Packo’s.

Buckeye Vodka created its “Iconic Ohio” drinks in tribute to Toledo-based Tony Packo’s, Columbus-based White Castle and Cincinnati-based Skyline Chili.

The Buckeye Packo-tini, developed by Ohio company Buckeye Vodka in honor of Toledo-based Tony Packo's. Photo by Eric Sagun.

“We wanted to honor three incredibly successful Ohio-based food companies, and also have a little bit of fun,” said Jim Finke, CEO of Dayton-based Crystal Spirits LLC, parent company of family-owned Buckeye Vodka, which launched in April 2011.

The drinks — the Buckeye Packo-tini for Tony Packo’s, Buckeye Bacon Slider for White Castle and Buckeye 5-Way for Skyline Chili — were the brainchild of Buckeye Vodka marketing representative Eric Sagun and developed by company mixologist Rachelle Chiarappa.
“They sound terrible, but they are actually really good,” Finke said, laughing.
The Buckeye Packo-tini features dill syrup and Tony Packo’s sweet-hot pickle juice, served in a martini glass with Tony Packo’s pickle slices on a cocktail stick, Chiarappa said.
“Obviously, we wanted to incorporate pickles,” Chiarappa said. “I’m a huge fan of dirty martinis, so we did that with pickles instead of olives. The sweet hits first, followed by the heat and just makes a more complex martini than pickle juice and vodka. It resonates in the different parts of your mouth. Because Buckeye Vodka is made from corn, it has a spicy aftertaste that carries well with that type of flavor.”

The Buckeye Bacon Slider, developed by Ohio company Buckeye Vodka in honor of Columbus-based White Castle. Photo by Eric Sagun.

Chiarappa’s idea for the Buckeye Bacon Slider was to incorporate all the ingredients and garnishes that come on a burger. The drink includes homemade hickory-smoked bacon-infused vodka and seasoned tomato mix served in a tall glass with a sea salt rim, candied bacon strip and cocktail stick featuring a cheese cube, cocktail onion and pickle slice.
“You don’t get overpowered by the bacon, but you can definitely taste it. It enhances the vodka taste and gives you that smell you get at the grill,” Chiarappa said. “I was unsure at first, but trust me, it was delicious. People who like bloody marys would like this drink.”

The Buckeye 5-Way features dark rum and five-spice syrup sweetened with honey and molasses, finished with thin spaghetti as a stir stick. The flavors mirror the restaurant’s chili sauce, which includes spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and clove, Chiarappa said.

The Buckeye 5-Way, developed by Ohio company Buckeye Vodka in honor of Cincinnati-based Skyline Chili. Photo by Eric Sagun.

“People who don’t know Skyline Chili often ask, ‘Why does this smell like cinnamon when it’s supposed to be chili?’ That’s the big Grecian influence,” Chiarappa said. “I took all the spices they use in their chili, but made the drink sweet by pairing them with honey and molasses along with vodka and rum. It’s amazing. This one is my favorite. You think of a gingerbread cookie when you smell this drink.”
Because it’s sweet where the other two are salty, people who drink lime and Coke or Bacardi and diet will like the 5-Way, Chiarappa said.
Chiarappa said it was fun to think outside the box.
“It’s nice because it keeps the focus on the local economy,” Chiarappa said. “Initially I thought we were going to make them as a novelty at best, but when everything turned out, they were actually fantastic.”
Sagun agreed.
“I’ve personally tried all three and was very pleasantly surprised by how good they tasted,” he said.
Chiarappa said she only asks that people try before they judge.
“Definitely keep an open mind and don’t judge a drink by its cover,” Chiarappa said. “Don’t be afraid to try new things, especially if it’s a drink from your city.”

Buckeye Vodka products are sold in about 300 of Ohio’s 450 liquor stores and are available in about 600 Ohio bars and restaurants, Finke said. Toledo Walleye home games last season featured a Buckeye Vodka Shot of the Game.
For more information, visit www.BuckeyeVodka.com.
Buckeye Packo-tini

• 2.5-ounce Buckeye Vodka
• 0.5-ounce dill syrup
• 0.5-ounce Tony Packo’s pickle juice

Shaken and served in a martini glass with Tony Packo’s pickle slices on a cocktail stick.
Buckeye 5-Way

• 1.5-ounce Buckeye Vodka
• 1.5-ounce dark rum
• 1.5-ounce five-spice syrup

Shaken and stirred on the rocks with a small bunch of thin spaghetti as stir stick. To make five-spice syrup (yields about 2.5 cups), grind to a course powder (in a spice or coffee grinder):

• 5 cardamom pods
• 1 3-inch cinnamon stick
• 1 tablespoon whole cloves
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon Szechuan peppercorns (or sub a scant teaspoon of pink peppercorns)

Toast ground spices in a skillet until they are fragrant (monitor closely so as not to burn). Bring 2.5 cups of simple syrup to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons of molasses and 1 tablespoon of honey. Add spices, simmer for five minutes, then let cool to room temperature. Fine-strain (using sieve) spices out and store syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Buckeye Bacon Slider

• 1.5-ounce bacon-infused Buckeye Vodka
• 3-ounce seasoned tomato mix

Shaken and served on the rocks with a smoked sea salt rim, candied bacon strip, cheese cube, cocktail onion and pickle slice on a cocktail stick.
To make bacon-infused vodka, pan fry five to six thick-cut strips of hickory-smoked bacon until crisp. Put the bacon and fat into a jar that seals, then add 4 cups Buckeye Vodka. Make sure lid is secured airtight and store in an area out of direct sunlight (does not require refrigeration). In two weeks, strain the vodka to remove bacon fat and strips (coffee filter works).
To make seasoned tomato mix:

• 16-ounce tomato juice
• 1 tablespoon horseradish
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped dill
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
• Fresh-ground pepper to taste
• Worcestershire to taste

World Golf Hall of Fame member Greg Norman recently made comments that Tiger Woods was intimidated by Rory McIlroy. The iconic Jack Nicklaus has even weighed in on the intimidation issue.

Tiger sees Rory as a talented youngster just beginning to reach his full potential on the PGA Tour. He understands his position as a 15-year veteran on tour and, being a competition junkie, needs a worthy opponent to bring out his best. Rory is that guy — a talented competitor that requires the best efforts of Tiger.

Rory has won two majors over the past two years: the 2011 U. S. Open and the 2012 PGA Championship. Tiger has not won a major since the 2008 U.S. Open.

Rory has been No. 1 on the Official World Golf Ranking for 13 weeks. Tiger was No. 1 for 623 weeks and has worked his way back to the No. 2 spot in the world.

Tiger posted lower scores than Rory in four of the five rounds they were paired during the FedEx Cup Playoffs, but the fact Tiger did not win a major in 2012 has to be a huge disappointment for him. He had a very good finish to 2011 and the outlook for 2012 was very bright

His game has gotten progressively better throughout the year and he appears to be on the right track to be holding major hardware in the not too distant future.

Rory has all of the shots, hits his driver very long and straight and makes a ton of putts. The demands of travel, sponsor commitments and the daily grind a golf professional faces is the challenge Rory has had to learn to handle.

If Tiger can find something else on which to focus his efforts, such as reclaiming his No. 1 Official World Golf Ranking, the major victories will come.

Even though Rory has won two FedEx Cup Playoff events this year, Tiger could still win at East Lake and collect the FedEx Cup and the $10 million that goes along with it.

That might also put some drama into the PGA Tour Player of the Year voting although Rory’s Wanamaker Cup would probably trump Tiger’s FedEx Cup.

Is Tiger intimidated by Rory?

With all due respect to Greg Norman, he may just a little off base with that notion.

For golf tips and video, visit www.toledoohiogolflessons.com. Follow on Twitter: @tolohgolfr.

Well, they up and did it. All three of my children have actually started spreading their metaphorical wings. Although I knew this day would come, for some reason the knowing didn’t manage to ruin the surprise. I didn’t fully believe it until it actually happened to me.

I now have three kids in school. Granted, Lucy, my youngest, is only there five hours a week, but all three are out of the house at the same time at some point during the week nonetheless. I no doubt feel a little saddened by the realization that we are on the path of no return. Yet, I surprisingly have some other emotions unexpectedly bubbling up to the surface too. I think these emotions can best be expressed with the term “Woohoo!”

That’s right, jubilation. I’m honestly not as excited about the prospect of time to myself as I am about the idea that after almost ten years of mothering I can actually feel some sense of accomplishment. First steps and potting training and one more candle on the birthday cake just didn’t seem to do it for me. Although those things were signs that we were headed for our ultimate goal of autonomy, it is hard to feel accomplished when you’re still up to your elbows in the stress, chaos and dealing with bodily fluids and functions that come along with raising small children.

Guiding three children from womb to outside world is definitely something to celebrate. In fact, it’s been one of my very few goals for quite some time. Get up in the morning, get three children through the day, go to bed, repeat. Over and over and over again until they learn to fly on their own.

Some days have been unbelievably hard. I couldn’t wait until they ended so I could get some sleep and try again the next day. Some days were so sweet and so magical and so full of love and laughter that I never wanted them to end. Ever. Granted there were many, many more of the former than the latter, but that’s just how this occupation goes.

Raising children has, indeed, been a full-time occupation for me, my dream job in fact. Despite the pleas of feminists everywhere, I never truly longed to be anything other than a wife and a mother. I tried several other occupations throughout the years but just couldn’t find one that was challenging enough to build me up, tear me down and demand everything in me to get through a day like motherhood has. It’s eclectic nature and high degree of difficulty have kept me interested and engaged for the long haul (most days anyway).

The biggest downside to motherhood as a primary occupation is that it doesn’t last forever. Yes, once you’re a mother you’re always a mother, of course. However, there comes a point at which you go from being a high-demand, work-around-the-clock full-time staff member to a freelance consultant brought in mainly for special assignments. In an age of “Everyone Should Have and Be Everything Across a Lifetime,” a woman baking and sewing her way through domestic retirement once her nest is empty no longer seems like much of an option. Of course, I’m not even doing those things while my children are living at home, so I suppose it wouldn’t make sense for me to start once they’re off somewhere else.

So, what is one who has made a career of motherhood to do once a few hours open up in her week? Judging by the sea of workout clothing in line at preschool pickup, I am apparently supposed to be exercising. I will definitely take that into consideration, but realizing how quickly I went from having three little ones at home to having three children gone five hours a week leads me to believe that all of my children will be in school full time before I know it (less than two years to be exact).

In light of this, my plan is to start planning. How many of us have the opportunity to take on our dream job at 27 and then have our horizons once again open up at 38? As much as I sometimes dread the thought of a position I already have and love being reorganized, I intend to take on my uncertain future with great aplomb. Truth be told, this is just the first day of the rest of my life.

Mark and I have recently started working on a new educational series for consumers that helps guide them better manage their money, protect their hard-earned assets and efficiently plan their estate.

The series is called “The Essential Series: The Essentials for Investing, The Essentials for Asset Protection, and The Essentials for Estate Planning.” The goal is to help the average investor discover where he or she stands financially, gain knowledge and continue to move forward toward creating a better comprehensive plan. As we put  the final touches on “The Essentials for Investing,” we wanted to share with our readers four tips investors should be able to answer in order to create a better investment plan.

1. Investors should understand the current investment plan and how it works. Often when we meet with investors, they own several different investment accounts. The primary goals of those accounts are usually either protection of principal or long-term growth. Two more in-depth answers an investor should have is what is the investment methodology and the specific purpose for each account. The methodology should describe the disciplined process used to reach the investment goals and objectives. Understanding the specific purpose and timeframe of when the account will be used will be helpful in picking suitable investment options.
2. Control the total cost and yield of investment accounts. All financial products come with a cost and have the potential for yield. Both safe and risky investments have costs. Nothing is for free. In talking with thousands of investors over the years, we have found that many investors have not done a complete cost and yield analysis on their total investment picture. For example, look at the difference just 1 percent can make over time.  An investor who earned 5 percent annually would need $269,000 to fund $1,000 per month for 30 years with a 3 percent annual increase. Yet, if the annual net return is increased just 1 percent, only $237,000 is needed to fund the same goal. That 1 percent means a difference of $32,000 over the long term.
3. Take action to reduce the amount of income taxes paid on withdrawals from retirement accounts. In the good old days the average investor was taught to save in tax deferred retirement accounts like IRAs and 401(k)s. As the saying goes, as you get older you spend less and won’t need as much income as you do in your working years. In reality, that often is not the case for many of the seniors and retirees we meet with. That means the majority of a retiree’s income is going to come from traditional tax deferred retirement accounts that have never been taxed. Income taxes can significantly reduce the income the retiree receives. A solution is to work on building up tax-free accounts to compliment tax-deferred investments. Consider a plan that can help fund the earlier years of retirement when income needs could be higher while you are enjoying the fruits of your labor.
4. If the stock market started to decline, know what specific steps should be taken to avoid losses. We call this running the fire safety drill. I, Nolan, having two young boys, have a variety of fire safety tools built into my home. From circuit breakers to smoke detectors and fire extinguishers, I have the tools in place to respond if a fire ever breaks out in our home. I also talk every year with my family about not only how those fire safety tools work, but what to do when they go off. That way, hopefully they will avoid a panic and be able to get out safely. In the investment world, the same logic applies. An investor should have a variety of tools in place to not only help prevent, but quickly put out a financial fire if one occurs. If the fire looks like it is going to get out of control, he or she should know the exit plan and who to call for help. This plan needs to be in place before the financial fire happens.

For more information about The Retirement Guys, tune in every Saturday at 1 p.m. on 1370 WSPD or visit www.retirementguysnetwork.com.  Securities and Investment Advisory Services are offered through NEXT Financial Group Inc., Member FINRA / SIPC.  NEXT Financial Group, Inc. does not provide tax or legal advice.  The Retirement Guys are not an affiliate of NEXT Financial Group. The office is at 1700 Woodlands Drive, Suite 100, Maumee, OH 43537. 419-842-0550

UGIVE.ORG gives local high school students and nonprofits a way to connect via volunteer opportunities.

The website allows nonprofits to post volunteer opportunities that high-schoolers can then sign up for at no cost. It’s a great tool for high schools that require volunteer hours, said Jamie Baird, youth service outreach coordinator.
“It’s up to the student to go in and find an opportunity and sign up for it. The nonprofit can go in and approve the hours for the student so they can keep track of everything,” Baird said. Teachers can also make certain volunteer opportunities “featured” so they appear more prominently to encourage students to apply.
Baird and Sadi Starmack, both AmeriCorps VISTA workers, recently took over as youth service outreach coordinators for the nonprofit. The last coordinator, Paige Salamin, has been in Toledo for three years.
“I’ve loved every second of it and if AmeriCorps would let me stay in my position, I would. I’m basically timing out,” Salamin said.
The nonprofit is headquartered in Cincinnati and has several locations throughout the state, including in Toledo. Right now, the website is just for high school students, but could expand to college students in the future, Baird said.
This year, the nonprofit is especially pushing literacy tutoring and hopes to get 150 high school kids to be tutors.
“I’ve been a tutor before in high school and college and it’s important to coordinate those activities,” Starmack said.
“A lot of kids who aren’t proficient in reading by third grade are less likely to graduate from high school or graduate from high school on time, so we’re trying to improve the graduation rate,” Baird added.
Volunteering can also offer something to the high schoolers. “Not only are you helping yourself if you’re volunteering, because you are building skills, but it looks great if you’re applying for college or anything like that, but [also] that sense of community is important to a lot of people,” Baird said.
“It’s important for community members to take initiative to make their community a better place instead of just kind of sitting around, waiting to be rescued,” Starmack said.
Another part of UGIVE is UCREW, which gives 30 high school students a chance to develop their own social enterprise and choose their own cause. Last year, the local UCREW raised $1,500 for Cancer Connection of Northwest Ohio through a spaghetti dinner, car wash and bake sales. The program will run from October to February 2013.
“It was a really great experience and I definitely loved meeting some of the people,” said Trevor Walsh, a senior at Lake High School, who did UCREW last school year.
UCREW chose to support Cancer Connection last year because it had helped out one of the group member’s family.
“We are kind of like a family, you could say, in that we bonded kind of closely so we took that on a personal level,” Walsh said.
Walsh also used UGIVE to volunteer at Food for Thought and Sunrise Center.
“UGIVE is a really easy way to find opportunities in the area,” Walsh said. “Youth get the idea that we’re supposed to make an impact when we grow up, when in fact we’re supposed to be making that impact right now.”
For more information, visit UGIVE.org.

Six area businesses were recently announced as this year’s Entrepreneurial & Business Excellence Hall of Fame (EBE HOF) honorees.

Honored for business excellence are Burkett Restaurant Equipment, based in Toledo; Clouse Construction Corp., based in New Riegel; NovaVision Inc., based in Bowling Green; and Riker Products, based in Toledo. Mel Lanzer Company, based in Napoleon, is honored for excellence in family business. Solar Spectrum LLC is honored for excellence in startup innovation.
The companies will be inducted during a ceremony at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 8 at The Pinnacle, 1772 Indian Wood Circle, in Maumee. Tickets are $85. The Davenport-Longenecker Lifetime Achievement Award for Business Advocacy will be announced at the event.
The EBE HOF, presented by the University of Toledo, recognizes entrepreneurs who have built and sustained growing businesses and created jobs in the region as well as businesses that display technological innovation, said Adam Davenport, EBE HOF chairman and president of Gorillas & Gazelles, founding sponsor of the event.
“We’re really excited,” Davenport said. “We have a few construction companies, a restaurant supplier, solar once again through the University of Toledo, an automotive supplier, a security label manufacturer. There’s just a lot of diverse industries represented this year.”
Gary Frye, president and CEO of Riker Products, said, “We feel very, very honored to receive this award.”
Riker Products, which has been in business since the late 1940s and employs about 180 people, buys and bends tubing for use in heavy-duty exhaust systems and sells its products to trucking, mining and agricultural companies worldwide. Frye has been with the company for more than 40 years, starting as a laborer while still in high school and working his way to head of the company.
Mike Messmer, vice president and general manager of NovaVision, said the company is honored.
“One person could not do what we’re doing and the fact that we can grow is because we have such an excellent team,” Messmer said.
Founded in 1994, NovaVision has about 45 employees and specializes in technologies that provide anti-counterfeiting and anti-tampering features, including hologram labels, tamper-evident stickers, security tape, security seals and more. Its products are used worldwide, including by federal and state governments, military, airlines, ski resorts and collectibles dealers, Messmer said.
More than 700 people attended last year’s ceremony, Davenport said.
“It’s just a breath of fresh air to see that so many people will come out and support an event like this that showcases some of the inspiration stories and companies around this area,” Davenport said. “One thing we’re told is it’s an inspiration to many people out there that there are a lot of great things happening around here.”
Visit www.ebehof.com for more.

The third Toledo PechaKucha Night will feature slide shows galore — at least 10 different presentations, each with 20 slides allotted 20 seconds each.

Doors open 7 p.m. Sept. 28 at the Toledo Museum of Art (TMA) Glass Pavilion. The free event features a cash bar and light snacks.
“[PechaKucha is] used for artists, designers, people that are advocating for anything and everything,” said event organizer Kimberly Adams.
PechaKucha began in Tokyo in 2003 as a way for young designers to share their ideas.
“They started it for architects, because the architects tended to be a little long-winded when they were presenting their designs so they kind of shortened that format for them,” Adams said. Now the nights occur in more than 500 cities all over the world and Tokyo itself has had about 100 PechaKucha Nights.
Adams, founder of Tart Projects, an artists’ platform, also organized Toledo’s first PechaKucha Night, which took place March 31 at Manhattan’s and the second, which was June 12 at the Toledo-Lucas County Main Library. She recently moved back to Ohio after living in Tampa, Fla., where she first observed PechaKucha.
“I’d been to a couple in Tampa and they were really well put-together so I just thought it’d be great to happen here,” Adams said.
More than 100 people attended the last event. “It was really well-received. A lot of people were like, ‘Let us know when the next one is. We’ll be there,’” Adams said.
“This time, we focused on arts and nonprofits so what’s going on in the area, just to inform the public what’s going on,” she added.
A representative from TMA’s Circle 2445 group, which tries to engage young adults with the museum, reached out to help with the event and offer space, Adams said, adding she is excited about the “really cool venue.”
Organizing PechaKucha is getting easier, she said.
“The more [people] see it, they’re like, ‘I can totally do this. I’ll present at the next one,’” Adams said. “A lot of people have hesitation about public speaking. … You just don’t have time to worry about it. You just get up there and do your thing and before you know it, it’s over.”
Rachel Richardson, Art Corner Toledo founder, was one of the hesitant.
“I went to the first two and I realized what a positive event it was,” she said. “I got over myself.”
The rapid-fire format excites Richardson.
“I personally have a short attention span, so the fact that I know the person is going to touch on the most interesting stuff makes me sit still and listen,” she said.
Richardson said she plans to present on the birth and evolution of Art Corner Toledo, a group that nurtures artists and activists.
Ken Leslie, founder of 1Matters, an advocacy group for the homeless, will also present. The format doesn’t intimidate Leslie.
“I’m not afraid at all. I relish the opportunity to share the bigger picture of the work that we’re doing,” he said. He said he will focus on collaborative efforts of the community and misconceptions about the homeless.
He expects his presentation to be humorous but also touching.
Leslie also said he is looking forward to Richardson’s presentation.
“She is one of those unsung heroes that’s doing a lot to change the face, the physical face of our community,” he said.
Adams will present in addition to Dustin Hostetler of Circle 2445, Amber LeFever of LeSo Gallery, Bradley Scherzer of Toledo on the Map, Sadi Starmack and Jamie Baird of UGIVE.ORG, Nicole Tarver of The One Story Project, glass artist Brien Strancar and architect Paul Sullivan.
After September’s event, the next PechaKucha night is set for January. Another sponsor is needed for September. For more information, visit pecha-kucha.org/night/toledo.

By Yaneek Smith, Toledo Free Press Staff Writer

A three-mile obstacle course filled with slip ’n slides, mud pits and a cargo-net climb? It’s all part of The Survival Race, coming to Toledo on Sept. 29.

Taglined “The Original Family-Style 5K, Obstacle Course & Mud Run,” The Survival Race is a family-friendly event featuring a 5K race filled with obstacles as part of a fun-filled day that usually ends with people covered in mud but having an enjoyable time, said Dean Del Prete.
Del Prete, 48, is president of Cousins Management Group, a paintball company based in Medford, N.Y., that operates The Survival Race. He opened a paintball park in Toledo five years ago and chose the city as a destination for this event.

The Survival Race is a family-friendly 5K with obstacles. Photo by Nuvision Action Image

The Survival Race has taken place in a number of other locations this season, among them Dallas, New Windsor, N.Y., Manchester, N.J., and Long Island, and finishes the season with the festivities in Toledo.
Del Prete said Survival Race is growing in popularity.
“The first thing is, the race is really fun,” he said. “People get out there and have a good time. It’s more about completing the event than competing. The people range from the athletic to adventurous to the couch potato that wants to have fun.
“[People] want to challenge themselves, they want to have fun, have a laugh. No one takes [the event] too serious. We don’t make the obstacles too challenging. Everything has a bail-out, so if you get sick doing the event, you can stop. It’s more about fun than anything else.”
Del Prete will have a group of five to six employees on site helping to coordinate the event, and will rely on an assorted group of volunteers and workers to help the race run smoothly.
The event, which takes place at 8721 Airport Hwy., in Holland, costs $60. Runners will leave in 30-minute waves between  9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Registration ends Sept. 26. Spectators are welcome.
Del Prete said more than 1,800 applicants hailing from Columbus to Grand Rapids, Mich., have signed up and he  expects that number to climb to roughly 2,200 by race day. He said the event helps local businesses for the weekend.
“The hotels and restaurants are gonna love it,” he said. “I hire local bands and a local brewer is going to be supplying beer. It’s gonna be great for business.”
Del Prete is not only confident the event will be a success, but that it will grow in the years to come. In Dallas, 800 people showed up for the event in 2011 and the number grew to 2,700 this year, he said.
Del Prete knows a thing or two about simple ideas growing from something minor into a successful industry and believes that, over time, the same will happen with events like Survival Race.
“I was one of the pioneers with paintball,” Del Prete said. “I played [years ago] and I knew it would take off. And that’s what is happening with this mud race. This is a game-changer. With the [wide-ranging] demographics, the potential here is so much greater.”
Although comparisons have been made between The Survival Race and Warrior Dash, and there are some similarities, Del Prete notes that his mud run is much more family friendly.
“I didn’t want this to be like the Warrior Dash,” he said. “I wanted it to be my own thing. I thought, ‘How do I differentiate myself? Why can’t I have the family race? Why can’t I be the 9-99 age group?’ It’s like the Warrior Dash, but their demographic is different. Theirs is more of the party animal and college crowd variety. Our course is easier and we’re more family oriented. That’s something that we pride ourselves in.
“We’re not gonna be the strongest, toughest event. … We’re fun; we’re not fierce. It’s not perfect for everybody, but for us, it works.”
For more information, details and pictures of previous races, visit thesurvivalrace.com or www.facebook.com/TheSurvivalRace.

Bernard Reedy hears it every day on his way to class. He hears it all the time around Toledo. He has even heard it a few times while pumping gas.

As the University of Toledo junior wide receiver admits, there is simply no escaping the comparison between himself and former teammate Eric Page.
“We both do similar things, so I just kind of laugh and smile when I hear it,” Reedy said with a grin. “It makes me feel good though because Eric is a great player.”
From their reserved, soft-spoken demeanor, their shifty return moves and crisp route running, down to their stature — both are 5-foot-9 — the similarities are striking.

Bernard Reedy. Photo by Vincent D. Scebbi, courtesy The Independent Collegian.

In fact, Toledo head coach Matt Campbell, the pair’s offensive coordinator from 2009-11, struggled to find any dissimilarities between the two.
“Maybe the only difference is a little bit of speed,” Campbell said. “Bernard has that extra gear he can kick into.”
Though Reedy saw action his freshman year (five catches for 32 yards and eight rushes for 35 yards and two touchdowns) he emerged as the complementary receiver to Page in 2011.
The St. Petersburg, Fla., native finished second on the team behind UT’s all-time leading receiver with 40 catches, 758 yards and nine touchdowns, providing the one-two punch the Rockets lacked at receiver since Stephen Williams, now playing for the Arizona Cardinals, graduated in 2009.
Reedy capped off his sophomore year with the best performance of his collegiate career, hauling in four passes for 126 yards and three touchdowns to garner MVP honors in Toledo’s 42-41 Military Bowl victory over Air Force.
For a brief time after the bowl season, it appeared Reedy and Page would be the primary weapons for the prohibitive favorite to win the Mid-American Conference in 2012.
In January, however, Page chose to forgo his senior year of eligibility to enter the NFL Draft and Reedy was thrust into the No. 1 wideout spot on the depth chart.
Reedy said he is confident in his ability to fill the role and that has translated on the field by way of a team-high 19 receptions, 206 yards and a pair of touchdowns through three games this season.
He credits his preparedness, in part, to Page for showing him the way.
“He’s a hard worker. He does everything quietly, but he does everything right,” Reedy said. “Doing the small things right lets you do the big things right. That’s why he made so many big plays and had so much success here.”
Reedy, unsurprisingly, has adopted Page’s lead-by-example approach as well.
“I’ve never really been the vocal type,” Reedy said. “I just try to go out and do the right thing so the younger guys can follow me.”
So far, so good.

University of Toledo wide receiver Bernard Reedy, shown here in 2011, is often compared to former teammate Eric Page. Photo by Vincent D. Scebbi, Courtesy The Independent Collegian

Restaurant Week Toledo, set for Feb. 21 to March 2, will be three days longer than last year and feature several new restaurants, including Mancy’s Steaks.

“Last year’s event was an overwhelming success. We received rave reviews from restaurant owners, some of whom ran out of food due to the response from the public. We were also pleased with the feedback from patrons,” said Becca Gorman, co-chair of Restaurant Week Toledo. “We extended the event by three days due to a large volume of requests from both restaurant owners and patrons asking for more.”

Eighteen restaurants participated in last year’s Restaurant Week Toledo and there are already 24 confirmed for this year’s event, Gorman said.

Participating restaurants include Bar 145, The Blarney Irish Pub, Bobby V’s, Burger Bar 419, Caper’s Restaurant, Fifi’s Reprise, The Hungry I, ICE Restaurant and Bar, LaScola Italian Grill, Loma Linda, Mancy’s Steaks, Manhattan’s, Maumee Wines and Bistro, The Oliver House (Mutz, Maumee Bay Brew Pub, Rockwell’s and Petit-Fours Patisserie and Café), Plate 21, Poco Piatti, Registry Bistro, Rosie’s Italian Grille, Treo, Ventura’s and Zinful.

Each venue will feature a special Restaurant Week menu priced at $10, $20 or $30. (Drinks, taxes and gratuities are not included unless specified.) A portion of the proceeds will benefit local nonprofit Leadership Toledo’s youth programs.

“People can feel good about going out during Restaurant Week Toledo because they are supporting local businesses while at the same time encouraging future leaders of Toledo,” said Cory Dippold, associate executive director of Leadership Toledo.

Margot Estes, co-chair of Restaurant Week Toledo, said she hopes area residents use Restaurant Week Toledo as an opportunity to patronize local eateries.

“We want to encourage a healthy and robust community in Toledo,” Estes said. “By supporting the restaurant community, we strengthen our entire community.”

Toledo Free Press is a media sponsor of Restaurant Week Toledo.

For more information, visit www.restaurantweektoledo.com.