1991 – Cobblestone Mall got a new tenant for 1991. John Ribich opened Royal Plaza Shoe and Leather Repair. Royal Plaza Shoe and Leather Repair offered a wide range of services including: sole replacement, all luggage and golf bags repaired, and high heels lowered for greater comfort.
Early in the year St. Matthew the Evangelist Orthodox Church settled in North Royalton. St. Matthew’s is part of the Orthodox Church that has a history going back 2000 years to Syria and is part of the Antiochian Diocese in Syria. The pastor, Father Andrew Harmon, says, “Members of the parish live in the southern and western suburbs. North Royalton was good for accessibility.” St. Matthew, which purchased the church building and land from the First Congregational Church, is located at 10383 Albion Rd.
Hard at work during mid-February sculptor Norbert Koehn began working on the 1000 lb. white oak log inside North Royalton High School. The giant log was being transformed into a 6-ft. 2-in. grizzly bear, mascot for the NRHS. The sculpture took an estimated 150 hours to complete. Art students were so impressed with the wild life sculpture they saw on a field trip they decided to get the log rolling for a sculpture of the mascot. The students designed the pose with claws and teeth showing. The sculpture is designed to be touched as each touch “hand polishes” the wood and adds to its patina. The Great Grizzly is now on display inside the High School. Go Bears!
March 7th issue reported that Anna Bielert, joined “Operation Desert Shield” and started writing letters to any serviceman. She has twenty-three pen pals in the Persian Gulf – twenty-one service men and two service women from all branches of service. “They say my letters keep them going, but really their letters are like medicine to me. I enjoy doing it so much,” said Anna, a mother of five including one daughter who is a Petty Officer in the Navy.
Annabelle’s ghost doesn’t whisper. The March 21st issue of the Recorder stated that Annabelle, a woman about forty in an old fashion dress, makes her presence known at the North Royalton Little Theater. Annabelle occasionally makes the theater smell like burning candles when there are none. Maria O’Donnell, a member of the Godspell cast said, “Just before a performance when the theater was completely dark, an eerie light swished from the front of the theater to the back. Some of the audience thought it was special effects.” There were no special effects, it was all Annabelle.
North Royalton boys, David Weikle and Jonathan Knoll, both 11, were rescued from frigid Hinckley Lake after they fell through unstable ice. Nineteen-year-old Matt Kupec, also from North Royalton, and friends were walking in Hinckley Reservation March 16, when Matt saw the boys fall in. Matt grabbed a large branch and spread out on the ice urging the boys to grab on. The ice bowed under Matt’s 190-lb. weight, he went in too. Still thinking of the boys, Matt encouraged David to grab on to the stick and Matt pulled him a shore, then Matt emerged from the freezing water. Jonathan managed to get to land on his own. All three boys were met by 15 Hinckley fire fighters and were treated for hypothermia.
September 14 was a moving day for the Police Department. All operations except for the jail were transferred to the new Royalton and Bennett Road facility. The new station houses a state-of-the-art five stall shooting range, police garage, 911 Dispatch, and the mayor’s court. The jail would be completed in January of 1992.
The December 9 issue noted that Santa’s PR guy lives right here. Mark Klaus has white hair, a white beard, and a fix on Christmas. The North Royalton resident signed a contract with Goebel USA, the company that manufactures the Hummel figurines, by 1992 a line of Mark Klaus’ sculpted Santa Figures will be available in stores.
Another sculptor whittles away his spare hours. Mild mannered custodian for Royal View School, Jeff Lingenfelter, performs all duties at the school to keep things safe and clean. But, his real super power is whittling. He demonstrated his skill for students. Jeff has made wall plaques, horses, birds, squirrels, dogs, roses, and his favorite – a dolphin.
Right before Christmas the Recorder reported on a true gift of a lifetime. Terri Walsh, 29, received a new set of lungs from an organ donor. Terri had cystic fibrosis a disease of the lungs that usually claims the lives of its victims before their 21st birthday. Terri’s first words after the five-hour operation were, “I can breathe!”
Buy locally when doing your holiday shopping.
1992 – Sadly the January 9 Recorder reported that Terri Gelin Walsh who received a double lung transplant for Cystic Fibrosis on November 28, 1991, at the Cleveland Clinic, passed away from complications due to the transplant. The Recorder, friends and supporters offered Terri’s family their sincerest condolences.
Attorney Mary Ann Thomas of Thomas and Thomas a law and accounting firm at 13700 State Road became the first female president of the North Royalton Chamber of Commerce.
An article in January noted the French Paradox about heart-healthy habits. The French eat full fat cheese, cream, red wine, and smoke just as much or more than Americans and still have a lower rate of heart disease. One pundit suggested the difference is that the French eat at a leisurely pace and walk more.
April came hopping along and Valley Vista first grade students performed their rendition of the operetta adaptation of Beatrix Potter’s “The Tale of Peter Rabbit.” The first graders taped their performance for broadcast on cable channel 23 in May. “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” celebrated its hundredth anniversary and continues to be one of the most popular children’s stories ever published.
Academic Challenge team members Tanya Kosc, Walter Noss, and Chris Ralter scored 420 points rolling past Lake Catholic of Mentor with 400 points; and Lake Ridge Academy of North Ridgeville had 340 points during “WEWS- TV 5 Academic Challenge” program on April 4. The program was broadcast later in the year to the thrill of the North Royalton viewing audience.
Stinky sewage brings North Royalton to the brink of suing Strongsville. The raw sewage that gushed into Spyglass Creek had been an issue for some time. The raw sewage affecting Kingston Way, Waterford and Mariner Drives came from overflowing septic tanks owned by Strongsville residents along W.130 St. Strongsville was trying to have those W.130 residents tie into the sanitary sewer system, but the sewer installation was behind schedule. Strongsville residents that anticipated the tie-in did not maintain their septic systems which caused the sewage overflow to the creek. The Royalton residence said the creek was a health hazard. Strongsville said they couldn’t force residence to clean their septic systems. Royalton said they would do it weekly and bill Strongsville residents. As of June 4 the issue was not resolved.
City hall tightened its belt a notch. Voters defeated the five-year 1.95 mil city operating levy on the ballot in June. The city faced a million dollar short fall for the 1993 budget.
As of October, orange became the new fashion statement for trash bags. The “Buck a Bag” ordinance was introduced to save approximately $800,000 in the 1993 budget that related to rubbish collection and tipping fees. The curbside recycling of glass, metal, #1 and #2 plastics helped reduce the waste stream as mandated by federal laws. Yard waste, batteries, oil, old tires, newspapers, and cardboard could be taken to the city recycling yard without charge. Refuse facilities would not be accepting yard waste in 1993.
Snakes alive! The November 5 Recorder reported that during the warm weather of late September residents of Sunrise Cove found a copperhead snake in their patio well. Police Department employee, Joe Colter, identified the snake as a Copperhead but was unable to catch it. A second smaller snake was caught on the patio; a third snake was found in the street nearby. Copperheads are indeed poisonous and can be found in southern Ohio. Police Chief Bican “felt the snakes could have been someone’s pets. Or that the snakes were transported from the south in a car where they crawl into places like wheel wells to keep warm.” Yeek!
Sixty-two happy kindergarteners from St. Albert the Great went shopping at Rego’s to provide a Thanksgiving meal for a family in need. Each kindergartener brought in a dollar from home to pay for the shopping trip. The class made a list of things to put in the food box and became very excited seeing their selections loaded into the shopping cart. Each child carried one item back to school for the food box. The shopping trip was completed by a sample slice of bologna and a large cookie compliments of Rego’s.
Residents braved the cold and snow on Sunday, December 6, for the second annual holiday lighting on the City Green. The High School Brass Ensemble and Choir made holiday spirits merry and bright. Santa arrived in a bright red fire engine accompanied by three elves. Everyone present warmed up at the fire station with hot chocolate.
Royalton is a great place to live and work. Support your local businesses for all your holiday and every other day needs.

By LINDA KWARCIANY
Contributing Writer