Jan Larson Mclaughlin

1 week ago | bgindependentmedia.org | Jan Larson Mclaughlin |David Dupont

By JAN McLAUGHLINBG Independent NewsSticklers who prefer silence in their libraries were out of luck Saturday. The kickoff of the summer reading program at the Wood County District Public Library went big and bold to get kids excited about books while on summer break. The event was a real page-turner. The library atrium was taken over by a huge bounce house, and outside a chalk artist was creating magical characters that appeared to emerge from brick walls and cracks in sidewalks.

1 week ago | bgindependentmedia.org | David Dupont |Jan Larson Mclaughlin

By DAVID DUPONTBG Independent NewsJean Geist, of Bowling Green, was happy to answer a question about Porchfest, but the interview had to be conducted on the move. Geist, and her husband, Chris, are strong supporters of local music. If there’s a band playing in BG, people expect to see the couple  there, and if they’re not it’s because their grandchildren are up to something.

1 week ago | bgindependentmedia.org | Jan Larson Mclaughlin |David Dupont

Written by Geoff Howes Bowling Green Historic Preservation CommissionIn June, the Bowling Green Historic Preservation Commission begins a recurring series that will recognize neighborhood groceries of the past as Historic Buildings of the Month. The stores may be gone, but the buildings still stand, and the local markets live on in the fond memories of many longtime Bowling Green residents. The first in the series, one of the oldest neighborhood markets, was at 316 Buttonwood.

1 week ago | bgindependentmedia.org | Jan Larson Mclaughlin |David Dupont

Mary Alice Eblen, 92 of Findlay and formerly of Bloomdale, passed away on Friday, May 30, 2025. She was born at home on her parent’s farm in Bloom Township on November 27, 1932. Mary Alice graduated from Bloomdale High School in 1950. She married Eugene Eblen on April 11, 1954, and they enjoyed 71 years together. She is survived by her husband Eugene, son Dean E. (Cassie Ann) Eblen of Cygnet, daughter, Laurel S.

1 week ago | bgindependentmedia.org | Jan Larson Mclaughlin |David Dupont

By JAN McLAUGHLINBG Independent NewsSonya Kahlenberg’s love for animals has taken her from a farm in Pemberville to the forests of Africa. “I’m a local girl,” she said, showing a black and white newspaper clipping of her with her 1984 grand champion pig at the fair. But Kahlenberg’s focus has shifted from the barnyard to the Democratic Republic of Congo where she ran a gorilla sanctuary, to Borneo where she conducted research on orangutans, and to Uganda where she studied chimpanzees.