Bike trail bench to be dedicated to early supporter June 6

Staff report

CHAMPION

Friends of the Western Reserve Greenway and World Of Wildlife Bicycle Tour participants will dedicate a bench and marker in memory of Ada Callahan Sutter, an early and devoted bike-trails advocate.

Sutter, a Howland resident, was a founder of the Friends of the Western Reserve Greenway group and was instrumental in the planning and construction of the Greenway in Ashtabula and Trumbull counties.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will take place at 10:30 a.m. June 6 where the Western Reserve Greenway crosses Champion Avenue West.

Charles Kohli, chairman of the Friends of the Western Reserve Greenway, will offer brief remarks before the bench and marker are unveiled.

“We urge Ada’s relatives and friends, as well as those who worked with and remember Ada, to attend the dedication,” said Zachary Svette, Trumbull County MetroParks operations director. “Ada was a driving force for the rails-to-trails movement in our region.”

Parking for those driving to the dedication will be at Clarence Darrow MetroPark on Educational Highway or at the Greenway’s Sunside Trailhead at state Route 305. Both are about 1 mile to the bench location. Those who need assistance getting to the site from one of those lots should call 330-675-3072 at least two days before the dedication.

The WOW 2015 bike- riding event also will take place June 6. The event includes 20-, 40- and 68-mile routes. Riders will use the Trumbull and Ashtabula County portions of the Western Reserve Greenway for most of their miles, especially the 20- and 40-miles routes. The first and last miles use public roads. Event registration will take place at Kent State University at Trumbull in Champion, from 7:30 to 10 a.m. Day-of registrations are welcome.