Vermilion Notebook

Bond issue meeting Interested in anchoring the future of Vermilion Schools? A meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 9 in the cafeteria at Vermilion High School to provide information and gauge interest for people interested in joining the campaign team to help pass the November bond issue for the school district. Supporting Ohio Schools, the group working to help guide the community to pass the issue, will be on hand to provide assistance. Kids clothing Free, gently used kids clothing is available twice a month at the Kids Boutique, a ministry of the Vermilion Evangelical and Reformed Church. Due to volunteer staff, the boutique has limited hours: from 1-3 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month and from 5-7 p.m. on the fourth Tuesdays. Parents or guardians must know the size of children's underwear and socks and be ready with a printed list of sizes. The church is at 752 Grand St. For information, visit the church's Facebook page or call (440) 967-3559. Ritter Public Library The Ritter Detective Agency Book Discussion Group will meet at 6 p.m. Sept. 17 to discuss Cleveland's most notorious unsolved crime that even the famed Eliot Ness couldn't solve: the case of the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run. The group will meet to discuss "American Demon," the historical true crime book by New York Times-bestselling author and Edgar Award-winner Daniel Stashower. His book recounts the grisly account of the 13 dismembered victims that were found in Cleveland during the Great Depression, some beheaded while still alive. A terrified city looked to its newly appointed director of public safety to solve the crime: Ness, the man who had just taken on Al Capone's bootlegging empire in Chicago. Registration is required. Seats are limited. Copies of the book are available at the library. For information or to register, visit ritterpubliclibrary.org. The library is at 5680 Liberty Ave., Vermilion. Palaces for the People walk and talk Join Ritter for a leisurely walk and discussion about "Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization and the Decline of Civic Life" by Eric Klinenberg," the 2025 Lorain County Reads selection from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Sept. 13 at Sherod Park. Klinenberg will be visiting Elyria for an author visit on Sept. 25, but readers around the county are invited to share their thoughts about his book ahead of time. Free copies of his book are available at Ritter's main desk while supplies last. In the book, Klinenberg posits that while Americans are living in a time of deep divisions, he suggests a way forward. Democrat societies rest not simply on shared values but also on shared spaces: libraries, church, parks and childcare centers where connections are formed. Using his research with examples from around the globe, Klinenberg shows how "social infrastructure" helps to solve our most pressing societal challenges.