Briefs: Marion County funeral home acquires classic hearse

Local funeral home acquires classic hearse

MARION - A local funeral home in Marion County is bringing honor and tribute to loved ones as they take their final ride to their resting place.

Edwards Funeral Service, 318 Mount Vernon Ave., was purchased by central Ohio native Jeff Edwards in 2018. After restoring the interior of the funeral home to make it more modern, the latest edition to the business is a 1932-era classic hearse.

The 1932-era Rosewood Prinzing has the style of a car 10 years after Marion’s own President Warren G. Harding’s presidency ended.

Edwards says the vehicle has been modernized under the hood for dependability for the funeral service. It features the latest General Motors V8 LS3 Corvette engine and drivetrain technology, with common GM truck components that make for ease of use and longevity.

With less than 50 like it in the world, the hearse was built custom for Edwards Funeral Service by Rosewood Classic Coach.

Donate blood to help those fighting breast cancer

MARION - During Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October, the American Red Cross urges eligible donors to provide hope and healing to patients fighting cancer by giving blood or platelets.

In appreciation, those who donate between Oct. 15 and Nov. 11 will receive a $5 Amazon.com Gift Card via email, courtesy of Suburban Propane. In addition, those who give during October will have a chance to win one of five $1,000 Amazon gift cards.

Donors of all blood types are asked to make appointments by downloading the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enabling the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device.

There are several blood drives scheduled this month in Marion County, including one that will take place from 1 to 6 p.m. next Friday at Marion General Hospital. Other blood drives are also set for Oct. 22, Oct. 24 and Oct. 31.

ODNR completes acorn survey

COLUMBUS - The 2020 acorn abundance survey conducted on 38 wildlife areas throughout Ohio shows an above-average year for red oaks and a below-average year for white oaks, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. Ohio’s fall acorns are an important food source for more than 90 forest wildlife species, and mast crop distribution can influence hunting plans. The acorn mast crop is the number of nuts collectively produced by trees.

Acorns are an important food source for many forest wildlife species. Numerous studies have linked the abundance of mast crops to body condition, winter survival, and reproductive success of white-tailed deer, wild turkeys, black bears, gray squirrels and ruffed grouse. Furthermore, hunters could use this information to key in on areas to improve hunting success.

This is the 16th year the Division of Wildlife has completed the acorn production mast survey. The results can be found at wildohio.gov.