Grapevine December 2021

by Alex Vukoder

The ladies of the Bath Volunteers for Service attended the Salvation Army’s “Red Kettle kickoff” luncheon in preparation for the “ringing the bell” fundraiser on Dec. 9 at Acme in Montrose. This fundraiser supports the Salvation Army programs that serve people in need. BVS members who attended include Amy Bowers, Mary Ann Heed, Nancy Blind, Beth Sherwood, Cathy Leuenberger, Chris Yuhasz, Felecia Stotsenburg, and Lisa Mandel. All are invited to join them on Dec. 9 to help fill the kettle and ring the bell. BVS, founded in 1958, is a community service organization for women in the greater Bath area. As a group, they average more than 2,000 volunteer hours a year and raise money to support local nonprofits through their signature events.

Bath Volunteers for Service members (l-r) front row: Amy Bowers, Mary Ann Heed, Nancy Blind and Beth Sherwood. Back row: Cathy Leuenberger, Chris Yuhasz, Felecia Stotsenburg and Lisa Mandel. Photo submitted.

Bath residents Cynthia and Sierra Chagrin joined the cast of actor Adam Driver’s (Kylo Ren in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”) upcoming Netflix movie, “Wheat Germ,” based on Don DeLillo’s apocalyptic novel, “White Noise.” The mother/daughter duo answered a casting call and were selected to work on several scenes that were filmed in Northeast Ohio this fall. Production’s hair, makeup, and costume teams transformed them into their characters—disaster evacuees. Sierra filmed for three days and Cynthia for ten days. The film will be released in the fall of 2022.

“Having the opportunity to act with my daughter, see her in action and share this experience with her was amazing,” said Cynthia. “I have fallen in love with the behind-the-scenes magic of movie-making.”

Cynthia has since been cast as a featured background actor in “Rustin” with Chris Rock and “The Pale Blue Eye” starring Christian Bale.

Sierra is a sophomore at Revere High School and a member of the Revere Players. Her passion for acting was sparked as a young child by her mother’s memories of the fun she had acting in a movie produced by her high school film class. Sierra loves participating in local theater and has four additional films on her acting resume.  

Cynthia (l) and Sierra Chagrin were cast as background actors for the Cleveland-filmed movie “Wheat Germ.” Photo submitted.

Kristen Popa, daughter of Maureen and Randy Popa, was promoted to software engineering product manager at Nationwide Insurance in Columbus, Ohio. She is a graduate of Revere High School and The Ohio State University. Kristen has been employed with Nationwide for six years.  

Kristen Popa earned a promotion with Nationwide Insurance. Photo submitted.

Piano students of Jennifer Stenroos of Bath gathered Friday, Nov. 12, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Akron for their fall recital, their first live recital since the pandemic began. The studio carried on by Zooming recitals during the past 2 years and the return to a live recital was a pleasure for all the families and friends in attendance. 

Piano students (l-r) front) Selina Luo, Meili Wilkinson, Lillian Johnson, John Lurtz, Giulietta Lurtz, Gianna Lurtz. In the back row (l-r) are Chris Meyer, Colin Broholm, Ben Shannon, Jack Core, Georgia Mellion, Caden Jones, Grace Lurtz and Gabriella Lurtz. Photo submitted.

At the Eastern USA International Martial Arts Association’s annual conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania this November, two Revere students were among the martial artists who received special recognition. Revere High School freshman, Keaton Levermann, was the recipient of the Male Black Belt of the Year award. Keaton started training five years ago and earned his black belt in February 2021. He is the son of Shane and Renee Levermann. Allana Perry, a fifth-grader at Bath Elementary School, was nominated by Zahand’s Martial Arts for a special recognition into the EUSAIMAA Black Belt Hall of Fame. She is a member of Zahand’s Black Belt Club, an invitation-only club that carries a three-year commitment. Allana is very dedicated to her art, practicing karate three days a week with the goal of obtaining a black belt in the next couple of years. Allana is the daughter of Dawn Perry and niece of Derek and Shelly Faulhaber.

Allana Perry (l) and Keaton Levermann received awards for their participation in martial arts. Photo submitted.

Thank you all for sharing and inspiring our readers with your exciting accomplishments and extraordinary acts of kindness. I would love to tell more stories from our great community and celebrate your good news, so please continue to send them to me at avukoder@scriptype.com. ∞