Talk of the Town by Patty Reiman
by Patty Reiman
Hudsonite Kelly Mendelson is super excited – you could say doubly excited – to host her mom and aunt this month when the twin sisters come to town to celebrate their 80th birthday. Mom Alice Lazenby will travel from North Carolina, and Aunt Helen Smiley is coming in from upstate New York. The sisters plan to attend Twins Days in Twinsburg on Aug. 2-4, just days after their July 30 birthday.
“They attended about 15 years ago and had the best time meeting other twins,” said Kelly, who added that the pair come from a family of 13. “They decided there was no other place to celebrate this milestone than at the Twins festival.”
The birthday gals plan to participate in the twins parade dressed in NASCAR attire to follow the festival’s 2024 theme of “Twindy 500: Off to the Races!”
Kelly’s sister, Kari, and Helen’s daughters, Alice and Michelle, are also travelling to be here for the family fun. Kelly’s husband, Brad, and daughters Eloise, Addie and Dorothy are looking forward to seeing their family’s special twins in the parade and celebrating their birthday with them. While here, the group plans to explore Hudson with stops downtown for food and shopping.
“My mom absolutely loves Hudson and how walkable everything is,” said Kelly.
Happiest of birthdays to you two, Alice and Helen!
Nantucket in the summer… sounds lovely, right? Well, it’s not too late lose yourself to The Grey Lady of the Sea, in your imagination at least, by joining Hudson resident Katie Bigley in soaking up Nantucket adventures through the 30-book series of author Elin Hilderbrand. Bigley told Talk of the Town about the author’s visit, which she attended at the Parma-Snow branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library earlier this summer. The event sold out and had a wait list.
Katie Bigley (l) snaps a photo with author
Elin Hilderbrand during an event in June.
“I love Elin Hilderbrand because she has a gift in the way she describes people, places and foods that make you feel like you are part of the scene,” said Katie, a 2013 Hudson High School grad. “Her Nantucket-based novels transport you to the island and blend you in with the locals as summer romances, murder mysteries and scandals unfold around you.”
The New York Times best-selling author discussed her final Nantucket novel, “Swan Song,” before giving lots of time to personally signing each guest’s book and taking photos with her fans. Most library guests came dressed in all white. Katie explained it’s Hilderbrand’s tradition to ask her fans to dress in a color of her choice, which she shares with them ahead of time.
“I was able to have my few seconds with the author, and it was so exciting. She is warm and charismatic and incredibly grateful for each fan’s appreciation of her work,” Katie said.
She’s excited to share the scoop that Nicole Kidman and Dakota Fanning have signed on for a Netflix miniseries based on Hilderbrand’s novel, “The Perfect Couple.” Additional plans are in the works for cinematic adaptations of Hilderbrand’s other works.
If you’d like to hear more, you could find Katie creating art of her own in her Hudson home studio. She’s a watercolor artist specializing in home portraits and Hudson landmarks. She has sold her art at Feather and Elm and will paint based on commission. She and her husband, Sean, enjoy summer (and all the seasons) in Hudson with their 1-year-old son, Conway, and dog, Pepper.
Speaking of dog lovers, veterinarian Dr. Kelly Willard, who owns Hudson Veterinary Hospital and Boston Heights Veterinary Hospital, is scheduled to be deployed this month to Central America for up to six months. Dr. Kelly is a major in the U.S. Army Reserve since 2019 and was previously deployed in 2017 to Afghanistan for 12 months, where she treated military working dogs who were injured in combat. She expects to have similar responsibilities this time around, as well as do other things that she is required to keep confidential.
Hudson Veterinarian Hospital owner Dr. Kelly Willard, a U.S. Army reservist,
will be deployed to Central America for up to six months. Photo submitted.
“I absolutely love serving my country and caring for such important members of our military – the military working dogs,” said Kelly, adding that she chose to be a reservist so she and her family didn’t have to relocate every three years. “I have loved being a part of the Hudson community and developing bonds with the families and their fur babies.”
Dr. Kelly and her husband, Ryan, became owners of Hudson Veterinary Hospital in 2019. She has full confidence in her staff caring for the practice’s patients during her absence, and they appreciate her willingness to serve our country.
“She is an inspiration. We are fortunate and safer because she and others like her answer the call of duty,” said Lori Bill, kennel manager.
“I have never been more in awe of a person. She is selfless,” said Karrie Sackett, practice manager.
Best wishes on your travels, Dr. Kelly!
Now could be a great time to begin a new workout routine as summer winds down and a new school year begins. For men, the timing couldn’t be better. A national men’s fitness group, called F3, has arrived in Hudson recently and is looking for more workout participants and workout leaders. F3 stands for fitness, fellowship and faith.
“There are several Hudson men who are part of the leadership group, and we are always looking for more,” said Anthony Eder, who expanded F3’s reach from the Cleveland area when he became the site Q (or leader) for Hudson. Anthony has been a leader for F3 for four years, and one of his jobs is making sure each workout has a peer leader to run it. Those who are willing take turns leading.
The F3 website says, “The Mission of F3 is to plant, grow and serve small workout groups for men for the invigoration of male community leadership.”
All ages and all fitness levels are invited to F3’s free, peer-led workouts that are held outdoors (no matter what!) and end with a reflective time, called Circle of Trust. F3 has a network of nearly 5,000 workouts in more than 350 regions across the globe. The Hudson group is part of the Medina/Akron/Copley region.
The Hudson group meets twice each week outside Christ Community Chapel: Wednesdays at 5:30 a.m. and Saturdays at 7 a.m. While most exercises use body-weight resistance, Anthony said they’ve been known to use anything they find outdoors: tires, bricks, cinder blocks and more.
“Bring gloves,” he suggested.
He said the Hudson group has been averaging about eight men per workout, and the average age is about 40.
“F3 has been transformational in my life and so many other men’s lives not only throughout Cleveland/Akron but across the world. Come check us out!”
Summer’s sun may be setting, but the warmth of family memories is just beginning. We want to hear about how your family made the most of this summer season. Email us at news@scriptytpe.com. ∞
Alice Lazenby (l) and her twin Helen
Smiley (r) plan to celebrate their 80th
birthday with a visit to Hudson and the
Twins Days Festival up the road. Lazenby
is mother of Hudsonsite Kelly Mendelson.
Photos submitted