The Grapevine

Sagamore resident Fiona Thackaberry Stevens made her debut at Great Lakes Theater in A Christmas Carol, taking on the roles of Soloist and Street Child. The production runs through Dec. 22 in the Mimi Ohio Theatre, Playhouse Square. This is Fiona’s fifth professional production. 

Other acting credits include Tessie in Annie at Porthouse Theatre, Lavender in Matilda the Musical at Weathervane Playhouse, Sharpay in High School Musical, Jr. at Solon Center for the Arts, Tiny Tim in Scrooge the Musical at BOOM, Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Laurel School and three productions with Rubber City Theater. 

Fiona is a third-generation actor, a Weathervane Musical Theater Company member, and a seventh-grader at Laurel School in Shaker Heights. Outside of rehearsal, she loves studying voice, thrifting with friends and skiing.

The following John Carroll University students have been named to the Spring 2024 College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s List: Oscar Beman, Brandon Mitchell, Nina Scaparotti, Isabella Schuster, Savannah Vitand Hailey Whitten.

Anita Lechner, of Sagamore Hills, won a 2024 Busch Caregiver Award for volunteering at Gentiva Hospice Independence for the past 10 years in an administrative role. She organizes patient visit notes and patient charts, works in the medical record room and assists the manager of volunteer services.

Kristie Adamov, manager of volunteer services at Gentiva Independence, nominated Lechner for the award, noting that she comes to volunteer one to two times a week for five hours at a time. At age 97, Lechner is the oldest volunteer, but Adamov said she is also one of the most energetic.

Lechner volunteered over 350 hours in the last year and carries 20% of the total volunteer hours that Gentiva is required to complete to meet the Medicare Conditions of Participation for the hospice volunteer program.Lechner has been volunteering with various organizations since she retired 37 years ago. She doesn’t attribute her energy and longevity to genetics; according to Adamov she said, “I’m just lucky.”