Looking for something to do inside as the weather gets colder? Or, maybe you're planning ahead for the family's summer vacation. Either way, Northern Ohio offers a variety of indoor and outdoor water parks that are fun for the entire family, from the 33,000 square foot indoor water park at Great Bear Lodge in Sandusky to the three-level play structure and wave pool at Wildwater Kingdom (pictured at right), the former Geauga Lake.

Read more about Northern Ohio's water parks.

^{(photo courtesy of CedarFair)}

The Lake Erie landscape is beautiful, even in winter (it's coming soon), and the many lighthouses that dot the Ohio shoreline add to that beauty. Each one is unique and offers its own interest (like the Vermilion Lighthouse, pictured above). Learn more about Lake Erie Lighthouses in this photo tour.

^{(photo courtesy of Coastal Ohio)}

Today in election day in Ohio. The polls are open from 630am to 730pm. If you have to walk, beg a ride, or borrow a car, make sure that you get to your precinct today and cast your vote. Below are a few resources to help you vote:

• What's on the ballot in Ohio?
• Where do I vote?
• What sort of ID do I need?

^{(photo © JD Pooley/Getty Images)}

One of About.com Cleveland's own is running for office. Jill Miller Zimon, a periodic contributor to this site and owner of the blog, "Writes Like She Talks," is a candidate for Pepper Pike City Council. I had a chance to chat with the forty-something, mother of three yesterday about her candidacy. Here's what she had to say:

1. What made you decide to run for Pepper Pike City Council?
On January 1, 2009, the Chagrin Herald Sun (now the Chagrin Solon Sun) published its issue in which it names "Most Influential Person of the Year" for each of the communities it covers. Along with elected officials in three other communities, I was named for Pepper Pike - as just a regular citizen who, with her blog, had been pressing to get the political yard sign law changed (something which other residents said multiple people had tried to accomplish over the years). And by asking questions of sitting council members and following their suggestions, that law was in fact changed (Pepper Pike residents now are allowed to post up to three yard signs during each election cycle - we used to be allowed just one, no matter how many races or issues were on the ballot).

I talked to a wide variety of people about City Council and campaigning. I started to attend every meeting (Planning & Zoning, Road & Safety and regular City Council meetings). And I started to read about how to win a local election, how to campaign and I started to pull data from the county Board of Elections to understand what I'd be getting myself into.

With all that as research, I thought about what I've accomplished in the past and what I would be able to contribute that would matter to the city and the residents. This was actually made easy by the fact that of eight elected officials in Pepper Pike, not one was younger than 54 and only one of the eight has a school-age child. With the 2000 Census indicating that nearly one-third of all the city's households have kids 18 or under in them, and 48% of all registered voters are age 54 or younger, clearly a huge swath of the community has no one on council who directly reflects their phase of life.

I decided to run because I believe in leadership succession and I believe that it is necessary to a city's planning to have as many representative stakeholders as possible in its formal government.

2. Have you ever held public office before?
Never. I've never run for public office before either. (So I don't have any losses yet!)

3. How long have you been a Pepper Pike resident?
My husband and I moved to Pepper Pike in the spring of 1999.

4. What unique talents do you bring to the position?

I have a joint degree in law and social work and am licensed (inactive) to practice law. I also passed the LISW exam and maintained my LSW for 12 years. Since 1992, I've applied my education almost exclusively to work - for pay and volunteer - that revolves around problem-solving. This includes eight years at a private non-profit mental health agency and, over the last eight years, freelance writing on a variety of topics. The citizen journalism work that I've done over the last four or five years has benefited enormously from my having these skills because the forums that host me do best when visitors and I engage and produce thoughtful discourse through which we all learn.

At the city government level, I see using these talents to assess the community's needs and determine, in conjunction with the mayor, the other council members, city personnel and residents how to proceed to address the identified needs.

Other talents I bring to the table include a good working knowledge of 21st Century tools for communicating. Pepper Pike has always attracted young families but the city needs to keep up with how those new, young families wish to interact. Many of them are completely comfortable with and expect to be engaged via social media and other electronic-based tools. I look forward to helping the city develop and implement a range of opportunities through which all residents can participate, to the extent they desire.


5. What else would you like About.com Cleveland readers to know about you and your candidacy?
I wish that all people who write about politics had to run for office before they were allowed to publish their writing about politicians. I know this will never happen, but being a candidate for office and going the whole nine yards through Election Day really places a person in a very different place than where the journalists and pundits are, with just a few exceptions.

People should realize that if we want better elected officials, we need to have better candidates. And if we want better candidates, we need to provide a climate that embraces people willing to stick their neck out in order to work for not much money, comparatively speaking, and with a great deal of expectations and outcomes to meet. In other words, there's nothing wrong with being demanding in terms of wanting high-quality candidates. But as voters, we have to be willing to realize that there are in fact competing constituencies in any single community and when we elect a person to a position in which that person will have to make decisions on behalf of an entire population, a little understanding could go a long way.

Thank you for giving me this chance to speak directly to the readers and residents.

The Fabulous Food Show, a multi-media food extravaganza is coming to the I-X Center in Cleveland November 13 through 15 (2009). The show will feature celebrities, including Food Network Stars, Bobby Flay and Guy Fieri as well as Cleveland's own Iron Chef, Michael Symon. Attendees will be able to attend a least one event with the stars, which will include cooking demonstrations, book signings, and question and answer sessions.

In addition to the headliners, the Cleveland Wine School will host wine tastings and wine notes, and many wines, spirits, and beers will be offered for sale. Other events include a festival marketplace, a chocolate bar, and Wedding cake cooking demonstrations.

Admission to the Fabulous Food Show is $25.00 in advance and $27.50 at the door. Tasting passports are sold separately and start at $10. To buy tickets, printable from your computer, visit the Fabulous Food Show website.

^{(Logo courtesy of the Fabulous Food Show)}

This Saturday, the government offers its annual fall present of an extra hour's sleep. (For the uninformed, Daylight Saving Time ends at 2am on November 1, giving Ohioans an extra hour to do with what they may.) If you haven't already decided what to do with this windfall of time, here are some ideas:

• Go for a hike along one of the miles of trails in the Cleveland Metroparks. The leaves are just at their lovliest.
• Start a novel, maybe one by a Northeast Ohio author, such as Les Roberts or Casey Daniels.
• Dig out those holiday cards you bought on sale last year after Christmas and start addressing the envelopes. (It's always more fun when you start early.)
• Take a walking tour of one of Cleveland's many interesting neighborhoods, such as Little Italy or Asiatown.
• Learn a little Cleveland history at picturesque Lake View Cemetery
• Finish up on your yard chores; winter will soon be upon us.
• Linger over coffee and the New York Times (parent company to About.com) at one of Cleveland's many coffeeshops.

^{(photo credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)}

Just in time for the Halloween season, Great Lakes Brewing Company has released its seasonal brew, "Nosferatu." Named after the early 1920s silent German vampire film, the beer is a deep amber ale that complements strong meats, cheeses, and spicy dishes. The beer will be sold at local retailers, bars, and at the Great Lakes Brew Pub.

Editor's Note: If you haven't seen the film, "Nosferatu," rent it this season. It's a creepy Halloween classic.

^{(photo courtesy of GLBC)}

It sure feels like winter outside this morning. I guess it's time to get the yard, home, and vehicle ready for the cold days to come if you haven't already. If you're not sure what to do, here are some resources from around the About system to help you get ready for winter:

Sweetest Day, celebrated each year on the third Saturday of October, is a home-grown Cleveland holiday. Contrary to popular belief, the event was not started by Cleveland card manufacturer American Greetings Co.

The holiday was begun in 1922 by a regular citizen, Herbert Birch Kingston, who wanted to do something nice for the city's less fortunate residents. He gathered up pounds of chocolates and, with the aid of film stars Theda Bara and Ann Pennington, delivered boxes of candy to Cleveland area newsboys, orphanages, and hospitals.

Today, the original "Sweetest Day of the Year" has evolved into a romantic holiday, similar to Valentine's Day. It's become a day when boyfriends and girlfriends, husbands and wives exchange cards, presents, and share a dinner for two.

Sweetest Day, though still most popular in Northeast Ohio, has spread throughout the country, as Ohioans move to other parts of the US. In fact, among Hallmark's top ten buyers of Sweetest Day cards (after Ohioans), are the residents of Texas, California, and Florida.

Sweetest Day is October 17, 2009.

^{(Photo © istockphoto; Licensed to About, inc.)}

Are you wondering when to take out your little ghost or princess on Halloween night? Here's a list of trick-or-treat times in various Northeast Ohio communities.

Happy Halloween Season!

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