MAYOR'S MESSAGE

Craig A. Stough 6/30/06

"SYLVANIA WELCOMES JAMIE FARR LPGA CLASSIC"

On behalf of the City of Sylvania, I welcome participants, families and fans to the 22^nd annual Jamie Farr LPGA Classic at Highland Meadows Golf Club here in Sylvania. We look forward every summer to the excitement you bring to our community.

This year's tournament is being held July 10^th through 16^th. The Jamie Farr LPGA Classic brings thousands of fans and media representatives into Sylvania every year. Our local restaurants, shops, and hotel will benefit from the visitors to our community. And even though the crowds at times can lead to congestion on our roads, the tournament also greatly benefits local charities serving Sylvania and around Lucas County.

An exciting new event has been added this year – a downtown Sylvania celebration welcoming tournament visitors to our community on Thursday, July 13^th from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. Main Street will be closed to vehicles from Monroe Street north to the historic village. There will be entertainment, food, music and children's activities. The downtown stores and restaurants will be open, and everyone is welcome. My thanks to the Sylvania Area Chamber of Commerce for organizing this exciting new downtown event.

Highland Meadows Golf Club and the many volunteers and sponsors that make this tournament a success every year also deserve our thanks. The members of Highland Meadows have hosted this tournament since 1990 and each year the course and facilities are better than the year before. Local residents and golf fans each year donate thousands of hours for hole marshalling and the many jobs that must be done and done well to have a successful event.

Sylvania prides itself on being a great place to live, work and raise a family, and the Jamie Farr LPGA Classic helps enliven and enrich the lives of our residents every year. The tournament brings the excitement of national attention to our community. Our residents are treated to competitive golf at the highest level. And our young people see first hand from world class athletes that hard work and practice can lead to success.

So once again, welcome to the Jamie Farr LPGA Classic. We hope you love our community as much as we love having you here. Good luck to all the competitors. And thanks to Judd Silverman, his staff, and all the volunteers who each year bring a great LPGA golf tournament for us to enjoy here in Sylvania.