Tapped In
A New Shoe Move
Reading a book. Sipping coffee. Playing cards. Some activities are best done seated. Dancing typically isn’t one of them.
Enter Westlake’s Melissa Renner. The owner of Active for Life Fitness found that many of her older fitness clients and others with disabilities enjoyed tap dancing but were unable to participate because of limited mobility. So she invented a shoe cover that’s easy to slip on over both regular and orthopedic shoes. The best part? It’s got metal tap discs on the bottom that permit users to tap dance from the security of a chair.
Renner also invented a mitt with hand taps for people who are unable to use their legs or feet.
“I’ve witnessed seniors suffering with Alzheimer’s and dementia go from non-verbal and seemingly unaware of their surroundings to tap dancing while seated — all in one class. The stories and examples are moving. And after the isolation this population has endured due to COVID, I’d like to … spotlight how significant dance is for the mind and soul,” Renner says.
You can find Renner’s products at activeforlifefitness.com
Keven Scarpino
Keeps His Ghoul
Like a lot of kids, Keven Scarpino was part of the first generation of television viewers, and early TV in Northeast Ohio was some of the best in the country.
Scarpino’s first autograph was from his hero, Ernie “Ghoulardi” Anderson, and Keven made up his mind that he wanted to be an entertainer, too. He developed a character, a horror host, who was quick to tell his audience just how bad his “dumpster-to-screen” films were but added his own comedy bits to keep people watching.
“The Son of Ghoul” show premiered on Canton’s WOAC. Scarpino never thought it would last more than 13 weeks. That was on June 13, 1986, and since that time, he’s never been off the air.
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