Basket Festival Committee Officers
Casey Ellis
Basket Festival Committee President
Casey has lived in Berlin Heights all her life. She is a 2000 graduate of Edison High School and EHOVE Career Center. She has been employed with Lowes in Sandusky for the last 21 years. She also works at Kaiella Brooke Momma and Kids Boutique. She has a son Blake who is 14, and you can find helping out around the festival. She has been on the Basket Festival committee since 2019.
Responsibilities Basket Committee Director, Food contest committee chair, 5K registration committee chair. Do whatever is needed to keep the festival running smoothly.
Andy Kellar
Basket Festival Committee Vice President
Born and raised in Berlin Heights, Ohio, and an Edison High School graduate of ‘81. He attended Ohio State University and after college lived in Lorain and Cleveland, Ohio, and Tallahassee, Florida. He returned to live in Berlin Heights, Ohio in 2007. He joined the Basket Festival Committee in 2013.
Responsibilities for Basket Festival: Sponsor committee chair, parade committee chair Basket Festival Board of Directors -plus anywhere else I'm needed, jack of all trades Historical preservation of all Basket Festival activities and memorabilia for the Berlin Heights Historical Society
Other organizations: President of the Berlin Heights Historical Society, President of the Berlin Heights Garden Club, President of the Berlin Township Bicentennial Committee
Joanne Grech
Basket Festival Committee Secretary
Joanne was born and lives in Berlin Heights. She is an Edison High School graduate of ‘83. She has 3 beautiful children - Kirsten, Keith, and Kyle. She has been a PNC Bank employee since 2002. In 2016, she was drafted on to Basket Festival by Andy Kellar.
Responsibilities: Food Vendors, Basket Sales, Pie Baking Contest, Publicity, and wherever else needed!
LANCE HORWEDEL
Basket Festival Committee Secretary
Lance lived in Berlin Heights from 1968-1989 and is an Edison High school graduate of ‘86. He currently resides in Sandusky outside of Castalia. He has been a Basket Fest Committee member from 2010 to the present.
Entertainment director: Includes hiring bands and entertainment for the festival
Other responsibilities: Contacting sanitation/porta-potty source, contacting trash/dumpster source and trash hauling personnel, contacting personnel to conduct 5K race, contacting/contracting tents, tables, chairs for the festival, renting the stage and hauling it to the festival site, contacting radio stations for live remotes and conducting on-air, interviews prior to and during the festival, and light maintenance of the festival property in storage
Tammy McLoda
Basket Festival Committee Treasurer
Tammy is a farm girl at heart, born and raised in Berlin Heights and a 1981 Edison High School Graduate. She and husband Ron live on the family farm in Berlin Heights. They have 4 children, Aftan (Lou), Doug (Melissa), Victoria (Josh) & Veronica (Jacob) and 9 grand munchkinz.
Tammy works with the teams at Civista Bank where she has been for the past 23 years, currently holding the position of Vice President/Regional Manager.
Tammy has been with the Basket Festival since 2018. She currently holds the office of Treasurer with main responsibilities that include consistent balancing of the accounts. As a festival member, we all tackle together any tasks that come up and need completed
Kathryn (Kate) Horn
I was born and raised on Mason Road in Berlin Township. I graduated as the first class of Edison High School in 1969, but I attended 2 years at EHOVE graduating in 1970 from the Dental Assisting course.
I married Hal Horn in 1974, had 3 children, Krista Hatmaker, Deborah Cox, and Chase Horn. I have 6 grandchildren, 6 great-grandkids. I worked for 3 dentists for 5 years, did home sewing and alterations for 13 years, drove the school bus for 20 years, and retired from that.
I have always been active with volunteering and am the secretary for Berlin Heights High School Alumni, president of Fisher Titus Auxiliary and the Sweater Angels, secretary for Mad River Harley Hog Owners Group, and am the former Treasurer and secretary of the Berlin Heights Festival Association.
Responsibilities: I am currently in charge of arts and crafts and open vendors for The Basket Festival for 2021.
Tammy Sayler
Basket Festival Queens’ Director
Tammy has lived in Berlin Heights all her life. She is an Edison and EHOVE early childhood graduate of “97” She has been married to her husband Mike Sayler for 24 years and has 4 amazing children Nacole, Melanie, Tyler and Logan and has 3 grandchildren Carter, Leah and River. Tammy has always been involved in the community and the schools. She enjoys being part of the community and a Basket Festival board member for 7 years.
Responsibilities: Queen director, Queens contest, Queens Luncheon, Little Miss and Little Master, Prince and Princess contests, Baby contest, Children’s activities, set up and tear down crew and whatever else is thrown her way.
