Dana Open brings annual economic boon for Sylvania church

When Ken Streitenberger is asked where he goes to church, he usually answers “the church that does all the parking.”

The Sylvania United Church of Christ earns that tagline for its annual “parking project” during the Dana Open golf tournament. The church, located directly across from Highland Meadows Golf Club, opens up for public parking during the weeklong tournament. Charging $10 a day, the church has capacity to park more than 700 cars at a time.

“It helps with our name recognition,” Streitenberger said of the parking project. “It’s one of the things that people know about Sylvania United Church of Christ.”

The church has been selling parking during the Ladies’ Professional Golf Association tournament since 1989, the year what was then the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic tournament moved to Highland Meadows. Streitenberger, a lay member of the congregation, has run the parking project for just under a decade. Before Streitenberger took over, the project was run by the church’s former treasurer, Jeffrey Crandell, who died last year.

Some residents of the blocks surrounding the golf course also sell parking spots in their front yards to tournament-goers.

The church also rents out storage to the Dana Open tournament three weeks before and two weeks after the tournament. The tournament stores grandstand supplies, tents, and other equipment in the church lot. The church also reserves spots for Golf Channel media personnel.

There are 107 volunteer shifts to keep the parking project staffed throughout the entire week.

The tournament is a significant source of income for the church. Streitenberger estimates that the parking project brings in around $20,000 a year. Such funds stretch beyond general upkeep, and the church has donated some of the money to charities such as Habitat for Humanity.

According to Streitenberger, last year there were more volunteers than shifts available. He described the community of more than 100 congregants who mobilize for the tournament as having a “good natured camaraderie.”

“I’ve been in the area 20 or 30 years myself,” Streitenberger said. “There are people whom I look forward to seeing once a year, that I don’t get any contact with otherwise.”

Some establishments around the golf course also experience a boost in business due to the tournament.

Amanda Wahl, a barista at Sylvania’s Chandler Cafe, says the cafe often increases staff during the tournament to accommodate an uptick in customers. She observes a particular increase in families and older men who are golfing with their kids.

“Business picks up a lot,” Wahl said. “If it gets really busy, we’ll give people free cookies for waiting.”