Matt Henk Fundraiser, Beachfest & More: 5 Things Happening This Week in Mentor

The last full week of July presents as eventful a week in Mentor as we've seen all summer.

In addition to weekly mainstays like the city's farmers market and concerts presented by the city and Mentor Public Library, this week presents a unique blend of fundraisers and fun at the beach and pool.

• Mentor will host its first-ever BeachFest 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday at Headlands Beach State Park. The event will include a kite demonstration, sand sculpting by Carl Jara and various live bands. Click here for a schedule of events.

• Do you like animals? How about pizza? Assuming you're not the rare individual who answered 'no' to those, Tony Sacco’s Coal Oven Pizza is donating 15 percent of each bill on Thursday July 25 to the Lake Humane Society. Lake Humane Society will also host an Adopt-A-Thon event inside Great Lakes Mall, where Tony Sacco's is located. Homeless animals will be available for special adoption fee discounts.

• If late December is the most wonderful time of the year, Mentor's Parks and Recreation Department has a close second. The Christmas in July event is from 1 to 4 p.m. on Thursday July 25 at Eleanor Garfield Park. Santa Claus will make a special appearance at 2 p.m. He won't accept wish lists, but he is likely to give out some candy and T-shirts. Check out some photos from last year's edition.

• Special Sports Inc., a nonprofit founded by a Mentor family, is hosting its third annual soccer camp for children with autism, Down syndrome and genetic disorders from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Donald E. Krueger Park. The camp will also be held on July 25, July 30, Aug. 1, Aug. 6 and Aug. 8. There are just a few slots left. Click here for more information.

• The softball tournament that honors the memory of the man Mentor's fire chief once labeled "the toughest man I know" returns this weekend. The annual Matt Henk tournament is from July 26-28 at the Mentor High School softball field. Henk was a Mentor firefighter/paramedic who died in 2009 from colon cancer. The event will feature 60 teams from across the country who will play to raise money for the Matt Henk Foundation. Click here for the event's Facebook page.