WALBRIDGE — Driving through the village, don’t be surprised by the flash of purple with the light bar —
wait, is that a car seat on the back? — motoring around.
That’s LaDenna Williams’ golf cart, one of a dozen similar vehicles that can be found cruising the
village streets.
Williams said Walbridge is the perfect town to drive around in a golf cart: It’s tiny, with tons of
little stops along the way.
“In the summertime, because I have two young kids and we’re always at the park or the pool, library, the
Skillet, 7-Eleven, everywhere,” said Williams, who is a member of Walbridge Council. “So it is totally
worth it.”
Last summer, Williams first brought the golf cart conversation to council. It turned out that the village
didn’t need to make its own regulations, as long it follows the state guidelines. The maximum speed
limit on a Walbridge street is 35 mph, so no speed restrictions are needed.
She followed up and bought her own cart from Fantasy Custom Golf Carts in Toledo.
The $14,600, custom-made cart is tricked out with extras.
There’s a bar for the petite Williams to step into the driver’s seat.
The six-seater has a light bar on the bottom, headlights and turn signals to keep it street legal, along
with a windshield and wipers. Other state requirements for golf carts on the streets are license plates,
license plate lights and seatbelts.
There’s a USB port to plug in phones and other electronics. An ice chest keeps beverages and kids’ snacks
cool.
The golf cart has a 5-gallon gas tank and gets around 50 miles to the gallon, Williams said.
There’s also a car seat for 5-year-old Macee to ride in the cart safely, along with big sister McKinly,
who is 11.
“It’s totally fun and the kids just love it,” she said.
The cart has come in handy during this time of coronavirus, Williams said.
“It’s been helping when we want to get out the house, but have no where to go, we just ride around,” she
said. “It’s been kind of neat talking to others who own them.
“A lot of people have been very interested in buying them.”
The Wood County Sheriff’s Office will come to you to certify the golf cart for the road, Williams said.
“They came to my house and they were amazing,” she said.
Williams is a stay-at-home mom, who was appointed to Walbridge Council in January 2019.
The family moved to Walbridge in 2014 to be close to husband Chuck Johnston’s family. He grew up in the
village.
Williams is a Louisiana native, but loves the little Northwest Ohio town.
“The small-town feel of it — it’s close enough to everything, but it still has that small town feel,” she
said.
Council has provided her with a chance to get to know everyone in town. She also has been active in the
community as a volunteer with Walbridge-Fest, Lake Local Schools and Girl Scouts.
“Working with the community, trying to make things better, talking to people to see what they want for
the future for the village,” she said are her favorite aspects of serving.
“It’s nice to be able to be involved in that.”
