Chimpanzees, wolves, and gorillas are among the most charismatic of the mammals we know. We identify with them as species, groups, and even as named individuals. They’re also under threat. Join biologist-turned-photographer RONAN DONOVAN as he talks about his work in documenting these animals and what we, as fellow social mammals, can learn from them.
Archives for April 2022
Urban Artifact Beer Dinner at Lily’s
Lily’s Head Chef James has created a beautiful 5-course menu that highlights springtime’s bounty and pairs it with Urban Artifact’s insanely delightful sours!
Mudlick Tap House Debuts Horse Trailer Bar
Mudlick Tap House is rolling out a vintage horse trailer bar to bring the wow factor to your next outdoor party. This converted horse trailer is a fully functional mobile bar.
An Evening of Archery!
Four agencies are teaming up for an evening of archery! Join us for inflatable archery, vendors, a food truck and opportunities for basic archery classes on the range. Classes are every 30 minutes and will be first-come-first-served. Class registration is at the Centerville-Washington Park District tent.
Celebrate Mom with Tea at Boosalis Baking!
Boosalis Baking and Cafe in Centerville is hosting special Tea with Mom on Sunday May 1st and May 7th. Show Mom how much you appreciate her by making reservations for this special lunch. You’ll be served a variety of tea sandwiches, fresh fruit, mini scones, various pastries and cookies, hot or iced tea, and coffee. Guests 12 and up only, please
There will be two seatings each Sunday at noon or 3pm. $35/person
Reservations Required
175 E Alex Bell Road #280
Centerville, Ohio 45459
Hours:
Tuesday – Friday: 7am-4pm
Saturday: 8am-2pm
Auditions For Epiphany Lutheran Church’s 31st Summer Production
Auditions are open to the community. Continuing our tradition of inter-generational experiences, adults, teenagers and children of all theater experience levels are encouraged to audition. Children must be completing first grade and at least seven years old to audition.
Friday, April 22: 6-8 p.m.
Peppercorn’s Diner Now Open in Urbana
Amanda Lou Peppercorn and her partner Steve Williams have opened a family style diner in the heart of Urbana. Peppercorn’s Diner is in the spot previously occupied by the Rock’n Robin. According to their facebook page they “are are two self per-claimed chefs & foodies offering home cooking along with our personal favorite creations. We love to share our passion of food, thrive to make new friends in the community & beyond!” They have also declared themselves the Home of the $.99 Coffee!
Here’s a peek at their menu:
Peppercorn’s Diner
1010 Scioto St
Urbana, OH 43078
(937) 484-7625
Friday – Monday 7am – 7pm
New Spring Menu at Tipp City’s Coldwater Cafe
The Coldwater Cafe’s Chef Katy has just release a new lunch and dinner menu you can enjoy while relaxing with friends in the European styled dining room or unique Bank Vault dining room. Regulars will rejoice the return of the fried green tomatoes to the menu along with lots of new dishes to try.
After dinner, enjoy one of the many homemade desserts and an after dinner cocktail.
Friday & Saturday 11am – 9pm
MJ LIVE! Michael Jackson Tribute Concert
Returning by popular demand! Experience Michael Jackson’s legacy of music, dance, love and unity, in this evening celebrating the songs, energy, excitement and spectacle that is MJ LIVE!
Performing nightly at the Stratosphere in Las Vegas, MJ LIVE! features #1 Vegas impersonator Jalles Franca, capturing the essence of MJ as he sings, spins and moonwalks through Michael’s early Jackson 5 hits including “I’ll Be There,” “ABC,” and “I Want You Back,” all the way through “Bad,” “Beat It,” “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” “Smooth Criminal,” “Thriller,” “Billie Jean,” and many more.
Complete with the MJ LIVE! band, back-up singers, dancers and dazzling choreography, MJ LIVE! recreates the magic of the legendary King of Pop!
Roadtrip: Ukranian Food Festival in Cincy
Dayton Area Chamber Awards Supporters and Volunteer of the Year
The Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce welcomed its membership to the Benjamin & Marian Schuster Center for its 116th Annual Meeting today (April 20, 2022), to review the chamber’s work supporting businesses in 2021, and look ahead to the remainder of 2022.
Keynote speaker Suzanne Clarke, first female president & CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Dayton native, spoke to the crowd about the role chambers of commerce play in defending free enterprise and ensuring a business-friendly environment.
2021 brought with it opportunity for the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce to weigh in on impactful legislation that allowed businesses to navigate the effects of the pandemic more effectively. The chamber highlighted this work for an audience of nearly 500 people.
The chamber released its 2021 video Annual Report. Below are a few of the highlights of the chamber’s work in the previous year:
- Business Advocacy
o Successfully advocated for Senate Bill 105, which provides reciprocity for minority-, women- and veteran-owned businesses. Bill signed in January 2022.
o Successfully advocated to pass H.B 2, creating Ohio’s first residential broadband expansion grant program.
o Successfully advocated to expand the eligibility threshold for publicly funded childcare as part of HB 145, ensuring that more parents had the childcare necessary to return to work.
o Opposed HB 248 and strongly advocated for policies which allowed businesses to manage their own vaccine and mask policies
o Advocated to end the COVID-19 federal unemployment assistance benefit to get people back to work.
o Advocated for an extension of the PPP application deadline and continued technical assistance for businesses navigating the process
- Talent Alignment & Attraction
o 19 Empower graduates; 52 Leadership Dayton graduates; 160 members of Generation Dayton
o Launched cohesive branding initiative called “Livability Dayton,” taking a more modern approach to marketing the region to talent nationally
o Via Talent360 and the Workplace Diversity and Inclusion Forum, over 200 business leaders were connected with best practices and resources to attract, retain and promote the talent they need
o Chaired the Business Leaders United (BLU) Statewide Workforce Advocacy Committee
- Business Success
o Members saved more than $5 million in business expenses through chamber savings programs
o Launched the Winsupply Award from Entrepreneurial Excellence- recognizing two outstanding entrepreneurs in our community
o Launched Project Enginuity, a national Small Business Innovation Research initiative, in partnership with JP Morgan Chase, targeting Black, Hispanic and women founders – providing SBIR training to 57 businesses
o Worked with a Del Mar Fellow, Cleveland State University & Claritas to identify barriers to success for minority businesses
o Gathered business profile information for minority businesses in order to better access them, and quantify resource success
- Organizational Accomplishments
o Received a 5-Star Accreditation from U.S. Chamber of Commerce
o Hosted 113 events with 2700+ attendees
o Exceeded new member goal with 160 new members
o Achieved 92% member retention rate
o Doubled our reach on Facebook
o 17% increase in LinkedIn followers
o 117 earned media placements
With 2,200 business members, the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce continues to be among the top 25 largest chambers in the nation and one of only 200 chambers of commerce in the country with a 5-star accreditation, as awarded by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
This year’s video featured local spoken word artist, Mariah J. Mariah is a Dayton Public Schools employee, and a graduate of Stivers School for the Arts and Wright State University.
View the chamber’s 2021 Annual Report video
Award Recipients
During the chamber’s Annual Meeting, the following individuals and business members were also recognized:
- altafiber – John H. Patterson Corporate Partner Award
- Miami Valley Child Development Centers – Jonathan Dayton Public Partner Award
- Evelyn Ritzi, The Ohlmann Group – Phillip L. Parker Volunteer of the Year
- Sentinel – Soin Award for Innovation (Additional Press Release Available)
- Mile Two and Skanska USA – Premier Health Diversity & Inclusion Award
2021 Retiring Board Members
- David Abney, Wise Construction Co.
- Jo Alice Blondin, Clark State University
- Jocelin Dean, Sinclair Community College
- Dennis Grant, United Rehabilitation Services of Greater Dayton
- Beth Grubb
- Jennifer Harrison, Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP
- Erin Rolfes, Kroger
- Nan Whaley
- Bill Whistler, Shook Construction Co.
2021 Retiring Committee Chairs
- Antoinette Hampton (Chamber Challenge Golf Outing)
- Jocelin Dean (Generation Dayton)
- Doug Anspach (Leadership Dayton)
- Diane Pleiman (Legislative & Regulatory Affairs, Public Policy Oversight)
- Dave McNerney (Marketing & Communications Oversight)
- Doug Barry (Membership Oversight)
- Jacqueline Gamblin (Governance Oversight)
- Lisa Couture (Volunteerism)
- Doug Cleaves (Workforce & Economic Development Oversight)
No Preble County Pork Festival in 2022
The History of the Festival:
The Preble County Pork Festival, as we know it today, was born in 1970 when the committee that organized Farm-City Day (the precursor of the Pork Festival) met to discuss ways to improve or redefine the annual event. It was decided that a grand Pork Festival celebrating Preble County’s proud pork-producing industry and history was the way to go.
In 1975 to honor former Preble County Extension Agent, Wilbur Bruner, Bruner Arena was constructed. Today Bruner Arena is used during the Preble County Fair to house the swine department. During the Pork Festival Bruner Arena is used to house the education aspect of the festival.
Wilbur Bruner, who later became a swine specialist with The Ohio State University cooperative Extension Service), we have been known as The Home of Swine Improvement in America. The early efforts of Bruner and participating local farmers helped bring leaner, higher-quality, more nutritious pork to the world.
In 1978, the Festival enclosed the swine barns off the back in of the Bruner Arena. In 979 the festival financed the electrical distribution system for the fairgrounds. 1984 saw Two Pavilion-Type Building constructed on 27-acre tract of land on Wayne Trace Road.
In 1992, a festival storage building was build and another building on the fairground was refurbished for a kitchen facility. In 1994, an addition was added to provided meeting and office space along with an expanded restroom facilities. The addition was completed in 1995.
Construction began in 2002 on the Expo Building. Once it was finished in 2004, the Preble County Fair housed its beef cattle department in the barn. That same year, the festival began using the building for vendors, along with selling some of the festivals foods. In 2019 Committed $50,000 to the Expo addition. Financed lighting upgrade to the Expo.
Goat Yoga
Enjoy the serenity of Secret Eden with our one hour easy flow yoga practice (all levels) as our herd of Pygmy and Nigerian Dwarf goats and kids meander among you under a cover of pine and catalpa trees. The yoga pasture overlooks a large pond filled with water lilies and lotus. Following yoga enjoy a short hike around the pond with the goats. Plan to arrive a half hour early to sign in and spend time taking selfies and meeting the herd. Practice having goats on your back. Cost per session is is $30 cash, check or credit/debit card.
DAI Offers Free Museum Admission April 22nd
‘Free Friday’ includes access to Van Gogh & European Landscapes and Black Heritage Through Visual Rhythms, as well as a panel discussion and presentations by African American Visual Artists Guild
The Dayton Art Institute (DAI) will welcome the community to the museum with a special Free Friday, this Friday, April 22, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.
The museum will offer free admission to its collection galleries and the exhibitions Black Heritage Through Visual Rhythms, Van Gogh & European Landscapes, Fired Imagination: Ancient Chinese Ceramics from the Nancy and Ed Rosenthal Family Collection and The Flower Prints of Katsuhira Tokushi.
In addition, the African American Visual Artists Guild (AAVAG) will present the program Harlem Renaissance to Now: Relevance of African American Art in the museum’s Mimi and Stuart Rose Auditorium from 1 to 4 p.m. It includes presentations by Siera Leone, award-winning writer and poet, Karen D. Brame, the founder of BlackListed Culture, and Andrew Scott, artist and professor, as well as a panel discussion and live painting demonstration by Erin Smith-Glenn, Associate Professor of Art at Central State University. AAVAG collaborated with the DAI to present the exhibition Black Heritage Through Visual Rhythms.
“We greatly appreciate the community’s support through these past two years, especially as we begin to finally emerge from the pandemic and return to regular operations,” said DAI Director & CEO Michael R. Roediger. “As a way of saying thank you, we’re offering the opportunity to experience the museum and its current exhibitions, as well as an uplifting presentation by the African American Visual Artists Guild, for free.”
Black Heritage Through Visual Rhythms, on view through May 22, is a juried exhibition featuring more than 80 works by 44 nationally recognized and emerging African American artists from across the United States. The exhibition reflects the diverse backgrounds and different interests of the artists and includes art in a variety of styles and media.
Van Gogh & European Landscapes, on view through September 4, offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see a remarkable pair of Van Gogh paintings, on loan to the museum from Switzerland, made during the final month of Van Gogh’s life. This intimate Focus Exhibition also includes works byCharles-François Daubigny, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Joseph Mallord William Turner, John Constable and others.
Fired Imagination: Ancient Chinese Ceramics from the Nancy and Ed Rosenthal Family Collection, on view through July 24, presents a private collection of ceramics, ranging from figures to vessels and spanning more than 3,000 years of Chinese history.
The Flower Prints of Katsuhira Tokushi, on view through September 18, introduces the work of Japanese artist Katsuhira Tokushi through a complete set of his series Twelve Works on Flower Selling Customs (1959–1961).
For more information about planning a visit, including current museum hours, updates and COVID-19 safety protocols, go to www.daytonartinstitute.org/visit or call 937-223-4ART (4278).
Dayton Barrel Work Brings Home Gold
Dayton Barrel Work is excited to announce that three of our spirits won GOLD at the 2022 U.S. Open Whiskey and Spirits Competition. After nearly two years of producing some of Daytons’ finest spirits we are getting our reward.
Altschul’s Corn Whiskey
Originally based in Springfield O, and later based out of Dayton O, Altschul’s Distillery was renowned for two things: mail order shipping of their whiskey to most of the U.S., and the genius marketing mind of Small Sam Altschul. Small Sam believed in quality, service, and first-class treatment of their customers. The second offering in our Legacy Series, where we honor the brands and flavors of our past with this smooth 8-year-old Corn Whiskey.
Gypsy Queen Absinthe Blanche
During the mid-1800’s, Matilda Stanley and her tribe called Dayton home. Her wealth was accumulated via horse trading, fortune telling, and as a mesmerist. Upon her death, 20,000 people came from all over the country to pay tribute to their fallen Queen. Our colorful and worldly blend of botanicals deliver the essence and soul of this amazing spirit. Like the Gypsy Queen herself, it evokes the wonder, good fortunes, and the eternal wandering of the unknown.
Miami Valley Rye
A spirit and brand dormant for over a century. Once a point of pride for our region and a brand widely known all over the world, Miami Valley Rye Whiskey is a name no longer forgotten and destined to become an old dusty bottle sitting on a shelf. Distilled with 95 percent Rye content, this delicious Rye Whiskey is meticulously selected.
We hope that everyone will come out and join us in celebration on April 30 at our Spring Spirit Showcase, held at the distillery at 318 E.2nd Street in downtown Dayton. Tickets include samples from more than 50 spirits, commemorative rocks glass, live music, and more and are available on Eventbrite.
This guest post was written by Bill Hockett, Head Distiller for Dayton Barrel Work.
Ginger & Spice Transitions to Take Out Only
Ginger and Spice Asian Bistro
Dayton, OH 45409