Dayton937

Things to do in Dayton | Restaurants, Theatre, Music and More

Bill Franz

Dayton at Work and Play: Nicole Cornett

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Nicole Cornett owns the food truck Billie Gold Bubble Tea. Her kids dance at Funk Lab Dance Center, and she’s one of the 700 people who got masks made by Kelly Dailey.


“I remember my first taste of bubble tea, back when I was in high school. I loved it. In 2018 I started this business, the first full-service bubble tea food truck in Dayton. It’s been a hit from the beginning. I think of myself as providing happiness in a cup.”

“I just have a minute to talk because we open at 3:00 and I know we’ll be slammed for three hours. Because of the pandemic, we had to create an entirely new ordering system. Orders and payment come in online. We place the drink orders in a bag with the customer’s name on it, and place the bag on the shelf outside the truck. I miss talking with the customers, but for now we have to do things contact free.”

 

Where to find Billie Gold Bubble Tea:

Bubble Tea in Oakwood
Today 1-4pm
2400 Far Hills Ave, Oakwood

The Yellow Cab Food Truck Hub
May 15th 4-11:30PM

 

Dayton at Work and Play: Food 4 The People

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Our donated food being added to a pile at First Baptist Kettering (3939 Swigart Road).

Shoes 4 the Shoeless is one of my favorite Dayton nonprofits. They provide shoes and socks to the many children in the Dayton area who are in desperate need. With schools closed and social distancing rules in effect, the organization’s planned events needed to be cancelled. Instead of taking a break, they have shifted to supplying food to many people in need of help.

We participated in Round 3 of this effort. We signed up to be a Food Box Captain, which meant that we (and anyone we could talk into helping) needed to assemble a specific list of groceries (2 loafs of bread, 2 cans of fruit, etc.) and deliver that food to First Baptist on April 27. Round 4 signups are currently underway, for food to be delivered to the church on May 18. Details are at
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/food4thepeopleround4

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: Katherine Cruse

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I talked recently with Katherine at her Front Street studio (1001 East 2nd Street, Building 100, Door BC, Third Floor) and learned how she became an artist.

“For years I was a writer. I wrote a newspaper column in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. It was humorous, sort of like Erma Bombeck. For my last year or so as a writer, I found myself thinking about painting and drawing. I even found myself dreaming about putting paint on canvas, so when we moved to Dayton I stopped writing and started learning how to paint.”

You can see one example of Katherine’s work at the Artists United Group Show which opens Friday at The Orphanage (73 N Dutoit). Her work is also on Instagram at @katherinecruseartist.

Dayton At Work and Play

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The Gem City Market on Salem Avenue won’t be open for some time, but it’s already had a positive impact on the neighborhood. The historic Longfellow school building, constructed in 1882, is across the street from the market’s site. Dayton Public schools offered the building at auction four years ago and got no bidders, but in a recent auction the building was sold.

The investor who bought the building said that in addition to creating housing units he hopes to make the school’s theater available for community use.

Dayton At Work and Play: Carmn Gooden

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I have been working to get photos from each of Dayton’s 66 neighborhoods for a show that opens April 2 at K12 Gallery and TEJAS (341 South Jefferson). The last neighborhood on my list was Mount Vernon. There I met Carmen Gooden, co-founder of of The Linda Vista, Inc. (1011 Linda Vista Avenue).

Carmen and a partner bought and refurbished an 11 unit apartment building. Carmen knew from her own history that childhood sexual abuse can lead to a life filled with bad choices. She filled her building with women who have suffered childhood sexual abuse and are homeless and are ready to make the changes required to get their lives back on track.

Each of the women and their children lives in a fully furnished apartment for up to 2 years. They work with a case worker to develop a self-sufficiency plan. Carmen says her program “replaces the negative, complacent mind-set that often accompanies a lifestyle of poverty and homelessness with a mind-set that supports success and self-sufficiency.”

Count me as a fan of Carmen and her work. You can expect more photos from Linda Vista.

Dayton at Work and Play: College HIll Comunity Church

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 Choir Director Jose Jones invited me to take photos at choir rehearsal at College Hill Community Church – PCUSA (1547 Philadelphia Drive in Dayton’s College Hill neighborhood).
I enjoyed meeting the people of this church which has a rich history of fostering racial unity in our community. During the 1970’s, when the racial mix of this neighborhood was changing, the church decided to have a fully integrated ministry. They had two pastors, one white and one black, to jointly service the congregation. The goal was to welcome everyone and to become a church that was a “Racial Rainbow.”

As red-lining and block-busting became common in the early 1970’s, real estate agents went door-to-door in NW Dayton trying to convince people to sell their homes. In response, members of College Hill Church went door-to-door too…encouraging their neighbors to stay. The church was also influential in achieving peaceful desegregation of the Dayton School System in 1976.

Their worship service is Sundays at 10:30 am and is bi-lingual (Spanish and English).

Dayton at Work and Play: Simon

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Simon making me a four way at Gold Star Chili (3034 Harshman in Dayton’s Forest Ridge / Quail Hollow neighborhood).

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Simon was born in Jordan, but he’s as Dayton as they come. He has the characteristic Dayton resilience and grit.

Simon was trained as an airplane mechanic and came to Dayton to work for Emery Air Freight. When that company shut down he decided to stay in the town he had grown to like. He opened this Gold Star chili restaurant.

Business was great at first, but then the nearby Meijer’s store closed. Simon reacted to the reduction of walk in traffic by trying to create more loyal customers. While I was there he greeted most people by name as they walked in. He took the time to talk to me and ask why I was carrying a camera. When I return I fully expect Simon to greet me by name and even if I’m not carrying my camera he’ll ask how my photography is going.

Dayton at Work and Play: Brooke Coleman

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Brooke Coleman wants to cook for you.

Brooke has had some rough times in her life, including a stint at a homeless shelter five years ago, but now things are looking up. She’s opened a new restaurant StuffedEnuff LLC (2901 North Dixie). Brooke says the customer response has been great and she thinks she has the experience to make her restaurant a success. She has worked in quite a few restaurants, and she’s taken a lot of culinary classes at Sinclair Community College.

“I always wanted a restaurant but I wanted it to be different. I knew there was no place where you could create your own stuffed burger. I’ve been trying different recipes at home for family and friends, that’s where we got the Chef B’s signature burgers.” I tried one of her signature burgers – the Hawaiian – stuffed with pineapple and jalapeno peppers. It was amazing.

Brooke is trying to build her business without taking on any debt. That’s why the sign out front says “Kula!Kula!. That’s the name of the restaurant that was previously in this space.

To help her get money for a new sign, I plan to stop by regularly. But I will only come when I’m really hungry. One of her stuffed burgers is a big meal. Stuffed Enuff is open for lunch and dinner every day except Monday.

StuffedEnuff LLC

2901 N Dixie dr
Dayton, Ohio 45414
(937) 949-3018

Tuesday- Thursday 10am-11pm

Friday-Saturday 10am- 1am

Sunday 10am-9pm

Dayton at Work and Play: Kendell Thompson – Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park

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Kendell Thompson, superintendent of Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park in the world’s first airplane factory. It’s off West Third Street, in Dayton’s Arlington Heights neighborhood.

It’s amazing to me that these buildings are still here. The Wright Brothers built them in 1910 and 1911 to put what they’d learned about flying to commercial use. Orville Wright sold the business in 1915, after the death of his brother, but airplanes continued to be made here.

In World War I the Dayton Wright Company was formed by Charles Kettering and William Deeds, with Orville Wright as a consultant. They built thousands of planes for the war effort in these buildings and two other locations.

General Motors bought the Dayton Wright Company in 1921 but they didn’t stay in the airplane business. Instead, they made steering wheels here. The business was so successful that GM formed a new division – the Inland Manufacturing Division. This plant grew to cover 54 acres with 1.2 million square feet of manufacturing space. Fortunately, the original Wright buildings were not torn down during this period. They were just surrounded by larger, newer buildings.

Dayton At Work and Play: Allaman Building

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Walking around the Wright Dunbar area, I’ve admired the vacant Allaman building at 1000 West Third. It was built in 1914 by Dr. Allaman and once housed doctor’s offices and apartments. In 2002 it was bought and refurbished by Wright Dunbar Inc. but remained empty.

Now you can add this building to the list of properties recently sold to a developer. Plans are to turn the upper two floors into four condos and rent the ground level to a store or coffee shop. Great news.

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: Ann Rotolante

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ARTIST OF THE WEEK Ann Rotolante, Producer of The Art Show on ThinkTV Network.

Ann originally didn’t plan on a career in the arts. “I was an engineering student,” she told me “and took a film course as an elective. I loved it. As soon as I got my engineering degree I moved to Dayton to enroll in film school at Wright State.”

When I caught up with Ann I took a few head shots because I knew she needed one. When I looked at her entry at imdb.com – the online database of information related to films and TV – her listing had no portrait. Go to https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1367899/ and you can look at all of Ann’s film experience and see if she has used this portrait I sent to her.

I wasn’t sure exactly what a producer’s role was. Ann told me one of her most important jobs on the Art Show was deciding which artists to feature. “We look for artists that our audience will find interesting, and we try to keep it diverse. We want a mix of types of artists and we want artists located throughout the Dayton / Cincinnati region. Season 11 of The Art Show will start airing soon, and I’m excited about the artists we will be featuring.”

Free Coffee At Reza’s

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One of three sitting areas at Reza’s Dayton (438 Wayne Avenue). I followed the progress of their renovation on Instagram, and love the way it turned out.

Coffee is free at Reza’s today, thanks to some kind people from Pittsburgh. One year ago a gunman killed 11 and injured 7 at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue. After the shooting, someone from outside the city arranged an act of kindness, a day of free coffee at a coffee shop near the synagogue.

Today some anonymous people from Pittsburgh have done the same thing. They’ve arranged for a day of free coffee at Reza’s and at a coffee shop in El Paso. A letter accompanying the money concludes as follows:

Please know that you are not alone as you heal as a community.
All the Best,
A coffee lover from Pittsburgh

Artist of the Week: Eva Lewis

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ARTIST OF THE WEEEK Eva Lewis in her home studio in Dayton’s Burkhardt neighborhood.

Eva currently has a solo exhibition at K12 Gallery and TEJAS titled Nuanced Perspectives. The show runs through October 17. There’s an artist reception Thursday, October 3 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. Gallery Hours are M/W/TH/F 9:30am to 6:00pm.

“I was born in Oregon and grew up in Bellbrook” Eva told me. “Then I went to Wright State and got a degree in Fine Arts, with a concentration in painting and a minor in art history. When I graduated from Wright State, I shared studio space in the Front Street building with four other artists. But they’ve all moved in different direction so I moved out. I rented this house which has great space for a studio – plus a back yard.”

“Through K12, I’ve been teaching art for grades K through 8 at Ascension School. I also teach painting and drawing for grades 3 through high school at K12. I really like the teaching, but I think the next step for me is to be a student again. I’m applying for graduate art programs.”

Eva is one of the artists participating in the “Behind the Scenes” exhibition at K12 Gallery and TEJAS which runs from October 24 through November 14

Dayton At Work & Play: The Victory Project

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I’ve always wondered what this building was all about, The Victory Project building at 409 Troy Street in the Old North Dayton neighborhood. My friend Bk Elias was just finishing up a mural on this building, part of a project for K12 Gallery and TEJAS. He offered to take me inside and introduce me to the Victory Project people.

The first thing I learned from Victory Project founder Monnie Bush was that this large building was built around five existing buildings. “One of those buildings was the old Elite Theater, the first cinema built after the Dayton Flood” he told me. “The city records show that the Elite Cinema building was torn down in the 1980’s, but it wasn’t. This large building was just built around the cinema and four other buildings.”

“We moved into this building about 5 years ago. We’re an after school program for boys 12 to 18. We help these young men keep up in school and we operate landscaping and construction businesses that provide them entry level jobs. We do have some court-involved youth, but everyone is here voluntarily.”

“We’re a faith based nonprofit. We have a great track record working with these young men, but we don’t accept any government money. That means I spend a lot of time fund raising.”

Artist of the Week: BK Elias

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ARTIST OF THE WEEK Bk Elias looking over a mural he just finished on The Victory Project building at 409 Troy Street in the Old North Dayton neighborhood

“I have been painting since I was 10 years old and taking classes at K12 Gallery and TEJAS” Bk told me. “Then I painted as a student at Stivers School for the Arts. After that I took lessons from several local professional artists like Scott Gibbs, Bing Davis and James Pate.”

“I helped Scott Gibbs paint murals with the HAALO kids. HAALO stands for Helping Adolescents Achieve Long-Term Objectives. It’s a program K12 has for kids involved in the court system. I really liked working with the kids on murals, and Jerri hired me to work at K12. I’ve done maybe 10 murals for K12. After this one is done I’m going to do some touch up on Amy Deal’s RiverScape mural. Then I think there are two more murals to do this year. In the winter I usually teach at K12, but this year there may be an indoor mural for me to do.”

Bk is one of the artists participating in the “Behind the Scenes” exhibition at K12 Gallery and TEJAS which runs from October 24 through November 14

Artist of the Week: Steve Wohleer

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ARTIST OF THE WEEK Steve Wohler of Steve Wohler Fine Art in his home studio.

Steve is the featured artist this year at the Dayton Concours d’Elegance which will be held Sunday from 10:30 am to 4:00 pm at Carillon Historical Park. The large framed painting in the background of this photo is the official poster for this event.

“All of my paintings come from photos” Steve told me. “For the show’s poster we had a photo shoot at Carillon last May. One of the cars in the poster is from the Packard Museum.”

“I really love car art, and I’ve been exhibiting at Concours d’Elegance for years, but I also do other things. On my website you can see my landscapes and what I call townscapes. I work in oil on canvas, and make prints of most of my pieces.”

On First Friday, November 1, Steve will have paintings and prints on display at the gallery of Mikee Huber Artist (903 N. Keowee). Steve is also one of the artists participating in the “Behind the Scenes” exhibition at K12 Gallery and TEJAS which runs from October 24 through November 14