Dayton937

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

Lisa Grigsby

Dorothy Lane Market Lets You Choose Who They Support

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dlmDorothy Lane Market has been supporting our community since 1948 and even include this support as part of their mission statement.  Their Good Neighbor Program is the main ways they do this. Now with three locations, Dorothy Lane Market has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to numerous local non profit organizations over the past several years through this program.

In 2010, DLM will donate $40,000 back to the community. The fun part is that you choose how the money is distributed using your DLM Club Card! All you do is simply choose an organization from the over 400 on their list to have your purchases credited. The groups span the interests of the community, including  A Special Wish, Dayton Gay Men’s Chorus, the Humane Society, Stivers Seedling Fund and Project READ.  If your favorite charity isn’t included, just contact DLM to add it!

Every time you shop and scan your Club DLM card, your chosen nonprofit organization is “credited” with the purchase. At the end of the year participating charities will receive a pro-rated portion of the total $40,000, depending on the amount spent by participating customers with a Club DLM card. Sign up today and shop at Dorothy Lane Market to benefit the charity of your choice!  Neighbor Program for 2010!

Raffle to win Brunch With Project Runway’s Althea Harper

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altheahaprerOakwood’s own Althea Harper made it to Fashion Week last year in New York Ctiy!  TV Personality and fashion consultant  Tim Gunn made it to the Front Street Lofts here in Dayton to follow her progress.  And another Dayton Original got nationwide attention.

If you were enthralled watching  Althea’s weekly runway designs, sketches and Fashions on last year’s Project Runway, imagine the chance to talk about it all with her over brunch here in Dayton!

Purchase a $10 raffle ticket to help the Humane Society of Greater Dayton and you just might find yourself and 3 of your friends dining with Althea Harper and her mom this Sunday at Micheal’s Dining and Jazz for Brunch. Tickets still available, and the drawing will be Friday.

Find Out How Great Wine is Made While You Drink!

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hp_Rotation_AD2Casually stroll through the Boonshoft Museum and learn about wine, compare and contrast wines aged in stainless steel and wood, investigate maritime influences on wine making, explore how geology and soil affect vineyards, and discover interesting scientific principles of grape growing, wine making, tasting, selecting and serving.

Sample specially-selected wines while you listen to experts from E&J Gallo Winery, Heidelberg Distributing, Arrow Wine, Bella Vino, The Little Store and The Wine Gallery and Café, then help yourself to your favorites at the full, open bars.

Enjoy heavy hors d’oeuvres, presentations by industry experts, live music, Laser Shows, Science On a Sphere ® and unforgettable Museum activities.

All proceeds benefit the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery’s STEM programs. Tickets are $75/person, all inclusive. VIP tickets are $100/person, and offer additional wine selections from rare and exclusive vineyards

For more information, please call 937–275–7431, ext. 136. You must be 21 to attend this event.

On-line reservations will be accepted through Friday, January 29 at 5:00 p.m. After that time, please call 937–275–7431 ext 120 to make your reservation using Visa or MasterCard. Live Responsibly.

To purchase tickets please click here

10 ?’s with Chef Jenn DiSanto

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6Sometimes you just get a feeling about people.  When I emailed Chef DiSanto to set up this interview she was in Atlanta, visiting with her ill father, yet took the time to send me a rather amusing email about how we could do the interview as she was driving home in the car with her little ones, but that it might be better to wait.  No problem, so we set it up at her Centerville kitchen and she asked me what my favorite foods were.  Of course anyone who knows me can answer this- CHOCOLATE!

I arrived on a snowy morning to her office at The Easy Way Out and Chef greeted me graciously and we headed back to her kitchen, which was spotless and well organized.   We made the usual getting to know you chit chat and in no time at all I was charmed.  And then she went to the cooler to pull out a batter she’d made so it could cook while we talked.  A molten chocolate lava cake-woo hoo-she knows how to please! Of course, as we got to question 2 and her dread of baking I felt pretty guilty- she’d done what she hated most, just to make a good impression on me!

A classically trained chef, she ran her own catering business in Connecticut, then moved to Europe and then came to Dayton about 3 years ago (you can read her official bio here).  She’s a guerrilla marketer, who started her current business by talking to total strangers about her passion and skill for making good food.  And having spent just a couple hours with her, it’s easy to see why she’s making such a big impression on folks, in such a short time in the region.

As we went through the questions over a spread of bleu cheese stuffed figs with balsamic vinaigrette, marinated mushrooms, shortbread cookies and chips with her own special salsa (which by the way was so flavorful and she’ll soon be selling it commercially),  it was so easy to feel Chef Jenn’s passion for food and cooking.  Right in the middle of a question, she’d sit in anticipation as I bit into a taste and wait and watch for my reaction.  She genuinely wanted me to get as much pleasure out of eating the food as she gets from cooking it. And I did!

She told me the story of how she ended up teaching at Dorothy Lane Market School of Cooking– she was ordering fish at the seafood counter, and as a true gourmet cook, wanted it whole- head and all.  A gentleman walked by, heard her talking and asked if she was a chef.  I have to believe he too was blown away by her enthusiasm for great, fresh ingredients because he turned out to be a DLM big wig and just a couple short weeks later she was teaching her first class.  Now she teaches 5 or 6 a month, and be warned, they sell out quickly. She teaches, caters events, prepares gourmet meals for you to purchase  and eventually, when her children are older, she’ll have a full service shop where you can pick out all your ingredients and she’ll whip them into a fabulous, mouth watering menu.

We laughed and talked so much, I felt guilty for taking up so much of her time.  But not so guilty I didn’t enjoy my chocolate cake!  Hope you get the warm feeling I got meeting Chef Jenn when you read this:

What is your favorite ingredient to cook with?
There are so many I love! Saffron, truffles, fresh morels, tomatoes, olives, smoked paprika, really, really good olive oil…so many more I love, but I’ll stop here. Oh, and fresh herbs!

What ingredient do you dread?
I don’t really dread an ingredient, so much but I don’t enjoy precise baking with complicated recipes. I will do it when I have to but I don’t love it. I do however love baking when it comes to breads and foccacias as they give you a little more freedom.

Chef Jenn plating up the bluecheese figs with balsamic vinagrette she made me.

Chef Jenn plating up some of the goodies she made for me during our interview.

What’s your favorite dish to make?
So many tapas dishes I could not begin to mention them all-it’s my favorite type of meal to cook and my favorite way to eat…small tastes of big flavors. If I had to pick a bigger dish I would say paella because it really is an art to me or osso bucco because I just love braised dishes. Braising is really all about creating a relationship with food. You combine flavors, it’s a slow cooking method that tenderizes the meat and it simmers and the smells flirt with you, building you up for the big taste finish.

What’s your favorite pig out food?
Is wine a food? Ok, I guess I would have to say pizza or really good chewy bread with great quality herb butter…and wines of course. I’m really into Spanish wines lately- I like really hearty full bodies reds with lots of tannins.
I’m not a wine snob I just like good wine!

What restaurant, other than your own do you like to dine at in the Miami Valley?
I love Meadowlark, Rue Dumaine, The Winds, El Meson to name a few. Oh yeah and Amelia’s Bistro in Bellbrook and Pasha Grille at The Greene.

What’s your best advice for home chefs?
Don’t get so caught up in a recipe-it is merely a guideline-at least in cooking! Relax, have fun and try new things. Also, always start with the best ingredients to end with a great dish. Also if you are making yourself crazy trying to impress a dinner guest, they they may not really be a friend…

If you could invite any 4 guests to a dinner party who would they be and why?
As you can see there is a theme here…I can’t limit my answers…
First would be my husband, Jim, 4 year old daughter Eva and 2 year old son Max…but my kids wouldn’t be picky eaters at this dinner party. I would also always love to have dinner with my mother and father and six sisters anytime-great food was always a way of life for us growing up. I would also love to have dinner with Julia Child, but what chef wouldn’t? I would also love to have dinner with Shirley O. Corriher (author and food scientist)- oh the stories she has and the knowledge she has is amazing to me. Plus she is so funny and down to earth.

Who do you look up to in the industry and why?
Again…so many and I truly believe that you can learn from anyone and everyone.  But here are a few:
Alice Waters for how she pioneered the importance of locally grown fresh food
Julia Child-again what chef- especially female chef-doesn’t look up to her?
Jose Andres who master the art of tapas beautifully everyday
and locally Chef Wiley form Meadowlark for running a great restaurant with great food and just being a great person.  Chef Anne Kearney from Rue Dumaine for being so incredibly talented, passionate and gracious all at the same time. Chef Carrie Walters the corporate chef at DLM for being so passionate about food and bringing it to life so beautifully in a more challenging type of food service-dishes that are not made to order.. Also any of the gang at DLM-The Mayne family (who own Dorothy Lane Market) is so passionate about food and this translates so beautifully through all of their employees to the customers- I love to shop there!

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Chef Jenn, Eva and Max

What do you do in the Miami Valley on a day off?
Spend time with my family. We absolutely love all the free parks in the Miami Valley. It’s one of the things that really made us love Dayton. After being in Europe where you pay for everything, even to pee, it’s amazing the abundance of open green space. We love to spend a day in Yellow Springs and at Young’s Jersey Dairy. The Boonshoft Museum has also been a wonderful place to explore with my kids.

Share a kitchen disaster, lucky break or other interesting story:

We all have a kitchen disaster story but I am pretty good about recovering, picking myself back up and laughing it off.  There was the time I catered for surprise birthday party for a client.  He said there would be about 50 people so we planned the menu to do tapas and then paella for the main meal.  Then a few days before the party, he called and said everyone was so exited about the concept of the party they all decided to rsvp so now the count was up to well over 100.  Ok-no problem, you have to be flexible in catering.  This was to be set outside but I only had an our after he got his wife out of the house to set up…the bar, the tables, the buffet tables for the tapas and burners foteh 5 large paella pans that I would be using.  He didn’t want to have a tent because his wife would obviously figure out something was happening.  Mission accomplished on time and the client was thrilled, but as I was cooking paella out of nowhere it started to rain.  One of my assistants very politely asked if we should postpone or move into the garage, but I was forming the perfect crust on the paella, so we held umbrellas over the paella to keep it protected, while I got completely soaked in my chef whites.  Just as the paella was ready, the rain stopped the guests came back outside and enjoyed the meal.  The guest had a blast, thoroughly enjoyed the party and I had a great laugh!

And of course as I left Chef Jenn’s kitchen that snowy day, she chased me out to the car with one more chocolate dessert for later.  And that reinforced that first feeling I had about her- this lady knows how to charm anyone, and she’s real!


Wine Gallery Opens at New Location!

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winegallerywallTonight at 5pm you’re invited to toast the new location of the popular wine bar.   Formerly in the Cannery on Third Street, it’s move to the corners of Main & Monument, at the south end of the Main Street Bridge,  allow for more room inside, a bigger and more complete kitchen and perhaps the ability to grow into a 2nd floor as well.  But let’s now get ahead of ourselves!  There’s a PMI parking lot one block away (Wine Gallery is trying to work a deal for discounted evening parking- but no word yet) and there is plenty of surface parking around.  Remember after 6pm you don’t have to feed the meters!

For now, just check out the new place, complete with riverfront views.  As part of the grand opening celebration there will be about 30 wines and 6 beers available for tasting for a fee, accompanied by a complimentary buffet.

Just imagine- how nice this location will be for after theater shows at the Victoria, The Loft and the Schuster- why Dayton might just have a downtown scene after all!

Wine Gallery is open Tuesday through Thursday 2 pm to 10 pm, Friday 11 am to 1 am, and Saturday 10 am to 1 am.   For more information, call (937) 224-9463.  Actual address is 5 West Monument, Dayton OH 45402.

Dayton Dirt Collective – The Real Story

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Shelly “GladGirl” Hulce, Directing Member of Dayton Dirt Collective posted this statement on the Dirt’s Facebook page and we’re reprinting it with her permission:

20770_1310034424511_1040119339_977216_5667810_nAs of Sunday night Jan. 17th, Dayton Dirt Collective is history. This is sad news for the community of current DDC members as well as friends, fans, local and national bands and performance artists.  We had a blast, made new friends and left the place a better one having been there.

We had a good run, almost two years. And, as the locals say, “Two years is equal to about 10 in Dayton when it comes to anything creative.”  This little social experiment was a complete success, which is quite a feat in an ever changing economy, community and social landscape.

We thank you all for being there helping it grow. Special thanks to the founding father of DDC, “Punk Rock Nick” Anderson, a true LEADER who went through all the labor pains and delivery and the 2:00am feedings getting this thing to live. Thanks also to the first generation DDC members who put blood, sweat & tears into it. DDC was born out of a culture of underground house shows that outgrew the many living rooms and basements. We have now outgrown our house at 144 E. 3rd. Street. We never set out to replace the house show culture and those continue even today!

Now it’s time to put the baby in the basket and sail it down the river to find it’s bigger purpose in life.

As sad as we are, we are equally excited about pursuing our individual dreams and passions.
We will exhibit the same energy we had collectively. We do not see this as a failure by any means, this is just a seasonal change with new and exciting seasons ahead!

People want to know “why?” and “why now?”
First and foremost we had a big financial decision to make that was very time sensitive.
Coming up with the funds to meet this approaching expense was not an issue.  Thankfully we had a lot of good people offer to come along side us and contribute. The love was very evident during this last week of conversations with members of the community.

Looking past the immediate expense of renewing our liability insurance policy, we considered the costs vs. benefits of staying in the space at 144 E. 3rd. Street for another year.  After much deliberation we concluded it would be irresponsible to sign on for another year of insurance to cover that particular space. We have been working closely with the City of Dayton Fire Dept. since May to ensure that we met all the requirements to be compliant with the city ordinances and fire codes.  In doing so DFD would increase the max. occupancy they issued us in May of ’09. We exhausted all those efforts and sadly our goals were not met.  We thank the DFD for being so supportive and cooperative with us.

Integrity has always been a priority for us as an organization.  We felt that staying would compromise our integrity.  Our relationships with one another and with the community are still healthy.  We have met all the obligations we made to one another, the community and initial donors.  Equally important, we left no unpaid bills.  That says a lot in a day when this city and has been the victim of corporate carelessness.

We love this city. We are committed to this city.  We are proud that we have been recognized by tenants of the St. Clair Lofts. They made special trips to come see us and to say thanks for being present and cleaning up that corner. They told us that when we were there doing a show, the drug traffic on that corner stopped.

We invited in the homeless that wondered past the space, gave them a place to just come in, have some human contact, hear poetry, music or some comedy. (Some of them even joined in.) We gave them bottled water, cookies, snacks… whatever we had. They were excited about us. They didn’t know who we were, they just knew we treated them well. We had a food barrel there for everyone. There was a sign on that barrel; “If you need some, take some. If you have some extra, leave some.” We took care of each other as best we could.  We extended that same spirit to our guests.
If a touring band didn’t make much money that night, we made sure they left with a warm meal in their belly’s and some food for the road. The local bands playing with the touring bands always
without being asked, would offer up their share of the door to the touring band as a gesture of support. THAT was the DDC / Dayton, Ohio experience the touring bands took away with them and talked about on the road.

It was clear that the room itself presented some challenges sound wise, some local bands even refusing to play there because of it. They were the exception rather than the rule. Rarely did bands and fans complain about the sound, or the PA, or the way the room or stage was laid out. Mostly touring bands made comments about loving the feel of the room and how it was one of the best places they had played on their tour. That was achieved by having a room full of good spirit, not about the mechanics of the sound system. You can have the best PA in town and still have a bad experience. Emphasis here is on people, not things.

People forget a lot of what you say, but they never forget what you do.
We were always trying to lead by example and that does not stop now just because a building closed.  We were frugal and very much of the DIY “Do It Yourself” culture. This is the very spirit Dayton was built on. This is what brings great minds to Dayton, our innovators and inventors.
Without any advertising we were bringing touring bands to our door, some of them re-routing their entire tours to get a show at DDC. People across the nation “got it” when they heard about us.
With that, they were spreading the word across the US by leaving with a good experience, a positive attitude, some Dayton music to share, and in some cases even taking Dayton bands with them to complete their tours!

The passion and commitment of the members of Dayton Dirt Collective remain for the fringe arts and independent lifestyle of musicians in our own back yard as well as universally.
We are passionate about arts being accessible to everyone no matter what age, status, race, belief, gender…

New bonds were formed during a time of coming together in a city portrayed as one of the fastest dying cities in the United States. We saw arts and music thriving in spite of the economy.
We needed this venue more than ever in the last two years. Everything we took in went back out so we could keep that spirit alive.  Money is a very cheap commodity right now. We became wealthy in our creativity and new relationships. Being free to be creative is very liberating even in dire circumstances.

Healthy things grow.  We took a space that had about as much promise as a chunk of dirt and grew something amazing there!  The seeds were planted, the crops provided well for us and now it is time to rotate the crops.

We leave you with this one very important challenge to carry out the spirit of Dayton Dirt Collective:  Set one another up to succeed!!!

It is a new day in the life of another “Dayton Patented Original! ”

Thank you all. It was an honor to be here.

Shelly GladGirl Hulce

Run To Raise Funds for the Special Olympics

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5kRun1-300x199Beef O’Brady’s and the Centerville Police Department are joining invite you to run and walk  to celebrate the start of St Patrick’s week festivities and raise funds for the Special Olympics.

This 5k run will begin and end at the Centerville Beef O’Brady’s on Saturday, March 13, 2010 @ 9am. There will be light refreshments after the race and door prizes (register before 3/3/10 to get eligible to win the prizes).

Students: $10 and Adult: $15 until March 3rd, $20 thereafter
Register online before 9:00 pm, March 10.

And You Can Wear It Again….

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Fairy GodmotherYeah right!  Come on ladies, how many of you had a bride tell you that about a gown you had to buy for a wedding?  Or what about the prom dresses hanging in your closet? And then there’s that one you got on sale, that would be perfect if you just lost those fifteen pounds….

Here’s your chance to play Fairy Godmother to a young lady who can’t afford to purchase a prom dress, but still deserves the opportunity to dress up and feel like a princess for a night.  Clothes That Work is launching the Fairy Godmother Project and will be collecting those gently used dresses, wraps, jewelry and purses on Sat, Feb 13th from 9am – noon at The Job Center at 1133 S. Edwin C. Moses Blvd, Suite 392.  For more info contact CTW at 222-3778.

Wanna Snowshoe?

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NOTE – this was for the 2009/2010 winter season and the program is not available for the 2010/2011 winter season.

Have you ever tried snowshoeing? Do you burn with cabin fever in the winter months? Why not get out, enjoy winter and Try Snowshowing with Five Rivers MetroParks Outdoor Recreation Department? Snowshoes will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Youth under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Reservations requested, walk-ins welcome. This activity is dependent on snowfall; call (937) 277-4374 to confirm activity. We’re located at 224 N. St. Clair St. in Downtown.

Re-Charge Your Eco Spirit With Green Drinks!

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greendrinkDid you resolve to be “greener” this year?  Join Green Drinks to cocktail, meet and network with like-minded individuals who share your interest in building a sustainable society and planet. On Wed, Jan 27th from 6-8pm Green Drinks will take over the lounge area at Franco’s Ristorante Italiano at 824 E. Fifth Street.

January’s Green Drinks is generously sponsored by Energy Optimizers USA and Wat-Kem Mechancial. FREE APPETIZERS!  CASH BAR.

Dayton Green Drinks is a casual social event where emerging and established community leaders network and link ideas to create a concentrated effort of positive change for our region.

They have a lively mixture of people from academia, agriculture, government, non-profits and business. Come along and you’ll be made welcome. Just say, “are you green?” and they’ll look after you and introduce you to whoever is there. It’s a great way of catching up with people you know and also for making new contacts. Everyone invites someone else along, so there is always a different crowd, making Green Drinks an organic, self-organizing network.
Attendess have found employment, made friends, developed new ideas, done deals and had moments of serendipity. It’s a force for the good and we’d like to help it spread so bring a friend along!

According to Wikipedia  Green Drinks is an informal networking event where environmentally minded people meet over drinks. Started in London in 1989, by Edwin Datschefski, Paul Scott and friends, it has spread to 51 cities in the United Kingdom, 223 in the U.S. and many more in Canada, Germany, Poland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Chile, Puerto Rico and Lebanon. As of May 2009, there are over 525 Green Drink Chapters worldwide.  As of 15 February 2007, Melbourne, Australia holds the record for the world’s biggest Green Drinks. Over 1700 people attended an event held on the first evening of the city’s 2008 Sustainable Living Festival.

Neighborhood Leadership Institute Now Accepting Applicants

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nli Dayton residents who have an interest in civic affairs and  want to make a difference in their neighborhoods are encouraged to attend The Neighborhood Leadership Institute (NLI) for their annual twelve-week program .
Workshops are held at various locations and presentations cover topics such as Dayton’s History, The Role of City Government, The Criminal Justice System, and Cultural Diversity; skill-building components such as Public Speaking and Small-Group Dynamics; and a day-long bus tour of Dayton neighborhoods.  Class members also complete field assignments to expand their knowledge of Dayton, City government and the community at large.  It encourages participants to develop a citywide perspective and establish a network of activists across the City.
Eligibility and Application
Any adult resident of the City of Dayton may apply; however, each class is
limited to 25 people.

Cost: Your Time
There is no charge for participation in the program. Your cost is the time and
effort you spend. The program consists of 14 evening and/or Saturday sessions
over a three-month period. Classroom and/or workshop sessions are held at
various locations related to the session topic. Presenters include current
neighborhood, business, and government leaders. Each participant must attend
all of the sessions in order to be certified as having completed the program. In
addition, outside field assignments are required.

Please spread the word to help recruit participants for the 2010 NLI class.  Follow the link for brochure, tentative schedule and application.  The deadline to sign up is Thursday, February 11, 2010.  If you have any questions, contact Kathleen Riggs at 333-3671 or Verletta Jackson at 333-3288.

Let it Breathe- Dayton’s Wine Opener

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09wineopener-2The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation hosts the“Let it Breathe” event at the eclectic Taj Ma Garaj this Saturday night. You can savor wines from around the globe with the appropriate gourmet pairings. Upgrade your wine tasting experience by attending the VIP Wine Connoisseur’s Reception and have the opportunity to enjoy exclusive specialty wines coupled with the perfect food to make your palette sing!

The evening is completed by live jazz entertainment by Rick Evans and the Masters of Jazz and live and silent auction. Don’t miss the opportunity to bid on many “hard to find” wines from all over the world.

Just look at the leadership on this event: Chairs Dave & Jen Sauer (co-owners of Bella VIno Wine Markey), Honorary Chair Chris Cavender (chef & owner of Cuvee) and Patty Vendt (the keeper of the wine list serve you see DDN’s Mark Fisher allude to each Friday in his Tasting column). That should assure you that your donation to this charity event will be just a token towards the wine you will experience if you attend.

Event Details:

7:00-8:00 p.m.
VIP Wine Connoisseur Reception
$100 Per Person VIP Connoisseur’s Ticket

8:00-10:30 p.m.
Wine Tasting
$55.00 Per Person Wine Tasting Ticket

Register no later than Thursday, January 14, 2010

For more information, please contact the CFF Dayton Chapter office at (937) 298-6906 or email

DLM Cooking Class Registration opens Wed, Jan 13

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dlmFor some folks the rush to register for classes is just like being back in college, plotting out your schedule, hoping you’ll get in to the class you want before it sells out!  Pretty amazing that a grocery store’s cooking classes can evoke that can of excitement, but Dorothy Lane Market’s School of Cooking is indeed a unique place.  Offering over 60 classes for the winter/spring session,  including hands on classes with an average class size of 12 and demonstration classes for up to 30 at at time, DLM’s classses sell out more often than not. The classes range from basic knife skills to couple’s classes that pair food and wine.

According to Sandy Martz, the Director of the Cooking School, students bond with certain instructors and will over time take all the classes he/she offers.  Sandy works diligently at recruiting Chefs, cookbook authors and Foodies from all over the country to continuously offer different courses throughout the year.  In the summer, the focus is on children’s cooking camps.

DLM Corporate Chef Carrie Walters holds the distinction for the class that sells out the quickest and that’s the Girls’s Night Out.  So this term- they are offering two, one in Feb and one in May, but you better sign up quickly if you want to experience the fun!

Bon Appetit (imagine this being said in your best Julia Child impression)!

Free Health Fair Needs Your Help

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life&healthCelebrating Life & Health is the area’s largest community health fair that offers attendees 100s of free medical tests, services & products to ensure their good health and identify potential risk-factors.

This event  takes place at the Ponitz Center (Bldg 12) at Sinclair Community College on Sun, April 11th from 11am – 4pm.

The event has grown like never before (4000+ people) & we are expecting an even larger turnout this year due to the continued poor economy, loss/cut of health insurance or no health insurance for a great number of people in our community.

The growth of the event puts us in need…we are in need of volunteers to help in a variety of capacities the day of the event.

Volunteer by yourself, with friends, with family or in groups…but please volunteer! There are morning & afternoon shifts…Bring the Whole Family!!

This year’s event takes place on Saturday, April 24, 2009 from 11am – 5pm.

To volunteer – please contact the Levin Family Foundation directly @ 937-223-5433.
If you can’t volunteer but would like to help by being a sponsor or know someone that would like to sponsor the event…please contact Debbie Fox @ 937-223-1669.

CNN Analyst Roland Martin to Deliver Message of Inspiration

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thumbnail_120_120_35215_Roland_Martin_Thumb The 2010 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Annual Holiday Celebration and Presidential Banquet will feature CNN’s Roland Martin as the keynote speaker, on Monday, Jan 18th at the Dayton Convention Center.  His appearance is a collaboration between the Dayton Chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the University of Dayton. Tickets are $60 and are available to the public. Contact Robbin Casto at 937-259-7930 for purchasing information.

He will also speak at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19, at the University of Dayton’s Kennedy Union for the University’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast. The event is open to University of Dayton faculty, staff and students.

“During the 2008 presidential campaign, Mr. Martin was very visible. He continues to be a prolific speaker, he has a relevant message and inspiring story,” said Lynnette Heard, executive director of the University of Dayton’s president’s office, adding that the events provide an opportunity to reflect on the life of Martin Luther King Jr. and his message of social justice.

“Looking at the past enables us to understand how to move forward,” she said.

Martin is a CNN political analyst and commentator for TV One Cable. In August 2007, he joined Essence Magazine as a special correspondent. In October 2008, he joined the Tom Joyner Morning Show as a senior analyst.

Ebony magazine named Martin one of the 150 Most Influential African-Americans in the United States in 2008. He is also the 2008 winner of the NAACP Image Award for Best Interview for “In Conversation: The Sen. Barack Obama Interview.” He has won more than 20 professional awards for journalistic excellence.

Martin is the author of Listening to the Spirit Within: 50 Perspectives on Faith, and Speak, Brother! A Black Man’s View of America.

He is a 1987 graduate from Houston’s Jack Yates High School-Magnet School of Communications, a 1991 graduate of Texas A&M University with a degree in journalism. He also has a master’s degree in Christian Communications from Louisiana Baptist University.

Martin is part of an all-star line-up of guests filling the University of Dayton’s 2009-2010 Diversity Lecture Series roster, which includes Nobel Prize winner and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel and activist, author and actor Hill Harper.

The University of Dayton’s Diversity Lecture Series is part of a larger strategic plan to increase inclusion and diversity on campus and prepare students, faculty, staff and the Dayton community for success in a global society. Past speakers  include Andrew Young, Coretta Scott King, Spike Lee, Kirk Franklin, Clarence Page, Nikki Giovanni, Soledad O’Brien, Azar Nafisi and Johnnetta B. Cole.

The University’s commitment to diversity is founded in its Catholic heritage of social justice and the Marianist tradition of equality and being inclusive of people from all segments of society.

The Diversity Lecture Series is co-sponsored by the offices of the president and provost, with the generous support of such community partners as The National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ); Dayton Chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; United Way of the Greater Dayton Area; YWCA Dayton; Victoria Theatre Association; Markey’s Audio Visual; Ross Buick-GMC-Hummer; RTA; Cannell Graphics; University of Dayton’s Media Production Group; Dayton Daily News; WDTN-TV; WDAO-1210 AM; and 92.1 WROU.

Film Festival seeks entries

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images-65The festival’s goal is to showcase short films that spotlight the best of local filmmaking talent, from students to professionals to everyone in between. The festival will also include a works-in-progress segment, and audience choice awards for the most popular films.

They are now accepting submissions of short films for the festival–finished films or works in progress. The deadline is Friday, January 22, 2010. The entry fee is  $10.
To be considered for entry, the majority of each film needs to have been shot in one of the following counties: Greene, Montgomery, Clark, Madison, Fayette, Clinton, or Warren. (Exceptions may be made if a filmmaker from one of those counties shotVenessaQuery their film elsewhere.) Films should be no longer than 15 minutes in length. Festival Director Vanessa Query says “we’ll allow for a 1 or 2 minute leeway to suit the filmmaker’s vision.”

To submit a short film, go to http://www.littleart.com/site.php/shortsfest which contains the entry form and other submission guidelines. You can also join the festival’s Facebook page for more information and updates: http://www.facebook.com/ysshortfilmfest

The actual viewing of the shorts will be on the afternoon of Sunday, February 21 at the Little Art Theatre in Yellow Springs. The event will begin with a test screening piece. A few works-in-progress will be shown; the filmmakers will request the audience’s feedback in helping them to craft the final project.  Then, the short films will be screened in a few one-hour blocks (program length to be announced in February). There will be audience choice awards for the most popular films.  A reception will follow the event. The program will be repeated on Saturday, February 27.