Dayton937

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

Scott Sliver

Adventures of a Dayton City Commissioner Wannabe

By

10418474_1596034300667377_2367421871885410076_nThe number one question I have been asked lately is, “Why in the world would you want to run for office?”

 

That’s a great question. I’m still trying to encapsulate my answer into a 10 second sound byte. But the best answer I can give you at this point is, “I was asked to run by the people I have been serving.”

 

People at our food outreaches have said things to me like, “This city really needs someone like you. You should run for mayor.” The implication being, or at least the perception out there is that no one out there cares. Or at least no one cares about them.

 

They know I do. I have been overseeing The Hope Foundation of Greater Dayton for the past five years. Hope provides groceries to nearly 1,000 households every month in Greene and Montgomery Counties. Nearly half of them receive their food at one of our mobile distributions in Huber Heights, Northridge, Fairborn, Kettering, Xenia or Fairborn. (We also resource a pantry in Cedarville.)

 

The person who had started the organization six months prior, came to the realization that she didn’t have the resources to achieve what was in her heart. Out of her own frustration she said to me, “You should just take over.” I was like, “No, no, no… Put me on your Board. I can help you. I know a lot of people!” She prevailed, and I accepted the appointment as Executive Director.

 

Since that time, Hope has grown into one of the largest distributors in the Dayton Foodbank’s network of 88 member-agencies.

 

We are doing great work, but it’s not rocket science. We pick up food from the Foodbank, bag it and give it to people. I think every 251370_409406952447663_345862585_nchurch in our city should have a food pantry, even if it’s just for their neighborhood and it’s only open once per week or even once per month.

 

The old proverb, “Many hands make for light work” applies. We bag groceries for a few hundred households in just 45 minutes. We do it every Wednesday. While some non-profits struggle to get volunteers, we never have. I believe people respond to vision. They don’t respond to “HELP!!!” I believe people respond to, “Join us this Saturday as we go out and serve our community and give out bags of food and hope to people.” It has to be about making a difference, not a person’s contribution by merely “putting food into bags.”

 

But I digress…

 

I am often asked if running for office is the reason we moved downtown. That answer is no. (If you are interested in that piece of our story, you can read one of my previous articles entitled, “Why?” ). Although moving downtown obviously opened the door for me to now be able to run for office.

 

Honestly, I moved downtown to make a statement. I know that may sound crazy, but I had read that in my lifetime Dayton’s population has gone from 260,000 at its peak in the early 1960s, to currently 143,000. I just wanted to make a statement… maybe born out of a combination of desperation and irritation. I thought, “Someone has to do SOMETHING.”

 

Once we were living downtown, I started periodically attending Dayton City Commission meetings. I became interested in the leadership of our city. I wanted to discover how things worked.

 

As The Hope Foundation began getting more and more recognition, and since I am the face of Hope, I began meeting people across the city. I got invited to events and to participate in roundtable discussions about fighting hunger or how to invigorate downtown. I have done briefings at Wright Patterson AFB about Hope.

 

I also started a Facebook page called I Love Dayton! that has 5,100+ Likes, just to have a voice… to promote what I love about our city. I highlight various events, and other non-profits that are doing great work in and around Dayton.

 

Behind the scenes I even ran the social media campaign (as a volunteer) for the National Museum of the United States Air Force 258744_180954245292936_1208857_oFoundation’s bid to bring a retiring space shuttle to Dayton. (I am still crushed that we didn’t get one of those shuttles!)

 

I began meeting people like Cathy Ponitz, Lisa Grigsby, Sandy Gudorf, Carol Clark, Connie Post, Ron Rollins and a whole host of other leaders and business owners around town. I joined a group called New Media Dayton… an affinity group of social media professionals and small business owners who utilize and want to learn more about social media.

 

I even received the “Hunger Champion” award from the Foodbank along the way!

 

Over the past 25 years, I have been leading and caring for people, but it was in a less visible way as a pastor at the Vineyard Church. (Vineyard has campuses on North Main Street in Dayton and in Beavercreek.) Adding Hope to my resume raised my public profile in ways that I never expected. Suddenly, I was being invited into all kinds of opportunities and partnerships.

 

Funny… Same Guy + Different Title = Open Doors

 

Then came THE conversation… the one with a trusted friend who is like-minded in many ways, who also has a non-profit background, but has been involved in the political scene around town in different capacities over the years. I asked him at breakfast a year or so ago, “What would you think about me making a run for Dayton City Commission?” to which he replied, “I’ve had this same conversation a dozen times, and I’ve said, ‘Yes’ four times. You’re the fourth.”

 

I bounced the idea, informally, off a few friends, then more formally off a few others… After some tough conversations and soul-searching, I decided to go for it.

 

Call me crazy… and many have. Trust me, I have overturned the applecart of my life in this effort. And we are11206050_10155542771435613_8171693690812027750_n not yet past the Special Election on Tuesday, May 5.

 

Fortunately, I am surrounded by people who love me and care about me. I have some amazing people who have come alongside me who are guiding me though all the craziness, making sure that I’m ok… that I’m taking time for myself and my family along the way.

 

I have met a lot of people over the past six months, including a handful of elected officials. I have attended numerous neighborhood functions such as the Walnut Hills Neighborhood Association Chili Cook-off, the Shroyer Park Neighborhood Association meeting, Oregon District Historic Society Board Meeting and the UpDayton Summit. I have also attended two candidate forums in west Dayton and I am gaining a greater understanding of what the needs are of people all across our city.

 

Many people have graciously met with me to bring me up to speed, give me pointers, insight or just to encourage me in my effort. I’ve had people make financial contributions to my campaign, even before we hosted our first official fundraiser.

10968204_10155234835160613_4591782587183997371_n

I have been on a steep learning curve over the past six months. And, yes, it was a lot of hard work getting 1,000 signatures on my petitions. (In the dead of winter, I might add!)

 

I have been both embraced and snubbed. I have been warned and encouraged.

 

Every day I just try to push the ball down the field… Some days I have fumbled the ball, other days I went for it when it was 4th and 10 on my own 20-yard-line. I am trying to stay true to myself and hopefully earn (or keep) the respect of those around me along the way. I am just trying to be the same person on stage, off stage… and back stage.

 

One of the questions in the Cox Media Online Voter Guide is, “What’s the worst thing the city has done in the last four years?” I ended my answer with “Some people like to point out what’s wrong and who’s to blame for it. I’m not that guy.” (Based loosely on a line from the movie “An American President” with Michael Douglas when he is referring to his nemesis during a press conference at the White House at the end of the movie.)

 

I believe we are writing future history now. I want to be a part of our city’s resurgence and future growth. There are signs of life everywhere you look and I’m not going to play the doomsday card to get into office. I love Dayton. And there are a lot of sharp young people out there who believe in our city. If you don’t believe me, check out Generation Dayton, UpDayton or #DaytonInspires. There are exciting things happening all around us and I just want to be a part of it all by providing some guidance and leadership.

10392300_10154419290625613_1016615497030808999_n

Before I ever thought about running for office I wrote articles for Dayton Most Metro, so I thought it would be ok for me to write this article while I am in the process of running Dayton City Commission. I may never get more than 2-3 minutes of airtime to tell my whole story… So I wanted you to hear it from me, in my own words.

 

I will close with one of my all-time-favorite quotes from Mother Teresa,

“God doesn’t require that we succeed, he only requires that we try.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Gem City is Known for Generosity

By

 

I have heard over the years that Dayton has the highest giving per capita over any other city in Ohio. Then I found this Dayton Daily News Article from August 2012 that validated what I believed to be true…

Dayton Leads Ohio Metros in Charitable Giving

“Dayton is the most generous major metropolitan area in Ohio, with residents on average donating 4.6 percent of their discretionary incomes to charity, according to a new analysis.

Dayton metropolitan residents overall give less money to charity than people in Akron, Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland, but local residents give away a greater share of their discretionary incomes, which is a better measure of generosity, according to an analysis of IRS data released by the Chronicle of Philanthropy.”

“Dayton is the most generous major metropolitan area in Ohio.”

It’s not that Daytonians give more total dollars than any other city in Ohio… it’s that we give a greater percentage of our income, than those who live in any other city.

That’s pretty impressive! And that’s good news for the long list of non-profits, charitable organizations and churches here in the Miami Valley!

For the past five years I have bHope Logoeen overseeing The Hope Foundation of Greater Dayton. Hope is a member agency of The Foodbank, Dayton. Hope operates a mobile food pantry that serves 1,000 households in Greene and Montgomery counties every month.

 

First, let me clear up some confusion about the difference between a food bank and a food pantry.

There is only ONE food bank in Dayton. It serves Montgomery county, Green county and half of Preble County. There are LOTS of food pantries. The Foodbank in Dayton is an amazing resource for those concerned about the growing problem of hunger. (Now labeled as “food insecurity.”) There are currFoodbankently 88 member agencies that acquire food for their pantries from the Foodbank.

The Foodbank in Dayton is part of Feeding America, a network of 200+ food banks across the country. The Foodbank receives food donated by local businesses (Kroger, Aldi, Walmart, Sam’s Club, Target and Meijer to name a few) as well as using it’s buying power to acquire large quantities of food at deep discounts from other sources, allowing them to then, in turn, provide its member agencies access to that food at a low agency fee. Over HALF of the 7.5 million pounds of food distributed by the Foodbank in Dayton is FREE to its member agents!

 

Let me put this into perspective for you…

Via the Foodbank, a member agency can acquire a one thousand pound skid of, say, canned corn for $100. At best, I might be able to otherwise purchase one can of corn for $.50. The average retail price per can is in the $1.25 range. By being a member agent of the Foodbank, we can acquire that same can of corn for TEN CENTS!

 

Groceries

Technically, Foodbank member agencies don’t “buy” food from the Foodbank… Member agencies pay a per-pound fee, based upon the pounds of certain foods received. The nominal fee is assessed primarily to help cover food transportation costs.

In other words, I can turn a $20.00 donation into $200 of purchasing power.

I’ve been attending church for most of my life… I love the story in the Bible of when Jesus multiplied a kid’s sack lunch (otherwise known as loaves and fishes) to feed 5,000 people. (And when all was said and done, there were leftovers!)

The downside is Jesus also said, “The poor you will always have with you.” The reality is we could all empty our bank accounts and this problem won’t simply go away.

 

HarleyBut we still fight the good fight… and it takes a lot of dedicated and generous people to do so. I am constantly amazed at how generous people can be! We don’t do a lot of fundraising, but from time to time an opportunity will come our way to help us raise some funds. Recently, someone donated a 1993 Harley-Davidson to The Hope Foundation. It’s a red 883cc sportster with a 1200cc “Screaming Eagle” kit. Only 17,000 miles! We are raffling it off to raise money. (Hoping to raise $20,000.)

 

Also, Hope was recently chosen to be one of the seven charities with the chance to receive a donation from the Dayton River Corridor Classic! The other charities are

A Kid Again

Culture Works

Dayton International Peace Museum

Hannah’s Treasure Chest

Safe Harbor

UpDayton

CLICK HERE for more information and to cast your vote!

I would like to take this opportunity to commend all of you for your generosity. I have been on the receiving end for many years. So, on behalf of all the charitable organizations, non-profits and churches in our region, THANK YOU!

Thank You

If you would like to get more information about how you can help fight hunger in our community, simply click on the links below.

For more information, to volunteer or to donate to the Foodbank, Dayton CLICK HERE.

To purchase raffle tickets for the Harley for Hope raffle, CLICK HERE.

For more information about The Hope Foundation of Greater Dayton CLICK HERE.

For more information about the Dayton River Corridor Classic CLICK HERE.

Road Trip! (or Vacation in Dayton?)

By 2 Comments

Road Trip

My wife and I recently took a three-week road trip across the southeast United States. 4,400 miles and fifteen states over three weeks. Call me crazy…

 

For the record, my wife was not initially all that excited about my vision for our one-and-only vacation this year. I assured her we would have ample beach time to balance out all the longish stretches of driving and family visits sprinkled throughout. (You know the old saying coined by Benjamin Franklin about guests and fish? Both begin to smell after three days!)

We would drive a while, check into a hotel, have a meal or two hit the beach and move on. I lived out of a carry-on suitcase the entire time. I travel light.

 

Spider

Aside from a heart-stopping encounter with a colony of Golden Orb “Banana” Spiders at my mom’s home in Summerfield, FL, the trip was otherwise uneventful. No speeding tickets and thankfully, no breakdowns. Even the weather pretty much cooperated except for a torrential downpour that welcomed us to Virginia Beach! (We have a son in the Marine Corp. at Quantico, VA, who took some leave and met us there for a few days.) We also have concentrations of family around Houston and nearby Galveston, TX, and St. Louis, MO.

 

 

Sun Rise

 

Along the way, we strolled the streets of Savannah, GA. Browsed historic St. Augustine, FL, ventured down Bourbon Street in New Orleans, searched for “la Petite Roche” (French for “the little rock,” a rock formation used by early river navigators to identify that particular river crossing, now known as Little Rock, AR!), paid a visit to Graceland in Memphis, even harassed some Cardinal fans in St. Louis!

Fountain in Forsyth Park with couple standing. Savannah, Georgia, USA

 

 

Here’s my takeaway. Dayton stacks up pretty well against any of the cities we visited. Granted, Dayton is no Savannah with all its deep-south charm, history and architecture. Even though both cities have near-identical population of 142,000, Savannah’s River Street Market Place and Arts District are fantastic examples of what Dayton’s Oregon District and RiverScape aspire to be. Visionaries, leaders and community-builders in this region recognize Dayton’s potential and have been working toward a similar outcome for some time, making notable strides along the way!

 

Beale Street MemphisBeale Street in Memphis exposes the potential of Dayton’s Oregon District… although B.B. King is not likely to open a blues club in our hometown anytime soon. What Memphis has going for them, aside from being nestled against the mighty Mississippi river and boasting of Tom Cruise’s “The Firm” having been filmed there, is a long music history that includes, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and of course, Elvis. Even U2 recorded a few tracks for Rattle and Hum at Sun Studio!

 

Bad A-- Coffee Inside

 

 

I understand cities have to play to their strengths. Virginia Beach was the first stop on our journey. It’s basically a tourist (beach) destination with a Naval base.  Granted, they have nearly TWO HUNDRED years more history than Dayton. Nearby Jamestown, VA was established in 1607. (Dayton, 1796.) VA Beach is your standard touristy beach town with an avenue lined with shops selling boogie boards and beach towels and bars offering happy hour specials. Piercing and tattoo parlors are also beach-strip mainstays.

One of the first categories that I “yelped” (check out yelp.com, a social networking, user review, and local search web site) in VA Beach was “coffee.” My wife is pretty much a Starbucks snob. Nothing else satisfies. Starbucks is easy to find… There were two on the strip. But the local favorite I discovered was Bad A** Coffee, slightly off the beaten path. (Think Ghostlight or Press with a beach flair.) I enjoyed a vanilla latte there early one morning.

Stitched Panorama

St. Augustine, FL, another stop along the way, was first explored in 1513 by Spanish explorer Ponce de León. Founded in 1565, there is deep history, being home to the Castillo de San Marcos, a magnificent star fort constructed mostly out of coquina, (Spanish for “small shells”) ancient shells that have bonded together to form a type of stone similar to limestone. Additionally, this region boasts 42 miles of pristine Atlantic beaches! (How can we complete with THAT?)

 

My wife’s cousin lives in nearby Jacksonville. She served as our tour guide through the narrow pedestrian-only streets of St. Augustine’s shopping/arts/restaurant/bar/live-music historic district. Home to both the oldest schoolhouse in the United States AND very first Catholic parish in our country!

Yelp

Have you ever “yelped” Dayton?

It’s so easy to fall into a routine of simply frequenting our favorite restaurants again and again. That’s ok, but consider this…

 

I once saw a travel piece about “staycationing” in your hometown. It was all about venturing into different parts of town that you may not typically frequent. Instead of defaulting to the mall where you typically shop or defaulting to your favorite restaurant, explore other areas. Enjoy lunch at a café that you have never been to. Check out a park along the way that you may have passed a thousand times, but never bothered to visit. I did this a while back and was pleasantly surprised… even stunned by the beauty of Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark on Siebenthaler Ave. in north Dayton.

 

Brush up on your hometown history to add a little interest to your day. For instance, DID YOU KNOW that archaeological investigations of the surrounding area suggest that the Miamisburg Mound was constructed by the prehistoric Adena Indians somewhere between 800 BC and AD 100! That’s right in our back yard and I wonder how many locals have actually visited that ancient site? If I were a tourist yelping Dayton and the surrounding areas, that is a factoid I might unearth during my research.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

I realize it’s not Stonehenge… (I once heard an Englander refer to Stonehenge as a “pile of rocks on the side of the road!”) Americans are fascinated by Stonehenge. Englanders? Not so much. Such is life.

 

My quest for the best Memphis barbecue yielded four pits that are held in highest regard. It didn’t matter to me what part of town they were located. I just wanted their best barbecue!

 

While Dayton may not be known for its barbecue as North Carolina, Kansas City or Texas are renown, Dayton has some solid options. A regional favorite is City Barbecue. Old Hickory is a local mainstay. Up-and-comer OinkADoodleMoo stands ready to satisfy that urge for smoked meat. (Try the burnt ends!) Don’t forget Smokin’

Bar-B-Que at the west end of the Oregon District on Fifth Street at Patterson. Al’s Smokehouse Café is now located downtown on east Third RibsStreet, providing barbecue well into the wee hours of the morning on weekends!

 

(For the record, yes, I have eaten at all of those restaurants.)

 

But have you ever sampled the best of Huffie’s Bar-B-Que? It’s west of 75 south of 35 off Germantown Pike on McArthur Ave.

 

I have.

 

I assured them that I am a SERIOUS bbq guy. (I even own a 55-gallon “ugly drum smoker!”) I ordered a massive sampler platter, which I believe impressed them. I told them I wanted the full “Huffie’s” experience. I told them I searched “best bbq in Dayton” and their establishment was on that short list. This made the guy smile.

 

2nd Street MarketIf I were just visiting Dayton for a few days, I would sample all that Dayton has to offer. I would end up in different parts of town, at different restaurants, shopping in different areas, absorbing the local history and culture along the way.

 

I might venture into the far reaches of the Miami Valley to visit Young’s Jersey Dairy or the Clifton Mill. I would definitely take in the National museum of the United States Air Force (it’s FREE!) and visit the Wright Brothers’ memorial (which offers a vista that rivals that of Woodland Cemetery, near U.D.) I’d visit the Oregon District, Brown Street, Second Street Market and Riverscape. I’d check out a couple of Dayton’s many impressive MetroParks.

 

Dayton is LOADED with great restaurants! Check out DaytonDining for online menus, photos, coupons and real life experiences from Dayton restaurants. (And did I mention Yelp?)

 

I realize I talk a lot about food and restaurants, but you don’t have to spend a ton of money to participate in what I am suggesting. Dayton’s Five Rivers MetroParks are FREE! And there are a lot of them scattered across the Miami Valley, and, many (if not most) of our local festivals offer free admission.

 

If you treated Dayton as though you were on vacation, I believe you would approach it differently.

 

And you would thank me for it.

 

Special thanks to Wikipedia.com for helping me fill in all the blanks with much needed detail.

“Why?? The Sequel”

By 8 Comments

8e767afe23024f80ecfb9a925b0efb30

 

I was asked how I was going to follow up my first article, simply titled, “Why??”

 

It chronicles my journey from my small-town upbringing (cue John Mellencamp’s “Small Town.”) to residing in the big city…

 

Dayton.

 

First, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of your for your support and kind words of encouragement for my first article. I must say, I was a bit humbled… And now, here I sit, poised in front of my laptop, equally as humbled to have been asked to write a follow-up piece. (Thanks Lisa Grigsby!)

 

So… I know how this works… I am well aware of the failure rate when most bands release their sophomore album. Alanis Morisette’s first album “Jagged Little Pill sold 33 MILLION copies and won FOUR Grammys including Best Album in 1996. The song, “You Oughta Know” was an empowering anthem for jilted women, worldwide!

 

But can you name her second album? (Without turning to Google!)

 

Her subsequent SEVEN records haven’t sold but 27,000,000 copies COMBINED.

 

A similar phenomenon is true in the movie industry for movie sequels. (Have you seen “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”)?

 

Not that I am comparing my article to any blockbuster or hit record. I’m merely speaking to the pressure I felt when asked about writing a follow-up.

 

the ultimate comb over 1153

So, here goes…

 

I think my favorite comment to my last article is that I am “giving Dayton a comb over.”

 

Lefty Enderson then went on to compare me to Bruce Willis in “Last Man Standing!” (I had never been compared to a drifting gun-slinger-for-hire… until now!) Lefty ended our friendly exchange with “Good luck to you Scott, Dayton needs someone with your enthusiasm!”

 

Thanks Lefty!

 

I know there are a lot of people out there who love our city!

haters_gonna_hate_bumper_sticker-r96a2bd7452b64d50b029e7f376c4188c_v9wht_8byvr_512

 

And there are more than a few haters, too.
There is a current saying, “Haters gonna hate.”

 

I very much believe you will find whatever you’re looking for, wherever you go. Sure, the Miami Valley is also known as “Sinus Valley.” (Well, at least we are not known as “Mistake on the lake,” as is Cleveland!) Ok, ok… In a unified show of bilateral support, let’s all proclaim it together… Cleveland ROCKS!

 

failing-gradesI guess we can all take solace that we are not living in the city of Detroit… Which JUST filed for bankruptcy this past week.

 

But that’s just rationalization. If we feel better simply because some other city is in worse shape than we are in, that’s not optimism. That’s like being happy with the C you got on a test simply because someone else got a D. It’s like saying, “Things could always be worse.” Or,  “At least I didn’t fail.”

 

It always amazes me up when I ask someone “How are you doing?” and they respond with, “Well… I’m above ground!”

 

Wow… that’s setting the bar pretty low.

 

Is that how you want to feel about our city? “Well, it could be worse. We could be living in Detroit!”

 

I’m sorry, I am not happy with simply being “not dead.” Simply being above ground is not good enough for me.

 

cup_runneth_over

My cup runneth over!

I want to change how people perceive our city. I want people to begin thinking and speaking differently about our city. I want people to stop running Dayton into the ground, to stop complaining… and stop seeing the glass as half-empty and start seeing it as half-full!

 

If we have to start somewhere, let’s start right there! That’s at least a step in the right direction.

 

Watching the local news you’d think there are shootings almost daily. That’s it’s not safe to leave your home! That you better watch your back! It’s not safe out there…

 

fsg-crime-scene-response-unit-01I have actually talked to people who won’t come downtown. Seriously? Have you ever visited a major city like Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Houston or Atlanta? How about Indianapolis or Columbus? Every city has its issues with crime, unemployment and trying to keep kids in school. Every city has its parts of town that no one wants to venture into after dark. Or perhaps even during daylight hours!

 

But I’m telling you, if you NEVER venture downtown, you are missing out!

 

For instance, on the First Friday in July, there was an amazing Food Truck Rally across from Gilly’s and the Dayton/Montgomery County Convention & Visitors Bureau at 200 Jefferson Street (back in the day it was Elbows, and more recently Sa-Bai restaurant.) Fifteen-ish food trucks offered up everything from Asparagus Fries to Zombie Dogz! The place was hopping! Seeing a couple thousand people munching and mingling made my heart go pitter-patter! I thought to myself, “This is happening right here in Dayton! And so many people are missing out on this!”

4020793_pQf830IfdDwe7xL6euBdI4DuVFFqG3DcwWc_KJqhf8A

I recently chatted with Connie Post, one of Cox Media’s “Dining Divas.” We ended up talking about all the great restaurants around town. Many are locally owned and operated and focus on utilizing locally grown, fresh produce. Olive, an Urban Dive is a prime example of one such restaurant. (Love their motto: “We chase chickens, when we say free range…. we mean it.”) We also agreed that Sunrise Café in Yellow Springs is a shared favorite of ours. And our list got longer as we talked. “Have you tried Roost yet?” “What about Lucky’s Taproom and Eatery?” “What do you think of the new Coco’s location?” “Ever been to Press coffee on Wayne (voted, by the way, one of the nation’s TOP TEN Coolest Coffee Houses by Zagat!) or Ghostlight Coffee?” (The place in South Park to hang out and get a little work done.)

 

Look, I gain nothing from writing this. I’m just a regular guy. But I Love Dayton! I have never gotten a free anything for all my years of promoting all the restaurants, festivals and events. (Perhaps I have garnered a little good will here and there…)

 

A famous playwright once said, “I hear you say “Why?” Always “Why?” You see things; and you say “Why?” But I dream things that never were; and I say “Why not?” My high school teacher, Mr. Wellbaum first introduced me to that quote. I have never forgotten it. I even dared to adopt it as my own. He also drilled into me, “It’s amazing what one can do, when one puts ones mind to it.”

 

What if…

 

What if every person in Dayton talked about his or her favorite breakfast spot on their Facebook page? I already know many that would top the list of favorites! Butter Café, and Tank’s are two of my faves! And don’t forget about a true east Dayton classic, Bunnie’s Hasty Tasty on Linden Ave! (Forget about the Bob Evans and Cracker Barrels. I’m talking LOCAL, here.)

jetsetz-cheap-dayton-ohio-travel-deals_1

What if everyone posted pics of their favorite Dayton landmarks Carillon Bells, Wright Brothers monument, Five Rivers MetroParks fountains, Fifth Third Field (aka Dragon’s stadium.)

What if everyone posted about what they LOVE about our city? What if those of us who frequent Dayton invited our friends to join us at our favorite spot downtown sometime? What if everyone stepped up and got involved and began serving our city? What if everyone gave a little bit of their time and their resources to better our community?

What if all parents actually got involved in our schools? What if everyone just quit complaining and actually did something to make Dayton a better place?

 

What if…

 

2“You, you may say I’m a dreamer,

but I’m not the only one.

I hope some day you’ll join us…

And the world will live as one.”

John Lennon

 

 

 

 

 

Why??

By 30 Comments

8e767afe23024f80ecfb9a925b0efb30Why??

I have been asked that question a hundred times. “Why would you sell your house in Beavercreek and move to Dayton?”

I have been around Dayton for most of my life. I grew up in Eaton, just 25 miles west of Dayton. I attended the Montgomery County Join Vocational School (now Miami Valley Career Technology Center) my junior and senior years of high school. Then off to the big city I went, to attend the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, where I earned my degree in Visual Communication.

 

Soon after graduation, I landed my first ad agency job at Flynn/Sabatino located at Fourth and Ludlow Streets in downtown Dayton. My first apartment was on Grafton Ave., just across the river. I remember running into one of my high school buddies during that time. He asked what I had been up to. When I told him I was working at an ad agency in Dayton, he responded with, “Oh… Hit the big-time, eh?”

 

I literally laughed out loud.

 

tumblr_lif3hwxMDQ1qa37rzo1_1280

Times Square circa 1985

After two years I quit my job, sold everything and moved to New York City. I had a friend that had moved there after college.

 

Most would agree that I had a pretty charmed agency career. I was hired as an art director at Bozell Jacobs just a few days after I moved to the city, where I was assigned toMerrill-Lynch and Holiday Inn accounts. I also met my wife Bonnie there. She was from upstate New York, but had migrated to the city to attend Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, earning her BFA with a Minor in Art Education.

 

I remember people assuming that because I was from Ohio that I must have grown up on a farm. My standard answer was, (with the blankest expression I could muster up) “My dad was a State Farm agent… we lived in town… but I did milk a cow once on a field trip in the third grade.”

 

I know they viewed me as this helpless kid from the middle of nowhere. (Often referred to in the city as “fly-over!” (New York, L.A., maybe Chicago. Everything else you just fly over.) I was 22.

 

167511_10150364949790613_1407765_n

With my bride Bonnie, May 24, 1986 in New York, NY.

After a year and a half in New York City I was offered a position at an agency back in Dayton. (Back then I used to say I had been exiled to Dayton.) I had married and my wife we were expecting our first child.

 

What all those New Yorkers didn’t realize was that I considered myself to be the George Baily of my hometown. (Jimmy Stewart’s character from “It’s a Wonderful Life.) “I’m shakin’ the dust of this crummy little town off my feet and I’m gonna see the world!”

 

By the time I was in high school I was telling people I was from Dayton. Who had ever heard of Eaton, Ohio?

 

As a child I can still remember riding into Dayton and the thrill of seeing the I-75/35 interchange! All those layers of overpasses climbing higher and higher! I remember my grandfather telling me stories of helping with the recovery effort from the flood of 1913. My mom grew up on Cleveland Ave. in Dayton, just off Smithville. She graduated from Patterson Co-op. My older sister got a job at Wright Patterson Air Force Base after high school and married a guy from Old North Dayton who attended grade school at Our Lady of the Rosary.

 

Obviously our family always had one foot in Eaton, one foot in Dayton. My orthodontist’s office was on Salem Ave.! After bouncing around from city to city (Cincinnati, Tipp City, Brookville, Beavercreek), we find ourselves in a new season of life. We are officially “empty nesters.”

 

3½ years ago we had this idea… to sell our house in Beavercreek and return to our urban roots. (Granted, Dayton is not Manhattan, but it is our home… And it’s the hub of this region.) Our youngest daughter still had one year left of high school, and plans to wed the following summer. And we had a house to sell.

 

We spent the next 3½ years heading down this path. We weren’t all that interested in McPherson Town, Oregon District  or South Park. All great options, but we wanted to live right downtown. In November of 2012 we sold our home. $20,000.00 in repairs and upgrades over two years, and six months on the market. And we had to take $6,000.00 to the closing table. (Obviously we were really committed to this idea.)

 

IMG_4655

Our home at FirstPlace

Once it sold, we were faced with, “What do we do now?”

Our dream has been to purchase a building downtown and renovate it into a really cool loft apartment. But it became painfully obvious that wasn’t going to happen in any reasonable timeframe. So, after crashing at my sister’s house behind the Art Institute for a few months, we elected to settle into an apartment at FirstPlace on West First Street and give ourselves a chance to catch our breath.

 

We love living downtown.

 

I remember the exact place and time when I felt the coin drop and I realized I really do love Dayton… Driving through downtown on I-75 about to merge onto 35. (At that time the Reynolds and Reynolds clock tower was still at that location.) I turned to my friend and began talking about how much I love Dayton and how there are so many people in need and how our city needs revived!

IMG_6926

The western view from my window

 

 

We now have front-row seats for the I-75 construction through downtown! It’s active with over 90,000 cars passing by each day. We get to watch the weather roll in, and the sun set every night from our 7th floor domicile! I can tell you every time there’s a Dragon’s home game, or when the Life Flight takes off from Miami Valley Hospital. We have discovered some great places to eat, and they aren’t all on Fifth or Brown Streets. (Tank’s, Coco’s and Olive to name a few.) We love walking around RiverScape! Especially when the fountains are turned on!

 

Sure, Dayton pretty much shuts down early in the evening unless there is an event at the Schuster Center or Victoria Theater… But those events happen pretty frequently! In the few months we have lived downtown, Shrek the Musical, the Addams Family and Mary Poppins have come to town. Not to mention Rock of Ages, Dreamgirls and Myth Busters-Behind the Myths! On the first Friday of every month there is a FirstFriday Art Hop, and in the spring and fall, Urban Nights. Countless festivals and other events at Courthouse Square sprinkle the calendar.

 

I could go on, but you get the idea.

 

Again, Dayton isn’t Manhattan… I get that. I also get that some of my urbanite friends poo-poo places like the Greene. I understand that when some refer to Dayton, it’s boundary-specific. But I’m not one of those people. I love all that this region offers. (Did you know seven counties border Montgomery County?)

 

I love that Dayton holds a major league record for consecutive sell-outs (Dragons/Fifth-Third Field.) I love that Dayton holds more patents per capita than any other city in the country! I love that Dayton topped the list of “Happiest City to Work In” by Forbes in 2012! I love that when President Obama wanted to take the British Prime Minister to a basketball game, they came to Dayton’s own U.D. Arena! I love that we are home to the National Museum of the United States Air Force! (Even though we didn’t get one of the retiring space shuttles… I’m still bitter about that!) Did you know that Martin Sheen recently stopped by the Foodbank? I could go on…

 

I would be amiss if I failed to mention the Wright brothers in this diatribe.

 

And, have you seen the new 50+ million dollar GE Aviation Research facility being built near U.D.?

IMG_9550

The view at sunset from our highrise.

 

Yes, I am well aware most of our automotive industry dried up and blew to Mexico. I realize that our only remaining Fortune 500 Company (NCR) moved to Atlanta, GA. Such is life. At the time, it felt like the final nail in the coffin.

 

But I am so tired of hearing people say, “Dayton is dying.” Dayton is NOT dying. It is reviving. There are signs of life everywhere you look. Dayton is no different than any other small-to-mid-sized-city in the U.S. Most cities like Dayton are struggling to keep businesses alive and keep kids in school. Most inner cities are constantly fighting crime or the perception of being unsafe. Many businesses relocate to more suburban areas. I get that… I do.

 

But there is a movement abroad to see Dayton flourish again. To see Dayton become the innovative city for which it once was known. We have some great up-and-coming young leaders in our community via Generation Dayton.

 

You may not love Dayton the way I do, but I would challenge you to step outside your comfort zone a bit and give Dayton a chance. Take in a show at the Schuster or take a stroll though any of the amazing Five Rivers MetroParks scattered across the Miami Valley. Come downtown on a Friday or Saturday night. Or better yet, stop by the PNC Second Street Market on a Saturday morning. You may be pleasantly surprised!

 

And, maybe… just maybe… you’ll love Dayton, too!

 

@ScottSliver (Sly-ver)

The voice of I Love Dayton! on Facebook. Executive Director of The Hope Foundation of Greater Dayton. Pastor at the Vineyard Church in Beavercreek. New media enthusiast with a degree in visual communication. http://hope4dayton.com [email protected]