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Dayton History

Route 66: A Celebration of the Mother Road

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Wright Library welcomes the Victor Samalot Duo performing “The Mother Road: A Celebration of Route 66” to kick off the Summer Reading Challenge and honor both the America 250 and the 100th anniversary of Route 66.

Get your kicks through essential road music, visuals and backstories of one of America’s most iconic highways – Route 66. Learn the rich history, cultural impact, the kitschy cool nostalgia, plus must-do travel tips along the way. This performance is sure to entertain and inspire reading lists, play-lists and perhaps spark your “bucket list” road trip!

Victor Samalot, Cleveland-born guitarist, fuses Latin grooves, jazz sophistication, and a rock edge into a vibrant world-fusion sound. His work has earned radio airplay locally and worldwide, along with press coverage from All About Jazz, JazzReviews.com, 20th Century Guitar, Progression Magazine, and more.

Bobbi Holt is a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist from Cleveland Ohio. She is returning to the stage with her long-time collaborator adding bass guitar to Victor’s organic rhythmic vibe.

This free event is appropriate for all ages and made possible by the Wright Library Foundation.

50 Years without Natalie Clifford Barney: A Celebration of Life, Art, & Friendship

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Natalie Clifford Barney

50 Years without Natalie Clifford Barney. Come celebrate her remarkable life in the place of her birth, Dayton, Ohio!

You’re invited to join us on Wed, Feb 2nd from 12-12:30pm to celebrate and honor the incredible life of Natalie Clifford Barney, a Daytonian ahead of her time. We will gather at her Ohio Historical Marker (the first in the state to recognize and acknowledge a famous Ohioan for their contributions to LGBTQ+ arts, culture, and history). This is a free, outdoor event.
 
It’s been 50 years since her death. As they remember her in Paris, her adopted home, they’ve invited us to honor her here in Dayton too. Professor Samuel Dorf (UD), author of a Natalie Clifford Barney biography Performing Antiquity is arranging this event with help from Libby Ballengee and others. We’re planning to read poetry and remember this amazing lady.
 

Natalie Clifford Barney

When? Wed, Feb 2nd from 12-12:30pm
Where? Natalie Clifford Barney Historic Marker, 31 S St Clair St, Dayton, OH 45402. *This is an outdoor event* at Natalie’s historic marker by the Main Branch of the Dayton Library in Cooper Park.

 

Street Names of Dayton: Home Avenue

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HOME AVENUE, once known as KING AVENUE until 1895, is named for William King.

William King was the son of Victor and Jane (Moffit) King born in Tyrone Township, York County, now Adams County, Pennsylvania. He served as a Private in the Revolutionary War from his home state and afterwards moved to Georgetown, Scott County, Kentucky in 1789. Because of his views on slavery, he moved his family to Dayton in 1799 and arrived in town with just one dollar in his pocket. He found few houses in the newly settled village so he and his family lived in their wagon until he could build them a log cabin to live in. In 1801, Mr. King and his wife Nancy purchased 500 acres of land in the Harrison Township area. He then purchased 1,160 acres which he sold in exchange for his payment. By this method, he was able to have his land paid off by 1807 with full title.

Mr. King then moved two miles west of the Miami River to the area of what would become Western Avenue* and Home Avenue. Mr. King took out a license in 1811 to run a ferry over the Miami River charging a man and his horse a fee of 12 ½ cents. He was a member of the Moral Society of Dayton in 1818, and was a Clerk and Elder in the First Presbyterian Church of Dayton, of which he was one of the original members. In January 1819, he became a member of a corporation that operated a toll bridge which crossed the Miami River at Bridge Street until it was washed away in 1852. In 1829, he was moderator of the Dayton Temperance Society.  In 1830, Mr. King sold most of his large estate of 395 acres.

Mr. King married his wife Nancy Waugh on April 2, 1787 in Tyrone Township, Adams County, Pennsylvania. Nancy died on June 30, 1839 at the age of 67 and was buried at the Presbyterian grave yard on Fifth Street, as Woodland Cemetery had not yet been established. She received her final interment at Woodland on September 20, 1864.

William King was born January 3, 1764 and died September 19, 1863 in Dayton, Ohio, at the age of 99 years. He lived longed enough to hear that Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation that proclaimed that all slaves be freed by January 1, 1863.

There are eight King Family members buried side by side in Section 82 Lot 403 in Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum.

*Note: James H. McGee Blvd. was formerly known as Western Avenue.

Woodland Cemetery, founded in 1841, is one of the nation’s oldest rural garden cemeteries and a unique cultural, botanical and educational resource in the heart of Dayton, Ohio. Visit the cemetery and arboretum and take one of the many tours Woodland offers free of charge. Most of Dayton’s aviation heroes, inventors and business barons are buried at Woodland.

Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum is located at 118 Woodland Avenue off of Brown Street near the University of Dayton Campus. The Woodland Office is open Monday through Friday 8 am to 5 pm and Saturday 8 am to 12 pm. The Cemetery and Arboretum are open daily from 8 am to 6 pm and until 7 pm during Daylight Saving Time. The Mausoleum is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm. For more information, call 937-228-3221 or visit the Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum website.

History & Halloween combine at Huffman’s Spooky Tour

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If you’ve ever driven or taken a stroll down Linden Avenue in the Huffman Historic District, you may have been struck by the beauty of the tunnel of oak and linden trees that create a continuous canopy overhead. Or perhaps you were too distracted by the stately collection of Queen Anne, Italianate, and Eastlake Victorian homes. Especially in the fall, there’s a certain magic in the air in Huffman when jack-o-lanterns grace front porch steps and the leaves of the tree canopy transition to autumn colors.

This October 12th and 13th, that magic will be alive and well when the Huffman Historic Neighborhood Association puts on their biannual, guided home tour, “The Spirit of Huffman.” The Spirit of Huffman home tour’s tagline is, “Where Halloween and History Collide,” and, indeed it’s true, when the outing offers tour goers a visual feast of Halloween decorations and entertainment dispersed among the Victorian homes.

Participants of the home tour will be guided through the neighborhood, established in the 1860s through the 1890s  by William P. Huffman, stopping to tour nine unique homes: one totally renovated house, a home bought through auction, homes renovated through Rehabarama, one home that housed the neighborhood post office, and two houses that were doctor’s offices. They will encounter an extensive collection of Halloween decorations, marble mantles, one-of-a-kind woodwork, bay windows, original hitching posts for horses, original carriage houses, carpenter’s lace, fretwork, corbels, towers,  and curved-glass windows. Along the way, they’ll take note of Dayton’s first brick school house, two beautiful Victorian churches with active congregations, and an old market that is looking at a second life. They’ll hear about the importance of the community’s connection to the country’s largest manufacturer of bicycles.

Each time The Spirit of Huffman Tour is presented, visitors are entertained. In addition to being a tour of today’s homes, this is an energized evening walk through time.  Expect to meet up with Huffman residents of a century ago who are scheduled to make an historic return engagement this year – just in time to make the past live again.  Visitors are advised: It is likely you will be transported beyond the Victorian architecture you are coming to see. Come prepared for several “Close Encounters of the Huffman Kind” as they pull back the curtain on time, revealing William Huffman’s new dream for a diverse community of bankers, laborers, shopkeepers, and street vendors at a moment when it is all so exciting and new.  When you come, be sure to listen carefully. The winds of change are rustling through the prairie grasses outside the city. It is 1870 and thanks to one man’s vision, Huffman Prairie is about to transform into the vibrant “Inner East” of Dayton.

Tickets are on sale now! To learn more about the Spirit of Huffman Tour please visit their website at www.SpiritofHuffman.com, or contact [email protected]

A special thank you to sponsors DK Effects, LinkDayton, Blackbox Improv, Dayton Most Metro, St. Anne the Tart, Gem City Podcast and our great neighborhood of volunteers helping to keep the Spirit of Huffman alive.

How to Go?

When: October 12 and 13, 2018

Where: Huffman Historic District – 19 Linden Avenue, Dayton, OH 45403

Tickets: $18

buy online here

Note: This tour is not recommended for children under the age of 12.

What are my transportation/parking options for getting to and from the event?

Once you arrive for the tour signs and guides will help to find parking.

What can I bring into the event?

This event is rain or shine. Please come prepared with umbrellas and/or ponchos in the event of rain. We will have flashlights to share but are limited. Feel free to bring your own.

Luminaries of Dayton: John F. Edgar

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John F. Edgar was born October 19, 1814 on the farm that Robert, his father, had established in 1811, on the hills east of Wayne Avenue in Dayton. John received his formal education mostly on his father’s farm and the “Old Red Schoolhouse,” the former tavern of William VanCleve. Mr. Edgar lost his appeal for farming and eventually turned to the trade practiced earlier by his father, that of building contracting. His father helped provide him with all the secrets of the trade and by the year of 1832, he became a sole agent, becoming extremely successful at his craft. In 1838, because of his building contracts, he worked on railroad and turnpike construction projects and soon became an incorporator and secretary of the Dayton-Springfield Turnpike. By 1842, he was one of the organizers of the Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad and was appointed superintendent. John F. Edgar was an original subscriber to the 1841 Woodland Cemetery Association.

About the time of the Civil War, Mr. Edgar left the construction business and opened a family grocery on Main Street.  It was while conducting business and conversing with the various citizens that he was able to learn firsthand accounts from those directly involved with the city’s development. He soon became so apt in his knowledge of local history that he was considered by many as the official historian and received much acclaim. His history book, “Pioneering Life in Dayton & Vicinity,” was published and available when the Centennial of Dayton was observed for one week, beginning on September 14, 1896. Needless to say, it met with instant success. Today his work is still being read and borrowed from by so many of us who are caught up in the study of our city’s history.

John Farris Edgar died on August 15, 1905 at the age of 90. He is located in Sec 57 Lot 44.

Woodland Cemetery, founded in 1841, is one of the nation’s oldest rural garden cemeteries and a unique cultural, botanical and educational resource in the heart of Dayton, Ohio. Visit the cemetery and arboretum and take one of the many tours Woodland offers free of charge. Most of Dayton’s aviation heroes, inventors and business barons are buried at Woodland.

Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum is located at 118 Woodland Avenue off of Brown Street near the University of Dayton Campus. The Woodland Office is open Monday through Friday 8 am to 5 pm and Saturday 8 am to 12 pm. The Cemetery and Arboretum are open daily from 8 am to 6 pm. The Mausoleum is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm. For more information, call 937-228-3221 or visit the Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum website.

Luminaries of Dayton: Daniel C. Cooper

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What if Dayton had been named Cooperstown?

Seventeen days after the Treaty of Greenville, Judge Cleves Symmes of New Jersey, sold the seventh and eight ranges of his vast land holdings, between the Great Miami and Mad Rivers on one side and the little Miami on the other to Governor Arthur St. Clair, General Jonathan Dayton, General James Wilkinson, and Colonel Israel Ludlow. Jonathan Dayton was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence but he never saw or visited his name-sake city. Gen. St. Clair employed Benjamin VanCleve and Daniel C. Cooper, a surveyor, to be their agent. Cooper blazed the trail from Fort Hamilton up the east bank of the Miami River to the mouth of the Mad River. The next expedition was conducted personally by Colonel Ludlow on November 4, 1795.

During the winter of 1795, forty six men in Cincinnati agreed to settle in the new town but when the time came, only nineteen responded. William Hamer and George Newcom were in charge of the two overland parties, which would follow the trail laid out previously by Cooper. Newcom’s party, walked the distance of 55 miles, taking two weeks to make the journey. The Samuel Thompson party made the journey in ten days, by pirogue. Benjamin VanCleve was one that helped propel the boat. It was a long narrow boat which had boards running along each side which walked those who would propel the boat. They would hold their poles against the bottom of the river near the head of the boat and bringing the ends of the poles to their shoulders and then walked slowly down the running board to the stern, returning at a quick pace to the bow for a new set. VanCleve, who surveyed with Daniel Cooper, was so impressed with the Dayton area, that it was his enthusiasm which enticed the settlers to make the journey.

Newcom’s Tavern was the first cabin erected, and soon the town was well under way, but trouble soon erupted in 1800, and the town nearly folded. Judge Cleves Symmes had not made good on his government land contract. The U. S. Government decided to increase their demand for payment from the original 68 cents per acre to 2 dollars per acre. Some of the Dayton settlers left town in disgust. In 1802, only five families remained in Dayton.

Cooper Female Academy

It was Daniel C. Cooper who came to the aid of the settlers. Most of all it was Cooper’s utmost faith in Dayton which moved him to action. Therefore a petition from his own hand was dispatched to Congress telling them what a hard time the Dayton people were having, how faithfully they had worked and how cruel it would be to dispossess them after such a good start. Cooper then took over on his own responsibility the title risk and bought outright from each settler his holdings, until practically the whole of Dayton was his. Because of Cooper’s generosity, the town was forever free of invalid titles and all future arrivals had their titles secured. Cooper donated land areas for churches, schools and businesses and even two cemeteries.

Daniel Cooper was the first surveyor, he also donated the land for the first graveyard located at Third and Main streets in 1805 and again donated land about 10 years later to establish the Fifth Street Graveyard located between Ludlow and Wilkinson streets. It was at his mill in 1799, that the first death was recorded, that of John Davis, and due to the death of Mr. Davis, the first fire department was established. Mr. Cooper also had the first distillery which was located on his farm in 1799, and he ran the first carriage in 1817.

“In no way did Daniel Cooper confer a greater benefit upon his town,” wrote Robert W. Steele in his history, “than by inducing a number of men of

superior education, character and business capacity to come here from his native New Jersey and other places between 1804 and 1808.” Charles Russell Greene, Joseph Pierce and Horatio Gates Phillips were among those men.

From the Roz Young series of articles written about Cooper and published in the Dayton Daily News in 1994, she writes:

On the morning of July 13, 1818, Phillips walked to Cooper’s house. “The church bell was delivered to my place this morning,” he said.
Cooper looked at his pocket watch. “There’s time to take it to the church before lunch,” he told Phillips. “I’ll pick it up directly.”

He fetched a wheelbarrow from his barn and pushed it to the store on the southeast corner of Second and Main. He set the wheelbarrow down by the bell where it rested on the gravel street. It never occurred to him to ask Phillips to help him load the bell on the wagon. It was heavy, and he tugged and pulled and strained to hoist it into the barrow. The veins on his forehead head stood out as the blood rushed through them as he struggled. Finally with the bell in the wheelbarrow, he started for the church.

He started down Second Street, but before he had gone very far, his hands lost their grasp on the barrow handles and he fell over in the street.

Daniel Cooper was dead. A blood vessel in his brain had burst.

When he died, Cooper was 45, the leading citizen of Dayton. He had a beautiful wife and a 6-year-old son. He had recently begun building a new home, which was planned to be the most imposing, elegant house in Dayton.

His death stunned the community.

Of all the land that Cooper gave to the city, only the plot he gave “for a public walk forever” still remains. The Montgomery County Public Library was built on the land, and for a few years the surrounding area was called Library Park. But finally the city fathers passed a resolution that it should be called Cooper Park.

Cooper Park Historical Marker

Near the rear entrance of the library the Montgomery County Historical Society erected a marker in 1974, which reads:

Cooper Park

Daniel C. Cooper (1773-1818) perhaps more than any other deserves to be called the founder of Dayton. A surveyor with Israel Ludlow, Cooper settled in Dayton in the summer of 1796 and became the titular owner of the town when the original proprietors defaulted. He platted the city, laying out broad streets “four poles wide” and built most of the early mills. Cooper served as Dayton’s first justice of the peace and as a member of the state legislature. He donated ground for a graveyard, lots for churches, schools and public buildings, as well as the land for this park.

Daniel Cooper died on July 13, 1818. He was the 28th interment at Woodland Cemetery having been removed from the old 5th Street Cemetery to Woodland on May 4, 1844. He is located in Section 55 Lot 1.

July 13, 2018 marks the 200th Anniversary of the death of Daniel Cooper. We hope you will come out to pay a visit to the “Father of Dayton” and thank him for putting the Gem City on the map.

Cox Foundation donates $1 Million to Woodland Arboretum Foundation

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The James M. Cox Foundation Donates $1 Million to Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum’s Historic Chapel Restoration and Preservation Project

Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum announced that it has received a $1 million challenge grant from the James M. Cox Foundation. The grant is part of the organization’s capital campaign, which is raising funds for the restoration and preservation of three historic structures on the cemetery property. These 130-year old structures are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the cemetery, itself, is listed as a National Historic District by the U. S. Department of the Interior.

“We were more than thrilled when The James M. Cox Foundation offered us a challenge grant of $1 million toward our capital campaign,” said Tony Huffman, board member and campaign chair of Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum. “It was a unique opportunity and one that we were so happy to have received. This generous lead gift will allow us to begin, immediately, the process of restoration and preservation of the historic Woodland Chapel, Gates and Administration Building that were built in 1887.”

“Within six months, we exceeded the $1 million goal for matching, meeting the challenge terms of the grant” said Huffman.

The Cemetery board approved a multi-phase capital campaign; phase one is for $3.5 million and will ensure the complete restoration and preservation of the historic Chapel, front gates and administration building. The Chapel houses a one-of-a-kind Tiffany hand-cut tiled floor, seventeen Tiffany windows and painted Tiffany frescoes on the walls. The Chapel also has original woodwork cut and installed by the Barney and Smith Car Company from Dayton.

Sean O’Regan, president and CEO of Woodland, said, “Phase two of the capital campaign will allow the Cemetery to honor its commitment to preserve and promote the treasures and heritage of Woodland via an endowment for perpetual maintenance and care of 10 historical buildings on site.”

The James M. Cox Foundation has ties to Woodland Cemetery as the namesake of the Foundation is buried there. James M. Cox, three-term Governor of Ohio and 1920 Democratic candidate for President, is located just steps from other Dayton notables such as Col. Edward A. Deeds, Loren M. Berry, John H. Patterson, Charles F. Kettering and the Wright Brothers.

Cox Enterprises was founded in Dayton in 1898 when James M. Cox purchased the Dayton Evening News (now the Dayton Daily News). Through Cox Media Group, the company also operates WHIO Ch. 7, WHIO Radio News, 95.7 and AM 2910, K99.1 FM (WHKO) and 95.3 TheEagle (WZLR) in Dayton.

“Woodland Cemetery and its unique grounds are historically significant for Dayton,” said Rob Rohr, Cox Media Group Ohio’s market vice president. “Woodland is a place where we can celebrate the lives of people who made their mark on our community. The James M. Cox Foundation and Cox Media Group Ohio are proud to join other members of the community to protect and invest in Woodland Cemetery.”

“Woodland is such a unique place in Dayton,” said O’Regan, a transplant from Boston, “here you can enter a beautiful and serene environment in the heart of downtown, take a walk among a vibrant and long-established arboretum, explore an outdoor museum and learn the history of the men and women who invented many of today’s most modern innovations: powered flight, the electric car starter, the cash register and let’s not forget Cheez-its.”

The Woodland Arboretum Foundation continues to seek donations from the community and the families of those resting peacefully at Woodland Cemetery. “We are confident that the Dayton community will come together to save these important historic buildings that grace the entrance of our 175-year-old cemetery,” said Huffman.

More information about the cemetery and the campaign to restore the historic buildings and how to give your support for the project can be found at Woodland’s website at woodlandcemetery.org.

About Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum
Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum sits in the heart of downtown Dayton on over 200 verdant acres of rolling hills with over 3000 trees on the property. This historic cemetery, founded in 1841, welcomes thousands of visitors who tour the grounds each year to visit the grave sites of inventors of powered flight, Wilbur and Orville Wright; poet Paul Laurence Dunbar; Matilda and Levi Stanley, Queen and King of the Gypsies; writer Erma Bombeck; Gov. James M. Cox; inventor Charles F. Kettering; and entrepreneurs John H. Patterson (NCR); George P. Huffman (Huffy Bicycles); and George Mead (Mead Paper Co.).

About The James M. Cox Foundation
The James M. Cox Foundation is named in honor of Cox Enterprises’ founder and provides funding for capital campaigns and special projects in communities where the company operates. The Foundation concentrates its community support in several areas, including: conservation and environment; early childhood education; empowering families and individuals for success; and health.

For further information please contact: Angie Hoschouer, Woodland Arboretum Foundation, [email protected]; and/or Elizabeth Olmstead, James M. Cox Foundation, [email protected].

Dayton Ballet & DCDC Volunteers Duel Behind the Bar!

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Dayton is renowned for it’s incredible legacy in the history of American dance. In 1927, The Schwarz School of Dance (now Dayton Ballet School) was opened in Dayton, by the gifted Schwarz sisters, who returned home after performing professionally around the world. Ten years later, the sisters created “The Experimental Group for Young Dancers,” and staged a performance at the Dayton Art Institute. This was the first performance of what is now the Dayton Ballet, the second oldest regional ballet company in the US.

The Schwarz sisters instructed another pioneer of dance, Jeraldyne Blunden. In 1968, Jeraldyen went on to create her own school, Jeraldyne’s School of Dance. A few years later, she established the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, the first modern dance company in Ohio. The company regularly performs in Dayton, and around the world, including an upcoming trip to Russia and Kazakhstan next May as part of Dance Motion USA, a cultural diplomacy program organized by the U.S. Department of State and the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

These incredible achievements and milestones are being celebrated with style over the next year or two. The Dayton Ballet celebrates it’s 80th Season, and next year DCDC hits their 50th Birthday! Volunteers from the Dayton Ballet Barre and DCDC Ambassadors are joining forces Tuesday, September 5th, 2017 at Brixx Ice Company to kickoff these spectacular seasons! They’ll be slinging drinks as dueling bartenders, and might even have a dance off or two!

Enjoy commradere, drink specials, and a fun way to support these historic arts organizations. Best of all – there will be random ticket giveaways for the exciting up-coming seasons! There will also be ticket discounts available to anyone interested. Tickets to these outstanding artistic events are perfect for date nights, girls nights, and gifts!

How to Go?

Dayton Ballet Barre & DCDC Ambassadors

Dueling Bartenders / 2017-2018 Season Kickoff!

Tuesday, September 5th, 2017 from 6pm-8pm

Brixx Ice Company – 500 E 1st Dayton, OH

 

Luminaries of Dayton: John Doren

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John Doren was born in Athens, Tennessee in 1834. Early on he displayed marked journalistic ability, and at nineteen years of age, under Gov. Samuel Medary’s leadership, became managing editor of the Ohio Statesman. In 1857, he was made official reporter of the Ohio House of Representatives, and in 1861 received the appointment as private secretary to Secretary of the Treasury, Salmon P. Chase, in Washington, D. C., in the cabinet of Abraham Lincoln. He graduated from the Cincinnati Law School in 1865, and that same year he succeeded G. M. D. Bloss as editor of the Cincinnati Inquirer, a position which he retained until shortly before he became a resident in Dayton in 1870. He then became Editor and Owner of the Dayton Daily Democrat, the predecessor of the Daily News.

John Doren died on March 8, 1916. He is located in Section 101 Lot 1724.

Woodland Cemetery, founded in 1841, is one of the nation’s five oldest rural garden cemeteries and a unique cultural, botanical and educational resource in the heart of Dayton, Ohio as you will see as you read through this new MostMetro.com series. Visit the cemetery and arboretum and take one of the many tours Woodland offers free of charge. Most of Dayton’s aviation heroes, inventors and business barons are buried at Woodland.

Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum is located at 118 Woodland Avenue off of Brown Street near the UD Campus. The Woodland Office is open Monday through Friday 8 am to 5 pm and Saturday 8 am to 12 pm. The Cemetery and Arboretum are open daily from 8 am to 6 pm. The Mausoleum is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm. For more information, call 937-228-3221 or visit the Woodland website.

Guest Post: Ego, Power & Greed

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How Dayton History coopted the GermanFest Picnic

Enjoying the beer, food, music and fun at the German Picnic in 2004. Photo by Theresa Gasper No clue who the people are!

How else do you describe the actions of the President & CEO of a venue that has been home to a festival for more than 30 years.

With no phone call, no advance notice, no hint as to the park’s intent to host its own 10 day event on the dates the GermanFest has used every year (the second weekend of August) for 33 years, the Dayton Liederkranz Turner’s picnic chair literally received a “Dear John” letter.

Full disclosure: My mother, Wanda Wiedman, started the German Picnic 34 years ago. It has grown into one of the area’s premier festivals and is typically thought of as the kick off to festival season. With the exception of a couple of years at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds, it has always been at Carillon Park. The first year there were 400 people, recent years have probably been closer to 50–75,000. The crowds are always huge when the Clydesdales are in town.

The crowd checking out the Clydesdales at the 2011 GermanFest Picnic in Carillon Park.
Volunteers frying up Trudy’s Schnizel.

I cannot begin to count how many schnitzel I fried, volunteers I recruited, beers I drank, tables I broke down (not because of the beer, but as part of the clean up), etc over the years, but it doesn’t begin to compare to all the work done by people like my mother, John, the Sagassers, Trudy and countless others. Many of the volunteers have worked every one of the 33 years and are now in their 80s or beyond.

Three generations of my family enjoying the picnic in 2011.

And Carillon Park benefited nicely from the arrangement with electrical upgrades, as well as a lot of foot traffic and exposure. For as long as I can remember, the German Picnic attendance numbers were included in the park’s attendance numbers and helped them receive many grants over the years.

The festival is going to be bigger and better than what they ever did here before,” Kress said. “It is no longer financially beneficial to us to continue to partner with them.”

The park has changed with recent growth under Brady’s tenure, but the picnic has adapted. But what changed more than anything were the rules of the game. One of the first things that changed was a park fee — $5000 back in the day, which I know because my husband and I covered it for a few years as a gift to the Club. When they tried to jack it to $10,000 the picnic moved to the fairgrounds for a few years. It wasn’t the same to be honest. Then Dayton History was trying to get the beer & food revenue. I’ve been out of the loop for the past 10 years, so I don’t have details of the current extortion rates, but I have a hard time believing that the arrangement was not financially beneficial to Dayton History.

Read Brady’s quote above and tell me that doesn’t smack of ego, power and greed. We’re not talking about rival businesses here, we’re talking about non profits putting on a community festival. This isn’t an idea Brady Kress or the Dayton History Board of Trustees just came up with. You don’t come up with a 10 day festival within 24 hours of notifying your “partner” that you no longer find it financially beneficial to work with them.

So here we are…the Club is now scrambling to find a venue with 8 months to go; Dayton History will do its own thing; and a lot of people in the community are upset with not just the decision but the way it was handled.

What can you do? You can start by sending Brady Kress an email and letting him know how you feel about the picnic and the handling of this matter.

You can also support the Dayton Liederkranz Turner by attending their events in St Anne’s Hill Historic District. There is a Schnitzel Dinner on Saturday January 14th — and trust me, the one thing you will NOT get at the ten day festival replacing the GermanFest is Trudy’s Schnitzel.

I won’t presume to tell you not to attend the Dayton History event in August, but assuming the GermanFest Picnic can find a suitable venue, I hope you will indeed support it. For 33 years it’s been the 2nd weekend in August. Who knows where or when it will be this year, if at all.

Peace,

tg

Editors Note:  tg is Theresa Gasper, longtime community volunteer

19th Century Brewery Pouring Up History

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180 seat historical beer brewery at Dayton History. Photo: Tom Gilliam

As you step into the brand new 10,500 square foot brewery at Carillon Park, be prepared to step back 160 years, as you are greeted by workers, dressed in costumes from the period, brewing beer using  historical recipes from the 1850’s.  The brewhouse sits against one wall in plain view of the entire restaurant, which cost $3.5 million to build and was made possible by a lead gift from Heidelberg Distributing.  The brewery highlights the historical importance beer played in the development of Dayton, often providing families an inexpensive source of calories and nutrients.

Carillon Brewing Co (CBCo) Brewster Tanya Brock oversees the brewing  that takes place in a two-story brick oven set up.  At the top of the steps a 100 gallon  copper kettle is filled with water and heated by the fireplace underneath it, while costumed interpreters turn barley into malt which will be added to the heated water that has been transferred to the mash tun  to steep.  This slow heating process converts the starch in the malt into sugars.  This mixture, known as wort, is like the beer starter.  To this spices, flavoring  and hops are added, while workers maintain the boil by adding charcoal to keep the fire glowing.

Small-batch, unfiltered beers fermenting in oak barrels. Photo: Tom Gilliam

Small-batch, unfiltered beers fermenting in oak barrels. Photo: Tom Gilliam

Lastly the wort is ladled one last time from the boil kettle into the cooling barrel. Just as the name indicates, the cooling barrel is where the near boiling wort is quickly cooled to a more hospitable temperature of 75 degrees. Inside the barrel the wort flows through a spiral of copper tubing surrounded by ice cold water. On hot summer days large blocks of ice are used to help bring the temperature down.

Finally cooled, the sweet wort is poured into the fermenting barrels. These 59 gallon American oak barrels is where the yeast are added and kept for a week. During the week the yeast convert the wort’s sugars into heat, alcohol and carbon dioxide.  The beer is then transferred to oak barrels to ferment and clarify for about two to three weeks.  The spent grains from each batch of brew are used to produce crackers.  These buttery and crisp crackers are served on the menu’s Brewers Sampler Platter along with various cheeses, wursts, and garnishes for $10.  The current plan is to fire up the  kettles for the brewing process four days a week, thought that may be adjusted based on demand. Brock did share that while they are following recipes from the past, they have been slightly modernized and carbonated to appeal to the palettes of current drinkers.

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Flight of Porter, Coriander Ale, Rootbeer & Ginger Ale. Photo by Tom Gilliam

This Thursday, Dec 11th, Carillon Brewing will debut it’s first two beers, Carillon Coriander Ale– created from an 1831 recipe that uses hot peppers to give it a slightly peppery finish and  and Carillon Porter, made from a mix of light and dark malts with roasted coffee and chocolate flavors.   Also being served and brewed are non-alcoholic root beer made from dark molasses and brown sugar and spices historically available like vanilla, star anise and cinnamon, and  ginger ale, sourced from an 1831 housewife’s recipe book. .

Tanya shared that she’s currently testing additional recipes and that she’ll add them as she feels comfortable with the flavors and tastes.

At the media tasting, held yesterday, Dayton History CEO Brady Kress shared that he’s  “proud to be able to present this facility to show how it’s done and where it all started.”  He also shared plans to add a wine making component to the facility, hopefully by next fall.  He explained that the Catawba grape was grown all along the Ohio River Valley and that the land the Dayton Country Club is on was once a field of grapes.

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Overview of bar and brewing area. Photo: Tom Gilliam

Flights of 4 beers, the 2 CBCo brewed beers and your choice of an additional 2 Heidelberg beers on tap will be available for $7.  Or take him a souvenir growler of beer for a $24 fill charge, plus a one time charge of $6 for the glass growler.

The food menu according to Dayton History’s website consists of “dishes from the tables of  English, German, and Irish immigrants’. ” Appetizers include soft pretzels, sauerkraut balls, and the brewers sampler platter with the spent grain crackers. You’ll find bratwurst, weiner schnitzel and roast chicken entrees for $12-$13 and , soups, sandwiches and salads  that average about $10to choose from. A warm apple tart or black forrest chocolate at $5.25 can finish off your meal.

You can visit the Carillon Brewing Co. at 1000 Carillon Park Blvd :
Monday – Saturday • 9:30am – 10:00pm
(Food Service 11:00am – 9:00pm)
Sunday • 11:00am – 10:00pm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Classic Car Event Saluts The Stingray **Ticket Contest**

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6974390667160768504The seventh annual Dayton Concours d’Elegance at Carillon Historical Park will begin at 10:30 AM on Sunday, September 15th. Examine and admire 200 of the finest classic and antique automobiles and motorcycles in the country, amidst the beautiful and welcoming setting of the region’s premier outdoor museum. Guests will be treated to food, live music, and historical demonstrations in addition to the chance to see beautiful cars and motorcycles up close and personal.The iconic Corvette Stingray of the mid 1960’s will be honored at the Dayton Concours. Joining the Stingray will be the power and grace of Ferrari and the classic styling of Aston Martin as the British marque celebrates its 100th anniversary.The event will culminate with an awards ceremony around 3:00 PM. Winners of the “Best in Class” awards will parade to the awards stage, in addition to the R.H. Grant Best in Show, Charles Kettering People’s Choice, Col. Edward Deeds Judge’s Choice, Siler Spirit, Taj Ma Garaj, and Kid’s Choice Awards.

The Concours will also have special classes for automobiles built in 1913, 1938 and 1963. Guests will get to see up close, 200 antique and classic automobiles and motorcycles, displayed on the grounds of Carillon Historical Park.  Tickets run $15 for adults, $5 for children 3-17 with children under 3 free. You can purchase online at Dayton History’s website. 

interior_photos_9To get you  all revved up for the  2013 Dayton Concours d’Elegance  you may want to attend the Saturday night Preview Party. This evening event features  food, adult beverages, music, and entertainment at Carillon Historical Park. Guests will be treated to a first look of some of the incredible vehicles to be showcased in Sunday’s main event and will enjoy an exclusive shopping opportunity in the Art Pavilion. They will also be tempted by an array of auction items, including the original artwork featured on this year’s souvenier program!

The  Preview Party will be held from 6:30 – 10:30 pm, tickets are $85 per person, $75 for Dayton History members and reservations are required. All proceeds from the weekend events go to Dayton History, Montgomery County’s official historical organization.

DMM is giving away a pair of tickets to Saturday’s preview party.  To be eligible to win, like and share this article and fill out the entry form below.  Leaving a comment below about why you should win may also sway our judges! :)[form 55 “DMM Contest Entry – Generic”]

Meet Culp’s Cafe’s Chef Jose

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Chef Jose Calzada is originally from Chicago.  He graduated with a culinary degree from Kendall College and spent a lot of his early years in the kitchen at Italian and French eateries. He took over as Executive Chef  at Culp’s Café at Carillon Park last year. The historic restaurant was originally opened in 1902 by Charlotte Gilbert Culp, a young widow with six children, began baking and selling bread, cakes and rolls by having her children go door to door in their West Third Street neighborhood. Soon they had a stand at the South Main Street market with the “Culp’s Cake” being a best seller. Her eldest son, Howard Gilbert Culp, leased space in the Arcade, and expanded the business selling poultry, eggs, cheese, and dill pickles at three lunch counters where downtown workers could purchase a complete lunch for 35 cents!

 

In the 1930s, the Culps opened a cafeteria in the Arcade across from Keith Theater. The cafeteria specialized in home-

Chef Jose and his wife Carol

cooked food and was famous for its pies and pastries. Dayton’s population boomed in the 1940s and Culp’s cafeteria served as many as 5,000 customers a day. Culp’s was the first restaurant in Dayton to have air conditioning and the first electric Hammond organ in the area.  As the downtown area changed due to the development of suburbs and the popularity of television, the Culp family reluctantly sold the business in 1960.

The spirit of this family-operated restaurant lives on at Carillon Historical Park with Chef José Calzada managing Culp’s Café 7 days a week and working daily with his wife Carol. Starting June 2nd Culp’s Cafewill be serving up breakfast, Sat – Mon from 7:30am-3:00pm. They are also open for lunch Tues- Fri 11am – 3pm.  Culp’s is located at 1000 Carillon Blvd, at Carillon Park.

DaytonDining wants to treat one of our readers to a FREE breakfast at Culp’s Cafe.  Just leave a comment below telling us why you’d like to have breakfast at Culp’s and a random winner will be drawn on Friday from the commenters.

And now Chef Jose answers DaytonDining’s 10 questions:

 What is your favorite ingredient to cook with?

I love to cook with fresh herbs, like Oregano, Thyme, Rosemary and  especially Basil – I love the taste and the smell of it. Using fresh herbs brings out a better flavor on soups, meats and sauces.

What ingredient do you dread?

I really dread working with kale I don’t like the taste and the smell. If I had to use it I would only use it as a garnish.  No offense to kale lovers.

What’s your favorite dish to make? 

I love to make soups, a nice chicken noodle soup or corn chowder on a cold day or a chilled avocado soup with fresh crab meat on a  hot summer day .  10 or 15 years  ago I would have said pates or terrines . When I first started cooking I used to love making duck liver pate and vegetable or meat  terrines.

What’s your favorite pig out food?

I love cheeseburgers, here in Dayton I like to go to Smashburger. My favorite place to go for a burger is Illinois Bar and Grill in Chicago , their one pound burgers are the best I have ever had.

What restaurant, other then your own do you like to dine at in the Miami Valley?

My wife and I love to go to Tony’s Italian Kitchen on North Main Street in Englewood, it is a very small neighborhood  restaurant with great food, but most of all authentic. We have tried everything on the menu and we are always satisfied.

What’s your best advice for home chefs?

Have fun doing what you love!  Like one of my chef instructors would always say  “It is not rocket science, just have fun and enjoy it!”

If you could invite any 4 guests to a dinner party who would they be and why?

I wouldn’t know were to start there are a lot of people to choose from like by brother who passed away 12 years ago, my mentors Chef John Hogan and Chef Mike Greagson. There are also my chef instructors, my collies, my favorite athletes and actors and actresses . It would be very hard to just pick 4 guests.

Who do you look up in the industry and why?

I look up to a lot of people in this industry, from a chef I have had the pleasure to know like, Priscilla Satkof, who has been one of the top female chefs in Chicago for over 15 years, Michel Coatrieux who is a chef instructor for over 25 years,  Georges “Kiki” Cuisance who has been in the restaurant business for over 35 years and still doing a great job. To the celebrity chefs like Gordon Ramsay, Emeril Lagasse who have educated  many people about food.

 What do you do in the Miami Valley on a day off ?

In my day off I like to spend as much time with my family as I can,  in this business you don’t have many days off.  So we go to the movies, out to dinner or just to the park.

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

The best time I had ever had in the kitchen was when we cooked a dinner for Julia Child  and a group of friends. I was working at Kiki’s Bistro as a sous chef  at the time. The chef and I prepared a 5 course dinner for them with the main entrée of Roasted Squab ( that’s what she order in advance). After the dinner the waiter came to the kitchen and said that she wanted to meet the chefs who prepared  the wonderful meal. That was one of the best feelings I ever had as a chef  – cooking and meeting  someone I idolized growing up, and a person I watched on TV.  It was an experience I will never forget.

 

Volunteer For Dayton’s Premier Wine & Gourmet Food Fest

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On Sunday, May 20th over 1000 folks will converge on Carillon Park for one of Dayton’s most anticipated wine festivals, Fleurs et Vin. Now in it’s 20th year, the fest has proved to be a spectacular party in the park.  This years event will benefit AIDS Resource Center Ohio and Dayton History.

To pull off this event, that features over 300 wines and 25 of Dayton’s finest independent restaurants,  hundreds of volunteers are needed.  From helping to direct parking, checking ID’s, handing out glasses and plates, distributing ice and water, helping in the beer garden and monitoring the live and silent auctions, there are lots of jobs to do.

And one of the fringe benefits for volunteers at this event, free tasting.  That’s right, once you’ve completed your work, you can get a glass and enjoy!    Of course all voluteers do need to be 21 or over.  So grab your friends and sign up today.

No complaining if the jury gets it wrong…

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(Taken from information provided by Dayton History)

Interior of Old Courthouse taken from the Visitor's Galley looking down (from Montgomery Co. Collection at Dayton Metro Library)

Innocent or Guilty? You Decide…

Join Dayton History for an interactive courtroom drama at the Old Courthouse. This summer, the sensational 1896 Bessie Little (don’t click on this link unless you want the WHOLE story pre-trail – and that takes the fun out of it) murder case will be re-tried, with the verdict decided by you – the audience. After listening to evidence from both the prosecution and defense, spectators will be left to determine whether Bessie Little met death as a result of suicide – or murder. With one of Dayton’s most notorious court cases re-enacted, audience members will learn what law and order was like in the Gem City at the turn of the twentieth century.

Performances will be held at the Old Courthouse at 3rd and Main on the following days:

  • Friday July 22, 7:30 pm Saturday July 23, 7:30 pm Sunday July 24, 3:00 pm
  • Friday July 29, 7:30 pm Saturday July 30, 7:30 pm Sunday July 31, 3:00 pm
  • Friday August 5, 7:30 pm Saturday August 6, 7:30 pm Sunday August 7, 3:00 pm

Ridge Ave Bridge over the Stillwater (from Dayton Metro Library collections)

$10 – Dayton History Members $12 – Non-members
Reservations suggested
Suggested ages: 14 and up
For more information call 937-293-2841 or visit www.daytonhistory.org
SPOILER ALERT:
In doing some research for this, I learned that lil’ Bessie Little’s ghost still haunts the bridge at Ridge Avenue over the Stillwater where the suicide/murder happened.

Volunteers Needed For Heritage Festival!

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Looking for something to do this Memorial Day weekend?


Come out and volunteer at the 2011 Dayton Heritage Festival!  Volunteer opportunities are available in 2-4 hour shifts from 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Volunteers are needed in the Kid Zone, the main entry greeting visitors, assisting in directing parking traffic, the beer garden, operating the Wright Flyer Simulator, and to help withclean up immediately following the festival.  Volunteers will receive an event t-shirt, premier, free parking, bottled water during their shift, and a food voucher.

For more info contact Jennifer Dean at 9372932841 ext. 119.