Tickets are available online here.
2023 Dayton Region Walk of Fame Inductees Announced
Tickets are available online here.
By Dayton937
By Dayton937
Renowned fine artist, graphic designer, art educator, and consultant James Pate will now add gallerist to his robust resume. Pate, along with his partner in life and business, multi-dimensional entrepreneur Shola Odumade, will open Black Palette Art Gallery on the main corridor of the Historic Wright Dunbar Business District.
The grand opening celebration on April 21st will include a ribbon cutting & dedication ceremony at 11am and an opening reception from 5-10pm featuring interactive art-making, refreshments, live music, and fine artwork & retail merchandise for sale. All festivities are free and open to the public.
Art production, consumption, education, and consulting are at the core of Pate and Odumade’s vision for the space. They endeavor to provide an inspirational and immersive art experience, promote artists and help springboard careers, and be a conduit for community building and holistic prosperity.
Black Palette’s inaugural exhibit features selected original works by Pate. Future exhibitions will spotlight an all-encompassing array of local, regional, national, and international artists and showcase a broad assortment of art genres, subject matter, mediums, and materials. In addition to serving as an art showroom and studio, the gallery will be a vibrant hub for a wide range of programming and activities, including workshops, gallery talks, pop-up events, live performances, film screenings, first Friday happy hours, art collector groups, exhibit road trips, public & private functions, and more.
The name Black Palette has layered significance that not only embodies reverence for a people and their unparalleled depth and breadth of creativity and culture; but, on a wider scale, is a nod to the financial term “in the black” and affirms an intention to foster far-reaching economic empowerment, wealth, and solvency via high-quality productivity. It recognizes and honors Black achievement by celebrating, highlighting, and augmenting the profound influence and brilliance of African Americans and their invaluable contributions to artistic and fiscal vitality worldwide.
1139 W. Third St.
Dayton, OH 45402
937- 723- 1906
Hours:
Thursday – Saturday 11:00 am–6:00 pm
Sunday 12:00–5:00 pm
By Dayton937
A new upscale barbershop is open in the heart of the Wright Dunbar Historic Commercial District in early October 2022. Lux Barber Lounge aims to provide a safe, fun atmosphere along with the best haircuts in the area. The shop will be located at 1115 W 3rd Street.
Owner Anthony Z. Thomas is currently a barber. He graduated from Dayton Barber College, has won numerous barber competitions, and was labeled one of the Best Young Barbers in the Dayton Area. Anthony Z. is opening the shop with his father and co-owner, Anthony Thomas. Anthony Thomas, who was featured in Marquis Who’s Who in Business, is also the owner and founder of Taco Street located in the West Social Tap & Table, Dayton’s first food hall.
Lux Barber Lounge signed a multi-year lease with Wright Dunbar, Inc. in September. The space was renovated with private investment.
The barbershop will offer professional grooming and cosmetology services, including haircuts, locs, braiding, and more. Lux Barber Lounge will operate seven days a week 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
By Dayton937
Dayton’s first-ever food hall development is revitalizing the Historic Wright and Dunbar District, and bringing opportunities to the community, will officially open its doors to the public on July 25th at 7 am for coffee and Soca will offer breakfast options followed by lunch from all restaurants starting at 11 am. The six- restaurant collective is made up of Illy’s Fire Pizza, The Lumpia Queen, De’lish, Grind House Coffee Co, Soca, and Taco Street Co- along with an operating bar. Each of these businesses offers diverse cuisine and a unique concept.
“West Social Tap and Table operations have been in progress since 2020, and the perseverance is finally paying off”, says Cheryl Dillin, Chief Brand Officer with Dillin, LLC, the managing partner of the building. “We have developed a very special bond with our tenants, and while it may seem like an unlikely famILLY (referring to ILLY’s Pizza and their branding of famILLY), the respect and admiration I have for these entrepreneurs and the steps they are taking to make their neighborhood what they want it to be is the definition of strong, brave and honorable – true community famILLY in its highest form. I am proud to be their partner and my heart will sincerely smile watching them succeed.”
The Food Hall property is a 6,400 sq feet space located across the street from the National Aviation Heritage Museum at 1100 W. Third Street. Dillin, Financial, Clous Road Partners, and Wright and Dunbar Inc are partners in real estate. Total development costs were over $2 million dollars. This project is the first phase in a planned series of Opportunity Zone investments within the City of Dayton. The projects aim to enrich the area and bring business opportunities to the people in the community. Dillin/Clous are renovating three additional buildings on 3rd street in the Wright Dunbar neighborhood
W. Social’s purpose is to support the local community in a grassroots operation. This social space cultivates a sense of community by bringing local small businesses to an area that is otherwise a food desert. It creates a space where the neighborhood can gather and socialize.
The restaurants will operate 7 days a week from 7 am to 10 pm. Limited Breakfast, Full lunch, dinner, and drinks will be available every day- and special menu items will be offered on occasion. This space will also hold events including “The West Social Block Party” on August 5th. These events will include live music, food and drinks, additional vendors, open invite guest lists -and partial revenue generated towards donations. The entire community is enthusiastically welcomed. WestSocialTapAndTable.com will have the latest up-to-date restaurants, ordering information, menu, hours and special events.
John Gower, the president of Wright-Dunbar Inc, said “West Social helps to elevate the concept of West Third Street as a West Dayton Creative Corridor. Leveraging passion, vision, need, diversity, tenacity, and love with Social Entrepreneurship. This is another piece of the amenity puzzle that will support neighborhood growth and development in West Dayton.” John is a citizen of West Dayton, and he is very invested in creating prosperity in the neighborhood. “Although the food hall is a single building, the impact that it will have on the people involved will be enormous. Together with our tenants, we see the potential of the neighborhood and we are willing to invest to see it thrive.” added Larry Dillin. “It is always our goal to enrich the neighborhoods beyond the borders of our projects.”
The tenants in the space all started as small food trucks, now expanding their brand and physical location to be a part of W. Social. Anthony Thomas from Taco Street Co. states “I am excited to bring life to the Wright Dunbar area.” while Bill from Grind House Coffee Co. explained that “West Social solves the (food desert) issue with the best brands in the city.” Cathy Roberts, co-owner of Lumpia Queen expanded on that idea by stating “the food hall is an opportunity to work alongside amazing people and cuisines.”
Despite the obstacles faced throughout the developmental stages of the project- Rob Barry, the general manager, has stepped up to make this opening possible. He exclaimed “I am so excited to be part of an amazing team! Everyone has worked so hard for this moment and we cannot wait to bring delicious food, amazing cocktails, and fresh coffee to this great community.”
West Social Tap and Table is the next step of the revitalization process of Dayton’s Wright and
Dunbar Historic District. It will bring vibrant social life to the community by offering a unique experience for its customers. The opening is coming on July 25th- and a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Mayor Mims will take place at 11am. A Grand Opening Block party will be held on Friday, August 5th. It is open to the public and will include live music and additional neighborhood food trucks.
A groundbreaking will be held with City of Dayton Commissioners, Dillin Corp & Wright Dunbar, Inc. for the W. Social Tap & Table on Tuesday, July 20, 2021, at 10:30 a.m. at 1100 W Third Street, Dayton OH 45402.
This $2.1 million project will be the first food hall in Dayton. The former 6685 square foot conference center will have a bar and coffee in addition to seven local independent restaurants with indoor and outdoor dining options. The project has been in the predevelopment stage since 2019. Construction begins mid-July 2021 with a target opening date of fall 2021.
The W. Social is adjacent to the National Aviation Heritage Historical Park in the Historic Wright Dunbar Business District. The goal of this project is to bring much needed food choices to West Dayton while supporting local entrepreneurs. The added seven restaurants will also support the thriving residential neighborhood, Wright-Dunbar Village as well as the continued growth, investment and redevelopment of the Wright Dunbar Business District. The W. Social Tap & Table is a joint venture between Wright Dunbar, Inc. and Dillin Corp. This project is funded through private investment, equity, private funding and City of Dayton West Dayton Development Trust Fund.
The Wright Dunbar neighborhood is about to embark on a creative new project, which will become a dining destination on Wes is in the process of creating a food hall, that will have space for 5 restaurant concepts, a coffee shop and bar at 1100 West Third Street. The Dillin-led project is a joint venture with nonprofit Wright-Dunbar, Inc. with support from the City of Dayton. The 6,000 square foot building will have indoor and outdoor seating, and perhaps a rooftop deck (pending approval by the Landmarks Commission). A garage door on the east side of the building will open up the space, making it east to feature live music.
Early renditions of W. Social Tap & Table:
Each eatery would have their own counter, so guests can order from different restaurants then join together in communal seating. One bar would serve the entire building. Projected opening could be as soon as fall 2020. Interested in leasing space in the Food Hall? Contact Dillin.
Stay tuned for more updates.
By Bill Franz
Walking around the Wright Dunbar area, I’ve admired the vacant Allaman building at 1000 West Third. It was built in 1914 by Dr. Allaman and once housed doctor’s offices and apartments. In 2002 it was bought and refurbished by Wright Dunbar Inc. but remained empty.
Now you can add this building to the list of properties recently sold to a developer. Plans are to turn the upper two floors into four condos and rent the ground level to a store or coffee shop. Great news.
Wright Dunbar, Inc. is accepting nominations for 2019 inductees to the Dayton Region’s Walk of Fame, officials announced on Monday, Feb. 4.The Walk of Fame honors individuals or groups from the Dayton region who have spent a significant amount of time in the region and have made an enduring impact on the local community, the region, the nation and/or world. The Walk of Fame honors them by setting memorial stones in the sidewalks of Dayton’s historic Wright-Dunbar District. The 2018 inductees were Hannah Beachler, motion picture production designer; Julia Reichert, filmmaker; Richard DeWall, M. D., medical device inventor; Lucius and Dora Rice, Dayton Police sergeants; Robert C. Koepnick, sculptor, and U. S. Army Maj. Gen. George Crook, a Civil War veteran and civil rights advocate.
Wright Dunbar, Inc. is accepting nominations for 2019 inductees to the Dayton Region’s Walk of Fame, officials announced on Monday, Feb. 4.The Walk of Fame honors individuals or groups from the Dayton region who have spent a significant amount of time in the region and have made an enduring impact on the local community, the region, the nation and/or world. The Walk of Fame honors them by setting memorial stones in the sidewalks of Dayton’s historic Wright-Dunbar District. The 2018 inductees were Hannah Beachler, motion picture production designer; Julia Reichert, filmmaker; Richard DeWall, M. D., medical device inventor; Lucius and Dora Rice, Dayton Police sergeants; Robert C. Koepnick, sculptor, and U. S. Army Maj. Gen. George Crook, a Civil War veteran and civil rights advocate.
The Walk of Fame began in 1996 as part of the Dayton Bicentennial celebration. Since then, it has expanded to include individuals from the broader Dayton region—Montgomery, Clark, Greene, Miami, Darke, Preble, Butler and Warren counties.
In 2017 a Walk of Fame mural designed by artist James Pate that highlights several inductees was added to Wright Dunbar . Located on the southwest corner of West Third and South Williams, the mural faces the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park’s headquarters and the Wright Dunbar Interpretive Center.
“We look forward to the community nominating those who have done great work in support of the region, the nation, and the world,” said Harry Seifert, Wright Dunbar Inc. president and chair. “We know there are many in business, community service and other actives who deserve to be recognized. The region’s Walk of Fame provides recognition to those who are worthy and helps motivate a new generation to do great things.”
Nominations may be made in the categories of arts and culture; aviation;, business and corporate; education; entertainment and media; environment; government and military; invention and innovation; law; medicine; philanthropy; science,; significant personal achievement, and sports.
Nomination forms are available for download at daytonwalkoffame.citymax.com. The website includes a list of past inductees. Nominations must be emailed by 5pm on Thursday, March 1, 2019 to [email protected].
The 2019 winners will be honored at a luncheon at Sinclair Community College on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019.
The Dayton Region’s Walk of Fame has just announced their 2018 honorees. Wright Dunbar, Inc. sponsors the Dayton Region’s Walk of Fame, and the memorial stones are on West Third Street in the Wright Dunbar Historic Business District between Broadway and Shannon and along Williams Street.
The 2018 honorees are: Hannah Beachler, Major General George R. Crook, Dr. Richard A. DeWall, Robert C. Koepnick, Police Sergeant Lucius J. Rice and Policewoman Dora Burton Rice, and Julia Reichert.
HANNAH BEACHLER, (1971- ) Groundbreaking media production designer
Hannah Beachler grew up in Centerville, Ohio, majored in fashion design as an undergraduate at the University of Cincinnati and then went back to school at Wright State University in 2005 to earn a B.F.A. from WSU’s Motion Pictures Program. She began working on films as a set dresser in small movies and horror films. Her talent and attention to detail quickly brought her assignments as a production designer. She won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Film for Fruitvale Station and the Audience Award for the Best Film at the Sundance Film Festival in 2013. In 2017 she was nominated for an Emmy and won the Art Directors Guild Award for Excellence in Production Design for a video for Beyoncé. Her most recent success came as the first-ever female black production designer for a Marvel film. That film, Black Panther, is breaking box office records and is one of the most talked about films of the season. She returns home to spend time at WSU talking to students about her career and mentoring many young filmmakers.
MAJOR GENERAL GEORGE R. CROOK, (1828-1890) Leader in the U.S. military and civil rights activist
George R. Crook was born and raised near Taylorsville, now a part of Huber Heights, Ohio. He graduated from West Point in 1892. He is recognized as a major figure in U.S. military and civil rights history. He had an active career in the Civil War capped by his Division causing General Robert E. Lee to surrender at Appomattox. He was an important commander in the Indian Wars that followed the Civil War. While serving as the Commander of the Department of the Platte in 1879, Crook arranged to have himself sued on behalf of the Ponca tribe. The case resulted in a major civil rights victory when Chief Standing Bear was recognized as a person under the law and therefore Native Americans were entitled to equal protection under U.S. law. Sioux Chief Red Cloud remarked after Crook’s passing that, “He, at least, never lied to us. His works gave us hope.”
DR. RICHARD A. DEWALL, (1926-2016) Pioneer heart surgeon
Dr. Richard DeWall came to Dayton in 1966 and spent 50 years of his life here. He is credited with inventing the first workable, portable heart-lung machine. Dr. Doug Talbott recruited him to Dayton, and Mrs. Virginia Kettering invited him to initiate an open-heart surgery program at Kettering Hospital, where he performed the first successful open-heart surgery in the area. He established the general surgery residency-training program, serving as its director from 1970-1976 and also acted as a consultant to the National Institutes of Health. The winner of many national and local awards, his proudest accomplishment was his role in the founding of Wright State University School of Medicine because he wrote the original proposal for what would become the medical school. He also helped establish the Wright State School of Medicine Foundation. He said, “With the bubble oxygenator (the name of his invention), you are dealing with maybe several hundred patients a year. With a medical school, when you get it expanded, you’re dealing with thousands.”
ROBERT C. KEOPNICK (1907-1997) Nationally known sculptor, talented teacher
Robert C. Keopnick, a native Daytonian, was born in 1907 and lived virtually all of his life in the Dayton Region. He was a sculptor of national reputation and maintained a studio in Lebanon, Ohio until shortly before his death. He was a prolific, versatile sculptor who worked in wood, bronze, stone, aluminum, and terra cotta. He studied with Carl Miles, the noted Swedish sculptor. He headed the sculpture department at the Dayton Art Institute for almost 30 years, with the exception of a five-year period during World War II when he worked for the Aeromedical Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, helping to design gloves and oxygen masks that made it possible for pilots to fly at ever increasing altitudes. His works are displayed in many states, and he has exhibited in distinguished museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Academy of Design, and the Dayton Art Institute. At least 17 of his major works are displayed in Dayton. He once remarked that, to his amazement, “I really marked up this world.”
POLICE SERGEANT LUCIUS J. RICE AND POLICEWOMAN DORA BURTON RICE (1876-1939; 1882-1940) Long serving pioneer Police officer and community activist Policewoman
In 1896, when he was 20, Sgt. Lucius Rice moved from North Carolina to Dayton where he met his future wife Dora, a first cousin of the renowned poet, Paul Laurence Dunbar. He served in the Ohio National Guard, distinguishing himself at Lake Erie in 1908 and winning government marksmanship medals. After being honorably discharged from the military, he was appointed to the Dayton Police Department. He became the second African-American man to serve on the Dayton police force and was one of the longest serving Dayton Police officers of the 20th century, serving more than 30 years. He was the first African-American lawman to be appointed a plainclothes detective. He was the first African-American in Dayton to become a police supervisor when he was promoted to sergeant in 1916. During his career, he served with distinction and sacrifice, often working 12-hour days, wounded twice, and then tragically lost his life in the line of duty in 1939.
Dora Rice first played the role of homemaker until her children were older when she became a community activist in her church, serving Wesleyan Methodist Church as treasurer for 20 years and as church organist for over 22 years. Then she chose to join her husband in law enforcement. In 1929 she was appointed to the Dayton Bureau of Policewomen, becoming the first African-American policewoman in Dayton. She served for 10 years before resigning for poor health and died six months after her husband was killed. Sgt. Rice is remembered by the Dayton Police History Foundation as a local legend and his wife as a civic activist and Dayton Police Woman.
JULIA REICHERT (1946- ) Pioneering independent filmmaker and educator
Julia Reichert, a graduate of Antioch, has been called the godmother of the American independent film movement. She is a three-time Oscar nominee. Her film Growing up Female was the first feature document of the modern Women’s Movement. Recently it was chosen for inclusion in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. One of her films (with Steven Bognar) premiered at Sundance and won the Primetime Emmy for Exceptional Merit in Nonfiction Filming. She writes, directs, and produces. She is a voting member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences and of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and a member of the advisory board of the Independent Feature Project. She is the co-founder of the New Day Films, a 42-year old social issue film distribution co-op, author of Doing it Yourself, the first book on self-distribution in independent film, a professor of motion pictures at Wright State University and a grandmother.
The honorees will be celebrated at a luncheon on Thursday, September 27, 2018 at the Sinclair College Conference Center. Tickets for the luncheon are available on the Dayton Region’s Walk of Fame website, www.daytonwalkoffame.citymax.com. Also, take advantage of the opportunity to honor your favorite Walk of Fame member during the May 18th Walk the Walk event; for just $150 you will be recognized as a fan, supporter, family member, organization, or company that pays tribute to a particular Walk of Fame member. Since 1996, over 170 outstanding individuals and groups and their contributions to the Miami Valley have been memorialized at the September event and with granite stones on West Third Street in Dayton.
By Lisa Grigsby
The 2017 Dayton Region’s Walk of Fame honorees will be announced at the Walk the Walk event in the Wright Dunbar Historic Business District on May 12, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. Wright Dunbar, Inc. sponsors the Dayton Region’s Walk of Fame, and the memorial stones are on West Third Street in the Wright Dunbar Historic Business District between Broadway and Shannon and along Williams Street.
The 2017 honorees are:
Oscar Boonshoft (1917-2010) and Marjorie Boonshoft (1928-2004)
Oscar and Marjorie Boonshoft lent their names to many charitable projects and organizations that they supported. Oscar Boonshoft was a mechanical engineer with a career spanning over 30 years, including time at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, before his retirement in 1970. Marjorie Boonshoft was a partner in the family’s philanthropic and community activities.
The couple’s numerous philanthropic endeavors in the city of Dayton included: the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, Boonshoft Center for Medical Sciences at Kettering College, Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, and the Marjorie and Oscar Boonshoft Center for Jewish Culture and Education, to name only a few. The Chronicle of Philanthropy, who ranked them 41th on a list of national donors, recognized their charitable gifts in 2006. Oscar and Marjorie Boonshoft’s philanthropic work is legendary in the forever grateful Dayton community.
Brigadier General Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. (1877-1970)
Brigadier General Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. was the first African American promoted to the rank of General in the U.S. Armed Forces in 1940, a significant achievement within the segregated military of his day. He was born in Washington, D.C. and was graduated from Washington’s M Street High School, the predecessor to today’s Dunbar High School, where he received his first military training through the school’s cadet program.
In July of 1889 he joined the racially segregated 8th U.S. Volunteer Infantry service for the Spanish-American War and was appointed temporary First Lieutenant. In 1905, General Davis was appointed to his first tenure as Professor of Military Science and Tactics at Wilberforce University where he became well known in the area. Over time and assignments, he spent almost 25 years there. General Davis, Sr. retired from the U.S. Armed Forces in 1948 with over 50 years of service. He passed away on November 26, 1970 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Cathy Guisewite was a pioneer in the media of cartooning, a field dominated by men. She was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1950. In her youth, Guisewite would draw funny pictures, which she considered to be “emotional coping mechanisms” to events in her life and work. Her mother relentlessly urged her to send her comics to a publisher, thus beginning her career. Copley News Service for Early Cartoonists syndicated her first comic strip, Roxbury, from 1963 to 1973.
Guisewite began working on her most popular Cathy in 1976, which was syndicated in 66 newspapers at the time. By 1980, she was working on her comic strips full time as Cathy was syndicated in over 150 daily newspapers. Cathy appealed to many women of her generation with both humor and social significance. The popularity of her comic strip increased rapidly and by the mid-1990s it appeared in approximately 1,400 newspapers, including the Dayton Daily News. In 1992, Guisewite received the Ruben Award for Cartoonist of the Year.
The Honorable David L. Hobson (1936- )
When he was an elected official, David L. Hobson always listened to his constituents, was mindful of their needs, and worked in a nonpartisan fashion in the Ohio State Senate and the U.S. Congress representing the Greater Dayton area. He graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University and earned a law degree from The Ohio State University, while also serving in the Ohio Air National Guard. Hobson was elected to the Ohio Senate representing the 10th District in 1982 and was President Pro Tempore of the Ohio Senate during the 1988 to 1990 session.
Hobson was then elected to Congress to represent the 7th Congressional District and served from 1991 to 2009. During this time he was chairman of the Military Construction and Appropriations Subcommittee and a senior member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. He paid particular attention to the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and helped to secure and expand activities within the Base. While a member of Congress he co-sponsored the legislation that created the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park. Hobson also ensured that local institutions of higher learning received appropriate funding for improvements that would allow students throughout the region to have the best opportunities to learn.
During the course of her extraordinary career, Allison Janney has demonstrated versatility on stage and in television and films. She currently stars in the CBS/Chuck Lorre sitcom, Mom, which earned her two of her seven Emmy awards. In 2014, Janney won Emmy awards for her roles on both Mom and Masters of Sex in the same year, a feat that has rarely been accomplished in Emmy history. She was also recently honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Prior to Mom, Janney is perhaps best known for her role as C.J. Cregg on the popular NBC series, The West Wing, for which she received four Emmy awards and four Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards. She has also had roles in many features, including the Academy Award-nominated film The Help, for which the cast won ensemble awards from the SAG, National Board of Review, and the Broadcast Film Critics. Additional film credits include The Girl on the Train, Minions; Spy; Juno; The Way, Way Back; The Hours, and American Beauty to name a few.
A native of Oakwood, Ohio and a graduate of Kenyon College, Janney’s pivotal moment came when Kenyon alumnus Paul Newman selected her for a role in a campus play he was producing. After graduating, she moved to New York to study at The Neighborhood Playhouse; in 1984, she was awarded a fellowship to study at London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She made her Broadway debut in the 1996 revival of Present Laughter. She won Drama Desk Awards and Tony Award nominations for the 1997 Broadway revival of A View From the Bridge and the 2009 original Broadway production of the musical 9 to 5. Most recently she starred as ‘Ouisa’ in the Broadway revival of John Guare’s Six Degrees of Separation. Through it all, Janney has continued to maintain ties with her hometown.
Shawnee Chief Tecumseh is considered one of the greatest indigenous leaders in the early history of the United States. He possessed outstanding military, political and oratory skills that allowed him to forge alliances of many American Indian tribes. He grew up and lived in various Shawnee towns in the greater Dayton area including, Old Chillicothe, Peckuwe (Piqua), and further north near Wapakoneta, Bellefontaine, and Greenfield. Tecumseh rose to become the principal leader of the American Indian groups opposed to expansion of European-American settlements in the old Northwest.
Tecumseh participated as a warrior in the Northwest Indian War in 1785 to 1795. During this time he accompanied his brother, Chiksika, in the Chickamauga raids in Tennessee. This trip allowed Tecumseh to broaden his experience in forging alliances with other tribes and he took on a greater leadership role within the Shawnee war parties. He became one of the primary leaders opposing a series of treaties negotiated between chiefs and William Henry Harrison. These treaties would give over three million acres of land for white settlement, but Tecumseh believed land was not a commodity. He led the American Indian allies of the British during the War of 1812.
Tecumseh died at the battle at River Themes on October 5, 1813. He is the first American Indian to be inducted into the Dayton Region’s Walk of Fame.
The honorees will be celebrated at a luncheon on Thursday, September 28, 2017 at the Sinclair Conference Centre. Since 1996, over 160 outstanding individuals and groups and their contributions to the Miami Valley have been memorialized at the September event and with granite stones on West Third Street in Dayton.
Wright Dunbar, Inc., 1139 West Third Street, Dayton, Ohio, a non-profit organization, is the catalyst and facilitator for urban community and economic revitalization of the Wright D
Texas Beef & Cattle Co., the newest retail business and restaurant in the Wright Dunbar Village, has scheduled its grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony for 4:45 p.m. Thursday, June 30, according to an announcement by Wright Dunbar Inc.
Located at 1101 West Third Street, close to the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park’s visitor center, the restaurant will be the first co-op style barbecue in Dayton, according to the announcement.
Texas Beef & Cattle will serve dinner on Thursday and Friday from 5 to 10 pm, Saturday from 4 to 10pm and brunch on Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm. Entrees will feature mesquite smoked beef brisket, pulled pork and smoked sausage. Specialty sides include borracho beans, Tejano rice, “yella’ tater salad,” side salads, sautéed vegetables and green beans.
Restaurant founder James Nunez plans to expand hours over time to include lunch and broaden the menu to include free range, grass fed, locally sourced bison brisket, free range chicken, ribs and Gulf Coast seafood, according to the announcement.
Nunez signed a three-year lease for the space with Wright Dunbar, the nonprofit organization responsible for developing the Wright Dunbar Village, the historic district in West Dayton that was home to airplane inventors Wilbur and Orville Wright and African American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar. The restaurant will add nine jobs to the district, according to Wright Dunbar.
Visit Texas Beef & Cattle’s Facebook page for more information and a calendar of events.
By Lisa Grigsby
James Nuñez just signed the lease and got the keys today to open a bricks and mortar location for his Texas Beef and Cattle Company. He’s been serving up his smoked meats at festivals around town like GarlicFest and the upcoming Dayton Barbecue Rodeo on April 9th at Yellow Cab, while working his day job as a financial advisor for Agora Investments.
Starting next week you’ll be able to stop by 1101 West Third Street in the Wright Dubar Village to attend a perspective membership night and tasting. Nuñez explains he’ll be using a model similar to the Fifth Street Brewpub co-op, where BBQ lovers can become members and receive discounts, special member only pricing and invitations to special events. More information will be posted on their web page.
While James was waiting on the lease paperwork, he took some time to answer some of our questions:
What brought a Texas boy like you to Ohio?
JN: I moved to Ohio back in June of 1994 My wife (at the time) had enlisted in the Air Force. She was an Ohio native so this was her first and last duty station. (Not Common by any stretch) that amount of time in one place allowed me to establish my profession as an investment professional and my kids had an opportunity to grow up in one place.
You’ve been catering in town since for years, what made you decide to open a restaurant?
JN: I’ve been smoking BBQ for most of my adult life. I joined the Navy back in 1984, I was stationed in Virginia and they really had nothing like what we grew up with in South Texas, in Norfolk Virginia, or Mayport, Florida for that matter. Being a certified welder in the Navy, I built a smoker and began smoking meats. We’d bring mesquite back from Texas in large quantities (But not by today’s standards) to have on hand until our next trip home on leave. That’s how it really started. Most of my friends were from Texas so we hunted, fished and hit the beach together and we ate a lot of BBQ and seafood. When we moved here in (94’ and a few years had gone by (lots of BBQ in those years) we had friends over one Easter and I smoked up a brisket and a couple other meats for the gathering. After appreciatively listening to all the reviews my oldest asked why I didn’t sell it among a few other notable observations. So that’s kinda how that started the ball rolling we did some festivals at The Fraze, Swamp Romp Blues Fest the Fiesta Latino event they used to do. And we expanded from there with word of mouth and referrals. The past three years we have had significant growth to the point that last year I more than doubled the capacity of our smoker which then led us to the next stage needing, a commercial kitchen and while visiting that realization, figured some seating would be cool too.
What’s the secret to good BBQ?
JN: You mean great BBQ? I don’t know what others do around here for good BBQ, I mean I have tried it all and I can pinpoint what the issues … well let’s leave it at that for now. If you want GREAT BBQ there are a multitude of variables that affect the outcome. Time and temperature are key but 30+ years of experience and making large quantities is not the same as throwing a brisket flat on the back yard smoker. The right equipment and the experience to know how to use it is pretty important. Using the right spice set with the particular smoke source. I could go on for quite a while but you get the idea. Here is an analogy, It’s a lot like brewing beer! You have to have a passion and some talent and a lot of patience to create products that are appealing to many people. In their (the brewers) case, they start with water, in my case I start with a slab of beef or pork and other select cuts. From there, well, it’s an artisans pallet, you’ll have to come and decide for yourself whether it’s a painting or a work of art. I’ll let the public decide. I just know it is an absolute pleasure sharing a little bit of where I come from with the community I have lived in for the past 20 years and formalizing the next step in this process is really exciting. I’m humbled at the responses we have received over the years and really appreciate all the support and encouragement that has led us to this next step. We hope to be all you expect and more.
What can we expect to find on your menu?
JN: We’re going to start with what we do best a simple menu will allow us to enter the marketplace and get really good on our service as quick as possible. One of the things we complain about in our own dining out experiences is the lack of quality service…We’re fixin’ to change that! At least at my place. Most likely we will start with lunch and dinner where we will feature our Mesquite Smoked beef brisket, our Mesquite smoked pulled pork, our Mesquite Smoked Texas Sausage We will have our sides which are Borracho beans (we’ll select a local brewery for this beer) our Tejano arroz (Mexican rice) our yellow tater salad and we’ll probably do green beans to start. These are our signature items and what brought us to the dance so we’re hitching our cart to this horse.
From there we can begin to expand our offerings., we’ll probably compliment that with a free range chicken offering and we will incorporate pork ribs (not baby backs) and we’re bringin’ a South Texas staple to Dayton! Mesquite smoked beef ribs!. The ribs and chicken offerings will be limited offerings and we will ease ourselves into these as the staff and I get comfortable with the new digs. Being from the Texas Gulf coast I grew up on seafood so make no mistake gulf coast seafoods will see their place on our menu in the not too distant future. They’ve already made their appearance at our tents. We are also the only BBQ place that is doing Bison Brisket! It’s raised, harvested, and processed in the Greenville area and is an exclusive offering. We’ll incorporate that in on some of our days in a few weeks after opening. Breakfast and Sunday brunch will also be incorporated. We have a limited offering in store for you and again it will be what brought us to the dance first and then we’ll expand it a bit but it will still be a limited short menu. Stick with what you know and what you do great!
Anything else you’d like to add?
JN: As you know I have always been a supporter of the downtown community. My office has been located downtown for most of the past twenty years. Over the years I have been involved in various nonprofits, their boards, various committees and have supported the revitalization efforts here for most of that time. Part of what we want to do with Texas Beef and Cattle Company’s next phase is to further support our community. Our Co-Op style format (look for news on our Facebook page) will be driven by members that will buy a little part of their own smokehouse, we will have a member committee that will be elected every couple of years or so, we will have exclusive member events, we will offer our members a program that they can feel is a tremendous value to themselves for their support of our enterprise while We organizing events in our neighborhood and encourage various groups to make us a pit stop, but we also want them to be part of how we support our community we want to source locally sure but at the same time a community garden is even better! sharing in the farming chores will be great, reaching out to our members to share their skills and their talents and bringing them to bear on our own communities needs. We want our place to be a gathering place for all to enjoy and all to receive and all to give and take a little as needed. We want our employees to be partners in our efforts, to be paid good wages to have opportunities and benefits so that they can feel great too! If we can start with this small endeavor we can begin to make a difference all over. At the very core of this is my desire to share a little bit of my culture and flavors from where I grew up. It’s the least I can do for all that Dayton has given me.
This is our vision this is how we see this process unfold and this is what we feel is going to be a worthy enterprise. We hope ya’ll feel the same way!
This is an ongoing promotion:
Dayton, meet Wilbear Wright. No, not Wilbur – Wilbear Wright, an indirect descendant of the Wright brothers (at least that’s what he told us.)
Wilbear invites you to an embark on an exciting tour of Dayton’s aviation heritage locations. The Race to Dayton’s Aviation Places is your opportunity to truly experience aviation history.
Have you walked onto Huffman Prairie, the site of the Wright School of Aviation and the Wright Exhibition Team? Have you visited the old neighborhood that the brothers lived and worked in? Have you seen the Presidential Gallery, a collection of massive presidential airplanes at the USAF Museum?
No, you say?
Wilbear frowns upon your apathy. He humbly invites you to get out and enjoy these amazing aviation places. And the best part of this experience? You get to take him home with you!
Visit a minimum of 6 of these 9 aviation sites listed to receive a “Wilbear Wright” aviator teddy bear.
Before “take-off”, you must pick up a passport (free) at any of the four locations denoted with an asterisk. Obtain a stamp from the one required site (Wright-Dunbar) and five others. Mail in the completed passport and receive Wilbear FREE!
Completed passports should be mailed to:
“Wilbear Wright”
c/o Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center
Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park
PO Box 9280, Wright Brothers Station
Dayton, Ohio 45409
Bears can also be picked up at the Wright Cycle complex.
For additional information, call the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center at 937-225-7705. It’s the (W)right thing to do!
Author’s note: Wilbear made me add that last part, I swear!
Dayton, meet Wilbear Wright. No, not Wilbur – Wilbear Wright, an indirect descendant of the Wright brothers (at least that’s what he told us.)
Wilbear invites you to an embark on an exciting tour of Dayton’s aviation heritage locations. The Race to Dayton’s Aviation Places is your opportunity to truly experience aviation history.
Have you walked onto Huffman Prairie, the site of the Wright School of Aviation and the Wright Exhibition Team? Have you visited the old neighborhood that the brothers lived and worked in? Have you seen the Presidential Gallery, a collection of massive presidential airplanes at the USAF Museum?
No, you say?
Wilbear frowns upon your apathy. He humbly invites you to get out and enjoy these amazing aviation places. And the best part? You get to take him home with you!
Visit a minimum of 6 of these 9 aviation sites listed to receive a “Wilbear Wright” aviator teddy bear.
Before “take-off”, you must pick up a passport (free) at any of the four locations denoted with an asterisk. Obtain a stamp from the one required site (Wright-Dunbar) and five others. Mail in the completed passport and receive Wilbear FREE!
Completed passports should be mailed to:
“Wilbear Wright”
c/o Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center
Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park
PO Box 9280, Wright Brothers Station
Dayton, Ohio 45409
For additional information, call the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center at 937-225-7705. It’s the (W)right thing to do!
Author’s note: Wilbear made me add that last part, I swear!