The College Hill Ministerium's Annual Martin Luther King Celebration on January 15 begins with the Second Annual Unity March. Starting at 5:30 pm, everyone is invited to walk from the House of Joy to St. Clare Catholic Church.

The program begins at 6:00 pm at St. Clare Catholic Church. Special Guest will be Eileen Cooper Reed, Vice President of the Cincinnati School Board. The Keynote Speaker will be Pastor Mendle Adams of St. Peters United Church Of Christ, Pleasant Ridge. Music by Bishop O'Neal and the College Hill Mass Choir.

Rehersal for the Mass Choir will be held Saturday, January 14 at The House of Joy at 11:00 am. All singers are invited to participate.

The College Hill Coffee Company and Casual Gourmet re-opens Tuesday, January 10 bright & early at 6:30 am with a a new name, new owner, new look, new menu, new merchandise and new hours.

The new owner is Tina Stoeberl, known in College Hill for her volunteer leadership and community activism. Tina purchased the coffee shop-restaurant from former owners, College Hill residents Jim and Yasna Hood and already is putting her mark on the business.

The first difference is the new logo and attention- getting awning on the building. Its coffee-inspired colors and eye-catching graphics make the most of visibility at Cincinnati’s second-busiest intersection.

Inside, there are changes as well in the atmosphere, new menu items and a brand new array of home goods, gourmet gift items, European coffee and tea equipment and one-of-a-kind antiques and collectibles.

The Company has also changed its hours. It opens an hour earlier at 6:30 am Tuesday through Friday for the convenience of early risers. The shop is also open later, until 6:30 pm Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, until 10:00 pm on Friday and Saturday evenings and until 4:00 pm on Sundays.

Other new features will include additional local and national newspapers on-site for customer reading and free Wi-Fi internet access for customers.

The College Hill Gardeners were honored as a second place National Award Winner by Keep America Beautiful. Gardeners Beth McLean (left) and Mary Cinquina (right) accepted the award at the National Award Ceremony held in Orlando December 9th. CHG was selected for this award due to their “outstanding efforts to engage individuals in beautification and community improvement.” The organization “is worthy of being recognized for encouraging local government, business and private citizens to work together to make the community a more beautiful, safer place to live.”

The following Gardeners were involved in the KAB submission in the Community Improvement and Beautification category: Mary Cinquina and Beth McLean, co-editors; Mary Cinquina, researcher and compiler; Contributors Kevin Corcoran, Dee Pittinger, Carolyn McMahon, Beth McLean and Mary Cinquina. Beth McLean extends her gratefulness to the dozens of CHG volunteers who have created and sustained an organization dedicated to "growing community pride."

To find out more about CHG, email collegehillgardeners@cinci.rr.com.

The Keep Cincinnati Beautiful organization along with sponsors such as UDF, P&G and H.J. Benken’s Florist honors communities and individuals who strive to keep our hometown clean and beautiful. Once again, College Hill organizations led neighborhoods in awards won at the annual event late last year.

The awards were announced and presented by City of Cincinnati Council members Chris Monzel, Laketa Cole, Jim Tarbell and now former councilman David Pepper. Each of them had something positive to say about College Hill, our active College Hill Forum Community Council, our engaged and involved residents, our great base of community volunteers and the great results of our many community initiatives. New Vice Mayor Tarbell especially heaped praise by saying that College Hill was the neighborhood for all other communities to emulate.

• On behalf of the College Hill Forum, Amy Finnegan accepted the Mini Project 3rd Place Award and $50 for College Hill’s outstanding National Night Out event in August.
• The College Hill Forum Quality of Life team took the 3rd Place Award and $100 in the Ongoing Project division for QOL’s successful Pleasant Hill School 7th & 8th grade anti-litter program begun in May 2005 and coordinated by Tamara Grimm (left, above) and Peg Bell-Lohr (right, above). Phyllis Schoenberger (middle, above) accepted the award.
• In the Large Project Award category, College Hill Forum took 1st Place and the top prize of $500 for our second-annual Rhythm Race 5K and community celebration party. The Large Project must incorporate a wide variety of activities, leverage donations and sponsorships and involve a large number of participants and volunteers. Tina Stoeberl accepted the award on behalf of the Forum.
• The College Hill Gardeners (CHG) won 2nd Place and $250 in the Business District/Gateway Project category for their spectacular work planting and maintaining the traffic islands at the North Bend & Belmont Avenue “triangle” gateways into our community. Beth McLean accepted the award for the Gardeners.
• College Hill Forum came in 2nd, winning $100, for the attention and care we give the Shuller’s lot and for the many activities and events we stage there to keep a “vacant” lot alive! Tina Stoeberl accepted the award on behalf of the Forum.

These organization and event awards brought College Hill acclaim–and $1000 in prize money for our community efforts.

In addition to our community awards, two of our neighborhood’s busiest volunteers were recognized for their efforts and results on behalf of College Hill. The Five Star Award is usually given to the volunteer who has proven to be instrumental in affecting positive change and raising public awareness in the areas of litter prevention, community improvement, beautification or recycling. In a rare move, Keep Cincinnati Beautiful awarded two Five Star Awards to a single community this year–-College Hill!

• Tina Stoeberl won for her volunteer leadership successes in our community throughout the years, including Rhythm Race, Great American Clean-Up, Luminaria Project, Community Yard Sale, Forum Events Team, and Farm Market.
• Mary Cinquina won for her continuing outstanding work with the College Hill Gardeners.

Amy Finnegan, Tina Stoerberl and Forum President Elizabeth Sherwood show off various awards above.

JoAnne Summer writes, “What fun to share the last hours of 2005 with our College Hill friends and neighbors! What a great use of the vacant Kroger location. The fireworks were outstanding. A perfect ending for an enjoyable evening!. Thanks to all who helped put the event together.”

The New Year's Eve 2005 Pre-Demolition Extravaganza was sponsored by the College Hill Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation, National City Bank and the College Hill Business Association.

The Hilltop Press has named Amy Finnegan of College Hill one of their annual "Ten Who Care." Forum President Elizabeth Sherwood nominated Amy for the award, saying that “she is one of the hardest working and most involved members of the community.

"Amy organized College Hill’s 2004 and 2005 National Night Out event, both of which won national recognition. She has been an active member of Citizens on Patrol for years and she is also a member of our Community Problem-Oriented Policing Team. She spearheaded the Light Up College Hill Luminary Project and is also heavily involved with People Working Cooperatively. As secretary of the College Hill Forum, keeps our community council running like a well-oiled machine. She is a member of the Forum’s Events Team, organizing numerous community events and activities.

"Amy has been instrumental in improving our neighborhood and promoting a sense of pride and community in College Hill.”

Working In Neighborhoods is sponsoring two workshops on credit. One is for those who have had some experience with banking and credit. The other is for those who have not had any experience dealing with a bank or lender except for maybe getting their checks cashed. Both sessions are free and lunch is provided.

• The first workshop is Saturday, January 14. Attendees will learn: What your credit says about you! Is it a good loan or a bad loan? How to maintain good credit. Class runs from 9:30am to 2:00pm at the WIN Economic Learning Campus, 1814 Dreman Avenue in South Cumminsville (enter off of Llewellyn). Child care available for ages 4 and up.
• The second workshop is Thursday, January 19. It’s Credit 101. Learn how to establish good credit and keep it! Applying for your first credit card? Learn how to manage credit challenges! Class runs from 9:30am to 2:00pm at the Northside Community School, 4139 Kirby Avenue in Northside.

To pre-register or for more information call 541-4109.

Crews from Trend Construction are installing a 12” water main on North Bend Road. The water main is being installed primarily under the north sidewalk and will provide room for the installation of a 24” water main under the roadway, to be installed later this year. Construction of a new roadway on North Bend Road will take place in 2007.

Construction is expected to last through fall of 2007. The initial week of work will locate the water main tie-in points of the intersections of North Bend Road at Colerain and Hamilton Avenues. The installation of the water main is scheduled to begin at Colerain Avenue in mid-January and will proceed east from that point.

Both water mains are replacing existing 80-year-old mains. This effort will improve water service to the College Hill and Mt. Airy areas, and provide expanded service capacity. This work will be followed by the complete reconstruction of North Bend Road. This phase of the project, which will include the installation of new curbs, drive aprons and asphalt roadway from Colerain Avenue to Betts Avenue, will begin in 2007.

For many years, LaBoiteaux Woods has been the “artful” nature center thanks mainly to artist and teacher Mary Jo Corrado, who grew up in College Hill. Making holiday crafts, most of them nature themed or with natural materials, has been an annual tradition at LaBoiteaux Woods for about 25 years. Mary Jo and the staff present new projects each year to bring out the creativity of the whole family. For many, this program has become a holiday tradition.

This year’s Workshop on December 9, was enjoyed by more than fifty people of all ages.

LaBoiteaux Woods has involved children in art classes and summer art camps taught by Mary Jo Corrado for so many years that we have lost count. Her after- school classes for ages 6 to 13 will start again in late January. The students’ artwork will be featured at the Cincinnati Wild! Art through Nature show at LaBoiteaux Woods on April 30. Everyone is encouraged to spend the afternoon capturing nature with camera, sketchbook or paints, and get some pointers from professionals on hand. Local adults are also invited to display their nature art in the show. Mark your calendar and get your best artwork framed now and ready for the show.

Call 513-542-2909 for a show application or more information on any of LaBoiteaux Woods’ art or nature programs.

Over 50 children and several adults from around Cincinnati participated in the first annual Music Marathon sponsored by the First United Church of Christ Youth Group. This year's "Katrina Koncert" raised over $3,000 for the American Red Cross Relief Fund for Katrina Victims.

Students from Marion Peraza de Webb's Music Workshop, the Fairview German Language School Orchestra and World Drumming Ensemble, members of First UCC, and the Ascending Quartet collected donations during a performance that lasted over three hours.

Mark your calendars now for the second annual Music Marathon on November 5, 2006. All music students are invited to showcase their talents, and space is available for music studios, as well as professional and amateur musicians. Come celebrate the gift of music and make the world sound more beautiful to others living far from Cincinnati! To participate or volunteer, contact Amy Weyand-Geise at 513-591.2887 or email weyandgeise@f use.net.

The College Hill Presbyterian Churchwill follow up on the success of two programs it hosted in December on the subject of "The Chronicles of Narnia" and its author C.S. Lewis with a new nine week program that will examine the life and writings of Lewis and Sigmund Freud, two of the most influential people on contemporary “Western civilization thinking”.

This new program will draw on materials from a popular Harvard University seminar, video clips from the acclaimed PBS series entitled "The Question of God" and moderated discussion groups to create an environment where participants can share their own perspectives with the purpose of mutual learning. All points of view are welcome.

There is no charge for this event. For more details call CHPC at 513-541-5676.

The "Living is Learning" program is an extension of the wellness philosophy that Twin Towers believes in. We collaborate with community individuals and organizations to provide creative learning opportunities for the 50-plus population that incorporate emotional, intellectual, physical, social, spiritual, and vocational wellness.

Twin Towers is proud to introduce their Winter Series with Computer Training classes provided by Web Wise Seniors of Cincinnati beginning January 9th. They will be offering a variety of classes for the beginner, including programs for genealogy on the web and digital photography.

Rick Sowash, an accomplished Ohio author and composer who is best known for his book, "Heroes of Ohio: 23 True Tales of Courage and Character," will engage participants in his adventures as he shares about writing and being a writer.

For more information on the "Living is Learning" opportunities call 513-853-4100.

Patricia Doty of College Hill will be showing her Cavalier King Charles spaniel in the American Kennel Club Eukanuba National Championship show in Tampa January 14 and 15. Watch for her on the Discovery Channel at 8:00 pm both nights.