More than 200 people turned out for the first ever Gardens of College Hill Tour last Saturday, discovering the wonderful variety hidden in many back yards and getting ideas for their own gardens.

"The great thing is that you can do this yourself," said Dee Pittinger, a College Hill Gardeners volunteer who punched tickets at one of the homes all day. "These are normal homes any of us might have, not million dollar Homerama Mansions. It's inspiring."

The eight gardens featured were different in style and size. A backyard garden at a tiny Tudor (being considered for a story in "Better Homes and Gardens" magazine) was on the bill, along with a sprawling garden at one of College Hill's original homes dating from the early 1800s, an artificial pond at another early College Hill home, an Asian-inspired shade garden at a 1950s ranch home, and four other unique spaces.

One happy garden tourist hopes that people from outside the neighborhood were among the visitors. "This is great for the city, not just College Hill," she said. While many people think that living in the city means asphalt and concrete, she said, "this shows the kind of life you can live in city limits-- flowers and trees and great outdoor spaces."

In future weeks, the eNewsletter will run a story on each of the gardens featured on the tour. So if you didn't make the tour this year, you can see why you might plan for it for 2007.

In the photo above, College Hill volunteer Phyllis Schoenberger takes a moment on the Tour to relax in the garden of a neighbor on Nahant.

Story and photo by Gail Deibler Finke.

Do you know a talented student who is looking for an artistic summer adventure? The Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) is presenting a special Overture Awards Introductory Workshop on Thursday, July 20 at 5:00 pm at Pleasant Hill Academy.

The program is designed to encourage minority high school students to participate in CAA’s Overture Awards--the largest high school arts scholarship competition of its kind in the nation. The workshop prepares students for the Overture Awards competition. It also offers information about pursuing a college education in the arts and provides access to local performers, writers, and artists who will share their real-world experiences.

Participants will have an opportunity to present their performance or visual art to professionals for their evaluation and critique.

Read the whole news release here.
Read more about the Overture Awards program here.

For more information, call 513-977-4168 or email Dbango@CincinnatiArts.ORG.

The College Hill Community Urban Renewal Corporation (CHCURC) has scheduled general membership meetings for the first Wednesdays of July, October, January and April.

The first of this series of meetings is Wednesday, July 5, at 7:30 pm at the Llanfair Campus Community Center. Anyone with an interest in College Hill is invited to come to this meeting. If you're not already a CHURC member, memberships are only $10 per person.

The community is resurrecting the College Hill Historical Society.

A small group of College Hill residents recently convened to look at the collection of historical materials which have been archived at PNC bank. We were impressed with the wealth of College Hill information. There is great information on genealogy, history of homes, buildings and areas of College Hill.

We decided to review all the documents and to come up with a system to track them online.

We found a lot of information on Gard Cemetery off North Bend Road and our long term goal is to clear the site and restore it for College Hill.

If you are interested in researching your home, your street, or knowing the history of your neighborhood, the new College Hill Historical Society will help you get the information.

We need more members to help get the Society going again. You can sign up by emailing Amy Finnegan at afinnegan@sksins.com, or call the Forum phone number at 513-542-7263 for information.

Our first meeting to discuss our mission and future is planned for Thursday, July 27 at 6:30pm at Twin Towers. All are welcome to attend. We will also have information available at the National Night Out.

Article contributed by Amy Finnegan.

Goodie's Barbecue Restaurant and the College Hill Coffee Company were featured in July's Cincinnati Magazine.

In Cheap Eats! 25 Places Where Two Can Eat for Under $25, Goodie's was listed second. Of Goodie's, reviewer Donna Covrett said, "Mr. Goodie's ribs are treated with a 13-spice rub before they go out back to the combo grill and smoker. The natural smoke flavor of the meat married with Goodie's spicy sweet sauce has engendered 20 years of loyal customers." The article also mentions "... exceptionally good fried okra in a cornmeal batter."

In Where To Go For ... A Good Cuppa Joe, the description of the College Hill Coffee Company stated, "Large, sunny interior, with a mixture of comfy sofas and dining tables, chess boards and books. Highlander Grog [coffee] is the regular's favorite. Try the big, gooey, house-made cinnamon rolls. Known for silky quiches, chicken salad, soups and house-made pies and desserts."

College Hill couple Patrick and Cora "Toney" Bolden's romantic story of their serendipitous meeting in New Orleans in 1999 was featured in a nice article in Sunday's Enquirer.

The Cincinnati Enquirer chose author Mallori McNeal, who appeared in the eNewsletter only weeks ago, as a distinguished high school senior for her accomplishments in the arts.

You probably know that A Lion in the House, the powerful documentary that aired on PBS this week, was filmed in Cincinnati and followed area families and their battles against their childrens' cancer. But did you know that one of those children is now grown up and a summer intern right here at WAKW?

Child cancer survivor Zach Bohannon, of Lebanon, is shown here at WAKW-FM (93.3) in College Hill, where he is working as a summer intern.

College Hill senior Laura Heekin and date Steve Miller are entered in the national Duct Tape Prom Dress contest. The prize is a $6000 scholarship. Laura will be a freshman next year at UC in DAAP, majoring in Interior Design.

Laura's dress, Steve's tux, as well as the roses, tie and boutionniere are made entirely out of duct tape. You can see all the entries and you can find a larger picture of Laura's entry here. Laura's entry is #3724 in the category "Most likely to have had help from mom."

The Six Acres Concert scheduled for June 18 was postponed because of rain. The new date is Sunday, July 2, from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm, on the lawn at Six Acres B&B.

William Menefield, graduate of our own School for the Creative and Performing Arts, is performing on keyboards. He has been touted as a wunderkind, and plays amazing jazz with his trio.

Admission is $15 for the concert, appetizers, soft drink, and a tour of Six Acres Bed and Breakfast. Parking is at Twin Towers, with a shuttle to Six Acres.

McAuley senior Mary Boeddeker will participate as a golfer in the Down Under International Games in Australia, July 8-12.

How well do you know College Hill? Can you locate this?

Idea and photo by Gail Deibler Finke.

The College Hill Farm Market continues to offer fresh fruits and vegetables and other goodies every Thursday from 3 pm to 7 pm at the corner of Hamilton & Llanfair.

Chris Haubner and his uncle, Jim Pross, perform a mix of acoustic styles. Chris is a well-known and favorite fixture at area coffeehouses as well as folk, country and bluegrass festivals. Chris hails from the Greater Cincinnati area, and after traveling around the country during 2005, he is back home to entertain his local fans, and Saturday night, he's at the College Hill Coffee Company.

All Coffee Company concerts are on Saturday nights and all are 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm. No charge, but tip jars for the performers are available as is the opportunity to purchase CD's from some of the performers.