Four evenings next week--Tuesday through Friday--College Hill celebrates the Third Annual College Hill Block Party in the Presbyterian Church Parking Lot.

• Tuesday, August 1, National Night Out kicks off the celebration from 6:00 to 9:00pm with a community cookout, live entertainment and visits from police and fire units, plus much more. Park the car at home, leave the porch lights on and walk the beautiful tree- lined streets of College Hill to join your friends and neighbors to promote police-community partnerships.
• Wednesday from 6:30pm to 9:00pm is Big Band Nite, with an Ice Cream Social, dancing, local celebrities, board games, hop scotch and cornhole.
• Thursday from 5:00pm to 9:00pm is Girls' and Boys' 3-on-3 basketball, with music, cheerleaders and a drill team. Teams can register at Christ's Community, the Recreation Center or the Library through August 1 and at the event between 4:30pm and 5:00pm.
• Friday from 6:30pm to 9:00pm is Youth Nite, with rap music & food.

St. Clare Church celebrated the Grand Opening of its new Parish Center with a party after Saturday afternoon mass. After years of preparation and nine months of construction, the building is ready to use.

Fr. George Jacquemin, St. Clare's pastor, blessed the building for the assembled parish members, and Bob Ebbeler, president of the church Parish Council, cut the ribbon stretched between the doors. Inside, parishioners enjoyed refreshments, checked out the building, and heard from College Hill Director of Community Development Martin Weldishofer, who called the building a gain for the neighborhood.

The Parish Center, which includes a gym and stage space, will soon be available for rent to community groups. You can tour the center on August 1, when it will be open to the public as part of the National Night Out/College Hill Block Party. For information, call the church at 541-2100.

Contributed by Gail Deibler Finke.

Those who know fabric are excited to learn that owner Becky Hancock is moving Saint Teresa Textile Trove from Main Street to Hamilton Avenue. Saint Teresa's is known nationally and internationally as a trusted source of beautiful and exotic textiles and embellishments. They specialize in the unusual and hard to find.

Becky plans to open August 23 at 5846 Hamilton Avenue, in the same building complex as Chung Ching, LaRosa's and Hartman-Erhmantraut. Credit is due to College Hill resident and Saint Teresa employee Terry Owen, whom we understand was instrumental in helping make the case to move this great business to College Hill.

Click here to learn more about this business.

Saint Teresa's joins two other businesses that have recently established themselves in College Hill.

Howard Roberts opened his American Family Insurance agency at 6240 Hamilton a couple of weeks ago. He's located just north of the former Shullers site.

Ramon Norris, Jr., opened his American Heritage Flooring Company at the corner of Hamilton & Cedar a couple of months ago.

When you hear about businesses who are establishing themselves in College Hill, ask them to contact the eNewsletter so we can help welcome them to our community.

The Josh Weiser Community Service Award was established by the Forum and anonymous donors in 1987 to honor long time College Hill volunteer H. Joshua Weiser, and has been presented more-or-less annually since then. Josh Weiser was well known in College Hill and Cincinnati for his creative leadership and dedicated service in many facets of community life. The purpose of this award is to recognize those who have provided outstanding volunteer leadership to College Hill and to encourage others to serve their community in the future.

The deadline for this year's nominations is September 30. Criteria are: Unpaid volunteer service directly benefiting College Hill. The nominee need not be a resident of College Hill or a member of any organization. Race, sex or religion shall not be considerations. Multiple nominations for the same person shall not be a factor. Length of service, while important, will not be a major factor.

To nominate someone, send his or her name, address and phone number, along with 200 words or less on the individual's record of volunteer service to College Hill and 100 words or less on any other interests or biographical background of the nominee to Community Service Committee, College Hill Forum, PO Box 24160, College Hill, OH 45224. Be sure to provide your own name, address and phone number. For additional information or to get a nomination form, call the Forum at 513-542-7263.

Previous award winners are Betty Ann Smiddy (1988), Genevieve Kress (1989), Normal Allgeier (1990), Don Hunt (1991), Paul Zoller (1992), Bryan Madison (1997), David Schwartz (1998), Peter Bauer (1999), Jim Bodmer (2000), Amos Robinson (2001), Karen Hartman (2002), Mary Bodmer (2003),Marty Weldishofer (2004) and Tina Stoeberl (2005).

Fun, fresh air, exercise, food, games, friends, party, music, prizes--you gotta love it! Everyone is welcome to participate in the Third Annual College Hill Rhythm Race presented by the College Hill Forum on Friday, August 18.

Run fast or walk slowly, push a stroller or pull a wagon for 5K (3.2 miles) through our beautiful College Hill neighborhood. To pre-register, simply click here to print out a registration form. You can also go to the web site of our race coordinator, Steve Prescott, at www.sprunning.com and find a registration form there as well. Or stop by most any of our College Hill businesses along the Avenue and pick up a registration form.

When you pre-register, just $20 puts you in the race, gets you a free Rhythm Race t-shirt and admission to the awesome after-race party. You can also register on Race Day, Friday August 18 at 6:00pm at Pleasant Hill Academy, but it’s $25 on the day of the race, and we can’t guarantee there still would be t-shirts available in your size.

On Race Day:

• The 5K Registration is at 6:00pm and the 5K Race begins at 7:00pm.
• The “Run Spot Run” Reading and Running Fun for Kids fun run registration is at 6:00pm and the fun run starts at 6:30pm.
• The Celebration Party featuring kids’ activities, great food and live music by Soul Progression starts after the race. Tickets for party only are $10 for adults, $5 for kids 6-17 and free for those 5 and under.

The High Strung, an award-winning Detroit band, is making a Rock & Roll tour at libraries around the country. Its Cincinnati stop is at the College Hill library. Teens around the city are invited to an August 5 concert on the grass.

"The branch is having a book sale that day, so it seemed a natural to host this event afterwards (and after hours) for teens to enjoy," says PLCH spokesman Rick Helmes. "There is a very active group of teens that use the branch, and the children's librarian Arnice Smith and teen librarian Heidi Bullard are both very proactive in working with the kids in the area. College Hill Branch serves a diverse community, and it has a huge front lawn, which is where the concert will take place."

The High Strung named one of the best new bands in America by "Rolling Stone" magazine. NPR's Ken Tucker named its debut album, "These Are The Good Times," one of the Top 10 Rock Records of 2003. Known for its three-part harmonies, lyrical bravado, and furious guitars, the band has a "Beatlesque" sound that invites singing. In addition to putting on a concert, the band will talk about making records for major music industry labels, making a video for MTV, and touring the country year-round. They'll also take suggestions from the crowd and write a song on the spot.

The Saturday-night concert will cap an exciting week of events in College Hill, which begins with four days of "Block Party" activities August 1-4.

The College Hill Branch Library will host its first-ever Friends of the Library Used Book Sale Saturday from 10 am - 5 pm, and the concert will follow in the front lawn from 6 - 8 pm. Plenty of free parking is available in the library lot.

Contributed by Gail Deibler Finke

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

Idea and photo by Gail Deibler Finke.

Do you own your copy of the College Hill cookbook yet? If not you are missing a wonderful book with an eye-catching cover and over 750 delicious recipes. The book also contains original artwork by College Hill's own Mary Seguin.

The book has been so popular that we have ordered a second printing. It's still just $15 even though books of this size and quality normally sell for more than that. All proceeds go to the College Hill Forum.

Get your College Hill Cooks! Cookbook at any Forum meeting and at the College Hill Coffee Company, Schwartz Jewelers, Visconti-Lechler Pharmacy, Piazza Discepoli, Llanfair Retirement Community and Six Acres Bed and Breakfast. They make great gifts!

Article contributed by Elaine Ludwig.

Departing Pleasant Hill Academy Principal John Copenhaver sends the following:

"I want to thank everyone who supported me during my ten years as teacher, assistant principal and principal at Pleasant Hill. I loved working in College Hill; that's why I stayed so long.

"After lots of prayer and meditation with God, I feel that I have made the best choice by accepting an assistant principal job at Roll Hill School. Doing so will enable me to spend more time with my family and friends.

"It is my sincere hope that this community will embrace its neighborhood school and principal and support them in any way possible. These children and parents belong to College Hill. Invest in them and love them and I promise you that College Hill will be one of Cincinnati's best neighborhoods. I give special thanks to Tom Haid, Christ's Community and Ms. Arnice at the Public Library for always reaching out to include and support the students and families of Pleasant Hill."

College Hill resident Tim Johnson has been recognized as an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and was pictured on the cover of July's Cincinnati Smart Business magazine.

See the Smart Business article "Growth Through Integrity" about Tim Johnson here.

See the Ernst & Young press release about the Entrepreneur of the Year awards here.

Core Behavioral was chosen as a finalist for the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber’s Annual Small Business Excellence Awards in the nonprofit category. These annual awards honor successful small businesses in Greater Cincinnati. Finalists were chosen for innovation, financial performance, workplace excellence, sustainability and community involvement.

Pictured are the Core Behavioral staff and board members who attended the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber’s Small Business Excellence luncheon in May.

We can't take a picture, because it's invisible. But the College Hill library, like all libraries in the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County system, now offers free wireless internet (WiFi) access.

Bring your equipped laptop, and the librarians will show you the "hotspots." If you don't have an equipped laptop, you can still use the library's computers to surf the Internet without charge. Don't know how to use the internet? The library also offers free classes. "Introduction to the Internet," a one-hour class, is offered on the first Saturday of every month at 10am. Upcoming dates are August 5, September 2, and October 7.

The library isn't the only place in College Hill to host free internet hotspots. The College Hill Coffee Company is another place to bring your laptop--and enjoy a snack or a meal at the same time.

Story contributed by Gail Finke.

In an article headlined, "No matter your craving, find it on the mega-menu at diverse College Hill spot," Cin Weekly reporter Megan McNames had some very nice things to say about Bacall's.

Aiken College and Career High School presents a Summer Bridge Program for incoming 9th Graders August 2 through August 15 from 8:30am to 12:30pm. This program provides our new ninth graders assistance with a smooth transition into high school.

The ten day orientation includes:

• Art, music, and gym activities,
• Free field trips,
• Free transportation (bus tokens provided),
• Meetings with teachers and staff,
• Daily breakfast & lunch,
• A free t-shirt and
• Computer activities.

There will be a family picnic on the last day.

Article contributed by Sybil Cooper (513-363- 6772, coopers@cpsboe.k12.oh.us)

Brandt Smith and Brenda Wolfersberger, 11-year College Hill residents, will perform at the Edensong Folk Festival at the Seasongood Pavilion in Eden Park on Friday, July 28 at 8:00pm.

Brandt and Brenda have been seen separately for years playing with many different bluegrass bands, including the Comet Bluegrass Allstars and the Katie Laur Band. They have also performed together with diverse local artists, including Wild Carrot and Chris Collier. This Friday they will perform as "Brandt and Brenda," featuring their exciting and wonderfully blended duet vocals.

College Hill Gardeners will once again sponsor their very successful Pumpkin Patch Fall Festival this year on Saturday, October 7 at Town Hall Park. The Festival will include a pumpkin patch for children with games & activities, pony rides, a petting zoo, farmers market, food & drinks for the family, as well as entertainment for everyone’s enjoyment. We will also have a wide variety of artists and crafters showing their handmade products.

Space is still available for artists and crafters. Crafters interested in displaying their wares should contact Karen Hartman at 513-681-5648.

You can meet College Hill's most recent "Home Town Hero" at National Night Out on August 1. Hero Amy Finnegan is the organizer of the event and will certainly be there.

College Hill's Harry S. Johnson Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons held its annual Corn Roast July 15. Several dozen members, their families, and visitors braved the heat to enjoy the full meal and Cornhole tournament in the Lodge's yard. The Lodge has held the Corn Roast, which is open to the public, for more than 20 years. Pictured are the officers and volunteers who ran the event.

Worshipful Master Chuck Andrews (bottom row, second from left) invites the community to their monthly Pancake Breakfasts, which begin again in September at the North Bend Road building. For a small fee, you get an all-you-can eat breakfast that benefits the Lodge's College Hill Food Pantry. The next dates are Sept. 9, Oct. 14 and Nov. 11.

Contributed by Gail Deibler Finke.

College Hill will have a new sanitary sewage line that will replace the old, outdated line that is currently in use. The current sewer line is too small to handle current wastewater flows, especially when it rains. The problem causes sewage backups into area basements and overflows from manholes.

The Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) plans to start the project this week and says construction will be complete by the end of the year. The new sewer line will begin at North Bend and Witherby, run south across the large vacant lot behind The Encampment, then across Connecticut, ending at Belmont.

For questions or problems, contact the MSD Customer Service Representative for this project, Martie Thompson, at 513-771-9424.

Local entertainer Dave Hawkins returns from tour to entertain at the College Hill Coffee Company this Friday, the 28th. From 7:30 to 9:30pm, Dave's music will provide an alternative to Youth Nite's rap music at the other end of The Avenue.