P. Ann Everson-Price, the only Cincinnati female radio personality with a Contemporary Christian program (on College Hill's own WAKW), an urban gospel program (on the WIZ) and a kickin' R&B band of her own, is celebrating her 20th year in broadcasting with a weekend of gospel events starting September 22. Two events are here in College Hill--and you're invited.

P. Ann, familiar to College Hill folks from her ministries at the House of Joy, The Rock Cafe and the College Hill Presbyterian Church, is also a recording artist and actress. She's appeared Off-Broadway with Peabo Bryson and at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, she's performed on stage with national R&B and gospel acts, and has toured and lived in Japan. For the past eight years she's also been Director of the Cincinnati SuperChoir.

In between her radio jobs, her ministries in College Hill and Lincoln Heights, and performances with her All Star Band, she found the time to plan three anniversary events that will feature some of the best local, regional and national gospel performers around. "I want to acknowledge all those who have made it possible to be on the air for 20 years," she says. So the concerts will be for P. Ann--not starring P. Ann--although she won't rule out joining in a song or two.

The three events are very different in flavor and style, as befits this multitalented multitasker.

• Next Friday, September 22, will be a kick-off concert at the House of Joy. WDBZ will do a remote broadcast of the "Sistas of Sisterspeak" from The Rock Cafe at 5:00pm, followed at 7:00pm by a Gospel Music Showcase across the street. Guests well include Dr. James McCray, Dr. Mark Williams and Friends, Tim McDonald, The 3 Square Music Foundation, Archie Byers and Remnant, The Hebrew Children, Dunamis, New Vision and more. At 9:00pm the tone will switch to hip-hop, with guests Virtuous, MC-Till, Tri-Blessed, Poet 27, Sojourn-K, Patch 1 and Harp D.
• Saturday's event will take a different tack, with the Glad Hatters Tea Party at Twin Towers. At 4:00pm September 23, WAKW will begin a live broadcast for a good-natured roast of the guest of honor. At 5:00pm, local and regional hat vendors will present Hats on Parade, a fashion show of stunning hats. Then at 6:00pm, national recording artist Bishop Neal Robertson will take the stage with the Northern Kentucky Brotherhood Singers. This event is a fundraiser for the Cincinnati Super Choir; tickets are $45 in advance.
• Sunday September 24 concludes with a daylong celebration at Landmark Baptist Temple on Glendale- Milford Road. It begins with a continental breakfast followed by a live WAKW broadcast with performances by Luther Barnes, Teri, the Cincinnati Super Choir, praise dancer Shanikwa Sinclair and visits by radio personalities from WIZF and WAKW.

All this is a long way from the day P. Ann, who had no broadcast training or experience, interviewed for a job on WCIN on a bet from a friend. She's been on the air ever since, and though, like most broadcasters, she's changed stations, her fans have always found her. "I don't know how they did it," she says. "I've had some with me since day one! That's humbling--to know that people are with wherever you go."

If you're one of those dedicated fans, plan to attend one (or two, or three) of the Tribute Concerts next weekend. If you're not a fan yet, then go see why so many people are!

You can hear P. Ann Saturdays from 3:00pm to 7:00pm on WAKW and Sundays from 10:00am to noon on 101.1 WIZF "The Wiz."

Article by Gail D. Finke.

The 2006 Pumpkin Patch Fall Festival will be held at Town Hall Park on Saturday, October 7 from 10:00am to 4:00pm. The festival provides fall-themed activities and games for all ages.

There will be pony rides and a petting zoo for kids; an arts & crafts fair; food and entertainment. Attendees will judge a scarecrow contest and get supplies to make a scarecrow to take home. Farm market vendors will be selling pumpkins, gourds, mums, perennials, fresh produce and other goodies.

Admission is $4 per child to the children's activities: the pony ride, petting zoo, treat bag and mini- pumpkin or $2 for the pony ride only. The Festival is hosted by the College Hill Gardeners and supported by the Forum, CHBA, CHCURC, ARCH and the CHRC.

Contact the Gardeners at 513-681-1326 for more information.

This fall College Hill families have two new options for musical education for their children. Two new or revamped choirs, both offering a solid education in choral music, began rehearsals this month. Both are sponsored by churches but are open to all area children, and both will offer exciting opportunities to perform.

SuperChoir

SuperChoir has merged with the College Hill Presbyterian Church Choir School. Director P. Ann Everson-Price promises a dynamic choir with an emphasis on contemporary Christian music and performances. The SuperChoir philosophy is that music is a joyful and biblical way to praise God.

All children grades four through 12 are welcome to join. Members are expected to attend regularly, to maintain high standards of behavior at rehearsals and worship services, and to make the choir a priority in their extracurricular activities.

The Cincinnati Super Choir begain eight years ago at the Arts Consortium of Cincinnati, and soon moved to The Rock Cafe. It has drawn children from throughout the city and performed with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Cincinnati Ballet and at celebrations around the city. Ms. Everson- Price says that by moving to the College Hill Presbyterian Church, the original Super Choir singers and the former CHPC Choir School will all benefit. "It'll be bigger and better, with more faith and more opportunities. From the beginning I wanted the choir to look like our city, and now it will look even more like our city."

CHPC resources will allow the director to teach music theory and use more varied instrumentation. The result, she says, will be "a great choir College Hill families will love being part of."

Rehearsals are Tuesdays from 6:30pm to 7:45pm at the College Hill Presbyterian Church. There are no registration fees. The fall semester began September 12 but registration is still open. For information or registration, call the church at 513-541-5676.

Psallite

Begun only last year, Psallite is a citywide Catholic children's choir that trains singers in Gregorian chant and classical music. Students meet weekly in one of four rehearsal sites--in Cheviot, Hamilton, Mt. Washington and now College Hill--and combine for performances. They agree to listen to recordings of the music throughout the week for additional reinforcement. All students interested in learning this style of music are welcome.

In its first year, Psallite drew mostly from home- schooling families. The College Hill rehearsal will be the only one in the evening, and provides children in school all day a great opportunity for inexpensive, formal music instruction.

Director Dr. Angela Birkhead-Flight, Director of Music at St. Martin of Tours Church in Cheviot, says the choir plans a recording this year and a tour of the Vatican for the summer of 2008.

The choir is open to all students with unchanged voices in grades 3 to 12. Tuition is $25 a semester, and College Hill rehearsals are Monday nights at 7:00 pm in the music room at St. Clare Church. Rehearsals began September 11, but registration is still open. To schedule an informal audition (choristers sing "Happy Birthday"), contact the director (513-522-4116, ange@fuse.net). For more information about the choir, see www.psallitechorus.org.

Story contributed by Gail D. Finke.

Amber Lucero-Criswell is starting up a run/walk group in College Hill. She has tentatively titled the group the College Hill Rhythmics to connect it with our successful College Hill Rhythm Race. Here's what Amber has to say:

"Enjoy your community, meet your neighbors and move your feet! Join the College Hill Rhythmics Saturday morning run/walk group. Meet us at the College Hill Coffee Company at 9:00am to 'run with the runners' or 'walk with the walkers' for 30 minutes to an hour, touring College Hill's business district and lovely neighborhoods. All fitness levels welcome!

"Afterwards, grab a cup of joe at the College Hill Coffee Company. We'll meet every Saturday at 9 am, rain or shine!"

In her other life, Amber Lucero-Criswell is the Associate Curator of Education for Interpretation and Adult Programs at the Cincinnati Art Museum. For more information on the College Hill Rhythmics, contact Amber Lucero-Criswell (513-349-9624, amberlucerocriswell@hotmail.com).

The entire McAuley High School community gathered in prayer at 10:45 a.m. on Monday, September 11, to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the attacks on the United States in 2001.

The solemn and reflective observance--with circles of students, faculty and staff singing and praying on the front lawn-- concluded with a balloon launch, symbolizing the students’ prayers going up to heaven.

Channel 9's Michael Flannery, born and raised in College Hill, is spearheading a major project for Cincinnati families-- it's just around the corner. Mt. Airy Forest will soon be home to a giant tree house, the only one in the city accessible to handicapped children.

• Read and/or see Channel 9's story by Flannery here.
• Read the Enquirer story here.
• Read about the organization dedicated to building tree houses like this in every state here.
• Read Cincinnati Parks news release here.

"If it is to be, it’s up to me!" quotes College Hill Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation's Caroline Royalty. She continues, "So it could be said: How College Hill Redevelops and Revitalizes is up to us!"

CHCURC ’s next quarterly general membership meeting will be Wednesday, October 4 at 7:30pm at the Llanfair Retirement Community Campus Center. All College Hill residents are invited to attend. At the top of the agenda is the latest news about the "metropolitan style living over destination shopping" planned for the Linden Park Development. Attendees will be among the first to hear about the new condos to be built above shops and eateries below.

The regular monthly CHCURC Board meeting will preceed the Membership meeting at 6:30pm. All are invited to come to one or both meetings. For further information contact Director of Community Development Marty Weldishofer at 513-681-4205 or CHCURC President Carol Lyon at 513-542-2941 or e-mail chcurc@collegehill.info.

The Cincinnati Park Board Fall 2006 ReLeaf Program is again offering free five types of trees to homeowners and businesses. Trees this year include: Sweetbay magnolia, Brandywine maple, tulip, red oak, and Colorado blue spruce.

To qualify:

• Property must be in the city of Cincinnati.
• Trees must be planted within 30 feet of the right- of-way and visible from the street. Planting between the street and sidewalk and in backyards is not acceptable.
• Plant the right tree in the right place. Consider the mature size of the tree and be aware of future obstructions from wires, utilities and other structures.

Forestry staff will inspect each planting location before approving tree requests. A high priority is given to planting trees on property along streets the Park Board cannot plant due to narrow right-of-ways. The Park Board encourages such streets to coordinate delivery and planting for interested property owners. Other priority areas include community focal points such as entranceways, street triangles, areas neare street intersections and public frontages along major streets.

For information and application forms, call Aimee Griffin or Doug Fritsch at 513-861-9070, ext 21.

... to be an eNewsletter reporter. All we need are a few Clark Kents and Lois Lanes to attend one or more of our community meetings and write short eNewsletter articles about whatever newsworthy comes up.

Specifically, we could use a reporter at:

• College Hill Forum meetings on third Tuesdays at 7:00pm.
• College Hill Summit meetings on second Thursdays at 8:00am.
• CHCURC Board Meetings on first Wednesdays at 7:00pm.
• College Hill Business Association meetings on third Tuesdays at 8:00am.

If the idea of writing scoops for College Hill's Daily Planet interests you, contact the eNewsletter's Perry White (Ken Lyon) at 513-542-2941 or enewsletter@collegehillohio.org.

Critically acclaimed Cincinnati song writer and modern folk artist Chris Collier brings her very special sound to the Coffee Company on Saturday, September 16. Her music is sophisticated and her lyrics personal. Her unique voice and songwriting skills have gained her a wide and loyal following in this area and throughout the Midwest. Chris's new CD, "Over 20," has garnered praise and rave reviews.

All Coffee Company concerts are on Saturday nights from 7:30pm to 9:30pm. There’s no charge, but tipping the performers is welcomed.

Amy E. Wallace, the talent behind "Ovenfried Beads," will show and sell her polymer clay bead collection of handcrafted jewelry and accessories, as well as her fabric art this Friday, September 15 at the College Hill Coffee Company from 6:00pm to 9:00pm.

Amy is the manager at St Theresa Textile Trove, our newest business in College Hill. Check out Amy’s website to learn more about her and Ovenfried beads at www.ovenfriedbeads.com And, check out Amy on the tube! She'll be featured on HGTV's "That's Clever" this fall.

A portion of the proceeds from Friday evening will will help purchase materials for an innovative and colorful addition to the College Hill business district marketing initiative to bring new businesses to our community.