The Feast of Love invites everyone to its 21st annual free Christmas Day Dinner.

If you or someone you know would like to attend, come to the College Hill Presbyterian Church between 1:30pm and 4:30pm Monday, Christmas Day. Enjoy a hot, sit-down meal and holiday cheer. There will be activities for the children.

The Feast of Love is an ecumenical ministry of CHPC, St. Clare Church and the Evangelical Community Church. Donations and volunteers are welcome, regardless of your home church (if any). Volunteers will also deliver meals to shut-ins, pick up people who cannot get to the church on their own and serve at 12 homeless shelters and soup kitchens downtown.

For information call Karen Lane at 513-541-5675, ext. 167.

A rash of break-ins in north-west College Hill may be over, thanks in part to College Hill Citizens on Patrol last week.

College Hill's COP members decided to take daily walks through the area when the burglaries were going on--just before and after noon. The day they began walking, they found a man standing in his front yard who told them someone had broken into his house and was still inside. According to a COP member who asked not to be identified, they called police and stayed with the man until officers arrived. Unable to leave with them all outside, the suspect was arrested in the house when the police came.

Citizens on Patrol reminds you to lock your doors, even if you're going out in the day or for only a short trip, and to look out for suspicious activity at your neighbors' homes. A quick call to the police from neighbors can end a burglary spree quickly.

Anyone can join the blue-shirted Citizens on Patrol to help safeguard our community. If you're interested, call officer Terri Windeler at 513-352-3533, or leave a message the at the police sub station (513-591-1010), or come to any Forum meeting and talk to the COP members who attend.

Story contributed by Gail D. Finke.

The College Hill Business Association is reminding College Hill business owners that being a member of the CHBA for 2007 has many benefits yet costs only 100 tax-deductible dollars.

Benefits of membership include advertising space on the CHBA website, discounts at College Hill businesses, discounted office supplies through our supplier and monthly meetings, often with guest speakers, always with time to share ideas and activities.

In 2006, CHBA sponsored the decorative wreaths on Hamilton Avenue, created decorative murals for vacant properties, funded the police substation at Hamilton and Cedar Avenues and ran the Pumpkin Patch Craft Show. They also helped fund maintenance of the Streetscape on the Avenue and provided administration for the College Hill Currents newsletter and the Parking Lot Operations Fund.

In 2007, the CHBA's "Discover the Avenue" program will market the College Hill business community to attract new businesses and to enhance the image of College Hill for current businesses.

The next CHBA meeting is at the Twin Towers Gulden Center Tuesday, January 16 at 8:00am. Enjoy coffee, orange juice and pastries and meet fellow business owners who are working to improve conditions for business in College Hill. This year, new CHBA members will get free admission to the CHBA annual meeting banquet in April.

For more information, contact President Sheena Parton (513-591-4552, sparton@llanfair.oprs.org).

College Hill has over 400 acres of green space, criss- crossed by several Cincinnati Park Board-maintained hiking trails. This summer, the Kirby Road Trail will be a very interesting addition to those trails. The new Kirby Road Trail will make it possible to hike across our hillsides from near Aiken high School all the way to Mt. Airy Forest.

The west half of the Kirby Road Trail goes from a parking area on Kirby Road up the hill to Colerain Avenue. From there, hikers can walk on the sidewalk to Mt. Airy Forest. This portion of the trail was once rated strenuous, but with improvements, has been upgraded to moderate.

You can sample this section of the trail on Wednesday, December 27. Jim Godby of the Cincinnati Park Board will be leading a hike starting at 9:00am. Meet at the gravel parking lot on the west side of Kirby Road where the high- tension lines cross the road. Wear your hiking boots, bundle up and experience our beautiful urban forest.

The east half of the Kirby Road Trail will be a loop which begins at Kirby and winds around just below the retaining wall of the Aiken football field and then goes back down to Kirby Road. As the East Loop trail was laid out, old house foundations and the retaining walls for pasture drives from the farms that once were on this hillside were discovered. There are very large trees along this trail, some over 100 years old.

Pictured is a view of the the east trail, taken by Bob Ludwig, who, along your editor, found the as-yet undeveloped parts of the east trail rather hard going on their Honda Trail 90's. When the trail has been cleared this summer, it'll be a great place to take a hike.

Development of this trail started in the late 1990s when the Hamilton County Park board wrote a grant to the Clean Ohio Fund to acquire the property. That led to a land swap between the Cincinnati Board of Education and the Cincinnati Park Board that made the trial possible.

Article contributed by Diana Porter.

College Hill teen Chantal Charles was one of five young people recently honored by St. Vivian School in Finneytown.

Chantal, 13, was inducted into the school's Service Hours High Achievers Club after performing more than 100 service hours this school year. She worked at Kid's Cafe in Over-the-Rhine, and with younger children at the College Hill Recreation Center. Chantal attended St. Clare School until it consolidated with St. Bartholomew (also in Finneytown) this school year. Active in church, school, and sports, as well as service, she's a student College Hill can be proud of.

Last week's rare open house at Pinecroft, the Crosley Mansion in Mt. Airy, drew two thousand visitors curious to see the famed inventor's home. In the picture, visitors to the Crosley Mansion look at one of Crosley's tiny automobiles--favorites with collectors around the country.

Powel Crosley, Jr., grew up in College Hill and gained wealth and fame for his many inventions. The namesake of Crosley Field, he also owned the Cincinnati Reds and WLW radio (which he started out of his College Hill home).

Powel's brother and partner Lewis stayed in College Hill but Powel moved down Kipling Road where he built a $750,000 mansion on 113 acres of land now owned by Mercy Franciscan Hospital Mt. Airy. The hospital hopes to raise about $600,000 to renovate the home and make it available for events.

A new book about the family, Crosley: Two Brothers and a Business Empire that Changed the Nation, is available at local bookstores or here. At that site, you'll also find pictures of the Crosleys in College Hill.

Story and photo contributed by Gail D. Finke.

In other mansion news, for the first time in many years College Hill's own Laurel Court is now open to the public for tours and events.

Built by industrialist Peter G. Thomson in 1907, Laurel Court has since been home to two Cincinnati Archbishops as well as to pizzeria magnate Buddy LaRosa. Current owners Larry and Judy Moyer have been lovingly restoring the home for several years and have formed a corporation to preserve and run it.

In honor of the mansion's 100th anniversary next year, the owners are planning many events in the coming months. This month Laurel Court is open for tours most days and will host a special candlelight tour with refreshments on December 27. For information about tours, reserving rooms, or upcoming events, call 513-542-2000 or click here.

Story contributed by Gail D. Finke.

"I LOVE the eNewsletter and have used it as a tool in 'marketing' College Hill to friends and families," writes subscriber Rebecca Desch. "It has actually resulted in two families from my kids' school relocating to College Hill! Keep up the great work and may you have a very Merry Christmas!"

Who do you know that might like to move to College Hill? You can remind them about our community every week by helping them get their own subscription to the eNewsletter. Forward this issue to them by using the link at the bottom of every issue. Their copy will have a link they can use to get their own subscription.

This Saturday, the 23rd, the College Hill Coffee Company will be the site of two holiday performances.

At 10:00 am, a children’s violin/viola holiday concert will be a joy to the world! Join us as these talented children amaze with their skill and enthusiasm and entertain you with some of holiday favorites.

At 7:30 pm, Frank and Angela Simmons, College Hill's own singers and songwriters, will cast a festive vocal spell with an entertaining evening of some favorite Christmas songs.

Owner Tina Stoeberl invites everyone to come, enjoy and relax among friends and neighbors as we celebrate the season.

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