Paint the Town and College Hill would like to see 35 of our homes take on a new face, so Give Back Cincinnati is bringing Paint the Town 2007 to College Hill this June. Nearly 1000 volunteers will descend on College Hill to paint the exterior of 35 homes on Saturday, June 9. The project is being coordinated by the new Chair of the College Hill Forum Events Committee, Anita Triggs.

Paint the Town is looking to find 35 deserving homeowners whose homes will get a free paint job that will add to their value and curb appeal. Any College Hill homeowner can apply. Paint the Town is specifically looking for houses that have painted (not brick) exteriors. Applications are due by Thursday, February 1. Pick up an application for yourself or a neighbor here or at American Heritage Flooring, College Hill Coffee Company, Goodie's Barbecue, Hartman & Ehrmantraut CPA, LaRosa’s, National City Bank, PNC Bank, Schwartz Jewelry or Visconte-Lechler Pharmacy.

This community service event is completely free to the receiving homeowners. All supplies are donated by local businesses and the work is 100% completed by volunteers.

This is the sixth year for Paint the Town. The goal is to make this the largest Paint the Town event to date. Give Back Cincinnati is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to enhance Cincinnati's communities through activities of volunteerism while fostering the development of young leadership through participation.

The first annual Cincinnati 8K is coming to College Hill on Saturday, January 13. Starting at 2:00 pm, it will be run entirely within McEvoy Park.

According to race organizer Jeremy Mosher, the immediate purpose of the Cincinnati 8K is to "provide serious competition for post-collegiate athletes seeking to better themselves as runners. Such competition can serve as motivation, a stepping- stone, and a tool for self-evaluation, in the hopes of aiding serious post-collegiate athletes as they self- sacrifice to work toward their goals and dreams ..."

Jeremy goes on, "The race features teams of post-collegiate runners from Louisville and Columbus as well as Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. Team-scored post-collegiate cross country races like this are few, particularly in the Midwest, making the Cincinnati 8k a really special event."

The long-term vision for this event is more far- reaching. Says Jeremy, "It is my sincere hope that future editions will serve to raise funds and awareness for charitable causes, and more heavily involve members of the local community as both participants and spectators. By showcasing the best runners in the Midwest in competition, this race can generate excitement for running as a sport, pastime and health-promoting lifestyle in our community. The 2007 race will serve as a preliminary effort to involve the elite athletes who will make The Cincinnati 8K, as envisioned, an event wholly unlike any other in our part of the country."

The race is sponsored by Runners Depot of Loveland and the College Hill Coffee Company. For more information contact Jeremy Mosher (513-314-8308, mosherjf@yahoo.com).

Registration for CPS high schools began Monday using the new CPS electronic registration system that was introduced last year. No students are assigned a high school. Instead, all students choose and register for their high schools online.

This system has led to great efforts from CPS to provide challenging and unusual programs, many of which offer hands-on career training and college credit. Students who work hard can begin high-tech careers in their teens or save a significant amount of time and money on college.

College Hill's two Aiken high schools, which share a campus, offer career programs, college credit, and honors classes.

Other CPS high school opportunties include:

• The pioneering Zoo Academy at Hughes Center, in which students work and study at the Cincinnati Zoo for two years.
• A new Health Technologies program at the rebuilt Woodward Career Technical High School, which features state-of-the art labs and facilities.
• The International Baccalaureate (IB) Program at Western Hills High School, the only CPS school to offer this prestigious program used at schools around the world.
• Paidaia, Montessori and numerous other special programs, and the nationally recognized college prep program at Walnut Hills High School.

Story contributed by Gail D. Finke.

Here's your chance to own history. The historic Wilson home at 1502 Aster Place is for sale.

The house, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was home to the Wilson family. They were Abolitionists who moved to College Hill in part to participate in the Underground Railroad. The home originally faced Hamilton Avenue and had huge grounds that were later sold for housing. You can read more about this home's history here.

Miss Harriet Wilson, a College Hill schoolteacher who lived in the neighborhood all her life, documented the neighborhood's Underground Railroad activity in a famous letter. The last owner died several months ago. The family will sell his Underground Railroad memorabilia at auction.

The house is overgrown and in need of major repairs, says Realtor Rick Anderson, but it's priced accordingly. An enterprising buyer could take advantage of historic preservation loans and grants and refurbish an important part of Ohio (and national) history.

Story contributed by Gail D. Finke.

The winter session at Contemporary Dance Theater began Monday, January 8, but it is not too late to join in the fun. Seasoned dancers and those just seeking an evening of creative recreation may take a variety of classes at the historic College Hill Town Hall studio on Larch Avenue. CDT is Cincinnati’s oldest non-profit dance studio offering classes for adults and teens and has made College Hill its home since 1998.

New in 2007 is a Swing Dance class on Tuesday evenings, taught by College Hill’s own Terry and Kandy Thompson-Cannon of CincySwing. CHTH will be the site of several Swing Dance parties in the coming year, and College Hill residents of all ages and abilities are invited to join in the fun.

Noted College Hill swing dancer Marty Weldishofer comments, "You know how you wished you could dance for New Year's Eve? Well, now is the time to begin learning for New Year's Eve 2007--instead of the week before. Just think of how confident you will be! And you'll have fun learning while you're at it." You can see more information about CincySwing here.

Other classes include Modern Dance levels I, II and III, Belly Dance, Hip-Hop I, II & III, Ballet I, Tap I & II, Yoga and Just Dance, which made "Best Dance Class" in Cincinnati Magazine’s "Best of Cincinnati" issue.

5th Annual Neighborhood Summit on January 20 is a not-to-miss event. The theme is Creating Solutions Together. The event is sponsored by Invest in Neighborhoods, the City of Cincinnati and the Community Building Institute.

This is a great time to network with other communities, hear the latest issues, meet the Mayor, Council Members and many city department representatives. For more information call 513-921-5502.

College Hill resident Gail Finke was passing by the College Hill Fundamental Academy Saturday when she noticed two giant trucks of lighting equipment. She immediately stopped and took this intriguing picture. She asked one of the workers what was going on and was told they were filming a commercial for Procter & Gamble.

Speaking of interesting pictures, here's a group photograph of the Knowledge Hill Rollerz taken December 26 at the Fun Factory in Norwood on the occasion of their fifth annual Christmas holiday skating party.

The Knowlege Hill Rollerz are a group of past and present College Hill residents who keep in touch with one another periodically. From left to right, the skaters are:

• Top row: Anna Gibson, Mark Gibson, Matt George, John Trela, Toby Costello, Peter Williams, Dan Whiteley, Kirk Williams, Emily Lotspeich, Martha Whiteley, Katie St. Clair.
• Bottom Row: Seb the DJ, Joey Whiteley, Mike Goldschmidt, Patrick Johnson, Kristen St. Clair, Ellie Falk.

Mark your calendars; the College Hill Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation Annual Dinner Meeting is coming February 6. Dinner will be followed by updates on the redevelopment of College Hill.

On Friday, January 12, Lady J, one of the College Hill Coffee Company's favorite entertainers, returns to help celebrate the Coffee Company's first anniversary.

SpokenwordSoul--Lady J’s unique style--is original, thought-provoking music that moves the spirit and the heart. Call it cool jazz, call it sophisticated soul--whatever you call it, Lady J has the ability to entrance an audience with her signature sound.

Lady J performs from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm.