Cincinnati Magazine's December "Best Of" issue names The Dapper Dog Sitter the city's best pet sitter.

Resident Marilyn Dapper offers College Hill and surrounding neighborhoods an alternative to boarding pets in a kennel while away. A member of Pet Sitters Associates, LLC, she provides half-hour visits for daily walks or potty breaks, and pet sitting. She also brings in mail and turns on lights, giving homes a lived-in look.

"In-home pet care offers many advantages," says The Dapper Dog Sitter. "Owners can leave home knowing that their pets will remain comfortable in familiar surroundings, won't be exposed to illness and disease from strange animals, and will receive tender loving care and personalized attention during each visit.

"My goal is to ensure that my clients feel secure in knowing that their homes and pets are being responsibly cared for by a fully insured professional, thus providing them with peace of mind while they're away or unable to care for their pets themselves." For information call 591-0107 or email here.

Story provided by The Dapper Dog Sitter

Two groups of volunteers worked in College Hill November
10 as part of People Working Cooperatively's annual Prepare Affair.

More than two dozen volunteers from Schiff, Kreidler-Shell Insurance and Risk Services helped elderly and disabled homeowners in College Hill and surrounding areas, raking leaves, cleaning gutters, and doing other preparations for winter.

The company has been participating in the program for 12 years. College Hill resident and community volunteer Amy Finnegan has coordinated their efforts for nine years and takes care to include College Hill in the recipient neighborhoods.

That same day, 28 volunteers from St. Clare Church also volunteered at 11 houses for PWC. St. Clare's pastor, Fr. George Jacquemin, treated the parish volunteers to lunch at the rectory as he does every year.

Julie Larson, who pens the syndicated comic panel The Dinette Set, had visitors all evening at her Saturday appearance at the College Hill Coffee Co.


Earlier this year she included the Coffee Co.'s logo (designed by College Hill native Rick Slusher) in one of her comics. Fans were thrilled to find out about the visit and she was thrilled at her reception.



"You've got a nice neighborhood here," she told your editor. "Everybody seems to know each other and like each other."

If you didn't get to see Ms. Larson, you can still buy her latest collection of panels, The Entitled, and other items including original panel art at her web site . T-shirts are also available here. They make great gifts!

For more than 20 years, students at St. Bartholomew Consolidated School (SBCS) in Finneytown have marked Thanksgiving with a food drive for charities supported by member parishes. This year College Hill was a recipient.

Several parishes, including St. Clare in College Hill, share SBCS as their parish school. Students collected canned goods for Christ's Community in College Hill, as well as the Corpus Christi Church food pantry (New Burlington), the Society of St. Vincent de Paul at Our Lady of the Rosary parish (Greenhills), the Valley Interfaith Food and Clothing Center supported by St. Bartholomew Parish.

"We are called to feed the hungry in our midst, and to trust that our efforts will be blessed by God," says Marilyn Margeson, the school's Coordinator of Religious Education, who organized the food drives. "We are grateful to the volunteers at these food pantries whose year-round concern for and service to the poor and hungry in our area provide a model of faith in action."

In the photo, third-grader Will Alander (who attends SBCS) and his brother Ed Alander (3Cs Nursery School) help their mom deliver food. Story provided by Toni Alander.

Shoppers from around the city packed last weekend's open house at Schwartz Jewelers, giving new owner Marty Schwartz and staff a chance to show off the remodeled showroom.

New cabinets, lighting, and carpet show off the great Schwartz selection of jewelry, Lladro figurines, and collectibles. But the biggest difference shoppers will notice is that the grandfather clocks have been moved to the front of the store, while their former location is a new center for clocks and watches.

"It looks so much bigger," said one shopper. "And now the back door opens into a display area, so it's a real second entrance."


If you missed the open house, don't hesitate to stop in and see what the Schwartzes have been up to.

 

Personal trainer and College Hill resident Major Batton sent out the following Thanksgiving eating tips on his email newsletter:

• One sure way to overeat at the Thanksgiving dinner table is to skip breakfast and lunch. A lot of people try to save up calories for the big meal, but our bodies aren't meant to handle 2,500 to 3,000 all at once. The body can process about 700 calories at once. Excess calories tend to be stored and can turn to fat.
• Eat your regular meals so that you won't be as hungry, and use left-over foods for next-day turkey sandwiches and light dinners, but all in moderation.
• Drink plenty of water to fill you up and to offset dehydration after consuming alcohol and caffeinated drinks. Live by this rule: "Walk around the room and drink water all night. It fills you up and you'll eat less."

To subscribe to Major Batton's fitness enewsletter, send an email request here.

Did you know that St. Theresa Textile Trove on Hamilton Avenue has a following around the world? Quilters and textile artists love their unique selection of fabrics and embellishments.

This weekend St. Theresa holds its annual Thanksgiving sale. For three days only, they'll offer fantastic deals on African cottons, fabric from Bali, mudcloth, Asoke cloth from Nigeria, and much more.

Drop by St. Theresa Textile Trove, now in College Hill, and see what the rest of the world already knows! For more details, click here.

The Cincinnati Black Theatre Company, which moved to College Hill this summer, invites the community to what is becoming an African-American family tradition: its annual production of Black Nativity.

Theatre spokesperson Le 'Wanda Spaulding promises new choreography and new costumes for the show written by Langston Hughes, which features pageantry, soulful music, and uplifting songs.

"This is the sixth year of performing this spectacular production," she says, "And every year of Black Nativity is greater than the last. This production is highly spirit-filled. CBTC are celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The cast will be praising and worshiping through verse and song, and during many scenes the audience is up on their feet praising and worshipping the Lord."

Le 'Wanda says that many of the cast members are families. "We have mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, grandmothers, grandfathers, husbands and wives all performing together. We hope to see every family in Cincinnati at our production."

Black Nativity will be presented December 7-9 at the College of Mount. St. Joseph in Delhi. For times and ticket prices call the CBTC at 241-6060, or click here.

Help your furry friend(s) make sure that they're on the "nice" list. A photo keepsake cherished forever: your pet, old St. Nick, and your entire family with plenty of smiles!

The College Hill Pet Clinic (957 W. North Bend Rd.) will hold its tenth annual Pet Pictures with Santa Claws event Sunday, Dec. 2, from 12-4 pm.

Buy a photo of your pet and Santa, or get your whole family in the picture. The event is not limited to current Pet Clinic clients, so if you've never stopped by, take the opportunity to visit. In addition to photos (proceeds benefit the SPCA), enjoy refreshments, tours of the hospital, face painting, music, and more.

"Hosting this event gives our staff the opportunity to mingle with the public and their pets while spreading some holiday cheer in a relaxed atmosphere, and lets us thank our clients," says Kevin D. Ketring, DVM, owner of the College Hill Pet Clinic.

For more information call 681-9223 or click here.

The Pleasant Hill Academy PTA tells us that students are selling Entertainment Books -- great gifts for people who have everything.

The $20 books contain discount coupons for stores, restaurants, service businesses, and attractions. If you don't know a Pleasant Hill student you can pick one up at the North Bend Road school's main office any time during school hours.