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Dear Reader,
It's been a busy week, and it's not over
yet! Check it all out in this week's eNewsletter.
Ken
Lyon, co-editor.
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Hundreds Huddle Here to Enhance Town Hall
Playfield
Hundreds of volunteers,
including more than 35 Bengals, worked all day here Tuesday as
part of the nationwide NFL Hometown
Huddle. Volunteers from Home Depot, Best Buy, and
many other companies came from as far as Louisville to paint,
dig, mulch, and build a play area/exercise course at College
Hill Town Hall.
The Home Town Huddle was was the
culmination of two weeks of work at Town Hall Park, during
which local companies installed landscaping, poured concrete,
and prepared the site for the one-day blitz.
Sponsored by the Marvin Lewis
Community Fund and United Way, the improvements to Town
Hall Park are the second Hometown Huddle to take place in
College Hill. It's also the second project at the park this
year sponsored by a Cincinnati sports team. Earlier this year,
the Reds Community Fund made improvements to Heitzler Field
and the park's batting cage.
See lots of photos
of the work here.
Next week: A look at the equipment and the new youth
basketball court.
|
| Aiken Football Thursday (Today!)
Steve Rossi, Athletic Director at the
Aiken High Schools, writes to report that the Aiken Falcons
are playing a rare Thursday night game this week at Stargel
Stadium. That's at Taft High School, 420 Ezzard Charles
Drive.
"The Aiken Falcons will face
Woodward High School on Thursday at 7 pm," he says. "The
Falcons are coming off a 20-6 victory over Clark Montessori on
Saturday and have a short turnaround to get ready for the
undefeated Bulldogs!"
In more football news, Aiken
junior Antuwon Rozier is now leading the city in tackles, with
81 so far this season. Congratulations to Antuwon!
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Another Homesite Cleared on Cedar
The Sylvester and Sylvia Busken family took one last
look at the white clapboard house their family lived in since
1923 in a tour last month. It is with great sadness that the
old family home at 1429 Cedar Avenue just east of St. Clare
Church has outlived its usefulness. St. Clare Church bought
the house out of foreclosure. The copper was stolen and the
house vandalized. The church determined that it would take too
much money to fix it up to rent or sell.
The Busken family were members of
St. Clare Church since 1923. Syl and Syl and raised ten
children in that house, all attending St. Clare School, Roger
Bacon and McAuley. (These Buskens are related to the famous
bakery Buskens.) The architectural design of this house is
similar to its twin, the Ibold Family house across from
College Hill Elementary School. Theresa Busken was
there when the house came down. She helps clean up at
St. Clare--a job she started when she was four! Joe Gorman contributed this
article. Before &
after pictures by Gail Finke and Ken
Lyon. |
Facades Refurbished on the Avenue
Don't look now, but many of the businesses on The
Avenue are looking better and better. Matching
grants from the city have helped refurbish 19 building facades
on Hamilton Avenue this year, in a program facilitated in
College Hill by the College Hill Community Urban Redevelopment
Corporation.
The first Facade Program project
completed was the LaRosa's building at the southern end of our
business district. Owner Bruce Soldano had the building
repainted, got new awnings, and had the signs for LaRosa's
changed. Later, he replaced those signs with the new,
custom shaped LaRosa's signs. Later this year the shoe repair
store will get new signs too. We'll
report on the rest of the facades improved as part of the
Facade Improvement Project in future issues. More Improvements on The Avenue
Not all the improvements are part of the
official Facade Program. Improvements spur on more
improvements, and a lot is happening on Hamilton Avenue.
Papa John's
Pizza got a new paint job this fall, inside and out, and sharp
new window graphics.
 Further up the
Avenue, Hurricane Ike provided its own incentive for
improvement by blowing down part of the Sister's Restaurant
facade. Workmen have since completed what Ike started;
they've removed the front of the building completely. It
appears that Sister's is well on the way to having a
completely new facade. What's that saying? "It's
an ill wind that blows nobody any good."
|
Winburn Church Up for Sale
 The things you run across while
surfing the net! Your editor was perusing College Hill
real estate listings last week and came across a listing for The Encampment
Church on North Bend just north of Belmont, of which
Charles Winburn is founder. For only $3.8 million, you can
have both buildings and the four acres they sit on.
This offering does not include the adjacent former St.
Richard's church and property, although we understand that
that, too, could be available for the right
price. |
A Bit of College Hill History: Baseball and Swimming
at Town Hall--Then and Now
Since its construction in 1866 the College Hill Town
Hall has been the center for recreation in College Hill.
Baseball has been played at Town Hall for over
100 years. The field was originally set up in the opposite
direction from what it is today. Home plate was located
in what is now center field and the ball was hit towards Town
Hall. It is thought that the field was changed to its
current layout shortly after the swimming pool was opened to
prevent fly balls from hitting swimmers in the
pool.  Local residents constructed the original
swimming pool in 1921. The pool was located between Town Hall
and the bathhouse where the basketball area is today. It
was a shallow pool with no fencing and was sometimes used as a
dance floor in the evenings. The original pool contained no
filtering or water circulating system and was drained and
refilled on a daily basis. The photo shows the old pool in
July, 1953. The current swimming pools were constructed
on the rear side of the bathhouse in the mid 1950's. The
original bathhouse was also modified to serve the new
pools. Article
contributed by Terry
Lindsey. |
| First Craft Bazaar of Season at House of Joy
The House of Joy will hold the first area
craft bazaar of the season on October 25. The Joy Bazaar
will run from 10 am to 7 pm and will feature choir
performances throughout the day as well as face painting,
food, and more.
It will be held next door to the
church at the McCracken Center of Peace, 5920 Hamilton
Avenue. There is still time to rent a booth. For
information call Francine Ford at 513-541-4600 for
information.
Check the College Hill calendar for
information about more upcoming craft bazaars--the Gingerbread
Shoppe at College Hill Presbyterian Church (November 22) and
the Holiday Bazaar at the College Hill Recreation Center
(December 6).
|
| District 5 Police Department Serves Up Spaghetti!
District 5 held a spaghetti dinner last
month at the Recreation Center for Police Officer Jamie
Spurling, who is dealing with a serious illness.
Police
officers and Llanfair Retirement Community staff assisted in
preparing the dinner and a number of volunteers took part in
the actual event. Nearly three hundred dinners were
served.
An event of this magnitude was only possible
because of the donors, many from College Hill: Kroger,
Kenard Ave.; Piazza Discepoli, Hamilton Ave.; CVS Pharmacy,
Colerain Ave.; Keller's IGA, Ludlow Ave.; Mac's Pizza Plus,
West McMillan Ave.; Buffalo Wild Wings, Calhoun St.; LaRosa's,
Hamilton Ave.; BaCall's Café, Hamilton Ave.; Goodies BBQ ,
Hamilton Ave.; Perkins, Colerain Ave.; Panera Bread, Calhoun
St.; CVS Pharmacy, Ludlow Ave.; CVS Pharmacy, Winton Road;
McDonald's, Beekman Ave.; College Hill Coffee Co., Hamilton
Ave.; Marvin Lewis Community Fund; Roy Tailors Uniform Co.;
Llanfair Retirement Community; and College Hill Recreation
Center.
Officer Spurling and his family were present
and express their thanks to all who made the event such a
success. On behalf of the Cincinnati Police Department, thank
you to everyone for your generosity!
Article contributed by Captain Dave
Bailey, District Five
Commander.
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Buy Your Feast of Love Pies from AHG
 A troop of American Heritage
Girls that meets at College Hill Presbyterian Church is
making it easy for you to donate food to the Thanksgiving Feast of Love. If
you buy a pie or Honey Baked Ham gift certificate from their
fall fundraiser, they'll deliver it to the Feast of Love for
you. The Feast of Love, an ecumenical
ministry of several area churches, holds free dinners for
hundreds of people at the CHPC campus on Thanksgiving,
Christmas, and Easter. They also serve dinners to area
shut-ins and at food kitchens around the city.
The deadline to order is October 13. For information
call the church at 513-541-5676.
|
| Pumpkin Patch Saturday
Beth McLean writes to tell us not to forget the
annual Pumpkin Patch Festival is this Saturday at Town Hall
Park.
 Enjoy performances and
storytelling all day, on stage and in the Pumpkin Tales
tent. You'll see more animals than ever before--petting
zoo, ponies to ride, adoptable cats, dogs and bunnies,
too. Of course there will be food-food-food, from
Belgian waffles to soft pretzels to pulled pork and
pizza. Come hungry and dress for fun and active play!
Games, games, games -- "Catch a flying gourd and put it in
your pocket!" All the pumpkins, straw bales, mums and
corn shocks you'll need for your harvest display at
home! BIG SCARECROW BUILD--you know how much fun that
is. Great selection of crafts--something for
everyone. Come enjoy the improvements to Town Hall Park
made this week at the Hometown Huddle; take in the
Contemporary Dance Theater Open House. And while you're at it,
stop in the Firehouse on Marlowe and shop Twin Towers Craft
Fair, too. ENJOY SATURDAY IN YOUR
NEIGHBORHOOD. Pumpkin Patch 08 presented by
College Hill Gardeners in partnership with Arts Revival of
College Hill, College Hill Business Association and The Forum
Events Team and is partially funded by an Invest in
Neighborhoods NSP grant. Special thanks to Cincinnati
Recreation Commission for the use of Town Hall Park and
Heitzler Field. |
Oral History of Business District Available
Bill Angert, Jr., writes with an exciting
offer:
My Father, Bill Angert, Sr.
started Victory Radio Shop in his basement on Teakwood Avenue
at the age of 13 in 1941. In 1944 he moved his business
to 6124 Hamilton Ave. and renamed it Angert Radio &
Appliance Company. Angert's Appliances is Cincinnati's oldest
appliance store and is still operating to this day--67 years
later--at 6120 Hamilton Ave. In 1992 my father walked
Hamilton Avenue from Groesbeck Road to Wittlou Ave. with a
member of the College Hill Historical Society, and recorded an
oral history of the College Hill Business District. I recently
discovered the tape of this event and have transferred it to
CD. It is called "College Hill As I Remember." My
father passed away in 2003, at age 75. His recollection of the
history of the College Hill Business District in an incredible
resource from our past. I am making this CD available to all
persons interested in the history of our wonderful
community. The cost is $5, including mailing to your
home address. I will make a donation of $4 for each CD
purchased to The College Hill Historical Society. To order,
send a check payable to Bill Angert to:
Bill Angert 7605 Greenfarms
Drive Cincinnati, Ohio
45224
|
| St. Clare's Evening for Excellence Returns
St. Clare Church invites the
community to its annual fund raising dinner and auction, the
Evening for Excellence. This year's theme is Roaring
20's.
Event Chair Marty Weldishofer (pictured with wife
Kate) says, "You'll know you've gone back in time when you
come upon 1920's vintage cars parked outside "Clare's Ice
Cream Parlor"--which is a front for the Speakeasy in the
back. Shhhhhhh...
Inside you will be greeted by
two suspicious waitresses who will direct you to the back door
where "Big Louie" stands guard. No one gets past "Big Louie"
without the secret password. You'll have to buy a ticket to
find out what it is.
Once inside the Speakeasy, the
fabulous club decor sets the stage for a first class night on
the town. Have a drink at the Speakeasy Bar, then take a
stroll and check out all the prizes and fun. Enjoy a
feast fit for any king or queen of the Silver Screen, dazzling
entertainment with Charleston and swing dancers, and dance
yourself to a live band.
By popular request the Oral
Auction is back, so get your bid paddles ready for some
dueling. Also enjoy the Grand Raffle, the Silent Auction, and
the popular bouquet raffle with sparkling jewelry prizes. You
can be a Speakeasy Raffle winner just by being an event
attendee.
Admission is $75 per person ($50 for
first-time attendees). Plan on being there Saturday, October
25, at 6 pm. Dinner is served at 7 pm. Dress is formal or
20's-themed. Questions? Call Marty at 513-681-4210, or click
here.
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Coming Events
Here are a few of the coming events in College Hill
from the College Hill
Calendar. To see all listings, go to the Calendar. To get
an event you know about listed, click on the "Submit an
Event" link below or on the Calendar page.
|
2008 Community
Calendar |
|
Submit an Event |
 |
| October |
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Every
Friday in October: The Rock Cafe Game Night. Bid
whist, spades, and tonk players -- gather at The Rock
for fellowship, food, and fun. Cards arent' your thing?
Bring your own game! $5 donation suggested; begins at 7
pm every Friday except Oct. 10 (9 pm). For information
call P. Ann Everson-Price at (513)
236-9589. |
| 10 |

Gabe
Wright Gabe's music is part electric, part acoustic.
This young singer/songwriter, pop-rock talent bring lots
of vocal harmonies and a disregard for stylistic
boundaries. Gabe grew up in Lima, Ohio where he played
in bands and with friends and recorded a few CD's that
are no longer available. Gabe graduated from Berklee
College of Music in Boston and was the frontman for a
rock band and a metal band there, which played across
New England and New York City. Gabe spent several years
songwriting in Nashville and teaching at the National
Guitar Summer Workshop. We're just glad he's relocated
to Cincinnati and we get to bring him to you!
Gabe's most recent CDs are "If No One Knows My Name,"
"I'm Not Who I Am" and "This is Life"
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| 11 |

The
Clazels The Clazels have
been entertaining folks in the tri-state area for the
last decade. Joanie Whittaker and Jason Erickson
are at home in just about any musical setting from
acoustic shows to raucous full band electric sets,
delivering classic covers ranging from Frank Sinatra to
Johnny Cash to Neko Case. But it's The Clazel's
original music that sets them apart. Their unique
blend of dueling guitars and soaring harmonies will get
you higher than an Eagles/Beatles/Simon and Garfunkel
cocktail. Mike Breen of CityBeat said of the pair
"The songwriting and production
is top notch. The music is amazingly
performed."
Engine 51,
College Hill: City of Cincinnati Fire House Day. All
city firehouses will be open for this special day. Visit
as many as you like, but be sure to stop by 1654 Marlowe
to meet the officers of Engine 51, see the firetrucks,
tour the firehouse, ask questions -- and thank the
firefighters who keep us all safe! Refreshments will be
served. No fee; 1-5 pm.
College Hill Town
Hall Park: Pumpkin Patch Festival. Enjoy a full day
of entertainment, art and craft sales, children's
activities, a petting zoo, and the famous Scarecrow
Competition. The College Hill Farmers Market will hold
its last sale of the year -- get your vegetables,
plants, gourds, and baked goods! Free parking at Aiken
High School. No fee for general admission; $4 per child
for activities and games, pony ride and petting zoo,
treat bag, prizes, and mini-pumpkin; $2 per child for
pony ride only; 10 am - 4 pm.
Contemporary
Dance Theater (Town Hall): Open House. Stop by
during the Pumpkin Patch festival and see historic Town
Hall. While you're there, check out the classes and
performances at the Contemporary Dance
Theater.
Twin Towers
Retirement Community: Northside/College Hill Kiwanis
Fall Festival and Craft Show at Twin Towers. This annual
arts and crafts sale will take place at Gulden Community
Center at Twin Towers. Concessions and baked goods will
also be available. No fee; 11 am - 2
pm. |
| 12 |
LaBoiteaux Woods: Vermicomposting
Workshop. Recycle your kitchen waste with an indoor worm
bin. A grant from the Solid Waste Management District
allows Hamilton County residents to start vermicomposing
for a fraction of the usual cost. $10 (covers book, bin,
worms, and the class); 2 - 4 pm. Call 542-2909 for
reservations. Reservations due Oct. 3.
First United Church of
Christ: Church-a-Palooza. Several United Church of
Christ churches will meet at FUCC (5808 Glenview) for
this annual event. Donations benefit the Mission
Priority Board and the Mission Partners of the United
Church of Christ in Greater Cincinnati and Northern
Kentucky. Entertainment includes singer/ songwriter Dave
Hawkins, Muslim rap artist Rashid Mumin, Christian
Gospel group the Ascending Quartet, country duo Brothers
First, Bishop Todd O'Neal of the House of Joy, and
members of the Nouveau Chamber Orchestra. Children's
games and a basket raffle will also be offered, and you
can enjoy a spaghetti dinner. No fee for festival --4 -
8 pm. Tickets for the dinner (4-7 pm) are $8.50 for
adults and $4 for children. For information call (513)
541-7302, ext. 17 |
| 17 |

Dave
Sams Guitar and vocals. A mellow
solo performance of folk, Americana, blues, classic rock
and world music. Dave has his guitar and
voice teaching studio at The Fitton Center for Creative
Arts in Hamilton, Ohio. A long-time player and singer,
Dave has traveled and performed in Europe and much of
the U.S , sometimes solo, sometimes as part of the
popular "Bittersweet" duo with Jen Reid here at College
Hill Coffee Co. and sometimes with the trio known as
Luna Tanz. Come join us and see where the music guides
him. |
| 18 |
Sonshine House Consignment Store (1607
Llanfair): Storytime. Young children and their
families can enjoy free storytime at the neighborhood
consignment store (sales benefit 3Cs nursery school). No
charge; 10:30 am.

Ryan
Adcock returns! Don't miss this
one!
Ryan's a native Cincinnatian who been making quite a
name for himself across the nation and in several
foreign countries! He's a favorite of ours and we
couldn't be happier that he's finally taken a short
break from touring and running marathons and is
here to entertain you! He's been voted "Best Rock
Vacalist" and "Best Singer-Songwriter" in Cincinnati.
Whether you call it folk-rock, indi-rock or rockin'
folk, Ryan pounds it out and tells a story - funny, sad
or soulful - his music hits the emotions, and creates
the excitement as only the great ones do. In 2002, Ryan
made an impressive debut on Mitch Albom's nationally
syndicated radio show, playing to nearly 2.5 million
listeners. He likes small coffee shops, too! And
he's great in any venue. His debut CD, "From Silence and
Joy," is a best-seller. If you missed him on the
Acoustic Stage at Summerfair, now's you chance!
LaBoiteaux
Woods: Runs through November 1. Adult Plein Air Art
Lessons. Join Mary Provosty for observation and
rendering using wet and dry media. All skill levels
welcome, each student will receive individual guidance.
Bring a lunch for mid-class break. 10 am - 2 pm
Saturdays; $40 city residents/$50 outside residents.
Call 542-2909 for reservations. Reservations due Oct.
10.
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| 19 |
McAuley High School:
The Greater Cincinnati Performing Arts Society
presents The California Guitar Trio with Fareed Haque
and April Aloisio. This fundraiser benefits three
inner-city Catholic elementary schools. It features an
acclaimed trio that has released 11 albums in many
different musical genres. At the brand new performing
arts center. $25 in advance, $30 at the door; 7:30 pm.
Buy tickets at www.gcparts.org.
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The eNewsletter is published every week or two by
the volunteers listed below. Our purpose is to help make
College Hill an even better place to live, play and do
business by publishing a broad spectrum of news for and about
College Hill, with an emphasis on stories of College Hill
people working together to improve our community.
The eNewsletter is
independently prepared and published by neighborhood
volunteers. It is not affiliated with the College Hill
Forum Community Council.
Opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of any
College Hill or other organization--or even of the editor. The
inclusion of an article is not necessarily an endorsement. The
fact that something isn't in the eNewsletter is not
necessarily a lack of endorsement--it's most likely because no
one told us about it.
eNewsletter photos are often edited to remove
extraneous material.
Send us news that you think would be interesting to your
College Hill neighbors--and we'll very likely publish it.
Email to eNewsletter@CollegeHillOH.net.
- Co-editors: Ken Lyon and Gail Finke
- Contributing Editor: Sarah Mann Wolf
- Backup Editor: Tom
Strothers
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