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LOVELAND, OHIO - Rob Reis playing guitar and Kevin Bachman on drums played and sang passionate and gritty music at Paxtons Grill on Saturday night. The three-piece, Low Country Boil band was the perfect fit for the Paxtons venue and kept the crowd energized and staying late.
LOVELAND, OHIO - VolunteerMatch found at http://www.volunteermatch.org is a good Internet resource for finding an organization worthy of your donation for Hurricane Katrina victims. At this site you can search for relief agencies close to home or around the world.
VolunteerMatch will help you find opportunities that best suit your skills and interests, as well as the needs of communities affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Disaster relief resources and ways to contribute financially to the efforts can be found on the VolunteerMatch website at www.volunteermatch.org/volunteers/resources/hurricane.jsp
Also see story below about how to help with hurricane relief efforts.
LOVELAND, OHIO - by Donna Drury-Heine
The Northwest Freshmen Team got off to a quick start from the first snap during last Thursday's game at Loveland High School. On the first play of the game they scored on a 65-yard run. Northwest went for the 2-point conversion and Loveland made their first defensive stand by stopping the run at the line of scrimmage.
Northwest kicked off to Loveland and the Tigers came clawing back with a great 5 minute drive led by a combination of quarterback Josh Lay's long run for a 1st down, followed by Charlie Mather plowing through the Northwest line for another 20 yards. Then, Trey Maserang did his magic on 3rd and 9 by running for the first down to keep the drive alive. This set up a pass from Lay to Justin Pickle for the first touchdown of the 2005 Season. Mather topped it off with the extra point kick and the score was 7-6, with Loveland leading at the end of the first quarter.
Northwest wasted no time and went right back to their running game in the second quarter. One minute and 15 seconds into the quarter they scored on another long run down the sideline. This time they made their 2-point conversion and the score was 14-7, Northwest was once again in the lead.
Loveland’s freshmen showed early on what they were made of with their fiery determination as the offensive put together another drive that turned heads. Lay made a lateral pass to Bryan Wozniak who launched a 56-yard pass to Justin Pickle for his second touchdown of the game. This was a "razzle dazzle" play, which could not have happened without the great offensive Line protecting and opening up the passing game.
The Loveland coaches and players had figured out Northwest’s offensive strategy when on the kick off to Northwest, Juan Moncado made a superb open field tackle to stop Northwest deep in their own territory. The defense went back to work and made their first major stop of the game on 3rd and 12. Northwest was forced to punt.
Loveland’s offense struck quickly with a 40-yard pass from Lay to Evan Stanley followed by another run by Maserang, making it 1st and goal. With 53 seconds left in the second quarter, with his lead blockers serving as his shield, Lay dove into the end zone inside the left pylon. Mather topped it off again with another extra point bringing the 2nd quarter to an end and Loveland on top 21-14.
Loveland received the ball at the beginning of the 3rd quarter and marched down the field with two long runs from Lay and Maserang. Two minutes and 45 seconds into the 3rd quarter lay faked and ran into the end zone for Loveland’s 4th touchdown. The extra point failed and the score was Loveland 27, Northwest14.
At the beginning of the 4th quarter Northwest had the ball back but not for long as Loveland’s defense forced a fumble on the 1st play of their possession. Loveland had the ball back but had to punt.
Down by 13 points, Northwest tried to get things back on track by going back to the ground game, but they found there was no room in the Loveland’s defensive line to squeeze through. The Loveland’s defensive delivered 2 quarterback sacks. The net result was the defense held the Northwest Team scoreless in the 2nd half.
Loveland scored 21 unanswered points with no points scored by Northwest in the 2nd half of the game. Final Score: Loveland 27, Northwest 14.
LOVELAND, OHIO - You pass the K gas station (formally Thortons) along Loveland Maderia Road and notice gas is $2.54 a gallon. Just in sight is the Speedway station and gas has soared to $3.10. Last evening they were selling regular gasoline for "just" $2.60. You try to do the math quickly, but by the time you figure it's a half buck overnight increase, you notice that the Marathon station at the corner of Loveland Maderia and Branch Hill/Guinea Pike is still selling regular for $2.54.
Even though you don't really need a fill-up you make a quick U-turn to greedily "get yours" and join the lines at the Marathon station. Somehow, you feel like your getting away with something and getting robbed all at the same time.
Waiting for the Expedition in front of you to empty an oil refinery's worth of gas into its tank you feel somewhat smug about your own 12 gallon tank. When it’s your turn to top off your tank with "cheap" gas, you double-check the regular/premium buttons to be sure you are not pumping high octane - a careless mistake that could cost dearly.
In the time it takes you to pump and pay for the gas and drive back down the road, the K station has increased their price to $3.10. Heading back into Loveland it dawns on you that maybe if you hadn't been so greedy and done the U-turn into Marathon, you might have caught the Kroger station before they raised their price, and using your Kroger Plus Card - save another 10 cents per gallon. But then again, you really don't know if you have bought your mandatory $100.00 worth of groceries this week either.
"Dang" you say as you pass Krogers and realized you didn't play your "credit/plus cards right." They were still selling regular for $2.54, which means $2.44 with the Plus Card discount. Even not knowing if you still have the Kroger Plus Card "privilege" to save on gas if you buy enough food, it still would have been a good bet.
Pulling into the Speedway would have cost $37.20 to fill up the small 12-gallon tank. Using the Plus Card, the gas would have been $29.28.
A difference of $7.92.
SYMMES TOWNSHIP, OHIO - Beginning Tuesday, September 6th, and
continuing for 60 days, State Route 126 (Remington Road) will be
closed at the railroad overpass in Symmes Township for widening and
improvement. This is just across the Little Miami River near
Loveland-Madeira Road near the UDF store.
LOVELAND, OHIO - A downpour and a thirty-minute lightning delay only put off the inevitable Friday night as the Loveland High School Tiger Football team defeated Northwest High School 28 - 0 in their season opener at Tiger Stadium.
Loveland had 273 total yards of offense with 192 passing yards from Chris Howland. J T Maus caught two touchdown passes from Howland, the first an 89-yard completion with 6:26 left to go in the first quarter. Maus' second touchdown was a 10-yard reception in the second 
quarter.
Senior running back Billy West rushed 19 times for 77 total yards, including an 18 yard score in the second quarter.
Howland scored with 5 minutes to go in the game on a 3 yard run. Wexler kicked the extra point making the final score 28 - 0. Wexler kicked 3 extra points in the game and Greg Riesenberg put one through the up-rights. Howland averaged 10 yards per completion.
Patrick Grant had a 5-yard interception. Greg Riesenberg punted 4 times for an average of 39 yards per punts; his longest being 48 yards.
LOVELAND, OHIO - While many children have spent their summer doing such things as traveling, swimming and playing baseball, a few starry-eyed students at Loveland Middle School and the Waldorf School have been making a feature-length movie. Production is expected to continue through September on "Flavor Invisible," the story of three seventh-graders who enter a "strange food" contest and discover a way to make invisible ice cream.
The project is the brainchild of 14-year-old Gretchen Kessler of Loveland, who is about to enter the 8th grade at Loveland Middle School. She wrote the script and is starring in, as well as directing, the movie. "My friends and I were in a park one day watching my sister play soccer, and we started talking about making a movie," Gretchen said. "People around us were eating snacks, and we were hungry, and that's how we came up with the idea of a weird food competition."
Since Gretchen has no previous filmmaking experience, she is relying on help from her father, Bob Kessler, a professional cinematographer and videographer who has worked on television commercials and major motion pictures. "I'm just helping to make the movie look good, in terms of lighting and shooting," he says. "Otherwise, I'm taking a hands-off approach, and letting Gretchen direct the actors. It's her vision. I'm letting her run with it."
Most of the shooting of "Flavor Invisible" is being done around Loveland. Locations include Nisbet Park, Loveland Middle School, the Intercommunity Cable Regulatory Commission's TV Stage and various homes in the area. Most of the actors are also from Loveland, although Gretchen has enlisted the help of some professional actors who are volunteering their time, thanks to her father's connections in the film industry. Among professional actors involved in the project is Bob Elkins, a Northern Kentucky-based actor who has appeared in such projects as the Academy Award-winning "Coal Miner's Daughter," ABC's "The Pennsylvania Miners' Story" and the upcoming PBS miniseries "The War That Made America." Elkins plays a television news anchor in "Flavor Invisible."
"When I heard about this movie, it sounded like a lot of fun," Elkins said. "I'm impressed with Gretchen's imagination and ambition. I'm pleased to be a part of it. Plus, I like ice cream."
When completed, "Flavor Invisible" is expected to be approximately 90 minutes long. Gretchen plans to show the movie on the ICRC Cable Access Channel, and may even enter it in some film festivals.
More volunteers, including actors, are being sought for the film. For more information, visit www.flavorinvisible.com or call (513) 683-7500.
Bob Kessler said, "Our need right now is for kid extras and crew people. We especially need a few adults to play some parts (mostly walk throughs or just a word or two spoken). We hope to shoot again on the weekends of Sept. 10th and 17th.
LOVELAND, OHIO - Buffalo Wings and Rings on Loveland Maderia Road has a Cruise-in on Sunday afternoons.
LOVELAND, OHIO - On July 27 the sound of basketballs bouncing in the street was replaced with the sound of a jackhammer and a backhoe removing the basketball hoop that had been there for over seventeen years.
"The skies were gray and the angels cried, there was not a child playing in sight," said Tina Mulhollen a neighbor of the Hook family where the basketball hoop was in the grassy strip between the sidewalk and the city street. The Mulhollen family had helped maintain the hoop over the years so all of the neighborhood children could play together. The City of Loveland had ordered the hoop removed because it was in the city right of way and city administrators said it posed a traffic hazard and liability problem. The hoop was really a neighborhood hoop that any of the neighborhood children could, and were encouraged to use.
The hoop could stay if the Hook family would purchase a $1,000,000.00 - $2,000,000.00 insurance policy protecting the City from law suits if anyone was injured as a result of the hoop being in the right of way. The Hooks would also have to sign a licensing agreement with the city. However the Hooks decided the policy the City demanded, was too much money. After negotiating with the City, it was agreed that a portable hoop would be given to the Hook family if they would quit protesting, and the City would remove the old basketball goal.
Assistant City Manager Tom Carroll said at a recent council meeting, "Their principle concern is a safety issue; then as a fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayers, they are obligated to recommend
a level of protection." He said that society is litigious and it’s not unrealistic for a lawsuit to reach $1,000,000 - $2,000,000.
The minutes of the July 12 council meeting show that Melissa Hook thought she would be signing a waiver of liability, pay an annual license fee, and prove that she had homeowners insurance. She didn’t realize this would increase her homeowners and car insurance and cost her thousands of dollars to keep a hoop in her front yard so the children could play. The minutes also show that, Councilmember Dan. Daly said, "He feels there is benefit to the kids who use it; on the other hand, he doesn’t think that benefit outweighs the additional liability that the City is put under by allowing the hoop to stay. He agrees that the $1,000,000 limit, which sounds extraordinary, is appropriate when you think of any kind of accident, the worse, of course, being the death of a child."
Last June after being told the hoop violated City ordinances, nine young people and three moms from the cul-de-sac street named Glendon Drive picketed the Loveland City Building to protest the threatened removal of their neighborhood hoop. The children held signs and chanted, "Go get druggies, molesters, and abusers - not us friendly basketball users" and encouraged passing motorists to honk, to support them.
Also in June, Michael Riley, who is from Loveland and currently serving in the U.S. Army in Baghdad, Iraq wrote a letter to the Loveland City Manager urging, "I am writing to you to ask you to reconsider your efforts on removing this basketball hoop that has been standing for years." Riley, who grew up on a nearby Loveland street, concluded his letter by saying, " I hope you realize how fortunate these children are to have a safe place to gather and play. I am trying to give the children of Baghdad the same opportunity."
Finally, City Council delivered a new $700 portable hoop and later the same morning city crews used a backhoe and jackhammer to remove the offending basketball hoop. However, the children have not been able to really use the new hoop yet. Mulhollen says, "There was a technical foul." She said, "City Council didn’t deliver any sand to fill the base (it requires 500 pounds). Yes, it can be filled with water. But water freezes and the base would be ruined in a couple of months when the weather turns cold." So for now, the new hoop sits unused, close to the house with bags of concrete on the base to keep it from falling over.
Eight year old Katie Mulhollen said, "I don't like it because we can't just go play. We have to ask an adult for help with the portable hoop, to move it."
Mulhollen now says, "At least one City Council member drives down the street frequently. The residents of Glendon Drive believe he is checking to make sure the new portable hoop isn’t on the sidewalk or in the right of way."
Twelve-year old Josh Hook said "I'm mad because I don't get to play basketball in the street with my friends, there isn't enough room in the driveway."
Twelve-year old Josh Hook said "I'm mad because I don't get to play basketball in the street with my friends, there isn't enough room in the driveway."
Jody Tyra, who lives on Cherokee Drive, appeared at a recent city council meeting to support keeping the hoop. She said her family moved to Loveland when she was in sixth grade and she was scared to meet new people, but found great friendships with the kids who talked, played basketball and danced in the circle on Glendon Drive. Tyra, moved away from the Loveland area as an adult, but has now moved back with her two children and they enjoy visiting their grandmother on the same street she played on. Tyra told city council that if the basketball hoops are removed, "There is a chance the new kids won’t find the friendships that she and her children have found in that circle." She described the Glendon cul-de-sac, "As a place where there’s a feeling of easiness knowing you’re welcome to play there as a community." Tyra showed council photos from 1985 and said there have never have been any accidents.
City records show that illegal hoops have been found on Dogwood, Wildwood, Union, and in the Glen Lake subdivision. Five have been removed and two homeowners have been given a new $700.00 basketball goal, courtesy of City Council.
The ever optimistic, six-year old Kyle Hook said he likes the new portable hoop because it can be lowered and it makes it easier to hit the basket.
I am Bill Croskey, one of the school psychologists for Loveland, and a member of a group
called PAWS (Promoting an Attitude of Wellness in Schools). In 2001, PAWS arranged for Loveland schools to become affiliated with the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky Character Council. The Council promotes Character Education and has set up a Character Quality of the Month schedule. Website: www.charactercincinnati.org
The Character Quality of the Month for August is Faith, which is defined by Character First! http://www.characterfirst.com/ as "the confidence that actions rooted in good character will yield the best outcome, even if I cannot see how." Each month, I write a sort of column on Character for our staff.
"Faith certainly tells us what the senses do not, but not the contrary of what they see; it is above, not against, them."
- Blaise Pascal (born June 19, 1623; died Aug. 19, 1662)
Math rules! Or so it seems.
Take the High Aims work that Loveland's math teachers are doing. I think some of our teachers were in school more days than they were out this summer!
Or consider the high stakes tests our students are taking. The Ohio Diagnostic and Achievement Tests as required by No Child Left Behind, are certainly emphasizing the rise of math.
Couple this emphasis on math with the attitude, which many have toward math. An AP-AOL News poll reports that 37 percent of adults surveyed said they hated math in school. English was second in the rating, but only 18 percent mentioned hating it. (Conversely, 23 percent LIKED math best!) Some criticized it as too black and white. Others praised it for the aspect that 2+2=4 and that there is no room for interpretation. Clearly the general population has what the article called a "love-hate relationship" with math. See article link. http://www.cnn.com/2005/EDUCATION/08/17/school.subjects.ap/
There are even popular culture promotions of math such as the film, "A Beautiful Mind," or the CBS-TV show, "NUMB3RS," about two brothers, one a math professor and the other an FBI agent, who solve crimes with math. (I am a huge "NUMB3RS" fan.)
Can we use math to guide us in our daily lives? According to a study at University College in
London, math can create a sequential model of dating. I'm not talking Carbon 14 dating here; I'm talking romance - take her out to dinner see what develops. THAT kind of dating.
The U. College researchers, according to USA Today http://www.freep.com/features/living/dating14e_20050814.htm, assigned points to an array of courtship behaviors, including giving worthless gifts, valuable gifts such as diamonds or appliances which could be resold, and extravagant gifts such as dinner out or concert or theater tickets, wherein the value is in the experience. The model shows that extravagant gifts got the highest score for both males and females. The researchers' interpret the data as saying that females feel they have found a committed mate when they receive an extravagant gift. The implication, which a University of Michigan psychologist cautions against making, is that one could plan what to do in a relationship, based on a math model. (For a funny discussion of this research, listen to Scott Simon's interview on Morning Edition (Saturday, Aug. 13, 2005). http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4799223
To say that math can help us pick a mate is to say that math no longer belongs only in the black-and-white world with science. It has an emotional, artistic side to it. On the show, "Numb3rs," the scripts repeatedly point out the artistic as well as the scientific side of math. Faith in numbers, or perhaps more accurately, faith in a scientific, rational thinking process, which might use numbers, is promoted by this show. I like to think that we in school are selling the same message.
Would you have the confidence (Faith?) to plan your life with math? Perhaps the respondents to the AP-AOL Poll would say that math and Faith are opposites. To oversimplify, science is a way of thinking about and understanding the world and math is a language to use to communicate that scientific understanding. But are math and science connected in any way to Faith? I wondered what a mathematician would say about Faith. The 17th Century mathematician, Pascal, makes the suggestion in the above quote that Faith is above the realm of sensory experience, not defiant of it, not opposed to it. Einstein was supportive of the idea that science and Faith could co-exist. He said, "Scientists were rated as great heretics by the church, but they were truly religious men because of their faith in the orderliness of the universe."
Pascal, math guy, posed what has become known as Pascal's Wager:
If God does not exist, one will lose nothing by believing in him, while if he does exist, one will lose everything by not believing. Mathematician as philosopher.
It occurs to me that dealing with difficult children is much the same. Faith tells you that if you teach them with actions rooted in good character, a great learning outcome will result. Your Faith says that will happen; but your experience, or cynicism, or doubts suggest that it may be foolish to believe that.
At times like that, maybe we should have a Pascal's Wager for Kids:
"If an able learner does NOT actually exist, a teacher will lose nothing by believing instead that he does, while if he DOES exist, one will lose everything by not believing."
In other words, if a student is less capable than we guess, we will find that out by offering him or her learning opportunities that "go over his head." Better that than if we underestimate her or his abilities and deny the student access to such opportunities. Our failures, as well as those of students, can scare us into this underestimation of our teaching and of the students' learning. In those instances, some faith in learning potential might just save the day!
The dilemma of faith is that one has to generate it seemingly from nothing. I believe that if one has hard evidence to build a belief upon, that belief is TRUST, not Faith. When we are asked to believe based on nothing, what do we build that belief on?
For a time I felt that the answer to that riddle was one of those paradoxical truths: Since you have no evidence to believe, believe without evidence. (What is the sound of no hands
clapping?) That might sound noble but we have trouble generating noble acts in our daily grind. It may be, however, that the greatest acts of Faith ARE based on something - Love. In relationships with family and friends, that love will fire us up to acts of courage and Faith. We will attempt the impossible because we love so much. With our relationships to students, we can draw upon a different kind of love. We love our calling; our privilege to work with children, our opportunity to change lives. That love can embolden us to act in the absence of evidence. They may not end up loving math or science or any part of school. But if we have Faith that our children all can learn, they will.
LOVELAND, OHIO - Last year, author John Kachuba took us on a tour of the spooky goings-on in his home state of Ohio. Now, the ever intrepid ghost hunter, armed with an open mind, a healthy dose of skepticism and his trademark wit, returns. GHOSTHUNTING ILLINOIS ($14.95, September, Emmis Books) examines more than 30 of the spookiest haunts, from cemeteries to inns and hotels to libraries and museums, all over the Prairie State.
"Why do so many of us share this morbid obsession with ghosts? As children, we read ghost stories under the bedcovers or huddled around a campfire. We learned that we had no business being in cemeteries after nightfall. We learned to whistle in the dark," says the author in the book’s introduction. "I am not a ‘sensitive’, ‘psychic’ or ‘medium.’ (In fact, I’m an extra large.) I’m an average guy, just like you, with a curiosity about things paranormal."
Kachuba is formally from Loveland, Ohio and founded the Loveland Arts Council. His wife, Mary Newman was on Loveland City Council before they left Loveland to study at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Kachuba will be promoting his new book, along with Ghosthunting Ohio, in the Cincinnati and Loveland area in October. He said he keeps up with everything in "Good ol' Loveland" by reading Loveland Magazine."
John Kachuba is the author of GHOSTHUNTING OHIO, the first title in the Haunted Heartland series; How to Write Funny; and the co-author, with his wife, Mary A. Newman, Ph.D., of Why is This Job Killing Me? He currently lives in Athens, Ohio, widely regarded as one of the most haunted places in the world.
In GHOSTHUNTING ILLINOIS, readers will learn of haunted locales across Illinois,
including:
GHOSTHUNTING ILLINOIS by John Kachuba
Emmis Books - September 2005 - $14.95
Paperback - 240 pages - ISBN 1-57860-220-3 www.emmisbooks.com
GHOSTHUNTING ILLINOIS is the second title in the Emmis Books Haunted Heartland series. Look for GHOSTHUNTERS in fall 2006.
LOVELAND, OHIO - Professor Douglas W. Bush is now Assistant Director of Bands at Nebraska University, but only a few short years ago he was the Band Director at Loveland High School. Now you can also see Bush in NBC's new reality show, Tommy Lee goes to college. The first episode was on last week and Loveland residents and former students got a chance to see a Loveland legend auditioning the rock and roll nasty boy (Motley Crue drummer) as he tries out for the college band.
Apparently unimpressed after hearing Lee perform on the marching field, Bush asks in episode one, "This guys a rock star?" The multi-tattooed rocker Tommy Lee, is a high school dropout, plunged into life as a University of Nebraska student for reality TV.
NBC describes the show this way, "Tommy packs up his bags, kisses his mom goodbye and heads off to UNL, but it won't be class as usual when the new student is Tommy Lee. Like classic "situation comedies," each of the six, half-hour episodes will find Tommy floundering in a new fish-out-of-water situation - quintessential collegiate challenges such as finding his room mate Matt, trying out for the marching band, and cramming for finals in true Tommy Lee fashion with his hot tutor, Natalie, in tow - each episode will follow Tommy as he experiences the trials and tribulations of collegiate life."
Bush is the Assistant Director of Bands and Assistant Director of the Cornhusker Band. His
responsibilities include visual design for the Cornhusker Marching Band, directing the Campus Concert Band and the Big Red Express pep band. He teaches music education courses and assists with the administration of all university bands. Professor Bush received his B.M.E. from the University of Kentucky and M.M.E. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Before joining the faculty at Nebraska, Bush taught public school band programs in Kentucky and Ohio for 20 years, including Loveland, Ohio. He is an active clinician, arranger, visual designer and adjudicator throughout the mid-west.
Bush told Loveland Magazine, "I'll be on again next week as the episode is going to center around Tommy trying out for the band and seeing if he gets to perform at the big game." Bush seemed a little tight-lipped when he said, " That's all I know of at this time."
The next episode of Tommy Lee goes to college is Tuesday night on NBC (WLW-TV 5) at 9 P.M. and repeats Friday at 10 P.M. on VH-1.
Bush said, "Its been fun so far."
Here is a link to a Wal-mart promo that Tommy Lee did for the show and his latest
CD. Bush is in two of the scenes in the show trailer. http://www.tommylee.tv/station/view.php?id=102
For Doug Bush groupies, he can be reached at: dbush2@unl.edu
Doug and Judy Bush's son Aaron is currently serving our country in Afghanistan. Many Loveland Magazine readers will rember Aaron as he was with his mom and dad so often at the school. He can be reached at aaron.bush2@us.army.mil
LOVELAND, OHIO - The festival was a huge success last year as $15,000 was raised to help
fight Cystic Fibrosis. The doctors and staff of Loveland Family Practice have come together for a second year in the hope of raising more money for children who have this disease. All Monies will be donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation on September 4th at the Sparkle For Cincinnati Event at Riverfront Stadium.
This is an honest to goodness grass roots community festival only possible because of thousands of hours of community spirit - deserving community support.
The BenGals Cheerleaders will be there from 1-3 P.M. to take pictures with everyone. WhoDey! will be there, possibly with a special guest. The Whoa! Daddies, one of Cincinnati's greatest bands will be there with Eric Blevins (DJ Crossfade).
Dunk the Doc and Friends Festival 2005
Saturday, August 20th 11-6 P.M.
Loveland Family Practice, Inc.
910 Loveland Madeira Rd. Shoppers Haven
Phone: 513-683-5700 or fax: 513-683-2098
Website: dunkthedoc.com Email: info@dunkthedoc.com
Who will be in the Dunking Booth? (Read more)
Continue reading "LOVELAND, OHIO - DUNK THE DOC AND FRIENDS FESTIVAL THIS SATURDAY" »
LOVELAND, OHIO - On August 21, you can ride your bike alongside former Olympic and pro-champions, and talk about the Tour de France while you bicycle into Warren County with former stage winners of the famous ride.
The Sunflower Revolution Ride, hosted by the Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson's Disease Research and Wellness, is August 21st in Downtown Loveland. They offer both 100 kilometer and 40 kilometer routes through Warren County. The ride is well supported and is a casual ride for all types of riders including beginners.
Some of their celebrity riders include 32 time Tour de France commentator Phil Liggett, two-time Tour de France stage winner Davis Phinney, Olympic Gold Medalist Connie Carpenter Phinney, world renowned bicycle frame builder Ben Serotta, 7 time Tour de France finisher Ron Kiefel, former National and Masters' National Champion Wayne Stettina, Rob Braun, Cammie Dierking and others. 
The proceeds from the The Sunflower Revolution Ride will benefit the Davis Phinney/Donald Krumme Gift Fund at the University of Cincinnati Neuroscience Institute and University Hospital. This fund is being used to support research involving cell transplants and growth factors and to establish a fellowship for a gifted young neurologist. Last year, after their inaugural Sunflower Revolution, they were able to make a donation of $100,000.00 to establish this fund.
Davis Phinney, former US Pro Champion, Olympic Medalist and 2 time Tour de France Stage winner was diagnosed with early onset Parkinson's Disease five years ago at age 40. With local bike shop owner David Ariosa and Kathleen Krumme, Davis, and his wife Connie Carpenter Phinney formed the Davis Phinney Foundation in 2004 with a mission to raise money for research and curative therapies for those challenged with Parkinson's Disease. Kathy Kumme said, "Our motto is 'Every Victory Counts!' For Lance Armstrong , this may be a 7th Tour de France title; for a Parkinson's patient, this may be buttoning your shirt without help."
The ride starts at 7:30 A.M. The $80.00 entry fee includes a tee shirt and lunch provided by La Petit Pierre. Riders can register online at www.tucsonracing.com or www.oakleycycles.com There is a gala dinner on August 19th; contact Kathy Krumme at kkrumme@davisphinneyfoundation.org for an invitation.
FOR INFORMATION AND TO VOLUNTEER: schoolgarden@fuse.net
SYMMES TOWNSHIP, OHIO - Symmes Township and the Loveland-Symmes Community Firefighters Association will host Symmesfest again this year at Symmes Park, 11600 Lebanon Road, on Friday, August 19 from 6:00 to 11:00 P.M., Saturday, August 20 from 4:00 to 11:00 P.M. and on Sunday, August 21 from 4:00 to 10:00 P.M. Photo above is a composit from last year's fireworks display.
The festival will offer rides, kids' games, fireworks, live music, children's entertainment, a Cincinnati Zoo presentation and food from Black Forest, Buffalo Wings and Rings (Woodlawn), Fuddruckers, Pizza Tower and others.
Admission is free and there is plenty of parking.
Friday, August 19
Saturday, August 20
Sunday, August 21
For more information (Go to News and Events and click on Symmesfest)
LOVELAND, OHIO - Patty Burton, the passionate visionary, who some credit with the re-birth of Loveland's historic downtown, lost one of her dreams Friday afternoon when a small fire grew rapidly and gutted her beautifully and lovingly restored yellow inn on the hill. The house became famous because of its wonderfully restored interior and had hosted local after-theater parties, and guest from around the world.
Pamela Lanier's Bed and Breakfast Guide described a stay at The Gathering Room House on Songbird Hill as like visiting the European countryside.
No one was in the inn when the fire broke out. Burton discovered it when she entered and smelled a faint smell of smoke. She said it took her a second or two to discover the source of the smoke and when she found a small fire in the middle of the dinning room floor immediately called for help. Even though one of Loveland's fire companies is within a thousand feet from the inn, the fire soon became a four-alarm blaze and spread rapidly through the historic wooden structure. When the fire was eventually brought under control the interior and furnishings were destroyed. Burton had numerous paintings and antiques decorating the inn.
Fire companies from Goshen Township, Miami Township, and Milford assisted the Loveland/Symmes Fire department. A firefighter from the Loveland/Symmes Department was treated on the scene, then taken to the hospital after being overcome in the heat of another summer heat spell. The temperature was in the mid nineties and humidity in the low nineties. A firefighter from Milford suffered from an ankle injury and was also taken to the hospital.
At one point, firefighters littered the hillside, exhausted from the oppressive heat and humidity.
Burton owns several other downtown properties known for their yellow exterior paint. She moved to Loveland in 1999 bringing with her a life savings, and lovingly poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into some homes that had no floors when she purchased them and were certainly destined for the wrecking ball if it had not been for her passion for Loveland's Downtown. One house alone consumed $300,000.00. She described this house as being inhabited by a disease-carrying zoo of pidgins and she had to hire people with chain saws and machete knives to hack down the jungle of growth in the yard. She said this delighted neighbors, who could not believe their good fortune nor remember the last time sunlight had entered their own back yards. Burton sleeps little and regularly is seen scurrying from one of her bed and breakfast cottages or her ice cream parlor attending to the every need of her guests. Her guests have come from all but 9 states, and five foreign countries. She has hosted executives from Royal Dutch Airlines in Cincinnati to do business with G.E and international architecture groups.
The cause of the blaze was not immediately known, but fire inspectors were instantly on the scene investigating the inns' charred and smoldering remains.
When Burton purchased the home that burned on Friday, the owner was embarrassed to sell it to anyone because there were so many serious things wrong with it including a rear bathroom that was in danger of sliding down the hill because of a failing foundation. Before Burton, there wasn't even a place to buy a cup of coffee in downtown Loveland let alone fine restaurants or tearooms. Once, a City Manager from another city visited Burton's Gathering Room House on Songbird Hill and commented, "Any city in the country would roll out the best red carpet they could come up with for a person who would do a job like this."
Burton recently inaugurated the "Yellow House Side Yard Root Beer Garden" next to her ice cream parlor along the Loveland Bike Trail by holding a free jazz concert.
Dear Loveland Magazine,
Hello my name is Samantha and I live in Adelaide, South Australia. I found your Loveland Magazine while searching for software on the Internet and just wanted to tell you how beautiful your magazine is. It has an incredible warmth and community spirit to it. The photos are great and I really feel like part of Loveland too.
With such a beautiful name its no surprise that you have a wonderful community.
I had never heard of Loveland, but truly wish that one day I will visit your community and enjoy the delicious food at Granny's Garden and go to the Yellow House for ice cream, and experience the Tour de Loveland!
Wouldn't it be fantastic to visit each other's country? I visited America in 1995. I was a camp counselor in Upstate New York and then we drove down the East Coast and up to San Francisco for 4 months. It was a fantastic experience and I always tell my husband John that I will take him to America soon and show him its incredible beauty and now it will include Loveland too.
All the best to everyone at Loveland
Samantha Wahanui
Adelaide, South Australia
P.S. Regarding websites, I have just found one that is great it is www.southaustralia.com it has lots of information about events and places to see. The population is just 1.5 million people, it's most famous for its wine area which produces some of the worlds best. We also have amazing beaches and beautiful weather and of course beautiful people! If any lovelanders would like to visit please let me know. swahanui@yahoo.com.au
LOVELAND, OHIO - $600,000.00 in improvements to Loveland High School's football stadium should be all but finished for the season opener on August 26 against Northwest High School. The money comes from part of the Permanent Improvement Levy approved by voters last year.
Improvements include:
Ames says the contractors are behind schedule because of another job they were on before they started the Loveland work, but they have promised the work will be finished for opening night of the home football season. Because the base asphalt for the track must cure for a period, the rubberized surface will be installed later. He said the contractors are working seven days a week and ten to twelve hour days.
Loveland, Ohio - Prior to joining the Tigers football staff, Loveland High
School Social Studies teacher, Jim Vanatsky was head coach at Talawanda High School from 2002-2004. While at Talawanda his team finished second in their division two times in three seasons and established a new rushing offense that was second in the 12 team Mid Miami League in total offense in 2002 and 2004. He also served as an assistant coach from 1995-2002 at Colerain High School and Ft. Walton Beach (FL) High School from 1993-1995. Vanatsky also has collegiate coaching experience at Cornell University, University of Cincinnati and was the Wide Receiver’s Coach at Georgia Southern University, from 1990-1993. During his coaching tenure at Georgia Southern his team won the Division I-AA National Championship in 1990. He has his M.S. degree in Sport Management and B.S. in Secondary Education.
"I have great confidence in Coach Vanatsky and his range of high school and collegiate coaching experience. Our staff is working hard to move beyond this change in personnel so our players can put their energy into preparing for season that lies ahead," said Dr. Kevin Boys, Superintendent, Loveland Schools."
On Tuesday, August 10, the Loveland School District received a letter of resignation from David Bibb from his teaching and varsity football coaching position at Loveland High School. Bibb, who was hired in March, cited personal reasons for his departure. Earlier this summer when the District learned of circumstances that prevented Bibb from fulfilling his coaching responsibilities, Vanatsky was named as interim head coach. With Bibb’s resignation, the District named Vanatsky as head coach for the 2005 football season.
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