Category Archives: Event

A Week Late and Several Photos Short

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I planned on last week’s post to be primarily about the Tenderloin Throwdown in Greensburg, Indiana. I arrived in early afternoon and bought my set of four sample tickets. A fifth contestant was a no-show. I tried them all and took several pictures including one of each sample with the associated booth in the background. When I did the same thing at the homemade ice cream stand operated by the local historical society, the shutter wouldn’t cooperate.

There was an error message displayed on the camera’s screen, but there’s just no way I’m going to read those tiny letters without glasses. I don’t need no stinkin’ glasses, I may have said to myself. I went down the list of common problems. The mode dial was not out of position and the lens was securely seated. Must be something with the SD card. I popped it out and back in and clicked off a couple shots. The problem returned and I “fixed” it the same way. When It happened a third time, I began to get concerned but I was ready to leave so didn’t investigate.

I’d kind or forgotten all this until I moved the SD card to my laptop in preparation of producing a blog post. It contained just four pictures and one of those was of my feet. Subsequent tests have revealed no errors with either camera or card although I don’t intend to ever use the card again. Sure wish I knew what that error message said.

So last week you got a canned My Wheels post and this week you get one picture of the back of one of the tenderloin stands with the famous tree-in-tower in the background. It is the winner of the grilled category, so there’s that. Obviously four entrants does not a major showdown make, but all four were top notch and tasty, and the homemade ice cream was excellent.

Even when I anticipated a photo spread from the Tenderloin Throwdown, I was considering tacking on a paragraph about the one concert on my schedule. I ended up attending three concerts during the week and, in light of the Throwdown’s vanished visuals, I’m including cell phone photos of all three. Remember, if you want a picture real bad, I’ve got a real bad picture.

On Wednesday the 20th, it was the LSD (Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Dwight Yoakam) Tour at Riverbend. This is one I hadn’t planned on, but when a friend’s significant other fell ill the day before, I got her ticket. It really was almost like three concerts with each of the artists doing nearly hour long sets. That’s Steve and his band in the first picture. I didn’t get a picture of Lucinda during her own set but the second picture has her and Steve flanking Dwight for the Dim Lights, Thick Smoke (and Loud, Loud Music) finale.

Thursday’s concert was the one I had planned for a long time. I’ve been sort of focusing on long time legends I’ve never seen. I saw Jackson Browne last month and Steely Dan, Van Morrison, and Paul Simon over the last year or two. This time it was possibly the ultimate living legend with Tony Bennett at Fraze Pavilion.

The quartet opened with an instrumental then Tony’s daughter, Antonia, did three songs. At that point, Tony came on and for the next hour he was on the stage, on his feet, and singing essentially non-stop. He performed basically full songs for the first half then commenced doing one or two lines from hits like Rags to Riches, Fly Me to the Moon, and I Left My Heart in San Francisco. I can’t remember everything he did but there wasn’t one I didn’t recognize at the time. It’s kind of astounding to realize that this guy could do a full concert singing just a line or two from each hit and probably have enough left over for several encores. Yeah, he’s 91 and didn’t hold every note as long as he might have a decade or two back, but he hit them and he was having fun. The Good Life for sure.

The other unplanned concert was a freebie at Miami Valley Gaming held as part of their Rhythm and Brews Festival on Saturday the 23rd. Knowing friends would be there, I stopped by on the way home from the Tenderloin Throwdown and caught the performer I was most interested in, Tinsley Ellis. I also saw part of Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials’ set but don’t have even a real bad picture of that.

Another Sesquicentennial

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The American Civil War began with the shelling of Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, and for the last several years we have been commemorating the 150th anniversary of events that led up to it, were part of it, and were precipitated by it. There are many theories about the origin of what we now call Memorial Day, and, while specifics vary, almost all place the roots in that devastating conflict. The most recognized story of a formal beginning places that beginning a hundred and fifty years ago on May 30, 1868.

I attended two Memorial Day events this year. The first was a parade in nearby Loveland, and the second a gathering at Ohio’s largest cemetery, Spring Grove.

In Loveland, a police cruiser with flashing lights cleared the way with members of the local American Legion Post leading the actual parade. A group of firefighters, looking exactly like I’d want my fire department to look, was close behind. Love the mustache.

What followed was everything a parade should have: high school marching band, classic cars, and freshly polished fire trucks. The parade ended near Veterans’ Memorial Park where ceremonies were to take place. I was watching the time, however, and left just as they were getting started.

The setting for the Spring Grove ceremonies was the Civil War section where 999 Civil War dead are buried in three circular plots containing 333 graves each. These are not, of course, the only Civil War soldiers buried in the cemetery. There are 41 Civil War generals buried at Spring Grove. For the majority, however, it is an honorary (brevet) title. The cemetery’s website has some words about the war’s impact and a link to a list of those generals here.

Although individual events were certainly held earlier, 1868 is the year that the observation of Decoration Day was wide spread and coordinated. That was when Grand Army of the Republic Commander, John A. Logan, issued an order calling for gatherings on May 30 “…for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades…”. Spring Grove was one of 183 cemeteries participating that first year. There were 336 in 1869. Michigan made Decoration Day a state holiday in 1871 and other states were not far behind. It was made a federal holiday in 1888. I was unable to find a date for an official change from Decoration Day to Memorial Day. It seems to have happened somewhat naturally shortly after the first World War.

The G.A.R.’s successor, The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, played a major role in the day’s activities and the 6th Ohio Volunteer Infantry helped maintain an awareness of the holiday’s Civil War era roots. They presented the colors at the beginning of the services and fired a twenty-one gun salute near their end.

Spring Grove Cemetery was barely sixteen years old when the Civil War broke out.  An excerpt from Spring Grove: Celebrating 150 Years talks about the war, the cemetery, and those early Decoration Days. In describing the very first, it states that “To end the program the Ladies of the Floral Committee led the crowds around the mounds of graves, strewing them with flowers.” Today, The Auxiliary to the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War filled the role of the Floral Committee in helping everyone present reenact that ritual from 150 years ago.

Welcome Back Belle

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This week the Memphis Belle came home to a place she’d never been before. And the Belle has been a lot of places. She was born in Seattle, Washington, on July 2, 1942. She flew to England in September and completed her first bombing mission over Europe in November. By May of 1943, she had completed her 25th mission and was sent “home”. She then toured the United States promoting War Bonds. After the war, she spent a little time in an Oklahoma airplane graveyard then a lot of time at various locations in Memphis, Tennessee. Since 2005 she’s been undergoing major restoration in Dayton, Ohio, and on Wednesday she was moved to the National Museum of the US Air Force. On Thursday, the exhibit was officially opened to the general public. That’s me.

I arrived about an hour before the scheduled ceremony and was happy to see that traffic was not as bad as I had feared. There were plenty of people there, though. By the time I made it through the line and security, only about a third of that one hour wait remained.

My first view of the restored airplane was somewhat obscured by some of those people who had been in line in front of me. I got a reasonably clear view by heading to the back where the media risers were.

The Memphis Belle is often referred to as the first B-17 to complete 25 bombing missions but that honor actually belongs to Hell’s Angels which accomplished the feat about a week before the Belle. But the Memphis Belle was the first to return to the States. It seems likely the the romance behind the name had a lot to do with the selection. Memphis, Tennessee, was the home town of Margaret Polk who was the fiance of Robert Morgan, the plane’s pilot. Although Margaret broke off the engagement before the war ended, I don’t doubt that it helped sell more than a few war bonds.

At war’s end, the Belle was designated surplus. In 1946, the city of Memphis bought her for $350 from an airplane graveyard near Altus, Oklahoma. They didn’t spend much more on her for a long time. She was initially parked outside at the Memphis Municipal Airport. In 1950, she was moved to the National Guard Armory and placed — still outside — on a concrete pedestal. In 1987, helped along by some noise from Air Force people, a covered pavilion was built for the plane on Memphis’ Mud Island. It was here I first saw her in 1990 and it seems like I should have some pictures around but a Friday afternoon search came up empty. The plane was moved to a Navy hangar in Millington in 2002 where the deterioration was reined in and restoration begun before the 2005 move to Dayton.

A formal unveiling had taken place the night before for the family of crew members and other VIPs. Today’s ceremony consisted of just a couple of short speeches and a symbolic ribbon cutting. I did not have much of a view of the ribbon cutting although it didn’t really matter. The participants’ names had been announced but I could not have put a single name with a face. The ribbon cutting was the signal to remove the ropes that had blocked the plane and the many displays around it. It quickly became apparent that this was not going the be a good time to leisurely read placards and study pictures.

It was, however, a good time to visit the new building that opened last year. On the way I paused to snap a picture of the B-2 and a man walking a few steps behind me caught up with me. “It won’t show up”, he said. I was too slow to get it but must have looked sufficiently quizzical for him to spare me the embarrassment of asking a truly dumb question. “Too stealthy”, he explained.

The closest thing to a space shuttle at the museum sits at the entrance to the new building. It is one of three NASA Crew Compartment Trainers. This is CCT-1 which was used in training more than 300 shuttle bound astronauts. Mock structures surround it so that it appears to be part of an actual shuttle.

A good portion of the new building is used to display the presidential aircraft that used to be in a building actually on the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base with a bus ride and additional security check required. I’ve seen them before but that didn’t keep me from walking through all of them again. Since I recently visited Ike’s birthplace, I picked his Columbine III to represent the exhibit and to show 1950s state-of-the-art audiovisual gear.

Weather had cancelled yesterday’s planned landing of other World War II vintage aircraft. Earlier, as I stood in that long line getting in, it was announced that they would be landing at 11:00 today. I misjudged the time but did get outside just in time to see the first B-17 approach the field through an opening in the trees. I caught the second one overhead, and thought I’d positioned myself for a better view of the landing but found out I’d positioned myself to pretty much miss seeing it at all. I had read that three B-17s were to be flying about this weekend , but I only saw the two. There were, as advertised, several P-51 Mustangs (3rd picture) in the air.

One reason I nearly missed the landings completely was that I tried to make sure there was nothing I needed to go back inside for. The decision was reinforced by seeing the line outside. It was just about as long as it had been when I arrived and now the museum was nearly full. I promised myself I’d return before long to read the placards and headed to my car.

Cincy’s Belated Opening

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Sometimes the Findlay Market Opening Day Parade marks an opportunity to forget a less than stellar previous season. People braving Monday’s cold temperatures were trying to not only forget last season’ 68-94 finish but this season’s 0-3 start. You see, to avoid interference with crucial pre-Easter sales at the Market, the parade happened, not on Friday before the Reds’ first game of the season, but on Monday before their fourth.

Actually, that first game wasn’t exactly when it was supposed to be, either. Scheduled for Thursday, it was moved to Friday to avoid predicted severe weather.

I reached downtown in time to poke around the staging area a little bit before the parade start. The giant Mr. Red at the top of this article belongs to the National Flag Company. The snowman at left, who I believe made it all the way through the parade, is made of real snow. He’s riding on the 911Steel float with a real piece of the World Trade Center and replicas of the twin towers.

Cincinnati was, and is again becoming, a major brewing center. There are plenty of stories about the city’s pre-prohibition Beer Barons. Beard Barons are a more recent development. Distilling, rather than brewing, is involved in the product shown in the second picture and made a little more than a hundred miles to Cincinnati’s south. Cincinnati brewing does get some notice in the picture of a Crosley Field bound bus in front of Rhinegeist Brewing. Crosley Field was the Reds’ home until 1970.

Rozzi Fireworks is certainly capable of starting things off with a bang but they decided on a pillar of fire instead. Maybe they’re saving a big boom for the centennial next year. I guess there’s something pretty cool on the other side of the street because Grand Marshalls Danny Graves and Sam LeCure didn’t look my way even once as they passed.

Here are some long time Cincinnati legends. That’s King Records drummer Philip Paul and wife Roberta in the red convertible. The fellow in the top hat is entrepreneur and politician Jim Tarbell dressed as departed legend Peanut Jim Shelton.

Breaking up all the locals in the parade were some easily recognized out of towners. Budweiser isn’t my favorite beer but these guys are my favorite horses.

There’ll be nothing but locals from here on out. Like some folks from Findlay Market, the Red Hot Dancing Queens, and Kahnie from the American Sign Museum. I even got a shot of Tod piloting the big black truck.

The Kroger Company still has one of Barney Kroger’s delivery wagons from the 1880s and Arnold’s has a passenger bathtub although it’s not one I’m familiar with and it’s not quite self-propelled. On the 25th the bar made a plea for a “go-cart mechanic” and on the 29th there was video evidence that repairs had been successful. However, the tub in the picture is neither of those I’ve seen before, has a rear mounted bubble machine, and is being propelled by a couple of laughing footmen. And it was still way cool. The third picture is of a new-to-me float from Rhinegeist.

This is the bus I had a pre-parade partial shot of in front of the Rhinegeist Brewery. It wasn’t really the last thing in the parade but I thought it would be an OK thing to use for the closing panel. A few hours after the parade wrapped up, the Reds got  their first win of the year by beating the Chicago Cubs 1-0. The three loses were to the Washington Nationals. A second Cubs game scheduled for Tuesday was postponed by rain then, after a pre-planned day off, the team headed to Pittsburgh for a four game stand. They lost the first two, won the third, and one remains to be played. The Reds begin 2018 with a 2-5 record.

Easter Fools Day

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Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me annually, it’s a holiday. This year, Easter and April Fools Day coincide making things like Easter Snipe Hunts something to be on the lookout for. I always post on Sunday and, although the reasons are somewhat different, Easter always happens on Sunday. That means there have been several Easter anchored posts in the past. Despite them all being pretty shallow, I’ll post links at the end of this article.

April Fools Day is a different matter. This is only the second time in the life of this blog that April Fools Day has fallen on Sunday. The first time, in 2012, I attempted a joke, Product Review – Dial2Text, but it received virtually no attention. So, no joke this year. Instead, I looked into the history of the prankish holiday.

Like so many of our holidays, including the currently coinciding Easter, April Fools Day has several possible origins. My personal favorite involves the change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar that started back in 1582. The change didn’t happen instantly. After Italy, France, and several other countries made the switch, 344 years passed before Turkey fell in line in 1926. Others switched at various points in between with England and her colonies, including those in North America, adopting the no-longer-very-new calendar in 1752. Depending on when the switch was made, 10 to 13 days had to be eliminated to get into sync. A more detailed description of the process is available here.

The Gregorian calendar places the start of the year at January 1. Prior to the switch, most Europeans considered a new year to begin at the Catholic Feast of the Annunciation on March 25. For some, this was a week long celebration which meant the party didn’t wrap up until April 1. The theory goes that, like folks who get to work an hour late when Daylight Savings Time kicks in, some people failed to adjust to the new calendar and continued to think of the first of April as the start of a year. They were laughed at and called April Fools by those more in tune with the times. I also suspect there were those who celebrated both dates and thought everyone else fools for missing out on half of the partying.

Of course, not everyone buys into this theory and some point to what may or may not be references to April 1 foolishness made well before 1582. Read some other theories and other details about the day here and here.

If the calendar story is true (and I really hope it is), then modern day April Fools differ greatly from the originals. People who celebrated a new year at the wrong time did it on their own and those who laughed at them were just enjoying the goof. Today it’s all about intentionally making others look foolish. The transition happened a long time ago. The image at the top of this article shows a “ticket” to see the non-existent “Annual Ceremony of Washing the Lions” at the Tower of London. It’s dated 1856 and there are records of the prank being played — probably without tickets — as early as 1698. Once everybody got on board with the January New Year thing, waiting for something like another calendar change to watch large groups of people do something dumb just wasn’t acceptable. Pranks, both big and small, quickly became the order of the day.

I’ll be on my guard, of course. There’s no way I’ll go looking for a left handed monkey wrench or polka dot paint… again. My only concern is whether or not I’ll be able to distinguish the snipe eggs from the bunny eggs.

Easter posts:
2012 East, Easter, Eastest
2013 Happy Eostre
2014 Must Be the Season of the Fish
2015 A Special Day
2016 Happy Easter Island
2017 Happy Easter Island (redux)

Double Play (Red Velvet & Othello)

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Like last week’s post, multiple events are involved. Unlike last week’s post, the events involved are similar and connected. They are not only connected to each other but to one of last week’s as well. On Wednesday, I attended an Ensemble Theater of Cincinnati performance of Red Velvet. I’d seen nothing but positive reviews and comments and I’ve now verified them. The entire cast is excellent but Ken Early stands out in the lead role of Ira Aldridge. I’d seen Early before as Phileas Fogg in ETC’s production of Around the World in 80 Days. He was good as Fogg but is truly impressive in the more challenging Red Velvet.

The play is fact based. In 1833 Ira Aldridge became the first black actor to play Othello in London’s Covent Garden. He was not well received. Even though he had been praised for his portrayal of that and other Shakespearean roles in other parts of England, Londoners expected their Othello to be a proper Englishman in blackface.

Lolita Chakrabart wrote Red Velvet in 2012. I got three things out of watching it. One was learning something of a man who, while rather famous 200 years ago, had pretty much disappeared from history and was totally unknown to me. Another was being led to focus on the fact that the racism of the nineteenth century may have been tamed a bit but it certainly has not been eliminated. The third thing I saw in the play was the absolute passion that actors can develop for their craft. I don’t know that Shakespeare productions involve more passion than others but it seems more visible there.

Shortly after purchasing my ticket to Red Velvet, I received an email offering a discount to another play at another theater. The Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is overlapping ETC’s run of Red Velvet with a production of one of that play’s subjects, Othello. Cooperation between the theaters included discounts to one for attendees of the other. The eagerness with which I jumped on the offer was partly due to something I’d heard last week. During the Q & A session at last Wednesday’s Words and Music event at the Mercantile Library, Steve Earle was asked about his favorite authors. He cited a few (including J. K. Rowling) before naming William Shakespeare as the English language writer he most admired. He added that, if you personally didn’t care for Shakespeare, it might be because you’ve only read the words and didn’t experience them in a performance. That made sense to me and, realizing that I probably hadn’t seen a performance of any Shakespeare play as an adult, resolved to correct that. The opportunity came much quicker than I expected.

One night after seeing Red Velvet, with its Othello excerpts, I saw the real thing in its entirety. Overall, it supported Earle’s observation that seeing the Bard’s creations beats reading them. The CSC production uses a modern setting which could be either a plus or minus but which I thought rather neutral. The presence of cell phones, computer tablets, and TV news broadcasts did not intrude on the scripted words in any way although I suppose it could make the early seventeenth century language seem extra archaic. On the other hand it could serve to underscore the timelessness of the themes of jealousy and betrayal. I didn’t know enough to be affected one way or the other.

All of the principles displayed plenty of passion in their “big scenes” but otherwise often seemed to be in a hurry to deliver their lines before they forgot them. The exception was Nicholas Rose as Iago who struck me as being attentive to the pace of every phrase and the timing of every pause.

Overall it was a very good week in which I learned to appreciate William Shakespeare a little bit more and also learned a little about how much Cincinnati appreciates its live theater. I’ve attended a few ETC shows in the past and, while the basic layout remains the same, improvements in the theater itself and the greatly enlarged lobby indicate a solid future. This was my first CSC show which means I never saw the previous home on Race Street. I cannot, therefore, appreciate how big an improvement the brand new Otto M. Budig Theater is, but I can still be impressed with the really cool venue.

Both shows I attended were sold out or nearly so and these are not the only professional and semi-professional theater companies doing well in Cincinnati. Playhouse in the Park (where I attended Marie and Rosetta a couple of weeks ago) just announced that a new theater will be built at the end of this season. Landmark Productions opened its all new Incline Theater (where I’ll be seeing Spamalot on Thursday) in 2015. Although there’s no new theater on the horizon, Know Theater is now in its twentieth season and the Aronoff Center continues to present “Broadway” touring companies and such. Anyone wanting to see a play in Cincinnati definitely has choices.

CSC’s last performance of Othello was March 24. Red Velvet runs through March 31 at ETC.

The spring equinox occurred at a quarter past noon on Tuesday making Wednesday the first full day of spring. That’s when I took this picture in Washington Park as I walked past on the way to the Ensemble Theater.

Library, Gardens, Uke, and Eggs

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No single big thing happened this week but it sure wasn’t empty. If it had been, I’d be posting a Trip Peek or some other pre-canned asynchronous bit. Instead, I’m making this post from four things that happened during my non-empty week. The picture at right was taken Wednesday at something I’ve been anticipating for quite some time. It’s Steve Earle appearing at The Mercantile Library as part of the Words and Music Series.

The library was certainly full but everyone had at least a little breathing room. Steve’s song introductions were insightful although they probably weren’t any longer than normal. He often provides a good background for what is about to be  heard. About the only song he didn’t provide much introduction to was the surprise opener, F the CC. Anyone wanting to hear that in a library missed a rare opportunity. Steve played several songs, read a complete story from Doghouse Roses along with excerpts from his novel I’ll Never Get Out of Here Alive, then stayed on stage to take questions. It was exactly what I’d hoped for.

Cincinnati Gardens opened in 1949 and closed in 2016. On Monday, Ronnie Salerno posted some pictures of the recently begun demolition. That article can be read here and it should be. In addition to pictures from a very recent visit, it contains links to other pictures and other memories. It prompted me to take a few of my own pictures when I was next in the neighborhood which turned out to be Friday. Of course I have my own memories of The Gardens.

My first visit was in 1966 to see Cavalcade of Customs; My last in 2012 to watch the Cincinnati Roller Girls. In between were numerous concerts, sporting events, and shows. I did not see the concert that is almost always cited when someone talks about the place. The Beatles played here in 1964. However, I do remember seeing the Jefferson Airplane (with opener Cincinnati’s Lemon Pipers) in 1967 and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer (opening for The James Gang) in 1971. The venue was never known for its acoustics and I’ve told everyone who would listen that ELP was the only group that actually sounded good in there.

I played The Gardens twice myself. From 1957 to 1972, the NBA Royals called Cincinnati home. The University of Cincinnati supplied the pep band for their games at The Gardens. I joined the UC marching band my freshman year carrying a lot of equipment while taking part in a single parade and no halftime shows. When an upperclassman couldn’t make the first two games of the NBA season, I was picked to bang a drum in a crowded corner of the floor while watching Oscar Robertson and friends do their thing.

The letters whose outlines can be seen in the third picture have been given to the American Sign Museum where they are expected to eventually be mounted on the building as “CINCINNATI Sign GARDEN”.

On Friday night I took in some music at Cincinnati’s oldest bar, Arnold’s. A normal Friday night for me is playing trivia but, with the NCAA tournament getting revved up, that was canceled due to lack of interest and space. I looked online to see who might be playing and the fact that John Redell would be at Arnold’s caught my eye. Learning the Erin Coburn would be with him made it even more attractive and I’d already pretty much made up my mind to go when I found out the Dixon Creasy would also be there. Too cool. John is the ultimate mentor and, when not performing solo, spends a lot of his time making other people look good. That was the case when I last saw John and Erin together but not — at least not entirely — tonight. Erin can now readily hold her own and John permits himself to shine a bit more. A most enjoyable evening that included hearing a ukulele through a wah-wah live for the first time. That’s something everybody needs.

The fourth and final event to contribute to this post is my Saint Patrick’s Day breakfast. With its name inspired by the original owner’s pet chimpanzee, the Monkey Bar and Grill, on the Little Miami River, is undergoing what newspapers have referred to as a renovation. Transformation might be more accurate. One of the renovations not yet completed is the kitchen and the bar has been relying on food trucks for weekends and special occasions. Crappy weather threw a wrench (What kind of wrench was it?) into some outdoor plans but it didn’t keep Big Al’s BBQ from offering breakfast inside. Not the fanciest Saint Paddy’s breakfast I’ve ever had but it did the job and eating at the penny bar (20,000+ they say) was pretty cool.

Bock’s Back

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Anytime you spot a Trojan goat being led down the street by a self propelled bathtub, the odds are considerable that you’re at Cincinnati’s annual Bockfest parade. It happened Friday for the twenty-sixth time. My attendance has been frequent but imperfect. While I have no statistics to prove that Friday’s parade was the biggest yet, it felt like it might be. Sunshine and relatively warm temperatures (high 40s) helped.

The bathtub belongs to Arnold’s Bar and Grill. It’s Cincinnati’s oldest tavern and the parade’s starting point. The traveling tub is a reference to the legend that the bar’s bathtub was used to make gin during prohibition. As I recall, the goat was created by the defunct downtown Barrel House Brewery but is now in the care of the Moerlien Brewing Company.

Goats are traditionally associated with bock beer and they appear at Bockfest in many forms. However, no matter how many legs a particular goat might have, it still has only two ends.

If you’ve read any of my parade related posts over the last few years, you know that the Red Hot Dancing Queens became instant favorites of mine from the first time I saw them. Nobody has more fun than these gals.

Two friends attended this year’s parade with me. It was Dave’s first time and he accompanied me along the route dodging goats, dancers, and Segways. As it turned out, he also dodged my camera. Clyde, who attended his first Bockfest parade with me two years ago, has since joined Die Innenstadt, a support group for FC Cincinnati, the local USL team. Although it initially took a little urging to get him to participate, once committed, he not only marched with the group, but did an outstanding job waving one of their big flags.

Dave and I made it to the parade route end and reunited with Clyde for one Schoenling Bock inside the super-crowded Bockfest Hall. I admit that I sometimes lead my friends to the beer taps, but I don’t make them drink. That’s all their doing.

Bibliophilia at the Mercantile

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Despite natural first impressions, the title is one of of my most accurate and straightforward. Bibliophilia is the name of a Cincinnati Museum Center CurioCity program that was held at the Mercantile Library of Cincinnati on Thursday. The Museum Center (a.k.a., Union Terminal) is currently undergoing a major renovation and numerous events that would normally be held there are being spread around the city. The Mercantile Library is one of the city’s oldest institutions and it is with considerable chagrin that I admit to this being my first visit.

Bibliophilia exhibits included Sarah Pearce’s artistic creations and a letter press from the Museum Center. Pearce made that dress out of pages from a book of patterns following one of those patterns. The letter press was fully operational and even I managed to produce something legible with it. There was also a station with manual typewriters that attendees could use to write Tweet sized (140 character) stories and a place where they could bind their stories into pamphlets. A rather major activity was a scavenger hunt that had people prowling all through the library to answer a set of questions.

I didn’t take part in the scavenger hunt but prowled nonetheless. The Young Men’s Mercantile Library Association was founded in 1835. It lost a couple of homes to fire and moved around a bit during its first seven decades but has occupied the purpose built upper floors of 414 Walnut Street since 1904. It’s here under a $10,000 10,000 year lease that guarantees space even if the building is replaced.

The place looks exactly as a library should. In fact, it looks a lot like what it did in 1904 and some of the furnishings and many of the books predate that considerably. But there have been changes over the years. You can now be neither young nor male and still join and, even though “mercantile” is still part of the name, a connection with commerce is no longer required.

The library was recently the subject of a great Cincinnati Refined article accompanied by some marvelous photos. Check it out here.

A surprise bonus was running into a couple of travelers I hadn’t seen in quite awhile. We’ve sometimes joked online about probably meeting each other beside a narrow road in some semi-distant state. Although the Rowlands (Chris & Katherine) and I both live near Cincinnati, a crossing of paths on two-lane roads seemed more likely than the meeting in a library in the heart of downtown that happened Thursday. I tried to get a candid shot of the two of them but my attempts turned out to be the blurriest of the blurry so I asked to use a picture that Katherine took of Chris & I. Catch up on their travels and learn a lot about Reubens here.

Three Fortnights to Go

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On Friday, I made my second excursion to see Buckeye Chuck with no more planning than the first and with worse timing. In 2016 I arrived long enough before sunrise to look around a little and down a free SPAM sandwich before the big event. I cut it a little closer this year and, while I did have a few minutes to wait, the SPAM (i.e., ground hog) sandwiches provided by local sponsors were all gone. To be honest, they weren’t entirely gone but the last few had been distributed moments before I arrived and all I could do was watch them disappear into the mouths of nearby spectators.

My arrival preceded sunrise by only about ten minutes and co-hosts Scott Shawver and Paul James filled the time with banter and guests including Marion Mayor Scott Schertzer. I’m guessing that Schertzer appears every year (he did in 2016) but this year he has a little extra claim to fame. Just two weeks ago, Cincinnatian Connie Pillich picked him as her running mate in her campaign for governor. Pillich is an occasional patron of the place where I eat pizza, drink beer, and play trivia. When James and Shawver polled the crowd to see who came the farthest, my shouted “Cincinnati” was the apparent winner but, because there was no one from out of state, not much was made of it. Actually nothing was made of it at all.

James and Shawver claim to alternate duties but, having only been here in two even numbered years, Shawver is the only one I’ve personally seen deal with Chuck. He bravely — it was 12 degrees Fahrenheit — stripped down to shirtsleeves and briefly studied the situation before announcing the obvious. In the bright sunlight. Buckeye Chuck couldn’t help but see his shadow and predict six more weeks of winter.

Before leaving town, I again satisfied my need for ground hog with sausage and eggs at Baires Restaurant then stopped by President Harding’s memorial. Look at those clouds and consider how much different Chuck’s prediction would have been if delivered just a short while later.