Tag Archives: Cincinnati Ohio

Solstice Glow at Krohn

Posted on by
Reply

I admitted attending Krohn Conservatory‘s holiday display last year partly because of the word “yule” in the name “Golden Days of Yule”. I’m back again this year largely because of the name. It was almost unavoidable since “Solstice Glow” was near the top of the list of hits in my annual search for solstice-related events. I went on Wednesday when temperatures were in the 20s and an overnight dusting of snow left no doubt that winter was here and made the warmth inside the giant greenhouse much appreciated.

The giant poinsettia tree that has become a regular winter feature at Krohn is once again front and center near the entrance. The tree appeared, as planned, on December 6 more than a month after the November 2 opening of “Solstice Glow” and is scheduled to remain two days beyond the January 5 closing. I intentionally delayed my visit to not miss the tree.

At the heart of Kron’s holiday show are the models of area landmarks made from natural materials. A new model is constructed each year to be added to the display. This year that new model is of the CVG Airport complete with airplanes and a pair of abbreviated runways.

Last year’s addition was the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. The year before that, the eight-foot-long Music Hall was added and Findlay Market was new in 2021.

Bridges and railroads have played an important role in Cincinnati’s history and the Krohn holiday display recognizes both with model trains traveling over replicas of automobile bridges. Of course, the 1866 Roebling Bridge predates automobiles but that is its role today. The Daniel Carter Beard Bridge opened in 1976 but is partially closed today due to a November 1 fire over which arson charges have been filed.

All of those model buildings, bridges, and trains are the work of Applied Imagination of Alexandria, KY. Today the company is responsible for similar displays in many cities but started the whole concept here at Krohn in 1991. In 2012, station KET created a video profile of this remarkable company which can be accessed from the company website or directly here.

I have made much of my attendance at this event being prompted by the words “yule” and “solstice” in its name. I came dangerously close to making way too much of that and making a big mistake. I’m guessing we have all seen click-bait, stir-the-pot posts of the form “X is really upset by Y” with little or no evidence that X is even aware of Y, let alone upset by it. When Krohn Conservatory announced the title of this year’s winter event, I thought I saw some posts bemoaning the presence of the word “solstice” and the absence of the word “Christmas”. I even thought addressing that would be a major part of this post. Fortunately, I took another look.

As one commenter observed, there were “…more people complaining about people  complaining than actual people complaining.” In all honesty, I found no one complaining. Just some people defending something that was not attacked. I believe what I initially took as a complaint about the name was intended as a many-year belated complaint about a pricing change. I guess that I, like several news sources, had somehow decided this was the Krohn Conservatory Christmas display. It is possible that once upon a time, that was its official name, but of all the online references using the word Christmas that I found, not one came from the conservatory. 

I believe the official titles of Krohn Conservatory’s holiday displays over the last dozen years were: 
2024 – Solstice Glow
2023 – Golden Days of Yule
2022 – Celestial Holiday
2021 – Trains and Traditions
2020 – A Very Merry Garden Holiday
2019 – A Zinzinnati Holiday
2018 – A Crystal Holiday
2017 – Cincinnati Choo Choo
2016 – Whimsical Wonderland
2015 – The Poinsettia Express
2014 – Magic and Mistletoe
2013 – A Cincinnati Scenic Railway

African American History along the Cincinnati Riverfront

Posted on by
Reply

I took this Harriet Beecher Stowe House walking tour last Saturday with the idea that it would be the subject of last Sunday’s blog post but it was not. I told myself there wasn’t enough time to create a post for Sunday morning, which was certainly one reason, but another reason was that I felt slightly disappointed in the tour. I should not have. The problem was my expectations were off. For no good reason, I had thought we would visit spots where historic things happened but with just a little more thought I realized how ridiculous that was—the Cincinnati riverfront of 2024 bares little resemblance to the riverfront of the past. The tour took us to places where historic things are commemorated. I enjoyed the tour as it happened and now appreciate it with the passage of a little time.

We met tour guide Zinnia Stewart by the statue of John Roebling near the south end of the bridge that bears his name. Other than a meeting point, the statue plays no role in the tour. Neither does the bridge as anything other than a walkway across the river. I chose the particular opening photo that I did because it mimics the photo that has appeared at the front of this blog since the beginning. Its purpose is to show the river of the tour’s title. Dredging, dams, and other feats of engineering have made the Ohio River consistently navigable for large barges which is something it was not in the days when it separated the free North from the slaveholding South.

The tour began by heading east along the river to a statue representing James Bradley. We were supplied with small wireless (Bluetooth I assume) listening devices so that we could easily hear Stewart as we walked. Bradley was abducted from Africa and worked as a slave until he was able to buy his own freedom in 1833. He then moved to Cincinnati and was the only former slave participating in the pivotal Lane Debates of 1834.

We then headed west past the Roebling Bridge to the string of Robert Dafford murals on the riverfront and stopped at The Flight of the Garner Family. In 1856, Margaret Garner escaped from slavery by crossing the frozen Ohio River with her husband and children. They were captured in Cincinnati and Margaret killed her daughter to save her from a life of slavery. She was prevented from killing herself and her other children as planned. Toni Morrison’s Beloved was inspired by these events.

It was now time to cross the river ourselves. I had taken that opening picture of the River Queen during our visit to the murals and now caught it from the middle of the Roebling Bridge after it turned and headed back. We stopped twice while crossing as Stewart shared stories and photos of people and places along both sides of the river.

On the Ohio side, I spent more time at the Black Brigade Monument than I have ever spent before, and as a result, I know I need to spend a lot more time here in the future. I simply did not realize the many facets of this monument that it seems I’ve only glanced at before. One bit of information that made the whole tour worthwhile is that William Mallory, who was instrumental in getting the monument constructed, was the model for the face of Black Brigade member Marshall P.H. Jones. I thought I knew the story of the Black Brigade but, just like the memorial, there is a lot more for me to learn.

Our last stop was at this statue of politician Marian Spencer. Spencer left her mark on the area in many ways but she is probably best remembered for her efforts to desegregate Coney Island Amusement Park.

Entertrainment Farewell?

Posted on by
Reply

On Wednesday, I visited the “World’s Largest Indoor Train Display” for only the second time. My first visit to  Entertrainment Junction was in January 2009 when it was in the news for having recently opened. News articles about the attraction were also behind this week’s visit but this time the stories were about an impending closing rather than a recent opening. As a fan of old roads and the stuff beside them, I am somewhat accustomed to restaurants, motels, and the like facing survival issues when the owner retires. I can even see some similarities between this news and the news in 2020 that Roadside America in Pennsylvania was closing permanently. But Roadside America had operated for eighty-five years before closing. Current plans are for Entertrainment Junction to shut down in January after just sixteen years. 

The model train layout at the Junction was huge when it opened and I don’t know that it has grown much in size since then. It has grown in details such as buildings, people, and other “decorations”.

Familiar names and scenes stand beside tracks occupied by trains that match the represented period. Details, sometimes a little quirky, are everywhere. Examples are the fellow escaping from the jail with the Fox Theater in the background and the shake shop in the full frontal view of the Fox.

Model railroading occupies the bulk of the space but there are plenty of displays devoted to the full-size variety too. The “American Railroad Museum” contains lots of interactive and stationary displays and there is a small theater with railroad videos playing non-stop.

You can also catch some video entertainment at the drive-in where excerpts from Flash Gorden movies and others are playing. There is also a video of the entire model train layout taken by a camera riding one of the trains.

I think the biggest addition that I noticed compared to my 2009 visit was a set of balcony-like structures providing overhead views of some of the train layouts. One of the raised levels contained a model representing Cincinnati’s Coney Island. This was the amusement park on the banks of the Ohio River that was replaced by Kings Island north of the city.

The miniature Coney Island is nice but the main purpose of the upper levels is to provide views like this. From here I could see the kids swimming from the bridge at the left of the middle picture and the fenced-in area just out of frame. The overhead view of the roundhouse offers a great opportunity to show how things have been filled in since 2009 and here is a ground-level look at that turntable in action.

The picture of the step was taken on one of the upper levels but it is just an example of raised platforms that exist just about everywhere there is something to see to help younger and shorter visitors see it. The subway station is an example of something that younger and shorter people can actually see better than us oversized folks.

A “behind the scenes” tour was offered in 2009 and I was treated to a look under some of the tracks and behind some of the magic by owner Don Oeters. There doesn’t appear to be anything like that offered now but there is a big window that provides a view of the railroad’s control center. It is Don’s desire to retire and the lack of a ready buyer that has the Junction scheduled for closure early next year. It is hard for me to imagine this fantastic handbuilt world being abandoned but as things stand that may be what happens. $6.5 million could change that. 

Dulcimers Galore

Posted on by
Reply

A couple of weeks ago, I didn’t even know that a dulcimer museum existed let alone that it was within a dozen miles of my home. On the last Sunday of August, I visited the American Folk Music School/The National Dulcimer Museum and learned that the museum has been in operation for about two years and that the school it shares space with has been there for about five years.

US-42 (a.k.a., Reading Road) splits into separate north and southbound sections in Sharonville, OH, where the museum is located. The windows in the opening photo face the northbound lanes. The entrance and a parking lot are at the rear of the building. When I entered, Vickey Sasser, the knowledgeable and energetic lady behind the operation, had just started a museum tour with a group of people who knew much more about dulcimers than I did. Some were wearing shirts with the logos of assorted area dulcimer clubs and Vickie knew several by name.

There are, of course, factory-made dulcimers but most of the more interesting ones, which means most of those in the museum, are made by individuals. The wide variations in design, materials, and craftsmanship are part of what makes them interesting.

Some well-known builders or performers have multiple instruments in the museum. By far the largest collection of this sort is associated with performer Kevin Roth. That’s Vickey Sasser in the third picture holding a dulcimer that, if I understood her correctly, Kevin had made specifically for a single performance of the national anthem at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

The museum is preparing a space for a collection of instruments from performer Bing Futch. Bing has performed and conducted workshops at the museum in the past and will be doing both again next June. Available right now is his video of a recent visit to the museum in which he and Vickie provide a much better overview than my few photos and uninformed commentary.

Although the bulk of the instruments displayed at the museum are mountain dulcimers, there are others including hammer dulcimers, autoharps, and flutes. Here Vickey is holding a hurdy-gurdy that I believe was made specifically for the museum. I have seen a few hurdy-gurdys in the past so already had some of my early misconceptions corrected but this one is small and simple and even opens for an up-close view of the internal workings. I think I finally understand how these things work.

Being open just two hours a month is clearly not a lot. Plus, due to another commitment, Vickey will not be opening the museum for its “last Sunday” showing in September. On the other hand, she is often on-site giving lessons and such so, if the scheduled monthly window can’t be made to work for you, there’s a pretty good chance it could be arranged for her to let you in that back door at some other time.

Goetta Again

Posted on by
2

GoettaFest is that eight-day festival that is spread over two four-day weekends with a gap in the middle. Two years ago I made it to the first day of the first weekend. This year I made it — just barely — to the first day of the second weekend. I knew of the festival’s opening last week but had other things to do. When I did get around to thinking about this week’s itinerary, the predicted weather did not seem a very good match for outdoor activities. Several days of rain were predicted with possibly severe thunderstorms arriving just about the time of the festival’s opening. But, as opening time approached, those storms and even the rain were still marking time in Indiana. I decided to give it a try.

The Ferris wheel is new this year and “The World’s Only Goetta Vending Machine” might be too. I did not try it and now regret not studying it closer so I could describe it here. I believe this is the world’s only Goetta festival so one Goetta vending machine might be enough.

I have previously explained that the Cincinnati area has a near monopoly on Goetta and that Glier’s Meats has a near monopoly on Goetta in the Cincinnati area. The festival is officially the Glier’s GoettaFest. Next to the vending machine, there is a tent filled with Giier and Goetta information. The tent is a Goettafest fixture and I’m sure that the “Goetta Guy” has been here before but this was our first meeting. The “Goetta Guy” is Dan Glier, President of Glier’s Meats since 1977 and the second generation to run the company. Dan’s a very friendly fellow who is there to answer questions or just chat and that’s what we did. I was well aware that Glier’s Meats is located sort of across the street from Anchor Grill where I’ve consumed a fair amount of Gliers Goetta. Today Dan pointed out that the two began in the same year (1946) and have always been neighbors.

Here are a couple of other things that I had not seen previously but which may very well have been here before. I didn’t see anyone riding the mechanical bull while I was there but it was early and the bourbon bar was pretty much idle too. I suspect the two work well together.

Full-time music was happening on both of the festival’s stages with the Billy Brown Band opening on the west end and Red Hot Riot opening on the east stage. They would be followed by Vinyl Countdown and the Kevin McCoy Band.

Of course, there were plenty of food booths offering a variety of creative Goetta-based treats.

I opted for a Goetta Bun Link which, despite the word new on the sign and the fact that I’d never had one, were introduced in 2000. It was quite good and I even have a pseudo-drone shot for the truly curious.

I had every intention of riding that Ferris wheel and, now that I was fed, I turned my attention to it. There was no line but as I was about to approach the ticket booth, I felt the first drops of rain and noticed the breeze had picked up a little. I thought it over only briefly before heading for the car. I was inside the garage before the rain became steady and inside a nearby bar with a $2 PBR before it really cut loose. There was water running in the street when I left but the rain had slowed to a light drizzle.

I am disappointed that I missed my chance to ride the big Ferris wheel on Thursday but just seeing it reminded me of a time when giant “dueling” Ferris wheels were proposed for both sides of the Ohio River. It was just a few years ago that Newport, KY, had plans to build a 230-foot tall wheel on the flood wall near where GoettaFest’s 90-foot wheel was placed. At the same time, Cincinnati had plans to build a 180-foot wheel near the north end of the Roebling Bridge. In a sort of trial run, a 150-foot tall (137-foot diameter) wheel did operate at that point temporarily and I did get to ride that one. Read about it here.

A House Twice Storied

Posted on by
2

I have heard it said that Uncle Tom’s Cabin was written in this house. It was not. Until recently, I had not heard that it was listed in The Negro Motorist Green Book. It was.

Although the book was not written here, Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, did live in the house at one time and the house has long borne her name. It has just reopened after an extensive restoration that recognizes its importance both as the Beecher family home and as a tavern and boarding house a century later.

There was a ribbon cutting for the restored Harriet Beecher Stowe House last Friday with special events continuing through the weekend. I missed the “Housewarming Weekend” but did reserve a ticket for the first regularly scheduled tour on Thursday. The site is closed Monday through Wednesday. I arrived early enough to look over the many informative panels placed around the grounds. Note the National Register of Historic Places plaque with both of the building’s claims to fame listed, beside the new entrance ramp.

Executive Director Christina Hartlieb was our guide, and, despite it being the first “regularly scheduled” tour following the reopening, it was pretty obvious that this was not her first time as conductor. I’m guessing that the “Housewarming Weekend” had given her and other guides ample experience. It is also the case that much of the information provided is about the house’s residents and unchanged by the restoration.

The house was built by Lane Seminary in 1833 as a home for its new president, Lyman Beecher.  The Seminary is a most interesting part of history in its own right. Particularly the slavery-related debates of 1834 and a related mass exodus of students that has been called the “first major academic freedom incident in America”. The tour began in the parlor where 25-year-old Harriet Elisabeth Beecher became Mrs. Calvin Stowe in 1836. The original part of the house has been restored to its 1840 appearance. A strip of original wallpaper once covered by a temporary wall has been saved and copied. In the kitchen, the original beehive oven and its surroundings have been retained.

Even though Harriet lived in Cincinnati for less than twenty years, it was here, with slavery in operation just across the river and fallout from it everywhere she looked, that the memories that became Uncle Tom’s Cabin were formed. In an upstairs hallway, beside a section of original brick wall intentionally left exposed, there is a photo of the Hartford, CT, statue of Stowe’s meeting with Lincoln. There is no recording and no proof that Lincoln actually said, “So you’re the little lady who started this big war”, but I like to think he did.

The Monfort family lived in the house from 1865 to 1930 and in 1908 they built a large addition. The addition’s exterior is currently painted white to distinguish it from the original building’s yellow. This was their formal dining room. During the 1930s and ’40s, it served as the Edgemont Tavern with a listing in The Negro Motorist Green Book. During that same period, the obviously updated second floor served as a boarding house. As a long-term residence rather than an overnight stop for tourists, only the tavern portion appeared in The Green Book. By coincidence, a traveling Green Book exhibit recently opened at the nearby National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and was the subject of a previous blog post.

So, no, Uncle Tom’s Cabin was not written here but its author did live here, and a lot of other pretty darned important stuff also happened here. The Harriet Beecher Stowe House is back and ready to let you peek at 1840 and a little 1940 too.

Wassup, Big Boy?

Posted on by
Reply

Frisch’s Big Boy restaurants have been in the news quite a bit recently. In fact, when I sat down to write this article yesterday, a pointer to this photo essay was waiting in my email. It seems likely that the essay, like this article and my Friday outing, was inspired by not particularly cheerful reports such as this one from a few weeks ago. It was that article and other news of restaurant closings that prompted me to finally check out the museum that opened in 2018 inside Frisch’s Mainliner.

The Mainliner, Cincinnati’s first year-round drive-in, opened in 1942 and was named for an airplane. Several sources, including the Mainliner’s own signage, identify that airplane as a tri-motor but I think not. The plane that those sources are almost certainly referring to is the Ford Trimotor which was produced from 1922 to 1933. Boeing’s DC-3, which United Air Lines actually called the Mainliner when launched in 1937, would have been the most well-known passenger plane when the restaurant opened. The plane on the iconic Mainliner sign certainly looks a lot more like a DC-3 than a Ford Trimotor, and, despite the nose being a little extra pointy, I’m not aware of it ever having more than two propellers. At present it has none. I do, however, have a short video of the sign “at speed” from a few years ago. I’m sure there are more and better videos online.

The Mainliner was remodeled when the museum went in and has the latest generation of the Big Boy statue standing by the door. There are pictures here and here of previous generations on display a few miles away at the American Sign Museum. A cool mural greets customers right inside that door.

I sat at the counter and placed my order before walking over to the museum area. Only then did I realize that it contained what appeared to be some quite usable classic seating areas. There were people at one of the museum tables when I left.

In addition to the throwback seating, there are several signs and cabinets filled with artifacts in the museum. Among the artifacts was a reminder that once upon a time people might look for something to help them “dial the right number every time”.

I was probably still using a dial telephone the last time I had a Big Boy but it seemed the right thing to order today. Has corporate ownership brought a decline in quality that others say they see? Maybe, but maybe not. The sandwich was pretty much as I remember it although my memories aren’t very recent. I sensed the same slight understaffing that I feel in just about every restaurant I visit these days. No more. No less.

As I wrote this, it occurred to me that Frisch’s has been in my life longer than any chain restaurant. Although it’s no longer there, a Frisch’s restaurant sat at the edge of the seat of my home county. It was the place where, maybe once a year, the band bus would stop on the way home from an away game. When my friends and I began driving, it marked one end of our Saturday night cruising route. An A&W rootbeer stand marked the other. When I got my first co-op job in college, a Frisch’s was just about the only place within walking distance for lunch. The one at right is within walking distance of my current home and I stopped there on my Saturday afternoon walk. Rather than a Big Boy statue, this door is guarded by one of the Mr. Redlegs sculptures that were placed around the area as part of the Cincinnati Reds 150th Anniversary Celebration in 2019. Inside, a localized (Mason hosts the Cincinnati Open ATP Tournament) mural hangs on the wall. A big reason that I had not had a Big Boy in so long was not that I never patronize Frisch’s but that when I do I almost always have a fish sandwich. On Saturday I reverted to form.

I’m certainly no fan of corporations taking over privately held businesses. Maybe it was a decline in quality or some accountant’s idea of improved efficiency that led to those closures. Personally though, I’m more concerned about those missing props on the Mainliner sign.

New Stuff to Look At

Posted on by
1

New exhibits opened at two Cincinnati museums yesterday. A major expansion at the American Sign Museum doubles the length of its sign-filled Main Street and The Negro Motorist Green Book finally makes it to the National Underground Freedom Center. The two exhibits simultaneously became available to the public when both museums opened their doors at 10:00 on Saturday. American Sign Museum members, of which I am one, were able to see the addition at a ribbon-cutting celebration on Friday evening.

While awaiting the planned ceremonies, attendees were treated to refreshments and entertained by the Rob Allgeyer Trio as excitement built. We could look into, but not enter, the newly filled space beyond the uncut ribbon.

Speeches were few and reasonably short. Executive Director David Dupeecoul and Museum Founder Tod Swormstedt spent much of their time thanking folks for their help in getting the addition funded, built, and filled. Mayor Aftab Pureval’s brief speech was, in noting what having the country’s largest public sign museum means to Cincinnati, also one of thanks.

When ribbon-cutting time arrived, Tod and Aftab were joined by ASM Board Chair Michael Mattingly. The intention was to cut the ribbon in synch with the signs being illuminated but that turned out to be a little time-consuming so a little watching and waiting was required.

More music awaited in the new space. The first group encountered was Jake Speed and the Freddies. I believe the fellows with the chairs are Mechlem & Ruzsa and the couple standing is StringDaze but it could be the other way around.

And there was more food, too. This lite bite station happens to be under the actual canopy from Cincinnati’s Famous Maisonette restaurant. Another member preview took place back in May when painters were still working on the storefronts. I chatted with the Colorado fellow who was working on the Maisonette. At that time it looked like this. I only ate once at the Maisonette but ate several times at its sister restaurant, La Normandy. When I mentioned this to the painter, he told me that he planned to put that name on an upper window and there it is.

I also captured these signs during that May preview. The East End Cafe sign was lit but the area was rather empty otherwise. The Lenny’s window was painted but empty and the Full Service was still in process with the pattern laying nearby.

The Ioka Theater marquee and all the signs around it sure look good now but it was definitely a work in process back in May. The marquee fronts a real theater that will be used for presentations.

There is a lot more to the expansion than Main Street but that is where I found myself standing awestruck a few times Friday evening. I believe I’ve seen something new on every visit to this museum even when nothing new had been added. Now there is a whole new section to explore and some things have changed in existing areas as a result of the expansion. My next visit is going to be a lot of fun and so will several after that.

The Negro Motorist Green Book was supposed to open its nationwide tour in Cincinnati in the fall of 2020. The tour was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic declared in the spring of that year so that it is ending rather than starting in Cincinnati. On its opening day, Candacy Taylor, the exhibit’s curator, would be giving a tour to museum members then making a presentation to everyone interested. I looked forward to hearing Taylor speak for the third time.

The members-only tour was in process when I arrived and the exhibit, though open, was congested. I opted to fill the time by revisiting other parts of the museum and taking a few pictures.

At 11:00, Taylor was introduced to the audience for what she called “an author conversation”. Rather than delivering prepared remarks, she answered questions. Almost everyone in attendance seemed familiar with her book and probably half, having taken part in the morning’s tour, were familiar with the exhibit. There was no shortage of good questions.

The mentioned book, for any who don’t know, is Overground Railroad: The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America which I reviewed here. I obtained my copy when I heard Taylor speak in Indianapolis in February of 2020. That was the second time I heard her speak but was probably the first time we actually met. I had a pleasant chat with her today before the presentation.

I entered The Negro Motorist Green Book exhibit after the presentation. The Green Book identified places where Negro travelers were welcome as they were decidedly not welcome everywhere. It was published from 1936 through 1967. It was not the only such book but none of the others were anywhere near as popular or successful.

The Green Book was created by Victor Green and its name comes from him rather than from the book’s color. Among the artifacts in the exhibit is a 1959 letter from Green soliciting listings and advertising. The earliest editions of The Green Book focused on New York but it ultimately grew to include all sorts of businesses throughout the entire nation.

The chauffeur’s hat is not directly related to The Green Book but to the Jim Crow era which made the book necessary. I recognized it instantly from a story Taylor told in Indianapolis and which is included in Overground Railroad. Ron Burford, the man quoted, was Taylor’s stepfather.

Much of the exhibit features businesses that were listed in The Green Book. “Then and now” images often appear of those still in existence.

Road trips on Route 66 or any other highway do not generate the same sort of nostalgia for people of color as they do for others but there are a couple of Route 66 connections in the exhibit. One is an Esso quote from Route 66 historian and author Joe Sonderman. Part of The Green Book‘s success can be attributed to the fact that Esso stations carried it. The cash register is from the historic Threatt Filling Station currently being restored near Luther, Oklahoma, on Route 66.

The Negro Motorist Green Book will be at the Freedom Center through October 13, 2024. The Main Street extension and other additions will be at the American Sign Museum forever.

CincItalia 2024

Posted on by
Reply

It looks like CincItalia came into being in 2010 so it is not an ancient Cincinnati tradition I need to feel guilty about not attending in years gone by. But it was something I was aware of and thought sounded interesting so I was kind of pleased when things worked out for me on Friday. Yes, it is a church fundraiser and that is something I’m trying to cut back on but I realize that my flesh is entirely too weak to completely avoid a little backsliding now and then.

One of my first stops at the festival was in a large building where some presentations take place and where a couple of culturally significant items are displayed. One is a Sicilian Festival Cart from Palermo, Italy, described by the sign propped against it. The other is a plaster cast used in replacing a bronze statue stolen from Cincinnati’s Eden Park in 2022 as summarized on a nearby sign. A fuller telling is here. A photo of the currently displayed statue is here.

I was here for my evening meal and thought of it as essentially just another dining-out occasion and not so much as a wild festival. With that in mind, I made one “browsing” pass through the area identified in the opening photo as “Little Eataly” and then selected my three-course meal.

Toasted ravioli made a great appetizer and lasagna was perfect for the main course. That’s CincItalia Pils, brewed by West Side Brewing especially for this event, in the cup. Mini-cannolis were three for the price of two. I forced myself.

Plus there were plenty of food and beverage choices that I did not get around to.

No self-respecting Cincinnati church festival would omit several raffles and other games of chance but that’s another thing I did not get around to. I did poke my head into one of the cooking demonstrations but it was full and I’m pretty sure it would have been over my head anyway.

I definitely enjoyed the many “Leonardo’s Fun Facts” that I spotted but I know that I missed a bunch.

Even though I was there, as I’ve said, only for the food, I did stick around for a bit of the Naked Karate Girls show. These guys are definitely entertaining and one or two of them may even know some karate. If so, that would mean their name isn’t a complete lie.

The festival is a three-day affair with Saturday and Sunday presented as family-friendly events. I assume that means, among other things, that the carnival-style rides I saw parked around the edges will be operating. Saturday runs 3:00 to 11:00 and Sunday runs 1:00 to 9:00. Friday’s 6:00 to 12:00 run was billed as adults only but I’m not sure whether that meant a wild Bacchanalia throughout the grounds, some dirty jokes from the bandstand, or old folks nodding off at sundown. I left before I found out and before I nodded off.

ADDENDUM 2-Jun-2024: These photos were not part of the original post but, after tagging a Facebook link to it with the line “There’s a party on the Buddy LaRosa side of town.”, I thought them appropriate. Yes, LaRosa’s Pizza had a trailer there and San Antonio Church had a booth. That’s the church where Buddy sold his first pizzas using sauce made from his Aunt Dena’s recipe.

2024 Appalachian Festival

Posted on by
Reply

I know I have gone to the Cincinnati Appalachian Festival before but I don’t know when. It was first held in 1970 so I could have attended fifty years ago. That seems ridiculous, of course. Surely I’ve attended more recently than that. I believe that I must have but the truth is that I have no clear memories to support that belief and I most definitely have no physical evidence. As crazy as it sounds, it seems at least possible that my visit on Saturday was the first in a half-century or so.

Like any good festival, there were food vendors. There were also crafts and other items offered for sale along with numerous displays with nothing for sale at all.

Demonstrations of various aspects of life in the area during past times were offered. Blacksmithing and weaving were both very important parts of Appalachian life.

Maybe I should have spent more time among the vendors and taken more pictures of the exhibits but I guess I was more interested in the music. Two stages presented a non-stop parade of Bluegrass and other forms of American Roots Music. The only groups I saw on the Up Close & Personal stage were Sherry Stanforth & Tangled Roots and the Forest Hills Bluegrass Band. I had actually seen FHBB earlier on the other stage but did not immediately recognize them because I’d not heard the Dobro earlier.

Here is the Forest Hills Bluegrass Band on the Appalachian Heritage Stage with the fellow at stage-left playing a banjo. The middle picture is of the Wayfarers (check out that bass) with Sammy Adkins and the Sandy Hook Mountain Boys filling out the panel.

I also checked out some of the non-stop action in the dancing tent. That’s the Country Steps Cloggers in red and two different lines of the Kentucky Bluegrass Cloggers in blue.

As much as I enjoyed the bluegrass and cloggers, I believe I spent more time watching the Native American dancers.

A skilled drum circle backed the dancers and often supplied singing and chanting too. When the dancers and drummers took a well-deserved break, a talented flute player (and maker) filled the space wonderfully.

A lot of energy went into the dancing but it was quite apparent that the dancers had also put considerable effort into their authentic dress.

I have many more pictures of the Native American dancing but will move on after these scenes from a dance depicting ritualized combat between two warriors.

Coney Island was the site of the festival. The former amusement park had been operating as a water park until it was sold in December to a group associated with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra for development into a concert venue. The giant Sunlite Pool has already been demolished and I’ve no idea what else will disappear soon. I’m hoping that this entrance where riverboats once delivered patrons to the park — and through which I once walked while on a dinner cruise during 1988’s Tall Stacks — will be spared.

The festival continues today, May 12, 2024, 10:00-6:00.