Tag Archives: Ohio

Wassup, Big Boy?

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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

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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.

Parade, Precip, Parade, Precip, Boom

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The next day’s weather did not look promising when I went to bed on July 3rd. I had earlier noted a few parades that were candidates for my Independence Day agenda but the predicted full day of rain made actually attending any of them seem unlikely. That was still my opinion when I first checked the forecast after waking up but a closer look revealed that rain, although certainly on the way, might not arrive until very late morning. I decided to venture out to nearby Maineville where a parade was scheduled for 10:00 AM.

I found a parking spot less than a block from the parade route and at the appointed time heard the national anthem being sung a few hundred yards away at the town center. A few speeches, which I couldn’t quite make out, followed and the parade began to move about 10:10.

A lawn tractor pulling a trailer full of Girl Scouts passed shortly after the 1943 Farmall at the top of the page. More Girl and Boy Scouts followed along with cars, motorcycles, and jugglers. Ain’t that America?

It’s also very American to have politicians and local businesses promoting themselves in parades. I don’t know that I had ever seen a hearse in a parade but when one of those local businesses is a funeral home there is no question that it belongs. A festival was taking place in the town’s park but the skies were threatening and I headed home following the parade. Rain started falling before I got there.

I used to have a Maineville address although I did not live inside the village. Somehow, I had never attended an event there before today. I also once had a Loveland address but it was well inside the city limits and I have attended many events — including several Independence Day celebrations — there. Their parade was scheduled for 7:00 PM, the afternoon rain ended way before that, and the next round wasn’t due to arrive until much later. Parking for my second parade of the day was not nearly as convenient as it had been for the first. I parked outside of town at the high school and rode a shuttle bus. 

I don’t doubt that the parade started right on time but I was some distance away and it wasn’t until about 7:25 that the parade’s first vehicles passed by. Right behind the lead police car was the parade Grand Marshall George Foster, former Cincinnati Red and member of the Big Red Machine.

The name Loveland has led to the city’s longtime association with Valentine’s Day. Each year, volunteers see that thousands of cards are stamped with the phrase “There is nothing in the world so sweet as love” and the local postmark. The parade featured both Miss Valentine, Joan Dawson, and The Valentine Lady, Becky Giver. There is a nice article about the Valentine Ladies here

The parade also had Batman, the Loveland Frogman, and its own big red tractor. The frog is there to to promote a new event called Return of the Frogman which is certain to be interesting.

And there’s that hearse again although this time it does not mark the parade’s end but only that the end is near. This parade ended with a horsedrawn, steam-powered, fire pump.

More rain was predicted but it was not imminent. I took the shuttle back to my car where I awaited the fireworks. Rain did fall briefly while I waited but it stopped before the show began.

The city’s show began promptly at 10:00 and lasted just under fifteen minutes. Individuals had been setting off fireworks in various nearby locations before the official show and some of those picked up again almost as soon as the big display ended. In addition to those, which were beyond the surrounding trees, someone began launching rockets from an open area right next to the parking lot. It was nothing like the high-flying Loveland-sponsored show we had just seen but definitely not too shabby.

Big Guy in Mercer County

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Celina, Ohio, the seat of Mercer County, isn’t far from the center line of the swath of totality that swept across the state during the solar eclipse of April 8, 2024. The original plan called for the new giant at the Mercer County Fairgrounds to be completed on the same day but the eclipse was preceded by heavy rain that resulted in a one-day delay. Any disappointment that caused was instantly erased when the 27-foot wooden sculpture was unveiled.

The sculpture is the work of Bear Hollow Wood Carvers of French Lick, Indiana, who had nine carvers from five different states on-site in the project. This is the second sculpture of similar size that Bear Hollow has constructed. The first was built a year ago in their hometown. There is a good overview of the Mercer County project here.

Having visited installations of Thomas Dambo’s trolls in Clermont, KY, and  Dayton, OH. I couldn’t help but make comparisons. They are quite similar in size and appearance. However, with “Wood Carvers” being part of the name, it’s not surprising that Bear Hollow’s creations have more carved details.

On the afternoon of the day I took these pictures, Mercer County Fair Manager Cara Muhlenkamp and Bear Hollow Wood Carvers co-owner Jason Emmons were on hand to give the giant a name  After two months of nominations and voting, the name Nelson won out over many others. I was not there for the announcement but do have a link to the video. In the picture of the hand in the previous panel, a glimpse can be had of what Muhlenkamp refers to as the “cutest little tushie” in the video.

I visited the giant on Tuesday by adding about thirty miles to my normal drive to Greenville. I also added a new name to my list of personally approved breakfast stops. The Bay Restaurant has good food, good service, a great view, and is conveniently located for both fishers and giant hunters.

Melee Day

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I’ve read a fair amount of Sword & Sorcery fiction and played a little Dungeons & Dragons but my medieval role-playing never made it beyond washing down a turkey leg with mead at the local Renaissance Festival. On Saturday I was a slightly out-of-place spectator where some sword-related role-playing was happening with people who take it very seriously and have the bruises to prove it. This weekend Cincinnati Siege 2024, “The biggest armored combat event in Ohio”, is taking place in nearby Mount Orab under the auspices of the Cincinnati Barbarians.

It is a two-day event which means it is half over. 1-on-1 duels are happening today. I attended 5-on-5 melees yesterday. I arrived just a few minutes after the 10:00 AM opening time and found a meeting in process. Most of the participants were wearing yellow shirts which I later learned identified the event marshalls so I imagine they were going over rules and procedures. I can’t say for sure that they put extra emphasis on the “No Stabbing” thing but it seems like a good idea.

The first combat was scheduled for 10:30 and would actually start a few minutes after that. I used some of the time to look over the small merchandise area.

When I returned to the arena, metal-clad fighters were gathering and it wasn’t too long before the first of them began entering the wood-fenced field of combat.

And in short order, contestants were merrily clashing, bashing, and slashing — but not stabbing — each other in groups of ten.

Combatants are not allowed to rise once they have fallen and toppling opponents is the single goal of of every contestant. Sometimes that is accomplished by sheer strength, sometimes by a well-placed blow from a blunt but heavy weapon, and sometimes by simply crashing into them. The run-and-crash technique was often effective if the target was caught off guard but, if not, a runner’s momentum could easily be used against them.

Teams included unarmored members who carried extra weapons, supplied water, attached and adjusted armor, and just generally handled all the tasks that people encased in steel plates and chain mail can not do.

There was a cease-fire for lunch with music provided by Toxic Nobility from Dayton, Ohio. I had been looking forward to some relaxing and period-appropriate Gregorian chants but that was not to be. I have a hunch you can guess what style of music these guys performed. They were pretty good at it as far as I could tell.

The smashing and bashing, of course, resumed in the afternoon. Event advertising said that there were eighteen teams competing and I read somewhere that the teams fighting their initial bouts in the afternoon were not the same as those appearing in the morning. I believe that but can not verify it as I could understand very few of the PA announcements and could identify very few of the teams.

Eventually, the top teams from the morning session reappeared to compete with the top afternoon teams. I did not understand the overall tournament structure and standings but I didn’t know anyone so just rooted for everyone. One of the few things I did know was that each contest was “best of three” and in the afternoon I verified my guess that a round was ruled a draw if the last members of both teams fell over at the same time. This was not uncommon since falling warriors frequently took an enemy or two down with them. I also learned that a battle ended when a single member of one team remained against three or more of the opposing team.

There were no real injuries as far as I know but there were a few times when a fallen fighter was slow to get up. Medics were called in a couple of times but in all the cases I was aware of the player eventually stood up and walked away.

Things got even more serious in the final rounds and there were a couple of protested calls. Of course, I have no idea what they involved since I didn’t understand the rule, the violation, or the call or the lack thereof. In at least one instance, the protest was resolved by viewing a smartphone video taken by an unarmored member or friend of one of the teams.

In the end, all protests were resolved and champions were determined. For women they were: 1st Rust in Peace, 2nd Ordo Obelios “Waffles”, and 3rd Order of the Pegasus. For men they were: 1st Warlord Combat Academy, 2nd Knyaz USA – Medieval Fighting Club, and 3rd Company of the Pale Horse. I don’t believe the fellow at right was on any of those teams but I really liked him and wanted to post a picture. I think that’s because he somehow reminds me of Monty Python’s Black Knight. I’m sure there are many excellent videos of the day out there but my own smartphone recording of a rather mild random battle of the day is here.

Mound Cold War Discovery Center

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I don’t know that rainy days were actually made for museums but the two do fit together nicely. A visit to the Mound Cold War Discovery Center was a very nice fit for this week’s rainy Friday. Before stumbling upon a reference to the Miamisburg, Ohio, museum, I had no idea of the area’s role in both the Cold War and the “hot war” that preceded it.

When I first read — or possibly heard — that there was a museum nearby dedicated to nuclear research and development, I pictured a musty warehouse-type place with some old lab equipment on display. What I found was an excellent presentation of history and science put together by Dayton History. The complex may have once contained some unattractive buildings but the museum is housed in an inviting former administration building built in the 1980s.

The Manhattan Project started in New York, but it soon involved locations throughout the entire country.

As noted in one of the photos above, the Dayton Project was responsible for the separation and purification of the plutonium used in “Gadget” and “Fat Man”. “Gadget” was the bomb exploded in the Trinity Test on July 16, 1945. “Fat Man” was the bomb dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. “Little Boy”, the bomb dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, used enriched uranium rather than plutonium. That’s “Fat Man” in the photo at left. “Bockscar”, the plane that dropped “Fat Man”, is displayed at the Air Force Museum in Dayton along with a full-size replica of the bomb.

Construction of the first seventeen buildings comprising Mound Laboratory began almost immediately after World War II ended. The facility opened in early 1948 to support atomic weapons production.

One section of the museum offers some general science information without any obvious direct ties to Mound Laboratory. Perhaps its purpose is to tamp down visitors’ concerns over strolling about an area where radioactivity was once a major feature.

Yes, it does look like letting visitors know that a little radiation never hurt anybody just might be a goal.

Due mostly to the invention of the Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator which uses radioactive fuel to generate electricity, Mound Laboratory made significant contributions to a variety of ventures into space. Eventually, all of its missions were ended or moved elsewhere and the complex is now an industrial park much like those in other towns.

Anyone unfamiliar with the area and wondering where the laboratory got its name can probably figure it out with a glance out the museum’s front door. Read about that here.

2024 Hollow Earth Fest

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Once upon a time, in a land very very near, there lived a man who declared that the earth was hollow. Among the man’s disciples was his son who eventually erected a tombstone topped by a 3D representation of the earth with entrances to its interior at both poles. On Saturday, April 13, that marker was the focal point of the first-ever (AFAIK) Hollow Earth Fest.

That very near land is southwest Ohio with the Hollow Earth Monument standing in the city of Hamilton. The man buried beneath it is John Cleves Symmes Jr., who served in the US Army during the War of 1812 before moving to Saint Louis, MO, then Newport, KY, and then Hamilton, OH. He was the nephew of a more famous John Cleves Symmes who fought in the Revolutionary War, served in the Continental Congress, and bought and resold a major chunk of southwest Ohio. The elder John Cleves Symmes had no male children. It was his nephew who was named after him with the “Jr.” suffix often used to distinguish the two.

John Cleves Symmes Jr. died in 1829 at the age of 48 and was buried in the Pioneer Cemetery in Hamilton. When that cemetery was replaced by Greenwood Cemetery in 1848, his body was left behind for some reason. His son, Americus, erected the hollow earth marker in 1873.

The marker’s original carvings have become nearly unreadable and have been reproduced on metal plaques mounted on a pedestal below. The monument was rededicated in 1991 as noted by a fourth plaque on its otherwise blank side.

Music at the festival included a fife (or maybe flute) and drum trio, native American drummers and singers with spontaneous dancing in the audience, and a father-son duo.

Food trucks and other vendors were present including Municipal Brew Works with a Belgian ale, Earth Donut, brewed especially for the occasion.

There were also some more formal ceremonies and presentations but I did not do a very good job of documenting them. I can, however, show that the Daughters of the American Revolution, Sons of the American Revolution, and Boy Scouts of America were all represented.

It goes without saying that this was absolutely the best Hollow Earth Fest that I have ever attended. It wasn’t huge but it had a blend of history, patriotism, civic pride, and debunked science that I can see leading to real growth in the future. It’s the sort of thing that people of all ages, from all walks of life, and from all over and within the globe can enjoy.

Twice in a Lifetime

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Planning is far too strong a word to describe what I have been doing since August 21, 2017, but I have certainly been looking forward to last Monday’s big event since that date. That date is, of course, when I experienced my first-ever total solar eclipse near Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Near the end of my post on that experience, I mentioned a couple of future eclipses and noted that there was “a decent chance I’ll be around in 2024”. I made it.

This time there was no need to leave the state or deal with unfamiliar territory to see the eclipse. 99.822% obscuration was available just outside my door and nearly four minutes of 100% obscuration less than a hundred miles north in the county of my birth. There were plenty of events large and small planned along the entire path of the eclipse but the events planned for the only Darke County in the nation may have had the best and most natural name.

I would be viewing the eclipse from my friend Terry’s backyard just a few miles from Greenville, the county seat. I headed north pretty early in case the predicted heavy traffic actually materialized and started causing problems. I did not see much traffic but I did see evidence that it was expected. For days media of all sorts had been sharing precautions such as gassing up before heading into the anticipated congestion of the eclipse path.

With time to spare, Terry and I headed into town to see what we could see. Some organized events had taken place over the weekend and more were planned for Monday afternoon but it was way too early for those and there was not a carnival-like atmosphere such as I had seen in Hopkinsville in 2017. That doesn’t mean that eclipse chasers were not in town and beginning to stake out their spots. The biggest gathering of visitors was at the fairgrounds where rows of trailers and RVs belonging to members of the Wally Byam Caravan Club were parked beyond the view of my camera. Attendants guarded all the fairground entrances as well as some other open areas around town with PARKING $15 signs posted.

After cruising the town (which we did in abundance during our high school days) we returned to our viewing area to await the eclipse. A week ago, rain was predicted for the day. Then the prediction was mostly cloudy then partially cloudy. Eclipse day started out sunny but there were still clouds around and a partially obscured 100% obscuration remained a possibility. That did not happen and Terry, his wife Sue, and I were treated to an incredible show.

In 2017 I wrote that it was “kind of ridiculous for me to even try photographing the eclipse” because of the many experts who were capturing and sharing photographs. I did it anyway and I did it again this year. I watched a video and did some reading about photographing the eclipse yet managed to take even worse photos in 2024 than in 2017. But I did not let it interfere with enjoying the eclipse and I am very much enjoying the marvelous photos the pros and near-pros have been sharing.

The length of totality I experienced in 2024 was nearly 50% higher than that of 2017 (159.7 vs. 235.4 seconds). The awe I felt may have been slightly different because I now had somewhat of an idea of what to expect, but it was in no way diminished. I believe that’s Venus visible to the right of the sun but I’m not certain. I also took a picture of a planet visible during totality in 2017 but I did not post it. Here it is. There was also an unused photo of the horizon taken during totality in 2017 but it is not nearly as interesting as the light on the clouds in 2024.

I headed home after a couple of hours and some pizza and didn’t initially find it too crowded. However, a few miles south of Dayton traffic on I-75 began to back up and I slipped off onto OH-741. I don’t know if that was a brief or long-term backup or what the cause was in either case. Traffic was flowing normally on OH-741, I easily reached home, and have my dark glasses tucked away until August 12, 2045.

Southern Ohio Museum

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Let’s make it four. With nothing planned for the week following a string of three museum visits, my thoughts naturally turned to extending the streak. Museum visit number one was the result of an online article, number two happened because of a friend’s suggestion, and number three came from a search for “Cincinnati museums”. Thinking to extend the range along with extending the streak, I searched for “southern Ohio museums” and found not only several museums in that area but one with that exact name.

A sunny day was all it took to get me to head to the Southern Ohio Museum in Portsmouth, Ohio. Without question, my willingness to make the two-hour drive was boosted by the fact that Portsmouth has a mighty fine brewery and an outstanding collection of Robert Dafford murals.

A small group of students were being given a tour of the museum’s lower gallery when I arrived and I briefly tried to eavesdrop on their guide but soon gave that up as a bad idea and headed upstairs. Here the displays are mostly semi-permanent. Many items displayed are from the museum’s permanent collection but may change from time to time. The photos are of works by Ohio artists Gretchen Stevens Cochran, Craig McDaniel, and Clarence Holbrook Carter. Everything in the museum has an Ohio connection of some sort.

“Art of the Ancients” is the only truly permanent exhibit in the museum. Thousands of artifacts from the Adena, Hopewell, and other indigenous cultures are displayed here. The museum occupies the former headquarters of the Security Central National Bank of Portsmouth and some of the bank’s coin-related trim can be seen in the third photo. In that same photo, Gretchen Stevens Cochran’s “Bounty or Burden” can be seen in the background.

When I returned to the first floor, the students were wrapping up their tour at the far end of the gallery. This space is used for temporary exhibits and is currently occupied by “The Power of the Object“. Maureen Cadogan’s collection of objects from “the journey and experience of African American people” is augmented with several quilts made by neighbor Holly Davis. The exhibit is arranged chronologically with some of the oldest items in the collection being the slave collars in this photo.

The poster on the wall in the grouping just beyond the collars really drew my interest because of some personal memories. The text beside the poster says “Though Minstrel shows gradually disappeared from professional theaters, its impact and imagery continued… well into the twentieth century.” To that, I can attest. My high school staged minstrel shows as late as 1964 or ’65. I recall two of these shows and a school yearbook indicates these were during my freshman and senior years. There is no information reported about the actual shows.  The indications I refer to are individual students listing the shows among their activities. I listed participation during my freshman year only. I recall being in the chorus and a short skit but I’m sure that by the time of that second show, it had become apparent to all that my presence in any vocal group was not helpful. I have found no photos of these shows. The closest is a small picture of a parade presumedly promoting the 1964/5 show. I believe that is me carrying the bass drum.

I also have some vague memories of seeing items similar to those in the mammy-themed display in the homes of relatives and friends. I have less vague memories of an alligator pencil holder like this one at my grandparents’ house. I do not have any personal memories of the toys in the third photo but a recent online discussion about a real-life version of the Baby Rack game that a friend encountered while researching amusement parks made this pressed steel version jump out at me. Brinkman Engineering Company is now Brinkman Tool & Die and no longer manufactures toys of any sort.

There is indeed power in these objects. They clearly can bring back memories including some that aren’t particularly welcome. It is also pretty obvious that they can make things outside our personal experience more real. Objects near the exhibit’s end provide evidence that as crappy as race relations sometimes seem, they have improved.

I’m sure I would have enjoyed visiting the Southern Ohio Museum regardless of what was in the temporary gallery but I’m very happy that I learned of the museum before “The Power of the Object” goes away. That will happen in just a few days, on March 27. Other exhibits will follow, of course, and I now have a reason on beyond murals and brews to visit Portsmouth.

Miami Valley Veterans Museum

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It was during September’s Waco Aircraft Company centennial that I first became aware of the Miami Valley Veterans Museum sitting about a hundred yards south of Historic WACO Field. My friend Terry and I attended the centennial and have talked ever since about visiting the museum. We finally got it done on Thursday. I was surprised to see a dozen or so cars in the lot when I arrived a little ahead of Terry and a little ahead of the museum’s 10:00 opening. I initially thought I might have the opening time wrong but soon realized that the cars that beat me there belonged to volunteers taking care of things inside. This place clearly has a dedicated and energetic crew. During my brief wait, I snapped the picture at right and noted that the building’s signage included the first USSF insignia I had seen in the wild.

The museum was established in 2009 and spent its early years in the Masonic Building in downtown Troy. It moved here in 2021. One of the first things encountered on entering the museum is the History in a Box series. These are portable displays that are used in presentations at schools and such. Each box represents a different period beginning with pioneer days and currently ending with the Vietnam War. Assembling a box for the Middle East conflicts is in progress.

There are several other exhibits in the lobby area but the bulk of the displays are in a huge room behind it. Women are well represented throughout the museum but because March is Women’s History Month some items related to women in the military are displayed just outside the entrance to the main exhibit area. The 42-foot “Veterans Marching Through Time” mural is just inside the entrance. 

Exhibits in the big room are arranged chronologically beginning with the pioneer period. Marine uniforms from 1776 and 1863 can be seen in the first picture. The drum visible in both pictures is from the War of 1812.

These two photos are of more or less random items that caught my eye. The genuine “bolt action” long gun was handmade by the Viet Cong but doesn’t appear all that crude until you get close. The “ITALY SURRENDERS!” headline stood out because it is a lot more common to see headlines announcing the Japanese or German surrender. That’s quite understandable since those surrenders actually ended campaigns whereas defeating Italy was just a step on the way to victory in Europe.

Terry and  I had heard good things about the museum but it exceeded our high expectations in both the number and range of artifacts displayed. The friendliness and energy of the volunteers we met were also quite impressive. Open 10:00-2:00 Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. There is no admission charge but donations are welcomed.