The Dayton View.

An open letter to Dayton.

2009-12-03T18:10:00.000-08:00

First off, let me preface this post by making two statements:
1. The following post is my opinion. Nothing is factual. Anything stated is merely my thoughts which are based on observations and beliefs (which may or may not change.) Nothing more.

2. This is the last post for this blog. Not that you should care. Heck, I don't even care. I'm just letting you know.

I've lived in Dayton all of my life. I'm proud to be a Daytonian. Sometimes, though, this city pisses me off. Correction: Sometimes the people in this city piss me off.

This post was inspired by the intellectually inept cretins who post their sewage over at the Dayton Daily News website. It's good to give people a forum and a lot of people actually have something of substance to say. But sweet lord, some folk have completely hijacked the comment section, pushing their own stupid agendas, beliefs and ideologies. In effect, they've turned the DDN site into a political shouting match, ripe with the most ridiculous, racist, sexist, moronic, hateful, spiteful and grammatically incorrect ramblings of negative-ass Daytonians.

Here's a sample:

why would anyone want to be closer to dayton?? it is a crime ridden dump!! any town thats full of blacks and illegals will always be a bad place!!! kettering is getting to be the same way as the blacks move in, it is going downhill fast!!!!not racist just the truth!!
dan
7:23 PM, 12/1/2009

Wow, great stuff Dan!

Here's another ditty:

I never got a job from a poor person.
Obama needs to quit focusing on screwing over our business leaders and realize that we live in America where people are free to pursue their dreams and accumulate as much wealth as they want. Oh, wait a minute. I forgot we have a "Pay Czar" now to make sure that no one gets ahead of anyone else.
Wake up people!
KJB
6:50 PM, 12/1/2009

One more for ya!:

Do they only hire people of Asian decent? ROR (Raughing out roud)
What's the deal?
American Made
11:23 AM, 12/3/2009

All three of these posts are from an article about a company bringing 150 jobs to Dayton. How the heck did it spiral into this nonsense!

I know I shouldn’t let this crap anger me. But for some reason, it does. However, these post have inspired me to pen a few of my own comments to the citizens of Dayton.

Here we go:

To anyone who “hates” Dayton: Leave.

To anyone who cares about the future of this city: Dayton is not “dying”. Many cities across the nation are going through the same thing. It’s not unique to Dayton. We’ve been hit hard. But there are an abundant amount of resources available in this city to help workers and their families get back on their feet. It’s fairly inexpensive to live here and we have quality, affordable education at our disposal in the form of Sinclair Community College.

To those who complain about leadership in Dayton: Take steps to hold those in leadership positions accountable. Also, realize that leadership doesn’t just mean city managers, mayors, commissioners, etc-more leaders are needed in the homes, the communities, in the churches and various organizations throughout the city. If you don’t see any leaders from where you’re standing, then become one. When you look in the mirror, you’ll see one every time.

To (some) white citizens in Dayton: Stop the blame game. I got news for you: Minorities aren’t the only ones committing crimes in Dayton. Also, realize that Dayton is more than black and white. Dayton has a fair amount of Hispanics, Asians, and other ethnicities. It’s okay to be around people whose skin is darker than yours.

To (some) black citizens in Dayton: Drop the victimization act. (It aint workin’ anyway.) We need to take greater responsibility for our families and our communities. (And ourselves.) To some of my young brothers, economic empowerment can’t be found in the club or on the corner.

Also, let’s get more involved in the Dayton community. I get upset when I’m involved in certain civic activities and I look around and I’m the only brotha' there. Dayton is your city too. Start acting like it! Nothing is gained from exclusion. We fought too hard to be left out of the process.

To citizens of all backgrounds: Dayton has a long history of racial tension. It’s the big-ass elephant in the room. We will go forward as a city, when EVERYONE ceases being self-interested. Nothing is gained from retreating to our own communities and not being a part of the greater whole. Diversity is America's strength. Nowhere is she more diverse than her cities. We need to realize that.

To (some) of our beloved suburbanites: Oakwood my ass, you live in Dayton! Your precious suburb wouldn’t be anything without the core city. Take some interest in the city. What affects one, affects us all eventually. The Greene will never be as vibrant or eclectic as an urban life can be.

To the new mayor of Dayton: You have an enormous amount of pressure on you. You’ve been called everything from a racist to a savior. I know that you’re neither of these things. If you are genuinely interested in helping Dayton, (and I believe you are) then I can only hope that you’ll chip away at the antiquated processes of governance that don’t have the people’s best interests in mind.

Some folk say you’re unqualified. I don’t know that many people are qualified to be mayor of this city (or any city for that matter.) I’m not sure a fresh-faced McLin was qualified when she took the job either. But she learned, and I’m sure you will also. And hey, nobody else stepped up to the plate to bat. You did. I respect you for that.

To the old mayor of Dayton: I thank you for your service. I think it’s unfair that many blame you for the problems that plague this city. The truth is-many of these problems are systemic and were in place before you took office.

However, I do believe it was time for a change. Don’t take it personal. (I’m sure you’re not) I’m of the belief that the longer a person stays in office, the less effective they are.

To city management, officials, etc: I believe that you will be held more accountable and scrutinized for any decisions you make from this point forward. I’d be on my best behavior if I were you.

To the intellectual simpletons who dominate the comments section @ the DDN website: I don’t know where to begin. Whether you believe it or not, you contribute to the problem. You are representing Dayton in cyberspace. People outside of Dayton see this stuff and form an opinion of our city based on what they read. You want to stand on a soapbox and spew your venomous tirades? Start a blog. Oh yeah, and learn to spell check.

To the Dayton Daily News: My only beef with the DDN is the comments section of their articles. I understand they don’t want to censor. I get that. But either moderate it better, change it so that people are forced to put their real names, (not “daytonsux” or “teabagger4life”) or just drop it. I know it’s a bold statement, but I’m saying please be aware that these things may contribute to Dayton’s negative image.

Anyone who read this far, God Bless You! This is just my two cents. My opinions. Have a Happy Holidays! Oh, and one more thing. If you want to put something in my stocking, I’ll take an iTunes gift card or the second season of “The Love Boat” on DVD. Either one works for me.
Peace!

Frank Coleman

Interview with Dr. Steven johnson, Sinclair Community College President

2009-11-13T04:23:00.000-08:00

My recent interview with Dr. Steven Johnson is up at Dayton Most Metro.

Find out what makes Sinclair a vital asset to the Miami Valley!

Here's the link: http://www.daytonmostmetro.com/?p=2652

Interview with Dayton Metro Library Director

2009-10-30T12:48:00.000-07:00

Head over to Dayton Most Metro and read my interview with Tim Kambitsch, director of the Dayton Metro Library concerning the upcoming levy and the role of the library in the Dayton community.

And don't forget to vote Tuesday, regardless of who or what you vote for!

Here's the link: http://www.daytonmostmetro.com/?p=2554

Broken wings

2009-10-06T10:18:00.000-07:00

Last week's crash of a replica Wright Flyer III at Huffman Prairie halted the 104th Anniversary of Practical Flight celebration that was scheduled for Oct. 5.

Shortly after the crash, pilot Mark Dusenberry was flown by Care Flight to Miami Valley Hospital and underwent a series of surgeries. His injuries are non life-threatening, but serious.

At the time of this writing, Mr. Dusenberry is in critical condition, according to hospital officials.

His crash illustrates how dangerous early aviation experiments were for pioneers like the Wright brothers.

In fact, Wilbur and Orville had several crashes at Huffman Prairie in 1904 and 1905 while conducting flying experiments with their Wright Flyer III, the world's first practical airplane and the aircraft that Dusenberry's machine was based on.

My prayers are with Dusenberry in hopes of a complete recovery from this unfortunate incident.

Student apartments coming to downtown Dayton.

2009-09-11T18:58:00.000-07:00

Guess what's coming to downtown next year.

Student apartments!

Yeah, that's right student living units will be available in the fall of 2010, courtesy of Schwind Tower Student Apartments.

Schwind expects to offer 90 "stylish student living" single and double units this time next year. The units, primarily aimed at Sinclair students, will be functional and affordable.

Here is a demo unit shown during downtown's Urban Nights celebration:

Leather couch.

Stylish kitchenette!

It's hard to see, but that's a flat screen television in the corner.

Glass enclosed shower.

The rooms will also include air conditioning, chest of drawers, refrigerator, loft bed and plenty of storage space. An exercise facility and laundry room will be located on-site as well.

First, the Arcade was purchased and scheduled for restoration...

Now, downtown Dayton will have student housing!

UD students are welcome...if they can muster enough courage to venture past Brown Street. (ooohhh!)

Schwind Tower Student Apartments is located at 29 S. Ludlow St.

For more info, visit schwindtower.com or call 937-424-1401.

New blog for Dayton's National Park System.

2009-09-08T12:53:00.000-07:00

Check it out at http://whatdreamswehave.blogspot.com/.

The beginning.

2009-09-03T16:32:00.001-07:00

Okay, I'll make this brief and to the point.

I'm ending this blog.

I'm taking my observations, examinations, opinions and shenanigans over to Dayton Most Metro.

If you haven't heard, Dayton Most Metro is about to be Dayton's premier online magazine.

So if you liked this blog, follow me here.

Thank you,

Frank Coleman II. (told ya it would be brief!)

The Dayton Arcade : A peek inside.

2009-08-13T16:11:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, I was given a tour of The Arcade building located in downtown Dayton. After decades of neglect, this magnificent structure has new owners who plan to start the restoration process within a few months.

The last time I was inside of the building was the late eighties, so I was excited to see what it looked like after so many years.

Here are a few pics from the tour:

Leon Bey, President of Friends of the Arcade, conducted the tour. A very funny man. In fact, you can say...

...he "cracked" us up!

Kinda dark at first, until...

...we see the light.

Beautiful architecture.

Yes, those are turkeys.

Christmas sales already?

The great dome.

Simply elegant.

Watch your step, the roof leaks!

I'll take the stairs.

This building has numerous possibilities.

A final look.

I believe the Arcade will be the centerpiece of a revitalized downtown Dayton in the coming years. To learn more about the Friends of the Arcade, click the pic at the right.

Miss me?

2009-08-10T10:42:00.000-07:00

First off, allow me to offer my sincerest and most humblest of apologies to those of you who have been following this blog. What was originally intended to be a short break from posting ended up being an extended sabbatical.

I do have reasons for not posting. I was without Internet service in my home for about a month. In addition to that, I started a new job. However, I offer no excuses.

Regular posting will resume on Tuesday, Aug. 11. I plan on having tons of new content: interviews, more photos and hopefully some video too.

Thanks for sticking around.

I'm just getting started.

Just chilling.

2009-07-13T18:49:00.000-07:00

Taking a little break from posting to enjoy the summer. Be back soon!

Garden Station in the summer. Pt. 1

2009-06-30T08:41:00.000-07:00

I took a stroll around Garden Station about a week ago and took some nice pictures. The community garden and art park has changed a bit since I last visited. Enjoy:

Garden security. Seems trustworthy to me.

The arch was created by David Kenworthy.

Fantastic mural.

Art imitates life.

Remember to look both ways.

Nice beds. Can I sleep in one?

Art + Nature = Beautiful.

We are the World.

Communal space.

Outdoor theater.

A nice place to meditate.

When I began writing for the Clarion at Sinclair Community College, Garden Station was my first news assignment for the paper. I went down to the area on a windy, Saturday afternoon and interviewed Lisa Helm, David Kenworthy, Richard Lober and Audrey Isabelle Malhotra for the article.

That was my introduction to Garden Station.

Despite a few misspellings ("Helms" just rolls off the tongue so beautifully!) and minor grammar errors, the article turned out pretty decent. It was my first published news article - therefore, I feel somewhat emotionally connected to the place.

I haven't had the time to really help out the way I want to, but I would like to offer my respect to those who put in hard work at the garden on a weekly basis.

If it's one thing Dayton needs, it's people who are willing to get their hands dirty.

Taking a short break.

2009-06-27T15:28:00.000-07:00

Will resume posting on Monday.

Gov. Strickland hacks and slashes.

2009-06-22T17:56:00.000-07:00

Gov. Ted Strickland announced $2.4 billion in state spending cuts on Friday, Jun. 19.

What this means is that funding for several state-wide programs will be severely reduced or eliminated altogether in order to compensate for a steep revenue decline.

So what does this mean for Dayton?

Internships, K-12 educational programs, free-lunch programs and state-funded college grants are just a few of the programs that will be affected by Gov. Strickland's attempt to balance the state budget. Dayton Metro Library announced that it may be forced to close some of its branches due to a slashed budget, according to the Dayton Daily News. State parks, childcare services and summer programs will all be affected by these cuts.

David Esrati (esrati.com) and Bill Pote (daytonmostmetro.com) have a much better handle on state and local politics than I do, but I am monitoring the situation very closely. Without going into too much detail, some of these proposed cuts will affect me both directly and indirectly.

Whatever your political views may be, I urge all Daytonians to get involved in some manner and let your voice be heard. We can't afford to sit back and do nothing while our leadership creates legislation that will affect all of us.

Governor Ted Strickland
(614) 466-3555
(614) 644-4357 (Fax)
http://governor.ohio.gov

When Wright goes wrong.

2009-06-17T12:27:00.000-07:00

Ordinarily, I don't mind when movies take certain liberties when it comes to history. I guess, that is to be expected when it comes to Hollywood.

But some things can't be overlooked.

Especially when it comes to two of my homeboys.

Night at the Museum : Battle of The Smithsonian, the sequel to the 2006 comedy Night at the Museum, is a bona fide hit in the movie theaters, grossing nearly $155 million domestically since its May 24 debut.

I'm happy for Mr. Stiller's continued box office success and my beef isn't with him, but I do want to comment about a scene from the film.

The Wright Brothers, and their 1903 Wright Flyer are featured in this blockbuster movie, making an appearance roughly one hour into the film. [Possible spoiler ahead for anyone who hasn't seen the movie yet.] Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams) pilots the Wright Flyer (also known as the Flyer I) away from the bad guys chasing her and Ben Stiller's character in an exciting escape scene. As the Wright's stare up at their plane soaring over them, Wilbur Wright utters these words:

"A lady pilot? Preposterous!"

Now, I can overlook the over exaggerated performance of the Wright Flyer as depicted in the film. (The Flyer is shown effortlessly soaring through the skies of Washington, D.C. In truth, the longest the plane ever stayed aloft was 59 seconds.)

I can also disregard Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant's (Lt. Jim Dangle and Deputy Travis Junior from television's Reno 911!, and also the film's writers) somewhat goofy portrayal of the brothers. Lennon and Garant penned the script for the movie as well.

However, Wilbur's statement concerning women as pilots, obviously made for the sake of comedy, is ridiculous.

###

Susan Wright

Susan Wright, mother of Wilbur and Orville, was the daughter of a carriage maker. She spent much time in her father's shop where she developed an impressive mechanical aptitude. It was from Susan that the brother's inherited their technical wizardry.

Susan attended Hartsville College, a rare feat for a woman at that time, studying literature, science and mathematics. She frequently built kitchen tools for herself and toys for her children. Susan, not their father, was the parent the brothers went to for mechanical advice. If any other member of the family possessed the skills to fly an airplane, it was Susan.

Marjorie Stinson

After the brothers had successfully created an aircraft that was easily controlled and safe to fly, they established The Wright Flying Company in 1910 and began training others to fly, essentially creating the world's first flight school. From 1910 to 1916, 119 pilots were trained as pilots, of which three were women.

Rose Dugan, Mrs. Richard Hornsby (?) and Marjorie Stinson were all trained at Huffman Prairie Flying Field in Dayton, Ohio.

That, I can believe.

Women drivers, on the other hand?

Now that's preposterous!

[Note: Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park and the Wright Dunbar Village association are sponsoring an event commemorating the 100-year anniversary of the 1909 Dayton Homecoming Celebration for the Wright Brothers this Saturday at The Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center located at 16 Williams St. To read more about this event, click the pic on the right of the page.]

Down in the Dirt.

2009-06-14T16:26:00.000-07:00

These guys rock!

They also rap, sing, recite poetry, act and dance.

Actually, The Dayton Dirt Collective (DDC) is a venue for a myriad of artistic expressions. The DDC is a volunteer organization dedicated to growing the arts community in Dayton and providing an all-ages venue for artistic expression.

I became aware of the DDC a few months ago at the updayton summit where I met Aaron Smith and Jeremy Price. About a week later, I interviewed Smith, Price and Shelly "GladGirl' Hulce for an article for Sinclair Community College's student newspaper, the Clarion. The article turned out pretty good and I made some new friends.

The DDC, located in downtown Dayton, has positively influenced the Dayton music and arts scene since its inception and its membership continues to swell. They've hosted hundreds of events, raised funds for Dayton Ladyfest, and showcased dozens of local and national bands.

The DDC epitomizes the "do-it-yourself" attitude that Dayton needs right now. We need people like this- people who are tired of the status quo and willing to do something about it.

The folks at the 'Dirt always have something going on, so I suggest you head over to their website and check out the show schedule. If you want to join the group, you can do that too.

I hope to catch up with the 'Dirt real soon and post some pics and video on this site.

Things are about to get real dirty in Dayton.

And I like it.

Dunbar House reopens.

2009-06-12T17:56:00.000-07:00

The Paul Laurence Dunbar State Memorial reopened its doors for public visitation on June 11.

The house, closed since May due to state budget cuts and declining visitation, now functions through a partnership between Ohio Historical Society (OHS) and Dayton History. OHS still owns and maintains the historic site, but Dayton History now operates the house and is responsible for public tours and event programming.

Tours will be given on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. However, visits must be scheduled in advance, according to Dayton History's Web site.

Paul Laurence Dunbar House State Memorial
219 Dunbar St.
Admission :
$6.00 per adult and $3.00 per child

Dayton History
1000 Carillon Blvd.
www.daytonhistory.org

Ohio Historical Society
www.ohiohistory.org

Are you ready to dance?

2009-06-04T19:03:00.000-07:00

Still hanging your head over NCR?

Get over it.

It's time to move on.

Actually, it's a good time to move in other ways too.

Sole Purpose, a new rhythm and classical tap dance company, has opened up in Dayton and will begin offering classes for all ages this summer at East End Community Center.

Founder Kandee Thacker-Mann says that the mission of the studio is to educate the Dayton community about the history of tap and to help preserve the art form. She has been volunteering at Ruskin Elementary School since January and started the studio to continue long-term instruction.

The Flint, Mich. native was introduced to tap when she was 10 years old and began teaching it at the tender age of 15. The award-winning instructor has performed on Showtime at the Apollo and alongside Savion Glover on his "Footnotes" tour in Detroit.

Thacker-Mann is also holding auditions for tap dancers looking to join the company. Individuals interested in auditioning for the company or registering for the summer classes should contact her through email or telephone. Introductory summer rates range from $10 to $22, depending on age.

Anyone looking to get in shape and learn an American art form can break a sweat without breaking the bank this summer with Sole Purpose.

East End Community Center
700 Xenia Ave.
Dayton, Ohio 45410

Contact:
Kandee Thacker-Mann
517-410-5310
tapdance@solepurposetap.org
www.solepurposetap.com

Is Dayton Dying?

2009-06-02T15:47:00.000-07:00

It feels like this city just got kicked in the face.

NCR (formerly National Cash Register) is leaving Dayton, Ohio, its home for 125 years for supposedly, greener pastures. The company will be relocating its headquarters from Dayton to Duluth, Georgia, taking 1,250 jobs with it, according to the Dayton Daily News.

Pardon me for the brash, informal language - but this sucks.

Dayton is fighting a battle right now. In fact, it's fighting a series of battles: Its trying to keep businesses from leaving the area. It's attempting to keep professionals and college graduates from bolting the city for a more robust job market. Dayton is also laboring to create new industries in an effort to inject life into an economy ravaged by the loss of thousands of manufacturing jobs.

The Miami Valley is still struggling. The closing of General Motors Moraine Assembly truck plant (and is suppliers) was bad enough. But this NCR situation...this is personal. NCR, as a corporation, is about as Dayton as you can get. It was founded here, it made its name here, but, as of 2010, it will no longer remain here.

I'm not sure what to think about Dayton right now. I'm about as positive as they come, but man, this hurts. General Motors' Moraine location once employed about 5000 workers. The displacement of those workers within the last few years devestated Dayton's economy, impacting several industries and local businesses. Last month, Iams announced that they will be moving their operations to Mason ( a suburb of Cincinnati), taking 250 jobs with them. The pet food company (owned by Procter & Gamble Co.) has operated in the Dayton area since its founding in 1946.

NCR leaving is a MAJOR economic blow to the city. As with General Motors, this will have a tremendous ripple effect on various businesses. But it also represents a loss of identity for Dayton as well.

NCR is a corporation. Corporations rarely play nice. They do what they need to do in order to thrive and keep their shareholders happy. Right now, Dayton may not be a favorable business environment for national and multi-national corporations. The word on the street-meaning that it does not stem from a credible source(s)-is that NCR CEO John Nuti doesn't like Dayton. I don't know if Dayton is business-friendly(or not), nor do I know Nuti.

I'm just wondering how much more punishment this city can take.

The End of The Dayton View.

2009-05-29T17:48:00.000-07:00

All good things must come to an end.

Sort of.

This blog began as a requirement for a journalism course I am taking at Sinclair Community College. At the beginning of the quarter, each student of Multimedia Journalism (JOU 203) was required to pick a topic that we wanted to write about and post at least once a week for the duration of the course.

I chose to write about Dayton.

Dayton is an interesting place. It has its fair share of problems, (what city doesn't?) but Dayton is not half as bad as some people claim it to be. I've heard many Dayton residents - both young and old - spit out the word "Dayton" like it's bitter cough medicine. In my classes, I constantly hear young 20-something students say, "There's nothing to do in Dayton!" I've got news for them : There are things to do in Dayton.

You just don't know about it. (Or you hear about something AFTER it happens.)

The problem is communication. Truthfully, I felt the same way when I was in my 20's (even after.) Dayton businesses, organizations and event-planners generally do not do a very good job of effectively marketing to their respective audiences. Heck, Dayton doesn't do an effective job of marketing itself. There is FAR TOO MUCH negativity on the Internet about this city.

I am amazed at the level of hate and negativity that is generated from Dayton residents. There are blogs from people who hate Dayton, complete with YouTube video clips highlighting the city's blighted areas. The comments over at the Dayton Daily News Web site are pathetic, racists, hate-filled and downright stupid! I don't believe that those comments are indicative of the entire community's attitude about the city, but damn, where's the pride?

Does Dayton have pride?

Does Dayton have an identity?

I'm on an updayton committee whose aim is to create a city-wide online communications hub for the purpose of linking Dayton's residents to valuable community resources and events. (We're aiming for a site similar to CenterStageChicago or ColumbusUnderground.) We're striving to assemble a Web site that will serve as a portal to the Dayton's educational institutions, non-profit agencies, healthcare facilities, entertainment, music venues, arts venues and more.

We want to help Dayton residents (and non-residents) discover the gems of "The Gem City."

A friend of mine, an influential businessman and community organizer, recently told me that some potential investors were a bit wary of doing business in Dayton. You know why?

Because of what they found (or in some cases, didn't find) on the Internet.

Now, do I believe that people or businesses need to wholeheartedly believe everything that they read online? Obviously not. The point I'm trying to make is that Dayton has to do a much better job at marketing itself to its citizens and the rest of the country.

Which brings me back to this little 'ol blog. I have decided to end The Dayton View.

But fear not!

This blog will continue-but there will be a few changes.

This blog will be re-branded with:

A new name.
A new focus (still Dayton-centered, though.)
And hopefully, a new contributor (or two.)

I'm going to do my part and help put some positive vibes about Dayton out into cyberspace.

Do I get paid for this? Nope. Do I grow weary of blogging sometimes? Yep.

But I do know that it's worth the effort to continue, because people have told me so.

Thanks for following me. I hope that you will continue to do so.

Epilogue: Now I know some folk are asking, "Couldn't you have just said that you were changing the name and be done with it?" But where's the drama in that? Where's the passion? Where's the...oh forget it! Just come back Tuesday evening to see what's new.

Neither here, nor there.

2009-05-26T16:34:00.000-07:00

I'm in limbo.

I'm completing my last quarter at Sinclair Community College but I really don't feel like I'm there anymore. I've kind of mentally left Sinclair already.

Don't get me wrong, I love Sinclair. In fact, I regard Sinclair as one of the finest institutions in the nation. The school is committed to providing quality, affordable education to the residents of Dayton and its surrounding communities.

I'm not ready to tear up just yet, but I will admit that I'll miss being a Tartan. However, I'm excited to be transferring to Wright State University to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Communication.

Wright State is the logical choice for me. I'm a 30-something who lives in Dayton and isn't leaving here anytime soon. I attended the University of Dayton after high school many moons ago and I have no desire to go back. Not having to pay for room and board makes Wright State an affordable means in which to continue my education. So far, I've received federal funds that have paid for approximately half of my tuition. I'm hoping that more aid will come my way.

This sums up my feelings on financial aid:

Grants + Scholarships = Good.
Loans + Interest = Bad.

I said that I was in limbo earlier because it seems that I'm no longer a Tartan, yet not quite a Raider either. Oh, I still go through the motions of attending classes at Sinclair - but I'm not really there.

I suppose I can muster up enough cerebral fortitude to cap off my Sinclair career with a strong academic showing.

It's the least I can do for an old friend.

The Sideshow IIII

2009-05-21T08:23:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of my pictures from The Sideshow IIII which was held May 15th and 16th in downtown Dayton in conjunction with Urban Nights.

The Sideshow is an annual video, music, food and art celebration hosted annually by the Dayton Circus Creative Collective.

By the way, I'm aware that the traditional roman numeral for the number four is "IV" and not "IIII", but that's the way it was billed.

It's a creative thing -- just roll with it!

An exciting weekend.

2009-05-17T17:50:00.000-07:00

There was a lot going on this weekend in Dayton. Downtown Dayton was host to A World A'Fair, Urban Nights and FilmDayton Film Festival.

The 36th Annual World A'Fair was held May 15-17th at The Dayton Convention Center. The festival is a celebration of cultural and ethnic diversity within Dayton and the Miami Valley. Activities include dancing, music and cultural exhibits. The most popular feature, however, is the variety of food and drink available for sampling. It's been a few years since I've been to World A'Fair, but I've always enjoyed myself whenever I've attended.

Urban Nights, the semi-annual, one-day event also had the streets of downtown Dayton bustling with activity. On May 15, several businesses, restaurants, bars, urban living spaces, art galleries and other venues participated in the evening celebration of Dayton's urban core. Street performers, musicians, bands and other entertainers provided an exciting atmosphere for those who walked the streets of downtown, The Wright-Dunbar Business Village and the Oregon Arts District. The weather was beautiful, the streets were packed and everyone seemed to have a good time.

For the most part, much of my weekend was spent at the inaugural FilmDayton Festival which occurred May 15- 17. I spent each day doing a different task. On the first day, I ushered at The Neon movie theater. On the second day, I assisted with the set-up for an industry panel, which was held at ThinkTV. On the final day of the festival, I was stationed at c{space for a student-filmmaking workshop. For these three days, I got to check out some great films, mingle with some area filmmakers and learn a little bit about the arduous task of making movies.

From my standpoint, the turnout was great. A few of the film screenings were sold out and most of the other screenings and workshops were well attended. In my opinion, FilmDayton is well on its way to creating a vibrant filmmaking community in the Dayton area.

May 15-17 was a good time to be in Dayton. Hopefully, the coordinators of theses events will have the vision ( and money!) to plan more of these activities in the future.

All aboard...Garden Station!

2009-05-12T18:44:00.000-07:00

I wrote an article for the Clarion a few weeks ago about Garden Station. Garden Station is an art park and community garden located at the corner of 4th Street and Wayne Avenue in downtown Dayton.

The lot, which had been abandoned for more than four decades, now serves as a place where artists, sculptors, gardeners, musicians, performers and other "creatives" can express themselves.

My personal favorite.

Green scene.

Peace & Love.

All you have to do is ask!

The writing's on the wall.

I'm not "worthy" of this type of skill.

True widescreen.

The Dayton Circus.

Garden Station looks much cooler in person and there's lots of new art and community projects being created at the moment. I recommend that everyone show some love and check it out!

To learn more about Garden Station, head over to these sites:

http://www.myspace.com/gardenstation
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DowntownGarden

Free books, free Tibet.

2009-05-08T07:13:00.000-07:00

About a week ago, I posted about my experience at a book sale and about the joy of finding cheap books.

Wanna know what's better than cheap books?

Free books!

Last weekend, I went to Gem City Records in the Oregon District for my weekly music fix. After purchasing my CD's, I decided to walk around a bit. I turned the corner and proceeded down Fifth Street toward Wayne Avenue.

Something up ahead caught my attention as I strolled down the sidewalk.

Directly ahead of me were two tables of books. Underneath and around the tables were cardboard boxes of books. I thought it was another book sale -- until I read the sign that rested on a truck parked behind the tables.

The sign read "Free Books."

I walked up to the tables. The books were old, but that didn't matter -- they were free. In the back of the truck were more boxes of books and reading materials.

Books and pamphlets.

The truck.

Notice the "Free Tibet" stickers.

Any journalism books? Nope.

Hmmm.... Maybe I can sell these door-to-door. I'm just kidding!... (Or am I?)

The truck's owner wasn't around and I've yet to meet this kind soul. From what I hear, the truck is a regular fixture in the Oregon District. Maybe I'll get a chance to meet this person and thank him (or her) for their generosity.

Now if I can just find someone who gives away bookshelves for free...!?!

In case you're wondering, I decided against taking the Encyclopedia collection. What the heck do you think the Internet's for?

Contest time at The Dayton View!

2009-05-04T19:12:00.000-07:00

Hey, you!

Yes, you there. I need your help.

I took this photo a few weeks ago down in the Oregon District in downtown Dayton. These two young men were having themselves a grand ol' time on that fine day. If you haven't noticed from reading this blog, I like to take photographs.

Now here's where you come in. I need someone to write a funny caption for this picture. Post your captions in the comments section. The contest will run until Thursday at 10:00p.m.

I want to see how creative my fellow Daytonians can be. Please, no profanity! This blog is all-ages. But let your creativity run wild. Show me what you've got!

The lucky winner will receive a healthy dose of respect and a $5 gift certificate to Gem City Records.

Have at it!

Update : The winner of this contest is Ingrid M. Congratulations!

Volunteers lend helping hand

2009-05-02T22:47:00.000-07:00

Generation Dayton, a program of The Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce, held its 4th Annual Generation Dayton Day on Friday, May 1.

The event was billed as an opportunity for Dayton-area professionals to "Get Out, Give Back, and Get Down" by volunteering in the community.

Members and non-members of Generation Dayton were assigned to volunteer at seven non-profit organizations throughout the Miami Valley. Some of the volunteer opportunities included Habitat for Humanity, The Boys and Girls Club and Goodwill Easter Seals.

I've always wanted to volunteer and participate more in the Dayton community, so when I heard about Generation Dayton a month or so ago, I decided to register for this event. Although I'm not a professional, (currently, I'm a student) I was told that everyone was welcome to participate.

Registrants were scheduled to work a four-hour shift--from 1p.m. to 5p.m.

The organization I was assigned to assist was the Catholic Social Services' Refugee Resettlement program. I remember vaguely hearing about this program from my mother, who works for Montgomery County Educational Services Center. I recalled her telling me that there were several Iraqi refugee children in the schools that she visited regularly. She said that their families were relocated to Dayton and parts of Michigan because of the low costs of living in these areas. So when I was assigned to volunteer at this location, I was glad--I wanted to learn more about this program.

I arrived at the location promptly at 1p.m. It was a medium-sized warehouse with a barely noticeable sign on the door that read, "Catholic Social Services Storage." Phil Henry, donations coordinator, greeted me as I walked up to the door. Three volunteers were present already, and we all waited for the others to arrive. After about a 10-minute wait, everyone was present and Henry introduced himself to everyone and allowed everyone else to introduce themselves.

Henry explained that his job was to accept donations for incoming refugee families that were being relocated throughout the Dayton area. Some of the families were placed in apartments, others in houses. Incoming families arrive in the United States with nothing. They need housing, food, clothing, furniture, education, transportation and medical care. Catholic Social Services provides assistance with these and other necessities.

Families come from everywhere around the world, but mostly from African countries. However, in recent years, several families have come from Iraq as a result of war in that area. More than 100 refugees were expected to come to the Dayton area, according to the Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley Web site. On Friday, Henry stated that he has already resettled approximately 60 Iraqi individuals--so that number seems a bit low.

Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley relies on volunteers to receive, clean and sort donations, perform home repairs and prepare households for incoming families.

I like to think that in the four hours that we spent there, we made a difference.

Under Henry's direction, the nine of us unloaded trucks, sorted items, cleaned upholstery, folded and packed blankets and sheets for storage, tested television sets and helped clean and organize the warehouse. The storage facility contained couches, desks, chairs, television sets, mattresses, bed frames, kitchen items, utensils and alarm clocks--all donated.

Henry pointed out some furniture in need of repair and said, "If anyone here is into fixing things, I've got a few projects for you!"

So, roughly two of my four hours was spent reassembling furniture that was broken. I'm not much of a "hands on" do-it-yourself kind of guy.

But I did the best I could.

I'll be honest. I think most Americans are selfish. We live very insular lifestyles and have a tendency to not to care about the things that don't directly affect us.

If you ask me, volunteer programs should be required at the high-school level and in college also.
Maybe it would help some of today's youth who think they're going to die if they don't have the latest ipod.

I remember my mother telling me that some of the Iraqi students were afraid to go outside for recess. They were afraid that if they left the building, they would get shot or blown up by a bomb.

They thought they were going to die. And it wasn't because they didn't have an Ipod.

Henry gave a few of the volunteers a list of items that needed to be pulled aside in a staging area. A family was moving into a home next week and it needed to be completed by Monday. Before we left, we pulled out furnishings for a family of four: a married couple, their 7-year old daughter and 5-year old son. Before we left, we had pulled together two mattresses, two bed frames, bed sheets, blankets, a television, a desk with chairs, a lamp, a phone, and other items. All of these things would be loaded onto the truck Monday morning for the house.

By the end of the day, I met some cool people and did something to benefit someone other than myself. And it felt good in more ways than one.

It felt good to meet other people who were willing to donate their time to help others.

It felt good to know that people are getting the help they need.

And it felt good to know that a little city like Dayton, Ohio has a role in helping these refugees have a better life.

A few of the volunteers said that they would come back at some point and help out whenever they could.

I'm sure at some point, I will too.

For information about Generation Dayton, visit http://www.generationdayton.org/.

To find out more about the Catholic Social Services' Refugee Resettlement program, please visit www.cssmv.org/refugee.htm.

Hollywood comes to Dayton

2009-04-29T10:34:00.000-07:00

Is Dayton ready for its close-up?

The folks at FilmDayton think so.

FilmDayton is an organization that is dedicated to the cultivation of the film industry within the Dayton area. They strive to create an environment that nurtures local independent filmmakers by providing training, funds, networking and promotional opportunities and additional resources to area students and filmmakers.

Additionally, FilmDayton hopes to lure outside film companies to the Dayton area to make films; a move that would create jobs, provide an economic stimulus for the local economy and help to raise the profile of a city many outsiders have written off as "dying."

FilmDayton has organized FilmDayton Festival, a three-day event showcasing feature-length and short films by local filmmakers. This inaugural festival will include "Big Lens"-- films produced by several Wright State University seniors and will feature Sundance Film Festival selections as well as Emmy and Oscar-nominated short films.

Kicking off on Friday, May 15, FilmDayton Festival will be held in conjunction with downtown Dayton's "Urban Nights" celebration and will run through Sunday, May 17. Several workshops will be conducted throughout the weekend at ThinkTV and c[space and all films will be shown at The Neon.

I've recently signed up to volunteer for FilmDayton Festival and I encourage others to do the same. More volunteers are needed to help promote the film festival and assist organizers throughout the three-day event.

It's a great way to see some interesting films and be an ambassador for Dayton.

Just remember to turn your cell phones off.

Additional information about FilmDayton can be found http://www.filmdayton.com.

Books-A-Zillion

2009-04-26T19:17:00.000-07:00

I had to borrow some money from my mother on Sunday afternoon.

$1 to be exact.

While I could have taken the crisp one dollar bill to McDonald's for a cool and refreshing Sweet Tea, I used it to satisfy another type of thirst.

My unquenchable thirst for knowledge.

Dayton Metro Library held its semi-annual Book Sale on Sunday, April 26 at the East Exhibit Hall at the Hara Arena Complex from 1 P.M. to 3P.M.

Actually, the sale began on Friday, April 24 and continued until Sunday. However, I purposely waited until Sunday for a specific reason--On Sunday, it's all you can carry for a $1.

Now, I've been attending this book sale for the last five years or so and load up every time. Admission is free and the sale includes audio tapes, compact discs, DVD's and VHS tapes, as well as books. There were quite a few years I would walk through the doors with an extra-strength, heavy duty garbage bag-- or two--in my hand and walk out like I was training for postal service.

This year, however, I decided to be conservative. I have several boxes of books at my house that I haven't even read yet. So I decided that I would just bring my medium-sized Dayton Dragons gift bag that I received for being a season-ticket holder. It has two carrying straps and a fair amount of room to hold some books. I figured I would look for some books on writing or journalism this time around.

I needed to borrow a dollar from my mom because I rarely carry any money on me. I use my debit card for everything. I searched my house for a dollar, but couldn't find anything. After about an hour of searching in and under the couch, bed, desk drawers, bathroom, kitchen and pants pockets I had accumulated 45 cents. My mother lives over by Hara Arena anyway, so I drove over to her house and "borrowed" $1 from her change jar.

I arrived at The Hara Arena Complex and parked my car. With bag in hand, I walked through the open doors.

Inside were long rows of tables covered with books--and more books. There were books on the tables and underneath the tables in boxes. There were also tables of books along the walls, as well. I walked slowly up and down the aisles--scanning the rows of books for any titles that interested me.
Here's the funny part: The place was packed with people that acted like books were going out of style. I didn't recall the book sale ever being quite this busy before. The large room filled with people bringing all manner of containers to fill books with: cardboard boxes, plastic bags, paper bags, backpacks, milk crates, laundry bags, trash cans and toy wagons. Some folk had carts and dollies and stacked them with boxes full of books.

Truthfully, I don't blame them. It was truly all you could carry for $1. If you could push, pull or drag a load of books out of there, it was all yours for $1. It was funny to see people with their arms full of books kicking a box full of books on the floor along with them as they continued looking. I even saw one lady pushing a stroller containing, you guessed it--books.

It took me about an hour to fill up my bag and I was about ready to pay for my bounty. But before I made it back to the front, I began people watching. I'm an avid people watcher--as my girlfriend can attest to--and I became fascinated with the individuals around me. I began to study people around me as intently as I planned to study my new books. There was one lady, in particular, who caught my attention. She was dragging a plastic laundry bin along side her that was filled with books.

I never would have thought to do that.

I noticed that the bin was so full of books that the lid wouldn't even close on it. Yet, she was still looking. I thought to myself, "Where is she gonna put any more books. Is she gonna stuff some down her shirt?"

I covered my mouth to hide the smile that came from that thought and decided that I had to get a picture of the woman dragging her laundry bin. I pulled out my camera and walked slowly behind the woman--but keeping my distance. I had taken pictures when I walked in the door, but none of any individual person. I didn't want anyone to think I was crazy.

After stalking the woman for about five minutes, I gave up. I decided against taking her picture. I didn't want to seem rude.

By this time, I had picked up a few more books. I had my bag slung on my shoulder and about five more books in my hands. The room began to smell exactly what you would think a hot room with old books and sweaty people would smell like. I was ready to go.

I paid for my books and walked out into the bright sun. As I passed a family that was loading their car from a flat cart stacked high with boxes of books, I smiled.

Next time I'll rent a U-Haul truck and show these people how it's really done.

Fantastic four

2009-04-23T16:09:00.001-07:00

If these young students don't make you proud to be a Daytonian, then leave this city.

Right now.

Four local high school seniors have been awarded scholarships from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, according to the Dayton Daily News.

Amber Sizemore, India Brown, Charles Wilkes II and Christina Martindale received four out of of the 16 scholarships awarded in Ohio this year.

That's right, one-quarter of this year's recipients are from Dayton.

While their sterling academic achievement is indeed honorable, what warms my heart even more is this quote from 18-year old Amber Sizemore:

“Everybody wants to leave Dayton, but I want to return to help rebuild it.”

Three of the four students said that when their academic careers are over they want to return to Dayton to give back to the community, according to the Dayton Daily News.

I'm so proud of these young scholars.

Dayton needs to be proud too.

I didn't get a chance to look at today's print edition of the Dayton Daily News, so I don't know if this story made the front page or not.

I hope it did.

Dayton needs to see that its public school system can produce geniuses worthy enough to be honored by Mr. Microsoft himself.

Dayton needs to know that the words Dayton Public Schools don't always have to be followed by the words "academic emergency."

Furthermore, it's essential that the African-American youth of Dayton see their peers "shooting for the stars"- and not just one another.

Wilkes, 16, is particularly inspiring to me. The son of a single parent on medical disability had this to say about his post-academic plans:

“I think that it’s very important that I come back and make a difference.”

Let's give him a better Dayton to come back to.

Photograph courtesy of Dayton Daily News staff photographer Ty Greenlees.

Quentin Harrison faces the music

2009-04-21T19:18:00.001-07:00

You think you know music?

Quentin Harrison knows music.

Trust me, he really knows music.

Harrison is a music writer for The Dayton City Paper. He began freelancing for the weekly newspaper in December of 2006, and became a permanent staff writer as of May, 2007.

The 2003 Stivers School for the Arts graduate pens a variety of music pieces for the Dayton City Paper including reviews, long-form essays, assessments, artist interviews and anything in between.
Harrison, a former Sinclair Community College student, currently attends The University of Cincinnati and maintains his blog site called "The QH Blend."

I sat down with Harrison for a quick interview about his writing and his love of music.

FC: What was the first album you purchased?
QH: Spice World by the Spice Girls on Mar. 13, 1998. It changed the way I listened to music.

FC: How so?
QH: Up to that point, a lot of what I was exposed to was what my parents listened to. It was the first group I discovered on my own.

FC: What was your first published article?
QH: The subject was how pop music was at stake as a genre, globally, but specifically, in America.

FC: Did you like the way it turned out?
QH: It was a good beginning for me. But it was only the start of what I wanted to accomplish.

FC: Who are you listening to right now?
QH: Moloko, Arrested Development, Grace Jones, a-ha, Janet Jackson and Kylie Minogue.

FC: Who are your all time favorite artists and why?
QH: The Spice Girls, The Supremes, Janet Jackson and Seal. It's quality over quantity for these artists.

FC: Do you have a favorite live performance?
QH: Seeing Mary Wilson (of the Supremes) in D.C. was a highlight. Janet (Jackson), Donna Summer and the Spice Girls were all amazing. But I can't really single out one performance.

FC: You're a fellow blogger. How does blogging differ from newspaper writing?
QH: I'm not a blogger, I'm a writer...I'm a writer, regardless of the medium. It's just another way of personal expression without the confines of a weekly paper.

FC: What do you want to accomplish with your writing at The Dayton City Paper?
QH: I want to share and educate. I want to bring about a historical appreciation of music: past, present and future.

FC: What else do you want to do besides write for the City Paper?
QH: Books, liner notes and essays for any publisher that would have me. And I would love to have a radio or podcast to play music that is more diverse than what you hear on popular radio.

FC: Do you prefer compact discs or digital downloads?
QH: Each avenue is unique as long as you are legally supporting the artist. I prefer the compact disc experience because I like the tactile musical experience that's not confined to a computer.

FC: How much money have you spent at one time buying music?
QH: $160. On average, I spend about $60 to $80 a month, between Amazon, independent and the 'big box' retailers. There's nothing like spending your last dollar on a record that you've been anticipating. It's a thrill.

FC: One more thing, which do you prefer: Twitter or Facebook?
QH: Neither...I do Last.fm!

Quentin Harrison's blog "The QH Blend" can be found here.

If you look hard enough you can find Harrison in your local independent record store sharing his vast musical knowledge with anyone who will listen.

Regional summit convenes to fix Dayton

2009-04-19T15:17:00.000-07:00

I learned two things by attending the Young Creatives Summit that took place in Dayton over the weekend:

There are a significant amount of residents- young or otherwise, that genuinely do care about the future of Dayton, and...
There lacks a clear-cut vision for the city of Dayton by the people with the money and/or the power to truly initiate change.

The Young Creatives Summit, organized by updayton, took place at the Dayton Convention Center on Saturday, April 18. The inaugural event was primarily a workshop for young, creative Daytonians to collectively "brainstorm" ideas about how to improve Dayton.

Updayton's aim is to "spur economic growth by attracting and retaining young creative talent."
There were quite a few artists, entrepreneurs, performers, engineers and students at the meeting.

I don't want to delve too much into the summit's activities- this post over at David Esrati's blog sufficiently summarizes the event. The agenda was this:

Summit registration and breakfast
An initial "kick-off" meeting in which local leaders addressed the crowd
Breakout sessions covering different topics
A resource fair featuring various community organizations
Town Hall meeting in which all attendees re-convened to discuss the issues addressed
Action Plan signup

I pre-registered for the event days before, so I decided to skip the breakfast and the introductory meeting and arrived just in time for my breakout session entitled "The Dayton scene: Creating an active nightlife with a strong cultural focus."

There were about 10 attendees in the room with two updayton members facilitating the brainstorming session. We were asked to generate ideas on how to improve Dayton nightlife. Everyone wrote their ideas on white paper taped to the walls. Afterwards, we went around the room and everyone was given the opportunity to verbalize our ideas. At the end of the session, the group voted on our top three ideas to present at the town hall meeting.

My group included an entrepreneur in the field of information technolgy, an ad agency owner and a graphic designer from the Dayton Daily News who works on the Active Dayton Web site. I thought we all came up with some great ideas to improve the nightlife in the Dayton area.

Some of the ideas we presented were:

A central communication hub- Many people felt like it was a good idea to have a central, Dayton-based Web site where people could go to find out about area events and to promote clubs and bars.
A universal ticketing system for the Oregon District- This idea was presented as a way to avoid paying a cover charge for evey bar in the Oregon area on any given night. A person would pay one fee that would cover every bar and club's cover charge in the Oregon District.
Visually improve the Oregon District- It was suggested that the Oregon District should have more lighting and the buildings could be painted which would give the district a brighter, more colorful look.

Long story short, the people in my breakout session presented very strong ideas. However, I got the impression that the facilitators had a preset group of ideas in mind. It seemed that they steered clear of certain ideas and focused in on other ones. After the group presented our ideas, they presented a list of ideas they said were compiled from their Web site.

Seemed a bit shady to me.

Still, we voted on our top three ideas and concluded the session.

After the resource fair, which featured community organizations like Dayton Dirt Collective, The Dayton Dragons, Sinclair Community College, Gem City Jam, The Dayton Urban League and The Victoria Theatre Association, everyone reassembled at the Town Hall meeting.

The Town Hall meeting was a mess. We were given electronic clickers and were told that we were going to collectively vote on all of the ideas that came from the several breakout sessions.

We were not told that the process was going to take an hour-and-a-half.

Two screens were set in the room. One displayed the question to be voted on, while the other displayed the results. I'm not sure which was worse- the fact that the same questions kept being asked over and over (but in reverse order), or the fact that the group had to wait until someone read each question, wait 15 seconds and then read the results before we could procede to the next one.

It was a nightmare.

There weren't any chairs in the room- only tables. About halfway through the process, people began to walk out. The few that did stay, sat cross-legged or were sprawled out along the floor. I believe we started out with about 200 participants at the beginning of the summit.

By the end of the voting- only about 100 or so remained.

It was that grueling.

To me, the entire ordeal reminded me of the typical "Dayton" way of doing things:

Draw up a committee to analyze an issue.
Completely over-analyze the issue without sufficient market research.
Politicize the process by including corporate entities who inevitably change the process.
Take an incredibly long time to initiate anything so that you alienate the people who would most benefit from it.

I don't want to sound pessimistic. In fact, I hope I'm wrong.

That's just my initial assessment.

The entire process was far too tedious and it lacked a clear set of defined goals. It could have been a bit more focused and by the end of it, there wasn't much "pep" left in the rally.

Still, the remaining attendees signed up to work on projects that are intended to help improve Dayton and its communities.

If updayton- and its sponsors are truly serious about initiating the change Dayton needs, then some truly wonderful things can come from their efforts.

Let's see what happens.

A time to chill

2009-04-17T09:38:00.000-07:00

Get out and enjoy the warm Dayton weather today.

While you're out, stop by Planet Smoothie located on 430 Miamisburg-Centerville Road in Washington Twp near the Dayton Mall.

The smoothie shop reopened on April 3 after being closed for about a year-and-half. Rhonda Everitt, who started out as a part-time Planet Smoothie employee at that same location 10 years ago, has returned as the franchise owner of this store.

About five years ago, I worked at Flower Factory, a wholesale superstore located directly behind the shop. During my lunch breaks, I used to walk to Planet Smoothie nearly everyday for my smoothie fix. Even after I left the Flower Factory, I would still make periodic visits to the store to treat my taste buds to a cool, smooth fruit smoothie.

On one visit last year sometime, I was shocked to see a "Now Closed" sign in the front window of the store as I pulled into the parking lot. Many other restaurants and eateries in the Dayton area sell smoothies, but none compare to the sweet and delectable sweetness of Planet Smoothie's beverages.

I was disappointed.

That disappointment became joy when I read on the Active Dayton web site that Planet Smoothie would be returning. On April 3, I returned to the store I had frequented so many times before. I ordered my old favorite - Grape Ape, a smoothie consisting of grape juice, strawberries, yogurt and a "Booster Blast" of ginseng and guarana.

It was just like I remembered. Yummy and deliciously smooth to drink.

Spring has arrived in Dayton, so I will offer up this advice: Head over to Planet Smoothie and treat yourself this weekend.

You may want to check out the menu here before you go.

You can tell 'em the Dayton Daily Views sent you.

But, I'm not paying for anyone :)

Regular Dayton folk

2009-04-16T19:41:00.000-07:00

I had a new door installed in my house today.

The old, wooden door located in the rear of the house needed to be replaced. It had a 24-inch wide glass window located in the top half of the door and I thought that it was too easy for someone to shatter it and unlock it from the outside. Thankfully, I've never had a break-in before but I wanted to fortify my house as a preventive measure.

The gentleman that did the work was an independent contractor named Dan. He was a Caucasian, late 40-something (my assumption) jack-of-all trades all around handyman. Dan had installed an additional bathroom on the second floor of my mother's home last spring. I met him briefly then, but we never really engaged in conversation.

Dan came over at 8:00 A.M. The door frame needed to be replaced as well, so he wanted to give himself ample time to work. Dan began his work. I began mine. I had an article I needed to finish writing.

I walked into my makeshift office, sat down at my little wooden desk and turned on my desktop computer. After ten minutes or so of typing, I heard Dan ask, "Are you in school?"

"Yes," I replied.

"Where do you go?" he asked me.

"I go to Sinclair," I told Dan.

Dan was still working, so I didn't mind talking to him. He wasn't interrupting my work nor was I distracting him. And the room I was in was close enough to the back door that we didn't have to yell.

"I used to go there myself," he said. "Then I transferred to Wright State."

I replied and told him that I was planning to go to Wright State also.

Dan returned quietly to his work for about the next ten minutes. After a while, I heard the "whir" of his electric drill.

"Is this going to bother you?" he asked.

"No, I'm fine," I replied.

I put the finishing touches on my article, saved my work and turned off my computer. I walked into the kitchen, where he was working, and asked if he needed a hand. He replied no. I had a little bit of time between classes so I decided to clean up the house a little.

As time went on, we talked more and more and I found out a lot about Dan.

He was divorced. He had two daughters. He smoked (but was trying to quit). He went to Sinclair for architectural drawing. He quit Wright State University after his first year there. And he regretted not finishing school.

We talked quite a bit and lost track of time.

"What time do you need to go to school?" Dan asked.

"Actually, I need to be getting ready to leave now," I replied.

I wasn't certain, initially, about leaving him alone at my house. But there was a vacant opening where my door used to be so there wasn't much of a choice. Also, Dan still had to paint the new door. I called my mother and asked her If she wanted to come to the house while I went to school.

"No, he'll be fine," she said. "I trust Dan."

She trusted him, so I decided to trust him also. I took my shower and got dressed. I told Dan that I was leaving for class and let him know when I'd be returning.

"Okay, I'll be here," he said. "I'll probably be finishing up painting around that time."

"That's cool," I said, walking towards my car. "By the way, do you fix drains?"

My bathtub had been slow to drain for some time now and the drain cleaners I were using were ineffective, for the most part.

"I can take a look at it for you," he replied.

"No that's okay," I said, partly because I was kidding and also because I didn't want Dan to see my dirty bathtub. I pulled out my driveway and went to school.

I returned to my home a few hours later. Dan's van was parked on the street. I walked around the rear of my house and looked at the door. My new metal door, along with the screen door was installed and the paint was drying. I entered through the front door and Dan was in the house packing up his tools. I told him the new door looked good.

"By the way, I fixed your drain," he said. "Here, let me show you."

We walked back to the bathroom and Dan told me that the drain had been improperly installed. He had disassembled it and reinstalled it correctly.

"Oh, and I noticed that you didn't have a dryer," said Dan. "Do you need one?"

I had lived in the house for a year-and-a-half and had not yet purchased a dryer. In fact, I had yet to install the washer that was sitting in my utility room.

Dan said that he had a dryer he would sell me. He told me that if I helped him load it in his van, he would sell it to me for $20. I agreed. Dan said he lived about 15 minutes away. I jumped in the passenger seat of his van and we started to his house.

As we drove down East State Route 35, Dan talked about "Dayton things" like the Interstate-75 traffic, the school system and the quality of life. A large airplane flew slowly above our heads and Dan said that it was an Army hospital plane. I didn't recall seeing one like that before.

Before we left my house, Dan had told me that he lived in the Belmont District. As we exited off of the first Smithville Exit, I had a slightly uneasy feeling in my stomach. It wasn't that I didn't trust Dan, it was just that feeling you get when you're in an unfamiliar surrounding. I'd driven past the area numerous times, but not into it.

We got to Dan's house and quickly loaded the dryer into his van. It appeared to be in great shape. As we were readying to leave, his dog came up to me with a tennis ball in his mouth.

"We'll play when I get back, Lucky," he told the dog.

We jumped back into his van.

"Maybe I'll get a chance to fix up my own house sometime," Dan said, as we backed out of his driveway.

On the drive back to the highway, I looked out the window and realized something that should have been painfully obvious. This neighborhood wasn't very different from my own. They had churches, schools, and stores just like mine did.

The area had it's hard working people - just like mine.

It had its fair share of crime - just like mine.

The neighborhood became a living entity to me - not just a place.

Dan struck me as a man working hard to make ends meet - just like me.

When we arrived back at my house, Dan and I carried the dryer inside and plugged it in. He even helped me hook up the washer - at no extra charge.

I paid Dan and thanked him for his worked. As he drove away, I realized that Dayton is a community of communities. People have a lot more in common with each other than they have differences. A lot of racial animosities and cultural differences can be overcome if we just get to know one another.

I'm sure I'll be seeing Dan again.

Actually, I'm certain I'll be seeing him again.

I've got some old plumbing that needs to be taken care of :)

Dayton : Cradle of Creativity

2009-04-14T18:53:00.000-07:00

What do the yo-yo, electric car starter, railroad jack and stepladder have in common?

They're all Dayton inventions.

Now, I'm going to assume that the majority of Dayton residents know that Dayton is the "birthplace of aviation"-meaning, of course, that the airplane was invented here.

Furthermore, I'm going to assume that the general populace knows that geniuses Wilbur and Orville Wright are the men who made flight possible.

However, I believe that very few residents grasp the enormity of the innovations and contribution that Dayton has made to the world. Unfortunately, the city has allowed its citizens - and the rest of the world -to lapse into somewhat of a collective amnesia, in regards to its historical significance.

Time does not allow me to truly delve into Dayton's culture of creativity, but I will present a bit of information for the unenlightened.

As early as the 1870's, Dayton was a leader in patents and inventions. In 1890, the city held more patents per capita than any other U.S. city, according to the National Park Service. The number of inventions to receive patents number in the thousands, according to the City of Dayton Web site.

Dayton inventions include the automatic car starter, parachute, cash register, ice cream cone, ice cube tray, gas mask, railroad jack, radar detector, airplane ejector seat and yo-yo.

A more complete list can be found here and here.

Dayton also has the distinction of being an important city in regards to professional football. The American Professional Football Association was formed in 1920, and the first game was played in Triangle Park located in Dayton, Ohio. On October 3, 1920 the Dayton Triangles defeated the Columbus Panhandlers in the first game of this newly formed league.

The American Professional Football Association would later become the National Football League.

Among the many Dayton geniuses, four names have garnered the most recognition:

Wright, Patterson, Kettering and Dunbar.

Orville and Wilbur Wright, John Henry Patterson, Charles Franklin Kettering and Paul Laurence Dunbar have numerous institutions, banks, streets, universities and landmarks named after them, the most well-known of these being Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the city of Kettering, Ohio.

This recognition is well deserved.

The Wrights invented powered flight; Patterson founded National Cash Register (NCR); Dunbar was the first African-American poet to receive national recognition, and Kettering was a founder of Dayton Engineering Laboratories (later shortened to Delco) and was vice-president of research at General Motors for 27 years.

Kettering epitomized the innovative spirit of Daytonians. He invented the electric car starter, helped developed diesel engines and was a pioneer in using magnetism in medical diagnostic procedures. He held more than 300 U.S. patents, according to Wikipedia. He founded The Engineer's Club of Dayton and it is rumored that his house was the first in U.S. history to have electric air conditioning.

Isn't that something?

I find it shameful that most native Daytonians don't have a basic awareness of their city's prestigious history. However, I don't blame the residents. Dayton's civic leaders have done a poor job of recognizing and preserving the heritage of Dayton. The city has allowed historical buildings to disintegrate or be downright destroyed. The community knows nothing of what Dayton can be, because they don't know what Dayton has been.

In the summer of 2003, I worked at the Wright-Dunbar Historical Interpretation Center in the Wright-Dunbar Village. The city was celebrating the 100-year anniversary of the "first flight" and many aviators and aviation enthusiasts visited Dayton to participate. I was amazed at the level of Dayton history that non-Daytonians possesed. To aviation buffs, Dayton is their "Graceland."

They know that Dayton is where the Wrights experimented with kites and gliders.

They know that Dayton is where the Wrights observed hawks and buzzards gliding and learned how wings worked.

They know that Dayton is where they designed and built their airplanes.

They know that the only reason they traveled to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina is because the weather in Dayton was so unpredictable.

They know that, while the first flight lasted only nine seconds at Kitty Hawk, subsequent flights in Dayton routinely lasted as long as 38 minutes.

They know that these men established the first flight school and transported the world's first commercial air cargo (from Dayton to Columbus, Ohio.)

They know that these two self-made men, who lived and worked on the west side of Dayton, changed the world.

I only wish we knew it.

Dayton Dragons : Hot ticket, Cold night

2009-04-11T18:44:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting for this night for a while.

The Dayton Dragons have been on my to-do list for the past few years now, but for some reason or other, I never made it out to a single game.

Until tonight.

Last year, I placed myself on the waiting list for season tickets. Apparently, Dragons tickets are hard to come by. The team has sold out every single game its previous nine seasons. And despite the current economic environment, the 10th season should be no different. So when the opportunity presented itself, I took advantage of it.

The Dragons offer three options for season ticket holders: 1.) A 70-game full season package, 2.) A 35-game mini season package and 3.) A 17-game mini season package.

The Dragons' front office contacted me in late February and I purchased the 17-game season ticket option for $150. This was the most affordable option for me and offers the flexibility I need since I plan on working and going to school this summer. Also, lawn seating is usually available throughout the season for $7 a ticket if I want to attend additional games.

April 11 was the first game on my schedule and I looked forward to it. I arrived downtown at approximately 6:15 P.M. The game was scheduled for 7P.M. but I wanted to get there early and secure a nice parking spot. I parked in front of the Downtown Dayton Metro Library and walked the short distance of two blocks to the stadium.

A man was playing the saxophone at the entrance to the main gate. I don't know if he was employed by the Dragons organization but it was a nice touch that helped create a lively atmosphere.

I entered Fifth Third Field and looked for my section. My seat-Section 115, Row 6, Seat 11-offered a nice view. The players were on the field stretching, running and warming up for the game. The Dragons players seemed quite accessible. More than a few were mingling with fans. Several kids leaned over the rails to get autographs and the players happily obliged them.

I must admit something. I'm not much of a baseball fan-at least not yet. But I've always heard that Dragons games were about entertainment and not just sports. I was happy to see that this was indeed the case.

Minor league baseball teams don't have the benefit of big-name players to draw fans into the stadiums. Mandalay Sports Entertainment, owners of the Dayton Dragons, realize this and have supplemented the on-field action with a healthy dose of family-focused entertainment.

Much of that entertainment comes from Heater and Gem, the energetic and abundantly overenthusiastic Dragons mascots. When they're not on the field dancing to a tune blasting over the stadium's speakers, the two are in the stands interacting with the fans. Heater-or was it Gem(?)-performed a dance routine with a referee that had me chuckling like a kid watching Saturday morning cartoons.

The between-inning entertainment was fun and kept the crowd from getting too lethargic. Between every inning, there was some type of event or game that involved the fans. These included a Big Wheel race around the bases, Blind-folded musical chairs, Dragons trivia games and a game called "It's Elementary"-a trivia game that pit a father against his son in a race to answer the most questions in the alloted time. All of these events were broadcast on the Dragons scoreboard and the participants received free T-shirts. I found myself looking forward to these events as much as I did the game itself.

Fifth Third Field offers a variety of food options. Vendors included Donato's Pizza, Skyline Chili, Graeters Ice Cream, Bob Evans Sausages and plenty of hot dogs, pretzels, peanuts and other snacks. The lines were not terribly long and the prices were what you would expect at a ballpark. I paid $10.25 for a barbecue sandwich with potato chips, cole slaw and a drink. Not too bad if you ask me.

The opponents for the evening were the Great Lakes Loons. The Loons made two runs in the third innings and seemed to have control of the game. I decided to get up and leave by at the end of the seventh inning-not because the Dragons were losing-it was because the temperature had dipped below a level in which I was no longer comfortable. I'm not much of a cold weather person.

I would recommend a night with the Dayton Dragons for anyone-especially families. Having experienced my first game, I would say that the major appeal of a Dragons game is the interaction with the fans. It almost feels like the real stars of the games are the fans. You're almost certain to have a fun time, regardless of the final score. I have every intention of staying for the entire game next time.

I just hope it warms up by then.

By the way, the Dragons lost 2-0. But with expectations of another record-setting year in attendance and the contributions that the Dragons have made to the Dayton community in regards to civic pride, it really doesn't matter.

To me it seems that everyone is winning.

When Rite Aid goes wrong

2009-04-10T17:45:00.000-07:00

If it's one thing I don't like about Dayton, it is the glut of empty buildings and lots scattered throughout the city.

A few of these empty building belong to Rite Aid, the third largest drugstore chain, according to the company' Web site.

Two stores were just shuttered in March of this year.

Illinois-based Walgreens leads the pharmacy race, while Rhode-Island based CVS/pharmacy runs a definite second among retail pharmacy chains. With a stock price currently worth less than 45 cents a share, Rite-Aid appears to be on its last legs.

With pharmacies, location is key to the long-term survival of the stores. Rite Aid apparently chooses the least desirable property sites among the three chains and that is why they are failing, according to David Tran, President and Chief investment Advisor of eFunding, Inc.

In Dayton, Walgreens and CVS/Pharmacy have essentially kicked Rite Aid out of town. In this economic climate, bankruptcies and store closings are as common as a cold. But, to a city like Dayton which is still reeling from the economic stroke General Motors has been having over the last few years, it amounts to yet another empty building in a city full of empty buildings.

Even still, our dear city may be in for another round of pharmacy store closings if Daytonians choose the biggest retailer of all for their pharmaceutical needs.

Maybe I need to head to the pharmacy.

I'm starting to get a headache.

This Old House

2009-04-07T21:10:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, April 7, Dayton residents assembled at the Paul Laurence Dunbar State Memorial on 219 Paul Laurence Dunbar Street.

We were there in an attempt to preserve a historical legacy.

The Dunbar House, home of celebrated author Paul Laurence Dunbar and the first museum in Ohio dedicated to the life of an African-American, is in danger of closing.

In fact, the house is currently closed due to severe state budget cuts. It is uncertain when it will open again.

The Ohio Historical Society and Dayton History are attempting to work out a deal that would keep the house open. Ohio has the largest number of historical sites (58), according to Bill Laidlaw, Executive Director and CEO of Ohio Historical Society. Yet, Governor Ted Strickland plans to reduce the state's contribution to Ohio's historical sites.

This is bad news for a site sorely in need of renovation and staffing.

In truth, the Dunbar House has been ailing for a while. For a number of years, visitation has been down. Dwindling funds led to staff reductions. Staff reduction resulted in the site being closed more often than not. The erratic hours made the site more difficult for schools, local organizations and tourists to schedule visits.

The Dayton community needs to step up and assist the Ohio Historical Society and Dayton History. Paul Laurence Dunbar legacy needs to be preserved. His story is far too important to a community that already suffers from poor self-esteem.

Paul Laurence Dunbar, a native Daytonian, achieved national acclaim for his poetry, short stories and novels. With the assistance of his high-school classmates, Wilbur and Orville Wright, he edited and published the Dayton Tattler, Dayton's first African-American newspaper.

Partnerships need to be forged in order to save the Dunbar House. We need volunteers, elementary schools, churches, colleges and univerities, teachers, community activists, and the local government to get involved in the restoration and resurrection of a local treasure.

Dunbar uplifted his hometown in his poem titled "Toast to Dayton":

She shall ever claim our duty,

For she shines—the brightest gem

That has ever decked with beauty

Dear Ohio's diadem.

Isn't it time we return the favor?

Hip-Hop veteran Common visits Dayton

2009-04-07T19:12:00.000-07:00

Rapper, actor, author and poet Common was the keynote speaker for a hip-hop summit on Friday, April 3 at the Dayton Convention Center in Downtown Dayton.

The 15-year music industry veteran was the centerpiece of Dayton's inaugural Urban Arts Conference. The rapper's hour-long presentation was entitled "Dear Hip-Hop : Working to Heal H.E.R."

The Chicago native stressed the importance of music and the arts in his life.

"Hip-Hop was the first time that I felt my voice was being heard," said the rapper, who told the audience that he wrote his first rap song while visiting his cousin in Cincinnati.

Common, the son of an English teacher, explained that the older style of hip-hop music communicated ideas and educated young blacks about their own cultural identities in ways that the public school system did not. He expressed concern that the current generation of hip-hop artists are more concerned with rapping about materialism and the degradation of women than uplifting people and preserving the culture of the art form.

Poet Sierra Leone, an academic advisor at Wright State University, reached out to Common in an effort to bring about a greater appreciation for urban arts in the Dayton community. Leone is a member of the Regional Academic and Cultural Collaborative (RAAC), planners of the event.

After Common's presentation, national recording artist Natalie Stewart, formerly of the group Floetry, performed.

A music seminar was held the next day at the same venue. Representatives from Black Entertainment Television (BET), and various music industry executives conducted workshops and offered advice to aspiring artists. Later that same day, a free hip-hop show was held at C{Space in Downtown Dayton and featured both national and local hip-hop artists.

The Urban Arts conference was co-sponsored by the Sinclair Community College Department of English, Wright State University's Bolinga Black Cultural Resources Center & Women's Center, Central State University, Wilberforce University, and Stivers School for the Arts.