We’ve got talent in Dayton- both in singing and production. Patty Berg sings- and my good friend Sam Manavis puts his steady hands on the video editing for a lovely day after Valentine’s Day song for you:

Who needs a “Young Creative Summit” to build a digital hub? Bill Pote over at DaytonMostMetro just created an events calendar online, with RSS feeds, and all the connectivity to web 2.0 goodness you’ll need.

You can’t log in as a member- and manage your own account (which means more work for Bill)- but it is easy to add to your blog (hint- readers who have their own sites) and I’ve added it to mine at the bottom of the right scroll bar for now.

Jump over to the Dayton Most Metro calendar and add your event: http://www.daytonmostmetro.com/dmmcalendar2/events/index.php

The more we use these kinds of tools- the stronger our community gets. Note- Dayton Most Metro doesn’t limit your online comments to 500 words, or constantly bombard you with negative news about Dayton like the Dayton Daily News. Make sure you click on his ads to help fund his effort.

Dayton has a great theater community. Maybe it’s left over from the Kenley Players days, or is a direct result of it. The Human Race does a wonderful job, as does the Dayton Playhouse.

Add the Warehouse Theatre (note stupid British spelling) in Downtown Dayton. From their website:

Vicki Brown, Sharon Lane, and Phyllis Turner, three musicians, who have been around the block more than a few times, have joined forces to create a new avenue for their creative travels.

What?

A coordinated effort to seek out gifted performers and present them to small audiences in an intimate concert setting.

Why?

We are always interested in hearing new artists and get ecstatic when we stumble upon a live show of original music that moves us in some way. We often use the term “they takin’ me to church” when that happens because it lifts the spirit. When you make a really good music energy connection it can make you high on life for days afterwards.

We want to seek out those experiences and share them with others. That’s our goal in this venture. If we can help artists get some positive exposure in a new city or give local artists an interested audience for their performance – that would make us very happy.

Where?

WareHouse Theatre started out at Front Street Warehouse in Dayton. We turned a blank 20X60 room into a beautiful little theatre (see the kudos page). We had a few events there and feedback was great, but the fire marshal got wind of us and shut us down. The building code would not allow us to have public events for more than 49 people, including the musicians and the staff. So we canceled our next show and started thinking about alternatives.

We must be living right because within 3 days we had a new space for concerts. Liz Stutzman of C2 invited us to have our concerts at her space. When we went to check it out we were just blown away at our luck. There is a beautiful stage, professional theatre lighting, state of the art sound system, even a videographer’s booth. The main floor seats 260 people, but can be made smaller if needed. When you enter the building there is a coffee counter and hanging out space. We use this space for our hospitality room and are happy to say we don’t have to worry about being legal. There is no problem with our offering a glass of wine and some little nibble to our guests. It seems like the perfect place for us to be. We hope you think so too.

C2 is at 51 Best Street in Dayton. You can access it from N. Main where the 75N exit is. Just turn off N. Main like you were getting on the highway and just before the exit you will see the building on the right. There is plenty of parking and the correct entrance will be well marked for our events.

You can also access Best Street from Riverside. Go west on Babbit, across from the fountains and at the stop sign you will be at Best Street. Turn right and you are there!

We like the fact that we are still downtown and hope you do too. Call if you need more details. 937-212-1600

via About Us.

They’ve got Tod Weidner coming May 30, and Windham Hill Recording artist Scott Cossu coming June 19.

I’ve known Sharon Lane for a long time- and Phyllis Turner for a few years. I’d trust them to keep things interesting and fun. You should too. Check them out at their new space and support the local music scene.

If you’ve not met Teri Lussier or read her blog “The Brick Ranch”- it’s time to run over and read this post:

I had an interesting conversation the other day. A potential buyer is looking online and finds me and gives me a call. He’s a Californian. He’s a family man. He’s a hard-working construction guy. We have a long talk.

He lives east of San Francisco and has been looking for a home out there for two years. He can’t afford anything, so he starts to look elsewhere. For some reason he looks at Dayton Ohio. “I could pay cash for a house in Dayton.” Yes, yes he could. I have to ask, “Why Dayton?”

“I’m sick of paying rent. I can’t afford to live in California and own a home. I want my kids to have some room.” That’s why people buy homes out here in Dayton, but there was something else, something more. The ties that had bound him to the west coast all these years were gone and now he was free to start a new life somewhere else. Why Dayton? “I don’t really know. My wife and I have been talking about this for a very long time and we think it’s time to reverse the wagon train.”

That struck me. “Time to reverse the wagon train”….

continue reading at Dayton Ohio Real Estate | Why move to Dayton Ohio? “It’s time to reverse the wagon train” | TheBrickRanch.com | a conversation about where and how to live happily in Dayton Ohio.

Dayton is an affordable place to live, even if you forget about the part about having abundant water, no earthquakes, easy traffic and commutes, a decent amount of culture and a nascent hip indie music scene.

Thanks to the BRAC- we’ll also have a lot of construction jobs- which will lead to other jobs. If you are sick of a 600 square foot apartment in NYC for $2000 a month- or, can’t afford to buy a house in California- we’re waiting for you in Dayton Ohio.

Although I don’t know anything about beer, I have a few friends who do. They think this is pretty exciting- and if you love beer, you may too.

Bill Daniels, owner of the South Park Tavern and Dayton’s Original Pizza Factory, Huff-n-Puff goaltender, beer connoisseur, and walking database of old movie lines- is having the Bell’s Brewery rep in to the tavern and will have all kinds of special beers on tap- including this one, which must be close to holy water:

Bourbon Barrel Aged Double Cream/Expedition Stout: Bell’s Brewery has conferred upon us a small keg of a VERY VERY special brew. It’s an “off the menu” version of their Special Double Cream Stout blended with their world famous Expedition Stout and aged in a bourbon barrel. I’ve been told there are only two of these small kegs in Ohio, and the other is going to a beer festival somewhere. Come early if you want to try this quite possibly once-in-a-lifetime beer. (OG: 1.075 ABV: 6.1% Cream Stout/ OG: 1.11 ABV: 10.5% Expedition Stout- but subject to change due to the blending and bourbon barrel aging!)

The 23rd promises to be a special evening at the South Park Pizza Tavern, and we hope you’ll stop in and join us. As A.E. Houseman so eloquently put it, “And malt does more than Milton can to justify God’s ways to man.”

via A Very Special Bell’s Brewery Beer Event Jan 23 at southparktavern.com.

The South Park Tavern is at 1301 Wayne Ave. Dayton OH 45410

Event starts at 8. My favorite pizzas:

• Classic Italian (also good without sausage as a vegetarian version)
• Reuben- try it, you’ll like it.
• Cheeseburger- with the special request of ketchup and mustard sauce
• Pesto Pizzaz- yes, broccoli on a pizza is a good thing.

Pizza, Beer, South Park- what more can you ask for?

Tell them Esrati sent you.

Well, UD and Miami Valley Hospital finally realized, you need to have a place other than a chain open for lunch in the area to take your prospective hires. Sure, they’ve been at Coco’s a lot, but, on Brown Street, since Dominic’s closed, there hasn’t been much in the way of unique.

The Hickory- also known as “Joe Kisses” and the “Ol Hickory” or “Old Hickory” – although it has no relation anymore to the other two Old Hickory’s anymore- has been around since as long as I’ve been alive. I was a little perturbed  at them years ago- when they tore down the old “Westward Ho” cafeteria for a parking lot expansion- but, that’s “progress.”

From the DBJ:

Hickory Bar-B-Que, located at 1082 Brown St., will open for lunch starting Monday, Nov. 17….

“People from the hospital, the University of Dayton, wanted to know if we would start serving lunch,” Fisher said. “Now’s the time to give it a shot.”

Hickory will be open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at which time the restaurant will switch over to its dinner menu. To handle the increased business, Fisher is adding six new employees, bringing the employment total to about 40.

The restaurant, which opened in 1962, offers a variety of sandwiches, salads and other entrees on its lunch menu. Prices vary, with salads costing between $1.75 and $7.25, sandwiches from $4.25 to $6.75 and entrees from $6.95 to $13.75.

Fisher said people can find their regular dinner options, such as bar-b-que ribs and chicken, just in smaller portions.

Hickory Bar-B-Que will be open for lunch Monday through Friday.

Hickory Bar-B-Que opens for lunch – Dayton Business Journal:.

The Hickory is one of my favorites places, that I don’t remember to go to that often. But, maybe the 4pm line won’t be as long now that you can get your BBQ fix twice a day.

No, you’re not John Lennon and Yoko Ono, but, in the days of fear of the unknown (which seem to have made a comeback) apparently our government thought that John Lennon was a threat to our nation.

This amazing play, 90 minutes, no intermission, puts 2 men on stage with a wall of file cabinets behind them, and takes you on a whirlwind tour of what happens when government goes wild. If someone was truly going to go through the federal budget, line-by-line, this is the kind of program that could definitely be cut.

As always, the Human Race Theater Company (I refuse to spell it with an “re”- we left the Kings England over 200 years ago) puts on an amazing show, here is the summary:

It’s the 1970s. President Nixon is very concerned about John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s opposition to the Vietnam War, so J. Edgar Hoover assigns two FBI agents to maintain surveillance on Lennon. Crusty veteran Howard and starry-eyed rookie Daniel keep their eyes and ears on the Beatle so ardently that one ends up sharing a friendly beer with John and the other falls in love with a Lennon protégé. As the agents’ outlooks evolve, major news events of the ’70s fly by, and amazing conspiracy theories bloom.

HUMAN RACE THEATRE COMPANY – Ears On A Beatle.

The acting by Tim Lile as “Howard Ballantine” and Ryan Wesley Gilreath as “Daniel McClure” is first rate. Gilreath kept me thinking that I was looking at a mash up of the Mac guy- Justin Long and “My name is Earl” Jason Lee.

Go with an open mind. You’ll have a great time.

Almost five years of Pilates at the Y should be a good warm up for my first Ashtanga Yoga class- but, whoa- I don’t think anything can prep you for Sharon’s class.

I was sweating from every pore in my body by the end of the hour this morning, but I’m also feeling 3 inches taller and feel every breath coming in and out of my body.

If you haven’t been down to Practice Yoga on Fifth Street in the Oregon District- today is your lucky day. They are giving away a free week of classes. Yes, I was the only guy in the class (call me metrosexual all you want)- but with hockey season less than a week and a half away- there isn’t any place better for me to get ready.

Yoga and Pilates do wonders for your lower back- which is always the first thing that gets sore when I head back on the ice.

let’s CELEBRATE! If you’ve never taken a class at Practice, please join us for one week of free classes! Any calendar week in September, just come on in. Please see class descriptions to find a class appropriate for your level of experience / fitness. You must live in the Dayton area, and may be asked to provide proof of residency.

Practice Yoga.

And for those of you so interested in things that attract “Creative Capital”- yoga studios are right there, along with climbing walls (the Urban Krag is right around the corner) independent coffee bars- there is Pacchia -and soon Jazz and Java. Too bad we still have vacant buildings that the City has zoned out of being developable down on Fifth.

Say what you want about other neighborhoods, ain’t any others throwing Shakespeare at you for free with a cast from the ‘hood.

“Much ado about nothing” will be presented this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 8pm at the Gazebo on Park Drive, just off Wayne, one block North of the Wyoming street intersection.

There are bleachers, but, blankets and lawn chairs are welcome as well. Stop in at the South Park Tavern at 1301 Wayne before or after for Pizza Factory pizza and beverages. They just added a brand new patio- to celebrate their one year anniversary.

This is neighborhood theater- with a no-budget production- so, come on out, have a good time and if you can’t hear everything, just remember- you were supposed to read it in High School- so you should know the story already (here’s a link to a synopsis).They’ve updated the time to right after WWII for this version- but it’s still the same story- in the bard’s old tongue.

Kudo’s to all my neighbors who have invested countless hours learning their lines, learning the dances and running the risk of embarrassing themselves in public. Next up- the South Park Marching Band, the South Park Gong Show and a neighborhood semi-pro jello wrestling league.

No, I’m not a cheese head Packer fan from Wisconsin, but I used to have one who worked for me. Great guy, great employee with a great attitude- and a direct connection to cheese curds.

That’s right- a product desperately in need of rebranding, but, because they taste so good, who cares. In fact, I hope you don’t go looking for the booth at the 2nd Street Public Market where the Blue Jacket Dairy from Bellfountaine Ohio sells little tubs of my favorite cheese snack.

Update: Oct 4 08, Blue Jacket Dairy will not be at the 2nd Street Market anymore still available on Thursdays at the Centerville market and at the Yellow Springs market.

UPDATE: Nov 14: Blue Jacket Dairy cheese curds will be available at Dorothy Lane Market- Washington Square location.

I don’t know how to describe them- but this is from their website:

Cheddar curd is simply cheddar cheese that hasn’t been aged. It is great for snacking and in salads, or melt it on toast for a fantastic sandwich. Salty, scrumptious and addictive!

Blue Jacket Dairy farmstead cheese, Ohio.

Just do me a favor, don’t buy all their curds before 11am when I usually get down to the market.

And if you warm them up just a bit in the microwave, or let them sit out on the counter to get to room temp- they’ll squeak when you eat them.

Just another reason to live in Dayton.

Sometimes the coolest things are right in front of us- and we just miss them.

Yesterday I headed out to the Museum of the USAF … Air Force Museum (some names just won’t ever change)- at 4:30 not realizing it closed at 5. With 2 kids in tow- I had to punt, so we drove up Springfield Street, onto 444a and then Right on Kaufmann, and the first right is a gate to the AF base- and to the right of that- the road to the:

Wright Memorial

2380 Memorial Road, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base

Adjacent to the Interpretive Center, the Wright Memorial on Wright Brothers Hill is a 27-acre designed landscape honoring Dayton’s native sons. The monument, a 17-foot pink granite obelisk, was dedicated on August 19, 1940, Orville’s 69th birthday.

Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park – Visit the Sites (U.S. National Park Service).

I’ve driven by it a million times- and I think I drove up the hill one time- but, that was long before the parks service took over and built a small museum. It was open till 6pm- so we had time to look around and see a lot of history of what was invented here in Dayton. The parachute, the ejection seat- and of course- the Wright’s and their wind tunnels and experimentation.

The monument has been up since 1940, but the view- over the base- and the Huffman flying field where they used to practice is phenomenal. Right up there with the view of Downtown from the top of Woodland Cemetery – which I visit almost daily (and where the Wright brothers are buried).

While you can get closer to the flight line by hanging out on Chambersberg road by the Skyborn Drive in- you can see the whole flightline and the runways from an elevation at the Memorial. Take some binoculars or a telescope- and a lawn chair and get away from it all, right here in Dayton.

We then went on a nature drive- over to the flying field- where we saw three deer, and a ground hog- as well as the field, a mock up of the catapult and the hanger that were used by the Wrights. It’s a winding drive back off 444a- that doesn’t seem to get many visitors.

While we can’t seem to get past the Wright Brothers as Dayton’s claim to fame, neither do we seem to really appreciate what kind of effort, through trial and error, they went through to get their idea to take flight. It often seems we expect instant results- when in fact, anything worth doing requires a whole lot of time, effort and mistakes along the way.

When Jim Gagnet wants to get things done, things get done. Those of you who don’t know Jim- know some of his work: he was one of the partners in Midtown Development that made a real difference in the Oregon District about 15 years ago. He brought what is now Pearl, but opened as the Diner on St. Clair to town- and was responsible for turning the old American Saloon into Coco’s 520 Bistro- and the current Coco’s Bistro as well (with his life partner Karen Wick).

As the owner of Pacesetter Painting- he’s also made it a mission to eliminate graffiti on Wayne Avenue of late.

Now, he owns the former Blommel sign on Wayne Avenue at Hickory- just South of US 35- and he’s painting a mural of South Park on our Northern gateway. Big murals are nothing new to Jim- you’ve seen his work on The Neon and the Oregon Railroad overpass.

South Park Mural in progress

When I first met Hindy Gruber through my work on a local film festival, I knew right away that at least one Dayton Public School was in good hands. They made a movie about one no-nonsense school principal from New York (Joe Clark, Lean on Me) and we could make one about Mrs. Gruber and her work at Van Cleeve/ McGuffy/Allen.

From uniforms to painting white lines with arrows in the halls, there is no question of what is, and isn’t, acceptable behavior in her school. Students walk on the line, with hands behind their backs, to keep things neat and orderly in her buildings. Structure, order, discipline have to be in place before learning can take place.

But, that doesn’t mean school is a drag. Inspired by the movie “Mad Hot Ballroom” Mrs. Gruber brought a little ballroom to the bario, asking inner city kids who like to dance more like Janet Jackson, to start being Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Yesterday, the championship went to her school, but, because we’re lucky enough to have a dedicated educator in Dayton doing the right thing, it wasn’t just her school, but seven others in the competition.

Middle-schoolers showcase skill at ballroom dance competition
DAYTON — On an otherwise sleepy Sunday afternoon, seventh- and eighth-graders from Dayton Public Schools brought the Dayton Masonic Center to life at their annual ballroom dance competition.

With hundreds in a cheering crowd packed around the dance floor and ringing the upstairs railing, the 56 two-person teams did the rumba, tango, merengue, swing and hustle in formal attire with plenty of teenage enthusiasm.

“You’ve got to get into it,” said Dahnae Brown, a Van Cleve Elementary eighth-grader. “You’ve got to move like you want to win.”

She and partner Chris Clark did that on all the dances, but Clark, a Van Cleve seventh-grader, said the hustle and the rumba stood out as their favorites.

Eastmont eighth-graders Thomas Allen and Jeri Myers agreed the rumba was fun after practicing for nearly two hours a night all last week.

“You had to be really dedicated,” Myers said. “It’s really exciting and fun.”

Judges, some of them professional dancers, graded the students to determine who would advance to the finals.

The event has been organized for three years by Van Cleve principal Hindy Gruber and Jefferson principal Czerny Buxton. Gruber was inspired to start the program after seeing the documentary “Mad Hot Ballroom,” about a similar program in New York City.

“Everybody in the 7th and 8th grade (at Van Cleve) has to do it at least three times, and there’s groaning and moaning and complaining, and then we end up with couples and teams,” said Gruber, who is looking for more event sponsors. “I couldn’t be prouder of the kids. It’s just amazing.”

Buxton said the dancing program can give the students a real lift.

“You never know what it’s going to be that’s going to make the difference in that child’s life,” Buxton said. “One person might have football, another basketball, but for some of these it’s ballroom dancing.”

Gruber said the competition had four schools last year, seven this year and wants to grow in future years.

For that hope, all Gruber had to do was look over at 4-year-old Matthew Holloway, who was dancing while he watched his brother Jeremiah compete.

Matthew said he’s too small to follow in his brother’s dance steps now, but he definitely wants to do it when he gets older, because “you get to move.”

It’s stories like these, that have gone untold. The Chess teams that Riley Driver sponsored, the Serious Young Musicians with Tumust Allison, the kids that Michael and Sandy Bashaw, Bing Davis and other local artists have inspired and guided all the way to Stivers, with Erin Dooley at the helm.

Dayton Public Schools may have it’s problems- but, if you look a little deeper, it has it’s heroes.

It’s official, South Park is the Neighborhoods, USA winner of 2008 Neighborhood of the Year.

The party is tonight- at the South Park Tavern, 1301 Wayne Ave.

It took a lot of people, working together, to pull this off. Kudo’s to all. I’m sure there will be some official type releases coming out soon. But for now, let’s party! And the rest of you- it’s not too late to buy a home in South Park- we’ve got a few available right now.

See this post for the original announcement that we were in the running: http://esrati.com/?p=739

OFFICIAL RELEASE

Dayton’?s Historic South Park Wins National Award
First Prize for NUSA’s Neighborhood of the Year-Physical
Revitalization
Release Date: Friday, May 23, 2008
Contact:  Karin Manovich, Historic South Park, Inc.,
kmanovich@usa.net
* *

The work of community leaders, residents and volunteers in Dayton’s South Park neighborhood has been recognized by Neighborhoods, USA (NUSA) with a first prize award for Neighborhood of the Year – Physical
Revitalization.

Historic South Park, Inc., the non-profit neighborhood association supporting revitalization of the 700-structure historic district just southeast of downtown Dayton, earned the award following a presentation on May 22, 2008, at NUSA’s national conference in Hampton, Virginia.

The annual award recognizes projects that are initiated by one neighborhood organization and focused on the physical aspects of a neighborhood such as parks, green spaces, housing improvement, lighting,
litter control, traffic management, signage and business district enhancement. Historic South Park was one of five finalists competing for the honor.

Two major projects helped Historic South Park earn the award: the development of an ambitious neighborhood master plan in 2007 in cooperation with American Institute of Architects volunteers; and the
October 2007 Rehabarama, which restored 10 historic homes for public tours and subsequent sale.

South Park’s community spirit and the creativity of our residents led to this honor, said Karin Manovich, president of Historic South Park. More than 7,000 volunteer hours were dedicated to the improvement of South Park in 2007.

The historic district’s momentum during the last 18 months has generated unprecedented demand for housing, according to Manovich.

NUSA, founded in 1975, is a national organization committed to strengthening neighborhood organizations and communities. For more information, go to www.historicsouthpark.org or www.nusa.org

Well, there is really only one that’s important- head down to downtown tonight for Urban Nights. Check out the restaurants, bars, art galleries, urban living spaces and watch the people.

There will be cool stuff happening all over- but the new green modular home on Patterson and whatever the Dayton Circus is up to in the Cannery on Wayne are my picks.

I’m sure there are lots of other festivals, activities, and things going on- anyone care to pimp their faves in the comments? What are you planning to do this weekend?

Tonight is first Friday gallery hop in the Oregon District and the Cannery- come down, check out art, people and feel like you live in a City instead of going to the Greene and feeling like you are in Disneyland.

The Shiloh Farmers’ Market opens Saturday May 3 at the corner of North Main and Philadelphia from 7am to noon – and of course there is the 2nd Street Market with “Farmers” from around here that grow bananas? It’s open from 8am to 3pm. It’s at 600 E. Second Street.

There is always a lot of local music- check around- someone is playing somewhere.

The South Park people will be at the South Park Tavern eating Pizza Factory pizza tonight from 6pm to…

I saw “Iron Man” last night- and have to say, it was really good. Make sure you stay to the very end of the credits for a hint of what’s coming next. The ending credit sequence is really cool too. This is one of the best comics to movie adaptations I’ve seen.

If you are into architectural antiques and pieces and parts- the ARC shop will be open Saturday morning- 10am to 4pm. 243 Perrine Street Dayton OH 45410. You can find stained glass, fireplace mantles, solid exterior shutters, Rookwood tile, decorative newell posts and spindles, shelving and Architectural brackets there.

If anyone else has ideas- put them in the comments.

It’s great in Dayton!

The Dayton Daily News has the good news for once:

Local neighborhood among finalists for national award
The Historic South Park Neighborhood Association is a finalist for the 2008 Neighborhood of the Year Award.

The award is presented by Neighborhoods, USA (NUSA), which announced finalists on Monday, April 14.

NUSA, which says it is the oldest grassroots organization in America, works to support neighborhood groups and presents yearly awards recognizing outstanding achievements by neighborhood organizations, businesses and municipalities.

The Historic South Park Neighborhood Association, representing the historic district south of downtown, is one of five groups being considered in the “physical revitalization” category…

…Representatives of South Park and other neighborhood nominees will put on presentations about their projects at the 33rd NUSA Conference on Neighborhood Concerns to be held May 21 to 24 in Hampton, Va. Winners are to be announced at the conference.

When I bought my house in 1986, I hardly thought I’d be in it more than 5 years- or in Dayton for that matter. Now, I’d have a hard time living in a different house, in a different neighborhood.

South Park is truly a remarkable place to live- with amazing people committed to creating a “neighborhood” with sense of place and a community spirit. NUSA couldn’t be too far off in making this neighborhood a finalist.

It’s really great in Dayton when you want it to be- there is something for everyone this weekend.

Friday night- art hops in the Oregon and the Cannery, check out local arts, and hang out with the hipsters for nothing. They are also holding “Hot Geek Love” at the Cannery Art and Design Center- where you can checkout frequent contributor to this site- Drexel Dave doing his thing.

Saturday night, in the same tradition, you can continue with the arts set with “Raks Mystique” at the Cannery, 520 E Third St- from 1pm to 1am for $8- It’s put on by the Dayton Circus. They’ll have Puzzle of Light playing and belly dancers from Sandstorm.

Saturday night you can check out the Dayton Bombers in their last game before the playoffs- which start the following day at the Nutter. If you haven’t been to a hockey game, maybe it’s your time. Sat at 7 Sunday at 5.

If hockey isn’t violent enough for you (or you only really want to see the fights)- you can head to the Convention Center and check out the latest sports craze in the country: Mixed Martial Arts. You can pay $25 to watch people kick, punch and beat each other senseless. Check out the details at Bushi Combat.

Of course, there’s always the old standbys- the orchestra is probably playing a gig- and you can catch some future superstar at Canal Street Tavern. Never mind the local theater scene, other local bands, the Dayton Art Institute.

You can sit at home and complain all you want, but, the truth is, Dayton can be as great as you want, you just have to get up, get out, and “get midwest”…. or whatever.

Party on, Garth.

Ah, to be able to get back to talking about Dayton- and not just politics.

One of the undervalued gems of the gem city is our music scene. No, we’re not Austin, but, if you are willing to make a little effort to check out local music, you’ll find we’ve got some amazing talent. Found this site by total accident- thought I’d share:

I Remember Dayton (Punk and Indie Rock)
a scrapbook of stories, pictures, and sound from Dayton music, ca 1987-94

While you’ve probably heard of the Ohio Players, Roger and Zapp, Hawthorne Heights, Guided By Voices, the Breeders, David Poe etc. there have been a ton of  other bands that know how to rock, croon, warble, wail, screech, funk, punk and twist. Saw that Nicky K would be playing Therapy Saturday night- and if you haven’t heard the king of surf rock and the theramin of Dayton- might be a good time to get your indoctrination.

Enjoy!

I own an ad agency- just like Lori Turner. It’s called The Next Wave. I’ve been in the business since 1986 and running this one since 1988 (opened the doors to the building I rehabbed in 1990).

We’ve done branding work since we began: some of the work you may be most familiar with: Pacchia, Mendelsons re-positioning, Coco’s Bistro, see identity work here.

So, I’ve been thinking about a “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” sort of line for Dayton- and this morning, in the shower, this one came to me:

Dayton is StarterTown©.

It’s where Charles Kettering invented the electric starter, but he wasn’t the first to get us started, before him came other great inventors, James Ritty with his cash register, the Wright Brothers with the airplane. It didn’t stop there, from ice cube trays and parking meters, to the pop-top. It’s still going on today, with research and development in composites, RFID, nano-tech and the next generation of air superiority is being invented at Wright Patterson Air Force Base.

Dayton is also a great place to raise a family. With all kinds of choices in types of livable communities. Affordable, with easy commutes, never far from an amazing park or cultural attraction. It’s got big city arts with a small town feel.

Higher education opportunities abound, and we’ve got one of the highest concentrations of PhD’s around.

If you need water, or power, or not have to worry about natural disasters, Dayton is rock solid- as in built on a huge aquifer of limestone that has so much water we can waste it through giant fountains (when they work) if we want. Our last flood was in 1913- and we built damns so it wouldn’t happen again. One of the biggest public works projects ever when adjusted for modern dollars.

Dayton is also where the Ohio Players started to get funky, the Breeders, Guided By Voices and Hawthorne Heights got their start. We’ve got more on the way- it’s a place that values art.

We’re also a place with heart- when the war in Bosnia needed a place to negotiate- it was Dayton where they came to sign the Peace Accord.

If you’re looking for a place where your ideas can take flight, it’s the place to get your start.

Dayton is StarterTown. On your mark, get set- Start!

You can just make out the check for 10% of what Turner Effect spent on this, and you’re welcome to it JP.

Thoughts? If you like it- consider a donation to my campaign.