WYSO's Fall Membership Campaign

Time is Running Out!

Today is the last day for WYSO's Fall Membership Campaign!

Today is the last day to pledge your support for WYSO and be counted as part of our Fall Fund Drive.

As of today, we've reached almost $213,000. We would love to get to $215,000 and end this drive $15,000 over our goal.

If you haven't had a chance to renew your membership or if you've never been a member, please click here.

Saturday at Clifton Opera House

The Clifton Opera House is going to be swingin' with the return of the Back Porch Swing Band on Saturday, November 5th at 7:30pm. They will be bringing their old timey flavor and swingin' rhythm to Clifton. This group combines the talents of several noteable musicians responsible for the tapping of thousands of feet across Ohio for the last 15 years.

The band specializes in Western Swing, but plays several musical styles , ranging from Appalachian tunes, Blues, Old Country & Folk, to Swing music from the '20's, '30's, '40's. Requests from the audience are frequently honored. Dance music includes swing, two steps, waltzes, polkas, shaddishs, and square dances. Grab your partner, those aisles were made for dancing!

The group consists of Pete Shew, lead vocals and guitar; Adam Jackson on fiddle; Kris Geis does their lead and harmony vocals; and Dale Irwin on upright bass.

The historic Clifton Opera House is located at 5 So Clay Street, Clifton. Box office opens at 2:00pm. Call 937.767.2343 for information.

Historical Society Program, Sunday

Mention the Civil War and people naturally think of the division of North and South. There was another deep division less commonly discussed, and on Sunday, Nov. 6 at 2:00 p.m. in the Yellow Springs Senior Center Great Room Wilmington College Emeritus Professor of History Larry Gara will give a program on that division, "Pacifism During the Civil War: Truly a Trial Hour." Professor Gara as a part-time peace activist and author of The Liberty Line: The Legend of the Underground Railroad and Presidency of Franklin Pierce is uniquely qualified to speak on the antiwar movement during the Civil War.

Admission is free, and light refreshments will be served.

Friday night at Clifton Opera House

On Friday, November 4th the James and Moore group will be back to Clifton entertaining you with old standards. Lou James and Pamela Moore make up the dynamic duo. The show starts at 7:30pm.

Lou has been in the music business for many years. His first major job was traveling with Dick Clark’s bands “The Cavalcade Of Stars” & “The Caravan Of Stars.“ He is also a member of “The Impossibles” and “The Ivory Doghouse.”

Pamela is new to the business, but not new to singing. She has performed at many functions over the years, but just three years ago started to live out her dream to be a “Singer.” She has a love for the music of the 30’s and 40’s, the Billie Holiday, Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald tunes. The songs that tell the stories of life.

The Clifton Opera House is located at 5 So Clay Street, box office opens at 6:30pm. Call 937-342-2175 for more information or visit the website, www.cliftonoperahouse.com.

Yellow Springs Green Home Tour

5 November 2011 from 2 to 4 pm
Sponsored by Yellow Springs Home, Inc.

Come and see what your friends and neighbors are doing to reduce their energy costs, reduce their carbon footprint and live in an environmentally responsible manner. Get ideas on what you can do.

1) 1440 Meadow Lane, Yellow Springs. Hosts Harvey and Ruth Page.

Ruth and Harvey Paige added a solar voltaic array to their back yard in May of 2011. The array is intended to supply all of their electricity needs on an annual basis, one more step towards a carbon-neutral home. Heating their well-insulated home has been accomplished using a high-efficiency wood stove, recently supplemented by a pellet stove.

2) 340 East Yellow Springs-Fairfield Road (intersection with East Enon Road), the Stockwell Farm

The Stockwell Farm has two different kinds of solar electricity production, and a small wind turbine for electricity production We also have solar panels to generate hot water for our home. These are arranged on three different roofs and the front yard of our farm homestead.

3) 736 Jacoby Road ( go east on Grinnell Road to Clifton Road, right (south) on Clifton Road then right on Jacoby Road. Hosts Paul and Gayle Sampson.

At the Sampsons you will see a large array of solar panels on the barn behind their home. With this they are able to generate enough electricity to meet their annual needs. They have detailed figures to show their cost, the paybacks by the State of Ohio and the federal government. They will also explain the way in which they receive compensation for selling credits for the energy that they generate.

4) 440 Stewart Drive, Yellow Springs. Host Pat Brown.

At the Brown home you will see an array of 25 solar panels mounted on her back roof. The home is heated by a geothermal heating system. The house is well insulated and utilizes all energy efficient appliances and lighting. It has a back-up heating unit in the living area.
At the Brown home you will also see an amazing edible forest garden that fills most of the yard. There are fruit and nut trees, berries, herbs and vegetables as well as flowers. A recently completed root cellar has been constructed in the space under the home to preserve the harvest.

5) 1635 Spillan Road, Yellow Springs, Host Joan Horn

This geothermal house was built in 1984 by Jonathan Brown and Bruce Parker It utilizes a constant air flow drawn from inside the house by a furnace fan to either warm a layer of gravel under the house, or use the 54 degree earth to cool another layer of gravel. This reduces the load on the furnace and air conditioning units lowering the utility bills. Other unique features are tough-cut cedar used for interior doors and window trim, a pair of Dutch doors for directing the flow of children and animals, and an efficient floor plane that provides rapid traffic flow between rooms.

6) 395 West North College Street, Yellow Springs, (actually to the right off W N College), hosts: Lauren Heaton and Kirk Weigard
-
This two story straw bale house is under construction by Bruce Parker. It is built on little stilts, cement piers that minimize heat loss into the ground. It is constructed of oak and maple beams reclaimed from Greene County barns, on of which also provided the recycled metal roof and interior stair and window framing. The straw, also from Green County farmers, is covered with lime plaster to minimize interior/exterior bridges that can “leak” heat. Windows were minimized on the north side and maximized on the south side4 for solar gain. Additionally, heat will be provided by rooftop solar water heaters connected to a radiant floor system.


7) 123 Cliff Street, Yellow Springs, hosts Lindie Keaton and Joel Smith

This straw bale house, built by Andy Holyoke, has an estimated R value of between 30 and 50 compared to R of 15 for a traditional stick built house. A recent energy audit shows that the hose uses a third of the gas and a quarter of the electricity of an average Yellow Springs home of comparable size. It uses passive solar energy with large windows on the south side, and active solar with solar hot water panels on the roof to supply hot water for both internal use and the radiant floor heating system. Backup heating comes from a flash gas hot water heater for the radiant floor and a wood burning stove.
Another straw bale home is being built diagonally adjacent to the Keaton/Smith home and can be seen in the early construction phase.

8) 333 King Street, Yellow Springs, under construction

This is a passive solar home under construction. It is so well insulated that it does not need a furnace for heat. It is a type that is being constructed in large numbers in Germany. It is an example of the type of construction that will become increasingly common in the USA.

Click on images to enlarge.

Back Story: Just do it!

I know there are a lot of people out there who hate the famous, long-standing Nike advertising slogan. But if you examine it without that corporate baggage, it’s really not so bad. I have lived by the motto, “Just do it!” probably since my teen years, before there was a Nike company. I always thought of it as a democratic principle, as in, this is America, anyone is free to try to do what they want, so, just do it! Do your own thing!

Living by that motto, I have done some pretty stupid things that I am too embarrassed to recount here. “Just do it!” can lead to a lifetime of failures. In my case there have been a string of them, but there have also been a few notable successes, and a few cases where I “just did” something stupid and got lucky.

Last night, after the final performance of the 10-minute Play Festival at the Presbyterian Church, a few of us were cooling down in the church office. Lorrie Sparrow, who had directed a couple of the plays and acted in one of them, stopped by to introduce herself. Although we had been involved in this project together, we had not met because the individual plays were rehearsed in different spaces at different times and had only come together for one dress rehearsal where we were all rather preoccupied.

Lorrie, as with several others involved in the 10-minute plays, has a professional background in theater. She is a terrific actress and director. She expressed her gratitude for being included in the festival. I told her we were glad to have her and hoped she would be available for future projects. She said she would and thanked us for not just talking about it but actually doing it, co-organizer Kay Reimers’ and my sentiments, exactly. “Just do it!”

The 10-Minute Play Festival to support community theater in Yellow Springs this past Thursday and Friday was one of those times when I just jumped in and did it that turned out to be a notable success. Two hundred people saw our plays over two nights. We put on a quality show and by all accounts they enjoyed it. More importantly, they seemed to come away with a resolve to continue to support community theater, as we try to jump start it by stopping all the talk and just doing it.

Thanks to Kay Reimers and all the actors, directors and writers who put this thing together. And thanks to all those enthusiastic theatergoers who came out to see what we were up to.

-vh

Community Sing - Nov. 19

Click on image to enlarge.

Little Art to bring back "Farmageddon"

On Wednesday, November 2 the Little Art Theatre is bringing back the documentary FARMAGEDDON for one screening. Showtime is at 7 PM. There will be a post-film discussion. Our regular admission will apply: $7.50 for adults. $6.50 for children, senior citizens and college students with valid photo I.D. More info. can be found on our website at: http://www.littleart.com/coming-soon.

The Undercovered at the Emporium

John Bryan Community Pottery, Oct. 29

ARTIST’S RECEPTION for TIMELINE: Revealing our past, Inspiring our future
October 29, 2011, 4:00 P.M.

John Bryan Community Pottery presents an outstanding retrospective exhibit of cermic art from its forty year history. Come meet the artists and help fill in the interactive timeline. Our third wood firing coincides with this exhibit. The community is invited.


WOOD FIRING
October 29, 2011 Early A.M. until Night

Our third wood firing in our new Manabigama (beautiful teaching kiln) is scheduled for Saturday. The kiln will be firing all day, reaching peak temperature in the early evening hours. If you have not seen a wood firing in progress, stop on down to the biggest Halloween bonfire in Yellow Springs. The wood firing coincides with the Artist’s Reception for TIMELINE.

10-minute Play Festival: One night remains

Thanks to everyone who came out to support community theater.

Tonight is the last night of the 10-minute Play Festival at the Presbyterian Church. You will be kicking yourself all year if you miss it, because that is about how long you will be hearing about it. Last night was a tremendous success. Thanks to the crowd that came out. It was a terrific verification of our core tenet: this town is ready to support community theater once again.

Blog accepting announcements/submissions

Yes, A Yellow Springs Blog will continue to publish announcements

I received a disturbing email from one of the organizations that has a link in my sidebar yesterday, asking me if the Blog would continue to publish announcements. It seems this organization, and possibly others, got an email from a person who gave them the impression that this blog had discontinued its policy of publishing announcements from responsible organizations and individuals. That could not be farther from the truth. Announcements of interest to the public are the lifeblood of the Blog. Without them, it would cease to exist.

That last statement makes me wonder about the motives of the person who sent the email and forces me to make this statement: No one, other me, is authorized to make statements or otherwise do business on behalf of A Yellow Springs Blog. If you have an announcement, please send it directly to the Blog at gunchpress@yahoo.com.

Thanks for your understanding.

-vh

Destination YS

Arts & Culture

10-minute Play Festival

First Presbyterian Church - Friday, Oct. 28, 8 pm

YS Arts Council Gallery - 309 Xenia Ave.
"Hairy Art Palace" - Saturday, October 29, 10am - 1pm

"would you, could you" In A Frame - 113 Corry St.
Jason Morgan "The Painted Table" - Through Nov. 4

Village Artisans - 100 Corry St.
Regular Hours: Mon-Sat 11 am - 5 pm, Sun 12 - 5 pm
"Dare 2B Square" - Through October 31

John Bryan Community Pottery - 100 Dayton St.
"Timelines-A Retrospective" Artists Reception October 29, 4p
Manabigama Wood Kiln Firing, All day

Glen Helen Atrium Gallery - 405 Corry St.
Bekka Sage "Souveins toi que tu va mourir" - October 2-November 14

Glen House Inn - 1221 Glen Rd.
Dan Reddiger Paintings; Sunday, October 30, 2-4p

Nature & Recreation

Glen Helen Nature Preserve - 405 Corry St. Trailside Museum
Wildflower Hike- Sunday, October 30, 1-3pm

Entertainment

Peach's Grill
104 Xenia Ave.
9:00 am - 2:30 am
Music at 10p - $5 Cover (Fri)
Fri - The Pinstripes; Reggae & Ska
Sat - Tyrd Frygyssen & the Master Exploders; a special Black Sabbath
Tribute for Yelloween $7 cover

Emporium
233 Xenia Ave.
Wine Tasting/Live Music
Friday, 6:30-10p
Halloween Party with
The Undercovered

Little Art Theatre
247 Xenia Ave.
The Ides of March
Riveting Political Thriller.

Traces of the Trade
Saturday, Oct. 29, 4 pm
Special Free Film. A story about
the slave trade in New England.

Mah Jongg restarting tomorrow

Classes start Oct. 29

Bams, cracks, and dots. If you’ve never played mah jongg, these terms may not mean much. And if you’ve never played mah jongg, you may be missing out on a very intriguing hobby. But be warned, it can be addictive.

A small but dedicated group of Villagers and nearby neighbors gather weekly to relish the game. Taught by Beavercreek resident Gina Papa, players meet at the Senior Center at 1:00pm most Saturday afternoons. Described by participants as “fascinating,” “complicated,” and/or “exciting,” the game is part skill, part luck. The complex set of rules takes time to absorb. “You have to be comfortable with the idea of feeling lost for a few weeks,” says one YS player. “But once you’ve learned the ropes, it’s enormously fun.”

Classes for those new to the game will be held during Saturday play beginning October 29th. All materials are provided, and there is no charge. If interested, please call Lin Wood or Corrine Pelzel at the Senior Center, 767-7571.

Community Theater, Tonight!

Chances are you know someone who is listed in this program:

1. "Eddie's Ark"

The driveway of Eddie Cassidy’s house on suburban Long Island.

Written and Directed by Virgil Hervey

CAST:
Mike ……………Ron Siemer
Eddie……….…..Walter Rhodes
Harry……………Jerry Buck

2. "The Recital"

A five-year-old gives her first cello recital.

Written and Directed by Shirley Mullins

CAST:
Henrietta Higgenbottom......Shirley Mullins

3. "Commitments"

When daughters dance and mothers talk.

Written by Kay Reimers

CAST:
Veronica..............Miriam Eckenrode
Betty...................Lorrie Sparrow

4. "In The Shadow Of The Mothman"

A small town Ohio restaurant, and a void.

Written and Directed by Carol Allin

CAST:
The Journalist....................Bruce B. Cromer
Boyd....................................Charlie Cromer
Melly...................................Lydia Jewett
The Captain.......................Jerome Borchers
'M'.......................................Marybeth Burkholder
Waitress.............................Zyna Bakari
A Man In Black.................Jason Sine

5. "End of An Era"

What can happen in a crowded elevator?

Written by Anthony Fife
Directed by Lorrie Sparrow

CAST:
Bruce Wayne....................Thor Sage
Woman..............................Ali Thomas
Girl Scout..........................Charlotte Walkey
Gil.......................................Ron Campbell


6. "Footnotes"

What Shakespeare really meant to say.

Written by Kay Reimers

CAST:
Florence Lorenz................Florence Lorenz
Footnotes...........................Howard Shook

20-year-old Halloween video on CATV

This from Carol Cottom:

If people haven't seen the video from Halloween 1990 or maybe 1991 currently running on channel 5 try to see it. What a great trip down memory lane!

Too many people to mention, really, and I couldn't even watch the entire video! Gene Trolander interviews kids at the bonfires and around town. Ken Tregillus is heard behind the camera.

Richard Lapedes with Helen and Will-- Rudegairs with Dustin-- Lisa and Shelley Crosswhite-- Carolyn Keefe-- Abi and Dan Katz-Stein with Zach-- Stilwell-Currents with Andrew,--it just goes on and on. Are all the channel 5 videos at the library?

Second Sunday Free Writers' Workshop on Nov. 13

Finding Your Voice

The Antioch Writers' Workshop and Books & Co are offering the next free Second Sunday Free Writers' Workshop on November 13, 2:00-3:30 p.m. at Books & Co at The Greene. The topic will be "Finding Your Voice," presented by author and assistant professor of English, Rebecca Morean.

Rebecca Morean is a novelist, short story writer, essayist, and grant writer. She's the author of In the Dead of Winter (St. Martin's Press) along with numerous stories and articles. An assistant professor of English at Sinclair Community College, she's the director for the college's annual creative writing contest. She also serves as a board member for the Antioch Writers' Workshop and teaches workshops on a variety of writing-related topics.

Find your voice with Rebecca Morean at Books & Co at The Green on November 13 from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m.. No reservations are required for the Second Sunday Free Writers' Workshop, but expressed intention to attend is appreciated. Call Books & Co at The Greene at 937- 429-6302.

For more information about Antioch Writers' Workshop or the Second Sunday Free Writers' Workshop, visit http://www.antiochwritersworkshop.com or email info@antiochwritersworkshop.com.

The Antioch Writers' Workshop will be held July 7-13, 2012 in partnership with Antioch University Midwest and with support from the Yellow Springs Community Foundation; Ohio Arts Council; The Frank Pace, Jr. Foundation; and WYSO (media sponsor).

Zombie Walk

A reader found this photo of Tom Osborne and Susan Gartner at Saturday's Zombie Walk on ActiveDayton.Com. I know the Blog's Chief Cartoonist is going to like this.

Click here for more Zombie Walk photos.

Community Theater at its most competitive

Click here for the program order and complete casting information.

African-American Representation in Feature Films Series

Bush Mama (1975) by Haile Gerima

Thursday, October 27
7:00 PM
Nonstop Institute
305 N. Walnut St., Yellow Springs
donation

This independent film by Haile Gerima (who also directed Sankofa, 1993) emerged from the renowned LA School of filmmakers (UCLA, early 1970s). Bush Mama was shot on the streets of Los Angeles in the 1970s and traces the connections between the social control inherent in the welfare system and state-sponsored terrorism, with a stunning lead performance by Dayton’s Barbara O. The story follows a young woman whose husband, a Vietnam vet, is imprisoned for a crime hasn’t committed and whose daughter is struggling with political and cultural messages of the period. Blurring the boundaries between regulation, coercion and policing, Gerima develops multiple narratives of resistance.

About the African-American Representation in Feature Films series and workshop screenings on Thursdays at Nonstop October-November, 2011: Starting in mid-October and continuing every Thursday through November 3, Bob Devine will introduce screenings of a series of important and sometimes difficult-to-access narrative films dealing with African-American representation by African-American directors and by Hollywood (1964-1989). Future screenings include works by Charles Burnett, and Spike Lee. People are encouraged to attend these screenings/workshop discussions as a series, or to attend the individual screenings of specific films. For information on the entire series, go to the website: nonstopinstitute.org.

About the instructor: Bob Devine was one of the founding members of Antioch College’s critical Communications program, has been teaching courses in media and social change, film and communications theory for 40 years, and has been actively involved in the fields of community media, public access and participatory democratic media outside the academy. In 2005 Bob served as Interim Executive Director of Manhattan Neighborhood Network, and in 2008 he served an extended term as an Executive Consultant for O‘lelo Community Media in Honolulu, these organizations being the two largest community media centers in the country. At Antioch, Bob served as President of the College from 1996-2001, while continuing to teach in the field of communication and community media; most recently Bob taught courses and independent studies for Nonstop. Bob is the 1994 recipient of the Alliance for Community Media’s George Stoney Award, recognizing his national contributions to the field of community media, and the 2002 recipient of the Antioch College Alumni Association’s J.D. Dawson Award recognizing his contributions to the College. Bob is also the director of several dozen documentaries.

Demons are lurking everywhere in YS

Clemency has a resulted in early release for one lucky guy at the old jailhouse.

Photo Bob Swaney. More Yelloween Scarecrow photos can be viewed here.

Little Art to bring back "Farmageddon"

Due to popular demand, on Wednesday, November 2 the Little Art Theatre is bringing back the documentary FARMAGEDDON for one screening. Showtime is at 7 PM. There will be a post-film discussion. Our regular admission will apply: $7.50 for adults. $6.50 for children, senior citizens and college students with valid photo I.D. More info. can be found at http://www.littleart.com/coming-soon/.

Bench to Nowhere: Whatever happened to the dog park?

A Cool Town Toon

Community theater at its most literate

Food Pantry Fundraiser, Nov. 12

Holiday Bazaar

Help The Community Food Pantry
Bring a food/item/$$ donation

**Door prize drawings**

Saturday, November 12, 9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Basement of the Yellow Springs United Methodist Church
Corner of Dayton and Winter Streets

Local crafters who are interested in participating are welcome to contact Karen Metzger at rolfnkaren@yahoo.com.

Historical Society Program, Nov. 6

Mention the Civil War and people naturally think of the division of North and South. There was another deep division less commonly discussed, and on November 6 at 2:00 p.m. in the Yellow Springs Senior Center Great Room Wilmington College Emeritus Professor of History Larry Gara will give a program on that division, "Pacifism During the Civil War: Truly a Trial Hour." Professor Gara as a part-time peace activist and author of The Liberty Line: The Legend of the Underground Railroad and Presidency of Franklin Pierce is uniquely qualified to speak on the antiwar movement during the Civl War.

Admission is free, and light refreshments will be served.

Saturday at Clifton Opera House

A traditional favorite is returning to Clifton. The Kettering Banjo Society will perform on Saturday, October 29th at 7:30pm. This group has been a staple performer at the Opera House over the years. Come out and tap your toes, these guys are a lot of fun! The Clifton Opera House is located at 5 So Clay Street, Clifton. The box office opens at 6:30pm. Call 937.767.2343 for more information.

Community theater at its most elevating

North Hall to get $5.4 million renovation

The Antioch College Board of Trustees authorized College administrators to move ahead with plans for a $5.4 million renovation of North Hall, one of three original buildings on the 160-year-old campus, President Mark Roosevelt said.

“If we are successful in reaching our recruiting goal next year—and we think we will be—we will not have enough beds in Birch to house all of our new students,” Roosevelt said. “Restoring one of our original campus buildings would also be an incredibly important symbolic win for us as we continue to rebuild Antioch College.”

Scheduled to begin in November, the North Hall renovation is based on plans submitted by Pittsburgh firm MacLachlan, Cornelius & Filoni after several visits to campus and meetings with a steering committee that included senior administrators, faculty, and representatives of the Board of Trustees’ facilities committee. (The architects' presentation is online at http://antiochcollege.org/news/archive/3210.html)

The plan would add a full-service kitchen, an apartment, larger bathrooms, and four doubles (eight beds) on the first floor. Floors two through four would each have 15 doubles (30 beds) and singles for resident hall advisors. The upper floors would also have kitchenettes and at least two lounges or common areas. An elevator would be installed to make the building ADA compliant.
In keeping with the College’s focus on sustainability, the renovation includes several green features: double rooms and shared bathrooms; improvements to the building’s envelope; low-flow plumbing fixtures; a geothermal mechanical system; lighting controls; heat recovery systems; low VOC materials; repurposed furniture; and use of regional materials. Once the renovation is complete, the contractor would seek LEED certification, recognized national standard for measuring building sustainability.

Antioch College enrolled 35 full-time, residential students this fall. Next year, the College hopes to enroll at least 75 first-year students. The only functioning dormitory, Birch Hall, can house 108 residents. With approximately 28,000 square feet, North Hall would accommodate an additional 101 students in double rooms. The second dorm would provide the campus with enough room to house a new class as well as the live-in resident life managers to provide around-the-clock management and supervision of the dormitories.

Designed by A.M. Merrifield of Worcester, Massachusetts, North Hall was primarily a women’s dormitory, though it housed male students while South Hall—the men’s dormitory—was being completed. Horace Mann, the college’s first president, and his family lived in two rooms on the second floor until their house was finished. At the time of construction, Antioch’s dormitories were larger than any at Harvard—a fact the College was quite proud of.

Modern plumbing was installed in the 1920s, under the direction of President Arthur Morgan who called the previous sanitation facilities “an indescribable antediluvian scandal.” Prior to the plumbing upgrade, students used an octagonal sanitation tower several stories high that was connected to North Hall by bridges.

North Hall survived several fires, including a chimney fire in January 1866 and a larger, more destructive fire in February 1953 that completely gutted the building. The 100-year-old shell survived the blaze and the interior was renovated with steel beams and wrought iron furniture.
This will be the fifth campus building to be restored or renovated since Antioch College regained its independence in the fall of 2009.

The Olive Kettering Library was the only College building to remain open after the 2008 closure. Crumbling bricks on the building’s south-facing wall were replaced. In January 2010, College leaders rededicated South Hall after the building’s interior was again renovated for use as the College’s central administration building. Birch Hall, the dormitory, and McGregor Hall, a classroom and office building, were both renovated in preparation of the arrival of students and faculty.

Honeysuckle removal at the Library

The volunteers

Before

After

Thanks to the hardworking team of Master Gardeners and Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalists who met on October 22 to remove the invasive honeysuckle from the grounds of the library, and additional thanks to Bentino's and HaHa Pizza for contributing their lunch.

Additional photos on the Yellow Springs Library Association Facebook page

Friday night at Clifton Opera House

Clifton Opera House hosts the New Carlisle based "Boston Boy" Bluegrass band on Friday, October 28th at 7:30pm. The Boys return to Clifton!

Boston Boy was founded when a group of "like minded" musicians got together to "jam." They started taking note of the skills, talents and playing styles of one another and the love of traditional style bluegrass, and "Boston Boy" was formed. The name of the band comes from the line in the late, great Bill Monroe's song "Uncle Pen."

Box office opens at 6:30pm. The Clifton Opera House is located at 5 So. Clay Street. Call 937.767.2343 for advance ticket information or visit the website www.villageofclifton.com.

Gone from Point Pleasant

Mothman coming to Yellow Springs..?

Click on article to enlarge.

What goes up, must come down. What leaves one place, must arrive at another. Find out where the Mothman went, Thursday, Oct. 27 and Friday, Oct. 28 at 8:00 p.m. at the 10-minute Play Festival, First Presbyterian Church of Yellow Springs.

Coming to the Little Art, Oct. 26 & 29

Black Film Festival

Wednesday, October 26 at 7 PM and Saturday, October 29th at 4 PM as part of the Elaine Comegy’s Black Film Festival there will be 2 FREE screenings of the documentary TRACES OF THE TRADE sponsored by the Village of YS Schools, The Human Relations Commission and the 365 Project. Students are encouraged to attend. More info. Can be found on our website at: http://www.littleart.com/events/traces-trade/.

Candidates Forum, Oct. 30

Click on image to enlarge.

Back Story: Flea Season

Most of what I am about to impart is anecdotal. About the most official pronouncement on this matter I can quote came in an email I received from the Website where I purchase my dog’s flea and tick medication. It arrived yesterday and stated that fall is flea and tick season, because the little buggers like to hide in the fallen leaves that dogs are so fond of playing in. My neighbor expanded on this over the backyard fence when she said that in the cooler weather fleas are looking for a nice warm body such as your dog’s.

Borrowing a phrase from the Occupy Wall Street movement, I can now tell you that that about 99% of the dogs in town have suddenly come down with a case of fleas. The other 1% apparently never goes outside.

As a newbie dog owner, this is my first flea season, and it caught me by surprise. Suddenly one night, the pooch was all itchy and scratchy. So, we rolled her over and examined her underside. She cooperated fully, thinking she was about to be the recipient of a belly rub. We found a couple of live ones (runners as we have come to call them) and a lot of what we thought might be eggs. Panic ensued. We picked off everything we saw and resolved to call the vet in the morning.

“We can give her a pill to boost her flea and tick medication,” the receptionist told me over the phone.

I was planning on stopping by to weigh her anyway. “We’ll be right down.”

After discussing Suki’s situation more thoroughly in person, we opted out of the pill. We had come to the conclusion that the monthly medication just needed more time to work. Maybe there was something else to ease the problem until the meds caught up. So we were off to the store to look for alternatives. What we found were a dozen different kinds of flea shampoos, collars and sprays.

We bought a spray. Unfortunately, the complete directions and warnings were hidden under the label and could only be accessed after purchase. When I got the bottle home and read them, I was pretty sure I did not want to expose my dog to such extreme toxicity. So we flipped the dog over and went back to the intense work of flea hunting.

After another day, it became apparent we were losing the battle. Amy was starting to talk about the spray. I advised against it. “You’ll kill the dog,” I said. She and Suki disappeared downstairs. When the dog came back up, she was all wet and sticky. Amy had spot sprayed the dog. I was livid. One of the positive pieces of advice on the label was not to spot spray, as it would just cause the fleas to move to a different area. Their advice was to spray the entire dog. To me this was not an option, especially in view of the warning that the product is toxic to humans and domestic animals. They even advise washing your hands if you come into contact with it.

The next day, the fleas appeared to have vacated their premises. The day after that, they were back again. It was time to go the shampoo route. Of the dozens of shampoos available at PetSmart, we chose one that promised to kill fleas and their eggs for 30 days. The day after applying it, there was nary a flea to be found on our baby’s belly. A couple days later, we spotted a couple runners. Give it time, I thought.

Real life always manages to intrude on the best laid plans and the instructions on the bottle. I had left the dog at our daughter’s house in Fairborn. She was there to play in the backyard with her cousin dog for a few hours while I tried to get some work done. When I went to pick her up, the two dogs smelled like manure. The odor was so bad, I drove her back to Yellow Springs with the windows open. As soon as I got back, I bathed her with conventional doggie shampoo. In a couple days, we were back where we started, fleawise. Since then, we have gone to a shampoo that is formulated for weekly use. We are keeping our fingers crossed.

Throughout most of the above, we thought we were alone in this problem. I did remember one story from some friends who had been caring for someone else’s dog, when it came down with fleas. But, that was during the summer. I wasn’t hearing anything from other dog owners. I thought it might be that it just wasn’t the kind of thing one talked about. Finally it came up at a meeting of nonprofit CEOs I was attending.

“How’s your dog?” someone asked.

“My dog has fleas,” I said.

It was like the floodgates had opened. Everyone had a story.

“Town fleas are worse than the ones out in the country,” someone said.

“It’s been a problem ever since they weakened the formula for the flea and tick medication, because some dogs were having a reaction to it,” someone else offered.

My God! I thought. I am not alone. I have always been a big proponent of misery loves company. I was beginning to feel better, until I came to the realization that no one had an answer to the problem.

Community Theater at its Cutest

Catch Yellow Springs' most beloved music teacher in her one-woman play, "The Recital."

At the library this Thursday

Click on poster to enlarge.

All-night Horror Movie Marathon, tonight

Little Art Theatre, Saturday, Oct. 22


Don't forget the Little Art's Fifth and Final All-night Horror Movie Marathon tonight. The marathon begins at 9:30 p.m. Doors open at 9 p.m.

Tickets for the marathon are $20 each. To buy tickets or to learn more information about the films, the schedule, our costume contest, concession offerings, and why this will most likely be the Little Art's final horror movie marathon, visit http://horrorfest.littleart.com. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the Little Art box office the night of the event.

This year's horror marathon will once again showcase seven feature films, including rare 35mm screenings of Alfred Hitchcock's "Rear Window" and "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein," as well as pristine, high-def digital presentations of Ridley Scott's director's cut of "Alien" and Blue Underground's newly restored edition of Lucio Fulci's "Zombie."

The marathon lineup also includes three area premieres: "Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil" is a hilarious, gory, good-spirited horror comedy, doing for killer rednecks what "Shaun of the Dead" did for zombies. The British import "Attack the Block" is a fast, funny, frightening action adventure movie that pits a teen gang against an invasion of savage alien monsters. Finally, "The Human Centipede II: Full Sequence" will conclude the marathon, so patrons can enjoy all the other films without feeling obligated to endure this one.

There will be a costume contest at about 11:30 p.m. The winner will be determined by audience applause. Contest prizes include posters and DVDs. At least 50 classic and contemporary horror trailers will also be shown throughout the evening.

The Little Art Theatre in Yellow Springs is a nonprofit cinema showcasing the best in contemporary and classic film. More information about the theater can be found at littleart.com or by phone at 937.767.7671.

Update: WYSO moves off-air to Saturday

WYSO had originally scheduled the installation of a new antenna on their tower for today to replace the one that was struck by lightning in July. Due to weather conditions, they will now be installing the new antenna on Saturday (10/22). They we'll be off the air for a number of hours, roughly between 10am and 4pm.

You can still hear their programming online at wyso.org.

The stars will be out

Pumpkin Launch

The Mullin family eighth annual pumpkin launch will be held at their farm on Saturday, Nov 5 starting at 2pm. Kids are encouraged to bring their jack o'lantern, though they can't promise to get them all launched.

"If you'd like to see how our trebuchet stands up to the competition we will also be at Young's Dairy this Saturday, Oct 22 at noon in the First Midwest Pumpkin Chunk Competition," Caroline, Paul, Max and Anna wrote in a recent email to the blog.

"Touring Ohio" to feature Yellow Springs

The TV & Media Blog at Cincinnati.com is reporting on a new cable TV show called "Touring Ohio." The show, which will highlight the unique features of Ohio towns, will feature Yellow Springs. It will take viewers to Oxford, Montgomery Inn and Yellow Springs and other places that are “charming, vibrant, eclectic, beautiful and flat out fun," the post reports.

TV & Media Blog: Touring Ohio’ Debuts on Time Warner

Destination YS

Arts & Culture

YS Arts Council Gallery - 309 Xenia Ave.
"Hairy Art Palace" - October 22 & 29, 10am - 1pm

"would you, could you" In A Frame - 113 Corry St.
Jason Morgan "The Painted Table" - Through Nov. 4

Village Artisans - 100 Corry St.
Regular Hours: Mon-Sat 11 am - 5 pm, Sun 12 - 5 pm
"Dare 2B Square" - Through October 31
Artist Reception - October 21, 6-9p

John Bryan Community Pottery - 100 Dayton St.
"Timelines-A Retrospective" October 22 & 23, 1-4p

Glen Helen Atrium Gallery - 405 Corry St.
Bekka Sage "Souveins toi que tu va mourir" - October 2-November 14

Glen House Inn - 1221 Glen Rd.
Dan Reddiger Paintings, October 23, 2-4p

Nature & Recreation

Glen Helen Nature Preserve - 405 Corry St. Trailside Museum
Wildflower Hike- October 23, 1-3pm
Family Fall Fun Festival - October 23, 6:30-8:30p
Pumpkin Carving, S'mores by the campfire; $20/family

Entertainment

Peach's Grill
104 Xenia Ave.
9:00 am - 2:30 am
Music at 10p - $5 Cover
Fri - The Cliftones; Roots Reggae
Sat - Rockwell 7; Rock, Blues R&B

Emporium
233 Xenia Ave.
Wine Tasting/Live Music
Friday, 6:30-10p
Jeanne Ulrich & Friends

Little Art Theatre
247 Xenia Ave.
Silent Souls (Area Premiere)
In Russian with English subtitles.
Horror Movie Marathon
7 features, 50 trailers
Saturday October 22, 9:30

The Painted Table Online

The Painted Table
A closer look at the edible & more ...
new paintings by artist Jason Morgan

This from the artist: The gallery exhibit of still life paintings “The Painted Table, A closer look at the edible and more...” was a success. If you were able to come to opening night, I thank you very much for attending. If you are not able to make it to the gallery you can see images of the paintings on my website at the following link:

http://jasonmorganportraits.com/GalleryStill_Life.html

Best regards,
Jason

At the Library this Saturday

Click on poster to enlarge.

Community Theater at its Funniest

The Coots Repertory Company consists of Jerry Buck, Walter Rhodes and Ron Siemer. Resident playwright is Virgil Hervey. The Coots' previous play, "Parking Spaces," won the Audience Favorite category at the Corner Cone 10-Minute Play Festival in 2010.

Disclosure: Virgil Hervey DBA Gunch Press is the publisher of A Yellow Springs Blog.

Rocky & Pee Wee: The Weather Report

Saturday at Clifton Opera House

The Clifton Opera House welcomes the return of the Rock Island Plow Company on Saturday, October 22nd at 7:30pm.

Rock Island Plow Company was formed in 2004 with a group of veteran musicians. Each member has an extensive personal musical background which includes rock-n-roll, country and bluegrass music. This variety of talent has formed a strong foundation for the high-energy and technical music they play.

Rock Island Plow Company has a strong commitment for maintaining the classic bluegrass style performed by Flatt & Scruggs and Bill Monroe in the early days of bluegrass, coupled with newer bluegrass music written for today’s audience. Rock Island Plow Company has been playing at local venues and festivals since their inception and continues to increase their fan base each year.

The group strives to revitalize listeners to those songs which may have been forgotten since the early days of bluegrass making them once again the favorites of fans as in former days gone past. At the same time, they respect where bluegrass is today and perform favorites from such groups as The Lonesome River Band, Country Gentlemen, Larry Sparks and IIIrd Tyme Out just to name a few. Rock Island Plow Company will continue to impress show-goers and keep them coming back for more. Rock Island Plow Company members include Stanley Taylor (mandolin, vocals), Bill Bach (banjo, vocal), Kenton Moore (lead guitar, vocals), Rick Hagens (upright bass) and Doyle Wright of WYSO Radio (guitar, lead vocals). Check out Rock Island Plow Company at www.ripcomusic@com.

The show starts at 7:30pm, box office opens at 6:30pm. Suggested door donation $7.00.

10-minute Play Festival News

Hervey & Reimers take to the airwaves

Ten-minute Play Festival organizers Virgil Hervey and Kay Reimers will be interviewed by "WYSO Weekend" host Jerry Kenney at 10:30 this Sunday morning on WYSO-93.1. Plan on being in church at that time..? Not to worry, a podcast of the interview will be available on wyso.org soon after the interview.

Every Sunday morning on "WYSO Weekend" host Jerry Kenney brings you the news of issues, interviews, arts and cultural events from across the Miami Valley. WYSO Weekend is WYSO's Radio Magazine.

Disclosure: Virgil Hervey DBA Gunch Press is the publisher of A Yellow Springs Blog.

Demons are lurking everywhere in YS

Drive through the shopping district in Yellow Springs over the next two weeks for a holiday display that’s vintage Yellow Springs, the Yelloween Scarecrow Project. Over 34 local businesses have created scarecrows that are installed on poles along the Xenia Avenue, Corry St. and Dayton St.

The scarecrows are colorful, creative, some a little scary but all evocative of the business that they are representing. Built atop a 10’ metal pole, each scarecrow is unique with a variety of materials and techniques used but all attracting a great deal of attention as people stop to look and take pictures.

The Yelloween Scarecrow Project is the vision of Cathy Christian from Ye Olde Trail Tavern who collaborated with Bob Swaney of Corner Cone and Mindy Harney of Brother Bear’s Coffee to make it happen. The scarecrows will be on display through October 31.

Other Yelloween activities include the Zombie Walk on October 22 from 5 until 10 at 100 Corry St. with live music and dancing. This family-friendly event is also a fundraiser for local organizations Home Inc. and the Food Pantry. Little Art Theatre will host their final Horror Movie Marathon with seven terrifying thrillers and 50 classic trailers starting at 9:30.

Then on Saturday October 29, Hallow Gene’s Creepy Carnival is fun for the whole family starting at 2:30 with carnival games, music, root beer floats and an adult beer garden. Then the Monster’s Ball on Corry St. features DJ Shane Creepingbear from 8:30-10:30 pm. Come in costume and dance in the streets. Finally, join in or watch Thrill the World, a world-wide simultaneous re-enactment of Michael Jackson’s Thriller dance happening at the Bryan Center at 10 pm.

For more information contact the Yellow Springs Chamber of Commerce at 937.767.2686 or visit DestinationYellowSprings.com. If you can’t visit, check out our Yellow Springs OH Facebook page to see all of the scarecrows.

Photo supplied by the Yellow Springs Chamber of Commerce. More Yelloween Scarecrow photos can be viewed here.

Friday night at Clifton Opera House

The Clifton Opera House presents the entertaining celtic band "Knot Fibb'n" on Friday, October 21st at 7:30pm and we are NOT FIBBING, it is going to be a great show!

From Columbus to Nashville, Chicago, Brooklyn & Savannah, through Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Iowa & Wisconsin ... presenting a unique, crisp style to the traditional Irish-American music scene, the four members of Knot Fibb’n have covered a lot of ground performing, recording and entertaining tens of thousands of fans in the years since they first joined forces around a dining room table in November of 1997.

Their schedule is a busy one — Knot Fibb’n has played the Bethlehem Celtic Classic, Dublin Irish Festival & Blarney Bash, Chicago Gaelic Park Irish Festival, Hunter Mountain International Celtic Festival, Manheim Celtic Fling, Columbus Arts Festival, Brooklyn Great Irish Fair, Rochester Irish Festival, Ohio State Fair, Old Tyme Folk Music and Celtic Music Festivals in Waynesville, Dayton Celtic Festival, Dayton Feis 2000, Highland Folk Festival in Delaware, Middfest in Middletown, Multicultural Festival in Parkersburg WV, and various other festivals and concert series in Ohio, West Virginia, New York, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin.

The band has completed two four-night runs at the Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville, and has also played many of the Irish-themed pubs and clubs in the Central Ohio, Cincinnati and Dayton areas. Knot Fibb'n has opened for Chicago fiddler Liz Carroll and Irish guitarist John Doyle, Cape Breton Nova Scotia fiddler Natalie MacMaster, Irish-American supergroup Solas, Irish rockers The Prodigals, Celtic accordionist John Whelan, Irish musician Larry Kirwan and his Bronx, NY-based band Black 47, and Nashville Celtic band Ceili Rain. www.knotfibbin.com

The Clifton Opera House is located at 5 So. Clay Street, Clifton. It is owned and operated by the Village of Clifton. All donations are used for the maintenance of the historic Opera House. The box office opens at 6:30pm. Call 937.767.2343 for information.

Howl-O-Ween

Click on poster to enlarge.

Friday night at the Wine-Tasting

Jeanne Ulrich and friends

There will be good music and wine this Friday night, October 21, from 7-10 pm at the Emporium. Jeanne Ulrich and friends -Carl Shumacher, Greg Dewey, and Tim Beach- will be providing the music. Come out to BAILAR, ESCUCHAR, y REUNIRSE con AMIGOS- oh, and BEBER. (That was a little test of your high school Spanish.) Hope to see you there!

Bench to Nowhere: Hair today, gone tomorrow

A Cool Town Toon

Friday afternoon at Clifton Opera House

New matinee series

On Friday, October 21st the Clifton Opera House will kick off a new matinee series. The show starts at 1:30pm and will feature Glen Parks Banjo Entertainment. Senior facilities and anyone interested in some afternoon entertainment are invited to participate. Come out and enjoy a fun Friday afternoon. The box office will open at 12:30pm, tickets are $5.00. Call 937.767.2343 for more information. The Clifton Opera House is located at 5 So. Clay Street, Clifton. The Clifton Opera House is handicap accessible.