Saturday, June 30, 2012

Bench to Nowhere: Where have all the flowers gone?

A Tiny Town Toon

Click on image to enlarge.

Canceled tonight - Clifton Opera House

ANNOUNCEMENT

The power is out at the Clifton Opera House, so there will not be a show this evening, Sat. June 30th.

See you next weekend when things are back to normal.

AWW Free Events

Free Events at the 27th Annual Antioch Writers' Workshop

This year's workshop features several events that are free and open to the public. All events take place in the auditorium at Antioch University Midwest (900 Dayton Street, Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387) and are followed by a book signing in the lobby, unless noted otherwise.

Saturday, July 7 at 7:00 p.m. -- Bestselling author John Grogan (Marley and Me, which was also made into a major motion picture, and The Longest Trip Home) will give a Keynote Address: "Write What is in Your Heart, Success Will Follow."

Sunday, July 8, 7:00 p.m. -- Faculty Readings by Linda Gerber, Jim Daniels, and Trudy Krisher.

Monday, July 9, 7:00 p.m. -- Faculty Readings by Hallie Ephron, Sandi Wisenberg, and Chet Kelly Robinson.

Tuesday, July 10, 7:00 p.m. -- Readings by First Book Speaker Dave Halperin and Faculty members Jeff Gundy and Crystal Wilkinson.

Wednesday, July 11, 7:00 p.m. -- "Open mic" night reading featuring workshop participants at The Emporium (coffee and wine shop) in Yellow Springs.

Thursday, July 12, 7:00 p.m. -- Faculty Readings by Carrie Bebris, Jerry Dennis and Les Edgerton.

Friday, July 13, 7:00 p.m. -- Reading by selected participants from Afternoon Seminars (no book signings).

Complete reader bios and a full schedule of Antioch Writers' Workshop events are available at www.antiochwritersworkshop.com.

Friday, June 29, 2012

Emergency Cooling Center designated

The Village Manager of the Village of Yellow Springs has designated the John Bryan Community Center, 100 Dayton Street, Yellow Springs, OH as a 24-hour Emergency Cooling Center during the current heat wave and until further notice. The Community Center may be accessed through the doors marked "Police Department." If you need further information, please call the Police Department's non-emergency number at 767-7206.

Noodle Factory at Bogey's tonight


The Noodle Factory is playing at Bogey's tonight friday from 8pm - 12am , there will be a $3 door fee.

Bogey's is a bar and grill on 68 between Yellow Springs and Springfield, at the Rock Lakes Golf Course. Note it is a Bar and so may limit patrons underage if not accompanied by a parent.

Click here for map.

The Noodle Factory is Natalie Sanders, Brandon Semler, Rick Sanders, Matt Denman. .

Like us out at facebook for more notifications.

We hope you can make it.

Back Story: My infirmity

It's Monday night. As usual, I show up for band rehearsal a few minutes early to warm up. I'm packing two horns in my Reunion Blues doubler bag, an old English Besson shepherd's crook cornet and a Bach Stradivarius trumpet. I may be a hacker, but I come well-equipped. I'm cool.

I decide to warm up on the cornet. I normally start with long tones in the lowest range. I put my lips to the mouthpiece and start to blow. The cornet sounds weird, a bit stuffy, as if it has a blockage. I keep trying. It's playing, but it sounds lousy. I put it away and pull out my trumpet. Damn, if I'm not having the same problem... This confuses and depresses me, but I decide to continue on.

James calls a number and we start to play. I'm still having a rough time, but I keep trying, stopping every now-and-then to give it a rest. My lips feel puffy. I realize the problem is with me, not with my horns. After a couple of pieces, I call it quits and head home. I think I am having an allergy problem. I figure it will be gone by morning.

Amy is glad to see me home early. We walk the dog for 40 minutes. I feel fine. I read until I am ready to go to sleep. When I get up in the morning, I realize I am not fine. I look in the mirror. It looks like the right side of my face, not just the lip, is puffy. Otherwise, everything seems okay.

By evening, the family is starting to take notice of my face. The kid says I am not blinking with my left eye. I think he's kidding. But, by Wednesday morning, I realize he is right. The problem is with the left side. It's droopy and not functioning right. I'm thinking Bell's Palsy. Amy and my buddy Walter are thinking stroke. They are urging me to go to the doctor. I know it's not a stroke. Or if it was, it was a small one and it's well over. Everything else is functioning fine. I have some tough stuff to get through while working at home. I am not having any problem doing my work. I tell them if I'm not better by the next morning, I will go see the doctor. That's just the way I roll - slowly...

It's Thursday morning. I am not better; I am not worse. I call the doctor's office. One is on vacation, the other one will not be in. The woman who answers the phone asks me to spell my name. I have trouble pronouncing the "V" in Virgil and again in Hervey. She tells me to go to the emergency room. She thinks I am having a stroke. Amy is at work. I know that going to the hospital will end up being an all-day affair. What am I going to do with the dog? It's going to be a 100 fffffffing degrees. (I'm having trouble with the "F" as well.) I can't leave her outside. Walter says he will drive me as soon as he is finished with a morning appointment. I call Amy. She says to leave the dog in the house with the AC on; she is coming home.

Amy gets home before Walter is done. We leave the dog and she drops me at the emergency room at Greene Memorial. The nurse who greets me is pretty, I mean really pretty. She seems concerned. They are not busy, so she gets me right into a room and starts asking questions. After she has heard the entire story, including the part about the trumpet and all that procrastination, she winks at me and whispers, "I'm thinking Bell's Palsy. But we're going to have to give you an EKG and a Cat Scan just to be sure." More nurses and technicians, poking and prodding and taking blood, like about 10 pints of blood, a chest x-ray, hooked up to oxygen. I look at the pretty nurse. She smiles and mouths the words to me again, "Bell's Palsy."

A physician's assistant comes on scene and asks me all the same questions. She is pretty too; not drop dead pretty like the first nurse, but kinda like Debra Winger, "Urban Cowby" pretty. When she hears that I first noticed the problem on Monday, she asks me what took me so long to get to the ER.

"I have an aversion to doctors and hospitals," I say.

She smirks. "It's probably Bell's Palsy," she says, "or by now you'd be in really bad shape."

"That's what I've been thinking all along."

They send me for the Cat Scan. The technician who rolls me up there asks me where I live. When she hears Yellow Springs, she tells me she lives in Xenia, but goes to Zumba at the Bryan Center. What is it with this ffffffing Zumba, anyway?

They leave me alone back in ER while they evaluate the tests. I have my e-book reader with me. I am reading "The Complete Idiot's Guide to the History of Middle East Conflict." I am alone for a half-hour or so. Amy has come and gone to the waiting room. She is barely talking to me. I'm just waiting to get checked out.

A doctor comes in and tells me I have Bell's Palsy. The pretty nurse is there, too. I tell her, "I kept telling everybody that's what's wrong with me." She smiles and reminds me not to wait so long the next time I have a problem.

I am alone again. A pretty fifty-something woman comes in and asks me to sign a paper. She starts removing all the sensors and other stuff they have stuck all over my body. She is flirting with me big time. I'm 67 and one-half of my face is like something from "The Phantom of the Opera." I'm thinking these people must have special training to make the patients feel good.

Get up this morning. Nothing has changed. I have trouble with my Fs, and Vs and now my Ps. I still look scary when I see myself in the mirror. But hey, it's only Bell's Palsy. It could be worse. And all those pretty nurses... Maybe I will get myself to the fffffing hospital sooner next time.

-vh

Destination YS


Arts & Culture 

Antioch College Herndon Gallery One Morgan Place
SOURCE; 6/1 -8/17. Gallery hours Tu-Sa 1-4p.

Emporium Wines 233 Xenia Ave., 937.767.7077
Entrophy & Reclamation: The Art of Tom Watson III; 6/16-8/12

Glen Helen Atrium Gallery 405 Corry St., 937.769.1902
Memory of Seasons: Watercolors by Misuk Goltz & Yuki Hall; 7/1-8/29
Opening Reception - 7/8, 2-4p

Village Artisans 100 Corry St., 937.767.1209
A special members collection and new fiber artist Pam Geisel.

Yellow Springs Arts Council Gallery 111 Corry St., 679.9722
EXUBERANCE: Monday Morning Artists; 6/15-7/14
Gallery Open Wednesday-Sunday, 1-4p

Nature & Recreation

Glen Helen Nature Preserve 405 Corry St.; 937.769.1902
South Glen Restoration Project - 6/30, 7-11a; rsvp 769.1902 x103
Wild, Edible & Useful Plants Hike - 6/23, 4-6p, Trailside Museum
Farm Volunteer Session - 6/30, 10a-12p, Antioch College Farm
Summer Bird Hike - 7/1, 8-10a, Trailside Museum

Community Theater tonight & tomorrow

June 29 & 30 
Music at 7:15p; Play at 8p 
1st Presbyterian Church, 314 Xenia Ave.

Destination YS


Thursday, June 28, 2012

Burn Ban in Effect

Due to the current dry conditions in our area, a ban on open burning has been issued throughout Miami Township effective today (June 28th) through Sunday, July 1st 2012. Open burning of field, yard, forest and other agricultural waste is hereby prohibited. This ban includes brush piles, bonfires, fire pits, chimineas and campfires. In addition, extreme caution should be used when using a grill to cookout and when discarding smoking materials. This includes any current open burning permits.

All unauthorized fires will be extinguished and the responsible person may be issued a citation and fine.

This ban will be in effect until Sunday, July 1st and is in effect in all areas served by Miami Township Fire-Rescue including the Villages of Yellow Springs and Clifton, Miami Township, and Antioch College owned property.

Please contact Miami Township Fire-Rescue at 767-7842 with any questions or concerns.

Review: Community theater at its best

The Yellow Springs Centre Stage production of "Our Town"
Last two shows, this Friday and Saturday night

Thornton Wilder threw out the rule book some 75 years ago when he wrote "Our Town." It was clearly no accident and a daringly progressive move on his part, especially for the time. The play could have bombed, but instead, it grew legs, second only to the works of Shakespeare in the number times it has been produced. With its minimalist set, characters breaking the fourth wall, and lack of the traditional structure of conflict and resolution, Wilder handed generations of directors-to-come an almost blank canvas on which to paint their vision of his play about life and death in small town America at the turn of the 20th Century.

Once again, a Kay Reimers production has transformed the fellowship hall at the First Presbyterian Church into a world far away from its  cinder block walls, tiny stage and morbid acoustics. With the production of "The Cherry Orchard" last year, virtually every inch of the room was used for theater, with the liberal use of sound baffles to improve the acoustics. This time around, Director Lorrie Sparrow went with theater-in-the-round, placing the theater-goers right on top of the actors. The setting is so intimate the audience, at times, is literally in the play. It works.

Sparrow, former Executive Director of Blue Jacket with a long professional career in theater both as a director and actress, did an excellent job of bringing together a cast with experience varying from novice to experienced amateur to professional to pull this off. When the show was over, I found myself asking, "What could they have done to make this production better?" The answer is, "Not a heck of a lot." The heart-wrenching final act had tears welling in my eyes.

Bravo to the cast: Ali Thomas, Rob Campbell, Miriam Eckenrode, Colton Pitstick, Juno Shemano, Thor Sage, Lara Bently, Jeanna Breza, Duard Headly II, Lucas Sansom, Sarah Wildman, Tom Siebold, Howard Shook, and Ellen Ballerene. If these names are familiar to you, it might be because you have seen them in other local productions over the years. Or, it might just be that they are your friends and neighbors. That's community theater. And this production of "Our Town" is community theater at its best.

Saturday Night at Clifton Opera House

These guys can really deliver

The Dayton Letter Carrier's band was founded in 1926 and is one of the oldest active letter carriers bands in the United States. It has approx 28 players. The band has played from coast to coast, including Hawaii. At National Letter Carriers Conventions the band has played for senators, congressmen and former presidents. They perform in numerous parades across the state, for local area city concert series and nursing homes. The band's repertoire ranges from big band, dixieland, Broadway tunes, and marches. The Dayton Letter Carriers band is conducted by Hal Harris and is sponsored by the Dayton Letter Carriers Union Branch #182 in affiliation with the National Association of Letter Carriers.

They will be performing on Saturday, June 30th at 7:30pm. The opera house is located at 5 So Clay Street, Clifton. It is air conditioned! Box office opens at 6:30pm. Call 937-767-2343 for information. Door donation $7.00

At the Library, Sat. morning

Click on image to enlarge.

Fracking Forum, Sat. afternoon

Click on image to enlarge.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Free Medical Screening

Click on image to enlarge.

Services Include FREE:

Physicals for all ages
Immunizations
Vision and Hearing
Mammograms (TBD)
EKG
Full Lab work as needed
HIV/Chlamydia/Gonorrhea
Pap Smear testing
PSA screening
Dental Screening

Friday night at Clifton Opera House


On Friday, June 29th the much awaited Scott Oglesbee returns to Clifton Opera House. "Scott started performing at a very young age, he is an accomplished pianist, entertainer and even tunes pianos in his spare time. He has performed more than 3000 wedding ceremonies, receptions and provided music for many studio recordings and TV commercials over the years. In the 80s, he traveled the U.S. as a performing artist for Kawai Piano Corporation and Kimball International." We look forward to his return on Friday evening at 7:30pm!

The Clifton Opera House is located at 5 So. Clay Street, Clifton. Box office opens at 6:30pm, door donation $7.00

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Monday, June 25, 2012

Looking for your muse..?


Registration for Antioch Writers' Workshop 
A La Carte Runs Through July 2
 


A La Carte registration for the 27th annual Antioch Writer's Workshop remains open through July 2.

Antioch Writers' Workshop's A La Carte Options (all held at Antioch University Midwest, 900 Dayton Street in Yellow Springs, Ohio), are designed for writers who are testing the writing waters, writers who are looking for a quick dose of inspiration, writers who don't have a full week available to attend the full conference, or writers who want to try a portion of the workshop before committing to attending for the full week in a future year.

A La Carte options include:

  • Saturday Seminar, July 7, 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., with sessions led by local writers Brady Allen, Becky Morean, Kate Geiselman, and Joanne Smith.

  • Creative writing 'master class' for fiction and nonfiction creative writers of all levels of experience, led by bestselling author John Grogan, Sunday, July 8, 9:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m.. Grogan is the author of Marley and Me, which was also made into a major motion picture, and The Longest Trip Home.

  • Morning classes in fiction, nonfiction, poetry and publishing, led by wide variety of nationally known authors (including Hallie Ephron, Jerry Dennis, Jeff Gundy, and numerous guest speakers including agents and editors), Monday July 9-Friday July 13, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. each day.

  • Afternoon "Focus on Form" seminar, which doesn't require a manuscript, led by local novelist Chet Kelly Robinson. For writers of all genres (fiction, nonfiction and poetry) wishing to jump-start their writing and begin new pieces. Poet Herb Martin will be a guest lecturer on one of the afternoons. Sunday July 8-Friday July 13, 2:30-5:00 p.m. each day.

Learn more about the A La Carte options and see detailed faculty bios at www.antiochwritersworkshop.com

UUF Garden Tour, July 7


The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Yellow Springs will be hosting an open house and "Summer in the Springs" Garden Tour on Saturday July 7, rain or shine.

The tickets are $10.00 and include refreshments and tours of seven Yellow Springs Gardens. Advance tickets are available at the Saturday Farmers Market, and at the UUF Meeting House, 2884 U. S. Route 68 North on the day of the event, beginning with an open house 11 to 1pm. Members gardens are open 12 noon to 3 p.m. Call 937.767.9131 for ticket information.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Back Story: About a simpler time

In 1938, Thornton Wilder wrote a complex, but seemingly simple, play about a simpler time and place. He called the play "Our Town." It's about a small town in New Hampshire during a period from right after the turn of the century to just before WWI, around the time the automobile was making its appearance. While maintaining the universal theme of birth, life and death, it was already, at the time of its writing, a lament about a lost way of life.

Fast forward to small town Ohio, 2012. I am writing this on a computer the size of a spiral binder. It has a Japanese brand name, but it was manufactured in China. I ordered it over the Internet. It is so powerful that a couple decades ago its technology may have been considered top secret due to its possible military applications. That too would have been a simpler time.

As I write this, remote controlled drones, piloted from just a few miles from here, are flying over lands a half-a-world-away, alternately spying on and killing our perceived enemies. In the play there is a line about how young men from the town who had never been more than 50 miles from home gave their lives to maintain the Union during the Civil War. When I am finished writing this, I will click on an icon on the computer's screen and it will be posted to an Internet site where a billion people worldwide will have access to it.

Other than the birth-life-death cycle, it is hard to find commonality with life in 1901, or in 1938 for that matter. But the play has legs and our local troop of actors, Centre Stage, did more than justice to it in the performance I saw last night. I heartily recommend it. There will be two more performances on next Friday and Saturday nights. This however, is not my review; it's just my way of noting the irony of how life in this country has changed over the course of 100 years - a lament, perhaps. I hope to post a review of the performance later this week.

-vh

Cirque Carnival gearing up

Needs community support


Dear YSAC Community,

The YS Experience Steering Committee, which is organizing the 2012 Cirque Carnival, asks you to support this important and exciting event. In past years, the Yellow Springs community has worked collaboratively to execute a highly successful celebration, creating a great weekend of entertainment for over 2,000 Villagers and Visitors.

The 3rd Annual Cirque Carnival will be held on Friday, July 20 from 3pm to midnight, and the YS Experience Cirque extends through July 21 & 22, offering a variety of activities (see attached “2012 YSE Cirque Events”) for adults, youth & families to enjoy. This Event will provide local & regional community members with a fun-filled weekend involving performing artists, musicians, face painters, ethnic food vendors, local artisans and more. For further details, check out www.yellow-springs-experience.com or www.facebook.com/YellowSpringsArtsCouncil.

There are three ways that you can support the 2012 YS Experience Cirque Carnival:
  1. Sponsorship – We are looking for few more Sponsors so that this event will be a “super” success. Currently, we have these opportunities:  One Main Event Sponsor, donating $900 to support the Ring of Amazement (featuring the Cincinnati Circus). Your logo will be prominently featured on all marketing collateral (posters, banners, print media ads, website, etc.), including the Chamber’s major ad in the Dayton City Paper YS Insert. Five Supporting Event Sponsors, donating $300-$500 to support activities such as the Beer Garden, Hydration Stations and other key venues. Your logo will be included on most PR, including posters, website & social media. Sponsors can prominently display their banners at the event venue that they are supporting. All sponsors will receive 10 free entrance bands for the 2012 Cirque Carnival and will be specifically recognized & publicly thanked for their support. Sponsors have the option of operating a game/activity booth at the event. There is limited booth space, and all booths must be approved by the YS Experience Steering Committee. Please contact Brian Housh at brianhoush@gmail.com or 614-634-8531 to confirm sponsorship (the earlier, the better so that we can fully promote your organization & its support).
  2. Raffle Prizes – Donate prizes for the Cirque Raffle, with all proceeds supporting the YS Arts Council and future YS Experiences. No item is too big or too small! This is a great way to promote your business and support the Event. Please contact Bob Swaney at swaneybob@gmail.com or 937-767-2461 if you are able to provide prize donations.
  3. Assistance – There are a variety of ways for you to get involved in this Event, whether it is selling raffle buttons, helping at the gate, serving at the beer garden or volunteering on some other level. This is your YS Experience Cirque Carnival, so get involved! If you are interested in volunteering your time, please contact Mindy Harney at mindyharney@gmail.com or 937-474-7598.

Please contribute to this great celebration of the Arts in our community. YS Experience Events help Yellow Springs and the region to thrive!

Best Regards,

2012 YS Experience Steering Committee

YS Pride

From the organizers of Yellow Springs Pride:

Yellow Springs Pride is holding its first annual gay pride weekend Saturday, June 30 and Sunday, July 1. On Saturday at 4:30pm, participants will gather on the lawn of the John Bryan Community Center with a “Sidewalk Pridewalk” beginning at 5:00pm. Yellow Springs Pride t-shirts, flags and other goodies will be available for the walk for a suggested donation, and there will be lots of cool giveaways for parade fans. Emporium Wines and Underdog Café will host an after-party and wine tasting starting at 6:30pm with local DJ Clean Gene!

On Sunday, Yellow Springs Pride is hosting a “We Are Family” picnic at Gaunt Park. From 1-3pm, come out to enjoy family-friendly swimming, pick up kickball and karaoke. Organizers will provide bottled water and encourage families to bring their own picnic lunches. For more information, find Yellow Springs Pride online at www.facebook.com/ys-pride. Pride weekend sponsors include Dunphy Realty and Gregor Construction. YS Pride will also have a float in the upcoming Yellow Springs 4th of July Parade.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

2012 YS Cost of Living Study Available

 
Declining and aging population, high taxes and housing costs... Read the James A. McKee Association's 2012 Cost of Living Report here and annex here.




Image provided by lumaxart.com. Used with permission.

Friday, June 22, 2012

"Our Town" opens tonight




A classic drama of what it means to be an individual within a community.

Friday and Saturday, June 22 and 23
Friday and Saturday, June 29 and 30

The show begins at 8:00*
Beginning at 7:15 is live music from the Polish Town Orchestra

First Presbyterian Church
314 Xenia Ave
Tickets are $10 at the door.

*Westminster Hall has been air conditioned for this event. (see comments)

WYSO Bash


Destination YS



Arts & Culture  
YS Summer Solstice Celebration Dayton & Corry St.
Live Music, Tarot Readings, Fire Dancing. 6/22, 8-11p
SOURCE; 6/1 -8/17. Gallery hours Tu-Sa 1-4p.   

Emporium Wines 233 Xenia Ave., 937.767.7077
Entrophy & Reclamation: The Art of Tom Watson III; 6/16-8/12

Glen Helen Atrium Gallery 405 Corry St., 937.769.1902
The Light on America's Great Lands Ronald Levi; 5/2-6/27

Village Artisans 100 Corry St., 937.767.1209
A special members collection and new fiber artist Pam Geisel.  

Yellow Springs Arts Council Gallery 111 Corry St., 679.9722 EXUBERANCE: Monday Morning Artists; 6/15-7/19
Gallery Open Wednesday-Sunday, 1-4p

Nature & Recreation
Glen Helen Nature Preserve 405 Corry St.; 937.769.1902
The Precautionary Principle - 6/22, 7p, Glen Helen Building
South Glen Restoration Project - 6/23, 7-11a; rsvp 769.1902 x103
Wild, Edible & Useful Plants Hike - 6/23, 4-6p, Trailside Museum
Farm Volunteer Session - 6/23, 10a-12p, Antioch College Farm
Wildflower ID Hike - 6/24, 1-3p, Trailside Museum

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Back Story: Backyard Bedlam

We've got two dogs this week. We are dog sitting cousin dog Rhesus while our daughter is away to Chicago on a short vacation. We used to love to babysit her dog, before we got one of our own. But, in our small house, living with two dogs can get to be a little intense. Fortunately, we have a fenced-in backyard.

Yesterday, midsummer-like temps on the very first day of summer forced me to keep the dogs inside most of the afternoon. The "in-and-out" of the morning eventually became "mostly-in" as the intense sun drove the thermometer past the 90 degree mark. It was, as they say, a "dog day afternoon." The dogs were playing the role perfectly, laying around the house, while I pecked away at the laptop I had stationed at one end of the dining room table.

Suki is the most likely one to bark if she picks up a sound or something catches her eye. She is the consummate watchdog. Rhesus is way too laid-back for that job. If something gets his attention, his tail picks up its pace (it's always going) and he gets an amused look on his face as he gets up to see what's going down. So, I was a bit surprised when he ran to the sliding glass door that opens onto our back deck and started barking. Suki, of course, joined him and the bark-a-thon began. When both dogs ran to get me, I knew it was time for me to take a look.

What concerned them were two large deer grazing on the other side of the fence in my neighbor's backyard. Deer are so ubiquitous in Yellow Springs, especially in the gardens of the south end of town, that Suki wouldn't normally bark at them. We see them every evening on our pre-bedtime walk. The deer have become so tame that even the sight of a dog will not spook them. The only time prior to this that Suki ever barked at a deer was when one was blocking the sidewalk on Allen Street and it wouldn't get out of our way.


I watched the deer as they harmlessly grazed on grass that was due for a mowing soon anyway. Then they moved on to have a look at my neighbor's garden, but were deterred by the fence she had wisely put up around it. Next, they nibbled on some berries she had planted outside of the fence, then moved up to a flower bed she has alongside her house.

I love deer. But, I know that not everyone has the same affection for them that I do. I am not a gardener. Hence, my slowness to take action. Some gardeners call them "rats on stilts." I am a city boy. My neighbor is a country girl. Suddenly it occurred to me that she may not share my fondness for Bambi. So, I gave her a call.

"Sharon, there are some deer eating your garden," I said when she picked up.

"Oh, my goodness," she said, dropping the phone and heading out her front door, which put her right on top of the deer.

I could see her shooing them away as I watched from my back door. She headed for our mutual fence when she was done. I tried to keep the dogs in the house as I slid open the door to go out onto the deck to talk to her. I knew if I let them out, the barking would be so loud we wouldn't be able to hear each other. They managed to slip by me anyway, so I went to the gate to go out to talk to her away from the dogs. I managed to keep them in the yard as I closed the gate behind me and went out to assess the damage with my neighbor.

We were walking around her yard, talking, when suddenly here came the dogs. I had failed to latch the gate properly and, even though it is quite heavy and a snug fit, they had managed to push it open. Now, they were running around Sharon's yard like a couple lunatics. First, they ran up her driveway toward Xenia Avenue where the deer had gone, with me screaming for them to come back. Then they turned and headed back to us, but suddenly veered off down the easement toward Allen Street, more screaming and another retreat. When they returned, Rhesus jumped up on Sharon and she grabbed his collar. Suki sought out and found a spot where the deer had stood and started rolling around on her back. I was able to grab her.

A word of explanation here: Sharon recently broke a couple fingers on her right (dominant) hand when she tripped and fell on an uneven sidewalk. She is a fine artist who is also self-employed, part-time to support herself. She has been unable to pursue her craft or do her work since then. At the time of her accident, a few weeks ago, someone described her on Facebook as "elderly." Sharon is a couple years older than I. I wouldn't exactly describe her in those terms. However, if I had remembered her recently acquired frailty, I never would have called her to shoo away the deer; I would have done it myself. But in the excitement, I simply forgot that she was operating with one hand in a cast.

Once I had grabbed Suki, I turned to see how Sharon was doing with Rhesus. She was on her back in the ground, her eyeglasses askew on her forehead and her cast held high in the air. Rhesus had pulled her down and gotten loose again. I couldn't tell if she was laughing or crying. I managed to get the dogs back in my yard, making sure the gate was latched this time. Then, I helped Sharon up and we checked to see if anything was broken.

Fortunately, she had been able to protect her right hand. She was somewhat sore on her left side. But she explained that she had been having soreness on the left side of her body anyway, as she was unaccustomed to doing everything with her left hand. We chatted awhile, and I helped her cover her flowers with plastic netting.

As I walked back to my yard, I began to realize that this commotion could not have gone unnoticed by our other neighbors, especially since I had been screaming "Rhesus" and "Suki" at the top of my lungs. It must have been quite a show.

Wild Ohio

I have often said that I would not camp out in my backyard. I have been out there late at night with a flashlight and seen the skunks, opossum and raccoons. Before we got the dog, we were plagued with groundhogs. This morning, Amy called to me to look out the window.

"There's bear in the yard across the street," she said.

By the time I got there, whatever it was she had seen was gone.

"You're probably just seeing things," I said. "Hallucinating..."

Now, she's demanding a written apology. I know this won't satisfy her, but here it is: I apologize for accusing you of seeing things. Yes, there was a large bear in the neighbor's yard. The dogs and I will look for it later today.

-vh



Wednesday, June 20, 2012

YSAC announces gallery hours

The YS Arts Council Gallery at 111 Corry Street is now open from Wednesday through Sunday (1-4pm), except during the third week of each month, when we are installing the new exhibit.

Currently, you can enjoy a dynamic collection from the Monday Morning Artists. Paintings from Mary Cargan (shown above) and many other artists are on display for your visual delight.

There are also 4 more workshops being offered by MMA members on June 23 & 30 and July 14. Go to www.facebook.com/YellowSpringsArtsCouncil and check out the Events section for more details. Stop by and see us today!

Saturday night at Clifton Opera House

Garcia and Scott

"Garcia and Scott draw from a deep well of American music traditions. Think of them this way: Dig a hole in the coal-black earth. Toss in a bucket-full of the Allman Brothers and Jimmy Reed, a shovel-full of vintage Merle Haggard and the Everly Brothers, fertilize with a trowel-full of Ella Fitzgerald and Tina Turner and sprinkle on some Latin-infused H-2-O. What bursts forth is a brilliant and bountiful bush filled with the fruit of fresh, flavorful acoustic music. You will love this duo! They make Clifton a regular stop on their way thru from Nashville. They will be appearing at the Clifton Opera House on Saturday, June 23rd at 7:30pm.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

At the Library


Friday night at Clifton Opera House

It's summer, time to get out and enjoy some fabulous entertainment. On Friday evening June 22nd, the Ragtime River Boat Rats will kick off a night of ragtime at 7:30pm. This talented group of musicians will get your toes tapping! We love it when they come to Clifton!

The Ragtime Riverboat Rats dates back to the early 1980's and features music that is fun and has stood the test of time. They present a program reminiscent of the showboat era with good old ragtime music, some Jolson,Americana, and a strong flavor of patriotism. The music and the mood is happy, lively, and toe tapping. They have created a versatile style and repertoire of Ragtime, Dixeland, Jazz,Golden Oldies and Original Songs about love and travel. The show starts at 7:30pm, box office opens at 6:30pm. Check out their website www.rrrats.com.

The Clifton Opera House is owned and operated by the Village of Clifton and staffed by volunteers. Come on out and support the historic jewel of Clifton, we welcome volunteers! Door donation is $7.00, call 937-342-2175 for information or visit the website www.cliftonoperahouse.com.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Lost dogs, possibly abandoned

No tags, no chips...

Last week, while driving north of the Dayton Mall, my wife and I discovered two dogs (picture attached) attempting to cross HWY 741. We pulled into a nearby car dealership and both of them walked up to us very excited to see us. While they looked like they had spent too much time in some fields and were in bad need of bathing, they were in pretty good shape. They had no tags and we got them scanned and found no microchips either. We have posted found ads at all of the shelters, in the Dayton Daily News, and Craig’s List and no one has come forward.> > Odds are that they were abandoned. They are good dogs, are house trained, and seem to be in good health. The small black and white one is a female while the medium sized one is male. They have been staying in my basement since the weekend.> > The two of them are good dogs and deserve a good home and a good family deserves them. Unfortunately, my wife and I aren’t in a situation in which we can keep these dogs. We barely have a yard and it’s not fenced in. We’re also never home. My wife has a vision disability which makes us a single driver family and we both work. I simply can’t sustain a schedule of trying to get to campus, home once in a while to walk them, and then also get my wife to and from work. > > I’m trying to get them into a shelter and avoid the Montgomery Country Shelter. So many of the non-kill shelters are packed. I’ve contacted dozens of rescue organizations, but also thought I would try the WSU faculty list-serve and see if anyone might be either interested in adding some fun 4-legged creatures to their family or if anyone worked with a rescue organization that might be able to help. Please feel free to email me or call me on my cell at 937-241-4502. Thanks!
Jason Deibel

Drop Slot Reviews: Exotic locales and great writing

Brief Encounters with Che Guevara (Harper-Collins, 2000) by Ben Fountain
The Cat's Table (Knopf Doubleday, 2011) by Michael Ondaatje

Having come across positive references to writers Ben Fountain and Michael Ondaatje in the New York Times Book Review recently, I was eager to see if I could find them on the Digital Downloads section of the Greene County Public Library website. Et Voila! In the case of Fountain, I downloaded his collection of short stories, Brief Encounters with Che Guevara and reserved a copy of a novel, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk. In the case of Ondaatje's The Cat's Table, it was exactly the title for which I was looking. This is a novel John Irving says he has reread in order to examine its structure. And I can see why one might be tempted to do that.

Ondaatje is probably best known for his novel, The English Patient, which was made into an Academy Award-winning movie. The Cat's Table is the examination of a man's life and relationships told through the use of flash-forward from the point of view of an 11-year-old Sri Lankan boy who is on a three-week long one-way trip by ship from his homeland to live with his mother in England. Early in the voyage, the boy meets up with two other boys of his age and similar circumstances. In the dining room, along with an assortment of interesting, but mostly down-on-their-luck adults, they have been assigned to "the cat's table," the least desirable and farthest from the Captain's table. For 21 days, without the benefit of adult supervision, the three run wild throughout the ship and find themselves involved in several fantastic adventures, including a murder. Along the way, including a passage through the Suez Canal, the ship makes stops at several exotic ports-of-call. While having the feel of a memoir, the author assures us at the end of the story that this is a complete work of fiction.

Brief Encounters with Che Guevara is a collection of stories that take place in the Haiti, and Latin America. While Fountain's hapless protagonists are older than the 11-year-olds of The Cat's Table, their positions are no less precarious. Among them are a bird watcher who is taken captive by rebels in the Colombian jungle and a golf pro who is used as a front for land-grabbers. They often find themselves pursuing lives through political chaos around them, about which they can do nothing. As with the boys on the ship, they are drifting through life, looking up from the bottom; they are seated at the cat's table. As with Ondaatje, I was bowled over by Fountain's writing.

Ondaatje and Fountain are both writers with whom I have not previously been familiar. Fortunately, each of them has amassed a body of work, much of it available at the Greene County Library, that will keep me busy for some time to come.

-vh

Reader reviews of materials available at or through the Yellow Springs Library are encouraged and appreciated.


Our Town opens this Friday



Center Stage
presents
"Our Town" by Thornton Wilder


A classic drama of what it means to be an individual within a community.

Friday and Saturday, June 22 and 23
Friday and Saturday, June 29 and 30

The show begins at 8:00
Beginning at 7:15 is live music from the Polish Town Orchestra

First Presbyterian Church
314 Xenia Ave
Tickets are $10 at the door.

WYSO Open H0use this Sunday

See the new studios

On Sunday, June 24, public radio station WYSO will hold an open house at their new studios at 150 E. South College Street in Yellow Springs.

From 1pm til 5 pm, there will be live music and spoken word events in the new, expanded performance space. Visitors will have a chance to tour the new facilities, meet WYSO staff and resource board members, and to record a greeting in one of the new production booths.

On the same day, WYSO will officially power up to fifty thousand watts. A new transmitter and antenna have already been installed and tested. WYSO has also launched their annual fiscal year end fund drive and will be “selling watts for WYSO.”

Listeners can “buy” watts for two dollars each and help WYSO raise funds. Everyone who gives two dollars or more during June will receive a certificate.

During the Open House on June 24 there will be many musical and spoken work guests including Wheels from Yellow Springs, Dayton blues band Miss Lissa and Co and Ohio Heritage Fellow Rick Good, with more performers to be announced soon.

"Our open house will be fun and family-friendly,” says WYSO general manager Neenah Ellis. “ We’ll have snacks and drinks available and activities for kids as well.”

In addition to four consecutive hours of live music and spoken word guests, hosted by WYSO Music Director Niki Dakota, visitors will be allowed to record themselves and their families in new WYSO production booths. “We hope people will come and see what a community-friendly new space we have,” says Ellis.

Antioch University, which holds the WYSO license, invested one million dollars to renovate the first floor of the former Kettering Research Lab building for WYSO. The upgraded broadcast facilities were paid for in part by a matching federal grant.

“Antioch invested in WYSO because they recognize our value to the community and to the university,” says Ellis.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Fracking Forum

Click on image to enlarge.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

NPR Special Correspondent to speak

Susan Stamberg to speak in Dayton
WYSO and Dayton Art Institute Collaboration

Susan Stamberg, NPR Special Correspondent, will speak in Dayton on Friday June 29 at a fundraising event for WYSO. The event will be held at the Dayton Art Institute’s NCR Renaissance Auditorium at 7:30 pm.

Tickets are on sale through the DAI box office and WYSO.org. WYSO also has a limited supply of special passes available to meet Stamberg at a private reception in the DAI’s Gothic Cloisters immediately after the speech.

Stamberg, the first woman to anchor a national nightly news program in the United States, has been with NPR since the network began broadcasting in 1971. The following year she became the co-host of “All Things Considered,” NPR’s first daily news magazine.

After serving as co-host for 14 years, she launched Weekend Edition Sunday for NPR. Today she reports on cultural issues for all NPR programs and serves as an occasional host for Morning Edition and Weekend Edition Saturday.

Neenah Ellis, General Manager of WYSO calls Stamberg an American broadcasting icon.

“Susan Stamberg changed broadcasting. Her style has always been was conversational. She dares to probe and to laugh. She never forgets the listener, never talks down to them. It’s hard to believe it today, but when Susan became host of All Things Considered, it was a bold move on NPR’s part to select a woman for that role,” says Ellis, who worked with Stamberg at All Things Considered in the late 1970s and ‘80s.

In the last 20 years, Stamberg’s reporting focus has been cultural figures. Artists, actors and writers are often the subject of her work and she regularly features museum exhibitions. Her talk at DAI is titled: “How Art Will Save the World (And Whatever Else Occurs to Her).

“The Dayton Art Institute is thrilled to be partnering with WYSO on the June 29 speaking engagement featuring Susan Stamberg, says Michael R. Roediger, Executive Director of the Dayton Art Institute. “We are honored to host a radio pioneer of Stamberg’s caliber and the community is fortunate to be able to have her visit and share her wonderful stories with us. Her talk: ‘Why Art Will Save the World’ is a topic near and dear to our hearts,” he said.

In addition to her public presentation on June 29, Stamberg will also take part in a “master class” for WYSO’s Community Voices students he next morning at the radio station.

Friday, June 15, 2012

Bench to Nowhere: Sweeping it into the street

Click on image to enlarge.

Fracking Forum, June 30

Public Forum on Fracking and Injection Wells on Saturday June 30, 3-5 PM in the Antioch University Midwest Auditorium

On Saturday, June 30th at 3 P.M., there will be a public forum on fracking, injection wells and community rights to local control of their health and safety. The forum will take place at Antioch University Midwest's Auditorium at 900 Dayton street, Yellow Springs, Ohio.

The forum will provide information about the targeting of Southwest Ohio for placement of injection wells, wells to receive toxic fracking waste from other parts of Ohio as well as Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland. Dr Julie Weatherington-Rice, geologist and environmental consultant for Bennett and Williams, will discuss what makes our geology attractive to oil and gas companies and the risks to a community's environment from injection wells. There is a long history of earthquakes associated with the placement of injection wells - not to mention dangers of leakages in and out of the ground. Youngstown, Ohio has experienced a series of 12 earthquakes in conjunction with the placing of wells. There were 1047 in Oklahoma last year and 1100 in Arkansas - all connected to well placement.

Other speakers include Vickie Hennessy, biologist and president of Greene Environmental Coalition who will discuss the complex issues of fracking in general and Eric Belcastro from Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund who will discuss ways that we can act locally to protect our community and the fundamental rights of its citizens. The speakers' presentations will be followed by a question and answer period with the audience.

The forum is free of charge all are welcome, sponsored by GODAE (Gas and Oil Drilling Awareness and Education) an organization in Yellow Springs dedicated to educating ourselves and the community about the dangers of fracking and injection wells. Co-sponsors include Greene Environmental Coalition and Antioch University Midwest's Sustainability Program. For further information contact Dimi Reber at 937-767-1078.

Clean Ohio Funding in place

This from the Tecumseh Land Trust:

Monday afternoon Governor Kasich signed the mid-biennium review bill which contained $42 million dollars for the Clean Ohio Fund Open Space and Agricultural Easement Purchase Programs. Grassroots organizations across the state have been working with Ohio legislators and the Governor’s office to put the funds in place for the three “green” Clean Ohio programs. $6 million was approved for the other green Clean Ohio program -- Trails – in the capital bill this spring.

The Clean Ohio Fund, which also includes a Brownfield Redevelopment Fund, was reauthorized overwhelmingly by the voters in 2008. The “green side” of the program provides highly competitive funds to preserve the best farmland, preserve and acquire open space, and build trails all across the state. The 2008 ballot initiative was approved in all 88 counties. However, a budget bill was needed to authorize the sale of the bonds in order for funds to be available for new applications to the three green programs.


Krista Magaw, executive director of Tecumseh Land Trust says, “we are absolutely thrilled to have Clean Ohio funded again. In this business, timing is everything and we never want to lose momentum among interested landowners. We are incredibly grateful to Senator Chris Widener for making certain the funds were included in this budget bill and to Governor Kasich for signing the bill.”

To date, Tecumseh Land Trust has protected 9029 acres of prime farmland in Clark and Greene Counties through the Agricultural Easement Purchase Program of Clean Ohio. The land trust has protected and additional 2618 acres of land traversed by streams, rivers, and wetlands through Clean Ohio’s Open Space program.

It will take a few months for the three agencies that administer the green programs to be ready to announce application periods and guidelines. But by this fall new rounds of Clean Ohio programs should be in full swing.

Photo:  Krista Magaw, executive director of Tecumseh Land Trust with Robert Daniels, Director Ohio Department of Agriculture

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Back Story: Not a tall tale

I was reminded of this story at our Nonprofit Network meeting earlier this week. Top staff of local NPs that actually have staff meet bimonthly in an effort to foster the sharing of resources and other collaborations. Meetings are informal and frequently go off without an agenda, mostly because we spend so much time talking about what's been going on in our various shops that, by the time we have made it around the conference table, we don't have time for other business.

At this particular meeting, it was suggested that with the impending arrival of summer, in addition to shop talk, we throw in some memories from a favorite summer vacation. I was fortunate to be one of the last people to speak so, by the time it was my turn, I had armed myself with the following episode from my youth, expanded here because I have the time and space to do so:

In 1953, when I was eight years old and living in the Borough of Queens in New York City, there was an epidemic of polio. With summer coming on, the city was in near panic. The thinking was that with the heat and the kids out of school and being exposed to one another in typical summer activities, there was an increased risk of contracting the crippling and sometimes fatal disease.

My parents were desperate to get my two sisters and me out of the city for the summer. Fortunately, my father had a friend who summered in Vermont and knew of a cottage on Lake Champlain that was available for a summer rental. This turned out to be the first in a long line of such summer vacations, mostly on eastern Long Island, and later when I would marry and have kids of my own, in Kennebunkport, Maine, always on the water. (I also did a four-year hitch in the Coast Guard. But that's another story.)

It was a wonderful place for a kid my age: I had a rowboat with an outboard motor; we fished and swam; played in the woods; and there were plenty of boys my age to hang out with. One of them lived in the house next door and became my best friend for the summer. He was a local nine-year-old named Billy Kidd, a nonstop talker and a teller of tall tales.

One day my old man took the family on a day trip to Mount Mansfield in Stowe. Even then, it was a major ski area and they ran the main chairlift in the summer to take tourists to the top where they would have an excellent view of the Green Mountains. We took Billy along for the ride,

As we were ascending in the lift, he kept pointing out to me all the different trails where he had allegedly skied. "I ski over there, and I ski over there, and I ski over there," he said pointing to what seemed to me to be sheer cliffs that would be impossible for even an adult to ski down. Billy had told me some big ones over the summer, but this really took the prize.

1953 was the only year we summered in Vermont. Eight and nine-year-old boys don't really stay in touch. The next time I heard Billy's name was in 1964 when he won a silver medal in the men's Olympic slalom, becoming the first American to win an Olympic medal in Alpine Skiing. He would go on to win a World Cup title and win on the professional ski circuit. He has lived most of his life as a ski bum in Colorado. This is no tall tale...

Art Stroll this weekend

Click on image to enlarge.

The June Weekend Fling is always Art Stroll when the galleries stay open late with special exhibits and events. Shops also join the fun including Julia Etta’s Trunk featuring clothing artisan Joanne Litz not to mention all of the great restaurants and the Little Art Theatre. Art Stroll starts with the unveiling of a new piece from ceramic artists Beth Holyoke and Kaethi Seidel and ends with Soul Fire Tribe performing their beautiful and breathtaking feats of fire.

Celebrate the paintings of the late Eddie Eckenrode at the Eddie Eckenrode Gallery at Sam & Eddies Open Books where this special evening marks the closing of a wonderful local treasure after 15 years. Around the corner in Kings Yard, Springs Gallery is hosting John and Nancy Grosella and their unique clay folk art and jewelry.

A popular Art Stroll destination on Corry St. , “would you, could you” In A Frame is featuring “Vivid Line Drawings” by Jean Rudegeair. Right next door at the new YS Arts Council Gallery is the Monday Morning Artists “Exuberance!” opening reception with the YS Woodwind Quintet playing at 7 pm on the outdoor patio. Across the street at Village Artisans, new member and textile artist Pam Geisel will be showing her award-winning art quilts.

Other locations in the heart of town with art are Spirited Goat Coffee House, Sunrise Café, Winds Café and Yellow Springs Pottery. The Glen Helen Atrium Gallery will be open late with a spectacular photography show “The Light on America ’s Great Lands”. Just outside town at 145 Hyde Rd. , Miami Valley Pottery will be open late for the Fling with their Spring Kiln Opening Sale with work inspired by the artist’s new son Emil. They will also be open during the day and all weekend.

Emporium Wines & Underdog Café has multiple activities including Entropy & Reclamation: The art of Tom Watson III plus wine tasting and the music of Emma ‘n Everybody. A regional favorite, acclaimed blues musician Noah Wotherspoon plays at Peach’s Grill at 10.

It’s a jewelry lovers paradise Saturday with the first ever Jeweler’s Showcase at Corner Cone with handcrafted jewelry from over 20 regional artisans. Then take a leisurely stroll through town as you visit our local shops, over 20 of which feature jewelry. You might even find something special for Dad but if not, take him to the Golden Jersey Inn at Young’s Sunday for a special BBQ rib dinner.

For information about all of the Fling Weekend events in Yellow Springs, visit DestinationYellowSprings.com or call 937.767.2686.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Center Stage to do "Our Town"

Center Stage
presents
"Our Town" by Thornton Wilder


A classic drama of what it means to be an individual within a community.

June 22 and 23
June 29 and 30

The show begins at 8:00
Beginning at 7:15 is live music from the Polish Town Orchestra

First Presbyterian Church
314 Xenia Ave
Tickets are $10 at the door.

Cost of Living Study Update

June 14, 7-9 p.m.

The James A. McKee Association is pleased to announce completion of an update to the Yellow Springs Cost of Living Study originally completed in 2002. That study, based upon 2000 census demographic data and local surveys of typical items related to cost of living may be accessed through our website: www.45387.org, where it can be read and downloaded. Reports of subsequent public forums to learn about and discuss the report may also be seen there.

This update integrates 2010 census demographic and economic data and 2012 local cost of living survey data with the original material in a new report. That report, also assembled and produced by the Center for Urban and Public Affairs at Wright State University, is in the final stages of editing. It will be available at a public presentation meeting to be held in the Great Room of the Senior Center on June 14. We invite the community to come to the meeting from 7 to 9 PM.

Because of the size of the report and the cost of reproduction, we do not plan to have available personal copies of the report. Paper copies will be placed in the library, village offices and similar locations for personal examination and anyone may request an electronic file version on a CD by contacting The James A. McKee Association. The same file may also be downloaded directly from our website above.

As with the first report, this version is designed only to collect, assemble and display basic information about our community and some others, which might be comparable. Other than to display the raw data in graphic form for easier visualization, it is not our intent to either analyze or otherwise interpret the information assembled. We hope that others may do so if they wish.

Depending upon the interest shown and the availability of resources, the Association may organize and sponsor another forum for citizens and to further study and explore interpretations at a separate event, perhaps in the fall.

Inquiries should be addressed to Jerry Sutton at 767-1636.

Fracking Fundraiser and Forum


BAN FRACKING
BAN INJECTION WELLS
SUPPORT CITIZENS’ RIGHTS

All welcome to attend a fundraiser event at
the Emporium in Yellow Springs

Date: June 16, 2012
Time: 7 – 10 pm

Entertainment provided by the Carl Schu Band!

Donations requested to support local ordinance
against fracking and injection wells!

Forum on Fracking at AUM on June 30th from 3-5 pm

Americana Weekend at Clifton Opera House

On Friday and Saturday nights, the Clifton Opera House will be swinging, we have Americana music at it's finest! The box office opens at 6:30pm, show starts at 7:30pm on both evenings. Come early and get a great seat! Don't miss Bob Milne's Ragtime Piano on Friday, and the New Long Family Band on Saturday. Your toes will be tapping!

On Friday evening, June 15th a Clifton Opera House favorite returns. Bob Milne and his Ragtime Piano will entertain you with great ragtime and boogie-woogie tunes. Bob Milne is considered to be the best ragtime/boogie-woogie pianist in the world. He was filmed and documented for future generations in 2004 during three days of interviews at the Library of Congress, and was declared a “National Treasure” at the conclusion. We think he's a Clifton treasure too! Mr Milne's website shares highlights of his many performances world wide. www.bobmilne.com.

On Saturday evening, June 16th the Long Family Band returns! Watch out, they cover country, bluegrass and anything in between. Their shows are high energy and a lot of fun. They've got some new faces in the band, come on down and meet them!

The Clifton Opera House is owned and operated by the Village of Clifton and staffed by volunteers. Come on out and support the historic jewel of Clifton, we welcome volunteers! Door donation is $7.00, call 937-342-2175 for information or visit the website www.cliftonoperahouse.com.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

“Exuberance!” from the Monday Morning Artists

Presented by the Yellow Springs Arts Council


Friday, June 15, 2012 (6-9pm)
YS Arts Council Gallery, 111 Corry Street, Yellow Springs, Ohio

The Monday Morning Artists (MMA) will exhibit their collective creative works at the Yellow Springs Arts Council Gallery from June 15 through July 14.  The Monday Morning Artists are a group that meets the first Monday of each month.  As Libby Rudolf expresses, "One of the fun things about meeting as a group of individuals who create is that we can watch each other using various mediums, learning about the creative process that is unique to each individual.  We can critique each other’s work, if asked :), and perhaps come up with a more dynamic composition.”ess that is unique to each individual. We can critique each other's work, if asked :), and perhaps come up with a more dynamic composition."

Join us on Friday, June 15 at the YSAC Gallery from 6-9pm for the Opening Reception of the Monday Morning Artists’ Exuberance!  Watercolors are a primary focus of this exhibition, and drawings and other artistic genres will be represented.  The YS Woodwind Quintet will play at 7pm, and the atmosphere will be energizing.  The YSAC Gallery is now open from Wednesday to Sunday (1-4pm), except during the third week of each month. 

Five targeted community creative arts workshops will be offered by MMA members at the YSAC Gallery:

June 16 - Mary Cargan facilitates "The Water Drop" (2-3pm)
Learn the easy 5-step method for drawing the perfect shiny water drop as designed by artist Janie Gildow. Participants will get specific instruction and work with various kinds of paper. (Call Mary at 937-319-6191, $3/person, limited to 6 people.)

June 23 - Libby Rudolf facilitates "Watercolor Sketches" (2-3pm)
Learn how to do a quick sketch and then paint in watercolors, plein-air style. Play with your colors! Enjoy adding your personally painted signature to your journals, correspondence & keepsakes. (Call Libby at 937-767-1068, $10/person, limited to 6 people.)

June 30 - Yuki Hall facilitates "Watercolor Greeting Cards" (2-3pm)
Learn the creative way to make greeting cards with watercolor. No previous experience is required and all materials are provided. Each participant will go home with at least 3 original watercolor greeting cards. (Call Yuki at 937-426-7229, $10/person, limited to 6 people.)

July 7 - Ann Gayek facilitates "Nature Drawing" (2-3pm)
Learn to draw leaves and flowers in a loose and expressive manner. No drawing experience necessary. Bring your pencils, colored pencils and paper or sketchbook. (Call Ann at 937-767-1584, $10/person, limited to 6 people.)

July 14 - Rebecca Ingebo facilitates "Upper Body Massage for the Artist" (2-3pm)
Rebecca is a Licensed Massage Therapist and will bring her massage chair to the Gallery. She is a nurse and wellness educator who will demonstrate techniques to deal with carpal tunnel syndrome, epicondylitis and thoracic outlet syndrome necessary for the upper body strength of a working artist. This will be a group lesson, so bring a partner and learn valuable self-care strategies. (Call Rebecca at 937-426-8823 or 937-266-1504, donations welcomed for the Monday Morning Artists building fees.)