No secret where the candy is on Urbana, Ohio’s Monument Square.
Downtown Urbana, Ohio, has been undergoing an impressive renaissance. New restaurants and retail businesses. A brewery. Loft apartments.
And building owners who are taking risks, creating new development and stripping away 1970s facades to reveal Urbana’s past glory – before chain stores lured commerce and people from the city center.
When the pandemic put life on pause, change brewed beneath the surface. Then emerged, accelerating before our eyes ever since.
Back in 2014 there was renewed hope when the Urbana United Methodist Church bought the shuttered Urbana Twin Cinemas and started returning the theater to economic, cultural, social and spiritual vibrancy as the Gloria Theatre. And in 2021, when the old Douglas Hotel on Monument Square was saved from years of neglect to become Legacy Place, the home of senior apartment living, along with the former Urbana North and South elementary schools.
Burgeoning signs of progress in Champaign County nudged me to restart this blog, which I originally launched in 2010.
A Constant Presence
In this post, however, I feature a business that has endured for decades amidst an everchanging downtown, Carmazzi’s Candy and General Store, at 100 S. Main St., Urbana. The shop has satisfied our community’s sweet tooth for generations on the southwest corner of Monument Square in a Federalist-style building. Constructed in 1811, the building served a brief stint as military headquarters during the War of 1812.
The iconic gold lettering on the shop’s window proclaims: “Carmazzi’s Serving You Since 1893.” Above that, in tantalizingly large letters, “CANDY” calls kids and kids at heart to a wide assortment of sweets, like my favorites, Baby Ruth and Bit-O-Honey. And other products, like another personal favorite, locally roasted coffee from Hemisphere Coffee Roasters.
John Carmazzi
Sam Bianchi opened the business in 1893 as Bianchi’s Fruit Store. In 1931, Mr. Bianchi’s niece, Victoria, and her husband, Frank Carmazzi, bought the shop from him and gave it their name. One thing stays true to the original store. To this day, Carmazzi’s still sells fruit baskets.
The Carmazzis’ children, John, Bob and Rosemary, worked alongside them. John, who started waiting on customers before he could see over the counter, bought the store from his mother in 1952.
In 2014, John sold Carmazzi’s to Jeff Donay, as featured in this past Champaign Uncorked post. And after Donay, Pat and Patsy Thackery, owners ofCafé Paradiso, became owners of Urbana’s cherished candy store.
Not Owners, But Caretakers
The current owners, Jay and Kate Johnson, in August celebrated their first anniversary at Carmazzi’s. But, as Jay says, “Nobody really owns Carmazzi’s. We’re just the caretakers. It belongs to the city of Urbana.”
Kate and Jay Johnson: how sweet it is to own — or caretake — Urbana, Ohio’s candy store, Carmazzi’s.
Each iteration of ownership has brought minor tweaks to Carmazzi’s, while retaining the original charm and nostalgia, keeping it real for people who grew up here and want to cherish the memories.
Despite being newcomers to town themselves, Jay and Kate quickly came to appreciate the timeless allure of Carmazzi’s. (They moved here in December 2020. More about that, in a moment.)
“The best part is all the people who come in and want to share their stories,” Kate says. Many of the posts on the store’s Facebook page feature customers who drop by to buy candy – many also to reminisce while back in town to visit friends and family.
“We took over right before fair week last year, and I was amazed by all the people who came from everywhere, and I’m not talking just Ohio. I’m talking, Arizona, Chicago … they would all come back to Champaign County just to go to the fair. I thought that was amazing.”
Jay and Kate moved to Urbana from Dublin. They’d lived there since 2016 when Jay became a lecturer and director of the George V. Voinovich Academy for Excellence in Public Service at Ohio University’s Dublin campus – a job he still holds and easily commutes to.
Prior to that he served 30 years in the U.S. Marines, retiring as a colonel. In that span, they moved 22 times around the world and country.
“You can see how that would segue right into candy,” Kate jokes.
Finding Their New Home
About their move to Urbana, she explains, “when Covid hit (and she and Jay had lived in one place – Dublin – for four years) I took it upon myself to decide where we were going to move next. We gave ourselves a parameter: an hour out of Dublin.
“We like Dublin. It’s very nice, but we like small towns.”
Jay and Kate Johnson with employee JD Knopp, behind the counter of Carmazzi’s.
Jay grew up in Washington County, Ohio, near Marietta. And Kate in Zanesville, in Muskingum County.
They met as students at Ohio University, living in a co-ed dorm. Kate was Jay’s resident assistant.
In their search for a new home, Kate first explored Urbana on her own. Jay stayed home to watch football.
“I went to the Depot and had a cup of coffee. Then I looked around. I liked this place, and herewe are.”
Jay joined her on a return trip. That led to finding a real estate agent. “We didn’t know anyone in Urbana,” Kate recalls. “We had a fantastic realtor, Patrick Hamilton. He’s as welcoming as they come, his entire staff, so it felt like family when we moved here (in December 2020). It’s been a great decision.”
After buying their Urbana home, they shared with Hamilton the one shortcoming they had discovered in Urbana. “Urbana didn’t have an ice cream shop,” Kate says. (More on that later.)
“Then a few weeks later we got wind of something about Carmazzi’s, not that it was for sale, but would we be interested, instead of ice cream?”
Hamilton arranged for them to talk with Pat and Patsy Thackery.
“The main thing we all agreed on is it would have to remain Carmazzi’s,” Kate remembers. “That’s the whole reason we would want Carmazzi’s, because it’s Carmazzi’s!”
Next, the Thackerys and Johnsons went out to the Dragonfly Vineyard. “It was a chilly spring day,” Jay says. “We passed a couple of napkins back and forth on the table and closed the deal.”
Jay and Kate’s transition to retail business owners was relatively easy. Says Kate, “The store was ready to go. It was turnkey, as they say. They (the Thackerys) had done such a fabulous job, that one day I showed up and took over.”
And now about Urbana’s lack of an ice cream shop….
Welcome to the Cool Spot!
Jay and Kate Johnson, in the center, cut the ribbon in front of their new ice cream shop, 124 S. Main St., Urbana, on October 13.
Problem solved, thanks to Jay and Kate, who just opened the Cool Spot, at 124 S. Main St., down the block from Carmazzi’s. The ribbon cutting ceremony was held at noon Friday, October 13, so the shop was open in time for the last of downtown Urbana’s Second Saturdays of 2023, on October 14.
The Cool Spot offers 28 flavors of Hershey’s hand-dipped ice cream. The menu includes cones, cups, milkshakes, floats and pie à la mode. (Carmazzi’s had been offering a limited selection of Hershey’s ice cream, which it will replace with a selection of ice cream novelty treats.)
Cool Spot hours:
Thursdays, 1 to 5 p.m.
Fridays and Saturdays, 1 to 7 p.m.
Sundays, 2 to 5:30 p.m.
They’re open year round.
By the way, Jay named the new ice cream shop in fond memory of the many times his mother took him out for ice cream at the Cool Spot (since closed) in Coolville, Ohio.
Make plans with family and friends to get out to Freshwater Farms of Ohio, a mile north of Urbana on U.S. 68, for the 21st annual Ohio Fish & Shrimp Festival. On three consecutive Saturdays, Sept. 9, 16 and 23, the festival offers a delicious selection of food, including seafood, from the farm and other vendors, a rich variety of live music, and fun activities for the whole family.
Scroll down for links to more happenings in Champaign County.
A total of 12 bands – four each day of the festival – represent a wide variety of genres … blues, country rock, folk, pop, reggae, Celtic and jazz. They include familiar names like McGuffey Lane and local favorites like Eleyet McConnell and Meridith Evans, who started her vocal career in Urbana.
Where: Freshwater Farms of Ohio, a mile north of Urbana at 2624 N. U.S. 68
When: Three consecutive Saturdays, September 9, 16 and 23, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Cost: Free parking; gate admission $5, ages 13 and up; $2 for kids ages 3-12; free for age 2 and under. You can get in free, though, if you come dressed as a mermaid, pirate or sea creature. (Secret judges will award cash and game ticket prizes for costumed adults and youth 16 years and under, in each category.)
Admission covers live music, the farm’s sturgeon petting zoo, fish and critter displays, bounce houses, art and craft vendors and the kid’s play zone. There will also be games like the ever-popular Battling Water Balloon Catapults.
The outdoor stage and dining area of the Ohio Fish & Shrimp Festival, Freshwater Farms of Ohio, Urbana, Ohio
This year’s festival will offer three times more vendors, including local merchants and many local artisans.
Food selections include Freshwater Farms’ pan-fried rainbow trout, jambalaya, grilled and coconut shrimp, fish tacos, and a full dinner menu, as well as food trucks and vendors serving bourbon chicken, pizza, shrimp and fish dishes, sushi, tacos, barbeque, pastries and coffees.
Charlies Bar will serve wine, beer, margaritas and cocktails. Feisty Brood Meadery will serve mead pours at the bar from 1 to 9 p.m.
New this year:
Overnight self-contained RV and tent camping, Friday and Saturday night each weekend. Reservations (not required, but recommended) may be made at eventmanagerffo@gmail.com or 937-652-3701.
Additional areas for small groups to gather to enjoy meals and drinks: the farm’s fountain display area and the Rainbow project, which features a wisteria dome and wildflower meadow maze. Seating also is available around the outdoor stage.
Balloon Fest, September 8 and 9, at Grimes Field Municipal Airport
Second Saturdays: Johnny Appleseed Celebration, September 9, in downtown Urbana. Extended shopping, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., food trucks, sidewalk vendors, kids’ games and activities, and live entertainment.
Elton Cultice, manager of Grimes Field Municipal Airport in Urbana, stands in front of the airport’s iconic main hangar and the historical marker dedicated to Warren Grimes, Father of Aviation Lighting and founder of Grimes Manufacturing. Grimes gave the airport to the City of Urbana 80 years ago.
To appreciate Grimes Field Municipal Airport in Urbana, Ohio, you don’t have to own a plane. Or know someone who does. Or know how to fly.
Grimes Field offers a lot for all of us. It’s the only airport in Ohio with three museums, says Grimes Field Manager Elton Cultice.
At Mindy’s Airport Café you can enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner, and watch airplanes land and take off – as I do when I meet up with friends every Saturday for breakfast.
During the year, the airport hosts a variety of events that appeal to a wide audience, like the Fourth of July Rotary chicken barbecue and fireworks. And this Saturday, August 19, Grimes Field will host two public events with free admission:
A triple-anniversary celebration of Warren G. Grimes, the father of aviation lighting and namesake of Grimes Field: the 80th anniversary of his giving the airport to the City of Urbana, in 1943; the 90th anniversary of his founding one of Urbana’s major employers, Grimes Manufacturing Company, in 1933; and the 125th anniversary of his birth in 1898.
The 55th annual Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-in, which Cultice says, could attract 100 to 200 experimental aircraft – possibly more. The event will also feature a car show, air race, bounce house and a pancake breakfast.
As a bonus to the fun factor (next up is the Balloon Fest, September 8 and 9), Grimes Field pumps money into the local economy, through tourism and business operations.
“Grimes Field is self-sustaining,” Cultice says. Though a city-owned airport, he explains, no tax dollars support its operations.
The airport generates income from fuel sales, hangar rental and aircraft maintenance. Sixty-four aircraft are based at the airport.
Lease income from on-site businesses also supports the airport. As I’ve already mentioned, there’s the Airport Café, which will be open during the events Saturday. Miami Valley Hospital uses the airport as a base for the CareFlight helicopter emergency trauma service. Mad River Air LLC provides flight instruction and charter flights. And W & W Aviation Maintenance services aircraft.
One Airport, Three Museums
Grimes Field, which is part of the National Aviation Heritage Area, is home to three museums, which attract visitors to the community (and will be open to the public during the events on Saturday, August 19):
The Grimes Flying Lab Museum houses the Grimes Flying Lab (pictured below), a Beech 18 aircraft, one of the planes Warren Grimes and Grimes Manufacturing engineers used to evaluate the company’s exterior aircraft lights in flight. The museum’s Flying Lab is outfitted with more than 75 lights. The Grimes Flying Lab Foundation is dedicated to preserving the Flying Lab and the legacy of Mr. Grimes, who is an enshrinee of the National Aviation Hall of Fame. In 1933, he produced his first airplane lights in a garage in Urbana. And by World War II, Grimes Manufacturing Company was producing lighting for all Allied military aircraft. Today, as Honeywell Aerospace, the company continues to design, develop and manufacture lighting systems for aviation, aerospace and transportation industries.
The Champaign Aviation Museum is home to eight vintage aircraft, including the B-25 Champaign Gal, which you can often see – and hear – flying over Urbana. You can get up close to these planes and observe volunteers, local and from across the country, restore a B-17 bomber, the Champaign Lady. And you can join the volunteers.
The Grimes Flying Lab showing off some of its more than 75 Grimes lights.
Grimes Field Helps Lift the Economy
Through all of its services, businesses and museums, Grimes Field makes a significant contribution to the local economy, at a time when many small general aviation airports are struggling.
This T-28, pictured here in about 1960, was used by Grimes Manufactury Company as a flying laboratory for its aircraft lights. From the archives of the Champaign County Historical Society Museum.
Cultice said, “So many airports around the country are shutting down.” Aviation Week reported in June: “The general aviation industry has been under attack. Roughly 100 U.S. airports have closed since 2008.”
This, despite the economic value that small general aviation airports like Grimes Field offer their communities. Aviation Week reported that general aviation supports more than 1.1 million jobs and contributes more than $246 billion to the economy each a year. This is based on an economic impact report by the National Association of State Aviation Officials, the Alliance for Aviation Across America and the American Association of State and Highway Transportation Officials.
Cover from a 1943 Grimes Manufacturing Company catalog features Grimes Field. From the archives of the Champaign County Historical Society Museum.
A similar study, conducted by the Ohio Department of Transportation’s Office of Aviation, found that the economic impact of Grimes Field adds up to a total of 99 jobs, a payroll of $2 million and economic output of $9 million. This is based on a Federal Aviation Administration-approved methodology for analyzing the economic impact of airports.
This calculation factors in the direct impact of the airport’s operations and payroll; the effect of airport visitors and business on community services like hotels, restaurants, retail and construction; and the multiplier effect on suppliers for the airport, local visitor-dependent businesses and construction-dependent businesses.
One of many factors threatening small airports is a shortage of pilots and other aviation-related workers. Cultice says that Grimes Field is doing its part to prepare the next generation for aviation careers. This includes flight instruction provided at the airport, an aviation class offered at the airport by Ohio Hi-Point Career Center and the Young Eagles program of the Experimental Aircraft Association, which offers free introductory flights to youth ages 8 to 17.
Grimes Flying Lab Museum Celebration
Jessica Deere, volunteer coordinator of the Grimes Flying Lab Foundation Museum, invites visitors to see the Grimes Flying Lab and the museum’s displays of the history of Grimes Manufacturing Company.
The museum will be selling commemorative Grimes Anniversary T-shirts, reprints of the 40th Anniversary edition of the Grimes Manufacturing Company newsletter, Grimes Times, and date-stamped envelopes featuring the Grimes Flying Lab. Stock is limited, she adds. You can also buy lunch at the museum.
The Grimes Flying Lab will be flying at about 2 p.m. And the museum has invited owners of Beech 18 and C-45 aircraft to fly in for the celebration. Deere adds that members of the Grimes family will attend the celebration.
The EAA Chapter 421 Pancake Breakfast, 8 to 11 a.m.
Display of experimental aircraft
A car show, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., including the new Top Gun youth division (entry free for youth)
The Aeroplane Poker Run, 10 a.m. to noon
The Sport Air Racing League Air Race, with an 11 a.m. launch. Twenty planes will takes off at 30-second intervals to compete for the fastest time over a 100-mile course.
Don “Doc” Sanders knows cows from every angle, inside and out. Even from under a fallen cow, as depicted below in an illustration from his newly published book, Beyond the Barn. This, his eleventh book, offers a mix of humorous and poignant recollections from his far-flung 50-year career as a large animal veterinarian.
On most days, Doc Sanders has managed to stay atop his profession:
On Friday, August 4, the Ohio Agricultural Council inducted him into the Ohio Agricultural Hall of Fame – in recognition of his professional contributions to agriculture. (Check out the video about Don’s career, produced by the Ohio Agricultural Council, at the end of this post.)
Bovine Veterinarian Magazine once included him in a list of 20 of the most influential beef and dairy veterinarians.
He was president of the Society for Theriogenology, a national organization of veterinarians, who like him, are board-certified in reproductive medicine.
He’s served on the respected Council for Agriculture, Science and Technology, which provides unbiased, science-based information about food and agriculture to policymakers, the media, the private sector and the public.
If you want the whole story about how Doc ended up like this, order his book.
After growing up with three brothers on the Sanders family farm in Waynesfield, Ohio, Doc went on to college and the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. There he met Judy Sauerbrei, who, after some persistence on Doc’s part, became his vet school sweetheart. Before graduation, they married, and boldly dove together into life and veterinary practice.
They started out in a storefront office in Urbana, Ohio. Dr. Judy cared for small animals, and Doc, large animals. Eventually, on the edge of town, they designed and built, for efficiency’s sake, a round veterinary clinic. Their Urbana Veterinary Clinic gained national recognition for the unique design and the quality of its veterinary care.
Doc and Dr. Judy practiced together for more than 40 years, until her passing in 2011.
Through the years, Doc extended the range of his practice, from farm calls in the immediate area, to across the state, and then nation. And eventually around the world.
Spreading His Knowledge Beyond the Barn
He served as a dairy consultant to the World Bank and has trained veterinarians and farm managers in China, Japan, South Korea, Russia, Ukraine, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Colombia and Nicaragua. He’s helped them feed their neighbors more efficiently and treat their animals humanely.
He’s further shared the breadth and depth of his knowledge in farm animal health and management through the written word. Which is where I came into the picture. I’m grateful he’s asked me to edit several of his books, including Beyond the Barn. Most of his books are practical guides on food animal health and management, some for 4-Hers. (By the way, for many years Doc served as the official veterinarian of the Champaign County Fair.)
Doc’s most widely published and translated volume is Milk Them for All Their Worth! (which is not, as he often jokes, a how-to for lawyers or church stewardship committees). He’s also written columns in agricultural publications like Ohio’s Country Journal. He was a regular on the Our Ohio public television show and Down the Road TV, and is co-host of Beyond the Barn, on Ready-FM 105.1.
Plus, for eight years he served as an associate professor for his alma mater, training, mentoring and accompanying fourth-year veterinary medicine students on farm calls.
With all his impressive accomplishments, Doc approaches life with humility, generosity and a strong faith in God (we both attend and serve at Urbana United Methodist Church). And he maintains a mischievous sense of humor, which you’ll get a hardy taste of in Beyond the Barn.
I can’t quote any of the film’s dialog. But I can still feel the sense of desolation that pulled the main characters adrift in their dying Texas town. Even their few escapes, like the pool hall and movie theater, were shutting down.
Urbana has a lot more going for it than the movie’s setting. Yet, we did see our own last picture show. That was when the Urbana Twin Cinemas closed about three and a half years ago.
A new day at the Gloria Theatre in downtown Urbana.
I remember the downhearted dialog that followed, around town and on Facebook.
The Marquee Shines Again
But a story line far different than the one directed by Peter Bogdanovich began to unfold.
Here, a closed theater has come to symbolize something entirely different. Faith. Hope. Community spirit and self-determination. Direction.
Now the marquee changes weekly announcing movies (including new releases), concerts, Christian revivals and youth retreats, stage productions and more. (A sampling of upcoming events is at the end of this post.)
Volunteers set seats in place in the Gloria Theatre.
Theater Saved for the Community
The Urbana United Methodist Church bought the theater in 2014 to save it for the community. And to use the theater for the glory of God, resurrecting the movie house’s former name, the Gloria.
The nonprofit, community-based GrandWorks Foundation manages the Gloria Theatre and a campaign to complete the theater’s restoration as a community center to reach, restore and revive Champaign County culturally, socially, economically and spiritually.
Visit the Gloria Theatre websiteto learn about the foundation’s mission, vision and plans – and how you can support the theater to ensure a future of quality entertainment and cultural, social and spiritual events for Champaign County.
Share Gloria Theatre Facebook posts about upcoming events to spread the word
Attend events and invite your friends
A Sample of Coming Attractions at the Gloria
Movies
(Admission only $5! All proceeds support ongoing renovation. Shown with the Gloria’s new state-of-the-art 4K digital projection system, Dolby® Surround 7.1 sound system and new 38-by-16-foot screen. Show times on the Gloria Theatre website.)
The American President: Feb. 17, 18, 19 & 20 (Presidents Day)
Magnificent Seven: March 3, 4 & 5
Trolls: March 10, 11 & 12
Rogue One: March 17, 18 & 19
Secret Life of Pets: March 24, 25 & 26
La La Land: March 31, April 1 & 2
Ignite 2017
Second annual Ignite youth conference, Feb. 24-26, where teens from the region will join together to “ignite” their faith in Christ. For details, visit the Ignite page on Facebook.
Godspell
The musical “Godspell” will be presented at the Gloria April 7, 8 & 9 by the Perennial Theatre Company of Urbana, Check the Perennial Theatre Facebook pagefor more.
Bonus Feature
And I hope you didn’t miss the January 14 McCartney Projectconcert. It was a fun trip back to the music of the Beatles and Wings – and a sign of great entertainment to come. Here’s a clip:
And That’s Not All, Folks…
As a Gloria Theatre volunteer, I wrote copy for a two-page section published December 23 in the Urbana Daily Citizen about the Gloria Theatre’s history and 75th anniversary:Page 1Page 2
Main Library (Main), 1060 Scioto St., Urbana, OH North Lewisburg Branch (NL), 161 Winder St., North Lewisburg, OH
Kids Pizza Party & Movie, Jan. 16, Main – Here’s a way to spend part of the day off school — pizza and the movie “BFG,” starting at noon.
Soup and Bread Tasting, Jan. 21, Main – An annual treat of the Friends of the Library. Sample an array of delicious soups and breads. Free, but donations appreciated to support the Friends of the Library, which supports library programming. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. But get there early to make sure you don’t miss out.
Facebook for Beginners, Jan. 23, Main – A free program at 2 p.m. for those wanting to keep up with their friends on social media.
Lego Club, Jan. 23, Main – Kids build to their hearts’ content with Legos provided by the library, 6:30 p.m.
Family Fun Night, Jan. 23, NL – A fun evening for kids of all ages and their families. Wintry stories, games, treats and more. 6:30 p.m.
Family Movie Night, Jan. 27 (Main) and 28 (NL) – Featuring the movie “Storks.” Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and movie starts at 6 p.m.
Genealogy and the Internet, Feb. 6, Main – learn how to research your family tree with library and online resources. Free at 2 p.m.
Preschool Story Times, Jan. 18 & 25 – 11-11:45 a.m.
National Soup Month Celebration – Crafts and weekly drawings in January for prizes – including a bowl of soup at The House Café and Bakery. Fill out a prize drawing entry and tell the librarians what they should put in the soup (think “Stone Soup”) they’ll be serving to library patrons Jan. 18, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. (Donations of ingredients are welcome and non-perishable extras will be donated to the local food pantry.)
You’ll find plenty of local activities to help get you in the Christmas spirit. Here’s a sampling:
Christmas Tree Lighting/Horse Parade, Friday, Nov. 25
Downtown Urbana will be the place to be Friday evening. Here’s what Monument Square District (MSD) has in store:
5:30 p.m. – The first annual Tree Lighting Ceremony in Legacy Park on the southeast corner of Monument Square
6 p.m. – Urbana’s Second Annual All-Horse Parade, featuring lighted horses and carriages, starting at 6 p.m. from the 600 block of Scioto Street and traveling to Monument Square. The parade will circle around the monument and return to its starting point. Planned by Carr’s Belgians & Carriage Services, LLC and MSD
7 p.m. – Santa rides into town, escorted by the parade. He’ll stop at Santa Land, at the Gloria Theatre, 216 S. Main St., to hear children’s Christmas wishes. Snacks will be served and the Champaign County Youth Choir will perform.
Santa will be at the Gloria every Friday, 5 to 8 p.m., and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. leading up to Christmas (Dec. 24, he’ll be there noon to 2 p.m.).
Other Friday activities include free carriage rides, food vendors, extended hours at downtown shops, family activities at downtown businesses and carolers.
Shop Local on Small Business Saturday, Nov. 26
This Christmas shopping season support local businesses throughout Champaign County.
Sure, there’s Black Friday the day after Thanksgiving. And Cyber Monday after that. But in between is Small Business Saturday. Local merchants offer a unique selection of gifts (don’t forget gift certificates).
And your local purchases give back to our local economy. For every $100 you spend at a locally owned business, $68 stays here. But when you spend $100 at a locally based chain store, only $43 supports our local community.
Christmas Movies at the Gloria Theatre, Beginning Nov. 26
Seventy-five years ago this Christmas, Warren Grimes – aviation lighting pioneer, founder of Urbana’s Grimes Manufacturing and local philanthropist – opened the Gloria Theatre. He invested $100,000 to turn the theater into a state-of-the-art movie house of its day.
This Christmas season, starting this Saturday (Nov. 26), the Gloria will show Christmas classics, using today’s state-of-the-art technology – a newly installed 4K digital projection system, 7.1 surround sound and new 38-by-16-foot screen. The screen is about two and a half times larger than the theater’s previous screen.
“A Christmas Story” will be shown at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 26 and 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 27. Doors will open 30 minutes before each show. The $5 admission will benefit ongoing renovation of the Gloria by the GrandWorks Foundation.
“Home Alone” will be shown at the same times on Dec. 10 and 11. Check for updates on the Gloria Theatre Downtown Urbana Facebook page for movies that will be shown December 17 and 18 and on Christmas weekend, to mark the theater’s 75th anniversary.
The theater also will host “Prime Time Christmas,” an original play presented twice on December 3, at 2 and 6 p.m., by the Cornerstone Baptist Church of Springfield. Admission is free. For more information, visit springfieldchristmas.squarespace.com.
Beth Macy Book Talk and Signing, Tuesday, Nov. 29
Beth Macy with her proud high school English teacher, Margaret Tabor, after her Factory Man book signing at the Champaign County Library in 2014.
Not necessarily a holiday event. But certainly a prime opportunity to treat yourself – and buy the readers on your Christmas list a bestseller that’s won rave reviews from the likes of The New York Times, Kirkus Reviews and NPR. (By the way, Leonardo DiCaprio is already negotiating to produce and star in a movie adaptation.)
Beth Macy, New York Times best-selling author and 1982 Urbana High School graduate, will be back in town Tuesday, Nov. 29 to talk about and sign her second nonfiction bestseller, Truevine – at 7 p.m. in the Sara Landess Room of Urbana University’s Student Center. The event is sponsored by the Champaign County Library.
Two years ago, Beth packed to overflowing the Champaign County Library meeting room for a book talk and signing for her first bestseller, Factory Man. That book is being developed by Tom Hanks as an HBO miniseries.
Truevine is a Kirkus Awards finalist. The Kirkus Reviews says of Beth and Truevine: “A consummate chronicler of the American South spotlights the extraordinary history of two kidnapped African-American brothers enslaved as a circus sideshow act…. This first-rate journey into human trafficking, slavery, and familial bonding is an engrossing example of spirited, determined reportage.”
And I know from her Factory Man talk in Urbana, Beth tells a great, entertaining story about the sleuthing and relentless reporting that goes into creating a well-told work of nonfiction. See you there!
Copies of Truevine will be available for purchase. The Friends of the Library will host a reception following the talk and signing.
No Room at the Inn, Messiah Lutheran Church, Sunday, Dec. 4
Here’s a great way to celebrate Christmas and help the homeless. No Room at the Inn, from 2 to 5 p.m. will raise money for the Caring Kitchen homeless shelter. The event features:
A display of hundreds of nativity scenes from around the world
An angel room
A concert by choirs from Urbana United Methodist Church, First Presbyterian Church, Episcopal Church of the Epiphany and the Messiah Lutheran Church
Children’s activities from 2 to 4:30 p.m.
A silent auction
Homemade chicken noodle dinner for $5 from 2 to 5 p.m.
Madden Road Music Fest hosts Daniel Dye and the Miller Road Band wrapped up the 2014 festival on the Pine Stage. They’ll take the stage at 8 p.m. this year.
Champaign County’s in a great location—a short drive from two metropolitan areas. For instance, just 45 minutes to Columbus’ Jazz and Rib Fest, which I enjoyed two weeks ago with my son Andy, who lives in Columbus.
Of course, the roads run both ways. And Champaign County has much to offer our urban neighbors—and those of us who live here.
In its sixth year, the festival is a fun, relaxing escape to the Dye family farm, 1791 Madden Rd., Cable. It’s just about a mile and a half north of Mutual, eight miles east of Urbana, or about 40 miles west of downtown Columbus.
Madden Road Music Fest: 2-10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 13
The festival offers nine performances on two stages, delicious food and coffee served by local vendors, three free music and dance workshops, a campfire, walking trails and a mural you can help create.
Here’s an audio preview of the festival, broadcast on WYSO radio, including a few tunes performed in the studio by Daniel Dye and the Miller Road Band.
And here’s a video from Joey Hebdo, who will perform at 9:15 p.m.
And “Can’t Stop This Love” by Daniel Dye and the Miller Road Band
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s epic story of love and lust performed by Sansami Creative Works at Piatt Castles, 10051 Twp. Rd. 47, West Liberty. Doors open at 7:30 and the show begins at 8 p.m., August 5 and 6. All tickets $10.
Rock the Lake 2016, Aug. 6 and 7
Crowder headlines this annual Christian concert started by Shine FM in 2015 at at Old Field Beach at Indian Lake State Park. New this year, a triathlon on Saturday morning and a community church service Sunday morning. Also the Logan County Art League is hosting an art show on the beach Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. Visit Shine FM for more information.
Concerts in the Park
Two performances remain in the Champaign County Arts Council’s free summer concert series. Both shows will begin at 6 p.m. at Harmon Park in St. Paris:
Freshwater Farms of Ohio, host of the popular Ohio Fish and Shrimp Festival, has come up with a new way to celebrate. And I’m looking forward to it.
The Freshwater Farms Drum Circle will be held Saturday, June 18, 5-9 p.m., and Sunday, June 19, noon-5 p.m. at the farm, 2624 N. U.S. 68, Urbana.
It’s a free event where guests like you, your family and friends are encouraged to bring drums, cowbells, a pair of sticks, spoons or any other percussive instruments you can find. I plan to bring my old, gold Slingerland snare, from the used drum kit I bought back in my high school days.
Everyone will join in a rhythmic jam session—a drum circle—encircled by beautiful countryside. And there’ll be dancing and hula-hooping to the ever-changing beat.
Freshwater Farms has invited some special guests:
The Asunameekw Singers Drum Group of Bucktown, Ontario, Canada
Lunaape blues artist Brock Stonefish of the Delaware Nation, Ontario, Canada
Storyteller Chief Cedarheart of Turkey Town Village in Cardington, Ohio
Also planned are kids’ activities that include drum making and hula hoop decorating.
And I can’t forget to mention there’ll be good food and drink for purchase: fish and chips, jambalaya, brats, hot dogs and a variety of nonalcoholic beverages, as well as craft beers and wine.
Drum circles are rooted in Asian, African, Native American, even American ‘60s, culture. And they’re widely used in music therapy and team building exercises.
In drum circles, participants improvise, creating an interplay of rhythms. There’s no wrong or right way. And it’s for everyone, regardless of musical experience and talent. The rhythms grow and change as everyone—young, old and in between—enjoys the shared experience.
Watch the following videos to learn more about the drum circle experience. And be sure to experience it yourself this weekend at the Freshwater Farms Drum Circle.
My wife, Kay, mentioned at dinner the other night that she heard someone complain there’s nothing to do in Urbana and Champaign County.
Obviously, it’s time for another Champaign Uncorked! Bucket List. June will be busting out with all sorts of activity.
The Moving Wall exhibit in Camden, Tennessee.
Moving Wall Vietnam Veterans Memorial, June 9-13
If you’re in Urbana the morning of Thursday, June 9, there’s little chance this event will slip by you unnoticed. I’m imagining Urbana will sound a bit like Sturgis, S.D. During rally week.
The throaty rumble of hundreds of motorcycles will move up Main Street, south to north, beginning at 10 a.m. About 10 veterans motorcycle groups will escort a semi tractor-trailer carrying the Moving Wall, a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial from Freedom Grove, on the south end of town by the Champaign County Community Center, to the old armory, on the north end of town at 1412 N. Main St., just south of Grimes Field. It will be on public display there through 5 p.m. Monday, June 13.
I hope you can take a few minutes Thursday morning to stop somewhere on Main Street to watch the procession. And stop by the armory over the weekend to see the wall and pay respects to those who sacrificed for our freedom.
The Moving Wall will be in town in conjunction with Military Appreciation Day, Saturday, June 11 at Grimes Field airport, 1636 N Main St, Urbana. This event drew 5,000 people to the airport last year. Event planners are prepared for 8,000 this year as more military aircraft will be flying in and more than a dozen aviation museums, including the Champaign Aviation Museum and Grimes Flying Lab at Grimes Field, will set up displays for the public. Also planned:
Nine helicopters, 21 fixed wing aircraft and 50 military vehicles from the Vietnam era
Rides on Huey and Cobra helicopters and other aircraft
Pancake breakfast hosted by the Champaign County Pilots Association starting at 7 a.m.
The Military Appreciation 5K run starting at the armory at 8:15 a.m. Register here.
Parachute jump at noon
USO show at noon. Music by the Wright Brothers, featuring Pinups for Patriots.
Parade of military vehicles starting at noon
Beer garden with live music and food starting at noon·
The Ohio Valley British Brass Band, 3 to 4:30 p.m., in the Grimes Field hangar
Second Annual Rock the Monument Four Miler, June 10
I’m registered to run this event, a fundraiser for Monument Square District, which promotes Urbana’s historic downtown business district. The race, at Urbana’s Melvin Miller Park, starts at 7 p.m. with check-in beginning at 5:30 p.m. With your registration you’ll get a free weekend pass to the next item on the Bucket List, the second annual Rhythm & Foods Festival. Register at Speedy-Feet.com.
Rhythm & Foods Festival, June 10 & 11
So, after the race, here’s my next stop. This second annual festival at the Champaign County Fairgrounds offers a very satisfying recipe of live music and delicious food: 10 bands, including seven of the region’s top country rock bands, and about 30 food trucks and vendors—including several local favorites. Camping available. Visit the festival website for the line up of bands and food vendors. And prepare for a fun weekend.
I’ll provide a more complete answer in an upcoming post. But for now:
It’s a free event to be held at Freshwater Farms of Ohio, 2624 N. U.S. 68, Urbana. Hours: June 18, 6-9 p.m., and June 19, noon-5 p.m.
Freshwater Farms encourages guests (like you, your family and friends) to bring drums, cowbells, a pair of sticks, spoons or other percussive instruments. The idea is for all to join in a fun, rhythmic jam session. There’ll be dancing. And hula-hooping to the ever-changing beat. As well as storytelling and kids’ activities that include drum and hula hoop making.
And there’ll be good food and drink for purchase. Fish and chips, jambalaya, brats, soda, wine, beer and more.
Freshwater Farms has invited some special guests, indigenous peoples from Ontario and the U.S., whose traditions include drum circles, such as the Asunameekw Singers Drum Group of Bucktown, Ontario, Canada.
The Champaign County Preservation Alliance’s 24th Historic Home & Garden Tour will feature more than half a dozen Urbana homes that range from 61 to 177 years old. And they include a solar-powered house and a surviving example of the prefabricated enameled steel houses—Lustron homes—built to ease the severe housing shortage that met GIs when they returned home after World War II.
The tour also includes:
Urbana First Baptist Church, which recently opened a new addition that blends in with its original structure
Hours of the tour: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 25 and Sunday, June 26. Tickets available day of tour in tent behind the Urbana Municipal Building, 205 S. Main St. Tickets also available after June 1 at supporting local businesses. For more information, call 800-791-6010.
Concerts in the Park Begin June 25
The Champaign County Arts Council’s Concerts in the Park series begins with vocalist Pam Noah and her nine-piece swing band. 7 p.m. at Urbana’s Melvin Miller Park. Noah’s band is an offshoot the Queen City Big Band in Cincinnati. Singing professionally since 1986, Noah has performed across the U.S. and in USO shows. Her band members’ credits include performing with Buddy Rich, Stan Kenton, The Glenn Miller Orchestra, Rosemary Clooney, Ruth Lyons and the Bob Braun Show.
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