For me, reading the Urbana Daily Citizen’s Saturday edition was a wistful experience.
The first thing that caught my attention on Page One was the color photo of the Urbana Twin Cinema’s marquee announcing the return of movies to Urbana. That’s good news: Urbana has not seen its “Last Picture Show.”
It’s the Daily Citizen’s second metamorphosis in recent months. First, bankruptcy proceedings and a change of ownership. And now this—shedding its long-time home, 220 E. Court St. near downtown, for Suite 10 of the Scioto Square shopping center … “conveniently located near Kroger,” as the article put it.
Granted, 220 E. Court St. is no architectural work of art. It’s as “artless” as the newsroom is windowless. Completely windowless, in fact. But really, a newsroom in a strip mall?
Of course, the move makes sense. Much of the current building is unused, wasting money to heat. The press room has been closed for many years since Brown Publishing consolidated printing operations of its papers. Desktop publishing put the composing room out of business. And thanks to digital photography, the darkroom is just a dark room—windowless like the newsroom.
But the place holds a lot of nostalgia. It’s the first place I ever wrote anything in Urbana, Ohio. I can’t remember what that first article was. But I slugged it out on a hulking manual typewriter, in my first job out of college, with the incessantly clattering Associated Press wire machine at my back, at a desk that abutted the desk of Managing Editor Phil Angelo—a desk and title that I eventually moved over to.
At the risk of sounding like some old guy, there really was a lot of charm to those good ol’ newspaper days.
But, come to think of it, what’s not to like about the ease of electronic publishing. Just a click of the “Publish” icon…. Now you’re reading this!
A tip of the fedora to Daily Citizen Managing Editor Brenda Burns for granting my request for one last nostalgic look around the confines of 220 E. Court St.–and, of course, a good deep breath of the lingering scent of printer’s ink.
Only one day is marked on the calendar to honor the men and women who have defended our country. But at the Champaign Aviation Museum in Urbana, Ohio, every day is Veterans Day.
Guests view planes during the Champaign Aviation Museum's open house on Saturday. The Champaign Lady B-17 can be seen in the background.
World War II B-17 vets often stop by to check progress of the museum’s project to rebuild a B-17 Flying Fortress—the Champaign Lady—to flying status. In its fifth year, the volunteer effort recently moved from Hangar 9 on the south end of Grimes Field to the museum, on the airport’s north end. It shares the space with other vintage aircraft.
When B-17 veterans arrive they get a hero’s welcome. Photos of the veterans decorate the work area. And work stops as the volunteers take in the veterans’ recounting of nighttime raids over Nazi Germany, of their riddled planes lumbering back to base.
The B-17 restoration and the museum are not just about antique flying machines. Urbana businessman and benefactor Jerry Shiffer started the project—and his family has continued it since his death—as a way to remember the sacrifices made for our freedoms.
Take a moment to visit the museum’s website—in particular a page that features bios of a couple of the many veterans who have visited the Champaign Lady. Stop by the museum, too. You might even get to meet a B-17 crew member, as I did on one visit.
And thank the veterans around you.
My nephew Wes, back from Iraq.
My nephew Mark, in Afghanistan.
I take this opportunity to honor the memory of my father-in-law, Kenneth Markley, who served in the Korean War, and my father, James Schenkel, who served in the Pacific Theater in World War II and at the beginning of the occupation of Japan at war’s end.
And a special salute to my nephews, Wes and Mark Poppel: Wes is back at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., after a tour in Iraq, and Mark, with the Ohio Air National Guard, is back from Afghanistan.
Click here to view a brochure that I and graphic designer Melinda Thackery created for the Champaign Aviation Museum.
I’ll leave it to other bloggers to argue the implications of Tuesday’s elections on our local economy.
Instead, I’d like to present the merits of casting your dollars for local business. There’s no argument as to the stimulating effect shopping at independently-owned businesses has on communities like our own — Urbana, Ohio.
The 3/50 Project®, a nationwide campaign to encourage consumers to support locally-owned businesses, offers this:
For every $100 spent at a locally-owned business, $68 comes back to the community
Only $43 recirculates from national chain stores
Now’s a good time—with the Christmas shopping season upon us—to try this out.
And, it just so happens, the Monument Square District, Urbana’s downtown business association, is offering the perfect, festive opportunity for us to discover the growing number of local shopping options we have. This opportunity is Historic Downtown Urbana’s Holiday Open House:
Friday, Nov. 5, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 6, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 7, 1-5 p.m.
Fourteen downtown retail businesses—some new and some well-established landmarks—will all be open during these hours. They’ve planned a fun, store-to-store celebration–a retail block party–that will help us discover and rediscover all the places we have to shop locally.
Here’s a listing of the stores and what they have planned:
ben and me – champagne and cupcakes
Carmazzi’s – drawing for a snack gift basket
Country Gentleman – free gift with $15 or more purchase, refreshments, door prizes
Courtney’s Cupboard – door prizes, refreshments
Everyday Organics – food product sampling, special discounts
Guild Galleries Interiors & Gifts – specials, door prizes, refreshments
Lily’s Garden – refreshments
Little Ones – 10% off children’s shoes, coats and winter apparel, bike giveaway, refreshments
My Old Ohio House Antiques – Victorian ornament exhibit
Scioto Street Gallery Antiques & Sweets – wine and hors d’oeuvres
Sweet Annie – free gift with $15 or more purchase, refreshments, door prizes
The Green Owl – holiday workshops, food & beverages, giveaway basket valued at $250, “meet the artist,” and live music
The Monkey Barrel – special pricing, refreshments
Wright’s Bikes – learn how to transform your bike into an exercise machine; learn how to fix a flat tire
It was my pleasure to work at the polls Tuesday in Urbana’s 4A Precinct with Scott Griswold, Stephanie Truelove and Loretta Vernon. A real joy to see so many people come out to the Champaign County Community Center to exercise their right to vote.
Election Day is only a few days away: I’ll get right to the point.
Voters in Champaign County, Ohio, have the opportunity to support a priceless community treasure by voting for one of the best—if not the best—returns on your tax dollar.
That is, the Champaign County Library tax levy. For the owner of a house with an appraised value of $100,000 the cost of the levy is only $24.50 a year.
I’m not knocking bookstores or other media stores…. Books, CDs and DVDs are worthy purchases and make cherished gifts. But if you walk into one of these establishments with twenty-four dollars and fifty cents, you won’t be leaving with a whole lot. Not compared to what you can walk out of a library with.
Let’s say you go to the library once and check out an adult bestseller, a DVD and a children’s book. Not much. Nonetheless, at a store you’d be exchanging those items for about $60.
At a library you just take them home, having opened your wallet or purse only to extract your library card. Then you return to exchange those items for more.
These days, when disposable income is limited, the library’s value has increased. People out of work or living on a tighter budget cut expenses like Internet service and newspaper and magazine subscriptions. But they can come to the library to read the papers or search job sites and check e-mails on public computers. In 2009 the Champaign County Library’s public computers were used 24,151 times.
Libraries across the state have come upon hard times themselves. As a result of state funding cuts, the Champaign County Library—which includes the North Lewisburg Branch Library—is operating on $276,000 less state money than it did in 2008. More cuts are anticipated in 2011. Staffing has been reduced, raises eliminated, employees who resign are not being replaced, weekly operating hours have been cut from 60 to 52.
Just when people need libraries more.
On Tuesday, Nov. 2, vote for a good investment. Vote for the Champaign County Library.
(In the interest of full disclosure, my wife, Kay, is on staff at the Champaign County Library.)
The first thing that caught my attention on Page One was the color photo of the Urbana Twin Cinema’s marquee announcing the return of movies to Urbana. That’s good news: Urbana has not seen its “Last Picture Show.”
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