by Gary Schenkel | Jul 6, 2015 | Active Living, Events, Food, Nature, Nonprofits, Tourism
I celebrated Independence Day morning with freelance writing work and an eight-mile solo run on the Simon Kenton Trail.
A tranquil scene by the Simon Kenton Trail, north of Urbana.
The run gave me time—lots of it since I’m not speedy—to think. For instance, about the direction of my freelance business-writing career. I want to narrow my focus to certain specialties and industries.
Plus I reflected on the gift of independence. Certainly, the freedoms we enjoy as Americans. And the freedom that freelancing offers in defining your career.
And the freedom of just running (or walking or bicycling) along a trail, free of motorized traffic—and developed and maintained by an independent group of citizens, the Simon Kenton Pathfinders. Be sure to make the trail a part of your summer, if you haven’t already. And sign up to support the Pathfinders and trail in the 16th annual fund-raiser bike ride to be held Sunday, September 13.
At the end of the run, I return to the Urbana Depot, my water stop.
I ran on the latest addition to the trail, which takes off from the restored Urbana Depot (home of the Depot Coffeehouse) and ends in Bellefontaine.
However, I turned around at the State Route 296 crossing. (I’m seriously considering running the full length, from Bellefontaine to the Depot this fall in lieu of registering for an organized half marathon. This has the makings for a good pictorial Champaign Uncorked! post.)
A bi-plane awaits passengers as people in the background gather for the Phil Dirt and the Dozers concert during the Fourth of July celebration at Grimes Field airport.
Later in the day, I drove out to Grimes Field, which I had run past on the trail, to enjoy Urbana’s traditional July 4 celebration, complete with the Urbana Rotary Club’s barbecue chicken, for which I worked up a good appetite.
Urbana Rotarians barbecue chicken at the Grimes Field Fourth of July celebration.
Watch for upcoming July events in the next Champaign Uncorked! post later this week.
What upcoming events do you recommend?
by Gary Schenkel | Jun 11, 2015 | Uncategorized
We’re just a little more than a week away from the start of summer. Farmers’ markets are in full swing. And the Champaign Uncorked! Bucket List is here to recommend a sampling of the many exciting local Champaign County activities to try out in June. Some are brand new. Others are tried and true.
So, here goes….
Rock the Monument 4 Miler/1.5 Mile Fun Walk, June 12
Get a running start into the weekend in this new fundraiser to support Monument Square District’s (MSD) mission to develop and enhance Urbana’s historic downtown.
I’m already registered, and you can still sign up beginning at 5:30 p.m. Friday, June 12 at Urbana’s Melvin Miller Park, 731 Children’s Home Rd. Start time is 7 p.m. Registration is $25 for the Four Miler. The fun walk is free, though registration is required. Donations to support MSD will be accepted.
By the way, all participants registered for the Four Miler will receive a weekend pass to the next event on the Bucket List, the Rhythm & Foods Festival….
Rhythm & Foods Festival, June 12 and 13
Whether or not you worked up an appetite running four miles around Melvin Miller Park, here’s another not-to-miss, first-time event.
A surefire success, thanks to the rising popularity of food trucks, Rhythm & Foods brings together more than 50 food trucks and vendors, craft beers and seven country rock bands at the Champaign County Fairgrounds, 384 Park Ave, Urbana.
A $5 weekend pass—covering Friday and Saturday—includes admission to all seven shows—including Urbana’s own Acoustic Justice and long-time regional favorite McGuffey Lane. Tickets are available only at the gate, which opens at 4 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. Saturday.
Visit the festival website for a complete band schedule, listing of food trucks and other features, including a Robert Rothschild Farm products warehouse sale.
Kudos to Dave and Darcy Bacher of St. Paris for creating and organizing this event.
For more information, read this article from the Urbana Daily Citizen.
Military Appreciation Day, June 13
This event at Urbana’s Grimes Field airport, 1636 N Main St, will honor veterans in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of U.S. ground troops arriving in Vietnam. The event is co-sponsored by DAV Chapter 31 and VFW Post 5451.
The all-day tribute will feature 13 Vietnam-era aircraft, including flights in Cobra and Huey helicopters (for a fee), an air show, military vehicles, music, a beer garden, and pancake breakfast beginning at 7:30 a.m. The day will conclude with a 5 p.m. tribute to 10 Champaign County natives who gave their lives in the Vietnam War.
Admission is only $1 and free for veterans. Shuttle service will be provided between the airport and the Rhythm & Foods Festival.
For details, read this article from the Urbana Daily Citizen.
A Champaign Uncorked! salute to Dave Millner and Jim Bob White, who conceived the idea for the appreciation day and planned it.
Volunteer at the Gloria Theatre, June 16 and 17
And here’s your opportunity for an intimate, participatory theatrical experience: Volunteer Tuesday, June 16 and/or Wednesday, June 17 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. to help prepare the stage of The Gloria Theatre for “Spotlight, Tonight” (see next Bucket List item) and other productions.
No auditions. Just show up, ready to work at The Gloria, 216 S. Main St., Urbana, and you’ll be handed a role and the tools to carry it out–perhaps a drill, a broom, a hammer.
To learn more about how you can support the ongoing restoration of the Gloria Theatre, as a volunteer and/or financial contributor, visit the GrandWorks Foundation website.
Spotlight, Tonight!, June 26
This original sketch comedy show will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. at Urbana’s Gloria Theatre, 216 S. Main St. A production of Sansami Creative Works of West Liberty, the show is written by community members and directed by Lucas Keeran with assistance from Thoryn Johnson.
Presale tickets for the show can be purchased for $7 at the Gloria Theatre during office hours. Tickets will be available at the door the day of the show $10 for adults and $7 for senior citizens and students.
Part of the proceeds will support the GrandWorks Foundation, which is restoring the Gloria Theatre.
CCPA Historic Home & Garden Tour, June 27 and 28
This annual fund-raising event of the Champaign County Preservation Alliance enjoys a long run of success—23 years—shining the spotlight on Champaign County’s historic architectural 
treasures, including homes and business properties, as well as gardens.
This year’s tour, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days, features 12 stops in Urbana, including a house currently being restored, the Johnny Appleseed Musem at Urbana University and the Market Street Community Gardens. (You can say hi to my wife, Kay, who will be volunteering at the Little Wedding Barn, 228 S. Kenton St.)
Tickets are available for $10 presale, or $12 during the tour–available at any stop on the tour or at the white tent behind the Urbana Municipal Building, 205 S. Main St. Tour is free for children under 12. Click here for presale ticket locations. Free shuttle service is available from stop to stop.
Farmers’ Markets
Through the end of the season, these three local farmers’ markets will offer a wide range of locally grown foods as well as locally made food products, including baked goods:
The Mechanicsburg Farmers’ & Artisans’ Market — Tuesdays, 4:30-7 p.m. at the Heritage Cooperative, 140 S. Main St., Mechanicsburg, Ohio
St. Paris Farmers’ Market – Fridays, 2:30-6 p.m., Municipal Building, 135 W. Main St., St. Paris, Ohio
Champaign County Farmers’ Market – Saturdays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Locust Street at the corner of East Market Street, behind the Urbana Fire Department.
What other events would you recommend?
by Gary Schenkel | Feb 8, 2015 | Uncategorized
Here’s your February Bucket List, a sampling of the many ways to enjoy the month in Champaign County – from celebrating Valentine’s Day to supporting good causes to enjoying good music. Hope you have a great month!
Empty Bowls, Feb. 12 – You can help those who don’t have enough to eat when you buy a handmade ceramic bowl for $15 and sample a variety of soups and breads donated by local restaurants, 5 to 7 p.m. at the Urbana University Student Center, 579 College Way, Urbana. All proceeds from Empty Bowls support the Second Harvest Food Bank of Clark, Champaign and Logan Counties. For more information, contact Anna Plataniotis at 937-325-8715 or visit the Second Harvest Food Bank website.
Lions Annual Pancake & Sausage Breakfast, Saturday, Feb. 14 – Start your Valentine’s Day supporting the Urbana Lions Club, 6 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at the Champaign County Fairgrounds, 384 Park Avenue, Urbana.
Valentine’s Day Wine & Beer Tasting, Saturday, Feb. 14 – Treat your sweetheart at Mad River Farm Market, 7538 N. U.S. 68, West Liberty, 5 to 8 p.m. And stay to enjoy the music of Above the Law, 7 to 11 p.m.
Concert featuring Daniel Dye and the Miller Road Band with Aallotar, Saturday, Feb. 14 – Celebrate Valentine’s Day with a mix of American and Finnish folk music and the direct trade coffee of host Hemisphere Coffee Roasters, in HCR’s new location, 39 S. Main St., Mechanicsburg, across the street from the HCR coffee shop. Champaign County’s very own Daniel Dye and the Miller Road Band welcome special guest, Aallotar, a transatlantic collaboration of Finnish-American violinist Sara Pajunen and Finnish accordionist Teija Niku. Admission by donation.
Four-Course Wine Pairing Dinner, Thursday, Feb. 19 – Savor an elegant night out, 6 to 8 p.m., at Freshwater Farms of Ohio, 2624 N. U.S. 68, Urbana. Four-course dinner prepared by The FoodSmiths Catering. Reservations required by 7 p.m. Feb. 17. Call 937-652-3701 or email cherie@fwfarms.com. Cost: $35 per person; food only, $25 per person (plus tax and gratuity). More information.
Peace Labyrinth: Quilting the Golden Rule, through Feb. 28 at Urbana University – Walk through a labyrinth of 17 beautiful quilts that portray the common thread of the Golden Rule in 17 major world faiths and humanist philosophies. At the Swedenborg Memorial Library on the university campus, 579 College Way, Urbana. For hours and more information, click here.
Sponsored by the Alicia Titus Memorial Peace Fund, started in 2002 in memory of Alicia Titus, an Urbana University alumna who was killed while working as a flight attendant on United Flight 175 on September 11, 2001. Group tours may be arranged by calling Bev Titus, 937-663-5360.
Meet and Greet at the Gloria Theatre, Saturday, Feb. 28 – Stop by the Gloria Theatre (former Urbana Cinema), 216 S. Main St., Urbana, any time between noon and 3 p.m., to see how it’s being transformed into a community theater and community center by the nonprofit GrandWorks Foundation. Learn how you can help and how the theater can serve as a resource for you, your organization or your business—for community performances, meetings and special events. For more information, call 937-612-1651.
Skunk Cabbage Walk at Cedar Bog, Saturday, Feb. 28 – Spring can’t be far behind! Join Cedar Bog volunteer naturalist Cheryl Erwin, 1 to 3 p.m., on a search for the bog’s first bloomer of the season – the skunk cabbage. Cost $5, adults; $4, children and Cedar Bog and Ohio History Connection members.Located at 980 Woodburn Rd., Urbana. 937-484-3744
What else do you have planned for February?
by Gary Schenkel | Nov 4, 2014 | Active Living, Business, Events, Food, History, Music, Nonprofits, Tourism
In this month of Thanksgiving, welcome to the third installment of the Champaign Uncorked! Bucket List. Here goes with a sampling of the ways to celebrate the season and the goodness Champaign County has to offer.
Celebrate the Season!
A glimpse of The Boston’s window display for the Holiday Open House, Nov. 7-9, in Urbana’s Monument Square District..
Holiday Open House Weekend, Friday, Nov. 7-Sunday, Nov. 9 – Beat the hectic pace of Black Friday shopping. Support the local merchants of Urbana’s charming downtown Monument Square District and discover the one-of-kind presents and hospitality they keep in store. Downtown shops will be open Friday, Nov. 7, 10-8; Saturday, Nov. 8, 10-6; and Sunday, Nov. 9, 1-5.
And take a shopping break at one of downtown Urbana’s fine, locally owned restaurants. Check out Monument Square District’s Facebook page for updates on what stores have to offer.
Urban Loft Tour, Saturday, Nov. 8 – Ever wonder what’s above the shops in downtown Urbana? Satisfy your curiosity while you’re downtown Nov. 8 for the Holiday Open House. The Champaign County Preservation Alliance (CCPA) will take you on a tour of the upper stories of seven downtown buildings, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The day of the tour, tickets will be available at the Stage Building, 38 Monument Square, and the Urbana Cinema/Gloria Theater, 216 S. Main St., which is on the tour Prior to that, tickets are available at the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce, Champaign Bank, Peoples Savings Bank, Perpetual Savings Bank and Security National Bank. The $12 ticket cost will support CCPA’s historic preservation work.
For more information, visit the Loft Tour pages of the CCPA’s Home and Garden Tour website.
Make a Gingerbread House at the Library, Saturday Nov. 22 – The Champaign County Library offers children two opportunities to decorate a gingerbread house:
- At 10 a.m., hosted by the Friends of the North Lewisburg Branch Library, at 161 Winder St., North Lewisburg
- At 2 p.m., hosted by the Friends of the Library at the main library at 1060 Scioto St., Urbana.
Register by Nov. 19 for either program by calling 937-653-3811.
Thanksgiving Morning Walk – The
Champaign Family YMCA invites the community to meet outside the west entrance to the First Presbyterian Church, 116 W. Court St., Urbana, for a time of thanks and a short walk, which will begin at 8 a.m. Thanksgiving, Nov. 27. Paul Waldsmith, CEO of the Y, and Jennifer Post, health enhancement director, will lead the walk and offer participants their choice of a 15-minute walk route or a 1-mile route. The walk will be held no matter the weather. Participants are asked to bring a non-perishable food item for local food pantries. “This is not a competition, just a way to give back to our community,” Waldsmith explains. For more information, call the Y at 937-653-9622.
Community Thanksgiving Dinners – Community members have three opportunities to give thanks by volunteering, donating food and enjoying Thanksgiving dinner together:
- Caring Kitchen, at 300 Miami St., Urbana, Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27, needs volunteers and food donations for its annual Thanksgiving dinner for residents of the Urbana, Mechanicsburg, Triad and West Liberty-Salem school districts. Serving from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., with carryout and home delivery beginning at 10:30 a.m. Call 937-653-8443 by Nov. 15 to volunteer or make donations or by Nov. 24 to schedule a delivery. Individuals planning to dine in or pick up a meal also are encouraged to call ahead to ensure enough food is available. Meals will be delivered to the sheriff’s office and local police and fire departments.
- Graham Elementary School, 9644 U.S. 36, St. Paris, Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27 – community dinner, noon to 1:30 p.m., coordinated by the St. Paris Federation of Churches. Dine-in, carryout and delivery will be available. Call the St. Paris First Church of God at 937-663-4441 to request delivery or to volunteer to help prepare the meal, serve, deliver and clean up. Monetary and food donations are welcome.
- Mechanicsburg Community Dinner, Saturday, Nov. 15, hosted by Mechanicsburg Exempted Village Schools, 60 High St., Mechanicsburg, in honor of Mechanicsburg’s bicentennial celebration. Guests are to arrive 5 to 5:30 p.m. in the Commons. Pow wow dancers will perform following the dinner.
Details for these dinners are available on the Urbana Daily Citizen website.
Music in the Air
Veterans Day Dinner and Dance, Saturday, Nov. 8 – Amid historic aircraft and World War II memorabilia, this dinner and dance at the Champaign Aviation Museum, 1642 N. Main St., Urbana, will take you back to the days of USO dances. Featuring the Bob Gray Orchestra, this dinner and dance is presented by the Champaign County Arts County with support from the Champaign Memorial Foundation. Social hour begins at 5 p.m. and dinner at 6 p.m. with music and dancing to follow. Tickets $20. For information, contact the Arts Council, 119 Miami St., 937-653-7557.
The Castros and Get in the Ark at Spotted Cow Coffeehouse, Saturday, Nov. 15 – Urbana’s newest coffeehouse, The Spotted Cow, at 927 N. Main St., will host these two popular Columbus indie folk bands in a free concert at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 15. In Columbus’ (614) Magazine ColumBest readers poll The Castros were voted Best Local Band in 2013 and runner up in 2012 and 2014.
Prior to this show, beginning at 4 p.m., local musicians Scott Patrick Knies, Tayler Carpenter, Mark Blair Glunt, Samantha Sanderson and Dylan Glunt will perform. The event also will feature poet Aiyana Marcus and the photography of Dave Millner. Carmazzi’s Corner will be the featured business. Food provided by Week of Hope.
by Gary Schenkel | Nov 1, 2014 | Business, People
Ohio Manufacturing Month came to an end Friday. But I’m continuing the celebration, giving you a chance to win a copy of a New York Times Best Seller, Factory Man
, authored by a product of Champaign County, Ohio – Beth Macy.
To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment below. I’ll announce the randomly selected winner here November 10.
Author Beth Macy with her proud high school English teacher, Margaret Tabor.
Beth, a 1982 Urbana High School graduate, returned to Urbana in August for a book talk and signing at the Champaign County Library. The library meeting room was packed with Beth’s high school classmates, family, friends, her high school English teacher, Margaret Tabor, community members, and yours truly. I was managing editor of the Urbana Daily Citizen when she interned there.
Beth signs books after her presentation at the Champaign County Library
Upon release in July, Factory Man, Beth’s first book, became an instant best seller, welcomed by rave reviews including a tweet from actor Tom Hanks: “Great Summer Reading. I give it 42 stars. No, I give it 142 stars. It’s THAT good.”
And that was no idle tweet. Hanks’ production company, Playtone, is developing Factory Man as an HBO miniseries.
Recently, Publisher’s Weekly selected Factory Man for its Best Books of 2014 list.
Well researched and entertainingly told, Factory Man chronicles the rise and evolution of the Bassett furniture dynasty and John Bassett III’s determined fight against globalization and offshoring to save his Virginia-based furniture company, his employees’ jobs and his town.
Back in Beth’s hometown, and across the country, manufacturing is on the rebound from the Great Recession. Manufacturing employment in Champaign County, at 3,700 in 2001, hit a low of 2,373 in 2010 before rising to 3,487 this year. That number could be higher if manufacturers – in Champaign County and throughout the U.S. – weren’t having such a difficult time finding enough qualified candidates for skilled, high-tech positions. (Local efforts have been launched to introduce students to manufacturing careers.)
In this video, produced by the Alliance for American Manufacturing, Beth (whose mother worked for Grimes Manufacturing in Urbana) talks about the significance of American manufacturing.
For a chance to win a copy of Factory Man, don’t forget to leave a comment below – by 8 a.m. EST Nov. 10.
For instance, what is your favorite U.S.-made product? Or tell us about your experience in manufacturing (while in college I made fireplace inserts on an assembly line). Or tell us about your favorite job in any setting.
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