by Gary Schenkel | Oct 13, 2023 | Business, Food, History, Local Foods, People, Tourism
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 of Café 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 here we 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.
by Gary Schenkel | Aug 18, 2023 | Business, Entertainment, Events, History, Nonprofits, Tourism
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.
Scroll down for details about both.
Grimes Field: A Business Community
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 Restoration Wing of the Mid America Flight Museum in 2021 won the award for Grand Champion Vintage Aircraft at Oshkosh Airventure for a Travel Air 6000 restored there.
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.
Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-in Activities
The MERFI Wings-n-Wheels event will include:
- 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.
- A bounce house
by Gary Schenkel | Jun 2, 2016 | Events, Food, History, Local Foods, Music, Tourism
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 Vietnam Memorial honors the more than 58,000 American soldiers who died in Vietnam, including 10 from Champaign County.
Check out the details here.
A scene from last year’s Military Appreciation Day.
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.
What’s a drum circle?
Clearly, something new to Champaign County.
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:
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.
Urbana University will be the rain site.
Here’s the complete Concerts in the Park schedule, to get you through the summer.
So, there’s nothing to do in Champaign County?
Did I miss anything that you’re looking forward to in June?
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 | Oct 1, 2014 | Agriculture, Business, Events, Food, History, Music, Nature
I hope you enjoyed the first Champaign Uncorked! Bucket List in September.
More important, I hope you got out to experience the blessings of Champaign County — those I recommended or others you found on your own.
So, here goes … the Bucket List for October. Click here for your printable October Bucket List.
Get into the Spirit of October!
Painted pumpkins by Debbie Loffing one of many Oktoberfest traditions.
Oktoberfest, Sunday, October 5: A 42-year Champaign County tradition, this year’s Oktoberfest marks the 80th anniversary of the Champaign County Historical Society, the event host. Oktoberfest features arts, crafts and food for sale by 100 artisans and vendors on the grounds of the society’s museum, 809 East Lawn Ave., Urbana. While there, be sure to check out the artifacts on exhibit in the museum.
Other highlights: listen to the Gettysburg Address delivered at 1 p.m. on the museum steps by Abraham Lincoln actor Stan Wernz, pose for a photo in period costumes at the museum’s Springhills Jail exhibit, enter the hourly door prize drawing, and enjoy music by a German band and the Champaign County Dulcimer Club.
Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Admission: $2 for adults and free for children 10 and under with paid adult.
Site of the State of the Plate Local Food Dinner, the Pretty Prairie Barn of Todd and Jill Michael, 4440 Prairie Rd., Urbana.
State of the Plate Local Food Dinner, Sunday, October 12: Discover the deliciousness and diversity of locally grown food at this professionally catered dinner, served in a restored 19th century barn that is on the National Register of Historic Places. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to enjoy locally grown food and meet some of the people who grow it. Call in your reservations by Friday, October 3 to the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce, 937-653-5764. Cost $15. Dinner will begin at 1 p.m., preceded by a social time and appetizers at 12:30 p.m.
Boo at the Bog, October 17 and 18: This non-scary, family-friendly celebration of Halloween will feature night walks and learning stations along the boardwalk of one of Champaign County’s natural treasures, the Cedar Bog Nature Preserve, 980 Woodburn Rd., Urbana, Also children’s activities, face painting, storytelling and food.
Admission: $6 for adults, $5 for children and free for children under 6. $1 discount for Ohio Historical Society and Cedar Bog Association members. Hours: 7-9 p.m. both days.
And plan a return trip in daylight to see this 450-acre natural wonder, formed thousands of years ago by retreating glaciers, and now home to rare and endangered species of plants and animals.
Beggars’ Night, October 30: Get your costumes and candy bowls ready, because October isn’t complete without trick-or-treating. The Champaign County Mayors’ Association has set Beggars’ Night for 6-8 p.m. Thursday, October 30 countywide.
Shops in Urbana’s Monument Square District, like my Old Ohio House, are getting in the fall spirit.
Decorate for the Season!
Downtown Urbana has taken on the colors of fall as merchants have decorated their businesses. I offer you a couple of suggestions for finding your own seasonal decor:
Circle & Sons Farm, 5001 Wallace Rd., St. Paris; 937-857-9616
Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m. to dark, and Sun., 1 p.m. to dark
Natural fall decorations: pumpkins, gourds, squash, Indian corn, straw, corn shocks and mums.
Mad River Farm Market, 7538 U.S. Highway 68, West Liberty; 937-465-2030
Sun., 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; Mon.-Thurs., 9 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fri. & Sat., 9 a.m.-12 a.m.
A wide range of fall decorations and…
Sip & Paint Craft Pumpkin Center Piece class, 6 p.m., Tuesday, October 7. Make a fall centerpiece. All supplies and glass of wine, $25. Reservation required.
Also check out the Mad River Farm Market Corn Maze, open daily through October 26, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Savor the Pumpkin Spice!
Get a taste of the season at these Champaign County establishments:
The Depot Coffeehouse, 644 Miami St., Urbana — Pumpkin spice latte and two pumpkin house specials — the Harvest Blend, a combination of pumpkin, vanilla and caramel, and Autumn Leaves, featuring pumpkin, vanilla and a hint of cinnamon. And the Depot invites customers to come up with their own concoctions. “We’ve seen pumpkin mochas, pumpkin steamers (steamed milk with pumpkin pie sauce) and even something closely resembling a pumpkin smoothie.”
Hemisphere Coffee Roasters, 22 S. Main St., Mechanicsburg — Pumpkin chai, pumpkin spice lattes and Hemisphere’s flavored coffee, pumpkin pie spice.
Madison’s Downtown Market & Cafe, 117 Scioto St., Urbana — Pumpkin spice chai latte, pumpkin pie, pumpkin cookies and pumpkin scones.
Spotted Cow Coffeehouse, 927 N. Main St., Urbana — Pumpkin spice smoothies and lattes.
Urbana Dairy Queen, 1047 N. Main St., Urbana — Pumpkin pie shakes, Blizzards and MooLattes.
What’s on your agenda for celebrating October in Champaign County?
Please share in the comments below.
by Gary Schenkel | May 4, 2014 | Business, Education, History, Nonprofits, Uncategorized
On my morning run today, I celebrated spring.
Browne Hall at Urbana University
Everywhere, trees leafed and bloomed. Like the red bud that framed my view of old Browne Hall at the edge of the Urbana University campus.
Amidst the beauty of God’s creation, our community has been blessed this spring with opportunity for renewal and second chances.
Urbana University is a prime example – thanks to local banks and all who worked out the agreement announced this past week for Franklin University to buy the university.
UU has a renewed opportunity to serve students, enrich our community and energize the local economy – an estimated $30 million a year. Plus the new partnership offers the prospect for broadened impact.
A clear sign of renewal, with a reference to the past: the theater’s one-time name, The Gloria, named by Warren Grimes in tribute to his daughter Gloria.
My run also took me past the closed Urbana Twin Cinemas building. About 24 hours earlier I sat at a table in the theater lobby with several others. We worked on marketing and fundraising strategies for GrandWorks, a community initiative to transform the theater into a center for live and on-screen entertainment and other programming to drive cultural, social, economic and spiritual revival for the greater Champaign County community.
Visit the new GrandWorks website to learn more and support the project. (By the way, Urbana University is one of several community organizations involved in GrandWorks.)
At the end of my morning today, Jim Lillibridge, pastor of the Urbana United Methodist Church, shared in his message a bit of scripture (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10) that illuminated my on-the-run musings about what I see at work around us and what we’re called to do:
Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
What signs of renewal and second chances do you see at work in the Champaign County, Ohio community?
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