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.
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
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.
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.
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