Reverend James Kemper

I recently visited the Heritage Village Museum located in the Sharon Woods Park and was so fascinated I decided to dig a little deeper into some of the history presented at the site.  All the historical buildings on the site originated in various locations in the Cincinnati area and were re-located at this living museum. The Kemper Log House, built by the Reverend James Kemper and three of his sons, is the oldest house in Cincinnati.

Kemper was born in Virginia in 1753. He was a surveyor but eventually studied theology and was licensed by the spring of 1791. He arrived in Cincinnati in the fall of 1791, a mere three years after the city's founding.

In 1794 Kemper founded a farm on a hill outside of Cincinnati, calling it Walnut Farm. The farm was located in what would later become the neighborhood of Walnut Hills. Built in 1804, the Kemper Log House is a two-story, double pen log house, and was originally located on what became Kemper Lane in the Walnut Hills neighborhood. It is one of the oldest houses built in Cincinnati, Ohio that is still standing. It was occupied by members of the Kemper family until 1897. The house was moved in 1912 to the Cincinnati Zoo and then relocated to Heritage Village Museum in Sharon Woods in 1983 where it now stands.

Kemper House in Heritage Village today

When I went inside the Kemper House I sat on one of the benches in the common room to the right of the front door and tried to imagine seventeen people living comfortably in this house. Fifteen children and two adults lived in this house, According to all historical accounts they did fine. 

Kemper's history is fascinating. "In his life of 80 years, Kemper was a farmer, teacher, surveyor, catechist, elder, and a pastor of over 43 years. He had lived in Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio. He owned five residences in Kentucky and Ohio. Kemper started more than twenty Presbyterian churches in Ohio alone. In fact, James Kemper is arguably the founder of Presbyterianism in Southwest Ohio." Southwest Ohio History, Reverend James Kemper by Steve Preston

He fathered fifteen children and was married to his wife, Judith Hathaway, for sixty-two years.  

Names native Cincinnatians are familiar with to this day, Kemper Lane and Walnut Hills, originated from Kemper settling here. Kemper's history is the definition of the word persistence having been knocked down and starting over several times in his life. 

The story of  Reverend James Kemper is long and rich with the history of Cincinnati. I highly recommend you explore further. Here is a list for further reading from Southwest Ohio History, Reverend James Kemper by Steve Preston

Life’s Review, James Kemper 1753-1834, James Kemper

The Old Kemper Home, Robert Ralston Jones

Historical Register of Virginians in the Revolution, Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, 1775-1783, James H. Gwathmey

The Cincinnati Historical Society Bulletin, Volume 37, Winter1979, No. 4. The Founding of the Lane Seminary, Lawrence T. Lesick.

Queen City Heritage, The Journal of the Cincinnati Historical Society, Vol-ume 50, Spring 1992 No. 1, A Calvinist of the Old School: Joshua Lacy Wilson in Cincinnati, 1808-1846. Robert C. Vitz

Queen City Heritage, The Journal of the Cincinnati Historical Society, Vol-ume 45 Fall 1987 No. 3. William Henry Harrison Comes to Cincinnati, Hendrik Booraem V

The First Description of Cincinnati and Other Settlements, The Travel Report of Johann Heckewelder (1792), Edited by Don Heinrich Tolzmann

Kemper Records, 1946, A Supplement to the Kemper Family, 1899. Com-piled by Virginia M. McComb

Stockades in the Wilderness, The Frontier Defenses and Settlements of South-western Ohio, 1788-1795. Richard Scamyhorn & John Steinle

 

The Hill We Climb

Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman speaks during the inauguration of President Joe Biden at the U.S. Capitol, on Jan. 20, 2021, in Washington, D.C. Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images

 

I have never felt so traumatized in my entire life than I felt during the hundred years of the trump presidency. When Joe Biden won the presidency in 2020 I was jubilant. What uplifted me even more was this amazing young woman, Amanda Gorman, reciting her inaugural poem The Hill We Climb at Joe Biden's inauguration.  

 

The poem and the talented young woman who wrote and performed it give me hope. Here is the full text. 

2021 Inaugural Poem, The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman

When day comes we ask ourselves,
where can we find light in this never-ending shade?
The loss we carry,
a sea we must wade
We've braved the belly of the beast
We've learned that quiet isn't always peace
And the norms and notions
of what just is
Isn’t always just-ice
And yet the dawn is ours
before we knew it
Somehow we do it
Somehow we've weathered and witnessed
a nation that isn’t broken
but simply unfinished
We the successors of a country and a time
Where a skinny Black girl
descended from slaves and raised by a single mother
can dream of becoming president
only to find herself reciting for one
And yes we are far from polished
far from pristine
but that doesn’t mean we are
striving to form a union that is perfect
We are striving to forge a union with purpose
To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and
conditions of man
And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us
but what stands before us
We close the divide because we know, to put our future first,
we must first put our differences aside
We lay down our arms
so we can reach out our arms
to one another
We seek harm to none and harmony for all
Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true:
That even as we grieved, we grew
That even as we hurt, we hoped
That even as we tired, we tried
That we’ll forever be tied together, victorious
Not because we will never again know defeat
but because we will never again sow division
Scripture tells us to envision
that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree
And no one shall make them afraid
If we’re to live up to our own time
Then victory won’t lie in the blade
But in all the bridges we’ve made
That is the promise to glade
The hill we climb
If only we dare
It's because being American is more than a pride we inherit,
it’s the past we step into
and how we repair it
We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation
rather than share it
Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy
And this effort very nearly succeeded
But while democracy can be periodically delayed
it can never be permanently defeated
In this truth
in this faith we trust
For while we have our eyes on the future
history has its eyes on us
This is the era of just redemption
We feared at its inception
We did not feel prepared to be the heirs
of such a terrifying hour
but within it we found the power
to author a new chapter
To offer hope and laughter to ourselves
So while once we asked,
how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe?
Now we assert
How could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?
We will not march back to what was
but move to what shall be
A country that is bruised but whole,
benevolent but bold,
fierce and free
We will not be turned around
or interrupted by intimidation
because we know our inaction and inertia
will be the inheritance of the next generation
Our blunders become their burdens
But one thing is certain:
If we merge mercy with might,
and might with right,
then love becomes our legacy
and change our children’s birthright
So let us leave behind a country
better than the one we were left with
Every breath from my bronze-pounded chest,
we will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one
We will rise from the gold-limbed hills of the west,
we will rise from the windswept northeast
where our forefathers first realized revolution
We will rise from the lake-rimmed cities of the midwestern states,
we will rise from the sunbaked south
We will rebuild, reconcile and recover
and every known nook of our nation and
every corner called our country,
our people diverse and beautiful will emerge,
battered and beautiful
When day comes we step out of the shade,
aflame and unafraid
The new dawn blooms as we free it
For there is always light,
if only we’re brave enough to see it
If only we’re brave enough to be it

Live in the present...

I Am A Proud Snowflake

In less than an hour it is the end of the world as we know it. God help us all. But we can and must fight back.

First go to the website Indivisible Guide and download the guide and read it. The Indivisible Guide was compiled by congressional staffers employed at the time of the uprising of the Tea Party and employs many of the strategies that worked for the Tea Party. Fight fire with fire.

There are a myriad of Facebook groups you can tap into to join the cause. Here are a few to get you started.

Action Together - Cincinnati Southwest Ohio Chapter

Indivisible Cincy

Indivisible Cincinnati

District 2 (OH) Indivisible
This incredible group scored big just this last week by holding Representative Brad Wenstrup's feet to the fire about his positions on the ACA. They attended a coffee Wenstrup hosted in Williamsburg and video taped it, shared it on Twitter and other social media and by the next evening the videos were featured on The Rachel Maddow Show.  Click on this link to see the video.

We have a lot of work to do and if we unite together we can come back in 2018.

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some
other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the
change that we seek."
- President Barack Obama

Happy New Year and Pass the Pork

The custom of eating pork on the first day of the new year is based on the idea that pigs symbolize progress. The pig pushes forward, rooting itself in the ground before moving. Its rich fat content signifies wealth and prosperity.

Cincinnati is renowned for its connection to the pig. The Queen City earned the nickname of Porkopolis in the mid 1800s when the pig packing industry thrived. In 1833, more than 85,000 pigs were processed in Cincinnati, and by 1844, 26 different meat-processing plants were located here.

Over the years Cincinnati has had a love/hate relationship with the pig. Many citizens embrace the city's long history of swine affection while others feel it is an embarrassment. None the less, the pig has prevailed.

Sawyer Point

At Sawyer Point Bicentennial Commons you will find Flying Pig sculptures. Minneapolis artist Andrew Leicester was chosen from 50 artistic proposals to design the entrance sculpture in honor of Cincinnati's bicentennial in 1988.









In 2000 the Big Pig Gig was sponsored by Artworks and local business. Local artists and schools decorated hundreds of full-sized fiberglass pig statues and installed them throughout the downtown area. A total of 425 whimsical pigs were distributed across Cincinnati and surrounding areas.

The Big Pig Gig was so popular that Artworks sponsored the Big Pig Gig: Do-Re-Wee in 2012 to coincide with the World Choir Games. One hundred pigs were created and distributed downtown and in Over-the-Rhine.



On the first Sunday of May marathon enthusiasts from all over the country compete in the Flying Pig Marathon. Started in 1999, it is now the third largest marathon in the United States. And an official time from the Flying Pig can qualify a runner for the Boston Marathon.



Yes Cincinnati aka Porkopolis really does embrace the pig. The Queen City has prospered over the years, sometimes even in spite of the piggish stubbornness of its citizens.  

Who's Your Daddy? Donald Trump

After months of working the phones at the Democratic headquarters in Batavia, Ohio I am bitterly disappointed at the outcome of the 2016 presidential race. Donald Trump scared the bejezzus out of me when he won the Republican nominee for president and he still scares me.

I forced myself to watch his speeches and coverage of his rallies. I cringed along with half the nation every time he came up with some childish bully name for one of his opponents or went on a tweet storm when someone insulted him. He refused to release his tax returns so we still know very little of his business acumen. He is still a thin-skinned bully and easily baited. As far as surrounding himself with good people, I have yet to see any.

There was a time when I, too, was hesitant about Hillary Clinton. After all I was a registered Republican when Bill Clinton was president. But as I learned her history, as I examined the intense campaign by Republicans in office to discredit her honesty and integrity, I came to admire her strength to get back into the fray and still hold on to her principles. I admired her dedication to the disenfranchised, to the underdogs of our society, a dedication that began long before she was in college.

As election day came closer, I was encouraged when one conservative newspaper after another endorsed Hillary Clinton. I was encouraged when respectable Republicans refused to endorse Donald Trump. I was encouraged when the pollsters talked of a landslide win for Clinton.

But the underdogs were duped into believing she really was Crooked Hillary and came out in droves from the rural back roads and voted in their Daddy.

Like I said, I worked the phones for months before election day. Our call lists were comprised of registered Democrats and Independents. The first time I spoke to a woman who said she "would never vote for a woman president!" click, I sat there in shock. I realized there is a faction of our society who isn't just against Hillary and the manufactured baggage she carries. There is a substantial population of women, predominately white evangelical women,  who simply believe in, what is viewed by them, the traditional roles of men and women in our society. Daddy is in charge and Mommy stays home and has babies and bakes cookies.

For them NO woman belongs in the presidency. Not now, not ever. For them Donald Trump represents the patriarchal figure that embodies the traditional family structure to which they cling. Inter-racial marriages, gay marriages, and single moms are an aberration to the white Christian society they believe to be superior to the rest of the world.

So what if Trump is a sexual predator. Those women probably asked for it just like all those rape victims of guys who emulate Trump's personality. So what if Trump is currently involved in nearly a hundred law suits, stiffed his contractors and filed bankruptcy multiple times. That's how strong men operate. It's not for us women to worry our pretty little heads about complicated business negotiations.


And now that the votes are counted? Sure enough, 53 percent of white women, most identifying as evangelicals, voted for Trump.

So who's your Daddy? The answer is clear. Donald Trump.

Update:  Excellent point of view from inside the Evangelical camp. "The Evangelical Church Has Lost Its Witness In Supporting Donald Trump"

1/25/2017 Update: This very insightful and very nerdy blog post by George Lakoff, a Richard and Rhoda Goldman Distinguished Professor of Cognitive Science and Linguistics at the University of California at Berkeley, validates my point of view here.
A Minority President: Why the Polls Failed, And What the Majority Can Do

A Lot Has Changed...But Much Has Not

Today is Martin Luther King day in the USA. And today my favorite local public radio station, WVXU 91.7, rebroadcast an interview from September 2015 with Marian Spencer and Dorothy Christenson, the author of KeepOn Fighting: The Life and Civil Rights Legacy of Marian A. Spencer. Marian Spencer was 95 at the time of the interview. 

Marian Spencer was and still is an amazing civil rights activist locally and nationally. She was raised in Gallipolis, Ohio in the home of her grandfather, a freed slave from West Virginia. She joined the NAACP when she was 13. In 1938 she came to Cincinnati to attend the University of Cincinnati. She earned a BA in English in 1942. In 1981 she became the first black female president of the local NAACP and remains the only black female to have held that position in the Cincinnati chapter. She was the first black female to be elected to Cincinnati city council and served as Vice Mayor as a member of the Charter party.

One of her most famous battles was against Coney Island in 1952. After her sons had heard a radio ad inviting children to Coney Island to meet a local TV personality she called to verify. But once she told them they were “Negroes” she was told that her children were not allowed. On July 4^th Spencer showed up at the gate of Coney Island and was banished by a guard brandishing a gun.

Soon after her banishment she chaired the  NAACP Legal Action vs. Coney Island, Cincinnati, Ohio. The day Spencer showed up at the gate at Coney Island she had enlisted the help of approximately 25 other African-Americans to stand in line and be turned away. They all testified and were asked who called them to go to Coney Island. All answered, “Marian Spencer.” When she took the stand the attorney for Coney Island admonished her, “a white woman”, for getting involved with the Negroes. He called her a Communist. Her simple reply was “Sir, I am neither a white woman nor a Communist.”The NAACP subsequently won the case.

More recently Spencer spoke out against the controversial parks levy which was pushed by Mayor John Cranley. She initially supported the levy. But when she found out the money would only be used for capital projects and would become a charter amendment she pulled her support.  The levy was voted down.

Much has changed since MLK marched and gave his life for civil rights in the United States. Yes, we elected a black president…twice. But there is still a lot that has not changed.

Unarmed black men (and children) are being murdered by rogue policemen, who are indiscriminately protected by their blue brethren. We are seeing more black artists in the movies but the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences seems to be blind to that fact. OprahWinfrey is the most respected, wealthiest, influential and generous black woman in the world, yet blacks still rate as the highest percentage of those living in poverty and imprisoned in the United States, which touts itself as the richest country in the world. The face of our government, local state and federal, is still predominately white men. 

Today while visiting my 87-year-old father he sarcastically remarked “I wish they’d make a holiday on my birthday.” This is not the first time he’s made that crack and he is not the only person I have heard use this kind of coded language.

Yes a lot has changed, but much has not.

The Genius of Water

I have lived in Cincinnati all my life and I am ashamed to admit that I just learned the actual name of the fountain on Fountain Square. It is called the Genius of Water. Unfortunately, I suppose everyone, at times, takes for granted the jewels of their hometown. You see something often enough it becomes invisible.

But a couple weeks ago we had the pleasure of dining at the Via Vite Italian Bistro on Fountain Square and the chance to revisit one of Cincinnati's most famous landmarks. It was warm enough to be outside without a jacket so we walked around the square before dinner. The fountain was splendidly awash in changing colored lights. My heart welled with Queen City pride.

The fountain today awash in color.

The fountain has been moved and turned around several times since its original installation, but the fountain itself has never changed except for maintenance and lighting. The most fascinating part of the history of the fountain is its rich symbolism which depicts the uses and benefits of water. Quite befitting for a river town.

The fountain contains 13 allegorical figures and rises 43 feet tall:

1- The central figure at the top, the Genius of Water stands 9 feet tall.

There are four groups of figures surrounding the pedestal beneath the Genius of Water:

1. A workman stands on a burning roof and prays for rain.
2. A farmer in a drought ruined field prays for rain. (the lady's outstretched palms provide water's relief and answered prayer to the workman and farmer.
3. A young girl offers water to a man with crutches.
4. A mother leads her reluctant son to the bath.

The pedestal base has four bas-reliefs - four representations in basso-relievo of four principal uses of water:

1. Steam
2. Water-power
3. Navigation
4. The fisheries

Situated around the bottom perimeter of the fountain are four drinking fountains of young boys interacting with water animals: 

1. A boy riding a dolphin
2. A boy playing with ducks
3. A boy wrestling with a snake
4. A boy riding a turtle

The fountain was a gift to the city from Henry Probasco. Those who know the Clifton area will recognize Probasco as a street name. In fact, Henry Probasco did live in Clifton in a mansion he had built and named Oakwood.

Probasco came to Cincinnati from the east in 1835 at the age of 15. He went to work as a clerk for Tyler Davidson & Co. Importers and Jobbers of Hardware, Cutlery and Metals located on Main Street downtown. By the time he was 20 he was made partner in the company and married Tyler Davidson's half-sister, Julia Carrington.

The original location of the fountain

Thirty years later Probasco's partner, friend and brother-in-law, Tyler Davidson, died. Probasco sold his share of the hardware business a year later and he and his wife, Julia, traveled abroad.

Davidson and Probasco had often talked of contributing a monument to the city of Cincinnati. While in Germany Probasco commissioned a fountain to be built then donated to the city of Cincinnati and dedicated in Davidson's honor.

Caroline Williams rendition Fifth Third Center

The fountain was designed by sculptor August von Kreling and was built by Ferdinand von Miller of the Royal Bronze Foundry of Bavaria in Munich, Germany. Von Miller and his sons spent three years casting the bronze fountain in sections from salvaged Danish cannons. The esplanade where the fountain was originally installed was designed by local architect William Tinsley who also designed the Probasco's Cincinnati mansion, Oakwood. The fountain was called "Genius of Water" and was dedicated to the city of Cincinnati on October 6, 1871.

LST Memorial 325 Passing by My Front Door

The Ohio River is a busy water highway. Barges transport goods and equipment up and down the river. Pleasure boats and yachts come out to play on the weekends. Serious anglers launch their fishing boats before dawn. Party barges and paddle-wheelers cruise along at a leisurely pace allowing their passengers to enjoy the beautiful scenery while dining.

But once in a while something unusual passes by. That was the case with the LST Memorial 325 when it passed by my house on Aug. 29, 2015 heading up river to Pittsburgh. It caused quite a stir with some who had not been forewarned about its journey passing through Cincinnati. Comments and pictures exploded on Facebook. Alarm: "Are we under military attack?!", shock and awe.

LST 325 passing by my front door

LST stands for Landing Ship, Tank. It was used to land tanks, soldiers and supplies on enemy shores during WWII. This particular LST was known as LST-325 during WWII, USNS LST-325 during its arctic operations in the 1950's, and later L-144 (A/G Syros) while it was in the service of the Greek Navy.

Heading up to Pittsburgh.

It is now the last fully operational WWII LST and has been employed as a floating museum complete with gift shop and tours. Its homeport is Evansville, Indiana but at this writing LST 325 is winding up its Pittsburgh tours and will be heading back here to Cincinnati to conduct tours September 12th to 16th on the riverfront adjacent to the Great American Ballpark. Tours are roughly 60 minutes long and include the Main Deck, Troop Berthing, Tank Deck, Mess Deck, Galley, Stern of ship (Guns and Anchor), Wheel House, Officer's Country and the Captain's Cabin. There are three sets of stairs down and three sets of stairs up. Questions and photographs are welcome.

Living On the Ohio River

This past week has been nerve wracking. Our home sits right on the banks of the Ohio River. It is a breathtakingly beautiful place to live. And it is also pretty scary in the spring. We moved here in 1999, two years after the last major flood in southwest Ohio. During the time we've lived here our road access has been cut off a couple of times due to high water, but our house has never been flooded. And once again, this week we were spared.

Flood of 1898

Our house was built in 1890 so it has seen it's share of flooding. I applaud the Corps of Engineers and the gatekeepers at Meldahl and Markland Dams. They have done a remarkable job managing the river levels. Although the river came up over the flood wall in front of our house it is now receding.

The river lapping at the top of the flood wall.

Why do I live here knowing the potential of the river flooding? I guess every dance with nature has its pitfalls. I've lived in the city. I've lived in the suburbs. But there is nothing that compares with living near the water. Sunsets are spectacular. Water birds are fascinating. The sound of gentle waves whoosh-whooshing below my open window in the summer is as soothing as a calming lullaby.

The Ohio River is in my blood. I was two weeks old, according to my mother, the first time I was on a boat. And that was on the Ohio River. Most every summer weekend as a child, and subsequently as a teenager, was spent on a boat on the Ohio River. To live in a house on the banks of the river is a dream come true.

River sunset

So I pay my flood insurance, make sure my valuables are stored on the second floor and say a prayer every spring that Mother Nature be kind so I can look forward to another summer of magical sunsets on the beautiful Ohio River.

Got the Blues Over the Cincy Winter Blues Fest

Standing in line outside the Phoenix

On Saturday Feb. 7, 2015 we attended the Cincy Winter Blues Fest in downtown Cincinnati at the Phoenix. The event was sponsored by the Cincy Blues Society.  We were so excited. We love blues music and this was our first time attending any of the Cincy Blues Fest events.

We were ready for a long night filled with the blues. And it was... but we were the ones singing the blues.

The doors of the Phoenix opened at 5:30 p.m. We arrived around 6:00 p.m. The line was just slightly out the door. So far so good. That was, until we got to the front door and saw the enormous marble staircase leading to the first floor. The line was longer than we thought.

We finally got to the top of the staircase about a half hour after the first acts started. The crowd on the first floor was shoulder to shoulder by then. We couldn't even get a peek at Ricky Nye performing in the first floor Tea Room. It must be because this was the first stop walking in the door and the smallest venue. Surely it would be better upstairs in the bigger ballrooms.

First we needed beverages. The line was long there as well. We purchased our five dollar, 12 oz. domestic beers and went to explore the other floors before finding a place to land for the evening. After navigating another huge staircase leading to the open gallery outside the Archway Ballroom on the second floor we needed to sit for a minute.

Beautiful marble stairs lead to the 2nd floor.

Johnny Fink and the Intrusion were performing in the Archway Ballroom and it was as packed as the Tea Room on the first floor, even though it had a larger capacity.

Since (once again) we couldn't get in to see the band we wandered into the Cincinnati Room adjacent to the side stage of the ballroom. It was like entering an elegant parlor from the past. The Phoenix is a beautiful old building designed by the renowned architect, Samuel Hannaford. It was built in 1893 and it is one of the finest examples of Italian Renaissance architecture in Cincinnati. Floor to ceiling windows, Tiffany stained glass, huge marble staircases and elegant archways combine for a nostalgic feeling of a time gone by.

We found a place to sit and settle for a minute. We could kind of hear the band playing next door, but the music was muffled as the doors to the side stage leading into the ballroom were kept closed.

It was now 7:00 p.m. and we were anxious about getting a seat on the third floor to see Joanne Shaw Taylor at 9:00 p.m. Our friends ran up to the third floor Grand Ballroom, the largest of the three venues, to investigate the seating situation. They came back and informed us that the Grand Ballroom was standing room only too. But we still had hope. Maybe when the acts switched, the crowds in the ballrooms would shift too. So we went up to the third floor to lean on the balcony to wait until Tempted Souls finished their act.

Tiffany stained glass outside the Archway.

Unfortunately there were more people coming up the stairs than going down. Again we got to listen but not see the performance. We entered the Grand Ballroom between acts hoping to see someone leave.

The seating arrangement here was odd. There was a huge dance floor in front of the stage surrounded by tables with chairs and more rows of chairs arranged lecture style on either side. Taking up a huge corner of the room was a beverage booth. So as the room became more crowded people started standing on the dance floor obstructing the view of the people in the chairs. Eventually the whole venue became standing room only.

After standing for about forty minutes, we decided to try to find a seat somewhere...anywhere. We knew by now it wasn't going to be on the third floor. We went back down to the Cincinnati Room and luckily found two seats at a table in the alcove next to the stage doors. The doors were still closed but occasionally a band member would come out and we would get a glimpse of the band. This is where we ended up spending the rest of the evening.

When Jay Jesse Johnson took the stage at 8:00 p.m. we convinced a stage hand to leave a door open to the side stage. At least now we were able to kind of watch and sort of listen.

By 9:00 p.m. they ran out of beer. RAN OUT OF BEER BY NINE! So halfway through the Leroy Ellington Blues Band act we left.

It is clear Mark Bubash, director of this event, and the management of the Phoenix were not prepared for the huge attendance. They over-sold tickets and over-packed the venue. They ran out of food and beverages before the headliner acts even took the stage. We were very, very, very disappointed.

It's a Family Affair - Main Auction Galleries

J. Karp at the microphone.

It's 10:30 a.m. on a Tuesday at Main Auction Galleries and J. Louis Karp, president and fourth generation auctioneer, takes the microphone.

"Welcome to Main Auction Galleries. The auction we've been doing for over a hundred years."

He explains the terms of the auction. No bid registration required. When you win a bid just give the clerk your initials. Checks, cash and credit cards accepted, however there is an additional 3% charge when paying by credit card.

Jay grabs the first box lot and begins the auction.

"What have we here? Oh look at this crap! Who would want to buy this stuff!? Can I have $5 to start the bid?" So the bidding begins - and so does the entertainment.

J. Louis Karp is not only known as one of the most highly respected and trusted auctioneers in the region, he also plays a bombastic, crotchety, sometimes raunchy character at the auctioneer podium. His son Jonas plays his straight man. The Regulars are used to it and even shout a few jabs back more often than not.

J. Louis Karp began his career as an auctioneer at the age of fifteen. He is the fourth generation of his family to run the business. Jonas, his son and partner, makes the fifth generation. And in spite of the comedy act and jabs, both father and son are highly knowledgeable, honest, genuine and generous.

Main Auction Gallery is a family affair. On this particular morning Jay's daughter-in-law and grandchildren have come to wish Popi (Jay) happy birthday and present him with a homemade banner which Jonas promptly attaches to the wall. Then we all sing happy birthday.

Looking west on Fourth Street.

Five generations of Karps have run this highly regarded auction house since 1870. Their employees are treated as family and it shows in their stellar customer service. And that tight knit family feeling extends to the Regulars who come to the weekly Tuesday auctions, which includes me and my husband. Main Auction is our standing weekly date.

The Tuesday Regulars are the family in the audience. The bidders and buyers. Many greet each other by first name. Some even have reserved seats. They examine the items displayed as they ask each other about their families and how their week went.

They come for a variety of reasons. Some own brick and mortar shops, some do business strictly online, some are high-end dealers. Some come for the free donuts in the morning, some come for the free pizza in the afternoon. And I suspect some come to get good deals on quality stuff for their downtown homes. Downtown Cincinnati is definitely experiencing a residential renaissance.

The Tuesday auctions run until 2:00 p.m. So if you're downtown on a Tuesday, Main Auction Galleries at 137 W. Fourth Street is definitely worth a peek. Pictures of items offered for auction are uploaded  to their website the Friday prior to each Tuesday auction. All lots are available for inspection prior to the auction all day Monday and Tuesday morning before 10:30 a.m.

Looking Forward

2014 was not a kind year to me and mine. We lost our beloved son to a drug overdose. We lost our beloved terrier to old age. We suffered grief, broken bones, skin rashes, panic attacks, broken pipes, broken fences, broken fireplace and broken relationships.

BUT every emotion, every pain, every heartbreak shouts I'm here! I'm alive! And life does go on. So I am looking forward to 2015 with hope and anticipation. We will fix broken things and time will soften our broken hearts. I plan to love more, play more, write more and explode with creative energy!

My wish for everyone in 2015 is 

to birth new beginnings, 

stay on course for continued success 

and manifest well being and good health. 

Be safe tonight my friends. 

Happy New Year

Paint Nite at the Tin Roof Bar

Fun with friends at Paint Nite

Last month we did something very different for my friend's birthday. We did a Paint Nite event at the  Tin Roof Bar located at the Banks in downtown Cincinnati at 160 Freedom Way Suite 150 Cincinnati, OH 45202. We painted cherry blossoms in a bar while enjoying cocktails and lots of laughs. And since it was my friend's birthday our partners were "forced" to join us. If you want to "culturize" your man this is the perfect date.

As you can see there were many different interpretations.

What is Paint Nite? Who better to explain than the company itself. From their website: "Paint Nite® is a new concept of blending two timeless pastimes, artistic painting and drinking cocktails, as a way to draw patrons into local pubs on a slow night with a unique opportunity to socialize and be creative. The 2-hour Paint Nite painting parties are held daily with 25 people in attendance who follow the step-by-step instructions of one master local artist from blank canvas to masterpiece."

Nothing better than beer, a blank canvas and acrylic paints. We are all creative beings. Whether you creatively solve problems at home or at the office or create art, it all requires some right-brain ingenuity. Unfortunately our innate creativity is diminished as soon as we enter middle school here in the USA. Paint Nite allows you to relax in a none-judgmental environment and just have fun with a paint brush.

My Masterpiece.

Annie Back was our Paint Nite host. She and her assistant were delightful and funny. They painted mustaches on patrons who were game. They took lots of pictures and added them to Paint Nite Cincinnati's growing gallery on Facebook. You can find a list of upcoming Paint Nite events in Cincinnati and buy tickets here.

Best Pizza in Cincinnati

I'm going to date myself here. When I was a young girl growing up in Mt Carmel, east of Cincinnati, pizza joints were rare. We had one pizza place named Papa Gino's. Skyline was a little-known chili joint on the west side. The Hearth was the fancy restaurant in Mt. Carmel, which later became the strip joint, Deja Vu and is now gone altogether. And we jumped for joy when a Frisch's Restaurant was built on St. Rt. 32 complete with a dozen drive-in spots where you ordered and were served in your car.

Now we have pizza everywhere and there are Skylines in Kentucky and Indiana, as well as all over Ohio. Hail to fast food!

From the god-awful, cardboard crust of the Papa John's franchise to our own local La Rosa's, we have an abundance of choices when it comes to pizza in Cincinnati. On those days when my husband doesn't feel like cooking, we can get delivery from Snappy Tomato in New Richmond. If we want to step it up a bit, we'll drive the twenty miles to the Mt. Washington Mio's where they have a low-carb menu as well as great pizza.

Festive beer tap handles decorate the half-wall at Adriatico's

BUT if we really want to go pizza-palooza we head to Clifton for Adriatico's New York Style Pizza on McMillan Avenue. I LOVE Adriatico's pizza. I even loved it  when it was just a carry-out and delivery restaurant. Now they have a sit-down restaurant/sports bar. The venue is small and parking is iffy. Do not park in Pomadori's lot next door (which was empty last night) or your car will get towed (who needs burnt pizza crust anyway.) Although the inside is tight, it is well laid out with a front dining area that can be turned into an outside patio on a nice day. There are flat screen TVs in every corner and if you are a beer lover this is heaven. They have nearly fifty beers on tap.The patio and dining area are separated by a half wall decorated with a variety of festive beer tap handles.  And the pizza? Absolutely the best pizza in Cincinnati.

Last Dance With Klipsch Music Center

I love Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. His music is fun and takes me back to the days of my youth when I rode around in my red Vega hatchback listening to rock and roll on my eight-track tape player. Yep, I was cool.

We attended the Heartbreaker's concert a couple weekends ago at the Klipsch Music Center in Noblesville, Indiana. Petty and his band put on a solid performance that night. They played many of their hits and we knew most of the words. Petty never missed a note and his back up was spot-on, a little grey in the beard, but spot-on nonetheless.

Unfortunately the superb performance by the band was over-shadowed by the poor performance of the Live Nation-owned Klipsch Music Center.

First there was no order to the lines entering the center. The crowd was dangerously crushed together conjuring nightmares from the Who concert tragedy years ago here in Cincinnati. And we stood in "line" for over 45 minutes. Then we were FRISKED at the gate. And I don't mean with metal detector wands. This was a hands-on frisk. I'm pretty sure it is illegal for a male to frisk a woman. Just saying.

After being crushed in line for nearly an hour and going through the embarrassing frisking we were parched for a cold beverage. We were shocked to have to pay $11 for a 24 oz. can of beer. Good grief you can buy a twelve-pak for that much money! Of course we could have spent $4 for a 99-cent bottle of water. Yeah, that's real festive.

Here in Cincinnati we are blessed to have the Riverbend Music Center run by local sponsors. We are looking forward to seeing Ian Anderson there next month. But beware of venues owned by Live Nation. Their concessions, including the $60 t-shirts, the dangerous crowds at the entrance and the embarrassing frisking did a real disservice to Tom Petty and his band. We will never attend another concert there again.

Ya Gotta Know When to Hold 'em...

and know when to fold 'em. Sage advice from Kenny Rodgers.

We visited the new Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati for the first time on Saturday. Yeah, we picked the biggest party weekend of the year, St. Patrick's Day, for our first visit to the casino, which had opened little more than a week before.

Timing is everything. It was an easy drive from the east side taking 275 to 471 to the Liberty Street exit. Turn left on Reading Road and the parking garage entrance is right there. We arrived around 7:00 p.m. and were able to quickly find a parking space in the 2,500-space, five-story parking garage. We were pleased to find out parking was free on the weekends as well as on week nights from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.

There was no line to get in to the casino. We walked right in without a wait. So far, so good.

First of all, a disclaimer: I am not a gambler. Gambling does nothing for me. On the other hand, my husband was raised reading a racing form at River Downs. So he gambles and I wander around with my Bud Light in hand and people watch. And there is no better place to people watch than a casino.

Blue ice cubes surround the Rock Bar

The first thing that attracted my attention was the really cool Rock Bar and Lounge right smack in the middle of the 100,000 sq. ft. casino floor elevated slightly above the 2,000 slot machines and 85 gaming tables. The bar was packed with patrons rocking to Anna and Milovan, a local father daughter team plus one. The bar area is oval-shaped walled by tall columns with generous open space between each column. This allows gamblers, wandering from one slot machine to the other, to see and listen to the music from outside the bar area. The surrounding architecture of the bar area includes columns of what looks like giant blue ice cubes that you can peek through as well.

The food venues are all accessible from inside the casino floor and include Bobby Flay's Bobby's Burger palace (a two hour wait that night), Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville (a three hour wait), Jack Binion's Steak (didn't even attempt it), Starbucks, and The Spread Buffet with the Cafe Italia (20 minute wait). We settled for pizza at the Cafe Italia, squeezing six of us into two small round tables with only three chairs available.

Electronic roulette. Bets are placed on a touchscreen.

The Horseshoe offers a good variety of electronic games in addition to the zombie-inducing slot machines. In addition to the traditional roulette tables, that dole out chips to play, there is electronic roulette. There are also multiple choices of video poker games,  including Bonus Poker, Deuces Wild and All Star Poker. There is a separate 31-table World Series of Poker room for the more serious poker player. Total Touch Technology allows you to order drinks from the slot machine so you won't have to interrupt the crucial concentration it takes to play slots.

What I didn't see that night was the 33,000 sq. ft. second level slotted for meetings and events. The second level includes The Pavilion for live performances with seating for 1,400.  Joel Mchale will perform stand up comedy on April 20 and IL DIVO, a classical crossover quartet, will perform on April 27. But wait, there's more! The Horseshoe is planning a summer concert series as well. These concerts will take place on the outdoor event plaza, The Shoe, located at the front entrance of the casino. The Grammy-nominated rock band, The Killers, will kick off the summer concert series on May 16. Now that's what I'm talking about. Give me live entertainment any day over a slot machine.

Let's Go Krogering...

...the happy way to shop!

Having lived in Cincinnati all my life I've taken "going Krogering" for granted. Kroger has always been around with a store in every Cincinnati neighborhood and suburb. So I was more than a little "Cincinnati Proud" when I found out the first Kroger store originated right here in our Queen City. 

Bernard Henry Kroger was born in 1860 to German immigrants living in Covington, Kentucky. When Barney was 16 he took a job selling tea and coffee door to door in Cincinnati. A couple of years later he took a job at the struggling Imperial Tea Company. The owners offered him 10% of the profits if he could turn the company around. After successfully moving from clerk to manager and turning the unimpressive company for a profit, Kroger wanted to invest his share of the profits in one-third of the company. The owners refused so Kroger struck out on his own.

In 1883 Barney Kroger, with $350 borrowed from a friend and $372 of his own money, opened his first store on Pearl Street in Cincinnati. The Great American Western Tea Company was 17 feet wide and three blocks from the river. He also bought a horse and shiny red wagon, for back then groceries were delivered to the customer. He ran his business with a simple motto: “Be particular. Never sell anything you would not want yourself.”

Despite a couple of setbacks; losing his horse and wagon in a train wreck two weeks after opening and then a few weeks after that, losing his entire stock of groceries in a flood; Kroger persevered. Within a year Kroger was doing so well he bought out his partner and within two years he owned four stores.Today with nearly 2,500 stores in 31 states under two dozen banners and annual sales of more than $70 billion, Kroger ranks as one of the nation’s largest retailers.

Barney Kroger not only started a chain of grocery stores he was an innovator of the times. He advertised more regularly in the newspaper than any other grocery in town. By 1902, the Kroger Grocery and Baking Company was organized and was the first grocery in the nation to bake its own bread. He was also the first to sell meats and groceries in the same store.

Kroger saw an opportunity to increase his income by manufacturing some of the products he sold. When farmers came to town with their produce, he bought far more cabbage than he could expect his customers to buy. He took the cabbage home to his mother who, following her favorite recipe, turned it into tangy sauerkraut that proved hugely popular with his German customers. Today Kroger operates 40 food processing plants producing over 14,000 private-label items.

The company introduced another innovation in 1916 with the beginnings of self-service shopping. Like today, customers went to the grocery store, chose their own merchandise, and brought it home themselves. Many customers appreciated having the opportunity to select their own items. Other stores quickly adopted Kroger's innovation. In 1972, Kroger became the first grocery retailer in America to test an electronic scanner.

Sources:
Cincinnati Then and Now - Iola silberstein
Pleasant Family Shopping
Kroger Website
Ohio History Central