November 2008 Issue
Special Collections - Dayton Art Institute
From inspirational books for budding Monets to an impressive children’s section, The Museum Store at The Dayton Art Institute is all about art –– and then some. Many items complement the educational programs the institute is known for. Chess set by Umpra with whimsical playing pieces ($34) “Owen & Mzee” books based on the true story of a friendship between a hippopotamus and tortoise ($16.99) “Starry Night” glass vase by Columbus artist Robert Eickholt ($105) &#... |
Battle of the Bling
It’d be easy to lapse into hyperbole: to say that the rivalry that existed between artisans Peter Carl Fabergé, Louis Comfort Tiffany and Rene Lalique was comparable to a three-way, battle royal between Mohammed Ali, Mike Tyson and George Foreman. (You can practically see the esteemed designers in a boxing ring, striking blows with luxury goods instead of knockout punches.) The truth is, while the trio’s competition for praise and wealthy patrons in the early 19th century was real, it n... Blue Olive Jazz Club
As dining experiences go, sharing great food with loved ones is as good as it gets. That is, until you offer a jazz aficionado the opportunity to wine and dine with the likes of Billie Holiday, Miles Davis and John Coltrane. Suddenly, those dear friends and relatives don’t stand a chance. But patrons at the Blue Olive Jazz Club in downtown Canton get to revel in both familiar company and musical legends ― not to mention a hip atmosphere where cool tunes and upscale cuisine are always on the ... Kicking off the Holidays
Toy soldiers on parade. A living nativity. Waltzing teddy bears. And the most famous kick line in the world. It’s Christmastime in the city near you, as the “Radio City Christmas Spectacular Starring The Rockettes” takes center stage in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton. For 75 years, the dance troupe has stepped lively in New York’s legendary Radio City Music Hall, and the lavish holiday show has become as much a part of winter in Manhattan as horse-and-carriage rides t... |
Curbside Charm
The arched stone gatehouse offers a glimpse of a charming European-style village. A curved cobbled street further beckons passersby to take a closer look. Diamond-paned windows, gabled slate roofs, secret walled gardens and hundreds of other details enchant visitors to the French-Normandy-inspired Sessions Village in the Columbus suburb of Bexley. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this reclusive neighborhood rarely opens its gates to guests. But what lies behind them is a collection of... Rise and Shine
This time of year, there are never enough hours in the day. Add houseguests to the mix, and things get even more hectic. For that reason, we turned to the innkeepers and chefs at four of Ohio’s favorite bed and breakfasts for tips on what to put on the table to please a hungry crowd. Here, these heads of hospitality share their favorite recipes and some sage advice for keeping your sanity in the kitchen (our favorite: if someone wants breakfast at 6:30 a.m., think Kellogg’s). Inn & Spa At Ce... |
Finding Himself
A visitor arrives at Sean Barron’s home in Poland, Ohio, near Youngstown, and taps on the screen door. Wearing shorts and a T-shirt, he offers a friendly welcome. The guest has parked her car in his long, narrow driveway and asks if that is okay. “Well, I was going to suggest you park it on the roof, but I wasn’t sure if your transmission could handle it,” he deadpans. You’d never suspect it, but Sean Barron didn’t always have a sense of humor. In fact, there was a ti... History's Mystery
It’s not Bigfoot. But it could just be the next best thing. Two months ago, backhoe operator Tyler Underwood unearthed a skull and antlers on a farm in Medina. Turns out, they’re the remains of a male Stag-moose that roamed the wilds around here more than 10,000 years ago. A team of Ohio Historical Society archaeologists was dispatched to the scene for further sleuthing, and 34 additional bone fragments were uncovered 16 to 18 feet below ground. “It’s a pretty rare find,” s... Home Sweet Home
Your house is your world, filled with a lifetime’s worth of memories and memorabilia. And even though your health needs are changing, the thought of moving to get the care you need is akin to traveling to another universe. As the sun rises over Wesleyan Village, the games begin: A fitness instructor leads an exercise class, a rousing session of bingo ensues and an art teacher conducts a jewelry-making workshop. Although the Elyria community is renowned for the continuing-care services it of... Ohioan - Jon Peters
AGE : Big Nut wasn’t sure HOMETOWN: Fremont PERSONAL : Married to Terese, with whom he has two children, Ashley, 24, and Cory, 22. Grandfather of Kole, 5 months. LOVE FOR THE BUCKEYES : In 1976, Peters’ grandfather took him to his first Ohio State game — Ohio State vs. Michigan. “We lost that game 22–0,” he says. “But it was an awesome experience.” BECOMING BIG NUT : Peters started painting his face in 1995 for a local Ohio Stat... Ohio's Best Hometown 2009 - Perrysburg
It felt like home when we moved here,” he said. Seven years later they are still residents. It’s a familiar story. People come to Perrysburg for the schools or the jobs (the world headquarters of Owens-Illinois, Inc., is located here, among other companies). After the kids are no longer in school, they stay for the city’s abundance of amenities (including nationally recognized Way Public Library), proximity to a major city (Toledo) and park system (consisting of 11 public green spaces)... Ohio's Best Hometowns 2009
That’s what Athens, Chagrin Falls, Dublin, Perrysburg and Troy say to residents and visitors alike. Ohio Magazine honors these five communities for exemplifying the best in education, health and safety, heritage, arts and culture and business. Ohio Magazine ’s editors prepared the following profiles after researching and visiting these Best Hometowns, where citizens are proud of their heritage, accomplishments and vision for the future. Each article is listed below with its matching commemor... Ohio's Best Hometowns 2009 - Athens
“This town does have a polarizing effect,” says Paige Alost, executive director of the Athens County Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Some come here and say ‘this isn’t for me,’” she explains, as she browses collections from local and national artists in the gift shop at the Dairy Barn Arts Center, a name that says it all. “Others are just passing through and somehow never leave,” she says, prompting two store employees within earshot to nod their ag... Ohio's Best Hometowns 2009 - Chagrin Falls
Nancy Haag, director of Downtown Chagrin Falls, the village’s preservation and community-development organization, agrees. “We adore it,” she says. “It is America’s hometown — the place you wish you would have grown up in.” So it’s no surprise that producers chose Chagrin Falls as a setting for the 1977 ABC-TV movie, “The Gathering,” starring Ed Asner and Maureen Stapleton. The falls provided an arresting backdrop for this poignant Christmas ta... Ohio's Best Hometowns 2009 - Dublin
It’s also there in Dublin’s businesses, which clearly take the city’s slogan, “Irish is an attitude,” to heart. From the Guinness battered fish at Brazenhead, an authentic Irish pub, to the aromatic Irish teas being served at Historic Dublin’s TehKu Tea Company, to the Belleek giftware and Galway crystal at Ha’penny Bridge Imports, specializing in Celtic collectibles, it’s as if the city was transplanted to the Buckeye State from the Emerald Isle. With suc... Ohio's Best Hometowns 2009 - Troy
She appreciated the fact that this “Tree City” (so designated by the Arbor Day Foundation) boasts 1,300 acres of parks and green space, along with The Great Miami River Recreation Trail, a 10.5-mile path with scenic, wooded areas that travel along the river, past the Miami Shores Golf Course and two historic locks, and the Hobart Arena, which offers ice skating, hockey and events throughout the year. Troy, however, has more to offer than family amenities. For about 25 years, the local fire d... Sundays Without George
Recalling the empty space in the family photo, the man who wasn’t there – and should have been. Well-heeled
Like many people, Carey Columbus Jones III works out of an office. However, his place of business has an unusual location: the men’s restroom in the basement of The Westin Great Southern hotel in Columbus. There, he performs “shoe artistry.” Not to be mistaken for a mere shoeshine, what Jones does is more like a restoration. “That shoe is like a canvas,” he earnestly explains. “I strip that shoe of everything that’s on it — the color, all the way down to i... With Honor
It was an intense experience that will never compare to any other, says Phyllis Sossi about that moment last November when she first laid eyes on her son after his return from Iraq. “On the day Stephen was deployed, I gave him my last hug and handed him my ‘Marine Mom’ coin, something I had carried with me every day since his graduation from boot camp,” she remembers. “I said, ‘I’m giving this to you now, and when you come back, you bring it to me.’ “... |
Special Collections
Dayton Art Institute Wexner Center for the Arts Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Dairy Barn Arts Center Toledo Museum of Art Special Collections - Dairy Barn Arts Center
Sophisticated folk art abounds at the Dairy Barn Arts Center’s Gallery Shop. Form follows function here, as local artists create and transform everyday items into one-of-a-kind works of art. Earth-toned vase in the color of Nelsonville clay ($40) created by Albany’s Doug Thornton Ceramic bowl by Athens artist Lissa Jollick ($32) Stained-glass star ornament by Cindy Yeager of Crooksville ($28) Spiral pot holder fashioned out of recycled fabric by Elise McMath of Amesville ($8.50) Dayton resid... Special Collections - Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
Who doesn’t like music? Or DVDs? Or posters of favorite performers? Or T-shirts? It’s all at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Store, a fye shop. There’s something for everyone who walks through the door, from brand-new vinyl LPs to snow globes of the Cleveland landmark that’s like no other in the world. “ Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison ” LP ($15.99) “ Led Zeppelin ” LP ($29.99) Rock 'n' roll collage coasters ($8.99 for a boxed dozen) Golf ... Special Collections - Toledo Museum of Art
The Toledo Museum of Art believes in giving back to the creative community that supports it. That’s why The Museum Store Featuring Collector’s Corner is filled with works by Toledo artisans. Of special note are the exquisite hand-blown works of art that pay homage to Toledo’s Glass City roots. Silk necktie by Si Won Lee ($200) Homer James Yarrito glass-and-wrought-iron sculpture ($185) Glass perfume bottle by Leon Applebaum ($300) Special Collections - Wexner Center for the Arts
Looking for something eclectic, but tastefully avant-garde? You’ll find it at the Wexner Center Store. From Nooka watches that tell time with an exotic array of dots and dashes to bowls made from logs that fell naturally, the contemporary-art store never fails to amaze and entice. A pair of banana-split bowls and spoons by Precidio ($10) Bruce McGaw print of Andy Warhol's famous can ($10) Carryall fashioned out of seat belts by “Cranium” game illustrator Gary Basemen ($130) Westward Ho!
As usual, the official description doesn’t quite do the place itself justice. Visit the Web site for the part of the state that calls itself “Ohio’s Historic West” —www.ohioshistoricwest.com — and you’ll read that it is “a State Designated Heritage Area dedicated to the development of cultural and heritage tourism in an eight-county area: Auglaize, Champaign, Clark, Darke, Logan, Mercer, Miami, Shelby. It is truly a patchwork of diverse places, and highlig... |
Covering the Story
One of the most enjoyable things we do in our office each month — it’s all enjoyable, of course, but this is among the most enjoyable — is choose our cover image. Because our mission is to capture the beauty, the adventure and the fun of life in Ohio, selecting just a dozen ways to convey the character of the state over the course of the year can also be daunting. So, once a year, we cheat. When we launched our Best Hometowns feature three years ago, we decided to take the unprecedente... |
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