Something for everyone at Fort Piqua Plaza BY BETHANY J. ROYER Ohio Community Media broyer@dailycall.com PIQUA — Once a historic motel, the Fort Piqua Plaza in downtown Piqua offers numerous possibilities for residents and visitors. From the city library to Winans fine chocolates and coffee on the first floor, to six individual conference and banquet rooms on the fourth, there’s something for everyone and any event at the Fort Piqua Plaza. Piqua Public Library Originally located at the former Piqua Men’s Club at 124 W. Greene St. under the name of the Flesh Public Library, eventually became the Piqua Public Library after a move to the renovated Fort Piqua Plaza building in October 2008. As a central community hub, the library holds numerous events, including reading programs, movie nights, friends of the library, book signings, “Souper Thursdays,” workshops,
author fair, gardening and health clinics, computer classes and genealogy. The library also is home to an amazing collection of artwork with a recent spring-time tour given by director James Oda. Children enjoy an entire floor devoted to them, complete with a Steiff Toy Collection display and stage, storytime and puppet shows. Teens have their own zone and activities. Winans Fine Chocolates and Coffee With six locations throughout the Miami Valley and in Columbus, Winans has a rich history in the city of Piqua and calls the Fort Piqua Plaza home. With humble beginnings in the late 1800s in Michigan, the candymaker opened the Winans Carriage House Candies in Piqua in 1961. While there have been numerous name changes, the traditional recipes are still the same, passed down
through generations of the the business’ namesake. The family takes great pride in offering candy that has no preservatives, is never frozen and celebrated its 50th anniversary in October 2011. Winans makes butter, orange and maple creams, toffees, Bavarian mints and wurtles, hand-wrapped caramels, and old-fashioned brittles in copper kettles. Coffee has been a popular addition to the Winans lines, voted best in Dayton the last four years in a row. For more information, call (773)-2765 or visit www.winanscandies.com Fort Piqua Plaza Conference and Banquet Center Whether it is a simple board meeting, a large group function or an elegant wedding, the Fort Piqua Plaza Conference and Banquet Center on the fourth floor of the historic Fort Piqua Plaza on North Main Street makes for a perfect pick.
This state-of-the-art facility boasts six individual rooms, the exclusive banquet facility, grand ballroom, William McKinley, Ulysses S. Grant, William H. Taft, James A. Garfield, Warren G. Harding and Rutherford B. Hayes. These rooms vary in size for groups as small as 24 or less to those as large as 350 people for receptions, ceremonies, rehearsal dinners and showers. The banquet center was host to the first ever Ohio Conference of Community Development regional meeting, as well as the National Brownfields Sustainable Communities Conference and the State of Economic Development in April, the Ohio Community Media Weddings of Distinction event last August and the upcoming November Miami County Chamber Open House. For more information, visit 308 N. Main St., Piqua, call 773-8871, or visit www.thefortpiquaplaza.com.
Chamber /Healthcare. The presenters will Piqua Plaza (November). be UVMC The Safety Council’s President and Health and Safety Fair will CEO Tom Parker be June 14 at A Learning and Greater Place in Piqua. The Safety Dayton Area Council provides safety edu- Hospital cation and standards for all Association members. The fair is an opti- President and CEO Bryan mum opportunity for attenBucklew. A luncheon is dees to network with other planned at the Piqua safety professionals, showCountry Club with the prescase their organization and entation to follow. meet a wide variety of potenReservations already are tial customers. Monthly being received for the PACC Safety Council meetings are Annual Ambassador Golf held at A Learning Place the Outing scheduled for July 16 second Thursday of each at the Piqua Country Club. month. The outing is a highly anticiOn July 11, the PACC will pated event where our mempartner with other area bers can invite current or chambers to host the State of potential customers, employthe Hospital ees, and friends for a wonder-
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Chambers will conful afterduct their annual noon and State of the County a chance luncheon on Oct. 24 at a bag beginning at noon of cash or at the Piqua the opporCountry Club. tunity to County commissionenjoy a ers Richard Cultice, luxury SHERMAN Jack Evans and Dragons suite outfitJohn “Bud” O’Brien ted with all the goodwill give an overview of the ies. Sept. 20 marks the annual county as well as a preview Steak Fry and Auction host- for the coming year. The 2012 year ends with ed by the PACC the Holiday Open House Ambassadors, a much sought-after evening. Enjoy a sponsored by the PACC to show appreciation to memgrilled steak, meet and socialize with fellow chamber bers and volunteers who members, and in addition to have contributed to the sucdinner, you will be treated to cess of the chamber year a wide array of merchandise after year. This year’s celebration will be held on the to be auctioned. second floor of Z’s on Dec. 6. The Miami County Joint
34 • May 2012 Community Guide • Troy Daily News and Piqua Daily Call