Hamiltonian Magazine January 2019

JA N UA RY 2 019

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Spooky to Spooky Nook A former paper mill finds new life BY stephanie foley

Little Chicago OUR TOWN OUR STORIES OUR PRIDE

The last legal saloon

BY RICHARD O JONES

Quality Care You Can Trust

FORT HAMILTON HOSPITAL Expanding surgical services

We are proud to announce the addition of Hilary Shapiro-Wright, DO, FACOS, a board-certified surgeon specializing in breast surgery and clinical oncology.

Dr. Shapiro-Wright brings 14 years of experience, and has been recognized as one of Cincinnati Magazine’s Top Doctors for the past seven years.

Specialty services: •

High-risk breast cancer

•

Breast masses

•

Breast pain

•

Breast conservation

•

Mastectomy

For more information or to schedule an appointment, call (513) 785-1680.

Hilary Shapiro-Wright, DO, FACOS

F O R T H A M I LT O N H O S P I TA L

2019

HAPPY NEW YEAR LEVAJO 20 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd - 1331 NW Washington Blvd - 1420 Millville Ave

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6 January Crossword 7 Hamilton Community Foundation

TVHamilton helps promote quality of life

14 Hamilton Hounds

Say hello to Kaiser, a 7-month-old Doberman.

15 January Events

9 School News

Your guide to this month’s activities

10 Happy Birthday!

Worthwhile New Year resolutions

Hamilton High students win big at JSA

16 HamilTEN

The Hamiltonian celebrates a birthday

Publisher One Pride Publishing, LLP Photographer Brian Suman

our team >>>>>>>>> Full Service Print Shop Hamilton Graphics (513) 737-1413 hamiltongraphicsprinting.com

Attorney Law Office of Scott D. Kruger 513-887-4560 scottkrugerlaw.net

Banks & Credit Unions AllWealth Federal Credit Union 513-868-5881 allwealth.org

Writers Dirk Allen, Stephanie Foley, Richard O Jones, Laura Marie, Laurel Pfahler

Photography Brian Suman Photography (513) 313-1486 briansuman.com

Automotive Pfefferle Tire & Auto Service 513-894-0025 pfefferletire.com

Telhio Credit Union 877-221-3233 telhio.org

Printer Hamilton Graphics

Accountant & CPA’s Baker & Associates 513-896-1234 baker-cpa.com

Rose Automotive 513-863-7878 roseautomotivegroup.com

Graphic Design The Hamiltonian

A SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL THOSE WHO HELPED! SUBSCRIBE TODAY! 6 South 2nd Street, Suite 205, Hamilton, Ohio 45011 phone: 513-816-1450 web: justhamilton.com Make checks payable to “The Hamiltonian” ($35/year)

Art Supplies and Framing Renaissance Fine Art Supplies 513-795-7035 rfasupplies.com

Auto Body Repair M&G Body Shop 513-851-9056 mgbody.com

Food & Beverage Basil 1791 513-883-1019 basilasianrestaurant.com Gina’s Italian Kitchen & Tavern 513-889-1530 Karen’s Pizzeria 513-737-8111 karenspizzeria.com

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20 Icefest

29 Spooky Nook

40 Hamilton Rocks

22 Little Chicago

34 Get Fit

44 The “Not” Clock

Your checklist for winter fun

A former paper mill finds new life

The last legal saloon

27 Teacher Spotlight

A Hamilton transplant wears several important hats

McDonald’s 513-887-6557 mcdonalds.com Rib City 513-829-7427 ribcity.com Richard’s Pizza 513-894-3296 richardspizza.com Wings on Brookwood 513-844-1312 wingsonbrookwood.com Fitness Elite Sports & Wellness 513-889-7739 elitebutlercounty.com Funeral Services Weigel Funeral Home 513-892-1524 weigelfuneralhome.com

The greater Miami Valley YMCA delivers variety

37 Great Hamiltonians A hero in war and murder

Health and Wellness Butler Behavioral Health Services 513-881-7189 bbhs.org Community First Solutions 513-785-4060 community-first.org Kettering Health Network 513-867-2000 ketteringhealth.org/ forthamilton Insurance Wilks Insurance Agency, Inc. 513-868-9000 wilksinsurance.com Non-Profit Organizations 17 Strong Facebook.com/ 17strongneighborhoods

Support Your Local Business!

A creative process that helps those grieving express feelings

The high school shot clock debate continues

46 Stage Presence

Sydney Long’s impressive run on the Badin stage

Butler County United Way 513-863-0800 bc-unitedway.org

Retail Miller St. Boutique 513-829-0432

St. Peter in Chains School 513-863-3938 stpeterinchains.org/our-school

Greater Miami Valley YMCA 513-887-0001 gmvymca.org

Salons The Main Look 513-896-9456 themainlook.com

Mention us & a portion of the proceeds benefit The Hamiltonian

Hamilton Community Foundation 513-863-1717 hamiltonfoundation.org Pet Care West Side Animal Clinic 513-892-5916 westsideanimalclinichamilton. vetstreet.com Real Estate Jeff Boyle Group 513-275-1120 jeffboylegroup.com

Schools, Colleges, and Education Badin High School 513-863-3993 badinhs.org Hamilton City Schools 513-887-5000 hamiltoncityschools.com Miami Regionals 513-785-3000 miamioh.edu/regionals

JANUARY 2019 WWW. JUSTHAMILTON.COM

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January Crossword

Word Play January Issue

ACROSS

1

2 Badin’s Sydney Long played a ________ as a freshman when the school had the play “Wizard of Oz.”

3 Our teacher of the month Megan Wagonfield teaches at ________ Elementary.

4 ________ Snodgrass is the current Ohio High School Athletic Association Executive Director.

6 ________ is one of the many classes that you can take part in at 4 the YMCA.

5 Spooky Nook at Champion Mill will have the second largest convention center in the region only to the ________ Energy Center in Cincinnati.

9 The theme for IceFest this year is ________ night.

1 Our Great Hamiltonian of the month Wesley Wulzen was the son of Reverend ________ Ehler Wulzen.

ACROSS

6

7

8 Richard O Jones started a series in this month’s issue on Little ________.

DOWN

3

5

7 Hamilton Rocks have made their way throughout the USA, but ________ might be the farthest state yet.

10 The Hamiltonian Magazine is celebrating its ________ year anniversary this month.

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December Issue December Answers 1

S U N D E R C E O R 4 5 A L I V E W I U E 6 7 M G E R B L 8 I L I N A T 9 P F E F 3

2

M A R T L S P M A C D E

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9

N

O N N

10

N

F E R L E

DOWN

2 Badin's Sydney Long played a 1 Our Great Hamiltonian of th Full Service Salon ______ as a freshman when the month Wesley Wulzen was school had the play "Wizard of Oz." son of Reverend _______ Eh Our Services 4 ________ Snodgrass is the Wulzen. * Hair * Facials * Waxing current Ohio High School Athletic 3 Our teacher of the month M * Makeup* Nails *Wagonfield teaches at Association Executive Director.

5 Spooky Nook at Champion Mill will ____________ Call Today OR Schedule Online Elementary. have the second largest 6 _________ is one of the man convention center in the region classes Visit that you can take p (513) 896-9456 or only to the _____ Energy Center the YMCA. (513) 896-4224 themainlook.com in Cincinnati.

9 The theme for IceFest this 7 Hamilton Rocks have made their _____ night.

Monday 10am - 3pm Tuesday Thursday 10am 8pm Friday 10am 5pm Saturday 10am 3pm Sunday CLOSED way throughout the USA, but __________ might be the farthest state yet.

8 Richard O Jones started a series in this month's issue on Little

of the was the _ Ehler

Screen Time

TVHamilton broadens its reach One of the many ways that the

Hamilton Community Foundation helps improve the quality of life in our city is to promote that quality of life, and TVHamilton is one of its most valuable tools for doing that. Two developments in the past year have greatly improved that effort.

For one, the Foundation encouraged Colwell and the TVHamilton board to come up with a strategic plan as a way of focusing its effort. At the same time, TVHamilton producer/ director Steve Colwell entered into an informal partnership with Jeff Archiable, communications strategist of the Hamilton Vision Commission, so the two of them can put their heads together to come up with ways to fulfill both their missions. “TVHamilton has no more confinement to cable television,” Archiable said. “We can tell the story of Hamilton to everybody in the entire county, the entire region and even nationwide.”

By shifting focus from half-hour or longer programs confined to the cable box to live streams and short informative videos on social media, the reach of TVHamilton has grown exponentially, they said. “Good content makes a difference,” Colwell said.

They’ve been going out and highlighting,

th Megan for instance, classroom-level activities— from the creation of murals for visually

y. impaired students or the creation of raised flower beds by carpentry students many ke part in atfor students with disabilities—rather

than long-form interviews, Colwell and his year is Archiable are taking local television into the Internet age.

Support Your Local Business!

They have also been making their raw footage available to Cincinnati news stations to enhance their coverage of events in Hamilton.

to promote Hamilton, and Steve is doing the same thing, so why don’t we work together. It’s a natural partnership.”

Colwell said at first the news directors at all four stations were reluctant to get involved, perhaps over a concern for quality or cost (which is none to them), but in the past year, all four stations have plucked TVHamilton video out of the cloud and into the airwaves. “Hamilton is valuable to them,” Archiable said, “but it’s so far for them to drive, in their mindset.

Now they don’t have to. It makes their coverage look deeper because we can provide video that we shot in the past.”

In a recent news spot about Marcum Park’s national recognition, for instance, seven of the eighteen shots were from TVHamilton’s archives. “Being able to help stations like that benefits the city because now they are more willing to come up here,” Archiable said. “My job is

“He’s not a TVHamilton employee, though a lot of people think he is because we work so closely together,” Colwell said. “We’re largely funded by the same people, and if it’s good for one it’s good for the other.”

“We’re both going in the same direction,” Archiable said, “so why don’t we carpool.”

By responding to the different ways that people consume information, together TVHamilton and the Vision Commission are working to create a better Hamilton by showing the quality of life here and improve the city’s image to outsiders.

JANUARY 2019 WWW. JUSTHAMILTON.COM

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School News Twenty three members

of Hamilton High School’s Junior State of America (JSA) traveled to the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus to participate in one of the three major conventions that the Ohio River Valley (OH, IN, KY, TN, and WV) hosts. They debated, sophisticatedly sharing their opinions, and overall bonded with people of all types of backgrounds—politically and socially.

Hamilton High School sophomore Delany Kirby

Junior State of America is student-run, not student-lead, so everything that happens in JSA is a product from the students themselves.

Hamilton received many awards during this convention: •E lias Tzoc won Best Speaker for his debate about term limits for Senators and Representatives •D aniel Sutton won Best Novice Moderator • Darshi Ambani won Best Veteran Moderator • Delany Kirby won a $1,250 scholarship to attend JSA Summer School where students have the opportunity to take rigorous college classes at the most prestigious

Hamilton High School seniors Darshi Ambani, Elias Tzoc, and Daniel Sutton

universities in the country, such as Princeton, Stanford, and Georgetown!

Last year, Hamilton High School’s JSA members won Chapter of the Year in the ORV and Second Place nationwide for the National Civic Impact Award.

Happy Birthday!

The Hamiltonian turns one BY stephanie Foley

One year ago, the very first

editions of The Hamiltonian were on their way to mailboxes all across the city. As 2018 ends and 2019 begins, The Hamiltonian celebrates completion of the first of many years of positivity and Hamilton pride.

The idea for this magazine came from a desire to boost local morale and appreciation for the growth Hamilton was experiencing. Trace Fowler and Shaun Spurlock are the men responsible for that idea.

“It just clicked one day that there are these local magazines that I think would be appreciated by this community,” said Fowler. “This is a prideful town.”

Fowler reached out to Spurlock and shared his idea and within a week, the two were on their way. With a mock-up version of the magazine and some freshly printed business cards in hand, Trace and

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Shaun began the most difficult part of the journey: getting people to believe, and invest, in their spark.

“When you go to create a magazine, there has to be a theme to it,” Fowler explained. “Everyone wants to ask what our target market is; really, our demographic is just Hamilton and people who care.”

The purpose of this magazine is to spread knowledge of the good things about Hamilton. You won’t find a negative story on any of its pages. Trace and Shaun firmly believe in nurturing that sense of pride for Hamilton during the upswing that the city is experiencing. Between new development and growth, the residents of Hamilton have a lot to be proud of.

For Shaun and Trace, this journey was not an easy ride. During its infancy stage, there were times when the two

WWW. JUSTHAMILTON.COM JANUARY 2019

questioned if their idea was doable.

“There were days when I was down in the dumps, and he’d bring me back up,” Shaun remembered. “There were days where he was down and I’d fire him back up; starting something like this would be really hard to do by yourself.”

As with any project, where there are big highs there are also big lows, even from the very start.

“The sales are hard and you get told no a lot,” said Trace. “You call on ten places and eight won’t even meet with you, then once you get to meet with ten, eight of THOSE will tell you no.”

Even after all that, the two remember their biggest low coming with the very first issue, the January 2018 edition.

“We had no idea how the USPS was going to work out,” said Shaun. “We sent Support Your Local Business!

them out the day after Christmas and some didn’t hit mailboxes until January 12th or so.”

With the holiday season winding down, this caused a sizeable delay in the delivery, but Shaun and Trace took matters into their own hands and delivered the magazines themselves.

“One day I had to go out and deliver about 20 of them to people who had subscribed, but not received them yet,” Shaun reflected.

Despite the frustrating lows, the highs were still gratifying, with the highest high also coming with the first issue.

“I would say the biggest high was when we got our first design,” said Shaun.

Walking into the print shop and seeing the magazine for the first time was the turning point from a dream to a reality.

No longer was this just a spark.

Support Your Local Business!

Since then, The Hamiltonian has maneuvered successfully through the first year delivering positive content to Hamilton residents.

“I really think that you have an obligation when you produce something to benefit the community,” said Trace. “Even if it’s not conducive to gain a lot of readership immediately, I really think we have a duty to tell a positive and promote the good things going on.”

The passion that Shaun and Trace began has spread to the other members of the staff as well. Some have been a part of the process since the very beginning, and others were drawn in by the immense pull of positivity. Either way, each member of the staff plays a vital role in what The Hamiltonian has become through the last year.

“I joined the Hamiltonian Magazine

in the Fall of 2017 and was a part of the launch team,” said Brian Suman, staff photographer. “Being a part of an energetic team that has a passion to highlight the great city of Hamilton has been the biggest influence.”

Suman is not alone; staff writer Laura Marie feels the same.

“I think it’s so interesting to get to know people through writing about them,” said Laura. “I’ve loved a lot of the stories I’ve written, but I had a really great time getting to know the ladies at Lambikin’s Hideaway.”

In a world where simply turning on the news is met with a bombardment of anger and negativity, Hamilton can breathe a sigh of relief. There is no room for negativity on the pages of The Hamiltonian, and that’s how it’s going to stay. Too many good stories are yet to be written. >>>>>>>

JANUARY 2019 WWW. JUSTHAMILTON.COM

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Meet >>>>>>>>>

Brian Suman

Laura Marie

Richard O Jones

As they say, there’s no place like home.

Lucky for Hamilton, Brian feels the same.

He joined The Hamiltonian in the fall of 2017 as part of the launch team. With four years of photography experience under his belt, Brian has a passion to highlight Hamilton that keeps him motivated. He currently works as an operations manager for Deffren Machine Tool Services and also manages his own photography business.

Hamilton has a knack for becoming home quickly to those not native to it.

Laura has been in the city for the past three years. Since November of 2017, she has been invested in The Hamiltonian as a writer. As an English teacher and a writer, much of her time is spoken for, but when she’s free, she can be found cooking up something delicious or squeezing in a few miles. Next year promises to be a busy one for Laura, as she takes on her newest venture as a business owner.

After 25 years writing the first draft of history as a writer and editor for the Hamilton Journal-News, Richard O Jones has recently been devoting his time to a deeper dive into the city’s past. After writing several books on local dark history, Jones signed on with The Hamiltonian to create profiles of the city’s notable pioneers, captains of industry, and political leaders. A lifelong resident of Butler County, a graduate of Ross High School and Miami University, Jones is also known internationally from his podcast “True Crime Historian,” which explores vintage newspaper accounts of the “scandals, scoundrels, and scourges of the past.”

Photographer

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Writer

WWW. JUSTHAMILTON.COM JANUARY 2019

Writer

Support Your Local Business!

>>>>>> the team

Shaun Spurlock

Stephanie Foley

Trace Fowler

Shaun is a Hamilton native, born and raised. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in middle childhood education from Miami University and married his wife, Madelyn, who is an elementary school teacher at Ridgeway Elementary School. Prior to The Hamiltonian, Shaun worked for Time Warner Cable/ Spectrum Business for four years.

Despite not having a background in writing, Shaun felt motivated enough about this project to dive in full time.

Hamilton is home to both natives and transplants. Stephanie Foley happens to be the latter. Stephanie began writing for the Hamiltonian in February of 2018.

After seeing the first issue, she knew she had to be a part of such a great message so she reached out. She graduated from Henderson State University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.

Stephanie and her husband, Matt, have one son, Ryan, who is two. Although she does work full time for the county, her love for writing and the city work together to bring positive energy to The Hamiltonian each month.

Trace was the original spark behind The Hamiltonian. A stroll to the mailbox brought about the thought that it would be really nice to get local positive news, and six months later The Hamiltonian was hitting mailboxes.

Trace graduated from Urbana University with a bachelors in sports administration. He married his wife Jordan and the pair have two sons, Cam and Greyson. Trace’s background is in marketing, but his passion for Hamilton and the good in this city are now being shared with thousands of families.

Co-Founder

Support Your Local Business!

Writer

Co-Founder

JANUARY 2019 WWW. JUSTHAMILTON.COM

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Hamilton Hound When one door closes,

another one opens, usually because of a 70-pound pup on the hunt for snacks. Meet Kaiser, the 7-month-old Doberman. He stands tall enough to rest his head on the kitchen table during dinnertime, even though he pretends it’s a coincidence. He spends his days destroying pillows and occasionally wrestling his older (but much smaller) sister, Katie. Kaiser may be big, but you can’t convince him of that. He will climb up and sit directly in your lap if he so desires, making his whole body dead weight, for your protection of course. His sneak-attack kisses ensure that you have

>>> Kaiser at least one slobbery hand or cheek at all times. He also likes to climb into the big bed at night and stretch out nice and wide. Although he’s a rascal, Kaiser fits into his family like the last puzzle piece. With many more years ahead, and pounds to gain, follow Kaiser on Instagram (@kingkaiserman) to see what trouble he gets into next!

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January 2019

Things To Do

January 9, 2019 Celebrating Staff Jeff Berding or FCC Staff Time: 11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m.

Location: 101 S. Monument Avenue, Hamilton, Ohio 45011 Description: Currently based at Nippert Stadium, Futbol Club Cincinnati has quickly become one of the area’s most dynamic sports teams, with FC Cincinnati recently being awarded a Major League Soccer franchise. Jeff Berding is part of the club’s ownership group and has served as the FCC’s President and General Manager since the club’s inception in 2015.

January 11, 2019 Fitton Family Fridays: Bing, Bang, Boom Science Show Time: 7:30 p.m.–9:30 p.m.

Location: 101 S. Monument Avenue,

Hamilton, Ohio 45011 Description: Rock to the physics of the Bing, Bang, Boom! Science Show.

This zany and up–beat performance is packed with amazing acts of astonishment and live experiments on stage, as Mr. Molecule guarantees a universe of mind blowing fun! This fastpaced show is filled with supercharged and super-safe science experiments that will have the audience erupting with laughter and bubbling with curiosity.

January 11, 2019 Watercolor Workshop Time: 11:00 a.m.

Location: Miami Regionals Hamilton Downtown, 221 High Street, Hamilton, Ohio 45011 Description: Participate in FREE

monthly “studio time” while perfecting (or beginning) your watercolor painting technique! Mentoring by Miami faculty and friends as well as guest artist visits will be part of the fun. RSVP to Miami Professor Emeritus Scott Johnston at johnsta@MiamiOH.edu.

January 18-19, 2019 IceFest 2019- Game Night Time: Friday 5:00 p.m.–Saturday 9:00 p.m.

Location: High Street, Downtown Hamilton, Ohio 45011 Description: City of Sculpture’s favorite winter community event is back with Game Night! This year, the largest ice carving festival in the region will take place on Friday, January 18 and Saturday, January 19 in downtown Hamilton, Ohio.

family owned & operated

Authentic Italian food, pizza, and sandwiches.

Full service bar, and always great service.

Monday-Saturday 11:00am-2:30am

Join us

Check out our reviews!

“Great Italian restaurant. There were six of us and we tried various Italian dishes and every one remarked that we can't wait to go back.”

- Julia B

Sunday: Closed

Call for carry-out 513-889-1530

1005 Eaton Ave, Hamilton ohio (Parking behind eaton market)

HamilTEN New Years Resolutions BY stephanie Foley 1. LOSE WEIGHT

2. EAT HEALTHIER

Dance2Fit: 426 Main Street, Hamilton, OH 45013; Mon–Fri 5 p.m.–9 p.m., Sat 9 a.m.–12 p.m.

Farmer’s Market, 101 High Street, Hamilton, OH 45011

A.

Offer high and low impact cardio workouts with a variety of different trainers. Owned and operated by Sylvia Hammons. Dance2Fit with Sylvia is high impact high intensity dance based.

StepFit is aerobic step class. Dance2Fit with Stephanie is low impact for joint pain. PraiseFit is dance class with faith based music. Full body workouts to modern music.

Perhaps the gym is intimidating, or perhaps you want more than what the average gym can offer. Either way, there’s a place for you. Dance2Fit on Main Street offers a variety of different trainers who each offer a different type of workout. From high impact high intensity to low impact for joint pain, Dance2Fit has it all covered. Dance into the new year happier and healthier.

B.

A.

Around for 180 years. Farm fresh produce from Dittman’s Farm, Agrocity Ohio for microgreens. From May to October.

One of the hardest things to stick to is a healthy diet. Lucky for Hamilton, the Farmer’s Market will be starting up soon. With local vendors such as Dittman’s Farm and Agrocity, you’ll always know where your food comes from. Locally grown fruits and vegetables make dinner planning easier and healthier than ever, not to mention supporting the local market. In 2019, you deserve to be your very best, so allow the Farmer’s Market help you get there.

B.

3. FURTHER EDUCATION Miami University Hamilton: 1601 University Blvd. Hamilton, OH 45011

A.

Over 30 different programs to choose from. Bachelors and Associate’s degrees offered. On-site child care.

Fresh graduate or making a career change, Miami University Hamilton stands ready and willing to help. With over 30 different programs to choose from, both Bachelor’s and Associate’s degrees are offered. For the working adults, night and online classes are available. Furthering your education no longer has to be a struggle. Let the faculty and staff at Miami University in Hamilton assist.

B.

4. MEET PEOPLE Great Miami Rowing Center; 330 North B Street, Hamilton, OH 45013

A.

Get out and get involved in the community. At Great Miami Rowing Center, classes to learn to row.

Ages range from 12-90. Adult classes

Open Your Heart. Lend Your Muscle. Find Your Voice.

Butler County’s easiest and most effective way to volunteer or to list a volunteer project through your organization.

Register today! www.bc-unitedway.org/volunteeropportunities Contact Amanda Burns at 513.785.2348 or aburns@bc-unitedway.org

offered. Indoor rowing workouts also available, but both offer ability to meet people with similar interests.

With the growth the city is experiencing, working and playing together are both of equal importance, but at Great Miami Rowing Center, the emphasis is on the play. The Great Miami River cuts straight through the heart of downtown Hamilton and serves as an asset to the community. Whether you’re a beginner looking for rowing lessons or simply looking for an indoor group workout, all this can be found at GMRC.

B.

5. SAVE MONEY

Lifespan help you alleviate that stress in 2019? At Lifespan, you will receive financial counseling that will show you how to live within your means and still accomplish the goals you have. In addition to financial counseling, Lifespan offers classes, such as ‘Understanding Credit and Debt’, to teach financial responsibility to the people of Hamilton.

You simply cannot go wrong growing your financial knowledge.

6. NEW HOBBY Legacy Martial Arts Academy; 327 Main Street, Hamilton, OH 45013

A.

Offer a variety of different programs including jiu-jitsu, judo, and self-defense. Several qualified instructors, good physical activity as well as mental training.

New Years Resolutions are all about growing as a person, and joining a martial arts gym is one of the best ways to do that. Not only will your physical strength be tested and grown, but your sense of disciple, patience, and commitment will be too. At Legacy Martial Arts Academy, they offer multiple programs including Jiu-jitsu, judo, and even self-defense training. Building a new hobby can be

B.

Lifespan. 1900 Fairgrove Avenue, Hamilton, OH 45011

A.

Financial counseling to get out of debt. Tired of living paycheck to paycheck? “Helps devise a customized budget for managing your money and expenses” Offering credit counseling since 1981. Provides classes to teach financial responsibility (Get a grip on your spending, Transitioning into retirement, Understanding credit and debt).

Repaying a debt, building a savings, and transitioning into retirement all hold their own stressors. Why not let

B.

Support Your Local Business!

JANUARY 2019 WWW. JUSTHAMILTON.COM

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200 different types of birds live there), along the Great Miami River, paved bike trail.

A little fresh air can do a lot of good to the body. In Hamilton, the Riverside Natural Area is conveniently located along the Great Miami River.

Complete with a paved bike path, this area is the perfect place to enjoy those warm spring walks. Nearly 200 different types of birds call the Riverside Natural Area home, helping to create a beautiful Zen environment.

B. challenging, but at Legacy, the work is worth the reward.

7. START A BUSINESS The Hamilton Mill; 20 High Street, Hamilton, OH 45013; Mon–Fri. 8:30 a.m.–5p.m.

A.

Business incubator, attracting companies focused on green energy, technology and advanced manufacturing. Many resources, including mentors, connections with academic institutions, and access to funding resources can help anyone get a start.

More and more, people are taking the leaps to become business owners and part of the growth of Hamilton. If you happen to have a great idea, the Hamilton Mill is a resource you can’t afford to pass up. The Mill is a business incubator that provides mentors to help guide you along the process of opening and successfully sustaining your business.

B.

8. PLAY MORE A Game Knight; 345 North 3rd Street, Hamilton OH 45011; Mon–Fri 4 p.m.–1 a.m., Sat–Sun 1 p.m.–1 a.m.

A.

More than 300 games, trivia leagues, full bar, appetizer-like food, (Gaming parlor and tavern). From 8 p.m.–1 a.m., 18+ only, minors must be accompanied by an adult.

One of Hamilton’s newest features is a local board game bar on 3rd Street called A Game Knight. The bar is host to more than 300 board games to choose from, and since board games can get competitive, it’s important to replenish your strength with some delicious food and drinks. A Game Knight has a full bar and an appetizer-like food menu.

B.

9. GET BACK TO NATURE Riverside Natural Area, 2451 River Road, Hamilton OH 45015

A.

Approximately 130 acres, trails, greenspace, birdwatching (nearly

10. NEW SKILL Fitton Center; 101 S. Monument Avenue, Hamilton OH 45011

A.

Drawing, painting, and photography classes (among many more topics) for adults and children, offer evening classes for working adults, prices reasonable, each listing tells you price and the instructors name.

Discovering a new talent is easy with places like the Fitton Center within our city. Located on Monument Avenue, the Fitton Center holds classes for several types of skills such as drawing, painting, and even photography. Classes are available for adults and children alike with reasonable prices. There are even evening classes to accommodate the working adults. Don’t put it off another year, let the Fitton Center help you make 2019 the best year yet!

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Freeze Out Your Icefest checklist

BY LAURA MARIE Icefest comes every two years to Hamilton, benefitting City of Sculpture, the non-profit organization that purchases and maintains beautiful sculptures around town. City of Sculpture promotes art in Hamilton, creating a place to live, work, and play where kids and adults alike can appreciate the craft and fun of artistic expression.

Stroll Along the Technicolor Ice Walk With Projections and Lights Over 50 ice sculptures along High Street offer the chance to admire the sparkling handiwork of the ice artisans who participate in Icefest. On Friday night,

Keep Your Eyes Peeled for These Game-Themed Sculptures You can find video game favorites like Pikachu and Mario, as well as a monster from Rampage hiding amongst the skyline of Hamilton. A blast from childhood’s past might occur when you find the Rock’em Sock’em Robots or ice sculptures inspired by Scrabble and Chess. Who knows, you might even find a few characters from your favorite game!

This year, Icefest is presented by Kettering Health Network and promises to be an excellent celebration of ice carving with its lighthearted Game Night theme. If you are planning to spend Friday evening or all day Saturday enjoying the gorgeous ice sculptures that will pop up downtown, make sure to catch all the festivities. Bring your copy of the Hamiltonian along to complete this checklist!

Ooh and Ahh at Fire and Ice The Fire & Ice Carving Show, a sculpting demonstration that incorporates both fire and live carving of ice, is a sight to behold. Watch as the carvers get to work on their gigantic sculpture, starting at 7pm on Friday night. When the sculpture is complete, the carvers will add fire and the sculpture will light up the night!

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Saturday’s activities. Take a break from the cold and play this life-sized game while also admiring the art on display throughout the gallery.

lights will grace the sculptures along the Courthouse, revealing every facet and throwing off beautiful prismatic color.

Projections of snowflakes and other designs will swirl on the surrounding buildings, making the chilly night bright.

Try Plinko at Artspace The Strauss Gallery, located in the Artspace building next to Rotary Park , will host to a fun game of Plinko during

WWW. JUSTHAMILTON.COM JANUARY 2019

Play Mini Golf and Explore the New Bookmobile in Journal Square Journal Square, located on High Street next to True West Coffee Downtown, will host ice-sculpture mini-golf, as well as a few other icy games. You can also visit the brand-new bookmobile from The Lane Libraries, where you can find great books to check out.

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but make sure you are standing back a reasonable distance for this impressive display of agility and excellence.

Watch our Feature Carver Reveal an Enormous Ice Sculpture After IceFest’s smaller sculptures, the Feature Carver’s ice sculpture is likely to be quite the sight to behold. By combining many ice blocks together, this will be one of the largest sculptures of the entire festival; past years have yielded a ferocious T-Rex and an intricate spaceship. You’ll have to show up for Icefest: Game Night to find out what this year’s themed sculpture will be.

The feature will work on this creation throughout the event on Friday.

Take Your Rightful Seat in the Ice Throne for a Picture Stop by the Children’s Area, located in Journal Square, to find this icy seat!

Children and adults alike are encouraged to take part in this photo op and enjoy the chance to be the Ice King or Queen as long as they can handle cold!

Vote for the People’s Choice Sculpture in Competition Alley Start off your Saturday at Competition Alley, located on Second Street beside the courthouse, which will include a

variety of highly skilled carvers sculpting ice blocks using their own inspiration.

Watch the fun and then vote for your favorite; the carvers themselves will also vote on the best sculpture for the Carver’s Choice awards.

Warm Up and Shop Local at ArtFest in the Municipal Building Twenty arts and crafts vendors will set up inside so that you can take a break from viewing the ice outside in the chilly air and shop till you drop. Not only are these artisans providing beautiful crafts and gifts, supporting them is a great way to “give back” at this free event that is open to the public. It might be a good time to pick up a Valentine’s day gift for someone special.

Watch Speed Carvers Go Head to Head to Carve in 10 Minutes or Less After competitive carving concludes, the ice will fly as the amazing ice carvers are given the task of speed carving a block of ice; watch in Competition Alley

IceFest happens this year on January 18th and 19th in downtown Hamilton; people journey from far away to see these beautiful sculptures and to take advantage of a festival in the middle of winter. Bundle up and join the fun before the ice melts away!

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The Little Chicago Chronicles: Part One

Little Chicago

The last legal saloon

BY RICHARD O JONES The crowds, as expected, were immense.

As the end of legal beer and liquor sales approached, Hamilton Chief of Police Charles G. Stricker and city officials braced themselves for riots with a stern warning that the midnight closing law would be strictly enforced with “no leeway” given to any saloon.

“This closing proposition is governed by state law,” the chief said, “and we intend to enforce it.”

At 5:30 a.m., Saturday, May 24, 1919, the seventy-six saloons in Hamilton opened their doors for one last hurrah.

At the request of the saloon owners, police stationed themselves in some of the bigger establishments to prevent the destruction of property in case the crowds became too “hilarious”. Every man was on duty Saturday, most officers working double shifts.

For the next 18 hours, “more of the 22

spirited stuff changed hands than in any other three days in the history of the city saloon business,” the Daily Republican News reported. “Early in the morning, the sight of men and women emerging from cafes and wholesale liquor houses with packages beneath their arms was common and until nine o’clock in the evening, this stream of package carriers continued to be in prominence.

“By the time the clock had ticked off the ninth hour, every wholesale house in the city had disposed of their bottled stock and only the barrooms remained to be visited and put in a Sahara-like condition.

“And with the coming of the morning, every saloon in the city with the exception of Lyman Williams’ place on Fifth and Henry streets offered their final rounds and the curtains were drawn and saloondom passed out of existence in the city.

“Two hundred locals witnessed the inauguration of the dry spell and drank deep of the passing beverages.

WWW. JUSTHAMILTON.COM JANUARY 201

PHOTO: LYMAN WILLIAMS SALOON, ACROSS FROM CINCINNATI, HAMILTON, AND DAY TON DEPOT, SOUTH FIFTH STREET, 1919. PICTURED ARE: 3 UNIDENTIFIED, OT TO DIETZ, BILL MCCONNELL, LYMAN WILLIAMS, CHARLES GREISER, DENNIS BUCKLEY AND GEORGE RENNER

The contents seemed to be lacking in producing the ‘fighting’ effect and but little disorder was reported to the police headquarters.”

“But four arrests were made and of these none were more succumbed to the high-tension powers of that ‘stuff’ of former days…”

“After the close of the bars, hundreds of men, their arms burdened with bottles, cases, jars and other containers carrying the ‘juice’ wended their way homeward.”

“This procession was the most congenial which has been witnessed in some time. Everybody as everybody else, friend. Mr. Jones had known Mr. Smith since he was a boy. They were all good fellows. Yes, everyone on earth was a good scout And the only ones upon whom was heaped the anger, wrath and the ‘unspeakable,’ were those who had voted for prohibition.”

The Evening Journal said there was “no gaiety at the bars although all were packed during the evening.” Many of the bars sold out their stock by early evening.

At the bars with ample supply, the prices dropped as the evening wore on.

As the hour of midnight came, the revelers bid farewell to John Barleycorn in song. Voices that were “not particularly melodious in keys unknown to the musicians,” songs such as “How Dry I Am,” “Good Night, Ladies,” and “Hail, Hail, The Gang’s All Here,” penetrated the air.”

When midnight struck, the lights over the bars were dimmed, which was the usual signal that leaving time had approached, all turned toward the door, glancing back with a sigh for the last time at the “wet” bars. Fleeting thoughts of the sight of coming soft drink and near beer bars only added to their depression.

Outside the saloons people quietly gathered in small groups. No one was Support Your Local Business!

JANUARY 2019 WWW. JUSTHAMILTON.COM

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Tho not boisterous and uncontrollable, the ceremonies from Saturday night were far from impressive…

particularly boisterous nor were there any drunken brawls. The people seemed to not know what to say or do. The small groups stood still a moment, and “almost mute opened their mouths only to lick their lips and close them again. The congregations lasted only a few minutes, when they parted, each member going his way silently, carrying with him his sorrow and depressed spirit.”

The Republican said, “Till as early as three o’clock in the morning many men were seen about the streets, resting in unconventional poses wandering far into the land of dreams where was pictured nothing but ‘barrels of the juicy fluid’. Many were disturbed from their slumbers and taken home but quite a few were awakened this morning by the break of day.

“Tho not boisterous and uncontrollable, the ceremonies from Saturday night were far from impressive…

“The most humorous of the entire number of incidents related of occurred as the clock was nearing 3 a.m. Sunday morning. A party of ‘farewell celebrants’ were coming into the city from the South in a Ford car.

“Cries of ‘glorious, glorious Sahara,’ ‘When I’m Stewed,’ and many other choice selections were heard from the machine.

“At the end of a pole attached to the front of the machine hung a very much empty ‘booze bottle’ scornfully decorated with crepe. The black drapings waved remorsefully in the breezes bearing on them, the inscription in chalk, ‘Gone but not forgotten.’”

At one party in Lindenwald, a group of 24

partiers held a mock funeral, digging a nine-foot hole and burying a case of Wiedemann lager with moans, dirges and mock blessings.

“Sunday was a day of rest, regrets and recuperation for many,” the Journal concluded. “As they arose, many of them along toward noon day, they were given to contemplation, especially as to whether the morning after had been worth the night before.

They “kept their spirits up by the knowledge that one more day— Monday—and one more saloon—the Lyman Williams café at South Fifth and Henry streets—still remained to them for a last chance to quench their thirsts, which seemed to have greatly increased with their thoughts of Prohibition.” ///////////////// Butler County and the city of Hamilton were dead-set against the Prohibition of alcohol. There were four votes on the issue from 1917 to 1919, and the “wet” vote was never less than 68 percent in the city, never less than 56 percent in the county.

Nevertheless, Prohibition came, but whatever moral high ground the Prohibitionists felt they had gained, the economic losses were nothing less than staggering—and with dire consequences.

On the eve of Prohibition, the Hamilton newspapers projected that the city would lose $50,000 in annual revenue— nearly $700,000 in today’s money— which would lead to drastic cuts in services, including police protection.

On May 19, 1919, the Hamilton Evening Journal polled over sixty saloon owners

WWW. JUSTHAMILTON.COM JANUARY 2019

and other liquor-related business as to their plans for when the laws would go into effect later that week. Many said they would simply shut down. Some planned to sell their place or convert it to a butcher shop or a grocery store, while others planned to continue serving soft drinks, “near beer” and food.

In that alphabetical list, Lyman Williams, who owned a saloon at the corner of Fifth and Henry streets across from the B&O Railroad station, reported that he would “probably try the soft drink business.”

Although statewide Prohibition didn’t officially begin until the end of the day Monday, May 26, all annual liquor licenses expired May 25, but because that was a Sunday, none would be open anyway. So essentially, all of the local bars were to stop selling liquor at midnight, Saturday, May 24.

Almost all. There was a loophole, and Lyman Williams found it. For $305 (over $4,000 today), Williams purchased from the state a special one-day license for that Monday, making his shop the last legal saloon in Hamilton and Butler County. ///////////////// Anticipating a busy final day as the last legal saloon in Hamilton, Williams engaged the help of some of his friendly competitors—George Renners, Dennis Buckley and Charles Grieser—to help him manage the crowds.

They took out the pool tables in the back rooms and expanded the bar to get ready for the big day, the grand finale.

“From early in the morning to the last minute the café will be open, with excellent service and plenty of ‘suds’ to serve,” the newspaper promised.

They opened at 8 a.m. People lined up around the block to get one last legal drink. Six police officers were stationed Support Your Local Business!

on the premises, at the expense of the Williams consortium.

Prohibition came to Hamilton peacefully and quietly, but the peace and quiet would not last long.

But there would be no trouble.

Williams reported rushing business all during the day and up to the final minute. “When the clock struck twelve,” the Republican reported, “it tolled a death knell for ‘booze’ in Hamilton, but some went home with stocks to last them for some time.

“The memories of Saturday and Monday will live long in the lives of those who took part in the farewell ceremonies for Old John Barleycorn. From now on the traffic between here and Kentucky should be very heavy” for the next five weeks until national Prohibition kicked in.

Prohibition came to Hamilton peacefully and quietly, but the peace and quiet would not last long. ///////////////// The moniker “Little Chicago” had already been kicked around Hamilton for at least a decade leading up to Prohibition.

There was a “colored gentlemen’s club,” as described by the Hamilton Evening Journal in 1911 named Little Chicago down in the center of the city’s prostitution trade, an area of town even the newspapers referred to as “the Jungles,” in spite of the racist root of the name. Little Chicago was a troublesome spot, the site of several reported shootings involving liquor and women, and even when the club shut down, the name lingered to describe that part of the neighborhood, roughly where Monument Avenue meets the railroad tracks, not far from police headquarters.

Because it was convenient by both highway and railway to nearby larger cities—Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Detroit, and the actual Chicago—Hamilton started picking up a lot of illegal liquor traffic in addition to the local trade, and the nickname and reputation of Little Chicago grew.

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Although he didn’t seem to be involved in the notorious gangster wars that would scandalize Hamilton before Prohibition ended, Lyman Williams would remain one of the city’s most reliable purveyors of alcohol. The Cincinnati Enquirer called him “The King of the Hamilton Bootleggers.”

He paid his first fine for violating the Volstead act on October 10, 1919, not quite five months into the dry era, for selling beer of more than 2.75 percent alcohol. The fine was $1,000, equivalent to more than $13,000 in today’s money.

“Some of the beer was a product of Milwaukee breweries and others is being brought into the city from Kentucky being a product of breweries in that state, and if Ohio remains dry as to 2.75 percent beer complications may ensure on the score of shipping liquor into dry territory, which is forbidden by federal law,” the Daily News reported.

city simultaneously and at precisely the same moment instituted twothirds of the raids… Pointing revolvers on entering each place the Federal men made their raids quickly and immediately upon discovery of evidence corralled the proprietor or man in charge. Their prisoners were taken to the county jail.”

In some places, the feds confiscated a few bottles or a few cases of whiskey.

They even found a still. In others, like the Lyman Williams café, they found nothing, but arrested the owners and bartenders anyway based on what proved to be rather flimsy information provided by some of the “unofficial” detectives.

These “detectives” said that they went into each place, ordered whiskey, took the drink but held it in their mouths while they went to the restroom to spit it back into a bottle.

Charges against the 11 men arrested, including Lyman Williams and two of his bartenders, were dropped, and the case set an important national legal precedent. The courts ruled that “evidence secured through private agencies… would not be permitted as a basis for federal cases in the future.”

Lyman Williams and the other café operators were not only under the constant eye of federal Prohibition agents, but also local vigilantes operating as “The Butler County Dry Enforcement League” and the “Ohio Anti-Saloon League.”

Along with seven other establishments, Williams’s café was targeted for a massive federal raid on a Saturday afternoon, January 29, 1921. Officials called it “one of the most successful Prohibition raids in Ohio.

“Bursting into the city in seven high-powered automobiles and working with clock-like precision the dry forces scurried to many parts of the

The big raid, therefore, was a complete waste of time, effort and money.

Although the vigilante enforcers were now out of business, local café owners soon had to contend with the pesky Squire Morris Schuler, a justice of the peace in the little village of Seven Mile, who found his own little loophole to become the scourge of bootleggers all over Butler County.

JANUARY 2019 WWW. JUSTHAMILTON.COM

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Hamiltonian January.pdf 1 11/29/2018 1:10:47 PM

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Teacher Spotlight

Megan Wagonfield BY stephanie foley

As the Literacy Collaborative makes its way into the Hamilton City School District, teachers like Megan Wagonfield voluntarily take on additional roles as coaches to help guide the process along. Wagonfield is a secondgrade teacher at Brookwood Elementary for half her day, and the other half is spent using her training to help coach other teachers in integrating the framework of the Literacy Collaborative.

spent a total of 280 hours over the last year training, including four full weeks at Ohio State University. After that, she completed full-day classes biweekly online and slowly integrated parts of the literacy collaborative framework into her classroom to be sure she had a proper understanding of the methods used.

“One of the elements of the literacy collaborative framework is called guided reading,” said Wagonfield.

Wagonfield, a Hamilton transplant originally from Trenton, always knew she wanted to teach. “I’ve been drawn to kids my whole life so it was a natural fit when I went to college at Miami University,” said Wagonfield. “I never wanted to do anything else; I was born and raised to be a teacher.”

She uses this element to evaluate the reading level of each student and then places them in a group with other students on that same reading level. This allows Wagonfield to cater directly to each reading level, leaving no child behind.

She originally began teaching first grade at Lincoln Elementary. When Lincoln closed, she was reassigned and has been calling Brookwood home ever since.

At first glance, there may not appear to be a large difference between first and second grade. Since the implementation of the reading assessment exams, things have changed. The reading assessment exams are used to determine whether or not the children have reached the appropriate learning levels to move on to the fourth grade. If students do not pass, they can be held back. “We want to make sure they’re reading,” Wagonfield explained. “We don’t want these kids to fall through the gaps just because we want to keep pushing them along. There has to be some sort of benchmark to measure where these kids are at.”

Becoming a Literacy Collaborative coach wasn’t easy. Wagonfield has Support Your Local Business!

Wagonfield makes time to sit down and touch base with her students, a habit she finds greatly enhances her connection with and ability to help her students do their best learning. “You have to do those check-ins to make sure that those kids aren’t falling so far behind that they’re not able to catch up,” said Wagonfield. “I’m constantly aware of where my kids are at.”

Although common practice is to have the entire class read the same book, Wagonfield believes that one book does not appeal to all reading levels equally. A book that challenges a higher reading level may discourage a student with a lower reading level, having an adverse effect on reading entirely. A book that might challenge a student with a lower reading level may not nurture or challenge the reading level of a student with a higher reading level.

“Really, you’re only hitting that middle group and that’s not going to grow the strugglers or stretch the ones that need enrichment,” Wagonfield said of singlebook classrooms. “They don’t approach the same book in the same way.” Guided reading is just one of the ways in which schools are shifting to focus more on the student as an individual.

As the Literacy Collaborative makes its way into classrooms across the district, Wagonfield feels its important for parents to know just how big their part really is. “Learning is forever, so we want to encourage growth and trying,” said Wagonfield. “Mistakes are going to happen, but we need to encourage the effort so they can get where they need to be.”

Being a Literacy Collaborative coach and a teacher doesn’t come without its own set of challenges. To address these,

Wagonfield is looking forward to seeing the impact the literacy collaborative will have on students in the years to come.

While test scores and reading levels are very important, at the end of the day, Wagonfield believes that her true goal is to help her students believe in themselves. “Did they achieve something in my classroom that made them believe that they can achieve more?” asked Wagonfield. “If they walk out of my classroom believing they can be whomever they want, I’ve done my job.”

JANUARY 2019 WWW. JUSTHAMILTON.COM

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A PREMIER CATHOLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

St. Peter in Chains School

Announcing a new preschool in collaboration with

the Great Miami Valley YMCA

Register now to ensure a spot!

Please join us for our annual OPEN HOUSE

Sunday, January 27, 2019 2 p.m.–4 p.m.

451 Ridgelawn Ave. / Hamilton, Ohio 45013 / 513-863-0685 / stpeterinchains.org

Spooky to Spooky Nook A former paper mill finds new life BY stephanie foley

Currently a vacant and dilapidated structure, the former Champion Paper Mill will soon be given new life as it transitions into the Spooky Nook Sports complex.

While the complex will primarily be used for hosting sports tournaments, there are several more features not to be overlooked. In addition to the gymnasiums, courts and fields, Spooky Nook at Champion Mill will house an orthopedic office, a workout gym, and one of the largest convention spaces

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in the region, second only to the Duke Energy Center in Cincinnati.

While looking forward, it is important to remember where you’ve been. The path to Spooky Nook at Champion Mill has been filled with ups and downs, but each one has been necessary to bring about the progression and growth the Mill so desperately needs.

It all began back in 2012 when the City of Hamilton purchased the property

after the mill closed. There wasn’t a designated plan for use of the site, but city officials determined that measures had to be taken to protect such a large and strategically-located piece of land.

“My concern at that time was more of what do we not want there and how do we keep that out,” said Joshua Smith, Hamilton City Manager. “It was 40 -plus acres on our riverfront and right across the river was a scrap recycling center. I was concerned that more of

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September 2015 Spooky Nook team makes first trip to Hamilton, Ohio

March 2018 Spooky Nook hosts first softball tournament

October 2018 Development Agreement approved by Hamilton City Council

October 2018 Ceremonial Groundbreaking on Champion Mill site

November 2018 Through May 2019 Early work progress (removing bricks from window openings, complete demo and site leveling)

WWW. JUSTHAMILTON.COM JANUARY 2019

Support Your Local Business!

our riverfront was going to convert to something similar along those uses.”

Sam Beiler entered the picture almost a year later.”

In a proactive effort, the city purchased the property. The next step was to figure out how best to utilize the land and location for the city of Hamilton and its residents.

The idea of making it a Spooky Nook complex didn’t come about until Mark Frank, the Vice President of Operations for Glick LLC, mentioned it to Smith in 2014. Moses Glick LLC, an industrial salvage company, is located near the original Spooky Nook in Mannheim, PA. At first, Smith wasn’t fully engaged in the idea, but he decided that he would visit the facility anyway.

“In the beginning, it was not contemplated to be a Spooky Nook complex,” Smith explained. “To be honest, I was not terribly excited until

“I was blown away when I first saw the original Spooky Nook in PA,” Smith said.

“We immediately knew this could be a game-changer for Hamilton and our region if we could find a path forward.”

To ascertain the realistic possibility of a sports complex at this location at all, private investors hired Sports Facility Advisory (SFA) to perform a feasibility study for having a complex at the Champion Mill location.

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May 2019 Infrastructure work underway (underground water, sewer, electric lines)

June/July 2019 New structural shells constructed at Mill 1

October 2019 Interior work on sports complex and convention center begin

March 2020 B Street and other roadway improvements begin

2021 Projected opening

All dates outlines are tentative and subject to change.

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JANUARY 2019 WWW. JUSTHAMILTON.COM

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Once the determination was made that we were going to aggressively pursue the project, we pushed our chips into the middle of the table and said we were all in,” said Smith.

The study showed positive results, but Smith still wanted someone with business experience in running a sports complex to make the project more viable.

It wasn’t until later when Moses Glick LLC suggested that Beiler travel to Hamilton to see the Champion Mill property that the realistic idea for a second facility began to take shape.

“Once the determination was made that we were going to aggressively pursue the project, we pushed our chips into the middle of the table and said we were all in,” said Smith.

“What I was struck by on my first visit was the interest from the community,” said Beiler. “There was a group of 10-15 people whose enthusiasm for their community was strong and that sparked my interest.”

Sam Beiler, the founder and CEO of Spooky Nook Sports, was originally unaware of the interest in bringing this project to Hamilton.

“A couple of years ago, I saw some people walking around the Nook here in Pennsylvania, and they caught my eye because I didn’t know who they were,” Beiler remembers.

Among those people were Joshua Smith and Mark Hecquet, the president of the Butler County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

While the thought of expansion was present for Beiler, he hadn’t moved to take that leap just yet.

“Hamilton came along a little earlier than expected, but when we looked at the market and support, Hamilton made sense,” said Beiler.

Sam Beiler holds plenty of experience when it comes to owning and operating a business. Beiler was with soft pretzel company Auntie Anne’s for 21 years, six of which as owner. He sold the company

in 2010 with plans to retire, but after six months, he decided he needed a bigger challenge. Thus Spooky Nook Sports was born.

With the Champion Paper Mill being such a historic point in town, and in people’s lives, there was a desire to maintain as much of the historical importance as possible through this transition.

“Most of the remaining exterior walls will be utilized and almost every building in Mill 2 [by the river] will be reused,” stated Smith. “Several individuals who have mementos or other items from Champion paper have offered to donate them, as long as they are properly displayed.”

Even the very name of the new facility will pay homage to the important place Champion holds for Hamilton: Spooky Nook at Champion Mill.

“I think that many people with memories of Champion Paper remember that property as a bustling hub of productivity for the city of Hamilton,” said Beiler. “Absent a business there, you can see it beginning to decline and our goal is to make that property a bustling part of the life of Hamilton again.”

With the condition and age of the property, Beiler and Smith knew this was no small task and would require a large amount of planning.

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“Any time you take a century-old industrial property and look to reuse it, you must identify environmental concerns, functional concerns, cost concerns…” Smith explained. “We understood this would not be a fast or easy process.”

When digging into a 125-year old building, the list of unknowns can seem daunting to some, but not to Sam Beiler.

He holds a strong interest in historical buildings and was intrigued by the possibilities the Champion Mill held.

John Guidugli, president and CEO of the Hamilton Community Foundation, has also visited the Spooky Nook and was impressed by the level of thought Support Your Local Business!

that goes into the everyday operation of the facility.

“We went out on a Friday and that Saturday morning, we had to be up on the roof because Sam wanted to show us the traffic flow,” Guidugli remembered. “It was very interesting to see because one of the things you’ll find as you talk to Sam is he has great attention to detail.”

As a supporter of this project, he also felt that change was important to the Mill site, since the paper industry isn’t what it used to be.

“I hope it really does become a newer focal point for the community and a

sense of pride for the folks that worked there for all those years, but also for all the generations who will use it going forward,” Guidugli said. “We believe this can be a transformational project in the community.”

The changes that have been taking place around the city have primed Hamilton as the perfect atmosphere for Spooky Nook to flourish and prosper.

“Hamilton has a revitalization energy that’s really alive and well,” expressed Beiler.

“We’re excited about being a part of that.”

Spooky Nook at Champion Mill is expected to be completed and open for business in 2021.

JANUARY 2019 WWW. JUSTHAMILTON.COM

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Get Fit The Greater Miami Valley YMCA delivers variety BY laura marie Many people see the new year

as a great time to make a new start, whether it is on your fitness or your finances. As it turns out, the Great Miami Valley YMCA is a good place to work on both! With high quality, professional group fitness classes that have been updated for 2019, available unlimited with membership, the YMCA delivers everything you need to make this a healthy start. As a non-profit organization, the YMCA is committed to reaching the whole community, both through the affordable fees and through financial assistance.

Group Fitness 101: Getting to Know the Classes The YMCA makes it easy to get the workout you want, whether you are new to fitness classes or an experienced fitness pro. With Spinning(R), HIIT, Barre, and many more offerings, your local branch of the YMCA offers regularly scheduled classes as well as designated newcomer classes, where you can find your footing for the first time alongside others who are also starting the year off right. Let’s get to know some of the popular offerings available.

Spinning®

Brand new certifications for the instructors, top-of-the-line Spinner® bikes, and a flexible schedule at the YMCA’s many locations have revolutionized the spinning classes. Now, a spinning class at the YMCA will be one of the most technologically advanced bicycle-based classes available, offering you the chance to pedal it out with great 34

music and skilled instruction. Even if you’ve never done spinning or a cycling class before, getting started is easy and fun, with instructors offering many ways to vary your workout as you push yourself to your next level of challenge.

HIIT

High Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT, is based on the principle that pushing yourself as hard as you can for a short time and then resting briefly can be the key to an incredibly effective workout.

Rather than just trying to work out for as long as you can stand it, HIIT classes organize you to push toward your most intense workout and then take a break, alternating this way throughout the class. Scientifically, studies have shown that HIIT increases cardiovascular fitness to a greater degree than other more traditional endurance exercises, so it’s worth the effort, especially if you want to see your fitness improve by leaps and bounds!

Barre

In the past few years, many people have gotten excited about the small boutique classes where you get to know your instructor, get individualized feedback, and grow in your abilities.

Barre has been a part of this trend, with ballet postures being used alongside pilates and yoga moves, all incorporated together into an elegant workout that still gets you moving and makes you strong. Unlimited barre classes are offered at the YMCA from qualified instructors. This is a great time to step up to that barre and learn something new.

WWW. JUSTHAMILTON.COM JANUARY 2019

These are only three of the many offerings available; check the YMCA’s website, www.gmvymca.org, for classes that range from Aquatics to Zumba.

All-In-One For Family Savings: Resolve to Save at the YMCA Childcare, individual class prices, and sports teams can add up when you purchase them one at a time. The YMCA chooses a model that makes membership affordable, includes many of their services automatically, and offers discounts to members for activities like summer camps, swim lessons, and more.

Carrie Mancuso, Public Relations Manager at the Lane Library, loves staying active.

With a child who wants to try many types of fitness programming, and her own need for childcare when she herself works out, the YMCA perfectly meets their needs by combining many offerings. “The YMCA is a unique asset in our community and of great value for my family because of the versatility of services we enjoy under one roof,” Mancuso explains.

“Whether it’s a typical workout or a fitness class for me, sports involvement for my daughter, or even summer childcare, the YMCA fills all of these needs through one membership. Having so many opportunities in one place allows my family to feel like we’re in our second home at the Y and the staff is like family.”

This year, resolve to get involved at the YMCA: the typical activation fee is waived for January, and monthly memberships are affordably priced for individuals and families.

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Wesley Wulzen A hero in war and murder BY richard o jones “War is horrible,” Capt. Wesley

Cleveland Grays.” Afterwards, he was taken into national service with the 148th Infantry as a captain and spent much of World War I on the front lines of France.

In his illustrious career as a soldier and law enforcement officer, Wulzen knew a little about both murder and war.

He received his first injury there when his company was preparing a charge on

G. Wulzen wrote home to his family near the end of World War I. “There is nothing romantic about it. It is nothing more or less than murder.”

Wesley Gebhart Wulzen was a teenager when he came to Hamilton as the son of an itinerant preacher who settled here in the waning years of the 19th century.

The Rev. Henry Ehler Wulzen came to the United States as a missionary for the German Methodist Episcopal Church in Bremen, 1857.

After a few years working for the church in downtown Cincinnati, he started traveling around the region, settling in small towns to build churches, staying a few years, then moving to the next town. He came to Hamilton in 1899 and stayed until his death in 1908.

Although he would later become a leading citizen of Hamilton and Butler County as the chief deputy sheriff under Luther Epperson, it seems young Wulzen wasn’t too fond of his early life in Hamilton, or perhaps he just felt the call to duty, but he ran away from home shortly after his family’s arrival in town to join the American effort in the Mexican war.

But he returned to Hamilton and as the nation prepared to go to war in Europe in 1916. Wulzen helped organize local men into Company E of the Ohio National Guard, proudly known as “the Support Your Local Business!

In a letter home in August, 1918, Wulzen wrote, “If all the men in the army are like that fellow—not thinking of his own wounds but rather worried about the injuries of others—it will not take long to win this war.

Wulzen and Company E were also involved in the famous six-day battle near the little town of Avacourt, which he again told about in a letter home, published in the Hamilton Evening Journal on November 8, 1918.

“In spite of terrific fighting and hardships that I never thought flesh and blood could endure,” he wrote, “I am still on top… not much the worse for wear and tear.

He said his company had been in the forest for two days, enough time to build elaborate dugouts and trenches to live in relative comfort.

On the night of September 24, the company took up its formation “facing ‘No Man’s Land,’” and the American artillery barrage started promptly at 2:30 a.m.

German troops. He was in a trench with several other men tossing grenades at the enemy line when one of the grenades exploded prematurely in a soldier’s hand. Wulzen took pieces of shrapnel in the arm and chest, and was knocked unconscious for 15 minutes.

When he awoke, the soldier was standing over him, the stump of his arm wrapped in bloody bandages, saying, “Oh, captain, I’m so sorry. Are you hurt?”

“On either side of us as far as we could see there was a sheet of flame that lighted the heavens for miles ans with a roar that shook the earth, the bombardment was on,” he wrote.

Wulzen said he looked through the fog and smoke to see a valley about 1,000 yards across that looked like a bottomless pit with streams of red fire raining down in all directions.

JANUARY 2019 WWW. JUSTHAMILTON.COM

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The last two days and nights that I spent on that hill were the most miserable it has ever been my lot to live through,” Wulzen wrote.

The barrage lasted for three hours, until just before sunrise when Wulzen’s troops got the signal to go over thetop.

his major, whom he later found out had been “gassed”, and lacking any further orders stuck to the plan to hold the hill.

“We were glad to go,” he wrote, “as the long period of waiting had made most of us a trifle nervous.”

“At 4 p.m., we received orders to withdraw,” he wrote, “and believe me— we didn’t waste any time doing it.”

The smoke and mist were so thick that his platoons had to rely on their compasses to find their way to a thick forest overgrown with underbrush where they encountered “Huns with machine guns.”

The company took shelter in a ravine, but it was so cold that Wulzen couldn’t sleep. At 3 a.m., his brigade was moved back to join the reserves and until 4 p.m. the next afternoon “we did very little but march around and dodge shells” until they got orders to march through the town of Cierges and entrench on the other side.

The enemy soldiers, however, had been so shaken by the bombardment that “they surrendered after a little persuasion.”

The brigade broke through the forest that afternoon and met with more machine gun fire and some cannons in a village on their right flank, but another brigade crossed their path, took care of the machine guns and cannons, and Wulzen’s men were able to make camp for the night.

The next morning, they moved on around 6:30 a.m. with orders to attack the village of Ivory without any artillery to prepare the way.

“As we topped a hill and started down towards the village, the Hun artillery opened on us and dozens of hidden machine guns showered us with bullets,” Wulzen wrote. “This is where we suffered our first casualties, but the Germans… suffered even more, as they finally broke and ran up the hillside with our boys taking shots at them as they ran.”

They were met with “withering fire” as they took the hill. Wulzen tried to reach 38

He wrote that they weren’t expecting any trouble because American troops were already well beyond that point.

“Everything went well until we entered a woods near the town, when suddenly all Hades broke,” he wrote. “The German artillery dropped shrapnel, high explosives and gas shells around us… machine gunners opened up… the place was alive with the bloody Huns.”

It was getting dark by this time, and in the confusion the brigade became separated, and his company and one other took refuge in the woods “under constant bombardment.”

“I received a good dose of sneezing gas in this place,” he said, “but it didn’t make me sick.”

They got orders to withdraw to a hill and dig in, but half-way up machine gunners “poured a stream of bullets into us… We lost several good men here.”

WWW. JUSTHAMILTON.COM JANUARY 2019

The survivors dug in, each man in a hole to himself, and they held the hill for two days “through the worst bombardment of the battle” without any assistance from artillery. A heavy rain began to fall the third night and continued for two days, making the roads impassable.

“The last two days and nights that I spent on that hill were the most miserable it has ever been my lot to live through,” Wulzen wrote.

Between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. on the sixth day, Co. E was relieved by a new outfit and they marched for six hours to the rear.

The experience, Wulzen wrote, “will make a peace advocate of every intelligent man who took part in the battle.”

After the war, he joined the Sheriff’s department, and it being during Prohibition, participated in many raids and tore down a number of stills. In one particularly heroic endeavor, he was in charge of a posse hunting down Milton Henson, the murderer of prohibition agent Wilbur Jacobs, when they found him in a hayloft in a barn outside Brookville, Indiana.

But perhaps his most exciting moment as a law enforcement officer came about quite unexpectedly in the middle of the night.

Wulzen and his family lived on Progress Avenue. Early on the morning of June 4, 1925, when his wife Gertrude awoke to the sound of gunshots. Many of them.

She roused her husband, who dressed hurriedly and ran to the scene.

Although someone had already called the police, they had not yet arrived, and Wulzen found the neighbors gathered around the house screaming at someone inside the house at 220 Progress Avenue, across the street from the Wulzen home.

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Francis Lloyd Russell had barracaded himself inside the house, apparently having shot his family, only a 10-year-old niece, Dorothy Russell, escaping.

No one yet dared to enter.

Russell was still shooting his pistols as Wulzen tried the doors and windows.

The house was mostly dark, and he couldn’t see in, but Russell could apparently see out.

“I know you, Wulzen,” he said.

The deputy sheriff, still trying to gauge the situation, tried to humor him.

“Come on out,” Wulzen argued. “People will think you are crazy.”

“I am crazy,” Russell cried. “Look out! I’m going to shoot the clock.”

Several shots rang out. Hamilton Police Department officers Robert Leonard and Louis Keller arrived at the scene and knocked on the front door.

“Wait until I shoot the damn pictures off the wall,” Russell yelled and began firing again. Wulzen wasn’t counting, but later estimated hearing between 30 and 40 shots. Hamilton police detectives would say it was closer to 50, maybe more.

Leonard and Keller prepared tear gas bombs as Russell began to talk

incoherently about the mortgage.

Leonard, recognizing the possibility that Russell was not only distraught but out of his mind, pulled several small bills from his pocket saying, “It’s alright. We’re here to settle the mortgage for you.”

Then Russell said he was going to kill himself.

Then Wulzen and two patrolmen broke down the door as Russell fired his final shot.

The three men watched Russell sink to the floor. One of the revolvers, still smoking and containing four unfired cartridges, dropped from his grasp. A wet scarlet stain blossomed just below the pocket on his blue work shirt.

“I believe I missed my heart,” he gasped.

“Kill me! Kill me!”

Wulzen noticed dozens of empty shell casings littering the house.

“I did a damn poor job on myself,” Russell said, as the patrolmen removed him from the scene and escorted him to the county jail.

Russell told the officers that Dorothy, one of the children, escaped.

“Wulzen,” he said, “take care of Dorothy. I loved her.”

Wulzen walked through the house, every room giving evidence of Russell’s “carnival of death,” as the paper called it.

Wulzen noted that there were no bullet holes in the clocks, pictures or walls. He presumed that Russell had continued pumping shots into the already lifeless bodies of the eight members of the household: his mother, his brother, his brother’s wife, and five of their six children.

On the davenport in the front room, John Lowell Russell, his wife Emma Russell and baby son Richard lay dead, all with bullets in their hearts, apparently shot in their sleep. Slumped off the side of the bed and partially in the floor, Julia Rose Russell, 13, also had bullets in her heart as well as other parts of her body.

George Francis Russell, 6, had evidently attempted to crawl beneath the bed to escape the enraged uncle, but was stopped half way under.

“In all my experience in the trenches and battlefields of France I never saw a sight more ghastly than that at the Russell home this morning,” Wulzen later said.

In 1935, Wulzen retired from law enforcement and made a brief foray into politics when he ran for the Republican nomination for Butler County Treasurer.

He was defeated soundly, and instead took up a second career in real estate until his death in 1957.

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Hamilton Rocks

A creative process that helps express feelings BY laura marie

Robin Szary teaches 4th grade at Fairwood Elementary. 9 year olds in her class, just like all of us, need a way to express themselves artistically. They also need ways to feel like they are having a positive impact on their community.

Szary’s journey with Hamilton’s version of Kindness Rocks began two years ago when she experienced the death of one of her students. Grieving herself, Szary 40

also worried about how her 4th graders would process the loss of their friend and classmate. Her mother, Kim Snider, found this rock-painting project, known online as #TheKindnessRocksProject, and together they began finding rocks to paint and hide, hoping to brighten someone’s day.

Hamilton Rocks was born: the original class of 4th graders made rocks as a way

WWW. JUSTHAMILTON.COM JANUARY 2019

to process their feelings about their lost classmate, and then they hid their rocks around North End in Hamilton. People began to find them, take photographs of them, and share them on a Facebook page. The page grew quickly, with just under 1,500 “likes” now, and people around town report finding and making the rocks on their own often.

“My favorite thing is when other groups Support Your Local Business!

and schools take it up,” Szary said.

“Anyone can paint, and expressing your feelings can be therapeutic.”

Szary and Snider still spend time making decorated rocks now as part of their own artistic expression. “I always have a few in my purse,” Szary said, laughing.

The project has simple roots, but the Facebook page shows that the impact is widespread; rocks from Hamilton have been found from California to Florida! Here are just a few stories of how people have experienced these simple artistic gestures.

Inspired to Create Herself

“My niece and my daughter were outside by the Old Courthouse and they found a painted rock with an inspirational quote on it. I live right on the great Miami River, so finding River Rocks was easy for me. After we finished painting our first batch of rocks, my kids and I placed them throughout the

My favorite thing is when other groups and schools take it up,” Szary said.

“Anyone can paint, and expressing your feelings can be therapeutic.” city. I know how important inspiration and encouragement is when you feel like the world is against you. Therefore, I mainly wanted to place these rocks around rehab centers, shelters, and in places that I know a lost soul might stumble upon it. I actually had a war veteran contact me to tell me that he found my rock and that the message touched him deeply. He said he would keep that rock until the day he dies. It’s

such a little random act of kindness; something so small as painting a river rock that caused a chain reaction. It brightens someone’s day. ” –Stephanie Abner

Comfort on a Hard Day

“I was at Fitton Art Center, and I decided to walk to the monument building on the corner. As I passed the sculpture of the father and daughter biking, I saw in the father’s hand: the painted rock! I had been half looking for a while for these painted rocks and was truly excited that I had FINALLY found one! It made me feel connected to all the other people who had found rocks around Hamilton. I needed it that day as my son had recently been deployed, and I was feeling a bit lost without him.”

–Beth Combs

Creating Family Bonds

(As told by Cassie Vibbert’s eight-year-old daughter) “Me and Dad were going to Costco, and I looked down in the grass and saw something colorful so I picked it up. It was one of those painted rocks; it had an elephant on it, I know how much you love them (speaking to her mother) so I wanted to give it to you. I showed Dad, and we both thought it was super cool!

I showed all my friends at school. I called my grandparents because this was the 1st one I found ever! I want to keep it, so I’m keeping it, it even says you can keep it or re hide it.”

Cassie: She wanted to show me right away and came running into the house.

Addison: MOM! I found an elephant and a Miracle at Costco! (the rock has the word miracle on it) I turned to see what she was talking about and saw the rock.”

–Cassie Vibbert

A Long-Term Activity of Connecting With Your City

“As soon as my family saw the Facebook page for Hamilton Rocks, we had to like Support Your Local Business!

JANUARY 2019 WWW. JUSTHAMILTON.COM

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How to Make a #HamiltonRock 1) Gather a rock or two; you can get a whole large bag of garden rocks that are perfect for small Hamilton Rocks at a home improvement store.

2) Sharpie markers make for the best detailed drawings on stones, but you can also use paint to make the rocks beautiful.

3) Come up with an inspirational, pleasant, or generally positive phrase or drawing. It doesn’t matter if you aren’t the world’s best artist!

4) Put the details of the project somewhere on the rock; you can see a sample label on the Facebook page. Most people write: “Like us on Facebook: Hamilton Rocks! Post a picture and keep or re-hide me. #TheKindnessRocksProject.”

5) When your rocks are dry, carry them with you and leave them in places where people would find them, but that aren’t quite obvious. A good rule is to put them in a place where someone could see them without moving anything, but they might have to look pretty hard!

6) Keep an eye out for rocks around town! Take pictures with them when you find them, then rehide them or keep them to bring you some sunshine later that day.

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it! It has become like a treasure hunt for us. Wherever we go, we look for the rocks. I have an 11-year-old son, and he loves to find them just as much as I do. We have found most of our rocks at places around town that we frequent, along Main and High Street because we love to shop local! The neat thing is that he loves re-hiding them as much as he does finding them! It’s so cool that something so simple brings so much joy to so many in our town, and they have been found in other places around the country which is so neat.

We are so lucky to have Hamilton Rocks in our town.

–Heather Walker

A New Year! A New Start!

The holidays are over, it is time to set those New Year’s Resolutions.

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The “Not” Clock The high school shot clock debate continues BY laurel pfahler

Every year around January,

Ohio High School Athletic Association Executive Director Jerry Snodgrass starts getting bombarded on social media with comments about why there is no shot clock in high school basketball.

It’s actually an easier answer than one might expect: The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) does not permit it, and the OHSAA’s bylaws require it to follow the federation’s rules in order for the state to have representation to the National Rules Committee.

The NFHS does not permit a shot clock because of the costs and additional personnel it would require schools to add to their game management at all levels of the sport.

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“The cost has come down, so that’s not quite the factor it used to be, but it’s still difficult in high school to put that unfunded mandate on the schools all across the nation,” Snodgrass said. “They are a little sensitive about that.

“Part of it, too, is there is a lot of debate at the high school level whether it helps the game or not. You hear it in two camps. Those that favor it say it makes the game more exciting and that it prepares kids for college better because it’s closer to what they’re doing in college. The first part of that, most shots are taken—or there is a turnover—within 35 seconds anyway, so there is not a lot of evidence to support it makes the game more exciting. The second part of that, it’s not the high school’s job to prepare

WWW. JUSTHAMILTON.COM JANUARY 2019

kids for college basketball when 98 percent don’t go on to play collegiately.

The purpose is to give students high school opportunities.”

Basketball coaches in Hamilton are split on whether a shot clock should be implemented.

Badin High School boys’ basketball coach Gerry Weisgerber said earlier in his career he was against the idea, but now during his second stint with the Rams, he sees how it could benefit players.

Weisgerber became head coach at Badin in 1981-82 and remained there until 1998-99 after guiding the Rams to three Final Four appearances and their only state title in 1988. He returned as head coach in 2016-17.

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“I wouldn’t mind having one,” Weisgerber said. “It wouldn’t be a bad idea, if it was feasible for everyone. The NFHS knows what it’s taking about with the financial cost and where to locate them, but at the higher levels everyone’s got it. The kids that are going to be at the college level would get used to it, and like everything else gets trickled down, I would assume eventually a shot clock would trickle down as well.”

Currently, eight U.S. states require the use of a shot clock of 30/35 seconds in high school competition: California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Dakota,Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Washington.

First-year Hamilton High School coach Kevin Higgins, who spent the previous four years at Lebanon High, said those that are going on to play in college are good enough to be able to adapt quickly once they get to the next level.

so many scores are in the 40s and low 50s—because teams can be more deliberate with their offense. However, he also conceded that a shot clock could lead to more bad shots and thus not impact scoring.

He is against implementing a shot clock in high school.

“Offenses can get deliberate without a shot clock, but I haven’t seen stalling in a long time,” Weisgerber said. “You can do a lot in 30 seconds, but where it could help development of young players is in creating poor habits with shot selection.”

“I like that teams can play a variety of ways and learn different ways to play,” Higgins said. “That’s part of what makes it fun is to see different styles.”

Many proponents of a shot clock believe it would make the game more exciting because it would lead to more scoring, but like Snodgrass, Higgins doesn’t think that is necessarily the case.

“You can control the ball with a shot clock too,” Higgins said.

Weisgerber said not having a shot clock does slow the game down a little in general, and that’s partly why

Neither Weisgerber nor Higgins are seeing a big push to change the rules in Ohio. The outcry, if there is one, is probably more from the fans, they said.

Snodgrass hears about it more often because of his position with the OHSAA., where he previously served as the basketball administrator before becoming executive director. He is personally against the idea of a shot clock, though he does see it eventually being added at some point down the road.

“I’m a former basketball coach, and I believe strongly that high school coaches have to do more with strategy because they can’t pick and choose the players they have,” said Snodgrass, who spent most of his coaching career at Finley High School. “My own opinion is slowing the game down is part of high school coaching, whether a person likes it or not. If you don’t have very talented players, part of the strategy is to use the clock a little bit. I still believe that in high school. If I were a college coach, I would feel differently.”

There is a more radical option out there, called the “Elam Ending,” that drew attention because it was implemented at The Basketball Tournament, which is an openapplication, single-elimination five-onfive tournament played each summer for a grand prize of $2 million and broadcast

by ESPN. The 72-team tournament, founded in 2014, features several current and former NBA players.

Developed by a teacher in the Dayton City Schools, the Elam Ending takes the leading score with four minutes left and adds seven points to it. That total is placed on a board, and the first team to reach that score is the winner. The idea is to take stalling out at the end of a game, and it makes it so every game ends on a winning shot.

“It’s such a radical change, but it’s interesting,” Snodgrass said. “It opens the door that maybe there are other ways.”

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Stage Presence Badin’s Long has a passion for performing

BY DIRK ALLEN When Badin High senior

the person I want to be, someone with such positive energy.

Sydney Long was transformed into Charlie Brown for the school’s performance of the musical, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown in mid-November, she wasn’t at all concerned about it. “I didn’t expect to be doing that role, but it was pretty cool,” Long said. “I’m a pretty girly person—I like dresses and singing the high parts on songs. But I immediately related to the character—always feeling more mature than you are, having some struggles but seeing the daylight ahead. It’s more about the person than the gender.”

Long has had an impressive run on the Badin stage—playing the lead role in Annie as a sophomore, for instance – even though she laughingly recalls that she “played a tree” as a freshman when the school did The Wizard of Oz. “I like interacting with people,” she nodded of her genuine stage presence.

“I’ve always enjoyed talking in front of people. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve just loved it. People say that watching others perform gives them energy—I

“It sounds cheesy to say it, but I take a little bit with me out of every role I play, and I think I took the most out of Annie.”

Sydney Long took the very first steps of her life in Badin’s Mulcahey Gym, and now as she prepares to step out of the school in a few months, musical education is on the college horizon. “Everything about music makes me happy—it’s my passion,” she said. think performing on stage gives me just as much energy.”

Long’s bow as Annie was so memorable that a picture of her in a red wig with the dog is still a recruitment poster at Badin.

“That was incredible,” she recalled.

“That was the first time I ever felt recognized on my musical path. It was really wild to play this outgoing, fun red-headed girl who totally embodies

Having spent the last 10 years at YMCA Camp Ernst in Burlington, Ky., first as a camper and lately a counselor, Long added, “I love being with kids. I love teaching. It’s a whole new world of understanding kids at a younger age.”

Then, thinking about the fun of Charlie Brown, Annie, and all of the other roles she has inhabited as a teenager, Long quickly added, “I don’t think I can ever completely give up performing, though.”

MIAMI UNIVERSITY REGIONALS PRESENTS

Sam Mihara

Paul A. Gagnon Prize winner Sam Mihara will share his childhood experiences of internment as a Japanese American during World War II. RSVP encouraged but not required.

FREE EVENT Tuesday, February 12 • 7pm Dave Finkelman Auditorium Middletown Campus MiamiOH.edu/Regionals/RSVP

13TH MIAMI MIDDLETOWN ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME INDUCTION January 19 • 5-9pm • Campus & Community Center, Middletown

LEARN IT AT LUNCH: THE CONSERVATORY’S LARGEST TROPICAL TREES February 13 • 12pm • The Conservatory, Hamilton

Inducting Phillip Dickerson (2008-2011) baseball, Brad Bergman (2006-2009) basketball and Pat Cook (1993-1997) basketball. Tickets are $35. Contact the Athletic Office for more information (513)727-3317.

Bring your lunch and hear a presentation by Miami Regionals Zoology student Kelsie Dill. Learn each trees bio-geography, ecological importance, and natural history.

YESTERDAY’S NEWS WITH RICHARD O JONES "HAMILTON 1919" January 28 • 7pm • Miami Regionals Hamilton Downtown

ARTIST SERIES PRESENTS: OVER THE RHINE February 23 • 7:30pm • Parrish Auditorium, Hamilton

Find out what was going on in Hamilton 100 years ago as local historian Richard O Jones shares the headlines of 1919.

An acoustic trio, including strings, piano, and mesmerizing vocals.

Tickets are $30 for adults and $28 for seniors and children under 12 years old. Order Artist Series tickets at http://bit.ly/RegionalSeries

WINTER TREE IDENTIFICATION February 4-18 • 12pm • The Conservatory, Hamilton

ARTIST SERIES PRESENTS: LEFTOVER SALMON March 2 • 7:30pm • Dave Finkelman Auditorium, Middletown

The course meets on Mondays. Learn how to identify more than 20 native trees by their twig, bark and other characteristics. Cost is $12.

Register at http://bit.ly/2rdhZXL

Colorado-based Americana band. Tickets are $32 for adults and $30 for seniors and children under 12 years old. Order Artist Series tickets at http://bit.ly/RegionalSeries Miami University Hamilton 1601 University Blvd, Hamilton, OH 45011

Learn more about these events at MiamiOH.edu/Regionals

Miami University Middletown 4200 N University Blvd, Middletown, OH 45042

Miami Regionals Hamilton Downtown 221 High St, Hamilton, OH 45011 Photos © Gilette News Record, 2018; AP Photo/George and Frank C. Hirahara Collection, WSU Libraries, 2018

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