SMALL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
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Your Community Recorder newspaper serving Elsmere and Erlanger kynews@communitypress.com T h u r s d a y, J u n e 1 8 , 2 0 0 9
Paul and Jamie Bertram of Bertram Eye Care
Vol. 13 Issue 12 © 2009 The Community Recorder ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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Stitches
Kenton County 4-H students are coming together this summer to help those in their community. Read about how a group of about 21 students are sewing and helping others. LIFE, B1
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Parks, council to coordinate By Jason Brubaker jbrubaker@nky.com
The Elsmere Park Board and city council are pledging to move forward together with plans to enhance the city’s parks after some miscommunication in recent weeks. Geraldine Fey, the park board director, spoke at the June 9 council meeting about the need for both groups to work more closely after the council declined to approve a bid for the repaving of a basketball court at Rosella Porterfield park. Wanting more time to research the issue, the council decided to send the issue to the Parks Oversight Committee, who will then make a formal recommendation to the council. However, Fey said that delaying a decision may affect the board’s budget as they approach the end of the fiscal year June 30. “If I had known it was going to have to go through all of this, I would have sent it to the council before the meeting tonight so we could get it going,” said Fey. “We’re all volunteers on the board, and we don’t know all the ins and outs of the procedures, and we’d like to get some more guidance from the council on things like this.” Fey also said she sometimes feels as though the park board’s contributions are overlooked by the council. “Our kids can go to Boone County or Florence and see beautiful parks, and that’s what we want here,” she said. “We just want our efforts to be appreciated, because we work hard to do what we do and it sometimes feels like we get some static from the council when we come here.” Council member Nancy Bowman said the council does appreciate the work of the park board, and said the communication between the two will be improved as they move forward. “I know the board has been very proactive in trying to get things done, and we are very grateful for what you’ve done,” she said. The next regularly scheduled council meeting will be June 23 at 7:30 p.m.
JASON BRUBAKER/STAFF
All the buzz
Tyler Herald, a rising fifth-grader at Howell Elementary, carefully constructs his bumblebee during a summer program at Lindeman sponsored by the Erlanger/Elsmere Family Resource Center. The students participated in a variety of activities, includng crafts and a petting zoo.
Retro dance class offers fun By Jason Brubaker jbrubaker@nky.com
The ’80s are back...at least for one night. Better Bodies Gym in Fort Mitchell is hosting a special ’80s Retro Jamz class June 25, a spinoff of their popular Jamz dance class. The class will be open to the public, and everyone is encouraged to wear their ’80s-style workout gear as they dance to classic ’80s songs, including “Footloose,” “Walking on Sunshine,” “Walk like an Egyptian” and even “U Can’t Touch This.” “We want this to be a fun night, and we’re going to have the songs playing that everyone can’t help but dance to,” said Marcella Kinser, who coordinates group
programs at Better Bodies and Silverlake Recreation Center. “We want people to see what our Jamz class is all about, and this will be a great way to do that.” Kinser said the Jamz class was started a little over a year ago by Chet Lee, an instructor who was struck with an idea while attending a wedding. “I was looking at all these people out there on the dance floor, and they were really getting into it and working up a sweat,” he said. “So I thought it would be a cool idea to have a dance class with songs you’d hear at a wedding or an event like that - songs everyone loves dancing to.” Lee and Kinser worked to set up the class early last summer, and it has since taken off. Lee said
he keeps the music as updated as possible, playing a variety of current hits. “We have all of the newest dance songs, but we also throw in some classics too,” said Lee. Kinser said the classes, which are held a few times each week, are usually full, and some even have waiting lists. For the ’80s class, Lee said he’ll be joined by a few other Better Bodies instructors. There will also be door prizes available for those dressed in their ’80s workout gear. The ’80s Retro Jamz class will be held on June 25 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. It is free to attend, and open to the public. For more information, call 344-9995 or visit betterbodiesnky.com.
Webb returning as Lloyd band director By Jason Brubaker jbrubaker@nky.com
Lloyd Memorial High School will have a new band director next year...kind of. The school is welcoming back Randy Webb, who stepped down from the position two years ago to return to his hometown of Winchester. Webb, who had directed the band for 12 years, said he’s excited about returning to the school, even if things look a bit different. He will replace Andy Shears, whose contract was not renewed. “It’s like returning home, but if that home had been remodeled and expanded a little,” he joked,
referring to the ongoing construction of the new school, which is being done in phases around the current building. “But it does feel like a comfortable place for me, and I’m excited to be back here.” Webb also said he didn’t realize how much Lloyd felt like home until he was no longer there. “I grew up in Winchester, and I thought going back there would be a homecoming for me,” he said. “But when I left here, I realized that this felt like home to me as well. I missed the community and the area, and I’m glad to be back.” Webb said his biggest initial challenge will be building the band’s numbers. He said he wants
to focus on working with some of the students at Tichenor Middle School to prepare them for joining the high school band. “That’s one thing I really missed when I was gone, was being able to work with kids and watch them develop from sixth grade through twelfth grade,” he said. “I think that’s the big focus now, is getting our numbers up and keeping them up as we move forward.” To help re-introduce himself as director, Webb and the band boosters are organizing a “Meetand-Greet” picnic on June 19 at the Lloyd football field. Webb said the picnic is intended for “past, present and future band mem-
bers”, in hope of recapturing a family atmosphere. “We’ve got a tradition of success here, and I think it’s important to embrace that and build from it,” he said. “We want to have a program that our entire community is proud of, and that starts with creating the right atmosphere.” The picnic will begin at 6:00 p.m., and is open to anyone interested in the band program. For more information about the picnic or the Lloyd Band, call 727-5910 or visit www.lloydhighschoolband.com.