LOVELAND HERALD
Your Community Press newspaper serving Loveland, Miami Township, Symmes Township
WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2016
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‘At risk’ teens take bicycle trek Group from Gospel Mission program head off on 519-mile life lesson journey to Niagara Falls Karley Miller saw her neighbor get shot two years ago. She is one of nine “at risk” teens from Cincinnati on a 519-mile journey to Niagara Falls. The group left Loveland, Saturday morning, July 9, on bicycles. They planned to ride 55 to 70 miles every day for eight days, hoping to arrive at Niagara Falls Saturday, July 16. The ride is a City Gospel Mission program. Roger Howell, president, City Gospel Mission, is riding with the teens. He hopes to teach the teens valuable life lessons along the way. “We’re just trying to teach kids how to live life,” Howell said. “Life is difficult, stressful and painful, and you have to learn how to manage it.” The ride is designed to present stress. Trying to ride 60 miles in a day when you’ve never gone more than 30 is stressful. Some riders will be faster, some slower. Riders will have good days and bad days. Bikes can break. All those variables create stress on the journey. The teens will be learning to overcome the stress together. That challenge is exactly what inspired Miasia Robinson, 15, of Fairmont, to make the journey. “It’s a challenge for me,” said Robinson, who heard about the trip from Roger Howell at the church where he is pastor. “I just want to push myself to do it.” Robinson is not experienced riding a bicycle, but plays volleyball at Oyler High School and thought the trip sounded fun. Each day will start with a devotional and they’ll talk a lot about where they find Jesus on the journey. She expects to see Jesus in helping her to do it and helping everybody else to do it with her. “I want to go through the whole way, and don’t give up, and stay with a positive mind for everybody riding with me,” Robinson said. “We all need to stick to-
CHUCK GIBSON FOR THE COMMUNITY PRESS
The group of nine teens and seven adult chaperones just before leaving Loveland on a 519-mile bike ride to Niagara Falls with City Gospel Mission of Cincinnati.
gether and protect each other. This is the biggest challenge of my life.” Part of the challenge is raising the $4,500 it costs for the group of teens, adult cyclists and adult crew to make the trip. There have been some donations, but the teens were asked to raise a minimum of a quarter of the cost. They did cleaning, yard work, and other odd jobs to earn the necessary funds for the trip. More than 25-percent was raised before they departed from Loveland, but donations are still being accepted. The teens come from different city communities including Winton Terrace, Northside, Cumminsville and others. They’ve faced a variety of different challenges and stresses in their lives. Larry Stone, 14, Hughes High School, is
making the trip for the first time. His older brother inspired him to make the trip this year. “My brother went on the trip like three times and he encouraged me,” said Stone. Stone plays a lot of sports and wants to get into shape by going on the ride. Unsure if he could make it, encouragement from Pastor Roger convinced him to try. “I went to the practices. We did about 30 miles some days,” Stone said. “So I had the experience and I really did want to do it. I hope I get stronger in Jesus. I hope I get stronger in will power and strength. Get to see New York. That’s a plus side.” Going up hills is toughest for Stone and he hopes they don’t have to ride up a
lot of hills. Teen Impact director Gary Loomans is one of the adult crew driving a support vehicle this year. He’s ridden this trip eleven times already. He’s been on the uphill journey with Karley Miller the last two years since she saw her neighbor get shot. “We’ve been wrestling with that for two years,” Loomans said. “During training rides we had the opportunity to talk about some of the stuff that happened; how it’s molded you, how is it going to affect you, how you deal with those hard times.” It will be the singing of Loomans that awakens the teens at 6 a.m. each day. He expects them to have their gear loaded in See TREK, Page 2A
Country singer Rodney Atkins to perform at county fair Forrest Sellers fsellers@communitypress.com
This year’s Clermont County Fair will feature a big name headliner. Country singer Rodney Atkins will perform July 26. According to Dan Hodges, president of the Clermont County Agricultural Society and an organizer of the event, this will be the first time a big name entertainer has been featured at the fair. Also new this year will be the sale of beer in designated areas. The Clermont County Fair will be Sunday through Saturday, July 24 through July 30, at 1000 Locust St. in Owensville. Hours will be 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Friday and 8 a.m. to midnight Saturday. This is the 167th year for the fair. The shows remain an integral part of the fair. These shows include livestock, hogs, dairy, rabbits, horses, chickens
Rodney Atkins performs July 26.
and ducks. Last year, a bird flu prevented birds from being featured at the fair. This time around the chickens and ducks will be back. A variety of rides and games will also be set up. And what would a fair be
without food? Among the items on sale will be hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, waffle fries as well as the fair’s popular pork tenderloins, which will be served at the Friends of the Fair booth. Chicken wings will be available in the fair’s Blue Ribbon Cafe. For those with a sweet tooth, the fair will offer funnel cakes, elephant ears, deep-fried Twinkies and Snickers. Entertainment will include magicians, lumberjack demonstrations and an agility dog show on Saturday. Championship tractor pulling and a demolition derby will be presented in the grandstand area throughout the week. The concert featuring Atkins will be 8 p.m. Tuesday in the grandstand area. Tickets are $30 for the pit area and $10 for the grandstand. This is in addition to the general admission cost which is $10 and covers parking and most of the rides. Hodges said the participa-
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SALUTE TO VETERANS AND TROOPS The annual Salute to Veterans, Troops and Their Families, one of the kickoff events for the Clermont County Fair, will take place 6:30 p.m. Sunday, July 24, in the Multipurpose Building at the Fairgrounds. U.S. Rep. Brad Wenstrup, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, will perform a ceremonial swearing-in of Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force recruits from Clermont County. The Pledge of Allegiance will be led by Charlie Bailey, 94, of Owensville. “Mr. Bailey served in World War II as a combat engineer in the Army,” said Commissioner Bob Proud, who organizes the event. “He received five Bronze Stars for heroic achievements during that war. This is very rare, and we are honored to have Mr. Bailey appear during the Salute.” The Salute will also feature comments from Sheriff A.J. “Tim’ Rodenberg, who was an officer in the Marines. Howard Daugherty, executive director of the Clermont County Veterans Service Commission and a decorated veteran from the Vietnam War, will also speak. Admission to the fair is free for members of the military with proper identification and veterans with DD214 ID.
tion of youth in the area is an essential part of the fair. “We would not be a fair without our livestock shows and student participation,” Hodges
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said. For additional information on the fair, go online to http:// clermontcountyfair.webs.com/.
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