NORTHEAST
SUBURBAN LIFE
Your Community Press newspaper serving Blue Ash, Montgomery, Sycamore Township, Symmes Township
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2013
BECAUSE COMMUNITY MATTERS
Montgomery prepares for Holiday in Village event
BACK FOR SECONDS
By Shelly Sack
nesuburban@communitypress.com
Moeller fans cheer for their team against Hilliard Davidson at University of Dayton Welcome Stadium in a playoff Division I semifinal football game Saturday in Dayton. Moeller won the game 13-11 and plays Mentor at 3 p.m. Saturday at Fawcett Stadium in Canton, where they will look to defend their state championship. Follow the game with reporter Scott Springer on Twitter at @cpscottspringer.JOSEPH FUQUA II/THE CINCINNATI PRESS
Owners away when fire ravaged Symmes Twp. home Gannett News Service
Damage was set at about $700,000 after a Symmes Township home and its contents caught on fire Nov. 19, according to Hamilton County authorities and property records. Crews were called to the 9100 block of Withers Lane just after 1:30 a.m., sheriff’s officials said. When they arrived, they found heavy fire sweeping the two-story home with a swimming pool and hot tub. The roof burned off. The residents, James and Cherrie Arthurs, are out of town. Their house was unoccupied at the time, although one of their sons has been frequently checking on it for them, neighbors said. No injuries were reported. But the four-bedroom, 3,635-square-foot home, which was built in 1988 and valued at $462,990, is a total loss. Combined with all contents, an overall damage estimate is in the $700,000 range, fire officials said. The cause remains under investigation, said LovelandSymmes Deputy Fire Chief Andrew Knapp. It is not considered suspicious. One of the neighbors, Melanie Howard, said she awoke feeling ill overnight when she heard an alarm screeching outside. Thinking it might be her son’s girlfriend’s car alarm, she peered outside. She said she
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The clip clop of a horsedrawn carriage will make its way throughout Montgomery this Saturday, bringing families to enjoy four holiday activities with the annual Holiday in the Village 2013. The traditional tree-lighting ceremony will kick things off at 5 p.m., followed by events ranging from train displays, holiday crafts, and a Victorian holiday village stroll. The Jolly Trolley complimentary holiday shuttle will run at marked wooden snowman stops from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and parking is available in city lots along Shelly Lane. Be sure to keep an eye out for the decorated trees for the Festival of Trees contest at events along the way and vote for your favorite tree. Schedule of events: » 5 p.m. – Announce winners of the city’s winter coloring contest, followed by the tree lighting (corner of Cooper and Montgomery roads) and winners riding with Santa in a carriage to the North Pole Workshop at the Universalist Church. » 5:30-7:30 p.m. North Pole Workshop: The Universalist Church (corner of Montgomery and Remington roads) hosts visits with Santa, a
winter craft with Mrs. Claus and free horse-drawn wagon rides through the downtown area. Snowman Station: Twin Lakes Senior Living Community, 9840 Montgomery Road, will offer holiday music, snowman crafts for kids, and cookies and punch. Penguin Igloo: Bethesda North Hospital’s second floor will be home to penguin-themed fun with holiday model train displays, music, entertainers, snacks, activities and a free gift for the children. The Light Up a Life program will offer holiday light strands for $25 to recognize those you hold dear with a light shining in their honor. Proceeds benefit the Patient Emergency Fund, which helps patients who have needs above their normal hospitalization. » 5-8:30 p.m. Victorian Holiday Village: For 12 years, Ohio National Financial Services (Pfeiffer Road at I-71) has sponsored this annual event of eight new Victorian homes feature St. Nick’s workshop and other holiday scenes decorated with thousands of lights, miniature train rides, free 5-by-7 photos with St. Nick, cocoa and cookies (please bring nonperishable food item for donation to Freestore Foodbank). See VILLAGE, Page A2
Authorities are investigating what caused a fire that gutted this Symmes Township home. JENNIFER BAKER EDWARDS/THE COMMUNITY PRESS
The right side of the house is destroyed.JENNIFER BAKER EDWARDS/THE COMMUNITY PRESS
heard what she described as a “crunching” noise, as if someone was walking on leaves that had fallen to the ground. Fearing an intruder was lurking in the darkness, she called 911 for police. Then she looked outside again. “I could see some flashing in the back of the house,” she recalled this morning as she stood in her driveway while
fire officials investigated the cause of the blaze. “Within seconds, I could see smoke.” She called 911 again, this time urging a dispatcher to send the fire department. “Then the craziness all just started,” Howard said. “It was a full blaze on the right side of the house and it worked its way on this side. I have never seen anything like it. It was unbelievable.” Cherrie Arthurs remains at the couple’s Florida home in Naples with the family cats, neighbors said. Her husband was at a convention in Chicago, but neighbors say he is flying home today to survey the damage. “They are great people, very, very helpful,” said Dick Baker, who lives across the street. Added another neighbor, Jennifer Stuhlreyer: “It’s is just so sad. It’s just terrible.”
RAISIN’ THE BAR Gifts from the kitchen See Rita Heikenfeld’s column, B3
Santa Claus will greet and visit with many holiday revelers during Montgomery's Holiday in the Village event Saturday, Dec. 7, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. PROVIDED
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NOMINATE ‘NEIGHBORS WHO CARE’ Every family has its holiday traditions. At The Community Press, we annually recognize those folks who go out of their way to help a neighbor or friend. We call it “Neighbors Who Care,” and we need your help. If you know someone who deserves some praise for helping others, tell us about them. Send the information to rmaloney
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@communitypress.com or nesuburban @communitypress.com. Put “Neighbors Who Care” in the subject line and include your name, community and contact information, as well as the nominee’s name, community and contact information. Deadline for nominations has been extended to Friday, Dec. 6. We look forward to hearing about them.
Vol. 50 No. 37 © 2013 The Community Press ALL RIGHTS RESERVED