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Seton High School had its graduation ceremony June 2 at St. Peter in Chains Cathedral.
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Swim club open, seeking members By Kurt Backscheider
Volume 84 Number 26 © 2011 The Community Press ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Tops in sports
The sports department of Community Press newspapers is proud to present the winners of the 2011 Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year online contest in this week’s issue. The Price HIll Press winners, as voted online by readers, can be found on A6. Voters cast more than 265,000 votes for around 190 nominees. The 35 winners determined will receive a pair of field-box tickets courtesy of the Cincinnati Reds. For a complete list of winners and their inspiring stories, please visit your community page at cincinnati. com/(your community’s name).
kbackscheider@communitypress.com
Jeff Scholl began spending his summers at Philipps Swim Club before he could walk. The Price Hill resident said his parents brought him to the pool off Glenway Avenue when he was a baby, and he’s been coming back just about every summer since. “My family has six generations who have come to Philipps,” he said. When it was announced early this year that club owners Zeek Childers and Denise Driehaus had to close the club due to rising costs, Scholl and about a dozen other members decided they needed to do something to keep Philipps open for its 82nd year. “We knew we were losing members to other pools after people heard the club might be closing, so we had to make the decision whether it was possible to keep it open,” Scholl said. “We decided to go for it.”
‘Bible Heroes’
St. William Church in Price Hill will offer a week-long Vacation Bible School from Monday, July 11, through Friday, July 15. Children ages kindergarten through fifth-grade are welcome to learn about “Bible Heroes” including Abraham, Moses, David and Deborah. Children will discover how these Old Testament figures relate to Jesus, Mary, Joseph and St. Paul. There will be songs, stories, crafts, snacks and plenty of fun for all. The week ends with Mass and an ice cream social. Activities will take place in Father Reardon Hall, from 6:309 p.m. The cost is $10 per child or $25 per family (three or more from the same family). For more information, contact Deacon George Bruce at 921-0247 or visit www.saint william.com to download and print a registration form.
Cars coming
Classic cars will roll into Fernbank Park Sunday, July 24, for the 22nd annual Rollin’ on the River Car Show. Sponsored by the RiverviewDelhi Hills Kiwanis, the car show again will be at Fernbank Park, Route 50 West, River Road, in Sayler Park. – SEE STORY, A3
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KURT BACKSCHEIDER/STAFF
A group of Philipps Swim Club members formed a nonprofit organization to keep the pool open this season. Young pool members Sophie Barsan, Kara Siemer, Nick Kattus, Ben Collett, Samantha Scholl, Taylor Gray and Alexia Scholl hit a beach ball around while spending a summer afternoon at the pool.
KURT BACKSCHEIDER/STAFF
Price Hill resident Jeff Scholl is the president of the board of trustees of Philipps Swim Club Inc., the new nonprofit organization that was formed to keep the 82-year-old swim club open on the West Side. The club is working to attract new members, who will become stakeholders in the club.
He said the group met regularly at Price Hill Chili to figure out a way to keep the club open, they consulted with Childers and Driehaus and determined establishing a nonprofit organization was the best route to take. Phillips Swim Club Inc. was born. Now a nonprofit organization, the club’s members are the stakeholders and membership fees go toward maintenance and operation of the club. Scholl said members volunteered this spring to get the pool ready for the season. They made repairs to the 500,000-gallon pool, installed new laminate flooring on the upper deck, added landscaping, repaired the roof and renovated the women’s restroom. “We probably had a core group
of about 15 people who spent a lot of time up here volunteering,” he said. “It became a second full-time job for us.” “A lot of good people stepped up to help get it ready,” he said. The dedication of the members who are working to keep the club open shows how much Philipps means to the neighborhood. Club member Jenny Heile said she’s been coming to the pool since she was a baby, too. “To me, this place means family,” she said, adding that she used to work at the club as a teenager. With young children of her own now, Heile said her favorite part of the club is the pool itself, which has a gradual depth and is probably the largest pool in the area.
“It’s such a great place for kids to learn how to swim,” she said. With the hot weather of July and August still ahead, Scholl said the organization hopes to add more members, and would especially like to increase its family memberships. He said the club is willing to work with people when it comes to membership fees. “It’s a good neighborhood pool and it provides a safe environment for families and children,” he said. “It’s a great place to unwind, relax and have fun in the summer.” For more information about Philipps and memberships, visit www.philippsswimclub.com. For more about your community, visit www.cincinnati.com/pricehill.
Party slated for McPherson Avenue ˙By Kurt Backscheider kbackscheider@communitypress.com
Price Hill residents are invited to a street party on McPherson Avenue. The Price Hill Will Safety Community Action Team (CAT) is hosting the fourth annual McPherson Street Party from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 25, along McPherson Avenue between Warsaw Avenue and Van Vey. East Price Hill resident Patti Hogan, a member of the Safety CAT, said the event will feature free food and family-friendly activities including face painting, balloon art and an inflatable boxing ring. A new activity being featured at this year’s party is Paint the Street, she said. “We will be giving the neighborhood a chance to create a painting, with the street as
the palette,” Hogan said. “The artists and painters will leave behind a work of art.” Melisa Densford, a street image designer, will coordinate the Paint the Street activity. She said she would like 100 people to help paint the Hogan design. Those who want to lend an artistic hand can sign up on a first come, first served basis beginning at 10:30 a.m. “The street design reflects the positive changes taking place on McPherson Avenue and throughout Price Hill, and expresses the hopefulness the transformation will continue,” Densford said. Hogan said members of the Safety CAT will
serve food and drinks. The menu includes burgers, hot dogs, brats and metts. The Lower Price Hill Citizens on Patrol will be there to make sure the closed ends of McPherson remain secure, and BLOC Ministries will supervise the inflatable boxing ring, face painting and balloon art. Hogan said the hope is that long after the one-day event is over the painters, their families, friends, neighbors and Price Hill residents will frequently stop by to see the street painting. “The Hill is alive and on the rise,” she said. The McPherson Street Party and Paint the Street are made possible in part by a grant from artswave, as well as major sponsors Warsaw Federal Savings and Loan, Kroger, Cincinnati Color, Porter Paints, Skyline Chili, Vineyard Westside and Home Depot.
Family business celebrates 80th year By Heidi Fallon hfallon@communitypress.com
What started as a family farm selling produce, has blossomed into a family business that’s celebrating its 80th anniversary. Robben Florist and Garden Center, 352 Pedretti Ave., is inviting folks to join in the celebration June 24-26.
Ron Robben, the third generation owner, said there will be specials and prizes all weekend with a grill out starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 25. What used to spread across 22 acres, is now down to three with a few of the original wooden glass greenhouses still in use. “My grandfather, George senior, started the business,” Ron
said. “Then, my dad, George junior and his brother, Ray, expanded it specializing in cut flowers.” Ron became the owner in 2000 and relies on his dad and mom, Carol; his sister, Kim King; his wife, Melissa; and his 15-year-old son, Justin, to keep the family tradition growing. “I started, like Justin, as a kid, working after school and week-
ends,” Ron said. “Customer service is our key to success,” King said. “We provide the service and knowledge people need to be successful with their own planting and gardening efforts,” Ron added. After getting his horticulture
See 80TH on page A2