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Fact Sheet
BUTLER COUNTY HAS FOUR MAJOR NEW ATTRACTIONS
1. The world’s largest train-theme family entertainment center
2. First ancient sculpture museum in the world
3. First place in Ohio to host the iconic store – IKEA
4. Largest conference & event center in the area
West Chester, Ohio – Butler County’s population explosion created unprecedented demand for new substantial recreation and entertainment.
The Butler County Visitors Bureau and community met that demand this year by adding four new mega attractions for the enjoyment of travelers near and far. These are EnterTRAINment Junction – the world’s largest train-theme family entertainment center, Museum of Ancient Sculpture at Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park – the world’s first ancient sculpture museum, IKEA – the popular Swedish home furnishing retailer’s first store in Ohio, and Savannah Center – the area’s largest and perhaps most beautiful and modern conference & event center.
“The synergy of all four of these opening in 2008 is already creating tremendous buzz and energy,” said Mark Hecquet, Executive Director of the Butler County Visitors Bureau. “It is certainly a concerted effort to build our reputation as a viable and lucrative destination between Cincinnati and Dayton. The anticipation continues to build as we intend to ARRIVE in the world of tourism in a big way that is unprecedented for this community.”
Building quality entertainment may be a key to success but for model train enthusiasts, the fast-track lies with EnterTRAINment!
EnterTRAINment Junction is a $10 million attraction, which boasts the world’s largest train-theme family entertainment center. The layout features 17-foot mountains, 11-foot waterfalls, and more than two miles of track with 90 G-scale trains. It is a totally immersive experience with scenes all around you complete with sight, sound, smell, and lots of interactivity for children of any age. Now that’s something to toot about! Located in West Chester, Ohio, it is scheduled to open to the public in June.
The facility also features a children’s play area, railroad museum, and model train expo as well as seasonal themes, party and meeting rooms, a hobby shop, and snack bar. Visitors are sure to transcend themselves to yesteryear upon entering EnterTRAINment through a 19th Century streetscape and train depot.
“Kids today are no different from yesteryear, once they are exposed to trains, they’re instant enthusiasts,” said Don Oeters, developer.
Model trains may be a step back in time but Hamilton, Ohio’s Pyramid Hill will send visitors into ancient history.
Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum has the only known exclusive Museum of Ancient Sculpture in the world. The museum is located deep within the 265-acre park where thousands of visitors, picnickers and art-lovers roam the grassy, wooded hills by foot or car to see the 54 extraordinary sculptures dotting the countryside.
The vision of Harry Wilks adds four ancient galleries to the contemporary park in a new 10,000 square-foot Museum of Ancient Sculpture that features about 70 original pieces from ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt and Mesopotamia. The museum itself has interesting architecture much like Wilks’ home – a 7,000 square-foot pyramid-shaped house, thus the name Pyramid Hill. The museum is designed to resemble ancient Rome and Greek villas. Its architecture was inspired by Wilks’ trips to Pompeii. In fact, arches connect the 16 columns separating the courtyard from a cloistered walkway made of stone pavers to pull off the ancient theme. And the double door entry stands 8-feet high of solid mahogany.
“It only makes sense that a building of ancient sculpture look its part,” said Harry Wilks.
In addition, there is a three-dimensional 20-foot wide gate serving as the main entrance and a fountain that is the centerpiece of the courtyard. The museum includes a gift shop and meeting space with accommodations for catering special events.
One man’s ancient eclectic vision and $5 million go a long way.
Maybe you can’t afford authentic one-of-a-kind ancient art to decorate your home like Mr. Wilks, but you will have no problem with price and selection at the one-of-a-kind Swedish home furnishing retailer – IKEA – the first of its kind in Ohio.
The $75 million, 344,000 square-foot, 2-story superstore is located in West Chester, Ohio. It features 10,000 exclusively designed contemporary home furnishing items. It also presents 48 room settings, three complete model homes, a supervised children’s play area, 350-seat Swedish restaurant and Swedish food market. Don’t be surprised if area dinner tables begin having a regular night of meatballs with ligonberries before long.
Founded in 1943 in Sweden, IKEA offers a wide-range of quality home furnishings at low prices. The West Chester location is the first store in Ohio and there are none in Indiana or Kentucky.
Although unique meeting space may be found at IKEA, Museum of Ancient Sculpture and EnterTRAINment Junction, the largest facility in the area belongs to West Chester’s 48,000 square-feet, $10 million Savannah Center at Chappell Crossing.
This premiere, state-of-the-art, up-scale facility between Cincinnati and Dayton can host marquee events typically slated for downtown. It is complimented by Union Centre shopping and has an atmosphere more like a southern coastal country club than a conference center. It accommodates up to 1,200 people for conventions, conferences, special events, parties and weddings inside and another 440 people may gather by the lakeside reflection gazebo, lawn and gardens. Elegance is key and it’s achieved with a 1 ˝ story glass solarium and gazebo overlooking the four-acre lake. In addition, there are stately board rooms and grand ballroom/theater.
With the influx of people to Butler County came an influx of business relocation to capitalize on the deep talent pool. That and the geographic-friendly location between Cincinnati and Dayton made a place like The Savannah Center inevitable.
“Merely having the ability to roll Savannah Center, EnterTRAINment, Pyramid Hill and IKEA off my tongue and into conversation makes my job so much easier,” said Debbie Pendl, Director of Sales for Butler County Visitors Bureau. “Any sales person knows you have a leg up on everyone when you have a superior product you believe in.”
Besides the four new major attractions, Butler County has always been a destination designed for you. Whoever you may be.
The county is still true to its agricultural roots and has agritourism attractions like Niederman Family Farm. Foodie hot spots include the one-and-only madcap grocer – Jungle Jim’s and anything from trendy restaurants to unique eateries. Lodging includes just about anything from major hotels to bed and breakfasts and charming inns. There are also chic shopping adventures waiting along with the arts and museums, parks and outdoor recreational activities.
“Mixing new with the old invigorates us all,” said Christy Harp, Director of Marketing for Butler County Visitors Bureau. “We are progressive and timeless.”
In many ways Butler County is reinventing itself. So it makes sense that its metamorphosis wouldn’t be complete without a robust new tourism web site – www.destinationbutlercounty.com. Visit the web or call 888-462-2282 for an official 2008 Butler County Visitors Guide.
# # #
Two Butler County men are very different indeed but one thing binds them together – dreams. In the face of many naysayers, these two men dared to make reality out of their visions. Now we can all pay homage at the world’s largest train-theme family entertainment center and the world’s first ancient sculpture museum respectively at EnterTRAINment Junction and Museum of Ancient Sculpture at Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park.
Agritourism, It’s Not Just for Breakfast
The culture of America is changing from the rural bread basket it used to be –
but the desire to experience farm life is growing in demand. In order to
survive, family farms that did not sellout to housing contractors had to
reinvent themselves or die like the crops in the field. The tale of Niederman
Family Farm is one of survival. From spring tours, to autumn corn mazes and
pumpkin patches, Niederman Family Farm has people smiling year-round.
Artisan Tours and Demonstrations
Seeing a piece of art behind museum glass just doesn’t cut it anymore. People
want to see it made, learn about the process or try it on their own. BeauVerre
Riordan Stained Glass Company is happy to provide 2 out of 3. The highly
regarded stained glass company serves clients around the world. You wouldn’t
believe where some of their projects have gone.
Settling of what would become Butler County was sparked by the 1791 construction of Fort Hamilton off the shore of the Great Miami River. And for the following century, the river, and the Miami and Erie canals determined the prosperity in this Ohio frontier.
Industry flourished and populations exploded in Hamilton and Middletown. These epicenters of commerce and industry helped give birth to Butler County on March 24, 1803. The land was formerly part of Hamilton County. The county was named after General Richard Butler, an officer in the American Revolutionary War. Afterward, Congress put him in charge of Indians in the Northwest Territory.
Later, American Indians resisted the Ohio occupation by the United States. General Butler left Fort Hamilton (Hamilton, Ohio) as second in command in an expedition led by General Arthur St. Clair. On November 4, 1791, Chief Little Turtle and scores of Indian fighters ambushed the army and killed 600 people in the Battle of the Wabash, also known as St. Claire's Defeat. This was the greatest loss the U.S. Army suffered against the Indians – far more than Custer's Last Stand.
Throughout Butler County’s history, many fascinating stories and personalities emerged. These are just some of the interesting people and tales:
William Holmes McGuffey was the author of McGuffey’s Eclectic Reader originally published in 1836. The McGuffey Readers sold approximately 122 million copies in the 19th Century – second only to the Bible at the time. He began writing the popular books in 1834 at his home in Oxford, Ohio while a professor at Miami University. He lived at the home from 1826 – 1836. It is now the William Holmes McGuffey Museum and national historic landmark.
John Cleves Symmes, Jr. was the Father of the Hollow Earth Theory or Theory of Concentric Spheres. He fought most of his life to get federal funding to prove it. Instead he was ridiculed. But there were times when the mainstream scientific community lent some interest thus credibility. He was buried in a cemetery in Hamilton, Ohio. The cemetery has since been moved, but strangely, not John Cleves Symmes, Jr. He still rests in what is now a neighborhood park. His tombstone looks like a monument and has a stone Earth at its peak. The Earth is hollow.
Joseph Henry Nuxhall, native of Hamilton, Ohio, was the youngest player ever to appear in a major league baseball game in the modern era. He played for the Cincinnati Reds in 1944 at only 15-years-old. The Ol’ Lefthander still holds Reds’ pitching records and went on to become a famous broadcaster for the Reds. His trademark radio signoff, “This is the old lefthander, rounding third and heading for home” is displayed outside the Reds’ stadium along with his statue. He died in 2007 and was buried in Rose Hill Burial Park in Fairfield Township.
The team assembled at the Butler County Visitors Bureau promises a wealth of knowledge, enthusiasm and a great interview. For immediate commentary, dial 1- 888-462-2282 and ask for:
Mark Hecquet
Executive Director
Butler County Visitors Bureau
Extension 103 or
mhecquet@butlercountyvb.com
Mark became the first Executive Director of the new Butler County Visitors Bureau in August 2006. He is developing strategies to enhance Butler County as a tourism destination. In addition, Mark is responsible for long term planning, finance and policy development and oversees all operations of the organization. Previously, he produced sports events credited with an economic impact of $10 million and more than 9,000 hotel room nights in less than four year period, including U.S Olympic Trials in Archery, AAU national championships in girls’ basketball, and the USAT duathlon national championships. Mark graduated from the University of Kentucky with a B.S. in business administration and a Master’s degree in sports management. Mark resides with his family in West Chester.
Debbie Pendl
Director of Sales
Butler County Visitors Bureau
Extension 104 or
dpendl@butlercountycvb.org
Debbie joined the team in winter 2007 to create
and implement sales strategies and aggressively promote Butler County as a
destination to small meetings/ conferences, SMERF groups and sporting groups.
Previously, Debbie created and managed the Meetings and Conventions Department
and the Group Sales Department at another visitors bureau achieving a 65 percent
increase in one-year’s time. She has also won sales awards in real estate and
the highest revenue in her division in catered group events at Kings Island.
Debbie graduated from the University of Cincinnati
with a B.A. in Communications. Debbie resides in Symmes Township.
Christy Harp
Director of Marketing
Butler County Visitors Bureau
Extension 109 or
charp@butlercountycvb.org
Christy identifies and creates marketing opportunities and develops short and long-term marketing strategies with the objective of attracting business groups for extended stays and enhancing the image of Butler County as a destination. Previously, Christy managed the creation and production of a visitors guide, developed e-newsletters, and managed and developed an advertising grant program. Christy graduated from Xavier University with a B.A. in Communication Arts, with an emphasis in public relations. She resides in Cincinnati.
Contact Information:
· Executive Director: Mark Hecquet
· Address: 8750 Union Centre Blvd ● West Chester, OH 45069
· Phone: 513-860-4194 or 1- 888-462-2282
· Official Web Site: destinationbutlercounty.com
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Communities: · Fairfield · Hamilton · Middletown · Oxford · Shandon/Okeana · West Chester Newest Attractions: · EnterTRAINment Junction – world’s largest train-theme family entertainment center · IKEA – first place in Ohio to host the iconic store · Museum of Ancient Sculpture – first ancient sculpture museum in the world · Savannah Center – largest conference & event center in the area Major Attractions: · BeauVerre/Riordan Studio · Butler County Metroparks · Canal Museum · Fitton Center for Creative Arts · Frontgate Outlet Center · Governor Bebb Preserve · Hamilton-Fairfield Symphony Orchestra · Jungle Jim’s International Market · Lane Hooven House · McGuffey Museum · Miami University Art Museum · Niederman Family Farm · Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park · Sports & Adventure · Voice of America Park |
Activities: · Boating and Fishing · Camping · Golfing · Hiking and Biking · Raceway · Shopping · Skate Park · Swimming Special Events · Art Walk · Butler County Fair · Dog Fest · Got Art! Walk · Great Miami River Days · Ice Fest · Light Up Middletown · Middfest International · NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships · Pyramid Hill Holiday Lights · Union Centre Boulevard Bash · Weekend of Fire at Jungle Jim’s · 2008 AAU Division I Girls’ Basketball 15U National Championships
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Butler County, Ohio is The NEW Destination Designed for You!