In a shrinking world filled with gadgets like GPS devices, destinations are found after satellites triangulate the position. So if you are looking for the ideal place to meet in Southwest Ohio, your position may triangulate from Cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus resulting in Wilmington.

Not only is it a retreat from the big cities, it is close enough to take advantage of their hot-spots too. Conveniently intersected by I-71 and close to three International airports and its own county airport for small aircraft, Wilmington is a day’s drive from 60 percent of the U.S. population.

You need six things when selecting the perfect meeting site. Location, location, location are the first three followed by quality, variety and quantity of meeting facilities, restaurants and entertainment.

Business or pleasure, it doesn’t matter, Wilmington and the surrounding Clinton County, can host your group or event. Bookings are frequented by conventions, road shows and executive retreats to weddings, reunions and clubs. Special events feature scrapbooking, antiques, fashion, pottery and dog shows to name several.

The bottom line is that you still have access to the big cities but your meetings are more affordable without sacrificing service or quality.

The Clinton County Convention & Visitors Bureau provides meeting planners with personalized and custom service to ensure every event will be successful. This includes site inspections of hotels and attractions, assistance in securing the accommodations needed, pre-event mailings, welcome packets for guests, and itineraries for group or spousal programs.

It’s no wonder the tag line for Clinton County is “An Open Invitation.”

The Roberts Conference Centre is the region’s largest and most diverse conference facility with 80,000 square feet and 24-foot ceilings. It features large, sweeping exhibition space, a grand ballroom, an executive boardroom, and numerous breakouts perfect for board retreats, strategy meetings, or workshop sessions.  

Other choices for locating meetings that need high tech assistance and modern ambience are the state-of-the-art teleconferencing center at Wilmington College and The Hampton Inn. The teleconferencing center is ideal for smaller groups that require a high tech advantage while the Hampton offers a convenient and resourceful meeting room for up to 100 people, as well as a private board room. Laurel Oaks, another high tech choice, is the perfect location for bringing people together regionally or nationally through video conferencing.  

Aside from the traditional meeting facilities, Clinton County also offers a wide variety of non-traditional meeting space.

The historic and ornate Murphy Theatre is a 750 seat venue available for meetings when not in use for theatrical productions. Another unique place is The Loft. It provides an intimate setting in a 9,000 square-foot ballroom that has two access doors to an elevated outdoor terrace, plus there are private meeting rooms. It is a favorite in historic downtown Wilmington for wedding ceremonies, receptions and rehearsal dinners, plus private and corporate parties, fundraising events, and more. Across the street is The General Denver Hotel known as the epitome of grace and service. Their private meeting space is perfect for groups who want to be treated extra special. And for history buffs, there’s no place to meet like the conference room at The Clinton County History Center.  

Not only is Wilmington and surrounding Clinton County ideal for meeting accommodations, it offers “An Open Invitation” to those desiring a destination that includes fantastic shopping, a relaxing pace, natural beauty, roads less traveled, behind the scene tours, great towns at a great value and one-of-a-kind special events. 

But what really sets Clinton County apart is their world-class hospitality. You’ll arrive as a visitor, but leave as a friend. 

While the three nearby, large metro areas are often an attractive destination point for travelers based on their ability to offer many attractions in a concentrated geographical area, what is often overlooked is an alternative destination. Clinton County is primarily a rural community slightly off the beaten path that has treasures of its own to offer. The ambiance of rural America is not a myth, it is as real as the people who reside there, who cherish old fashioned values, who are neighborly, and who know what it is to be hospitable.

Those who travel rural America are looking for something special. They want to "experience" something. The sight of a sign advertising merchandise that is homegrown and homemade excites them. They know that heritage shapes a community and that if a community preserves its heritage, it has integrity. They find worth in historic relics, architecture, and art. They prefer not to fight the masses when they tour museums, shop for antiques, or decide to end their day with a quiet dinner.

Clinton County and Wilmington are rich in history of bygone days with deep pride for their Quaker heritage. It's a place where unique shopping opportunities prevail, and local artisans display their wares. In Clinton County fresh produce can still be found at roadside stands. Nature is a strong force there, and two area state parks provide every opportunity to enjoy nature at its best. Clinton County is also home to the nation’s only Banana Split Festival. Another favorite event is the Wilmington Art & Pottery Festival. Paying tribute to the areas' deep agricultural roots is the Corn Festival, and for the holiday season, enjoy the thrilling Holidazzle Illuminated Parade & Festival. A video showcasing a variety of Clinton County attractions is available at ClintonCountyOhio.com.

To plan your meeting or trip to Clinton County, start at clintoncountyohio.com or call 1-877-428-4748 to have a custom travel itinerary designed for your visit. 

By Frank R. Satullo, The OhioTraveler

OHIO GLASS MUSEUM
by Robert Carpenter 

Here’s a thought you may not have considered: What would we do without glass? A glance around the average household reveals the most common use in windows and doors but also table tops, light bulbs, light fixtures, picture frame glass, table ware, shelves, art items, mirrors, jars, bottles, and that tube that brings us news and entertainment for hours every day—all taken for granted. Attempts at alternatives have been made, of course, but how often have you picked up an item to discover that it’s “only plastic.” Glass is “quality,” and for some things there is no substitute. 

Glass was discovered as far back as the Bronze Age and the first manual on glass making is dated 650 B.C.  Yet for all the technology developed in the last half-century there are applications for which nothing exceeds the superiority of this most ancient of manufactured materials. 

The history of glass in chronicled in the movie, Born of Fire shown continuously at the Ohio Glass Museum in Lancaster. The museum, established in 2002, documents the science of glass making throughout time, and emphasizes the glass industry in Fairfield County that has been a mainstay of the economy for over 100 years. 

It’s hard to imagine a finished material more dissimilar to its ingredients than glass. Although there are minor elements in the mix, normally glass is 75 percent silica. For us laymen that’s sand—the same stuff you scooped and shoveled around in that big box when you were a kid. 

Fairfield County is rich in natural resources, and two of the most abundant are sand and the natural gas that provides flames of extraordinarily temperatures to transform silica to a molten state. The glass industry, innately compatible to these resources, resulted in the 2003 State Legislature’s designation of Lancaster the “Pressed Glass Capital” of Ohio.  

Through mid-January, 2010 the theme at the Ohio Glass Museum will be Milk Glass and Milk Bottles. Regardless of the description, they are related only in material and the fact that both became obsolete decades ago. Those experienced with such simple items as milk bottles never dreamed they would become treasures of archival interest. But they’re one of the items for which we’ve found more efficient construction—meaning cheaper—such as plastic and waxed cardboard. It seems inconceivable that there are people of middle age who have never experienced pouring from one of those cold slippery bottles—one of the most ubiquitous items of the modern age—but, that’s why they’re in museums today. 

And they were recyclable long before the word was commonly used. When empty, they were rinsed and taken back to the dairy, or if you were on a route, you put them out for the milkman who exchanged them for full ones. There is hardly a nostalgic note more pleasant than the clank of those bottles at 5 a.m.—knowing that your fresh, cool breakfast milk was waiting at the door. The most common were round quart bottles with small necks and cardboard caps pressed into the opening, but in the museum display you will find every conceivable size and design ever made. 

And there is the milk glass exhibit. The most popular was the milky white translucent glass from which it got its name, but it was also manufactured in a variety of colors including blue, pink, yellow, brown and black. Milk glass has been around since the sixteenth century, although it did not acquire the name that is meant to describe its appearance until early in the last century. It came into vogue in the nineteenth century, and French milk glass in particular is highly collectible today. 

There was a time when milk glass was a symbol of style and privilege in American homes. Large domestic glass makers such as New England Glass Company, Bryce Brothers and Atterbury & Company were quick to embrace the fashion, and it appears that collectible plates is not the recently conceived industry that some imagine. Most sought after were plates of early American historical figures like George Washington whose picture along with stars of the flag were pressed in relief into plate bottoms. Christopher Columbus was popular as well, and presidential nominees used commemorative plates as part of their campaigns. 

Unlike dinnerware that demanded a certain level of functionality, platters were manufactured with extreme decorative effects. The relief, for example on the exceptionally rare Lincoln platters, is so deep they could hardly have been used for anything but ornamental objects. There were other more generic designs that were admired as well and some were not conventionally shaped at all, but formed as ducks, fish and other animals.  

There were some companies that made their name and entire reputations on milk glass, but the milk glass fashion trend, like all others, finally came to an end. During the Depression it began to loose its luster and at the end of the ‘50s—about the time milk bottles were phased out, milk glass ceased to be a symbol of status. 

Of course its demise, at least after a period, caused it to become more valuable. The whole story can be found currently at the Ohio Glass Museum in Lancaster, and it’s advisable to look closely—that forgotten piece you inherited from Grandma and have tucked way in the back of your upper closet shelf may have gained more that cobwebs and dust. 

The museum is located at 124 West Main Street in Lancaster and is complete with a gift shop of service ware and art glass. With holidays coming, you may find that special present you’ve been looking for. The doors are open from 1-4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, and if you really want to make a day of it, there is a bonus of the Georgian Museum, Sherman House Museum and the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio—all within walking distance. For more information call 740-687-0101.