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March 2010 Magazine Edition ©
OHIO'S #1 MAGAZINE AND #2 TOURISM SOURCE ONLINE
1930’s REVISIT GALLIPOLIS, OHIO
CHAUTAUQUA STYLE
See the 1930’s through the eyes and stories of Orson Welles, Eleanor Roosevelt, W.C. Fields and others on the Ohio riverbank of the quaint historic downtown of Gallipolis.
Beneath the sprawling trees, atop lush green lawns, tucked between the Ohio River and nostalgic small town – and inside the enchanting red and white striped big top tent reminiscent of yesteryear – five days of Ohio’s Chautauqua will capture the hearts and minds of everyone. It combines living history, music, entertainment, education and theater. The audience interacts with an intimacy in which the good-old-days and small town Americana are remembered and for which Gallipolis is still known.
Gallipolis is the only town in all of southern Ohio that has been bestowed the honor of host site for the 2010 Chautauqua, presented by The Ohio Humanities Council.
“It is such a delight to bring Ohio’s Chautauqua to Southeast Ohio so families throughout the region may enjoy a fascinating experience that weaves education and entertainment together in a way that touches the mind and heart,” said Bob Hood, Executive Director of Gallia County Visitors Bureau.
The 1930’s theme is fitting for the summer of 2010 due to the many references the Great Recession has to the Great Depression Era. As such, this year’s Chautauqua program is free to attend.
The series will explore the legacies of five people who helped shape perhaps the most influential era in American history. The five characters for Ohio Chautauqua are Orson Welles – renowned film director; Eleanor Roosevelt – First Lady and prominent author; Margaret Mitchell – Pulitzer Prize winner and author of Gone With The Wind; Paul Robeson – world-known bass-baritone singer; and W.C. Fields – the exceptional comedic actor.
The Gallipolis City Park – from July 20 – 24, 2010 – will present different living history programs each evening when a figure from the past involves the audience on an odyssey that reveals his or her impact on American history and culture. The audience will have opportunities to interact and ask questions. In addition, musical performances will occur each evening at 7:30pm. The Bossard Memorial Library will host children’s workshops each morning at 10:30am followed by adult workshops at 2:30pm.
The Gallipolis City Park is known as the focal point of the picturesque downtown and for its panoramic views of the Ohio River all along its sprawling shaded lawns and gardens. The focal point of the park is The Bandstand, originally erected in 1876, and since surviving several severe floods. To get an idea of what a river town flood was like, meander over to the Flood Marker near the edge of the park. It tells a grim story by indicating the high water mark of 1913 at 66.5 feet when 467 people perished.
Other downtown pastimes include the historical walking tours that feature landmarks like the 1819 Our House Museum which was once a three-story tavern and social heart of the young community. Tours also uncover the tales of the Underground Railroad that connected many of the historic buildings across town. Some actually have hidden tunnels running under the streets making for secret transport from the 100 year old Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Theatre. The Victorian-era opera house has been renovated and hosts many productions throughout the year. The nearby John Gee Black Historical Center preserves the tradition, culture and music of black Americans in southern Ohio history.
Shopping Gallipolis is a diverse leisurely pursuit to peel off the hours of an afternoon zigzagging from one-of-a-kind boutiques to specialty shops. A variety of eateries can break up the day of shopping for jewelry, floral, gift, antique and craft items. The Park Front Diner and Bakery offers a 50’s theme with some of the best homemade desserts. Next door, Courtside Bar and Grill has a unique sports bar theme and the best known burgers around.
Gallipolis is the seat of Gallia County. Across the rolling hills of Gallia County there are scenic hiking and biking trails. There is one view nobody should leave without seeing, and that is the elevated overlook of the town, river, and Appalachian foothills from Fortification Hill. Bring a camera! From there, the air may carry the tantalizing aroma from the original Bob Evans Restaurant located in nearby Rio Grande. After getting a bite to eat, you may visit the homestead museum located at the Bob Evans Farm.
To learn more about the surrounding area or to get further details to partake in the 2010 Chautauqua, including lodging accommodations, restaurants and attractions, call 1-800-765-6482 or log onto www.visitgallia.com.
Sponsored content by Frank R. Satullo, The OhioTraveler
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BUZZARDS ARE A SIGN OF LIFE
Returning to Cleveland Metroparks
Hinckley Reservation
In 1957 - 53 years ago, Walter Nawalaniec, ranger for Cleveland
Metropolitan Park System (now known as Cleveland Metroparks), told a
newspaper reporter that on March 15 he had witnessed for six straight
years the turkey vultures returning to Hinckley Reservation. The
Cleveland Press printed the story on February 15, 1957, and one month
later on March 15 at 2 p.m. the first buzzard was spotted by 9,000 buzzard
enthusiasts. Since then, over a hundred-thousand visitors have witnessed
the return of the buzzards to Hinckley Reservation.
2010 is no different, join Cleveland Metroparks on Monday, Mach 15th for the Annual Return of the Buzzards at the Buzzard Roost in Hinckley Reservation in Hinckley Township starting at 7 a.m. until the first buzzard is spotted.
Grab the binoculars and search the skies with Cleveland Metroparks "Official Buzzard Spotter" Bob Hinkle (Cleveland Metroparks Chief of Outdoor Education) to welcome these remarkable birds back to Greater Cleveland. Visitors from far and wide, armed with cameras and, most importantly, a sense of humor, flock to the Buzzard Roost in Hinckley Reservation to await the official spotting of the season's first buzzard (turkey vulture) – but, just remember – "no one spots a buzzard 'til the 'Official Buzzard Spotter' spots one first."
Turkey vultures, Cathartes aura (or 'buzzards'), are considered birds of prey, but they are primarily scavengers and not hunters. Buzzards feed on carcasses of small to large animals. They usually hunt at altitudes of 200 feet or less, but have been observed in their northward migration flying as high as 5,000 feet. The buzzard's elongated beak lacks the powerfully-decurved hook typical of other birds of prey, and their legs and feet are relatively weak. A buzzard weighs between 3 to 6 pounds and their wingspan can be up to 6 feet. Buzzards can live as long as 20 years.
Help celebrate the turkey vultures' return at the Buzzard Sunday! event on Sunday, March 21 at Hinckley Reservation's Buzzard Roost from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The free event features a buzzard scoreboard, naturalist-led hikes, live bird programs, musical entertainment, storytelling, displays and exhibits, Buzzard Bingo games for kids, bus tours of Hinckley Reservation, EarthWords Nature Shop with unique buzzard-related merchandise, refreshments, and more!
The Buzzard Roost is located at the corner of State Road and West Drive in Hinckley Reservation in Hinckley Township.
For more information on Cleveland Metroparks buzzard-related activities, call 440-526-1012 or 216-635-3200, or visit clevelandmetroparks.com.
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BECOME A FUGITIVE
Escape on the Underground Railroad at Hale Farm & Village and experience a fugitive slave’s path to freedom.
Hale Farm & Village presents A Fugitive’s Path: Escape on the Underground Railroad March 5, 6, 26, 27 and April 9, 10, 17, 23, 24 from 6pm – 10pm.
Before the Civil War, men, women and children risked their lives to escape slavery on the legendary Underground Railroad. Under cover of night, guests of Hale Farm & Village become runaway slaves in the year 1859 to experience the harsh realities faced in their quest for freedom. The powerful evening program explores issues of slavery and race in northeast Ohio, a hotbed of abolitionism before the Civil War.
Last year, more than 8,000 people participated in this significant program that explores the bleak realities of slave life in the rural south, and the very real Underground Railroad network of “friends” in northeast Ohio before the Civil War. In it’s 11th season, visitors are invited to discover one of the most intense chapters in our nation’s history this winter at Hale Farm & Village.
Tours depart every 20 minutes between 6 – 8:40pm. Allow approximately two hours for the visit. Every effort is made to present A Fugitive’s Path as described, however the tours are subject to change without prior notice. Underground Railroad tours are an indoor / outdoor activity. It is recommended that visitors dress for the outdoor weather conditions.
Call 330-666-3711 or e-mail halereservations@wrhs.org for tickets and program details. Tickets are $15 for members of the Western Reserve Historical Society; $18 / non-member; discount rates for groups. Light refreshments are available for purchase in the Gatehouse Café. Books, DVD’s and souveniers are sold at the Hale Farm General Store. Special day and evening outreach programs for students and general audiences are also available.
Hale Farm & Village, a museum of the Western Reserve Historical Society, is northeast Ohio’s premiere outdoor living history museum depicting daily life for mid-19th century residents of the Western Reserve. Located in Bath, Ohio, Hale Farm & Village features dozens of historic structures, farm animals, heritage gardens and demonstrations such as candle-making, blacksmithing, and hearth cooking bringing history to life for visitors of all ages.
To spend a day in history at Hale Farm & Village, begin planning at http://www.wrhs.org/index.php/hale.
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MARCH MADNESS
In Ohio's Historic West
Dining in the Darke
Main Street Greenville is pleased to bring another presentation of “Dining in the Darke” to Darke County on Saturday, March 6. In this age of information overload, visual stimulation has reached an all time high. But imagine that you cannot see, that you are abandoning vision in exchange for a new, more stimulating dining experience – this is “Dining in the Darke”.
Guests are welcome to arrive at The Bistro Off Broadway, located at 117 E. 5th Street in downtown Greenville, at 7pm. Diners will enjoy a 3-course gourmet meal designed by Chef Lisa Voisard, while experiencing a world of sensitivity never experienced before — taking a journey of taste, sound and touch all while blindfolded. Participants will truly need to use all senses other than sight to determine what it is they are eating, the menu will be revealed at the end of the dinner.
Tickets for this unique fundraiser benefiting Main Street Greenville can be purchased for $30 at The Bistro Off Broadway or call the restaurant at 937.316.5000. For more information, contact Main Street Greenville at 937-548-4998 or visit DowntownGreenville.org.
A special package for Dining in the Darke participants has been arranged with St. Clair Bed and Breakfast located two blocks away from The Bistro. Enjoy an overnight stay at the B&B for only $79 double occupancy. The St. Clair Bed and Breakfast has a great local story and historic charm. Book your stay with them by calling 937-548-9599.
Nature’s
Sweet Treat
Darke County Parks are gearing up, for the Maple Sugarin’ Festival. The waffle breakfast, sponsored by the Friends of Darke County Parks, is Saturday, March 6 from 7am-10:30am. The $5 donation includes waffles, sausage, juice, coffee and of course pure Ohio Maple Syrup. After the hearty breakfast, tours will lead you through time exploring the history of making maple syrup, a visit to the sugar shack where sap is boiled down to syrup and a stroll to the Pioneer Log House. The festival tours begin at 7:30am on Saturday and Noon on Sunday March 7.
The Park District is also encouraging teachers to schedule field trips to allow their students to experience the making of Maple Syrup. Field trips dates are February 22-25 or March 1-4. For ticket information or for more details, call the Nature Center at 937-548-0165.
Irishfest
in St. Henry
If March makes you long for green beverages and leprechauns, then make the village of St. Henry in western Ohio your destination this month. This community, with residents of mostly German ancestry, embraces its inner Irish each year with their annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Irishfest takes place on Sunday, March 14th and begins with a 5K run/walk at 11:05 am. You’ll find most participants “a wearin’ the green” and there are also a few characters—leprechauns, a giant mug of green beer, Irish Lads & Lassies—thrown in just for fun. The parade, at 2:30, will include Miss Ohio, St. Henry native Erica Gelhaus, just back from the Miss America Pageant, serving as the Grand Marshal. The fun moves to the American Legion, following the parade, with entertainment for the whole family. You can dance a rock-n-roll Irish jig to the music of “Freelance” performing live under the big tent. There will also be children’s rides and games, a bean bag tournament, and plenty of good food and Irish spirits. So tuck a shamrock in your lapel and make your way to St. Henry, Ohio on March 14th for Irishfest, 2010. For more information, contact the Auglaize & Mercer Counties Convention & Visitors Bureau at 1-800-860-4726 or go to www.SeeMore.org.
Darke, Auglaize and Mercer Counties comprise a portion of the Ohio’s Historic West. Check out March and April events of all seven counties of Ohio’s Historic West, by going to www.OhiosHistoricWest.com or call to request a brochure at 800-860-4726. Ohio’s Historic West includes
Auglaize, Darke, Logan, Mercer, Miami, Shelby, and VanWert counties.Sponsored Content
NOW THAT'S JUST WEIRD
Known as the Mysterious Revolving Ball of Marion Cemetery, this real life unsolved mystery has lured the curiosities of Ripley's Believe It Or Not and Paul Harvey News & Comment.
Although different scientific and non-scientific theories continue to be tossed around, nobody knows for sure why a giant granite ball weighing more than 5,000 pounds continues to move since being erected in 1896 and despite repeated attempts to glue it or solder it back in place only to see it move again. But move it does at about an inch or two every year.
It is definitely rotating as evidenced by the original unpolished resting spot of the giant ball that now resembles a super-sized olive because of the discolored circle marking its original resting place. Equally weird is that there are no scratch marks evidenced by the movement.
Marion Cemetery is located at 620 Delaware Avenue in Marion, Ohio. The mysterious marker is the resting place of the Charles B. Merchant family. You can't miss it. It has a bunch of mini granite balls positioned around it on the ground.
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DOOLITTLE RAIDERS REUNION
On April 18, 1942, 80 men achieved the unimaginable when they took off from an aircraft carrier on a top secret mission to bomb Japan. These men, led by Lt. Col. James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle, came to be known as the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders.
Known as the Doolittle Raid, the United States was desperate to lift moral after the attack on Pearl Harbor and also show Japan it was vulnerable. The mission called for striking the Japanese home island of Honshu. A total of sixteen B-25B Mitchell bombers were launched from the USS Hornet well within enemy controlled waters in the Pacific Ocean. Every aircraft was lost in the mission and 11 men captured or killed but the entire crews of 13 of the aircraft and all but one of the 14th eventually returned to safety. Deemed a success in boosting the morale of Allied Forces and causing Japan to retreat a carrier group to help protect their homeland, Doolittle’s Raiders are still celebrated today.
Other free events include the museum’s Family Day programs
featuring the Doolittle Tokyo Raid, and the film “Thirty Seconds Over
Tokyo,” which will be shown in the museum’s Carney Auditorium on April 17.
In addition, the public will also be invited to purchase tickets to
attend a dinner with the Raiders on April 16. Seating is limited and
additional information on how to purchase tickets will be released soon.
The public opportunity to interact with the Doolittle Raiders will
be only at one of the three autograph sessions, April 16-18. There is a
limit of one item per person at each session.
As a special tribute to the Raiders during the reunion, the
Doolittle Tokyo Raiders Association, Inc. is hoping to secure enough
sponsorship funding to fly in and land 25 B-25 Mitchell bombers on the
runway behind the museum. If their efforts are successful, this aviation
event would be the largest gathering of B-25s since World War II. To
date, 12 B-25 bombers have agreed to participate.
Those interested in helping to make this
flight of B-25 bombers possible should contact Tom Casey with the
Doolittle Tokyo Raiders Association, Inc. at (941) 921-7361 or by email
at:
tomcat911@comcast.net.
(Federal endorsement is not implied.)
The National
Museum of the United States Air Force is located on Springfield Street,
six miles northeast of downtown Dayton. It is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven
days a week (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day). Admission
and parking are free.
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By Christine Bryant
Walking into the Titanic exhibit at the Center of Science and Industry (COSI), visitors will take a step back into time when history’s most talked about ocean liner met its demise.
“Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition” will make its second voyage to the Columbus museum March 27 through September 6, 2010 and will feature more than 300 artifacts recovered two miles deep in the Atlantic Ocean, where the Titanic sank after striking an iceberg in 1912.
In 2005, the exhibit drew more than 226,000 visitors to COSI, an attendance record at the museum. Organizers expect another large turnout this year, especially since the exhibit will feature more than 300 artifacts – nearly 100 of them new to COSI and 23 of them making their world debut.
“What makes this exhibit so special is that the moment you enter, you feel like you’re on the ship,” said Kelli Gaza Nowinsky, public relations and social media manager for the museum. “You definitely do not feel in any sort of way you are in a science museum or an exhibit.”
Upon entering, each exhibit visitor will receive a replica boarding pass of an actual Titanic passenger. The goal, Nowinsky says, is for visitors to experience what it was like to be a passenger on the Titanic by taking on the persona of a passenger and walking through replications of the grand staircase, a café and first and third class cabins.
Other highlights include a 3,000-pound section of the ship’s hull, a gallery devoted to Ohio connections to the Titanic and artifacts that include a gentleman’s top hat and china etched with the logo of the White Star Line.
“Throughout your journey in the exhibition, you’re truly transported to a time when you are on the ship,” Nowinksy said.
Visitors will learn the life of the ship, from its construction to life on board, the sinking and artifact rescue efforts. They also will have an opportunity to press their palms against an iceberg reflecting the temperature of the water the night the ocean liner sank.
“It’s amazing to touch this iceberg wall and see how cold it is,” Nowinsky said. “Many have to pull their hands away because it’s so cold.”
The exhibit is managed by Premier Exhibitions, whose subsidiary, RMS Titanic, has recovered more than 5,500 artifacts from the Titanic wreckage since 1987.
“We’re having serious conversations about going back to the wreck site in the near future,” said Cheryl Mure, vice president of education with Premier Exhibitions.
The traveling exhibit, she says, has drawn more than 22 million people worldwide since it first began touring the world 14 years ago.
“It’s very exciting what we’re putting together for COSI this spring,” Mure said.
One of the artifacts that will make its world debut is a bridge wall telephone.
“It’s amazing to be able to think about the calls that were made from that bridge on the night of the sinking,” Mure said.
Other new objects include postcards with writing still visible on the backs and a Gimbal lamp.
“It’s a silver lamp and it was for passengers who wanted to read in bed,” Nowinsky said. “They would hook the lamp into the wall, and this particular lamp was brought up from the wreck site in 1987. It’s never been seen by the public before now.”
At the end of the exhibit, visitors will learn the fate of the passengers that appeared on the boarding passes they received when they first entered.
“You’re able to sit there and see if you lived or died that night,” Nowinsky said. “You take on that persona of the passenger you were. It’s not until the end when you find out whether you lived or died. It’s a very powerful exhibition – probably the most powerful exhibition we’ve ever brought in.”
“Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition” runs March 27 through September 6, 2010. The exhibit is open during regular COSI hours, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Tickets, which include admission to COSI and the exhibit, are $23.75 for ages 13 to 59, $21.75 for seniors 60 and older, $16.75 for youth ages 2 to 12, $8 for adult COSI members and $7 for youth COSI members.
For more information, call 1-888-819-2674 or go to www.cosi.org.
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BIZARRO OHIO
Let's go beyond the comfort of the chair you’re sitting on reading these words. Instead of providing you an interesting story, we hope you take it upon yourself to go on a little adventure and discover the story yourself. Let’s start with a couple of questions and if you’d like to meet us and learn more about our stories, we’ll be waiting.
Who Are We? One of us used to be the richest man on Earth, the second busted Al Capone for tax evasion, and the third was assassinated while President of the United States.
Where are we? Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio. For Geocachers, coordinates are:
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N: 41° 30.673
W: 081° 35.474
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N: 41° 30.834
W: 081° 35.571
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N: 41° 30.604
W: 081° 35.486
What you will find: A cemetery that doubles as an arboretum and outdoor museum. Tours are often scheduled, including architecture, trolley, and geology. It is also a destination for horticulturalists. Many legendary personalities are laid to rest here alongside everyday persons of all walks of life. Cassettes and CDs are available at the office for self-guided tours.
Nearby Attractions: Cleveland Botanical Garden, Cleveland Museum of Art, and Western Reserve Historical Society. For a good meal and shopping, head just outside the cemetery down Mayfield Road (Murray Hill) into the heart of Little Italy. Many shops and restaurants await. Make sure you don't leave without Canoli from one of the bakeries.
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Understanding many people don't have the discretionary income they may have had as little as a year ago, OhioTraveler.com's focus is on admission-FREE tourism. Most sections of OhioTraveler.com feature places with FREE ADMISSION at the very top of menu options. Find your free fun now:
Videos
Festivals & Events
Tours and Demonstrations
Museums and Halls of Fame
Planes, Trains, Autos & Maritime Museums
Art Museums
Historic Homes, Villages & Farms
Historic Sites, Museums and Landmarks
Botanical Gardens
Ohio State Parks
Great Indoor & Outdoor Adventures
In addition to featuring freebies and places worth the price of admission, OhioTraveler.com seeks the more interesting and unique in Ohio tourism. Instead of endless listings of events, lodging, restaurants and stores, we veer away from mainstream and choose the road less traveled. Take a look here.
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MAPLE MADNESS
by Robert Carpenter
You will love Geauga County. It’s a really sweet place—and the people there are pretty nice too. In fact a couple years ago Forbes Magazine rated Geauga County as the fourth best place in the entire United Stated to raise a family.
And there is a special time every year when they go out of their way to treat visitors to that seductive confectionary flavor of Northeast Ohio. If you try it for a weekend, you may want to stay.
They call it March Maple Madness. It’s a charming craze that they refrain from until that exact right time each spring—that period which seems to routinely unbind everyone from the doldrums of winter. It’s a sweetheart of a celebration.
It’s defined by a time when the laws of nature are flouted by water running uphill. Well…OK, physical science recognizes it as cohesion-tension and it’s sap running in the maple trees, but it does go up and it is mostly water.
Hundreds of years ago Indians learned to tap maple trees for the sap, believing it to be a source of energy and nutrition, and they weren’t the only ones. An old logger friend tells of drinking sap straight from the bucket when out in the woods.
“Not too bad when you’re really thirsty,” he says.
The Indians even had crude methods of producing syrup. Of course, the methods were much improved over time, but until about forty years ago, making maple syrup remained mostly a cottage industry. The process was labor intensive and the time came when farmers could no longer afford the manpower to collect and transport the sap by buckets and slowly boil it down.
The latest technology collectively drains sap from a large number of trees through connected plastic hoses known as “tubing systems.” The draining is often assisted by vacuum, and directed to a central holding tank, or sometimes directly to the “sugar shack” where it is refined. Reverse osmosis removes 75 to 80 percent of the water before the boiling begins, but regardless of modern labor and timesaving techniques, it still takes 40 gallons of sap to produce one gallon of syrup. That’s one law of nature than can’t be finagled.
Part of the Maple Madness Tour is educational and the rest is country fun in the fresh spring air. Various farms provide horse and wagon rides to the “sugar camps” out in the woods. You’ll see state-of-the-art syrup distillation, and also watch the Amish hand-gather buckets and load them onto a horse-drawn sled pulled through the maple groves. This is an experience you will not find elsewhere this time of year—just be sure to bring boots and appropriate outer wear.
Most maple syrup comes from the New England states and Canada, but sap flows anywhere maples grow and Geauga County has an abundance of them. Sugar maples are the most productive, although there are other species of maple trees that produce as well. It is the combination of below-freezing nights and warmer days that induce a good sap flow, so there are variations in harvests, but the usual sugaring season lasts 4 to 6 weeks, and a mature tree will give up about ten gallons of sap.
The sap is a perennial output, but only after the tree is well established. A tree should be 10 inches in diameter, which means it is about 40 years old before tapping. If you’re interested, numerous experts will teach you how to tap your own trees and make your personal brand of syrup in your back yard.
The tours, which are sponsored by the Ohio Maple Producers Association and Geauga OSU Extension are conducted on the weekends of March 13 and 14 and March 20 and 21 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. These are self-driving tours easily tracked on maps provided at county libraries and the Geauga OSU Extension. There are three hub sites: Burton Sugar Camp in Burton, Richard’s Maple Products in Chardon and 4-H Camp Whitewood in Windsor. The maps guide you to different maple syrup-producing farms referred to as “sugar bushes,” where you can spend as much time as you like, and it’s free.
And it’s not just syrup that is formulated. Boiled down further, the sap becomes maple sugar and maple taffy. Intermediate levels of boiling produces maple cream, which is less granular than the sugar, and maple butter, which has a consistency similar to peanut butter. It’s all for the sweet tooth and you can sample everything. It should be noted that the Amish farms do not accept visitors on Sunday, but there are numerous pancake breakfasts held over the weekends in Chardon, Burton and Middlefield. Just look for the signs, and in some cases large tents.
Les Ober, the OSU coordinator for Agriculture and Natural Resources says Ohio maple syrup is a four-million-dollar industry. Ohio maple producers sell their syrup in plastic jugs so it’s easy to identify. The label also states if it is 100 percent pure Ohio syrup.
Geauga County alone produces a quarter of the state’s average 100,000 gallons annually, and this year we’ve certainly had the freezing weather which completes the first part of the equation.
“What we need now,” Ober says, “is sunshine and warm days to get the sap flowing.” He encourages everyone to try the maple cotton candy, maple soda, and maple-coated nuts. His favorite use of the syrup is his easy maple cheesecake recipe: Mix 8 oz. Cool Whip, 8 oz. cream cheese, and ½ cup maple syrup. Beat until it’s smooth and pour into a graham cracker crust.
If that appeals to your sweet tooth, then on your next grocery tour, be sure to look for the little brown jugs with labels designating Ohio maple syrup. Only a sap would believe that all that sweetness comes solely from Vermont.
For more information, go to www.ohiomapleproducers.com or www.geauga.osu.edu, or call OSU Extension at 440-834-4656.
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Whistler:
Influences, Friends
and the Not-So-Friendly
A new exhibition of prints from the Toledo Museum of Art’s collection spotlights the work of iconic American artist James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903).
Although perhaps more popularly known today as a painter, Whistler was a master of the etched line. Whistler: Influences, Friends and the Not-So-Friendly, through May 30, 2010 in the Museum’s Works on Paper Galleries, provides a comparison of the great American artist with his contemporaries as well as a look at what influenced his work.
As a printmaker, Whistler’s name is often linked with Rembrandt’s as the artist who, 200 years later, further explored and refined the beauty of the etched line. The artist spent most of his life in London, and was greatly influenced by that city as well as by Paris. He proved to be an innovative, master craftsman with few peers, then or now.
Tom Loeffler, the Museum’s assistant curator of works on paper, says Whistler himself never drew a distinction between his efforts as a painter and his work as a printmaker.
“His entire life was an involved mixture of art, entertainment, sharp wit, impetuous temper, dandyism, imagined offenses, egoism and self-doubt, calculation and genius,” Loeffler says. “It is hard to present his etchings and lithographs without considering his paintings and complex personality.”
Whistler etched, rather than painted, when his finances were in trouble because he was more successful in selling his etchings, Loeffler notes. “One reason we have his Venice prints is because he needed to raise money and he stayed in Venice longer than he originally intended to work,” Loeffler says.
The skilled craftsman also was “a master of the gentle art of making enemies.” To fully understand Whistler’s work, the viewer must consider the impact of the people–both friends and those he alienated–around him. This new exhibition of approximately 120 works enables us to do just that.
Along with more than 60 prints by Whistler, the Toledo exhibition will feature works by Henri Fantin-Latour (French, 1836-1904), Sir Francis Seymour Haden (British, 1818-1910), Charles Émile Jacque (French, 1813-1894), Alphonse Legros (French, 1837-1911), Charles Meryon (French, 1821-1868) and Joseph Pennell (American, 1860-1926).
The Whistler exhibition is made possible with the support of Museum members and the Ohio Arts Council’s sustainable grant program that encourages economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. Admission to Whistler: Influences, Friends and the Not-So-Friendly and to the Toledo Museum of Art is free.
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Watercolor Workshop: Warm Up with Whistler Saturday, March 21, 2010 from 1–4 p.m. Explore the Museum’s special exhibition Whistler: Influences, Friends and the Not-So-Friendly to learn more about this artist and his works of art. Find out about Whistler’s sharp wit, impetuous temper and artistic genius. In the studio learn to create quick impressions or simple color studies. Includes supplies and a light snack. The workshop, taught by Paul Brand, continues the following Sunday (March 28). Reservations ($80 members/$90 nonmembers) required. Call 419-254-5080 or register online at www.toledomuseum.org.
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Hands-on: Whistler Watercolors (Free) Sunday, April 11, 2010 from 2–4 p.m., Libbey Court. Using the Whistler exhibition for inspiration, decorate a wooden bead with watercolors and add to the Bead Goes On community art project.
Admission to the Toledo Museum of Art is free. The Museum is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.– 6 p.m.; Sunday, Noon-6 p.m.; closed Mondays and major holidays. Friday evening hours are made possible by Fifth Third Bank.
The Museum is located at 2445 Monroe Street at Scottwood Avenue, just west of the downtown business district and one block off I-75 with exit designations posted. For general information, visitors can call 419-255-8000 or 800-644-6862, or visit www.toledomuseum.org.
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