A Taste of Coshocton

What an event! The Kickoff to the United Way Campaign - A Taste Of Coshocton - took place last night at the Lake Park Pavilion. The event, which was a sellout, was an enormous success!

There were 18 local restaurants there to showcase their food and of course the 20 parnter agencies of the United Way were there to help. It was a community event that helps to kick off the theme "Live United" quite well.

The entertainment was provided by the Union Cheerleaders and Miss Jennifers Elite Dance force...and they both did a great job.

For more details about the event (an unbiased story and a photo gallery) check out the Coshocton Tribune!

What a great event...my wife rocks! :)

Tuesdays with Morrie

I am proud to announce that I will be peforming Tuesdays with Morrie at Triple Locks Theater in Coshocton in October. Tuesdays is a two person play. I will play Mitch and Morrie will be played by my Dad. Pretty cool.

Those who have read the book (or seen the TV movie) know its messages about life. And ironically I almost didn't try out because I was too busy. Ultimately though I decided that this was an opportunity to listen to the message in the book. We should not get so busy with life...that we forget to live it.

So I hope you will come and check it out. We will be performing on October 10, 11, 17, 18, 24 and 25. I will get more information out here as we get closer.

Well better get to working on lines!

So it started with one. I was sitting in the living room and noticed a yellow jacket flying around the house. It happens sometimes this time of year...they sneak in. No big deal.

But then I saw another...and another...and another. I was killing them. And they would show again. Then I saw what I thought was a nest...inside the house!

Needless to say I went to get bug killer and continued to be dumbfounded by how this happened. I quickly realized what I saw was not a nest...and then realized they were mostly in the dining room. So we shut the doors and waited to see if they calmed down. They did. And then they would die!

Finally I got in there and sprayed. And as you will see...there are a LOT of dead bees here. Actually these pictures don't even do this justice.






Then Amy and I realized where they were coming in. There is a hole in the ceiling.



I sprayed it down as best I could. But if anyone has a great suggestion (other than call an exterminator) let me know!

Great shots from the parade

As you might have read in an earlier post, the Canal Days Parade was this past weekend...and my gang was a part of it. My office manager, Shanda Huston, was there and got a couple of great shots that she emailed me!

Here is Jade enjoying the event and dancing to the beat!



Skylar is hamming it up! I don't know where she gets it!



And Amy waving to hear fans!



I thoughts these were great. Thanks Shanda!

First Day of School

So we got a note about the first day of school saying there was an initiative asking Fathers to take their children on this day. Obviously the idea being that more involved fathers usually mean more productive children. Good stuff.



This of course is predicated on the idea that fathers are NOT involved. I get up and help the girls get ready on most days...so the first day of school is not really different. So I pointed out that I would gladly get them to their "bus stop" which is technically in front of "my house." I hate going to Lincoln during the craziness that is "drop-off."





So here we are at the first day of school. And I believe every parent I know is saying "Whoohooo!" Then they follow up with, "Hey...where did summer go?" I will say that when I look at these pictures it's hard not to realize my girls are growing up.

Canal Days Parade

A Coshocton County Tradition went on last weekend downtown. The 38th Annual Coshocton County Canal Days parade went marching down Main Street. I was on the stage announcing the floats while some other more brave souls supported their organizations by walking!



Amy and the gang from United Way was well represented...and many agencies joined in as well.

And the local Rotary Club had a nice group as well!



The Canal Days parade is a great event for the community...and the crowd at the event was impressive. Great job to all involved.

Industrious Girls

Many of you know that Skylar and Jade had a business for a while selling "Fluffy Flops." It was a pretty big success...but they grew tired of it for a while (they had money). Most of that money is now gone.



A week or so ago the girls got a call from their Grandma Shryock because she had a lot of tomatoes in the garden. The girls (and their friend Hannah) used this opportunity to go and sell some around the neighborhood. They made a total of $36...$12 for each of them!

Education Commentary

Len Lacara (managing editor of the Coshocton Tribune and Zanesville Times Recorder) had a commentary about education reform in today's paper. He agrees with me...feel free to check out his column.

A Taste Of Coshocton County!

It's nearly time to Kick Off the campaign for the United Way of Coshocton County! For the past several years, this kick off was an event called "A Taste Of Coshocton County." This year's event will be held again at the Lake Park Pavilion on August 28th!



This fantastic community event features over 15 local restaurants sampling their best food...and gives attendees the chance to vote for their favorite! There is local entertainment including Miss Jennifer's Elite Dance force (I might be biased but I think they are great!). And there are 50/50 opportunities, donation stations and the best basket raffle you could ever ask for! These things are awesome!



So make sure you get a ticket to this great event. The cost is only $10 and includes 10 tastes (more than most folks can eat!). Again...it's August 28th at the Lake Park Pavilion.

This year's theme is "Live United." We can all take a lesson from that!

Conversation on Education

Yesterday I was in attendance with many others at the 6th Conversation on Education with Governor Ted Strickland. I was honored to have been one of those "invited" and was glad to hear the discussion about this important topic in our State.

If you want to see the "conversation" online, you can check it out by clicking here.

It was an interesting afternoon despite a real philosophical problem I have with the process. You see, the session started out by telling us that we were not there to discuss funding. Rather, we needed to discuss ideas here...and the funding discussion would come later.

Okay...

See the problem with that is it is impossible to really discuss education reform in Ohio without discussing funding. You see, the education our children gets has not been deemed unconstitutional...the way we fund it has! And with 34 levies on the ballot in Ohio during the last election (most of those failed)you can make the case our schools are in financial crisis. So right away, I (and I think many others in the room) was frustrated.

That being said, there were some interesting ideas thrown out. Here are just a couple:

1) Having a year round school calendar.
2) Doing more interdisciplinary study between classes
3) Develop a personal education plan for every student...

...and many more.

So there were some really interesting ideas that were discussed. But unfortunately, many of them will take money. So please feel free to check out the video online. It's a discussion we need to have as a community.

But let's have the whole discussion. The time has truly come!

5K For MDA

There was a 5K race beginning at the courtsquare in Coshocton today. In the effort to keep training for the Columbus Half Marathon, I ran it! It was a beautiful morning...and there were quite a few runners.

I ran a personal best 22:45 for the race today and was 2nd in my age group. Was very pleased with that. A big shout out to Shari Lonsberry who also ran. She improved on her last time (huge) and placed as well!

Good stuff!

Vacation in Bejing?

Okay...so the more I hear about these Olympics, the more I think I will not be vacationing in Bejing. Between human rights atrocities, ridiculous pollution, and the lack of any free press (i.e. free speech), it just sounds like a treat. But this is my favorite article yet! Take a look!

You may have heard about this already, but the Beijing Catering Trade Association has ordered "all 112 designated Olympic restaurants" from serving dog for the duration of this month's Games, in deference to Western sensibilities.

And by "serving dog," I do not mean "showing dog to table and taking dog's order." I mean serving dog.

According to an op-ed piece in today's New York Times, it's just as well: Dog is really more of a winter dish anyway:

According to Chinese folk dietetics, which classify every food according to its heating and cooling properties, dog is one of the “hottest” meats around, best eaten in midwinter, when you need warmth and vital energy, not in sultry August.

Kind of gives a whole new meaning to the question "What kind of dog should I get?"

The piece also notes that waiters have been asked to "'patiently' suggest alternative dishes to customers who ask for dog."

For instance:

"Mmmm... We're fresh out of German shepherd. Perhaps some schnitzel instead?"
"Sorry, no English bulldog today. May I suggest steak and kidney pie?"
"There is one change to the menu today: Instead of Chihuahua, we're offering a nice enchilada platter."
"Instead of wiener dog, may I interest you in a wiener?"
Actually, that last one may not translate so well.

What do you say, readers? Eating dog meat: Hot or not? Cultural difference or fundamental no-no? Boiled or grilled?

First Friday

And what would the first of the month be without First Fridays in downtown Coshocton? This event is really becoming a tradition here in the county. Though there was some rain, many folks stuck it out and enjoyed the festivities.



Congrats to the organizers of this event! This is truly a good one. As usual the United Way had a presence there. Amy and her gang were handing out popcorn and water and promoting their TASTE OF COSHOCTON event that is coming up August 28th. (It's a really cool event in town where the restaurants all gather together and you can sample foods from each one. Join us!).




They had kids activities and the Mayor of Coshocton even decided to jump some rope. Great job Steve! Seriously, how cool is our town?

New Haircuts for the Girls

My girls got new haircuts recently and are very excited about the look!



I am generally more of a long hair guy...but I think they look great.