Category Archives: Local Businesses

Fun Dayton Facts

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Here are a few more interesting facts about Dayton!

  • Of the original purchasers of the land for Dayton, Jonathan Dayton’s name was chosen because it was considered the most pleasing name to grace the township.
  • Dayton’s first hanging took place on a gallows east of the river, where Sinclair Community College is now located. This fact is the basis for the storied hauntings of the campus.
  • Dayton’s flood of 1866 cost the city a quarter of a million dollars and left only the corn crops standing in its wake.
  • Dayton born Daniel Denison Bickham pitched for the Cincinnati Reds in 1886 for one game. He returned to Dayton when his father called him home because he felt baseball was “not a gentlemanly sport.”
  • Charles Bickham, Daniel’s brother, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1904 because he “crossed a fire-swept field, in close range of the enemy and bought a wounded soldier to a place of shelter.“
  • Father to Daniel and Charles Bickham, William Bickham, was Dayton’s leading newspaper editor. After the riot that burned the office of the Dayton Journal, Bickham arrived to revive the paper and return it to financial stability.
  • The Wright brothers built their first glider for about $15.

Olt Brewing Company

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Charles J. Olt, along with his three brothers, Frederick, Edward, and Oscar and their father John incorporated the Olt Brewing Company (later the Olt Brothers Brewing Company) in 1907. Charles served as the president of Olt Brewing Company for many years. Olt Brewing operated from 1907 until 1942, even staying in operation during Prohibition by distilling water and distributing dairy products.
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Sara had her first Author Talk!

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Troy-Miami County Public Library hosted Sara’s first Author Talk last night! We had a great audience who asked so many interesting questions. Thanks so much to every one who came out! If you’d like to purchase Sara’s book, see our Where to Buy page!

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Sara has a few more events scheduled (listed below), but you can also check our Events Calendar for more Author events coming up!

Book Sales & Signing
When:
Friday, August 6th, 6pm-9pm
Where:
Bonnett’s Book Store (in front)
502 East 5th Street
Dayton, OH 45402

Author Talk, Book Sales & Signing
When:
Thursday, September 2nd, 6:30pm – 7:30pm
Where:
Winters-Bellbrook Community Library
57 West Franklin Street
Bellbrook, OH 45305

Miscellaneous Dayton Facts

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It’s been a while since we shared some miscellaneous facts about Dayton, so here are a few!

  • The expression “You’re fired” dates back to John Henry Patterson, founder of NCR. Patterson was reported to have terminated an employee by having his desk taken outside and set on fire.
  • The name of the horse in the statue with John H. Patterson in Hills and Dales Park is Spinner.
  • The Ohio accent is the basis of the accent taught to newscasters – The Ohio accent is considered to be so bland that you don’t hear the accent, just the words.
  • The group Stars of Joy was the first local African American gospel group to air on WHIO TV.
  • Possum Run Creek got its name from the great number of possums being caught in the lowlands.
  • John H Patterson urged the city to build a road over the canal, and that’s how Patterson Boulevard got its name.
  • The Thomas Clegg house on the corner of First and Jefferson is Dayton’s oldest continuously occupied home. Downtown used to be a glamorous place for the rich to live in young Dayton, but the 1913 flood and increasing noise of streetcars and traffic made downtown living less appealing. The house was renovated in the early 2000s for condo use.
  • The Wright Brothers purchased Spruce from Requarth Lumber in Downtown Dayton for the second and third Wright flyers.

Murder & Mayhem in Dayton and the Miami Valley is Out!

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Sara’s book has been released by The History Press!wp-1624473617276.jpg

You can purchase from Sara directly at one of the upcoming author events (we’ll update you), or get the book at the following links:

Upcoming Festivals 2021

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Summer is here and life is slowly returning to normal. With this in mind, here are the statuses of some of the nearby festivals coming this summer:

On for Festivities:

    • Dayton Pride Parade & Festival – Friday, June 4th and Saturday, June 5th in Downtown Dayton
    • Jewish Cultural Festival – Temple Israel with be hosting on June 11th as a drive-thru event
    • Lebanon Country Music Festival – Friday June 11th and Saturday June 12th on Main Street in Lebanon
    • Celtic Festival Ohio – June 19th, 11am-11pm at Renaissance Fairgrounds in Waynesville
    • Waynesville Street Faire – June 19th, July 17th, August 14th, and September 11th, Main Street in Waynesville
    • Lights in Flight Festival and Fireworks Show – July 4th, 5-10 pm at Riverscape

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A World A’Fair 2021 is Postponed

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After the 2020 A World A’Fair was postponed, and then cancelled, we were so disappointed. Unfortunately, it seems like that may be the case again. Originally scheduled for Friday May 21st through Sunday May 23rd, the festival has once again been postponed, and will potentially be rescheduled for the fall.

Please enjoy some pictures from past years of A World A’Fair.

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Carmen’s Deli – Support Local Business

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Carmen’s Deli, located in Stratacache (Kettering) Tower is a place close to our hearts, as it was the location of our Sara’s first date with her husband. They have been hit pretty hard by Covid and the loss of approximately 5,200 people for the lunch crowd.Check out this video by Dan Edwards.

This Day in History – November 6th, 1967

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Phil Donahue’s talk show premiered November 6, 1967 on WLWD-TV in Dayton. The first guest to appear on the show was atheist Madalyn Murray O’Hair.

Considered to be a pioneer of the genre, Donahue’s show included controversial topics and had audience involved in the story, interacting with the host and guest and often asking questions.

Born and raised in Cleveland, Donahue moved to Dayton to host a phone-in radio show called Conversation Piece. This show aired from 1963 until the start of his show in 1967.

The Phil Donahue Show was later syndicated and went on to be the most watched syndicated talk show in 1980. The show won twenty Emmy awards and was inducted into the national Television Hall of Fame. The show ran in syndicate for twenty-six years, finally dipping in rates when other talk shows chose more inflammatory topics, while Donahue strayed away from the shock tactics. When the show ultimately went off the air in 1996, it had aired nearly 7,000 episodes in total.