Diverse Styles at Yellow Springs’ Jewelry Showcase

By Emma Jarman

It’s no secret the township of Yellow Springs is off the beaten path for many who live, work and entertain in the City of Dayton. Although it’s only about 20 minutes from downtown proper, many see the trip up 675 to be out of the way and an occasional day trip rather than a routine shopping excursion. This is not a hushed rumor whispered through the fields surrounding the Yellow Springs community; it is an orated fact recognized both by urban and suburban perspective.

In an effort to close the 20-minute gap between Yellow Springs and to attract the potential audience of downtown’s adjacent zip codes, local businesses in Yellow Springs have been making a notable effort to give us one (or many) good reason to sacrifice the $3 in fuel cost and head towards Xenia Avenue.

“[Community events] are very important to Yellow Springs because we recognize that people have to travel out of their way to visit us,” said Mindy Harney, organizer of the upcoming Jeweler’s Showcase in Yellow Springs. “We’re off the beaten path and that’s how this whole idea was created. We have a merchants group that meets once a month and we’re always brainstorming how we can draw people to town with all the amazing things we have here. It adds to the flavor.”

The Yellow Springs Jeweler’s Showcase will be held on the patio of the Corner Cone, located at 101 South Walnut Street in Yellow Springs, Saturday, June 16th. Not only will more than a dozen vendors be set up on the patio at Corner Cone, but a map will be handed out guiding shoppers through Yellow Springs to all the merchants in the area that sell jewelry.

“We wanted to showcase all the amazing jewelry in Yellow Springs,” said Mindy Harney, organizer of the showcase along with Bob Swaney, owner of the Corner Cone.

If you’ve ever been to Yellow Springs before, you may have some idea of the style to expect. If not, I’ll sum it up for you in one word: everything. Eclectic is an understatement when it comes to the variety of style and design you’ll find in Yellow Springs, particularly when it comes to jewelry and accessories. At the showcase, expect to see everything and anything from gold filigree to hammered silver pieces; braided hemp jewelry to wire wrapped bangles with precious stones and gems; gauged earrings made of bone to bejeweled body jewelry.

“Some of the stuff’s really fun and funky, then there’s also some really nice, elegant stuff, too,” said Harney.

Most, if not all of the designers will be on hand to answer questions about their items and explain their technique and process. You may even catch a glimpse of an artist or two creating pieces as you shop. Don’t be surprised to see demonstrations or hands-on activities; it’s all part of the experience.

“Jamie Seed from Sugar Magnolia will be at her own table. Gail Sampson from Gail Creates wire wrap jewelry will be there,” noted Harney. “You never know, I could see that (jewelry making) happen.”

A good portion of the vendors on the patio at the Corner Cone for the Jeweler’s Showcase are independent artists and designers. In fact, there will be only one store represented on the patio in Ohio Silver. Rhonda Newsome, owner of Ecomental, will also have a jewelry stand on the patio as she is an artist with an outside jewelry business. All of the vendors are local and most call Yellow Springs home. All of the stores on the walking tour jewelry map have been encouraged to offer discounts and special pricing for jewelry during the hours of the showcase. About a dozen stores are labeled on the map to participate in the Yellow Springs Jewelry Showcase walking tour.

While this is the first time Yellow Springs has hosted a celebration of local jewelry makers and designers, it is certainly not the first time the township has celebrated its artists and their works. If anything, Yellow Springs is an artist colony and has long celebrated its unique individuality as an oasis of creativity. In Dayton, an area most known for its technical innovation, Yellow Springs has laid solid roots as a splash of pastel color across the steel landscape of the birthplace of aviation. The daisy planted in the bayonet, Yellow Springs is a worthwhile destination and the Yellow Springs Jeweler’s Showcase is a fantastic introduction into all the creative genius things its community has to offer.

For more information on the Yellow Springs Jewelry Showcase or to apply to be a vendor visit www.cornercone.com or Email Bob Swaney at swaneybob@gmail.com.

Reach DCP freelance writer Emma Jarman at EmmaJarman@DaytonCityPaper.com

Local Artists Thank The Community With Fiery Performance

By Lara Donnelly

Flames rise up in the dusk, illuminating painted faces and elaborate costumes. The thump of dance music beats beneath the mesmerizing flicker of fire. The Yellow Springs performance group, Soul Fire Tribe, will illuminate downtown this Friday with another one of their incendiary shows.

Soul Fire Tribe has been performing at Third Friday Flings for years, but this is a special gig. Several members of the group have just returned from Kinetic Fire, a gathering of Midwestern fire performers in College Corner, Ohio. They spent four days learning new skills, workshopping new moves and routines and sharing experiences with fire flingers from across the region.

Their fans in Yellow Springs helped them get there. Kinetic Fire sponsored a contest for anyone interested in attending. Fans awarded two free tickets to the workshop for the YouTube video performance with the most hits, and Soul Fire Tribe won by a landslide thanks in part to their devoted local fans.

“It was such an affirmation that people love and support us, and we are extremely grateful to our fans,” says Astrea Taylor, founder of Soul Fire Tribe. Taylor is a Wright State student and Daytonian who commutes to Yellow Springs for fire practice.

Friday’s show will be an outpouring of the Tribe’s gratitude. They plan to bring all the new and exciting material from Kinetic Fire straight to their hometown.

“I have been watching some of the [Kinetic Fire] instructors for years on the Internet and they are my personal heroes,” says Taylor.

Taylor is a self-taught artist celebrating ten years of fire this summer. She toured the country for several years with the performance group Illuminations before she returned to the Dayton area and began teaching other people how to dance with poi, a Polynesian fire tool consisting of Kevlar knots or braid on the end of a chain. The Kevlar is soaked in lantern fuel and ignited and the dancer whirls the chains, creating spinning trails of fire.

Taylor’s weekly lessons morphed into a full-fledged troupe when Dayton’s Aids Resource Center (ARC) approached her about performing at the ARC’s annual Masquerage benefit.

“We voted on a name and performed at no charge, and had a great time,” says Taylor. “We kept performing after that because we had developed friendships and it was really fun.”

These days, Soul Fire Tribe travels to gigs throughout the region, including fundraising galas for the Dayton Opera, music festivals like Werkout and even a Derby party in Louisville, Ky. There are seven members: two moms, one teenager and four college students.

“Everyone brings a different style to the group because we come from different dance and theatrical backgrounds,” says Taylor.

Besides her highly-deserved title of “fire boss,” Taylor is an inventor and tinkerer, creating new fire toys, like a flaming parasol and a set of sparkling fire crowns for the group’s opening act. Lara Bauer, another founding member of Soul Fire Tribe, is a master of the fire hula hoop. Andrea Hutson is an energetic performer with fans, hoop and staff, and she isn’t afraid to get up close and personal with the audience.

Makeup artist Kristl Mapes makes sure everyone looks their best before she lights up and Savannah Amos is a gifted dancer who brings her natural grace to fire performance.

Tony Powers is an accomplished poi artist who spun for years on his own before joining Soul Fire Tribe. He is utterly fearless and brings the flames hair-raisingly close to his skin.

Whenever Soul Fire Tribe sets up, they festoon their dressing room or prep station with gas cans, paint buckets and oddly shaped tools and toys constructed from wires, metal rods and knots of Kevlar fabric. It doesn’t look particularly elegant at first, but once the sun goes down and the candles are lit, magic starts to happen.

“We call ourselves Soul Fire Tribe because we believe that a person’s soul is evident when they are fire dancing,” says Taylor. She compared fire dancing to meditation. “Some people say it’s like an out-of-body experience. We strive for our performances to be gifts of soulfulness and unconditional love to our audiences.”

(If you want to feel the love, or just feel the heat, Soul Fire Tribe will perform at dusk on Friday, May 18 in the courtyard outside Sam and Eddie’s Open Books and Asanda Imports. For more information on Soul Fire Tribe, and to see the contest-winning video, like their Facebook page or visit their website at http:www.soulfiretribe.com.)

Reach DCP freelance writer Lara Donnelly at LaraDonnelly@daytoncitypaper.com.

Street Fair Returns to Yellow Springs

By Kate Eviston

It is no mystery that Yellow Springs, a village consisting of 1.9 square miles and a population of around 4,000, packs a mean punch when it comes to attractions. The beautiful neighboring landscape of Glen Helen Nature Preserve, rich in iron-ore, which leaves a yellow tint on its rocks, has a natural spring rumored to contain curing agents in their purest form. That’s how Yellow Springs got its name back in the early-mid 19th century. Since then, people gather in Yellow Springs for many more reasons than the breathtaking views of Glen Helen, nearby John Bryan State Park or Clifton Gorge. One of those many reasons is an upcoming event known as Street Fair.

“Street Fair is more than a show, it is an experience,” states Holly Simpson of the Yellow Springs Chamber of Commerce, and organizer of the notoriously eclectic mix of food, live music, countless performers and a multitude of vendors. The event captures the hearts of many people, local and otherwise, because it provides visitors with an entire day of visual entertainment and artful aesthetics. If a wild variety of international cuisine coupled with an assortment of live performances offers any notion of a creative way to spend a Saturday, you’ll want to take note and plan accordingly, as this event is quickly approaching. Taking place twice annually, 2012’s Street Fair is set for June 9th and October 13th. Both are Saturdays from 9a.m. to 5p.m.

Dubbed Ohio Magazine’s “Best place to people watch,” Street Fair will spotlight various forms of visual, fine and performing art including handmade pottery, screen-printing, photography and sculpture, among other media. There will be two music stages: the Jackson Lytle & Lewis Stage, which will feature the Egyptian Breeze Belly Dancers who perform at noon and 2p.m. The other stage is located within the Music Festival & Beer Garden and will have a lineup from noon to 7p.m. In addition to the live music and dancing, a variety of street performers will also be roaming the Street Fair. Visiting Yellow Springs is a reason in and of itself to go, but to bear witness to the eclectic mix of entertainment is a good cause to clear your calendar.

“We strive for a good blend of as many unique vendors that we can find, with a mix of new and returning vendors,” says Simpson, who describes the organization process as a 200+ piece puzzle and admits that mapping out the event renders its challenges. Her gratitude lies with the merchants, street crews, local fire and police, schools and volunteers, who all lend their support to ensure Street Fair’s success.

For the active participant, the event even includes a 5K which will begin at 9 a.m. The cost is $25, and when you pre-register you are guaranteed an official Street Fair 5K t-shirt.  Same day registration is permitted but allows no such guarantee for the tee.  The race will begin at Antioch Theatre and continue through the streets of Yellow Springs toward Ellis Pond, where it will then loop back around and end on the bike path near the starting point. Door prizes and refreshments will be available after the race.  Also included in the event is a “Kids Fun Run,” beginning at 8:45a.m., which allows children to participate at the same start/finish point of the 5k at a distance of only 1/2 mile (or less if desired). The pre-registration deadline for the 5k is Tuesday, June 5 at 9p.m., and all proceeds benefit the Yellow Springs Community Children Center.  If “Speedy” isn’t your middle name don’t be discouraged, because walkers are welcome as well.  Don’t miss out on the chance to get active while helping children.

If you’re looking for unique gifts, outrageous entertainment, funky music, delicious eats or even just a great place to sit and people-watch, be sure to visit Yellow Springs on June 9th and witness the Street Fair experience for yourself.

(Street Fair is a free event and is open to the public. While public parking is available, availability will be limited — don’t fret, free shuttle services will be provided.  Sorry, pets are prohibited with the exception of Service animals. For more information on Street Fair, including the 5K registration form, or if you are interested in becoming a vendor, please visit www.yellowspringsohio.org.) 

Reach DCP editorial intern and freelance writer Kate Eviston at KateEviston@DaytonCityPaper.com

Weekend of Earth Day Events

By Natasha Habib

Earth Day is this Sunday, April 22, but Yellow Springs will be celebrating all weekend with Glen Helen, the Yellow Springs Arts Council and many other artists, organizations and local businesses hosting a variety of events.

“Yellow Springs is such an obvious place to come for Earth Day,” said Lara Bauer of Sister Moon Events, organizers of the calendar of events and Live eARTh Music Festival happening Saturday night. “There are so many really wonderful things happening.”

Friday

Friday from 6 to 9p.m., downtown Yellow Springs’ galleries will be open for an art stroll. The Yellow Springs Arts Council will be hosting both a Disco Dance Party and the “Yellow Springs Photographic Survey” exhibit at their location on 111 Corry St., the Springs Gallery at 220 Xenia Ave. has an opening reception for Cincinnati potter Jason Parsley, and the John Bryan Community Pottery Gallery will be featuring works by local ceramic educators at 100 Dayton St.

Saturday

Most of the Earth Day action will be happening Saturday, with a combination of nature and art events.

Make your own kite at the First Presbyterian Church on 314 Xenia Ave. from 10a.m. to noon and watch it soar in the air in honor of those who fight to breathe due to cystic fibrosis. Donations will go toward the Great Strides Walk for Cystic Fibrosis happening May 20.

Glen Helen has six events lined up for Saturday, starting at 9 a.m.

“The Glen Helen Ecology Institute exists to advance environmental education in the region,” said Brooke Bryan, project manager at Glen Helen. “For us, every day is Earth Day, but we are pulling together the best programming that we know how to give and inviting people out for the weekend.”

See fluffy little chicks in the Trailside Museum and participate in hands-on programs and demonstrations during the Earth Day Green Fair in the Outdoor Education Center. For the athletes out there, the Glen is hosting both a Kids FunRun and an Earth Day 5K.

“We hope that it’s a way that people can have a lot of fun and be fit and enjoy Earth Day while supporting a pretty dynamic nature preserve,” said Bryan, noting that they are a private nonprofit that relies on the support of individuals.

The Yellow Springs Youth Yoga Project will lead a warm-up stretch at 9:30a.m. for ages 3 to 7 before their quarter-mile run which starts promptly at 10a.m. Finishers will receive a native sapling to plant at home. Pre-registration and a release are required, which can be completed at glenhelen.org. Donations are also accepted online.

Adults can run or walk the 5K, which takes place on the trails. Stretching will begin at 10:30a.m. with Yoga Springs Studio, and the race gun will go off at 11. An awards ceremony, chili and cookies wait at the finish line, and all runners who pre-register online will receive a T-shirt. Register at glenhelen.org. Prices are $30 for adults and $10 for youth under the age of 16. There will be no parking at the State Route 343 entrance unless you have a handicap accessibility placard, so park at Yellow Springs High School where a shuttle service will be running to the Outdoor Education Center from 7a.m. until 2p.m.

If you want to get your hands dirty and make a difference, RSVP to bbryan@glenhelen.org for the Earth Day South Glen Restoration Project happening from noon till 2p.m., where you can help remove invasive species. Or, take the Antioch Farm Tour from 3 to 4p.m. and stick around for Volunteer Hour directly after.

Finish the evening at the Glen Helen Building, 405 Corry St., with the Yellow Springs Live eARTh Music Festival from 5p.m. till midnight.

“Whether it’s music, or visual, or dance, we express our relationship with the earth in so many different ways,” said Bauer.

Local bands performing include The Show, Will C. & F.A.M.I.LY., Grover and Soul Rebels. In addition to various artists and vendors, fire-eating and dancing group Soul Fire Tribe will also be performing at 10p.m. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door, or now at the Spirited Goat Coffee House at 118 Dayton St. Kids 12 and under are free, but donations are being accepted toward Glen Helen’s Summer Ecocamp. For more information, visit ysearthdaymusicfest.weebly.com.

Sunday

What would Earth Day be without trees? The Yellow Springs Tree Committee will be giving out free dogwood saplings both Saturday and Sunday at 1p.m. at The Corner Cone’s grand re-opening on the corner of Dayton and Walnut streets.

At Glen Helen, join Daniel Pearson for a Wildflower ID Hike from 1 to 3p.m. at the Trailside Museum or visit the Raptor Center at 2p.m. and tour the rehabilitation center.

“We take in 150 to 200 birds a year and we release more than half of them back into the wild,” said Bryan. Fifteen raptor species will be displayed, including a bald eagle named Solo who lost a wing after flying into a power line years ago. There may also be a hawk release at 2p.m.

For a full list of events, visit www.yellow-springs-experience.org. For more detailed information on Glen Helen’s events as well as parking and trail maps, visit glenhelen.org.

Reach DCP freelance writer Natasha Habib at NatashaHabib@DaytonCityPaper.com

The Springs Motel Goes Solar

By Megan Garrison

Anyone who has ever been to Yellow Springs, Ohio knows the little town for its environmentally friendly mindset, which is why it’s no surprise that the Springs Motel took the first step in solar panel technology.

Eric Clark, owner and operator of the Springs Motel for 10 years, recently added 20 solar panels to the roof of the quaint motel. The 20 solar panels provide the motel with about 4.7 Kilowatts (kW) of power a day. Clark pursued solar panels in the hopes of lowering the cost of running the motel while also limiting the motel’s carbon footprint. By June 22, Clark expects to be producing close to 5,000 watts.

“The ultimate goal for me out here was to put in several types of alternative energy so I could get as close to zero on my utilities as possible,” said Clark. “So solar panels were the first step, since I have an ideal flat roof.”

On a grand scale, one kW of power generated from solar panels prevents 150 lbs. of coal from being mined, 300 lbs. of CO2 from being emitted and 105 gallons of water from being consumed. The average solar cell efficiency is between 12 to 15 percent. The initial investment, however, is expensive. The rate of solar panel instillation can be anywhere from 2,000 to 3,000 dollars. Clark hopes to eventually pay off the loan and begin looking into other sources of energy to run the motel, like wind turbines.

“I have all the land down to the intersection, which means I have the potential to add two or three wind turbines,” said Clark. “I hate to speculate because technology is going to change in just a year, but if I were to put three turbines in, I could make about 50,000 watts of power on a decent, breezy day.”

Clark isn’t just interested in the solar panels and wind turbines to save money; the technology has become a sort of hobby for him over the seven years that he’s been researching the subject. Five years earlier he had looked into the solar panels and the price was just too high, but this didn’t dissuade him in his pursuit.

“I look at the tops of houses and, you know, I just wonder what it would be like to put solar panels on every rooftop … how much energy could we save?” asks Clark.

In the meantime, Clark found other, inexpensive ways to use less energy. He hangs the sheets and towels used by guests and the staff on a line to dry instead of using the electric dryer, as well as minimizing the amount of electronics in the rooms, like microwaves and coffee makers. Unfortunately, Clark is at the disposal of his guests when it comes to energy consumption.

“I can install all the technology I want, but it comes down to the habits of the people staying here,” said Clark. “It’s really strange what we do as people … you’d think they wouldn’t turn on the air conditioning and heat at the same time, but almost every time someone checks out we’ll go in to clean the room and find both of them on at full blast. And they always plug in the fridge, whether they ever actually use it or not.”

Maybe solar panels won’t solve all of Clark’s energy problems, but they are definitely a step in the right direction. Solar array technology isn’t common among small business and home owners yet, but Clark has begun to lay some groundwork for the possibilities. Although he seems a little let down by the fact that his project is already done.

“I want to add twenty more panels,” said Clark. “When they came to install everything it only took three hours. Five years of planning and research and it was done.”

The solar panels have many attributes that Clark loves, but there just seems to be one major problem with them that Clark seems to laugh at every time he thinks of them.

“They don’t do anything exciting,” he said. “I mean, with wind turbines you can watch them rotate and that’s pretty neat, but solar panels just sit there. Everything cool that they do is internal.”

Despite the fact that Clark’s solar panels “just sit there,” or perhaps because that’s in fact exactly what they do, they get the job done.  And even if they don’t spin around or do fun things to watch, they still look pretty cool.

In the end however, it’s much less about the aesthetics than it is about the practical benefits of having solar panels.  No matter what your inner artist might think of the futuristic black and white grid-like patters of the tops of these panels, they’re working day (and night?) to help save our resources and minimize environmental damage.

Reach DCP freelance writer Megan Garrison at MeganGarrison@daytoncitypaper.com.

Yellow Springs Arts Council Presents its Permanent Collection

By Emma Jarman

Yellow Springs is perhaps the closest thing the Miami Valley has to a utopian artists’ colony. Its thriving arts scene draws people from across the region to experience the folky vibe and organic nature of the eclectic collection of restaurants, bookstores and boutiques lining the pedestrian-friendly roads. But behind the pomp and circumstance of the funny little pizza place, Friday night, at the end of the road, or the royal row of shops hidden behind the straightaway, floating on cobblestone and creativity, lives a collection of people — real people — that have lived and died by what they can and have created.

The John Bryan Community Gallery, located on the second floor of the John Bryan Community Center in Yellow Springs, will host the Yellow Springs Arts Council’s presentation of their Permanent Collection exhibit through the month of February. The opening reception for this 20th year viewing will be held Friday, February 17 from 5 to 8p.m.  According to their mission statement: “The Arts Council is a community gallery striving to empower member artists, performers and presenters to showcase local works … providing space and support for artists to create artistic experiences.” They support all types of endeavor including dance and music.

The Permanent Collection of the Arts Council is full of unique pieces ranging from photography, watercolor and oil painting to sculpture and fabric art. There are 45 artists that currently contribute to the collection and have donated pieces to the exhibit. The youngest artist, a local 12-year-old girl, made the only piece that was ever purchased to be part of the collection. Other artists are all local and either current or previous residents.

“The collection was started to preserve the legacy of some of the artists in town,” said Yellow Springs Arts Council Gallery Coordinator Nancy Mellon. “It’s an historical collection that we hope will continue for a long, long time. We hope to continue collecting.”

The Permanent Collection is more than a display of local art. It is a testament to the artistic history that Yellow Springs has evolved from and the direction in which it is headed. In order to help visitors understand this delicate tapestry of art and history woven into the collection, local artist Anna Arbor will lead a gallery walk through the exhibit at 7:30p.m. during the opening reception. Anyone interested in getting more interactive with the pieces, including learning their history and relationship to the town, and some of the stories of the artists who created the works should be sure to catch this presentation. Before and after Anna’s gallery tour, viewers will be able to take their own comprehensive tour guided by historical Yellow Springs Arts Council memorabilia.

“During the reception we are going to have pieces up that are memorabilia,” noted Mellon. “Things like flyers from original shows and postcards and pictures from the last 20 years. People will get to see people that they haven’t seen in many years. It’s interesting to see the kind of history the pictures like these bring.”

Special guest musician Ben Hemmendinger will also grace the exhibit’s opening with his unique style of accordion playing. The event press release describes a “unique fusion of Balkan, Irish and ‘60s rock” played on an antiquated instrument with a quirk only Yellow Springs could pull off gracefully.”

The Permanent Collection exhibit opening will be a great place to start a night out in Yellow Springs. Sip wine and nibble cheese while perusing the diverse amalgamation of measure and medium that epitomizes Yellow Springs. There is no theme to the collection aside from the place each artist calls home, and there are no restrictions or limitations on who can attend, who can contribute, who can be a member of the Council or who is permitted to show their support at the opening of the exhibit. If you’ve never been before to Yellow Springs and are considering making the trip, start it at the opening of the Permanent Collection with 170 feet of wall space that, more or less, defines the attitude of the town by its people in its 49 pieces.

“It’s really about the history of the arts in town,” said Mellon.

Unfortunately, the only thing permanent about the Permanent Collection is that the Arts Council keeps it. “It stays as a heritage collection,” said Mellon. There will be no art for sale aside from a few postcards. Going to the opening reception or exhibit during any time of February will not be like going to a gallery to shop. “It’s coming to appreciate the history behind the art of Yellow Springs,” said Mellon.

The Yellow Springs Arts Council Permanent Collection will be on display until the end of February and is available to view during open hours of the John Bryan Community Center: Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Anyone interested in becoming a member of the YSAC should visit www.ysartscouncil.org.

Reach DCP freelance writer Emma Jarman at EmmaJarman@DaytonCityPaper.com.

Seven Local Pubs and Restaurants Participating in Friday’s Party

By Matt Bayman

YELLOW SPRINGS — Fat Tuesday will take place on February 21 this year, but in Yellow Springs, Mardi Gras is coming early.

On Friday, February 17, Yellow Springs will host the Cajun Invasion Pub Crawl — an event that combines the flavors of Cajun cuisine at local restaurants and the nightlife atmosphere of the Big Easy during Mardi Gras at local pubs.

“Yellow Springs isn’t a big enough town to have a big party on a Tuesday night, so I think it’s a great idea to celebrate Mardi Gras on Saturday night. That way, everyone can come out, relax and have a good time on the weekend,” said “Clean” Gene Elohman, a local DJ that I met at Peach’s Bar & Grill, which is one of seven pubs and restaurants taking part in the event on Friday. On Friday night Elohman will be the DJ at Ye Olde Trail Tavern — another participating location — and said he looks forward to contributing to the Mardi Gras theme.

“I love the music of New Orleans and I can’t wait to play some great Cajun music, zydeco, jazz and blues, and I know Cathy, the owner of the pub, will be cooking up something very special for the evening,” he said.

Holly Simpson, Marketing and Events Coordinator for the Yellow Springs Chamber of Commerce, said the Cajun Invasion Pub Crawl is a “celebration of Cajun food and drink” and that there is no set time for the start of the event.

“Visitors can start their evening with dinner at one of the participating restaurants: Peach’s Grill, The Sunrise Café, The Winds Café, Ye Olde Trail Tavern or Chen’s Asian Bistro, or come early to stroll around town and sample the unique culture Yellow Springs has to offer, including 65 shops and attractions,” she said. The party will technically go on until the bars close their doors late in the evening.

Maisie Taibbi, an employee at Emporium Wines, said Friday nights are always fun at the Emporium, and that this Friday should be no different.

“We have a wine tasting every Friday and people always have a wonderful time. Kurt, the owner of the wine store and bar, always picks a great wine and I’m sure he’ll do something French (for the Cajun Invasion) and we always have live music,” she said.  Gary Arnold and Stone Cold Soup will be playing live at the Emporium on Friday.

Steve Edington, owner of The Gulch at 128 Dayton Street, said Yellow Springs’ “old school long bar” will be extending its happy hour pricing on all domestic and import beers on Friday and also hosting a colorful karaoke night.

“You can sing “Blue Bayou” or any of your favorites during karaoke,” he said. Karaoke starts at 9p.m. and runs until 12:30a.m., and there is no cover charge.

Mary Kay Smith, owner of the Winds Café, will transform her traditional gourmet menu in order to serve authentic Cajun favorites for one evening only.
“We will be serving fried oysters with remoulade, chicken and andouille gumbo and a host of Cajun inspired cocktails,” she said.

Simpson said visitors also can stop by Ye Olde Trail Tavern to not only enjoy a beer and DJ Clean Gene spinning tunes (5-10p.m.), but to purchase a limited edition Cajun Invasion Pub Crawl T-shirt, which were screened locally by Basho Apparel.

Simpson said visitors can top off their evening at the Sunrise Café’s Martini and Tapas Lounge (it opens at 9:30 p.m.) or by listening to the music of Ape the Ghost at Peach’s Grill, which starts at 10p.m.

As an added bonus, visitors to the Cajun Invasion Pub Crawl can enter to win gift certificates from participating businesses. Winners will be selected at random on Monday, February 20. Entry forms and a map that leads visitors to each of the participating restaurants and pubs during the Cajun Invasion Pub Crawl can be found at any of the above-mentioned locations.

The Cajun Invasion Pub Crawl is part of the Third Weekend Fling in the Springs celebration that takes place each month. For more information on future Fling in the Springs and other events scheduled in Yellow Springs, visit www.yellowspringsohio.org or call (937) 767-2686.

Reach DCP freelance writer Matt Bayman at MattBayman@DaytonCityPaper.com

Photo: Chad Dean Productions

By Matt Bayman

The Village of Yellow Springs has seen many changes during its more than 185 year history, but the one thing that never changes in the rural community is the willingness of its residents to reinvent themselves.

Most recently, the Village has become a tourist destination that’s attracting visitors from across the United States and beyond, as well as people living throughout the Miami Valley. They come to appreciate, and even participate in, the Village’s vast array of arts and entertainment, to dine at some of the most respected restaurants in the region, to shop at more than 60 specialty stores, to hike and cycle the trails of John Bryan State Park and to stay at some of the most unique bed and breakfasts in Ohio.

When Yellow Springs was founded in 1825, the residents had a completely different outlook for their community and its future. In fact, 100 families, led by spiritual thinker Robert Owen, came to this part of Greene County to create a utopian community. The vision and community failed within two years.

Luckily, within 20 years of being founded, Yellow Springs was connected to the rest of the world by the Little Miami Railroad, and those who stayed behind, which were described by Owen’s son as “a heterogeneous collection of radicals… honest latitudinarians, and lazy theorists, with a sprinkling of unprincipled sharpers thrown in,” were able to attract commerce, people and tourism to the Village.

However, as most residents and local historians will say, it wasn’t until 1853, when Antioch College opened in Yellow Springs that the community began to develop its unique personality and atmosphere.

“Those early settlers didn’t have much of an impact on Yellow Springs at all. It was more Arthur Morgan and Horace Mann (presidents of Antioch College),” said Erik Owen, owner of the Glen House Bed and Breakfast in Yellow Springs. “Antioch College was the reason Yellow Springs existed in the first place.”

Owen said Antioch College helped spawn very successful commercial businesses in Yellow Springs, including the Antioch Book Plate Company, which later purchased the very successful Creative Memories business – known as the “father of the scrapbook movement,” Owen said. Other commercial businesses that thrived because of their connections to the college include: Vernay Laboratories, Morris Bean & Co. and many others.

As commerce developed in Yellow Springs, Antioch College, led by Mann, implemented new strategies in education, including having students receive “narrative evaluations” instead of academic letter grades, and allowing them to blend practical work experience with classroom learning. This led to a wave of creativity, entrepreneurship and artistic diversity in the community that would be the hallmark of the Village.

When Antioch College closed in 2008, it was a culture shock for the community, but just as in the past, residents and business owners realized they had to adapt, which led to more emphasis on making Yellow Springs a tourist-friendly place.

The good news is that Antioch College opened its doors again in 2011 and hopefully will once again be an inspiration for critical thinking, diversity and creativity in the community.

Owen’s bed and breakfast (www.glenhouseinn.com) is just one great example of how visitors to Yellow Springs can experience the creative energy of the Village during a weekend getaway or extended stay.

The Glen House Bed & Breakfast is actually an art gallery with monthly and permanent artist exhibits, as well as a place for lodging.

“It’s an art B&B. If an art gallery had so many beds and good coffee, that’s what we’d be,” Owen joked. “That’s part of the Yellow Springs mystique; there are lots of artists’ galleries and lots of places to see art studios. And, even better, here, you can meet the artists and buy directly from them,” he added.

Owen said it is commonplace for visitors to dine at one of the local restaurants in town and then walk down the street to meet the person who made the pottery that dinner was served on and possibly make a purchase.

“(Yellow Springs) is a little off the beaten path and a quality experience that doesn’t have anything to do with chain stores. Each little shop has its own environment and its own atmosphere. It’s a unique experience and it’s very welcoming,” he said.

“It’s easy to spend a couple of days or more in Yellow Springs,” adds Holly Simpson, Marketing & Events Coordinator for the Yellow Springs Chamber of Commerce. “There’s always something going on and visitors are treated like locals. Just sitting in a local coffee shop for an hour to read the paper is a great people-watching experience. And these same people will actually speak to you and make you feel welcome. There is a real sense of community no matter where you go.”

This winter, the community in Yellow Springs is inviting visitors to break free from the winter doldrums and come to their hometown to spend a relaxing, artistic or romantic weekend, or longer. Even in the cold of winter, Yellow Springs is a warm place to visit and filled with plenty to see and do. In fact, the hard part, will be deciding exactly what to do.

Simpson said that if a visitor were to ask a dozen residents what the ideal itinerary for a winter getaway in Yellow Springs would be, that they’d receive 12 different answers.

“Some people will suggest a stop by the Saturday morning Winter Farmers Market. There’s breakfast at the Emporium or Sunrise Cafe. A hike in Glen Helen (Nature Preserve) and maybe out to the Raptor Center is beautiful any time of year,” she said. “You’ll hear plenty about a trip over to Young’s Jersey Dairy, especially if kids are involved. Then, there’s the Little Art Theatre and the Chamber Music Yellow Springs, which has world class groups five or six times a year on Sunday evenings and is a real treat for chamber music fans. There are lots of live music options every Friday night; at the Emporium, Spirited Goat and Peach’s for sure. On Saturday night, there are not as many options, so that’s the night to take in a movie then hit the Martini Lounge at the Sunrise Cafe. And there is always plenty of shopping and galleries to visit during the day and a walking guide to most of the outdoor art found in the Village.”

A weekend getaway to Yellow Springs, including a stay at a bed and breakfast, can best be planned by visiting two websites, with a starting point being the Chamber of Commerce website at www.yellowspringsohio.org. This website contains a list of shops, restaurants, arts and culture, recreation, farms and food and events.

To explore lodging options located in and around Yellow Springs, the website www.stayyellowsprings.com is a one-stop-shop. (The Glen House Bed & Breakfast is new and is not yet included on this website). Here, you’ll learn about the diverse opportunities available to overnight guests, from Jailhouse Suites (in a building used as the town jail from 1878 until 1929) and Arthur Morgan House in town to the Yellow Springs Country Bed and Breakfast (Federalist home built in 1812) and the restored mill on the banks of the Little Miami River that is now known as the Grinnell Mill Bed and Breakfast. There’s even a hotel that can be rented out all to one person/family, which the owners say is good for family reunions, group retreats and even bridal parties. It’s called The Springs Hotel; it has 20 solar panels that provide power, free continental breakfast, “honor-system snacks” and a total of 12 rooms. During Valentines weekend on Friday, Feb. 10, the hotel will have art, live music and more, and on Saturday, Feb. 11, at precisely 3:27 p.m., everyone at the hotel (couples, families or just people with stuffed animals) will have a “simultaneous kiss.” Learn more at www.thespringsmotel.com.

Other bed and breakfasts are focusing on more elegant and eclectic evenings.

Guests can stay at the Victoria Green Plain Farm Bed & Breakfast, which is actually a log cabin with exclusive use of the entire cabin, including a modern kitchen, two bathrooms and a master bedroom located in a loft, as well as a fireplace with wood, a campfire area outside and year-round horse riding available nearby.

Sarah Wildman, owner of the cottage and also a member of the Economic Development committee for the Village, said a winter weekend getaway in Yellow Springs offers plenty to do, without being too overwhelming.

“It’s small enough to really feel like it’s an intimate getaway,” she said.

Simpson said that once in town, visitors will only need to park their car once and from there, everything is easily within walking distance, including restaurants, shopping and even the trailhead to Glen Helen Nature Preserve, which is located across the street from Antioch College’s main campus, which is an architectural masterpiece in itself.
Yellow Springs is an active community that has less than 3,800 residents, but more than 21,000 Facebook friends. This technical statistic is just another indication that the Village’s popularity and creative nature is here to stay, or, in the words of Owen, “Maybe it’s always been reinventing itself. Maybe it’s always been looking for the new, the potential, the different way of doing things …”

Reach DCP freelance writer Matt Bayman at MattBayman@DaytonCityPaper.com

Get all of your holiday shopping done locally in Yellow Springs

By Lara Donnelly

Shop in Yellow Springs.

Forget Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Maroon Wednesday, or whatever colorful offers of bargains you’ve seen cropping up in “big box” stores and online retailers. This holiday season, Dayton-area residents and visitors have the chance to give gifts from that really stand out beside products from Radio Shack, Game Stop and Toys “R” Us that usually dominate the everyone’s winter shopping list.

Shops in Yellow Springs are getting together with the Yellow Springs Chamber of Commerce to offer some fantastic festive merchandise and a great rewards program for local shoppers. Small merchants can’t compete with the mass marketers, but they certainly offer interesting items, and they’re creating innovative ways to entice shoppers away from midnight openings and blowout sales.

Holly Simpson, marketing and events coordinator for the Chamber of Commerce, says it’s often hard for independents stores like those in Yellow Springs to compete with the deep discounts offered by their larger, chain store competitors. Yellow Springs also struggles because people from the area think of it as a destination for day trips, rather than quick shopping jaunts.

“My biggest goal since I started this job a year and a half ago has been to convince my friends in Dayton that it’s not a world away to come to Yellow Springs,” said Simpson. “How do we change that view?”

To draw shoppers away from the crowded mall and into tiny, vibrant downtown Yellow Springs, the Chamber of Commerce organized several events centered on the theme “Holiday in the Springs.” The festivities will run until the Third Weekend Fling on December 16.

Simpson says that the Holiday in the Springs events focus “on staying local and shopping in local shops,” but some of the events are just pure fun.

Most stores will have seasonal refreshments available to shoppers, as well as decorated windows filled with lights, snow, and funky merchandise.

Serious shoppers are in for an even bigger treat than cookies and cider. For every $10 they spend in participating stores, they will receive a chance in a drawing for one of two gift baskets worth $250 each. These baskets are full of donated items and gift certificates from local businesses.

“Last year we gave away two baskets and I would have killed to have either one,” said Simpson. “Same thing this year.”

After all this reading about the great activities and incentives, readers are probably wondering who the participating merchants are. Here’s the list of the 22 small businesses who are offering unique and beautiful items to fulfill your holiday needs:

In King’s Yard
Asanda Imports, located in King’s Yard, sells handcrafted, imported products. They are popular for their beautiful and affordable jewelry, nifty housewares such as lamps, decorations and adorable children’s clothes (plus many other things!)

Tibet Bazaar can add some international flavor to your holiday shopping. Here, you will find clothing, accessories and ornaments from all around the world.

For a dose of much-needed plant life as winter turns everything brown and gray, shoppers can pop into the Village Greenery in King’s Yard. Find season-appropriate poinsettias and Christmas cacti, as well as unusual foliage like pitcher plants.

Springs Gallery caters to connoisseurs of fine art. Local artists sell their work through this gallery, where you can find masks, paintings and hand-colored silk scarves.

Sam & Eddies Open Books offers hundreds of books on all subjects, as well as kooky cards for everyone on your mailing list. It’s also the perfect place to find last-minute gifts and distinctive stocking stuffers like magnets, calendars, notebooks and knick-knacks.

On Xenia Avenue
Looking to decrease your carbon footprint? Ecomental can supply you with all the necessaries. Rain barrels, waterbottles, and all kinds of organic, earth-friendly goodies fill the shelves of this environmentally conscious store.

Jewelry from Jennifer’s Touch is sure to put a sparkle in somebody’s eye on Christmas (or Hannukah, Kwanzaa or Festivus) morning. Handmade with precious stones and metals, these one-of-a-kind pieces dazzle and delight.

Kismet is a great store for the fashionista on your list. Their clothes and accessories are funky and fun. Dresses, blouses and shoes in many styles fill up the store, and the register is covered in enough sparkly jewelry to please any magpie.

Pangaea is another perfect place to grab stocking stuffers. With adorable oddities like moving paper sculptures, as well as more sophisticated products like perfume and jewelry, you can find everything from gag gifts to something for a special someone.

Ohio Silver will delight those who like to adorn themselves and others. There’s an entire case filled with amber jewelry, as well as claddagh and couples rings, chains of every size and length, and earrings of all descriptions.

Urban Handmade is definitely a place to visit if you know any crafters! Purses constructed from chopsticks and quilt squares, necklaces made from scrabble tiles … it’s like Etsy, but better.

Thirsty after so much shopping? Ye Olde Trail Tavern offers up draft beers and tasty meals in one of the oldest buildings in town.

If mozzarella sticks aren’t your thing, try smoothies at the Main Squeeze. Do you home brew? Check out their beer and wine making supplies.

Need a break? Drop in to Little Art  movie theater to catch a flick.

Bonadies sells beautiful blown and stained glass decorations for the home. Add some sparkle to your house with window crystals or rainbow nightlights.

Music lovers will want to spend hours in Toxic Beauty leafing through vinyl and soaking up the tunes at this funky local record store.

Dark Star Books is a good place to take a quiet break and page through a huge collection of new and used books. Until the end of the year, all new Marvel and DC comics are half off Also, make sure to say hello to Mr. Eko, the resident cat.

No Common Scents, located north of the village on Route 68, retails teas, herbs and spices of all kinds. Here, shoppers can slather their winter-worn hands with decadent shea butter and sniff essential oils perfect for aromatherapy.

On Dayton Street
Design Sleep, on Dayton Street, is the place to find classy and comfortable sofa beds (yes, they do exist), organic and ergonomic mattresses, and the perfect pillows for tummy sleepers, back sleepers and all-over-the-bed sleepers.

Blokheadz is the place to shop for all the Lego lovers you know. Check out the ever-changing Lego street scene in their front window and then pick up some tasty Lego-shaped candy.
Want to be the next Lance Armstrong? Village Cyclery can set you up with everything you need for the Tour de France (or just a jaunt on the bike path). They sell bikes and biking accessories, and repair bikes in need of TLC.

On Corry Street
Would You Could You In A Frame may take its name from Dr. Seuss, but one look around this gallery should be enough to convince you of its sophistication. A good place to find gorgeous art and stylish decorations like blown glass Christmas tree balls.

Village Artisans is an artists’ collective that has been thriving in Yellow Springs for many years. Local artists man the checkout counter and are happy to discuss their creations with customers.

Throughout Holiday in the Springs, merchants will be trying new things and offering special opportunities. Recently, Basho Apparel set up shop in Dino’s Cappucinos and silk-screened special t-shirts. Urban Handmade is running a 37 Days of Christmas sale, with a different item on sale each day. Simpson says interested customers can follow the sale’s progress on the shop’s Facebook page.

Even if you don’t visit every shop on the list, there’s still plenty to do and see. Take it at a relaxed pace and enjoy the festive atmosphere of Holiday in the Springs. Merchants will be glad to see you and not just your wallet.

“I don’t want to go shop at a mall where somebody’s going to bombard me when I walk in the door, then drop me like a hot potato when I don’t buy something right away,” said Simpson. “You come here to buy unique gifts and meet like-minded people.”

Besides getting a chance at one of those outrageously cool gift baskets, each dollar you spend in these stores goes straight into the local economy.

“It’s fascinating for me to spend my money in a shop and know it’s directly benefiting the community,” said Simpson.

It’s a fascination she wants everyone to feel.

“I think it’s appealing to people’s sensibilities,” she said. “It’s the right thing to do to shop locally.”

For more information on shopping locally in Yellow Springs, visit the Yellow Springs Chamber of Commerce website at www.yellowspringsohio.org.

Reach DCP freelance writer Lara Donnelly at LaraDonnelly@DaytonCityPaper.com.

By Emma Jarman

Dark Star Books’ resident feline, Mr. Eko

Nothing about Dark Star Books is ordinary. Not its expansive collection of new and used books and comic books that turn the quaint store into a cavernous library of titles and treasures; not the old store cat, Bart, who was trained specially to be a store cat, knows two games to play with a wad of paper and was named after Bart Simpson after the owner saw the first season of The Simpsons and figured it wouldn’t last more than a few episodes or the new store cat, Mr. Eko, named for the Lost character; not the store’s owner, Mary Alice Wilson.

“An intelligent person, that person’s head needs to be filled with stuff that’s interesting,” said Wilson during our conversation.

If that is true, Mary Alice Wilson is on of the most intelligent people I know, and perusing the shelves of her Dark Star Book store could make anyone a genius. The walls, floor to ceiling, are crammed with titles in genres ranging from mystery and horror (men’s favorites) to paranormal romance (think: ultra-racy vampire sex, popular among female customers). Twenty-foot bookshelves create narrow aisles through which to explore and piles of spillover books splay across the carpeted floors. Mr. Eko sleeps towards the front of the store, on top of the crates of preserved comic books.

Prices are moderate, though this is undoubtedly a collectors store more than a half-price bookstore. Children ages 1 through 14 are allowed one free title under $5 on weekends and it does take some digging to find a good one under that price point. But Wilson and her crew seem to know what they are doing.

“An intelligent gerbil could have made a lot of money selling comic books,” said Wilson, “all it takes is to buy them cheap and sell them for more.” But since its days as a venue to rid her home of her son’s old comic books after he went to college, Dark Star has come a long way.

The Wilsons have always been involved in the comic book trade, it seems. When her son was just a boy, Mary Alice would take him to comic book conventions to set up as a vendor and sell his copies.

“Other people take their kids camping. Well, I took my kid to Detroit,” said Wilson. “[Starting a comic book business] was something we did together.”

Aside from traveling up north with her son, Wilson spent 30 years as a teacher, passing on her reading and coping skills to teenagers struggling to graduate high school.

“You know, they hated to read. Not only were they poor at it, they hated it,” said Wilson. She taught 18-year-olds reading at a fourth grade level to get to college sufficiency. But eventually, she overcame the teaching bug and looked elsewhere for fulfillment. Enter Dark Star Books.

“After a while I kind of forgot which anecdotes I was telling and the last thing I wanted was the ‘They all look alike’ syndrome. But the classes kind of did,” said Wilson. “In 1980 I lucked into somebody and I started [a bookstore]. My goal was to have a store where the people who walked in the door did not hate to read.” She also wanted a small business that would be easy to walk away from, which didn’t work out as well as the first requirement considering the time that she is still putting in to make Dark Star successful.

Dark Star Books is a used book business, for the most part. Anyone is welcome to bring in “no more than two, manageable, medium-sized, Mary Alice-could-pick-them-up-if-she-had-to piles” to try and sell to her shelves. But there is also an online, special ordering aspect to the business. If you are looking for a very specific or rare title, the staff at Dark Star use their “mad computer skills” to dig deep into Amazon and Ebay to find and provide.

“The staff are essential,” said Wilson, “they are absolutely essential. I try to get each staff member to be able to do absolutely everything.”

I saw Frank during my visit, and he was readily available to answer any questions I had, introduce me to Mr. Eko and sell my 2-year-old a sheet of stickers once she got sick of her free weekend book. But he and everyone working there has been there for a long time — also very intelligent people by Wilson’s standards, I imagine. Wilson doesn’t spend as much time in the store as she used to, doing much of her pricing and rare title digging from her home in Springfield. “I’ve got an iMac at home with the screen the size of a refrigerator and it’s much more fun to look at stuff on there than a piece of crap laptop [at the store],” said Wilson. The faith and reliance she has in and on her staff is, absolutely, essential.

Yellow Springs is a special place, from the vegan menu at the café up the street to the magnetic toy store across the way that pulls in all ages from 1 to 100 with their unique and collectible toys and activities. Dark Star Books not only adds to the charm of the creative small town but had a hand in creating it. It’s not the only book store on Xenia Avenue but there’s something about it that makes everyone that walks in a little more interesting.

Stop by to meet Mr. Eko and encourage him with his weight loss, pick up a free book for your kids Saturday, talk to Frank about the best way to navigate the crates of comics and maybe you’ll catch Ms. Mary Alice Wilson nose deep in a piece of crap laptop behind the counter searching for the next title that will make her store that much more extraordinary.

Dark Star Books is located at 237 Xenia Ave. in Yellow Springs. For more information call the store at (937) 767-9400 or visit www.darkstarbookstore.com.

Reach DCP freelance writer Emma Jarman at EmmaJarman@DaytonCityPaper.com.