Most Reverend Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr Speaks

By Tim Walker

Women’s rights and the concept of a woman’s reproductive freedom — rights and freedoms that many take for granted at this point — have suddenly become hot-button issues in the 2012 Presidential election campaigns. Statements and misstatements by various candidates and political pundits on both sides of the issues have spurred debate and created a welcome national dialogue on the subject.

President Barack Obama found himself engulfed in a firestorm of controversy on January 20 of this year, when his administration issued a statement requiring “most health insurance plans to cover preventive services for women including recommended contraceptive services without charging a co-pay, co-insurance or a deductible.” The order continued: “Nonprofit employers who, based on religious beliefs, do not currently provide contraceptive coverage in their insurance plan, will be provided an additional year, until August 1, 2013, to comply with the new law.”

The statement drew a strong outcry from the public. Ten days later, the Archbishop of Cincinnati, the Most Reverend Dennis M. Schnurr, made national headlines when, in conjunction with two other Catholic bishops, he released a statement that his diocese would not comply with the mandate. “People of faith,” the statement read in part, “cannot be made second-class citizens.”

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati covers the Southwestern portion of Ohio, including Dayton and Springfield, and is made up of approximately 500,000 Catholics in 230 parishes and 19 counties. The Most Reverend Dennis M. Schnurr has been Archbishop of the Archdiocese since December 21, 2009, when he succeeded Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk upon the latter’s retirement. Prior to coming to Cincinnati, Archbishop Schnurr was appointed the eighth Bishop of Duluth by Pope John Paul II. He took as his Episcopal motto, Quaerite Faciem Domini, or “Seek the Face of the Lord.”

The Most Reverend Archbishop Schnurr was kind enough to answer a few questions recently, via email, for the Dayton City Paper. Here are his responses:

You’ve been actively involved in a variety of ways with various communities in the Archdiocese. What have been some of the most memorable experiences so far?

Since arriving in the Archdiocese a little more than three years ago, I have made it a point to visit our parishes and schools for various events and celebrations. I do this because it is important for me to get to know the Archdiocese and for the people of the Archdiocese to get to know me better.

There are so many experiences that I have enjoyed. The one celebration that takes me to most parishes is the Sacrament of Confirmation. On these occasions, I get to meet and talk with our young people about their journey of faith, I see families coming together to encourage their children and siblings to continue to grow in their faith and I witness parishes joyfully celebrating as a community of faith.

Throughout the Archdiocese, I have participated in youth rallies, parish and school anniversary celebrations, vocation programs, rosary rallies, right-to-life events, pastoral council meetings, priest council meetings, social justice gatherings, etc. All of these are important, and all of these are enjoyable and memorable, because they are the living out of our faith, the celebration of our faith. [Most Reverend Archbishop Schnurr]

The Archdiocese of Cincinnati gets credited with some pretty amazing statistics. Aside from being one of the larger Archdioceses in the country, what qualities do you see in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati that makes it particularly unique?

The Archdiocese of Cincinnati is 38th in terms of population among the 195 dioceses and archdioceses in the United States. So we are in the top fifth in size. We also have the seventh largest Catholic school system in the United States. That shows an amazing commitment of our people to Catholic school education.

What I noticed when I arrived here three years ago is that there is a real Catholic identity and real pride in being Catholic in our Archdiocese. For example, in some of our communities, people identify where they live by their parish rather than by their neighborhood. You don’t see that everywhere. [MRAS]

How often do you make it to Dayton, and what are some things you enjoy about the City?

I go to Dayton quite frequently, visiting schools and parishes for all sorts of occasions, such as confirmations, special liturgies, and Archdiocesan meetings and events. I enjoy the beautiful landscape as I drive around by the river and the parks. And, of course, it is always a joy to visit the University of Dayton campus. [MRAS]

What is one of your more memorable experiences from in or around the Dayton area so far?

The rosary rally at the UD Arena the first year that I was in the Archdiocese sticks in my mind. There were thousands of people gathered together in prayer, members of our faith community from throughout the Miami Valley. That was a tremendous witness to the fact that our Church is much more than just the parish, important though that is to Catholic life. [MRAS]

There’s been a lot in the news lately regarding various matters in policy. As a public figure and a representative of the Church, do you feel that President Barack Obama is currently engaged in a “war against religious liberty,” as the Chicago Tribune recently said Catholic Bishops are decrying?

That term has not been used by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops or by me. However, certain policies of the Administration do constitute an unconstitutional infringement on religious liberty. [MRAS]

What is your opinion of the recent decision by the President that would have forced Catholic hospitals and colleges to provide coverage for birth control to their employees?

You have understated the situation. The regulations issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) would force almost all employers, including Catholic institutions and business owners, to pay for employees’ health coverage that includes abortion-inducing drugs, sterilization and contraception, even if they find these services immoral. This is a direct attack on religious liberty. Basically the HHS mandate, even with the so-called “accommodation,” is telling people that, if your faith tells you one thing and the government tells you another, you had better follow the mandate of the government. I have urged people of every faith and no faith to write and tell Congress that this must be changed with the passage of the Right to Freedom of Conscience Act. I’ve also invited people of the Archdiocese to offer up their prayers and fasting this Lent for the intention that these unjust mandates not be implemented. [MRAS]

What is your opinion about the President’s subsequent change to that policy?

The change is purely semantic. The administration’s so-called “accommodation” claims to exempt religious employers by placing the onus of coverage for these services on insurers. But many religious organizations – including the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and its agencies – are self-insured, which apparently means that they would still have to pay for services they find immoral.  Secondly, it is unclear how insurers can be forced to cover these services for “free” while not passing on the cost to the insured.  This would still violate the conscience rights of many employers who do not want to be forced to provide objectionable services for others, such as through their premium payments. [MRAS]

Do you feel that this is/was a labor issue, as opposed to a religious issue? Or perhaps a purely strategic move at a critical time in an election year?

This is unquestionably a religious liberty issue, which makes it a concern for every religious community and anyone who cares about the constitutional rights of American citizens. Speculating on motivations, on the other hand, is not a role for the religious community and I will not do that. [MRAS]

It has been said that, on certain issues, the Obama administration gives too much deference to religious freedom (as opposed to the prevailing opinion that he gives too little). One example would be his policy, which he has allowed to continue unchanged from the Bush administration, that religious organizations that accept federal funding can consider religious affiliation when making employment decisions, a situation that would otherwise be a violation of federal law. Would you care to comment?

We shouldn’t have to give up our First Amendment right to practice our religion when we accept federal funding to help the poor. Be clear about this: That federal funding doesn’t go to the Catholic Church; it goes to help the people we serve – many of whom are not Catholic. We serve them not because they are Catholic but because we are. [MRAS]

Do you believe that, as Republican Presidential candidate Rick Santorum recently claimed, President Obama has “an overt hostility to faith in America”?

I’m not going to comment on any political candidates in this election or any other. [MRAS]

Many organized religions have recently seen a decline in number.  Can you please comment on the pertinent statistics with regard to the Catholic Church? Also, certain segments of the faithful in the United States feel that “updating” or “modernizing” Catholic doctrine would reverse this trend: for example, allowing women to enter the priesthood or re-establishing the local parish – as opposed to Rome – as the center of Catholic life. Do you have any opinion on this grassroots movement to “Americanize” or “Modernize” the faith?. 

Catholic Church membership worldwide at the end of 2010, the most recent statistic available, was 1.196 billion, up from 1.181 billion the previous year and nearly double the 654 million of 1970. In any case, the Church is not free to change the doctrines that come to us from Holy Scripture, Sacred Tradition and the teaching authority of the church in order to be more popular. As Mother Teresa reportedly said, “Jesus does not ask us to be successful; he asks us to be faithful.” Eternal truth cannot be updated. In many ways the local parish is and always will be the center of Catholic life because that is where we worship most often with our fellow believers who, in many cases, are also our friends and neighbors. [MRAS]

Looking towards the future, what are some events in the Archdiocese that seem most exciting?

On Oct. 1 and 2, the Archdiocese will hold a major event at the Dayton Convention Center called “The Summit: Revitalizing the Domestic Church.” It will bring together as many as 500 Archdiocesan, parish and school employees – and some volunteers – to explore the critical issue of families who no longer have Christ at the center. Pope Benedict XVI has said that the new evangelization must begin with the family. “The Summit” will be an opportunity for us to come together in prayer as we commit ourselves to the new evangelization of the families of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. This gathering will be an integral part of the Year of Faith proclaimed by the pope, which begins in October. [MRAS]

Any other plans to visit Dayton in the near future?

So far I am scheduled to be in the Dayton area eight times in April and May for meetings, dinners and confirmations, as well as many events throughout the year. This fall I will be at “The Summit” in Dayton on both days. [MRAS]

If there were one message which you would like each individual Catholic reader of this interview to take away with them, what would it be?

In a world that in many ways is divided by anger, bitterness and misunderstanding, it is important to recall that God created us to know happiness and He tells us how that is possible: When you put Christ at the center of your life, you will find that He is the true source of peace, joy, and the fullness of life. [MRAS]

Reach DCP freelance writer Tim Walker at TimWalker@DaytonCityPaper.com

Doomsday Preppers in the Miami Valley

By Tim Walker

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see.”

 Hebrews 11:1

You just can’t argue with faith.

Be it faith in a person’s religion, faith in the Cleveland Browns or faith in a belief that civilization as we know it is about to come to an end — there simply aren’t enough words in the dictionary to dissuade someone that some of their most cherished beliefs simply may not be true.

The National Geographic Channel’s new series “Doomsday Preppers” premiered on Tuesday, February 7^th, and it offers a fascinating glimpse into the lives of people who are busy preparing for the worst. As the show’s official website puts it, “Doomsday Preppers explores the lives of otherwise ordinary Americans who are preparing for the end of the world as we know it. Unique in their beliefs, motivations, and strategies, preppers will go to whatever lengths they can to make sure they are prepared for any of life’s uncertainties.” And believe it or not, some of those doomsday preppers — although none yet featured on national television — are located right here in the Miami Valley.

Having received a number of “doomsday” themed emails over the years, all forwarded to me from a local businessman I’d become friends with, I decided to reach out to him for some insight into this strange and decidedly paranoid world.

“Yes, absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt,” “Neal said recently when asked if he really believed that our civilization was about to come to an end. Neal, like all of the other doomsday preppers featured in this article, asked me to keep his real identity a secret — a very real fear of shadowy “government reprisals” underlay all of these requests. Neal is in his late 60s and has lived in the Dayton area for most of his adult life, having relocated from Buffalo.

“I believe that we’re living in what the Bible refers to as the Last Days,” continued Neal. “President Obama is a Muslim, he shouldn’t even be the President because it’s been proven that he wasn’t born in this country — did you know he has work camps already set up near the Ohio/West Virginia border? Concentration camps, dozens of them — huge labor camps that can house thousands of dissident citizens, once they’re rounded up and arrested.”

“Why would they be arrested?” I asked.

“Don’t be naïve, Tim. It’s going to be martial law,” explained Neal, dragging on his cigarette. “Once the economic system collapses and the food riots start, there’ll be armed patrols in the streets. Anyone who opposes the government will be arrested and put in these camps — the ones they don’t shoot immediately, anyway.”

For the sake of argument, I agreed with Neal that the camps existed, and asked what he was doing to prepare for this eventuality. He drove me to a local business not far from his, and pointed at a semi trailer.

“You see that?” he asked, pointing. “I have one just like it. Bought it off a local guy and I have it parked at a friend’s farm. I’m going to wait until one night after dark — so my neighbors won’t see — and I’m going to bury it on my property and use it as a shelter. I’ll have my guns, food, clothes — everything I’ll need.”

“You’re going to bury a semi trailer,” I asked. “In one night? Discreetly?”

“It’ll be perfect,” he answered, a gleam in his eye. “They’ll never find me there.”

Rumors, myths, and paranoia spring like mushrooms from the fertile soil of the internet, and the doomsday prepper community takes full advantage of that fact. Websites like SHTFplan.com (“When it hits the fan, don’t say we didn’t warn you”), AmericanPreppersNetwork.com, and CollapseNet.com disseminate information, advice, instructions and lists of items we’ll all need to have on hand when the local Kroger isn’t open for business anymore.

“I’m ready. All I need are some more guns,” said my friend “Bob” to me recently. Bob is in his early 40s and a veteran, lives in Kettering, and owns a local business. His preparations and beliefs, though perhaps not quite as extreme as Neal’s, still reveal a decidedly survivalist bent and a palpable fear of the future.

“These are my canned goods, batteries, flashlights, my water — one gallon per person per day is my rule of thumb, and I have enough here for two weeks. Once the unrest hits, God knows what we’ll do, but we’ll have enough here to get by,” he explained.

“Do you really see all this as being necessary, Bob?” I asked.

“Are you kidding?” He looked at me like I was crazy. “Gas will be over five dollars a gallon this summer, and the money is just going to keep dwindling and dwindling until people can’t survive anymore, and then the whole system is going to collapse. It’s going to be chaos — anarchy — martial law. If you were smart, you’d be getting ready for it.”

“I need some more guns — you know anyone who can sell me some?” I asked.  Sure enough, Bob answered in the affirmative.  Perhaps the most intriguing thing to dwell on regarding doomsday preppers isn’t their radical preparations after all, but instead the various possible scenarios for which they’re preparing …

Reach DCP freelance writer Tim Walker at TimWalker@DaytonCityPaper.com

The Short Life of Paul Laurence Dunbar

By Tim Walker

“We wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes, –
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.”

From “We Wear the Mask”,
by Paul Laurence Dunbar, 1896

Paul Laurence Dunbar, the first African-American poet to make a living from his writing, the first African-American writer to receive both national and international acclaim for his work, was born and raised here in Dayton, Ohio. The son of two former slaves, he was educated here, wrote and was discovered here, and he died here from tuberculosis at the young age of 33. His work, already praised during his short lifetime, has been studied, reprinted and read ever since, and has influenced countless writers from all walks of life. Upon his death, he was referred to as the “Poet Laureate of the Negro Race”.

Great writers can and do come from any race, any gender, and any place, and a number of 20th Century black American writers have certainly left their mark on our modern literary landscape. Authors such as Alice Walker, who won both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize in 1983 for her epistolary novel The Color Purple, Langston Hughes, poet of the Harlem Renaissance, and the list goes on: Richard Wright, Walter Mosley, Ralph Ellison and Toni Morrison, a brilliant writer who was awarded the ultimate accolade, the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993.

All great writers — not great black writers, mind you. Just great writers, all of whom are black men and women, all of whom talk and write eloquently about the shared experience of being human, of being black, of being alive. Without the influence of Paul Laurence Dunbar, their careers and today’s literary landscape might have been markedly different. Maya Angelou’s groundbreaking book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings even takes its well-known title from a line in the poem “Sympathy,” written by Mr. Dunbar.

Paul Laurence Dunbar was born at his grandmother’s home at 311 Howard Street in Dayton on June 27, 1872. According to Felton O. Best’s book Crossing the Color Line: A Biography of Paul Laurence Dunbar, Dunbar’s great-grandmother, Becca Porter, had been manumitted, or emancipated, by a Dayton abolitionist back in the 1840s and her daughter, Dunbar’s grandmother, came to Dayton in the 1850s after being released from her master — a Kentucky slave holder. Dunbar’s father had escaped from slavery in Kentucky and traveled to Canada via the Underground Railroad, and was also a veteran of the American Civil War, having served in both the 55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment and the 5th Massachusetts Colored Cavalry Regiment.

Dunbar’s mother, Matilda Glass, was born in 1844 in Shelbyville, Kentucky, and was owned by David Glass, a wealthy planter there, until the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. While a slave, she married, and later gave birth to two children. After separating from her husband she and her two boys moved to Dayton in the spring of 1866.

It was in Dayton that Matilda met and married Joshua Dunbar. Dunbar’s parents had been married for six months when he was born, and they began having marital problems a few months later. After the birth of their daughter, whose arrival wasn’t embraced by her father, Matilda took the four children and left him. Dunbar’s sister, Elizabeth, died a couple of years later at the age of 2, and his father Joshua died in 1884 when Paul was only 12 years old.

Dunbar’s mother felt that, from an early age, he was destined for greatness. Dunbar was the only African-American student during the years he was attending Dayton’s Central High School, and he was very active in the student body. He was the editor-in-chief of the school newspaper, the “High School Times,” in 1891, and he was class president, and was president of the literary Philomathean Society — the first black man to hold any of these positions. He wrote his first poem at age 6 and gave his first public recital at age 9.  His mother Matilda assisted him in his schooling, having learned how to read expressly for that purpose. She often read the Bible with him and hoped that he might become a minister.

Dunbar’s first professionally published poems, “Our Martyred Soldiers” and “On The River,” were published in Dayton’s The Herald newspaper in 1888 when he was 16. In 1890, Dunbar wrote and edited Dayton’s first weekly African-American newspaper, The Tattler, which was printed by the fledgling company of his high school acquaintances, Wilbur and Orville Wright. The paper lasted for 6 weeks.

When his formal schooling ended in 1891, Dunbar found that no one would employ him in a job that required him to use his intellectual ability, so he took a job as an elevator operator in the Callahan Building in Dayton, earning a salary of four dollars a week. This was substantially less than that earned by his white co-workers. The next year, Dunbar asked the Wrights to publish his dialect poems in book form, but the brothers did not have the facility to do so and Dunbar was directed to the United Brethren Publishing House which, in 1893, printed Oak and Ivy, his first collection of poetry. Dunbar subsidized the printing of the book himself, earning back his investment in two weeks by selling copies to people personally, often to passengers on his elevator. The larger section of the book, the “Oak” section, consisted of traditional verse, while the smaller section, the “Ivy”, featured light poems written in the black dialect of the times.

Dunbar’s participation in the 1892 Western Association of Writers Conference in Dayton brought him into contact with James Whitcomb Riley, the “Hoosier Poet” who was the most popular poet in the United States at that time. Both Riley and Dunbar wrote poems in Standard English and dialect. Despite frequently publishing poems and occasionally giving public readings, Dunbar had difficulty financially supporting himself and his mother. Many of his efforts were unpaid and he was a reckless spender, leaving him in debt by the mid-1890s.

On June 27, 1896, the novelist and critic William Dean Howells published a favorable review of Dunbar’s second book Majors and Minors in Harpers Weekly magazine. Howells’ influence made Dunbar famous overnight and brought national attention to his writing. Though he saw “honest thinking and true feeling” in Dunbar’s traditional poems, he particularly praised Dunbar’s dialect poems. With his new-found international literary fame, Dunbar collected his first two books into one volume, Lyrics of Lowly Life, for which Howells wrote an introduction.

Dunbar maintained a lifelong friendship with the Wright brothers. He was also associated with Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington and Brand Whitlock (who was described as a close friend). He was honored with a ceremonial sword by President Theodore Roosevelt.

Dunbar wrote a dozen books of poetry, four books of short stories, five novels and a play. He also wrote lyrics for “In Dahomey” — the first musical written and performed entirely by African-Americans to appear on Broadway in 1903.  The musical comedy successfully toured England and America over a period of four years — one of the more successful theatrical productions of its time. His essays and poems were published widely in the leading journals of the day including Harper’s Weekly, the Saturday Evening Post, the Denver Post and a number of other publications.

Dunbar traveled to England in 1897 to recite his works on the London literary circuit. He met the young black composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, who set some of his poems to music and who was influenced by Dunbar to use African and American Negro songs and tunes in future compositions.

After returning from England, Dunbar married Alice Ruth Moore on March 6, 1898, a teacher and poet from New Orleans whom he had first met three years earlier. Dunbar called her “the sweetest, smartest little girl I ever saw.” A graduate of Straight University (now Dillard University), her published works include Violets and Other Tales and The Goodness of St. Roque. She and her husband also wrote books of poetry as companion pieces. An account of their love, life and marriage was depicted in a play by Kathleen McGhee-Anderson titled Oak and Ivy.

Dunbar took a job at the Library of Congress in Washington in October 1897. He and his wife moved to Washington, D.C.  However, at the urging of his wife, he soon left the job to focus exclusively on his writing, which he promoted through public readings.

In 1900, Dunbar was diagnosed with tuberculosis and his doctors recommended drinking whiskey to alleviate his symptoms, and he moved to Colorado with his wife on the advice of his doctors. Dunbar and his wife separated in 1902, but they never divorced. Depression and declining health drove him to a deepening dependence on alcohol, which further damaged his health. He moved back to Dayton to be with his mother in 1904, and then died shortly thereafter from tuberculosis on February 9, 1906, at the age thirty-three, and was laid to rest in Woodland Cemetery in Dayton.

Much of Dunbar’s work was authored in conventional English, while some was rendered in the African American dialect of the time period. Dunbar was always suspicious that there was something demeaning about the marketability of his dialect poems. One interviewer reported that Dunbar told him, “I am tired, so tired of dialect,” though he is also quoted as saying, “my natural speech is dialect” and “my love is for the Negro pieces.”

Though he credited William Dean Howells with promoting his early success, Dunbar was dismayed by his demand that he focus on dialect poetry. Angered that editors refused to print his more traditional poems, he accused Howells of “[doing] me irrevocable harm in the dictum he laid down regarding my dialect verse.” Dunbar, however, was continuing a literary tradition that used Negro dialect and his notable predecessors included Mark Twain and Joel Chandler Harris.

Paul Laurence Dunbar was the first African-American poet to earn nation-wide acknowledgement for his work. The New York Times called him “a true singer of the people — white or black.” In his preface to his 1931 The Book of American Negro Poetry, James Weldon Johnson criticized Dunbar’s dialect poems for fostering stereotypes of blacks as comical or pathetic and reinforcing the restriction that blacks write only scenes of plantation life.

Writer Maya Angelou titled her groundbreaking 1969 autobiographical book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings after a line from Dunbar’s poem “Sympathy,” at the suggestion of her friend, jazz musician and activist Abbey Lincoln. Angelou named Dunbar an inspiration for her “writing ambition” and uses his imagery of a caged bird like a chained slave throughout much of her writings. In 2002, Dr. Molefi Kete Asante listed Paul Laurence Dunbar on his list of the 100 Greatest African-Americans.

Paul Laurence Dunbar’s work has been an inspiration for countless writers and poets, both during his life and after his death. A proud son of Dayton and one who struggled during his lifetime, his work and legacy remain something for which all of us should be grateful.

“I know why the caged bird sings, ah me, when his wing is bruised and his bosom sore; when he beats his bars and he would be free, it is not a carol of joy or glee, but a prayer that he sends from his heart’s deep core.” — Paul Laurence Dunbar

Reach DCP freelance writer Tim Walker at TimWalker@DaytonCityPaper.com

I’d like to speak for just a moment about a subject that’s near and dear to my heart on these cold winter days, and that’s chili.

Chili? Yes, chili. Meat, broth, tomatoes, and spices (toss in some beans and spaghetti if you’re so inclined, but you’ll only get frowned on by Texans, possibly insulted, and even disqualified in certain circles).

Chili is a subculture, a passion to be taken seriously for more people than you might imagine, and there are some excellent chili cookbooks out there these days for the uninitiated. One I picked up recently and would like to recommend is the paperback “Chili Madness: A Passionate Bookbook” by Jane Butel. It’s filled with chili history and recipes, and comes highly recommended if you want to find a wealth of interesting variations on your favorite bowl of red. You can even get the second edition for less than ten bucks right now on Amazon.

That said, I myself am an award-winning chili cook and a card-carrying member of the International Chili Society, and I want to take a moment to briefly mention a handful of upcoming local charity chili cook-offs which you might be interested in attending or entering. Come to cook, or come to eat, but make plans to come regardless.

10th Annual Montgomery County Board of Developmental Disability Services Chili Cook-Off. Saturday, March 12th at the Coliseum, Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Dayton. 5pm – 8pm. This year’s theme is “The Wizard of Oz”; first 150 people in costume get a prize. All ages welcome, admission is $1 for those with disabilities, $3 for otherwise, and over 1000 people are expected to attend. (There is a $25 deposit for chili cooks who want to compete; the money will be returned when you arrive at the cook-off.) For more information or for entry forms, contact Tim Pfister at 937-837-9253.

Wings URS Chili Cook-Off. Sunday, March 20th at Wings Sports Bar, 7902 N. Dixie Drive, Dayton. 12 noon – 4pm. Proceeds benefit United Rehabilitation Services. Free admission, all ages welcome, $20 entry fee to compete. Contact Ashley Brookey for more information at 937-233-1230, ext 104 or email abrookey@ursdayton.org

Milano’s North Dixie Charity Chili Cook-Off, Saturday, April 2nd at Milano’s North Dixie, 6129 N. Dixie Drive, Dayton, Ohio.  1pm – 7pm. Proceeds benefit the Oasis House. All ages welcome, free admission, $20 entry fee to compete. For more information, call 937-890-8228 or email therevtim@gmail.com.

Try to make it out to one of these events. You’ll find yourself enjoying some great chili, meeting some fun people, and you’ll be supporting the charities they’re raising money for. And if you find yourself especially enjoying a bowl of “Hendrix’s Hoppin’ Red Hot”, then I’m sure to not be far away — look me up and say hello.