Middletown Ohio Blog

2009 Midfirst Ohio Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Sellers) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 21:03:00 +0000

The 7th annual Midfirst Ohio Challenge is set to be held in Middletown, Ohio on July 17-19. It will be held at the gorgeous 100-acre Smith Park. This event features hot air balloon competitions and lots of festival fun such as the Team Fastrax professional skydiving team, live musical entertainment, a classic car show, arts and craft vendors, hot air balloon rides, a variety of fun festival food, airplane and helicopter rides, carnival games, and so much more.

It only costs $5 per carload or $2 per person if you walk in for everyone 13 and up. 12 and under are free. There are a variety of events that will be held throughout the festival ranging from early morning balloon launches to the Mega Arena set up for a mess-free version of paintball to an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast served by the Guinness World Book of Records “Fastest Flipper” Chris Cakes.

Come out for a fun-filled weekend with the family at the 2009 Midfest Ohio Challenge! Click here for more information concerning the Midfest Ohio Challenge.

Vortex Struck Down By Diamondback?

jzduncan@yahoo.com (zack duncan) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:12:00 +0000

The newest thrill seeker sensation at Cedar Park's King's Island is on it's way to becoming the most popular debut for a ride at the park in over 20 years. Diamondback is the biggest investment in the park's history, coming in at $22 million. This 230ft high, 5,282ft long hypercoaster tops out at speeds of up to 80mph with 10 drops and a splashdown area at the end of the ride.Diamondback is one of only five rollercoasters in the world to feature a splashdown area.

As of Tuesday, July 7, the ride had attracted over 800,000 riders. The current record holder for the biggest debut is Vortex, which opened in 1987. When it opened, Vortex had an hourly rider count of 1,500 people and topped out at an incredible 2,183,642 riders in its first year. However, Diamondback is hot on it's trail, amassing and hourly rider rate of 1,600 people. Diamondback has accumulated 15,000 more riders than Vortex did at this point when it opened some 22 years ago.

Diamondback is the second attraction to be added to the park in two years following the transfer of the ride Firehawk. Firehawk was originally located in Six Flags worlds of Adventure under the name X-Flight. It was moved in 2007 to King's Island and given a new name and a new paint job. Firehawk has also seen big success at King's Island but nothing comparable to what is happening with Diamondback. At the rate it is going now, Diamondback could very likely be the biggest debuted ride in King's Island history. The ride has been getting very high praise from riders saying it is doing for riders now what The Beast and Vortex did for riders of their times.

Visit the official website for Photos of the Diamondback Roller Coaster

Fun Things To Do In Middletown on July 4, 2009

jzduncan@yahoo.com (zack duncan) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:38:00 +0000

July 4th is approaching, and fast. The day we take to honor our nation's independence is a day of remembrance and pride in our country. But it is also a day I look forward to to spend with friends and family. With everybody getting ready for their cookouts, parties, and family gatherings and looking for fun things to do, I thought I might give you a list of some of the fun things I like to do during the 4th of July.

Go to a Parade - Going to a parade is the easiest things to do, and its free. I always love going to a parade, hearing the marching bands, seeing all the floats and people. I just love getting that sense of pride from seeing all the patriotism that's right here in our local community. No matter where you live, there will undoubtedly be a parade in your town or one near by.

Middletown holds an annual parade on July 4th. The parade starts between 9:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., beginning at Woodside Cemetery and ending at Smith Park. Other parades include the City of Hamilton 4th of July Parade, which begins at 10:00 a.m. The parade will begin at the Butler County Fairgrounds, proceed to Route 4, and end at High Street. Following the parade is a patriotic ceremony which will take place at the historic Butler County Court House. Go to the City of Hamilton Website for more information.

Have a Cookout - The good 'ol backyard cookout is one of the simplest and most enjoyable things to do on the 4th of July. Dust of the grill and break out the apron because its time to start cooking. Invite your friends and family for a good time of fun and fellowship. Nothing is more 4th of July than throwing some burgers and hot dogs on the grill (or steak and chicken if your fancy) and relaxing while enjoying some good food.

If you don't want to have it at your house, or can't, then go to a local park. Take the family out to a park, grab a picnic table and have fun. The playground equipment and wide open spaces in local parks is also a great place for the kids to play. Give them a soccer ball, a football, a baseball, anything and they can go out and have a blast! And if it's hot, then a park is a good place to pull out the super soakers. Most of the parks in Middletown have playgrounds, numerous picnic areas, and now they even have splash pads for the kids.

Have a Block Party - You all remember block parties right? It's where you gather all your neighbors on your block, they all bring food, you block off the street, and you all gather to eat, socialize and meet your new neighbors. Block parties used to big a big thing some years ago, but now everybody seems to busy. But this 4th of July, try something new, have a block party, especially if you, like myself, have a few new neighbors you haven't met. Get together with a close neighbor and plan out something that will be fun for everyone.

Take a Family Trip - Nothing extravagant is necessary, just a small weekend trip. Go camping, go to a lake, somewhere close but relaxing. Just getting away from the house and the busy day-to-day of life and going off somewhere and enjoying your time away from work and school is one of the best ways to spend your time. It is also a great way to become closer as a family. Spending that quality time with your family is one of the best experiences you can have.

Some great places to go and relax are places like Hueston Woods, Caesar's Creek, or Put-In-Bay. Hueston woods has a marina, fishing, swimming, horseback riding, paintball fields, and tons of other things to do. At Caesar's Creek you can enjoy camping, swimming, fishing, hiking, and other nature activities. Put-In-Bay offers some of the most fun and interesting things to do. You can sail in the marina, go fishing or even serve on the US Brig Niagara, a restored 1812 Naval War ship designed for the Battle of Lake Erie in 1813.

Watch/Do Your Own Fireworks - The most time honored tradition of any 4th of July celebration, fireworks are one of the best ways to celebrate your holiday weekend. Most cities have a fireworks celebration the night of July 4th. Sitting outside watching the colors explode before your eyes is a very beautiful sight to see.

The city of Hamilton will be holding a fireworks celebration after it's 4th of July celebration, visit the Hamilton City Website for more details on those. Monroe also has their own celebration, "Light Up The Sky". I went to this last year and it really was quite good. Monroe promises this year to be abundantly better than last years. Also at "Light Up The Sky" are a number of different food stands, a ton of games and rides for the kids, and live bands. Go to Light Up The Sky Monroe.com for all the details. But maybe one of the most amazing fireworks displays is at Cedar Park's Kings Island amusement Park. Kings Island puts on their fireworks display every year and it is always a spectacle to watch. Kings Island really takes pride in their fireworks and aims to please every year. If you have never been to one then I suggest you go this year because it is definitely worth it. Fireworks start at 10:00 p.m. and the park is open until midnight. Visit the Kings Island Website for all the details.

Between picnics, camping, block parties, parades and fireworks I hope you agree there is something fun for everybody. Hopefully this ideas will come in handy for your holiday and I hope no matter what you do this 4th of July weekend, that your weekend is safe and fun!

Bull's Run Sanctuary and Arboretum in Middletown

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Anderson) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:44:00 +0000

The Bull's Run Nature Sanctuary and Arboretum in Middletown features eleven acres of woods and rolling hills with short nature trails throughout and provides a relaxing get-away from the city, no matter the season. Within the sanctuary is the last free-flowing section of Bull's Run Creek. The creek was used as one Middletown's original boundaries and the area as a grazing pasture for bulls in the 1800's. The park is currently managed by a non-profit corporation, Bull's Run Corporate, which is, according to their website "dedicated to developing and maintaining the Sanctuary as an educational and visual establishment for the benefit of the community."

A visit to the park will bring you closer to nature as you may see squirrels, birds, maybe even a deer or a turtle. In the springtime, see a variety of woodland wildflowers or a garden of plants native to Ohio blooming in the fall. During the winter, the park maintains eight bird-feeding stations. At the front of the park is an arboretum with specific species of trees labeled with information. Inside, you'll find a picnic shelter and mulched trails along the creek that run about 1/3 mile as well as a meadow area that is under restoration. They also offer several nature-based education programs for students of all ages and offer free school field trips.

The Bull's Run Nature Sanctuary and Arboretum in Middletown is open daily from dawn to dusk. Admission is free. The park is located on Rosedale Road.

Kings Island Shuts Down "Son of Beast"

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Anderson) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:36:00 +0000

The Cincinnati area amusement park Kings Island has temporarily shut down its Son of Beast roller coaster. A spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Agriculture says a woman who was visiting the park on May 31 has come forward, saying she was injured while on the ride. An investigation is currently pending.

The roller coaster opened in 2000 and is said to be the world's tallest, fastest wooden roller coaster. In July 2006, the ride closed for a year to repair and remove a vertical loop that caused an accident that sent 27 people to local hospitals.

Kings Island Spokesman, Don Helbig says the park closed the ride immediately after being contacted by the reportedly injured woman because Kings Island "takes all guest comments seriously." He also added that he did not know why the woman waited so long to say anything or how long the ride would be shut down.

Ohio Deparment of Health Prescribes Summer Safety

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Anderson) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:28:00 +0000

The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) is focused on keeping Ohioans safe this summer. At their website, Ohio.gov, they have listed several ways to help make sure you have a healthy but fun-filled summer.

Healthy Swimming: Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, the ODH regularly tests state parks and Lake Erie beaches for the presence of bacteria that may be harmful to your health. They recommend that beaches that receive results with higher levels of bacteria post warning signs, and results can also be found at the Ohio Department of Health website or by calling 1-866-OHIO-BCH (644-6224). If you are swimming in a lake, reduce your chances of getting sick by staying away from visible discharge pipes, keeping your head out of the water, showering after swimming, and waiting 24 hours to swim after heavy rainfall.

Mosquitoes: Take extra steps to protect yourself and your family from mosquito bites. West Nile Virus has infected people of Ohio for the last seven years and is spread only by mosquito bites. Be aware that mosquitoes are the most active during the early morning and late evening hours. If you must be outside during those hours, wear extra bug repellent and protective clothing - mosquitoes are least likely to bite people wearing lighter colors. Mosquitoes breed in standing water. Around your home, remove discarded tires, unused flower pots, and other water-holding containers. Keep roofs and gutters clean and outdoor pools and saunas chlorinated. Change birdbaths weekly.

Cookout Safety: Every year, about 140 cases of E. coli are reported in Ohio. Most of these cases come from eating undercooked , contaminated ground beef, but there are steps you can take to protect yourself and your family. Wash your hands often, especially after changing a diaper, using the bathroom, touching animals, and before cooking. Cook your ground beef to 160 degrees and do not eat beef that is pink in the middle. Keep raw meat away from other foods while you are cooking. Drink only pasteurized milk and juice and drink water only from safe sources that have been treated with chlorine. Do no swallow lake or pool water while swimming. Make sure you wash all fruits and vegetables before eating them.

Middletown CodeRED Emergency Notification System

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Anderson) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 19:30:00 +0000

Middletown has implemented the CodeRED Emergency Notification System, a communication service that notifies residents by telephone in the event of an emergency. The system is very high-speed with the ability to call up to 50,000 phone numbers per hour. Once a live person or answering machine has picked up the call, it delivers a recorded a message.

The system makes three attempts to call each phone number and the number "999-911-9999" will appear on your caller ID. If you use any type of "Privacy Manager" service on your home telephone, it is possible that it will block the CodeRED telephone call. Residents who use those types of services are encouraged to use a different phone number such as their cell phone.

CodeRED telephone calls will only notify you in the case of an emergency when rapid information is necessary for community safety. Some examples of when this notification could take place include contaminated drinking water, utility outages, evacuation notices, missing persons alerts, fires, floods, bomb threats, hostage situations, chemical spills and gas leaks.

Sign up for CodeRED's Middletown Residential Notification Enrollment.

Middletown Christian Selects New Head Coach For '09 Season

jzduncan@yahoo.com (zack duncan) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:02:00 +0000

Six year coach Eric Gwinn has stepped down as the head varsity basketball coach at Middletown Christian. Gwinn, who led the team to a 14-8 season last year, will continue to teach at the school.

Stepping in to take over for Gwinn is 18 year coaching veteran Ed Davis. According to athletic director Ray Cox, "We had seven applicants for the position. After discussing things with our board and several other coaches. we decided Davis was the best fit for us." Davis has spent a good portion of his coaching career in Christian schools, coaching two seasons at Cincinnati Christian and three seasons at Landmark Christian. I love the Christian school environment" said Davis, "When this opportunity became available I decided to go for it."

Coach Davis had his first face-to-face meeting with his players for next season and their parents. Davis gave a brief testimony in his life and his coaching experience, which includes a sectional and district championship, an induction into the Lockland High School Hall of Fame for coaching, and numerous Coach of the Year awards. Coach Davis then gave a quick rundown of how he coached and how he wanted to play the game. Davis likes to play a more fast paced get-up-and-go style game.

The varsity squad graduated seven of its eight players this year, giving Davis a fresh start with the team. Next year's team will be made up of primarily sophomores. I asked coach Davis how he felt about the younger team, "I'm excited. I know we are young and with that inexperience comes some mistakes, but I feel that all the guys are hard workers and that if they work at it then we can do some great things this season." Another way the MCS team will differ from previous seasons is in its size. The past two seasons for MCS has yielded a strong post presence and having players with some good size about them. This years players are on the smaller size, being made up of primarily guards and shooters. When asked about the drop in size in the players, Davis was optimistic. "I think we are going to be o.k. MCS has had some good post players in the past but in my experience, some big guys have trouble getting up and down the floor. These smaller guys have a lot of speed and quickness, which goes along perfectly how I like to play. I plan on using that speed and quickness to our advantage."

Nate Cox, who is the only returning player from last year's varsity squad and who played under Gwinn for the last three seasons, is happy with the decision made in choosing coach Davis. "I like him, I think he's a good coach and that he is going to be good for our team. I look forward to playing with him." Cox said. When asked about the season, Cox was also optimistic. "I think we are going to have a good season. We have a lot of good players and we all seem to fit together pretty good and play well together."

It is going to be a different season for the Eagles next year. Players and fans have become accustomed to Gwinn and his style of coaching and it will be interesting to see how the season goes.

Middletown High School Graduation 2009

jzduncan@yahoo.com (zack duncan) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 13:48:00 +0000

The 134th graduating class of Middletown High School received their diplomas Monday June 8th, 2009, at Princeton Pike Church of God in Liberty Township. The more than 330 student class gathered for one final meeting before stepping out and taking on the world. The auditorium, packed with friends and family members of the graduates celebrated the achievements this class has accomplished over their four years at Middletown.

Clad in white and purple gowns, the graduates listened and reminisced about their time at MHS with help from the two commencement speakers, graduates Alex Landen and Myka Lipscomb. Landen reveled about the Middies football team and their 42-39 victory against Colerain High School and the basketball teams amazing 19-3 season as well as the accomplishments of the High School band and the drama department with their many plays and musicals.

Lipscomb spoke on the words she heard from her principal, Dennis Newell, and his role on molding the class of '09 into the leaders of today. "Every day he told us to be leaders" Lipscomb said. The more than 330 graduates of Middletown High School are taking many different paths in their lives, but one thing is for sure, this class, who received $1.8 million in scholarships, will certainly have an impact on the world of tomorrow.

Below is a video of Lipscomb's speech, we hope you enjoy it.

Crane At Work On Lone Star in Middletown, Ohio

adam@adamwlewis.com (Adam Lewis) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 15:22:00 +0000

It's been almost a year since the Lone Star in Middletown, Ohio caught fire in the early morning hours of August 8, 2008; as the anniversary quickly approaches, construction on the the new restaurant has picked up significantly. Today we were greeted by a large crane, taller than our 4 story office building. It has been working hard to move trusses to the roof of Lone Star where a crew of men are attaching them to the structure. Below are photographs and a video from today.

Middletown Area Teacher Recieves Cristo Self Esteem Award

mhoward@xponex.com (Mike Howard) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 20:22:00 +0000

Today at Middletown's Fenwick High School, Scott Walker is being appluaded for fostering self esteem in students. Mr. Walker has been received the Cirsto Self Esteem Award from the Cristo Group through the Middletown Community Foundation.

Walker teaches U.S History, Algebra II, Advanced Algebra, and Trigonometry along with coaching girl's basketball and boy's soccer at Fenwick Highschool.

The Cristo Self Esteem Award was founded by the Cristo family and comes with a crystal prism, a plaque and $1,000. Fenwick Principal Cathie Mulligan, told the Middletown Journal he (Walker) is always available to students for extra help, is more involved every year and brings out the best in students.

On behalf of MiddletownUSA: Congratulations Mr. Walker.

Check out the original story about the Cristo Self Esteem Award at www.middletownusa.com.

Insurance Coverage Information Available for Ohioans

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Sellers) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:33:00 +0000

The director of the Ohio Department of Insurance, Mary Jo Hudson, is determined to provide information to Ohioans who are facing the loss of health insurance and are seeking new coverage options. The Ohio Department of Insurance has constructed an on-line toolkit to assist those Ohioans who have lost their health and life insurance benefits. This toolkit contains coverage options, tips on finding insurance, consumer publications, and links to health insurance, life insurance, employer bankruptcy, and unemployment material.

This kit encourages Ohioans to talk with insurance agents, compare different insurance policies, and above all to not assume that they can go without insurance. It also can contact and outreach information for the Department of Insurance, the U.S. Department of Labor, and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. The toolkit and all the information you could possibly need can be found at www.insurance.ohio.gov. Also anyone with question about any of their coverage concerns can call the Ohio Department of Insurance consumer hotline at 1-800-685-1526.

Check out the original story about the Ohio Department of Insurance Toolkit at www.middletownusa.com.

June 2009 Happenings at the Middletown Arts Center

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Anderson) — Fri, 29 May 2009 15:14:00 +0000

The Middletown Arts Center is starting the summer off with a full schedule of activities and events. Currently - until June 15 - artist Kevin Macpherson's "Reflections on a Pond" exhibit is on display at the Center. June 26-July 25, the Arts Center will hold its 52nd Annual Student Show.

If you would like to have your own artwork critiqued by a professional, bring one or two pieces in on Friday, June 5 from 6:30 - 8:30 PM. Todd Butts will be on hand to offer his professional critique and light refreshments will be served.

Rain or Shine, this year's annual Garden Tour will take place on June 27 and 28. Visit five beautiful neighborhood gardens and the Arts Center Courtyard. Tickets are $7.00 each and can be purchased at a variety of locations including the Arts Center, Kathryn's Home Accents, Flowers by Roger, and Bern's Landscaping. Tickets can also be purchase at the garden sites on the days of the tour.

During the weekend of the Garden Tour, the Arts Center will also hold a number of workshops. Workshops are $30-50 and you may call the Arts Center at 513-424-2417 to register. They will include:

Pottery Garden Stakes with Jean Ann Bollinger - Glaze pottery garden stakes for your own garden in the colors of your choice! Each attendee will get the opportunity to decorate five garden stakes and the stakes will be fired and picked up at a later date.

Oriental Brush Painting with Jean Vance - Experience the ancient art form of "Sumi-e" and use inks and tools that were used centuries ago. You will be able to complete your own piece to take home for framing!

Flower Arranging with Mary Jo Burns - Learn the art of making gorgeous flower arrangements and create your own arrangement to take home!

Basket-Making with Katherine Lawson - A unique approach to basket-making, this class will allow you to use natural objects such as roots, sticks, seed pods, and more. Weave the baskets using soft sea grass and take home your finished piece!

Other events coming up at the Arts Center include a Watercolor Workshop with Judy Carducci on June 29, 30, and July 1st. "Young Artists" Workshops will be held, starting June 22nd and youth classes will start the week of July 13th. There is something for everyone at the Middletown Arts Center!

History of Memorial Day

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Anderson) — Mon, 25 May 2009 15:58:00 +0000

Memorial Day is many things to many people: an extra day off from work or school, the perfect opportunity for a three-day weekend, a chance to bring out the old grill, or the unofficial beginning of summer. But few realize it is all of that and so much more, nor do they realize the history behind it.

Originally called "Decoration Day," Memorial Day was created to remember and honor the men and women who died during the Civil War. The first "official" Memorial Day was observed on May 30, 1868, after being proclaimed by General General John Logan, the national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic. On this day, flowers were placed on the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. Five years later, in 1873, New York would become the first state to recognize the day as a holiday and by 1890, all of the Northern states did the same. The Southern states were not as quick to catch on and honored their fallen soldiers on various other days throughout the year. It wasn't until after World War I that Memorial Day became a day to honor all fallen servicemen, not just those who died in the Civil War. The South would soon acknowledge the date and today, all 50 states observe the holiday.

No one knows exactly where the idea of Memorial Day originated but dozens of towns and cities take credit for its creation. While much evidence ironically points to women's groups in the South, President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, New York the official birthplace of the day in 1966. More than likely, after a hard-fought battle, many Americans had the desire to honor the dead after the Civil War and no one town is single-handedly responsible.

Today, Memorial Day has lost much of its meaning. Towns no longer hold parades, the day's unique flag etiquette goes unnoticed, and the graves of those who died serving our country go unvisited. Of course, that is not the case for all American citizens. Every year, 1,200 soldiers from the 3d U.S. Infantry place small flags at each of the 260,000 gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery and patrol the cemetery to make sure the flags remain standing. Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts all over the country place flags and candles at the graves of fallen soldiers in their local cemeteries. In 2004, Washington D.C. held the first Memorial Day parade in over 60 years. In December 2000, a resolution was passed that asked all Americans to stop at 3:00 PM on the day and observe a moment of silence.

Members of Congress have made many attempts, in recent years, to return the country to its roots and encourage people to celebrate Memorial Day the way it was intended: as a day to honor those who died protecting our lives and our freedom. No one knows for sure how Americans can be encourage to remember the true meaning of the day, but it is very important to be sure that those who died are kept alive in our memories forever.

The Beach Waterpark - Opening 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Sellers) — Wed, 20 May 2009 19:09:00 +0000

The fun-filled, tropical themed Beach Waterpark located in Mason, Ohio is now open for the 2009 season. This tropical oasis, with its live palm trees, rolling waves, Reggae music, and white sand, has something fun for the whole family. Whether guests prefer to splash in the Kahuna Beach Wavepool, relax on the 1,200 feet long Lazy Miami, or test their adventurous side on one of the many pulse-pounding water slides, they are sure to have a wonderful experience at the Beach.

The Beach has a multitude of fast paced, breath-catching water slides for those looking for a thrill. The Aztec Adventure is the only water coaster in the Midwest area. It features 500 feet of hairpin twists, surprising turns, and an ultimate plummet through the gaping mouth of a jaguar. The newest slide, Volcanic Panic, is the longest slide at the Beach. It sends you crashing through 360-degree spirals and along 180-degree horseshoe turns before plunging to the end. The Cliff is the most visible waterslide adventure at the Beach. It has been voted one of the best slides in the country because of its three seconds of pure air as you plummet down its five-story free fall flume. Other featured rides at The Beach include: Typhoon Twist, Banzai, Hidden Rapids, and Twilight Zone.

For the kids, The Beach offers more toned down sorts of adventures. To start their fun-filled day, they can head on over to Splash Mountain or Jolly Mon’ Shores. Splash Mountain features kid-friendly water fun including a miniature inner tube rapids ride, a 30 foot water flume slide, and a smooth belly-flop slide. They can also enjoy a kid’s pool with lots of fountains and waterfalls to enhance their water play experience. Over on Jolly Mon’ Shores, the kids can enjoy a water play world filled with rope ladders, swinging bridges, and a water slide ending in a shallow splash pool just begging to be played in. Also for the kids there is the Kahuna Beach Wavepool, Lazy Miami, and a variety of other tropical spots.

Tickets for this hot summer spot can be purchased on line at The Beach’s website or at the front gate. General adult admission is $27.99 at the gate, but can be bought for $22.00 online. Senior and child’s admission (individuals over the age of 60 or children under 48” in height) is $10.50 a piece at the gate or $9.00 online. Children under the age of 2 are free.

Season passes for The Beach can also be purchased online or at the front gate. An adult general season pass can be purchased for $75.00, a senior or child’s season pass can be purchased for $25.00, and a season long parking pass costs $25.00.

The Beach Waterpark is celebrating the opening of its 25th season, so head on down for a fun-filled day with the family. There’s something for everyone at The Beach Waterpark.

Address: 2590 Water Park Dr, Mason, Ohio 45040

Phone: 800-866-SWIM

Middletown Senior to Play Basketball at Penn State

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Anderson) — Fri, 15 May 2009 13:06:00 +0000

Middletown High School senior Bill Edwards has signed on to play basketball for Penn State next year. The 6-foot-6 Edwards was the Ohio Senior Player of the Year, averaged seventeen points, and led the conference with nine rebounds and almost five assists this past season. He was also the co-player of the year in the conference, district player of the year, and named first-team All-Ohio in the largest classification of schools.

Edwards narrowed his decision down to Penn State or Miami University but in the end Penn State won out. “It was pretty tough but coming down to it, I think that Miami and Penn State really stood out because Miami was always there throughout the way and so was Penn State...Penn State felt right and I think it will be somewhere for me to pursue my career at," he told Rivals.com.

It's not surprising Edwards is on his way to becoming a basketball great. His father, Bill Edwards, Sr., played college basketball at Wright State, briefly played with the Philadelphia 76ers, and played professional basketball in Europe. His mother, Glenetta Edwards, was a star basketball player at Monroe High School.

Middletown Christian Student Wins National Spelling Bee

jzduncan@yahoo.com (zack duncan) — Thu, 14 May 2009 14:05:00 +0000

Long days of writing out hundreds and hundreds of spelling words doesn't sound like a whole lot of fun for most students, but for 13-year-old Amanda White it was something she actually wanted to do.

White, an eighth grader at Middletown Christian School, spent hours and hours writing down words, their pronunciations, and even wrote out the entire dictionary all to prepare for one thing: the Association of Christian Schools International(ACSI) National Spelling Bee. Wright filled out four entire notebooks with different words so she could study them in preparation for the competition.

Well, last weekend her long hours and continuous hard work finally paid off when Amanda achieved first place in the contest. "I was so glad I worked so hard," Amanda said. While this may seem simple to some, it is the complete opposite. Amanda had advanced from the regional spelling bee which consisted of 19,000 students from fifth grade to eighth grade from schools all over the country.

The National Competition took place in Washington D.C. where Amanda beat out 45 students to take the top honors. Amanda was awarded at Middletown Christian with a school wide ceremony in honor of her accomplishments. "I was really glad I was able to come out with a victory," Amanda said after the ceremony.

According to White, when it was just her and another student, they both held hands and were each given a microphone. Amanda needed to spell two words correctly after her competitor misspelled her word. Her first word was "luciferous", a word Amanda had never heard before. But, thanks to her hard work and talents, she spelled it correctly. Amanda's final word was "adiposity". According to Amanda, "My voice cracked, and I knew I had won." "I was in awe of her, I just wanted to hug her and tell her it was all worth it." Elaine White, Amanda's mother said.

Amanda worked hard and it all paid off. This is a big honor not only for Amanda and her family, but for her school as well. For winning, Amanda received a savings bond in the amount of $200, a new laptop, and a printer.

What is Coke (Fuel)?

alexjsolis@gmail.com (alexjsolis) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:46:00 +0000

Coke as a fuel was originally pioneered by the Chinese in the 11th century and was introduced in Europe during the 17th century in order to replace wood as a fuel, which was becoming scarce and expensive due to extreme deforestation. The coal's fumes, smoke, and sulfur compounds immediately disqualified it from many applications such as cooking and smelting, and such the coke was primarily used to fuel steam locomotives.

In 1709 Abraham Darby I established a coke-based blast furnace to produce cast iron and found that Coke's strong crushing strength allowed the furnace to become taller, larger, and ultimately burn hotter. This caused a widespread availability of inexpensive iron and is considered one of the major factors leading to the Industrial Revolution.

Coke today is used as a fuel and reducing agent in smelting iron ore in a blast furnace and can be combined with other materials to produce heat shielding materials. Most recently coke was used by NASA to produce the heat shielding on the Mars Pathfinder and NASA plans to utilize coke to produce a new heat sheild for its next generation space craft called Orion. An interesting fact about coke fuel is that many smoke-producing constituents are driven off during the production processes meaning that the coke itself may be burned with little or no smoke. Many other coal products tend to produce much more smoke and environmentally hazardous bi-products.

Many of the volatile components of coal, such as coal-gas and coal-tar, are driven off by baking the coal in an airless furnace at temperatures as high as 2,000 degrees Celsius. Today many American steel companies capture these by-product hydrocarbons and use them to create other products. When steel companies elect not to collect these by-products they employ Non by-product coking furnaces to burn the hydrocarbon gases that are produced.

Today many companies elect to use coke as a source of fuel instead of bituminous coal due to the fact that bituminous coal will produce much smoke when burned. Often times there are conditions which are not suitable for the complete combustion of bituminous coal due to the smoke bi-product, and these companies elect to use coke instead.

Cox Arboretum - My Visit April 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Andy Wendt) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:58:00 +0000

If you find yourself with a few spare hours this weekend I would highly recommend a visit to the Cox Arboretum on 6733 Springboro Pike in Dayton, Ohio. From Middletown the Arboretum is roughly a 25 minute drive. Or to give you another idea on the time and distance it's about 3-5 minutes past the Dayton Mall. Simply take the I75 Miamisburgh-Springboro exit, turn right at the bottom of the ramp, then take the fist left onto Spingboro Pike. Head North for just a few minutes and you will see the signs for the Arboretum on your left.

The Arboretum is located on 189 acres of land owned by Five Rivers MetroPark which serves the greater Dayton area. The park includes:

* Shrub Garden with more than 500 different trees and shrubs
* Woodland Wildflower Garden
* Rock Garden
* Water Garden
* Clematis Arbor
* Crabapple Allee
* Stonewall Perennial Garden
* Meditation Garden
* Conifer Collection
* Bell Children's Maze
* Edible Landscape Garden
* Conservation Corner (Prairie, Bird Blind) Praire Plants Brochure
* Butterfly House and Garden (Butterfly House is a seasonal display)

It was two weeks ago when my wife and I were last there. At the time only a few types of flowers were were starting to bloom. I can only imagine there is ten times the color to be enjoyed there now.

If you enjoy walking there are several trails leading through wooded areas and of course the main paved paths around the beautifully kept grounds of the Arboretum. The main paved path takes you past two wonderful ponds full of turtles and giant coy. To make a single loop around the main grounds you should plan on at least a 30 minute walk. If you stop to take in the scenery that time could easily double.

With the weather looking wonderful for this weekend I hope you can give the Cox Arboretum a try. I am sure you will enjoy it.

For more details visit:
http://www.coxarboretum.org/

Or comment and share your favorite springtime pictures on our MiddletownUSA Community Forum.

Madison High School Football: Head Coach Offer Gets 54 Applications

jzduncan@yahoo.com (zack duncan) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 20:59:00 +0000

According to MHS Athletic Director Darren Stevens, the newly available head coaching position for the Madison High School football team has received an impressive 54 different applications from hopeful coaches in surrounding areas.

One of the first to apply for the job was Madison's Defensive coordinator Jeff Ripple. He did so shortly after the position was open within the district following former head coach Joel Lauer's resignation which took place earlier this March.

Some of the prospective coaches include Middletown assistants Bret Stubbs and Joel Snivley. Snivley is the Middies' offensive line coach and Stubbs is the defensive coordinator. Others include assistant coach Graham Halcomb from Fenwick, Talawanda assistant Mike Campbell, assistant Matt Hopkins from Eaton, Barak Faulk and Jason Austerman, both assistants at Mason, and Sumit Country Day assistant Sean McCormick. Among all these is also former New Lebanon Dixie James Jewett and former longtime Ross coach Dick Ballard.

"It's going to be a difficult task, narrowing it down." said Stevens who needs to get the list of 54 down to around 10 to 15 applicants who himself and Madison Principle Curtis Philpot are scheduled to interview next week. "It's a nice task to have, though." stated Stevens. "I'd rather have 50 applicants than 3." According to Stevens, the ultimate goal is to "obviously find someone who best fits our program. Football is a big deal in our community and whomever the new coach is needs to understand that its all about the X's and O's."

Philpot and Stevens will sit down this Monday and determine the applicants they will interview. They hope to get the interviews done next week while the chool is on Spring Break. Once that is done they will gather four to five finalists which will be interviewed by a group of eight to ten people. This group will consist of school administrators, at-large community members, members of the area youth sports organization, teachers, and boosters. This group will conduct interviews on the week of April 20 after which they will submit recommendations to Stevens and Philpot, who will in turn make the final decision.

"Our community will play a big part in helping us get the best coach" said Stevens. "They will have a different perspective in the interviews and it will be nice to have other opinions besides me and Curtis." The goal of everyone is to have a new coach in position by the end of April, and with the long list of applicants, I do not think they will have any trouble finding someone to fit perfectly with how the program out at Madison runs.

Armco Park Grand Re-Opening

jzduncan@yahoo.com (zack duncan) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 00:08:00 +0000

Armco park has long since been the private recreation area for the workers and employees of AK Steel. The park has been closed to public use since its conception but all that is changing now. Come this Saturday, March 28, 2009, Armco Park will officially be opened as a public park. This is made so by the fact that Armco park is now under the management of the Warren County Park District.

This re-opening is planned to have a few changes from the previously private park. Warren County Park District Spokesman Dave Woehr said, "In a lot of ways, this is going to be like a brand new park. It's a very impressive piece of land." The county has undertaken many renovations for the park which includes fixing run-down picnic shelters and other facilities.

The park itself is quite impressive. Located on Ohio 741, just north of Ohio 63, lies the 310-acre park. There are many different things in the park for people to enjoy. Armco Park has a lake for fishing, several picnic shelters, numerous softball fields, boat rentals and even a nine-hole golf course. General admission into the park will be free, however, certain activities, like boat rentals and the golf course, will require you to pay.

In September of last year, AK Steel sold Armco Park to Warren County for a price of $4.4 million. Of this sum, the county contributed $1.4 million. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Turtlecreek Township, and Otterbein Retirement Communities each contributed a generous $1 million to the park.

Now just because the park is under new management, does not mean that everything that activity that went on there in the past is out the door. The Warren County Park Board will try to keep many of the past traditions laid forth by Armco alive. For example, the annual Easter Egg Hunt, which used to draw in upwards of 2,000 children(myself included when I was of age) to the park, will take place Saturday, April 11, at 1 p.m. for any children ages 12 and under. An incredible 6,000 colorful plastic eggs will be hidden throughout the park, each filled with candy, for the children to find. A gala Grand-Opening event is being planned at the park for July 4, according to Woehr.

The opening of Armco to the public is a wonderful idea. Now anybody can enjoy the beautiful park and everything it has to offer. It looks like there is a new place for kids and families to go and have fun this summer.

Win A Free Blu-Ray Player By Posting On Middletownusa's Forums

mhoward@xponex.com (Mike Howard) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 19:17:00 +0000

The MiddletownUSA Forum is holding a recruiting drive contest to designed to help build membership and conversation about Middletown, Ohio and the community. The prize for the contest is one Sharp BluRay Disc Player (AQUOS BD PLAYER).

How To Enter:
Entering the contest is simple. All you need to do is be a MiddletownUSA.com Forum member (Join Here) and post! You will receive entries into the contest for doing all of the following:
• One Entry will be given for each post made on the forum1.
• Five Entries will be given for each new member recruited who makes 5 (or more) posts
• Five Entries will be given to each new member recruited who makes 5 (or more) posts
There is no cap on the number of entries you can receive. All entries at the end of the contest will be sorted randomly and a computer will randomly select one winner. The contest has already started and will continue to run until May 1, 2009 at 11:59 AM.

To hear all the rules and agreements please click here.

M.U.M Basketball Wins State Championship

jzduncan@yahoo.com (zack duncan) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 19:58:00 +0000

Miami University Middletown has been a college branch campus for Miami University Oxford for many years. It functions just like a normal college. It has normal classes, students and faculty.It also has a state hampionship basketball team.

Last Sunday, the Miami University Middletown Men's Thunderhawk basketball team traveled to the University of Ohio-Chillicothe to compete for the ORC State Championship for the first time under the leadership of head coach Bob Nocton, who has been there for four years. The one hour and fouty-five minute bus ride was filled with eager anticipation as MUM traveled on its way to the Championship game. Last year, #1 seeded MUM was knocked off in the semi-final round by rival Miami University Hamilton. Needless to say MUM was ready to make a statement, which they did.

This season was an incredibly good one for the team. They had an impressive record of 24 wins and 6 losses overall. But that is not the only impressive record, the team also capped off with an undefeated 13 wins and 0 losses in their ORCC Conference naming them league champions for a second consecutive year. This accomplishment again landed the Thunderhawks the #1 seed in the tournament bracket.

After an impressive and easy victory against Ohio University-Eastern the day before, the Thunderhawks were hyped and ready to take on the University of Cincinnati-Clermont who was last years tournament champs. But, as they had done all season, the Thunderhawks answered with an impressive effort offensively and a stunning defensive performance pulling off an 83-69 victory.

This was do to an impressive display of talent from the Thunderhawk starting five, all of which were in double figures. Freshman Curt Thompson, from Milton Union, had 12 points, sophomore Thomas Wilson, from Princeton, added 11, freshman Jeremy Williams, from Medowdale, finished with a great 19, freshman Charles Thompson, from Aiken, had 21, and junior Brad Bergman, from Botkins, added 10. Brad Bergman, who has finished his career at MUM was very close to performing a triple double and was named the MUM representative to the All-Tournament team. Charles Thompson, leading scorer for the Thunderhawks, was named tournament MVP.

The team has many good players and a very deep bench which was a key factor in their success this season. An impressive end to a very impressive season. The coaching staff at MUM is already hard at work recruiting players to carry on for next season.

Congratulations to the players and coaches representing the Miami University Middletown Men's Thunderhawk basketball team.

Jerry Lucas: The Stuff of Legends

jzduncan@yahoo.com (zack duncan) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 00:21:00 +0000

When most people think of legends in the field of athletics, Middletown Ohio probably does not come to mind very quickly. However, the name Jerry Lucas is probably one of the first things people would think of.

Born in Middletown, Ohio, on March 30, 1940, Jerry Lucas played an amazing basketball career spannig 20 years and breking numerous high school, college, and professional records. Middletown Ohio, a community of around 50,000 people, had one of the best high school basketball teams in the country in the 1940's and 1950's that spawned one of the greatest basketball players to ever play the game. Early in his years as a basketball player, Jerry Lucas was already known on the playground by his impressive skills with the ball. At age 15, Lucas was almost at his full grown height of 6'9". By this time he was already developing an impressive shooting accuracy from 30 feet and was training his jumping ability and timing to become a very impressive rebounder.

In 1956 and 1957, Lucas led his hometown Middletown Middies to back-to-back undefeated seasons and Ohio High School State Chamionship titles. WIth his impressive array array of talents, it was no surprise that Lucas broke nearly every existing Ohio high school record during these two seasons. It is because of these talents and records that Lucas arguably the first high school basketball player to be known coast-to-coast, which may not seem all that special today, but this was in a time when there was no internet, t.v. was just a baby, and people's primary electronic enterainment was the radio. More impressivley is that Lucas drew out crowds as large as 10,000 people which shadowed local colleges and even the state's professional basketball team the Cincinnati Royals.

High school was not the end of Lucas' career however. Lucas was offered over 150 athletic scholarships and had his pick of any school he wanted. Most people thought that Lucas would choose to play for Adolph Rupp at the Universuty of Kentucky, but when the recruiting staff for U.K. approached Lucas before the regulated recruitment time, he opted for Ohio State which, at the time, was not well known for basketball greatness. Lucas insisted on an academic scholarship which came easily for him since he was already well known for his intelligence and memory being nearly a straight-A student. An old urban myth goes that Lucas persuaded fellow star high school recruits Bobby Knight and John Havlicek to go with him to Ohio State. Surprising to most, Lucas did not play on the varsity squad his freshman year due to strict NCAA rules that a freshman must wait one year for varsity play.

During his years on Varsity, Lucas led the Buckeyes to three straigh NCAA Finals and an amazing record of 78 wins and 6 losses over three seasons. During his career at Ohio State, Lucas led the nation in shooting accuracy all three years, rebounding for two years, and won a National Championship in 1960. At Ohio State, Lucas was All-American all 3 years, Big Ten Player of the Year all 3 years, and, named above all college and Pro athletes, Sports Illustrated "Sportsman of the Year" in 1961.

In 1960, Lucas was added to the roster of the U.S Olympic Men's Basketball team set to play in the Rome Olympics. The team, whose roster included Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Walt Bellamy, and Terry Dischinger, went on to win all 9 games and the Olympic Gold Medal. Lucas was co-leading scorer and leading rebounder and made an incredible 84% of his shots in the Olympics. U.S. coach Pete Newell named Lucas "the greatest player I have ever coached."

In 1963, Lucas joined the NBA playing for the Cincinnati Royals. Lucas, along with teammate Oscar Robertson, were named First Team All-NBA in 1965, 1966, and 1968 and Lucas won Rookie of the Year and both men had been consecutive All-Star Game MVP's. While also at Cincinnati, Lucas became a 5-time All-Pro and 6-time All-Star player and also averaged 20 points and 20 rebounds per game in a single season and was also the only player in NBA history to pull down 40 rebounds in a single game! His career in the NBA included multiple Finals apperances and Championships as well as numerous All-Star apperances and victories.

Jerry Lucas is widley considered to be the greatest basketball player to ever play the game. In his impressive career he has played at every level of the game. In each level he has broken uncountable records, won numerous championships and is the only basketball player in the history of the game to win a championship in each level of play, i.e. High School, College, Professional, and Olympic basketball. He has had his high school jersey number 13 retired at Middletown High School, his number 11 jersey number retired at Ohio State University(the second in school history), and has been inducted into the National Basketball Association's Hall of Fame. No one can ever match up to the accomplishments on and off the court of Jerry Lucas. He will forever be a legend in the ciy of Middletown, the state of Ohio, the NBA, the Olympics, and the game of basketball as a whole

Middletown Councilman Seeks EMA Position

jzduncan@yahoo.com (zack duncan) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 20:08:00 +0000

Councilman from Middletown, Ohio, Bill Becker has expressed interest in becoming the new director of the EMA, or the Butler County Emergency Management Agency. Becker announced on Tuesday, January 27th, that he talked to the Butler County Commission about him becoming the new EMA director.

In 2007 Becker was elected as an at-large member of council for Middletown and has also served as the Middletown City Manager and Middletown's Police Chief. Becker stated, " I think I have the experience and I know most of the Police Chiefs, Fire Chiefs, and managers in the county to work through the issues. I think it would be challenging and rewarding, and it would get me back into public safety. I would be glad to get involved."

The Butler County EMA is n organization dedicated to the preparedness of Butler County in case of an emergency like flood or tornado for example. Current EMA director Bill Turner submitted his resignation effective March 2nd in the beginning of this month. The reasons for him doing this is due to the fact that the county's Police Chiefs expressed a lack of confidence in Turner when the hurricane windstorms tore through the county last September.

Don Dixon, president of the Butler County Commission, said he was aware of Becker's interest in the job. He also added that he did not know of any other people interested in the job. According to Dixon, it would be up to the EMA board to determine the time line, criteria, and protocols to appoint a new director. In early February, EMA should be done with their reorganizing process. Whether or not Becker, if he receives the title of Director of EMA, will have to resign his seat as Councilman is still undetermined. We wish Becker the best of luck in his pursuit of the job.