In the 1930s, the Culps opened a cafeteria in the Arcade across from Keith Theater. The cafeteria specialized in home-

Chef Jose and his wife Carol

cooked food and was famous for its pies and pastries. Dayton’s population boomed in the 1940s and Culp’s cafeteria served as many as 5,000 customers a day. Culp’s was the first restaurant in Dayton to have air conditioning and the first electric Hammond organ in the area.  As the downtown area changed due to the development of suburbs and the popularity of television, the Culp family reluctantly sold the business in 1960.

The spirit of this family-operated restaurant lives on at Carillon Historical Park with Chef José Calzada managing Culp’s Café 7 days a week and working daily with his wife Carol. Starting June 2nd Culp’s Cafewill be serving up breakfast, Sat – Mon from 7:30am-3:00pm. They are also open for lunch Tues- Fri 11am – 3pm.  Culp’s is located at 1000 Carillon Blvd, at Carillon Park.

DaytonDining wants to treat one of our readers to a FREE breakfast at Culp’s Cafe.  Just leave a comment below telling us why you’d like to have breakfast at Culp’s and a random winner will be drawn on Friday from the commenters.

And now Chef Jose answers DaytonDining’s 10 questions:

 What is your favorite ingredient to cook with?

I love to cook with fresh herbs, like Oregano, Thyme, Rosemary and  especially Basil – I love the taste and the smell of it. Using fresh herbs brings out a better flavor on soups, meats and sauces.

What ingredient do you dread?

I really dread working with kale I don’t like the taste and the smell. If I had to use it I would only use it as a garnish.  No offense to kale lovers.

What’s your favorite dish to make? 

I love to make soups, a nice chicken noodle soup or corn chowder on a cold day or a chilled avocado soup with fresh crab meat on a  hot summer day .  10 or 15 years  ago I would have said pates or terrines . When I first started cooking I used to love making duck liver pate and vegetable or meat  terrines.

What’s your favorite pig out food?

I love cheeseburgers, here in Dayton I like to go to Smashburger. My favorite place to go for a burger is Illinois Bar and Grill in Chicago , their one pound burgers are the best I have ever had.

What restaurant, other then your own do you like to dine at in the Miami Valley?

My wife and I love to go to Tony’s Italian Kitchen on North Main Street in Englewood, it is a very small neighborhood  restaurant with great food, but most of all authentic. We have tried everything on the menu and we are always satisfied.

What’s your best advice for home chefs?

Have fun doing what you love!  Like one of my chef instructors would always say  “It is not rocket science, just have fun and enjoy it!”

If you could invite any 4 guests to a dinner party who would they be and why?

I wouldn’t know were to start there are a lot of people to choose from like by brother who passed away 12 years ago, my mentors Chef John Hogan and Chef Mike Greagson. There are also my chef instructors, my collies, my favorite athletes and actors and actresses . It would be very hard to just pick 4 guests.

Who do you look up in the industry and why?

I look up to a lot of people in this industry, from a chef I have had the pleasure to know like, Priscilla Satkof, who has been one of the top female chefs in Chicago for over 15 years, Michel Coatrieux who is a chef instructor for over 25 years,  Georges “Kiki” Cuisance who has been in the restaurant business for over 35 years and still doing a great job. To the celebrity chefs like Gordon Ramsay, Emeril Lagasse who have educated  many people about food.

 What do you do in the Miami Valley on a day off ?

In my day off I like to spend as much time with my family as I can,  in this business you don’t have many days off.  So we go to the movies, out to dinner or just to the park.

Share a kitchen disaster, lucky break or other interesting story.

The best time I had ever had in the kitchen was when we cooked a dinner for Julia Child  and a group of friends. I was working at Kiki’s Bistro as a sous chef  at the time. The chef and I prepared a 5 course dinner for them with the main entrée of Roasted Squab ( that’s what she order in advance). After the dinner the waiter came to the kitchen and said that she wanted to meet the chefs who prepared  the wonderful meal. That was one of the best feelings I ever had as a chef  - cooking and meeting  someone I idolized growing up, and a person I watched on TV.  It was an experience I will never forget.

Featuring live music inspired by the iconic Swedish band, ABBA, DGMC’s ExtrABBAganza is a one-of-a-kind treat that is sure to inspire and excite people of all ages. The 90-minute ExtrABBAganza unleashes DGMC’s colorful and talented spirit through choral song, dance and disco, and is to be a proud successor of their 2011 hit performance, Let’s Hear It For The Boys.

The Dayton Gay Men’s Chorus is pleased to be entering its 5^th year with the Victoria Theatre once again to partner with The Miami Valley Pride Partnership and The Greater Dayton LGBT Center to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Pride Celebrations in the Dayton Region.  The culmination of these activities is the Annual Pride Day on June 2nd, which will feature a Parade route from the Downtown Public Library to Courthouse Square at 12 noon, followed by a day of entertainment and festivities on the Square.  The capstone to Pride Day is the Dayton Gay Men’s Chorus ExtrABBAganza concert at 8pm

With previous performances including 2009’s BraviSEAmo, 2010’s Yankee Doodle Dandies, and 2011’s Let’s Hear It For The Boys, Dayton Gay Men’s Chorus is no stranger to the Victoria Theatre.  Their recent Benefit Musicale IV, “The Directors Cut,” raised proceeds to help produce the upcoming ExtrABBAganza concert.  DGMC welcomes the experience and musical arrangement of nationally recognized composer David Maddux.  Maddux, who has arranged performances for several other men’s choruses around the country, brings a fresh, collaborative involvement to the DGMC and their vision of diverse, community-oriented performances in the greater Miami Valley.

Date: June 2, 2012
Time: 8pm
Location: Victoria Theatre, 138 North Main Street, Dayton, Ohio 45402

Ticket information:
$20 in advance, $25 at the door
www.daytongaymenschorus.org
www.ticketcenterstage.com, 937-228-3630

(Submitted by Dayton Gay Mens Chorus

Ticket Contest

We have FIVE PAIRS of tickets to see  ExtrABBAganza – simplythis article, fill out the form below and then comment below and tell us if you’ve ever been to a DGMC concert, and if so – what did you think?  We’ll draw five random names on Thursday May 31st at 3pm – GOOD LUCK!

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Jason Goad, born June 18^th of 1974, graduated from Centerville High School in ’92 and went on to study illustration at The Columbus College of Art and Design. “I think I always knew from a young age I was going to be a career artist, although there was a time when I was younger that I really wanted to be a movie director, which in a way is kind of what I do anyway.  But I think I seriously felt the need to make a career as an illustrator out of obligation to my education  Just seemed like a complete waste of time and money if I didn’t pursue art”, says Jason. After college, Jason stayed in Columbus, beginning his career in illustration until 2006, when he moved back to Dayton.

  His pursuit of a career in freelance illustration has paid off. In a world of artistic uncertainty, where being an artist sometimes means struggling to find work, Jason has managed to not only find his distinct vision and voice within this field, but has landed some pretty prestigious jobs. Working for large companies and clients like: Sony, Topps, Mattel/Hot Wheels, Giant Peach, Joe’s Barbershop in Chicago, The Giant Peach, Mr. Angry Motorsports, The Electric Factory, and ManGlaze Nail Polish, Jason has created amazing images and layouts for skateboards, rollerderby bouts, toys, sunglasses, t-shirts, bike helmets, life sized monster trucks, the shop logo for Monkey Bones Tattoos, Hot Wheel cars, and most recently a movie poster for Cinema Overdrive and collaborated on an entire series of Mars Attacks Topps cards.

  Working and living in his Dayton home hasn’t stopped him from attaining these jobs, “One of the benefits of what I do is that because of the internet, UPS, phones, and fax machines and can pretty much live where ever I want and in those cases (working for large companies) I have never met anybody in person or talked a phone for that matter – all corresponding has been done through e-mail.”

  Jason is an extremely humble and down to earth person and this personality carries over into his work as well. Upon meeting him, he is laid back, supremely funny, approachable, and incredibly encouraging of other artists and their work around the area. It takes a person awhile to realize just what Jason has accomplished; he is not a show off, even with his impressive achievements.

After moving back to Dayton in 2006, Jason, with his close friends Mike Guidone, Jeff Richards, and David Sloan, formed 4frnt studios (formerly C2 Gallery) down at the Front Street Warehouse off of Third Street. Known locally for their eclectic, completely original, and visually stunning shows, the studio has been a creative hub for many local artists in the area, as they open up the space for others to show as well and have hosted themed shows for several years, including a showing of Goad’s collection of artwork in a show titled, “In Goad We Trust”, also the name he uses for his website and advertising.

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The Rock n Roll Sushi Roll, beautiful and delicious

Superfry loves to indulge in the “Rock n Roll” sushi roll.  This colorful display consists of flying fish roe, shrimp tempura, crab, & cream cheese deep fried then topped with three kinds of sauce.  Definitely one of the most flamboyant and tasty dishes you will ever have.  Superfry also enjoys the “Boston Roll.”  This is a simple sushi roll combining the tastes of cooked shrimp, lettuce, avocado and cucumber with Japanese mayo sauce.

The Spider Roll at Kabuki Korean and Japanese Restaurant

The Big Ragu would recommend you try the “Spider Roll”, which is made with Soft Shell Crab for an extremely delicate and a rare tasty treat.  Is fresh raw sushi your gig?  If so the Big Ragu would recommend the salmon, tuna or any sashimi listed on their menu.

This restaurant serves miso soup or spicy noodle soup with entrees and sushi dinners.

Kabuki has much more than just sushi or soup. They offer a Japanese Dinner menu with Teriyaki dishes and many more entrees.  Kabuki also features a Korean Menu with noodle specialties and other dinners like Hue Dup Bop.   Sounds like a Hanson song, but instead it is mixed raw fish and vegetables over steamed rice served with Korean sweet & spicy sauce.

The common denominator of the menu items is that they are fresh, tasty, and presented well on your plate.  Every time we have been to Kabuki, the servers were friendly and attentive.  Check out this family owned restaurant for a romantic date, or a fun culinary experience.   It may be a small place in size, but Kabuki delivers big on flavor.  We cannot think of a better place for a true  FOOD ADVENTURE!

“Like” Food Adventures with SUPERFRY and THE BIG RAGU on FACEBOOK by clicking here !!

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Have  you been  to Kabuki?  Please  share your opinions below !!

Join Dayton History at Carillon Park this Memorial Day weekend and celebrate Dayton’s history from its founding in 1796 through present day during a one-day community festival – the Dayton Heritage Festival.

Features:

• All 30 historic buildings and structures open – with demos & hands-on activities at 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
• Kids Zone -inflatable’s, crafts, face painting activities at 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
• Time Warner Cable’s CaMM Passport Program activities at 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
• Dayton Carousel of Innovation at 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. ($1.00 fee)
• Carillon Park Rail & Steam Society small-scale trains operating 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. ($1.00 fee)
• The Clodbusters (vintage base ball team) demonstrations all day
• Americana-style food and beverage for sale at 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
• Live entertainment all day:
• Classic Jazz Stompers at 3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
• Hey There Morgan at 12:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
• DPO rehearsal at 2:30 – 5:00 p.m.
• Special performance by the Carillon Park Concert Band at 6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
• Feature performance by the DPO at 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
• Feature performance by the Dayton Ballet
• Deeds Carillon’s spectacular fireworks finale presented by Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC at 9:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Date: Sunday, May 27th (Rain date – May 28th)

Park Opens: 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Admission: FREE ($5 per car for parking) Parking available at Carillon Park and Welcome Stadium with RTA trolley shuttle service provided.

** No carried-in food or beverage permitted. **

For additional information, call 937-293-2841 or visit www.daytonhistory.org

Kevin trying out the sampler

Kevin Kreig of Centerville is also a big fan of craft beers and he started his experience off with a flight of beer, which is four 4oz samples for $5.  Pints run $4 and growlers are $17 with refills available for just $13.  On it’s opening day, the intimate tasting room was at capacity with about 40 folks standing inside and a line out the door, with a few groups enjoying their beers on the small patio.

John from Miami Township says he’s “not a chemist or a brewer, but I know what I like and I’m proud to support an Alter grad.  Peter Hilgeman, the 25 year old Daytonian who founded The Dayton Beer Company says he’s always been interested in beer, but working at The Party Source in Covington, KY  during his college days at University of Cincinnati really peaked his interest. “I really wanted to restore the brewing tradition,” Dayton once had.  He spent five months traveling through Europe educating his pallet before returning home to create great tasting beers.

Jon, Dan & Mike enjoying opening day

In naming his beers, Pete pays homage to Dayton history with brews like Patterson Pale Ale,  Hawthorn Hill Hefeweizen and the Inventors IPA, which was a favorite of Kettering resident Dan, who is just happy to support a Dayton Brewery for the first time in 62 years!

Mike, who’s vising from Durham, North Carolina truly enjoyed the Rising River Porter, and was surprised at it’s lightness, but proclaimed it “perfect for summer.”  Coming tomorrow a Stout and a Smoked Ale will be added to the menu.  Speaking of menu, according to a price list on the table chips, soda’s,  Red Bull, bottled water, pretzels and beer nuts will be available, but on opening day it was all hands on deck to just get the beers out.

If you plan on frequenting the brew pub, you might be interested in joining the Flying High Club.  Basic membership is $20 and offers 50 cents off tastings, pints and 6 packs as well as a 10th free option and mailings.   The intermediate level adds a DBC Pint Glass, t-shirt and 2 koozie’s and everything from the basic package.  For you big rollers out there, you’ll think nothing of dropping $125 which lets you sport a DBC Polo shirt, 2 DBC Pint Glasses, 2 koozies and the basic benefits, too.

The Dayton Beer Company is located at 912 E. Dorothy Lane and will be open Wed – Saturday 5-10pm.

We will be tasting both types. White and red.

Wine is complex. From the selection of which type of wine to the individual brands, even the cost of the wine, all of it can be intimidating if you are trying to expand your knowledge. When you hear people talking about wines, you hear them using words like tannic or dry to talk about how it tastes. Or they will mention it tastes like chocolate, berries, herbs, vanilla, earth (!) or tobacco (!!), and they will say the last two as if that is a POSITIVE thing. They will sniff and swirl and do all manner of odd rituals before they even taste it. After they taste it, there is a fairly good chance they may spit it out! Isn’t that some kind of party foul?

Much like anything else, once you start getting into the subtleties of wine, you will start to see that there is a method to all of the madness. Part of the enjoyment of wine is its layers and complexity while it is washing around in your mouth. All of the swirling and sniffing and staring is done for a reason. So is the spitting.

To start off, pour yourself a glass of either red or white wine. Do not fill the glass all the way (never do that), but just a few ounces to wet the whistle. White wines lean to the sweeter, fruitier side of the flavor spectrum, while reds tend to be more savory or spicy. When you taste the wine, do more observation than judging. Focus on what you are experiencing through your senses, as opposed to what think you should be seeing, smelling or tasting. Everyone has different senses, and that is part of the enjoyment of the wine. You can also ignore the cost of the bottle. Many articles have been written about the correlation of the cost of a bottle of wine to its taste, and the general consensus is that price does not affect the taste of wine. Your belief that it tastes better does. Just kick your mind back and enjoy the journey.

Tilting the glass a bit gives you a better view.

Now that you have the glass, look through the wine that is partially filling it. It is best to do this against something as white as possible, as to not tint the color of the wine with other background colors. Red wines can range in color from brick red to a brilliant ruby. White wines will not have the wide range that reds have, but you may see some pale yellows, greens, or browns in your glass. Tilt the glass away from you to get the full effect, also noticing how the color changes from the center to the edges. While you are peering like an expert at your wine, make note if it is crystal clear, or is it somewhat cloudy. A little duller may mean your wine is just unfiltered, and this is quite fine. If it is murky or cloudy, there may be bigger issues. Wine can evolve in the bottle if not preserved correctly, and over time can turn sour or develop other impurities.

Once you have looked at the stationary wine, swirl the wine around the glass a little to coat the edges. You really want to take some time when you do this. This causes a couple of thing to happen simultaneously. First, it can give you an idea of how thick the wine is by the formation of “legs” on the side of the glass. The legs are drops of wine that are taking their sweet time getting back to the rest of the liquid. The slower they move down, the thicker the wine is going to feel in your mouth. It also throws off some of the alcohol so the deeper scents and flavors of the wine can be released. The combination of oxygen, subtle heat, and movement is enough to release those aromas.

You should take two different sniffs of the wine. The first sniff should be quick, just to get some hints of what is in the glass. It gives your brain some time to place the scents and prepares you for a second, deeper smell. When you smell the wine, it is really important to ignore what other people are saying and focus on what you are experiencing. Does it smell like strawberries? Apricots? Butterscotch? Tobacco? Make mental notes of what your initial reactions. Everyone has different senses of smell, and while you may come up with similar notes as other people, don’t allow their perception influence yours. When you have processed the first sniff, put your nose in the glass for a little deeper exploration. Does it still smell the same? Notice anything new? Again, make note of what you are experiencing. Smell has an influence on what you taste, so it is important to be faithful to your own sense.

Swirling the wine releases aromas and flavors.

Now you can take a sip, but only a sip. The alcohol and basic impressions are going to hit first. You may get a dry sensation in your mouth, which is more common in tannic or acidic red wines. If trying a white wine, it will more often be sweet to dry. If you mouth goes dry and stays dry, that is a tannic wine. If your mouth goes dry and you start to salivate, that is acidic wine. The saliva is trying to counter the acids in the wine. Keep holding the wine in your mouth, and swish it around a little. Like mouthwash, but you want it to flow, not crash. This is where the tongue starts to do the real work. Some people will even take a bit of air in through their mouth, which can help release more flavor. Reds tend to be savory or spicy, offering up pepper, cinnamon, or oak; possibly berry, plum or fig on the fruitier side. Sometimes even chocolate. White wines will offer more honey, butter, and toffee flavors, with their own fruity apple or citrus notes. In no way is that all you could taste. There are plenty of flavors for you to explore. Reds may have a little honey in them, and whites can be a little oaky. You are just going to have to train your palate to tell the difference. NOW you can swallow it or spit it into a bucket. If you are going to taste a great deal of wine, you may need to spit some out. Little sips here and there add up.

The last part of the taste is how long does it linger? Does it hang out pleasantly for a while on your lips and tongue, or is it gone as soon at the wine leaves your mouth? What flavors are left? Was it light and crisp, or weighty and smooth? And did you like it? All of these final questions determine whether you are going to want a full glass or if you are going to find something more to your liking. Again, you ultimately decide which wines you like and do not like! The cost or name on the bottle does not matter if it is something you love.

You are going to need some practice at this. This weekend at Fluers et Vin would be a wonderful time to start your journey, with hundreds of different wines and food offered. If that is too intimidating, you can go to Arrow Wine & Spirits most weekends. They also bring in experts during the week from different wineries to educate you more on wine. Dorothy Lane Market also has wine tastings most weekends. Rumbleseat Wine also has wine available to taste, and a slew of other tastings and live shows. Keep an eye out on our event calendar for other tastings around the Miami Valley, as they are becoming more and more common. And if you know a good wine for other readers to experience, leave it in the comments below, or any of the other comment areas we post to. Cheers!

Not a Restaurant, This is a Supper Club

A dimly lit dining room, 1970′s furniture, hustling staff and bustling patrons.  This is not a restaurant, this is a Supper Club.  Treasure Island is everything you could ask for in an old school eatery.  Located in the heart of Moraine, Ohio, it has great service, great food and classic ambiance.  This place is like a scene out of  the movies “Saturday Night Fever” or “Looking for Mr Goodbar.”  When you enter Treasure Island Supper Club, the carpeted lobby has a metal railing staircase that  leads to bathrooms and a party room on the second level.  What other place has that?  But it doesn’t end there, we are just getting started.  As you pass from the lobby into the eating area, you notice a room with lighting so low that you cannot tell if it is noon or midnight.  The bar area is a low seat bar with the bartender working in a “pit” even lower than the bar patrons.  The bar is adjacent to a walkway that leads to the dining room.  The walkway is lined with wooden spindles that were hand carved by the restaurant owner.  In fact his woodwork is throughout the supper club.   We were expecting to hear “bow chicka wow wow” music, but that did not happen.

Baskets of Butter and Lance Crackers at Every Table

A hostess greets you near the walkway and puts you on the waiting list, or seats you promptly.   You will be seated in a leather 70′s style booth or some old school table and chairs.    Even the water glasses are old school, and we love it ! On the table in a wicker basket, are various types of Lance crackers and butter packets.  We ate  a lot of melba toasts, crackers and captain’s wafers leaving our table strewn with Lance cracker wrappers.    Superfry and The Big Ragu live for unique places like this.  Our server who waited on us was fantastic.  She was a throwback to the days when waitresses were career waitresses for decades at the same restaurant.   She brought our salads and a basket of poppy seed bread that was still warm, so we put the butter packets to good use.

We were then served a shrimp cocktail appetizer that stayed in theme with the 70′s nostalgia.  The huge shrimp were served in a silver goblet lined with green decorative lettuce.  the shrimp were already partially dipped in the cocktail sauce inside the goblet.  These were some of the largest and best tasting shrimp we have ever eaten.   Make sure you don’t miss out on this old school shrimp cocktail or you will be squirming in your  red leather chair.

The Best Shrimp Cocktail Ever

We saw a customer being served a large corn fritter that looked good, so we decided to order one too… good move.  The homemade, handmade corn fritter is served with maple syrup packets and simply melt in your mouth.  We sat their enjoying the appetizer feeling like we were in an episode of “Starsky and Hutch.”   The fritter was cooked perfectly, nice and moist on the inside and golden brown on the outside.  In the restaurant lighting it looked like a brick of gold from Fort  Knox.

After stuffing ourselves with crackers, bread, butter, salad and appetizers, our main entrees arrived.  Superfry had ordered the baked halibut dinner.  It was served old school style with dunking butter!  It also came with a baked potato, decorative parsley, and large sides of butter and sour cream.  Again 70′s additude toward cholesterol and fat!  The fish was firm yet fluffy and  absolutely delicious.  The baked potato was perfectly cooked as well.  The Big Ragu’s entree was the seafood platter.  How old school is the name of  that dish?  The dinner was served with frog legs, fried shrimp, crab cakes, fried scallops, and fried oysters.  The dinner was very rich, but tasted incredible.  It was served with a side of hash browns that didn’t disappoint.  After finishing  our meal, we thanked our waitress and  the assertive busboys.

Perfectly Baked Halibut

As we walked out of the restaurant we joked about coming back for a picture outside the restaurant dressed in 7o’s Afro wig, terrycloth shorts, and pulled up white socks with stripes.  It was  another successful Food Adventure!     Our visit here was fantastic, truly enjoy Treasure Island Supper Club and had one of our better Food Adventures here.  If you have not been here to try the great food you are missing out on a taste bud experience!  It is a fun place to dine with some of the tables hollowed out with golf or Vegas decor behind tabletop glass.   Superfry and the Big Ragu highly recommend that you visit Treasure Island because they do things right, and have not changed their successful formula.     The simplicity of good food and good service is timeless, no matter what the decade.   If you visit this supper club and you see a couple of guys with cheesy 70′s mustaches, or Dirk Diggler haircuts, it just may be your Food Adventures Superfry and the Big Ragu, incognito!

“Like”Food Adventures with Superfry and the Big Ragu on Facebook by clicking here!

Have you been to Treasure Island Supper Club?  If  so, did you get your 70′s groove on at this phenomenal spot?  Please leave your comments below !

Treasure Island’s menus for  lunch and dinner may be viewed  by clicking HERE.

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Many volunteers have such a good time that they return year after year. Elvita Harris has been volunteering with her now-grown children for almost a decade.  “Volunteering is part of community service,” she said. “It gives us a sense of belonging and giving back. Plus, they’re exposed to different cultures, different foods – they’re broadening their horizons.”

Volunteer opportunities for the festival range from helping the Green Team encourage festival patrons to recycle, to serving soda and beer, to selling t-shirts and CDs, to helping monitor stage areas for handicap accessibility. A full list of positions is listed at www.cityfolk.org.

Long-time volunteer Judy McCormick  says, “The Cityfolk Festival is one event where our city truly comes together. And it simply doesn’t happen without volunteer participation. You can have fun, meet old friends, make new ones and play a part in what is a one-of-a-kind celebration for our community.”

Join Five Rivers MetroParks for the annual Bike to Work Day Pancake Breakfast, 6-9 a.m. Friday, May 18, at RiverScape MetroPark. Details at www.metroparks.org/biketowork

Who’s got two thumbs and can help save the world while saving some dough and burning calories? This girl! And that guy, and that girl, and that girl, and especially that polydactyl guy. That’s right, anyone can accomplish this earth-friendly laundry list simply by biking to work. Celebrate your two-wheeled liberation on Friday, May 18, with a free pancake breakfast at RiverScape MetroPark, compliments of your outdoorsy pals at Five Rivers MetroParks.

Since gaining status as a bronze-level bike-friendly berg, Dayton’s cycling population has grown. New initiatives include the City of Dayton’s program that will place 100 new bike racks in strategic downtown locations. Following in the footsteps of other cities that have proven the “if-you-build-it-they-will-come” strategy is effective, the bike racks should provide ample parking to some of downtown’s coolest spots. Bonus—no more circling the block like a parking space vulture or endless see-sawing as you attempt to squeeze your four-door sedan into a parallel spot that could barely accommodate the recently vacated Geo Metro.

Besides ample parking right next to your destination, swapping your car for the bike has myriad benefits. Let’s talk economics. Let’s say you fill your 14-gallon tank once every two weeks. If gas prices were to stay at a reasonable $3.50 per gallon (maybe there’s no turmoil in the Middle East because everyone went on vacation?), you spend about $1,274 a year on gas. Reduce that cost by putting your foot to the pedal instead of the pedal to the metal. Studies show us that 25 percent of all trips are made within a mile of the home, 40 percent of all trips are within 2 miles of the home, and 50 percent of the working population commutes 5 miles or less to work—yet 82 percent of these trips made that are 5 miles or less are made by motor vehicle!

Photo by Elzora.com Photography

What if you used a bike for those short trips? Even if you start small—one trip 2 miles away or less once a week for a year—you can still save some money. In my beautiful hypothetical world where gas prices hover at $3.50, you could save about $50 a year! If this doesn’t seem like a lot of money to you, please send all your extra cash my way because I’d love an extra $50 a year. I’d stop in the middle of the street to pick up a quarter!

If the wallet surplus isn’t enough motivation, how about the health aspect? Steady cycling burns approximately 300 calories per hour. If you cycle for 30 minutes every day you would burn 11 pounds of fat in a year. (This solves the mystery of how those bike commuters pack away thousands of flapjacks at our bike to work event every year and manage to avoid stretching out their spandex.) Bad knees you say? Pish posh! The Mayo Clinic suggests adding exercise like cycling to increase your mobility if you suffer from arthritis or other types of joint pain. Any way you slice it, using your bike is beneficial.

What? Being rich and fit don’t rank high on your personal goals? What if I told you cycling could make the world a better place? Recent studies reveal big payouts for bike-friendly cities. Researchers reviewed the effects of using a bike instead of a car in 11 different cities around the upper Midwest. Combining data on air quality, medical costs, mortality rates, car accidents and physical fitness, the research team discovered that if residents of the sample cities used bikes for just half of their short trips (less than 5 miles), they’d create a net societal health benefit of $3.5 billion annually from reduced air pollution, and net $3.8 billion in health care savings from those Midwest denizens being so trim.

Find a bikeway near you: www.metroparks.org/cycling

Of course because this is a Five Rivers MetroParks initiative, there is another ecological angle here. Those who drive 5 miles to work daily produce roughly 1860 pounds of greenhouse gases (CO2) into the atmosphere each year. It would take 133 fully matured trees per year to absorb those yearly emissions. Think about that for a second. Imagine planting 133 trees for your car alone. Now think about how many of your fellow commuters you see each day. We need another 133 trees to off-set the carbon from all those vehicles, and unless we’re willing to grow trees on a Cambrian-era level, we’re going to have to find ways to reduce our pollution.

If you think you have what it takes to start bike commuting but you’re not confident enough in your skills to make it to this Friday’s pancake breakfast, try taking the bike commuting class from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 23. This program will include bike terminology, commuting equipment and trip and bike preparation. You’ll also get an overview of traffic laws, potential hazards, safe-riding skills and proper route planning.

Use the bike instead of the car. Start small—commute one short trip once a week and see how you like it. Uneasy about traffic rules? Check out the monthly Courteous Mass rides. This group-led ride will orient you to the rules of the road (Rule #1: Bikes are recognized as “vehicles” in the eyes of the law, so not only is it your right to ride on the road, it’s your legal obligation) in a safe environment. The group meets around 5:30 p.m. at Fifth Third Field on the first Friday of each month. Get in gear for your health, your finances and the environment!