Events, activities and other hometown items going on in and around Tipp City, Ohio
From Greg Enslen.com:
A Winter’s Yuletide Gathering in Tipp
This past weekend, shopkeepers and shoppers alike celebrated the Winter’s Yuletide Gathering in downtown Tipp City. Hundreds of shoppers came out to visit the multitude of shops and restaurants offering specials, discounts, and holiday-themed treats and surprises. I have to say, parking around my house was a mess on both Saturday and Sunday, and that’s always a good sign! The weather was great, and it was nice to see the downtown full of shoppers, carolers, and volunteers.
And a tip of the hat to the Downtown Tipp City Partnership for keeping this tradition alive—two years ago, the event was in danger of being canceled, but the DTCP and merchants stepped in with only two weeks’ notice and salvaged the event. I have to say, it’s been a success!
Why are Tipp Stores Closed on Sundays?
Something that drives me crazy about downtown Tipp City is the fact that so few shops are open on Sundays—often, I’ll be walking downtown on Sundays and it looks like a ghost town. I understand that being closed two days a week is a necessity for family-run shops, but I still feel that shopkeepers are missing out on a golden opportunity.
Of course, I have a horrible track record on this topic—I ran the Big Robot Game Café for almost three years, and we were open on Sundays for most of that time, but we were targeting students, so it made sense to be open when school was not in session. That being said, my shop was one of the few open on Sundays, which always confused me. Lots of people are downtown on Sundays to attend one of the three or four downtown churches or to enjoy breakfast at Sam and Ethel’s or a nice lunch at Harrison’s. Doesn’t it make sense that church-goers or diners might be strolling around the downtown and pop into a shop or two while they’re here? Of course, my business failed, so I’m probably not the best source for advice on this topic.
That’s what happened to Sam last week—she was shopping in Urban Ava last Sunday and heard the woman in front of her ask the shop employee “Why aren’t any of the other shops open on Sundays?” The employee replied that “I’m not sure,” to which the shopper answered “I think the Hotel Gallery is the only other place. It’s such a cute town; I don’t know why they don’t take advantage of it.”
There you have it—out of town shoppers wanting to spend money but having only a few shops to visit.
NaNoWriMo Update
Here’s another quick update on my NaNoWriMo writing competition—it’s been a pretty rough week around the Enslen house, but I’ve tried to soldier through and “stay on target,” as Wedge Antilles would say. Its 14 days into the month and my word count is up to 24,465 words, or approximately 1,725 words a day. I’m on page 61. If you check out my website, there’s a cute little picture on the front page that shows my progress—sadly, I have a couple red and orange days where I didn’t manage to write the daily minimum word goal of 1,667 words a day.
I’ve heard from a couple of people about NaNoWriMo, including Jim, a regular reader, who wanted to know if there were any tricks to writing that many words per day. I have three answers for you, Jim:
Ø First, I think that the NaNoWriMo folks specifically set a high daily word count because they are trying to emphasize just getting words down on paper. The only way you can write that many words in one day is to set your “inner critic” aside and just get down a very rough first draft.
Ø Second, I may have a bit of advantage this time around because the book I’m writing is one I’ve been thinking about for a long time—much of the plot has been rattling around inside my brain for a while now.
Ø Third, I do have to say that I don’t think most professional novelists write this many words a day. I think they write a smaller amount, and focus more on getting them “right” the first time.
If you’d like to follow along with my progress (or cajole me on days when I miss my target), check out my website at www.gregenslen.com or catch me on Facebook. And wish me luck!
Early Thanksgiving on the Get Social Show
This week on the Get Social Show, Tipp’s only live TV show, Bill Johnson from Bob Evans showed off their Family Thanksgiving Feast, a massive spread of food available for purchase if you’re just not in the mood to cook a Thanksgiving spread—or if you suddenly find the house full of guests! The Enslen household also took advantage of a donation service whereby you can purchase one of these holiday feasts and donate it to a needy family—and Bob Evans handles everything. You even get your own little gift basket brought to your door as a thank-you!
Recent guests on the show have been Bill Beagle, recently elected State Senator for Ohio’s 5th district, Mike Woody, folks from the Tipp Arts Council, Doggone Pet Rescue, the Midnight Shadows Paranormal Society, and the Tipp Farmers’ Market.
If you’re interested in watching the show film live, drop by the KIT-TV studio on Thursday night just before 7pm—we’re off the next two weeks but will be back in the studio on December 2. For more information, check out our website at www.getsocialradio.com.
Hear something interesting for “Tipp Talk”? Visit my website at www.gregenslen.com and use the “Contact Me” page to let me know what you’re thinking. And don’t worry – I won’t quote you unless you want me to!
