From Greg Enslen.com:
Events, activities and other hometown items going on in and around Tipp City, Ohio, by Greg Enslen
New Year’s Wishes
Before I go any further, I’d like to wish everyone out there a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I’m grateful for the good fortune we had in 2010 – although we faced some challenges, including losing Sam’s grandma, we enjoyed good health and made several improvements to our lives. I closed the Big Robot Game Café, and, in deciding to stop spending more good money chasing after phantasmal profits, discovered just how nice it is to spend time with my family and work on my hobbies. My wife’s business, Dragonfly Editorial, grew for the fifth year in a row, and she took on her first full-time employee—a big step. Both Xander and Anna are doing well in school, and little baby Katie is growing like a weed. I published two books and am almost finished with two more. I also wrote a year’s worth of Tipp Talk columns (thank you, Gazette!), found a part-time job, and spent a lot of time with friends and family. I can only hope that next year is as special as this one was—for my friends and family, and for all of our Gazette readers. Happy New Year!
What Kind of Detour is This? Am I in Spain?
OK, so the other day I was driving to Huber Heights and forgot that the bridge at Ross Road was closed. I got all the way to the bridge before I saw the work, and then foolishly decided to follow their “suggested detour” rather than just turn around and cross the river on 571 east of downtown Tipp City. How far did the detour take me out of the way? I decided to do a comparison on Google Maps for getting from Canal Road to the corner of Ross Road and 202:
- The “old way”: Ross Road across the river to 202: 1.8 miles
- The ODOT detour: Ross Road west, Old Springfield Road south, Cassel Road south, 40 west, South Brown School Road south, 40 east, cross the dam, 40 north and then east, then 202 north: 8.4 miles
- “My way,” back through Tipp City: North on Canal, east on 571, then back south: 8.2 miles
Clearly, whoever put together this “detour” went with what appeared to work. Of course, the detour through Tipp is easier—three roads with a total of two turns. Easy peasy. Going through Vandalia? Seven different roads, eight turns, and .2 miles longer. When I got on Google, I was surprised to find that the total distance was so close, even though the Tipp City route is clearly shorter. Whoops!
Column Feedback …. Thanksgiving, Dams, and Benkins
I LOVE hearing from folks about stuff I write in my column, good or bad. If I write something that you’d like to comment on, please don’t hesitate to visit my website at www.gregenslen.com and use the “Contact Me” page to let me know what you’re thinking.
Last month, after I shared Samantha’s story about losing her Grandma June, I heard from Anita, who was kind enough to share her Thanksgiving story with me. Her best friend of 30 years, also a lifetime resident of Tipp, had recently been diagnosed with cancer. Anita shared how difficult it was to take her friend to chemotherapy sessions right around Thanksgiving, and, even though she is an LPN, to watch her friend in pain, spending long nights at her bedside and missing her family’s regular Thanksgiving gathering. But Anita also realized that for her, this Thanksgiving was all about the ability to help her friend and the blessings of their lifelong friendship.
And last week, I asked a group of “burning Tipp City questions” that had been bothering me. Reader David Cook wrote in with responses to several of the questions (which I’ll pass along in an upcoming column), but here’s what he had to say on the one that asked “Why didn’t they rebuild the half of Tipp City destroyed in the 1913 floods?”
- David did some research on the flood and found that after those tumultuous events, the Miami Conservancy District was created by the Ohio Legislature to build dams to protect the region from future floods. Because the portion of Tipp City east of the canal (including Kyle Park) is considered to be in the flood plain, it’s evidently illegal to build there.
- When the Miami Conservancy committee was planning and designing the area’s dams, there was so much controversy that they elected to not hold public meetings. The lead designer, Arthur Morgan, recommended a system of five dry, earthen dams, and now the Miami Valley system is the only dry dam system in the country. After the dams were constructed, Morgan reportedly said that he’d wished they had held public meetings.
- Morgan designed the dams with a slide rule and longhand calculations, using a once-in-100-years rainfall amount as a guide. As a safety factor, the dams were designed to handle the 1913 flood amounts plus an additional 40% more volume of water before failing. On a side note, the Conservancy later checked Morgan’s calculations using modern computers and found them extremely accurate.
- Huffman Dam was built to control the Mad River as it flows into the Great Miami. As a result, the two small towns of Fairfield and Osborn had to be relocated from the backwaters to make room, and the new combined community of Fairborn was established.
- In Tipp, several of the homes from the flood-damaged area east of Tipp were relocated to Dow and West Plum streets and are still standing today.
Thanks, David, for writing in and giving me so much great information.
Also, in response to my questioning why more Tipp City stores aren’t open on Sundays, Steve Staub at the Benkin Antique Gallery wrote to remind me that Benkin’s has been open on Sundays since 1990. They also opened the Studio 14 Gallery of Art last year, and recently added a gift shop. Keep up the good work over there at Benkin’s – the Gallery of Art is amazing! If you’re in Tipp and get a chance, swing by Benkin’s and walk through—they’re another staple of downtown Tipp. And do spend some money!
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!
