Tipp Talk—February 2

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From GregEnslen.com:

Events, activities and other hometown items going on in Tipp City, Ohio, by Greg Enslen

Weekend Recap

It was a busy weekend for Tipp City organizations. I didn’t make it to all of the events, but here’s what I heard!

  • Downtown Tipp City Partnership Appreciation Dinner. This annual DTCP dinner, held Thursday night at Harrison’s, was a blast—I got to sit at a table full of crazy folks, including Reed Spencer, Kathy Taylor, Katie Sonnanstine, Cara and Korey King, Carla Unguent, and my lovely wife, Samantha.  There was a cash bar, the food was great, and, before the meal, they put out some great hors d’oeuvres—meatballs, veggies, and shrimp paired with wickedly spicy cocktail sauce. I think Sam’s eyes popped out of her head a little when she took her first bite.

Terri Bessler, who runs the Midwest Memories antique mall, was honored with the 2010 William Henry Harrison Volunteer of the Year award for her unflagging support of our downtown, including organizing the annual Antiques and Artisans Fair and spearheading several promotional activities in the downtown.  I think Terri’s done a great job with Midwest Memories since she bought the business from previous owner Ruth Safreed—I love the new windows signage! I can’t imagine the downtown without Terri and all of her amazing contributions.

Sue Rambeau was inducted as DTCP president, speaking eloquently about how she and her husband decided to move to Tipp some 15 years ago, and outgoing president Logan Rogers told us about how a “sophisticated” friend of his from Cleveland was wowed by how nice our downtown looks in comparison to many of the small towns around Cleveland. The new board was sworn in, new officers and committee chairs were announced, and there was a special shout-out to Harrison’s for making such a big investment in Tipp and creating a location that’s become one of the centers of our community.  For details on the DTCP, call them at 937-667-0883 or visitwww.downtowntippcity.org.

  • “Dancing with the Arts” First Annual Art Gala. The Tipp City Area Arts Council held its first big event of the year Saturday night, when 120 patrons of the arts filled the Crystal Room at Club 55 in Troy to dance to the big band stylings of the Tom Daugherty Orchestra.  The Arts Council took the opportunity to honor their founder and inspiration, Ellen Cotterman, who passed away late last year, and also honored their 2010 President, Molly Spencer.  A silent auction was also held, raising over $2,100 to benefit the arts in Tipp City.

Youth Basketball and Football

Basketball season is in full swing, and it’s fun to see Anna and Xander out on the court again. This year, Anna is playing Upward at the Methodist Church (it’s extremely convenient for us), and Xander is playing in the Tipp City Recreation League, sponsored by Community Services. Xander scored one basket in his first game, and Anna scored two. It’s particularly gratifying this year to see Anna transition from just standing around the court staring into space—which she did last season—to being engaged and able to follow the game.  What a difference a year makes when they’re at this age.  She dribbles like a champ! Now if I can just get her to go after more of those rebounds!

Xander has also asked to sign up for Flag Football, which starts in April and will be played down at Kyle Park. This is another league sponsored by Community Services, and this is the first year that they’re rolling it out, for kids in grades 3 through 8. Registration is $35 for Tipp residents and $37 for non-residents, and includes an NFL jersey, a flag belt, and flags. I’m glad that Xander is interested in this, as he’s seemed to be intimidated by the idea of football in the past. Hopefully this will be a low-key, fun way to get him started.

Tipp vs. Tippecanoe Redux

When my wife and I were at the Partnership dinner on Thursday, Mose Wampler commented on the whole “Tipp City versus Tippecanoe” debate. He noted that “there’s all kinds of Tippecanoes around the country … but there’s only one Tipp City.” When I got home, I searched for Tippecanoe on Google Maps and could only find two: Tippecanoe City, in northern Indiana, west of Fort Wayne, and Tippecanoe County, in western Ohio, south of Akron. Does anybody know where any other ones are?  Personally, I like the idea of changing the name of this town to Tippecanoe or Tippecanoe City, which could be a nice compromise for folks that really like the word “City” in the name.

Snow Furies
We may have had a couple delays and school closings recently, but it’s nothing compared to what our old hometown, Washington DC, got hit with last week. Apparently they registered 8 to 10 inches of snow on Wednesday, hitting just in time for the afternoon commute, which is notoriously ugly, even on the best days. A friend of Sam’s had a 5-hour commute home; another was in the car for 9 hours. One of her friends wound up with her entire extended family camping out in her small, 2-bedroom condo because everyone else’s power was out Wednesday night and Thursday. Apparently, Wednesday’s commute was made worse by a tree going down across both lanes of Route 50, a major route in and out of DC. I can’t image the impact that that had on a city already facing a massive snowfall.

A colleague of Sam’s who works for a government contractor commented that Wednesday night’s situation didn’t bode well for how the local law enforcement and street crews would react if DC ever faced an actual disaster—manmade or otherwise—and an evacuation was required. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen anytime soon—or better yet, ever.

Check In With Me

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!