the419 one year anniversary edition

Vol. 2 Issue 29September 3-9, 2015

2 Locally Owned, Locally Operated, Community Focused. September 3-9, 2015

3Locally Owned, Locally Operated, Community Focused.September 3-9, 2015

Welcome to the anniversary edition of the419.It’s our fi rst, which means we’re celebrating our fi rst anniversary as a part of the Lima and Allen County community.

If you ask us, picking favorite stories and weekly editions is like asking a parent to pick a favorite child. You love them all, for diff erent reasons. However, we took a vote and selected some of the many wonderful stories we’ve had the privilege to be a part of this past year.

We don’t mind saying that we think these stories are complete packages: quality writing, photography and design. We’re proud of that work and we believe that quality is our signature and a signal to our community how much we care about covering it.

Some stories from this past year made a diff erence. Some were fun to do. Some just look rocking on the page. We hope you have the same enjoyment we did experiencing these stories again.

Thanks for reading,

Stephen C. Johnson Heather RutzPublisher & CEO Editor

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CONTENTS

how to

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designed by the419 in ohio

10

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE:Marine Piloted Presidents

10 THINGS:Shark Week

FAVORITE PHOTOS

COVER STORY:Town Square Transformed

419 FINDS:Strawberry Basil Cake

COVER SOTRY:Advice To My Daughter

OUR FOUNDERS:WaterWorks

the419 INTERVIEW:Bruce Hodges

STYLE:Jesus, Moses and Abraham All Had Whiskers


LIMA - An artist’s rendering communi-cates a vision, a pledge, an expectation.In this rendering, Rhodes State shows a

vision for transforming downtown. In this rendering, the mostly vacant southeast corner of Town Square is replaced by Rhodes’ planned health science center, with a walkway across Main Street con-necting Rhodes and the Veterans Memo-rial Civic and Convention Center.Rhodes now owns 12 of the 26 prop-

erties in the block surrounded by Main, Market, Union and Spring streets. The parcels equal about half of the land in the block. The college is buying more, Rhodes President Dr. Debra McCurdy said.“We’re still in acquisition mode. It’s

complicated,” McCurdy said. “We’re down to the smaller properties. Some of them have several owners, so it’s not like we can talk to one person.”Rhodes plans a $20 million Center for

Health Science Education and Innova-

tion. With two state grants and other funding in hand, Rhodes has 75 percent of the money raised. The facility will bring an estimated 800 to 1,200 people down-town each day. Construction is sched-uled to begin in 2016.This past fall, Rhodes installed window

clings in the buildings the college now owns downtown. It was done with pur-pose, McCurdy said.“We wanted people to understand this

was no longer just dialogue. We intended to say to people, ‘We own these proper-ties, and we’re going after properties,’” McCurdy said. “People needed to under-stand the magnitude of the project.”The same message is being sent with

the renderings of the facility.“Will the building look like this in the final

analysis? We’re not sure, but we wanted to communicate that we view this beyond just our building. It has other purposes. There’s a bridge, an atrium, an outdoor area - open markets, concerts, things

that extend into the city,” McCurdy said.When is probably the biggest question

McCurdy gets about the center. With the funding nearly raised, demolition and construction will largely depend on dis-cussions with environmental regulators.A new building was originally planned for

the campus, “right out here,” McCurdy said, pointing over her shoulder, as she sat in the administrative conference room on the campus shared by Rhodes and OSU-Lima.Rhodes certainly could have done that,

McCurdy said. It would have been cheap-er, easier. It would have come without the requirements of the Ohio Historical So-ciety and Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. The buildings downtown can’t be removed without documenting their his-torical significance. They can’t be demol-ished without attention to asbestos and other harmful materials left from previous uses, such as mechanical or dry cleaning businesses. In some cases, basements

and garages run as deep as the buildings rise above ground.“There’s a lot, a lot more than what

would have occurred if we built on cam-pus,” McCurdy said. “People don’t un-derstand what’s there; they just see the surface. People may say, ‘Just go in and take down the buildings. What’s the hold up?’ We can’t just do that.”The extra work is worth it, McCurdy said,

for a vision of a college that stretches be-yond its central campus, and to contrib-ute to a revitalized downtown.“It’s a vision, first for the practical as-

pects of expanding beyond one spot. Many of our partners don’t sit on this campus: the (Allen County) Board of Health, Health Partners, the hospitals, schools,” McCurdy said. “Now, our side of things is one thing, but we also think of our responsibility to the community. If there’s a way for the college to make a true difference, a physical, practical and financial difference, why would we not look at that direction? The vision is there; the resources are there. It made all the sense in the world.”

By Heather [email protected]

Town Square

Rhodes State president shares vision for new centerArtist’s rendering courtesy of Rhodes State College

In August, Rhodes received a $5 million state grant from the Ohio capital con-struction budget. The state also provided an earlier grant of $5 million. McCurdy said she appreciates officials from state, county and local government, including Mayor David Berger, who are helping to make the project a reality.


In August, Rhodes received a $5 million state grant from the Ohio capital con-struction budget. The state also provided an earlier grant of $5 million. McCurdy said she appreciates officials from state, county and local government, including Mayor David Berger, who are helping to make the project a reality.

Rhodes is a regional leader in health sci-ences education, with more than a dozen career pathways such as nursing, emer-gency medicine, dental hygiene, respi-ratory care, physical therapy and more. The 75,000-square-foot building would house many of those programs and ca-ter to students earning degrees as well

as training for incumbent health workers. Rhodes believes that by offering training with state-of-the-art equipment, employ-ers such as St. Rita’s Health Partners and Lima Memorial Health System would use and help share in the expense with Rhodes instead of duplicating efforts.McCurdy also sees the possibility of

collaborating with others downtown, for example working with the Civic Center on a culinary program. The planned facility will be built to accommodate up to 1,200 people each day.“When I look at historical shots of down-

town, see what it looked like, with all the traffic,” McCurdy said. “It’s all possible.”

RHODES FROM PAGE 4

MARKET ST.

SPRING ST.

UN

ION

ST.

MAIN

ST.

Rhodes State owns downtown propertiesRhodes State has spent the past year buying properties downtown, but they are not fi nished. The blue-shaded parcels are now owned by RhodesSource: Allen County Auditor's Offi ce

Illustration: Nikki Gross

If there’s

a way for the

college to make

a true diff erence,

a physical,

practical

and fi nancial

diff erence, why

would we not

look at that

direction? The

vision is there;

the resources

Photo: Kelli Cardinal. Town Square as it is now confi gured. Rhodes State now owns many of the buildings on the southeast corner.

Artist’s rendering courtesy of Rhodes State College

are there. It made all the sense in the world.Rhodes State College President Dr. Debra McCurdy

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6 Locally Owned, Locally Operated, Community Focused. September 3-9, 2015Locally Owned, Locally Operated, Community Focused.

Lunchbox letters local mother wrote for daughter still meaningful 11 years later

Photo illustration: Kelli Cardinal and Nikki Gross

By Kate [email protected]

LIMA - On a warm Thursday afternoon Stephanie Skylar pulled out a beat up, slightly crushed, Sketcher shoebox. The lid was decorated with a photo and two signatures. At one time there was a wax “seal of approval” but it has long since fallen off. In between sips of coffee, Sky-lar looks through the letters she wrote almost 11 years ago to her young daugh-ter. More than 100 letters are inside the box, each one containing a piece of ad-vice, giving insight to the struggles of an almost teenaged girl. Years later the letters have turned into

meaningful and tangible artifacts of a re-lationship between mother and daughter. In 2003 Skylar began writing letters to

her daughter, Skye Gould, who was then beginning sixth grade. Skylar wrote the letters on any scrap paper she could find, often pieces of work stationery from her desk. For the rest of the school year Skylar’s motivation was to find a way to connect with her adolescent daughter through the letters and advice she wrote. “I started writing the letters because I

wanted to have some touch point during the school day with her, that was mean-ingful,” Skylar said. “She was also out there in the real world, and I thought, well, there is something I can impart my

wisdom, whether she takes the advice or not.” Skylar was working full time as marketing director for Chief Supermar-ket. It seemed Gould’s peers had moth-ers who stayed at home, able to take part in homeroom activities and bake fresh cookies to bring in. “For me, I couldn’t be there every time,

and it took a long time for Skylar to un-derstand that I had this career and it turned out to be a pretty big career,” Skylar said. “I was bringing special rec-ipe cookies home from Chief, just be-cause I wasn’t making them from scratch … I didn’t have the ability to take that time to do that. I was trying to do it all.”“Skye was convinced at one point that

I was the inferior mom because I wasn’t there at the homeroom,” she added. “It’s really that age where you are beginning to be conscious of what your parents do.” Now 23 years old and finishing gradu-

ate school, Gould said she doesn’t re-member specifically feeling that way, but thinks that the letters did help create a stronger bond between the two. “I would get sad when I didn’t get one

(letter), so it definitely became a regular thing in our routine,” Gould said. “I don’t know if made up for it is the right word, because she didn’t do anything wrong, but it helped us have that bond, I think when we might not have, and it was a routine to keep them. Every week or so I would take out a huge stack and put them in the box.”With each letter came advice, often

based on an issue Gould was facing at the time or general pieces of wisdom

Skylar wanted to share.“It just seemed like at the time

whatever was appropriate wheth-er it was bullying or Skye being neg-

ative - I just couldn’t stand the idea of - remember you are talking pre-teen and teen on that bubble and there was just a lot of angst,” Skylar said. “I remember writing one if you can’t say anything nice just keep your mouth shut … once in a while when I couldn’t think of anything I pulled something out of thin air.”“I don’t necessarily think any of the ad-

vice was groundbreaking by any means,” Gould said. “It’s some of the things you hear in other situations, but I think just because it was coming from someone, your mom, someone so close to you, you believe it more.” Although Gould may not have realized

it at the time, the letters had affected her with lessons that were unconsciously re-membered. When she finally went back through them as an adult she understood the full meaning of the letters. “A lot of their impact was hidden in a

way,” Gould said. “I didn’t remember them existing, honestly, until I started grad school and I had this epiphany. I needed a master’s project.” Gould was in a bookstore on her Ohio

University campus when she remem-bered the letters, and had the idea of creating her master’s project from them. “I wanted to tell my story and give view-ers the option of going through them all,” she said. Since August 2014 Gould worked on her

7 Locally Owned, Locally Operated, Community Focused.September 3-9, 2015

project, scanning letters and creating a website she called “Advice from my mom.” On the website visitors can read the original handwritten notes and read the reflections Gould writes about the lessons she learned from them.“The importance of the project for me

going through them and reading them as an adult, fresh,” Gould said. “Read-ing them and then realizing how much her words stuck with me. They mean so much more now than probably they ever did in sixth grade.”“I found way more meaning in them as

an adult when I have been through a lot of these experiences she kind of fore-shadowed,” she said. Gould sent in her final project on April

30 and has completed her master’s de-gree from the School of Visual Commu-

nication at Ohio University. She is now eagerly awaiting her diploma. For Skylar the website and project is a

sign of accomplishment: Her daughter made it through those formative years and she has raised a happy and suc-cessful adult. Gould is working for Busi-ness Insider as an associate graphic de-signer in New York. “This whole site is such a tribute … she

kept it from me for the last nine months,” Skylar said. “I wasn’t allowed to see it. The only thing I was assigned to do when she first came up with the idea, the box was here in the basement, and she said can you scan one or two letters.”“Earlier this month, on my birthday, I

had the site pulled up on the comput-er - I didn’t look all day until I could get her on the phone, and we skyped on the

cell phone so she could see me burst out crying,” Skylar said. “It’s just so great, oh my gosh, it was the best gift ever.” Although in one letter Skylar joked

about turning the letters into a book, she never actually anticipated they would turn into anything. “The lunchbox letters were just me

trying to connect,” Skylar said. “It’s like, wow, that stuff actually stuck. My message to all moms is it does get in there, it just takes 23 years to resonate.”

LETTERS FROM PAGE 6

Photo courtesy of Stephanie SkylarA recent photo of Stephanie Skylar (left) with her daughter Skye Gould.

Read the letters by visiting www.advicefrommymom.com

Photo courtesy of Stephanie SkylarSkye Gould with her sensei at the Lima Family YMCA.

Photo courtesy of Stephanie SkylarStephanie Skylar (right) with her daugh-ter Skye Gould at camp when Gould was 11-years-old.

Reading

them and then

realizing how

much her words

stuck with me.

They mean so

much more now

than probably

they ever did in

sixth grade.Skye Gould

http://the419.com/alloytraininganytimelima

8 Locally Owned, Locally Operated, Community Focused. September 3-9, 2015 5 Locally Owned, Locally Operated, Community Focused.November 26-December 10, 2014

To play Kris Kringle, Bruce Hodges started growing a beard this summer. Without knowing it, he had prepared in other ways with the decades he spent as a teacher and guidance counselor, listen-ing to children. In his first major acting role, Hodges will play Kringle in Encore Theatre’s “Miracle on 34th Street.” The play runs this weekend and the weekend of Dec. 5-7. Visit www.amiltellers.org or call 419-223-8866 for ticket and showtime information. Hodges talked with the419 about playing the man who believes he is Santa Claus and helping us believe too.Q. Tell me about your activity with

Encore Theatre.A. Several of my children live in Lima and

they are active in Encore, and I have been supportive of them. I’ve been an usher and stage crew. And once I was roped into sitting in the Copa in Copacabana. I was just a pretty face. Then this came along. George Dunster, in the spring, said Bruce, there’s a part coming up that I think would fit you well. And, I have a lot of respect for George Dunster. When he said, “I think,” my ears picked up. The more I read the script, the more I liked the character. He has some of the best lines. I thought, “This looks like fun.”I decided to try for the part and I started

growing a beard. I went to the tryouts; I was the only one who had a real beard. I think that was a big sell. There’s a line in the play where the little girl pulls on my beard.Q. Have you ever had a beard before?A. Only when I was very young with

small children. They wouldn’t hug me, so I shaved it off. I said, never again.Q. So, is that coming off as soon as

the show is over?A. Uh-huh! I need to remain kissable for

my wife.Q. What brings Kris to town?A. He comes in to the play believing he is Santa Claus. The world has labeled

him crazy. So, he is sent to an institution for testing and has successfully passed all the tests as not crazy, but still believing. He believes it so much he lives it. His psychologist tells him he can’t keep him there, and he has to go somewhere. And,

that’s where Macy’s comes in. He’s at the Macy’s parade when the drunk Santa comes in. They accept him as a gold mine, but they’re only interested in the looking part, and not the acting part, and that’s where the rub comes. He starts doing Santa Claus things, but the Macy’s manager is only interested in selling. Kris breaks Macy’s rules and gets fired. Q. Part of any actor’s job is suspend-

ing reality for people, but I’m guess-ing that’s even more so for you in this role. The audience has to believe in you.A. I think you’re right, but I think Kris

is right. We’re entering the commercial season now. The stores are putting all their glitz on and they’re expecting huge profits. Kris is just concerned with the children. The real challenge comes with this one little girl who has been raised to think like an adult. Her mother didn’t want her to be confused about what’s real and not real. This young actress in the play is a wonder. The plot takes a twist, because Kris sees a challenge to what he stands for and what he believes. Is it real, or just a show piece? He starts working on her imagination.There’s a beautiful scene in the apart-

ment living room; he talks her into doing something with her imagination, and she says, “This is fun.” Then she opens up to him. Then, he asks her what she’d like for Christmas. She lays it on thick: She’d like a house, and a father, a fam-ily. In that scene, when she shares that, Santa Claus has to tell her why wishes don’t always come true. That’s a very adult thing to say. But, Kris turns into the matchmaker and he is remarkably successful.Q. Do you get emotional because

she’s representational of children everywhere who have real worries and who aren’t asking for toys?A. I’m a retired educator, 40 years. My last 19 years as a guidance counselor where

I talked to children. I retired with so many stories, dramas, of kids growing up in an adult world, frequently without receiving adult advice, good advice and relying upon street advice. Yeah, I relate to it.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus

Interview by Heather Rutz, photo by Kelli Cardinal


By Dawn [email protected]

HARROD — Don Klingler, who was born near Lafayette and graduated from Harrod High School in 1951, didn’t plan to make the military his career. Wanting to go his own way was his inspiration for joining the Marine Corps in 1953.“The Army was trying to draft me, and I was

one of those guys who didn’t want to do what they wanted me to do. I wanted to do what I wanted to do,” said Klingler.“At the time, my boss was a Marine Reserve.

He encouraged me to join the Marine Reserves and save myself from being drafted. I thought, ‘Well, I’ll join the Reserves, go on active duty for two years, get my two-year obligation in, come back to Lima and live happily ever after. Well, I liked the Marine Corps so well and they

off ered me such great jobs that I decided to go for a six-year contract,” he said.Klingler’s six years stretched into a 30-year

career with the Marine Corps. He got started out after boot camp with aviation prep school.“They just introduce you to all the diff erent

occupations in the Marine aviation side of the world. I liked meteorology. I had high enough scores and IQ to qualify, so they sent me for training to be a meteorologist,” Klingler said.He went to Cherry Point, N.C., for his fi rst

duty station, where he started out as a weather observer.“I’d go out every hour and observe the

weather, report it and put it on ticker tape or in those days, teletype. That was transmitted all over the United States and eventually the world. That was our job. We used the obser-vations too for briefi ng pilots,” Klingler said.After spending more than a year as a weather

observer, he became a climatology expert and then a weather forecaster. After serving as a forecaster, Klingler went on a training cruise in the Mediterranean with NATO to Greece.“Russia was trying to establish communism

in Greece, so we were training with the Grecian military to try and get them up to speed so they’d be strong enough to resist commu-nism,” he said.During his 30 years of service, Klingler did

many jobs. He was trained to be a fi xed-wing (airplane) pilot and a helicopter pilot. Klingler

was a fl ight instructor in Pensacola, Fla., for three years where he trained people how to fl y helicopters. “One of my star students was Buzz Aldrin,”

he said. “They were training the astronauts who were going to be on the moon mission in helicopters because the moon landing module fl ew like a helicopter,” Klingler said.He would later pilot a mission to pick up three

astronauts and Apollo 15, which had splashed into the ocean off Hawaii.“It was an exciting mission. We went and

picked up the three astronauts, transported them and put them on a ship, then went back and picked up the capsule,” Klingler said.After being a fl ight instructor, Klingler had

orders to prepare for combat.“I was sent overseas in late ’66 to Vietnam.

I was in the country for 13 months and fl ew logistics like Medevac supplies and troop inserts. I ended up with 23 air medals because of all the missions that I fl ew,” Klingler said.Among his many diff erent jobs and duty sta-

tions, Klingler’s favorite was the presidential mission: He co-piloted the helicopter Marine One for President Johnson and later piloted for President Nixon.“The fi rst time you fl y the president, it dawns

on you – you’re the guy in charge of everything, even the president of the United States. At fi rst I thought, ‘What have I got myself into? What

if the helicopter has a malfunction; what will I do?’ There was some mental stress,” Klingler said.“President Johnson treated the pilot like a taxi

driver, but President Nixon was very congenial and would talk with you. The best part of the job was that everything was fi rst-class. In the Marine Corps, you’re on a budget. With the presidential mission, it was no problem if you needed something,” he said.Some of the biggest challenges Klingler faced

include the many training sessions because the Marine Corps had such high expecta-tions, and serving 13 months in Vietnam dur-ing combat.“It’s always challenging when you’re involved

in a confl ict. You’re working long hours, not

getting much sleep and there’s a lot of action and stress. It’s never easy to lose your friends,” he said.In 1954, Klingler married his wife, Joan, and

the couple has four children: Jeff, Jackie, Jimmie and Julie. The Klinglers also have four grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.In 1983, Klingler was serving in Hawaii when

he decided to retire. He got a job as the gen-eral manager for the Allen County Fairgrounds and moved back to Lima. While working for the fairgrounds, Klingler also ran the family farm passed down from his father.“There’s always something to do on a farm.

I spent 13 years doing both jobs,” Klingler said. In 1996, he retired from the fairgrounds; in 2013, he turned operation of the family farm over to his son.“Now he runs the family farm and I help,” he

said.

Marine piloted presidents Johnson and Nixon, helped teach Buzz Aldrin to fl yPhoto: Kelli CardinalDon Klingler on the steps of Marine One.

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Lydia MConkey, 7, plays with pool noodles during free time at the end

of a Home School Gym & Swim session at the Lima Family YMCA.

The program runs on Thursdays from 1 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.

Photo: Kelli Cardinal/Published on Feb. 5, 2015

Hunter Kloeppel, 5, of Lima, examines a large rock with his preschool teacher Rhonda Hager during Nature Pals at the Johnny Appleseed Metro Park McElroy Environmental Education Center in Lima. Nature Pals hosted the ‘Everybody Needs a Rock!’ class in the spring.Photo: Kelli Cardinal/Published on April 16, 2015

A finished Shrimp a la Creole entree topped with fried okra sits

ready for tasting in the Apollo Career Center kitchen. The adult

culinary education students provided the dinners as their

capstone project. Photo: Kelli Cardinal/Published on

Oct. 2, 2014

419 Favorite PhotosFrom Apollo to the YMCA, Allen County is a vibrant place to live. Our photography staff, led by Photo Editor Kelli Cardinal, has shown that with a weekly photo page. Here are four pages of our favorite images from this past year, including shots of Apollo’s adult culinary students, Bluffton Garage Sale, programs at Lima Public Library and Johnny Appleseed Metropolitan Parks and other special community events.


Tristen Patton, 7, of Lima, reads ‘The Big White Ghost’ while petting Buddie, a 5-year-old Maltipoo, during Paws to Read at the Lima Public Library. “Since he’s

been coming here, he really likes it,” Hannah VanAtta said of her son, Tristen’s reading. “It’s a great program.”

Photo: Kelli Cardinal/Published on Oct. 23, 2014

Layla Ballinger, 5 (left) of Lima, gets help putting on her new ‘Frozen’ slippers Friday from Emily Fisher, 13, of Orlando, Fla., in the pediatric unit at St. Rita’s Medical Center in Lima. Fisher started Emily’s Happy Feet a mission to deliver slippers to sick or hospitalized children. Photo: Kelli Cardinal/Published on Feb. 13, 2015

Mercediez Hittle, 16, of Lima, sits with rabbits Tom (center) and Hop during Farm Day at Lima South Science and Technology Magnet School. Hittle shows rabbits at the Allen County Fair and is a member of the Junior Fair Board. Photo: Kelli Cardinal/Published on May 28, 2015Beth Miller, of Elida, helps her daughter Mariah, 2, try on a pair of boots

during the Bluffton Community Garage Sale. “Can I get these dirty?” Mariah asked her mom. Photo: Kelli Cardinal/Published on March 5, 2015


Ian Kohli, of Lima, helps his daughter Mia, 5, smooth the icing over her cupcake during the Sara’s Wintery Treats cupcake decorating class at the Lima Public Library. The Kohlis were starting a polar bear cupcake. Photo: Kelli Cardinal/Published on Jan. 29, 2015

Shawnee Waters, of Middletown, performs during the Honoring Our Native Heritage Powwow at the UAW Hall in Lima. Waters is a

descendant from Cherokee and Cree Indians. Photo: Seth Herald/Published on Feb. 26, 2015

An aerialist performs above the crowd

during this year’s visit from Circus Pages at the Allen County

Fairgrounds in Lima. Originating in Cuba, this traveling circus

brings fun for kids and adults of all ages.

Photo: Kelli Cardinal/Published on April 9,

2015


Aaron McConkey, 5 (left) and Nathan Lewis, 7, wait against the wall before jumping into the pool. The boys attend the Lima Family

YMCA home school program with their siblings.

Photo: Kelli Cardinal/Published on Feb. 5, 2015

Ann Boyd, of Findlay, talks to customers about her herbs during the first day of the downtown Lima Farmers’ Market. Boyd, who owns My Own Backyard Herbs and Flowers, started studying herbs when she was 19. Photo: Kelli Cardinal/Published on May 14, 2015


SOLD RESIDENTIAL LISTINGS1/01/2015-7/31/2015

This information includes calculations covering the time period 01/01/2015 through 7/31/2015. This representation is based from data supplied by the West Central Association of Realtors or its Multiple Listing Service. The Association does not guarantee or is in any way responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by the Association may not refl ect all real estate activity in the market. This is a compilation of the top 5 real estate companies.

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15 Locally Owned, Locally Operated, Community Focused.September 3-9, 201524 Locally Owned, Locally Operated, Community Focused. June 11-17, 2015

the419 found: A mouth-watering Strawberry Basil Cake

Where you can fi nd it: Vivace Cuisine, 59 Public Square

LIMA - One place in town blends the summer flavors of strawberry and basil in a dessert, and that uniqueness is what makes it delicious. “It’s just diff erent, that’s all I can say,” said Jason Asaro, head

server at Vivace Cuisine. The dessert, served at Vivace, is shipped fresh from Canada. Asaro describes it as a basil cream cheese custard with strawberry preserves and a sponge cake. Asaro said it’s one of his two favorite desserts from Vivace (the

other is the lemon berry mascarpone).“I love the texture, the cream cheese, it’s not overpowering, you

would think because of the cream cheese it would be heavy, but it’s really not,” he said. “It’s just the right balance of the strawberry preserve versus the cream cheese and the sponge cake.”“It’s just not heavy, and you would think that it is,” Asaro added. Although he likened it to a strawberry shortcake, Asaro said,

“It’s better than any other kind of shortcake that I’ve ever had.” Although a combination of strawberry and basil might not

immediately come to mind, Assistant Chef Yirmeyahu Rosem said the two fl avors balance each other out, and that’s what makes it work so well. “It’s a very creamy textured cake, it’s not overly sweet with the

strawberry because the basil actually tampers some of the sweetness down,” he said. “That’s why it is so popular, because a lot of desserts will overpower you with the

sweetness.”With the fi rst bite comes smooth, creaminess,

Rosem said. “It’s a dessert where … you can taste the creaminess,

and you just get the hint of the fl avor of the strawberry and barely can taste the basil, that’s what makes it really good,” he said. “It’s like melt in your mouth.” The cake is “absolutely” Rosem’s favorite dessert available at Vivace, because of the melt in the mouth, creamy texture.“I don’t like desserts that are so sweet, so overpowering, where

I’ll have to get a drink afterwards, wash it down, you know,” Rosem said.

Rosem also said this probably isn’t a dessert found anywhere else in the area. “If anybody is looking for anything that is just a little bit diff erent, because they may be used to the same types of things … we try to,

at Vivace, we try to provide something that’s just a little bit diff erent for somebody that wants to do diff erent,” he said, citing the menu with it’s European and Mediterranean inspired elements, including the desserts. The cake is received well by patrons, and Asaro said nobody

yet has disliked the cake. After he explains what it is Asaro said his customers are sold.

Strawberry Basil Cakeperfect combination of

creamy texture, unique fl avors

Photo: Kelli CardinalThe strawberry basil

cake is a popular dessert item at Vivace restaurant

in downtown Lima.

16 Locally Owned, Locally Operated, Community Focused. September 3-9, 201526 Locally Owned, Locally Operated, Community Focused. November 13-19, 2014

ByDawn [email protected]

‘Water wizard’ modernized

Lima’s water system

All life is water … It’s indestructible. It’s unique.

WaterWorks: First in a series discovering the men for whom the area’s four reservoirs are named.Archived information from the Allen County Historical Society

Photo: Kelli Cardinal. The sun sets over Bresler Reservoir,

named for Lima water supply pioneer

Sharon Bresler.

17Locally Owned, Locally Operated, Community Focused.September 3-9, 2015 27 Locally Owned, Locally Operated, Community Focused.November 13-19, 2014

‘Water wizard’ modernized

Lima’s water system

“When you fi rst think about water, you won-der, ‘What can you say about it?’ People take it for granted,” said Sharon D. Bresler in an April 2, 1993, interview. He was 81 in 1993, and preparing to give a talk, called “Water – Masterpiece of the Creator” to the Allen County Historical Society.It’s a good thing Bresler didn’t take water

or its importance for granted. He is remem-bered and lauded by many in the community for being the person who modernized Lima’s water system, which is viewed by many experts as a model for cities the size of Lima.Born July 21, 1911, to John Wesley Bresler

and Estella Curnutte Lones, Bresler began working for the city of Lima in May 1930 at the age of 19. He was named water superin-tendent in 1957 and utilities director in March 1962. Bresler retired at the end of 1972.In January of 1969, Governor James A.

Rhodes appointed Bresler presiding offi cer of the Ohio Water Development Authority. According to a news report, the authority was without staff , offi ces, or a program – Bresler quickly remedied all that. Within two years, the construction of water pollution control facilities had been implemented and several had signed agreements to upgrade their water system.Ned Williams, executive director of the Ohio

Water Development Authority in 1972 when Bresler retired, said Bresler’s eff orts on the state level were instrumental in the direction taken by northwest Ohio water development. That resulted in upground reservoirs rather than a large pipeline from Lake Erie.Mayor Christian Morris in 1973 said

Bresler’s work was characterized by the “gospel of planning and preparedness.”Bresler received recognition, honors,

awards and many thanks for his hard work and dedication to keeping water clean and safe for Lima.In March of 1969, Bresler was named “Man

of the Year” by the Sertoma Club and pre-sented with its Service to Mankind award.Dr. Robert Treater was one of those who

were present at the tribute to honor Bresler, who was considered one of the “foremost water authorities” in Ohio. Treater was the assistant director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and he spoke on behalf

of the state, calling Bresler a “water wizard.”In December of 1979, Bresler was also

inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Water Management Association of Ohio. The selec-tion represents the top distinguished service award of the association.“The city of Lima owes a great debt of grati-

tude to Sharon Bresler,” said Mayor Harry Moyer. “The naming of the Westside reser-voir (after Bresler) was no superfi cial act,” he said.According to the Ohio Department of

Natural Resources, Bresler reservoir was completed in late 1970 and was fi lled during 1971. The reservoir is part of the Northwest Ohio Water Development Plan, designed to provide water to the city of Lima, low-fl ow augmentation to the Auglaize River, and water for agricultural uses and recrea-tion. It was built cooperatively by the city of Lima and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.Bresler was also an active contributor to

many Lima organizations.He was president of the Kiwanis club, a

board member of the Johnny Appleseed Metropolitan Park District, a board member of the Allen County Historical Society and a member of the board of directors of the Lima Symphony Orchestra. Bresler was also chairman of the Committee for Greater Lima Inc., the organization which helped attain the positive vote for the city’s $1 million contri-bution toward construction of the planned civic center.According to a Jan. 18, 1973, news story,

during a retirement party, Bresler said his retirement after 42 years with the city of Lima in its water and utilities department was a bittersweet experience.“You look forward to the lifting of a load and

then when it is, you fi nd the load was part of you,” Bresler said.Everything about water interested Bresler;

it was more than a job to him.“All life is water. The use of both new and

the purifi cation of used water is fascinating and complicated. This basic element of life needs to be looked at now and then. It’s indestructible. It’s unique,” he said. Bresler died Feb. 5, 1995, at the age of 83.

Photo: Allen County Historical Society. Sharon Bresler modernized the city of Lima's water supply system.

18 Locally Owned, Locally Operated, Community Focused. September 3-9, 201526 Locally Owned, Locally Operated, Community Focused. November 20-25, 2014


All life is water … It’s indestructible. It’s unique.- Sharon Bresler

WaterWorks: Second in a series discovering the men for whom the area’s four reservoirs are named.Archived information from the Allen County Historical Society

Photo: Kelli Cardinal

19 Locally Owned, Locally Operated, Community Focused.September 3-9, 2015 27Locally Owned, Locally Operated, Community Focused.November 20-25, 2014

Former Lima mayor Ferguson a leader in politicsAlthough William Lashley Ferguson was active

in Lima politics for many years beginning in 1933 when he fi rst gained public offi ce, his was a life not limited by political ambition. Ferguson also had a family and practiced serving the Lima community in countless ways.Ferguson was born Oct. 17, 1884, in Auglaize

County. He moved to Waynesfi eld with his fam-ily when he was 6 years old, and he attended school there.Ferguson moved to Lima when he was 19,

and got a job with the Lima Creamery and Cold Storage Co. Then he worked for the C.H. & D. railway as a timekeeper.Before Ferguson became the Lima mayor in

1944, he dedicated 40 years of his life to the Lima Locomotive & Machine Co., which became Lima-Hamilton and in 1955 Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton Corp. Ferguson started out in 1905 with an offi ce job. In 1911, he began working as a blacksmith in the locomotive company.Ferguson became mayor of Lima at the end of

April in 1944, when then-Mayor A. L. Metheany died. According to a May 1, 1944, news story, Ferguson “attains his new post by virtue of his offi ce of president of council under provisions of the City Charter. He is the dean of present Lima councilmen, having been a member of the city’s legislative body for more than 10 years.”Further, Ferguson was said to be prepared

to step into his shoes as Lima mayor: “He is well acquainted with the duties of the mayor’s offi ce, having fi lled the post in an acting capacity since the late mayor became ill,” according to the news report.Ferguson first gained public office in 1933

when his campaign for councilman from the Third Ward was successful. He was re-elected in 1935, then was absent from public view when he lost a race in 1937 for councilman-at-large.Ferguson did not give up, but tried again, and in

1939 he won and served as councilman-at-large

until he became mayor at the end of April, 1944.In the fall of 1945, Ferguson won a full term

as mayor when he ran against William V. Daley. During his term, Ferguson sparred with council members on some issues, but found common ground when the city bought the bus terminal on E. Market St. as a new home for City Hall once remodeling was complete.According to a Jan. 1, 1948, news story, “In

a year which saw Mayor Ferguson and council crossing sabers on a number of diff erent issues, 1947 should be remembered as the period when the mayor and all active members of council were in virtually complete agreement on a major development for the city.”Ferguson ran for mayor again four years later

against Stanley Welker. Ferguson’s campaign was based on his previous four years as mayor; he said more improvements had been accom-plished in city government than in any previous decade. Ferguson was defeated and Welker became mayor of Lima.Ferguson decided to run again and was elected

mayor again in 1953, when he won against Carl Horn.In addition to serving Lima as councilman

and as mayor, Ferguson and his wife, Estella, had a son, a daughter and a granddaughter. Ferguson was also active in Masonic work and community services. He was a member of sev-eral organizations, including the Fraternal Order of Police Associates, Knights of Pythias, Lima Shrine Club, Order of the Eastern Star, Eagles Lodge, Lima Lodge No. 205, Lima Elks Lodge, and others.Ferguson died four days after a heart attack on

Jan. 22, 1955. He was 70.Ferguson Reservoir was built in 1958 to expand

the city of Lima’s municipal water supply. It has a surface area of 305 acres and a capacity of 2.2 billion gallons.

Photo: Allen County Historical Society William Ferguson served as a councilman

and mayor of the city of Lima.

20 Locally Owned, Locally Operated, Community Focused. September 3-9, 201534 Locally Owned, Locally Operated, Community Focused. November 26-December 10, 2014


All life is water … It’s indestructible. It’s unique.- Sharon Bresler

WaterWorks: Third in a series

discovering the men for whom the area’s

four reservoirs are named.

Archived information from the Allen County Historical Society

Photo: Kelli Cardinal

21 Locally Owned, Locally Operated, Community Focused.September 3-9, 2015 35Locally Owned, Locally Operated, Community Focused.November 26-December 10, 2014

When an emergency with an airborne plane that was on fi re during World War II demanded a lightning-fast decision, William E. Metzger Jr. and his pilot, Donald J. Gott, quickly responded with a courageous and selfl ess plan of action. Metzger Jr. was born Feb. 9, 1922, in Lima to Mr. and

Mrs. William E. Metzger. He graduated from Lima Central High School in 1940. Metzger joined the Army in October of 1942, and by Nov.

9, 1944, he was a second lieutenant serving as the co-pilot of a B-17 Flying Fortress in the 729th Bomb Squadron. On Nov. 9, during a bombing mission – Metzger’s

third combat fl ight since being assigned to the 452nd Bombardment group – over Saarbrucken, Germany, Metzger’s plane, “Lady Jeanette,” was seriously damaged. Three of the aircraft’s engines were on fi re and fl ames from the fourth engine were leaping back as far as the tail. A fi re in the cockpit was made worse by free-fl owing fl uid from damaged hydraulic lines. To make matters worse, many crew members were

wounded by enemy fi re. The engineer was wounded in the leg and the radio operator’s arm was severed below the elbow. Metzger knew the most critically injured crewman needed medical aid, but he was worried the injured man would not receive the help he needed if he was dropped by parachute into enemy territory.Metzger and his co-pilot Gott had to make an immediate

decision about what they were going to do. They decided to attempt to fl y the damaged plane back into Allied territory. First, they dropped bombs on their target; then the crip-pled plane proceeded to friendly territory. When Metzger and Gott reached friendly airspace, Metzger decided to stay with Gott while informing all the crewmembers to take parachutes and bail out. Metzger gave his own parachute to a crewmember whose leg had been fractured and whose parachute was damaged.Metzger and Gott, together with the radio operator, who

was unconscious from his injuries, tried to crash land the plane, but the aircraft exploded before touching down,

killing all three men on board.For their actions, both Metzger and Gott were posthu-

mously awarded the Medal of Honor on May 16, 1945. Metzger’s parents were presented the award at the old Market Street Presbyterian Church on the corner of Market and West streets. The citation for Metzger reads, in part, “Lieutenant

Metzger’s loyalty to the crew, his determination to accom-plish the task set forth to him, and his deed of knowingly performing what may have been his last service to his country were an example of valor at its highest.”Metzger was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery. He was 22

years old when he died. A June 18, 1945, news headline reads, “New City

Reservoir Honors Heroic Lieutenant Metzger.” The story reports, “A lasting tribute to Lima’s No. 1 hero, Lt. William Metzger, who died in the blazing wreckage of his B-17 after ordering his crew to bail out last November, was paid by city council Monday night when the solons voted to name the city’s new reservoir ‘Metzger Lake.’”The story further states “In making the proposal, Fifth

Ward Councilman Robert Wilson said: ‘It is only fi tting and proper for the city to recognize in a material man-ner this heroic youth who has won the highest award a grateful nation can bestow on one of its servicemen, the Congressional Medal of Honor. Stone and wood and man-made monuments do not withstand the ravages of time and the persons they represent fade until their memory is obliterated like the memorial itself. This is something real and tangible. I move that the new reservoir be named ‘Metzger Lake.’”Metzger was inducted into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame

inaugural class of 1992. A total of 330 Ohioans have been awarded the Medal of Honor in confl icts dating back to the Civil War. Metzger was inducted along with 320 others; nine other Medal of Honor recipients were discovered after the fi rst class was inducted in 1992 and were inducted in later classes.

World War II co-pilot from Lima thinks fast, acts to save others

Metzger leaves Lima with example of courage, action under fi re

Photos courtesy Allen County Historical SocietyLt. William Metzger’s parents were presented the Medal of Honor at the old Market Street Presbyterian Church

on the corner of Market and West streets. In 1945, Lima City Council named its new reservoir Metzger Lake.

22 Locally Owned, Locally Operated, Community Focused. September 3-9, 201522 Locally Owned, Locally Operated, Community Focused. April 30-May 6, 2015

Style

JESUS, MOSES, AND ABRAHAM

ALL HAD WHISKERS

Story by Kate EllisPhotos by Kelli Cardinal

Find the right product to tame your beard by checking out TICKandTOCKS.etsy.com or visit Boots Barbershop at

2112 Spencerville Road

23Locally Owned, Locally Operated, Community Focused.September 3-9, 2015 23 Locally Owned, Locally Operated, Community Focused.April 30-May 6, 2015

LIMA - Men have been able to grow beards for as long as humanity remembers. Over the years styles have changed, diff erent lengths have been prefered, clean shaven, mustache, or bushy facial hair, trading back and forth. Swinging back into popularity, beards have once again become the fashion statement to make.Only a few years ago facial hair styling and grooming was a

small market. Now it’s exploded to the point of a shortage of aluminum tins used to store products like balms. Web pages and social media accounts praise the aesthetic of a well-kept beard. Matthew Harris and his friend and business

partner Evan Thomas jointly run an Etsy store in which they sell their own Magical Beard Balm, Beard Liquor, and a handmade beard comb, locally made in Lima. Both have full beards, which they have been growing out for several years.Harris began growing out his beard three years

ago after delving into beard competitions. “I competed the mustache only, and I got beat - got second place - got beat by this guy who had a full beard with a big mustache. It’s a lot easier to grow a big mustache with a beard than to keep your shaven face,” he said. After getting a bit upset that he had lost, Harris

began to let his beard grow out, although he hasn’t entered any contests since.Thomas has styled his beard for a while longer,

nearly 10 years, at a shorter length than its cur-rent length. In 2013, after an unfortunate bar-bershop trim, Thomas was left with little beard. “He took it down to almost nothing,” he said. “I decided then I never want to look like that ever again.” An occasional trim keeps the beards looking

sharp, but the men discovered they needed something for to keep their whiskers tidy, styled, and healthy. “Originally I grew it out and it does this thing, so

I was doing some reading and I found this com-pany online, ordered it, and I hated it,” Thomas said. “It smelled really bad, it was greasy, and I wasn’t looking for something greasy, I was looking for something with a little more hold, kind of to train your beard to go in a downward position” “It gets very itchy when your fi rst get it going,”

Harris added. Dander is also an issue with unkempt beards. Together Harris and Thomas developed fi rst

a beard balm and then beard liquor to tame their manly locks. The balm and liquor, created by Harris who is a chef by profession, are beeswax based and oil based, respectively. “I fi gured if I found a recipe I could make something that I

wanted,” Thomas said. The fi rst try was too thick, but after

working with his recipe Thomas eventually found the per-fect consistency. Harris and Thomas fi gured why not sell the product to men like themselves. “At the time we were one of the only companies, probably

a handful, 10 or so, that were selling it, now it’s insane,” Thomas said. While sales on their Etsy store remain steady, they said it will continue to be a hobby, primarily because of the competition. There is a benefi t for using beard balm or oil. Like the hair on

your head, beards need to be conditioned to remain healthy. Something like beard balm will also hold the hair in place for

a styled beard. Harris says he uses the balm every morning to tame his morning beard hair, which is wild. “If I just let it just go it’s going to look terrible

… I’ve got to keep it trimmed, combed, keep product in it to keep it where it needs to be,” Harris said. “It’ll tame the wildest of whiskers,” Thomas

added. Beard oil serves to moisturize the hairs along

with the skin underneath to keep it healthy. “There are essential oils in there, vitamin E oil, almond oil, avocado oil, argan oil, there is oil for the skin and oil for the hair,” Thomas said. Both products can also be used for other purposes. The beard balm can smooth rough hands, seal leather shoes, and as pomade for hair.The products are all-natural and the beeswax

is sourced from a local bee farmer outside of Cairo. With the uprising of beard popularity social

media accounts and beard communities have been created. Websites devoted to beards have hundreds and thousands of followers, and television shows have also infl uenced beard culture.“You’ve got to give credit where credit is

due,” Thomas said. “Though I didn’t grow a beard because a guy in camoufl age grew a beard, they helped it get to the mainstream. Jesus had a beard.”

KEEP YOUR GLORIOUS BEARD MANAGEABLE WITH

BEARD LIQUOR

Thomas and Harris use local beeswax for their balms. The

Magical Beard Balms go for $12 a piece.

24 Locally Owned, Locally Operated, Community Focused. September 3-9, 201520 Locally Owned, Locally Operated, Community Focused. July 2-8, 2015

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