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| Bids to raze Tiffin's Seneca County courthouse come in low TIFFIN - Bids to level what some consider the most historically significant building in Seneca County and one of the most significant in Ohio came in lower than expected yesterday - to the delight of county commissioners. B&B Wrecking & Excavating of Cleveland submitted the lowest base bid at $369,000 - a full $251,000 less than the engineer's estimate of $620,000 for demolition of the 1884 courthouse. "I think they're great," Commission President Dave Sauber said after bids from seven contractors were opened. "I think some are a little excessive but you have to look at the distance they would be coming and bringing their equipment." The highest bid, $667,552, was submitted by a Denver firm. The rest ranged from $466,160 to $662,000. All included optional deductions if the contractor salvaged architectural features or scrap metal from the building. Commissioners did not award a bid but made it clear they intended to do so sooner than later. Although commissioners still are in discussions with Tiffin's Architectural Board of Review over alternatives to demolition, Commissioner Ben Nutter said if the review board declines to OK demolition at its next meeting with commissioners July 17, he would support a motion to immediately appeal the matter to the city's board of zoning appeals and ask for an expedited hearing "For me, there's really nothing else to discuss with the Architectural Board of Review other than maybe one more time trying to restate our position," Mr. Nutter said. On June 10, the review board unanimously denied the county's application for a certificate of appropriateness to tear down the Beaux Arts style courthouse that was designed by noted American architect Elijah My-ers. The board determined the demolition was inconsistent with a city ordinance created to preserve historic architecture in downtown Tiffin. After two meetings with the review board, Mr. Nutter said it was clear to him that some members of the board would accept nothing short of restoring the courthouse. He said it would be futile to continue to "listen to roadblock after roadblock and suggestion after suggestion" when commissioners are convinced of the need to demolish and replace the courthouse. Mr. Nutter said he did not believe it was the review board's intent to try to reverse a decision voters had made twice - first by rejecting a 0.25 percent sales tax hike in 2002 to pay for renovation of the courthouse and then by defeating an $8.5 million bond issue in March to support renovation. "I thought their intent was to make sure the outside of the structure stays in accordance with the area," Mr. Sauber said. "And the next one will," Mr. Nutter replied. "I know it will," Mr. Sauber said. MKC Associates of Mansfield is in the early stages of drawing up plans for a new courthouse. A representative of MKC, which also was hired to oversee demolition, is to meet with commissioners Monday to review the demolition bids. Rayella Engle, who supports preserving the courthouse, said commissioners clearly were not making a good-faith effort to comply with the city's design review ordinance. "There's still money out there. We're still in line in Columbus," she said, referring to an application Seneca County submitted for the state's historic tax credit program. Commissioner Mike Bridinger, who had stated his hope that the courthouse could be renovated, said after the meeting that he remains open to alternative ideas from the board of review, including the report that's expected from Chillicothe, Ohio, preservation consultant Franklin Conaway. Mr. Conaway is analyzing what, if anything, the courthouse could be used for if commissioners were to build a new court building on a different site. "I want it to run its course," Mr. Bridinger said. "We still have the option of Mr. Conaway. Who knows? There could be something new come to our attention." Contact Jennifer Feehan at: jfeehan@theblade.com or 419-353-5972. |
| McCain shuns economic adviser's comments BELLEVILLE, Mich. - Surrounded by temporarily stilled auto parts-stamping machines, John McCain said here yesterday that he disagreed with the assessment of his own campaign economic adviser that America is suffering from a "mental recession." "I strongly disagree with [former Texas] Senator [Phil] Gramm. Senator Gramm does not speak for me. I speak for me," Mr. McCain said in a news conference following a town hall meeting with auto parts manufacturing owners, employees, and undecided voters here yesterday. He said Michigan is "hurting very badly," and that America is facing "enormous economic challenges." The comments of Mr. Gramm, who is a vice chairman of the Swiss bank UBS, appeared in the Washington Times. He also said that the U.S. has become "a nation of whiners." Earlier yesterday, Democratic presidential likely nominee Barack Obama said of Mr. Gramm that "America already has one Dr. Phil." "We need somebody to actually solve the economy. It's not just a figment of your imagination. It's not all in your head," Mr. Obama said. The Arizona senator held yesterday's town hall meeting in the Bayloff Stamped Products factory, a family business since 1948. The suburban Detroit plant, Bayloff Stamped Products, has 180 employees here and in Youngstown, Ohio, making parts for car components. Co-owner Christopher Bayer said the business has struggled with higher fuel prices and a doubling in the cost of its raw metal materials in the past year. Many of the approximately 200 participants in the meeting were Bayloff employees. Others were Michigan auto parts manufacturers who came as a group, as well as people the campaign said were invited because they were undecided voters. The auto parts executives told Mr. McCain they wanted more enforcement of international trade pacts, such as the World Trade Organization, that allow economic competitors to manipulate their currencies and violate intellectual property protections. "Let's fix our trade laws. China has abused the WTO for years. It's killing us," said Jim Zawacki, owner of GR Spring & Stamping, Grand Rapids, Mich. Mr. McCain said as president he would move for more enforcement of trade practices, but insisted he would stand against protectionism. "If there is unfair trade, we have ... procedures to take people to various panels to make sure abuses are fixed," Mr. McCain said, before promising to unleash American innovation while keeping taxes low. Mr. McCain has been hit with complaints about unfair trading practices from organized labor as well, mainly over complaints that lax labor and environmental rules in other countries have attracted U.S. manufacturers to move their manufacturing operations, costing states like Ohio and Michigan hundreds of thousands of jobs. Mr. Obama has vowed to renegotiate trade agreements to require other countries to have stronger organized labor and environmental protections. Asked to respond to comments from Senator Obama critical of Mr. McCain's record on women's issues, including expanding the Family and Medical Leave Act and making sick leave mandatory, Mr. McCain accused Mr. Obama of having the view that "big government is the solution." "He will raise your taxes, he will increase regulation, and he will tell our friends here, this wonderful manufacturing plant, how many sick days they should give their employees," Mr. McCain said, saying such provisions should be left to negotiation between management and labor. Mr. McCain emphasized his support of "green technologies," and told one doubtful questioner that he believes humans are responsible for climate change. He praised Michigan on Gov. Jennifer Granholm's signing of an international Great Lakes compact to prevent diversions of water outside the Great Lakes Watershed. He said even though water is so scarce in Arizona that, "the trees chase the dogs," "We will not in any way have any designs on the water in the Great Lakes." Contact Tom Troy at: tomtroy@theblade.com or 419-724-6058. |
| Knight Academy charter school scheduled to open in West Toledo After a false start, the proposed Knight Academy charter school to be affiliated with St. Francis de Sales High School is back on track to open in September, school officials said yesterday. Backers of the all-boys junior high charter school struck a tentative $1.1 million agreement in May with the University of Toledo Foundation to buy the former Congregation B'nai Israel building in West Toledo and renovate it for a modern school setting. Yesterday, the academy passed another crucial step when the Toledo Plan Commission voted 4-0 to approve the special-use permit it needs to operate in the nearly 27,000-square-foot synagogue building at 2727 Kenwood Blvd., which was built in 1955. Commissioner David Gstalder, a St. Francis alumnus who sits on the high school's facilities committee, abstained from the vote. While Knight Academy would maintain affiliations with St. Francis and share some of the Catholic school's facilities and faculty resources, it would be a publicly-funded, tuition-free charter school without any religious mission, said the Rev. John Extejt, who is treasurer for both St. Francis and Knight Academy. The academy, which initially would open to sixth and seventh graders before expanding to grade eight, also has its own board of directors. It is sponsored by the Columbus-based Buckeye Community Hope Foundation. "We see education as a value for the human spirit," Father Extejt said. "Certainly education is one of the things we need to live good and productive lives." Charter schools with affiliations to parochial schools like St. Francis are uncommon in Ohio. Two Catholic high schools in Toledo have their own junior highs - St. John's Jesuit Academy for boys and Notre Dame Junior Academy for girls - although both academies are private. This is the second time that Knight Academy's backers have struck tentative deals for the Kenwood Boulevard property. In February, they terminated a purchase agreement that was "just above" the $1.75 million price that the UT Foundation in 2004 paid for the synagogue property. The prospective buyer, SFS Knight Holdings, is a land purchasing entity for St. Francis de Sales High School. The charter school plans to open in a temporary location as the synagogue undergoes an estimated $1.5 million in renovations, scheduled to be finish by January, said Mark Tooman, Knight Academy spokesman. The deal for its interim location is still under negotiation, Mr. Tooman said; he expects it to be made final before the end of the month. Long-term plans call for Knight Academy to reach a maximum enrollment of 375 students by the 2011-2012 school year. Both the UT Foundation and Knight Academy's backers agree that the earlier synagogue property deal unraveled after St. Francis received higher-than-expected estimates for the building's rehabilitation. The foundation then put the property back on the market, and by spring was in negotiations again with Knight Academy and a local church, said Matt Schroeder, director of business enterprises for the UT Foundation. The university had no present use for the synagogue, so after the church and the academy made "comparable" offers, the foundation chose to sell to the academy. "We went with a buyer that had a high likelihood of being able to actually close the deal," Mr. Schroeder said. Father Extejt said that the academy's focus would be to groom under-prepared students for the rigors of a college preparatory high school. The school uniform would be dress pants and collared shirts with ties, and the school day would be extended to 5 p.m. "This age group [of] boys are underserved in the Toledo community," Father Extejt said. "We find that to be true for many of our incoming freshmen in their inability to meet academic requirements. We fully expect to have students come to [Knight Academy] who may not be reading, writing, or able to do their arithmetic on their grade level." Academy supporters also said that while the charter school's graduates would be welcome to attend St. Francis for high school, they would have no obligation to do so. "Students who attend the charter school will have freedom to chose any high school," Mr. Tooman said. The academy's principal will be Susan Wolf, a past principal of Wildwood Environmental Academy in Springfield Township. Its president is Tom Baker, a former superintendent of the Lucas County Educational Service Center, a leading sponsor of charter schools throughout Ohio. Mr. Baker resigned from the service center in 2005 following a controversy that he approved millions of dollars in charter school contracts without gaining the approval of the center's governing board. Father Extejt said he has no qualms about bringing in Mr. Baker, adding that he has worked with St. Francis officials to develop the Knight Academy concept over the last 2 1/2 years. "If you know Tom, you know that he is just a very committed good person who is highly skilled and experienced in education," he said. Mr. Baker could not be reached for comment. Congregation B'nai Israel sold the synagogue to the UT Foundation four years ago and thenleased it from the foundation until early 2007, when it moved to 6525 Sylvania Ave., Sylvania Township. From 1964 to 1985, the Hebrew Academy of Toledo operated a private kindergarten through sixth-grade school in the Kenwood Boulevard building's classrooms. Mr. Tooman said that Knight Academy's renovation plans involve concealing religious symbols and writings that presently cover the building's exterior. The most prominent inscription above the entrance beckons visitors to "Seek Ye The Lord And Ye Shall Live." Contact JC Reindl at: jreindl@theblade.com or 419-724-6065. |
| Zanesville area residents awarded $11M in water suit COLUMBUS - Residents of a mostly black east central Ohio neighborhood that went almost 50 years without public water were awarded nearly $11 million yesterday by a federal jury that agreed they were denied service because of their race. Plaintiff Cynthia Hale Hairston, 47, who spent decades on rural Coal Run Road near Zanesville with her parents and grandparents wept quietly as U.S. District Judge Algenon Marbley read name after name of victorious plaintiff. Families there either dug wells, hauled water for cisterns, or collected rain water so they could drink, cook, and bathe. After a seven-week trial, the jury found the city of Zanesville, Muskingum County, and the East Muskingum Water Authority violated state and federal civil rights laws when in failing to provide water services to the residents. All had denied discrimination. Reed Colfax, one of the lead lawyers representing the plaintiffs, said 25 to 30 families live in the Coal Run neighborhood about five miles southeast of Zanesville. The city of about 25,000 on the edge of the state's Appalachian region. One in every five families is below the federal poverty level. Each of the 67 plaintiffs was awarded between $15,000 to $300,000, depending on how long they had lived in the neighborhood. The money was intended to cover both their monetary losses and their pain and suffering between 1956, when water lines were first laid in the area, and 2003, when Coal Run got public water. Mr. Colfax described the verdict as unique among civil rights cases nationally, both in the nature of the ruling and the size of the award. Ohio Attorney General Nancy H. Rogers said: "This decision speaks firmly about the importance of treating citizens with equal respect, regardless of race," she said. Zanesville attorney Michael Valentine told Judge Marbley he intended to appeal. Attorney Mark Landes, who represented the county and water district, called the verdict disappointing. He said jurors were not allowed to hear defendants' testimony that neighborhood residents were offered water service years ago and refused it. Mr. Colfax said he was unaware of any evidence that was excluded from the trial. The water authority must pay 55 percent of the damages, while the county owes 25 percent, and the city owes 20 percent, Mr. Colfax said. "This was a case that was started and fired by out-of-town lawyers who saw an opportunity for a cash settlement," Mr. Landes said. The plaintiffs' attorneys will receive a separate amount to be decided by a judge at a later date, Mr. Colfax said. The case was filed in 2003 after the Ohio Civil Rights Commission concluded that the residents were victims of discrimination. The plaintiffs' attorneys argued that the decision not to pipe water to the plaintiffs was racially motivated, painting a picture of a community with a history of segregation. Black residents of Coal Run Road were denied water over the years while nearby white neighbors were provided it, they said. Mr. Landes countered that about half of Muskingum County residents are not tied into the public water system even today. |
| Heydinger surprises Ohio Democrats, will not run for 2-year term COLUMBUS - Ohio House Democrats are scrambling again for a candidate in the Republican-leaning 58th District encompassing Huron, eastern Seneca, and southwestern Lorain counties. Rep. Tom Heydinger (D., Norwalk), just sworn into office in May, has opted not to seek election for a full two-year term on Nov. 4, citing "emerging health problems'' and a distaste for party headquarter "influences'' over campaigns. He did not resign from his seat, however. In a written statement, the 68-year-old former Huron County judge complained that the financing of House campaigns is almost completely controlled by the party headquarters in Columbus. "In the 2006 election for this district, the winning candidate spent more than $240,000 and the losing candidate spent more than $440,000 with the majority of those dollars flowing through the state parties' control,'' he wrote. "With state party generosity comes influences that I do not wish to tolerate.'' The announcement threatens retention of a seat considered crucial to Democrats' hopes of taking control of the House. Democrats need a net gain of four seats. Mr. Heydinger replaced Amherst attorney Matt Barrett in the chamber and on the ballot after Mr. Barrett abruptly resigned. Mr. Barrett admitted lying about how photos of nude women ended up in a computer presentation that he inadvertently flashed last fall in a government class at Norwalk High School. Mr. Barrett initially blamed his son, but it was later learned that he knew the women in the photos. Democrats have begun looking for Mr. Heydinger's ballot replacement. "I had a long conversation with Rep. Heydinger," said House Democratic leader Joyce Beatty (D., Columbus). "I certainly understand putting his health first.'' Terry Boose, a former Huron County commissioner, is the Republican candidate. |
| Kirk - Jackson-Obama |
| Backyard fireworks are dangerous Thanks to The Blade for printing the dangers of backyard fireworks in the July 7 story, "Police: Ban sale of fireworks" Prevent Blindness Ohio believes there is no safe way to use fireworks and supports the development and enforcement of bans on the importation, sale, and use of all fireworks and sparklers except those used in authorized public displays by competent licensed operators. Yet, even fireworks used in authorized public displays can be dangerous. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's "Fireworks Annual Report," an estimated 6,300 injuries were treated in hospital emergency rooms during the one-month period surrounding the Fourth of July last year. Eleven people died and 9,800 people were sent to the emergency room for treatment of fireworks-related injuries in the United States last year. Prevent Blindness Ohio cares deeply about this issue because eyes are the second most injured part of the body and children and young adults under the age of 20 suffered 54 percent of the total fireworks-related injuries in 2007. Burns were the most common injury to all parts of the body except the eyes, where contusions, lacerations, and foreign bodies in the eye occurred more frequently. Eyes are one of the few organs of the body that can't be transplanted. When it comes to eyes, you get "one pair and no spare." Thank you for educating your readers about the dangers of backyard fireworks, which far too often lead to unnecessary tragedy such as this incident. Sherill K. Williams President & CEO Prevent Blindness Ohio Columbus Hunters Ridge fire was preventable In response to the fire at the Hunters Ridge apartments and the article in The Blade wondering if the state needs to make the laws tighter: Why? Why not have firework retailers card people who come in to purchase them? We card for alcohol and for cigarettes. Why not check IDs at the source? If people from Ohio walk into a store in Michigan or Indiana or wherever, who's to stop them from lying about not returning to Ohio to set them off? This is done with what proof? The tragedy at Hunters Ridge - where I happen to live - could have been prevented, not with laws forbidding the fireworks that are sold in Ohio but by stopping the illegal ones from entering into the state in the first place. Sabine Croley Gibraltar Heights Drive Thrilled to sponsor fireworks display I want to commend The Blade and the City of Toledo on an outstanding Red White KABOOM. Columbia Gas of Ohio was thrilled to have the opportunity to be a sponsor of the celebration, and proud to help continue this Independence Day tradition for northwest Ohio. In addition to economic development opportunities, the path of rejuvenation and revitalization for Toledo must be paved with such community events. Mayor Carty Finkbeiner called for a stronger role in the civic arena from the business community in a July 4 ad in The Blade, and through continued support of various organizations and events, Columbia Gas is committed to supporting and enhancing our community. It's not often Columbia Gas is excited to be part of an event that features explosions, so Red White KABOOM was definitely an exception to the norm in every way imaginable. Chris Kozak Communications and Community Relations Manager Columbia Gas of Ohio Leave pyrotechnics to the professionals Kudos to all the people who spent their hard-earned money on illegal fireworks this Fourth of July. It's unfortunate that we must endure your constant loud, repetitious noise, which seems to begin as soon as the stores have completed stocking their shelves. You also managed to displace over 200 people from their homes because of a careless, immature mistake. We were very fortunate in that no one was killed or hurt. That is why fireworks are "illegal" and should be handled only by professionals. My suggestion to you for the next Fourth of July is to take your hard-earned money, buy a tankful of gas, and head to one of the local communities and enjoy their wonderful display of fireworks. You will save lives, homes, fingers, and toes, and have a few extra bucks to spend on your family. Diane Stahley Springfield Township Other 'display' not suitable for children My family and relatives from Chicago looked forward with great anticipation to attending the July 4 festival at Promenade Park this year. And for the most part it was absolutely great, until we noticed another sort of festival. There was a "relief wherever you can" festival going on around us. It seems some idiot bean counter decided to save money by not having the usual restroom facilities. Now imagine 150,000 people drinking overpriced beer (whose profit margin alone should have been enough to pay for more facilities) and you get some idea how bad it got. It was bad enough with the guys in the bushes but when we started to notice bare-bottom women, we became quite livid. We had children with us and brought them there to view the fireworks, not the waterworks. Whoever was responsible for the elimination of the portable toilets should be called to task and possibly fired. William Munson, Jr. Northwood Column misguided on 'activist' Scalia Sarcastic columnist Reg Henry from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was actually on point with his piece on the American Idiot's right to bear fireworks. Most people who now legally purchase firearms are probably just as responsible as they are with illegally purchased fireworks. Society is no safer banning one over the other, when you still can cross state lines to purchase them. Careful use is required for both, but after several beers, no one should be shooting anything. But Mr. Henry's opinion that Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is an "activist judge" because the court recently decided that people have a constitutional right to own guns in their homes is liberally misguided and just wrong. An "activist judge" declares what must be done whether or not society, common sense, and tradition agree. This court ordered that the District of Columbia could not ban guns in homes but could regulate them. Rather than changing society's rules, this reinforces what most Americans believe, even those in the District of Columbia, who didn't get to vote on this. That's not "activist," just judicial and wise. God bless America and common sense. Bob Keller Metamora Revelers didn't think about consequences It's fact: For every action there is a reaction and anything anyone does will, at some time, affect everyone else. I just read the op-ed column by Reg Henry about demanding the right to bear fireworks. I'd like to stick him right in the middle of the Hunters Ridge apartments as they completely burned down because of a firework landing on one of the buildings. I'm sure all the people who lost everything they had in that fire feel likewise. But there are those who throw caution and safety to the wind and don't care about anyone else by themselves: Bang! "Oh, yeah. That was lots of fun! Oh, look! That building's on fire! Let's get a picture of it on our cell phones and send it to the TV stations. Maybe they'll mention our names on the nightly news." Hank Rybaczewski Douglas Road Editor's note: Mr. Henry's July 4 column was a satire on the recent Supreme Court ruling on gun laws. It was written before the July 5 fire at the Hunters Ridge apartments. Think first, no need to defend later President Bush stated that he will not boycott the Olympics by staying home. I wish he spent half as much energy thinking about his decisions as he does sticking to them no matter how wrong they may be. Mike Watkins Bowling Green |
| 'High Noon' in Atlanta IN MORE rational times, giving people permission to pack heat in an airport that hosts 84 million passengers a year would seem ludicrous. But these are not reasonable times in America when it comes to gun rights - and wrongs. The recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that supported the individual right to own a gun for self-defense and hunting has made some gun fanatics eager to keep pushing the outside of the envelope, even if that means carrying a handgun into a bustling Georgia airport. Of course the notion of allowing concealed firearms in the crowded terminal area of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International is fraught with many dangers for the traveling public, but it could happen. If it does, blame it on the Supreme Court. While the court struck down an arguably extreme District of Columbia ban on private handguns in homes, it left unanswered a key question of what exactly does the Second Amendment right encompass. Justice Antonin Scalia, who wrote the majority opinion in the 5-4 decision, found an outright ban on handguns to be unconstitutional but defended the government's authority to enact "reasonable restrictions" on gun possession. Understandably, that interpretable phrase has lots of gun lawyers salivating, just as it confounds state, federal, and municipal lawyers and officials. The litigation clock in Georgia began ticking when state legislators decided to relax a prohibition on carrying concealed firearms on public transportation and in other areas, including restaurants serving alcohol. Republican state Rep. Tim Bearden, who drafted the changes to the state law, believes concealed weapons should be permitted in public places at the airport, including the main lobby, ticketing areas, and restaurants. And he claimed he was fully prepared to test the limits of the new law by walking into the airport, ala High Noon, with a handgun. Until he backed down after airport officials said they would continue to enforce the ban despite the new law. Federal law already bans guns past the security checkpoints of U.S. airports, and the city of Atlanta vowed it would not drop its no-gun policy throughout the airport because doing so "would endanger millions of people." That sounds like a reasonable argument, especially in light of another caveat in the Justice Scalia opinion that supported laws forbidding gun possession in "sensitive places such as schools and government buildings," - or, he might well have added, the nation's busiest airport. The fact that the court did not more fully address what it meant illustrates the problem of legislating from the bench. What it has created is a de facto statute that undoubtedly will morph into a full-employment act for lawyers and a spate of unending, expensive litigation. |
| Good-bye, old stadium WITHIN days, it seems, Tiger Stadium, the cavernous ballpark that Ty Cobb and Al Kaline and Mark "The Bird" Fidrych once called home, will be rubble and history. Attempts to raise money to save the stadium, or a part of it, never really came close to taking off, despite vigorous attempts by Detroit's ultimate baseball icon, Ernie Harwell. Last week, the place was surrounded by a construction fence, and a bulldozer punched a hole through the north wall. Soon, one of the most storied sites in the history of baseball will be another vacant lot in a battered city which has less than half the population it did when this park hosted the 1951 All-Star game. In a way, however, the stadium's final destruction may be a blessing. For nine years it has existed only as a faded, crumbling hulk along northbound I-75, a target for vandals, vagrants, and souvenir hunters. Yes, it would have been nice, perhaps, to have preserved the dugouts and maybe the playing field and front office as some form of recreation area and baseball museum. But maybe it is better that the stadium, like Ebbets Field and the Polo Grounds, goes on existing in newsreel and memory, back through the days when it was Briggs Stadium and Navin Field and the originally rickety wood stadium called Bennett Park. Tiger Stadium hosted three All-Star games. Nine World Series were played here, and the Tigers won the last three of them. There are old men still alive who were here when Babe Ruth hit his 700th home run on this spot and when, a few years later, an ailing Lou Gehrig finally took himself out of the lineup after 2,130 consecutive games. Tiger Stadium opened the week the Titanic went down, grew up and expanded with the city that loved her, withered when Detroit did. Today, the Tigers play in Comerica Park, a new stadium a mile away that has borrowed from the best of both old and new ballparks. Yet, as exhibits throughout the new park indicate, the legacy of the old ballpark lives on and is celebrated by the new. It would be nice if that were someday true for her troubled city as well. Detroit's official motto is Speramus meliora; resurget cineribus, which means, "We hope for better things; it will rise from the ashes." Or as they say in baseball, "Wait 'til next year." |
| 'Pink Panther' collects 11 birdies to take early Farr lead Ordinarily, Paula Creamer has pretty decent recall when it comes to retracing the shots that led to her birdies following LPGA tournament rounds. If you play the game of golf well enough, however, apparently you can reach an information overload. Creamer's uncertainty could be forgiven yesterday at Highland Meadows Golf Club after her tournament-record, 11-under-par 60 in the opening round of the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic, presented by Kroger. "Too many birdies," said Creamer, while struggling to remember which club she used on one of those approach shots. "I forget." Creamer, nicknamed the "Pink Panther," in part because of her association with this tournament's chief sponsor, rolled her trademark pink golf ball into the cup for birdies 11 times yesterday. That effort - capped by a terrific 20-foot birdie conversion on the No. 9 green (her final hole) - was one stroke lower than the previous record of 61 carded here by Se Ri Pak exactly 10 years ago to the day. Pak, the defending Farr champion, used that second-round score, plus a third-round 63 at Highland Meadows, on the way to the first of her record five Farr Classic titles back in 1998. Pak opened her quest for a sixth Farr title with a 3-under 68 yesterday, playing in the group ahead of Creamer, long before an early-evening storm caused an overnight suspension of play with 21 golfers yet to finish. First-round play was scheduled to resume at 7:15 this morning, with the second round to follow. "Coming in, I felt really good about my game," Creamer said. "I love this golf course and, today, it was just going in. My irons were darts. "We had such a great gallery. The fans were phenomenal. When you're playing well, that's what you want to do, perform in front of people. It feels great. I mean, 60, geez! You'll take that anywhere." Creamer's raw score was one shot from the all-time LPGA single-round record of 59 shot by Annika Sorenstam in 2001 in Phoenix, although the tour's all-time money leader's score was a 13-under round achieved on a par-72 course layout. Only three other rounds of 60 have been shot in LPGA play. "I haven't really been able to make too many putts the past couple of weeks, and it was just kind of like it all saved up for today," Creamer said. "I think the most positive thing was that I gave myself so many opportunities. I hit 18 greens. I missed two fairways. "I was always in the zone, and I never realized what [score] I was at until the last couple of holes, when I started to think about it a little bit." Creamer's birdies - which outnumbered her pars by four - came, in order, on numbers 10, 13, 17, 18, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8 and 9. The last one broke left-to-right about five feet before having just enough steam to find the cup. "I was happy that last one went in," Creamer said. "It put a nice topper on the day." "She made everything," said 2006 Farr champion Mi Hyun Kim, who played in Creamer's group yesterday. "She hit short putts all day," said Natalie Gulbis, who completed that threesome. "She had tap-ins and, when she did have [longer] putts that she had to make, she made them." The record round sends Creamer into today's second round with a five-shot lead over South Koreans Eun-Hee Ji and Gloria Park, who each shot a 6-under 65s yesterday. Two players are tied for fourth, six shots back at 66, including Swedish native Eva Dahllof and South Korean Young Kim. "I came to this round this morning not feeling very well," Ji said through an interpreter. "My stomach was having some problems, so I didn't anticipate such a great score in the round. "But the birdie on the first hole kind of boosted up my confidence and I just went from there." "I haven't played good the past couple tournaments, but I started hitting better last week and I feel really good," Park said. "I'm glad I finished before the weather comes. "I was close today. I played pretty good and I'm pretty happy about it. There's three days left, so we'll see how it goes [today]." Park was referring to the inclement weather that suspended play at 6:20 p.m., just minutes after she saved par with a nifty up-and-down on No. 9 to close her round. Prior to yesterday, the 21-year-old Creamer's low LPGA score was 64. "It was a dream actually," said Creamer's mother, Karen. "There were some substantial distances that dropped, but she gave herself a chance to make a birdie on almost every hole, so it was really nice to see. "She has played really good [before], but the putts haven't dropped. So, as far as it going in the hole, this was absolutely the best she's ever played." Creamer may not have expected a record, but she did anticipate a solid round. "I had a really good warm-up, I had good putting and I felt good," Creamer said. "I missed one fairway and that was the first hole. After that I hit 18 greens. There was never a moment where I thought, 'Oh my!' I just tried to keep on going." Creamer - who has won two LPGA tournaments this year and six overall since joining the tour full time in 2005 - entered the Farr Classic with $1,060,960 in earnings through 15 events this season. Contact Steve Junga at: sjunga@theblade.com or 419-724-6461 |
| Martinez, Almonte lift Hens over Indianapolis INDIANAPOLIS - Five International League All-Stars suited up for the opener of the four-game Mud Hens-Indians series in Indianapolis. But the heroes of Thursday's 3-1 Toledo victory turned out to be three players who won't be in Louisville for next week's I.L.-Pacific Coast League classic. Hens starter Anastacio Martinez turned in his best outing of the season, doling out five hits and a walk while striking out five in eight innings. Designated hitter Erick Almonte drove in the go-ahead run in the ninth inning. Indianapolis starter Jason Davis matched Martinez's effort through seven and two-third innings, but wasn't involved in the decision. "Both guys, Davis and Martinez, pitched a good game," said Almonte. "Martinez was keeping the ball down and throwing a lot of strikes, and that was the key to the game." Toledo (53-42) has now won four straight after snapping a six-game losing streak. The win, coupled with a loss by I.L. West-leading Columbus to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Louisville's win over Buffalo, keeps the Hens in a tie with the Bats for second place. Toledo and the Bats now trail the Clippers by half a game. Martinez (2-1) was pleased with his performance. "It was my best start of the year," said the Dominican right-hander. "I was in control of all my pitches, like I could throw strikes any time I wanted to - my fastball, changeup, and my sinker, too." The Hens took a 1-0 lead in the second. Brent Clevlen drew a one-out walk and was forced at second by Almonte. Max St. Pierre followed with a grounder up the middle that eluded second baseman Josh Wilson and shortstop Brian Bixler. Almonte scampered to third on the play and flew home on Max Leon's single to right. The Indians (44-51) evened the score in the third. Matt Kata opened the frame with a double to left-center off Martinez, who was making his fourth start. When Josh Wilson followed with a bloop single past short, Kata came around to make it 1-1. Toledo's solid defensive work thwarted Indianapolis in the sixth. Nyjer Morgan started the inning with a bunt single and took second on a wild pitch. As the next batter, Andrew McCutchen, looked at ball four, Morgan took off for third. But St. Pierre nailed him with a strong throw from home to third baseman Mike Hessman. Neil Walker followed with a single to left that sent McCutchen streaking toward third with an eye on the plate. But McCutchen held up when Hens left fielder Freddy Guzman quickly corralled the ball and heaved it to the cutoff man. The inning ended when Martinez got Indians cleanup hitter Steve Pearce to bounce into a 5-4-3 double play. Davis, who beat Toledo here on May 31, also turned in a pair of defensive gems, both at Guzman's expense. In the third, the Indians right-hander rifled a throw to first from a sitting, sliding position to gun down the Hens leadoff hitter. When Guzman again tried to bunt his way on in the eighth, Davis legged toward first and shoveled the ball to Pearce for the out. Davis, who gave way to Franklyn German with two gone in the seventh, allowed five hits and a walk while striking out five. German (1-1) put himself in a hole in the ninth. Hessman led off with a walk, and Clevlen followed with a bunt that the Indians right-hander couldn't handle. Almonte followed with a line single that brought in Hessman with the lead run. "I was just trying to make good contact, and the ball went into left field," said Almonte. After a sacrifice bunt by St. Pierre, Leon walked to load the bases. Clevlen rode home on Derek Wathan's fly to right to give Toledo a 3-1 advantage. Blaine Neal pitched a one-hit, scoreless ninth for his league-leading 23rd save of the season. Neal, Clevlen and Hessman have been named to this year's I.L. All-Star squad, along with McCutchen and Bixler of the Indians. The series continues Friday with Yorman Bazardo (2-5) going for the Hens. The Indians have not announced a starter. |
| Blade editor gets national award Steve Pollick, The Blade's outdoors editor, has received a national award for his series, Voyage of the Golden Eagle, which appeared in February and July, 2007. The series, which included photographic essays that appeared in The Blade's Toledo Magazine page, placed second in the boating/paddlesports category for newspapers in competition conducted by the Outdoor Writers Association of America. Mr. Pollick's writings and photography were related to his two tours as a deckhand in the Caribbean and along the U.S. Atlantic Coast aboard the Golden Eagle, a 32-foot sailboat skippered by Rex Damschroder of Fremont. Mr. Damschroder took the vessel on a 10,000-mile transatlantic circuit, which included a solo passage of the central Atlantic. The Eagle returned to home port, Port Clinton, last July after three years at sea. OWAA announced the award at its annual conference in Bismarck, N.D. |
| Start forward Russell says he'll play basketball at Toledo The University of Toledo's two new basketball coaches seem to be forming a local connection, specifically with the City League and more specifically with Start High School. Rocket men's coach Gene Cross has landed a verbal commitment from Devin Russell, an 18-year-old, 6-foot-9, 210-pound power forward who will be a senior this coming school year at Start. Russell's Spartan classmate, 6-1 post player Yolanda Richardson, was the first recruit secured by new UT women's coach Tricia Cullop a few months back. "It's a nice college and [Cross] is turning the program around," Russell said of his primary reason for committing to UT. "I think it'll be a nice fit for me staying close to home. "Coach Cross starting talking to me when I was in Pittsburgh for an AAU tournament, and ever since then we've been in touch." Russell averaged 9.5 points and three blocked shots per game for the Spartans as a junior, and led the City League in rebounding at 12.6 a contest. At UT he will join CL opponent and Clay senior Zac Taylor, a 6-9 forward who was recruited and signed during the tenure of former Rocket men's coach Stan Joplin. Cross, a former assistant at Notre Dame, recently landed former Scott, Maumee and Libbey player Chris Poellnitz, currently a junior college sophomore, for the 2009-10 season. "Coach Cross was just all about academics first," Russell said, "and also making me a better person and a basketball player. He was very energetic about building the program, and he seemed like the type of guy I'd like to play for." Russell is a member of the Ohio Gators AAU program, which includes Start teammate Anthony Henderson, St. John's Jesuit players Michael Taylor and Tim Simmons and Ottawa Hills standout Phillip Beans. "He's worked very hard and gotten a lot better," Start boys coach Gil Guerrero said of Russell. "He has improved all of his skills. Coach Cross is looking for big kids, and Devin has been playing real well in the summer." - Steve Junga |
| Tigers lose to Twins in 11 after lead melts DETROIT - While the Tigers were busy squandering their many chances to win yesterday's 11-inning affair, Minnesota's Justin Morneau took full advantage of his. Morneau's solo homer off Detroit reliever Freddy Dolsi in the 11th was the difference in the Tigers' 7-6 loss - their first in 40 games when leading after eight innings. Not only did Detroit own a 6-2 lead through four innings, but it carried a two-run lead into the ninth. Obviously that lead evaporated, but the Tigers had a golden opportunity to win it in the bottom of the ninth and stumbled at that juncture as well. How about this folks: Yesterday was marketed as "Christmas in July" day at Comerica Park. And that was before the Tigers gift-wrapped this one and placed it under the Twins' tree. "We had our shot," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. "I've seen this [kind of] game 100 times in my career. You get your shot, and when you don't do it, it usually comes back to haunt you." Putting aside for a moment that the Tigers scored five times in the fourth inning and not once after that, the game was there for the taking in the ninth. But closer Todd Jones opened the inning by allowing two singles, the second one evolving into something far worse, thanks to an error by right fielder Matt Joyce. With Nick Punto on first, Denard Span sent a sharp grounder in Joyce's direction. Joyce misplayed the ball as it bounced to him, allowing Punto to score and Span to reach third with no outs. "It was a big error in a big spot," Joyce said. Joyce said he came up on the ball too early and was a little overaggressive in his approach. "I have no problem with an error like that, as long as he was concentrating," Leyland said. Up next was pinch-hitter and all-star catcher Joe Mauer, who lifted a sacrifice fly to left to tie the game. Move ahead to the bottom of the inning, when Minnesota's all-star closer, Joe Nathan, opened the frame with two walks. Joyce, who homered earlier, was up next, and after failing twice to get the bunt down, popped up to shortstop. Nathan did Joyce's job for him, however, by uncorking a wild pitch that advanced both runners. Clete Thomas was intentionally walked, and Nathan recovered to strike out Jeff Larish and Pudge Rodriguez. Larish, called up from Toledo before the game and making his first big-league start at first base, had singled twice and doubled in his first four at-bats yesterday. "He's very capable of hitting a fly ball there, but he was facing one of the better closers in baseball and he didn't do it. So what," Leyland said of Larish. "That's part of the game. You can't let leads get away that late, you just can't do it." Leyland said Jones, 40, struggles in day games if he's also pitched the night before. It was Jones who worked a scoreless inning and recorded a win in Wednesday night's 8-6 win over Cleveland. Jones, who has 16 saves in 18 chances this year, agreed that it is tough for him to bounce back on such short rest. "But I've got to be ready when that phone rings, so that's certainly not an excuse," Jones said. Perhaps the game could be boiled down to Detroit's inability to get Morneau, Span or Punto out. The three of them went 12-for-13 with two doubles, a triple, and six runs scored. "That's not very good pitching," Leyland said. "It's good hitting." Contact Joe Vardon at: jvardon@theblade.com or 419-410-5055. |
| Local drug firm gains $300,000 investment A Regional Growth Partnership venture capital fund announced yesterday it will invest $300,000 in a local pharmaceutical company that is to begin clinical trials in Toledo for a drug to treat Alzheimers and other nervous-system diseases. The Rocket Ventures investment is with Madison, Wis.-based Mithridion Inc., successor to Cognitive Pharmaceuticals Ltd., a firm set up by University of Toledo Profs. Wayne Hoss and William Messer, Jr. Mithridion took over Cognitive Pharmaceuticals last month with $2.3 million in financing from a Wisconsin venture capital firm. Dr. Hoss said its drug for Alzheimers differs from others by treating memory loss, confusion, and other symptoms and also getting at underlying causes of the disease and protecting the brain. |
| GM CEO dismisses bankruptcy speculation DALLAS Rick Wagoner, chief executive officer of General Motors Corp., has dismissed speculation that the largest U.S. automaker might soon seek bankruptcy protection. Comments in the past week about a potential bankruptcy are not at all constructive or accurate, he said yesterday at a lunch meeting of Dallas business leaders. Last week, a Merrill Lynch analyst cut his rating on GM stock and said bankruptcy is not impossible if the auto market continues to weaken. |
| Buick, Pontiac, GMC ads to push fuel efficiency DETROIT General Motors Corp. will shift its advertising for Buick, GMC, and Pontiac to promote their fuel-economy edge over competitors. New commercials single out Toyota Motor Corp. models including the Tundra pickup and 4Runner sport utility vehicle as having lower efficiency than GM models. The ad campaign is one of a number of steps GM is taking to arrest a sales drop 16 percent in the first half of the year as drivers turned away from pickups and SUVs for more fuel-efficient cars as gasoline topped $4 a gallon. |
| Jewel's latest CD 'came out real easy' Fame and fortune were never the goals for Jewel Kilcher when she began writing songs. Growing up in Alaska, in a home without running water or electricity, or going to an arts school in Michigan, she wasn't planning on selling 30 million albums and becoming one of the world's best-known songwriters. When she wrote her first songs, she was just trying to get to Mexico. "I was 16 years old, and I wanted to hitchhike to Mexico for spring break. I was going to school in Michigan at the time and hoboed my way across the country and street sang," Jewel says. "I just made up lyrics because I couldn't read music and I couldn't learn other people's music. 'Who Will Save Your Soul' was the first song I ever wrote, and I wrote it on that trip when I was 16 seeing America for the first time." "Who Will Save Your Soul" eventually became a major hit off Jewel's debut album, "Pieces of You," which sold 12 million copies when it was released in 1995. It launched her career as one of her generation's top pop stars. But she made waves in the music industry last year when she signed with Valory Records as a country artist. "Perfectly Clear" was released in June, selling more than 48,000 copies the first week. "This album has been living in me for so long. It's actually been the greatest pleasure of any record I've ever made. I had such a specific idea of how I wanted it to sound. It came out real easy," Jewel says. "I used the Linda Ronstadt album 'Heart Like a Wheel' almost as a template because what I loved about that record is that it relied on the strength of her voice and on the strength of great songs without a lot of production." Jewel found help with the production from an unlikely source: Big & Rich's John Rich, who co-produced the album. "We seem so different, but when you scratch the surface, we come from the same place musically. He loves to craft. You won't meet a person who loves to write or who loves a well-written song more than John, so we really bonded as songwriters even though we didn't write together. We both tried to make songs what they were and not get in their way," Jewel says. The relationship led to a professional first for Jewel. "Till It Feels Like Cheating" is the first song she has ever recorded that she didn't write. "I was wanting a song that would use a certain register in my voice. This came across John's desk, and he said it reminded him of me," she says. "Having an affair with your husband, making time in your busy life to have an affair with your husband, I thought it was a great idea [for a song], so I decided to cut it." But it's Jewel's words and her songs that make her special. The simplicity of this album is what makes it effective. It's Jewel, sitting around a camp fire singing songs with clever hooks and tantalizing melodies. Of course, her songs are also about more than trying to entertain others. They are a way for her to delve into her soul and bring emotions to the surface. "When I'm writing by myself, it tends to be my subconscious talking about myself. I'll be writing and think, 'Hmm, that's interesting.' I used to journal write as a kid, and I learned so much about myself. I really became intimate with myself to help me keep track of my life. I always learn something about what I'm thinking or what I'm going through by the time I get done with a song," she says. "When I'm writing, it's almost like writing a book in my head, and I get excited to turn the pages because I'm not sure where it's going." It was in one of her quiet times that she wrote "Thump, Thump." It was written about Ty Murray, a world champion bull rider and Jewel's longtime boyfriend. "We've been together for 10 years, and it still feels really new and exciting and exhilarating and scary. To be able to write 'Thump, Thump' for him is a nice feeling." Her father was the influence behind "Loved By You." It's a waltz that Jewel says is in the style of music her father sang to her on cattle drives or while fishing when she was a young girl. "I've never been able to fit this on a record, and it's been a lot of fun for me to dedicate it to him. It's very rewarding to be able to thank him for the way he raised me and the music he raised me with." Jewel was pigeonholed early on as a pop singer, and it led to a lot of album sales and awards, but she feels the most comfortable sitting around a fire on her ranch, singing the songs of her father. Her first single as a country artist, "Stronger Woman," was a good start for her. It climbed to No. 11. Even though she's sold 30 million albums, she knows that in a sense, she's starting over. "There are people not familiar with me. ['Stronger Woman'] let me introduce myself to new people," she says. "I've never felt entitled to anything. I've always tried to live by the adage that there is always somebody more talented or harder working. I try to be the very best at my craft. I take country music very seriously. "My fans are with me. They are very aware that I love country music, that I sing and write country music. They've heard half this album for 10 years. A lot of it's been kicking around for 10, 12, 15 years, so my fans are already excited about it. It's not every day that you can be 13 years into a career and introduce yourself to new people. I find that very exciting." Contact Brian Dugger at: bdugger@theblade.com. |
| Nielsen rankings: Auto racing is No. 1 on cable TV Rankings for the top 15 programs on cable networks as compiled by Nielsen Media Research for the week of June 30-July 6. Day and start time (EDT) are in parentheses: • 1. Auto Racing: Sprint Cup, Daytona Beach (Saturday, 8:05 p.m.), TNT, 4.3 million homes, 6.39 million viewers. • 2. Law & Order: Criminal Intent (Sunday, 9 p.m.), USA, 3.68 million homes, 4.88 million viewers. • 3. WWE Raw (Monday, 10 p.m.), USA, 3.43 million homes, 5.28 million viewers. • 4. NASCAR Post Race Show (Saturday, 11:23 p.m.), TNT, 3.41 million homes, 4.9 million viewers. • 5. In Plain Sight (Sunday, 10 p.m.), USA, 3.39 million homes, 4.58 million viewers. • 6. WWE Raw (Monday, 9 p.m.), USA, 3.28 million homes, 5.01 million viewers. • 7. Army Wives (Sunday, 10 p.m.), Lifetime, 3.07 million homes, 3.78 million viewers. • 8. Major League Baseball: Boston vs. N.Y. Yankees (Sunday, 8 p.m.), ESPN, 3.04 million homes, 4.12 million viewers. • 9. Law & Order: SVU (Sunday, 8 p.m.), USA, 2.899 million homes, 3.78 million viewers. • 10. Wizards of Waverly Place (Sunday, 8:30 p.m.), Disney, 2.893 million homes, 3.84 million viewers. • 11. Movie: Life Size (Sunday, 9 p.m.), Disney, 2.76 million homes, 3.62 million viewers. • 12. SpongeBob SquarePants (Saturday, 11:30 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.67 million homes, 3.72 million viewers. • 13. Hannah Montana (Sunday, 8 p.m.), Disney, 2.63 million homes, 3.6 million viewers. • 14. Law & Order: SVU (Sunday, 7 p.m.), USA, 2.61 million homes, 3.33 million viewers. • 15. SpongeBob SquarePants (Wednesday, 12:30 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.58 million homes, 3.51 million viewers. Nickelodeon is owned by Viacom Inc. USA is owned by General Electric Co.s NBC Universal. TNT is owned by Time Warner Inc. Lifetime is a joint venture between the Hearst Corp. and the Walt Disney Co. The Disney Channel and ESPN are owned by the Walt Disney Co. BET is owned by Viacom Inc. |
| Echoes of Poland dancers to entertain at annual Lagrange Street event Time has had its way with Lagrinka and Kuschwantz, Toledos historic Polish neighborhoods. Simmered in Americas great melting pot, the former North End and South Side centers of Slavic life shaped over a century ago by homesick immigrants have slowly become more diverse culturally and socially. Precious little is left of old Kuschwantz, the Polish community around Nebraska and Junction avenues southwest of downtown. Its parish church, St. Anthony, was closed last year by the Catholic Diocese. But up and down Lagrange Street , Lagrinkas spirit thrives, albeit in a slightly modernized setting. Community and church efforts have forged the Polish International Village, a center of cultural events and social activities for descendants of those first arrivals as well as those of many backgrounds who are drawn to the vivid complexity of 1,000 years of Polish traditions recreated in the New World. And thats never more the truth than in July, when Lagrinka comes alive an eastern European Brigadoon, perhaps with the wild array of sights, sounds, and smells of the Old Country during the Polish Festival. Set for tomorrow through Sunday, the popular event will mark its 25th year presenting polka music and dancing, kielbasa and pierogi and other popular ethnic foods, plus crafts, games, and more. For many, a must-see part of the festivities is a performance by Echoes of Poland, the venerable dance group set to appear on Saturday and Sunday this year. Created in 1967 by Paulina Tul-Ortyl, the celebrated ensemble will offer lively recreations of traditional Polish dance forms such as the polka, the mazurka, the Krakowiak, the Sadecki, and the Lublin in authentic costumes to music by Kapela, the Echoes house band. And directing the action will be Tul-Ortyl, a Polish-born American citizen of few words and many beautiful ideas. Her company last month celebrated its 40th anniversary with a major concert in the Ohio Theatre Lagrinkas town hall. An enthusiastic and multi-generational audience turned out for the big show. And the big show turned out to be full of surprises for Tul-Ortyl, a pretty, compact, modest woman who first arrived in Lagrinka in 1960. I was 19, she says today. My mother sent us, to better our lives. Of the brave move she spoke very little English then Tul-Ortyl says, I was a war baby, one of many allowed to have two citizenships, Polish and American. (Her grandparents had come to the U.S. before World War II, when Poland was under siege from Germany and Russia. After the war, they returned with Tul-Ortyls mother to their homeland, where young Paulina attended school.) In the United States, homesick, struggling with English lessons at Scott High School, working to support herself, Tul-Ortyl knew she was here to stay. Im the kind of person to go forward, she says, simply. I dont back up. Inspired by her musician father, Wladislaw Tul, she turned to the traditional music and dances of her homeland for reminders of a more comfortable time. There were more ethnic things going on at that time here, she recalls. Echoes was not the first dance group. Now it is the only remaining group, but, as Tul-Ortyl points out, Its one of many in U.S. The same year she formed Echoes of Poland, she married Ray Ortyl, a Polish descendant, who encouraged his wife to pursue dance studies. She returned to Poland summers to study traditional dance and choreography at the Catholic University of Lublin. During the school year she formed and developed a group of young dancers, to guarantee continuity in her dance program. At the June concert, beautiful children in elaborate costumes waited attentively for their turn on stage, watching seasoned adult dancers move through the complicated dances, each named for a Polish region or tradition. At the side of the Ohio Theatres stage sat four musicians in costume playing spiritedly: violinist the Rev. Paul Kwiatkowski, clarinetist Jeanne McGinnis, accordionist Randy Krajewski, and bassist Kevin Hermes. For Father Kwiatkowski, who oversaw the renovation of St. Hedwigs Church, an anchor of Lagrinka, playing in Kapela is another aspect of a richly cultured life. Ive played in the Perrysburg Symphony Orchestra for 41 years, he noted. Hes also a composer, a poet, a Latin teacher, and the latest priest to offer the Tridentine Mass, this time at Immaculate Conception Church in the South End, where he now serves. For Krajewski, playing allows him to share in the activities of younger family members Alyson and Morgan, who dance with the Echoes Childrens Ensemble. While the Echoes wont be traveling to the Triennial Folk Festival in Rzeszow, Poland, this year because of the economy, her troupe has taken first place in the past among its 10 visits to Poland. We also have danced all over the United States, Tul-Ortyl said, a little pride showing in her voice. Polands loss will be Toledos gain, for the Echoes once again will perform this weekend during the 25th annual Lagrange Street Polish Festival. Show times are 5 to 6 p.m. Saturday and 2 to 3 p.m. Sunday. Other festival events include performances by top polka bands from the Midwest; polka dance and pierogi-eating contests; childrens games and rides, and the St. Hedwig Parish Festival with more ethnic foods and games of chance. Other bands and performance dates: Dyna Dukes and The Myxx will alternate hour-long shows from 5:30 10:30 p.m. Friday; Glasstown Sound and Badinov in alternate-hour shows noon-5 p.m. Saturday; Duane Malinowski and Touch of Brass 6-10:30 p.m., and the Polish American Concert Band, 12:30-2 p.m. Sunday, and Badinov and Touch of Brass alternating 3-7 p.m. Sunday. The polka contest is 6 p.m. Sunday; the pierogi contest is 6 p.m. Saturday. Festival hours are 5-11 p.m. Friday, noon-11 p.m. Saturday, and noon-7 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $2-3; children 5 and under are free. Anyone under age 18 must be accompanied by adult parent or guardian. A shuttle trolley will run between Central Catholic High School, 2550 Cherry St., and the festival; round trip rides are $1, with kids free. Contact Sally Vallongo at svallongo@theblade.com. |
| INNER CITY ENTERTAINERS Two hard-working acts that have one thing in common - regular appearances in Toledo - are returning to Frankie's Inner City. Tomorrow, Detroit's Hard Lessons, above, brings its raw rock and pop to the club at 308 Main St., where the doors open at 9 p.m. The band, composed of, from left, Augie, KoKo Louise, and the Anvil, recently released a collection of singles and is known for high-energy live shows. Tickets are $10 at the door. On Saturday, Unknown Hinson will hit the stage. His Toledo shows have become popular thanks to his twisted sense of humor and penchant for rockabilly raveups and Jimi Hendrix covers. Doors open at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance at Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at 419-474-1333, www.ticketmaster.com, and at Culture Clash, 419-536-5683, and Ramalama Records, 419-531-7625. |
| Restaurant review: Gourmet Garden '''' Metro Toledo is home to dozens of Chinese and other Far Eastern restaurants, which would seem to make it difficult for diners to stay loyal to any one specific place. Yet loyal they are, based both on where the eateries are located in relation to where the customers live, and most especially on how good the food is. One late, lamented example is the Golden Lily, a downtown fixture since early in the last century. It was leveled to make way for the city's new hockey arena, and a number of faithful Golden Lily customers keep asking if and when the owners will reopen. I wish I had the answer. Many other Chinese places have established a similar following, including the Gourmet Garden on Monroe Street in Sylvania, which offers easily a hundred different dishes, from such staples as chow mein, fried rice, and egg foo young to crispy duck, beef, or lamb in a spicy tea sauce prepared in a hot clay pot, and sizzling beef, lobster, and shrimp. A handsome restaurant that forgoes garish red and gold dragons in favor of understated wall colors, potted greenery, and gorgeous illuminated glass panels separating the small bar from the dining room, Gourmet Garden puts the emphasis on what comes out of the kitchen, delivered by helpful servers who are quick to explain the nature of each dish. The overflowing menu is dominated by Chef's Suggestions, a three-page array of more than 40 dishes. Nor can you go wrong with any of the house specials such as soup for two, spicy shredded lamb, and irresistible boneless chicken with crispy skin. Other dishes making an impression were ning style salmon ($14.95), featuring a tender steamed fillet engulfed in mixed vegetables and sauce; a big plate of pepper beef ($8.50) with chunks of green peppers and onions in brown sauce; General Tao's chicken ($10.95) with red peppers in a tangy sauce, and an appetizer of six creamy crab Rangoon ($4.50). I'm not keen on sweet sauces, but diners with a sweet tooth would do well by the double sesame delight, a $13.95 combination of crispy chicken and shrimp with vegetables, and snow white ($14.95), lightly fried jumbo shrimp with peas, mushrooms, and the sweet house special sauce. Six health food dishes, cooked in steam, are offered, and beverages include soft drinks, beer, cocktails, plum wine, and sake. Also, a symbol indicates hot and spicy dishes, and the kitchen will adjust the heat of any given dish as requested. Contact Bill of Fare at fare@theblade.com |
| Harp player Jason Ricci doesn't worry about the purists as he treads his musical path This is how bad Jason Ricci was as a teenage musician: He was on the verge of getting kicked out of a punk band because he wasn't very good and couldn't sing well "even for punk standards." This wasn't late '80s/early '90s New York, where even the punk bands were good. This was Portland, Maine. He couldn't play guitar either, so the band decided what he'd play, unknowingly jump-starting a now-flourishing career. "I was getting benched at the shows so I needed an instrument. The band kind of picked harmonica for me." Now at age 34, he's considered one of the hottest blues harp players in the world, a riveting live performer (and good singer, too) whose music with his band New Blood is an exciting hybrid of blues, jam band excursions, jazz, and rock. Ricci, who will be in Toledo tomorrow at the Blue Devil, also breaks every blues stereotype imaginable, which is reflected in his complete disregard for musical boundaries. He's gay. His hair is often pink or some other color. He's a passionate skateboarder. He says exactly what he thinks in interviews and goes out of his way to say he'll never sing in blues vernacular because it wouldn't be real. After all, whoever heard of a self-described "suburban white boy" singing as if he just walked out of a 1930s-era Mississippi cotton field? And if that rubs purists the wrong way, he's not worried about it. Ricci toured with blues legends R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough, among others, and he said he learned an important lesson living among those artists and playing with them. "The way to be accepted by those people is not trying to be one of them," he said in a telephone interview from Ottawa, Ont., where he was preparing to play with guitarist Walter Trout. "It's to be a queer white boy from Maine; that's the quickest way to gain access to their hearts." Ricci said he's received some backlash in the blues community for his high-energy, outside-the-blues-box approach to music and his lifestyle, which is one reason he'd like to explore getting on a few more bills that feature jam bands. "I find that audience very eligible for what we do and it seems like I would deal with less criticism about my sexuality - because I'm gay - less criticism about my hair, about my clothes, about how many notes I play in any given solo. "There's a lot of elitism in the blues world and there's also a lot of redneckism in it, too. And it hasn't been easy dedicating myself to a blues audience [when] a small portion of the audience doesn't want me to have anything to do with it." That said, he also makes it clear that he loves being lumped in with the blues as a musical style, and with the exception of a few critics who can't get past his modernistic approach, he's comfortable with his audience even if he'd like to see it expand. "I want to accept the opportunity for growth without hating where I am. I know players that do and that hate the blues world and don't like it here," Ricci said. "I love the blues world. I love the fact that my fans can come up and talk to me. I love the fact that it's a very personable thing and that the musicians can all talk to each other and we're all friends." Ricci's mastery of the harmonica is the result of intense dues-paying and obsessive hard work. Once his punk band kicked him over to the harp, he studied it constantly, practicing between four and eight hours a day. His mother helped him out by taking him to shows anytime a blues band that featured a great harmonica player came to Maine. At a young age he was touring with working bands, but his career suffered a serious setback - and paradoxically, a major leap forward - when years of drug abuse turned into a serious addiction to crack cocaine. In 1998 he was arrested for drug abuse and ordered to serve a year in prison. After six months, Ricci was sent to a drug rehab halfway house and he'd stay up all night listening to a jazz radio station, expanding his musical tastes, which was both exciting and depressing because hearing greats like Charlie Parker and Miles Davis demonstrated the harmonica's limitations. "I became frustrated because the instrument I had chosen and wasted my life on was not capable of producing the 12 tones needed to play that music." Then someone turned him onto Howard Levy of the groundbreaking jazz fusion band Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, who was expanding the harmonica's range by using different kinds of harps. Ricci dived into studying his music and the fact that he wasn't allowed to play in bars for a couple of years as part of his probation led to a long period of wood shedding, where he'd once again practice alone for four to eight hours a day. The result: he emerged with a new style that is truly innovative. Now he's sober, he's on a record label that promotes his music, he has a management team that makes sure he plays higher-end blues clubs like the Blue Devil instead of sports bars, and his band is sympathetic to his passion for everything from Little Walter to Sun Ra. Which is why you won't hear Ricci complaining. "I'm very grateful to be here and that's all there is to it," he said. Jason Ricci and New Blood perform at 9 p.m. tomorrow in the Blue Devil, 938 West Laskey Rd. Tickets are $8 at the door. Information: 419-720-4320. Contact Rod Lockwood at: rlockwood@theblade.com or 419-724-6159. |
| Ohio rock fans embrace South Africas Seether Seether bassist Dale Stewart likes to fancy himself an alt-grunge version of a young John Lennon when his band plays Ohio. Since their first major singles, Fine Again and Broken, an acoustic rock ballad that was re-released as a duet with Evanescence goth-rocker Amy Lee, landed on the charts about six years ago, the South African rockers have enjoyed an especially intense fan base in Ohio, Stewart said via phone interview from a Michigan tour stop last week. Its like Beatlemania in Ohio, Stewart said, his South African accent easily resembling one similar to the Liverpool foursome. Popularity varies from state to state. You know, when you are playing California its always a hard sell, he said. Weve always said Ohio is our best state. Fans are really crazy in Ohio, but in a good way. With the rockers fresh off a stint in their homeland, Seether fans may have to mosh even harder to defend Ohios place as a tour highlight when the band kicks off their North American tour with Finger Eleven, Sick Puppies, and Radiocraft at the Toledo Speedway Jam Saturday. General admission tickets are $39. I always like going home, and we play in the States so much, its fun to switch it up a bit, he said of the trek to South Africa. All my familys still there. I go back every Christmas, so this was a bit of a bonus. Ill go home at Christmas again. Its not often that I go back twice in one year. Seether played four shows in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, and Port Elizabeth last month, and was handed their first South African music award for Best English Rock Album for their latest release, Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces. Finding Beauty, their fifth release, was dedicated to Eugene Welgemoed, lead singer Shaun Morgans brother, who toured with the band as a technician before he killed himself by jumping off a hotel in South Dakota last year. Were all very close to him, Stewart said of Welgemoed. He was our number one fan. He has been with us from the beginning. The song, Rise Above, was written for Welgemoed. Call your name every day when I seem so helpless; Ive fallen down, and Ill rise above this, rise above this doubt; Ill mend myself before it gets me, the song says. The music video shows a young, shaggy-haired guy staring over the edge of a building with a photo of himself with his family including lead singer Morgan. As the man jumps, Morgan and the rest of the family falls, too. The video fades out on the number for the national suicide-prevention hotline, 1-800-SUICIDE. Most of Finding Beauty was recorded before Welgemoeds death. About 60 original songs were considered for the album, though most of those that were rejected wont likely reach the ears of fans, Stewart said. Seether considers the disc more melodic than the bands previous work, and Stewart said the changes could be earning Seether new fans via radio play. The true rock fans become fans through word of mouth, Stewart said. I think the fan base is golden, but by sheer numbers we have more fans now. Weve had a lot of radio play now, a little bit more of an audience we might not have reached before. The band emerged from South Africa as Saron Gas in the late 1990s, spouting raw grunge-inspired riffs comparable to Nirvana or early Soundgarden. The band released Disclaimer as Seether in 2002, with the radio-friendly singles Fine Again and Driven Under, and the acoustic version of Broken, one of several singles that would later make it onto a version of the video game Guitar Hero. The album was expanded and re-released two years later as Disclaimer II. The band followed in 2005 with Karma and Effect, which includes the familiar single Remedy, and the live disc-DVD combo, One Cold Night, in 2006. Stewart promises the Toledo appearance will please both new and older fans. Well play some old stuff and some newer songs, a little bit of everything, he said, adding that Seether is likely to include openers Finger 11 and Sick Puppies in a number or two. A lot of that stuff is really spontaneous. Every night is not the same show, we improvise and play around. His biggest kick will come from the latest single off Finding Beauty, Fake It, which topped rock charts for nine weeks. That song, people know that song now, they instantly recognize it, and I start the song off. Thats a good feeling, he said. General admission tickets are $39 and are available at www.starticketsplus.com or by calling 800-585-3737. The gate opens at 5 p.m., and the show begins at 5:45. Toledo Speedway is located at 5639 Benore Rd. Contact Bridget Tharp at: btharp@theblade.com or 419-724-6061. |
| Special events: Dancers to perform at 'Stars' The Cassandra Ballet of Toledo will be featured guest performers at the Music Under the Stars kickoff concert at 7:30 p.m. Sunday in the Toledo Zoo amphitheater. A dozen dancers from the West Toledo company will perform to Sousa's beloved march, "Stars and Stripes Forever." Choreographed by company founder and director, Cassandra Macino, the work has become a signature piece for this summer series. This is the 27th season the company has appeared at Music Under the Stars. Also on the Cassandra program will be music by Shostakovich and from Pirates of the Caribbean, performed by the Toledo Concert Band under the direction of Sam Szor. • Rockers Seether and Finger Eleven along with special guests Sick Puppies and Radiocraft will open the Toledo Speedway Jam Saturday at the speedway, 5639 Benore Rd. The Jam goes a little bit country Sunday when it presents James Otto, Heidi Newfeld, Buck 69, and Hunter Brucks. Door open at 5 p.m. and the music starts at 6 both nights. • The 24th annual Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic presented by Kroger, one of the region's top sporting events, concludes Sunday at Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvania. The tournament hosts some of the best professional women golfers and raises money for local children's charities. The first round starts today. Takin' It To The Street, a downtown Sylvania street festival to welcome the LPGA golfers to the classic, runs from 5 to 9 tonight with food, live music, and an auto show. • Disappearing Inc. is hosting its 2008 Summer Grand Illusion Spectacular at 7 p.m. tomorrow and Saturday in the Maumee Indoor Theater, 601 Conant St., Maumee. The family-oriented show features 10 new illusions designed and performed by award-winning illusionist Clay Moore, 17, of Oregon and assistant magician Sean McGee. • The 2nd annual Det. Keith Dressel Memorial Ride and Benefit, sponsored by the Toledo Police Department and the Oregon Police FOP 110, will be held Saturday. Registration for the 100-mile ride begins at 9 a.m. at Lucky Louie's, 2851 Tremainsville Rd. Departure takes place at 11 a.m., and motorcyclists will be escorted by the Lucas County Sheriff's Office Motor Patrol. • Sauder Village in Archbold will host an old-fashioned fiddle contest and offer demonstrations of traditional farm activities during Summer on the Farm. Visitors can participate in, among other things, rope making, gardening, straw tick stuffing, stringing leather britches, and grating soap. About 20 people will also compete in the 28th annual fiddle contest beginning at 1 p.m. Ricky Prater and the Midnight Travelers will perform at 12:30 p.m. Village hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. • Country Concert '08 opens today and runs through Sunday at Fort Loramie, Ohio. Among those scheduled to perform are Trace Adkins, Kenny Chesney, Taylor Swift, Kellie Pickler, and the group Lady Antebellum. FAIRS AND FESTIVALS •Toledo Harbor Lighthouse Festival is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday in Maumee Bay State Park, 1750 Park Rd., Oregon. Events include sand-castle making, boat rides around the lighthouse, island music, and fireworks. •The Lagrange Street Polish Festival runs from 5 to 11 p.m. tomorrow, noon to 11 p.m. Saturday, and 1 to 7 p.m. Sunday in the Polish neighborhood near Lagrange Street and Central Avenue. •The African American Festival will be held from 1 to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on the University of Toledo's Scott Park Campus, Nebraska Avenue at Parkwood Blvd. It will feature gospel music, live entertainment, rides, and a city-wide praise and worship gospel celebration. A parade begins at 10 a.m. Saturday. •Grand Rapids Rally Days: Saturday and Sunday throughout the village. A chicken barbecue, sidewalk sales and a flea market, tractor/trolley rides, a children's play area, and activites for the entire family are scheduled. •River Raisin Festival: today-Sunday along the riverbanks in Blissfield. •Delta Chicken Festival: tomorrow-Sunday in Community Park and Delta High School. Parade: 2 p.m. Sunday. •St. Jerome Church Festival: 5 p.m. to midnight tomorrow and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at 300 Warner St., Walbridge. •Toledo Metroparks Mill Fest: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Isaac Ludwig Mill in Providence Metropark, 13827 US 24 West (at State Rt. 578), Grand Rapids. •Archbold Carp Festival and Art in the Park: tomorrow and Saturday in Ruihly Park, downtown Archbold. •Michigan Elvis Fest: 5 p.m. to midnight tomorrow and noon to midnight Saturday in Riverside Park, downtown Ypsilanti. •The Ann Arbor Art Fairs open Wednesday and continue through July 19 in the streets of Ann Arbor, turning the city into one massive outdoor art gallery featuring more than 1,200 artists. The event comprises four independently juried events: the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair (the original), the State Street Area Art Fair, the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair, and Ann Arbor's South University Art Fair. Hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through July 18 and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 19. Parking and shuttle-bus services are available at the Briarwood Mall and Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor. •Crawford County Fair: Saturday through July 19 at the fairground on Whetstone Street in Bucyrus, O. Entertainment includes Saving Jane at 9 p.m. Saturday and Kellie Pickler at 9 p.m. Monday. •Ottawa County Fair: Monday through July 20 at 7870 West State Rt. 163, three miles east of Oak Harbor. Pat Dailey will perform at 8 p.m. Wednesday. ART Toledo Museum of Art: 2445 Monroe St.; 255-8000; Canaday Gallery: Collecting at Winterthur: Henry Francis du Pont's American Vision: through Sept. 7. Works on Paper Galleries: Inner Space: glimpses of daily life from the 1600s to the present in photographs, prints, and books from Europe and Asia; through Oct. 10. Glass Pavilion: Arts of Fire: through Jan. 4. Hours: Tue.-Thu. and Sat., 10 a.m.-4; Fri., 10 a.m.-10; Sun., 11 a.m.-5. Adrian Public Library: 143 East Maumee St., Adrian; 517-265-2265; Carlos Tobar: Impression, Composition, and Improvisation; through Aug. 16. American Gallery: 6600 Sylvania Ave., Sylvania; 882-8949; On the Water: acrylics, oils, watercolors, ceramics with the theme of water; through Aug. 5. Hours: Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-6; Mon., Sat., 10 a.m.-5. Angelwood Gallery: 24195 Front St., Grand Rapids; 832-0625; 15 Years, a retrospective of Julie A. Beutler and Local Invited Artists: opens Sat. (artists reception: 6:30-8:30), through Aug. Art House Design Studio and Gallery: 124 W. Wayne St., Maumee; 794-4714; Visual artists from the region; on permanent view. Art on Central: 6540 W. Central Ave; Mary Lane and L.A. Robertson: glass blowers; through July. Hours: Mon.-Thu., 10 a.m.-7; Fri., Sat., 10 a.m.-6; Sun., 1-5. Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center: 1516 S. Cranbrook Rd., Birmingham, Mich.; 248-644-0866; View of Toledo: works by Leslie Adams, Jason Arbogast, Mike Arrigo, Jeff Bloomer, Holly Branstner, Susan Mitchell, Megan Merrell, J. Doug Patterson and Linda Ziemke; today, Fri. Hours: Mon.-Thu., 9 a.m.-7; Fri., Sat., 9 a.m.-5. Blair Museum of Lithophanes: 5403 Elmer Dr.; 245-1356; Sat., Sun., 1-4; through Sept. Blue Heron Gallery: Oliver House, 27 Broadway; 725-6417; Michael Walker: Black & White in the Blue; through July. Hours: Wed., 4-6; Thu., noon-2; Fri. 4-9. Reception, Fri., 7-9. Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History: 315 E. Warren Ave., Detroit; 313-494-5800; Multipurpose Room: Kinships and Connections: The Art of Asheber Macharaia: through July 27. AT&T Gallery: Textural Rhythms - Constructing the Jazz Tradition Contemporary African American Quilts: through Aug. Hours: Tue., 9:30 a.m.-8; Wed.-Sat., 9:30 a.m.-5; Sun., 1-5. Collingwood Arts Center: 2413 Collingwood Blvd., 244-2787; Lobby, B-wing and Gerber south galleries: Urban Disconnect: Artists Explore Privacy, Community, and Disconnection. Lobby Gallery: Catherine Kopiwoda: Subtle Authenticity: through Aug. 2. Hours: Mon., Wed., Fri., 10 a.m.-5; Tue., Thu., 10 a.m.-2. Copper Moon Studio: 7154 Front St., Holland; 867-0683; Erin Cromly, Julia Labay, Amy Lipinski, Cheri McNutt, Stacy Wetzel, Liz Zorn: fused and stained glass, jewelry, furniture, photography, and paintings; on permanent view. Hours: Tue.-Fri., 11 a.m.-6; Sat., noon-5. Detroit Institute of Arts: 5200 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-833-7900; Prints and Drawings Galleries: Give It a Rest: People at Play in American Prints and Drawings, 1895-1925: through Aug. 3. Kenro Izu: Sacred Places: photoraphs: through Oct. 12. Hours: Wed., Thu., 10 a.m.-5; Fri., 10 a.m.-10; Sat., Sun., 10 a.m.-6. Dorr Street Cafe: 5243 Dorr St.; 531-4446; local artists on display: exhibits change monthly. D'vine Design: 116 Louisiana Ave., Perrysburg; 874-2816; jewelry, paintings, sculpting, metal works, rug weaving, and poetry art; on permanent view. Hours: Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5; Sat., 10 a.m.-3. Downtown Latte: 44 S. St. Clair St.; 243-6032; Tammy Espinoza: painted glass: through July. Reception: Sat., noon-3. Hours: Mon.-Fri., 7 a.m.-5; Sat., 9 a.m.-3. Dziak Gallery: 810 W. Main St., Marblehead, O.; 798-1118; Rick Dziak: oil paintings; on permanent view. Hours: Wed.-Sat., 11 a.m.-5; Sun., 1-4. Ella Sharp Museum: 3225 4th St., Jackson, Mich.; 517-787-2320; Pyron Gallery: A Day in the Park: A History of the Ella W. Sharp Park: through Sept. 14. Emmet Gallery: Heisey Glass: through Sept. 28. Hurst Gallery: Michigan Handweavers: opens Sun., through Sept. 21. Hours: Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-4; Sat., 11 a.m.-4. Firenation Glass Studio: 7166 Front St., Holland; 866-6288; Matt Paskiet: art glass. Hours: Mon.-Fri., noon-6; Sat., 11 a.m.-5. Flatlanders Art Galleries: 11993 East U.S. 223, Blissfield; 517-486-4591; Seven for the Summer: Steven Athanas, Laura Gajewski, Ben Hartley, Jayson D. Lowery, Valerie Mann, Elijah Van Benschoten, Joseph Van Kerkhove: through Aug. 17. Hours: Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5; Sat., 10 a.m.-4; Sun., 1-4. Frame Shop Art Gallery: 7101 Orchard Centre Dr., Holland; Andrei Protsouk, Marcus Glenn, James Spearman, A. Chen, J.W. Scott: serigraphs; G. Smith: blown glass; R. Mazzei: fused glass; E.F. Ivory: Tagua nut carvings; on permanent view. Harris-Elmore Library: 326 Toledo St., Elmore; Justine Magsig: paintings; through Sat. Lighthouses by Murphy: 2017 W. Sylvania Ave. Hours: Mon.-Sat., 8 a.m.-5. Maumee Branch, Toledo-Lucas County Public Library: 501 River Rd., Maumee; PRIZM Creative Community: through Aug. 29. Hours: Mon.-Thu., 9 a.m.-9; Fri., Sat., 9 a.m.-5:30. MJ Erard Gallery: Oliver House, 27 Broadway; 3819-0385; Vivid Motion: paintings by Joachim McMillan and art glass by David Patterson: through Aug. 22. Reception, Fri., 7-9. MMK Gallery: 20 N. St. Clair; 344-2424; America at Play: paintings of American athletes and the places they play; through Aug. 18. Hours: Mon.-Wed., 11 a.m.-3; Thu., 11 a.m.-3 and 7-10. Mr. Atomic Gallery & Studio: Common Space, 1700 N. Reynolds Rd., room 204; pop art; on permanent view. Hours: Mon.-Sat., 1-10. Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit: 4454 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-832-6622; Considering DETROIT: through July 27. Hours: today-Sat., 11 a.m.-8; Wed., Sun., 11 a.m.-5. National Center for Nature Photography: Secor Metropark, 1001 W. Central Ave., Berkey; Touch the Sky: Prairie Photographs by Jim Brandenburg: through Sept. 1. Hours: Sat., Sun.; noon-5. Owens Community College: Center for Fine and Performing Arts, 30335 Oregon Rd., Perrysburg; 567-661-7000; Terhune Gallery: Area Sculpture: Inside Out: through July. Hours: Mon.-Wed., Fri, 10 a.m.-5; Thu., 10 a.m.-8; Sat., 10 a.m.-3. Owens Community College's Findlay-Area Campus: 3200 Bright Rd., Findlay; 567-429-3076; Library Gallery: Student CAD Art Exhibition: through July. Summer hours: Mon.-Thu., 8 a.m.-7. Parkwood Gallery: 1838 Parkwood Ave.; Audrey Gentieu: pastel portraits; Philip Hazard and Deborah Bewley: mixed media: through Aug. 1. Hours: Mon.-Fri., 8:30 a.m.-4:30. Reception: July 11, 6-8. Paula Brown Gallery: 912 Monroe St.; 241-2822; Gary Bukovnik: Flowers of Rome: through July. Richmond Gallery: 417 W. Main St., Marblehead; 798-5631; Ben Richmond: oils, watercolors, prints; on permanent view. Hours: daily, 10 a.m.-5. River Gallery: 120 S. Main St., Chelsea, Mich.; 734-433-0826; Felicia Macheske: pastels on paper and oil on canvas; through Sun. Hours: Tue.-Thu., 11 a.m.-5; Fri., Sat., 11 a.m.-8; Sun., noon-4. Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center: Spiegel Grove, Fremont; 332-2081; 30 quilts from the 1800s: through Jan. 4. Hours: Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m.-5; Sun., noon-5. 20 North Gallery: 18 N. St. Clair St.; 241-2400; ARToledo: Emerging Artists: through July 27. Hours: Tue.-Fri., noon-4; Sun., 1-5. Toledo Artists' Club: Toledo Botanical Garden, 5403 Elmer Dr.; America, America: through July. Hours: Tue.-Fri., 1-5; Sat., 1-4. Toledo Lucas County Public Library: 325 N. Michigan St.; 259.5207; Humanities Dept.: Joel Lipman: Mail and Correspondence Art: through July. Hours: Mon.-Thu., 9 a.m.-9; Fri., Sat., 9 a.m.-5:30; Sun., 1-5:30. University of Findlay: 1124 Gallery, 1124 N. Cory St., Findlay; 434-4504; Woodcuts by Kiyotada Torii: through Aug. 4. Hours: Mon.-Fri., 8:30 a.m.-4:30. University of Michigan: Ann Arbor; 734-763-8662; Off-Site Location: 1301 South University, Ann Arbor; Paul Outerbridge: Color Photographs from Mexico and California, the 1950s: through Sept. 7. Hours: Wed., Thu., 11 a.m.-9; Fri.-Sun. and Tue., 11 a.m.-6. Wesley Memorial Gallery: in the narthex of Wesley United Methodist Church, 1200 Van Buren St., Fostoria; 435-8551; Linda S. Milks: Animals of the Toledo Zoo; through Aug. 14. AT THE CLUBS Rock and Alternative Barnacle: 10530 Corduroy Rd.; 836-7501; the Rakeshakers: Fri. Blarney Irish Pub and Grill: 601 Monroe St.; 418-2339; Mojoe Boes and His Noble Jones: Fri.; Kentucky Chrome: Sat. Blue Devil: 928 W. Laskey Rd.; 720-4320; Bethany and the Bottom Line: Wed. Break Room Lounge: 720 Illinois Ave., Maumee; 893-5155; Slow Burn: Fri., Sat. Brewery Show Room: 441 Catawba Ave., Put-in-Bay; Ray Fogg: Sat. Bronze Boar: 20 S. Huron St.; 244-2627; the Rakeshakers: Sat. Casa Barron: 209 Louisiana Ave., Perrysburg; 874-5361; Hepcat Revival: Sat.; Fatmouth Charlie and the Bisquit Rollers: Mon. Centurions Motorcycle Club: 1501 Whitehouse-Spencer Rd., Monclova; 865-6066; Bobby May and Dry Bones Revival: Fri.; Chris Shutters Band: Sat. Clamdigger's Big Digger: 1540 E. Elm Ave., Monroe; 734-243-2628; Adubb: tonight, Fri.; Delicious: tonight; Blackberry Brandy: Sat.; Mike "Maddog" Adams: Sun. Club Bijou: 135 S. Byrne Rd.; 536-2582; I See Stars, Red I Flight, Oceana, Farewell to Freeway: Fri.; Local Anesthetic, Gabe Vitek and the Ivory, Ace on Detour, the Unknown: Sat. Club Soda: 3922 Secor Rd.; 473-0662; Venyx: Fri., Sat. Distillery: 4311 Heatherdowns Blvd.; the Bridges: tonight-Sat. Dog House: 4935 Lewis Ave.; 487-6101; Girth Band: Sat. Frankies Inner City: 308 Main St.; 693-5300; Kill Whitney Dead; Carnifex, Dance Club Massacre, Demonstration, With Faith or Flames: today; Hard Lessons, GoLab, the Sanderlings: Fri.; Unknown Hinson, Polka Floyd; Scotty Karate, Fisher and Copsey: Sat.; Git Some, Hawks and Doves, Dirty Numbers, Full Scale Panic: Mon.; The Infernal Names, Johnny Nobody, Territories, Trades, Marie Digby: Tue. Headliners: 4500 N. Detroit Ave.; 269-4500; Northern Lights Fall, Nothing Unexpected, Rotation, Sound of Glory, Mynd Crym, Outrun the Gun, the Gun Show: Fri. Magic Bag: 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, Mich.; 248-544-1991; Fifth Way: Fri.; the Beggars: Sat. Main Street Bar and Grill: 5758 Main St., Sylvania; 885-3351; 427: Sat. Michigan Tavern: 1680 Smith Rd., Temperance; 734-847-6105; Buster Strange: Fri., Sat.; Neal Chandler's Three Blind Mice: Wed. Mickey Finn's Pub: 602 Lagrange St.; 246-3466; Black List, Guerilla Army, CL1, Colossians: tonight; Anti-Villains, Drawers, Zoos of Berlin: Fri.; Joey and the Traitors, WEE, Love, Hot Love, Hat Company: Sat.; Hard Gospel with Child, Tusk Lord, Hunted Dreature, Chris Niels, Construction Telescope: Sun. Mulvaney's Bunker: 4945 Dorr St.; 534-9830; Empire Drift: Wed. Nick and Jimmy's: 4956 Monroe St.; 472-0756; 427: Fri.; Bernie and Friends: Wed. Ottawa River Yacht Club: 5844 Edgewater Dr., 729-9421; Bobby May and Dry Bones Revival; Sat. Rivalrys: 7403 Telegraph Rd., Temperance; 734-847-3134; Chris Shutters Band: Fri. Roadhouse: 11535 W. Central Ave., Berkey, O.; 829-2223; Eye on You Band: Sun. St. Hazards Resort, 1223 Fox Rd., Middle Bass Island: Ray Fogg: Fri., Sat. Six Pack on the River: 2605 Broadway; 381-1140; East River Dr.: tonight-Sat. shorty's bbq: 5111 Monroe St.; 841-9505; the Kirbys: tonight. Village Idiot: 309 Conant St., Maumee; 893-7281; Kentucky Chrome: Fri.; Hullabaloo: Sat.; Donner Party: Wed. Village Inn: 4984 Holland-Sylvania Rd., Sylvania; 882-0338; Bobby May and the Red Stripes and Friends Jam: Sun. Acoustic American Roadhouse: 27096 Oakmead Rd., Perrysburg; Dan and Don: Fri. Blarney Irish Pub and Grill: 601 Monroe St.; 418-2339; Jeff Stewart: tonight. Blue Devil: 938 W. Laskey Rd.; 720-4320; Scottie: Sun. Dirty Martini Lounge: at the Docks, 18 Main St.; 56Daze: Fri. Dorr Street Cafe: 5243 Dorr St.; 531-4446; Don and Rachel Coats: Sat., Wed. Firehouse 47: 6437 U.S. 223, Ottawa Lake, Mich.; Rachel and Don Coats: Tue. Jed's Perrysburg: State Rt. 25 and Lighthouse Way, Perrysburg; 874-8481; Frankie and Bobby: Tue. Navy Bistro: at the Docks, 30 Main St.; 697-6289; Joel Hazard and Chris Brown: Sat. Nick and Jimmy's: 4956 Monroe St.; 472-0756; Brown and Greenburg: Thu. Papa's Tavern: 1328 Liberty; 697-0644; Bobby, Frank and Friends: tonight. Pat and Dandy's Sports Pub: 3340 W. Laskey Rd.; 474-1189; Frankie and Bobby May, Mama Tried: Mon. River Cafe and Marina: 6401 Edgewater Dr., Erie; 734-723-7405; Dan and Don: Sun. Shawn's Irish Tavern: 4400 Heatherdowns Blvd.; 381-1281; Johnny Rodriguez: Fri., Wed. SouthBriar Restaurant: 5147 Main St., Sylvania; 885-3351; Acoustic Beatles Night with Elixer: Fri. Tres Amigos Cantina: 8504 Secor Rd., Lambertville; 734-854-8737; Rachel and Don Coats: Fri. Village Idiot: 309 Conant St., Maumee; 893-7281; Brittany Reilly with Almost Acoustic Band: Sun.; Bobby and Frankie May with guests: Mon.; Something Good: Tue.; My Dear Disco: Wed. Village Inn: 4984 Holland-Sylvania Rd., Sylvania; 882-0338; Paul Fritch: Sat. Webber's Waterfront Restaurant and Lounge: 6339 Edgewater Dr., Erie, Mich.; 734-723-7411; Johnny Rodriguez: Sun. Blues Casa Barron Restaurant: 209 Louisiana Ave., Perrysburg; 874-5361; Curtis Jr. and the Midnightrockers: tonight. Magic Bag: 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, Mich.; 248-544-1991; Chris Duarte: Sun. Rhythm and Blues Packo's at the Park: 7 S. Superior St.; 246-1111; the New Voodoo Libido with Ron "Crawdaddy" Crawford: Fri. Stella's Restaurant and Bar: 104 Louisiana Ave., Perrysburg; 873-8360; CJ and Company: tonight-Sat. Jazz and Big Band American Roadhouse: 27096 Oakmead Rd., Perrysburg; Ragtime Rick and the Chefs of Dixieland: tonight. Firefly Club: 637 S. Main St., Ann Arbor; 734-665-9090; Easy Street Jazz Band: Fri.; Measured Chaos: Sat.; Phil Ogilvie's Rhythm Kings, Elevation: Sun.; Paul Keller Orchestra: Mon; Cool Moose Orchestra: Tue.; Paul Keller Ensemble, Ben Jansson's Jazz Jam: Wed. Holiday Inn: State Rt. 20, Perrysburg; J. Patrick's Pub: Jackpot: today-Sat. Jackson Square Atrium: Gene Parker at Brunch: Sun. John's Korner Bar and Grille: 2202 Tedrow Rd.; 382-9010; Jeff McDonald's Original Big Band Sound: Tue. LaScola: 5375 Airport Hwy.; 381-2100; Rachel Richardson and Glenn Tucker: tonight. Legends Sports Grille: 2 S. St. Clair St.; 254-0963; Mike Whitty: Fri., Sat. Main Street Bar and Grill: 5758 Main St., Sylvania; 885-3351; Ragtime Rick and the Chefs of Dixieland: Wed. Mancy's Italian: 5453 Monroe St.; 882-9229; Keith Hoyt: Fri. Murphy's Place: 151 Water St.; 241-7732; open mic: tonight; Glenda McFarlin with the Murphys: Fri.; Larry Smith and Joan Crawford: Sat.; Clifford Murphy and Claude Black: Mon., Tue. SouthBriar Restaurant: 5147 Main St., Sylvania; 517-1111; Ray Heitger's N'Orleans Dixieland Jass: Wed. Celtic/Irish Mulvaney's Bunker: 4945 Dorr St.; 534-9830; Traveler's Dream: Fri. Salsa Firefly Club: 637 S. Main St., Ann Arbor; 734-665-9090; Los Gatos: tonight. Country/Country Rock Ladies Choice: 1637 Broadway; 241-6188; Flyte '66: Fri. Main Street Bar and Grill: 5758 Main St., Sylvania; 885-3351; Haywire: Fri. Whitehouse-Waterville Moose Lodge: 1900 Jeffers Rd., Grand Rapids; 832-9915; Haywire: Sat. Piano SouthBriar Restaurant: 5147 Main St., Sylvania; 517-1111; Jim Gottron: Sat. DANCE Singles Glass City Singles: Gladieux Meadows, 4480 Heatherdowns Blvd.; Sun., dance lesson: 4; dance, 5-8:30. Findlay All Singles Dance: Humane Society Hall, 4550 Fostoria Rd., State Rt. 12, Findlay; Sat., 8:30-midnight. Ballroom, Big Band, Polka, Country, Latin, and Salsa Dancing Under the Stars: Centennial Terrace: 5773 Centennial Rd., Sylvania; 882-1500; Fri.; group lesson, 7:30; dance, 8:30. Presented by the Dance Clinic. Alfredo's Studio of Dance: 5224 Renwyck Dr.; 419-536-3243; Fri.; group lesson: 8:30; dance: 9-11. Ballroom Company: 2319 S. Detroit, Maumee; 893-1850; Fri., beginner group class: 8; dance party: 9-11. Crimson Lights Open Dance: VFW Post 606, 3005 W. Laskey Rd.; Crimson Lights Band: Sun., 4-7:30. Urban Ballroom Lessons by Fancy Footwork: Common Space I, 1700 N. Reynolds Rd.; beginner-intermediate-advanced; Sat., 4-6. Mind, Body and Soul: YMCA: 306 Bush St.; ballroom dance lessons: Sun., 4. Seniors Bowman's Senior Dance: VFW Post 606, 3005 W. Laskey Rd.; music by Herm Loch; Wed., 1-3:30. Bedford Senior Center: 1653 Samaria Rd., Temperance; square-dancing, Tue., 1; line-dancing, Tue., 2:45. ETC. Events Toledo Comic Con: Holiday Inn Express, 10621 Fremont Pike, Perrysburg; Sun., 10 a.m.-4. Car Show: North Main St., Fostoria; Fri., 4:30-7:30. Classics on Main Car Show: downtown Bowling Green; Sat., noon-4. Amish Quilt Show and Sale: Fountain Inn, 236 Walnut, Lakeside, O.; opens Wed., 10 a.m.-7. Also July 17-19. Learning Discover Downtown Toledo Walking Tours: Fort Industry Square (meet at Jefferson and Summit); today, noon-1. Music Workshops: Collingwood Arts Center, 2413 Collingwood Blvd.; 244-2787; Sat.; mountain dulcimer: 9 a.m.-noon; harmonica: 12:30-2:30; ukelele: 3-5. Planetarium Programs Toledo Astronomical Association Public Viewing: Sylvan Prairie Park off Brint Road, Sylvania; Fri., 9-midnight. Brooks Observatory: Ritter Planetarium; 419-530-2650; Street-Smart Astronomy: Fri., 8:30. University of Michigan Exhibit Museum Planetarium: 1109 Geddes Ave., Ann Arbor; 734-764-0478. Origins of Life: Sat., Sun., 2:30. The Sky Tonight: Sat., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 and 3:30. Sun.-Fri., 1:30 and 3:30; through Aug. Dining Fish Fries: Conn-Weissenberger American Legion Post 587, 2020 West Alexis Rd., Fri., 5-7; Fraternal Order of Eagles 197, 5050 Jackman Rd., Fri., 5-8; Maumee Eagles, 827 Illinois, Maumee; Fri., 5-8; VFW Post 3013,1950 S. Eber Rd., Holland; Fri., 5-7. FUN PLACES Northwest Ohio It's Friday: Toledo Museum of Art, 2445 Monroe St.; 255-8000; Club Friday: Hep Cat Revival: 6:30-9:30. Toledo Zoo: 2700 Broadway; 385-4040. Hours: daily, 10 a.m.-5. Amazing Amphibians: through Sept. Butterflies!: through Sept. 28. Farmers' Market: Huron and Market streets; 255-6765. Hours: Sat., 9 a.m.-1. Poultry House: Tue.-Fri., 9 a.m. to 4; Sat., 6 a.m. to 4; Sun., 10 a.m.-2. Perrysburg Farmers Market: Louisiana Ave., downtown Perrysburg; today, 3-8. Farmers' Market: Woodland Mall parking lot, State Rt. 25, Bowling Green; Sat., 8 a.m.-1. Farmer's Satellite Market: Elder Beerman's parking lot at Westgate; Wed., 8 a.m.-2. Farmers Market: Augsburg Church parking lot, 1342 W. Sylvania Ave.; Tue., 3-7. Butterfly House: 11455 Obee Rd., Whitehouse; 877-2733; more than 100 butterfly species. Hours: Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-5; Sun., noon-5. Fort Meigs Museum and Visitor Center: 29100 W. River Rd., Perrysburg; 874-4121. Hours: Wed.-Sat., 9:30 a.m.-5; Sun., noon-5. East Toledo Historical Museum: 101 Main St.; 698-2310. Hours: Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-5; Sat., 8 a.m.-3. Milan Historical Museum: 10 Edison Dr., Milan, O.; 419-499-2968. Hours: Tue.-Sun., 1-5. Oregon-Jerusalem Historical Society's Brandville School: 1133 Grasser St., Oregon; 472-1331; museum and library open Thu., 2-5. S.S. Willis B. Boyer Museum Ship: International Park; 936-3070. Hours: Wed.-Sat., 10 a.m.-4; Sun., noon-4. Schedel Arboretum and Gardens: 19255 W. Portage S. River Rd., Elmore; 862-3182. Hours: Tue.-Sat., 10 a.m.-4; Sun., noon-4. Sylvania Heritage Museum: 5717 N. Main St., Sylvania. Hours: Sat., 1-5; Wed., 3-7. Toledo Botanical Garden: 5403 Elmer Dr.; 936-2986. Hours: daily, 8 a.m.-8. Toledo Firefighters Museum: 918 Sylvania Ave.; 478-3473. Hours: Sat., noon-4. Wolcott House Museum Complex: 1031 River Rd., Maumee; 893-9602; Remember the Ladies: dresses and memorabilia from the era of eight presidential first ladies from Ohio; through Nov. 2. Guided tours: Thu.-Sun., 12:30 and 2:30. African Safari Wildlife Park: 267 Lightner Rd., Port Clinton; 419-732-3606; 9 a.m.-7; last car enters at 6. Allen County Museum: 620 Market St., Lima; 419-222-9426. Hours: Tue.-Sun., 1-5. Fulton County Historical Museum: 229 Monroe St., Wauseon; 419-337-7922. Hours: Mon., Thu., Sat., 1-4; Tue., 1-7. Fossil Park: 5705 Centennial Rd., Sylvania. Hours: Sat., 10 a.m.-6; Sun., 11 a.m.-6; through Oct. 22. Glass Heritage Gallery: 109 N. Main St., Fostoria; 419-435-5077; Fostoria glass on permanent view. Hours: Tue.-Sat., 10 a.m.-4. Hancock Historical Museum: 422 W. Sandusky St., Findlay; 419-423-4433. Hours: Wed.-Fri., 12:30-4:30, Sun., 1-4. Henry County Historical Museum: located in an 1890s Methodist Episcopal Church, County Road M, west of County Road 7, Grelton, and Dr. John Bloomfield Home and Carriage house, circa 1879, West Clinton and Webster streets, Napoleon; open last Sunday of month, 1-4; through Sept. Historic Lyme Village: 5001 State Rt. 4, Bellevue, Ohio; 419-483-4949. Hours:Tue.-Sat., 11 a.m.-4; Sun., noon-4. Kingwood Center: 900 Park Ave. West, Mansfield; 419-522-0211; gardens open daily at 8 a.m. and close 30 minutes before sunset. Kingwood Hall: Tue.-Sat., 9 a.m.-5; Sun., 1-5. Marblehead Lighthouse Museum: 110 Lighthouse Dr., Marblehead; 419-734-4424; Hours: Mon.-Fri., 1-4:45, and on the second Saturday of the month through Oct. Maritime Museum of Sandusky: 125 Meigs St., Sandusky; 419-624-0274. Hours: Tue.-Sat., 10 a.m.-4; Sun., noon-4. Mazza Museum of International Art from Children's Picture Books: University of Findlay's Gardner Fine Arts Pavilion, Findlay; 419-434-4560; Wed.-Fri., noon-5 ; Sun., 1-4. Merry Go Round Museum: 301 Jackson St., Sandusky; 419-626-6111. Hours: Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-5; Sun., noon-5. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum: 751 Erieside Ave., Cleveland; 216-781-7625; Help! Behind the Scenes of the Beatles Movie: through Sept. 1. Break on Through: The Lasting Legacy of the Doors: through Sept. 1. Take Me Out: Baseball Rocks!: through Sept. 28. 2008 Inductee Exhibit: through Jan. 31. Hours: daily: 10 a.m.-5:30. Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center: Spiegel Grove, Fremont; 419-332-2081. Hours: Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m.-5; Sun., noon-5. Sauder Village: State Rt. 2, Archbold, 800-590-9755. Hours: Tue.-Sat., 10 a.m.-5; Sun., noon-4. Fiddle Contest and Summer on the Farm: Sat. Sylvania Historical Park: 5717 N. Main St., Sylvania. Hours: Wed., 3-7, Sat., Sun., 1-4. Tiffin Glass Museum: 25 S. Washington, Tiffin; 419-448-0200. Hours: Tue.-Sat., 1-5. Williams County Historical Society: 619 E. Main St., Montpelier; 419-485-8200. Hours: Sun.-Thu., 1-4. Wood County Historical Center & Museum: 13660 County Home Rd., Bowling Green; 419-352-0967; Exhibits (self-guided tours) include Dating through the Decades; Barbershops and Beauty; Spotlight on the Collection. Hours: Tue.-Fri., 9:30 a.m.-4:30; Sat., Sun., 1-4. Woodville Historical Museum: 107 Main St., Woodville; 419-849-2349; Wed., 2-4 and 6-8; Fri., 2-4; through Aug. Michigan Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum: 220 E. Ann St., Ann Arbor; 734-995-5439; Mon.-Sat, 10 a.m.-5; Sun., noon-5. Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History: 315 E. Warren Ave., Detroit; 313-494-5800; Tue., 9:30 a.m.-5; Sun., 1-5. Detroit Historical Museum: 5401 Woodward Ave. (at Kirby), Detroit; 313-833-1805; Tue.-Fri., 9:30 a.m.-5; Sat, Sun., 10 a.m.-5. Detroit Science Center and Dassault Systemes Planetarium: 5020 John R. St., Detroit; 313-577-8400; Tue.-Fri, 9 a.m.-3; Sat., 10:30 a.m.-6; Sun., noon-6. Dossin Great Lakes Museum: Strand Drive, Belle Isle, Detroit; 313-852-4051; Wed.-Sun., 10 a.m.-5. Exhibit Museum of Natural History: University of Michigan, 1109 Geddes Ave., Ann Arbor; 734-764-0478; Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m.-5; Sun., noon-5. Grosvenor House Museum: 211 Maumee St., Jonesville, Mich.; 517-849-9596. Hours: Sat., Sun., 2-5. The Henry Ford: 20900 Oakwood Blvd., Dearborn; 800-835-5237. Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village: daily, 9:30 a.m.-5. Chocolate: The Exhibition: through Sept. 7 in the museum. Hidden Lake Gardens: 6214 Monroe Rd. (M-50), Tipton, Mich.; 517-431-2060. Hours: 8 a.m.-dusk. Lenawee County Historical Museum: 110 E. Church St., Adrian; 517-265-6071; Tue.-Sat., 10 a.m.-2. Matthaei Botanical Gardens: 1800 N. Dixboro Road, Ann Arbor; 734-647-7600; gardens open daily: 8 a.m.-dusk. Conservatory: Tue. and Thu.-Sun., 10 a.m.-4:30; Wed., 10 a.m.-8. Motown Historical Museum: 2648 W. Grand Blvd., Detroit; 313-875-2264. Hours: Tue.-Sat., 10 a.m.-6. Old Mill Museum: 242 Toledo St., Dundee; 734-529-3430. Hours: Fri.-Mon., noon-4. Walter P. Chrysler Museum: Chrysler's Auburn Hills Campus, Featherstone and Squirrel Rds., Auburn Hills; 888-456-1924 or 248-944-0001. Hours: Tue.-Sat., 10 a.m.-6; Sun., noon-6. Train Rides Adrian and Blissfield Railroad Excursions: U.S. 223, Blissfield; 888-467-2451; Summer Wine Train: departure: Fri., 7:30; Murder Mystery Dinner Train: departure: Sat., 7. Flag City Train Show and Train Rides: Northwest Ohio Railroad Preservation, Inc., 11600 County Rd. 99, Findlay; 419-423-2995; Sun., 10 a.m.-4. Southern Michigan Railroad Holiday Train: 517-456-7677; tours between Clinton and Tecumseh, Mich. Clinton departures: Sat., Sun., 11 a.m. and 2. Michigan Star Clipper Dinner Train: 840 N. Pontiac Trail, Walled Lake, Mich.; 248-960-9440; departures: Fri, 7:30; Sat., 7; Sun., 1:30. Boat Rides Sandpiper: Promenade Park, Jefferson Street Dock; 537-1212; Picnic Lunch Cruise: today, noon-2; Friday Night Family Cruise: Fri., 6-8; Discover the River: Sat., 10 a.m.-noon; Sunset & City Lights Cruise: Sun., 8-10. Interactive Musical Mystery Cruise with Random Acts: Wed., 7-9. Web site: sandpiperboat.com. Volunteer Canal Boat: Isaac Ludwig Mill, Providence Metropark, U.S. 24 at State Rt. 578, Grand Rapids; 419-407-9741; leaves the dock every hour; Hours: Wed.-Fri., 11 a.m.-4; Sat., Sun., noon-4. Horseback Riding Bedford Woods Stables: 2755 W. Samaria Rd., Temperance; 734-854-6140; daily: 9 a.m.-5. Theme Parks Cedar Point: Sandusky, Ohio; 419-627-2350; Hours: Sun.-Fri., 10 a.m.-10; Sat., 10 a.m.-11. Kings Island: I-71, Kings Island, near Cincinnati: 800-288-0808; daily, 10 a.m.-10. Water Parks Cedar Point's Castaway Bay Water Park Resort: 2001 Cleveland Rd., Sandusky; 419-627-2106; daily, 9 a.m.-10; day passes are available. Cedar Point's Soak City: Hours: daily, 10 a.m.-9; through Aug. 10. Geauga Lake's Wildwater Kingdom: 1100 Squires Rd., Aurora, Ohio; 330-562-8303; daily, 11 a.m.-8; through Sept. 1. Great Wolf Lodge Water Park Resort: U.S. 250, Sandusky; 888-779-2327; registered guests only. Holiday Inn Splash Bay Water Park: 1705 Tollgate Dr., Maumee. 419-482-7777; for registered guests and the public. Kalahari Indoor Water Park Resort: U.S. 250, Sandusky; 877-525-2427; open daily at 10 a.m. for registered guests and the public. |
| Obama put politics ahead of principles on wiretapping bill IT'S Politics 101. The major party presidential candidates left standing after the primary musical chairs not only have to sooth sore feelings within party ranks but woo a much broader spectrum of voters than just diehard Democrats or Republicans. The goal is to hold the party base while building enough wider public support to win in November. So the messages candidates drive home in the general election are necessarily different than those emphasized in the primaries. Rhetoric is tweaked or changed altogether for a new audience. But the transition from candidate of the party to candidate of the people is a tricky one, and those too eager to expand their appeal (or pander shamelessly) with abruptly moderated or reversed policy positions can quickly lose the respect of loyalists and potential supporters alike. Voters, especially in this for-the-history-books election, are paying unusually close attention to everything the Democrat and Republican running for president do and say. And believe me, they see right through the political expediency of candidates whenever they noticeably recast old talking points. Both presidential nominees-in-waiting are guilty of listing subtly toward the center to broaden voter interest. Both have attempted to walk a precarious middle line between pro and con on particularly charged topics so as not to unduly offend anyone. The danger with that tack, of course, is offending everyone. If political considerations can nudge a candidate to capitulate on former positions, to notably refine policies, or even alter rhetoric just slightly to blur intentions, how strong can their word be on anything to anybody? Then the candidate becomes like every other political candidate, saying and doing whatever it takes to get elected. All that's needed to torpedo such a campaign is to be branded a "flip-flop" as John Kerry was four years ago, causing the advantage of the presidential contest to swing - to our everlasting regret - to the candidate contrasting himself as the more solid alternative. Sen. Barack Obama, who will soon accept the mantle of Democratic presidential nominee, is at risk of losing the image he has cultivated as a principled newcomer and replacing it with garden-variety politician over some of the changes he's embraced lately. Certainly the Illinois senator's Republican opponent has also hurt his cultivated image as a maverick with recent policy shifts - but more on Sen. John McCain's reversals of convictions next column. So far, the slippery Obama switches on the campaign trail are slight to significant but not half as serious as the fast one he pulled recently in the U.S. Senate. Hold that thought. Mr. Obama's passing comment to reporters about how an upcoming trip to Iraq might lead him to refine his campaign commitment to quickly remove U.S. troops from the war was unremarkable. It gained media traction only because it was made going into the long Fourth of July weekend. The fact that Mr. Obama became the first major party candidate to reject public financing for the general election, despite earlier promises to accept it, is significant, but not earthshaking, considering the man is rolling in campaign dough. Certainly, his potential to pander was exposed when he qualified his death-penalty opposition after the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed capital punishment for child rapists, or when he qualified his handgun-control advocacy after the high court overturned a gun ban in the District of Columbia, or when he qualified his pro-choice position with health exceptions for late-term abortions, after voting against a ban on partial birth abortions. The political slickness of Candidate Obama is disappointing but not as disturbing as Senator Obama's change from opponent to supporter of President Bush's warrantless wiretapping program and legal protections for the telecommunications firms that helped with the White House domestic spying operation. Apparently, lest he appear soft on national security, the senator backed a House update of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that gives government even more power to spy on our phone calls and e-mails and shields U.S. companies from prosecution for helping the Bush Administration carry out wiretaps without warrants. The Obama turnaround is a huge disappointment for many of the candidate's most ardent supporters. Mr. Obama has long opposed any revision in the surveillance law and strongly objected to granting any retroactive immunity to telecoms for their collaboration in the President's illegal domestic spying - until now. What changed? Not the fact that the government eavesdropped on American phone and computer lines for nearly six years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks without permission from the FISA court, the panel set up for that purpose under the original 1978 law. Not the fact that under existing law, telecoms that cooperate in good faith with government requests for information are already immunized, provided those requests meet clearly defined statutory requirements. Nevertheless, legislation vastly expanding the government's power to carry out warrantless wiretapping and electronic surveillance, while handing blanket retroactiv |