Monday, July 17, 2000
Secret places, slower paces
Tristaters write about where they go for great escapes
Looking for a great get-away to comfort that treasure-hunting urge we all get on the weekend? Grab your spy glass and head for the Miamitown Flea Market.
READERS RULE
Priscilla Gorman Hershberger finds a W.C. Fields ice dispenser at Miamitown Flea Market.
(Brandi Stafford photo)
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This week, readers take on the jobs of reporters in The Enquirer's Tempo section. Today's topic, the Tristate's best-kept secret places, brings to mind the notion that maybe we need to slow down. Slowing down allows us to see things, things that otherwise would be a blur in our breakneck, 24-7 lives.
• Today: Best-kept secrets
• Tuesday: Pet peeves
• Wednesday: My summer vacation
• Thursday: Technology woes
• Friday: Kid experts reveal secrets
• Saturday: Move over, Martha
• Sunday: Obsessive fans
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I discovered this market last year while I was on my way to Batesville, Ind. Right off I-74, Exit 7, Ohio 128, you can see a sign that says, “Miamitown Flea Market” and you can see the market itself. Parking and admission are free.
This is a good ol' boy, trade-and-deal kind of market. Lots of family folks, lots of local community dwellers and herds of private collectors looking for that “lost fortune.”
I teach Junk Art and Theatre Magic for the Super Saturday classes at the University of Cincinnati College of Applied Science, and I always have an abundance of stuff.
I find this a great place to sell buttons, fabric, knickknacks, books, playbills, dishes, linens and whatever. At this market, I constantly find new things to work with, and often I end up trading my merchandise for a better deal.
The merchandise is not always marked, which gives you an advantage on wheeling and dealing with a vendor. One regular seller hunts with a Geiger counter. He and his wife go into rivers, old houses, barns and have traveled just about everywhere throughout the United States.
I purchased an incredible turquoise stone, that is diamond cut with a gorgeous setting, for just $1 from this guy. I have used this stone on several costumes. Great find.
After you explore the market, go up the road a bit and visit Miamitown's antique shops that keep the little town busy. If you tire of shopping go back past the flea market on Ohio 128 and visit the Miami Whitewater driving range. Dine at the Beer House Restaurant before you head back to Cincinnati. This makes for an all day adventure.
— Priscilla Gorman Hershberger, 48, Clifton
Harrison farmhouse raided by Confederates.
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House inspires tale of Civil War
The mayor of Cincinnati stood on the steps of City Hall and looked over the crowd of more than a thousand men who anxiously looked forward to having the mayor lead them into battle.
The day before, Fredrick Rink had visited his store in Harrison and found that $1,500 in merchandise had been stolen. Later, at 3 o'clock in the morning, David Hulse peered out of his Glendale home and saw “thousands of gray ghosts riding by, some wearing ladies hats and veils.”
Science fiction? No, it really happened. About 137 years ago in July, Cincinnati was invaded by thousands of Confederate cavalry. Today, it's known as “Morgan's Raid.” These are but a few of the more than 1,000 stories I uncovered when I was doing research for my book, The Longest Raid of the Civil War, published last year.
And it all came about because I bought an old (1849) farmhouse that had been raided by Morgan. For the rest of the story visit www.LongestRaid.com.
- Lester Horwitz, 70, Symmes Township.
Bird blind opens onto piece of heaven
Lauren, my sixth house guest in June, wanted to go birding. I hadn't seen her since 1993 when we all lived in Denmark. I phoned the Cincinnati Nature Center and was given alternate directions because part of Round Bottom Road was closed.
A friendly woman greeted us at the gate and told me I could use our admission price of $3 each toward purchasing a membership. She gave us a trail map along with a membership application. In the Rowe Interpretive Building we paid $1 for a checklist of birds that frequent this area.
We sat on benches inside and out watching doves, chickadees, sparrows, robins and some rarer birds. We took a trail to the bird blind. (I'd never heard of a bird blind.) It's a three-sided structure with a peeking area about 18 inches wide across the back wall. Resting on a bench, we listened and observed birds, squirrels and chipmunks. I don't think they were aware that we were there.
We were the only people in the small building and found it to be a marvelous, peaceful way to quietly appreciate this wonderful spot in Greater Cincinnati without any distractions. Thanks to my house guest, I found a new “piece of heaven.”
— Carolyn Ludwig, 62, Indian Hill
Historic chapel charms visitors on Mt. Adams
A little known jewel of Cincinnati's spiritual and architectural history stands faithfully by a wooded hillside in Mount Adams. In the late 1800s, the Presbyterian Church, with help from the neighboring Catholic Church, built the Pilgrim Chapel to serve the small Mount Adams Protestant community. It was dedicated in 1886 and is now listed on the National Historic Register.
With support of the Mount Adams community, the small but spirited congregation recently bought the chapel from the Presbytery to secure its future for the spiritual and cultural service.
Finding the chapel is easy. Drive across the Ida Street viaduct going toward Eden park and it's right at the end of the bridge. On-street parking is not easy but is doable.
Tucked back alongside the chapel is the newly renovated parsonage and now church rental property. The adjoining small gardens have been cultivated and complement the chapel's historic charm. This picturesque setting has made the chapel a popular destination city-wide for small weddings. It's also a great find for anyone who enjoys exploring a new spiritual community in a historic setting.
— J. Lee Rasmussen, 61, Cold Spring
Garden oasis blossoms in Avondale
I know where you can find one of the Tristate's best-kept “secret” places. It is the Civic Garden Center, of Greater Cincinnati, located at 2715 Reading Road in Avondale.
The gardens that surround the Civic Garden Center are open all year from dawn to dusk. Visitors can explore the gardens, have a picnic lunch or dinner on the Civic Garden Center's patio and enjoy an oasis amid the bustle of urban life — and it's free.
Specialty gardens include those dedicated to herbs, hosta, hydrangea, butterflies and more. Inside the Civic Garden Center, visitors will find a horticulture library, a gardening hot line and staff and volunteers with a wide range of gardening expertise.
Unsure about how to care for a tree or identify an insect? The Civic Garden Center can provide the answer to all of your gardening questions-again, free of charge. For more information, call the center at 221-0981.
— Janet Neal, 44, Fort Thomas
Kitchen window offers world of wonder
For Henry David Thoreau, it was Walden Pond; for Willa Cather, the plains of Nebraska; for Mark Twain, the mystical Mississippi River. My secret place is my backyard garden just outside my kitchen window.
No, I have not resurrected a hut and lived independently in the midst of my perennials. However, I have relived moments of childlike wonder.
“Bethany . . . Christina, they're here! Come quietly,” I urgently whisper. “Look out the window . . . Do you see them? They're back.”
My two daughters, 8 and 5, scramble to the kitchen and quietly tiptoe around the table to look out the window.
Five American goldfinches sit on swaying, long-stemmed flowers. On top of the stems, several ruffled purple blossoms line up in vertical rows. My wide-eyed children barely breathe.
Wearing a jet black cap and tail, the black wings with white markings of a male goldfinch contrast with the bright yellow plumage of its small, delicate body.
“Oooooh,” Bethany sighs in appreciation.
“Where?” Christina whispers.
“There. Look at the purple flowers. He is pecking at the blossoms to find some seeds to eat,” I explain, pointing.
“I see it!” Christina excitedly breathes.
I revel in the quiet wonder of their discovery.
— Kathy Glunt, 32, Liberty Township.
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