By Sue Kiesewetter
Enquirer contributor

Jay Bauer (top) yells as he rides down the hill Thursday at Harbin Park in Fairfield. Also on the tube are Kaitlin McCune, Kacie Swaim, Kelcey Bauer and Hillary Stigall. (Michael Snyder photo) | ZOOM |

FAIRFIELD - Amy Robbe had planned to spend most of Thursday writing a term paper and studying for next week's final exams.

But the lure of playing in the winter's first substantial snow changed those intentions.

The University of Cincinnati freshman, her sister Cassy and friend Tony Parker grabbed an inner tube and headed to the sledding hill at Fairfield's Harbin Park, joining hundreds of schoolchildren enjoying an unexpected day of freedom.

"Inner tubes are the best. You can fit a lot of people on them,'' said Amy, 19.

SNOW PRINTS

Snow that closed schools Thursday and snarled traffic benefited Cincinnati in at least one way - footprints in Northside helped lead police to a robbery suspect. District 5 officers responded to Hamilton Avenue about 8 a.m. after a caller dialed 911 to say he'd been approached by a man who demanded cigarettes, then money, and then said he had a gun. The victim, being chased by the suspect, ran five blocks to a fire station where he called for help. Detective Julian Steele quickly spotted a man who matched the description. He and others caught up to Jonathan Stanley, 18, of Avondale, and arrested him. Then came the evidence in the shoes and the snow. Officers took shoes, both from the victim and Mr. Stanley, back to the location on Hamilton Avenue. They matched both to footprints there, said Detective Paul Meyer with the Robbery Task Force. "Everyone's shoes are distinctive," he said. "So either two people in this world had the same pairs of shoes on, or we found the people and the exact spot where it happened." Mr. Stanley was charged with aggravated robbery. Jane Prendergast

At more than 1,000 feet elevation, Harbin Park is the second-highest spot in Butler County, said Jim Bell, Fairfield parks and recreation director. Hundreds of people flocked to the hill, some arriving before the gates opened at 8 a.m., said park ranger Tom Vonahlefeld.

"It was really fast. Snow was flying everywhere," said Jessy York, 16, while she warmed up by the park's stone fireplace near the top of the 300-foot-long sledding hill.

But it wasn't just kids who took advantage.

Gabe Mills, Andrew Creech, Bob Masters and Dan Davidson took a vacation from their Trenton construction firm to go down the hill on a large inner tube.

"We're the kids," Mr. Davidson said. "We come here when we can."

Mike Withers brought his dog Baby to the top of the hill.

"I like to watch the people," said Mr. Withers.

The sledding wasn't without some problems, though. In Lebanon, a 10-year-old South Lebanon girl was airlifted to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Thursday afternoon after she crashed while sledding off of Shawhan Road. She was in good condition late Thursday.

Children's received three other patients from sledding accidents by late Thursday, a hospital spokeswoman said.

In between sled rides, Mike and Allison Corner started a snowball fight with Allison's 10-year-old son, Montres Ogle. "When I was a kid I could go up and down this hill 100 times," Mr. Corner said.

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