In the back yard of the oldest brick building in downtown Cincinnati, inner-city children will get hands-on knowledge of the building trades industry from professionals.

Through a summer program known as "Bond at the Betts House," children age 10-18 will learn how to mix mortar, lay bricks, pound nails, measure, cut and nail wood and work with blacksmiths and stone carvers.

"They get a chance to experience these trades with a professional as well as build awareness of building trades and a respect for the built environment," said Duncan Muir, executive director of the Betts House Research Center, which sponsors the program. "We have already reached the children through the community centers in the inner city neighborhoods."

Muir said the sessions will run during the last three weeks in June, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

Participating children's groups include Boys and Girls Clubs, Impact Over-the-Rhine, Bond Hill, Bush, Corryville and Lincoln Recreation centers.

The training sessions also involve slices of Cincinnati history.

"Each trade is presented in its historic context and with a view to opportunities in the future for skilled craftsman," Muir said. "A free lunch is also included."

Children from Corryville will visit the Cincinnati Museum Center to examine the results of the archaeological dig in the back yard of the Betts House, last summer at 416 Clark St.

The Betts House was built in 1804 and is part of the Betts-Longworth Historic District. In 1955, the house became the Betts House Research Center.

"It is dedicated to the study of building materials through a permanent exhibit demonstrating the construction of the house and temporary exhibits, including bricks and ornamental ironwork," Muir said.

The center also offers lectures from preservation experts and conducts educational out-reach programs, he said.

Bond at the Betts House is funded by grants from the Spirit of Construction Foundation and Summertime Kids 2003.

Support organizations include Great Oaks Institute of Technology and the Tri-State Masonry Institute.

The articles last Sunday about three sons born to Todd and Lee Anne Zuiderhoek of Middletown on May 20, 1998, 2000 and 2003, generated e-mail about lots of odd births.

This from Bruce Bardes, born May 29, 1939; brother Dale, May 29, 1941, and brother, Todd, May 29, 1947, all delivered at the old Jewish Hospital in Avondale.

Bruce is teaching at the Technical University of Sofia in Bulgaria; Dale runs his own business in Rabbit Hash, Ky., and Todd is employed by the Royal Bank of Canada in Toronto.

Allen Howard's "Some Good News'' column runs Sunday-Friday. If you have suggestions about outstanding achievements, or people who are uplifting to the Tristate, let him know at 768-8362, at ahoward@enquirer.com or by fax at 768-8340.