The COFFEY BLOGSUMMER ‘HAPPENINGS IN THE HILLS’ IS AVAILABLE NOW
The latest issue of “Happenings in the Hills” has been published and is full of information about things to see and do in our beautiful southern Ohio region. Check out the Magic Waters Theatre website to download a copy, or look for printed copies in area businesses. http://www.magicwaterstheatre.com/ CONGRATS TO TIMES-GAZETTE ON 200 YEARS OF PUBLISHING LOCAL NEWS The Times-Gazette did a bang-up job of celebrating the bicentennial of the paper and various successors that date back to 1818. A chance meeting with Publisher Gary Abernathy resulted in his inviting me to write about my years in the 1970s and early ‘80s with three weekly newspapers and the Greenfield Daily Times. I had fun writing it because it brought back some nice memories from those long-ago days with folks like C.C. Hartley, Jack Schluep, Chuck Mowrey, Jeff Pollard, Ron Bellar, Susan Winchell, Roger Ross and Cindi Pearce. In writing the piece, I could not help but reflect on how much the newspaper business has changed. Much of that is due to technology and changing reading habits. Still, we are fortunate to have some excellent newspapers in Highland County, reporting on and recording the ongoing history of our communities. Here’s a link to my little contribution: https://www.timesgazette.com/news/28363/newspaper-memories-ron-coffey-remembers-the-frenzy-and-fun-of-writing-editing-multiple-newspapers GREENFIELD OFFERS HELP WITH YARD WASTE The Village of Greenfield is sponsoring a Yard Waste Compost Site for citizens that want to take pride in their home and neighborhoods. The Yard Waste Compost Site location is at 187 Lost Bridge Road, just south of Thrifton turn right off of Rapid Forge Road toward the Greenfield Wastewater Treatment Plant facility. Bring compost items as listed above and employees will direct you to the area and help you to unload. If needed, employees will utilize the wood chipper to mulch down brush and tree trimmings in order to store the waste in a compost manner. The Village plans to open the Yard Waste Compost Site beginning Friday, June 29 from noon to 4 p.m. and Saturday, June 30 from 8 a.m. to noon, and thereafter the last Friday and Saturday of each month with the same hours. GREENE COUNTRIE TOWNE FESTIVAL INFO AVAILABLE Lots of information about the upcoming Greene Countrie Towne Festival (July 20-22) can be found at the festival website, including vendor information and forms, event entry forms, entertainment, rides, history, schedules, committees, sponsors, car show, etc. The website is: www.greenecountrietownefestival.org GREENFIELD CHANNEL 3 HAS A NEW HOME If you are one of the many folks who likes to listen to WVNU Lite 97.5 FM while watching local ads and announcements on local cable Channel 3, you may have wondered what happened to Channel 3. My mother mentioned it to me the other day that it was "gone" and replaced by something different, and a discussion subsequently ensued with some ladies of our church who are in the know on these matters. One offered the solution: Instead of going to Channel 3, use your digital tuner to go to Channel 1021. I was a bit skeptical, having grown up in an age when we basically had just three channels (4, 6 and 10), but we tried it at Mom’s house -- and it works! So if you want to watch the Greenfield Village Council meetings (7:30 p.m. on the first and third Tuesday of each month), the next McClain High School graduation or check up on community events and bargains, set your Spectrum cable dial to 1021! HELEN BLACKBURN HOOVER TABBED FOR COUNTY HALL OF FAME Helen Blackburn Hoover, a native of Greenfield, achieved some fame in the 1950s and ‘60s after she and her husband moved to Minnesota to get away from it all and she wrote books and magazine articles about their lives in the wilderness. She authored seven books about their experiences, with her husband creating graphic art for those books. In recognition of her achievements as a writer and one who inspired future generations to appreciate the natural beauty of our world, on May 27 Helen Blackburn Hoover and several other accomplished Highland Countians will be inducted into the Highland County Historical Society Hall of Fame. I have read several of Mrs. Hoover’s books, including “The Long-Shadowed Forest” and “The Gift of the Deer,” and I can remember discussing with then-Superintendent of Schools Ronald E. Vaughan the possibility that she might be invited to speak at a McClain High School commencement. However, Mrs. Hoover was not in good health at the time, and she passed away in 1984. The other inductees into the Hall of Fame on May 27 will include Judge Richard Davis, the late Edwin Billingham Ayres, Moses Carothers and Wesley T. Roush. If you are curious to learn more about this interesting lady, click on the links below: http://www.timesgazette.com/news/27404/mcclain-graduate-wrote-about-outdoor-experiences http://www.highlandcountypress.com/Content/Opinions/Steve-Roush/Article/Helen-Hoover-and-the-great-outdoors/4/400/44273 THESE ROBOTS WILL BLOW YOUR MIND Robots keep making the news, and have the potential to make our lives much easier -- or perhaps to take over the world… I have no idea what lies ahead on the subject, but I found a link showcasing robots that already exist, and it’s fascinating. Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZ_-yb-TN9M CHARLES MANSON SPENT TIME IN CHILLICOTHE PRISON
The infamous cult leader Charles Manson, who died Nov. 19 at the age of 83, was born in the Cincinnati/Greater Kentucky area and spent most of his life in prison. In 2012, I had the opportunity to take a tour of CCI in Chillicothe, including Death Row, which was quite interesting. During the visit, the staff mentioned that some of the more well-known inmates who had spent time at CCI included Charles Manson and Johnny Paycheck. Everyone from Greenfield knows about Paycheck’s brushes with the law, but I was unfamiliar with Manson’s connection to the area. He was born in Cincinnati in 1934 and given the name Charles Maddox, later taking the last name of his then-stepfather William Manson. The young Manson spent much of his early years in reform schools, jails and prison before bursting on the national scene in 1969 as the mastermind of the Tate/LaBianca murders in California. For more about Charles Manson, click on the link below: http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/20/us/charles-manson-dead/index.html EXPERIMENTAL THERAPY ALLOWS GENE EDITING Scientists in the United States have attempted to edit a person’s DNA inside his own body -- permanently altering his genetic code -- according to the Associated Press. Genetic edits have been done outside of the body, but this is a first and could lead to the development of gene therapies to treat or prevent diseases. More info: https://www.theverge.com/2017/11/15/16656140/gene-editing-therapy-hunter-syndrome-sangamo-clinical-trials-zinc-finger-nucleases SCI-FI FILMMAKER ONCE LIVED IN GREENFIELD A movie written and directed by a former Greenfield resident will premier Saturday, Oct. 21 at the Murphy Theatre in Wilmington. “From Gettysburg to Baghdad” was written by Artie Knapp, who was a young child when his father coached football and taught English at McClain High School for three years beginning in the fall of 1972. Knapp, a 1991 graduate of Wilmington High School currently living in Cincinnati, loves science fiction and his film is about how a time machine leads to the intersection of two soldiers from different periods of history. The film features a cameo appearance by former world heavyweight boxing champion Buster Douglas, best known for his stunning defeat of then-undefeated Mike Tyson on Feb. 11, 1990. Prior to the premiere of “From Gettysburg to Baghdad,” Douglas will hold a meet and greet session with fans from 1:30 to 2:45 p.m. when Knapp said Douglas will be signing autographs. Knapp will introduce the film at 3 p.m. and it will start at 3:15 p.m. More info: http://www.timesgazette.com/news/20470/author-of-science-fiction-film-lived-in-greenfield 'TALES FROM THE TOUR BUS' PREMIERES WITH LOOK AT PAYCHECK Episode 1 of Mike Judge’s “Tales from the Tour Bus” has aired on Cinemax and can be viewed at the link below. The subject of the first show in the animated series is none other than Greenfield’s Johnny Paycheck, with former band mates Don, Gary and Arnie Adams sharing their memories of some of Paycheck’s wilder moments. The show is animated in the style of “Beavis and Butt-head,” another Mike Judge production, and airs at 10 p.m. on Fridays on Cinemax. Here’s the link: https://www.cinemax.com/mike-judge-presents-tales-from-the-tour-bus RIP, WALTER BECKER One of the founders of Steely Dan has passed away at age 67. Steely Dan gave us amazing guitar playing, clever lyrics and a host of great songs. One of their early hits from my college days, “Reelin’ in the Years,” is still among my all-time favorites. More info from Rolling Stone: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/walter-becker-steely-dan-co-founder-dead-at-67-w500956 FORTY YEARS AGO, JOHNNY PAYCHECK RECORDED ‘SHOVE IT’ Greenfield native Johnny Paycheck hit paydirt, and connected with frustrated workers, with the 1978 hit “Take This Job and Shove It” -- recorded 40 years ago on August 24, 1977. The song, penned by David Allan Coe, touched something in the hearts of hard-working men and women and became a huge hit for Paycheck. Rolling Stone noted the anniversary of the recording in the story at the link below: http://www.rollingstone.com/country/news/johnny-paycheck-records-take-this-job-and-shove-it-w499402 GREENFIELD’S INDUSTRIAL PARK FEATURED ON APEG SITE Greenfield’s South Central Ohio Industrial Park is featured on a website about commercial sites for industrial parks that is maintained by the Appalachian Partnership for Economic Growth (APEG) and provides many details of interest to companies looking to expand or relocate. Our industrial park offers approximately 180 acres of land located near a four-lane highway and a railroad, and features high-speed fiber optics, electricity via Dayton Power & Light, natural gas from Vectren, plus excess water and sewer capacity thanks to the Village of Greenfield. A link to that website can be found at www.greenfieldohio.net on the “Industry” page. STORY OF SGT. PEPPER, SONG BY SONG
In 1967, the Beatles released what is considered by many to be their masterpiece, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” Thanks to 21st century technology, the album has been reissued with a new stereo mix and a selection of unreleased session recordings. I listened to it on Spotify recently and must say it’s holding up well! Maybe that explains why the box set of “Sgt. Pepper’s” is a top seller even at nearly $130! In commemoration of the golden anniversary, there are lots of articles about the making of “Sgt. Pepper’s” and how the songs came to be. One such link can be found below: http://ultimateclassicrock.com/tags/the-beatles/ HEAR BOB DYLAN’S NOBEL PRIZE LECTURE ABOUT LITERATURE As most of you know, Bob Dylan is the most recent Nobel Prize winner in literature, and though he did not attend the ceremony, he sent a speech that was read by the U.S. Ambassador to Sweden. However, in order to receive the $900,000 award, Dylan also had to deliver a lecture about literature to the Swedish Academy, and he did just that on a tour stop in Sweden. I listened to it the other evening and thought it was pretty interesting. Dylan weaves stories of Buddy Holly and Leadbelly into his talk and references three books he greatly admires: “Moby Dick,” “All Quiet on the Western Front” and Homer’s “The Odyssey.” If you would care to listen, check out the link below: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/hear-bob-dylan-recite-his-nobel-prize-in-literature-lecture-w485839 GREENFIELD’S PRESIDENTIAL DOG
From Larry Chapman’s website, an interesting tale about President Harry S. Truman’s dog, Feller, who through a chain of events, ended up living out his golden years just outside of Greenfield: http://www.lechap.com/2017/03/greenfields-presidential-dog/ HIGHEST POINT IN HIGHLAND COUNTY? During a recent car ride with friends, someone pointed out a hillside between Hillsboro and Greenfield and asked me if this was the highest point in Highland County. I had to confess I had no idea. I always kind of assumed that the highest point might be near the village of Highland, where I used to live (and where lightning once struck so close by that our electric furnace caught on fire!). That was in the days before the Internet, which research was much harder to do. Once in front of my computer, I typed in the query “highest point in Highland County” and several web links came up. According to a site called PeakBagger, the highest point in Highland County is known as Washburn Hill, and it’s the 19th highest spot in Ohio, apparently 1,343 feet above sea level. Washburn Hill is located in the southern part of Highland County, sort of on the way to Fort Hill. You can click on that listing, or 87 others indicating the highest points in every Ohio county, by visiting the link below: http://www.peakbagger.com/list.aspx?lid=13401 Some other high points of note include: No. 1, Campbell Hill (1,549 feet above sea level), Logan County. No. 17, Farrell Hill (1,358), Ross County. No. 54, Dumpling Hill (1,134), Fayette County. HEE HAW MEMORIES
Rory Ryan waxes poetic about that groundbreaking TV show “Hee Haw” in the Highland County Press and you can read it HERE. Or, watch and listen to Archie Campbell’s tongue-twisting story of Cinderella told backwards in “Rindercella” by clicking HERE. INVENTOR OF THE BIG MAC LIVED TO AGE 98 I saw on the news where the inventor of the Big Mac sandwich died in 2016 at the age of 98. Jim Delligatti came up with the idea in 1965 and produced the first Big Mac in 1967 at his McDonald’s franchise in Uniontown, PA at a price of 45 cents. The jazzed up double decker sandwich with sesame seeds and special sauce was a hit, and McDonald’s put the item on its national menu in 1968. For more on this historic milepost in the annals of hamburger making, check out the link below: http://www.wsj.com/articles/jim-delligatti-who-invented-the-big-mac-dies-at-age-98-1480522190 WILBUR WRIGHT AND THE HOCKEY STICK
Here’s a fascinating account of an incident that changed the life of aviation pioneer Wilbur Wright, and a look at the bully who wielded the hockey stick. Oliver Crook Haugh also became a well-known figure for a time — but for all the wrong reasons: http://www.highlandcountypress.com/Content/Opinions/Opinion/Article/Wilbur-Wright-and-the-hockey-stick/4/22/34122 ‘HOOSIERS,’ SHEB WOOLEY AND THE WILHELM SCREAM Recently my wife and I found ourselves with a rare free evening together and nothing to watch on TV. Our Netflix allocation for the month was used up, and I suggested we put in “Hoosiers,” one of my all-time favorite movies that I had not seen in quite a long time. Dianna found the DVD and we watched this great account of Indiana basketball that’s loosely based on a true story. Aside from the obvious enjoyment of watching a bunch of kids from a small town win the state title, I discovered some new things in watching the closing credits. I saw that Sheb Wooley played the part of the principal that brought the coach (played by Gene Hackman) to Hickory High School. I told Dianna that Sheb Wooley was a singer or songwriter, too. So I consulted Wikipedia and was rewarded with the information that Sheb Wooley had a big hit record in 1958 called “Purple People Eater,” a song I remember well from my youth. He also recorded some humorous songs under the name Ben Colder, and I was familiar with a few of them too. Then, Sheb’s bio got a little murky. It said that in addition to appearing in such classic films as “High Noon” and “The Outlaw Josey Wales,” the actor did some voice work, including what has become known the Wilhelm Scream in a 1951 “Florida Western” called "Distant Drums". Wooley's scream was used in a scene where a man is torn apart by an alligator. Sheb’s brief vocalization of the victim’s agony has become a stock sound effect used in some 225 films and TV episodes. Apparently the Wilhelm Scream (so named because one of the characters killed off in the 1953 film “The Charge at Feather River” was Private Wilhelm) has quite a following and has become kind of an in-joke among the sound effects/filmmaking community. It surely must have resonated with George Lucas — If you have seen the “Star Wars” or “Indiana Jones” series you have definitely heard the Wilhelm Scream! The scream is featured in lots of Disney cartoons and shows up on television shows and in video games. I found the history of the Wilhelm Scream somewhat fascinating, if difficult to describe. Fortunately there’s no need to describe it. You can watch a brief history of the scream (2:58) and after that should be able to recognize it next time it shows up on your big or small screen. A compilation showcasing the Wilhelm Scream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdbYsoEasio Sheb Wooley info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheb_Wooley
IF DONALD TRUMP GRACED EVERY NFL TEAM’S LOGO…
In an interesting exercise, some creative folks have incorporated Donald Trump’s likeness into all 32 NFL team logos. I had to check this out to see how he would look in Bengals’ stripes…(not too inspiring in my opinion). However, there are some pretty good ones, created in good fun: http://uproxx.com/sports/2015/12/donald-trump-nfl-logos/9/ SOME GREENFIELD HISTORY BY WAY OF VIRGINIA
I am always amazed at the reach of Greenfield and her people through the years. Products from our community turn up in a lot of places, and the latest evidence of this happened in September while we were in Harrisonburg, VA. There in the municipal building can be found the Harrisonburg Fire Department Museum, which features a rich display of historic firefighting apparatus, uniforms and memorabilia. As we explored the museum, my wife Dianna noticed one of the nets that people used to jump into as a group of firemen held the net in place. The net was in pristine condition, and Dianna noted that it might have been made in Greenfield. I dutifully got down on my hands and knees and looked up, finding the words that provided one of the highlights of our trip: Browder Life Saving Machine Mfd by Cory-Patterson Mfg. Co. Greenfield Ohio USA We were pumped up at this discovery, and as luck would have it soon ran into the Fire Chief, Larry Shifflett and told him about the connection between our towns. The chief, who looked to be roughly my age, said he had jumped from a third story window into that net as part of his training around the late 1970s, and indicated that it had come to Harrisonburg in 1954 with a new fire truck. He estimated that the net was manufactured in 1953, probably because that was the year the order was placed for the new fire truck. Chief Shifflett mentioned that his father had also been fire chief in Harrisonburg, and it was evident that he was pretty enthusiastic about firefighting and the museum. There were several large bells on display, and I did my best to look for a Bell’s Foundry inscription on them but to no avail. Nevertheless we enjoyed our journey through the history of firefighting, and Chief Shifflett explained a little about the workings of early fire extinguishers. Some of them were filled with carbon tetrachloride, which did a pretty good job of snuffing out flames but also gave off poisonous fumes. The substance was stored in glass balls which could be thrown at the fire by hurlers who made a hasty retreat when the glass broke. Other devices had heat-triggered devices that released the carbon tetrachloride. Later, soda-acid extinguishers replaced their older counterparts and were much safer to operate. So, if you’re ever in Harrisonburg, VA you may want to stop by the Public Safety Building at 101 North Main Street, 3rd Floor and check out the museum. Admission is free, and you might even get to meet Chief Shifflett. To see more photos from the museum, click the link below for a nice slideshow: http://www.harrisonburgva.gov/hfd-museum I saw Harold Schmidt, president of the Greenfield Historical Society, soon after returning to Greenfield and told him about our encounter with the Browder Life Saving Machine. Harold was glad to receive the news and said other communities sometimes contact the Greenfield Historical Society to learn more about the fire nets which were once so popular with fire departments. He mentioned several places GHS has heard from, including Maryland and California. The local Historical Society does have one of the Browder Life Saving Machines and it can be seen at events such as the History Day that just took place on Oct. 3. I’m glad to see how much effort GHS puts into preserving our rich and amazing history. More info about the Browder Life Saving Machine can be found at these links: Why they went away: http://my.firefighternation.com/forum/topics/fire-department-safety-nets-did-they-go-away-and-why?id=889755%3ATopic%3A5984841&page=3 Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_net This Facebook page includes a video of a demo from the 1960s: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?id=160648347314270&story_fbid=843373795708385 Memories from Larry Chapman: http://www.highland-ohio.com/browder%20life%20saving%20net.htm Patent info: https://www.google.com/patents/US952871 Listing from ebay (sorry, it’s been sold): http://www.ebay.com/itm/321044431463 And more… http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/browder-firemans-firefighter-life-430858076 LIVE FROM DARYL’S HOUSE!
John Adams told me about this interesting website featuring top entertainers in a relaxed setting, which happens to be Daryl Hall’s house. Daryl is the Hall of the singing duo Hall & Oates. Daryl Hall started Live From Daryl's House, the free monthly web show in late 2007, after having the idea of "playing with my friends and putting it up on the Internet," and the show has since garnered acclaim from Rolling Stone, SPIN, Daily Variety, CNN, BBC, Yahoo! Music and influential blogger Bob Lefsetz, who cited Live From Daryl's House as a perfect example of a veteran artist reinventing himself in the digital age by collaborating with both established colleagues and newer performers. Check it out here: http://www.livefromdarylshouse.com/ GREENFIELD SLIDE SHOW
I’ve been dabbling trying to create a slide show about the village of Greenfield that captures some of the history, character and enjoyable aspects of living here. It’s taken far too much time but I’ve had fun learning, and the latest draft can be found by clicking on the YouTube image above. |
CALENDARThursdays until fall: Greenfield Farmers Market, 4-7 p.m. at 1355 Jefferson St.
Nightly except Sundays through Sept. 1: "Tecumseh" outdoor drama near Chillicothe. MORE INFO July 20-22: Greene Countrie Towne Festival, sponsored by Greenfield Rotary Club. MORE INFO Saturday, Oct. 6: History Day, sponsored by Greenfield Historical Society. Oct. 19-20-21: Fall Festival of Leaves in Bainbridge. Saturday, Dec. 1: Greenfield Christmas Parade, 6 p.m., sponsored by Greenfield Eagles Aerie. Sunday, Dec. 2: Greenfield Historical Society Tour of Homes, 12:30-4:30 p.m. |
AMISH/MENNONITE TRAIL
Larry Chapman has been busy, as always. His latest project is a map of Amish and Mennonite business locations in greater Highland County. By visiting the Google map below and clicking on one of the business names, you will activate a pointer showing just where the business is located. Pretty cool! Good work Larry!
http://mapalist.com/Public/pm.aspx?mapid=378317
ABBEY ROAD: THE HISTORY OF AN ICONIC ALBUM COVER
Even if you are a not a Beatles fan, you are probably familiar with the iconic cover photo of their final studio album, “Abbey Road,” considered one of their best albums. The cover photo has sparked countless parodies, but considering all the rumors and buzz from back in the day about Paul McCartney being dead, probably the best is his use of the same background for his “live” album decades later. Here’s the link to an interesting article for trivia buffs, Beatles fans and curiosity seekers:
http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/stop-the-presses/abbey-road-cover-art-strolling-back-rock-most-190720943.html
WIT & WISDOM
To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible. - Thomas Aquinas
We hope that, when the insects take over the world, they will remember with gratitude how we took them along on all our picnics. - Bill Vaughan
An army of deer led by a lion is more feared than an army of lions led by a deer. - Philip of Macedonia
Larry Chapman has been busy, as always. His latest project is a map of Amish and Mennonite business locations in greater Highland County. By visiting the Google map below and clicking on one of the business names, you will activate a pointer showing just where the business is located. Pretty cool! Good work Larry!
http://mapalist.com/Public/pm.aspx?mapid=378317
ABBEY ROAD: THE HISTORY OF AN ICONIC ALBUM COVER
Even if you are a not a Beatles fan, you are probably familiar with the iconic cover photo of their final studio album, “Abbey Road,” considered one of their best albums. The cover photo has sparked countless parodies, but considering all the rumors and buzz from back in the day about Paul McCartney being dead, probably the best is his use of the same background for his “live” album decades later. Here’s the link to an interesting article for trivia buffs, Beatles fans and curiosity seekers:
http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/stop-the-presses/abbey-road-cover-art-strolling-back-rock-most-190720943.html
WIT & WISDOM
To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible. - Thomas Aquinas
We hope that, when the insects take over the world, they will remember with gratitude how we took them along on all our picnics. - Bill Vaughan
An army of deer led by a lion is more feared than an army of lions led by a deer. - Philip of Macedonia