The COFFEY BLOG
MHS STUDENTS HELP NEW DIRECTIONS
Mr. Chris Dodds and his homeroom class at McClain High School recently worked together as a group to raise some funds to support a local charity. Mr. Dodds' class chose to purchase a new ping-pong table for New Directions, Greenfield's community-wide youth program. The ping-pong table will be used by the many middle school and high school students who attend New Directions youth activities at the youth center located at 910 N. Fifth Street in Greenfield. The new ping-pong table and members of Mr. Dodds' homeroom class are seen in the accompanying pictures. It's great to learn that local students are interested in helping out the community in various ways. I've been in touch with school officials about some other projects that should help shine a nice light on Greenfield, and hope to see them bear fruit in the weeks and months ahead. SILENT AUCTION IS MARCH 7 New Directions is having its annual Silent Auction Pledge Dinner Saturday, March 7 at the Christian Union Campground Dining Hall (across the street from RR Donnelley). The event begins at 6:30 p.m. My family and I have enjoyed several of those events over the years, and there are always some nice items to bid on. One year we got a real deal on a timeshare week in Virginia and had a great time. (We invited my cousin and her husband along on the trip to Massanutten, and they ended up buying a timeshare there, but that’s another story.) Here’s what Becky Anderson had to say about the Silent Auction Pledge Dinner on Facebook: “This annual Silent Auction Pledge Dinner is always a great time for food and fun! With lots of items in our silent auction, there is guaranteed to be several things you will want to bid on. There will also be delicious dinner and dessert served. Make sure you bring your appetite! Several youth involved in New Directions will be sharing their talents that night also. This evening is sure to be a great opportunity to support New Directions and our youth in our community. All proceeds from this evening goes directly into the New Directions ministry. Come join us for a great evening!” Check New Directions Silent Auction Pledge Dinner on Facebook for the latest updates.  Paul Wisecup explained the Browder Life Saving Machine to the Second Graders during their visit last May.
GHS FINAL SUNDAY DINNER OF SEASON IS MARCH 1
Greenfield Historical Society will be holding their last Sunday Dinner of the year Sunday, March 1, 2015. The meal will be held at the Grain & Hay building and the menu will be smoked ham, cheesy potatoes, choice of vegetable, pineapple upside down cake, bread and drinks. Waiters and waitresses will be serving guests from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM on real plates, silverware and linen. All this for just $10.00, no tipping. Proceeds from the Sunday dinners go toward In addition to helping pay utility bills, maintenance of the society's buildings and various preservation activities of the society, proceeds also help fund education programs for Greenfield's school children. Every fall the society, with the help of the Buckskin and Rainsboro PTOs, provides a program on the Underground Railroad from the Ohio Historical Society to Greenfield's fifth graders. In the spring the fourth graders are given a program on the inventors and manufacturers of Greenfield, while the third graders attend a program about what schools were like many years ago. The fourth and third graders also visit the Konneker Education Museum. In May, 2014, a program for second graders was initiated. They learned about transportation in Greenfield over the years. This year a program on pioneer life for first graders is in the planning stages. Come on down after church and have a great meal, visit with friends and support the Greenfield Historical Society. BLUES, BREWS & STEWS Larry Chapman posted the info below on Facebook about BBS, which is a good way to stave off those winter blues. I think he’s got all the main details covered! It’s the deepest, darkest, days of winter and you’ve had all the snow, ice, and despair you can bear. What’s you gonna do about it? Well, get off that sofa, put your rags and mukluks on, and come party a bit with Greening Greater Greenfield (G3). We got a hot live blues band, adult beverages, and lots of warm comfy food to help make the gloom outdoors disappear. Details are: What: G3’s 4th Annual Winter Blues, Brews & Stews Festival Where: VFW Ranch, 12868 Watt Rd., Greenfield, OH When: Saturday, February 28, 2015 Time; 7:00 – 10:30 pm Costs: $10 a person (includes live blues music and sampling of some great soups, stews, and chilis). Public decides whose soup or chili is best. Band: Back Talk Blues Band from Dayton Knights of Columbus will be serving up some great beers and other adult malted beverages. Soft drinks will also be available. If you would like to enter your favorite chili or soup in the Cook Off follow this link for 2015 rules: http://www.lechap.com/g3/chili All proceeds to further the efforts of G3 to better the community that means so much to us all; Greenfield, Ohio. Children must be accompanied by an adult. PYTHIAN CASTLE PIX NEEDED Architect Doug Karnes is seeking photos of the Pythian Castle building in Greenfield. Below is a recent posting from his Facebook page, Designing Greenfield: Hello Greenfielders! I am trying to find any historic photos of the Pythian Castle building in Greenfield. The most passed around photo is a shot of Ashling's Hardware in black and white. I am trying to dig up any pictures of the building before the 2 rear additions were added, or any interior shots of the building on floor 1, 2 or 3. If there are any photos out there of an event on the third floor, please shoot them my way. Any pics before it was Castle Hallmark would be great too. Thanks everyone! Doug K. JERRY TARKANIAN Legendary and controversial basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian pushed the recruiting envelope while building powerful teams at UNLV and winning a national championship in 1990. He nervously sucked on a while towel at courtside, told tall tales and offered up quotable quotes that sports reporters loved, and was color blind in his recruiting and treatment of players, who loved him for it. Like Dean Smith, who also passed away recently, “Tark the Shark” was a great coach too, and very much one of a kind. I never knew too much about Tarkanian except that his teams were winners and that he always seemed to be under some kind of NCAA investigation. Cheating was rampant in those days, and Tark criticized the NCAA for punishing the smaller schools while overlooking the sins of the big money schools. The link below leads to a story that explains much about who Tark was and why he was so unpopular with the Powers That Be. The three Tarkanian quotes below offer some insight into his feelings about the NCAA. "I always like to get transfers, especially from the Pac-10. They already have their cars paid for." “Nine out of 10 schools are cheating. The other one is in last place.” "The NCAA is so mad at Kentucky it's going to give Cleveland State two more years probation.” http://sports.yahoo.com/news/jerry-tarkanian--a-true-rebel-if-there-ever-was-one-172417307.html Tark’s towels: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaab-the-dagger/why-superstitious-jerry-tarkanian-was-always-chewing-on-a-towel-004042485.html DEAN SMITH Iconic North Carolina Tar Heels coach Dean Smith helped make Michael Jordan a star and was probably more the guy you would want coaching your son than Jerry Tarkanian was. Though Smith’s style was much more vanilla than Tarkanian’s, he too was color blind and was a winner in life as well as in coaching. Here’s a look at Smith’s remarkable legacy: http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/12296176/dean-smith-former-north-carolina-tar-heels-coach-dies-age-83 GRAMMY NIGHT BELONGS TO SAM SMITH, BECK Another year of Grammy awards is in the books, with newcomer Sam Smith and Beck being declared the big winners. It was good to see the late blues icon Johnny Winter win a posthumous Grammy for Best Blues Album. While I don’t even know who half the artists are anymore, it’s always nice to see musicians who have been at the Festival of the Bells winning accolades. For example, The Band Perry has come a long way since their visit to Hillsboro some years ago, but that's not uncommon with the Festival of the Bells talent. Here's a link to their Grammy-winning cover of Glen Campbell's classic, "Gentle On My Mind": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuVJEn9wk9Y Speaking of Glen Campbell, though afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease, the country music legend won a Grammy for Best Country Song. Here’s a touching video of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8TsAh-zYFI Grammy coverage: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/sam-smith-beck-dominate-grammy-awards-2015-20150209 Grammy rundown of all the winners: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/grammy-awards-2015-the-complete-winners-list-20150208 SANDHILL CRANES IN HIGHLAND COUNTY Greg Roberts, author of the popular “I Was Just Thinking” column that appears occasionally on this website, was in the news Feb. 5 for another reason. It seems a number of sandhill cranes are visiting Greg and Diane’s residence along Mad River Road. These birds are listed on the endangered species list for Ohio, although they may just be passing through on the way to warmer climes. (If I were a sandhill crane, I would keep flying south until I got out of these very low temps!) You can read the article by Times-Gazette writer Jeff Gilliland at the link below: http://www.timesgazette.com/news/home_top-news/151681560/Cranes-visit-Highland-Co. HOW LONG TO CHARGE THAT SMARTPHONE? Is an overnight charge too much? Tips from the experts: http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/expert-advice-on-how-to-avoid-destroying-your-phones-battery/ RATING THOSE SUPER BOWL ADS Just as the Super Bowl had winners and losers on the field, those TV commercials won fans or were rated as clunkers by the viewing public. As might be expected, the Budweiser ad featuring the puppy was hard to beat. Personally I enjoyed the ad for Skittles and the ones featuring Liam Neeson and Pierce Brosnan… Click below to find commentary on the ads, featuring links where you can watch ‘em all: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/super-bowl-ads-2015--grading-the-best-and-worst-of-the-big-game-225323838.html LOOKING FOR AIRLINE TICKETS? Recently I saw a report on TV about some new websites that are helpful in finding the best prices for airline tickets. I have used similar sites in the past and had good luck, but I had not heard of any of these. I checked them out briefly but haven’t ordered any tickets myself. Just in case you are in the market, here are some links to peruse: Hipmunk: https://www.hipmunk.com/flights Skyscanner: http://www.skyscanner.com/ Google Flights: https://www.google.com/flights/ OUR GREATEST LIVING ACTOR: GENE HACKMAN Gene Hackman has been retired for more than a decade but is getting some love as an actor. I first became aware of him when he played Popeye Doyle in “The French Connection” and my favorite Hackman film would have to be “Hoosiers”. Here’s a look at the life and career of the actor and author: http://grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/the-greatest-living-american-actor-at-85-gene-hackman-is-gone-but-still-in-charge/ GHS PLANS SUNDAY DINNER FEB. 1 AT GRAIN & HAY Greenfield Historical Society will host its second Sunday Dinner of the year on Feb. 1, 2015. The meal will be held at the Grain & Hay building and the menu will be barbecued chicken breast, broccoli slaw, roasted potatoes, choice of vegetable, flat apple pie, bread and drinks. Waiters and waitresses will be serving guests from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on real plates, silverware and linen. All this for just $10 — and no tipping! This is the second of three Sunday Dinners the society is holding this winter. The last one will be smoked ham on March 1. Proceeds from the Sunday dinners go towards various programs, utility bills and maintenance of the buildings owned by the society. GHS invites everyone to come on down after church and have a great meal, visit with friends and support the Greenfield Historical Society. GREENFIELD TIMES PICNIC 1975! June 1, 1975 was the date of the Greenfield Times company picnic at Jack and Mary Schluep’s place in Hilliard. Tom Schluep found several candid shots from that day nearly 40 years ago and dropped them off at my office recently, and I was amazed to see how my friends and I looked all those years ago. Check out the photos below and see if you can spot C.C. Hartley, Jeff Pollard, Linda Hall, Jeannie Hazlett, Susan Winchell, JoAnn Myers, Chuck and Carlene Mowrey or me. Rick Schluep, then a high school freshman, may be in there somewhere as well. Good times… Thanks Tom! NEW DIRECTIONS TELETHON
The New Directions telethon Jan. 22 was very successful, bringing in pledges of nearly $16,000! Mike Anderson and the volunteers who have made this nondenominational youth ministry a success for more than 25 years are very grateful. If you missed the telethon but would still like to make a tax-deductible contribution, checks can be sent to New Directions, PO Box 26, Greenfield, OH 45123. https://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Directions/248627928500554 OHIO MEANS JOBS Area job listings can be found on the Facebook page of Ohio Means Jobs Highland County. This is the group working with Shopko employees who were informed that the store will close in mid-April. Tara Campbell heads up this office, which is part of Highland County Community Action, headed by Julia Wise. Both of these ladies have strong ties to Greenfield, and the job listings are worth checking out if you are looking for work. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ohio-Means-Jobs-Highland-County/739873092793979 SPARK! STAYS BUSY Those artistic folks at SPARK! Creative Artspace are really hitting their stride with some interesting and enjoyable events. Among the upcoming activities will be a Souper Bowl Sunday Warmup on Jan. 25 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. featuring soups, cornbread, crackers and beverages for $15 per person — which includes a handmade unique soup bowl to take home! The folks at SPARK just completed a very successful Cookies and Canvas event for kids on Jan. 18, and are also offering piano and yoga lessons, “Second Sunday” jam sessions for people of all abilities, are planning another adult canvas event and a roots music event in the near future. SPARK! is located at 251 Jefferson St. in Greenfield. Learn more at the website: http://sparkcreativeartspace.org/ AN ODE TO THE CLARINET It’s not often that my mother has asked me to put something on my blog — in fact I think this is a first — but it happened Jan. 6. She recently received a note from Karen Hyer Birt of Springfield, who is a relative of the DePoy family that once lived next door to us when I was a boy. It’s about 125 years of clarinet playing by Karen’s family members! As a onetime clarinet player myself — but alas, no Pete Fountain or Benny Goodman by a long shot — I enjoyed reading the article. Karen sent along a nice note that sets the stage, so I’ll include it here: “Thelma, I am sending you a newspaper article of our family. My grandfather, Frank DePoy, my Uncle Stewart, my Mom, me, my daughters Debbie and Bonita, and Bonita’s daughter, Cheyenne — all five generations — have played the clarinet. That’s 125 years of clarinet in the marching bands. Hope you can share this with people in Greenfield who remember Frank, Stewart, my Mom or Marsha and I. - Love, Karen” The envelope contained a newspaper article from the Springfield News-Sun, which can be found by clicking the link below. I read it and enjoyed the article, which among other things mentions Price’s Premier Band, Wil-Knit Hosiery, and even J. Harold Lyle, the former McClain band director who also taught me some of the mysteries of the clarinet. So if you enjoy a John Phillip Sousa march or the “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies,” read on. Thanks Karen — and you too, Mom! http://m.springfieldnewssun.com/news/news/local/the-voice-of-the-clarinet-has-been-stifled/njQhN/#__federated=1 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. McCLAIN 100 & G3 WEBSITES
Larry Chapman has created a couple of new websites that should be of interest to those who visit my website. One is for the centennial of the McClain High School, which will take place in 2014. It’s logically called mcclain100 and can be viewed at the link below: http://www.mcclain100.org/ The second site is about the activities of Greening Greater Greenfield, also known as G3, detailing activities of a community group that that has done a lot for our community in recent years. Here’s the link: http://www.g3greenfield.org/ Might be a good idea to book mark them both! I have also posted links on my LINKS page. 
EDWARD LEE McCLAIN OBITUARY
The obit of local industrialist Edward Lee McClain is one of several interesting features found on the Atco, Georgia Facebook page. The obituary was published May 1, 1934 in the Newark Advocate. McClain founded Atco as a “company town” in order to provide textile products for his business empire. While Atco the town exists exists primarily in memory since the demolition of the mill that was the centerpiece of the community, it is alive and well in the minds of the “Atco kids” who grew up there and created the Facebook page. I’ve posted the obituary here for convenience. If you are a Facebook regular, you should be able to access the following link from the Atco page offering more information about Mr. McClain and life in Atco: http://www.atcogeorgia.com/search/label/E.L.%20McClain |
CALENDAR
Saturday, Feb. 28: Blues, Brews & Stews at VFW Ranch, 7-10:30 p.m. Sponsored by Greening Greater Greenfield.
Sunday, March 1: GHS Sunday Dinner, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Grain & Hay building. Saturday, March 7: New Directions Silent Auction Pledge Dinner, 6:30 p.m. at Christian Union Campgrounds Dining Hall. |
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
