Today is the 9th anniversary of the terrible attack on the United States of America. As with other major events in our Nations history, the citizens of the USA know where they where when the terrible tragedy occurred. This morning, Fairborn held a 9/11 ceremony. The ceremony was sponsored by the Fairborn Area Chamber of Commerce, the City of Fairborn, and American Legion Post 526. Many people were in attendance, including U.S. Congressman Steve Austria, Jarrod Martin, Chris Weidner, Base Commander Col. Amanda Gladney, and a representative from the Pentagon (whose name I did not get, sorry). City Council attended, actually all but one member was there ( I won't say who was missing). It was standing room only, I have attended most if not all of these events, and I think this was the best attended so far. It could be because it is Saturday.

The Fairborn Civic Band was on hand to do what they do best! Perform. Way to go Gary Johnson and your great band.

Col Gladney spoke about where she was when this horrible ordeal began. She spoke of a young pilot who lost his life on this day. The pilot was doing what he wanted to be doing. If you have not had the time to stop for a moment and reflect on what happened on this day 9 years ago, please do.

By the way, I hope you were able to attend the 4th of July parade here in Fairborn. If not, you missed a good one. It was a long parade, but it was a good one. Actually the pace was kept up and the parade went rather quickly.
The Fairborn Government Channel will be airing this parade soon, it will also be available for viewing on the city's website at http://www.ci.fairborn.oh.us/
I believe the Maple Avenue Church of God distributed around 2,000 , yep, I said 2,000 bottles of water to those viewing the parade.
This parade is just another example of our hometown, and how it makes people feel welcome.

New Band Director in town

As I have mentioned before, Ed Nagle, Fairborn Band Director has left our district to teach in Florida, though he will be missed, there will be some new blood in town. Well kind of new blood. John Goretta will be here as the new Band Director of Fairborn City Schools, many of you know his wife, Karen Goretta, who is the Choir Director in our schools. Karen told me this is not the first time they have worked together, and she is excited about working with him again. Well, kind of, while she is at the FHS in the morning, he is at Baker in the morning, and she is at Baker in the afternoon, and he is at FHS in the afternoon.
There will be a meet and greet for our new band director this Thursday at 7pm in the Band Room. Now, I am not sure if this is for Baker students also, the e-mail was not that specific. I wanted to make sure I mention this to you. You can also call FHS at 879-3611 for more information.
The new Assistant Band Director, James Sparling, will probably not be there, but he will be here closer to the beginning of school.
We need to make sure we give these two a great Fairborn welcome!!

Sad news

I am so sorry to mention that former Fairborn Police Captain, Mark Berry, has lost his battle with cancer. Mark worked for the Fairborn Police Department for many years and was well liked within our community. After retiring from Fairborn PD he went to Greene County to work with Gene Fischer in our Greene County Sheriff's Department. I understand his viewing is Wednesday from 5-8 and funeral is 10am on Thursday at Byron Cemetary. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.

Block Party and Parade

Don't forget. The Fairborn Block Party will be held on Saturday, July 3rd starting at 4pm. Bands will be performing on many stages. Main Street at Central will be blocked off. Parking is difficult so get there early. Vendors, churches, downtown businesses will all be there. Oh yea, I forgot the food! Lots of food. There will be a few rides for the kids, the Cub Scouts normally have a dunking booth, which is great during a hot evening. If you are new to Fairborn, this is a must attend. A great family event. I hope to see you there.

Sunday at 2pm the Annual July 4th parade will be held. There will be over 100 floats to see. This is one of the longest running parades in the area. Now, normally the parade is held at 10am. This year it is later in the afternoon due to people attending church. The Fairborn Government Channel always video tapes it and airs it many times during the summer, then again in the heart of the winter, for those who like to complain about the cold and snow! LOL!!

I have to say the best seats are across from the reviewing stand and in that general area. Foy's is open, or at least it has been in the past, during the parade and for a while after. Not sure what other businesses are open. A good time is always had by all. I hope to see you there.

Buckeye Boys State and Ohio State Patrol Jr. Cadet Week

Two new Seniors from Fairborn High School were selected to attend Buckeye Boys State that was held at Bowling Green University. I will be honest, Morgan Neuman was one who attended and I do not know the other student's name.

They arrived at BBS on Saturday June, 12th and worked hard that led to an ending ceremony on Sunday, June 20th (Father's Day). During that week they ran for an office, everything from City Council and Mayor to Governor. Each dorm was divided into a couple of counties, then cities. These boys decided on the type of community they were going to have. They learned a great deal about Leadership and Government. During parents day you could tell they all had a great time and learned a great deal. There was even a college fair held during the week.

To attend the Ohio State Patrol Jr. Cadet week, you had to attend Buckeye Boy's State or Buckeye Girls State, apply and be accepted, or be an incoming high school Senior who is the relative of an Ohio State Patrol Trooper. I understand there were no girls from BGS who attended. There were forty teens there who were there without (you are going to love this one) ANY electronics, no cell phones, not laptops, no mp3 players. The only time I received a call from Morgan was when he called on Wednesday to ask how many were coming to graduation. Morgan was the only one from Fairborn attending this academy that was held at the Ohio State Patrol Academy in Columbus. These kids learned a great deal about what the Troopers do. They did physical training (PT) every morning either at 6:30am or 9am, I do not remember.

During the graduation ceremony they all marched in, in sinc, and well tuned.

This was a great opportunity for all who attended. Not everyone is accepted to either of these events. All of the parents of these kids should be proud of their student, I know I am!!

First of all, I need to apologize

Okay, I need to apologize to you all. My original thought was to write this weekly if not more often. When Morgan went off to Boys State, then Jr. Cadet Week at the Ohio State Patrol Academy. I ran out of time to do anything. I guess I depend on him more than I thought. So, I will try to be better starting now. My next thought is to figure out how to add pictures to this.

Skyborn Drive-In Theatre

I have noticed the past few years many communities are losing their drive-in theatres. We, here in fairborn, are fortunte enough to still have ours. They are playing first run movies. Actually it is relatively inexpensive entertainment. $8 for "adults" that is ages 12 and over (if 12 is adult, please do not telll Spencer) and I believe, 6-11 is $1. Now don't hold me to that child price, you will have to call them to find out. They have a concession stand too, and it is open until midnight. By the way, if you are wondering what is playing, opening times and everything else, you can calll them at 878-5022.

Don't forget the Farmer's Market going on every Wednesday from 10 to 2 at 5/3rd commons down on Main Street. Available is locally grown vegetables and fruit. We have even purchased honey there. I saw flowers and plants there last week. There is also a trailer with food to eat at the time. One of Mark's childhood favorites, fried bologna, was there for purchase. While you are downtown for the farmer's market, please don't forget to visit some of our great local stores too. I need to visit the Yarnique store again, it has been a while.

Free on Friday concerts

Don't forget about Fairborn Parks and Recreations Free-on-Friday concerts. This Fridays will be The Ohio Valley British Brass Band. They will perform at 7:30pm at Community Park. If the weather is bad or really iffy, it will be held at Fairborn High School in the auditorium. They will post a sign at the park letting people know. If there is a band you would like to see perform next year, please let Pete Bales, Fairborn Parks Superintendent, know. If can get them, he will. You cna contact him at pete.bales@ci.fairborn.oh.us

Storms affect our pets

It might be a bit frustrating to have our pets wake us up in the middle of the night because the thunderstorms are going strong. We need to remember that our pets may be guard dogs, but they also can get scared of things they just don't understand, and thunderstorms fit in that category. Please, as painful as it may be, if your dog or cat or any pet wakes you up, a little frightened, just pet them, and give them the love they need. They are always there for you, so please be there for them.

Don't forget the weather is getting warmer which means some people are letting their dogs stay out longer. If you do decide to let your dogs stay out all day, please make sure they have shade and plenty of cool water. Dogs can dehydrate so quickly and many times it can be fatal. Please keep an eye out for your pet, or even your neighbors pet.

Oh yea, if you need to run to the store, don't take your dog unless it is PetSmart or someplace that allows your pet in the store. They don't need the ride, just to sit in the hot car, this can be fatal to dogs, even for a short amount of time. Also, if you leave your dog in the car and the police are called, you can and will be ticketed.

Quidditch ends for the season, but will return in the fall.

Great day yesterday. There was a Quidditch game at Maplewood Park. The last of the season. The participants are mostly 6-8th graders with a couple of others in there too. The other kids on the field trying to get the ball in the hoops. I know there are technical terms, but I cannnot remember them, so sorry. Any way it is fun watching the snitch run all over the park with two seekers running after. This game is all over the colleges and unversities, google it, you will see. They will be starting up again in September. If you want more information about this game here in Fairborn, just e-mail me and I will point you in the right direction.

MIsc

Did you hear that the Fairborn High School Seniors received approximately $3.6 million in scholarships this year. WOW!! Way to go. We have some awesome kids attending our schools. I know the class of 2011 will do just as well. How do I know that? My son, Morgan is a senior this year and he is awesome!!!

I am also saddened to hear that FHS Band Director, Ed Nagle will be leaving for Florida this summer. He has taken a job down there. I have a son, Spencer, who is in band at BMS and Spencer has said he will miss him.

Don't forget there are plenty of places to shop in downtown Fairborn. Foys is a fun place to eat a quick breakfast or lunch. My kids enjoy playing pool while waiting for our food.

Park Hills All Class Reunion

Don't forget there will be a Park Hills High School All Class Reunion on Saturday, July 17th from 7pm to midnight. This school extravaganza will be held at the Top of the Market Banquet Center located at 32 Webster Street in Dayton. I have attended a couple of events there and had a great time.

Anyone who attended Park Hills between the years of 1972 and 1982 can attend. This includes those who graduated in 83-84-85, you know the ones who were underclassmen when the schools merged.

Between now and June 15th the price is $32 a person and the price will be going up. Check out the website at http://www.parkhillsgrads.com to get more information or to register to attend.

Fairborn Heritage Day

Don't forget Fairborn Heritage day is coming up on June 19th. I understand this is dedicated to the "memory and vision of Dr. Michael Horton". This years event is a little different than before. Don't get me wrong the Mercer-Smith house is still a big part of it, but there are other things occuring. The Fairborn Civic Band will be performing, there will be an antique quilt show, and garden tours through the Osborn Historic District. I understand there will be an Old Fashioned Ice Cream Social at the Fairborn Senior Center too. Too many things for me to mention. You can always check out their website at http://www.fairbornheritagedays.com

As I was sitting at the Fairborn Library, I noticed they have a new adult reading program this year. This new program is called, "Water Your Mind" and it's kickoff and reception will be held on Monday, June 7. According to the information they have posted you will be meeting suprise visitors and enjoying refreshments and signing up for "great reads". The kick-off will be held from 6-7:30pm. It sounds like a great time. It is easier, I think, to get our children to read than it is for us to remember to take the time ourselves to read. Not only is it a great example for our children, but it is also great time for ourselves.

School's out for the Summer!!

Summer is here, well, maybe not officially, but if you are a student in Fairborn City Schools, it sure is. Students were thrilled when those bells rang 40 minutes early on Thursday. I spent my day, after my workout of course, at Baker. The 6th graders were given a cookout with some of their favorite teachers grilling along, in the shade of course. 7th graders were out on the field having a great time. Last time I saw any of the 8th graders they were playing volleyball with Ms. Ferguson.

As the final bell rang at BMS, I saw makeup running down the faces of many of the girls who were sad to say good-bye to their friends. Of course, I also saw many laughing at those who were crying too!! Two BMS teachers retired, Mrs. Kennedy who taught for 30 years, and Mrs. Rieder who taught 35 years.

Now, I don't mind my children having a break, but I would be thrilled if I could convince the schools to go to year round school. But until that happens, I just have to settle on waiting to see New England in the fall when they all have graduated from High School.

Memorial Day in Fairborn

11am was the time people showed up at Fairfield Cemetary to listen and honor those who have served in the armed services. Even though I was a bit disappointed that the regulars were not in attendance for this cermony. It was still worth attending. Fairborn High School's JROTC was not there this year, not sure why they were not invited. WSU ROTC Color Guard was not there either. Actually the WPAFB Color Guard was missing too.

I believe there were more people in attendance than in the years past which thrills me. I ran into Former Fairborn Mayor, Lynn Wolaver. Lynn just finished his award season. He received an EJNutter award and then off to Columbus the folowing week for induction into the State of Ohio's Senior Hall of Fame. Now I am not sure if that is the correct title, but it is really close. No one is more deserving than our own Lynn. I understand only 12 were inducted out of the 88 counties in Ohio. Way to go Lynn.

I also want to say thank you to the many who came out and showed their support to our fallen vets.