June 2009 Happenings at the Middletown Arts Center

The Middletown Arts Center is starting the summer off with a full schedule of activities and events. Currently - until June 15 - artist Kevin Macpherson's "Reflections on a Pond" exhibit is on display at the Center. June 26-July 25, the Arts Center will hold its 52nd Annual Student Show.

If you would like to have your own artwork critiqued by a professional, bring one or two pieces in on Friday, June 5 from 6:30 - 8:30 PM. Todd Butts will be on hand to offer his professional critique and light refreshments will be served.

Rain or Shine, this year's annual Garden Tour will take place on June 27 and 28. Visit five beautiful neighborhood gardens and the Arts Center Courtyard. Tickets are $7.00 each and can be purchased at a variety of locations including the Arts Center, Kathryn's Home Accents, Flowers by Roger, and Bern's Landscaping. Tickets can also be purchase at the garden sites on the days of the tour.

During the weekend of the Garden Tour, the Arts Center will also hold a number of workshops. Workshops are $30-50 and you may call the Arts Center at 513-424-2417 to register. They will include:

Pottery Garden Stakes with Jean Ann Bollinger - Glaze pottery garden stakes for your own garden in the colors of your choice! Each attendee will get the opportunity to decorate five garden stakes and the stakes will be fired and picked up at a later date.

Oriental Brush Painting with Jean Vance - Experience the ancient art form of "Sumi-e" and use inks and tools that were used centuries ago. You will be able to complete your own piece to take home for framing!

Flower Arranging with Mary Jo Burns - Learn the art of making gorgeous flower arrangements and create your own arrangement to take home!

Basket-Making with Katherine Lawson - A unique approach to basket-making, this class will allow you to use natural objects such as roots, sticks, seed pods, and more. Weave the baskets using soft sea grass and take home your finished piece!

Other events coming up at the Arts Center include a Watercolor Workshop with Judy Carducci on June 29, 30, and July 1st. "Young Artists" Workshops will be held, starting June 22nd and youth classes will start the week of July 13th. There is something for everyone at the Middletown Arts Center!

History of Memorial Day

Memorial Day is many things to many people: an extra day off from work or school, the perfect opportunity for a three-day weekend, a chance to bring out the old grill, or the unofficial beginning of summer. But few realize it is all of that and so much more, nor do they realize the history behind it.

Originally called "Decoration Day," Memorial Day was created to remember and honor the men and women who died during the Civil War. The first "official" Memorial Day was observed on May 30, 1868, after being proclaimed by General General John Logan, the national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic. On this day, flowers were placed on the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. Five years later, in 1873, New York would become the first state to recognize the day as a holiday and by 1890, all of the Northern states did the same. The Southern states were not as quick to catch on and honored their fallen soldiers on various other days throughout the year. It wasn't until after World War I that Memorial Day became a day to honor all fallen servicemen, not just those who died in the Civil War. The South would soon acknowledge the date and today, all 50 states observe the holiday.

No one knows exactly where the idea of Memorial Day originated but dozens of towns and cities take credit for its creation. While much evidence ironically points to women's groups in the South, President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, New York the official birthplace of the day in 1966. More than likely, after a hard-fought battle, many Americans had the desire to honor the dead after the Civil War and no one town is single-handedly responsible.

Today, Memorial Day has lost much of its meaning. Towns no longer hold parades, the day's unique flag etiquette goes unnoticed, and the graves of those who died serving our country go unvisited. Of course, that is not the case for all American citizens. Every year, 1,200 soldiers from the 3d U.S. Infantry place small flags at each of the 260,000 gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery and patrol the cemetery to make sure the flags remain standing. Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts all over the country place flags and candles at the graves of fallen soldiers in their local cemeteries. In 2004, Washington D.C. held the first Memorial Day parade in over 60 years. In December 2000, a resolution was passed that asked all Americans to stop at 3:00 PM on the day and observe a moment of silence.

Members of Congress have made many attempts, in recent years, to return the country to its roots and encourage people to celebrate Memorial Day the way it was intended: as a day to honor those who died protecting our lives and our freedom. No one knows for sure how Americans can be encourage to remember the true meaning of the day, but it is very important to be sure that those who died are kept alive in our memories forever.

The Beach Waterpark - Opening 2009

The fun-filled, tropical themed Beach Waterpark located in Mason, Ohio is now open for the 2009 season. This tropical oasis, with its live palm trees, rolling waves, Reggae music, and white sand, has something fun for the whole family. Whether guests prefer to splash in the Kahuna Beach Wavepool, relax on the 1,200 feet long Lazy Miami, or test their adventurous side on one of the many pulse-pounding water slides, they are sure to have a wonderful experience at the Beach.

The Beach has a multitude of fast paced, breath-catching water slides for those looking for a thrill. The Aztec Adventure is the only water coaster in the Midwest area. It features 500 feet of hairpin twists, surprising turns, and an ultimate plummet through the gaping mouth of a jaguar. The newest slide, Volcanic Panic, is the longest slide at the Beach. It sends you crashing through 360-degree spirals and along 180-degree horseshoe turns before plunging to the end. The Cliff is the most visible waterslide adventure at the Beach. It has been voted one of the best slides in the country because of its three seconds of pure air as you plummet down its five-story free fall flume. Other featured rides at The Beach include: Typhoon Twist, Banzai, Hidden Rapids, and Twilight Zone.

For the kids, The Beach offers more toned down sorts of adventures. To start their fun-filled day, they can head on over to Splash Mountain or Jolly Mon’ Shores. Splash Mountain features kid-friendly water fun including a miniature inner tube rapids ride, a 30 foot water flume slide, and a smooth belly-flop slide. They can also enjoy a kid’s pool with lots of fountains and waterfalls to enhance their water play experience. Over on Jolly Mon’ Shores, the kids can enjoy a water play world filled with rope ladders, swinging bridges, and a water slide ending in a shallow splash pool just begging to be played in. Also for the kids there is the Kahuna Beach Wavepool, Lazy Miami, and a variety of other tropical spots.

Tickets for this hot summer spot can be purchased on line at The Beach’s website or at the front gate. General adult admission is $27.99 at the gate, but can be bought for $22.00 online. Senior and child’s admission (individuals over the age of 60 or children under 48” in height) is $10.50 a piece at the gate or $9.00 online. Children under the age of 2 are free.

Season passes for The Beach can also be purchased online or at the front gate. An adult general season pass can be purchased for $75.00, a senior or child’s season pass can be purchased for $25.00, and a season long parking pass costs $25.00.

The Beach Waterpark is celebrating the opening of its 25th season, so head on down for a fun-filled day with the family. There’s something for everyone at The Beach Waterpark.

Address: 2590 Water Park Dr, Mason, Ohio 45040

Phone: 800-866-SWIM

Middletown Senior to Play Basketball at Penn State

Middletown High School senior Bill Edwards has signed on to play basketball for Penn State next year. The 6-foot-6 Edwards was the Ohio Senior Player of the Year, averaged seventeen points, and led the conference with nine rebounds and almost five assists this past season. He was also the co-player of the year in the conference, district player of the year, and named first-team All-Ohio in the largest classification of schools.

Edwards narrowed his decision down to Penn State or Miami University but in the end Penn State won out. “It was pretty tough but coming down to it, I think that Miami and Penn State really stood out because Miami was always there throughout the way and so was Penn State...Penn State felt right and I think it will be somewhere for me to pursue my career at," he told Rivals.com.

It's not surprising Edwards is on his way to becoming a basketball great. His father, Bill Edwards, Sr., played college basketball at Wright State, briefly played with the Philadelphia 76ers, and played professional basketball in Europe. His mother, Glenetta Edwards, was a star basketball player at Monroe High School.

Middletown Christian Student Wins National Spelling Bee

Long days of writing out hundreds and hundreds of spelling words doesn't sound like a whole lot of fun for most students, but for 13-year-old Amanda White it was something she actually wanted to do.

White, an eighth grader at Middletown Christian School, spent hours and hours writing down words, their pronunciations, and even wrote out the entire dictionary all to prepare for one thing: the Association of Christian Schools International(ACSI) National Spelling Bee. Wright filled out four entire notebooks with different words so she could study them in preparation for the competition.

Well, last weekend her long hours and continuous hard work finally paid off when Amanda achieved first place in the contest. "I was so glad I worked so hard," Amanda said. While this may seem simple to some, it is the complete opposite. Amanda had advanced from the regional spelling bee which consisted of 19,000 students from fifth grade to eighth grade from schools all over the country.

The National Competition took place in Washington D.C. where Amanda beat out 45 students to take the top honors. Amanda was awarded at Middletown Christian with a school wide ceremony in honor of her accomplishments. "I was really glad I was able to come out with a victory," Amanda said after the ceremony.

According to White, when it was just her and another student, they both held hands and were each given a microphone. Amanda needed to spell two words correctly after her competitor misspelled her word. Her first word was "luciferous", a word Amanda had never heard before. But, thanks to her hard work and talents, she spelled it correctly. Amanda's final word was "adiposity". According to Amanda, "My voice cracked, and I knew I had won." "I was in awe of her, I just wanted to hug her and tell her it was all worth it." Elaine White, Amanda's mother said.

Amanda worked hard and it all paid off. This is a big honor not only for Amanda and her family, but for her school as well. For winning, Amanda received a savings bond in the amount of $200, a new laptop, and a printer.