The Legend of the Christmas Frog

An article from the Xenia Gazette/Greene County Dailies told me about "The Legend of the Christmas Frog" by Nancy Mellon, an artist from Yellow Springs. It seems quite a charming tale (which is saying a lot after my Pixar infused Thanksgiving) and I'll be keeping my eyes open for it. In fact, Nancy's story would likely make an excellent big-screen cousin to "Ratatouille". Nancy, get a lawyer, an agent, and give Pixar a call!

Happy Thanksgiving

We'll be closed on Thanksgiving Day but will be back to our normal schedule on Friday. [Mon-Sat, Noon-8:00 pm]

We've got a great selection of used books for gift giving and holiday planning (dinners, decorating, entertaining). Our cooking section has older books that probably can't be found elsewhere around town, holding the secrets to fondly remembered holiday treats that no one seems to make anymore. Come take a look this weekend.

I recently found some Spanish language funny comics including this unusual item. Fortunately, the only turkey monster we'll be dealing with is the urge to take a nap after dinner.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

This weekend there's a lot of Holiday and Seasonal goings-on in Downtown Dayton:

FRIDAY COURTHOUSE SQUARE 4:00 pm-10:00 pm?

• 4:00 pm - The Dayton Holiday Festival kicks off on Courthouse Square with choirs, crafts, and games leading up to...
• 8:00 pm - The Grande Illumination! The lighting of Dayton's 60' tree and other decorations at Courthouse Square, when...
• 8:0? pm - The Dayton Children's Parade will make the rounds right after the lighting of the tree! That's right, a night-time parade with lighted floats and the arrival of Santa Claus himself!

SATURDAY RIVERSCAPE 11am-10pm

• 11:00 am-6:30 pm - Skate the 'Scape! Ice skating returns to RiverScape. $5.00 rink admission includes skate rental. Hot cocoa and other food and refreshments available at the "Flying Dog" food pavillion. And if you don't skate it costs nothing to sit, watch, and enjoy the atmosphere.
• 6:55 pm & 8:30 pm - Music & Laser shows!
  
• 7:00 pm-10:00 pm - Starlight Skate for romantics and night owls.

Gobble Gobble!

BonK!

BonK!: "Name the Holiday Characters Quiz"

There's a little fun to be had over on my personal blog. Test your wits (or your Google & Wikipedia skills).

LIFE Magazine Photo Archive Now Hosted by Google

We've always enjoyed LIFE magazines. Unfortunately, the issues people always seem to want (WWII era, Kennedy, Monroe, NASA) are not readily available. With that said, I'm pleased to announce that LIFE's vast and amazing photo archive is now just a few clicks away and easily searchable, thanks to Google. LIFE stopped publishing monthly issues in April, 2007.

Search for Dayton, OH to find plenty of images from Wright Patterson AFB and more. My favorites, from 1969 featuring "Blood Strip", are of an intersection that was once home to a traffic light, said to be the only one in a 180-mile stretch of highway between Louisville and Detroit. I don't know exactly where "Blood Strip" was located, but I remember a traffic light at I-75 and Little York Road when I was little. I also remember that our mother strongly disliked that intersection. These photos do not appear, to me, to be that intersection.

This site is going to be my favorite time-waster for some time to come. I'd love to hear about the images you find interesting. Please comment and send links! :-)



The color shot is my photo from Courthouse Square (7/8/07) of artist J. Seward Johnson's depiction of Alfred Eisenstaedt's famous kiss on VJ Day (8/14/45) in Times Square.

The Buddha Den: WWSU Puts Out Call for Locals

WWSU 106.9 FM, Wright State University's radio station is looking for submissions from local musicians.

We're big fans of 2WSU from way back in the early 80's. They played great stuff that couldn't be heard on the air anywhere else in Dayton at that time. Ahh, the good old days.*

Back to the point...

If you're a local musician who would like a little airtime and exposure (aside from MySpace, or whatever), check out the link below, or just drop your stuff off at Gem City Records.

The Buddha Den: WWSU Puts Out Call for Locals:
"Would you like more people to know how awesome your band is? Here's a start..."


*My Geezer alarm just told me I've reached my 'fogey' quotient for the day.

File 770 » Blog Archive » Now How Will We Know It’s the Future?

Some writers are going to have to work just a little bit harder now.

» Now How Will We Know It’s the Future?

A look at 1988 from November 1938

I was going through some of my old-magazine scans and this caught my eye... It's the back cover of the Nov. 1938 issue of Amazing Stories. After a bit, I realized that it is now November, 2008. "Amazing Stories" was looking ahead 50 years, and here we are 20 years beyond their prediction. Seventy years ago the future of flight looked like this:

It just so happens that 2009 will be the 70th Anniversary of Bonnett's Book Store. A lot has changed since 1939, a lot has stayed the same, while some things have gone around and come back again. All that history is too much to cover here and now but I'm sure bits and pieces will find their way into the blog eventually. Stay tuned! :-)

Big Changes for Halloween Party!

The official name for the Oregon District's annual Halloween party, formerly known as "Boo-N-Brew", is now "Hauntfest on 5th" and has been so for a little while. Here's the scoop...

DATE/TIME: 2008 October 25, 7pm-1am
This year's event takes place, as always, on the last Saturday of the month of October with two live stages, Costume contests with CA$H prizes, street performances, all free with your paid admission!

The big changes this year are all about saving money $!

• TWO-for-ONE Admission Coupons available FREE at Bonnett's Book Store and other locations in and around the Oregon District . Get 'em while they're hot! That's right, this year you get TWO Admissions for just $10.00! Bring your dates, bring your friends, bring dates for your friends, etc.
  

• Most of the bars and restaurants will have NO COVER CHARGE this year. Check with your favorite establisment to see what they've got going on.

• Safe and easy $3.00 parking at the Convention Center parking garage, also known as the Transportation Center, above Greyhound & the Neon Movies, and right across from Smokin' BBQ.

• Roam the streets, or shamble your zombie feet to meet friends at your favorite watering hole and don't forget to see what's new on Fifth Street in the Oregon District.
  

Visit "Spooky Oregon" on OregonArtsDistrict.com for all the details!

The scariest thing this Halloween season might be the economy, so save some dough with a $10.00 2-for-1 Admission coupon, NO COVER CHARGE at most of the O.D.'s bars and restaurants, and car-pool with your friends to the Transportation Center!

Pick up your coupons at Bonnett's Book Store and other Oregon District businesses.

Natural. Candid. Real. Beautiful. { The Blog. }: { She's got it all }

Found on Christi Traster's Snickerdoodles Photography blog...

Natural. Candid. Real. Beautiful. { The Blog. }: { She's got it all }: "We went to a used bookstore called Bonnett's Bookstore - where I took the below shot:" [click to see the shots]

Thank you Christi and Lauren.

Downtown Dayton on a hot, sunny Sunday afternoon