When their first Kickstarter campaign failed to raise $60,000 in December, Ben and Cassy Vollmar went right back to work to get their potential future coffee shop open.
Although “bummed” about the campaign, Ben said he was excited to see the community begin to jump on board with his project. Since December, community members and other coffee connoisseurs have approached Ben and offered help.
Photo Courtesy Ben Vollmer
“A lot of people reached out and because of that, we found other investors, which is part of the reason why this Kickstarter has a lower goal,” Ben said.
Ben said he appreciated the help of the community members, especially since the first Kickstarter campaign didn’t have much social media presence behind it — another difference about his current campaign.
Ben said the new campaign looks a lot better because of what he learned from the unsuccesful one. The couple’s current campaign, which ends at 6 p.m. June 22, aims to raise $20,000.
If the goal is met, the couple plans to open Flatlands Coffee at 138 N. Main St. in Bowling Green, in the same strip as On the Edge Tattoo Studio and Finders Records. Together, the two want to offer “an authentic coffee experience.”
“[Our vision is] just to create a welcoming, creativity-inducing atmosphere where customers can really enjoy the uppermost quality in terms of service and product,” Vollmar said. “Our mission is to bring the best in the country to Bowling Green, Ohio.”
The couple has added to their original business model which, Ben said, sets them apart from other coffee shops on a national scale.
“We have made good partnerships with numerous roasters,” he said. “We’ve been researching for so many years and we’ve found just outstanding roasters. What we plan on doing, from season to season because coffee is such an agricultural product … we will taste all different roasters and pick the best of the best and bring those coffees into our shop.
“That concept has been done and is being done by coffee subscriptions out there. It’s a pretty big fast-growing trend,” Ben said. “It’s getting a lot of attention and people like to know that they’re getting top-quality, but ironically it’s never been done in a coffee shop setting.”
The couple has even picked some early favorites including Kilenso Mokonisa, an Ethiopian roast from Counter Culture; Las Mingas, a Colombian from Cuvee; and Costa Rica Los Lobos from Populace.
Ben said, the first Kickstarter only reached out to locals in Bowling Green. With this one, the Vollmars are trying to maximize their success by sharing how this makes them unique to the industry.
“At this point, most of our backers are from all across the country,” Ben said.
The coffee shop would offer many different brewing methods, including a siphon pot (Vollmar’s favorite), pour-overs and an espresso machine.
“We’re always trying to perfect, tweak and make the coffee taste to its best capability,” Vollmar said.
For more information, visit www.kickstarter.com/projects/960621923/flatlands-coffee. At press time, the project had raised more than $16,000.
Toledo native Sasha P. has always had the “It” factor.
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She is blessed with a beautiful voice with a range that will give you goosebumps. Sasha started her paid singing career at 5 years old. She honed her skills singing in the church and as a teen she became serious about recording and discovered her talent for songwriting.
Her first project produced a local hit single, “Beat the Block,” that remained in rotation on The Juice 107.3 for weeks. Although Sasha possessed plenty of vocal experience, she recognized that she lacked life experience. After high school she took time off to go to school, figure things out and find her place in life.
Now 10 years later as a full-grown woman, mother and a teacher, Sasha has experience and is ready to share her heart with all the fans who never stopped believing in her talent.
Sasha P.’s album, “No More Questions”
After everything she has been through, you can only imagine the anticipation for her birthday/EP release party last month where the city came out to support her new EP, “No More Questions.” It has some of the year’s best features from Toledo’s most talented musicians.
Martini Rox: For women who think they can’t do it, tell me how you are able to balance recording and motherhood?
Sasha P.: It’s hard, it’s hard. When the [release party] event was over I definitely had to shout out to my parents. They were like, “Sasha, if this is something that you really want to do, we are going to help you with your daughter; we know that you are a single mom. If this is what you want to put in your heart to do and invest in, then we are going to stand behind you.” If you do not have that support system to back you up, it becomes challenging.
I’ve had a lot of restless nights. I work a full-time job and I’m in the studio at 3 o’clock in the morning and then when I get off work I have to tend to my daughter and make sure she’s OK. [When she was hospitalized, I still had] to meet these engagements. I could not have done it without my family at all, even my sister
was able to step
up and lend a
helping hand.
Martini Rox: Your last release was 10 years ago. How would you describe your music now?
Sasha P.: My music is very real. I was very honest on my album and I was very afraid to put it out because I feel I was a little too honest. I had to experience life and I’ve experienced it definitely. The ups and downs and the roller coasters and everything you can possibly experience, I went through it and I express everything in this album. I try to be as honest and as real as possible. I’m a very shy person. I’m a very private person. Releasing this album was very scary for me.
I’m surprised that people still believe in me and they really, really support me. I haven’t done music or released anything in about 10 years so to have people say, “Yes! You’re doing it! Don’t stop this time!” That was enough for me to say, “I’m not going to stop.” I almost cried on my release date because of the response that I got. A lot of times it brings me to tears and it’s kind of overwhelming.
Download the EP, “No More Questions,” available on iTunes.
Sculptures at Sand-Tastic! will be on display for about a week. Photo courtesy of Levis Commons.
Eight-ton sand sculptures and two 8-foot sidewalk chalk murals will be on full display at the fourth annual Sand-Tastic! festival, hosted June 27-28 by The Town Center at Levis Commons in Perrysburg.
Sculptures at Sand-Tastic! will be on display for about a week. Photo courtesy of Levis Commons
“Northwest Ohio as a whole is a very artsy area,” said Casey Pogan, marketing director for Levis Commons. “We have the Crosby Festival, the Black Swamp Arts Festival… our area really thrives on art. Sand-Tastic! has morphed into something that’s still fun, but artsy.” Chad Hartson, owner of Napoleon -based Ice Creations, will oversee the sand sculpture projects for the fourth year. They are one of the most popular features of Sand-Tastic!. “I went to culinary school to be a chef and my last year of college I took a bunch of sculpture classes,” Hartson said. “It was something I loved to do and had a passion for so I forgot about the culinary stuff I was doing—other than ice carving— and focused on the sculpture side of things.” The sand sculptures take three days to finish, with Hartson working on them 10-12 hours each day. In the past, he’s carved everything from a “Toy Story” scene to a prisoner of war to an elephant. “For a lot of artists, the stuff we do is ‘not really art.’ My challenge to them is ‘Let me see you do it,’” Hartson said. “It may not be your typical form of art —not paintings or drawings—but it is art. The art world is so vast and sand is one of those forms that people don’t really think of as art until they see it as an elaborate display.” Pogan said that Levis Commons has hosted parking lot parties, wine tastings and 5K races but the “art-inspired events” typically draw the biggest crowds. Last year, despite pouring rain on Saturday, Levis Commons’ traffic counter counted about 15,000 attendees at Sand-Tastic!. However, this year’s event organizers said they hope to attract 15,000 – 20,000 people to the event. “There’s nothing like it in our area. You can have it be one giant play date,” Pogan said. “Kids are getting out of school and need a reason to get together with friends and parents will be able to catch up with each other, too, while their kids are busy playing. “This is a great environment for reuniting.”
Sand sculpture at Levis Commons. Photo courtesy Levis Commons.
Activities for children include a John Deere Gator track with miniature mobile tractors, bounce houses, water tables with squirt guns, a community sandbox, obstacle courses, and hands-on science games courtesy of Imagination Station. For especially eager sandcastle builders, free lessons from professional sand sculptors will be offered in the community sandbox on Friday and Saturday from 2 – 2:45 p.m. In addition, live music entertainment will be provided by DJ Paul Hernandez on Friday from 3 – 8 p.m. and by Jeff Stewart on Saturday from 2 – 4 p.m. The Toledo School of Arts’ Steel Drum Band will perform on Saturday from 6 – 8 p.m. Businesses at Levis Commons plan to have normal business hours throughout the weekend and encourage visitors to take a break from the heat and check out their shops. “People just have so much fun with the sun and sand sculptures and friends at Sand-Tastic!,” Hartson said. “The sand sculptures will be up at Levis Commons for about a week before they get taken down. Sand is a disposable art where it eventually has to get taken down. For me, the creating process is what’s most important. There’s this excitement that goes into creating a sculpture and seeing it finished. I want everyone to have that same experience — watching something beautiful built before your eyes.”
“Earthworm Jim,” Doug TenNapel, original concept, character designer and voice actor; Tommy Tallarico, composer; Steve Crow, lead artist; David Luehmann, producer, SEGA Genesis, 1994. Interplay Entertainment Corp.
For more than a century, the Toledo Museum of Art (TMA) has served as one of the most prominent jewels in the Glass City’s artistic crown. Wandering its galleries, visitors are treated to a representative sampling of the works of some of the greatest names their mediums had ever known. Rubens. Rembrandt. El Greco. Miyamoto. Kojima. Levine.
“Earthworm Jim,” Doug TenNapel, original concept, character designer and voice actor; Tommy Tallarico, composer; Steve Crow, lead artist; David Luehmann, producer, SEGA Genesis, 1994. Interplay Entertainment Corp.
If those last few names seem out of place, perhaps the newest exhibition at TMA will help to change your mind. Beginning June 19, the museum’s Canaday Gallery became home to a show that spotlights the creative output of a canvas which has heretofore been left unchronicled within many galleries: Interactive media. Playable narratives. “The Art of Video Games.”
“The key to what the exhibition is about is in the title,” TMA Director Brian Kennedy said during a news conference with reporters on June 17. “It’s about, in a sense, in question, to what extent do you believe that video games are art, and what is the art form in video games?”
Smithsonian debut
“The Art of Video Games” exhibit is in many ways the brainchild of Chris Melissinos, former chief evangelist and chief gaming officer for Sun Microsystems. Working with the Smithsonian Institution, Melissinos crafted the show to demonstrate the evolution of gaming over a 40-year period, emphasizing how games grew, not just graphically, but artistically.
“A whole new culture has been established,” Kennedy said in an interview with Toledo Free Press. “Gaming is a usage of technologies to do something that we’ve never been able to do in this way before. And then, out of that, come certain artists that become very, very well known. And yet most of them, I don’t think, have yet emerged. This is such a new format.”
The exhibit was designed to tell the story of game development by dividing it into individual eras, with kiosks representing 20 different platforms. Art and videos showing examples of games that defined their time period are on display at each station. These representatives were voted on by the public, with players around the world choosing which titles best exemplified each era.
Five games are made available to be played by visitors: the original “Pac-Man,” “Super Mario Bros.,” the adventure game “The Secret of Monkey Island,” the groundbreaking point-and-click title “Myst” and the offbeat and beautiful PlayStation 3 title “Flower.”
“The Art of Video Games” was wildly popular during its initial run at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. “This exhibition was one of the most successful exhibitions in Washington at the Smithsonian — actually, the most successful exhibition they’ve had,” Kennedy said.
“And it just attracted people because there hadn’t been an exhibition on the art of video games.”
Back in time
“Shenmue,” Yu Suzuki, director and producer; Yoichi Takahashi, designer; Eiji Ogawa, writer, SEGA Dreamcast, 2000. Courtesy SEGA
Stepping into the exhibit, as it now stands in the Toledo Museum of Art, is less like walking into a gallery and more like traveling back in time to an arcade. The first sight is a 10-foot-high projection screen, showing Pac-Man wandering his trademark maze. The sounds of Mario collecting coins and stomping on enemies dominate the space as you wander the gallery. The entire experience is like being inside echoes of gaming’s past.
The look and feel of the show is quite deliberate, explained Amy Gilman, the museum’s associate director and point curator for “The Art of Video Games.” “I just have to give a little shout-out to our exhibition’s designer, Claude Fixler, who is the one who really works with each curator on the different shows, to come up with different ways of displaying for that show. And we do, we spend a lot of time thinking, ‘What is the best way for this show to be seen here in Toledo?’
“And with this exhibition, we had seen it in other venues, and the place that we saw it last was in a much larger space, it was more spread out. And we thought that, actually, for us to really make it more of a tight show, [we kept it] enough like an arcade that you immediately go there in your mind. We wanted it to be a little loud, we wanted it to feel a little visually crazy and all of that. And that’s a really important quality to video games, but it’s also an important quality to the experience of the exhibition.”
It’s a little jarring for someone familiar with the space — and with the museum in general — to see the transformation. Just a few months ago, the Canaday Gallery was home to a showing of works from the Tuileries Gardens of the Louvre. To see it as it is now might strike some as a vulgar offense to their delicate ideas of what “art” is.
But to Gilman, that contrast is crucial to the museum’s mission.
“For the museum, it’s really important that over time we have a really broad range of offerings for our visitors,” Gilman said to the gathered reporters. “And that means reaching out into communities that are not necessarily served by being our core audience, but it also means that we like to provide all our visitors with really different experiences.”
For anyone who lived through the console eras represented, the exhibit is certainly a genuine shot of nostalgia — a factor Gilman and her colleagues recognize.
“The fact that we chose to use Mario and Pac-Man as our graphics for this show is about the nostalgia for that period in video gaming that is very much alive today. So one of the things that’s very important to know is, this exhibition isn’t about showcasing the next latest game from Nintendo, or Wii or whatever, and being the launch for that. It’s actually about looking at the progression in a way that we who play video games in our basements probably don’t get a chance to do.”
“The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess,” Shigeru Miyamoto, Executive Producer; Eiji Aonuma, Director and Producer; Satoru Takizawa, Art Director; Satoru Iwata, Producer, Nintendo Wii, 2006. Courtesy Nintendo of America, Inc.
It’s against the nature of the show — and indeed the medium it represents — to only dwell on the past, however. The four corners of the room are dominated by large projection screens where visitors can play one of the interactive titles, arranged chronologically. To see the progression of play — from “Mario,” where the goal is to stomp enemies and save the princess, to “Flower,” where you flutter on the breeze to invigorate a dying landscape — it’s hard not to see how narrative and genuinely artistic ideas have taken root for players the world over.
“With heightened, almost virtual reality, or hyperrealism in video capability now, we understand that it is more visually complex and that narratives are more complex, etc. But you don’t actually see how different it is in that progression, because we don’t actually look at it in that way,” Gilman said.
“So bringing them in here, and you being able to, start with the most pixelated, some of the most beloved, like Pac-Man. And you progress, and you can see them next to each other, you really get a sense of … not just the technical advances, but really, how visually and narratively complex things have become.”
“The Art of Video Games” is on display at the Toledo Museum of Art from now through Sept. 28. Admission is free.
new creative director Randy Phipps. Photo courtesy Hart
An executive creative director at an advertising company as far-reaching as Hart must possess a mix of passion, creativity and leadership.
Randy Phipps said he fills all those criteria. The former senior art director for the company took over the creative director slot June 2.
“It’s coming home, but, at the same time, it’s a fresh start,” Phipps said.
New creative director Randy Phipps. Photo courtesy Hart
President and CEO Mike Hart said he is glad to have Phipps back at the company.
“We’ve followed Randy’s career and are pleased to have him back to lead our creative team,” Hart said in a news release. “Long ago, I learned that beneath Randy’s easygoing nature is a talented dynamo.”
Phipps grew up in Butler, Pennsylvania, just north of Pittsburgh. His mother was an artist, and her creative inclination inspired him to pursue an artistic career.
“She did it because she was passionate about it and she passed that passion on to me,” Phipps said. “Ever since I was young, I did a lot of drawing, a lot of creative thinking. It naturally kind of fell into place for me when I got to college.”
Phipps attended Kent State University, where he majored in visual communication design. He found his calling when he joined Hart as a young businessman.
“There’s a competitive nature to who I am, so that fits well into the advertising world,” Phipps said.
From 1998-2006, Phipps worked at Hart as senior art director.
“It was a little more hands-on, the day-to-day of creating designs and messages (compared to his new role),” Phipps said.
In 2006, Phipps decided to transfer to Toledo-based brand agency NORTH, which sent him across the globe for assignments.
“Pretty much, you can put a dot on a map and I’ve been there,” Hart said. “There was a lot of world travel. That was intriguing.”
During his time abroad, Phipps worked on material and communications for the Sochi Olympic Games, the Australian Open and the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Once he had explored the world, he decided he needed a change of pace.
“I was ready to move past that and move into a stronger role,” Phipps said. “The travel was exciting, but, once I fed that need, it was nice to be back. I can focus on doing great work and being with family.”
As executive creative director, Phipps has broader control and an overseer role.
Phipps’ goal at Hart is simple: Bring out the best in the company.
“It’s really to bring the creativity to a higher level and bring a little bit of international feel and flavor that I’ve gained through my previous job to Hart,” Phipps said. “It’s not a whole lot more difficult than that, elevating the level of work.”
Phipps said he sees a few challenges ahead of him.
He said Hart has one of the largest teams and one of the largest client bases in Northwest Ohio.
“Being on top of design, marketing and messaging trends across a vast number of clientele is probably the biggest challenge,” Phipps said.
Phipps said his positions at Hart have been ideal, because the company offered him the opportunity to do what he loves and meet quality people.
“Being in a great town where I can raise my family but at the same time do tremendous work and work with tremendous people, this would be my dream job,” Phipps said.
Phipps’ family includes his wife and son, who he said were very excited about the career move.
“They were glad that I came back,” Phipps said. “They know a lot of people here and we’ve made a lot of connections with people here at Hart over the years.”
Phipps prides himself on both his work and his ability to maintain healthy social relationships outside of the workplace.
“There’s a sense of professionalism that comes with being in the position that I’m in,” Phipps said. “To be able to be in this position and to maintain a good working relationship and friendships is what I’m most proud of. My job is what I do, but it doesn’t define who I am. The friendships I have built, that’s what I’m most proud of.”
Phipps said young professionals should consider all ideas before deciding to act in professional situations.
“Always keep an open mind,” Phipps said. “Great ideas can come from anyone, anywhere at any time. To have an open mind and always listen before you speak, that would be one of the best pieces of advice.”
Phipps said he is grateful Hart gave him such a warm welcome.
“I missed being here after I had left,” Phipps said. “Even though I had some great experiences and great professional times and I grew in those times, I always had a longing to go back.”
Newspaper people measure time not just by hours and weeks and months, but issue to issue. So it should not surprise me that our editorial staff is assembling our third annual Military Yearbook issue, but somehow that “third” is a jarring reminder of how quickly time passes.
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Compiling these annual Toledo Free Press Military Yearbooks has been a humbling experience. Talking about service, dedication and sacrifice is easy; working with the men and women who live those ideals inspires gratitude and humility.
We are soliciting photos and messages from regional servicemen and servicewomen — at no charge to the families — to be compiled in our special issue.
To be included, email a high-resolution photo of the military member along with a short message to [email protected] by June 24. Also include the member’s full name, rank and military branch with each photo. Submissions can be of current military members or veterans.
There are an estimated 80,000 veterans in the eight-county area served by our regional Veterans Affairs offices. Add to that the number of active military members and guardsmen and you have more people to thank than you will ever be able to reach one at a time. In the Military Yearbook, to be published June 29, you will see scores of local men and women who proudly wear the uniform of the United States military. You will see photos of service members in faraway deserts, a world removed from their family and civilian lives. As the father of a serviceman, Army Cpl. Austin Pounds, I know we pray for the safe return of each and every one of them.
The stories in this upcoming issue — the brainchild of Toledo Free Press media writer Jeremy Baumhower and the product of Managing Editor Sarah Ottney and Project Editor Amanda Tindall — offer a glimpse into the services offered to our active military members and our veterans by several groups run by people who approach their work with the same righteousness and generosity as the people they serve.
We greatly appreciate the people who will share stories, send in photos and bare their souls to impart their wisdom. We thank the advertisers who are signing up to support this issue, especially Newsradio 1370 WSPD, Columbia Gas of Ohio and the American Red Cross of Northwest Ohio. Each of these groups made time and brainpower investments that helped us plan this special coverage.
On the verge of our country’s July 4 birthday, we stop to reflect on our freedoms, liberties and the countless lives cut short so that we may carry on.
We stop to think about the families without fathers and sons, without mothers and daughters. We stop to think about the bodies without limbs and minds without peace. This issue is our modest effort at saying thank you.
Thank you for your service, your dedication and your sacrifice.
Thomas F. Pounds is president and publisher of Toledo Free Press. Contact him at [email protected].
After compiling nearly a dozen CDs of local music for charity, the question I am most frequently asked is, “Aren’t you running out of local bands to include?”
As this summer’s “Red, White & You, Too!” CD demonstrates, the sonic answer is a resounding “No!”
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There are some musicians I lean on because I am a fan and it is an honor to work with them, even as a passive facilitator; Kerry Patrick Clark, Kyle White, Pat Dailey, Jeff Stewart, Carmen Miller, Mike “Mad Dog” Adams and TAPESTRY are just a few of my favorites. Another, Eddie Boggs, passed away this year, but will still be represented on the CD.
Many of those stalwarts are included on “Red, White & You, Too!” (100 percent of sales benefit the area’s Red Cross military services and disaster relief services) but it is exciting to report the CD is rife with artists making their Toledo Free Press CD debut: Fish Fisher, Birds of Chicago, Nathan Roberts
& The New Birds, Tropic Bombs, Zak Ward, Thirsty Houligans, Bob Stevens and Scott Fish and Distant Cousinz.
For last summer’s inaugural Red Cross CD (which includes tracks by Chrys Peterson, The Bradberries, Crystal Bowersox, Alyson Stoner and several more artists and is also available in limited quantities this summer), I relied mostly on cover tunes. But as local bands began submitting songs this year, it became clear that the quality of their original recordings was so strong, the material could stand on its own; it may sound odd, but I am proud of each track, from its writing to its production. You will hear songs on “Red, White & You, Too!” that are better than most of what you will hear on mainstream radio this summer.
The official cover for the “Red, White & You, Too!” charity CD.
Among the many highlights of the 21-track CD are two songs by Fish and Distant Cousinz that highlight a recent local story that made international headlines. “Marlee’s Freedom” and “Lucky Day” are about the children of Tiffany Eckert and Army Sgt. Andy Eckert, who was killed in Iraq in 2008. The story of daughter Marlee’s connection to freedom and the tale of son Myles finding $20 and “paying it forward” to Lt. Col. Frank Dailey are recounted on the CD’s bonus tracks, both with the blessing and input of Tiffany. It’s a fun and summery CD, but these two tracks serve to remind us why it exists.
I always appreciate Put-in-Bay’s “Christmas in July” weekend, so a brief interlude on the disc provides music for that event; the rocker “Christmas in Killarney” by Extra Stout and the original “Xmas in Jail” by Thirsty Houligans linger on the season just long enough to make you want to take a sprig of mistletoe to the beach.
In two weeks, Project Editor Sanya Ali will present a special issue with stories on the musicians who contributed to the CD and a look at the work of the local Red Cross. In the meantime, stop by any area Big Boy or Ralphie’s restaurant starting next week and get your copy; it’s $10 for 21 tracks, and there’s a $4 Big Boy/Ralphie’s coupon inside.
Great local music, great local meals and a great local cause … is there a better way to enjoy summer?
Michael S. Miller is editor in chief of Toledo Free Press and news director of Newsradio 1370 WSPD. Email him at [email protected].
TFD Fire Station No. 3 on Bush Street in North Toledo was rededicated during a ceremony on June 16. Toledo Free Press photo by Sarah Ottney
Fire Station No. 3 in North Toledo was rededicated June 16. But the celebratory mood at the station that many fought hard to save was tempered by the fact that two of its members, Stephen Machcinski and James Dickman, won’t be there when the renovated station returns to service.
TFD Fire Station No. 3 on Bush Street in North Toledo was rededicated during a ceremony on June 16. Toledo Free Press photo by Sarah Ottney
“It’s a day of mixed emotions, but we’re trying real hard to make it a good, positive, happy day,” said Toledo Fire & Rescue Department (TFD) Chief Luis Santiago. “Having the families of Steve and Jamie here, that’s what really helps.”
RELATED: View more photos from the rededication ceremony
The two Toledo firefighters were killed Jan. 26 from injuries sustained while fighting an apartment fire in North Toledo.
The owner of the building, Ray Abou-Arab, is facing charges of arson and murder.
The $2.8 million project, located on Bush and Erie streets, renovated the existing firehouse and added a 7,000-square-foot addition. The station contains sleeping quarters, a dual-purpose lounge area/training room, a full kitchen and dining area. The station’s former garage doors were transformed into large bay windows. It’s the only TFD station to have an elevator.
“The blend between the old and new is just amazing,” Santiago said after the ceremony.
Remembrances of the fallen firefighters pervaded the ceremony, and the station is full of permanent reminders. Each speaker referenced them, a memorial plaque hangs in the kitchen and another memorial plaque, donated by the builders, was unveiled during the ceremony.
TFD Chief Luis Santiago embraces Greg and Linda Dickman, the parents of fallen firefighter James Dickman, in front of a stone plaque unveiled at Station No. 3 in North Toledo on June 16. The plaque was purchased and placed by the workers who built the building. Toledo Free Press photo by Sarah Ottney
The plaque in the kitchen features photos of the two fallen firefighters and the words “We Remember.” A carved stone plaque placed in the back wall of the garage bay by the site’s work crews reads, “In Memory of Stephen Machcinski and James Dickman, Last Alarm 1-26-2014, From the Crew that Built This House.”
“It’s beyond description,” Santiago said of the stone from the builders. “They did that out of their own initiative. They really took our loss hard as well.”
Mark Pitchford of Toledo-based Willson Builders recalled frequent interactions with the firefighters of engine company No. 3. The crew has operated out of Station No. 13 on Front Street in East Toledo since the Bush Street station was closed in September 2012 over safety concerns due to a buckling floor and other structural issues.
“On any given day it was not uncommon to see the No. 3 drive by two, three, sometimes more times a day on their way to or coming back from a run, always looking and waving as we would all do the same back to them,” Pitchford said during the ceremony.
“The Monday of Jan. 27, it was different. It was quiet inside this house. They drove by, still responding to calls, but no one was waving, not in the trucks or on the job site. On the job site we all felt the loss as well. We all felt we needed to do something to honor them.”
The workers decided to place a plaque between the back garage doors “to show that Jamie and Steve are watching this place until you get back home safe,” Pitchford said.
Among the speakers was Mayor D. Michael Collins, who began his remarks by addressing the Machcinski and Dickman families.
“This is a very challenging moment for each of you, collectively and independently,” Collins said. “However, I think if we look into the recesses of our hearts we will know that two brave men are smiling and looking down upon us today with a sense of pride.”
Instead of a ribbon-cutting, firefighters used the Jaws of Life to cut a red metal bar.
Former Toledo Mayor Mike Bell, a retired TFD chief who was once stationed at Station No. 3, was also in attendance. North Toledo residents Miriam Miller and her son-in-law Harold Gibson made paper signs they placed in front of the station that read: “Ladder #3, In Memory of Our Fallen Heros” and “Welcome Home No. #3, Thank You!”
Pvt. Steve Stainbrook cuts a metal bar with the Jaws of Life — TFD’s version of a ribbon-cutting — at the rededication ceremony for Station No. 3 in North Toledo on June 16. Toledo Free Press photo by Sarah Ottney
“It’s heartwarming,” Miller said of the station reopening. “It feels so good to have our firefighters back, but so hard to lose two of them.
“It’s so beautiful,” Miller said, of the refurbished structure. “It was so terrible looking [before].”
Another nearby resident, Tina Petersen, said she attended the dedication ceremony to check out the new building as well as express her gratitude to the Machcinski and Dickman families in person. Petersen had a seizure in January and a TFD EMT crew responded. A few days later, one of her neighbors recognized the EMTs who had come to her house in a news story about the fatal Jan. 26 fire.
“I wanted to let them know what it meant to me,” Petersen said.
“It’s going to be so much better [in the neighborhood] with the fire station back,” she added.
Santiago called the station an “anchor” of the neighborhood.
“This is a very proud section of Toledo,” Santiago said. “They thought it was very, very important to have this not only maintained but refurbished and updated.”
TFD initially planned to repurpose the Bush Street station and build a new Station No. 3 at Jamie Farr Park in North Toledo, Santiago said. However, many community members along with several Toledo City Council members and then-Mayor Bell fought for the station to be repaired and reopened.
“We didn’t think that made sense,” said United North CEO Terry Glazer, who called the renovation and upcoming reopening “a great victory.”
“Not only did we save an old historical building, but kept a fire station at that location where there will continue to be a relationship between firefighters and neighbors,” Glazer said.
More positive changes will soon come to the neighborhood with construction plans for a new No. 12 fire station in North Toledo and the purchase of the nearby Summit Street YMCA by Toledo Public Schools (TPS), Glazer said.
“We’re gaining two fire stations as part of the solution and now TPS is buying the YMCA. That’s happening right down the block,” Glazer said. “It all just dovetails into a bigger strategy so we’ve had some real victories in that neighborhood.”
As artists line the streets of Toledo with their work June 26, guests of EPIC Toledo’s latest event will be meeting, racing and finding clues they’ll use to explore the city.
Sara Swisher, director of EPIC, said the T-Town Dash will provide an environment to foster social and professional connections. Cost is $15.
“The T-Town Dash is an opportunity for young professionals in the community to come down and experience Downtown Toledo in the summer during an Art Walk,” Swisher said. “There’s a lot of people down here and it’s a good opportunity to learn about the different things Downtown has to offer.”
Swisher said she wants interns and employees who have not yet discovered Toledo, especially those who are from out of town, to take advantage of this occasion.
“I hope they take back to everyone that there are great things going on in Downtown Toledo,” Swisher said. “It’s a very vibrant and exciting place to be.”
As advisory council chair for the dash, Jessica Sloan is in charge of a lot of the delegation and planning of the event. She said her goals are similar to Swisher’s.
“[Toledo] is really a place you can make a life,” Sloan said. “It’s a great town. I’d really like a lot of people to come and see what Toledo has to offer.”
The Cops and Rodders Car Show will be held June 22. Photo courtesy Toledo Police Museum.
A troupe of cars and antique emergency
vehicles will soon make a pit stop at the Toledo Police Museum.
The “Cops and Rodders Car Show,” which
the museum inaugurated last year, rides into town June 22 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
It will take place at Ottawa-Jermain Park next to the museum, which is located
at 2201 Kenwood Blvd.
Museum Director Shay Carlson said the
venue is perfect for this show.
“The Ottawa-Jermain Park Board has been very
generous to us,” Carlson said. “We can park the cars anywhere we need to. It’s
a beautiful venue, it’s shady and it has the shelter house with tables.”
The purpose of the show initially was
to garner publicity for the museum.
“We have several retired and current
active duty police officers who are car fans,” Carlson said. “It seemed like a
nice way to have an event at the museum that would raise awareness of the
museum and that would draw our police family to the museum for an event.”
Jeff Hauden, a local car enthusiast, said
he was inspired to suggest the show to museum staff after helping in a
restoration last year. Hauden noticed the spacious park next door and thought
immediately of a car show.
Hauden has been a car aficionado since his youth.
The Cops and Rodders Car Show will be held June 22. Photo courtesy Toledo Police Museum.
“It started as a teenager,” Hauden said. “I built
car models growing up, went to the racetracks and the dragways. I’ve always
been interested in cars.”
Hauden will display his 1967 Chevelle at this year’s show.
Accompanying the vehicle display will
be music by DJ Cruisin’ Zeake, coffee and doughuts, door prizes donated by
local businesses and a 50/50 raffle. Because of the turnout at last year’s
event, Carlson said she is optimistic they will have a good crowd this year.
“We hope that we get a lot of repeat participants
and, if we were to get 300-350 cars, we would feel like we had established
ourselves as an event that people want to participate in as well as attend,”
Carlson said.
The event led to a partnership with the
Cleveland Police Museum. The Cleveland museum’s show, which takes place June
21, will feature only antique police vehicles. Some of those vehicles will also
be shown at the Toledo show the following day.
“The Cleveland police vehicles are an added attraction,”
Carlson said. “We don’t have any limits or criteria on what kind of vehicle can
participate in the car show. If you want to show your car, you can show your
car.”
Carlson said the community of antique
car collectors has been instrumental in the event’s success.
“We expected somewhere between 30-50 cars, [but] we
ended up with over 200 cars and we were told that we could expect even more
this year,” Carlson said. “The car show community is pretty tightly knit and
they really like our venue in the park.”
Museum President Beth Thieman said last year’s event left her
pleasantly surprised.
“We were just praying for 100 cars to show up for our first
show,” Thieman said. “As the cars kept rolling in and the count went over 200,
I looked around at the scene that had unfolded. The weather was perfect, cool
classic cars everywhere, people smiling and strolling around under the trees,
visiting with each other – it was just a great day.”
Carlson said she fondly remembers the
feeling of family fun that last year’s event garnered.
“My favorite part was the atmosphere of a reunion
for a lot of our police officers, as well as discovery of the museum by people
who had not yet had the opportunity to visit,” Carlson said.
Carlson said she hopes people take the opportunity to
socialize and learn about the police department while they examine classic cars.
“It’s just a gorgeous opportunity to get out with the family,
see people you know, meet people you don’t know yet, see vehicles and see the
museum,” Carlson said.”
Hauden said all of the opinions he heard at last year’s show
were positive.
“It seemed like everybody that I talked to enjoyed
themselves,” Hauden said. “A lot of these shows are in parking lots or open
fields with no shade, so that’s why I thought this would be a great place to
have a show. With the museum open, it was a great venue.”
Hauden said he and the staff at the museum are thankful the
community was so prepared to help.
“Without everyone’s support, the participants of the show and
the companies that have donated, this wouldn’t have been possible,” Hauden
said.
The deadline to pre-register cars for $8 is June 13. The
first 100 to pre-register will receive a T-shirt and dash plaques. From June 14
to the day of the show, tickets will be $10.
In case of rain, the
show will be pushed back to June 29.
For
more information, visit toledopolicemuseum.com
