iTopSpin
Current Posts => Latest Spin => Topic started by: MarkHayward on August 22, 2015, 12:38:43 AM
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It was a big first day at the Whirled To Fest. 12 of us hung out at the physics building in Cincinnati and talked about, played with, and learned how to make tops. It was really fun.
https://www.flickr.com/gp/markhayward/DCo408
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5780/20156088253_75da1dbdc5_z.jpg)
For those of you who don't know, here's a little lesson from Eli and Austin Hickerson on how to make a top:
https://www.flickr.com/gp/markhayward/VW8T8P
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5646/20590300189_80176b15a2_b.jpg)
Pictured left to right: David, Marcus Perry, Don (mailman), John Marcus, Eli, Austin.
And here's John explaining the roto-molder right before we pulled a hot fresh top out of the mold.
https://www.flickr.com/gp/markhayward/6XdNKX
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5645/20590296299_728e7e3992_z.jpg)
Pictured from left to right: Don (mailman), Jim Neff, Chris, John Marcus, Marcus Perry.
To go along with the creation, we also had a top casualty. See if you can tell which brother broke John's only giant top.
https://www.flickr.com/gp/markhayward/hfbP0A
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5788/20589044850_e6c5b59d4a_b.jpg)
I have trouble posting images here with my phone, I will fix them as soon as I can.
EDIT admin: Flickr does not allow anymore (well, it hasn't for a long time but it was easy to get around) to post direct links to the images. It wants to force you to got to their website. I have copied the actual urls from the source code, but I don't know if it is going to work.
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Great photos! I wish I was there!
Is Joe the tall guy? I see a couple of faces I don't recognize.
I think the big brother broke it. He shouldn't use a hammer on tops :P
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I added names to the photos. Thanks for fixing them Jorge.
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What a great day, yesterday! John Marcus is a fabulous host, and we all very much enjoyed the tour at the university. Never before have I seen so many tops all in one place! Everywhere you look there are tops, in every nook and cranny! Thank you, so much, John!!
Not only were they there for us to see, but he even let us play with them. I threw a 4 inch top for the first time, and immediately got hooked.
Today we head into town for the festival, and I'm looking forward to a full day of top spinning, and a visit to the spin top Hall of Fame.
Enough for now. It's time to meet David for breakfast. Wish you all could be here!
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Gotta run to the bank and get fifty ones!!!
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It is nearly one o'clock and the front yard of the church looks like something I never could have imagined. I count 14 people here and tops of all shapes and sizes everywhere. I am amazed. I have received the tops from Don Olney and Larry D. Thanks! They are awesome.
JNeff is going full blast bringing item after item out of his bag. The stories are flowing. I am sitting behind Joe Mauk and looking at his top scar. Whew.....this has to be the most serious top scar ever!
Anyway, all is going well and we are anxious to share more.
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I don't think anybody saw this coming (he says quite sarcastically) but some people are really getting into the big whip tops!
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Mike, next year better be even bigger and better because I am really bummed out that I could not make it this year. :( :( :( :( Hope all are having as much fun as it looks like they are in the pics, keep them coming.
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On my way to a juggling gig, wish I was there instead. I'll spin a big top for the fest. ;)
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Yumm! Bullwinkle's top hat bistro.
Next stop, the hall of fame!!!
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To go along with the creation, we also had a top casualty. See if you can tell which brother broke John's only giant top.
https://www.flickr.com/gp/markhayward/hfbP0A
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5788/20589044850_e6c5b59d4a_b.jpg)
my condolences :(
2 words: jb-weld followed by more jb-weld @-@
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holy hell are auston's arms really that big :o ??? also is he on the forum???
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5646/20590300189_80176b15a2_b.jpg)
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holy hell are auston's arms really that big :o ??? also is he on the forum???
I am in the forum!! And currently standing on stilts! I should spend more time on the forum!!
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https://www.flickr.com/gp/markhayward/5a66Tv
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5694/20181094033_156ffb118c_b.jpg)
The sound of incredibly loud whip cracking coming from the church basement was pretty alarming.
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(https://www.flickr.com/gp/markhayward/5a66Tv)
https://www.flickr.com/gp/markhayward/5a66Tv
The sound of incredibly loud whip cracking coming from the church basement was pretty alarming.
lol!!!
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holy hell are auston's arms really that big :o ??? also is he on the forum???
I am in the forum!! And currently standing on stilts! I should spend more time on the forum!!
hello there sir!!! let me say your abilaty to actually get that huge top spinning last year at the festival was very impressive eh!!!
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What a day, yesterday! Never have I seen so many tops in such a short span of time. Tops of every shape, color and size! Lots of throwing, lots of gabbing, lots of learning from the "pros".
I took the plunge and bought myself a 4 inch HDPE top! Until this weekend, I had never thrown a top larger than a Tromp Grande. This thing is a thing of beauty, and plays soooo well! Thanks again, John M.!
We had a bit of a celebration at the church yesterday, as it was Jim Neff's birthday. There was birthday cake for everyone, and four of us (Mike Hout, David, Chris and myself) led the group in singing Happy Birthday with a four-ukulele ensemble!
Many of us, myself included, had the opportunity to spin "Autograph", the 9 1/2 inch big top. After a bit of trial and error, I was finally able to boomerang that beast! Having accomplished that, I proudly added my name to both the much-autographed top, and the companion book.
Later, at the community park, there was lots of top spinning with the local kids, complete with battle competitions. All the while, there was a car show going on at the site. Lots of very high quality hot rods to ogle, and big engines to hear. What a blast!
After that wrapped up, we all (15 of us?) went to Bullwinkle's for a late (9 pm!) dinner. Good food, good stories, good fun.
Then back to the church, where some of us continued to throw tops in the church yard by the light of the church's sign. Once we were all assembled, it was off to the spintop Hall of Fame.
Spin top overload! We started with a game of spin top Plinko, and then proceeded to the HoF, itself. So much stuff! The group was still going strong (it was after 11 pm by this time), but David and I had to say our goodbyes and head for the hotel. I need to drive 500 miles again today, and needed some sleep.
Each and every separate aspect made this a wonderful, wonderful weekend. I so much enjoyed not only all the top spinning, but meeting all the other forum members. John Markus, on Friday night, and Mike Hout, on Saturday, were the best hosts imaginable. I can't thank them enough. They made this weekend the wonder that it was, and I really appreciate it.
If you haven't been to the Whirled Festival of Tops before, put it on your calendar for next year! You won't regret it. I know David and I are already making plans to come back next year....
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Three of the four ukelele players jamming while Jim's birthday cake was being cut.
https://www.flickr.com/gp/markhayward/i14iM3
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5812/20614053670_8399bbb9f5_z.jpg)
I will post more photos (properly) when I get home tonight.
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Thanks for sharing that great pic. I still can't believe two people came with their ukelele's.......and one had books of music. How fun. Of course, we had plenty of extra instruments from our summer day camp where I tried to get a ukelele chorus going. Actually, I should have brought them all out and watched Mark pick and grin while making Jim Neff sing happy birthday to himself.
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Three of the four ukelele players jamming while Jim's birthday cake was being cut.
https://www.flickr.com/gp/markhayward/i14iM3
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5812/20614053670_8399bbb9f5_z.jpg)
I will post more photos (properly) when I get home tonight.
That's me, the mysterious and elusive fourth ukulele player, behind the column, without my uke. As soon as we finished playing Happy Birthday to Jim Neff, I thought we were done playing. So, I went out and stashed my uke back in my car. A jam opportunity, missed....
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Warning: long wordy post, sorry.
Sorry for the delayed report, after two full days of top talk my throat was so sore I couldn’t type. ::)
Friday was a record setting day for visitors to UC for a top spinning gathering. It is always great to see familiar faces and great to meet new dedicated players. I always enjoy catching up with Mike, Austen, and Eli, and while at lunch we had a quick visit from Seth (Waxyaxle) before he left for a working trip to China. What a shock to have a stranger pop out of the stairwell and say “I’m a top spinner” and “I’m a friend of Mark Hayward’s” which made us suspicious (Right? Because who admits to that? ;D ) , but Marcus Perry is one of us. Chris also magically appeared from the stairwell. My thanks go to Mike Hickerson for being the phone point contact which made it easy to find Don and David when they arrived. It also made it easy to know that Mark was in town. It was pretty funny when we were on the dock at the rendezvous point and recognize Mark’s car as he drives in, does a U-turn and drives away. Mike had a good laugh as I feebly ran after Mark up the hill where he briefly stopped to taunt me into running farther before speeding away, while Mike just got on his phone to tell Mark what he had done (still not enough incentive for me to get a phone but a rather compelling argument). Among the strongest memories is my relief upon finding Jim Neff safely here and comfortable waiting at the elevator in the building. It is amazing to me to have people travel long distances here for just a day to see how I make a toy. This interest in and dedication to the spin top from these players is motivational. I hope no one got too bored with all my jabbering on and perhaps more-than-you-wanted-to-know details. I appreciated all the great questions and genuine interest in my approach to top making. We carried on pretty late into the evening and with the approach of closing time for many eateries, several of the long distance travelers moved on to finish their drives to Miamisburg while the rest of us had a meal in honor of Mike Hout at Chipotle.
Saturday was a second great day. Don and David were already set up on the church lawn when I arrived. I really enjoyed our brief time as a small group. The time when the gathering is large is a great joy with so many things happening at the same time but the almost one-on-one moments are special in a different way.
I didn’t immediately recognize Joe when he arrived and walked toward us since the church and neighboring food pantry was a busy place for the locals, and perhaps I didn’t really believe such a spintop hero would travel from the Philippines to join us. But when it clicked in my head that “that’s Joe Mauk” it was pretty exciting. I could listen to Joe’s stories about tops and life all day. As small as the spintop community is there were a couple of remarkably small world moments involving Joe.
The group grew steadily with more and more activity on the church lawn. It is always great to see Mike Hout again. We were happy to see Kirk and Rachel arrive since we missed them on Friday. A fair bit of activity was happening in the street also with random classic cars passing, the annual motorcycle parade, a new tractor parade, and even a large solid top stopping traffic at one point. In this season of presidential politics, Mark was doing a bit of “stumping” that all sides can agree on. Congratulations to the new friends of Autograph: Don, David, Marcus, and Joe (anyone else I didn’t see?) and with his shoulder in good health, our favorite Miamisburg photographer/videographer Jay is so very close that next year he is a sure thing to join the club. Regularly, various unexpected objects (like a toilet seat) could be seen circling Jim.
After what seemed like no time, we moved over to the new venue near the river mixed in with the classic car show. The Mayor announced Mark Hayward Day with emphasis on the Miamisburg connection to Mark’s Guinness record, and the battle contest commenced. The advanced players spread out in the nicely shaded open area and resumed their earlier activities. The evening proceeded to disappear as quickly as the earlier parts of the day. The contest prizes were awarded and the clean-up/pack-up went smoothly. Note to self, Jim is very receptive to bad advice, but on the plus side we learned from a good humored, armed, Miamisburg police officer what the potential consequences of approaching an armed officer might be should one choose to approach him with a large rubber snake.
Primarily for Mike:
A note or two about the location change as Mike reviews his options for next year. The added distance from the church was of no consequence because there was ample parking for those wishing to drive their gear over and the few extra steps for walkers were trivial. The venue allows the battle contest to be up on a stage with an amphitheater enclosure. The large stage provides ample space for the kids and contest supervisors in contrast to the slightly tight quarters of the original site. The height of the stage puts the actual battle above the view of most of the audience but greatly improves the view of all the kids having a great time which is likely what interests the parents most. I didn’t pay attention to whether the cheering level was compromised by the lack of visibility of the battle itself. If I recall correctly, the stage had the access stairs in the center. A set of stairs on the edge(s) would allow you to invite the audience up onto the stage to view the battle if any spectators were interested, but that is likely out of your control. The sound was great and carried well into the car show and was quite sufficient to be understood over the revving engines and music where we were. The play area for the advance players was very nice. We could spread out much more and worry less about interfering with each other (Jim’s long range toys had plenty of space). Although the high temperatures this year were pleasantly lower than some previous years, we quickly noticed that the lack of buildings allow a nice breeze to improve our comfort level. The open-on-all-sides position of the advanced play area allowed car show attendees to wander among the players to watch and chat whereas the boxed in grassy area at the previous site held the observers on the perimeter and did not encourage them to join in. From the other point of view, the added pedestrian traffic took away some of our privacy and time with the dedicated spinners that we rarely see.
A few spinners left to endure a long drive home before the traditional evening meal at Bullwinkles. We did, however, have two additional spinners join us. Lynn, from Columbus, who knew Don and David from the RIT Juggle fest and did very well progressing through the various sized tops, and a man (whose name escapes me (sorry)) who is another small world instance for me since he once taught at Cincinnati.
We then moved to the Hall of Fame and everyone knows that what happens in the Hall of Fame stays in the Hall of Fame unless you are Austen, in which case you post it on Facebook.
For me this was another great event. So great that I think I heard someone say that Mark Hayward Day was even better than Jorge Alcoz Day. I guess any day that you can get two pieces of pizza for lunch is going to have an advantage over most other days. So many thanks go out to Mike Hout for hosting the festival and to all of the top players who came or contributed to its success. Great job everyone, give yourselves a dollar. ;)
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So great that I think I heard someone say that Mark Hayward Day was even better than Jorge Alcoz Day.
;D Now Mark and I will share something on our resumes (but I will never be able to be on the Late Show with David Letterman). I am glad this one even surpassed the "biggest gathering of large spintops in the US" day. I want to see an epic group photo like that one (with a caption with everybody's names).
I really wish I was there! I am already looking forward to next year's Worlds+Cincy+Miamisburg, even if it is not the actual festival. I guess I will have to meet Joe in The Philippines ;)
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I am really enjoying reading the posts about the fest in the Burg. I so appreciate the time people are giving to share some highlights. So, Jim Neff really asked a policeman about a fake snake encounter and what would happen (that's a good way to get shot, buddy!)?
Mark's gift to Topland and the Hall of Fame is pretty tremendous. Spintop Plinko was a hit, even if I lost some money. Did anyone get some pictures of it?
Since it wan't as hot this year we were able to spend more time in "the Hall" and we had some great rascal spin offs. When you get nearly 50 of those spinning at the same time they make for some nice chiming sounds.
Thanks for the input about the venue. I will seek out some comments from the city as we plan for next year. We would not have had enough room for all the adults at our old location (I am so thrilled to be able to say that).
I could not stay awake this afternoon and took a long long nap to recover from the weekend. What a joy to have plenty of good spin memories to dream about.
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I definitely didn't steal 2 of the rascals.
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There were rascals there. How'd I miss that. But it was a great time. Great friendships can be made through Top spinning. Here is a happy group holding Marks Cardboard top and Joe's Twine Styrofoam top.
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The Eli Austin show.
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Look familiar...One of John Markus many shelfs.
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Ahhh yep. Thats right. Who is the girl in the center??
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I need to look at that last photo everyday as it always makes me smile (or laugh uncontollably outloud).
Guess what is going on at St. Jacob Lutheran Church right this minute. There are people in our fellowship hall trying to get black marks off of the floor. Some seem quite mystified about how they arrived there. I quietly wiped down a pole that had three black marks on it. I also noticed one big long black mark on the top of a table. Hmmmm. Maybe in the future we will have to look into the possibility of not using the black whip?
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Hmmmm. "quite mystified". Did you confess Pastor Mike? Yes...the white rubber whips would be better. Big white rubber marks are less noticable.
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Mark being Mark.
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Listening to John in detail.
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The molds for the HDPE tops.
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Don ( Mailman) showing off his water bottle kitty litter top. It spun remarkably well.
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More whip tops. I think I see some black marks on the floor.
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Mark receiving his award from the Mayor.
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How to store your buttons. From the Spin Top Hall of Fame.
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Don and Chris and David and Markus visiting Johnm.
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John showing off The Top making machine acquired from Don Olney.
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I love the mental image of Mike surreptitiously cleaning whip marks! Mike's guilty look is one of my favorites.
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So many great photos!!! 8) Thanks a lot for taking them and sharing them, Jim!
Don and Chris and David and Markus visiting Johnm.
Are David and Markus (what are the chances?) members of the forum?
I know you made a lot of noise with the whips, but the main question is: could you get the whip tops to whistle? ???
Is Mark's photo with the long hair (it is him, isn't it?) on the Hall of Fame? >:D
Mike had mentioned acquiring the hands but seeing them in the HOF makes them real.
Was there a spintop sermon by Joe on Sunday?
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Yes. I believe David and Markus are members although I don't know their screen names. David is from Rochester and is a really great guy who loves spin tops. He is rather new to tops but is making great progress. Markus is a performer who uses spin tops in his act. He is a very good topper. And yes, the girl in the middle is Mark Hayward at 17. I don't believe Joe gave a sermon Sunday but we got several Saturday. A very nice man. The whip topping was very loud. I have videos but I can seem to attach them on the forum. Too large I believe. Any ideas?
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WOW What a lot of fun. This festival started out for my family (Austen,Eli & Mike (me)) with us leaving Eli's High School on Thursday at 4pm. We arrived in Miamisburg around 1:30am Friday morning. We slept for a few hours at the hotel and then off to the University of Cincinnati to meet John Marcus. John being a Great Host gave us the Gold Star Treatment. We learned about the Roto Molding Process & the HDPE Process for making tops. Amazing and Very Labor Intensive process for the tops that are produced. Truly a Labor of Love and a Must See while at the Miamisburg Festival. We meet people from this forum and others who came to the University. We Spun Tops & Socialized and Spun Tops & Learned Tricks we had a Great Time. "Ohhh Yes those were my sons that Broke John's large black top." (What can I say, every year I have to let them out of their cages to break things :D ;D). We finally ended Friday with a late supper at Chipotle.
We made it back to the hotel from Cincinnati around 1am Saturday morning. We took a short nap and we were back on the road to Miamisburg for the Festival. We all met at the church where the Earl of Whirl is the pastor. We had more Spintop action, Socializing fun and them there is JNeff (Jim). How to explain a JNeff to people and make them understand. JNeff is a member of this forum and if it spins JNeff can spin it. I have seen him spin a Coffee Pot, Dishes, Toilet Seat and even a Flying Fish. He is really amazing to watch. This year Jim had his Chinese Whip Tops at the festival. At my first glance whipping a top looked boring, however I gave it a try and had a blast. Top Whipping is Additive.
Later in the day we made our way over to the festival where we spun tops with the kids and adults. The Festival went very smoothly and was a pleasure. After the festival we went to Bullwinkle's Top Hat Bistro for more fun. We ate, socialized and finally made our way to the Spintop Hall of Fame for a game of Spintop Plinko among other Spintop related fun. Our fun came to an end at 2am Sunday morning. We finally made it back to the hotel and in bed at 3:30am.
We took a short nap, at 9:30am Sunday morning we were up & leaving for Alabama. I took back the rental car and made it home by 9pm. We had travel about 1300 miles round trip. It was a fun packed weekend and well worth the drive.
Just for "JORGE" I talked with Joe Mauk and he is a Fascinating man. I saw his Spintop Battle Scar from his injury, God was watching over him. Joe made a comment that he was trying to get you to come to the Philippines and see his Spintop. I hope you make it one day. I'm sorry that you were unable to make this festival, for it was a Great Fun Packed Event. However, I did tell Joe Mauk about the 2016 World Yoyo Contest in Cleveland Ohio. I told him that if he finds himself in the United States again in August that he should find a way to attend this event. I told him that you would probably be attending and possibly competing. He said he would keep it in mind and that August was a good time for him. So I will tell you to cross your fingers and maybe he will come.
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Warning: long wordy post, sorry.
Sorry for the delayed report, after two full days of top talk my throat was so sore I couldn’t type. ::)
Friday was a record setting day for visitors to UC for a top spinning gathering. It is always great to see familiar faces and great to meet new dedicated players. I always enjoy catching up with Mike, Austen, and Eli, and while at lunch we had a quick visit from Seth (Waxyaxle) before he left for a working trip to China. What a shock to have a stranger pop out of the stairwell and say “I’m a top spinner” and “I’m a friend of Mark Hayward’s” which made us suspicious (Right? Because who admits to that? ;D ) , but Marcus Perry is one of us. Chris also magically appeared from the stairwell. My thanks go to Mike Hickerson for being the phone point contact which made it easy to find Don and David when they arrived. It also made it easy to know that Mark was in town. It was pretty funny when we were on the dock at the rendezvous point and recognize Mark’s car as he drives in, does a U-turn and drives away. Mike had a good laugh as I feebly ran after Mark up the hill where he briefly stopped to taunt me into running farther before speeding away, while Mike just got on his phone to tell Mark what he had done (still not enough incentive for me to get a phone but a rather compelling argument). Among the strongest memories is my relief upon finding Jim Neff safely here and comfortable waiting at the elevator in the building. It is amazing to me to have people travel long distances here for just a day to see how I make a toy. This interest in and dedication to the spin top from these players is motivational. I hope no one got too bored with all my jabbering on and perhaps more-than-you-wanted-to-know details. I appreciated all the great questions and genuine interest in my approach to top making. We carried on pretty late into the evening and with the approach of closing time for many eateries, several of the long distance travelers moved on to finish their drives to Miamisburg while the rest of us had a meal in honor of Mike Hout at Chipotle.
Saturday was a second great day. Don and David were already set up on the church lawn when I arrived. I really enjoyed our brief time as a small group. The time when the gathering is large is a great joy with so many things happening at the same time but the almost one-on-one moments are special in a different way.
I didn’t immediately recognize Joe when he arrived and walked toward us since the church and neighboring food pantry was a busy place for the locals, and perhaps I didn’t really believe such a spintop hero would travel from the Philippines to join us. But when it clicked in my head that “that’s Joe Mauk” it was pretty exciting. I could listen to Joe’s stories about tops and life all day. As small as the spintop community is there were a couple of remarkably small world moments involving Joe.
The group grew steadily with more and more activity on the church lawn. It is always great to see Mike Hout again. We were happy to see Kirk and Rachel arrive since we missed them on Friday. A fair bit of activity was happening in the street also with random classic cars passing, the annual motorcycle parade, a new tractor parade, and even a large solid top stopping traffic at one point. In this season of presidential politics, Mark was doing a bit of “stumping” that all sides can agree on. Congratulations to the new friends of Autograph: Don, David, Marcus, and Joe (anyone else I didn’t see?) and with his shoulder in good health, our favorite Miamisburg photographer/videographer Jay is so very close that next year he is a sure thing to join the club. Regularly, various unexpected objects (like a toilet seat) could be seen circling Jim.
After what seemed like no time, we moved over to the new venue near the river mixed in with the classic car show. The Mayor announced Mark Hayward Day with emphasis on the Miamisburg connection to Mark’s Guinness record, and the battle contest commenced. The advanced players spread out in the nicely shaded open area and resumed their earlier activities. The evening proceeded to disappear as quickly as the earlier parts of the day. The contest prizes were awarded and the clean-up/pack-up went smoothly. Note to self, Jim is very receptive to bad advice, but on the plus side we learned from a good humored, armed, Miamisburg police officer what the potential consequences of approaching an armed officer might be should one choose to approach him with a large rubber snake.
Primarily for Mike:
A note or two about the location change as Mike reviews his options for next year. The added distance from the church was of no consequence because there was ample parking for those wishing to drive their gear over and the few extra steps for walkers were trivial. The venue allows the battle contest to be up on a stage with an amphitheater enclosure. The large stage provides ample space for the kids and contest supervisors in contrast to the slightly tight quarters of the original site. The height of the stage puts the actual battle above the view of most of the audience but greatly improves the view of all the kids having a great time which is likely what interests the parents most. I didn’t pay attention to whether the cheering level was compromised by the lack of visibility of the battle itself. If I recall correctly, the stage had the access stairs in the center. A set of stairs on the edge(s) would allow you to invite the audience up onto the stage to view the battle if any spectators were interested, but that is likely out of your control. The sound was great and carried well into the car show and was quite sufficient to be understood over the revving engines and music where we were. The play area for the advance players was very nice. We could spread out much more and worry less about interfering with each other (Jim’s long range toys had plenty of space). Although the high temperatures this year were pleasantly lower than some previous years, we quickly noticed that the lack of buildings allow a nice breeze to improve our comfort level. The open-on-all-sides position of the advanced play area allowed car show attendees to wander among the players to watch and chat whereas the boxed in grassy area at the previous site held the observers on the perimeter and did not encourage them to join in. From the other point of view, the added pedestrian traffic took away some of our privacy and time with the dedicated spinners that we rarely see.
A few spinners left to endure a long drive home before the traditional evening meal at Bullwinkles. We did, however, have two additional spinners join us. Lynn, from Columbus, who knew Don and David from the RIT Juggle fest and did very well progressing through the various sized tops, and a man (whose name escapes me (sorry)) who is another small world instance for me since he once taught at Cincinnati.
We then moved to the Hall of Fame and everyone knows that what happens in the Hall of Fame stays in the Hall of Fame unless you are Austen, in which case you post it on Facebook.
For me this was another great event. So great that I think I heard someone say that Mark Hayward Day was even better than Jorge Alcoz Day. I guess any day that you can get two pieces of pizza for lunch is going to have an advantage over most other days. So many thanks go out to Mike Hout for hosting the festival and to all of the top players who came or contributed to its success. Great job everyone, give yourselves a dollar. ;)
excellent recap sir, i enjoyed every word ;)
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I took the plunge and bought myself a 4 inch HDPE top! Until this weekend, I had never thrown a top larger than a Tromp Grande. This thing is a thing of beauty, and plays soooo well! Thanks again, John M.!
your a lucky plunging cookie!!!
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thanks for taking the time to post those pics jneff, most enjoyable to look at :D
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQheQvs_pI0 Here is a video of some of the whip top spinning. I wasn't able to post it on the forum as it was too large?
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JohnM doing what JohnM does best. https://youtu.be/trKg7bfKYG0
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JohnM doing what JohnM does best.
the sound of desperation at 0:08 ;D
epic skill sir :o
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Nice summaries everyone! I have a few more photos to add. We'll start with the comic that Mike got from Dick Stohr:
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5793/20821474671_00018522de_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/xHVv1B)IMG_20150823_091209 (https://flic.kr/p/xHVv1B) by Mark Hayward (https://www.flickr.com/photos/markhayward/), on Flickr
Here's the incredible bounty available for sale in John Marcus' office. But you have to show up if you want any!
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5780/20156088253_34486b9c0e_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/wH8dNZ)IMG_20150821_171522 (https://flic.kr/p/wH8dNZ) by Mark Hayward (https://www.flickr.com/photos/markhayward/), on Flickr
And here's a video of the roto-molder in action making a top (you will have to click on it to watch it on Flickr):
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5637/20589245130_8362a3a1be_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/xnpgg1)VID_20150821_154136 (https://flic.kr/p/xnpgg1) by Mark Hayward (https://www.flickr.com/photos/markhayward/), on Flickr
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Much fun was had with the brand new Spin Top Plinko. I made it to help make the Spinning Top Hall of Fame even MORE exciting. I wasn't sure if Mike would be ok with the slots at the bottom entitled "You owe Mike a dollar" and "Mike owes you a dollar" but they turned out to be the most fun part. A LOT of dollars changed hands (especially when Mike decided that the "Repent" card meant "give Mike a dollar"), and there was quite a bit of side wagering going on between Mike and Eli. At one point the "double or nothing" had progressed up to where Eli had to get the top into the center "winner" slot or he'd have to wear an Ohio State hat to school on Monday AND Mike would get a photo of him wearing it at school surrounded by his friends. Eli won that round.
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5721/20139479343_c639daef5e_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/wFE6yt)IMG_20150821_095309 (https://flic.kr/p/wFE6yt) by Mark Hayward (https://www.flickr.com/photos/markhayward/), on Flickr
As usually happens, things got a little weird toward the end of the night. Austin was always willing to take on a challenge (like wearing stilts and pogo-sticking), and Kirk and I were always ready to encourage him. Then this happened:
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5769/20779055936_7cd2868719_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/xEb6p7)IMG_20150823_005327 (https://flic.kr/p/xEb6p7) by Mark Hayward (https://www.flickr.com/photos/markhayward/), on Flickr
And while I didn't technically steal them, if Mike counts his Rascals, he may notice that he's two short.
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My Hero! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_-ZZ4IZw48
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https://youtu.be/zCENYqmJIh0 Kirk!
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My kind of top.
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As usually happens, things got a little weird toward the end of the night. Austin was always willing to take on a challenge (like wearing stilts and pogo-sticking), and Kirk and I were always ready to encourage him. Then this happened:
i cant even i cant even ;D bravo sir bravo!!! lol
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(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5769/20779055936_7cd2868719_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/xEb6p7)IMG_20150823_005327 (https://flic.kr/p/xEb6p7) by Mark Hayward (https://www.flickr.com/photos/markhayward/), on Flickr
Where's my Cheerios!!!!
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https://youtu.be/zCENYqmJIh0 Kirk!
what top was that that attempted to murder you there kirk??? i dont recognize it ??? :-[
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It was a great time as always and once again time for my annual post.
The Pictures and videos are up and posted and ready for viewing. I really liked our new venue, but I think the location caused me to forget something. I forgot the group shot at the end of the day...very sad about this. Did someone else manage to get a group shot?
Here is the website that will link you up to all of the different places: http://www.miamisburg.org/tops.htm
If you want to go directly to the videos, here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYwPQn2nGjNRznKziFyBgyD4luba6Ep26
I also added a group of the pics on Facebook, if you all were interested in tagging yourselves: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10153750531003273.1073741982.682508272&type=1&l=ec0b1024ce
You can look back over the years and enjoy pics and vids from 2005 to present.
If anyone has anything they would like to add to the site, please let me know. I would love to add links to your pics, or if you are selling stuff or anything else of interest.
I am also going to have to make some time to hang with you guys longer. The top making looked very cool :)
take care
Jay
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So many great photos and video! :o 8) There will be plenty of nominees for the annual photo contest. Austen's with the big spoon must be one of the most memorable we have ever had (but I don't know if the location is enough to qualify it as spintop-related).
The spintop Plinko is genius! Was it your idea, Mark?
Thanks for the Joe's Top Repair image.
My kind of top.
I think the set of objects that are "your-kind-of-top" includes everything! You have surpassed Jon Gates on my book as the player who can spin more stuff!
Wow! What a great time you all had!
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It might have been my idea. Mike and I talked about it and neither of us can remember if it was my idea or his or if we came up with it together. Mike was definitely the push to get it made though. He gave me a $20 down payment last year which meant that I had to actually do it, instead of just talk about it. Unfortunately I didn't get any video of us playing at the festival, but I do have footage of it in operation before it left Pittsburgh:
https://youtu.be/POJZTzAn9Mw
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https://flic.kr/p/xEb6p7
I like to send pictures like this to my friends with no explanation. When I got on the stilts I picked up the giant spoon and informed mike I was off to horrify his neighbors. Hahaha The festival was amazing and fun as always and it was great to catch up with old friends. We as a top spinning community do not get together enough but it is always a great time when we do!
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That Top Spinning Plinko is the best $20 down payment I ever made on anything. Great work, Mark! Hmmm, if rascals are worth 10 dollars each maybe I have already made another $20 down payment?
Oh, and by the way, my back has been an absolute mess since the festival which proves I cannot do worlds and a Miamisburg top fest back to back. It also proves I am older and need to listen more closely to my own advice to JNeff. Hope you had a good birthday, Jim, and hope your back is doing well.
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Joe made a comment that he was trying to get you to come to the Philippines and see his Spintop.
:o :o 8) 8) ;D ;D
That would be a dream come true. I can volunteer to blow on the top to decrease the drag!
How come Jim's cake had balloons instead of tops? :D
Is the toilet seat spun like a plate?
This is the kind of top I expect to see at the Hall of Fame:
(http://www.miamisburg.org/images/Top%20and%20YoYo%20pics/082215%20Miamisburg%20Tops/2015%20Miamisburg%20Whirled%20Festival%20of%20Tops%20082215%20(5).JPG)
Is Eli preparing to freestyle at worlds next year? ;)
(http://www.miamisburg.org/images/Top%20and%20YoYo%20pics/082215%20Miamisburg%20Tops/2015%20Miamisburg%20Whirled%20Festival%20of%20Tops%20082215%20(46).JPG)
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(http://www.miamisburg.org/images/Top%20and%20YoYo%20pics/082215%20Miamisburg%20Tops/2015%20Miamisburg%20Whirled%20Festival%20of%20Tops%20082215%20(46).JPG)
lucky cookie!!!! @-@ also that top looks heavy so you must be a strong cookie aswell Eli
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A Few Random Highlights
Launching a boomerang from the ground to Mark on the top of the stump (left handed)
Getting some coaching for improving my drumbeat.
Improving my whip top technique and the loud low hum of the tops.
General good times
Spin Top Plinko
3 Brothers walked up from the car show looking and watching. Rachel asked "Would you like to learn to throw a top?" Then when they found out that $116 was the prize for first place, they decided to join the competition. Mike rearranged the bracket order to give them time to learn how to get a spinner. Rachel and I coached them with a bit of help from Austen. I wondered if the middle brother would ever learn to wind the top, but he learned and had the hottest throw of the three. In the end they got second place! They were so thrilled also to receive tops provided by LarryD. Jay's son, Daniel, a seven year veteran of the contest, anchored the winning team for Daniel's first win.
what top was that that attempted to murder you there kirk??? i dont recognize it ??? :-[
Photos to follow after we get done helping Dad sell his house.
I think it is Mark's JohnM HDPE top. I need to not clip my nails before doing one of Jack's grind tricks.
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Yes, the Bicker Brothers were one of the great stories of the fest. And, yes, they really were the Bicker Brother. Bicker was their last name (which I found to be quite humorous). Their involvement was one of the benefits of being in the middle of the car show. Kirk and Rachel did an amazing coaching job with them.
Eli was not only handling that big top quite nicely but he was also snap starting it!
I told Mark to see if anyone else wanted his carboard creation. If no one else did, then I would take it for the Hall of Fame. I actually wanted first dibs but I was trying not to be greedy. Later in the night I heard that Chris from Ann Arbor took it and will continue the project. Hope he does well with it. If not, it could still end up in the Hall of Fame!!!
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How to store your buttons. From the Spin Top Hall of Fame.
Hey! I'm excited/humbled to see my name resides somewhere in the Hall of Fame, even if it's only for a quote I like. (I'll bet Jim saw that and thought "Uh, that's the guy that broke Cyclone, I remember him") Thanks Mike! 8)
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The list of members who have broken other people's tops is getting pretty long! Haha
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I had a wonderful time at the Miamisburg Fest. I was born in Dayton (Miami Valley Hospital) August 28, 1952 so even the location was special to me. Felt like I had known everyone all my life! Was glad to learn the big top throwing technique up to the hand, my 5 pound Kauri top I have always thrown to the floor to pick up. Have something to try out when I get back to the Philippines next week! Mine doesn't have a bearing point so won't be putting it in John's sneaky between the fingers spot.
Jay, we forgot the group photo, sorry, having too much fun. But I also regret not getting a picture of me giving Jim Schreiber's pie pan to Mike for his Hall of Fame. If anyone got one can they post it? Thanks.
Here's a compilation of some of the video I took.
http://youtu.be/v40ae1rBSTI
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I see I missed a LOT! Great compilation. Thanks Joe!!!
Of course you are in the hall, sir lincolnrick. Forum posters get top priority!!!
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Is Eli preparing to freestyle at worlds next year? ;)
(http://www.miamisburg.org/images/Top%20and%20YoYo%20pics/082215%20Miamisburg%20Tops/2015%20Miamisburg%20Whirled%20Festival%20of%20Tops%20082215%20(46).JPG)
Yes, I am planning on competing in Cleveland next year.
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Yes, I am planning on competing in Cleveland next year.
Yes!!!! ;D Actually, I was sure you would! I know you will be in the medal hunt. That little freestyle with the little top on Joe's video tells me you are ready to rock. Fortunately for me, I will probably be behind the judge's table as there will be plenty of players.
Great video Joe! It answered several questions as, for example, how do you spin a toilet seat! By the way, that lid spun beautifully! At the end of the Colombian top wire walk there is a peek at Jim's bags and I had to laugh! Wow! :o 8) Most impressive was Kirk's left hand boomerang to Mark on the stump: well done! And you did a great job boomeranging Autograph! I generally throw Figaro for the Figaro's Gallery photo, but perhaps you can spin it yourself (but don't tell Mike, he is not allowed to throw it :P ).
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Woo hoo!!! I'm glad to hear of another competitor! Ug, I really have to practice.
Mike, the two missing Rascals didn't go that far... just to a safe haven... visible from the Rascal playing area.
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I had a wonderful time at the Miamisburg Fest. I was born in Dayton (Miami Valley Hospital) August 28, 1952 so even the location was special to me. Felt like I had known everyone all my life! Was glad to learn the big top throwing technique up to the hand, my 5 pound Kauri top I have always thrown to the floor to pick up. Have something to try out when I get back to the Philippines next week! Mine doesn't have a bearing point so won't be putting it in John's sneaky between the fingers spot.
Jay, we forgot the group photo, sorry, having too much fun. But I also regret not getting a picture of me giving Jim Schreiber's pie pan to Mike for his Hall of Fame. If anyone got one can they post it? Thanks.
Here's a compilation of some of the video I took.
http://youtu.be/v40ae1rBSTI
thanks for posting that vid eh!!! i really enjoyed that, so much intersting stuff on there :o
eli: what top were you using when you did that freestyle in the vid there eh??? bravo that freestyle was very nice :o
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I recieved a nice phone call from the city about our event and next year. They wanted to know if we were happy with the space!!! Heck yes! It sounds like we have a good shot at getting the stage next year.
Ok, Mark Hayward. I am biting. Yes, I have been out to check the rascals. Yes, there are two missing. And yes, I would like them back!!! I will look closer around the hall for the missing pieces of silver.
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eli: what top were you using when you did that freestyle in the vid there eh??? bravo that freestyle was very nice :o
That was a smaller john Markus top that he made out of metal.
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what happened to that big wooden top that austen threw??? looks sort of mising a piece :P has it cracked since last year???? :o
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I looked at the chunk of top sitting on the sidewalk and said to Austin "Hey you broke it!" and he said "Naw, it broke last year." I like his logic that if it is already broken, it can't be more broken than it already is... so therefore, the new chunk he knocked out doesn't count.
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I thought it would split in two for sure this year. Actually, I was kind of disappointed to see that it did not totally separate. I should have told Austen to take care of it. He would have come through for me!!!
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I thought it would split in two for sure this year. Actually, I was kind of disappointed to see that it did not totally separate. I should have told Austen to take care of it. He would have come through for me!!!
I most definitly would have !!!
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Yes, I am planning on competing in Cleveland next year.
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You better bring your A+ game little bro!!! I will be training all year to take you down!!!
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It's ON!!!
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Yes, I am planning on competing in Cleveland next year.
You better bring your A+ game little bro!!! I will be training all year to take you down!!!
The Final Countdown:
youtube.com/watch?v=9jK-NcRmVcw
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The final countdown.....bum bum..... Pretty funny, Jack. Thanks.
I am sitting in our 1919 theater on Main St. It has been closed for years but they are doing all they can to get it ready to open again and show classic movies along with old silent movies. Tonight is a special night to gather support to try to get it opened by the end of November. All the big wigs of the city are here. I have taken the opportunity to pull my phone out and show pictures of our fest to the mayor and the city councilman in the Mark Hayward day pictures. I have also been showing pics to the city manager (who really runs the town) and several other city big wigs. Everyone seems impressed and when people go out the back door I can see the stage where we had our battles. It has been a good evening with good pr for top spinning!
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That sounds like a cool place! Will there be a stage that has room for live performances too?
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Sadly, I do not believe there will be much of a stage. I might be wrong, but right now it looks more like just a movie theater.
On another note, I had a funeral this week. While driving to the cemetery I was telling the funeral director about our big top spinning festival and all the people who were here from so many states. She said......"Oh. I saw all that activity out on the front lawn of your church. Also when I went by, I saw a guy standing on a tree stump spinning a top."
How about that, Mark Hayward?!?!
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What would Mark Hayward Day be with out being noticed by a Funeral Director?
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Woo hoo!
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I see there is some unfinished business from this thread. Yes!!! There is a stage at the new theater and even a piano (in case anyone wants me to accompany them with some tickling of the ivories). The stage is actually very nice and very large. There could be some big possibilities with this!
Something else with the new theater includes the possibility of renting the facility and showing whatever movie we would like to see! They are encouraging groups to do this sort of thing.
There is more news. Our historic downtown has been making some nice strides forward!!! Across the street from the theater is a new donut shop that sells out almost daily (people rave about the bacon maple donuts) and a new sweet shop called Grandpa Joe's Candy that has long lines of people purchasing some of their special and clever treats. And here is one more thing, the city is spending $300,000 on improvements to the park area around the outdoor stage including a new street entrance. It will be done by June.
Yes, we are on a well publicized schedule (it was printed months ago) for August 27th.
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Yes, we are on a well publicized schedule (it was printed months ago) for August 27th.
Is this not a change from the traditional 2nd to last Saturday of August? My calendar is updated.
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It has been the fourth Saturday in August.
I found this on the miamisburg activity page. They used something I wrote a number of years ago but I appreciate them highlighting our event:
http://exploremiamisburg.com/category/events/august/page/2/
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There is a stage at the new theater and even a piano (in case anyone wants me to accompany them with some tickling of the ivories). The stage is actually very nice and very large. There could be some big possibilities with this!
Maybe spintop Nats one year? ;)