Loveland, Ohio – Over the past few months, the community of Loveland has been flourishing with fun and exciting events! With all of the new restaurants popping up left and right as well as new business openings, and community charity events, the city of Loveland has turned into the place to be for both families and friends looking to spend quality time together.
President Cee Cee Collins and Program Director Meredith Taylor, of the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance, stopped by Loveland Magazine TV studios to let us in on what we can expect from the Chamber in regards to community events this month and in November! From forums on Effective Communication, a City Council Candidate Forum, to the Annual Awards Dinner for Loveland’s incredible businesses, there will be no shortage of community events to get involved in this Fall season! Check out my interview with the ladies of Loveland below!
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EDITOR’S NOTE AND CORRECTION: This article originally stated the wrong date for the November election. The correct date is November 5, 2019
Loveland, Ohio – There will be a City of Loveland Council Candidate Forum on Wednesday, October 16, at 7 PM at the Loveland Middle School Media Center.
The evening is a joint production of the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance and Loveland Magazine. The evening will be recorded and re-broadcast by LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV. If possible, it will be live-streamed on Loveland Magazine’s Facebook Page as was done in 2017.
The format will follow the same as in the past:
Candidates will each present for 2 minutes in the beginning to introduce themselves
Questions will be asked for 60 minutes allowing each candidate two minutes to reply or pass
After 60 minutes candidates will close with a 2 minute speech
Residents will be putting their questions into a “hat,” and all questions will be screened for duplication by a third party. We will ask as many of the questions as time allows in the 60 minutes.
The Little Miami River Chamber of Commerce Board Chairman has asked the Honorable Judge Brad Greenburg (Hamilton County Courthouse) to serve as the emcee.
The Chamber and Loveland Magazine feels it is important to allow the residents/voters to meet and ask questions before going to vote on November 5. We intend to provide the community with the opportunity to ask questions and make an informed choice when voting.
Loveland, Ohio (The Staycation Resort of Southwest Ohio)- I met Meredith Taylor and Mark Bersani on the most beautiful of sunny afternoons on the bank of our State and National Scenic and wild Little Miami River yesterday to ask them questions about the up-coming Loveland Frogman Race, but the conversation also turned to important topics of interest about two Loveland institutions. Mark and his wife Robin own Loveland Canoe & Kayak and Meredith is the Program Director of the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance.
Click the paddle to learn more about the Loveland Frogman Race and how you can register. Registration is filling up fast!
The Frogman Race is centered at Loveland Canoe & Kayak in Historic Downtown and Mark promises plenty of available parking in the civic lot adjacent to his business. You will be taken by bus into Warren County to canoe/kayak back to Loveland, and then bike the Loveland Bike Trail to Miami Township’s Riverview Park and sprint back again. Sprint if you can, however, Mark and Meredith say the event is more for fun than the competition of it. There is however plenty of pride and friendly home-grown competition in winning or beating your time from last year. Can you claim the title of “Top Frog”?
Individual spots (all of the kayaks have been reserved) for the 5 Mile Canoe/Kayak, 8 Mile Bike ride, and 5K Run have filled, but you can still register as a team and reserve a canoe.
Both Meredith and Mark were pretty coy in their answers when asked whether anyone would run into the famous Loveland Frog along the course, in or out of the river!
We also talked about wine tastings, morning mixers, the Chamber’s 300th member celebration, the Fall for Symmes Fall Festival, and the annual Chamber award banquet.
Mark shares the remaining dates on their river calendar if you still want to get on the scenic river this year and how he and Robin are hosting a large group of inner-city youth on the river immediately after the finish of the Frogman Race.
PHEW! That’s a lot of good information. I hope you enjoy our conversation.
Symmes Township, Ohio – Cassie Mattia went to Symmes Park yesterday afternoon and interviewed CeeCee Collins and Meredith Taylor with the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance to find out all they have planned for celebrating the 4th of July Holiday – Firecracker Festival, Car Show, Touch a Truck 2019, and Food Truck Rally.
CeeCee and Meredith Told Cassie about all of the fun things they have in store to kick-off the holiday; the entertainment they will have on stage, the children’s activities, and the food and drinks. They also told her a little about what it takes to pull off an event of this size.
At the end of the video, Cassie, Meredith, and Josh Badzik gave the carnival’s Fun Slide a try. Cassie may have needed some water on it or burlap to sit on, but see who won the challenge!
The Firecracker Festival begins at 4 PM on Friday. and will feature live music on stage, a family friendly area for children including rides, a variety of food and vendor booths, beverages, and much more. They will also have their second annual car show and food truck rally.
Be sure to attend the Fireworks show at dusk on Saturday night!
Cassie Mattia is a resident of Historic Downtown Loveland
by Cassie Mattia
Loveland, Ohio – Who wouldn’t want to learn about a community built on “Love?” Loveland’s Clerk of Courts, Misty Cheshire, and Loveland U Director, Ray Kingsbury, joined Loveland Magazine at the Loveland Magazine TV studio to talk about the program that Mayor Kathy Bailey said, “City Council is committed to finding ways to help our residents understand the decisions we make, become more involved, and connect with the community; this program accomplishes all these goals and more.”
In this interview, you can meet Ray and Misty and understand what they love about Loveland.
Loveland U will be an interactive adult learning environment with minimal lecture time that focuses on finding ways to help Loveland residents understand obtain first-hand knowledge and provide valuable input and feedback into the issues, plans, and activities of the Loveland community.
Loveland U’s purpose is to provide a way for residents to become more involved and connect with the community.
Spots for the Loveland U experience are limited! Check out the interview with Cheshire and Kingsbury to find out how you can secure your Loveland U spot! Oh and don’t worry the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance, thanks to an anonymous, but very generous person is giving out scholarships for those who want to participate in the Loveland U experience, but need a sponsor to take on their 99 dollar participation fee – a fee that offsets the cost associated with the materials and meals for the sessions. After viewing the interview if this is something you’re interested in, email info@lmrchamberalliance.org or call 513-683-1544.
For everyone else:
If you have any questions, contact, Ray Kingsbury, Loveland U Director, at rkingsbury@lovelandoh.gov, or by phone 513-774-3090.
The City of Loveland, along with partners, Little Miami Conservancy, Loveland City Schools, Loveland Stage Company, and Loveland Museum Center have joined forces to launch Loveland U.Limited to just 25 participants, Loveland U will utilize an interactive adult learning environment with minimal lecture time.
Thursday, September 12Restoring Loveland’s Front Porchatthe Loveland Museum Center
Saturday, September 21 Navigating Our National Wild and Scenic River & Riverfront Developmentwith Little Miami Conservancy
Wednesday, September 25 Joining the Loveland Stage Company for A Peek Behind the Curtain at the Loveland Stage Company
Thursday, October 3 Connecting with the Loveland-Symmes Fire Department to Feel the Heat
Thursday, October 10 Discovering A Citizen’s Role in the Downtown Plan
Thursday, October 17 Diving into NIMBYs, CAVE people and Financial Reckoning
Wednesday, October 23 Painting Our Portrait of a Tigerwith Loveland City Schools
Wednesday, October 30 Standing Behind the Badgewith the Loveland Police Department
Saturday, November 9 Proceeding with Caution – Work in Progress!with Loveland Public Works
Thursday, November 14 Celebrating your journey at Loveland U Graduation…Lovin Life
21 LEAAD Youth Ambassadors from Loveland, led by program coordinator Katie Sedziol (on the left), attended the 2019 We Are The Majority Rally in Columbus on April 30.
Thousands of teens from across the state come together to celebrate their drug-free lifestyle
Columbus, Ohio – On Tuesday, April 30, 21 LEAAD (Loveland Educating Against Alcohol and Drugs) youth ambassadors from Loveland City Schools embarked on their first trip to the “We Are The Majority Rally” in Columbus, Ohio. There they met more than 2,000 other teens from across Ohio to celebrate that the majority of youth in the state are choosing to stay drug and alcohol free. The day was full of events to shine a light on the fact that youth in Ohio are promoting mental health wellness and leading the way in alcohol and drug prevention efforts. The event, organized by the nonprofit “Prevention Action Alliance,” included a performance and testimony from the local Columbus band Pray for Sleep. In addition, Governor Mike DeWine spoke to the youth about the importance of the hard work within the prevention realm they are facilitating in their communities.
The vision of LEAAD, a coalition with members that include Loveland City Schools, the NEST Community Learning Center, Hope Restored, Little Miami River Chamber Alliance, the Loveland-Symmes Fire Department and many more, is to provide students with direction, education and awareness of healthy life choices in a positive environment, and support children and families in prevention and intervention strategies through community and school activities based on best practices research, data and policy.
“They’re making our community a better place to live”
“The coalition is beyond thankful to the youth ambassadors for leading the charge on prevention efforts in the community of Loveland,” said Katie Sedziol, LEAAD program coordinator. “They’re making our community a better place to live, grow and learn. We hope that this rally marks the first of many future trips to Columbus in the years to come to celebrate that youth are an integral piece of the drug prevention efforts in Loveland.”
For more information about LEAAD and how to join the coalition, please contact Katie Sedziol at sedzioka@lovelandschools.org. All adults and youth are welcome.
Students congratulated by Superintendent Dr. Amy Crouse at
Chamber’s annual Valentine Breakfast
Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland City School District announced congratulations to all the winners of the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance 2019 Valentine’s Day Poetry Contest. The student-authors were honored at the Chamber’s annual Valentine Breakfast, held at Tano Bistro in Historic Downtown Loveland. The winning students included:
Amalie Lyke, Loveland Early Childhood Center
Thomas Stapleton, Loveland Primary School
Natalie Niese, Loveland Elementary School
Caroline Lorio, Loveland Intermediate School
Lexi Duff, Loveland High School
The Chamber’s annual Valentine program kicked off in early January, with Dr. Kathryn Lorenz – longtime member of the Loveland Board of Education – serving as the 2019 Valentine Lady. During the first two weeks of February, Dr. Lorenz visited with hundreds of students in their classrooms and media centers at Loveland Early Childhood Center, Loveland Primary School and Loveland Elementary School.
“I am so impressed with the care and kindness expressed by our youngest Tigers,” said Dr. Lorenz. “When I asked what they associate with Valentine’s Day, they mentioned love, family and friends – candy appeared much further down the list! Our Tigers are true sweethearts.”
Students making hearts in the Loveland Primary School classroom of Brooke Hobson.
AP Environmental students trying on waders for the first time in preparation for a water quality study field trip.
District recognized for impact on students and community through
environmental sciences coursework
Loveland, Ohio –The Loveland City School District, through the nomination of Advanced Placement (AP) Environmental Sciences Teacher Amy Aspenwall, has earned the Sustainability Award by the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance. The award recognizes the district and Aspenwall for her work with students, and the devotion to developing environmental leadership for the future.
“It’s an honor to be recognized for work that means so much to me and my colleagues at Loveland,” said Aspenwall. “We promote sustainability by developing environmentally educated and responsible leaders, and are committed to continuing to create programs that heighten awareness not just for our students at school, but for them as Loveland citizens and stewards of our world.”
The AP Environmental Sciences course at Loveland offers authentic, hands-on opportunities for students to understand water quality and biodiversity, consumer habitat design, and the impact of a population that shifts the needs and municipalities of the community. Students examine solutions to various environmental issues and are empowered to develop new ways to solve problems. Loveland Schools has a long-established, integrated recycling program, but the course work now offered helps develop a greater understanding of consumer goods, product development, and the power to choose sustainable methods. Students track their carbon footprint in the areas of food and fuel consumption, waste generation, and water and electricity use, and learn about ways that small changes can have a large impact for the benefit of the environment.
The AP Environmental Sciences course was implemented at Loveland High School (LHS) in the fall of 2016, resulting in a perfect 100 percent CollegeBoard passage rate in 2017. The program has doubled in size every year since its inception and is now filled to capacity until new sections can be added. Many students who completed the course have gone on to major or minor in environmental studies in college.
“APES challenged the typical AP class by making students think in a different way,” said Maddie Craft, a 2017 LHS graduate. “I’m about two years out of the class now, and I can still see how the topics that we discussed impact not only me personally but the world around me. I am going into Logistics Management and one of my goals in my career is to help build a more sustainable supply chain. This really stems from things that I learned in APES and the values that the class made me realize I have.”
Loveland Sweets is a purveyor of hand-crafted chocolates, caramels, marshmallows, and ice creams. Our house-made candies are prepared in small batches.
I recently sat down with CeeCee Collins at her new office in the West Loveland Historic District to talk about their move, the Chamber expansion, her background, and to find out exactly what they do.
Cassia Mattia is a resident of the Downtown Historic District in Loveland, Ohio.
Loveland, Ohio – What would Historic Downtown Loveland be without the Little Miami Bike Trail, the 4th of July Firecracker Festival, the Loveland Valentine program, the authentic family-owned restaurants, and the unique assortment of small businesses scattered across the town? There’s one group of people that many locals don’t realize aid in making Loveland such a special place to live and visit. That group is the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance.
In 1969 The Little Miami River Chamber Alliance, then known as “The Businessmen’s Association,” was founded and began their journey with one goal in mind, to devote themselves to the civic and economic development of Loveland. The civic organization planned on doing this by simply supporting the business community with “member investor benefits”. Fast forward to the present day that simple concept led to an expansion beyond anyone’s wildest dreams, especially current LMR Chamber Alliance President CeeCee Collins.
LMR Chamber Alliance President CeeCee Collins
“Our mission in creating and now expanding the chamber has always been to help businesses succeed. We serve as the leading advocate for businesses in Loveland, Symmes Township, and Miami Township. We have gone from at the beginning having 38 businesses to now serving over 300. It has been so much fun to watch our community expand and small businesses succeed,” Collins said, “With 83 percent of our businesses being small businesses we place a huge focus on helping them connect to the consumer and other businesses through our business directory listings in an annual magazine, our networking events, and through offering free listings on our website.”
So how did current LMR Chamber Alliance President CeeCee Collins become involved in creating such a successful, tight-knit community of businesses?
“About 21 years ago my family and I moved back to the Cincinnati area. I went to Xavier University. I worked part-time for the Blue Ash YMCA and at the time Loveland was exploring the idea of opening a YMCA. Through that, I was exploring development and fundraising. They asked me to take the lead, so that’s how I got to know all the folks of Loveland and started to get really involved in the community. I got a fulltime job once my kids got older at Ohio Valley Voices in Miami Township. It’s a school for deaf children and we would teach them to speak. I did all the community marketing for them,” Collins said, “The Chamber job became vacant after I had worked 5 years for Ohio Valley Voices and I thought it might be the next step for me. Being so passionate about the Loveland area and the people here I knew the job would be a great fit for me and that I would be great at it!”
The Expansion
“In 2016 we explored the idea of expanding. We talked to Symmes and Miami townships and they were on board, so we changed the name to Little Miami River Chamber Alliance because the river goes through in all three places,” Collins explained, “We were in John Hill’s Construction Building in the downtown Historic District, but after expanding we found ourselves doing more events and it was getting tighter and tighter with all our event supplies, so we moved into a new building on West Loveland Avenue on the other side of the river in the West Loveland Historic District, partly because of space. We also realized that moving into a new building would give someone else the opportunity to open a new retail space in the Downtown Historic District. Our new building also gives us the opportunity to rent out our upstairs rooms for business owners who need some office space, which would include utilities, kitchen use, wi-fi, air conditioning, heat, and free parking for only 250 to 300 dollars. The building was built in 1905 and really has beautiful bones. There’s an old fashion telephone in the kitchen, there’s a place to put coal to warm the house, and I also noticed the registers are ancient,” Collins added.
With the addition of new business members into the Chamber, like Magnolia’s and older Chamber business members growing at such a rapid rate, like The Loveland Symmes Fire Department, Loveland City School District and Eads Hardware, the LMR Chamber is constantly planning events and looking for new event ideas to represent their 300 business members.
Planning Events
“There is a formula for planning events. If we do an event it has to be for a purpose. Everything is well discussed and well researched. We talk to the two townships and the city and ask questions like, is this event a benefit to your businesses? Where do we want to put it? We then talk to the business owners about where we want to have the event. Our goal is to have people notice businesses they wouldn’t normally see,” Collins explained, “I also look for sponsorships for the event since we are a non-profit organization. We then get a committee of business owners together for the event and we talk about what will make the event successful. Lastly, we line up details.”
Collins said that these days she could put together an event pretty quickly, but with the expansion of the Chamber and all of the new events popping up that they have never done before planning an event could take 3 to 4 months.
“With our events, our goals are to bring awareness to the areas we serve, provide opportunities for the businesses, and help them explore the market and decide if they want to be in it. Not to mention the events also allow us to keep our doors open and to be quite honest they are just fun,” Collins said.
Some of the biggest events that bring in the largest crowds, according to Collins, are the Fourth of July Firecracker Festival and The Food Truck Rally.
“Fourth of July is one of the biggest events because it’s such a tradition down here. The parade, the fireworks, the live music, the children’s activities. It’s such a festive atmosphere. The Food Truck Rally is really growing and it’s really becoming the kick off to summer,” Collins said, “Doug Portman also does some amazing events that bring a lot of people down to Loveland such as The Amazing Charity Race and The Halloween Edition Amazing Race, which this year’s theme is Loveland’s Little Vegas. It will be held on October 27th.”
With Fall right around the corner, there is no doubt that downtown Loveland will be more lively than ever with all of the new businesses popping up as well as the new events representing them.
“As Loveland takes off being a part of it has been such a pleasure. People want to get more involved so it’s been fun for us,” Collins said.
Loveland residents and visitors can expect an open house hosted by the LMR Chamber Alliance within the next few months showcasing their new home located at 425 W Loveland Ave. If you would like more information on the Chamber or have thoughts of becoming a member yourself you can find out more information on their Website, Facebook Page or by calling 513-683-1544.
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The Little Miami River Chamber Alliance is pleased to announce the Fifth annual Loveland Food Truck Rally to be held on Saturday, May 12, 2018 from 3-10 PM at the Shopper’s Haven Plaza (675 Loveland-Madeira Rd.).
The event includes:
Food options from more than 25 food trucks offering something for everyone’s taste!
Children’s area including inflatables, face painting, and more (all for free!)
Live Music and Entertainment: Split the Pot to benefit the Loveland High School Girls Soccer State Champions as they exchange in a meet up game against Kentucky State Girls High Champions.
Beverages for sale to include craft beer, wine, water, soda
Schedule:
3 PM: Event Begins
3:30: PM: Local tumbling and dance group performances
5 PM: Mark Hayden Band
7 PM: The Counting Skeletons
This is a free event and food pricing is $5-$7 per item.
Parking is available at the Loveland Primary School across the street. Bring your folding chairs and stay awhile for the all the fun and entertainment!
View These Loveland Magazine Photos from Last Year’s Food Truck Rally
“We estimate 7,000-8,000 in attendance throughout the day,” said CeeCee Collins, the President of the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance. She was speaking about the chamber’s 4th Annual Loveland Food Truck Rally held last Saturday at Shoppers Haven Plaza on Loveland-Madeira Road.
“The Loveland Food Truck Rally was blessed with great weather! We had a record high crowd this year. It was so fun to see all different age groups of the community out having a good time! I think pretty much everyone came through for some foodie fun from one of the 22 Food Trucks on site. We owe a special thank you to all of our sponsors and Oikos Church for organizing and running the children’s zone! It was a great time by all with Spring Masters Tumbling, Pro Martial Arts, The Mark Hayden Band and The Counting Skeleton’s all performing on stage!”
by Cassie Mattia
![[Video Interview] Loveland Frogman Race](https://lovelandmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/My-Movie-1.jpg)
Both Meredith and Mark were pretty coy in their answers when asked whether anyone would run into the famous Loveland Frog along the course, in or out of the river!
![[Interview with Chamber] Everything you need to know about the Firecracker Festival, Touch a Truck, Food Truck Rally, and Car Show](https://lovelandmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/maxresdefault-16.jpg)
With the addition of new business members into the Chamber, like Magnolia’s and older Chamber business members growing at such a rapid rate, like The Loveland Symmes Fire Department, Loveland City School District and Eads Hardware, the LMR Chamber is constantly planning events and looking for new event ideas to represent their 300 business members.
“With our events, our goals are to bring awareness to the areas we serve, provide opportunities for the businesses, and help them explore the market and decide if they want to be in it. Not to mention the events also allow us to keep our doors open and to be quite honest they are just fun,” Collins said.
With Fall right around the corner, there is no doubt that downtown Loveland will be more lively than ever with all of the new businesses popping up as well as the new events representing them.
