Loveland, Ohio – Each year the Loveland Stage Company recognizes a graduating high school student with its Creative Arts Scholarship.
The Loveland Stage Company is offering a scholarship again this year in the amount of $1000. In order to qualify for the scholarship, the graduating student must reside in the Loveland City School District, attend Loveland High School, or be an offspring of a Loveland Stage Company member. This scholarship is intended to be used toward college or university tuition, room and board, or books.
The Loveland Stage Company wishes to encourage and support young local talent. Therefore, prospective applicants must be planning to further their education in the Creative Arts. Qualifying areas of study include, but are not limited to: art, music, theater, photography, film, dance, and majors that support these studies. Students are asked to submit examples of their talent in their chosen field and a high school transcript demonstrating the ability to succeed academically as part of the application process.
Applications are available on the Loveland Stage Company website and are due no later than Sunday March 14.
Loveland, Ohio – Julie Dunn the administrative assistant in the board of education office asked Loveland Magazine to share this information to the broader community.
The Board of Education is seeking input from staff, families and the community on their “commitments for the 2021-2022 school year”.
Dunn asks that you please review the current LCSD Board Commitments (below) and provide feedback through answering the questions. The survey will remain open until Wednesday, January 20 at 9 AM.
Loveland, Ohio – Join for a BED (Books Engaging Discussion) Time book talk centering on diverse characters and underrepresented experiences. Co-sponsored by the Loveland Diversity Advisory Board and the Library.
In this creative non-fiction story, Sonia and her friends plant a garden, and each one contributes in his or her own special way, in a book that celebrates the many differences among humans. In this warm and inclusive story by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, inspired by her own childhood diagnosis of diabetes, readers join along as differently abled kids use their strengths to work together and learn about each other.
I’ll Walk With You by Carol Lynn Pearson
Help little ones learn to show love for the people around them, no matter how they look, sound, pray, love, or think. Beloved author of The Lesson and Will You Still Be My Daughter, Carol Lynn Pearson is known for her heartfelt, sometimes tear-jerking poetry and stories. Her newest title, illustrating her popular song written for children in 1987, will enchant children with a sweet, tender poem about loving and accepting others, no matter what they look like, where they come from, or what their age and abilities are. Carol Lynn Pearson is the author of more than forty books and plays, including Goodbye, I Love You and I’ll Always Be Your Daughter She has been a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show,” and “Good Morning, America,” and was featured in People Magazine. She lives in Walnut Creek, California.”
Few leaves are still falling off trees and down the ever-running water of the National Wild and Scenic Little Miami River, where they float through five counties and 111 miles of southwest Ohio, into the Ohio River and toward the Mississippi before eventually finding their way into the Gulf of Mexico. Today, these 111 miles of Little Miami River are the cleanest that they have been in the last 40 years, and as the world may seem largely disconnected due to the coronavirus pandemic, a connection between people over time is helping to create the river’s lasting sustainability.
Since the end of the last Ice Age before this land was known as America, humans have lived along the Little Miami River and enjoyed the resources it provides — drinking the water alongside its banks while hunting for fish within, using the clay to build pottery or structures, and floating on the surface in kayaks or canoes like the leaves still do today. In that time, the river has seen many seasons of change, from shifts in human culture alongside its banks through community development to biological diversities in its rich, natural environment, according to the Little Miami Ecology and History report.
When the Little Miami was designated as Ohio’s first State Scenic River and included in the National Wild and Scenic River System in 1973, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, locals had already been active in its conservation and return to sustainability for more than half a decade. The Little Miami Conservancy (LMC), a non-profit organization fueled by passion for the protection of the river, led the effort in Washington to recognize the importance of protecting the Little Miami River as not only a local hidden gem, but as a national treasure.
The lower section of the river runs right through the heart of Loveland, Ohio, where LMC and its current executive director, Eric Partee, is based. Partee’s passion roots from the original director of the conservancy, Glenn Thompson, who in 1967 embodied the idea that their effort isn’t about one single person, but rather about everyone coming together to save the river.
“Someday, a corridor of green will stretch from one end of the river to the other. Individuals and families will enjoy peace and quiet and restoration of spirit that comes with clean water, birds, and trees,” a quote from Glenn Thompson that Partee believes the conservancy has lived up to.
Since its origin, the conservancy has worked with agencies like the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA), who records the condition of the Little Miami River every 10 years by sampling fish life. In the 1980s, only 4% of the Little Miami River was in full attainment of water quality health, but in recent years, the chart has flipped, and as of 2007, the river is at 96% attainment of health, according to OEPA research.
“As early as the turn of the century, this river was very well polluted. (There were) a lot of deformed fish, it was not anything close to exceptional,” Partee said in an interview. “It took a lot of discussion, a little bit of arm twisting, and some local funding to fund improvements to the sewage treatment plants to ratchet down on phosphorus, which was the main culprit … when we got the treatment plants to ratchet down on that, biology basically turned around on a dime —from terrible to exceptional.”
To make sure the river stays healthy, LMC introduced a set of equipment called YSI Water Quality Sondes, which monitor dissolved oxygen in nine locations throughout the length of the entire Little Miami, according to Partee. Each system monitors oxygen every 15 minutes, allowing for constant awareness of river health to prevent a reversion of quality. The conservancy also takes prides in their work on forest restoration through buying riverfront properties, planting trees, removing invasive species, and working collectively to clean up trash in the effort to grow closer to the initial goal of a corridor of green along the riverbank.
A short walk from the doors of the conservancy is the Loveland Canoe and Kayak Livery, owned by Mark and Robyn Bersani, which is just one of the many businesses along the Little Miami River that rely on its health as their main resource for income. The Bersanis work closely with the conservancy each year by offering and volunteering for cleanups as well as generous donations. This year, along with two other liveries including Rivers Edge and Scenic River, their combined donation to the Little Miami Conservancy’s effort was $56,000, according to Bersani.
“We’re involved from a grassroots portion, to actually helping with cleanups, to keeping an eye on the river, as well as donating and continuing to fund the good work that they do,” Bersani said in an interview. “It comes down to the people that live along the river, people that visit the river, the people in the community, if the river is going to stay clean. This river is very natural, it looks like it did 300 years ago … it is vital that the citizens all realize they have a role in this.”
Up the road at Loveland High School, Amy Aspenwall, an AP environmental science teacher teaches teenagers the importance of environmental awareness through hands-on experiences in places like the Little Miami River.
Perhaps half of the students attending Loveland High School cross over the Little Miami State and National Scenic Little Miami on their way to school each morning.
In an interview over Zoom, Aspenwall talked about the importance of students getting out into nature to actually see how humans fit in the environment, because “if you don’t see it, it’s really not your problem,” Aspenwall said. From understanding food waste to the water drinking system to sewer treatment facilities, her goal is to allow students the opportunity to realize a sense of civic responsibility.
“It’s important for students to start to think of themselves as a bigger picture rather than just someone following teacher instructions,” Aspenwall said. “I want them to start thinking on their own and realize how powerful they are as a consumer.”
Michelle Waller, an environmental specialist in the Division of Surface Water at OEPA, discussed the difficulties the river has faced through poor nutrients entering the river due to excess phosphorus from treatment plants and still faces through agricultural runoff from farms, in an interview over Zoom.
Waller said that placing phosphorus limits on the main stem’s water treatment plants in recent years proved to show major improvements in river nutrients after the OEPA performed sampling, but other negative sources are out of their reach. “We do not have authority over agriculture the way we do with what we call point sources, the treatment plants,” Waller said. “We try to work with local Soil and Water Conservation Districts, they try to get the word out about good farming practices … but there is no real regulatory authority which is a really big problem.”
The majority of land along the Little Miami River is agricultural, unlike other major rivers in Ohio that have industry running alongside their waters. And just like the branches of community that have come together to help preserve the river, many tributary streams and creeks branch out from the Little Miami, though those tributaries can be overlooked.
As most organizations, including the OEPA and LMC, focus their efforts on upholding the exceptional quality of the main stem of the Little Miami River, there is still work to be done in the tributaries. Partee talked about how there just isn’t enough time for LMC to visit every tributary and talk to every landowner. However, near Beaver Creek in Greene County, there is an organization called the Beaver Creek Wetlands Association, which has adopted that very issue. “I think that’s probably the best future for the watershed, to have local citizens dealing with multiple tributaries and try to restore or protect it,” said Partee.
Between the shared relationships of the Little Miami Conservancy, OEPA, local government officials, developers, landowners, non-profits, teachers, and local business owners, a community has come together and worked toward the common effort to make a positive, sustainable change in the health of the river.
The timelessness of the Little Miami River will carry on as long as its water continues to run. And as it always has been, it’s still up to the people alongside the riverbank to make sure that the water runs clean for generations to come. As the late author Nelson Henderson said, and Eric Partee paraphrased when we talked together, “The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.”
Loveland Magazine is in a holiday spirit because we were able to help keep local ARTSalive by lending our video equipment to the Stage Company for the recording of this show and being a year-round sponsor to make possible this production of:
2020 LSC Holiday Radio Show
By The Loveland Stage Company
Recorded: December 2, 2020 Released: December 11, 2020
Scroll to the bottom to watch the show!
Cast:
Becky Jones – Storytelling of A visit from St Nicholas Becky is thrilled to participate in the LSC holiday show! She is the music director at Christ Presbyterian Church, the assistant band director at Loveland high school and teaches flute clarinet and sax privately. She loves playing in pit orchestras around town for fun! When she isn’t teaching or playing, she spends time at her farm with her herd of dairy goats! She loves sharing the stage with her best buddy, Louie!
Louie Jones Louie loves the Loveland Stage Company! This is his second performance with the company and is honored to be here with his friends. He wants to thank Michael and Jill for this opportunity to develop his onstage persona! He also hopes everyone has a great howliday!
Caitlyn Sanderson – Story of The First Holiday without a Family Member Caitlyn is thrilled to be performing in her first radio show in LSC. She’s been with LSC for 4 years helping backstage, ushering shows, and going to Saturday’s Dance Class with Margie. She was recently in Gypsy as Agnes with LSC. She’s also involved with different theater groups such as Mason Community Players and Queen City Productions. When, she isn’t at the theater, she works full time as an Order Picker at The Hillman Group and spending time with her nephew and niece, Beau & June. She thanks her family and her co-workers for their support. Lastly, she would like to thank Michael & Jill, who allowed her to be part of the radio show. Caitlyn wants to dedicate the radio show to her Grandma Dolores who recently passed away last December.
Dave Marcus – Singing – Nothing But A Child Dave is currently Vice President of LSC. He has been in a number of LSC productions including, Guys and Dolls, Fiddler on the Roof, White Christmas, and The Producers. Dave has a love of Celtic music and plays the guitar, mandolin, 4-string banjo, and octave mandolin in several bands around Cincinnati. He would like to wish everyone Happy Holidays and to stay healthy during these trying times.
The Hubbard Family Band – playing/singing Christmas melodies. Arranged by Aiden Hubbard The Hubbard Family Band was first established in 2000 when Christopher and Melinda officially joined forces. They performed together at events around the country (mostly at the weddings of friends). In 2002, Aiden came singing into the world, and has never stopped. Gavin joined in at the end of 2004. In honor of these boys, the band recorded their first album – Lullabies That Will Hopefully Put Them To Sleep. But the band was not complete until 2007 when Mearen joined in. At age 5, Mearen overheard her parents say ‘All we need is a drummer!’ and she never looked back. In its current incarnation (Aiden – arranger, composer, vocals, electric ukulele; Gavin – saxophone; Mearen – percussion, vocals; Christopher – guitar, bass, voice of reason; Melinda – vocals, keyboard, videographer, general-keeping-it-togetherer), The Hubbard Family Band provided music and fun to family and friends via videos on Facebook during the pandemic shut down. We are thrilled to be at the Loveland Stage Company to share our love of music, family, and holidays with you.
Jazz McMullen – Singing O Holy Night Jazz is a Cincinnati Native and graduate of The School for Creative and Performing Arts, where he majored in Drama, Vocal Music and Musical Theatre. He is thrilled to continue his involvement with LSC in the Holiday Radio Show! Being no stranger to the stage, Jazz has appeared in such productions as; Dreamgirls (James “Thunder” Early), Parade (Newt Lee/Riley), Beauty and the Beast (Maurice), Little Shop of Horrors (Mushnik), The Whiz (Lion) and a host of others! “Give me your hands if we be friends and Robin shall restore amends.”
Jill Gornet – Announcer / Producer Jill is excited to be co-producing The LSC Holiday Radio Show. She was co-producer for Bugsy Malone, Jr., Don’t Drink the Water and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Jill won an Orchid as the producer of The Drowsy Chaperone. She was last seen on-stage at LSC in Memphis (Clara/ensemble), White Christmas (quintet/ensemble), Will Rogers Follies (quartet) and Fiddler on the Roof (Rifke/ensemble). Retired from USPS, she sings with Sharonville Chorus at retirement/assisted living homes. Jill would like to thank her family and friends for their love and support.
Micheal Harris-Kiser – Announcer / Director / Producer Micheal is a multiple award-winning director, actor, and set designer. Studying acting at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Micheal has pursued his passion for theatre in various fields. He is co-founder of Stage and Steel in Pittsburgh, PA. He has performed with many groups throughout the city. His set designs have graced many a stage. He serves as president for the LSC board, as well as secretary for The Greater Cincinnati ACT board. He is delighted to continue bringing LSC Radio to you.
Jenna Schroeder – Story of Mary’s Journey Jenna is a mom, writer, dancer and doula in Loveland. She enjoys participating in LSC’s productions whenever she gets a chance! Jenna is excited to share her rendition of the journey of Mary and Joseph during the holiday season with LSC’s radio program. Although it’s been a heavy year, she hopes her story will provide encouragement to everyone listening…that even out of hard places, beautiful things are born. She wishes you and yours, a very Merry Christmas!
Lily Schroeder – singing Silent Night (with Jenna) Lily is an actor, singer, and dancer who is in Loveland Show Choir. She loves to read any book she can get her hands on and is excited to sing “Silent Night” on LSC’s radio station! She hopes you enjoy and that you have a merry Christmas!
Mary Shumar – Story of My Memorable New Years Eve Mary’s love of theatre dates back to children’s theatre classes in Canton, Ohio. At Marquette University, Mary worked in the costume shop and made time to perform in student productions. Her favorite role was Lucy in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. As a “grownup,” Mary’s audience had been limited mostly to preschoolers, teacher trainees, and her three grandsons. Since moving to Loveland in 2018, she has enjoyed performing in both Mamma Mia and now the LSC Radio holiday show. It’s so much fun to be onstage and to spend time with theatre people! Mary wants to thank Micheal and Jill for assembling this happy group of performers to celebrate the holidays!
Susan Schapiro – Story of Juggling Two Holidays in the Family Susan is delighted to be performing in her 8th LSC show. After a 41-year break from musical theater, she has been thrilled to perform in many LSC musicals, from Anything Goes to A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, as well as in Eastside Players’ Mary Poppins, Oliver, and Into the Woods, in Footlighters’ Jekyll and Hyde, and most recently in Queen City Productions’ Titanic. This is her first and long-awaited experience with a radio show. A retired neonatologist, Susan also enjoys choral singing and is currently a member of the Forest-aires and Jubilant Singers. She thanks her family for their support, and trusts that everyone will love the 2020 LSC holiday show.
Crew:
Bob Kessler – Tech Director Bob works as both a Director of Photography in the regional video community, and as an artist at Kessler Studios, a Loveland-based stained glass and mosaic firm. Bob has served as the Lighting Chair for the Loveland Stage Company since 2013, and has volunteered as Lighting Director on many plays at LSC: Cole: An Entertainment, Memphis, 9 to 5, Jekyll & Hyde, Fiddler On The Roof, I Remember Mama, Oklahoma!, and The Producers.
John Nixon – Music Director John’s musical experience stretches over a wide range of styles and eras from directing a Renaissance choral group in his native England to performing and recording on digital electronic instruments for modern-day musicals. John has worked with many of Cincinnati’s community theater groups as music director and orchestra member and is the recipient of numerous Orchid awards at local, regional and state levels. He directed the music and vocals for “Miss Saigon”, “Anything Goes”, “The Producers” and “A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum” and most recently “Cole” for Loveland Stage Company.
Nancy Hartman-Downing – Photography Nancy has been Owner/President of Cleveland Specialties Company since 1986, which designs and manufactures paperboard and plastic packaging products for the food and dairy industry. Her experience is in administration, sales, accounting and computer technology. She holds a B.A. in Business Administration from Baldwin-Wallace College. She currently serves as President for Loveland Woman’s Club. Nancy has been involved with LSC since 2006 doing fundraising, photography, publicity, ticket sales, program ad sales, as well as serving on the Board of Directors as Treasurer. She enjoys working with such a talented group and looks forward to continuing her involvement into the future.
Donating to LSC
With your donation, Loveland Stage Company is able to provide quality theater and performing arts experiences for the greater Cincinnati community. Your donation allows us to make updates to our theater as well as produce some award winning theater. Even $1 dollar goes far to help us provide our audience and community with a great performance. The donations we receive go to our general fund, which supports the theater, including maintenance, licensing fees, technical upgrades, and productions.
Thank you for generosity and support of community theater.
Many companies offer matching grants for their employees participation in community theaters. Ask your company if they offer one. (For example, current or retired GE employees are eligible for the GE Foundation Matching Grant.)
Loveland, Ohio – The City of Loveland provides residents with an annual Christmas Tree removal service. The City makes it easy for you to get rid of those real trees with a curbside pickup.
Collection takes place from January 4 to January 15.
They ask that you please remove all decorations, lights, tree stands, and tree bags and place Christmas trees at your curb.
If you find this kind of information useful and valuable to your quality of life, please consider making a monetary contribution so that Loveland Magazine can continue providing you with up-to-date and timely news stories.
Loveland Magazine is FREE for everyone in our small hometown to read and we desperately want to keep it that way, especially in these hard times.
However, a news platform is very expensive to maintain and we hope, that if you are able, you will provide the support we need to keep local news flowing to ALL in the community – your neighbors that simply cannot afford to pay to keep informed about life in our community. We feel a vibrant community is one that is an enlightened community – please help us keep YOU and EVERYONE ELSE up to speed.
Miami Township, Ohio – Christmas tree recycling starts on December 26th and ends on January 31st. The drop-off locations are at Miami Meadows Park at 1546 State Route 131 and Paxton Ramsey Park at 6265 Price Rd.
Drop-off areas will be marked at the parks.
Call the Service Department at 248-3728 for more information.
Miami Township, Ohio – The Miami Township Police Department graduated 14 citizens from their Citizens Police Academy. This is the 25th class to graduate from the Academy since it was established in 1998. To date, over 385 citizens have completed the Academy.
The Citizens Police Academy is a ten week program that meets one evening per week and introduces students to different functions and components of the Police Department.
Upon completion of the Citizens Police Academy, graduates are invited to join the Alumni Association with members from previous academies. The Alumni Association is very active in Miami Township and Clermont County. Many of the events offered by Miami Township are successful due in part to the volunteerism of the Police Academy Alumni.
In a release to the community, the Township said, “Congratulations to the students of Session XXIV of the Miami Township Police Department Citizens Police Academy. We at Miami Township look forward to a very successful partnership for many years to come.”
For more information about the Citizens Police Academy, contact Lieutenant Ted Swain at 248-3721 or visit on web at MiamiTwpOH.gov.
People who hurt themselves or others often show warning signs before they carry out an act of violence. If you don’t know what to look for, it can be easy to miss the signs, or dismiss them as unimportant. Significantly, missing the signs can have tragic consequences. Notably, in 4 out of 5 school shootings, at least one other person had knowledge of the attacker’s plan but failed to report it.
Now more than ever, it’s essential to know the signs. Students and educators who participate in our Say Something program learn these life-saving warning signs. They’re taught to recognize signs and get help when their classmates show they may be in danger or need help. Warning signs can include things such as thoughts, feelings, actions, and behaviors. At-risk people can show significant or sudden changes in behavior or personality.
9 Critical Warning Signs of Violence
Here is our list of nine potential warning signs* that can signal an individual may be in crisis or need help:
1. Suddenly withdrawing from friends, family and activities (including online or via social media)
2. Making statements or engaging in behavior meant to intimidate or mock others based on real or perceived differences (including race, religion, sexual orientation, etc.)
3. Excessive irritability, lack of patience, or becoming angry quickly
4. Experiencing chronic loneliness or social isolation
5. Expressing persistent thoughts of harming themselves or someone else
6. Making direct threats toward a place, another person, or themselves
7. Bragging about access to guns or weapons
8. Recruiting accomplices or audiences for an attack
9. Directly expressing a threat as a plan
* NOTE: This isn’t a complete list of all warning signs. Exhibiting one of these signs doesn’t necessarily indicate imminent violence. When concerned about troubling behaviors, tell a trusted adult or call 911 if there is an immediate threat.
Watch Evan, Our Warning Signs PSA
How You Can Help Prevent Violence
Learn more about the signs and when and how to speak up with our Say Something program. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, programs are available at no-cost to middle and high schools nationwide.Get Started
Join with more than 5 million caring people like you who have made the promise to protect our kids. This is a Promise to truly honor the lives lost by turning our tragedy into a moment of transformation.
Loveland, Ohio – Reader Julie Fenton Elias writes with a request to get this word out to the community.
“Could you please post this on your FaceBook page to get the word out? I appreciate your help to get the word out into the community.” said Julie.
Anyone that needs hats, gloves and scarves may then visit one of the area’s Free Little Libraries to receive the free gift from the community.
The donations will be available in Tupperware located next to the little libraries, not on the property of the little library!
LOVELAND Friends: ‘Tis the season to make sure everyone in our community stays warm this winter,” said Julie.We are filling the free little libraries around town with hats, gloves & scarves for anyone that may need them. It’s a tough season for a lot of people, if you need something please stop by a little library!If you would like to add a donation, please feel free to stop by any of the little library boxes. Contactless donation!
Home of the Brave Park Nisbet Park Miami Riverview Park Symmes Park
Home of the Brave Park