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In the Community

Ark / In the Community

Storybrooke Cafe

I sat down with Natalie Lowry, owner of Storybrooke Cafe, this past week. Storybrooke Cafe is a small bookstore that serves coffee, cold drinks, teas, pastries, and some lunch items. They are located at 8381 North Main Street in Clayton, OH. They hold weekly special events that include themed weekends, book signings from local authors, and arts and crafts events for adults and children alike.

Storybrooke Cafe is so much more than the descriptions I can provide about it. It's a shop filled with magic and wonder for all ages. Some weeks they have makeup representatives on hand that can help transform your looks into something straight out of a story book. Other weeks they have adult painting parties or arts and crafts sessions for children. When you enter the cafe you are greeted with a smile, friendly hello from Natalie, the smell of pastries and coffee, and a castle. Storybrooke Cafe is a member of the local Northmont Chamber of Commerce and they are active in the community.

Everyone should stop in, check the place out, treat yourself to a pastry and beverage, and maybe the purchase of a book to transport yourself to another world.

For more information you can watch the video or find them on the web at: http://www.storybrookecafe.com/

Blog / In the Community / Marketing / Northmont Area Chamber of Commerce - 05/04/2017

Rapid Fired Pizza - Grand Opening

The Rapid Fired Pizza in Englewood had already been open a short time before their ribbon cutting ceremony. They were testing the waters of our area to see how our appetites fared for their pizza. Apparently we can't get enough of Rapid Fired Pizza! Their lines have been out the door since they opened attracting the hungry and the curious. Rapid Fired Pizza is built on the concept of excellent quality pizza in around three minutes. They offer an 11 inch thin or 9 inch pan. You can get a specialty pizza or build your own all for the same price.

I was fortunate to be able to talk to four of the founders of Rapid Fired Pizza to get a sense of what this new franchise meant for the Northmont area. I can attest to the good pizza as we tried several later that day. Give the video a watch to see what the founders have to say. They're community minded, nice gentlemen, who want to be successful in Englewood in order to keep jobs here.

Community Event / In the Community / Northmont Area Chamber of Commerce - 03/25/2017

Storybrooke Cafe - Belle's Enchanted Evening

There was nothing more magical that evening than being the guest of Storybrooke Café in Englewood, OH. The castle was all lit up to receive guests, sparkling lights hung from the ceiling, flower petals adorned the ground, and a red carpet was laid out to receive the Princesses. A table was laid out with food fit for royals and the reception just needed its guests.

All the Princesses knew they would be greeted by Belle upon their arrival. The big secret was the Beast. He was to be there as well.

This event was put on by Natalie Lowry, owner of the Storybrooke Café. Around a dozen little girls and their family attended this Beauty and the Beast themed event. It included photos with Belle and Beast, food, magical blue punch, lots of sugary treats, dancing, and a night these little girls would remember for a long time to come.

I volunteered to play the Beast for the evening. I already had the costume and figured it would be a nice surprise for the children who weren’t expecting me. I match the costume so to a bunch of kids I’m convincing. I got to hear all about how some of them saw our movie that weekend. I was assured by several little princesses that I, as the Beast, was their favorite part of the movie.

I dined on a few baby carrots to convince some of the little princesses that even the Beast ate his vegetables too. I answered all the questions only the Beast would know the answers to. Belle and I made magic together that night in the form of putting smiles onto children’s faces. I think some of that magic rubbed off on the adults too as I saw all of them smiling as well.

I had just as much fun as everyone else there did that night. I enjoy contributing to the laughter and happiness of children. Volunteering my time for another local business to support them is something I feel honored to be allowed to do. A special thank you to Natalie for allowing me the chance to help out. I look forward to being back at Storybrooke Café many more times in the future.

For more information on Storybrooke Café find them on the web HERE.

Community Event / In the Community / Northmont Area Chamber of Commerce - 03/22/2017

Keagan with the Miami Valley Young Marines

Miami Valley Young Marines - Open House

It would have been just another Wednesday for my wife and I had I not met Keagan Miller of the Miami Valley Young Marines at a Huber Heights Chamber of Commerce meeting. Keagan had invited us to attend one of their open houses. I had no idea what The Young Marines were so I accepted. The open house was this evening and Elizabeth and I had no idea what to expect.

The Young Marines are located at 6161 Chambersburg Rd in Huber Height in the basement of the St. Peter Catholic Church. When we arrived we found uniformed children in camouflage sporting a flag and standing in formation. It looked like a well behaved honor guard. It was certainly an impressive sight to see upon ones arrival.

In the basement we were directed to an area of tables where Keagan was busy giving a presentation via projector to a group of hopeful recruits and their parents. Young boys and girls sat there quietly, excited, watching the power point and listening to what was being said. I could feel their excitement at the idea of them becoming members. The Young Marines were offering them a chance to camp out survivor style, learn how to march, shoot pellet guns, and help out Veterans as some of what was being said. Keagan spoke in great detail about their Drug Reduction Program and Veteran aid programs.

The Young Marines program is not a recruitment program for the military in any such way. It’s more of a mixed gender Boy Scouts group meets ROTC stepped up a few notches. What the Young Marines program definitely provides is a way for youth, ages 8 to 18, to learn confidence building skills and self-reliance like no other program out there. Their boot camp is not a “scared straight” program like you see on television. Their program is designed to get the youth to learn and build up their own self-confidence through tough activities and by letting them make a visible impact in their own community. The Young Marines stresses to their members that the key to a productive and self-confident life is the absence of drugs from it. Oh, and be prepared for homework. The Young Marines sends their members home with homework as part of their training. Parents are expected to be involved in the training process as well by insuring that their workbooks and assignments get completed. Playing hooky isn’t much of an option either as the youths are expected to keep up and progress with their fellow members. While only allowing for missing a few days in a given period, I see this as a way to teach proper attendance and how to power through the tougher things in life to accomplish goals.

After sitting through Keagan’s presentation, along with speaking to Mr. Girard, I was ready to sign up myself. Elizabeth was equally as impressed with what this group has to offer youths. Since I’m too old for a yellow recruit shirt I offered to help keep an eye on the kids at the range instead.

Huber Heights Chamber of Commerce / In the Community - 03/12/2017