Dayton Most Metro

Things to do in Dayton | Restaurants, Theatre, Music and More

Bill Franz

Dayton at Work and Play: Russian Spy George Koval

By

A Russian spy once lived on this block in the Dayton View Historic District. I read about it in the new book “Hidden History of Dayton Ohio” by Tony Kroeger.
George Koval was born in Iowa but moved to Russia for several years. He was trained in the 1930’s by the GRU, the Russian Military Intelligence Agency. This group has a long history of spying in the U.S. and ran illegal operations here in both the 2016 and the 2020 presidential elections.
Koval moved back to the U.S. in 1940 and was drafted into the U.S. Army. He was eventually assigned to the Manhattan Project and moved to this block in Dayton in 1945. In Dayton he worked in a top secret lab that eventually learned how to make polonium and how to use it to detonate an atomic bomb.
The U. S. thought Russia was far behind America in atom bomb technology, but thanks to Koval and a few other spies they quickly caught up. The Russians surprised the world when they had their first atom bomb test in 1949.
After the war, Koval told friends he was leaving on a European vacation. He never returned to America and died in Russia in 2006. His Dayton spy project became public knowledge in 2007 when Putin awarded him a posthumous title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Dayton at Work and Play: Couple of Quinns

By

Laurie and Brian Quinn, known on facebook as Couple Of Quinns

The Quinns are renovating this home in Dayton’s Grafton Hill neighborhood. They’ve also been investigating the house’s history and learned that it was once the home of a French teacher who had a beloved dog named Iris. When the dog passed away the teacher planted irises in the back yard that still bloom every year. The couple are sharing video of their project on a youtube channel called Couple of Quinns. Every Friday they issue a new episode where they show viewers the week’s progress.
Check it out:

The house will be open for a tour soon. Follow their facebook page to make sure you don’t miss it.

Dayton at Work and Play: Bridget Walker

By

Bridget Walker at Sweets Boutique Bakery & Cafe in Xenia. When I first visited the shop Bridget told me a bit abut how she came to be in business.


“I started baking cakes for people when we were stationed in England. The families of some of the airmen on base didn’t like English baked goods, so I started baking and selling birthday cakes. Personally, I liked some of the English baked goods, and I often sell hot cross buns here.”

“When we returned to the U.S. I baked cakes out of my home. The business grew, and I needed more space, so I opened Sweets Boutique (28 East Second Street in Xenia).”

Operating during the pandemic has been tough, but I understand that her sale of boxed lunches has boomed. People get a cookie and some fresh baked bread with each lunch

Sweets Boutique
Bakery & Cafe

28 E 2nd St Xenia, OH 45385
937- 372-2224
Tues 11am – 5pm
Wed – Sat 11am -2pm 

Dayton at Work and Play: Foremost Seafood

By

This colorful store is Foremost Seafood LTD (1904 Woodman Center Drive). It’s a locally owned business that was started 35 years ago by Tom and Pam Patterson. Tom is a marine biologist who grew up in Dayton.
Their main business has always been supplying fresh seafood to Dayton’s better restaurants. They also sell a small amount to consumers, and we’ve bought our seafood there for years. Their restaurant business probably dropped sharply during Covid, but sales to consumers must be up because the store’s been busy whenever I stop by.
When you walk up to the front desk, they have a list of fresh fish with prices, and there’s a chalk board that shows what fish have already sold out. Then you order exactly what you want. You can choose skin-on or skin-off, and maybe a thick center cut. Only then do they pull the fish out of its refrigerated dark space and cut it for you.
I like the sign over their door that reads “May the World be Your Oyster.”

Dayton at Work and Play: St. Paul United Methodist Church of Dayton Pantry

By

Two of my neighbors volunteer each week at the pantry at St. Paul United Methodist Church of Dayton in the Huffman Historic District. Since this is Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week, I thought I’d tag along and take some photos.

The pantry is in the church basement. After I helped this customer get her food up the stairs, she posed for me and told me about the pantry.


“I used to walk into the pantry and “shop” for my own food. Now, because of Covid, I stand in the doorway and call for Cora. Then she brings bags of food for me. The first time you come you need to bring an ID and proof of address, because this pantry is only for people who live in the 45403 zip code. I guess the Food Bank has other pantries that are for other zip codes.”

“The amount of food you get is according to the size of your family. Our family is three people – me and my husband and our son. We get 6 cans of vegetables, 4 cans of fruit, 3 cans of meat, a box of cereal, a loaf of bread and some other things. I can come here once a month. It’s been a big help.”

Dayton at Work and Play: House of Bread

By

The House of Bread has been serving meals since 1983. They serve a hot lunch 365 days a year. This photo was taken before the pandemic. Now they offer carry out lunches only.


You can help this organization by donating a frozen turkey this Sunday from 9am to 2pm. Just pull into their parking lot at 9 Orth Avenue and a (masked) volunteer will take the turkey from your car.   OR you can drop off turkeys to us any day between 830am-330pm.

We would love to have a big Thanksgiving meal with lots of family but that won’t happen this year. But we have a frozen turkey in our freezer that we will be dropping off at House of Bread this Sunday. It’s a way to share food with others even if we aren’t all at the same table.

House of Bread

9 Orth Ave
Dayton, OH 45402-6422
(937) 226-1520
Current Wish List:
Cooler weather is here!   Our guests can use:
Blankets
Heavy Gloves for children, men and women
Boots/heavy shoes — especially mens sizes 9 thru 12
Bus passes
Gas gift cards, such as BP, Speedway
Hooded sweatshirts or pullovers in sizes XL and XXL 

Food Items
COFFEE – any type, ground or whole bean
Hot Sauce — our most requested condiment!
Creamed soups
Spaghetti sauce
Vegetable oil
Butter or margarine sticks
White Sugar
Coffee and hot chocolate

Hygiene Items for Guests
Razors and shaving cream
Chapstick
Toilet paperChildren’s Items

Baby wipes and diapers, sizes 3 to 6
Stuffed animals— new please
Coloring books and reading books
Healthy portable snacks, such as goldfish or raisinsDonated items can be dropped off any day between 9am-2pm!   We are here until at least 4pm on weekdays.

Donation of perishable food items
If you are interested in donating food items that are frozen or need refrigeration, please call us at 937-239-8859 for specific guidelines on what we can accept.   While we certainly appreciate donations, we have to ensure food safety for our guests.

Dayton at Work and Play: Homefull Mobile Grocery

By

My grandparents ran a small country store where farmers could buy groceries. Eventually these stores went out of business because they couldn’t compete with the grocery store chains. Some people had trouble getting to the large stores, and Jewell Food Trucks filled part of this need.  Their drivers delivered to area farms and to towns that were too small to support a grocery store.

Now we have something similar happening locally. Grocery stores have moved out of many areas, creating what people call food deserts. Homefull, a local nonprofit that has been serving the area’s homeless for over 30 years, is addressing the food desert problem with a new Mobile Grocery, a grocery store on wheels.

It’s a custom built 42 foot Freightliner truck. The sides expand to provide shopping space. I took this photo at the Dakota Center which they visit every Thursday morning. If you’re downtown today you could see the truck at Sinclair Community College this afternoon from 3 to 5pm.  Check the schedule here.

Dayton at Work and Play: Hunger & Homeless Awareness Week

By

This is Hunger & Homeless Awareness Week. I’ve learned a bit about Dayton’s hunger issue since I’ve retired, by volunteering and by taking photos for several organizations that deal with hunger. But I don’t know much about the area’s organizations that help people when they are homeless. I asked Jessica Jenkins to help me learn a bit. Jessica (on right) is the county’s Manager of Housing and Homeless Solutions. She’s with co-worker Katherine Shanahan (center) and Intern Simbe Wilson.

 

Simbe showed me a book which she recommended – Evicted by Matthew Desmond. She is hosting a ZOOM event this Wednesday which is a community conversation on homelessness. It includes her interviews with people who are currently homeless. You can sign up for this event at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEuf-GqqDovHtcar1giJpdqhZnHZmZlzZna

Jessica told me that in 2019, the average person experiencing homelessness in Montgomery County spent 44 days in a shelter before moving to a better housing situation. Her group has put together what they call their 44 day challenge which is aimed at helping people like me increase their understanding of this issue. I signed up, and I’ll be getting a daily email for the next 44 days. If you want to join me, go to https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f054da5a822a4ff2-44daychallenge

Dayton at Work and Play: Simeon Oyeyremi

By

Simeon Oyeyemi is one of the artists participating in the exhibition “Unity: Creating a Better Tomorrow” sponsored by the United Way of the Greater Dayton Area.
Simeon tells me he has been an artist since he was still in preschool. In the late 80’s he lived in New York where he learned from three famous artists – Haring, Warhol and Basquiat. He met these people after he painted over graffiti by Keith Haring. Haring felt Simeon should learn Haring’s style before painting over his work, and the relationship was born.

Simeon is a graduate of Central State and has also studied at the Savannah College of Art and Design. He works out of a large studio in the building occupied by Central State West. Simeon works in several different styles, and will be exhibiting three very different pieces in the show.

“One piece is my drawing of Frederick Douglas” he told me. “Another piece is a 1/25 scale model cast iron truck on which I’ve painted graffiti. The third piece is part of a series I’m doing that relates to African art. My father is from Nigeria, and I’ve had a chance to visit there. The figures in this series relate to some of the art I saw in Africa.”

You can bid on Simeon’s work online starting August 26 at https://www.liveuniteddayton2020.org/.

Dayton at Work and Play: Erin Smith-Glenn

By

Erin Smith-Glenn is one of the artists participating in the exhibition “Unity: Creating a Better Tomorrow” sponsored by the United Way of the Greater Dayton Area. In this photo Erin is working in the studio where she teaches at Central State University. I asked Erin about the exhibition and about how she’s weathering the pandemic.

“I entered a painting in the exhibition inspired by my daughter. She’s a big fan of the Black Panther movie and her favorite character is Shuri, a princess of Wakanda. I started doing a painting of Shuri as a demonstration for my class, and fell in love with it.”

“The pandemic has been an interesting time for me as an artist. When I was told that Central State was shutting down, I saw that most people headed to the grocery store to stock up on food. I went to the art supply store and bought a lot. I went home and immediately went to work on a large piece and felt my stress going down as I worked. This has been a productive period for me, and a time of learning and growth.”

“Classes start again at Central State soon, and I’ve spent a lot of time getting ready. My art classes will be a combination of in person and online. When students are in the studio here I have things set up in a socially distanced way. Easels and supplies are labelled so we can keep track of which students use which items which can be important for contact tracing.”

You can bid on Erin’s work online starting August 26 at https://www.liveuniteddayton2020.org/.