Bike champ bikes back to childhood

To some, turning 60 means it's time to take life at a leisurely pace. To Richard Simons, it signaled something more like the shot from a starter’s gun.

Time to go very, very fast.

“I never raced a bicycle before I was 60,” said the national and world masters cycling champion in his bike helmet and championship jersey, demonstrating one of his brakeless, gearless racing bikes.

An all-around athlete since he was young, Simons left competitive sports at the age of 50 after sustaining a number of injuries. He had always enjoyed cycling as a recreational sport but it wasn’t until he turned 60 that he considered the idea of competitive racing.

In the spring of ’94, at a friend’s suggestion, Simons — who was living in Oak Park, Ill., with his wife Louise — participated in a local cycling event featuring three races for three distances: 1 mile, 5 miles, and 10 miles. Much to Simons’ surprise, he won all three.

A week later he competed in the regional masters 10k race in the 60-64 age division. Although Simons lost, his time was only a few seconds behind the national champion. Invigorated by his showing, Simons started training for his next goal: the Illinois state championship in September ’94. He won his division, making him eligible to compete in the National Senior Games in Texas eight months later, where he took home two golds and two silvers.

Simons’ primary focus for the past eight years has been the 500 meters or 2,000 meters meaning races that last from approximately 40 seconds to under three minutes. “It’s like a sprinter in track,” he explained. “I’m a ‘miler’ or ‘100-yard-dash’ as opposed to a marathon.” In the last 14 years, Simons has won two world championships, eight Pan American Games championships, and 14 national championships.

The interview with the 74-year-old champ took place in his new home in Yellow Springs not far from Springfield, where he was born. Simons spent a great deal of time as a youth in YS, attracted to the Shakespeare plays put on by Antioch College in the ’50s and ’60s. He played in the Springfield Symphony and Antioch Orchestra, attended Ohio State University, directed the Antioch Chorus, and taught music at YS public schools from 1960 to 1964. He also taught music at Antioch College from ’67-’71. “One of the reasons I’m back here,” he said, referring to last year’s move, “is because I love Yellow Springs and I know so many people here. As far as I’m concerned, I’m home.”

While Simons continued to train and set records for his age group, Louise was sitting on the sidelines, quietly entering a competition of her own.

“Louise submitted my name to the Olympic committee for consideration to carry the Olympic torch for the 1996 Games,” said Simons, proudly showing off the commemorative torch, which hangs on a wall in their home.

“I wrote that even though he was 62 years old, he could keep up the pace,” said Louise. Overtaking competitors with her heartfelt prose and appeal to select her husband to represent the senior population, Louise came in with an impressive ranking of her own: out of 4,000 cycling applicants, only 400 were selected to carry the torch.

A total of 10,000 participants carried the flame across 42 states in 100 days for the 1996 Olympic Torch Relay prior to the games in Atlanta, Ga. “Some of the [legs of the race] were by people who were running, some by people with disabilities, but mostly it was athletes of distinction in one field or another,” said Simons.

A truck with the official flame followed relay participants throughout the 15,000-mile trek to ensure that the flame never went out. “Part of the time you’re holding the torch in the middle of a crowd and everybody wants a photo,” he said. “They all want to hold it, but that wasn’t permitted.”

The lit torch, made to withstand winds up to 80 mph, fit in a rack behind the rider on a specially designed bike. But what really impressed Simons was the motorcycle escort. “I loved that,” he said, recalling the thrill of a lifetime. “They were professional drivers from Tour de France so they knew how to handle crowds. They rode in a wedge in front of me.” The wedge created a draft that allowed Simons to cruise at a nice clip he never could have achieved before — 42 mph. “That was pure fun,” he laughed. “Helicopters overhead and highway patrol — I didn’t have to worry about anything. They weren’t going to let anything happen to the torch!”

Simons’ leg of the race began in West Lafayette, Ind., where he received the flame from a Special Olympics runner. “You could see him running down the road, the crowd celebrating,” he explained. Lighting his torch from the runner’s torch, Simons then biked 29 miles towards Indianapolis and passed the flame off to the next participant — another cyclist. “When it arrived in Atlanta in the stadium, the final person to light the fire was Mohammad Ali.”

After winning the 500 meters and 2,000 meters in the 70+ division in last year’s national championship, he continues to keep his eye on the next big race.

“It’s a hoot to come into this sport at age 60,” said Simons who competes in spite of five angioplasties, two cardiac arrhythmia surgeries, a pacemaker, and a total knee replacement. To hear his goal “to be the fastest person my age ever to ride a bicycle” one can easily imagine the young boy with Olympic dreams and a fondness for Shakespeare biking through Yellow Springs.

“I’ve been cycling all my life,” said Simons. “As a child I had this feeling of such freedom on a bike. If I wanted to go someplace, I didn’t have to ask somebody to take me. I could go anywhere, I could do anything.”

Originally published in the Yellow Springs News.

Susan Gartner is a freelance writer and photographer for the News.

Author speaks candidly on the courage to write

Author Ralph Keyes’ advice to aspiring writers is direct and no-nonsense:

“If you want to make a living in the usual sense of the word, don’t expect to do it from your writing,” he said in a recent interview. “You might as well become a professional gambler. It’s comparable.”

Keyes will speak on the highs and lows of life as a writer when he gives a free talk at Epic Book Shop & Mermaid Café on Saturday, Dec. 6, at 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.epicbookshop.com or call 767-7997.

With 14 published books behind him (and a 15th due in April), Keyes cautioned writers who dream of financial success and literary acclaim to consider their motives carefully.

“I’ve been writing [books] since 1970,” he said. “It’s a meager living unless you have a string of best sellers. Your prospects of making an adequate living are slim and none. If I had it to do over again I would find some other way to make a living and then write on the side. It’s just not a very lucrative thing to do unless you happen to hit some commercial success.” And commercial success, he added, is not a reliable indicator of one’s ability.

How does Keyes’ audience respond to him bursting their best-selling, book-writing balloon?

“College students hate it when I talk to them this way,” he admitted. “Their reaction is ‘Well, sez you! We’ll just see what happens once I’m out there.’ My response is, ‘Go for it. Prove me wrong. I hope you do. I’m just trying to be realistic in telling you what your odds are.’”

Keyes did not grow up dreaming of one day becoming a successful writer — a background that he feels saved him from being psychologically crushed by the industry. “If I send something out and it gets rejected, it hurts,” he admitted, “but the dream isn’t shattered because I didn’t have a dream in the first place. If it had turned out that I couldn’t be a writer, I would have found something else to do and enjoyed that.”

Keyes is equally grounded and realistic when discussing his celebrity-studded list of radio and tv interviews over the past thirty years. Appearances on Oprah, The Today Show, The Tonight Show (with Johnny Carson), and 20/20 along with NPR interviews with Robert Siegel, Noah Adams, and Terry Gross only feed his ambivalence about the media.

“On the one hand,” he said, “you know you need that kind of media attention to make people aware of your book. The most frustrating thing in the world is to write a book — and this has happened to me — and have it get so little publicity that nobody even knows you wrote the book. On the other hand, you don’t want to confuse the media attention with what you actually do. I want to be judged on the quality of my writing not the quality of my banter with Johnny Carson or Oprah Winfrey.”

Using himself as an example of what can go wrong, Keyes explained what happened when he pursued a deeply personal idea.

“I’m half Jewish,” he said, “and I wanted to write a book about it. I spent a lot of time researching it and writing up a detailed proposal. My agent sent the proposal out. One editor said, ‘I wished I’d gotten this a month ago because I just signed up this book.’” Keyes reached up and pulled out a book from a crowded bookshelf called The Half-Jewish Book. By somebody else.

“It happens all the time,” he said. “I hate to tell you how many unrealized projects there are. How many months and years of my life I’ve spent pursuing a subject that didn’t pan out. I learned a lot about my Jewish heritage by researching that one. I wanted to write a book on the underground railroad. I spent the better part of a year studying that topic. I learned a tremendous amount about race, about slavery. I’m just so grateful that I learned that even if I didn’t get to write the book.”

Early in his career, something happened to Keyes that few writers get to experience. His second book, Is There Life After High School?, was made into a Broadway musical.

“It was fascinating,” Keyes recalled, watching his material metamorphose into an entirely different medium. “I love what [the playwright and composer] did. They ‘got it’. The score especially is outstanding.” Twenty-five years later, the play is still being produced all over the world. “It was just recently produced in London, England,” he said. “There was a production in Marion, Ohio, and at Wright State. It’s been produced in Australia. Everybody can relate to it. Everybody went to high school.”

In 1992, he did his first book on misquotations — Nice Guys Finish Seventh: False Phrases, Spurious Sayings, and Familiar Misquotations. The Quote Verifier came out in 2005. I Love It When You Talk Retro will be out April ’09. ‘Retro talk,’ Keyes explained, is phrases like ‘double whammy,’ ‘98-pound weakling,’ ‘hoochie coochie’ — “anything that grows out of our past that may not be clear to younger people.” His 16th book, due out in 2010, is called Euphemania: How We Got from ‘Gosh Darn’ to ‘Collateral Damage’ and explores “the role euphemisms play in our social discourse.”

His book, The Courage to Write: How Writers Transcend Fear still sells steadily after 13 years and has become the go-to book for aspiring writers.

“My follow-up to The Courage to Write is called The Writer’s Book of Hope,” said the author, explaining that although he is realistic with his audience about the publishing industry, his focus is on nurturing the writing process. His message of hope acknowledges the revolutionary power of the internet.

“The internet has provided wonderful opportunities to publish in the broadest sense of the word,” said Keyes, brightly. “You don’t have to wait for some editor in New York to give you his or her blessing. You can just post your stuff tomorrow on a blog or a website. I don’t think there’s ever been a better time to be a writer so long as you don’t assume you’re going to make a living at it.”

A long-time board member of the Antioch Writer’s Workshop, Keyes will teach a class in personal essay and memoir at the workshop next summer.

Originally published in the Yellow Springs News.

Susan Gartner is a freelance writer and photographer for the News.

Starflower Foods is a natural fit

Irish Oatmeal Sprouted Wholegrain Cereal. Free-range chicken broth. Vegan Cherry Chocolate Bumble Bars. Prickly Pear Organic Energy Drink. Walnut oil. Flaxseed oil. Essential oils. Unfiltered. Biodegradable. Hypoallergenic. Chemical-free. Additive-free. Gluten-free.

Product labels like these along with the news that Starflower Natural Foods is open for business will be gentle on the ears of local health food fans. Located at 142 Dayton Street, the store will host their Grand Opening celebration this Friday-Sunday, Nov. 28-30. Celebration hours will be: Friday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. Call (937) 767-1888 for more information.

New store owner and manager Marnie Neumann has been in the health food business off and on for 20 years. “I know what it takes to make a good health food store,” she said as she prepared the shelves that will feature a fresh new stock of vitamins and supplements. “I eat this way. I take the remedies myself. I’ve been practicing homeopathy and taking herbs and supplements since my work in health food began. It keeps the doctor away. I really believe in it.”

Neumann, who has lived in Yellow Springs since 1989, previously worked at Springs Natural Foods (at the same location) and before that at the Organic Grocery (now home to Main Squeeze). “I actually helped to open [Springs Natural Foods],” she said, “so I know what’s involved. I know the customers and I’m familiar with the community.” In August, when she found out the owner was selling the store, Neumann, who had been store manager since 2005, heard destiny’s call. “I felt like I was the perfect person to do the job,” she said.

In addition to her local experience, Neumann’s background also includes bulk food manager for a health food store in Seattle. “I’ve always had an interest in natural remedies,” she explained. “I’m a big fan of simple, practical cures.” Her vision for the store is a bright, cheery space, fully stocked with natural foods, organic foods, homeopathic remedies, supplements and herbs, bulk foods, cleaning supplies, and health and beauty products. With a commitment to special requests and new stock arriving daily, she’s enjoying the chance to try out all the ideas she’s collected over the years. “Now that I’m owner,” she said, “I have the buying power to implement the changes I’ve always wanted to see.”

Neumann doesn’t mind the hard work that comes from starting her own business, which she sees as an investment in the community. Mindful of the gamble of taking on a new store venture during financially troubled times, she remains optimistic and grateful to the previous owner for giving her the opportunity to create her very own fruit juice-sweetened, non-toxic, additive-free dream store.

“It just seems like a natural fit for me.”

Originally published in the Yellow Springs News.

Susan Gartner is a freelance writer and photographer for the News.

Local sculptor goes from army men to army memorial

Casual observers of miniature wargaming often make the mistake of dismissing the recreational activity as simply “playing with toy soldiers.” To overlook the complex strategizing and chess-like maneuvers involved as one player tries to overtake an opponent’s army is to miss the hobby’s major appeal. Bolstered by an international following that attends weekly meet-ups and yearly conventions, wargaming enthusiasts take the ribbing all in stride. They know the mental calisthenics needed to absorb the voluminous rulebooks or memorize their opponent’s military tactics. While some gamers are attracted to galactic warfare between two science fiction armies, others enjoy the educational aspect of recreating an historically accurate Battle of Hastings or Spanish-American War.

Just the game-playing preparation alone draws the fan who spends less time in battle and more time painting the miniature figures and constructing the necessary terrain. How-to books and videos are available to those gamers who aren’t satisfied with just a tabletop grid or board that folds up like a Monopoly game. Serious gamers will spend serious hours creating elaborate, realistic-looking terrain to simulate a jungle, desert, or bombed out village (complete with smoldering tanks).

Yellow Springs Sculptor Behrle Hubbuch III can relate.

“My brother and I used to collect miniatures,” said Hubbuch during a recent interview in his art studio. “They’re super detailed and we would paint them up and have an army. The little people or monsters or spaceships or vehicles in a war game are what I sculpt.”

The sport has grown considerably since it began in the late 19th century. Some modern-day wargamers recall fond memories of playing Risk and Stratego. Measuring tape (to measure the distance armies are allowed to advance), dice, and taking turns are all part of the play. Elaborate rules determine when a gun, arrow, tank, or magic spell can be “fired” and a point system keeps either side from having an unfair advantage.

The sport has also created a side industry as evidenced by the stop-action animated videos available on YouTube. With playful movie titles like “Saving Plastic Ryan” or “The Battle For My Room,” it’s difficult to object to the pastime’s political incorrectness when “war” consists of plastic green army men battling Fisher Price civilians on the carpet in somebody’s livingroom.

“I built many plastic model kits as a child mainly focusing on WWII planes,” explained Hubbuch. With a father who was a dentist and oral surgeon in the United States Air Force, Hubbuch’s family moved from base to base, eventually ending up at Wright Patterson. He started drawing at an early age. “My interest in model building led me to sculpting,” he explained. “I started with ceramics then moved to casting metals. My father taught me casting since it’s an integral part of dentistry.”

The small scale castings led Hubbuch to study sculpture and jewelry-smithing in college. In addition to sculpting wargaming miniatures (his niche being sci-fi/fantasy), he also works at Johnson’s Fine Jewelry in Xenia doing custom jewelry design and repair work.

Hubbuch’s background proved fitting when he was commissioned last year to create the Glenview Freedom Memorial for Gallery Park in Glenview, Ill. — a life-size sculpture that would pay tribute to the U.S. military’s past, present, and future.

The dramatic change in scale from miniature to life-size did not present a problem to Hubbuch who regularly sculpts finely detailed figures in a range of sizes from ¾ of an inch to 12 inches tall.

“It’s just a question of measuring and scaling things up,” he said. “That aspect wasn’t all that difficult to wrap my brain around.”

Before immersing himself in the challenge of sculpting the life-sized figures, Hubbuch got together with Glenview committee members to discuss what they envisioned for the memorial. Committee members were comprised of the family and friends of two Glenview residents who had been killed in combat in Iraq. Together they decided on the look of the finished piece, which features a child and a soldier together.

Another element of the bronze sculpture was the recreation of a makeshift “Field Memorial” that the military uses to recognize a soldier killed in action: a rifle with a bayonet stuck vertically into a pile of sandbags, a pair of boots alongside the rifle, a helmet placed atop the rifle, and the soldier’s dog tags hanging off the rifle’s grip.

The most challenging aspect for Hubbuch ended up being what the figures represent. “I had a long time to think while I was sculpting it,” he said.

While the dedication speeches at the sculpture’s unveiling last month on the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 attacks focused on duty and honor, Hubbuch couldn’t help but see the figures in a different light. Having spent every day with the piece during the 14-month process, to him the figures represented sorrow and loss. An added emotional hook came from the fact that the model used for the soldier was his younger brother, Sgt. John Austin Hubbuch, who is currently stationed in Virginia and who served in Iraq.

“[The memorial] is two figures who are obviously devastated by the loss of a loved one — a comrade in the case of the soldier and a family member in the case of the child,” said Hubbuch. “They’re not celebrating war, they’re unhappy about the inevitable result of war: people get killed.”

Back home in Yellow Springs and back to his life crafting custom jewelry and fantasy figures, there hasn’t been much of a chance for Hubbuch to see the response to his sculpture — that is, except for dedication day.

“It gave me a chance to stand back and watch people,” he said, describing how some of the attendees at the ceremony cried as they moved closer to the sculpture to get a better look. “That’s what I was after,” he admitted. “I want people to weep.”

At the end of the playful YouTube video, “Army Men: Battle for the Piano,” a tongue-in-cheek disclaimer reads: “No Army men were hurt during the production of this video.”

If only real war was that innocent.

Originally published in the Yellow Springs News.

Susan Gartner is a freelance writer and photographer for the News.

Politics and popcorn mix at Little Art

In politics, timing can be everything: the right person with the right skills for the right job. This is also true for the independent documentary filmmaker.

“In 2004, I was working at the polls in South Florida as an Election Protection volunteer,” said Dorothy Fadiman during a recent phone interview from her home in Menlo Park, Calif.

“As we were being trained we were told that, in the early voting, people would try to vote for Kerry and [the electronic voting machine] would switch to Bush. Then we were told not to tell anybody, because knowing that might discourage them from voting.”

The same complaint continued throughout the day. Fadiman didn’t know if this odd occurrence was limited to just the precinct where she was working — until the next day when she got on the plane to go home.

“A number of us came from California and worked in parts of South Florida and everybody had similar stories,” she continued. “I decided at that point, the day after the election, to do a film about this phenomenon of vote switching. Even if it was only happening in South Florida, it was worth documenting.”

After hearing reports of voting machine irregularities happening all across the country, the Emmy-winning, Oscar-nominated filmmaker decided she would start filming in Youngstown, Ohio, where vote switching had also been the norm for voting day.

“They never pulled the machines out of service, even though this problem was being reported all day,” said Fadiman. “No mainstream paper in the country has ever reported this story. So I decided to make a movie.”

Fadiman’s 20th documentary — “Stealing America: Vote by Vote” — will play at the Little Art Theatre in a special screening on Sunday, Oct. 26, 7 p.m. Proceeds from the suggested donation of $5-10 will go to Miami County Neighbors for Change, a local grassroots activism group whose mission is to organize for long-term election reform.

Interest in the movie — and the subject — has gradually gained momentum over the course of filming. “When I first began to talk about this,” said Fadiman, “we were just a handful of people across the country. There weren’t really any organizations actively committed to this issue of election theft. There were just the beginnings of what has now grown into a nationwide movement for election reform.”

The response to her film has been surprising — and affirming.

“After a screening, the first reaction is a kind of sad gratitude because deep down, people actually do want to know the truth,” said Fadiman. “It’s difficult to completely ignore or deny what seem to be ‘glitches’ have actually changed election results. Then a lot of repressed anger comes out with the realization that these election results may not be accurate. And then there’s a feeling of ‘What can I do?’”

To address that question, Fadiman and her film team spent months compiling information for the “take action” section of her website, www.stealingamericathemovie.org.

“In my opinion, the only truly safe, secure way to vote is hand-counted paper ballots in the precinct, on the night of the election, with bipartisan observers. If any of those things are missing in this process, you have the potential for trouble.” Fadiman has an absentee ballot. “I’m going to vote on paper and then hand-deliver it to the poll where I’m to vote.”

“Stealing America: Vote by Vote” will be free to view and download at the website beginning Oct. 21. It will also air on the YS public access station, Channel 5, on Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 2, 6, 10 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 26 at 2, 10 a.m., 2, 6, 10 p.m. Future station air dates will be posted in the YS News.

For voting information, please contact Greene County Board of Elections at (937) 562-7470.



Like Fadiman, film director and Cleveland native Jason Zone Fisher recognized an opportunity to put his filmmaking skills to good use but he’ll be the first to admit his motivation was not exactly high-minded.

“My film partner and co-director, John Intrater, and I were good friends in college,” said Zone Fisher over the phone on a break in his hectic travel schedule. The two friends graduated on May 14, 2006, from Syracuse University and started filming five days later. “We decided to make the film really because we wanted to avoid getting a real job after school,” he laughed. “We thought we’d film some stuff and that’d be the end. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.”

A pre-release screening of their documentary film, “Swing State,” will be shown Saturday, Oct. 25, at 4 p.m. Doors open at 3:30 p.m. Ticket sales benefit the Greene County Democratic Party. A minimum donation of $20 per admission is requested. Advanced tickets are available through the Democratic Party office in Xenia, 87 East Main Street, (937) 372-6003. Zone Fisher will be in attendance as well as his father, Ohio Lt. Governor Lee Fisher.

From the day they started filming, Zone Fisher, Intrater, and co-director Spencer Young had a feeling that Ohio would play a pivotal role in the 2008 election just as it had in 2004. “We thought it’d be good to have a film come out [during the 2008 election] that focuses on the importance of the state of Ohio,” said Zone Fisher.

In light of the film’s casual beginnings, and much to the filmmakers’ astonishment, the film was picked up for distribution and will be released on Election Day, Nov. 4. It has been playing at pre-screenings and film festivals across the country since March, beginning with a premiere at the Cleveland Film Festival.

“Over 600 people showed up to the film on opening night and gave it a standing ovation,” said Zone Fisher. “It set a record for the largest Q&A session in the 32-year history of the Cleveland Film Festival. From San Francisco to Florida, all over the country — not just in Ohio — people have really connected to it.”

“This video has two major aspects that are important,” said Jerry Sutton, who first saw the film at the Democratic National Convention in August where he was a first-time delegate and who organized the screening at the Little Art Theatre. “One, it shows the criticality of Ohio to the ’08 presidential race and two, it shows the impact of engaging in a major campaign and what that impact is on the family and the individual in the center of the fight.”

The film is an intimate look at candidate Lee Fisher’s family during the 1998 and 2006 Ohio Governor’s race. “It’s about the side of politics you don’t usually get to see unless you’ve lived in a political family,” said the Lt. Governor’s eldest and only son.

Understandably, the Fisher family was “a nervous wreck” on opening night. “They had seen rough cuts and different versions of the film,” said Zone Fisher, “but they had not seen the final product until it was up on the big screen in front of 600 people.” His family was overwhelmed by the positive reaction from the audience. “That made them feel a lot better,” he added. “They realized people really get it and appreciate it.”

Local filmmakers Steve Bognar and Julia Reichert were consultants on the film.

“What the film offers that most documentaries can’t is the humor and quirkiness inside a campaign,” explained Bognar, who enjoyed seeing major political figures relaxing and joking with one another. Bognar felt the filmmaker had a definite advantage not only due to his “insider access” but also because of his age during the filming.

“He comes off as a kid,” said Bognar of Zone Fisher who was 14 during the 1998 campaign, “and so people let their guard down more. Some of these elected officials felt comfortable with him in a way they probably wouldn’t have if another documentary crew was following the story.”

“Whether you’re a Democrat or Republican,” said Zone Fisher, “the film teaches a valuable lesson that politicians are humans, too, and they have families who don’t necessarily sign up for a life in politics.” Zone Fisher hopes his film will show people how much time, devotion, and sacrifice is put into running for political office. “The least we should do is pay attention, have an opinion, and vote.”

DVDs of the film are available online at www.swingstate08.com and pre-orders will be taken at the screening.

Originally published in the Yellow Springs News.

Susan Gartner is a freelance writer and photographer for the News.

Reduce, reuse, Freecycle in village

In the battle against clutter, Yellow Springs residents turn to Freecycle.org. According to their website, Freecycle Network is “a grassroots and nonprofit movement of people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free in their own towns and thus keeping good stuff out of landfills.” With almost 6 million members worldwide, Freecycle users go to the designated website for their town to view items being sought or given away.

Wrapping paper, body spray, jogging stroller, bales of hay
Running shorts, baby gate, “Barely used,” “Works great!”

“The stuff is certainly garage sale-worthy,” said Freecycle member Eric Clark, “but maybe you don’t have enough to have a garage sale. Or you might be someone like me who just doesn’t have the time or wherewithal to advertise, put up signs, push away early arrivals, haggle all day, then clean up. If I have something I no longer want, I’m too much of a Socialist to put a price tag on it. If you can get some use out of it, you can have it.”

Pressure cooker, infant clothes, pillowcases, soaker hose
“Moving out,” “Don’t have room,” “We’re going to have a baby soon”

“The best thing I ever read was a post for 50 frozen mice,” said Barbara Lenschmidt, moderator for the Yellow Springs and Springfield Freecycle websites. Once she got over her initial shock, Lenschmidt remembered the [Glen Helen] Raptor Center. “I called them and asked, ‘Could you use 50 frozen mice?’ and they said, ‘Oh, yes! We’ve got all these birds to feed and that’s what they eat!’”

Tomato cages, rawhide sticks, canvas bags, old bricks
Pine chips, prom gown, “Never used,” “Leaving town”

In addition to her website moderator duties, which include making sure Freecycle’s rules are being followed and assisting new members with questions, Lenschmidt also compiles relevant recycling information and makes it available to members.

“One lady tried to give away frozen breast milk,” Lenschmidt recalled. Due to public health concerns, Lenschmidt regrettably had to withdraw the request but through her research she came upon a suitable solution. “It turns out,” she said, “there’s a slew of organizations that help mothers interface with each other.” This and other information, including a list of local thrift stores, is available on the YS Freecycle site.

“We are not a charity,” she said. “We’re simply a way to circumvent the landfill problem by interfacing people with things they don’t want anymore with people who could use them.”

Bar stools, bubble wrap, bird bath, animal trap
“Instructions lost,” “Has a chip,” “Still a lot of life in it”

The Freecycle Network prides itself on keeping 300 tons of garbage out of landfills every day.

“I’ve gotten rid of the most remarkably unwant-able things!” laughed Lenschmidt. “I do a lot of gardening and I had a whole pile of stakes that termites had eaten off at the bottom. Somebody wanted them. I have yet to find anything that I can’t get rid of.”

Strait jacket, life jacket, denim jacket size four
Briefcase, microwave, water fountain, shower door
Dollhouse, window fan, wire fencing, blender, sand
“Can’t sell,” “Can’t store,” “Can’t use anymore”

“One of the things I appreciate about using [Freecycle] is the efficiency of it,” said Freecycle devotee Laurie Dreamspinner. “I don’t have to go somewhere and hang out for hours trying to unload the unwanted items.”

When the Yellow Springs Freecycle group was first formed four years ago, Dreamspinner was in a lucky locale — her home.

“It was myself and another woman who were the original moderators and we all lived at Laurie’s at the time,” said Amanda Turner. “We had all just learned about Freecycle and we thought, ‘This is what we do every day!’” Dreamspinner and her housemates were already avid practitioners of “reduce, reuse, and recycle” and particularly enthusiastic about the online organization because, as Turner pointed out, “then the stuff didn’t sit around in Laurie’s livingroom so long!”

“Metal pot missing handle,” “Gently used Christmas candle”
Breast pump, whisk broom, broken toaster, “Don’t have room”

Members appreciate the Freecycle Network not only for its environmental conscientiousness but also for the organic way in which the virtual community exists. “It’s really important that people understand it has to be a balance between people willing to give and people willing to receive,” explained Dreamspinner. If the balance shifts too much in either direction, the concept falls apart. Another appealing aspect is that members are free to choose how they want to make the transaction. “For example, you don’t have to make the exchange at your house,” she said. “You can work out a neutral place to hand something over.” The Freecycle giver sets the terms — who, what, when, and where. “It can accommodate people’s desire for anonymity or safety or whatever.”

Toddler clothes, trampoline, furnace filter, magazines
Canning jars, cherry pits, “Needs repair,” “Doesn’t fit”

Moderator Lenschmidt has some advice for newcomers to help them get the most from the site. Politeness and follow-through are at the top of the list. “Usually members will give a sentence as to why they are interested in the item and what they’re going to do with it,” she said.

“What’s important is that people be respectful of the contract that they make with each other,” explained Dreamspinner. “Because of the culture that we live in, money somehow makes things more important. This is a way to get away from that.” On Freecycle, money never changes hands. “This is a way we can make a contract with each other for everybody’s betterment,” she added, and for the betterment of the planet.

“Twice a year I change out all my pillows,” said Clark, who owns the Springs Motel. “What do you do with 36 pillows twice a year? I put them on Freecycle. In the past three years I’ve been a member, I’ve kept 216 pillows out of the landfill.”

Desk, crib, crayons, cradle, “Can’t take with us,” “Missing ladle”
“A little worn,” “A little rust,” “Cracked lid,” “Collecting dust”
“Missing dial,” “Good for scrap,” “Still in box,” “The rest intact”
“Outgrown,” “Like new,” “Have an extra,” Lucky you!

To become a Freecycle member, go to www.freecycle.org. Membership is free, rhyming not required.

Originally published in the Yellow Springs News.

Susan Gartner is a freelance writer and photographer for the News.

Departamento de policia, se habla espanol

What qualities should a person possess who is considering a career in law enforcement? Good mediation skills? The ability to relate to all different kinds of people? A desire to make a positive impact on their community?

Andrew Gault, Yellow Springs Police Department’s newest recruit, thinks integrity is the most important trait. “What you do when no one else is around,” explained Gault, “the standards you hold yourself to on and off-duty.”

Born and raised in Yellow Springs, Gault had public servant aspirations in his genes. His mother, Amy Harper, was editor of the YS News for 10 years and his father, Larry Gault, is vice president of operations for Greene Memorial Hospital. As part of his studies at Wright State, Gault was particularly impressed with a course in police procedures. So impressed, in fact, he changed his major to Organizational Leadership and graduated one quarter early in order to attend the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy at Sinclair Community College. He graduated from the Academy on May 14th and began his job as a YS police officer on July 31st.

“I loved growing up here,” said Gault, who was drawn to the career because of his interest in community relations and a strong sense of giving back to the town he loves. “I grew up knowing the [police] chief and other officers in the department. I looked up to them. [The YS Police Department] is a good place to come into.”

The Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy (OPOTA) is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies and is considered to be one of the best law enforcement training institutions in the country. The commission regulates the 550-hour basic training curriculum for prospective law enforcement officers at numerous campuses throughout Ohio. The curriculum consists of more than 100 subjects including criminal investigation, human relations, cultural diversity, animal cruelty, defensive tactics, and the use of firearms.

As a newly-minted recruit, Gault looks to the other officers in the department for his continued training. “Everyone has something to bring to the table that will make me a better officer,” he said. “They’re strengthening what I’ve learned from the academy, teaching me departmental policy and procedures, and how to do my job the way they want it done.”

But Gault brings something to the table as well — a skill that makes him a rare commodity in law enforcement agencies not only in Greene County but throughout Ohio.

Gault is bilingual.

“He’s more bilingual than me!” jokes Gault’s training officer Naomi Penrod, who was born in Puerto Rico.

“Since the Spanish-speaking communities are growing in Springfield, Fairborn, Dayton and Xenia,” explained Gault, “being bilingual is very helpful.”

“Since I’ve been here,” said Penrod, “I’ve had people call and [request the services of] a bilingual officer.” Both officers appreciate the town of Yellow Springs — and the YSPD — for being ahead of the curve in terms of anticipating needs for law enforcement personnel and the people they serve. Having two bilingual officers in one police department is extremely rare and saves the department from having to contract out these services.

Penrod is a rare commodity herself as the department’s lone female police officer. A 2005 graduate of OPOTA through Clark State, she is currently celebrating her one-year anniversary with the YSPD.

Gault is the first in his family to choose a career in law enforcement. Penrod’s father was a correctional officer for many years in southeastern Ohio and three other family members worked for the NYPD including an uncle who was chief of homicide. Her first career was in nursing, working for eight years first at Children’s Hospital and then Grant Hospital in Columbus. After having a child and staying home for a few years, she took a job at the Fairborn Police Department as a dispatcher in 2004.

“People don’t realize what an important job that is,” explained Penrod. “The officers’ lives are in the dispatcher’s hands. The dispatcher gets all the information the officer needs to make going out on the call as safe as possible.” According to Penrod, a lot of people start out in law enforcement as dispatchers. They want to help people and make a difference in their community but they also want to stay safe behind the bullet-proof glass. Once they get into the dispatcher’s chair, however, and see what a difference they can make, they will often get “the law enforcement itch.”

“That’s what happened to me,” she said.

Penrod, who lives in Fairborn, continues to keep her dispatch and jail credentials up-to-date and still works part-time at the Fairborn Police Department. This full circle of service provides a background that is beneficial for Penrod, the new recruits she trains, the department on the whole, and — ultimately — the Yellow Springs community.

“Right now, [YSPD] has got a younger, very thriving group of officers,” said Penrod. “There are a group of us constantly going to trainings. We’re very fortunate to have that here in YS. We can take that training and train other agencies.”

Both Gault and Penrod appreciate the opportunities that have been given to them through Police Chief Grote. “He’s really opened a lot of doors for us,” said Gault.

“If you make a mistake,” explained Penrod, “he’s the kind of chief who will say, ‘Okay, let’s see where your mistake is, let’s learn from it, let’s teach you a better way.’ I feel very fortunate to have Chief Grote as our leader.”

Officers Gault and Penrod acknowledge the personal accountability that comes with the job. “We not only represent ourselves but we represent Yellow Springs and most important, we represent our chief at all times, and to the best of our ability,” said Penrod. “Our conduct on duty is just as important as off-duty.”

For more information about the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy, contact (937) 328-6050 (at Clark State) or (937) 512-2270 (at Sinclair).

Originally published in the Yellow Springs News.

Susan Gartner is a freelance writer and photographer for the News.