When you see Fountain Square, in Cincinnati, you'd never guess it was once the site of a market for butchers. It was, though. That was before 1871. In that year, Henry Probasco was looking for a way to present the city with a memorial to his brother-in-law, Tyler Davidson. His solution was Fountain Square.

Probasco wasn't the sort of person who just pays the bills. He actively participated in selecting William Tinsley to design the square. He even traveled to the Royal Bavarian Foundry, in Munich, to commission the square's centerpiece, a massive bronze fountain. At the foundry he met Ferdinand von Miller and August von Kreling. The pair had collaborated on a design for a fountain called "The Genius of Water". The work was to be forty-three feet tall. The base would have reliefs of the many uses for water, surmounted by allegorical figures. The whole thing was to be topped with a nine-foot tall figure of a woman, the genius of water, with water pouring from her outstretched hands. We're talking nineteenth-century public sculpture at it's most characteristic. Probasco loved it, but he had a condition. Remember, he was a hands-on sort of patron of the arts. He insisted on the addition of figures of animals, one on each side, to be used as drinking fountains. The artists, lacking another client, acquiesced.

That's how Cincinnati lost it's butchers' market and gained one of its favorite landmarks, the Tyler Davidson Fountain. Since then, it's been moved around a bit and the square completely redesigned a couple times, but forty-three feet of bronze and granite exuberance remain as a memorial to Tyler Davidson and a symbol of Cincinnati.

Ohio is noted for having impressive, even beautiful, county courthouses. Some diehard architecture fans even make a project of visiting all of them. For groupies like these, the old Montgomery County Courthouse, in Dayton is a high point. It's not only one of Ohio's best courthouses, but one of its best buildings. Some say it's one of the best surviving examples of Greek Revival architecture in the USA.

Howard Daniels, of Cincinnati, designed the courthouse, in 1850. That, in itself, is unusual. Daniels was primarily a landscape architect. He had worked on Cincinnati's Spring Grove Cemetery and Cleveland's Woodlawn Cemetery. That's a different sort of designing, to be sure. He proved his dexterity with more than just tombstones. This building is a gem. Like most public buildings in the Greek Revival style, it resembles a Greek temple, from the front, at least. In the back, Daniels did something that may be unique. Each rear corner has a quarter-round porch with a single column. This not only cut the cost of another porch, it provided more interior space. Another odd feature was the roof. It was made of the same stone as the rest of the structure. This wasn't the best idea. It started leaking about ten years later and was covered with tin.

To support the weight of all that stone on the roof, Daniels made the interior more Roman than Greek. There are brick arches in the basement and attic, and vaulted ceilings in most of the rooms. There were innovations inside, as well. In the middle of the building is a domed rotunda with an unusual cantilevered staircase. A third of each step is embedded in the wall. Another dome, this one oval, crowns the two-story main courtroom. Remember, in 1850, there weren't any sound systems. Lawyers had to rely on pure lung power. I'll skip the jokes. You can have fun with that, yourself. They must have been grateful to the cemetery designer who turned his hand to a courthouse. He made a courtroom with perfect acoustics.

One of the jets flow by Ohio's Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, sets in front of the Ohio Historical Society's Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta.

Thanks to the forward-looking vision of Volney Rogers, in 1891 the Mill Creek Park in Youngstown, Ohio was founded, preserving a stretch of land that today is compromised 2600 acres. Mill Creek Park is the second largest metropolitan park in the United States, second only to Central Park in New York City. Not bad for a little city in Ohio!

Today some of the parks' most beautiful features are Lanterman's Mill, a pioneer's mill that once ground wheat, corn, buckwheat and oats in the 1800s, the Fellows Riverside Gardens, an eleven-acre museum to roses, tulips, herbs, chrysanthemums, evergreens, dwarf fir trees, rhododendrons, and a variety of annuals and perrenials. The gardens attract people from all over the world. The park also includes golf courses, foottrails, waterfalls, Lake Glacier, horse stables, and the Ford Nature Center, where a group of naturalists work in the park all year around.

The park is Youngstown's crowning achievement as a community, thus making it one of the man-made wonders of Ohio, created in a period when Volney Rogers could foresee the destruction of our natural wonders as Ohio was becoming industrialized, but it's also one of the many feathers in Ohio's cap. Visit the park website for more details. Better yet, make a plan to visit Mill Creek Park this summer when the gardens are in full bloom!

My friend, Ann has mentioned to me several times, "Let's go to a karaoke bar," and then talks about the fun we had several years ago when we did hit one. My husband belted out a fine rendition of "Danny Boy" that night. Me? I'm partial to "Proud Mary." I seem to manage to stay on tune with that song, sort of. Once, years ago, my husband pretended it was my birthday and got the people in the karaoke bar that we happened upon, to sing to me. My birthday was months away. I gamely smiled while I watched the ball bounce across the words.

Now, my friend is in a real band, Magic City. I wonder if one day someone will be singing one of her band's songs? If this happens, I wonder what the background video scenes will be? Will there be some obscure unrelated scenes like people rolling around in ocean waves?

I do hope Ann's not too busy with her band that she doesn't have time to karaoke anymore. I found a couple bars that look promising. Jilly's Saloon in Reynoldsburg, for example, has a secret song contest and Largest Little Bar In T has over 20,000 song options. I wonder if it has "Proud Mary?" If so, I'm there.

To find a karaoke bar near you, Ohiokaraoke.com has an extensive listing. Click on the map of Ohio where you live for names, addresses and details. For a clever look at karaoke bars and the people who go there, check out the documentary Karaoke Dreams by Robert Davidian. A fun clip is on You Tube.

830 sites on our planet are listed as World Heritage Sites by the U.N.'s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The Ohio Historical Society believes at least two Ohio sites, the Serpent Mound and various Hopewell structures including mounds near Chillicothe, belong on that list. To that end, they have petitioned for their inclusion.

And why not? Both are remarkable examples of pre-European earthworks. The Serpent Mound is the most famous effigy mound in North America, and the Hopewell mounds are preserved in the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park. Also included in the Hopewell petition is Ft. Ancient and the Newark earthworks.

If the Hopewell petition goes through, it may include the first golf course named as a World Heritage site. The Octagon Earthworks in Newark are incorporated into the links of the Moundbuilders Country Club.

These sites would join such noteworthy treasures as the Great Barrier Reef, the Imperial Palace in Beijing, the Galapagos Islands, Thebes, Chartres Cathedral, Vatican City, and the Statue of Liberty. Sites on the list enjoy the protection of an international treaty, the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.

Why do I say Ohio history repeats itself on Downtown Toledo's Ohio Building? It's simple. There's a terra cotta frieze over the second floor that shows the founding of Ohio. They probably shouldn't have limited themselves to the founding. There's no way it would stretch all the way across two walls, so it repeats the same scenes. The frieze is impressive enough, but it's far from all this twelve-story jewel-box has to offer.

The whole building is a riot of white terra cotta and patinaed metal. It has swags, and garlands, and cartouches galore. The main entrance is framed by a tall, wide arch that's covered with decorations. There's not a spare inch of space that's not in use. Above the arch, starting with the third floor, things are toned down a bit. Everything's comparatively plain until you get to the top floor. At that point, the ornament runs rampant again, with faces, and figures, and a row of acanthus leaves. It's enough to make your head spin.

The Ohio building was designed by the local firm of Mills, Rhines, Bellman, and Nordhoff, and built in 1906. It joined several nearby skyscrapers to make Toledo's first urban canyon of a street. You can see from the picture, that it's not quite that way now. The buildings across the street were torn down and replaced by a parking lot.

There's one other interesting thing about the Ohio Building. Back in 1907, it was used for something entirely new. That's when the USA's first continuous radio program was beamed from here to receivers down the street in the Nicholas Building. I can't say broadcast. There weren't enough radios out there at the time.

A few years back I saw Robert Dafford painting the Portsmouth Floodwall Murals when he was almost done. I was astounded. First, I wondered what it would be like to see that long expanse of cement and know that I was responsible for putting something worthwhile there. If he ever had the jitters, his work doesn't show it. Each section is spectacular--dazzling even. A must see.

Now, I know there are other murals in Ohio, but if you only can see one, and I don't care if you live in Toledo, head to Portsmouth. This is a chance to brush up on Ohio history besides. Start on the east end and head west to go in chronological order of the history of the area from the time of the Mound Builders to one of the last panels that pays tribute to Portsmouth's motorcycle heritage. Ohio's first motorcycle club was founded here.

Portsmouth's history also includes Branch Rickey (credited to integrating baseball for signing up Jackie Robinson), Roy Rogers and the founding of Methodism. The details are all there-including a treacherous looking scene of a great flood that happened several years back.

Here is some insider information that you would miss unless some told you it was there. Dafford's wife and kids are in the mural, and so is Dafford. His wife and kids, if I remember correctly, are in the panel of a modern day scene called "The Gateway." I think it's his wife who is holding the bicycle and looking out from the mural. If you look, either in the pair of sunglasses, or the motorcycle hub in the motorcycle panel, you'll see the reflection of a man. That's Dafford; at least I think that's where he is. If you go to Portsmouth, you can get someone to give you a tour of the floodwall. Keep an eye out for the cat that's painted on a corner edge. You'd swear it's 3-D and real, but it's flat.

In case you're not going to make it to Portsmouth any time soon, here's a link to a You Tube tour of the floodwall by Cheryl Shuman, the Portsmouth native who has made it big in Hollywood as "the Optometrist to the Stars." She's been capturing the essence of Portsmouth and her relationship to it in videos. There are a couple of seconds of her getting to the murals, but once she's there her commentaries are interesting and the tour feels intimate.

Here is also a link to an article that was submitted to the Library of Congress by Governor Ted Strickland back when he was Representative of the 6th District.

In one of my favorite Simpson's episodes, Homer coats his mouth with candle wax so that he can tolerate eating the world's hottest pepper. I don't suggest this tactic, but you might start thinking about your strategy in preparing for the upcoming Fiery Food Festival in Columbus.

In its fourth year, the festival will again bring together chili devotees and other capsicum fans to the North Market near downtown Columbus on February 17th for a day of feasts and firey farts. On the schedule is a salsa (the food) competition, a chili cook-off, a Chef Chili Challenge and the old standby chili pepper eating contest.

Also on tap is music (accordion, Latino and Caribbean) and entertainment for the kids.

A fee is charged for sampling the chili entries.

I really liked this statue that is just sitting in a random garden in the Gordon Square Cultural Arts District, in the Detroit Shoreway area. I have got to tell you, I have no idea who made it, or what it's of, but I was on my way to Gypsy Beans & Baking (because I go there. A lot), and I saw and thought it was fabulous!

photo credit: katherine galo

Oscar season is here and I have a job to do. Last year I was one of the winners of the Columbus Dispatch's Columbus Academy of Motion Pictures Pickers (CAMPP) contest. As a winner, I promised to see all the movies nominated in the major categories. Some movies I rented; some I saw for a bargain, and the rest I saw at a matinee price. I just received an email to see if I am interested in being part of CAMPP this year. You bet! I am lining up my strategy to figure out where to see the movies I haven't seen yet in time for my deadline.

Considering one reason I was picked for this contest is that I'm a movie fiend, if it's one thing I know , it's Columbus's theaters. Here are my favorites, but not necessarily in this order. Depending on my mood, depends on where I'll head.

Studio 35 Cinema and Draft House. I recently saw "The Queen" and "The Departed" here. Great movie going because you can order beer, wine and stellar pizza from Clintonville Pizza next door. I also like this place because it's a local business and it has a certain personality that can't possibly be matched by a commercial venture.

Carriage Place Movies 12 and also, The Screens at the Continent. – What can I say? They're cheap and the quality is not any less because they are movies for a bargain. The last movie I saw at The Continent was "Flushed Away" (not an award nominee). The last movie at Carriage Place was "Pirates of the Caribbean- Dead Man's Chest."

The Drexel Grandview or Drexel East. Who cares? The movies at either are usually high caliber and interesting. The last movie at the Drexel East? "The Oh in Ohio." In Bexley? I can't remember.

The Arena Grande- A winner for its easy to get to location, great seats, easy and cheap parking and the fact it helps pull folks downtown. There is a sense of importance about the place. Last year I went to the Academy Awards night here. The Academy Awards are broadcast live on a big screen, plus there's food, raffles and a contest to see who names the most winners. Proceeds go to charity.

With so many great movies out there to see, don't stay home. Head to a silver screen. If you go to a Drexel Theatres Group theater, pick up a free Movie Lovers Pass to earn points for free goods.

Among the silos of cornbelt area south of Grand Lake St. Marys in west central Ohio rises a 5-story-high octagonal dome with gold ball and cross that gives witness to the religious fervor that burned in the breasts of the farmers as they toiled.

St. Charles Seminary was built as a seminary for priests of The Society of the Precious Blood, who also started the nearby Maria Stein Center for the nuns of the order.

The many stunning churches in this area were built by the German settlers who brought their Catholicism with them as they settled Mercer County in the 1830's. Once they settled in Mercer County, they began to long for religious guidance and education from the mother church.

By divine coincidence, Father Brunner, of the Society of the Precious Blood in Italy, was eager to leave the bosom of the church and strike out in missionary work. When the request of the settlers reached his ears, he was on his way.

The Society of the Precious Blood was a new organization at that time, founded in 1815 around the principal of charity, and for the purpose of devotion to the precious blood of Christ. Mercer County was the perfect soil for it to take root in and grow. And grow it did, at one time housing six convents, two seminaries, and many churches.

This magnificent structure was originally built in in 1878 on the site of the former Wattles Manual Labor School for Negro Boys. The name Carthagena is in fact from Carthage, in Africa.

Until it ceased being a seminary in 1969, this complex provided a place for priests, brothers and students to study, removed from the life around them. They sustained themselves by practicing carpentry, butchering, and farming. It is now a home for retired priests.

Make sure, should you visit, to view the chapel inside (through the front door and straight back). Ask first, however, at the office inside the front door to the left. It has a stunning mosaic behind the alter. If no service is taking place, take the time to approach it closely and enjoy the workmanship.

As a native Clevelander, I really like how immediately recognizable our landmarks are. Just like Chicagoans have the weird Picasso statue that could be anything and San Franciscans have the Golden Gate bridge, Clevelanders have the giant FREE Stamp that's just down the street from City Hall and up the street from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the middle of downtown.

The FREE stamp was originally commissioned in 1982 by Standard Oil of Ohio (now part of BP America), who hired the artists Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. Oldenburg and van Bruggen have made lots of other similar giant commonplace objects, and so for the piece in the middle of Cleveland's city center, they chose a self-inking stamp, as if from a post office. Van Bruggen suggested the word "free" to represent liberty and independence, and to have a giant positive statement in the middle of the city. The stamp, which was originally sited in Public Square, now lays on its side in Willard Park, and after quite a few city departmental squabbles, was dedicated in 1991. It is now a giant really cool piece of pop art, and clearly recognizable to any Clevelander.

photo credit: katherine galo

Yes, it's finally snowed to the point that it looks like it counts. Sledding, cross-country skiing, down-hill skiing, the possibilities for outdoor winter fun have arrived. If it lasts, here are some places for some good sled riding if you get the chance. One possibility is to head to a metro park. At Columbus Metro Parks, Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park, Blacklick Woods, Highbanks and Sharon Woods have sledding hills.

In Cleveland, check out The Chalet in Mill Stream Run Reservation for tobogganing, and for sledding there are several possibilities that range from Hinkley to Rocky River to Chagrin Falls. Within the options there are some places that have lights for night sledding.

For any of you who live in other parts of Ohio, here is a website: Ohio Sled Riding Locations. It lists 64 sled riding hills across the state. There are comments, as well as details,about a hill's steepness and location. If you have your own sled hill favorite and want to share, submit it to the website and let us know here as well.

It's not just the fact that a glass of wine costs $1.50 that gets me to Larry's Bar on a Monday night a few times a year-although, that's not a bad reason. I go to Larry's because of the poetry and because hearing people read their poetry makes me think of word choices. There's a mysterious quality that I enjoy. The question, "How do people see the world and how does this translate into words that have a certain sound and meaning-a sense of weight?" Or weightlessness if the poem is meant for whimsy and nothing more.

At Larry's Bar (voted one of the best "dive bars in Columbus, 2006) at 2040 High Street, in the fall, winter and spring, Poetry Forum at Larry's offers some of the best poetry anywhere. The poets who are the featured readers are contest winners and published in some prestigious publications. Some even have their own books, and not ones they Xeroxed off themselves, but ones a publishing company actually said yes to. These poets are the type that people like me sometimes envy if one is given over to envy. I'm not. But if one did envy published poets, you might envy them because they stuck with their craft and have publications to prove it. The Poetry Forum gives them a chance to actually get their poems out there and into the air where poems are meant to be. Poems shouldn't be trapped unread on a page in a book-forgotten or unclaimed in a book that no one bought.

The Ohio Arts Council even recognizes the importance of the Poetry Forum and has funded it since 1985. If you go, once the featured poet is finished, you can read your own poetry during open mike, or just listen like I do. Steve Abbott, the person who is the ringleader of sorts, is a hospitable emcee. You'll feel welcome. It's a great way to find out what is going on in people's minds. There are so many ways to look at the world and so many versions of a life worth having.

Here is the schedule through March 3. Don't hold me to this though since this may have shifted thanks to the OSU football game. The forum was postponed or canceled for that day, so that may have shifted things.

Jan 24 Helyn Dell
Jan 31 Mikel Romine
Feb 07 TBA
Feb 14 Jeanne Desy
Feb 21 Erica DeWeese
Feb 28 Jeff Jarosch
Mar 01 TBA