Community recorder 122514

COMMUNITYCOMMUNITYRECORDER 75¢

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014 BECAUSE COMMUNITY MATTERS

Your Community Recordernewspaper serving Northern Kenton County

Vol. 19 No. 8© 2014 The Community Recorder

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

News .........................283-0404Retail advertising .......513-768-8404Classified advertising ...513-421-6300Delivery .......................781-4421

See page A2 for additional information

Contact usCHRISTMASQ&ASchool kids sharefavorite things aboutthe holiday. A4

YES, VIRGINIAHere’s the original 1897response to a little girl’squestion “Is there aSanta Claus?” A7

In the next fewdays, your Commu-nity Recorder carri-er will be stoppingby to collect $3.50for delivery of thismonth’s CommunityRecorder. Your car-rier retains half thisamount along with any tipyou give to reward goodservice.

This month we’re featur-

ing Andrew Dariawho is a freshman atDixie Heights HighSchool. He playsbasketball and base-ball for his schoolteams.

If you would likemore information

about the junior carrierprogram, call Cathy Kel-lerman, Recorder districtmanager, at 442-3461.

COLLECTION TIME

Daria

We asked, and you responded. In a big way.We asked if you knew someone who regular-

ly embodies the spirit of Neighbors Who Care– maybe they brought you food during an ill-ness, or looked after your house while youwere gone, or helped pick up debris after astorm – or maybe they just provide a friendly

face, or listen when you need to talk to some-one.

We have picked some of the best stories andwill highlight these special people over thenext two weeks.

Thanks to you, and to them, for making ourholiday editions memorable.

Shining a light on Neighbors Who Care

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ERLANGER — Having got-ten to know Crystal Bitter hasmade Matt Grimes a betterperson.

“I am a better person forknowing that there are peopleout there who will sacrifice so

much of themselves for thesake of others for no otherreason than ‘it is the rightthing to do,’” Grimes said.

When thinking of a Neigh-bor Who Cares, he knows nobetter person than Bitter,who happens to not be his

MELISSA STEWART/THE COMMUNITY RECORDER

Crystal Bitter of Erlanger can’t help but smile. She’s totally in love withthe four siblings she’s adopted. Here she is with 2-year-old Colton Bitter.

Crystal Bitter is aneighbor who inspiresBy Melissa [email protected]

See BITTER, Page A2

VILLA HILLS — Driving downButtermilk Pike in Villa Hills allpassersby are greeted gleefullyby a jolly inflatable St. Nick.The giant Santa resides on ThirsDrive in Villa Hills, the home ofSteve Hensley, who embodiesthe virtues of this giving saint,according to his neighbor.

“Too often thoughtfulnessdoes not appear to be an espe-cially abundant virtue in ourfast paced, self-centric, cul-ture,” Dominic E. Ruschmansaid. “But Mr. Hensley exhibitsan alternative. Thoughtfulness,kindness, consideration appearinextricable integers in the fab-ric of Mr. Hensley’s character.”

Ruschman notes Hensley’sattention to “dressing up” hisresidence relative to the seasonand is “confident his initiativesare much appreciated by view-

Hensley exhibits the virtues of St. NickBy Melissa [email protected]

MELISSA STEWART/THE COMMUNITY PRESS

Steve Hensley of Villa Hills stands in front of his giant inflatable Santastanding on his back deck. The Santa can be seen waving at passers-by onButtermilk Pike.See HENSLEY, Page A2

TAYLOR MILL — A fresh layerof snow equals a full day offreezing work for Steve Rump,but he doesn’t mind it at all.

Rump, who is semi-retiredfrom the insurance industry,adds a snowplow to his ridingmower for the winter, and takescare of several driveways alonghis street.

“I needed a snowplow for mydriveway, and they didn’t haveanyone to do it, so it just madesense,” he said. “We’ve got pret-ty long driveways here. Itwould take a lot longer to shovelby hand.”

He was nominated by sever-

When it snows,Taylor Millman plowsBy Amy [email protected]

THANKS TO JENNY GASKINS

Steve Rump of Taylor Mill uses his snowplow to clear driveways for severalneighbors on his street. See RUMP, Page A2

HOLIDAY HOOPS B1Tis the season for Lloyd MemorialInvitational Tournament.

A2 • COMMUNITY RECORDER • DECEMBER 25, 2014 NEWS

COMMUNITYRECORDER

NewsNancy Daly Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .578-1059, [email protected] Amy Scalf Reporter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .578-1055, [email protected] Chris Mayhew Reporter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .578-1051, [email protected] Stewart Reporter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .578-1058, [email protected] Laughman Sports Editor . . . . . . . . . . . .513-248-7573,

[email protected] James Weber Sports Reporter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .578-1054, [email protected]

AdvertisingTo place an ad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .513-768-8404,

[email protected]

DeliveryFor customer service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .781-4421 Sharon Schachleiter

Circulation Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .442-3464,[email protected]

To place an ad in Community Classified, call 513-421-6300or go to www.communityclassified.com

Find news and information from your community on the WebFort Mitchell • cincinnati.com/fortmitchell

Erlanger • cincinnati.com/erlangercincinnati.com/northernkentucky

Calendar .............A5Classifieds .............CFood ..................A6Obituaries .......... B6Schools ..............A4Sports .................B1Viewpoints .........A7

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ERLANGER — As TysonHermes canvassed thecity during the election,the top issue brought up byconstituents was the Er-langer dispatch center.

“It was by far the No. 1door stoop concern,” Her-mes said. “About 40 or 50people were stronglyagainst it, I could count onone hand the people whothought we need to keepit.”

The mayor-elect saidthis is something he plansto pay “close attention to”once in office.

“We still need to gathermore details,” he said. “It’snothing so urgent that weneed to make an immedi-ate decision. No decisionwould be made until wefully explore every side ofit.”

However, it is on hisand the city staff’s radar.Hermes said he has hadseparate preliminary con-versations with ErlangerCity Administrator MarcFields, Elsmere MayorMarty Lenhof and Judge-executive-elect Kris Kno-chelmann.

“Ultimately, it comesdown to the service that isprovided to our residentsand businesses,” he said.“If our system is superiorto other surrounding sys-

tems andwe decideto keep it,then weshould beable to en-tice othercities tojoin back

into our service.”

In the beginningThe Erlanger dispatch

service was created in the1950s at the time the policedepartment was formed,the city administratorsaid. The city was on itsown in operating the dis-patch center until Elsmerejoined the service in 2000.

In 2007, Fields said ev-ery city in the county, withthe exceptions of Inde-pendence, Taylor Mill andCovington, joined in aswell. In 2013, all the cities,except for Erlanger, Elsm-ere and Crescent Springs,pulled out of the contractin order to join the KentonCounty dispatch center.

Fields said he believestwo factors played a rolein the shift. The first is thatthe county dispatch centerunderwent an expansion.The other factor was cost,or rather, how the citieswere being billed.

“Cities wanted to gowithout paying out of theirown general funds,” hesaid. “I believe if you ask,no one will tell you it was

an operational factor.”In fact, Fields said, the

Erlanger center has someperks other, larger centersmay not be able to offer.

“There’s personal ser-vice,” he said. “The biggeryou get the less personalyou get. Our dispatchers,for example, are familiarwith the area. They knowthe first responders too.Their relationships withthe officers, firefightersand paramedics arestrong.”

The challenge“The bottom line, pub-

lic safety costs money,” hesaid. “Our challenge ishow to provide this in themost economical way, butalso have the best servicewe can.”

The budget for the Er-langer center for the 2013-2014 fiscal year is$1,063,390, Fields said. Er-langer’s part of the budgetis $653,144. The remainingcost is collected throughcontracts with partner cit-ies, Elsmere and CrescentSprings. Erlanger pays 60percent of operation costs,Elsmere, 25 percent, Cres-cent Springs is 15 percent.Fields said this is based onthe proportion of popula-tion served by the center.

According to Hermes,with only two other citiessharing the costs, the costsof the city having its own

dispatch service is harderto justify.

“The 30,000-foot-viewof the situation has two op-tions.,” Hermes said. “Ei-ther one, make Erlanger’s911 dispatch system at-tractive to other cities; ortwo, contract with anothersystem.”

Hermes said there areseveral options to explore.Erlanger, he said, couldjoin the county system orthat of the state, the air-port or even Hamilton orButler counties.

“I don’t plan to make ajudgment on this until Ifeel confident that I havethoroughly investigatedall options,” he said. “Wehave to make sure, too,that we do not compro-mise the safety of our citi-zens, and still produce a vi-tal service.”

Moving forwardFields said the city is al-

ways looking for the bestoptions when consideringservices and cost savings.

“We want to find thebest way,” he said. “We’regoing to be having talks af-ter the first of the year. Wewant to provide the bestservice that is cost-effec-tive. We’ll figure out howto do that, I’m confident inthat.”

Want to continue theconversation? Tweet

@MstewartReports

New year brings closer lookat Erlanger dispatch centerBy Melissa [email protected]

Hermes

al of his neighbors onWayman Branch Road,

John and Shawn LaRowe,Lisa Corsale and CarolHiller.

“We live on a steepstreet in Taylor Mill thatisn’t always the first to getcleared by the city. Most

of our houses sit backfrom the road with steepdriveways, which can be anightmare to drive upwith even an inch ofsnow,” states the nomina-tion. “He has even ploweda neighbor’s driveway,who was in Florida at thetime, so it would look likesomeone was at home. Ittakes a special kind of per-son to get up early in themorning and head out inthe frigid cold to plowsomeone else’s drive-way.”

RumpContinued from Page A1

ers because his home wasalways much appreciatedby my own children, and

their friends, through theyears.”

During foul weather,Hensley is out and aboutearly in the morningcleaning neighbors’ drive-ways and sidewalks “forconsiderable distancesfrom his own residence.”

Ruschman recalls one

time Hensley, a formerpolice officer, being in-volved in a pursuit in ex-cess of a 100 miles perhour to apprehend a crimi-nal.

“I believe Mr. Hensleyis the prototypic ‘Neigh-bor Who Cares,’” Rusch-man said. “It is unlikely

we can know the extent ofhis thoughtfulness com-munity-wide. But, it iswithin our purview to rec-ognize the existence of be-havior which benefits thecommunity.”

Want to continue theconversation? Tweet@MStewartReports

HensleyContinued from Page A1

neighbor, but an employ-ee at his restaurant Colo-nial Cottage.

Two years ago, Bitter,of Erlanger, expandedher family, taking in foursiblings who had beenseparated in a foster careprogram. She was re-cently named their legalguardian. Since she is nota blood relative, Bitter isnot eligible for many ofthe assistance programsoffered by the state.

“I was told I could let

them go to return to fos-ter care, separated,” shesaid. “I couldn’t do that. Ilove them. I’d ratherstruggle through life fi-nancially than not havethem in my life. At leastwe are together, theyhave a family.”

Despite some diffi-cult times financiallyand some health issues ofone of the children, Bit-ter is always pleasantand smiling, Grimessaid. She never com-plains.

“It takes a special per-son to assume so manyresponsibilities with somany uncertainties in-volved,” he said. “Crystalwill face challenges bothseen and unseen thatmost people wouldchoose not to face. Herfaith in God and in her-self to be the provider forthese children repre-sents remarkable char-acter that few possess.”

Want to continue theconversation? Tweet

@MStewarReports

BitterContinued from Page A1

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A4 • COMMUNITY RECORDER • DECEMBER 25, 2014

SCHOOLSSCHOOLSACHIEVEMENTS | NEWS | ACTIVITIES | HONORS Cincinnati.com/northernkentucky

COMMUNITYRECORDEREditor: Nancy Daly, [email protected], 578-1059

On Dec. 11-13, Turkey FootMiddle School staged a pro-duction of “Yes, Virginia TheMusical.”

Based on a true story abouta little girl, Virginia O’Hanlon,who, in 1897 writes a letter toThe New York Sun asking theage-old question if there wasindeed a Santa Claus.

The letter prompted an edi-torial “Is there a Santa Claus?”which answered her question

with the now-famous line “Yes,Virginia there is a SantaClaus.”

Turkey Foot was one of 100schools nationwide to qualifyand receive a grant of $1,000from Macy’s DepartmentStore in partnership with theMake-A-Wish Foundation tostage the production. Nothingsays Merry Christmas likesinging and dancing, and agood time was had by all.

Turkey Foot stages‘Yes, Virginia’

THANKS TO JON MASON

On Dec. 11-13, Turkey Foot Middle School staged a production of “Yes,Virginia The Musical.”

Flu virus is keeping someFort Thomas IndependentSchools students at home asother Northern Kentuckyschools redouble their sur-face cleaning as a prevention.

Fort Thomas’ enrollmenthas dipped by as much as 5percent below the averagedaily attendance rate of 97percent, SuperintendentGene Kirchner said in anemail Wednesday.

District enrollment is3,018 students, Kirchner said.

“It is fair to say that dis-trict-wide we have been run-ning approximately 200 stu-dents per day absent for thelast few days,” he said. Moretypical is 70-80 absences,Kirchner said.

“We are seeing quite a bitof illness among both stu-dents and staff,” he said.

The last day of school be-fore break is Friday, Dec. 19.

“We are hopeful that twoweeks off will help to limitany further spread of illnessand that student attendancewill be back to normal in Jan-uary,” he said.

Precautions, including en-suring surfaces are cleanedand sanitized, are being tak-en, Kirchner said.

Attendance rates for thepast several days have beenbetween 92 and 93 percent, hesaid.

“That is quite low for us,but would not be for manyschool districts,” Kirchnersaid.

Boone County Schools hasnot had any reports of “massabsences,” according to com-munity relations coordinatorBarbara Cain-Brady.

“Some of our nurses arereporting that we are seeingan increase in numbers of illstudents and staff, but it’s notjust flu: we are seeing strep,viral-like illness with fevers,and (gastrointestinal) illnessin addition to those out withthe flu,” she said.

Kenton County schools aresanitizing classrooms andcommon areas to help elimi-nate germs, said spokeswom-an Jess Dykes. Schools arealso using the automatedphone system to remind par-ents not to send students toschool if they have a fever orother symptoms.

Dykes also said teachersare emphasizing hand-wash-ing and students with anysigns of illness are being sentto the school nurse.

So far, Dykes said studentabsences have been due toflu, viruses and strep throat.

As of Wednesday, Dykessaid the district of nearly15,000 students had 91 per-cent attendance, slightly low-er than the average daily at-tendance in the mid-90 per-cent range, but not lowenough to close schools.

“The Kentucky Depart-ment of Education recom-mends calling off school if at-tendance is below 80 percentdistrict-wide,” she said.

Dykes said to get the mostup-to-date information onschool closings, check thedistrict’s Twitter, @kcsd.

Boone County Schools’Twitter is @Boone_County.For Campbell CountySchools, visitcampbell.k12.ky.us or call859-635-2173.

Reporters Amy Scalf and MelissaStewart contributed to this article.

Flu hits FortThomas schoolsas NKYdistricts prepBy Chris [email protected]

It’s the most wonderful time of the year and the kids aren’t just jingle-bell-ing, but sharing their thoughts on the Christmas season with the Recorder.

From opinions on Santa Claus to presents to the meaning of the season, chil-dren across Northern Kentucky are ready for the holidays. Here’s what theyhave to say:

CHRISTMAS Q&AWITH THE KIDDIES

AMY SCALF/THE COMMUNITY RECORDER

Q: What’s your favorite thingabout the holiday?A: Getting presents. One year, Igot an American Girl doll thatlooks like me.

Breahna Tate, 7, of Cold Spring


Q: What do you leave for Santa?A: The elves get cookies. Santagets chocolate chip cookies andmilk, and the reindeer get apples.

Dawson Stacey-Huelsman, 7, ofCold Spring


Q: What is your favorite thingabout the holiday?A: Being together with yourfamily.

Gino Ramundo, 7, of Alexandria


Q: Are you giving a special giftthis year? A: Yes, I’m giving my momsomething from “Frozen.”

Lily Wefer, 6, of Alexandria


Q: What is your favorite thingabout the holiday?A: It’s when baby Jesus was born.Madison Bowling, 7, of Alexandria

MELISSA STEWART/

THE COMMUNITY RECORDER

Q: How does Santa get down thechimney?A: He ... um ... well, reindeer landon the roof. He gets his bag andcomes down the chimney.

Brandt Stiles, 6, of Cold Spring

MELISSA STEWART/


Q: How does Santa get down thechimney?A: I think he uses his magical fairydust.

Charly Harwood, 6, of Burlington

MELISSA STEWART/


Q: How does Santa get down thechimney?A: We don’t have a chimney, hegets in the front door.

George Kaiser, 5, Fort Mitchell

MELISSA STEWART/


Q: How does Santa get down thechimney?A: He slides down.

Madelyn Staley, 5, of Florence

MELISSA STEWART/


Q: How does Santa get down thechimney?A: I think he uses magic to getdown there, and then magic toget back out.

Nathan Dunn, 8, of Fort Mitchell

MELISSA STEWART/


Q: Are you giving a special giftthis year? A: Yes, I’m giving Santa a reallyspecial gift, milk and cookies.Sarah Mitchell, 5, of Independence

MELISSA STEWART/


Q: How does Santa get down thechimney?A: I don’t know.

Thomas Roberts, 5, of Burlington

MELISSA STEWART/


Q: What’s your favorite thingabout the holiday?A: Santa gives us presents.

Wyatt Rechtin, 5, of Fort Mitchell

By The Community Recorder

DECEMBER 25, 2014 • COMMUNITY RECORDER • A5

FRIDAY, DEC. 26Art Exhibits50 Years of Photojournalismin Northern Kentucky, 10 a.m.to 5 p.m., Behringer-CrawfordMuseum, 1600 Montague Road,Through selection of imagestaken by local photojournalistsworking for The Kentucky Post,The Kentucky Enquirer and theAssociated Press, premiereexhibit celebrates NorthernKentucky life and culture duringwinter season and commem-orates those who have dedicat-ed their careers to capturingcommunity’s memorable mo-ments. $7, $6 seniors, $4 ages3-17, free for members. Present-ed by FotoFocus. 491-4003;www.fotofocuscincinnati.org.Covington.

Translations, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.,Covington Arts, 2 W. Pike St.,Curated by Saad Ghosn, exhibi-tion features four artists whosework examines nature of in-terpretation through use ofabstraction. Presented by Co-vington Arts District. 292-2322;www.covingtonarts.com. Co-vington.

Two Exhibitions, noon to 5p.m., The Carnegie, 1028 ScottBlvd., Clay Street Press: Cincin-nati Portfolio I-IV and Over Time:John Lanzador, William Messer,David Parks. Free. Through Feb.7. 957-1940; www.thecarnegie-.com. Covington.

Exercise ClassesJazzercise Classes, 9:30-10:30a.m., Edgewood JazzerciseCenter, 126 Barnwood Drive, $38for unlimited monthly classes.Through March 30. 331-7778;jazzercise.com. Edgewood.

Holiday - ChristmasHoliday Toy Trains, 10 a.m. to 5p.m., Behringer-Crawford Mu-seum, 1600 Montague Road,Layout features Lionel trains andPlasticville. More than 250 feetof track. Patrons welcome tooperate more than 30 accesso-ries from buttons on layout.Through Jan. 18. Included withadmission: $7, $6 ages 60 andup, $4 ages 3-17; free ages 2 andunder. Wednesday Grandpar-

ent’s Day: one grandchild ad-mitted free with paying grand-parent. 491-4003; www.bcmu-seum.org. Covington.

Scuba Santa’s Water Wonder-land, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., NewportAquarium, Newport on theLevee, Holiday decorationsthroughout Aquarium. Un-derwater Santa show alongsidesharks, shark rays and Denverthe Sea Turtle. Through Jan. 1.Included with admission: $23,$15 ages 2-12, free under age 2.800-406-3474; www.newporta-quarium.com. Newport.

Light Up the Levee, 6:50 p.m.,Newport on the Levee, 1 LeveeWay, Featuring more than onemillion LED lights dancing insynchronization to holidaymusic. Lights dance every 20minutes. Through Jan. 1. Free.291-0550; www.newportonthe-levee.com. Newport.

Christmas Town, 5-8 p.m.,Creation Museum, 2800 Bullitts-burg Church Road, Featuringfree live nativity, lights and livedramas. Through Dec. 27. Free.800-778-3390; creationmuseu-m.org. Petersburg.

BRICKmas, 4-8:30 p.m., Newporton the Levee, 1 Levee Way,Features more than 13 large-scale LEGO displays includingmodels of the Roebling Suspen-sion Bridge, Music Hall andWashington Park. Also featuresinteractive area where childrencan build “brick” masterpieces.Through Jan. 1. $8. 291-0550;www.newportonthelevee.com.Newport.

Literary - LibrariesMahjong, 1 p.m., SchebenBranch Library, 8899 U.S. 42, Allskill levels welcome. 342-2665.Union.

On Stage - ComedyDave Landau, 8 p.m., 10:30 p.m.,Funny Bone Comedy Club, 1Levee Way, $15-$17. 957-2000;www.funnyboneonthelevee-.com. Newport.

On Stage - TheaterStriking 12, 8-10 p.m., Mon-mouth Theatre, 636 MonmouthSt., A disenchanted young manskips a New Year’s Eve party andinstead picks up a copy of The

Little Match Girl. He’s trans-ported to a place where thesmallest things can be mirac-ulous. Musical trio Groove Lilywrote play as holiday concert.$20, $18 students and seniors.Presented by Falcon Theater.Through Dec. 27. 513-479-6783;www.falcontheater.net. New-port.

SportsHoliday Race Meet, 11:15 a.m.,Turfway Park, 7500 TurfwayRoad, Live thoroughbred racing.Free admission. Through Dec. 31.371-0200. Florence.

SATURDAY, DEC. 27Art Exhibits50 Years of Photojournalismin Northern Kentucky, 10 a.m.to 5 p.m., Behringer-CrawfordMuseum, $7, $6 seniors, $4 ages3-17, free for members. 491-4003; www.fotofocuscincinna-ti.org. Covington.

Two Exhibitions, noon to 5p.m., The Carnegie, Free. 957-1940; www.thecarnegie.com.Covington.

Cooking ClassesSushi Rolling and Dining, 7p.m., Sushi Cincinnati, 130 W.Pike St., $25 per person, threerolls, includes training andBYOB, reservations required.Reservations required. ThroughDec. 26. 513-335-0297;www.sushicinti.com. Covington.

Dining EventsManna Mission Meal, 5:30-7:30p.m., Erlanger United MethodistChurch, 31 Commonwealth Ave,Free dinner and groceries.727-2136. Erlanger.

EducationWinter Acting Intensive withTop LA Actress and Coach, 10a.m. to 4:30 p.m., UpTech, 112 W.Pike St., $250. Registrationrequired. Presented by GaladrielStineman. 949-297-6235;www.facebook.com/officialga-ladriel. Covington.

Exercise ClassesJazzercise Classes, 8:15-9:15a.m., 9:30-10:30 a.m., EdgewoodJazzercise Center, $38 for unlim-

ited monthly classes. 331-7778;jazzercise.com. Edgewood.

Holiday - ChristmasHoliday Toy Trains, 10 a.m. to 5p.m., Behringer-Crawford Mu-seum, Included with admission:$7, $6 ages 60 and up, $4 ages3-17; free ages 2 and under.Wednesday Grandparent’s Day:one grandchild admitted freewith paying grandparent. 491-4003; www.bcmuseum.org.Covington.

Scuba Santa’s Water Wonder-land, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., NewportAquarium, Included with admis-sion: $23, $15 ages 2-12, free

under age 2. 800-406-3474;www.newportaquarium.com.Newport.

Light Up the Levee, 6:50 p.m.,Newport on the Levee, Free.291-0550; www.newportonthe-levee.com. Newport.

Christmas Town, 5-8 p.m.,Creation Museum, Free. 800-778-3390; creationmuseum.org.Petersburg.

BRICKmas, 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.,Newport on the Levee, $8.291-0550; www.newportonthe-levee.com. Newport.

Karaoke and Open MicKaraoke, 8 p.m., Southgate VFW,

6 Electric Ave., With DJ TedMcCracken. Free. Presented byVFW Post 3186. 441-9857. South-gate.

Literary - LibrariesCheck it Out: Family ActivityDay, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., R.C. DurrYMCA, 5874 Veterans Way, Free.Presented by Boone CountyPublic Library. 534-5700. Burling-ton.

On Stage - ComedyDave Landau, 7:30 p.m., 10 p.m.,Funny Bone Comedy Club,$15-$17. 957-2000; www.funny-boneonthelevee.com. Newport.

On Stage - TheaterStriking 12, 8-10 p.m., Mon-mouth Theatre, $20, $18 stu-dents and seniors. 513-479-6783;www.falcontheater.net. New-port.

SportsHoliday Race Meet, 11:15 a.m.,Turfway Park, Free admission,free parking. 371-0200. Florence.

SUNDAY, DEC. 28Art Exhibits50 Years of Photojournalismin Northern Kentucky, 1-5p.m., Behringer-Crawford Mu-seum, $7, $6 seniors, $4 ages3-17, free for members. 491-4003; www.fotofocuscincinna-ti.org. Covington.

Dining EventsAll You Can Eat Breakfast, 8a.m. to 1 p.m., Fort ThomasMasonic Lodge No. 808, 37 N.Fort Thomas Ave, Eggs, ham,bacon, goetta, spam, bologna,potatoes, grits, pancakes andwaffles with strawberries andblueberries and whipped cream,toast, white or wheat, juice,milk, coffee, tea. $7, $4 children.Presented by Fort ThomasMasonic Lodge No 808. 442-9050. Fort Thomas.

EducationWinter Acting Intensive withTop LA Actress and Coach, 10a.m. to 6 p.m., UpTech, $250.Registration required. 949-297-6235; www.facebook.com/officialgaladriel. Covington.

THINGS TO DO IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

ABOUT CALENDARTo submit calendar items, go to Cincinnati.com/northernken-

tucky and click on “Share!” Send digital photos to [email protected] along with event information. Items areprinted on a space-available basis with local events takingprecedence.

Deadline is two weeks before publication date. To find morecalendar events, go to Cincinnati.com/northernkentucky andchoose from a menu of items in the Entertainment section onthe main page.

FILE PHOTO

All You Can Eat Breakfast will be served from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.Sunday, Dec. 28, Fort Thomas Masonic Lodge No. 808, 37 N.Fort Thomas Ave. Feast on eggs, ham, bacon, goetta, spam,bologna, potatoes, grits, pancakes and waffles withstrawberries and blueberries and whipped cream, toast, whiteor wheat, juice, milk, coffee, tea. Cost is $7, $4 children. Thebreakfast is presented by the Fort Thomas Masonic Lodge No808. For more information, call 442-9050.

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I wanted to wish each of youa blessed holiday season, re-

gardless of howyou celebrate.

This littlepearl of wisdomsays it all: Re-member to focuson blessings, andput burdens inGod’s hands.That’s wherethey belong,anyway. Content-ment is not the

fulfillment of what you desire,but the realization of how muchyou already have.

Easy potato latkes forHanukkah

The secret? Drain all mois-ture out of the frozen hashbrowns and add a bit of bakingpowder.

1 generous pound frozenhash brown potatoes, thawedand drained

Minced onion to taste - Iused 1/2 of a small onion

2 eggs, lightly beaten2 tablespoons flour1/2 teaspoon baking pow-

derSalt and pepperMix everything together. Put

1/4 cup mounds of latke mixturein skillet coated with oil andheated, flattening out moundswith spatula. Fry until goldenbrown on each side.

Tip from Rita’s kitchen:Swap frozen for fresh shreddedpotatoes, drained well.

Shaker friendship soupin a jar

A healthful and much appre-ciated gift for holiday giving.You can also pack in a baggie,tied with ribbon or raffia. Astudent favorite.

Layer soup mix in quart jarin order given:

1/2 cup dried split peas1/3 cup beef bouillon gran-

ules1/4 cup pearl barley - I like

quick cooking1/2 cup lentils1/4 cup dried minced onion2 teaspoons Italian sea-

soning mixed with 1 teaspoongarlic salt and 1 teaspoonpepper

1/2 cup rice, either brownor white

Put in plastic baggie ormake pouch of:

1/2 cup very small pastaRecipe:Soup mix1-1/4 to 1-1/2 pounds lean

ground beef1-1/2 quarts water1-1/2 quarts beef broth plus

more if needed28 oz. diced tomatoesGarnish: Shredded cheese

Set pasta pouch aside. Filmbottom of pot with olive oil andbrown beef. Add water, broth,tomatoes and soup mix. Bringto a boil. Reduce heat; coverand simmer about 30 minutes.Add pasta and cover and sim-mer another 15-20 minutes oruntil pasta, peas, lentils andbarley are tender. Adjust forseasonings. Ladle into bowlswith garnishes and serve.Serves 8-10.

Readers want to knowabout: Chia Seeds

This time of year you see allsorts of clay items sproutingChia seeds. You can’t eat theChia greens that sprout fromthem. But you can buy Chiaseeds at the grocery for con-sumption. These miniature

black seeds are mostly flavor-less, but add a nice texture tosalads and soups.

Good for you:A single serving of chia

seeds provides a hefty dose ofantioxidants, protein, fiber,zinc, iron, and omega-3 fats-—for only 140 calories. Chia’shigh dose of omega-3s can helpreduce inflammation, treat orprevent anxiety and depression,and even slow the aging proc-ess. You don’t have to grind chiato reap the maximum benefits,and the seeds don’t spoil quick-ly, making them much moreconvenient than flaxseed.

How to eat them:Sprinkle chia seeds on cere-

al, yogurt, salads, pasta, what-ever! The seeds form a gelwhen mixed with liquid, so

they’re great for thickeningsmoothies, salad dressings, andsoups.

Sprouting your own:Yep, you can do that. Just

place in a glass canning jar andpunch holes in the lid. Pour athin layer of Chia seeds in thejar and add water to cover.Drain excess water - theyshould be moist but not swim-ming in water. Turn jar on itsside and place in sunny window.Change water and turn jar ev-ery 2 days. After several days,seeds will sprout.

Rita Nader Heikenfeld is an herb-alist, educator, Jungle Jim’s East-gate culinary professional and au-thor. Find her blog online atAbouteating.com. Call 513-248-7130,ext. 356.

Fry up some latkes, shake it up with soup

THANKS TO RITA HEIKENFELD

Latkes, or potato pancakes, are an easy, traditional treat for Hanukkah.

Rita HeikenfeldRITA’S KITCHEN

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DECEMBER 25, 2014 • COMMUNITY RECORDER • A7

VIEWPOINTSVIEWPOINTSEDITORIALS | LETTERS | COLUMNS | CH@TROOM Cincinnati.com/northernkentucky

COMMUNITYRECORDEREditor: Nancy Daly, [email protected], 578-1059

COMMUNITYRECORDER

Community Recorder EditorNancy [email protected], 578-1059Office hours: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-FridaySee page A2 for additional contact information.

228 Grandview Drive, Fort Mitchell, KY 41017654 Highland Ave., Fort Thomas, KY 41075phone: 283-0404email: [email protected] site: cincinnati.com/northernkentucky

A publication of

(Editor’s note: We are happyto run, in its entirety, the origi-nal wording of Virginia O’Han-lon‘s letter to the New-York Sunon Sept. 21, 1897, and the news-paper’s famous response. It wasironically written in just under500 words, which as many ofyou know is our suggestedlength for guest columns. Thiscopy was obtained from theLibrary of Congress. We’re alsosharing a photo of Turkey FootMiddle School’s play staged lastweek, “Yes Virginia The Mu-sical,” based on this editorial.)

We take pleasure in answer-ing thus prominently the com-munication below, expressing atthe same time our great grat-ification that its faithful authoris numbered among the friendsof The Sun:

Dear Editor—I am 8 years old. Some of my

little friends say there is noSanta Claus. Papa says, “If yousee it in The Sun, it’s so.” Pleasetell me the truth, is there aSanta Claus?

Virginia O’Hanlon115 West Ninety Fifth StreetVirginia, your little friends

are wrong. They have beenaffected by the skepticism of askeptical age. They do not be-lieve except they see. They

think that nothing can be whichis not comprehensible by theirlittle minds. All minds, Virginia,whether they be men’s or chil-dren’s, are little. In this greatuniverse of ours, man is a mereinsect, an ant, in his intellect ascompared with the boundlessworld about him, as measuredby the intelligence capable ofgrasping the whole of truth andknowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a SantaClaus. He exists as certainly as

love and generosity and devo-tion exist, and you know thatthey abound and give to yourlife its highest beauty and joy.Alas! how dreary would be theworld if there were no SantaClaus! It would be as dreary asif there were no Virginias.There would be no childlikefaith then, no poetry, no ro-mance to make tolerable thisexistence.

We should have no enjoy-ment, except in sense and sight.

The external light with whichchildhood fills the world wouldbe extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus!You might as well not believe infairies. You might get yourpapa to hire men to watch in allthe chimneys on Christmas Eveto catch Santa Claus, but even ifyou did not see Santa Clauscoming down, what would thatprove? Nobody sees SantaClaus, but that is no sign thatthere is no Santa Claus. The

most real things in the worldare those that neither childrennor men can see. Did you eversee fairies dancing on the lawn?Of course not, but that’s noproof that they are not there.Nobody can conceive or imag-ine all the wonders there areunseen and unseeable in theworld.

You tear apart the baby’srattle and see what makes thenoise inside, but there is a veilcovering the unseen worldwhich not the strongest man,nor even the united strength ofall the strongest men that everlived could tear apart. Onlyfaith, poetry, love, romance, canpush aside that curtain andview and picture the supernalbeauty and glory beyond. Is itall real? Ah, Virginia, in all thisworld there is nothing else realand abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God!He lives and lives forever. Athousand years from now, Vir-ginia, nay 10 times 10,000 yearsfrom now, he will continue tomake glad the heart of child-hood.

“Is There a Santa Claus?” reprintedfrom the September 21, 1897, numberof The New York Sun.

IS THERE A SANTA CLAUS?

THANKS TO JON MASON

On Dec. 11-13, Turkey Foot Middle School staged a production of “Yes, Virginia The Musical.”

Dec. 18 question

What is the best Christmasor holiday present you evergave? What is the best pre-sent you ever received?

“Best given: A homemadeteddy bear for a child whosename I’ll never know. I sat uphalf the night working on it sohe/she would have a gift. I amthe one who received the bless-ing! Best Received: Christmas1959 I received the most beauti-ful baby doll from my aunt anduncle. Oh the anticipation be-cause there was a ‘Do Not OpenUntil Dec. 25th’ sticker on thebox and I dared not disobey it! Istill have that doll today alongwith precious memories thatinclude my mother sewing awhole wardrobe for said dollfrom scraps where she madeour clothing!”

Juanita Locke Hogg

“My best gift was a fewyears ago when my son whowas stationed at an outpost inAfghanistan was able to comehome for the holidays.”

Bonnie Kirby Cronin

“In 2001, my daughter madea picture quilt for me. Numberone, I had no idea she was socrafty. Two, this must havebeen the best kept secret sincethe CIA, because I didn’t have aclue. One of the few gifts in mylife that made me cry. I trea-sure it still.”

Sheila Rider Lea

CH@TROOM

THIS WEEK’SQUESTION

What do you consider themost significant event of 2014 –either internationally, national-ly, locally or personally?

Every week we ask readers a questionthey can reply to via email. Send youranswers to [email protected] with Ch@troom in thesubject line.

A friend wrote a memory ofwhen she and her familywould come out to our Christ-mas tree farm in Boone Coun-ty.

For more than 20 years myhubby Sid Walters grew andshaped a large field of Christ-

mas trees,when I nolonger hadhorses in thesame field.

On WaltersChristmasTree Farm wehad big dogswho triedvery hard toease my miss-ing my horses.We had New-ton the New-

foundland and Maggie Mae,the St. Bernard, who weren’tas large as horses but nonethe-less pretty big dogs.

Those dogs loved their rolesin the Christmas tree business,too. They loved people andwere so helpful and diligent intheir jobs, even though asMaggie Mae got up in years,she felt her greatest duty wasto wait for dropped doughnuts(keeping the environmentclean) or for a customer topitch her a doughnut treat.

Both Newt and Maggieloved children and would com-pletely tolerate kids rolling allover these “Christmas TreeDogs,” raising up their hugelips to check out canine teeth –whatever anyone did was finewith them!

One day after we hadn’tbeen home a lady called to tellus she had come out to get atree but didn’t see anyone.Newton met her at the gate,took her ever so gently by thehand and led her to the secondgate where the trees are. She

was a little worried at first, shesaid, especially when you havea 200-pound dog take yourhand. But she said it was gen-tle and she knew he was lead-ing her. When she got to theback gate, he just sat down,looked at the field, then at heras if to say, “OK there are thetrees. You’re on your own now,go get one!”

I was always interested ineveryone’s description of whatthey deemed “the PerfectChristmas Tree.” Everyonehad a different view. Somefolks wanted a very full “per-fect” tree, others wanted a treethat had open branches thatyou could see through (some-what scraggly).

Sid would spend manyhours throughout the summerin the Christmas tree fieldshaping the trees. Yet evenwith his shaping, each treewould take on its own person-ality and appearance.

One day we watched ayoung newly married couplecome out to get their first tree.The hubby brought a rustyhandsaw to take down theirfirst tree. It began to rain, thenrained harder. They foundtheir tree; hubby was layingdown in the cold, wet grasssawing, sawing and sawing.New little wifey was standingover him trying to shelter himwith her umbrella. He wasgetting nowhere with his rustysaw.

My husband, Sid, finallywent out with his chainsaw andasked the young man if hewould like him to take downthe tree. The wife said, “No!”he will saw it down. As he layin the wet grass, continuing tosaw and getting nowhere, Sidwent out again, wifey stilladamant that her heroic hus-band saw down the tree eventhough it was very apparent hewas growing more and morefrustrated. Finally on the thirdvisit from Sid, even though thesweet wife was still holding

the umbrella for hubby andstill believing hubby wouldconquer the staunch tree, helooked at Sid and said “Justsaw down the damn treewouldja!” They came out ofthe field, Sid carrying the tree,hubby cold and wet and wifeywith a sorrowful look on herface.

Wonder how that eveningwent? So much for love Iguess.

There were times when afamily wouldn’t have the mon-ey for a tree. Sid would givethem a deep discount, or per-haps just “”give” them the treeat no cost. Everyone shouldhave a Christmas tree!

We always tried to addsome ambiance in the treefield. I told Sid searching for aChristmas tree was muchmore than just the search. Itwas about families, tradition,experience and adventure. Wehad Christmas music pipedinto the field, a roaring firewith benches around the fire,hot chocolate, doughnuts,sometimes having kids roastmarshmallows.

It was a time for families tobe together and create familymemories.

Not much money was madein the Christmas tree businesswhen you consider the ex-pense of it all. But it was aspecial time for all of us, forfamilies and for Sid and me(even though I sometimesgrumbled on very cold orrainy days).

Merry Christmas to all, andmay you forever be searchingfor that Perfect ChristmasTree –and making your ownmemories.

Sherry and Sid Walters operatedthe Walters Christmas Tree Farmon Longbranch Road in Union.

NKY Christmas tree farm holds many vivid memories

SherryWaltersCOMMUNITYRECORDER GUESTCOLUMNIST

THANKS TO SHERRY WALTERS

Newton the Newfoundland transports a Christmas tree at the WaltersChristmas Tree Farm in Union.

THANKS TO SHERRY WALTERS

Maggie Mae, the St. Bernard,relaxes on Christmas Day after aseason of helping at theChristmas tree farm.


DECEMBER 25, 2014 • COMMUNITY RECORDER • B1

SPORTSSPORTSHIGH SCHOOL | YOUTH | RECREATIONAL Cincinnati.com/northernkentucky

COMMUNITYRECORDEREditor: Melanie Laughman, [email protected], 513-248-7573

Boys basketball» Cole VonHandorf scored

18 points and pulled down fiverebounds to help CovingtonCatholic pull away and defeatCampbell County 60-45Dec. 18. Bo Schuh, AndyFlood and Cooper Theobaldalso scored in double digits tolead a balanced Cov Cath at-tack. Matt Wilson and De-ondre Jackson scored 17 and15 points, respectively, in theloss for the Camels.

» Lloyd beat Villa Madon-na 78-46 in a district seedinggame Dec. 19. Hayden Molitorled Lloyd with 18 points, Thom-as Schutzmanhad 17 for VMA.

» After starting the season0-2, Simon Kenton has wonfour straight including an 81-65 win over Conner Dec. 16.Senior forward Matt Mullinsscored a game-high 28 points –12 of which came in the thirdquarter – for Simon Kenton inonly 11 minutes of playingtime. Senior guard JaegerPracht added 14 points and ju-nior center Austin Fries fin-ished with 11 points.

» Holmes beat Lloyd 65-55Dec. 16. Junior guard MarkelMcClendon scored 24 pointsand recorded seven steals tolead the Bulldogs. Juniorguard Marcus Mullins record-ed 13 points and grabbed 10 re-bounds, and senior forwardRod Avery scored 14 to leadHolmes. Sophomore forwardSterling Hamilton scored 20for the Juggernauts. Sopho-more guard Lashunn Town-sendadded 14 points for Lloyd.

» Dixie Heights beat High-lands 50-30 Dec. 16 in a match-up of schools that played forstate football titles 10 days ear-lier. Dixie was led by seniorguard Liam Rabe with 10points. Highlands’ Kenny Ballhit four 3-pointers in the sec-ond half to finish with a game-high 12 points.

Girls basketball» Holy Cross beat Lincoln

County 60-37 Dec. 19. Deja Tur-ner, Aleah Tucker and AllyMayhaus all finished with 14points for Holy Cross. May-haus recorded a double-doublewith 14 rebounds.

» Lloyd beat CovingtonLatin 64-43 Dec. 19. ShamayaBehanan led Lloyd with 20points and seven rebounds.Jordan Gentrychipped in with14 points for Lloyd.

» Ludlow lost 69-62 to Pen-dleton County Dec. 18, spoilinga 33-point night from Tori Wof-ford.

» Scott beat South Laurel61-44 Dec. 19. Guard AlexisStapleton converted on two ofScott’s four 3-pointers to leadScott. Stapleton finished with agame-high 17 points and addedseven rebounds and four as-sists. Guard Holly Kallmeyerfinished with 13 points and sixrebounds

» Simon Kenton beat Bal-lard 52-32 Dec. 18. Ally Niecerecorded 13 points, five re-bounds, three steals and threeassists. Madi Meier had 12points, seven rebounds andtwo assists.

» Newport Central Catho-lic beat Lloyd 69-45 Dec. 16.Ansley Davenport had 20points.

Coaching News» Beechwood has an open-

ing for head varsity volleyballcoach. If interested, pleasesend a letter of interest and re-sume to Suzy Wera, AthleticDirector. Email :[email protected]

Basketball Camp» Ken Shields will have his

annual basketball shootingcamp Dec. 29-31 at Sports ofAll Sorts Mt. Zion Rd. Camp is9a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. Cost is$100. Guests include formerNKU standout Paul Cluxton,who set the NCAA record forconsecutive free throws. Con-tact 760-7466.

Baseball Camp» Lloyd Memorial High

School is hosting a six weekbaseball camp starting Jan. 11.Lloyd head coach AaronMoore will direct the programin conjunction with U.S. Base-ball Academy. Classes areavailable for players in grades1-12 and are limited to six play-ers per coach. Sessions are of-fered in advanced hitting,pitching, catching, fieldingand baserunning. Space is lim-ited. Registration is now underway. For more information,visit www.USBaseballAca-demy.com, or call toll-free 866-622-4487.

Archery» At a Dec. 13 tournament,

Simon Kenton junior Aman-da Hornsby won first place forhigh school girls, top girlsshooter, and overall top shoot-er which is the highest andtoughest honor to achieve.

Cheerleading» Results from the KHSAA

Competitive Cheer Champion-ships earlier this month:

Dixie Heights was fifth inthe All-Girl Large standings.

Ryle was sixth in the All-Girl Medium standings. Si-mon Kenton was seventh andScott ninth.

Highlands was 15th in theAll-Girl Small competition.

Connerfinished first in theAll-Girl Super standings.

Girls soccer» Simon Kenton junior

Mallory Valentine was select-ed first team all-Eighth Regionby the coaches. She rankedfifth in the voting. Senior Kar-ley Abel and senior AliFrietsch were second team.Sophomore Caitlin Cahill andfreshman Sydney Case werehonorable mention.

TMC Notes» Thomas More senior de-

fender Alex Dean (Highlands)has been named to the NationalSoccer Coaches Association ofAmerica (NSCAA)/Continen-tal Tire All-American team.Dean, who played in all 22matches for the Saints, was athird team selection. He an-chored a Saints’ defense thatposted 12 shutouts, while onlygiving up 14 goals and 181

SHORT HOPS

By James [email protected]

JIM OSBORN/FOR THE RECORDER

Covington Catholic’s Bo Schuhputs up a shot over CampbellCounty’s Jordan Day in theColonels’ win 60-45 Dec. 18.

See SHORT HOPS, Page B2

The holidays are nice ontheir own, but the seasonwithout hoops kind of

feels a little naughty. Fortunate-ly, there is plenty of action onthe hardwood for NorthernKentucky fans to enjoy, includ-ing many chances to enjoy a fullday of hoops festivities.

The Lloyd Memorial Invita-tional Tournament returns asthe area’s largest holiday show-case. Thirty-two games of boysbasketball start Dec. 27. Teamsare Lloyd, Woodford County,Walton-Verona, RichmondModel, Conner, Newport,Holmes, Silver Grove, Louis-ville Collegiate, Boone County,Scott, Bracken County, Iro-quois, Augusta, Stewarts Creekand McCracken County.

Cost is $7 adult/$4 studentper day; with $1 of the ticketcost being donated to the teamof fan’s choice. An all-tourneypass for all four days is $20.Games will be split betweenLloyd’s Scheben gym and Tiche-nor Middle School, which is ad-jacent to Scheben.

On Saturday, action starts at10:30 a.m., with the last game at9 p.m., all games at Scheben.First-day schedule is Conner vs.Bracken County (10:30), New-port vs. Iroquois (12:15), Wood-ford vs. Walton-Verona (2:00),Holmes vs. Collegiate (3:45),Boone vs. Augusta (5:30), Modelvs. Scott (7:15) and Lloyd vs.Stewarts Creek (9:00).

On both Sunday and Monday,first game at Scheben is 2:45and last one at 8 p.m., and at Ti-chener, first game is 3:15 p.m.and last game 8:30 p.m. On Tues-day, the first game at Lloyd is2:45 p.m. with the championshipgame at 8 p.m. At Tichener, firstgame is 1:30 p.m. and the lastone at 6:45 p.m.

Sponsors are the Erlanger-Elsmere Board of Education,Mach III Clutch, Inc., MazakCorp., Nova Care, JerseyMike’s, Parfetti Van Meller andBumble Bee Team Sports.

Covington Catholic and Si-mon Kenton are in one of thestate’s biggest showcases, theRepublic Bank Classic at Lexing-ton Catholic Dec. 26-30. Otherteams include Bryan Station,Boyle County, Perry CountyCentral, Male, Oldham County,Apollo, Casey County, NorthLaurel, Henderson County,Henry Clay, Bullitt East andLexington Christian.

Dixie Heights and HolyCross will play at the AshlandBlazer tourney Dec. 27-29.

Leading regular matchups inthe new year Friday, Jan. 2 arethe Covington Catholic at High-lands rivalry game in FortThomas, and Dixie Heightsplaying at St. Henry in a 34th Dis-trict seeding game.

Cooper will host an all-dayweekend showcase Saturday,Jan. 3. Cooper will host Harri-son County 8 p.m. that night. St.Henry will play Bracken Coun-ty at 2 p.m., Holy Cross vs. Pen-dleton County at 4 p.m. andNorth Oldham vs. Ryle at 6 p.m.

Scott and Simon Kenton willplay in an all-day showcase atRussell Jan. 3.

In girls hoops, the schedulefor the annual LaRosa’s HolidayClassic at Conner High SchoolDec. 29-31 has been released.Eight teams will participate.

Monday: Brossart vs. Lex-ington Catholic (1 p.m.), BoyleCounty vs. Highlands (2:30

p.m.), Walton-Verona vs. Ow-ensboro Catholic (4 p.m.), Con-ner vs. Bullitt Central (5:30p.m.).

Tuesday: Boyle vs. Walton-Verona (9 a.m.), Highlands vs.

OCath (10:30 a.m.), Bullitt vs.Brossart (12 p.m.), LexCath vs.Conner (1:30 p.m.), Boyle vs.OCath (4 p.m.), Walton-Verona

’Tis the seasonfor holiday hoops

JAMES WEBER/THE COMMUNITY RECORDER

Liam Rabe and Dixie Heights will be headed, along with Holt Cross, to playin the Ashland Blazer tournament starting Saturday.

By James [email protected]


James Bolden and the Holmes Bulldogs will be one of several teamsparticipating in the Lloyd Memorial Invitational Tournament beginningSaturday.

See HOOPS, Page B2

B2 • COMMUNITY RECORDER • DECEMBER 25, 2014 LIFE

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS —The Northern KentuckyUniversity women’s bas-ketball team is not onlylearning how to win at theDivision I level, but theNorse are also learningnot to be intimidated.

The Norse are 7-5heading into Christmasbreak, with anothergame not on the horizonuntil Dec. 30 at homeagainst IUPUI. NKU haswon its last three games,two of them against ma-jor-conference foes inMarquette (77-68) andCincinnati (66-52). Thewin over Marquette,from the Big East, cameon the road in Milwau-kee.

While MU and UC onlyhave a combined recordof 3-15, the wins haveboosted the confidenceof the Norse.

“We’ve been able to ig-nore the name on the jer-sey and just go out andplay,” said junior guardChristine Roush. “Wejust try to play our gameand we feel we can go outthere and win.”

The resume includesan 18-point loss at Ken-tucky, who is rankedeighth in the country at10-1.

“I thought our kids dida good job of competingoverall,” NKU headcoach Dawn Plitzuweitsaid that night. “I thinkthey played really hard,but we obviously need totake care of the ball a lit-tle better and keep themoff the free-throw line.We do that if we rebounda little better, but wewere challenged tonightwith their size, athleti-cism and speed, but thatis a scenario we are goingto continue to work andget better at. Overall, Iwas really proud of theireffort, and it was a greatopportunity to play Ken-tucky on their homecourt.”

The Norse have beat-en Delaware, Delaware

State, UNC-Greensboroand Grand Canyon. NKUhas won four games thisyear on neutral sites andtwo on the opponent’shome floor. The UC gamewas NKU’s first homewin.

The Norse have a pairof lopsided losses of 30-plus points to Mid-Amer-ican Conference teams,but have grown fromthose losses with depth.NKU has 10 players aver-aging 10 minutes or moreper game.

Senior Melody Doss

leads the way at 12.9points per game, includ-ing a high of 21 at IllinoisState. Doss scored 15points on 6-for-10 shoot-ing from the floor to liftNKU to a 63-58 victoryover Delaware Dec. 19.

Doss added 11 of herpoints in the second halfto help NKU, which im-proved to 7-5 with thewin, hold off a second-half Delaware (4-5) rally.

Roush averages 12.4 agame and had 29 at Mar-quette.

Senior forward Kait-

lyn Gerrety posts 7.6 agame and Kelley Wieg-man 6.0. Gerrety postssix rebounds a contest.

Offensive balance hasbeen a key in the winningstreak. Eight playersscored in the win overDelaware Dec. 19. Fresh-man Faith Sandersscored a career-high 11points off the bench.

Freshman Kasey Ue-trecht, who had 10 totalpoints in her first five ap-pearances, notched six inboth the Cincinnati andDelaware games.

Against UC, she had twostraight baskets, bothfrom three-point range,in a key run late in thefirst half.

“Kasey Uetrecht hadtwo huge baskets for us,”Roush said.

Rianna Gayheart, a ju-nior guard from OwenCounty, had six straightpoints to give the teamthe lead for good in thegame.

“Offensively, we wantto feed the hot hand,”added Plitzuweit. “Butthat can be any player onany given night for us.We are an equal-opportu-nity offense, trying totake advantage of mis-matches. But, I don’tthink we are totally thereyet.”

The Norse have homegames Jan. 3 againstWright State and Jan. 6against Georgetown Col-lege before starting con-ference play Jan. 10 atLipscomb. The sevenwins so far is already ahigh for non-conferencefoes in the third season ofDivision I, and the grindcan help prepare theNorse for conferenceseason.

“It should help us be-cause we’ve played a lotof teams that are biggerand stronger and thathelps us in the long run,”Roush said.

“We have our thirdgame in five days whenwe take on Delaware,”said Plitzuweit. “We haveone day to prep for Fri-day. And, playing this cal-iber of teams will hope-fully prepare us for con-ference play.”

NKU was picked tofinish third in the A-Sunbehind Florida GulfCoast and Stetson. Dosswas voted by the confer-ence onto the 10-memberpreseason all-confer-ence team, and Doss wasvoted by fans as the play-er of the year in a pollsponsored by the confer-ence.

Follow James on Twitter,@JWeberSports

Norse learning how to winBy James [email protected]


NKU senior Kaitlyn Gerrety drives against UC sophomore Marley Hill. NKU beat Cincinnati66-52 Dec. 17 at the Bank of Kentucky Center.

shots, including only 77on-goal. Dean also hadnine points on four goalsand one assist. At the con-clusion of the season, hehas been named first teamAll-PAC and first teamAll-Great Lakes Region.

Dean is the third-everThomas More men’s soc-cer student-athlete to benamed All-American asAlex Oeswein ’12 wasnamed to the NSCAA All-American team in 2011and current junior forwar-dAustin Juniet (NewportCentral Catholic) wasnamed All-American in2013.

The Saints finished the2014 season with a 18-2-2overall record and wontheir sixth-straight Presi-dents’ Athletic Confer-ence tournament champi-onship and advanced totheir sixth-straight NCAADivision III Tournament.

Catching Up» Indiana University

East senior guard TylerFangman (Beechwood)was one of 251 basketballplayers across the nationnominated for the 2015Allstate NABC and WBCAGood Works teams, as an-nounced by National As-sociation of BasketballCoaches, the Women’sBasketball Coaches Asso-ciation and Allstate Insur-ance Company.

This prestigious com-munity service award rec-ognizes a distinguishedgroup of student-athleteswho have demonstrated acommitment to enrichingthe lives of others and con-tributing to the greatergood in their communi-ties. The final roster of 20award recipients will beunveiled in February.

Fangman was IU East’sChampions of CharacterAward winner for the2013-14 school year. Fang-man has participated inspring cleanup events andmultiple visits with localelementary school stu-dents during his time at IUEast. He assisted withsome farm work for an IUEast staff member. Healso was selected as one ofthe community’s youngleaders to work with mid-dle school and high schoolstudents.

SHORT HOPS

Continued from Page B1

vs. Highlands (5:30 p.m.),Bullitt vs. LexCath (7p.m.), Conner vs. Brossart(8:30 p.m.).

Wednesday: 7th place (9a.m.), 5th place (10:30a.m.), 3rd place (12 p.m.),championship (2 p.m.).

Bellevue will host itsannual Stephanie Wilsonmemorial tournamentDec. 26-28. Teams includeBellevue, Dayton, New-port, Villa Madonna, Co-vington Latin and Augus-ta.

St. Henry will play inthe eight-team MercerCounty tourney Dec. 27-30.

Ludlow and Scott willplay in the Carroll Countyholiday tourney Dec. 29-31. Simon Kenton will playat Edmonson CountyDec. 29-31.

Holmes will go to FortMyers, Florida for a tour-ney Dec. 29-31.

In regular matchups,St. Henry and DixieHeights will play theirdistrict game Jan. 2.

Follow James on Twitter@JWeberSports

HoopsContinued from Page B1

Notre Dame Academyswimming coach EmilyKnoll made her return tothe team at the Dec. 6 sea-son-opening Dixie Sprint

Meet, andliked whatshe saw ofher young-er swim-mers.

“Wedidn’t takeour Ateam. Itwas a

great opportunity for ourless experienced swim-mers to have a chance tocompete,” Knoll said.“My first view of oursquad was Thursday in adual at Sycamore, and Iwas pleased with what Isaw there.”

Knoll, last with thePandas in a meet at Janu-ary’s conference champi-onships, gave birth totwin boys and missed theregional and state events.

The Pandas finished sec-ond at state, their best fin-ish under Knoll. Thetwins, now 11 months old,are in a routine, and so ismom.

“It’s nice to be backwith the team,” saidKnoll. “I really enjoyedour energy. I missedthat.”

Propelled by a pair ofwins by returning first-team all-state regionalchampion MadeleineVonderhaar, the Pandasdefeated Sycamore, aquality Cincinnati oppo-nent. Vonderhaar, a ju-nior, won the 100 breast-stroke and 200 individualmedley. Freshman Soph-ie Skinner, a national-lev-el competitor for theNorthern Kentucky Clip-pers, won her first twohigh school events.

Notre Dame won’t bein action again until theJan. 7 quad meet withDixie Heights, Scott andSimon Kenton at Scott’sfacility. The Scott EagleClassic is Jan. 10, givingthe Pandas their first lookat many of the area’steams. The Pandas areseeking 17th consecutiveregional and conferencecrowns. They won lastseason’s regional by 278points, and ended a string

of third-place finishes atstate.

Other top swimmersinclude seniors Lilly Mor-gan and Ellen Neltner.Morgan recently signedto swim at Tulane. Neltn-er signed with Bellar-mine. Diver Karly Crail isheading to Akron.

Crail, third at state anda winner at the Sycamoreand St. Ursula duals, islooking for a way to gain47 points on defendingstate champion Carly Hillof Highlands. Crail hasadded an inward 11⁄22 pike

with a 2.4 degree of diffi-culty, replacing an in-ward 1 1⁄2 tuck, which car-ried a 2.2 difficulty. Shehas added a full twist toher back-flip 11⁄2 twist (2.3difficulty), which is nowwith 2 1⁄2 twists carrying a2.7.

“It’ll get me up there alittle higher in points, andprepare me for college,”said Crail, whose aunt,Paula Crail, holds theschool’s all-time scoringrecord and is also herNDA diving coach. “Mygoals are winning state,

and getting that NotreDame record, and I thinkthese new dives will real-ly help me.”

The Pandas also fea-ture junior diver FrancieCase, a third-year per-former who finished 14that state. They’ve added apair of gymnasts, KaylieCollins and Sophie Mid-dendorf, who are focus-ing more on diving. That’swhat Karly Crail did. Shemade the switch fromgymnastics to diving inthe seventh grade afterbeing involved with tum-bling and the trampolinefor eight years.

“I never thought Iwould get a college schol-arship in the short timeI’ve been diving,” saidCrail, who never won aNorthern KentuckySwim League divingchampionship. Collinsand Middendorf, NKSLcompetitors, still havethat chance.

“I think Karly can winstate. It’s possible she canmake it closer becauseshe has really improvedher approach and tech-nique,” said NDA divingcoach Kevin Bodkin, a 45-year veteran of the localscene. “I’m excited aboutall of our divers this sea-son.”

Pandas make new mother proudKnoll returnsafter givingbirth to twinslast seasonBy Marc HardinEnquirer contributor

ENQUIRER FILE

Madeleine Vonderhaar, who was first-team all state lastseason, helped Notre Dame Academy beat Sycamore in thePandas’ opening dual meet of the season.

MadeleineVonderhaar

DECEMBER 25, 2014 • COMMUNITY RECORDER • B3LIFE

The Cincinnati Ballet’s40th annual production of“Frisch’s Presents TheNutcracker” will feature acast of over 150 childrenfrom the Tristate areaDec. 19-27 at the AronoffCenter for the Arts.

The production hasbeen going since 1974 andis in its 40th season. Thechildren chosen for thecast have the opportunityto dance alongside Cincin-nati Ballet’s professionaldancers.

According to a press re-lease, “These young andtalented dance studentshave been hard at worksince their August audi-tions. A select few havebeen cast as main charac-ters including the roles ofClara and her pet poodle,Minnie.”

Edgewood and Unionareas represented by stu-dent dancers who are per-forming in this holiday tra-dition. Kaitlyn King isfrom Edgewood and Ain-sley Hoh lives in Union.

KAITLYN KINGWhen Kaitlyn King was

3 years old, her mothertook her to see “The Nut-cracker.” There was a ta-ble set up outside to signup for the Cincinnati Bal-let Academy, so she pickedup an ink pen. Her mother,Kathleen, said the rest ishistory.

Kaitlyn, of Edgewood,is now 13 years old andloves being on stage.

“I love the idea of hav-ing kids look up and say,‘Aww, maybe I can be upthere one day,’” she said.“That is what I was doingwhen I was seeing ‘TheNutcracker’ and I wasn’treally involved in ballet.But I think what was goingthrough my mind is that Ireally want to be upthere.”

Life of a ballerinaKathleen said she is

proud of her daughter be-cause she does so well aca-demically, while also bal-ancing life in the ballet.

“I think she just told methe other day that she’snever had a B,” Kathleensaid.

Kathleen said Kaitlyn

is involved in differentprograms at school forchildren who are giftedand talented, and is in theASCENT Arts programfor dance. Sometimes, theprograms allow her tomiss class to go on fieldtrips.

Kaitlyn said teachersare good about giving herextra time to do home-work and are understand-ing about her involvementin the ballet.

While she was in Cin-cinnati Ballet’s “PeterPan,” her ASCENT Artsgroup came to see the per-formance.

Being a ballet momKathleen is one of the

coordinators at the balletwho handlerehearsals andperformances. Her dutiesinclude monitoring atten-dance by making sure kidsget signed in and out, andtraining other parents todo jobs backstage.

“It’s really wonderfuland exciting to be a part ofa professional productionlike The Cincinnati Bal-let,” she said. “I love it.”

AINSLEY HOHAinsley Hoh started

ballet when she was 3

years old, then began tak-ing lessons at the Cincin-nati Ballet when she was 4.

Ainsley’s mom, Han-nah, said that like all littlegirls, her daughter wouldtwirl around in the familyroom.

“She really wanted todo it herself and be like(people on) “Dancing withthe Stars,” Hannah said.

Ainsley is now 12 yearsold, and her goal is to con-tinue to be a ballerina asshe grows up. However,she’s not sure about thespecific details yet, but

‘The Nutcracker’ includes local talent By Stephen Roy [email protected] MEET KAITLYN

Age: 13Hometown: EdgewoodSchool: Seventh grade

at Turkey Foot MiddleSchool

Other hobby: Playsflute in the Kenton Coun-ty Middle School All-starBand

Favorite book: J.K.Rowling’s Harry Potterseries (she loves to read)

Favorite musician: PyotrIlyich Tchaikovsky (TheNutcracker)

Favorite play she’s beenin: “Peter Pan”

Favorite movies: Oldblack and white movieslike The Wizard of Oz

Favorite sports teams:Cincinnati Reds andBengals

MEET AINSLEYAge: 12Hometown: UnionSchool: Seventh grade atGray Middle SchoolOther hobbies: Piano,saxophone and volleyballFavorite musical artist:Ariana GrandeFavorite ballet produc-tion: The NutcrackerFavorite movie: Frozen

NUTCRACKERSCHEDULEWhen: Dec. 19-27, 2014Where: The AronoffCenter for the ArtsDrinks, cupcakes, chipsand apparel for kids willbe available.For performance datesand showtimes, visithttps://www.cballet.org/1415/nutcracker.

PROVIDED

Kaitlyn King, 13, dressed asThe Nutcracker during herclass with the CincinnatiBallet Academy when shewas 3 years old.

PROVIDED

Ainsley Hoh, 13, is fromUnion and will representBoone County in “TheNutcracker.”

See BALLET, Page B6


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Paul BrownPaul E. Brown, 87, of Ludlow,

died Dec. 10 at Villaspring CareCenter in Erlanger.

He was retired from themaintenance department atTony Michael Tire Co. During the1940s he began driving an icecream truck as a teenager duringWorld War II; it was a job he did

for 26 years and as a result hebecame known as the “IceCream Man” to all he served.

His wife, Joyce Brown; broth-ers Jim and Robert Brown; andsisters Pauline Allen and DorothyBrue, died previously.

Survivors include his son, Paul“Garry” Brown of Ludlow; and agranddaughter along with threegreat-grandchildren.

Robert EctonRobert “Bobby” Ecton, 66, of

Ludlow, died Dec. 9 at HospiceCare of St. Elizabeth in Edge-wood.

He was retired from Pepsi Colaand was an avid bowler wholoved all sports, especially the

DEATHS

See DEATHS, Page B7

does like the CincinnatiBallet.

Performingwith the stars

Ainsley said she haswatched “The Nutcrack-er” every year since shestarted ballet and knows itwell.

“It’s fun to be in it be-cause it makes you feellike you’re part of the com-pany,” Ainsley said.

After stretching, Ain-sley is always ready to hitthe stage. She said shedoesn’t have stage fright.

“I like being on stage,” shesaid. “It’s a good feeling.”

Her most recent per-formance was in “PeterPan” and she will also per-form in “Alice in Wonder-land” in February, a pro-duction she has also been apart of in the past.

Ainsley said she likesbeing able to representBoone County on such abig stage and is fortunatefor the opportunity.

Busy ballerinaOutside of the ballet,

Ainsley is straight-A stu-dent. She loves to writeand has won writing con-tests, according to hermother.

Ainsley said she doesn’t

have trouble balancingschoolwork and dancing atthe same time.

“I thought it was goingto be hard at first, but wedon’t miss that muchschool,” she said.

Even though Ainsleyhas intense rehearsalsfour days a week, Hannahsaid she still dances al-most every day. Her weekconsists of traveling backand forth from Union todowntown Cincinnati, do-ing homework there, eat-ing dinner on the fly, thenfinishing the homeworkbefore going to bed.

“It’s a dedication forher but she loves it and hasa passion for it,” Hannahsaid.

BalletContinued from Page B4


Cincinnati Bengals, Reds, andBearcats.

His brother, James Cory Ecton,died previously.

Survivors include his wife,Cindy Ecton of Ludlow; son,Corey Ecton; and six grand-children.

Memorials: To the donor’scharity of choice.

Alberta GibbsAlberta Ferguson Gibbs, 85, of

Cincinnati and formerly ofMorning View, died Dec. 14 ather home.

She was a retired laundryworker for St. Elizabeth Hospitalin Edgewood and a member ofCalvary Baptist Church, whereshe was involved with the“Young at Heart” ministry. Shealso enjoyed crocheting andceramics.

Her husband, Denver E. Gibbs;son, Denver Allen Gibbs; sistersDeloris Ferguson and RoseJohnson; and brother, RobertEdward Ferguson, died previ-ously.

Survivors include her daugh-ters Deloris Kay Glenn andJennel Sue Gibbs; sons James E.Gibbs, Robert C. Gibbs, andGerald Gibbs; sisters JennyJohnson and Laura Mae Ihrig;brother, Leroy Ferguson; andeleven grandchildren along withand several great-grandchildren.

Burial was at Floral HillsCemetery.

Memorials: Ohio Council ofAging, 175 Tri-County Parkway,Cincinnati, OH 45246; or Hospiceof Cincinnati, 4360 Cooper Road,Cincinnati, OH 45242.

Mary HawkinsMary F. Hawkins, 66, of Erlang-

er, died recently at her home.Survivors include her husband,

Jim Hawkins of Cleves, Ohio;daughters Sheila Neal of Erlang-er and Theresa Brockert ofColerain Township, Ohio; step-

daughters Pam Stanley of WestChester, Ohio and Kim Wright ofCleves; sister, Lucille Knight ofBurlington, North Car.; and twograndchildren.

Memorials: St. Joseph Home,10722 Wyscarver Road, Cincin-nat,i OH 45241.

George HensleyGeorge Hensley, 80, of Visalia,

died Dec. 14.He was a retired truck driver.His brothers Earl and Robert

Hensley; and sisters Marie Hen-sley, Bonnie Hensley, and EdithHarris, died previously.

Survivors include his wife,Georgette Hensley; children VickiSchwartz, Darlene Hensley, BillyHensley, and Ben Hensley;brothers Charles Hensley, GilbertHensley, Paul Hensley, JamesHensley, and Randy Hensley;sister, Gloria Phillips; and 12grandchildren along with 10great-grandchildren.

Burial was at Floral HillsMemorial Gardens.

Memorials: St. Patrick’s Catho-lic Church, 3285 Mills Road,Taylor Mill, KY 41015; or TheAmerican Diabetes Association.

Jerry McCauleyJerry Dean McCauley, 62, of

Independence, died Dec. 4 atUniversity of Kentucky Hospital.

He was employed as a man-ager at Van Leunen’s depart-ment store in Erlanger for morethan 20 years and recentlyretired after 12 years of employ-ment with Kenton CountySchools in the transportationdepartment. He enjoyed allsports, however, he was anespecially enthusiastic fan of allUK sports.

His parents, Gordon andBonnie McCauley; and brother,Gordon Keith McCauley Jr., diedpreviously.

Survivors include his siblingsRichard McCauley, Linda Faris,Sharon Berling, and EvelynStetter.

Timothy PiperTimothy Cleveland Piper, 53,

of Independence, died Dec. 13 atSt. Elizabeth Hospital in Edge-wood.

His parents, Palmer and MabelPiper, died previously.

Survivors include his daughter,Kristina Piper of Cincinnati; son,Spencer Piper of Cincinnati;sister, Becky Carder of Independ-ence; and brothers Ronald Piperand Jeff Piper, both of Independ-ence.

Burial was at Floral HillsMemorial Gardens in Taylor Mill.

Memorials: Arthritis Founda-tion, 7124 Miami Ave., Cincin-nati, OH 45243.

Cornelius SchatzmanCornelius W. Schatzman, 87,

of Edgewood, died Dec. 11 atBaptist Convalescent Center inNewport.

He retired from Cincinnati BellTelephone after more than 30years of service. He was a life-long member of Trinity UnitedMethodist Church in Latonia anda member of the NorthernKentucky Boat Club, NorthernKentucky Amateur Radio Club,and he worked on the stage

crew with the Cincinnati MusicTheatre. He was also an avidgolfer.

Survivors include his wife,LaVerne Wade Schatzman; andsister, Carol Weaver.

Memorials: Trinity UnitedMethodist Church, 101 E. South-ern Ave., Latonia, KY 41015; orAlzheimer’s Association, 225 N.Michigan Ave., Floor 17, Chicago,IL 60601.

Helen WilliamsHelen S. Williams, 77, of

Elsmere, died November 24.She was a homemaker and

caregiver.Her husband, Thomas Wil-

liams; daughter, Denise Martini;and granddaughter, RebecaMartini, died previously.

Survivors include her childrenJohn and Debbie Williams, bothof Elsmere; brother, Ed Schatz-man; and sisters Pat Wolfe,Juanita Foster, and BettySchmidt.

She donated her remains tomedical science.

Memorials: Susan G. KomenBreast Cancer Foundation, 522Cincinnati Mills Drive, Suite B248, Cincinnati, OH 45240.

DEATHS

Continued from Page B6

Women’s Basketball vs. Wright State at IPMand Men’s Basketball vs. Toledo at 4PM

DOUBLE HEADER SATURDAY, JAN. 3

It’s a Gold Rush - Wear Your NKU Gold!

Take A Kid to the Game Day - Free Admission for Kid’s 12

& Under with the purchase of an Adult Ticket (includes both

games)Shoot Around Saturday - Shoot

on court with the NKU Men’s Basketball Team Post-game and

Receive Player Autographs

norsetickets.com

#4for404 Tickets/4 Hot Dogs/ • 4 Soft Drinks for $40

Join in the wintertime fun at...

2638 Anderson Road • Crescent Springs, KY 41017859-344-1981 ext 0 • www.nkyicecenter.com

Christmas Holiday ScheduleAll public sessions have general skating on the main rink and either beginners only or stick time on the studio rink.

1:00-5:00pm $6.00December 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31,

January 1, 2, 3.Beginners only on the studio rink

7:30-9:30pm $6.00December 26, 27, 28, 29, 30,

January 1, 2, 3.Stick time on the studio rink

Skate rental for all sessions $2.00Children 10 yrs and under:

$1.00 off admissionGroup and Family rates also available

Buy One Admission, Get One Admission

FREEFor public sessions only. Must present coupon.

Learn to SkateWinter Session 16-week program for ages 3 yrs. - Adult6 1/2 hour lessons / 6 1/2 hour practice each week.

6 free public session passes.Free skate rental all lessons and public sessions.

Classes begin:Tuesday, Jan. 6 6:00-7:00pm, Thursday, Jan 8. 6:00-7:00pm, and Saturday, Jan 10. Teen/Adult class also available beginning Thursday, Jan 8 7:00-8:30pm

$65.00Register by Jan. 4 and receive a $10.00 Discount

Call 859-344-1981 ext. 0 to register

Instructional Hockey

Wednesdays: 6:00-7:00pmJanuary 7 - February 25

Ages 10 yrs and under. Girls also welcome.All equipment is provided including skates.

$80.00Email Hugh Miller at [email protected]

for additional information

Come visitus at our new location

4180 Richardson Road, Independence, by the stop sign at

Richardson Rd & Turkeyfoot RdClean up your car & your best friend too!


Documents

Community recorder 122514