The Middletonian JANUARY/WINTER 2022
Heavy Metal
Butler County’s Mike Diehl earns silver in Iceland’s Strongman Championship
Francis J. Tytus The industrial titan of Middletown BY RICHARD O JONES
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Winter 2022 • Vol. 4, No. 1
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Middletown Winter Events
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Check out Middletown’s events this Winter
8 Shine On
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Two of the biggest holiday events enjoyed tremendous success this year and organizers are already planning ahead.
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Heavy Metal
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Francis J. Tytus
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Harmonic Company
Kelven Moss is returning home to take the helm of the Middies boys basketball team.
Butler County’s Mike Diehl earns silver in Strongman.
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The industrial titan of Middletown.
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“Your Hometown Hospice Making a Difference” Comforting Hearts in Our Neighborhood
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Middletown Phantom of the Opera
The American Pink Floyd
Chamber of Commerce
JANUARY 21 — 30, 2022 Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber TIME: Check Chamber of Commerce Website for Details LOCATION: Performing Arts Academy DESCRIPTION: Andrew Lloyd Webber’s masterpiece, The Phantom of the Opera, will come to the Ben Bender stage at the Performing Arts Academy of Middletown, Ohio January 21, 22, 23 & 28, 29, 30, 2022. Talented vocal performers from the Performing Arts Academy + community members make up the cast The Performing Arts Academy is located at 4400 Lewis Street, Middletown, OH. (513) 594-7242 Ticket prices are $15 for Adults, $12 for Sr. Adults (65+) and Children (10 and under) Tickets may be purchased online at theperformingartsacademy.com.
LOCATION: Sorg Opera House DESCRIPTION: $25 Reserved Seating
DESCRIPTION: Join us as we celebrate our 2021 accomplishments and the successes of our member businesses, organizations and community stakeholders.
JANUARY 22, 2022 Signs of Life: The American Pink Floyd TIME: 8 p.m. — 11 p.m. 6
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and $30 Premium Seating tickets on sale now! At first, the stage is Dark. All is quiet. Then the sound of the bass guitar pierces the silence as a kaleidoscopic image slowly comes into focus on the back of the stage. As the random assortment of colors and shapes twirl and dance about the screen, the familiar introduction of Pink Floyd’s “Money” captivates the audience. Lasers flash, drums echo off the walls, and guitars shriek in a symphony of sound. You can almost taste it. This is Signs of Life, a Pink Floyd Tribute band, coming live to the Sorg Theater. In the words of the lead vocalist and guitarist, “It’s not just music, It’s a multimedia experience.”
JANUARY 27, 2022 Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting: 2021 A Year in Review TIME: 5:30 p.m. — 9 p.m. LOCATION: The Windamere
FEBRUARY 4, 2022 Signs of Life: The Wonderlands with special guest TIME: 8 p.m. — 11 p.m. LOCATION: Sorg Opera House DESCRIPTION: The Wonderlands are a five-piece band originally started by childhood friends Miles Jena (vocals) and Adam Steele (bass). After years of writing and performing together Steele and Jena expanded the band to include keyboardist Jill Gavigan, drummer Derek Johnson, and guitarist Patrick Oakes. Their 2020 debut album “This Digital Life” explores the paradoxical loneliness offered by the modern virtually connected world. Summer 2021 has brought their sophomore release, “The Push and The Pull,” which is the first full length release featuring the band’s full lineup. This
Winter Events The Wonderlands
Beatle Mania Magic
Riders in the Sky
new direction was basis for more stylistic and sonic experimentation in the recording process, and the result is a fresh angle on love and loss in the 21st century. Now, the quintet is exploring new sounds and concepts while taking every opportunity to hit the road and share their work with the world. For more information visit www.thewonderlandsband.com.
amps, Gretsch, Hofner & Rickenbacker guitars made famous by the Beatles themselves. The look and sound are uncanny. “Beatlemania Magic” also recreates the “Magical Mystery Tour” of Sgt Pepper, White Album, Let It Be, and Abbey Road. If you missed them in 1964, you must see “Beatlemania Magic” a Tribute to the Beatles today and relive the “magic” yourself!
way-out Western wit, and all along encouraging buckaroos and buckarettes to live life “The Cowboy Way!”
FEBRUARY 5, 2022 Beatle Mania Magic TIME: 8 p.m. — 11 p.m. LOCATION: Sorg Opera House DESCRIPTION: $25 Reserved Seating and $30 Premium Seating tickets on sale now! “Beatlemania Magic,” a tribute to the Beatles, recreates the “Magic” of “Beatlemania”. This national touring Beatles Tribute band recreates the early Beatles concerts with identical costumes, equipment, and spot on harmonies. Hear songs from “I Want to Hold Your Hand” to “I’m Down” played using the Vox
MARCH 12, 2022 Riders in the Sky TIME: 8 p.m. — 11:30 p.m. LOCATION: Sorg Opera House DESCRIPTION: The Sorg Theater is excited to present Grammy Award winning — Riders In The Sky. The classic cowboy quartet are the keepers of the flame passed on by the Sons of the Pioneers, Gene Autry and Roy Rogers, reviving and revitalizing the genre of Western music. Riders In The Sky have themselves become modernday icons by branding the genre with their own legendary wacky humor and
MARCH 25, 2022 Contemporary Quilt and Fiber Artists Exhibition TIME: 6 p.m. — 8 p.m. LOCATION: Middletown Arts Center DESCRIPTION: An exciting fiber artistry exhibition to be held in the Main Exhibition Hall, showcasing CQAFA members who create artwork in fiber arts: quilting, embroidery, doll-making, rug-hooking, and beading … just to name a few. Their members come from the greater Cincinnati area, northern Kentucky, and Southern Indiana and is open to all who share an interest in the fiber arts. An opening Preview Event will be held on Friday, March 25 from 6-8pm that is free to attend and open to the public. More information on this exhibit will be available soon! To learn more about CQAFA, visit their website at hwww.cqafa.com. ❑ Winter 2022
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Shine On More than 100,000 people attended Light Up Middletown, a drive-through holiday lights display that was open from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Eve at Smith Park, said Bill Becker, one of the members of the Grandpa Gang, the volunteers who install and remove the lights. He said about 30,000 vehicles entered Smith Park and each vehicle had an average of four people. Those numbers were higher than 2019, but lower than 2020 when people were looking for holiday events due to COVID-19. “That was all people could do,” he said. 8
The Middletonian
Becker said he was thankful there was no vandalism to the lights like in the past. Members of the Grandpa Gang were at Smith Park on Monday taking down the displays and talking about what light displays to possibly add next season, the 21st for LUM. A first-time downtown event enjoyed equal success, said Avinne Kiser, founder of Middletown Holiday Whopla. The festival featured a Grinch theme and included an ice skating rink, immersive light exhibits, heated igloos with lounge seating, pictures with
Middletown’s two biggest holiday events enjoyed tremendous success this year and organizers are already planning for 2022 Story contributed from the Journal-News
the Grinch, entertainment from local high school choirs and dance groups, face painting, cookie decorating with Mrs. Claus, storytime with the elves, Santa’s mailroom, Toys for Tots letter writing to soldiers, nightly holiday character parades, holiday window showcase, adult beverages and themed food specials. She said visitors were from communities throughout the Dayton and Cincinnati region. “We proved Middletown can be a destination,” Kiser said. “There was an
energy around. There was activity in the streets. It was a tremendous success.” Kiser plans to make some changes before Whopla 2022 opens next winter. She will start fund-raising earlier, though she met the goal of generating $300,000 in eight months, including $40,000 from Cohen Recycling to offset the cost of installing the electricity to the park.
“we proved middletown can be a destination,” kiser said. “there was an energy around. there was activity in the streets. it was a tremendous success.”
That money, she said, will “feed the community again” by providing revenue to non-profits.
Kiser plans to work with Linda Moorman, who organizes the Santa Parade downtown. The 14th Santa Parade, with two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time Professional Fighters League champion Kayla Harrison as grand marshal, served as a kick-off to Holiday Whopla on Nov. 27. Kiser wants to create a float contest among all the local high schools.
The Middletown Community Foundation is serving as fiscal agent and all proceeds from Holiday Whopla will help finance future festivals, according to Kiser.
After the ice rink is removed, Kiser wants to build a roller rink in the same footprint and have it open by summer. She envisions installing a large-screen TV on the back of the
She said the event had difficulty recruiting volunteers and she hopes to raise enough funds to pay organizations to work at Holiday Whopla 2022.
Pendleton Art Center and showing live sporting events. The rink, she said, would attract those already attending the city’s July 4th celebration, Ohio Balloon Festival and lacrosse and soccer tournaments at Smith Park. “We don’t need to re-invite the wheel,” she said. “We just need to create more partnerships with things that are already successful in our town.” Organizing Middletown Holiday Whopla became Kiser’s full-time job. There were sleepless nights when she wasn’t sure if all her work was worthwhile. Then she picked up a package addressed to Holiday Whopla at the Middletown post office. The man behind the counter told Kiser he was a lifelong Middletown resident and Holiday Whopla was “the best thing to happen in the city in decades.” ❑
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The Middletonian
MAGIC
MIDDIE
KELVEN MOSS is back in the Middletown fold, and he looks to bring some ‘Middie Magic’ with him.
The 2001 Middletown graduate is midway through his first year at the program, and the Middies are on the way to their first winning season (2014) since Moss was an assistant coach. Though Moss liked his previous position as the head coach across town at Fenwick, the prospect of coming home was too good to pass up.
“It was tough to decide between going back home or staying where I was,” said Moss. “But a lot of things attracted me. Just being on the outside looking in and seeing the culture starting to shift a little bit. And I wanted to be the guy that could give the program hope. Bring back that Middie Magic.” Moss, who played basketball at Cumberland University, has 14 years of coaching experience. Notably, Moss coached the Middies girls program as well as being an assistant on the 2014 regional runners-up boys team. Since then he has held the helm of the Miami University Hamilton basketball program and most recently was Fenwick’s head coach for two seasons.
When a coach takes over a program there is often a precedent he wants to create, to be successful. For Coach Moss, that was no different. “One of the things that I wanted to change was getting our alumni back involved,” said Moss, a proud Middletonian, but he didn’t stop there. “Secondly, I wanted to instill discipline, because those are the things that I heard. From the seven years that I’ve been away from the program was that Middletown had all the athletes in the world, but there’s no discipline, no culture. And those are things that I wanted to try to bring back.” Culture is a buzzword in coaching circles. Everyone wants it because once
Kelven Moss is returning home to take the helm of the Middies boys basketball team. BY REID MAUS you establish and sustain culture, then coaching becomes easy—but it’s easier said than done. “It’s not gonna happen overnight. It takes consistency,” said Moss. “ It’s going to take removing people who’re not aligned with your vision and your philosophy and your culture. I’ve had to make some tough decisions but slowly we are seeing the change in the program.” Midway through his first season and ten months into his tenure, Moss can already notice the difference in his team.
“The hunger of my kids wanting to be better basketball players, I tell people, there’s a difference between being a hooper and a basketball player, a basketball player is well-rounded. My kids are hungry for that,” said Moss. “They want to be more disciplined. Just some of the verbs that I’m hearing my kids say, things they weren’t saying when I first met them. They want to share the ball. They want to take charges. They want to watch a film.” Moss says that he can see the growth in the team from where they were at in the summer to where they are now. Those strides aren’t just on the hardwood but in the classroom too. “They’re locked in, we’ve got study tables, three days a week, they understand it,” said the Middie’s coach. “So they’re doing a better job of serving each other and serving the coaches.” Kelven is passionate about basketball, but more importantly, he sees coaching as means of leading young men. “I’m passionate about the day-to-day out of basketball, watching film and trying to figure out a game plan to defeat teams,” said Moss. “But I enjoy the connection that I have, not just with my players, but my families. And I love the role that I play in some of these kids’ lives being a father figure, uncle, cousin, best friend—these kids already come to me for everything and I enjoy that. And I enjoy instilling some type of character and showing how a man should be a father, or how they should be a husband. So those are things that I tell my coaches that we don’t come just about hoops. We’re coming to help mold a well-rounded athlete holistically. That’s kind of our plan every day.” Through the embrace of the school and the community, Moss says his return to the Middies felt like he never left. The ‘Middie Magic’ is still in the community. ❑ Winter 2022
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Most who visit the nation of Iceland come with a list of tourist activities to do. But Butler County’s Mike Diehl is no tourist. He’s an internationally acclaimed strong man competitor.
Butler County’s Mike Diehl earns silver in Iceland’s Strongman Championship Story contributed from the Journal-News 12
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So, Diehl’s recent version of “touring” Iceland included yanking frantically on a rope — while sitting down — to pull a 6,000-pound truck nearly 20 yards in 18 seconds — all with just one hand.
That’s what internationally acclaimed, disabled strongman do and that’s what Diehl, a former area firefighter who lost his arm in a fire truck accident, does. And the Madison Twp. man, who in October won 1st place in an international event in London, came in second among dozens of disabled strongmen from around the world invited to Iceland’s World’s Strongest Disabled Man competition in the nation’s capital of Reykjavík. Diehl said he was disappointed in missing out on another first-place, international win and for letting his growing number of fans down. “Competing again on an international level, and especially in Iceland, was a dream come true,” said Diehl. But he added: “Finishing in second place overall in the world was not what I came there for and I was super disappointed in myself.” The 6-foot-2, 300-pound father of two was an assistant football coach this fall at Madison High School and a Middletown Schools truancy officer. He will soon start a new job as a local corrections officer. In 2015, the then-Franklin firefighter lost his right arm in a fire truck accident. Diehl, a U.S. Navy veteran, said postaccident he drifted in life until he discovered training and competing in
disabled strongman competitions that strengthened both his body and rejuvenated his spirit. “There was a long period of time when I didn’t have any focus or direction on what I wanted to do and what my purpose in life would be,” he said, standing outside the Powerstation Gym in Middletown where he trains and receives some financial backing. “I went back to what had always been my guidepost and that was physical activity and lifting weights. To be honest, it saved my life.” “And now, because I’ve done it (strength training) for so long, I got into strongman competitions and power lifting as an extension of that. And I’ve had a lot of support from local people and local businesses that have done a lot to get me where I’m going,” he said. “It’s given me a soapbox to stand on and talk about perseverance and never giving up and how I can be a positive role model to everyone in my community and that gives me a purpose.” Powerstation Gym owner Mike Ferguson saw up close Diehl’s recovery and rise to disabled strongman fame. “Mike is outstanding and for him to be able to do what he’s done — after what he went through — it’s unbelievable,” Ferguson said.
It wasn’t all work in Iceland as Diehl took in some typical sightseeing but only after the competition. He said Icelanders love their strongmen competitions and fans of the sport abound there. But audiences were limited to 50 people at the world championship because of government orders in wake of a recent coronavirus spike. Up next for Diehl is more international competition in the spring but this time closer to home in Columbus, Ohio at the Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Disabled Strongman competition. And in preparation he has already re-defined his second-place finish in Iceland: “You never lose. You either win or you learn.” ❑ Winter 2022
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MIDDLETOWN HISTORY
FRANCIS J. TYTUS:
THE INDUSTRIAL TITAN OF MIDDLETOWN By richard O Jones One of the most prominent names in Middletown history, and still honored on its maps, Francis Jefferson Tytus was born February 5, 1806 into one of the richest old families of Virginia. Tunis and Elizabeth Tytus descended
whom he soon married. When she died in 1842, he married Sarah Butler, who was the mother of his four children. When Martin Died, Tytus formed a partnership with George L. Wrenn to purchase the store, and the partnership endured until 1849.
Tytus was born in Manchester, Frederick County, Virginia, on February 5, 1806, and was the son of Tunis and Elizabeth Tytus, both natives of the Old Dominion state. His father at one time owned “a number of slaves,” accodring the Centennial History of Butler County. Though the number of slaves owned was not mentioned specifically, the History declared that “not a little of his means consisting of this kind of property.” When Francis was eight years old, his father embraced the anti-slavery movement and gave his slaves their freedom, a move that put the family into dire financial difficulties, and apparently cost his children their inheritance. Francis worked on the farm until he turned fourteen, when he became an apprentice in the dry goods trade. At twenty-one, he decided to go West, like many adventurous and industrious young men of his day. 16
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Tytus had started branching out early on. In 1836, he started a pork-packing business, which was profitable for a while due to the proximity of the canal. When the burgeoning railroad system made it feasible to ship the pigs from local farms to Cincinnati for mass processing, Tytus turned to other ventures.
It’s not clear in the history books how, but he found Middletown, then a village of fewer than 500 souls between the Great Miami River and the Miami-Erie Canal. He walked into the dry goods store of Jonathan Martin, and asked for a job. He became a clerk, and his interest in the store was enhanced by the presence of Martin’s bright-eyed daughter, Sarah,
In 1854, he bought into the first paper mill on the new hydraulic. It made white paper, and proved profitable enough that Tytus started a second mill to make brown wrapping paper. In 1873, he purchased yet another mill, this one to make manila paper. It became the most successful, the Tytus-Gardner Paper Company. In 1880, the mill sold a half-million dollars worth of paper, 20,000 pounds of manila every twentyfour hours. He maintained interest in the first two mills until 1882, the third until 1900.
“Although gentle, kind, and responsive to every noble and generous impulse, he moved among his fellows as a natural leader, and was the observed of all observers in every crowd or convocation of people in which he happened to be.” The Centennial History and other sources refer to Tytus’s strong resemblance to General George Washington, “so much that strangers noted it.” It goes on to say, “Although gentle, kind, and responsive to every noble and generous impulse, he moved among his fellows as a natural leader, and was the observed of all observers in every crowd or convocation of people in which he happened to be.” Once, while on a trip to Kansas City, Missouri, to visit his daughter, he had the opportunity to hear ex-President Ulysses S. Grant speak. “Tytus secured a conspicuous place near the stand, where his tall and stately form soon attracted the attention of the mass of people far and near. While gazing over the sea of human faces, General Grant’s attention was arrested by this dignified personage, and at once signified a wish to become acquainted with him. Accordingly Mr. Tytus was invited to the stand, where the formalities of an introduction were gone through, and from that time on to the death of both parties those
two noble men entertained for each other feelings of profound mutual admiration and respect.” At the time of the 1882 History of Butler County, Tytus was described as “a remarkably well-preserved man. He is found almost every day in his office attending to the duties devolving upon him as president of the Tytus Paper Company, and is quite extensively known as “the great paper manufacturer.” Tytus was a “substantial and influential” member of the First Baptist Church of Middletown, where he was baptized on August 21, 1828, according to the 1882 History, and was “active in enhancing the material growth of his adopted city, and has contributed liberally of his means toward the building of turnpikes, public school buildings, churches, and all improvements of the place.” He died December 9, 1887, and at his funeral his pastor, the Reverend Edward A. Ince, eulogized him in a sermon that was reprinted in its entirety in the Middletown Signal.
Ince described him as “tall, broad-chested, straight as an arrow, with shapely head firmly set upon the shoulders … his handsome face indicated the keenest discernment of character … his eyes clear and penetrating. “All through those years [of his service to the church], he was prompt and constant in attending the various meetings of the church, occupying the front seat in the meeting for prayer, impatient to testify to the boundless love and preciousness of his divine Lord and Master.” In 1839, he became a deacon of the church, an office he held until his death. He served 50 years as a Sunday school teacher, retiring in 1885. The pastor recalled many occasions in which he would receive some sum of money in the mail, “written in disguised handwriting with no signature were the words Spend this among the poor.” Ince never once doubted the origin of these anonymous donations, but never revealed the secret until Tytus’s. ❑
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Harmonic Company A new year with the Butler Philharmonic Orchestra THE BUTLER Philharmonic (commonly known as the Butler Phil) is one of Ohio’s oldest, ongoing arts organizations comprised of the Butler Phil Orchestra, the Butler Phil Chorus, the Butler Phil Youth Orchestra and the Butler Phil Guild. Based in Hamilton, Ohio, on the banks of the Great Miami River, the Butler Phil Orchestra provides the county with performances featuring international guest artists, the finest musical talent in the region, and renowned conductors.
LOCAL LOVE The Butler Phil has continued to expand and develop as a community-based arts 18
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organization for more than 70 seasons. The 75-member professional Butler Phil Orchestra performs four to five concerts at different venues throughout Butler County, in addition to frequent collaborative projects with the Fitton Center and Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park. If you visited Pyramid Hill during the last two holiday seasons to drive through the holiday lights display, you listened to a festive soundtrack provided by the Butler Phil Orchestra. Dr. Scott Woodard, who joined the Butler Phil as Music Director and Butler Phil Orchestra Conductor in May 2020, understands the important role
BY MEGAN E. SMITH
he plays in the organization’s upward momentum throughout Butler County. “This is such an amazing time to board the train here in this place. The Butler Phil Orchestra is a cultural icon with a long history of enlightening and elevating the citizens of Butler County. I am truly honored to be afforded the privilege of writing my chapter in its history.” As a resident of Huntington, West Virginia, a town of about 40,000 on the banks of the Ohio River, Scott recognizes and appreciates the benefits of a town that is fully aware of the importance of culture.
“I wanted our patrons to see that the Butler Phil Orchestra was alive and well, regardless of the situation in which we found ourselves.” “Hamilton speaks to me in much the same way Huntington did, and still does,” Scott explained. “Butler County appreciates the impact and importance of good music and education through the arts, not just with the Butler Phil Orchestra, but with the Fitton Center, Pyramid Hill, the Greater Hamilton Civic Theatre, the Ballet. You name it, and Hamilton is leading the charge to restore the arts.” In spite of logistical obstacles and extreme challenges posed by the pandemic over the last year-and-a-half, Scott and the Butler Phil Orchestra have been able to continue performing by leveraging social media platforms to share their concerts when in-person events weren’t feasible.
virtual performance that he asked Scott to travel to Italy in March 2022 and perform with them for their spring concert. In return for Scott’s time and talents, Alberto will visit the United States later this year to perform with the Butler Phil Orchestra as part of an artistic “cultural exchange.” LOOKING AHEAD Scott and the Butler Phil Orchestra are beyond ready to return to full live performance schedule. “The 2021-2022 season has brought us back to live performance, making ‘great
music in your own backyard’ once again, and we are thrilled!” “Our season will wrap up in May, as we present a tribute to the former music director, Paul John Stanbery. Maestro Stanbery left a lasting legacy on the Hamilton area. I daresay, none of us would be here today if not for Paul’s dedication to the arts in Butler County. Sadly, Paul lost his courageous battle with cancer recently. This concert is our way of thanking him. Our Butler Phil Chorus, created by Maestro Stanbery, will join us again for this performance.” ❑
“Our 2020-21 season, like most orchestras, consisted of recording concerts and making them available for our patrons on YouTube,” Scott said. “I wanted, more than anything, for our patrons to see that the Butler Phil Orchestra was alive and well, regardless of the situation in which we found ourselves.”
NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL NOTORIETY It’s not only the Butler Phil Orchestra’s local footprint that’s expanding. In early spring 2021, a TvHAMILTON broadcast of a live all-strings Butler Phil Orchestra concert from the Fitton Center made its way to viewers across the globe on YouTube. Amidst the likes and comments posted by viewers, an invitation was extended to Scott from Alberto Cappiello, the general manager and French hornist for the Rimini Chamber Orchestra in Rimini, Italy. Alberto was so impressed by the Winter 2022
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all in one
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611 N. B Street, Hamilton OH 45013 513-273-8160 | championmill.com
Recipe Spotlight
Good Ole Fashion Mac and Cheese INGREDIENTS
• 3 cups dry elbow macaroni • 4 Tbsp salted butter • 2 (370 ml/12 oz) cans evaporated milk • 1/3 cup milk of choice • 2 large eggs • 1/4 Tsp garlic salt • 4 cups cheddar cheese, shredded • 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded • 1 Tsp paprika
DIRECTIONS 1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Add salt and macaroni, and cook until al dente. 2. Drain and return to the pot. 3. Add in the butter and stir until the butter is melted. Set aside. 4. In a large bowl, mix together the evaporated milk, milk, eggs and garlic salt until fully combined. 5. In a separate bowl, mix together the cheeses. 6. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly spray a 9×13 inch baking pan.
7. Layer 1/3 of the macaroni, then 1/3 of
the cheese.
8. Repeat with the remaining macaroni
and cheese mixture.
9. Pour the milk mixture over top.
Sprinkle the paprika evenly on top.
10. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30
minutes. This would be a great dish to add to your Thanksgiving dinner!
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