South kenton recorder 122514

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

ularly embodies the spirit of Neighbors WhoCare – maybe they brought you food duringan illness, or looked after your house whileyou were gone, or helped pick up debris aftera storm – or maybe they just provide a

friendly face, or listen when you need to talkto someone.

We have picked some of the best storiesand will highlight these special people overthe next two weeks.

Thanks to you, and to them, for makingour holiday editions memorable.

Shining a light on Neighbors Who Care

SOUTH KENTONSOUTH KENTONRECORDER 75¢

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014 BECAUSE COMMUNITY MATTERS

Your Community Recordernewspaper servingIndependence and Taylor Mill

Vol. 4 No. 28© 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 Communi-ty Recorder carrierwill be stopping by tocollect $3.50 for de-livery of this month’sSouth Kenton Record-er. Your carrier re-tains half this amountalong with any tip yougive to reward good service.

This month we’re featur-

ing Connor Pattinson.He enjoys academicteam and forensicteam.

If you would likemore informationabout the junior carri-er program, call Me-lissa Lemming, Com-munity Recorder

district manager, at 442-3462.

COLLECTION TIME

Pattinson

TAYLOR MILL — A fresh lay-er of 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, andtakes care of several drive-ways along his street.

“I needed a snowplow formy driveway, and they didn’thave anyone to do it, so it justmade sense,” he said. “We’vegot pretty long drivewayshere. It would take a lot longerto shovel by hand.”

He was nominated by sever-al of his neighbors on WaymanBranch Road, John and ShawnLaRowe, Lisa Corsale and Car-ol Hiller.

“We live on a steep street inTaylor Mill that isn’t alwaysthe first to get cleared by thecity. Most of our houses sitback from the road with steepdriveways, which can be anightmare to drive up witheven an inch of snow,” statesthe nomination. “He has evenplowed a neighbor’s driveway,who was in Florida at the time,so it would look like someonewas at home. It takes a specialkind of person to get up early inthe morning and head out in thefrigid cold to plow someoneelse’s driveway.”

When it snows, Taylor Mill man plowsBy Amy [email protected]

THANKS TO JENNY GASKINS

Steve Rump of Taylor Mill uses his snowplow to clear driveways forseveral neighbors on his street.

VILLA HILLS — Driving downButtermilk Pike in Villa Hillsall passersby are greeted glee-fully by a jolly inflatable St.Nick. The giant Santa resideson Thirs Drive in Villa Hills,the home of Steve Hensley,who embodies the virtues ofthis giving saint, according tohis 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. Thoughtful-ness, kindness, considerationappear inextricable integers inthe fabric of Mr. Hensley’scharacter.”

Ruschman notes Hensley’sattention to “dressing up” his

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-byon Buttermilk Pike.

ERLANGER — Having gottento know Crystal Bitter hasmade Matt Grimes a better per-son.

“I am a better person forknowing that there are peopleout there who will sacrifice somuch of themselves for thesake of others for no other rea-son than ‘it is the right thing todo,’” Grimes said.

When thinking of a NeighborWho Cares, he knows no betterperson than Bitter, who hap-pens to not be his neighbor, butan employee at his restaurantColonial Cottage.

Two years ago, Bitter, of Er-langer, expanded her family,

taking in four siblings who hadbeen separated in a foster careprogram. She was recentlynamed their legal guardian.Since she is not a blood relative,Bitter is not eligible for manyof the assistance programs of-fered by the state.

“I was told I could let themgo to return to foster care, sep-arated,” she said. “I couldn’t dothat. I love them. I’d ratherstruggle through life financial-ly than not have them in my life.At least we are together, theyhave a family.”

Despite some difficult timesfinancially and some health is-sues of one of the children, Bit-ter is always pleasant and smil-

MELISSA STEWART/THE COMMUNITY RECORDER

Crystal Bitter of Erlanger can’t help but smile. She’s totally in love with thefour 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

See HENSLEY, Page A2

LEARNING TO WIN B1NKU women’s basketball teamwon’t be intimidated

A2 • SOUTH KENTON RECORDER • DECEMBER 25, 2014 NEWS

SOUTH KENTONRECORDER

NewsNancy Daly Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .578-1059, [email protected] Amy Scalf Reporter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .578-1055, [email protected] Chris Mayhew Reporter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .578-1051, [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]

Melissa Lemming District Manager . . . . . . . . . .442-3462, [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 WebIndependence • cincinnati.com/independence

Taylor Mill • cincinnati.com/taylormillcincinnati.com/northernkentucky

Calendar ................A5Classifieds ................CFood .....................A6Obituaries .............. B7Schools ..................A4Sports ....................B1Viewpoints .............A7

Index

TAYLOR MILL — The fi-nal stretch of constructionfor the new Ky. 16 is near-ing completion, and couldbe open soon after the newyear starts.

“We hope to have theroadway and bridge openaround the first week ofJanuary,” said NancyWood, spokesperson forthe Kentucky Transporta-tion Cabinet District 6.“Of course, that is if theweather is being coopera-

tive. Then, this spring, wewill resume the projectand fine-tune everything.It should be totally com-pleted by August.”

According to engineer-ing technologist DustinVogt, also of KTC, thebridge is 120 feet tall andmore than 900 feet long,built to traverse a deepvalley just north of Rob-ertson Road.

The bridge is a majorcomponent of the final 2-mile central segment ofthe 4.2-mile stretch of newKy. 16, known locally asPride Parkway, whichcuts some big curves offthe former road’s path.The new, and straighter,path is available on Goo-gle Maps’ satellite view ofthe city, although itdoesn’t show the bridge’scurrent state of construc-tion.

Construction on the $79million project started inspring 2011 and is expect-ed to be complete in sum-mer 2015.

Last year, severe coldweather “essentially cre-ated a complete work

stoppage betweenThanksgiving and March1,” said Wood in previousreports.

When complete, somesections of the new road-way will have five lanes,including a continuouscenter turning lane. Else-where, it will have a raisedgrass median. The road-

way also will have curbs,gutters and 7-foot-widesidewalks.

Updates are posted onthe District 6 Road Re-port, online at1.usa.gov/1GRLOvv, or onFacebook.

Want to continue theconversation? Tweet

@AmyScalfNky

New Ky. 16 could open in JanuaryBy Amy [email protected]

AMY SCALF/THE COMMUNITY RECORDER

The green layer of reinforcing bars showed on the bridge deckfor the new Ky. 16, also known as Pride Parkway, before thefinal concrete was poured. The bridge, seen here lookingsouth, could be open the first week of January.

ERLANGER — As TysonHermes canvassed thecity during the election,the top issue brought upby constituents was theErlanger 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.”

Themayor-elect saidthis issomethinghe plans topay “closeattentionto” once in

office.“We still need to gather

more details,” he said.“It’s nothing so urgentthat we need to make animmediate decision. Nodecision would be madeuntil we fully explore ev-ery side of it.”

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 is

provided to our residentsand businesses,” he said.“If our system is superiorto other surrounding sys-tems and we decide tokeep it, then we should beable to entice other citiesto join back into our ser-vice.”

In the beginningThe Erlanger dispatch

service was created in the1950s at the time the po-lice department wasformed, the city adminis-trator said. The city wason its own in operating thedispatch center untilElsmere joined the ser-vice 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,Elsmere and CrescentSprings, pulled out of thecontract in order to jointhe Kenton County dis-patch center.

Fields said he believestwo factors played a role

in the shift. The first isthat the county dispatchcenter underwent an ex-pansion. The other factorwas cost, or rather, howthe cities were beingbilled.

“Cities wanted to gowithout paying out oftheir own general funds,”he said. “I believe if youask, no one will tell you itwas an operational fac-tor.”

In fact, Fields said, theErlanger center has someperks other, larger cen-ters may not be able to of-fer.

“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 is

how 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 remain-ing cost is collectedthrough contracts withpartner cities, Elsmereand Crescent Springs. Er-langer pays 60 percent ofoperation costs, Elsmere,25 percent, CrescentSprings 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, thecosts of the city having itsown dispatch service isharder to justify.

“The 30,000-foot-viewof the situation has twooptions.,” Hermes said.“Either one, make Erlang-er’s 911 dispatch systemattractive to other cities;or two, contract with an-other system.”

Hermes said there areseveral options to ex-plore. Erlanger, he said,could join the county sys-tem or that of the state,the airport or even Hamil-ton or Butler 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 avital service.”

Moving forwardFields said the city is

always looking for thebest options when consid-ering services and costsavings. “We want to findthe best way,” he said.“We’re going to be havingtalks after the first of theyear. We want to providethe best service that iscost-effective. We’ll fig-ure out how to do that, I’mconfident in that.”


@MstewartReports

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

Hermes

ing, Grimes said. She nev-er complains.

“It takes a special per-

son to assume so many re-sponsibilities with somany uncertainties in-volved,” he said. “Crystalwill face challenges bothseen and unseen thatmost people wouldchoose not to face. Her

faith in God and in herselfto be the provider forthese children repre-sents remarkable charac-ter that few possess.”


@MStewarReports

BitterContinued from Page A1

residence relative to theseason and is “confidenthis initiatives are muchappreciated by viewersbecause his home was al-ways much appreciatedby my own children, andtheir 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 onetime 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 unlikelywe 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

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A4 • SOUTH KENTON RECORDER • DECEMBER 25, 2014

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


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

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

SOUTH KENTONRECORDEREditor: Nancy Daly, [email protected], 578-1059

DECEMBER 25, 2014 • SOUTH KENTON 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 • SOUTH KENTON RECORDER • A7

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

SOUTH KENTONRECORDEREditor: Nancy Daly, [email protected], 578-1059

SOUTH KENTONRECORDER

South Kenton 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.

Newt and Maggie lovedchildren and would toleratekids rolling all over these“Christmas Tree Dogs,” rais-ing up their lips to check outcanine teeth – whatever any-one did was fine with 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. Shewas a little worried at first, she

said, 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 “thePerfect Christmas Tree.” Ev-eryone had a different view.Some folks wanted a very full“perfect” tree, others wanted atree that had open branchesthat you could see through.

Sid would spend manyhours throughout the summerin the Christmas tree field

shaping the trees. Yet evenwith his shaping, each treewould take on its own person-ality and appearance.

Each family had a differentritual. I have even seen fam-ilies encircle a tree, hold handsand pray around the tree asthey thanked God for the beau-ty of nature.

One day we watched ayoung newly married couplecome out to get their first tree.The hubby brought a rustyhandsaw. It began to rain, thenrained harder. They foundtheir tree; hubby was lyingdown in the cold, wet grasssawing, sawing and sawing.New wifey was standing overhim trying to shelter him withher umbrella. He was gettingnowhere with his rusty saw.

Sid finally went out with hischainsaw and asked the youngman if he would like him totake down the tree. The wifesaid, “No!” As he lay in the wetgrass, continuing to saw andgetting nowhere, Sid went outagain, wifey still adamant thather heroic husband saw downthe tree even though it wasvery apparent he was growingmore and more frustrated.Finally on the third visit fromSid, even though the sweetwife was still holding the um-

brella and still believing hubbywould conquer the staunchtree, he looked at Sid and said“Just saw 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 addambiance in the tree field. Itold Sid searching for a Christ-mas tree was much more thanjust the search. It was aboutfamilies, tradition, experienceand adventure. We had Christ-mas music piped into the field,a roaring fire with benchesaround the fire, hot chocolate,doughnuts, sometimes havingkids roast marshmallows,bringing kids out of the fieldon the wagon tractor with“their” Christmas tree.

It was a time for families tocreate memories. Sometimesfamilies, including their owndogs, would linger in the fieldor around the fire for hours.

Not much money was madein the Christmas tree business.But it was a special time for allof us, for families and for Sidand me (even though I some-times grumbled on very coldor rainy 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.

Boone County Christmas tree farmholds 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 • SOUTH KENTON RECORDER • B1

SPORTSSPORTSHIGH SCHOOL | YOUTH | RECREATIONAL Cincinnati.com/northernkentucky

SOUTH KENTONRECORDEREditor: 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.

» 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.

» 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.

Girls basketball» Holy Cross beat Lincoln

County 60-37 Dec. 19. DejaTurner, Aleah Tucker and AllyMayhaus all finished with 14points for Holy Cross. May-haus recorded a double-dou-ble with 14 rebounds.

» Ludlow lost 69-62 to Pen-dleton County Dec. 18, spoil-ing a 33-point night from ToriWofford.

» Scott beat South Laurel61-44 Dec. 19. Guard AlexisStapletonconverted on two ofScott’s four 3-pointers to leadScott. Stapleton finished witha game-high 17 points and add-ed seven 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.

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 is9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. Costis $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.USBaseballAcademy.com, or call toll-free866-622-4487.

Archery» At a Dec. 13 tournament,

Simon Kenton junior Aman-da Hornsby won first placefor high 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 Re-gion by the coaches. Sheranked fifth in the voting. Sen-ior Karley Abel and senior AliFrietsch were second team.Sophomore Caitlin Cahill andfreshman Sydney Case werehonorable mention.

TMC Notes» Thomas More senior de-

fender Alex Dean (High-lands) has been named to theNational Soccer Coaches As-sociation of America(NSCAA)/Continental Tire All-American team. Dean, whoplayed in all 22 matches forthe Saints, was a third team se-lection. He anchored a Saints’defense that posted 12 shut-outs, while only giving up 14goals and 181 shots, includingonly 77 on-goal. Dean also hadnine points on four goals andone assist. At the conclusion ofthe season, he has been namedfirst team All-PAC and firstteam All-Great Lakes Region.

Dean is the third-everThomas More men’s soccerstudent-athlete to be namedAll-American as Alex Oeswein’12 was named to the NSCAAAll-American team in 2011andcurrent junior forwardAustinJuniet (Newport CentralCatholic) was named All-American in 2013.

The Saints finished the 2014season with a 18-2-2 overallrecord and won their sixth-straight Presidents’ AthleticConference tournamentchampionship and advancedto their sixth-straight NCAADivision III Tournament.

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’ 60-45 win on Dec. 18.

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS — TheNorthern Kentucky Universitywomen’s basketball team is notonly learning how to win at theDivision I level, but the Norseare also learning not to be in-timidated.

The Norse are 7-5 headinginto Christmas break, with an-other game not on the horizonuntil Dec. 30 at home against IU-PUI. NKU has won its last threegames, two of them against ma-jor-conference foes in Mar-quette (77-68) and Cincinnati(66-52). The win over Mar-quette, from the Big East, cameon the road in Milwaukee.

While MU and UC only have acombined record of 3-15, thewins have boosted the confi-dence of the Norse.

“We’ve been able to ignorethe name on the jersey and justgo out and play,” said juniorguard Christine Roush. “We justtry to play our game and we feelwe can go out there and win.”

The resume includes an 18-point loss at Kentucky, who isranked eighth in the country at10-1.

“I thought our kids did a goodjob of competing overall,” NKUhead coach Dawn Plitzuweitsaid that night. “I think theyplayed really hard, but we obvi-ously need to take care of theball a little better and keep them

off the free-throw line. We dothat if we rebound a little better,but we were challenged tonightwith their size, athleticism andspeed, but that is a scenario weare going to continue to workand get better at. Overall, I wasreally proud of their effort, and

it was a great opportunity toplay Kentucky on their homecourt.”

The Norse have beaten Dela-ware, Delaware State, UNC-Greensboro and Grand Canyon.

JAMES WEBER/THE COMMUNITY RECORDER

NKU senior Kaitlyn Gerrety drives against UC sophomore Marley Hill. NKU beat Cincinnati 66-52 Dec. 17 at the Bankof Kentucky Center.

NORSE LEARNINGHOW TO WINBy James [email protected]


NKU junior Christine Roush heads to the basket against UC freshman AnaOwens.

See NORSE, Page B2

B2 • SOUTH KENTON RECORDER • DECEMBER 25, 2014 LIFE

The holidays are niceon their own, but the sea-son without hoops kindof feels a little naughty.Fortunately, there isplenty of action on thehardwood for NorthernKentucky fans to enjoy,including many chancesto enjoy a full day ofhoops festivities.

The Lloyd MemorialInvitational Tournamentreturns as the area’slargest holiday show-case. Thirty-two gamesof boys basketball startDec. 27. Teams areLloyd, Woodford County,Walton-Verona, Rich-mond Model, Conner,Newport, Holmes, SilverGrove, Louisville Colle-giate, Boone County,Scott, Bracken County,Iroquois, Augusta, Stew-arts Creek and McCrack-en County.

Cost is $7 adult/$4 stu-dent per day; with $1 ofthe ticket cost being do-nated to the team of fan’schoice. An all-tourneypass for all four days is$20. Games will be splitbetween Lloyd’s Sche-ben gym and TichenorMiddle School, which isadjacent to Scheben.

On Saturday, actionstarts at 10:30 a.m., withthe last game at 9 p.m.,all games at Scheben.First-day schedule isConner vs. BrackenCounty (10:30), Newportvs. Iroquois (12:15),Woodford vs. Walton-Ve-rona (2:00), Holmes vs.Collegiate (3:45), Boonevs. Augusta (5:30), Modelvs. Scott (7:15) and Lloydvs. Stewarts Creek

(9:00).On both Sunday and

Monday, first game atScheben is 2:45 and lastone at 8 p.m., and at Ti-chener, first game is 3:15p.m. and last game 8:30p.m. On Tuesday, thefirst game at Lloyd is2:45 p.m. with the cham-pionship game at 8 p.m.At Tichener, first gameis 1:30 p.m. and the last

one at 6:45 p.m.Sponsors are the Er-

langer-Elsmere Board ofEducation, Mach IIIClutch, Inc., MazakCorp., Nova Care, JerseyMike’s, Parfetti VanMeller and Bumble BeeTeam Sports.

Covington Catholicand Simon Kenton are inone of the state’s biggestshowcases, the Republic

Bank Classic at Lexing-ton Catholic Dec. 26-30.Other teams includeBryan Station, BoyleCounty, Perry CountyCentral, Male, OldhamCounty, Apollo, CaseyCounty, North Laurel,Henderson County, Hen-ry Clay, Bullitt East andLexington Christian.

Dixie Heights and Ho-ly Cross will play at theAshland Blazer tourneyDec. 27-29.

Leading regularmatchups in the newyear Friday, Jan. 2 arethe Covington Catholicat Highlands rivalrygame in Fort Thomas,and Dixie Heights play-ing at St. Henry in a 34th

District seeding game.Cooper will host an

all-day weekend show-case Saturday, Jan. 3.Cooper will host Harri-son County 8 p.m. thatnight. St. Henry will playBracken County at 2p.m., Holy Cross vs. Pen-dleton County at 4 p.m.and North Oldham vs.Ryle at 6 p.m.

Scott and Simon Ken-ton will play in an all-dayshowcase at RussellJan. 3.

In girls hoops, Ludlow and Scott will

play in the Carroll Coun-ty holiday tourneyDec. 29-31. Simon Ken-ton will play at Edmon-son County Dec. 29-31.

Holmes will go to FortMyers, Florida for atourney Dec. 29-31.

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

Follow James on Twitter@JWeberSports

’Tis the season for holiday hoopsBy James [email protected]


Noah Robinson and Simon Kenton will be taking part in theRepublic Bank Classic at Lexington Classic beginning Friday.Covington Catholic will also be part of the tournament.

NKU has won four gamesthis year on neutral sitesand two on the opponent’shome floor. The UC gamewas NKU’s first home win.

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

Senior Melody Dossleads the way at 12.9 pointsper game, including a highof 21 at Illinois State. Dossscored 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting from thefloor to lift NKU to a 63-58victory over DelawareDec. 19.

Doss added 11 of herpoints in the second half tohelp NKU, which im-proved to 7-5 with the win,hold off a second-half Del-aware (4-5) rally.

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

Senior forward KaitlynGerrety posts 7.6 a gameand Kelley Wiegman 6.0.Gerrety posts six re-bounds a contest.

Offensive balance hasbeen a key in the winningstreak. Eight playersscored in the win over Del-aware Dec. 19. FreshmanFaith Sanders scored a ca-reer-high 11 points off thebench.

Freshman Kasey Ue-trecht, who had 10 totalpoints in her first five ap-pearances, notched six inboth the Cincinnati andDelaware games. AgainstUC, she had two straightbaskets, both from three-point range, in a key runlate in the first half.

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

Rianna Gayheart, a ju-nior guard from OwenCounty, had six straightpoints to give the team thelead for good in the game.

“Offensively, we wantto feed the hot hand,” add-ed Plitzuweit. “But thatcan be any player on anygiven night for us. We arean equal-opportunity of-fense, trying to take ad-vantage of mismatches.But, I don’t think we are to-tally there yet.”

The Norse have homegames Jan. 3 againstWright State and Jan. 6against Georgetown Col-lege before starting con-ference play Jan. 10 at Lip-scomb. The seven wins sofar is already a high fornon-conference foes in thethird season of Division I,and the grind can help pre-pare the Norse for confer-ence season.

“It should help us be-cause we’ve played a lot ofteams that are bigger andstronger and that helps usin the long run,” Roushsaid.

“We have our thirdgame in five days when wetake on Delaware,” saidPlitzuweit. “We have oneday to prep for Friday.And, playing this caliberof teams will hopefullyprepare us for conferenceplay.”

NKU was picked to fin-ish third in the A-Sun be-hind Florida Gulf Coastand Stetson. Doss was vot-ed by the conference ontothe 10-member preseasonall-conference team, andDoss was voted by fans asthe player of the year in apoll sponsored by the con-ference.

Follow James on Twitter,@JWeberSports

NorseContinued from Page B1

DECEMBER 25, 2014 • SOUTH KENTON RECORDER • B3LIFE

The Cincinnati Ballet’s40th annual production of“Frisch’s Presents TheNutcracker” will featurea cast 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 pressrelease, “These youngand talented dance stu-dents have been hard atwork since their Augustauditions. A select fewhave been cast as maincharacters including theroles of Clara and her petpoodle, Minnie.”

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

KAITLYN KINGWhen Kaitlyn King

was 3 years old, her moth-er took her to see “TheNutcracker.” There was atable set up outside to signup for the Cincinnati Bal-let Academy, so shepicked up an ink pen. Hermother, Kathleen, said therest is history.

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 doing

when I was seeing ‘TheNutcracker’ and I wasn’treally involved in ballet.But I think what was go-ing through my mind isthat I really want to be upthere.”

Even though Kaitlynlikes being on stage, shestill has stage fright often.

“A lot of it,” she said.“Especially while stand-ing in the waves. That’s

‘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 volley-ballFavorite 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 kidswill be 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 B5


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when my nerves get real-ly bad. Right before yougo on stage, you just getthis jolt of all thesenerves. Once you go on

stage, it all kind of meltsaway and you forget abouteverything.”

Kaitlyn said she feelsgood about being able torepresent Kenton Countyin “The Nutcracker.”

“It’s a huge honor to bein the newspaper,” shesaid.

She doesn’t know if shewill want to pursue a pro-fessional ballet career inthe future.

“It is something I liketo do,” Kaitlyn said. “ButI’m not sure it’s some-thing I’m going to do.”

See BALLET, Page B6

THANKS TO ASHLEY KRUGER

Participants in the Cincinnati Ballet’s 40th production of Frisch’s Presents The Nutcracker. Backrow from left: Kaitlyn King, Caroline Montgomery and Ainsley Hoh. Front row: Ally Price,Hannah Holtman, Payten Hall and Lacie Ollberding.

BalletContinued from Page B4

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Life of a ballerina

Kathleen said she isproud of her daughter be-cause she does so well ac-ademically, while also bal-ancing life in the ballet.

“I think she just toldme the other day thatshe’s never had a B,”Kathleen said.

Kathleen said Kaitlynis 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 handle rehearsalsand performances. Herduties include monitoringattendance by makingsure kids get signed in andout, and training otherparents to do jobs back-stage.

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

Kathleen said she is soproud of Kaitlyn and ev-erything she does.

“She’s a beautiful danc-er, and she is also beauti-ful on the inside as well,”she said.

Kathleen hopes fam-ilies will continue to makeThe Nutcracker a holidaytradition, or start a newholiday tradition by com-ing to see the new produc-tion. She said it’s a differ-ent production than it wasthe first time Kaitlyn wasin it 2009.

AINSLEY HOHOut of pure interest,

Ainsley Hoh started balletwhen she was 3 years old,then began taking lessonsat the Cincinnati Balletwhen 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, butdoes like the CincinnatiBallet.

Performing with 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 thecompany,” Ainsley said.“You’re dancing with themembers and it makesyou feel older. It makesyou feel good about your-self as a dancer.”

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

“I like being on stage,”she said. “It’s a good feel-ing.”

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 beena part 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 and is involved in ac-ademic programs atschool. She loves to writeand has won writing con-tests, according to hermother.

Ainsley said shedoesn’t have trouble bal-ancing schoolwork anddancing at the same time.

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

Hannah said some girlsdon’t stick with ballet, be-cause it gets harder whenthey get older, but Ainsleychose to continue on withit.

“She loves it,” Hannahsaid. “Dancing gives her asense of serenity.”

Even though Ainsleyhas intense rehearsalsfour days a week, Hannahsaid she still dances al-most everyday. 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 andhas a passion for it,” Han-nah said.

Ainsley also keeps hermother busy, but Hannahsaid the life of a balletmom is fun and she enjoysit. Sometimes she evenbrings work to do at herdaughter’s rehearsals.

“It’s exciting,” shesaid. “It’s a good feelingseeing your daughter hap-py and on stage.”

BalletContinued from Page B5


Paul BrownPaul E. Brown, 87, of Lud-

low, died Dec. 10 at Villaspr-ing Care Center in Erlanger.

He was retired from themaintenance department atTony Michael Tire Co. Duringthe 1940s he began drivingan ice cream truck as a teen-ager during World War II; itwas a job he did for 26 yearsand as a result he becameknown as the “Ice CreamMan” to all he served.

His wife, Joyce Brown;brothers Jim and RobertBrown; and sisters PaulineAllen and Dorothy Brue, diedpreviously.

Survivors include his son,Paul “Garry” Brown of Lud-low; and a granddaughteralong with three great-grandchildren.

Robert EctonRobert “Bobby” Ecton, 66,

of Ludlow, died Dec. 9 atHospice Care of St. Elizabethin Edgewood.

He was retired from PepsiCola and was an avid bowlerwho loved all sports, especial-ly the Cincinnati Bengals,Reds, and Bearcats.

His brother, James CoryEcton, 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 for-merly of Morning View, diedDec. 14 at her home.

She was a retired laundryworker for St. ElizabethHospital in Edgewood and amember of Calvary BaptistChurch, where she was in-volved with the “Young atHeart” ministry. She alsoenjoyed crocheting andceramics.

Her husband, Denver E.Gibbs; son, Denver AllenGibbs; sisters Deloris Fergu-son and Rose Johnson; andbrother, Robert EdwardFerguson, died previously.

Survivors include herdaughters Deloris Kay Glennand Jennel Sue Gibbs; sonsJames E. Gibbs, Robert C.Gibbs, and Gerald Gibbs;sisters Jenny Johnson andLaura Mae Ihrig; brother,Leroy Ferguson; and elevengrandchildren along withand several great-grand-children.

Burial was at Floral HillsCemetery.

Memorials: Ohio Council ofAging, 175 Tri-County Park-way, Cincinnati, OH 45246; orHospice of Cincinnati, 4360

Cooper Road, Cincinnati, OH45242.

Mary HawkinsMary F. Hawkins, 66, of

Erlanger, died recently at herhome.

Survivors include her hus-band, Jim Hawkins of Cleves,Ohio; daughters Sheila Nealof Erlanger and TheresaBrockert of Colerain Town-ship, Ohio; stepdaughtersPam Stanley of West Chester,Ohio and Kim Wright ofCleves; sister, Lucille Knightof Burlington, North Car.; andtwo grandchildren.

Memorials: St. JosephHome, 10722 WyscarverRoad, Cincinnat,i OH 45241.

George HensleyGeorge Hensley, 80, of

Visalia, died Dec. 14.He was a retired truck

driver.His brothers Earl and Rob-

ert Hensley; and sisters MarieHensley, Bonnie Hensley, andEdith Harris, died previously.

Survivors include his wife,Georgette Hensley; childrenVicki Schwartz, DarleneHensley, Billy Hensley, andBen Hensley; brothers CharlesHensley, Gilbert Hensley, PaulHensley, James Hensley, andRandy Hensley; sister, GloriaPhillips; and 12 grandchildrenalong with 10 great-grand-children.

Burial was at Floral HillsMemorial Gardens.

Memorials: St. Patrick’sCatholic Church, 3285 MillsRoad, Taylor Mill, KY 41015;or The American DiabetesAssociation.

Jerry McCauleyJerry Dean McCauley, 62,

of Independence, died Dec. 4at University of KentuckyHospital.

He was employed as amanager at Van Leunen’sdepartment store in Erlangerfor more than 20 years andrecently retired after 12 yearsof employment with KentonCounty Schools in the trans-portation department. Heenjoyed all sports, however,he was an especially enthusi-astic fan of all UK sports.

His parents, Gordon andBonnie McCauley; and broth-er, Gordon Keith McCauleyJr., died previously.

Survivors include his sib-lings Richard McCauley, LindaFaris, Sharon Berling, andEvelyn Stetter.

Timothy PiperTimothy Cleveland Piper,

53, of Independence, diedDec. 13 at St. Elizabeth Hospi-tal in Edgewood.

His parents, Palmer andMabel Piper, died previously.

Survivors include hisdaughter, Kristina Piper ofCincinnati; son, Spencer Piperof Cincinnati; sister, BeckyCarder of Independence; andbrothers Ronald Piper andJeff Piper, both of Independ-ence.

Burial was at Floral HillsMemorial Gardens in TaylorMill.

Memorials: Arthritis Foun-dation, 7124 Miami Ave.,Cincinnati, OH 45243.

Cornelius SchatzmanCornelius W. Schatzman,

87, of Edgewood, died Dec.11 at Baptist ConvalescentCenter in Newport.

He retired from CincinnatiBell Telephone after morethan 30 years of service. Hewas a lifelong member ofTrinity United MethodistChurch in Latonia and amember of the NorthernKentucky Boat Club, North-ern Kentucky Amateur RadioClub, and he worked on thestage crew with the Cincin-nati Music Theatre. He wasalso an avid golfer.

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

Memorials: Trinity UnitedMethodist Church, 101 E.Southern Ave., Latonia, KY41015; or Alzheimer’s Associa-tion, 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

Williams; daughter, DeniseMartini; and granddaughter,Rebeca Martini, died previ-ously.

Survivors include her chil-dren John and Debbie Wil-liams, both of Elsmere; broth-er, Ed Schatzman; and sistersPat Wolfe, Juanita Foster, andBetty Schmidt.

She donated her remainsto medical science.

Memorials: Susan G. Ko-men Breast Cancer Founda-tion, 522 Cincinnati MillsDrive, Suite B 248, Cincinnati,OH 45240.

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Many people do notrealize that they arebreathing in carbon mon-oxide because you cannotsmell, taste or see it.Although carbon monox-ide poisoning posesthreats for everyone,infants, young children,senior citizens and any-one who suffers fromrespiratory problemshave increased risks.

Carbon monoxidepoisoning can causemany health effects.Some symptoms ofbreathing in low levels ofcarbon monoxide includeheadaches, dizziness,confusion and drow-siness. Breathing in highlevels of carbon monox-ide can cause breathingand vision impairments,reduced brain function,loss of consciousness anddeath.

Sincemany ofthe carbonmonoxidepoisoningsymptomscan bemistakenfor the flu,many peo-ple over-look thesymptoms.

If you believe that youare suffering from car-bon monoxide poisoning,seek medical attentionimmediately.

Since carbon monox-ide is so deadly, it is im-portant to remember notto take chances. Here aresome helpful tips that canlower your risks andcould save your life.

» Have a qualifiedtechnician clean andinspect all combustionequipment each year.This includes gas fur-naces, gas or kerosenespace heaters, wood-burning or gas fireplaces

and gas water heaters.» Properly install

carbon monoxide detec-tors in your home andanywhere else you usegas heating appliances.Test them periodically tomake sure they work.

» Install and useexhaust fans vented tooutdoors over gas stoves.

» Open flues whenusing fireplaces.

» Never warm a caror run any motor appli-ance inside your garage.Even with the garagedoor open, carbon monox-ide can build up rapidlyand cause poisoning with-in minutes.

» Never use a char-coal or propane grillinside your home or ga-rage.

» Avoid the use ofgas or kerosene spaceheaters inside your home.

If you use a gasolineor other fuel-fired gener-ator during a power out-age, keep the generatoroutdoors during use.

If your carbon monox-ide alarm goes off, exityour house or apartmentquickly and call 911 oryour local emergencynumber. Don’t re-enteryour home until the prob-lem is fixed. See a doctorright away, even if youdon’t feel any symptoms,because carbon monox-ide can remain in theblood. A doctor or nursecan perform blood teststo see if you need furthermedical care.

Diane Mason is county exten-sion agent for family andconsumer sciences at theBoone County CooperativeExtension Service.

Carbon monoxide safety measuresextremely important during winter

Diane MasonEXTENSIONNOTES

South kenton recorder 122514

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