Let's Talk Clermont

Share on social media:

Episode 30

We start with a refresher on Ohio House Bill 124, what a sales assessment ratio study is, why it matters for your property taxes, and how the bill would shift sales-data control to county auditors. It passed the House 93–0 on June 4 and now sits in the Senate Local Government Committee. If you’ve got a view, reach out to Sen. Terry Johnson.

https://ohiosenate.gov/members/terry-johnson/contact

Then, a conversation with Bob Raub of the Kiwanis Club of East Fork Region on what Kiwanis does locally (little libraries, youth service clubs, food packs, cleanups) and the Fields of Honor tribute, full-size flags dedicated to veterans and first responders.

Highlights

• HB 124 recap and where it stands now
• Tomorrow’s guest teaser: Danielle Wessel, Batavia Township Trustee candidate
• Kiwanis impact across Clermont County
• Fields of Honor opening ceremonies Saturday, Nov. 1

Get involved

• Dedicate or sponsor a flag: https://k20220.site.kiwanis.org/
• Send tips, guests, or events: info@letstalkclaremont.com
• Follow on Facebook & Instagram and join the Thursday newsletter

Like what you hear? Help support the show with time, talent, or treasure.

Donate

[00:00:11] Unknown:

We've been living in it since so long.   All  

[00:00:22] Unknown:

Welcome to episode 30 of Let's Talk Claremont. I am your host, Patrick,   and thank you for joining me. Thank you for listening. I'm happy you're listening.   This is normally   where I would, welcome everybody who's new because we are getting a lot of new people from all these candidate interviews and tell you, yeah. We're gonna talk about the news, and then we're getting the interview, and then we'll wrap up with some events. But   we are on an accelerated posting schedule. Normally, Let's Talk Climbout comes out every Thursday. Try to get out in the morning. Sometimes it doesn't work. But every Thursday, you can expect a new episode.   Going into the fourth, though, because we're interviewing all these political candidates, and we're also interviewing people, that have to do with levies.  

We have to get everything out before the fourth because if it comes out after the fourth, that doesn't really help anybody. And I want everybody to be able to hear,   what these candidates have to say.   So what we are gonna do today and   for most of the days, I think, is we're just gonna go look back at some of the episodes and some of the bills that are in the Ohio State legislature   and talk about them, see where they're at, kinda refresh our memories,   because some of these are important to the discussions that we're having with candidates, and some of them are just important   in general.  

So let's get into it.   Today, we're gonna talk about house bill one twenty four, and this is to modify the process for property tax sales assessment ratio   studies,   which is a mouthful. But we talked about this one in episode 15,   which I if memory serves, was Patty Reed from Save Your Bees. And that was a fun interview. I'd suggest going back and listening to it. It's our longest. I'd actually suggest you go back and listen to all of them, by the way. But it is our longest interview, I believe.   And Patty's a bit of a talker. I'm a bit of a talker. I mean, I started a podcast, so, obviously, I can talk.   But it was a really fun one.  

That aside, house bill one twenty four deals with property taxes, which is a very hot topic in the state   because they're getting,   pretty high property taxes.   And there are a few different bills in the legislator that in the legislature   that deals with property taxes,   I think including one to propose that proposes to eliminate them altogether.   But today, we're just gonna focus on one twenty four.   So, overall, what it's gonna do is it's gonna give local authorities   more control on property value assessments,   which is key when it comes to determining how much property tax you owe,   your municipality   or the state or or whatever the case might be.  

So this property tax, the assessment at least, is kind of based off something called a property tax sales assessment   ratio study.   So what is that? It's a statistical analysis that's used to evaluate the accuracy and equity of property tax assessments   by comparing a property's assessed value   to its recent sale price   to determine if the assessed values are fair.   Now these are normally done at the state level. The Department of Taxation compares the assessed value of properties   to their actual sale prices using a representative sample of recent   open market   arms length sales from the three years prior   to the tax year being studied.  

And a quick note, an arms length sale, because I didn't know this. I had to look it up, is a transaction between unrelated   independent parties   who are acting in their own self interest to get the best possible price.   So, you know, like, if grandma sells you her house and she cuts you a really good deal on it, they're not gonna look at that because grandma's not,   interested in the best possible price. She's interested in helping you out. So   now if there isn't enough comparable sales data, then the Department of Taxation may choose to supplement the county auditors data with their own appraisal.   So if there isn't enough data, think like rural land that doesn't typically turn over a whole lot. You know, somebody owns a lot of land out in the country, it's not like that's getting sold all the time.  

So if there isn't enough data, the Department of Taxation can essentially   find supplemental data   to come up with, their calculations,   which is,   you know, okay, I suppose. But they're all up in Columbus, and they are not really boots on the ground in the counties.   So what h HB one twenty four, house bill one twenty four, it's gonna put county auditors in charge of the sales data that drive these sales assessment ratio studies.   So if it passes,   the state tax commissioner   must base base each county study   solely on a representative sample of arms length sales, and again, those are just open market free sales,   submitted by that county auditor, and that's still gonna use the prior three years of sales data.  

The state can challenge a county sample,   but the default sample comes from the auditor, and that's if it passes.   So, overall, what this bill will do is it shifts the primary data gathering power   to county auditors. Now it's still gonna give state tax commissioners   an equal an equal right to challenge samples if they're, you know, a little sloppy or they don't think it's a good representation.   The state tax commissioner can still appeal this.   And just so everybody knows, Claremont is up for a full reappraisal in the 2026   tax year, and the county is probably and should be doing field visits this year to, you know, assess your property.  

Now currently, house bill one twenty four has passed the Ohio house with   a 93 to zero vote. So, apparently, there's a lot of support,   behind it. And this was on June 4 year.   So now it it's in the senate, and it's in the senate local government committee. And if it gets out of that committee, it'll go to the senate for a vote. If they pass it, it'll go to the governor, and the governor will either sign it or veto it. And depending on which one of those he chooses, it will either be law or it'll go back into the legislature and and round and round we go.   So   another thing I thought I'd I'd mention is that our state senator because, you know, if if it's already passed the house, it doesn't really matter who our representative is. It's already done in the house. But our state senator is Terry Johnson.  

So if you are for this or against it or whatever the case may be, send him a note. Let him know.   Also, let your local representatives know if you're for or against this. They talk to people in the state house,   and, you know, talking to these representatives and your local representatives and all that, that's how we get what we want. So if you feel very passionate, you know, for or against this, I would really recommend that you get in touch,   with your local representatives or or Terry Johnson or whomever.   Alright. Well, that is all we have in the way of legislature   to kind of review,   which is gonna bring us to, we are a value for value podcast. And that means if you find value in what we're doing, all we ask is for a little value in return, and that can be in the form of time, talent,   or treasure.  

For time and talent,   send us a note. Let us know what's going on in your community. What should we be talking about in these news sections? What should everybody in the county know about that's going on in your backyard?   Also, let us know who should we be talking to. You know? Are there people out there? Your neighbor, maybe? I don't know. A really good school teacher, whoever.   If you think that that people would like to hear from them, let me know. We had a a producer write in,   and I actually, today,   just booked an interview,   with chief Short from the CJ Fed Fire Department.  

We're gonna be interviewing him about the levy. So I, you know, I read these emails. I really enjoy input from all of our producers, so please write in.   As far as treasure goes, go to the website, www.click   I'm sorry. Www.let's   talk clairemont.com.   Click the donate tab. You can donate via PayPal or Stripe. And, if you wanna donate a different way, just let me know, and we'll make that happen.   And this is also a good time to mention that any dollar amount is greatly appreciated. And I want to give a huge thank you to all of the donors that have come in under $50, and that is for anonymity purposes. So thank you so much. It really helps keep this going, and it really helps keep,   lets me do this, lets me do what we're doing and bringing you interviews and news from around the county. So thank you to all of our our donors, all of our producers that donate.  

So any dollar amount is appreciated. But for $50   and above,   you will get a special mention on the show. And for donations $200 and above, you will get an executive producer credit. That is a credit I will vouch for, and you can put it on whatever you want. And I'll read a note on air or whatever you want.   And I'm gonna caveat that. It can't be some, like, crazy hate filled manifesto or something like that. I'm not gonna read that. But   most anything, I will absolutely read on air. And that could be I don't know what's going on in your life. That could be an ad read for your business. That could be one of those nasty grams that I really wanna give a good dramatic reading to on air. Whatever you'd like, I will read it. And this is also a good time to mention that with PayPal, you can do reoccurring donations. That could be a daily, weekly, monthly, whatever you want. So if the show is worth a dollar or $5 a month, whatever it is,   please, do that because, you know, those reoccurring donations will really help,   sustain this show. So and, again, thank you for everybody that has already donated and for people who have producers who have written in. It's this is really what I think the power of this is gonna be is is getting   our listenership, our our producers involved and invested   in in what we're trying to do here.  

Outside of all that, please connect with us. We have Facebook page, Let's Talk Claremont   podcast. We have an Instagram page at Let's Talk Claremont, and we got that newsletter.   Comes out every Thursday. You're not gonna get more than one email a week. We're not gonna give your, you know, your email to marketers or crazy things like that.   And it's a pretty cool newsletter if I don't say so myself.   And, well, I'm gonna play around with it. I'm gonna try to find fun things to put in there. I've already put movie reviews in there. I might try, I don't know, restaurant reviews, something like that. We're gonna have fun with the newsletter. So please sign up for that. And, again, go to the website, www.let'stalkclairmont.com.   Click newsletter. Put your email in there. And every Thursday,   fresh in your inbox, you will get, a communication from Let's Talk Clairmont.  

And please follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or whatever you happen to use for podcasts.   It really helps the show out, but it'll help you out because every time there's a new show, you will get notified.   And And as always, if you just wanna drop me a line, say hi, you know, whatever you want, info at let's talk claremont   dot com.   In case you didn't listen to the episode that came out yesterday,   I want to, again, talk about our accelerated posting schedule.   I did not expect the kind of,   I guess, reaction or,   what would you call it, demand   for, candidates to be interviewed on this show. I thought maybe I'd get a couple of them, and, you know, we just do some business as usual. That is not the case.  

We have quite a few of these to get through before the fourth. So like I said in the beginning, we're gonna find different things to do for the intro because there's just not a whole lot of news, and I don't wanna, you know, just blabber on to stretch for time. So we're gonna save that full news rundown   for Thursday, same with events. Events are actually very hard to keep up on, and all of this takes a lot of time. So I'm trying to, you know, reduce my workload as much as possible,   because I do have a I have an actual job.   But for events, you know, we're gonna have a list of events at the end of this, but I'm gonna refresh those every Thursday. So every the events today, you'll probably if you've listened to the one that came the episode that came out yesterday, it'll probably be the same same events.  

But we're gonna refresh that on Thursday.   And like I said before, we're only sending the newsletter out on Thursday. It'll have all the episodes for the week and whatever kind of fun, wacky stuff,   you know, I come up with.   Alright. So now that we've got that business taken care of, let's talk about who we're talking to tomorrow,   and that's gonna be Danielle Wessel. She is a candidate for Batavia Township trustee,   and I think it was another good conversation. I think I've been having really good conversations with all these candidates.   And like most of, if not all of the candidates, we talk about the need for more transparency in local government. And we talk about growth and development, and how to how to do that without losing the character   of the township.  

Which brings me to that question I keep asking, what is the character of our township? If you have an answer to that, please write in.   But that's a very common issue amongst candidates from, you know, Loveland to Batavia,   all across the board.   We also talk about the need to fix the CJ fed service imbalance,   especially the funding imbalance between the village and the township. The numbers that I have seen,   suggested that   17% of the service calls come from Batavia Village, yet they only paid 7% of the budget.   So I I think that's something that she's focused on and and wants to kind of, you know, fix.  

And we also save a thirsty plant in the bean and brew. That's where we did the interview. And to find out more about that, you're just gonna have to listen to the interview.   But for today, we are talking to Bob Raub.   He is an officer for the Kiwanis Club in the East Fork region.   And I know he's not a candidate, but the Kiwanis are putting on an event called the fields of honor.   And it's a really cool event. It's really nice. You sponsor a flag for a veteran or a first responder,   and it's a full size flag. It's I believe he said it's on a seven foot   flagpole, and they have lots of these, and they're displayed in various locations   across the country. Now fields of honor kicks off on November 1,   so I thought it'd be nice to try to get it out before the first so people know about it. And, frankly,   it's kind of, at least in my mind, it's a little bit of a reprieve from,   you know, elections and and political issues. So it'd be a nice little breather here.  

We also talk about the Kiwanis in general, which is great because I've you know, you hear about Kiwanis. You drive into a a town or a village or something. You see those signs when you come in, and they always have a little Kiwanis sign. And I always knew that they did community type stuff, but I wasn't exactly sure   what it is they do. And Bob goes into that as well, so you can hear him talk about that.   And, overall, Bob's just a really interesting guy.   He had a I know he was with the air force, but it was a fairly high up position that dealt with PR and communications for the military and, again, specifically, the air force.   And I'd love to have him back on again to talk about the Kiwanis,   obviously. But I'd also like to talk to him about his professional public relations and communications work   because I don't know if a lot of people have ever looked behind that curtain. Once you kinda see   how the media operates,   it can be very, very eye opening. And you you'll be a lot more skeptical   if you're not already skeptical   of the things that you read and hear in the news. So   so with all that, let's, let's turn it over the interview, and I hope you enjoy the listen.  

Alright. That should do it. So Okay. I will start this like I've started every other, interview I've ever done, and just tell us who you are and what you do.  

[00:16:04] Unknown:

My name is Bob Raub. I'm a resident of Batavia Township   in in the Batavia area,   and I am an officer of the Kiwanis Club of East Fork region.  

[00:16:17] Unknown:

So I know we're we're here to talk about the fields of honor, but can you, before we get into that, just talk about Kiwanis and what you guys do for the community?  

[00:16:26] Unknown:

Certainly.   Kiwanis is a global organization   of volunteers   who, through their projects and things that they do in the community, try to make the   world a little bit better,   focusing on the needs of children.   Here in Clermont County,   there's a lot of activities involving   helping children.   Where we   where we can, we like to partner with existing organizations,   giving them some hands for service that they might not have by volunteers   from our club,   assisting them in accomplishing the things that they need to be doing. In other cases, we like to do things on our own.   And,   one of our strong programs   is called service leadership programs.  

Kiwanis,   sponsors   at the high school level   organizations called Key Clubs, and maybe you've heard of Key Clubs when you were in high school. Mhmm.  

[00:17:30] Unknown:

They've been around for over a hundred years. I didn't know they were not that long.  

[00:17:36] Unknown:

That's correct. They they're just celebrating their hundredth anniversary this year. Wow. So the largest   scholastic   service organization   in the world. Okay.   Here in Clermont County,   our club sponsors a key club at West Clermont High School. Okay. And you will find them scattered about the state,   all sponsored by a local Kiwanis Club.   We also have similar clubs at the elementary school level   called k Kids,   at the middle school level called Builders Clubs,   and at the college level called Circle k. Mhmm.   There happens to be a Circle k Club at the University of Cincinnati   sponsored by the Cincinnati   Kiwanis Club. We're not part of that. Okay.  

We feel as though that our impact of helping kids learn   how to be servant leaders is really important,   and that's something that there's no class in high school or in Yeah. In in school to take to learn that stuff. You have to experience it.   We also have another program called Action Club.   Here in Clermont County, we have a very large Action Club that our   Kiwanis Club sponsors,   And those are similar clubs, but they're for developmentally   disabled adults. Okay.   We have found over the years we Kiwanis has found over the years that developmentally   disabled adults   have the same   desire to serve in their community as   as other folks. Mhmm.  

And Action Club gives them an opportunity   to do so. And so if you come to a   a Kiwanis project that we might be doing,   we might you might see some of our action club members participating   side by side with us. Sure.   And it gives them an outlet to serve. That's that's really nice.  

[00:19:41] Unknown:

I think I met because I met you at the Kiwanis open house. That's correct. And I I don't know if she was involved in any of the youth programs. I I can't remember her name. She was a young lady who, did the parade float for you.  

[00:19:53] Unknown:

She's a she's our youngest club member. Mhmm.   She's a student at UC. Yeah. Yeah. But she has chosen to join a Kiwanis Club Okay. Instead of the Circle k Club at at at the college. Yeah.   And she, in fact, was our project coordinator for our  

[00:20:12] Unknown:

Clermont County Parade flow. Yeah. I know. I guess my point, she was a very impressive young lady. She  

[00:20:17] Unknown:

she she has her stuff together. I think she's very musically talented too, isn't she? And she and she has, and we got to meet her last year   at our Fields Of Honor Oh, nice. Where she sang the national anthem. Nice. Is that where she  

[00:20:31] Unknown:

came in contact with Kiwanis for the first time? Exactly. Nice.  

[00:20:35] Unknown:

And  

[00:20:36] Unknown:

she did such a great job on our float. We ended up winning first place That's what she said, which is terrific. I think she had her trophy there if I if I recall correctly. She did. Yeah. She was very proud of it. And she As she should be. Yeah. She absolutely should be.   So how did you get involved with Kiwanis? When did you start your work there? Well, I'm an old guy, and,  

[00:20:56] Unknown:

I started I joined Kiwanis in Michigan when I lived in Michigan.  

[00:21:01] Unknown:

We won't hold that against you. And, well, I hope not.  

[00:21:05] Unknown:

But back in the eighties   so I've been a Quanian for a very long time.   Mhmm.   Because of my work experience, I had to move from place to place, and I've been a Quanis member in Michigan.   I've been a Quanis member in Virginia.   I've been a Qantas member in Pennsylvania, and now I'm a Qantas member in in Ohio.   We like to say that I,   I belong to the Qantas family. Yeah. And we are, in fact, a family because we do reach   into the schools as,   advisors to things like Key Club and Builders Club and such.   And once you're a Kuanian, you   if you if you   take it on as a real important thing to do,   and some people don't, but   other people, they catch the bug and they see the value in it. Oh, it's like the $80.20 rule. Right? Well, it's it's   it's a little bit of a Not to be it's not to be disparaging. It's It's a little bit like that. But more importantly,   if   if you do something as a Qantas member that you that that reaches back and touches your heart,   It makes a lot of sense. Yeah.  

Everybody has a Kiwanis moment. Mhmm. And I I'll share one with you. That was that would have been my next question. What was your Kiwanis moment? Well, I've I've had two of them as a matter of fact, But the very first one was in Virginia.   Actually, it was in Michigan. Sorry.   The, the one in Michigan was,   I was the treasurer of our club, and we had in a budgeted line item of   I think it was $500   of discretionary   spending for the club president. Because   as a club president,   organizations   and individuals   will approach you with   some unique requests, some unique needs. Mhmm.  

And I got a call from the club president and said, hey. I need a check for $500   because   I wanna help a family that was burned out of their home.   And I said, okay.   I mean, the process was it was simple as that.   And he said, would you like to go with me tonight to present the check? I said, I'd love to. Mhmm. As we drove up to this house,   and it was a a there was no fire in sight. Mhmm.   But it was the place where this family was staying.   The garage door was open, and there was   no car in the garage,   but furniture,   boxes of toys,   boxes of clothing.  

And I'm thinking to myself,   what's going on here? Do we really need to donate $500   to this family? It looks like they have a lot of stuff   stockpiled.   But we went in and we met the people,   mother and dad and some kids.   And we presented the check to them or the president of our club did, and   the father said   with tears in his eyes,   thank you   because you put a roof over our head.   The man was employed. Mhmm.   But we ended up covering the damage deposit on his new apartment   Oh, nice. Which allowed him to   sign the lease Yeah. Yeah. And actually get into a There was life moving again. Yeah.   And I'm thinking, wow.  

We did make a change. We did make an impact on that on that family and most importantly on the kids. Mhmm. Because   they were   bunking with maybe some  

[00:24:50] Unknown:

relatives or I don't know who owned the home that they were staying. Oh, I mean, their entire life was enough people and Exactly. Especially for kids, it's so important for everything to be stable. Exactly.  

[00:24:59] Unknown:

That was my Kiwanis moment, and and everybody has a different one. Everybody feels differently about what they do. Mhmm.   But,   we've   here in Clermont County, we we help child focus   by   raffling off with a free raffle   two bicycles every year Oh, nice. To little kids Yeah. Yeah. At one of their events. And and we look forward to doing that.   Not only are we helping out,   one of our service partners, Child Focus Mhmm. But we're reaching out and touching kids. Yeah.   Directly.   Yeah. And that's important.  

[00:25:37] Unknown:

So what   you said you talked about your Kiwanis moment, but what drove you to actually join Kiwanis?  

[00:25:43] Unknown:

My dad always said,   as I was growing up, always leave   the place that you occupy just a little bit better. Mhmm. It could be as simple as when you walk across the parking lot, you see   a soda can laying on the ground, pick it up and put it in trash. Mhmm.  

[00:26:01] Unknown:

It's not a big deal. I worked on oil rigs, and one of the company men would always say, if you see it, you own it.  

[00:26:07] Unknown:

That's that's a good good good thought. Yeah. But leave the place a little bit better than you found it. Yeah. And, at the time, I was   I was young, and I was   I don't wanna say I was living paycheck to paycheck, but pretty close. Yeah.   And,   so I didn't have a lot of money to donate. Mhmm. And, you know, once you write a check and it's gone, you don't never know where it goes, and you never see the end result.   So I checked out a local Kiwanis Club.   I was invited to, to tag along to a meeting.   And I went to, went to the Kiwanis Club, and I heard what that club was doing in the community. And I said, I'd like to   check this out. So I I joined the club,   and,   that was in 1983.  

Yeah. And I've been a Kuanian pretty much   since then. I did   I did take a a about a four year break I had on air force assignment that   precluded me from really getting involved in the community because I was too busy doing my work. Yeah.  

[00:27:11] Unknown:

But, I've been a Kuanian ever since. That's why from the open house because I talked to Calvin who's the incoming president,   and I actually work out with Calvin in the morning at the Red Barn and his wife Rochelle.   But everybody at that at that open house, it was pretty much the same story. They all wanted a way   to find find a way to work in their community in the Kiwanis.   That's what they do. So  

[00:27:35] Unknown:

When my wife and I moved to Clermont County about six years ago,   one of the things that   that we wanted to do was to find a Kiwanis home. Mhmm.   So we went to the Kiwanis International website and say   and queried Mhmm. Under the find find a club tab Yeah.   Where are the clubs? Because we did not know. And our our daughter who live who has lived here for quite a while said   she didn't know where they were,   but we actually checked out the communities where clubs were located. Yeah. And,   when we found that the house we bought was not in one of those communities,   we were asked to help because we had Qantas experience. Both my wife and myself   help open a new club, and that was the beginning of the Qantas Club of East Fork region. Nice. And when did when was that? What year was that? I guess about six years ago? That was 2019.  

Okay.   We   we started the club.   We helped start the club. We didn't do it myself,   but we helped in that process.   We started the club with 29 members.   That seems like a pretty good number to start out with. Which was very, very welcoming.   I thought it was terrific.   And we,   we had our celebration   of our charter Mhmm.   Two days before governor DeWine shut the state down because of COVID. Oh,   man. That must have been And that produced a lot of anxiety Yeah.   As you can imagine   because everybody was touched by those decisions. Yeah.   But we managed to almost immediately   start doing service projects. I remember one of the first service projects we did, we collected,   donations of   snack bags, snacks, you know, little bags of potato chips and that sort of thing.  

And we repackaged them, and we delivered them to   Mercy Hospital Nice. Emergency room Yeah. For the staff.   Nice. Because they were working Yeah.   Many more than eight hours a day. Oh, certainly. And   that was our very first service project. That was I did in 2020.  

[00:30:00] Unknown:

We had our our daughter,   in   oh, no.   March. Yes. March.   I don't I don't wanna publicly forget her birthday.   But, no, those hospital workers, they they locked everything down, and those hospital workers were working  

[00:30:16] Unknown:

all the time. We had to we had to   contactlessly   accept these donations. They had to be in sealed bags from the manufacturer.   We had to let them sit on our porch Yeah. Yeah. For,   two days or something like that to make sure that   all the  

[00:30:36] Unknown:

bedrooms were Yeah. Yeah. Were gone. I remember coming because we just had our daughter. So every time I'd come home, I would literally strip before I got home, leave my clothes out in the sun just to make sure. It was a wild time. It was it was a crazy time,  

[00:30:50] Unknown:

but we managed to get through that. Yeah.   We we we went to online meetings almost immediately. We never missed a meeting. Nice.   Because we had, we had a member who had the experience using   a platform called, I think it was called GoToMeeting.   Yeah. Yeah.   And,   we immediately went to a a virtual meeting, so we stayed together.   And when the when the state allowed restaurants to reopen,   we went back to meetings. Yeah. And,   we've been very active in the community. We do lots of service. We need lots of hands to help us.   We're   we just finished our fiscal year, and I'm proud to say that   we ended up our membership four members stronger than we started the year with. Congratulations.  

And we now have 44 members of from that original 29. And most of those original 29 are still with us. Some have moved on. Yeah.   But,   that's okay Yeah. Because life happens. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely.  

[00:31:58] Unknown:

So and we'll   hopefully, this will be a good segue into the Fields Of Honor.   But what are some of the projects that you do around the county that people might be familiar with?  

[00:32:08] Unknown:

Well, the most visible one, of course, is the Fields Of Honor. Mhmm. And we'll talk about that in a minute, I suspect.   We   we have several locations where we've partnered with the owners of laundromats.   And   probably a fair number of folks use those laundromats because they seem to be popping up everywhere. Yeah.   And oftentimes, if you go into a laundromat, you will see   a mom or a grandma with a grandchild or   a a a son or a daughter tagging along,   they don't have much to do while   mom or grandma or grandpa are doing the laundry.   So we've established little libraries   in   five   laundromats   Mhmm. In Clermont County.  

We stock them with books,   We have little furniture with little chairs and a little bookshelf.   And oftentimes, you can go in there and you will see these little children sitting there.   If they don't know how to read, they're certainly looking at the pictures in the books. Yeah. We encourage them to take a book home. Mhmm.   Bring it back when they're done.   We routinely visit those places. We kind of organize the books and wipe the tables down if the owner of the laundromat doesn't do that. Mhmm.   We have a little library in the YMCA   Okay.  

In their child room,   and we also have one in the family courthouse.  

[00:33:48] Unknown:

Nice.   At at the courthouse, that seems really nice because I imagine if you're a kid in a courthouse, it's probably not the best day of your life. Well, it's it's well, they might not know what's going on. Exactly. Yeah. But mom or dad needs to park them somewhere. Yeah.  

[00:34:02] Unknown:

And,   we have a we have a judge that's a member of our club. And when she found out about the little libraries,   she said, could we have one in the in the courthouse? Yeah. And absolutely. Yeah.   We like to promote promote literacy.   Yeah. And oftentimes,   at any activity we're at,   you probably can get a free book or two Yeah. Thanks to Qantas   and our partnership with the Claremont County Library.   Nice.   So do you get, like, used books from them and things like that? We get donations of books from the library. We also get donations of books from families and people that   we cross paths with from time to time. Yeah.  

We make sure they're in good condition, and we make sure they're appropriate.   Yeah. And nobody slips any $100 bills in between the pages. Right?  

[00:34:55] Unknown:

Yeah. I'd be guilty of that.   I've been known to hide my money in books.  

[00:35:00] Unknown:

But, nonetheless,   our little libraries,   were really, really proud of those.  

[00:35:06] Unknown:

It's a really cool program. I I remember hearing about it at the open house and thinking it's kinda genius to put libraries in places like that.  

[00:35:14] Unknown:

We we also partner with a lot of local organizations.   I mentioned,   working with Child Focus at one of their events   where we,   donate a couple bicycles. We actually   every child that comes to that event can get a free raffle ticket. Mhmm. We've given out bicycles. We've given out bike helmets.   We also work with Empower Youth Okay. Another organization in Clermont County. And during the school year,   one Saturday every month, we, go out to the Empower Youth facility,   and we help pack food bags   that Empower Youth   delivers to schools. Mhmm.  

For those that are in need of food,   particularly for the weekends   Mhmm. They get a food bag and they take it home.   It's a way for us to   provide some hands for service Mhmm.   Where they need they need help. Yeah. And it's a very short service project. One Saturday month, it's about an hour and a half. Yeah.   We send about six, eight members out to include some members from our action club. Nice. They help out. Nice.   And that's another project that we we regularly  

[00:36:37] Unknown:

do. And I don't think a lot of people realize that sometimes   school lunches are the only meal some kids   get.   There I mean, there are kids out there that that's what they eat, and   that's it. Like, I I grew up in Middletown, and at Middletown High School and elementary school and stuff, they were absolutely kids who   that was gonna be, at least if not the only meal they had, the best meal. So  

[00:37:01] Unknown:

To put it in perspective,   on a Saturday,   we will fill   hundreds of bags Mhmm.   Of food Yeah. Packaged food items   for children to   get Mhmm.   At the school to take home for the weekend.   I think it's a very important thing that we do. Yeah. I agree.   We also clean up a highway.   Oh, nice.   We have   a short stretch of old 32   Mhmm. Between Bauer Road to the east,   maybe up to the Ford plant or the back of the old Ford plant. Okay. Yeah. That we about four times a year, we'll go out there, and   we'll, we'll pick up trash and put it in bags in the   the highway department.  

We'll collect those bags from the side of the road after we're done picking them up. And that's always great fun because we can   reminisce at a at our next club meeting after our highway cleanup day about who who had to deal with the ickiest thing that they found along the road. What was the ickiest thing you guys have found? Oh, we found dead snakes. Oh, yeah. We typically don't worry about them. Nature will take care of that. Yeah.   But the, empty cans of soda and the trash that people just throw out of the car Yeah.   It's pretty incredible.  

Yeah.   But,   again, we leave the place a little better than we found it. Yeah.   I like to think that we're paying the social rent for the for the place we occupy by helping out. I like that. I like that phrase pain paying the social rent. I like that.   Do you wanna talk about fields of honor now? We certainly can. Excellent. Why don't you tell us what it is? Well, fields of honor is a program that I don't wanna say started with the Colonial Flag Foundation, but we found out about it   through the Colonial Flag Foundation, which is headquartered in Sandy, Utah. Okay.   And to put this in perspective,   back   what was it? Nine eleven happened   twenty Two thousand one? Something like that. I was a sophomore in high school. Well, after after nine eleven occurred,   the Colonial Flag   Foundation   did a healing field   in Sandy, Utah   by placing a   flag, a full size American flag on a seven foot flagpole   for every person who lost their life   That's On nine eleven. That's   impressive. Thousands of flags in one location. Yeah. And full size flags too. Full size flags. I mean, that's  

[00:39:48] Unknown:

that's an undertaking.  

[00:39:50] Unknown:

And they've done it every year Yeah. Since.   They've expanded   by inviting other organizations,   such as Qantas   to do   healing fields or fields of honor in their   local communities. Mhmm.   And   we became aware of this the year that the Qantas International Convention was in Salt Lake City, and Sandy is a suburb of Salt Lake City. Yeah.   And,   I was in attendance at that convention, and I visited with   the Flag Foundation   at their offices in Sandy.   Mhmm.   And I thought this is really a terrific way,   particularly   in   patriotic  

[00:40:42] Unknown:

communities, which I classify Clermont County as a Yeah. As a very patriotic space. I would too. You see the, veterans on all the flat what do you call them? Streetlights. Streetlights. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.  

[00:40:56] Unknown:

And we thought as a club, what a great way to say thanks Mhmm.   To not only military veterans, but   veterans of   our public safety community, our policemen, our firemen, and our EMS workers.   They're so important to our way of life. Yeah.   So our club decided to do this, and the first, the first question was, where are we gonna put them?   That would be the first question.   And, of course, how many are we gonna put? Mhmm.   Because of our   our,   our area that we operate in, we're called the Kiwanis Club of East Fork region, and that's because we have members from the communities   that surround the   state park. Yeah.  

We couldn't do one in Batavia and not do one in Williamsburg.   Yeah. Right? Yeah. Yeah.   So, we decided that we had to do at least four locations.   So that very first year from   maybe June until November 1, we we got it all together.   Okay.   And November 1 of, I believe, it was 2020.   Okay.   2021   maybe.   We placed   a total of about 400   flags, full size flags on full size flagpole Really?   In four locations.   100 in each location.  

[00:42:28] Unknown:

Oh, wow. How did you get full size? Did you have to dig for the flagpole? And Oh, that's the secret sauce.   Why don't you give away trade secrets or anything? The flag poles are PVC pipe. Okay.  

[00:42:40] Unknown:

And we we put a piece of rebar   Mhmm. In the ground. Okay. And we and we merely slide the pipe over the top of the rebar. Yeah. Yeah.   But, nonetheless, since, since our first fields of honor,   we've had   flags flying   during the month of November   in Batavia,   in,   Union Township Mhmm.   In,   Bethel   and at the old Williamsburg High School site in the in the village of Williamsburg.   Mhmm.   That number has grown maybe to a 120,   125   flags in each location,   and they fly between this year. It'll be November 1 until the,   Sunday, the last Sunday in November. Flags will come down on December 1. Mhmm.  

[00:43:30] Unknown:

And these are all full size?   All full size flags. Okay. I I'm not the little itty bitty ones. Yeah. When I talked to you at at   the open house, I had that that's what I had pictured in my head was little itty bitty flags. I didn't realize that they were the full size flags. They're full size flags. And  

[00:43:47] Unknown:

the, the first year we were on Route 125   at the Nuri Funeral Home Mhmm. But we moved that over to, the public space,   on the West Clermont High School Mhmm. Lawn,   and we've been there ever since.   We look forward to doing it again. Mhmm. It's a lot of work. We need hands for service to help us do that, to actually put them out.   And   and someone said, well,   why are we doing this? Is this just for veterans?   Well, it is primarily   as a way of saying thanks to the folks that have served. Mhmm.   It's a way of saying,   we haven't forgotten those who have served and have passed on either   through their military service or   by natural causes when they came home. Mhmm.  

But it's also service to kids.   And and the way we connect the dots back to children is that,   through another personal experience, when my daughter was first born,   her mom and I talked about how do we teach her   to appreciate the American   flag and what it stands for   and to maybe gain that appreciation   and get that   shiver that goes up your spine when you hear the national anthem. Yeah. And you see people quiet. Yeah. Hats off.   Hands on hearts.   And we decided the only way that you can teach that is to have a conversation about it Mhmm. And to expose the child to that.   Well, I think that every time we plant a a flag in the ground,   we're planting a seed for patriotism.  

Mhmm. It's a conversation starter. Mhmm. Hey, dad. What are those flags over there for?   Is that a cemetery? Mhmm. Or why are they there?   And that means that dad can start having a conversation with his son or daughter Mhmm. Or mom can or grandpa can.   But more importantly,   we give individuals   the opportunity   to dedicate a flag.   Mhmm.   A few years ago, we had a   a lady call us and says, is it too late to dedicate a flag? I'd like to dedicate a flag to my husband. Mhmm.   You know, he fought in three wars.   Three.   And my mind is going a little bit crazy   trying to figure out   what war is. Exactly.  

Well, this guy was a retired military man,   and he served in Vietnam. Mhmm. He served in Korea. Mhmm. And he served in World War two.   Man.   She dedicated a flag. We   we identify the dedicated flags by hanging a tag Mhmm.   Who the donor was,   and who the flag was dedicated to, and a little bit of biographical   information that the donor would provide to us. Yeah.   Later found out   that   she brought her husband   Mhmm. Out to that field, and they walked amongst the flags.   They found his flag. Mhmm.   Sad to report that about   two months after that, he passed away. Mhmm.  

But it was her way of recognizing   his service.   Mhmm. Which I think is incredibly important.   And if you have a child, you can dedicate a flag to uncle Charlie. Mhmm.   You bring the child out. You say this is uncle Charlie's flag. This is dedicated for his service.   Maybe as a firefighter   or a police officer. Yeah.   I know that this year that   we already have dedications   that will be for,   a soldier who died,   from Clermont County.   We also have a flag dedicated to a police officer who was killed in the line of duty a few years ago. Nice.   And we encourage people to come out and visit the fields, park their car, walk amongst the flags, and read the tags Mhmm. And see who's there,   see who's represented.  

And it can be that can be another conversation   starter with children. Yeah.  

[00:48:12] Unknown:

So because you're a veteran, if I'm mistaken,   personally, how does it make you feel to see   these flags and and the children interacting with them? And  

[00:48:23] Unknown:

Well, it makes me feel very, very good. Well, yeah. Because, obviously,   they're learning what I what I learned. Right.   When I grew up, my father was a World War two veteran. Oh, by the way, I dedicate a flag to his service. Yeah. Does anybody dedicate one to yours?  

[00:48:40] Unknown:

My wife does. Okay. Good. Okay.   She better? Yeah.  

[00:48:50] Unknown:

I think it's really important because it's the only way   I think, that you can touch somebody unless you have a family member,   a a mom or a dad who has who has served in the military, and   they have some military momentos around the house Mhmm. That ultimately become conversation starters with children. Yeah.   But for those that are that have not served   or the kids that don't have that exposure,   it's a good way to talk about it. Mhmm. It's,   and, frankly, it's, I think, a a I think it's special. It's warming. Yeah.   We had one donation come in this year already   that,   the gentleman said to me, he said, I've done this ever since you started.  

I like to change up the veterans that I dedicate flags to, but they're friends of mine. They're people that I've known.   Now I will tell you that our Kiwanis Club clip all those tags off the flags at the end of the display, and we always send them to the donor Nice. With a little thank you note. Mhmm.   And he said that he appreciates   that,   and he doesn't throw the tags away, but they find their way scattered around his house. Mhmm.   And the important part is he mentioned that occasionally   during the year, he'll stumble upon one of those tags.   He might have put them in a drawer out in the garage, and he was looking for a screwdriver,   not in a bolt for something, and he stumbled upon that tag that he   dedicated two years ago. Mhmm. And it causes him to pause   and to reflect   and to think about   the individual that that was dead the flag was dedicated for. Yep.  

Those kind of remembrances, I think, are really, really important.   We also have the ability for a slightly additional   donation   that an individual can get the flag after   Okay. After the flags have flown.   We send them out to those individuals along with the tag. Mhmm.   And we've heard people give them as Christmas presents.   That's really nice. You know, to that uncle Charlie that you don't know   what to give him and do to begin with. Right.   And we all know when he passes on, he will get a flag Mhmm.   In remembrance of his service.   But why not give him a flag early on? Yeah. One that he can enjoy. Before before one that he can put in a Yeah. In a case and put on the mantle and Yeah. And say this was   part of me, part part of my service to the country. Yeah. So I think it's all very, very important.  

And I think  

[00:51:38] Unknown:

what strikes me about it is, like you said, there's not,   I mean, around Claremont County, there certainly is. But to have a display like that, to just pause and think about   why, you know, what the flag actually means and what service actually means and the sacrifices that a lot of these men and women make,   I'd   you just don't get a lot of opportunity  

[00:51:59] Unknown:

to see something and that's striking to reflect on it. Well, it is pretty striking. Yeah. You when you drive down the road and all of a sudden you come upon a a a field with with a 120   flags in it. It it gets your attention. Yeah.   It's mostly important to know why they're there. Mhmm. And that's I appreciate the opportunity to chat with you today about this.   I would also be remiss to say that the sacrifice   isn't only   made by the men and women who have served. Mhmm. It's for the folks that they've left behind   at home. Yeah.  

Yeah.   I didn't think about that part either. Because they're they're they're in this just like the service person is. Mhmm.   A police officer that goes off to work in the morning,   there's a certain amount of   wonderment is Yeah.   What's gonna happen today? Yeah.   I can only imagine. And and I'm sure that   the   the spouses that are at home waiting for the person to come home from work,   that person's late coming home from work. Their eyes are glued to the news Yeah. To see if something is gonna prevent that from happening. When you always hear, you know, they dread a knock on the door. You know? They dread a knock on the door. Yeah. I imagine it's very it's I imagine it's very similar for anybody who's in has a dangerous job like that. You know? You never know you never know when there's gonna be a knock on the door. Sure. Yeah. But the the important thing that I've been I think of   the the military folks or the first responders,   they're out there doing the job that they wanna do. Yeah. And I appreciate their desire to do that. Yeah. Yeah. Because it's not something you do for fame and fortune. That's No. But it's something that they do for you and I. Exactly.  

Kinda like being a Qantas member. Yeah. We're doing it for the kids. Yeah.   And we're not necessarily doing dangerous stuff for the kids. Right.  

[00:53:58] Unknown:

We're putting They don't issue issue you an m 16 that the Kiwanis do. No. No. No.  

[00:54:06] Unknown:

We we really enjoy what we do, and we really enjoy the   the the fields of honor.   It's a it's a it's a project that kind of lasts throughout the year. Mhmm.   January and February, we're inspecting all the flags and replacing those that need to be replaced, and we're doing maintenance on the flags as they attach to the poles. Mhmm.   And,   we get them ready to go back out in November. And   I will   report to you that   we have about  

[00:54:39] Unknown:

500 flags ready to be placed. Wow. That's a lot of flags. How much time does it take you to settle that up?  

[00:54:46] Unknown:

We mark the fields the week before,   before we place them. Mhmm. We do that.   There's a method to get those lines straight and Mhmm. Equally spaced apart. We don't measure every one of them. Yeah. But there's a way to do it.   And that takes about a half a day Mhmm.   To do the four fields. And then,   on Friday morning,   October 31,   we're going to start about 08:00 in the morning, and we're going to,   place the flags   in in in their respective locations   so that on November 1, Saturday, we can have opening ceremonies.   Mhmm. And we do do a formal   opening ceremony at each location.  

And because we have four,   we do them sequentially.   We'll be starting at, 08:30   on November 1 at the sheriff's office   off of, state route, what, 222.   Yeah. Yeah.   08:30 in the morning on Saturday.   When that's done, we will   pack up our stuff and move to the West Claremont High School. Yeah. Because at 10:00, we will have an opening ceremony at the Batavia   or at the West Claremont High School.   And, similarly,   we'll then relocate to Bethel.   At 11:30,   we'll have an opening ceremony at the Bethel Tate Middle School.   And then on to Williamsburg   at 1PM,   We'll, do our fourth opening ceremony there.  

And we encourage anybody and everybody to come out and, and visit the field after we're done. Mhmm. Walk around and   see,   read the dedication tags.   We will take dedications   all the way up to the   up to the point of,   the day before we take the flags down. Sure. So if you haven't had a chance to So even after the first? After the first You'll go out and put a flag up if somebody We well, the flags are there. Oh, I see. About about half of them are actually dedicated. I see. So we always have flags that need a dedication. Yeah. Yeah.   And so if, if you get us the information,   we make those dedication tags locally. Mhmm. And we can usually,   you come and say I'd like a flag dedicated. Usually within within a day, you have a a flag dedicated Mhmm. At the field that you'd like it in. Yeah. And I  

[00:57:18] Unknown:

oh, I'm sorry. I just forgot what I was gonna ask.   I'll ask a different question.   So how what's the process for actually getting a flag dedicated?  

[00:57:30] Unknown:

You could go on our website. Mhmm.   And that's at wwweastforkkuanas.org.  

[00:57:38] Unknown:

Okay.  

[00:57:39] Unknown:

And, right there on the landing page, you will see something about   our fields of honor, and, there's a a link Mhmm. That you can click on that link, and you can print the dedication   form.   You fill out that form, and you can   either email it or send it via   the post office Mhmm.   Back to us.   We we will get that form along with your donation,   and then we will create the tag. And then you can go out to the field that you asked for the flag to be flown in and find your tag, or you can call us. Yeah.   Our numbers our phone number's on the on the website.   And if you don't write checks,   there's   a there's a way to Venmo us money. Yeah.  

And there's even a QR code   that will take you directly to a,   ecommerce website   sponsored by the Colonial Flag Foundation Okay. That you can dedicate a flag right there online. You can pay for it with a credit card online. Okay.   And,   and that that money will find its way back to our our organization.   This has turned into our major fundraiser as well as a club,   and it helps us fund six $1,000   scholarships that we give every year Okay. To graduating high school   seniors   in the six high schools that are located in the East Fork Region. Nice. So you get a flag to remember somebody, and that money's going towards  

[00:59:25] Unknown:

helping kids go to college.   You got it. Nice.   Let me ask you a quick question about Venmo.   When somebody Venmo's you, do they have to add a note to it or anything? Or Well, it it always helps, but we try to match  

[00:59:39] Unknown:

up, you know, you You can find the name in the application and We we try to match it up so we know who paid and who didn't pay. Right. Right. Right. We don't have people not paying. Right.   Many times,   we'll get a donation, and and they'll tack on an extra Yeah. Bunch of money to help the cause, and we appreciate that very much. But it'd probably be a little easier if somebody put a little note like fields of honor donation. Fields of honor. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly.  

[01:00:06] Unknown:

I'll be honest with you. I'm kinda out of questions, but I would like to give you the floor just to give everybody the fields of honor information again and to let people know how they can get involved with Kiwanis and and kinda give you Kiwanis pitch?  

[01:00:20] Unknown:

Well, certainly,   we'll start with how to get involved with Kiwanis. We meet,   twice a month, the first and third Tuesdays   of every month   in Batavia at Gramma's   Pizza restaurant Mhmm.   Right downtown Batavia at   06:30.   Members,   and guests start showing up about 06:00.   Typically,   folks order off the menu and have dinner with us, and   and they get to experience a Kiwanis meeting.   Well, how do the meetings actually go? I don't mean to interrupt you, but How long? Well, what what is what is a Kiwanis meeting like? Well, typically,   we might have a speaker Okay.  

To educate us a little bit about the needs for kids primarily in the community.   We,   go over what's happening in the club right now. We induct new members. We recognize   some contributions   that some of our members make   in terms of service.   And we go over, like I say, the   what's coming up. Yeah. Because   we're so busy, there are usually   five or six things that we're doing in the community over the following two months.   It's a rolling calendar that just keeps rolling, and we keep getting involved in doing things. And we're unfortunately getting to the point where we have to say no. Oh, yeah. Because we just we just don't have enough members to do the things that   really need to be done. Mhmm.  

Usually, we have fun. Yeah.   As you said, Calvin is our  

[01:02:03] Unknown:

he's now our president. He's now the president.   He's not he's not president-elect.  

[01:02:07] Unknown:

He's a full player president. He's now the he just had his first meeting last Tuesday. Nice.  

[01:02:14] Unknown:

He's a great guy. I really enjoy him.  

[01:02:17] Unknown:

And certainly   and certainly, we,   we try to get we try to be organized and stay organized and stay forward leaning in terms of the things that we're doing in the community.   You can also get information about the club by going to our website, w w w East Fork East   Fork   Kiwanis dot org. Mhmm.   Or you can follow us on Facebook.   We're very active on Facebook.   Mhmm.   Sometimes,   our club secretary keeps   keeps letting us know that there's a new Facebook post up, but most of us follow face our Facebook page if we see it.  

[01:03:02] Unknown:

Is a Facebook page a good way to keep up to date with Kiwanis and just in general what you're doing? Sure. Okay. Absolutely.  

[01:03:08] Unknown:

Because we try to advertise everything that we're   we're involved with. Mhmm.   Right now, we're recognizing all of our business sponsors that sponsor the fields of honor. Nice. I think we put up,   15 or so posts just last week Mhmm. Saying thanks for your sponsorship.   You'll see fields of honor on on our Facebook   page as well.   So you'll take business donations like a business can sponsor it? Absolutely. Okay. Absolutely. And we're really appreciative of those businesses that do sponsor.   And on each field, we do have a sponsorship banner, so we recognize their contributions,   to the effort   and also in the program book that we distribute at the opening ceremonies. Mhmm.  

And that's another thing that you that you can take advantage of,   come to an opening ceremony Mhmm. And and experience   fields of honor.   See what that's all about.   Hear the words that are being   being said.   We just lined up our,   with with this year, we have really two keynote speakers. One for our Batavia site is going to be the Clermont County Sheriff, Chris Stratton. Mhmm.   And a,   a fellow by the name of Bob Proud, who is a former   Clermont County commissioner. Okay. He's gonna be speaking at the other three locations.   Nice. And, again,   those dates and times, it's all November 1, 08:30 in the morning at the Sheriff's Office Mhmm. Out on Route 222,   10:00 in the morning at the West Clermont High School,   11:30   in Bethel at the Bethel Tate Middle School, right on 125,   and then 01:00 in the afternoon at the Williamsburg   former high school Okay. In Downtown Williamsburg.  

Perfect.  

[01:05:04] Unknown:

Well, like I said, I'm all out of questions for you. So unless   unless there's something else that we missed.  

[01:05:11] Unknown:

I don't think so. I think, we've covered the waterfront pretty well with all things Kiwanis. Okay. We certainly invite anybody who's interested to reach out to us, call us.   My email address is pretty easy.   Rraub@aol.  

[01:05:29] Unknown:

That's pretty easy to remember. A o l dot com.  

[01:05:32] Unknown:

Send me an email.   Visit us at at the Batavia Gramma's Restaurant,   first and third, Tuesday of every month at 06:00 in the evening. Have dinner with us.   And if you'd like to help us put flags in the field,   we need help on the October 31,   and we also need help taking them down  

[01:05:56] Unknown:

in December. Everybody wants to come to the party. Nobody wants to clean up.  

[01:06:00] Unknown:

We need a lot of help on the December 1   during the day, starting about 08:00 in the morning. Okay.  

[01:06:08] Unknown:

And just as an aside, do you have any more open houses planned?  

[01:06:12] Unknown:

None right now, but I'm sure we're gonna do another one this year. Okay.   Membership is really important to us. Like I say,   the needs are exceeding our ability to provide them. Yeah. Provide for them.   Only because we   we have, you know, many members are very busy. Mhmm. And that's okay.   We understand that life happens, and there's responsibilities   at home. And   and we only encourage you to   come,   join,   and participate   to whatever level that you're   comfortable with. Try to pick something that works for you, something that you like doing. Maybe it's the flags.   Maybe it's helping out with the little libraries   or   men we have a pancake breakfast every year out at Patterson Park.  

Maybe you like pancakes.   Who doesn't like pancakes? Who doesn't like pancakes?   And we do that as a free public breakfast.   Nice. Okay.   There's no charge to attend.   No charge to eat pancakes. Are they good pancakes? They are good pancakes   and sausage.   Oh, really? So, keep an eye out on Facebook for that.   We do that. We've we've done that now, I think, three years running,   and we plan to do that again in,   in in   I think it's in March Okay. This year next year. Awesome.  

[01:07:36] Unknown:

Well, like I said, I think I'm all out of now I'm all out of question. Again, I've said that, like, three times now.   But I wanna thank you for coming on,   and I'm gonna call it a successful podcast.  

[01:07:47] Unknown:

Thanks very much. Appreciate the opportunity. Thank you.  

[01:08:01] Unknown:

Well, thank you again to Bob for sitting down with me. I really enjoyed talking to him. And like I said, I'd love to have him back on, not just to talk about the Kiwanis, but to talk about his work,   in the military, specifically   with, public relations and communications.   We talked a little bit about it after the interview off mic,   and it's it's just fascinating. I've I've worked in PR, not to the level that Bob has, but like I said in the intro,   it's it's very, very eye opening once you see how the sausage is made.   So with all that, let's talk about some events that are going on around the county.  

First up, we have birding to change the world. This is a conservation   talk and book discussion   on October 15 from 7PM to 08:30PM   at the Cincinnati Nature Center.   It is an evening conversation on community based conservation   featuring Trish O'Kane, author of Birding to Change the World, a memoir,   and she'll be talking with Connie O'Connor,   the Nature Center's director of applied learning. It's aimed at adults, and the program explores how connecting people through shared interests like birding   can drive grassroots environmental activism   and foster conservation civics.  

Oh, next up, my favorite Halloween copy of all these. It is the community   costume swap on October 16,   5PM at Sycamore Park.   Give a costume, get a costume.   This free community swap invites families to bring gently used Halloween costumes and exchange them for something frightfully fresh.   All ages from little monsters to grown up ghouls are welcome.   It's a great way to refresh your costume without scaring your budget.   It's Halloween copy might be one of my favorite types of of ad copy ever. It's just really fun to play with. So, anyway, that that also sounds like a pretty cool event because, you know, things are more expensive and especially if you got kids, you know, they're wear costumes once and then you're done. So a nice way to save a little bit.   In any event, moving on.  

Homeschool Discovery Days, fall leaves. This is October 17 from 1PM to 2PM at the Catherine Stagmore Park. It is an educational nature program tailored for homeschoolers,   but it is open to all families.   Kids will learn about the science behind autumn leaves, why leaves change color, and how trees prepare for winter, and they'll learn about it through hands on activities and games. It's gonna be outdoors in the park, so it might be a little chilly. Bring your coat.   It's an it's an hour long program that combines science and fun to explore the fall season. It is free, but you do need to register in advance, and I bet you can do that on the park's website.   Next, we have Batavia Farmers Market, October 18 from 9AM to 2PM. It's gonna be the corner   of Main And Depot Street in Batavia.  

It's a seasonal open air market featuring local farmers and artisans.   You can browse fresh produce, farm raised meats, baked goods, honey, plants, and handmade crafts.   It is family friendly and free to attend. Also, a great way to support local vendors and enjoy a Sunday morning in downtown Batavia.   Next is yoga in the park on October 18 at 9AM, Sycamore Park. Start your Saturday with a calming morning yoga session in nature.   This free class, no registration needed, is open to adults and teens of all skill levels. An instructor will lead gentle poses and breathing exercises   on the lawn at Sycamore Park with the backdrop of trees and the East Fork River.  

Beginners can learn the basics while experienced yogis   can enjoy practicing in a serene outdoor setting. You should bring a yoga mat or a towel, something to drink, and the sessions typically last about an hour.   Last but certainly not least, BooFest,   Clermont County YMCA Halloween Festival, October 18 from 12PM to 2PM   at the Clermont Family YMCA.   It is a free community Halloween party hosted by the y.   Families are encouraged to come in costume and enjoy trunk or treating,   music from a DJ, games, kids dance activities,   and snacks in the YMCA   in the YMCA's   West parking lot.  

There is even a costume parade for youngsters and prizes awarded to the best decorated car trunks. It is open to the entire community,   and you do not need to be a member of the y to join the fun.   So that's all the events that we have, and I'll keep adding this whole quick notes about events. I really do the best I can to find as as many as I can, but I'm a 100% sure I don't get all of them. Because   if you've ever tried to find, you know, Google what to do in Clermont County,   the, Convention of Visitors Bureau does a good job of having a a kind of a consolidated calendar. But there are events all over the place. And I'd I'd like I said, I know I don't get them all. So if you have an event or that you know of an event that you think people should know about, just send an email. Info@let'stalkclaremont.com.   I can't promise that I'll promote everything,   especially if it's some kind of, like, wacky I don't I don't know. Some kind of weird event.  

Probably not. But,   you know, send me an email anyway,   just so I know about it. And, if it's something that I think would be good for the listeners to hear about, I will absolutely put it in this event segment.   And with that, it is   another time or it is time again rather to talk about we are a value for value podcast. What that means is if you find value in what we're doing here, all we ask is for a little value in return, and it can be in the form of time,   talent, or treasure. For time and talent, get in touch. Let us know who we should be talking to, and let us know what's going on in your community so we can let everybody else know what's going on in your backyard.   And think about that question I've been posing. What is the character   of our county, your township, your village, whatever the case may be? What are we trying to preserve in the face of all this development pressure?  

I don't have a great answer, and that's why I think, you you know, write in, and maybe we together can come up with a good answer to that.   For treasure, go to the website, www.   Let's talk claremont.com.   Click donate. You can donate via PayPal or Stripe.   And,   if there is another way that you would like to donate, get in touch, and we'll make that happen.   And this is also another good,   opportunity to thank all the donors that came in under $50 for anonymity purposes. Thank you. Thank you.   It really helps us keep doing what we're doing.   And I wanna mention again that you can do reoccurring donations. It's via PayPal. I don't think you can do with Stripe. But with PayPal, you can absolutely set up a reoccurring donation,   daily, weekly, monthly, whatever you choose.  

And, you know, is the is this worth a buck a month to you, $2, whatever the case may be? That'd be great because sustaining donations are will really help us,   keep doing what we're doing.   So like I said, any value amount greatly appreciated. But for donors that come in over 50, $50 and above, you will get a special mention on the show. $200 and above, you will get an executive producer credit for that show that I will vouch for. That means you can put it on your resume, IMDB, whatever you like.   And I'll read a note. It can be anything within reason. Anything within reason. This is a family show.   And it can be what's going on in your life. It can be an ad read for your business, one of those nasty grams I keep pumping,   because I just I don't know. I really wanna do a a dramatic reading of a very angry letter. I think that'd be fun. So, anyway, that's the value for value part.  

Please connect with us on Facebook, Let's Talk Claremont podcast, Instagram at Let's Talk Claremont, and sign up for that newsletter. Like I said, we only email you once a week. And, I'm gonna try to have a little more fun with that. Still kinda getting my legs with the newsletter and seeing what we can do. But as we go forward, I'm gonna keep putting in, you know, interesting, maybe some wacky things. Who knows? You're gonna have to sign up for the newsletter to find out.   And please follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or whatever you happen to use for podcast.   It really it truly it really does help out the show, but it does help you out because whenever there's a new show, you will be notified.  

That's especially handy,   in these, situations where there's a, like, kind of a wacky posting schedule. So please follow us.   And, of course, if you just wanna get in touch and say hi, you know, whatever you want, info@let'stalkclaremont.com.   I genuinely really would like to hear from you. So with all that, I really appreciate you listening, and we will see you tomorrow.