The other night I was walking through the Oregon District and thought I had walked straight into a George Romero film. There were about a hundred zombies walking down the street straight towards me. I was pretty freaked out until I saw one of them talking on a cell phone. I later found out that there is an event called the zombie walk that is held every year in the Oregon District.
     Many of the people were very convincing in their portrayals of the living dead. They were staggering around eating fuck guts and scaring people in cars. The event was actually rather chaotic and the police even had to come down and make sure everyone got out of the middle of the street because all of the zombies were blocking the road.
     Apparently events like this are held all over the country and have become a cult phenomenon. Some are even held as a way to raise awareness about world hunger and collect money for food banks. I was very surprised at the realism of the zombies. Some people were even "eaten" and then joined the march afterwards.
     The event was coordinated via facebook and the zombies all met up in the parking lot of gem city records.  The zombie walk apparently happens every year around this time  and starts at eleven o clock at night. An zombie themed after party is held at The Vex nightclub every year.
      While the event was rather chaotic I had a great time and I think I might even be participating in it next year. And after all, it would be rather strange if the zombies were walking in straight line and being orderly.
   

Sunday Funday

      Most people dont realize that Dayton has a pretty lively electronic music scene. Be it The Vex, Therapy Cafe, or any of the warehouses down by front street, I've always really liked going to these places to listen to drum and bass, house and dubstep. You can imagine how excited I was when I recently found out that there is a place where this kind of thing goes on outdoors every week.
      The event is known as Sunday Funday and it happens every Sunday night at 7 o clock at the Garden Center Station on the corner of Wayne and Fourth. The admission fee is only $1 and and it goes on every week unless it is raining. The music can sometimes end up going late into the night. You really can't be this price because many places that do this kind of thing will charge you five dollars at the door.
     I haven't been to the event myself yet but I was informed about it from a friend who told me that he went and saw some really good DJ's there and he invited me to go with him next week. I pretty sure I will be in attendance and  I will try to take some pictures to edit this post with.
      The music is a variety of styles and around 4 or 5 djs play each night. My friend also told me that there are all kinds of displays the dancers put on that  range from hula hooping to fire spitting. But if you want to go be sure to bring some glow sticks. I do apologize for the shortness of this entry and promise I will have more pictures and information of the event next week.

     When I attended Urban Nights I noticed quite a few people riding around town on yellow bikes. I thought it was strange that I kept seeing the same bikes over and and thought that it couldn't just be a coincidence. I asked around for a little and was eventually told that they were part of a new initiative downtown called simply "The Yellow Bike Program."      
     This new program is meant to help transform the city of Dayton into a bicycle friendly community. And here's how it works. You see a yellow bike downtown, you take it and ride it to your destination and then you leave it at another bike rack for someone else to use when you finish it.     
     This idea sounded unbelievable to me at first. I can't believe that these bikes are just loaned out to whoever decides to walk up and take one. There are no forms to fill out, and no cost at all. I was skeptical about the idea at first because it seems to me that all of the bikes would be stolen in a week. However, I learned that the Dayton police and many of the local pawn shops have been informed about the bikes and that if they find any of them the bikes will be taken and simply placed back into the system. Only time will tell how long this system based on good faith will last though. 
 Now don't get me wrong. I full heartedly support this idea. The bikes will provide people with alternatives to waiting around for a bus, and will give people with cars the option of not driving if they should choose to do so. The bikes are also environmentally friendly and will save a lot of people money on gas. I know that the next time Im downtown for the dayI will try to utilize this valuable service.    

Dancing Tom

   

When I was young I remember that whenever my dad would take me downtown to a festival or to watch a band I would always see an older man with crazy hair and no shirt dancing around. I asked my dad who this guy was after I had noticed him a few times. He told me he was known as Tom Cat and that all he ever did was go from place to place and dance.
     I remember thinking as a child that he was somehow literally always dancing, and that once the festival was over he would just go dance somewhere else. It seemed as if he was omnipresent.  I eventually learned that this was in fact not far from the truth.
     Over the years I saw Tom dance countless times. I remembering seeing him at the Fraze Pavilion, South Park Tavern, and at Riverscape. I don't think there was a single blues, reggae, or jazz festival that me and my dad ever went to that I didn't see Tom at.  It didn't matter what kind of music was playing, or how many other people were on the dance floor, Tom would always be there.
     In fact I remember one time when I went to the Fraze with my dad I felt really uneasy about dancing to the music because there were only a few people on the dance floor. Then Tom showed up. He started dancing and pretty soon the amount of people on the floor had tripled. He had some kind of almost magic quality about him, something in his moves told you that you to needed to get out there and just do whatever you felt like doing.
     The reason I wrote this blog about Tom is because a few days ago I  found out that Tom recently died of a stroke. I was deeply saddened hear this news and I started to remembered all of the times that I had seen him and been inspired by his spirit, his charisma, and his dance moves.
     I'm sure some of you may have seen this man around town at some point, and if you have you're almost guaranteed to  remember him. I know I will probably think about him the next time I attend a festival downtown. I'm also sure a few people will be surprised when he is not in attendance.  Tom did teach me a valuable lesson in the times I met him though. He taught me that you should not care what other people think about your dancing and that when it comes down to it, music is ultimately about having fun above all else.
      The Dayton Daily news also did a piece about Tom, which is where I found the picture of him I used in this entry. Here is a link to article.

The Free Wall

     There is a lot of interesting graffiti around Dayton. Some people see it as as vandalism and others view it as art. Some (like myself) think that it really is up to the viewer to make that distinction. Of course, with so many differing opinions on street art how do we decide where these artists can do their work?
      There is a place where this problem has been solved though. However, I don't think it is a very well known location. Many people call it the free wall, because it is one of the only spots (that I know of) in Dayton where you are legally allowed to spray paint whatever you want. When I heard about this place from a friend I immediately decided that I wanted to check it out. So the next day me and my friend Amanda decided to take a trip to the wall and she brought her camera along with her. All of the photos in this entry were taken by her and used with her permission unless noted otherwise. Here are directions to the wall if you would like to look at it yourself.

      The free wall is located near some train tracks and has various plants and weeds growing in front of it depending on the time of the year you go. I think right now is probably the perfect time to head out there in you are interested because you can see the entire wall from top to bottom and dont have to go through any plants to see the all of the art. 

      

      I personally believe that more spaces like this should be setup in the Dayton area because quite frankly, there are a lot of abandoned buildings and blank walls that are nothing but an eyesore, and some of this art could add some more color and personality to those areas.

Edit: I also found some other pictures of the wall that were taken from a Flickr account I found using google. The photographer does not give a name so I can not really attribute them to anyone in particular.
Here is a link to the account though.
   
 

The book truck

     Over the past year or so I have been seeing this truck everywhere. If there is a festival, fair, or anything that draws a crowd in Dayton, you may be able to find this vehicle parked somewhere not far from the action. It can also be regularly spotted in the Oregon District on weekends.

      The truck is owned by a man name David Hurwitz and what makes it special is that it is used to transport books that are given out for free. Wherever you see the truck you will see several boxes set up behind it on a table. A sign posted there will encourage you to look through the boxes and take any book that you want. The content of the books is seemingly random  but I am usually able to find at least one that interests me. I've picked up a couple of fiction books on varying subjects, one on eastern philosophy, and a identification guide of plants of Ohio. There are also usually plenty of paperback romance novels too, if that's the kind of thing you're into.
      One of the signs said that many of these books are donated by Friends of Planned Parenthood, and Look At A Book. Look At a Book is an organization that is based out of Ohio that is commited to providing literature to places all over the world. Information about them can be found at this address. lookatabook.com
     Before you get to look at any of the books you will most likely be forced to notice the way the truck is decorated. David has turned his truck into an art project of sorts and has almost completely covered it in an array of items, ranging from seashells and bumper stickers, to etch a sketches and action figures.
     So if you ever see this truck parked somewhere, go and look through the books that are available. I'm sure you'll find something to interest you. Below are some more pictures of David's truck.

   

The Poet Of The Oregon

     You are always bound to meet some interesting characters when you spend time in Oregon District. The area draws all kind of interesting people into the many shops, restaurants, bars and art galleries you can find  there.
     However, one of the most interesting people I've met is a man who for the purposes of this entry, would like to be referred to merely as " The Poet".
    The Poet has been homeless and on the street for several years and can most often be found hanging out in the Oregon District. He is definitely not your typical homeless man just begging for change though. He also claims to not to drugs anymore and most of the money he receives from people jsut goes to food and clothing. I've even heard people refer to him as the hardest working bum in the city.
     This is because instead of simply asking for money when you walk by, he will often approach you, with a smile on his face, introduce himself, and hold out a stack of handwritten poems that have been xeroxed.
     The Poet writes about many diffferent subjects, mostly having to do with the Dayton area and it's inhabitants. As you would expect, some of them are sad, but others are actually uplifting and can really brighten your day.  The poet will either recite the poems he has written for you, or give you one of his xeroxed copies in exchange for a donation of any size. Last time I ran into him I gave him $5 dollars and he could not have been more grateful.
So if you are ever downtown and happen to run into him, stop and listen to what he has to say. The poems really are beautifully written. I can only hope that his talent may one day get him off of the streets.