Erin Dickerson’s Prayer
Lord our God,
Hope, as defined by Wikipedia, is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one’s life or the world at large. This holiday season help us to hold on to the feelings of hope: hope for healing; hope for peace; hope for more love and kindness in our world; hope for better tomorrows; and hope our words and deeds make a positive impact on those around us.
Amen.
Special Announcement
There is no CNO lunch at Yankee Trace on 12/13/2022! That evening we will have our Holiday Party. See details below.
Announcements
- Beth Duncan announced that Roberta Taylor is inviting CNO members to her grandson’s, Giovani J. Taylor’s, Eagle Scout ceremony. CNO helped Giovani out with funding to purchase safety equipment and refreshments for his Eagle Project helpers. The ceremony will be on Sunday, December 11, 2022, at 5:30 pm with a reception following the ceremony. Please RSVP to Roberta if you are coming so they can figure out refreshments. It will be at Mount Carmel Missionary Baptist Church at 5370 Dayton Liberty Road.
- Greg Griffin announced that there was a record start for sales at the tree lot. We sold $24K on the first day. After 4 days of sales, 56.5% of the sales plan has been achieved. Delivery fees were doubled this year and we are delivering more trees than ever.
Social Events
Annual Holiday Party, Tuesday, December 13, 2022, 6p-9p, at Moraine Country Club, $44 person. There will not be lunch that day at Yankee Trace.
Happy Birthday Tom Beery
Today was Tom Beery’s birthday. Bob Duffy led us in singing Happy Birthday. Leading does not help, not even a little bit. Still, it is fun to sing awful for the birthday boy.
After we butchered Happy Birthday, Tom Beery sang his beautiful and funny version. The man is talented.
Have a wonderful year, Tom!
Mark Metzger, Washington Township Town Hall Theatre – The Revival
Beth Duncan introduced Mark Metzger, the Recreation Director of Washington Township.
Mark grew up in Wooster, Ohio and came to Dayton to attend Wright State University and graduated with a BFA in Theatre Directing and Management. He started working part-time for the Township in 1996. He was hired to program the newly renovated Washington Township Town Hall Theatre. He moved to full-time in 1998. Along the way, responsibilities broadened to include oversight of the recreation summer camps and Woodland Lights. In 2016, Mark became the recreation director for the Township, where he still oversees Town Hall Theatre along with a wide variety of activities, programs and facilities that make up the RecPlex. He has held administrative and creative posts with the Dayton Playhouse, Miami University and the California Theatre Center. He and his amazing wife Annie and three boys (ages 9, 7, and 5) moved to Washington Township a year ago to be closer to Incarnation elementary and the RecPlex. He is also the president of the Americana Festival.
The Revival of Town Hall Theater
The first time Mark Metzger walked into the Town Hall Theatre everything was painted white and the seats were terribly uncomfortable and small. Bright colors are not good for a theatre. It is now completely redone and the new seats are padded and comfortable.
Mark thanked CNO for its recent $20,000 donation for the renovation of Town Hall Theatre. The first two rows consisting of thirty-six seats in the theatre are now labeled in honor of the Centerville Noon Optimist Club.
Town Hall Theater is going to try other types of entertainment beyond children’s theater. They have added a movie screen and the first film shown will be White Christmas, which will be seen by senior residents in the area.
The new padded seats and curtains have improved the acoustics in the theatre. Cast size can reach forty children, but there are only fourteen microphones. Now everyone can be heard which makes a substantial difference to lots of parents.
There will be a grand opening of Town Hall Theatre in January, 2023 and CNO members will be invited.
Thank You Mark Metzger
Thank you, Mark Metzger, for telling us about the renovations of the Town Hall Theatre.
Text of Slides
The text of Mark Metzger’s slides is below. You can view Mark’s slide deck here.
The original site had the Doolittle Tavern, established in 1823, and Washington Township Hall, erected in 1909, cemented the legacy of Lot 26 on Main Street as a village and township community gathering spot.
A 1995 feasibility study convinced Washington Township not to demolish the government center but to convert it into Town Hall Theatre, a 2,923 sq. ft., 300-seat children’s theater. Now in its 30th season, over 20,000 children and adults are annually involved in nine live productions, numerous acting classes, and unique theater-related programming.
This is the first major renovation of Town Hall Theatre in more than 25 years. It began with storm window replacement and an extensive upgrade of the HVAC system at a cost exceeding $400,000. Many system components dated back a half-century.
An $86,445 Community Development Block Grant paved the way for additional improvements. Matching funds came from the Centerville-Washington Foundation ($3,000) and corporate donations ($6,500).
The Centerville Noon Optimist Club’s naming of two rows of seats for $20,000 helped offset costs not covered by the CDBG and matching funds. Total cost of the project to date, excluding HVAC, exceeds $150,000.
The focus of the renovation has been to enhance and expand the Town Hall Theatre experience. Comfort and accessibility in an aesthetically pleasing environment were top priorities.
The third generation of seats was installed. A seat-naming initiative for the 208 chairs allowed the community to rally behind this important restoration effort.
Over 3,000 sq. ft. of carpet was replaced on the stairs, lobby, and auditorium, creating a luxurious walkway to the plush seating.
People with physical limitations can now easily access the stage thanks to a new hydraulic chair lift and better positioned auditorium seats.
Painting walls, creating an accessible entrance, installing a projection system, and replacing the grand drape and window dressings completed the revival of the Town Hall Theatre auditorium. The next step is to renovate the restrooms and downstairs dressing rooms.The catalysts for renovation of Town Hall Theater were a RecPlex strategic plan needs assessment and the Uptown Action Plan. The theater is now a community showpiece that will expand beyond children’s theater into a venue for lectures, films, and performances by a variety of community organizations for persons of all ages and abilities.
New Member Readings and Inductions
| Name | Sponsor | 1st 2nd 3rd Reading or Induction |
| Carol Mays | Steve Mays | 3rd Reading |
Welcome Guests!
| Guest | Guest Of |
| Mark Metzger | Speaker |
| Michelle Beery | Tom Beery |
Happy Bucks
| Member | Reason |
| Gary Hansen | $2 for Michigan beating Ohio State two years in row. |
| Bob Collins | Two great grandsons were born last night. |
| Bob Duffy | Congrats to Michigan for finally winning a couple after losing so many years in a row. |
| Andy Higgins | Gave Dav Bremer his 50/50 ticket at the CNO 2.0 meeting and it won and he donated half his winnings back to CNO. Mother-in-law turns 95 this weekend. The ham and potato soup was awesome on tree delivery day. |
| Jane Fiehrer | Frist time to work the day after thanksgving at the tree lot. It was such a happy time. |
| Erin Laurito | Erin Dickerson made homemade cinnamon rolls for the treelot last weekend and they were fantastic. |
Sergeants at Arms
| Member | Infraction |
| Karl Frydryk | There are 5 different types of trees, yet training only included 3 of them. |
| Karl Frydryk and Greg Griffin | Outdated information is on the display on the TV in the tree lot sales trailer. |
| Gary Hansen | Wearing a Michigan shirt, especially right after the Michigan win over OSU. |
| Mike Creech | Stealing the bell and gavel before the meeting starts. That makes it look like the sergeants forgot to put them out and the sergeants don’t like to look bad. |
| Tom Beery | Today is Tom Beery’s birthday. Instead of being fined, Tom was given a dollar after he sang Happy Birthday to himself. |
Membership Anniversaries
| Member | Joined | Years |
| JoAnne Rau | November 27, 2019 | 3 |
| Steve Rau | November 27, 2019 | 3 |
| Chris Wysong | November 27, 2019 | 3 |
| Nancy Anderson | November 27, 2017 | 5 |
| Patrick Arehart | November 27, 2017 | 5 |
| Shelby DiPasquale | November 27, 2017 | 5 |
| Robby Johnson | November 27, 2017 | 5 |
| Jay McAlpine | November 27, 2017 | 5 |
| Rick Talda | November 27, 2017 | 5 |
| Jayne Weikel | November 27, 2017 | 5 |
| Liz Fultz | November 29, 2015 | 7 |
| Jesse Lightle | November 28, 2006 | 16 |
| Ted Humphrey | November 29, 2001 | 21 |
| Gary Smiga | December 1, 1985 | 37 |
| Dan Beck | December 1, 1981 | 41 |
Birthdays
| Tom Beery | November 29 |
| Denny Cottle | November 29 |
| Nancy Anderson | November 30 |
| Rick Hartley | December 1 |
| Paul Bowell | December 3 |
| Nancy Lehren | December 5 |
CNO Donations – 2013 through September 2022
Click here to see a summary of donations the club has made since 2013
Thank You Notes Received
CLICK HERE to see this week’s Thank You Notes