Pride Day

Tomorrow (Saturday, May 17th) is Pride Day in Oberlin! Join us at 8:00am for breakfast at the Oberlin Inn and then join with the community as we work together to improve the appearance of downtown Oberlin.

Volunteer in Downtown Oberlin!

Do you want to share your talents and improve downtown Oberlin? Find us on VolunteerMatch or call Main Street Oberlin for volunteer opportunities. One person can make a difference and every person should try - JFK

Sponsor a Downtown Flower Basket

One of the joys of summer in Oberlin is watching the baskets blossom and grow downtown. Be a part of the beauty through sponsorship of a flower basket.

Your tax-deductible donation of $75.00 greatly helps to improve the appearance of Downtown Oberlin. Contact Main Street Oberlin for more information.

April is the Month for Arts in Oberlin!

Here's a Sampling of what's happening in the Oberlin Art World in early April.

At the Conservatory: http://www.oberlin.edu/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/events/cal_conservatory.pl

Big Parade! Preparation @ FAVA! (FREE)
When: Every Tuesday evening until the Parade, 6-9pm
Where: FAVA, in the New Union Center for the Arts, 39 S. Main St. (come in through the back door)
What: Come together and create costumes, floats, noisemakers, and other fun stuff for Oberlin's Big Parade (Saturday, May 3). Materials provided, but please feel free to contribute!

Silk Painting Class @ FAVA
Artist: Susan Socotch
When: Sunday afternoons, March 30 - April 13 (3 meetings), 1-4pm.
Where: FAVA, in the New Union Center for the Arts, 39 S. Main St.
Cost: $90, or $80 for FAVA members
What: Join us and learn the basics of silk painting and have the opportunity your own silk scarf. Participants are asked to supply their own stretcher bars. All other supplies included.

Reminisce (FREE)
Artist: Mari Kuroda (Ginko Gallery - 440-774-3117)
When: April 1st - May 11th; Tuesday through Saturday 10 to 6 and Sundays 12 to 4.
Where: Ginko Gallery and Studios
What: An exhibition of ceramic sculpture by Oberlin artist Mari Kuroda. Better known for her functional clay bowls, mugs and teapots, Kuroda uses her skills here for story telling.

First Friday Improv (FREE)
Host: The MAD* Factory (440-774-7062)
When: 1st Friday of the Month at 7:00pm
Where: First Church Fellowship Hall (corner of Main and Lorain Streets)
What: Bring the whole family to be entertained by our talented improvisational troupe.

OHC Annual Meeting and Banquet: Salute to the 175th Anniversary of Oberlin’s Founding
Host: Oberlin Heritage Center (440-774-1700)
When: April 2nd; 5:00 Social Hour and 6:00 Dinner
Where: Oberlin Inn
Cost: $25 per person for Oberlin Heritage Center members and $30 per person for the general public.
What: Annual dinner meeting of the Oberlin Heritage Center. In a fun and festive launch to the Heritage Center’s year-long salute to the 175th anniversary of Oberlin’s founding, David W. Clark will speak on “Oberlin’s First Twenty Years, 1833-1853.”

Tuesday Tea (FREE)
When: Tuesday, April 8 – 2:30pm
Where: Allen Memorial Art Museum
What: Andria Derstine, AMAM Curator of Western Art, will lecture on the AMAM’s recent acquisition – Allegory of the Education of Louis XV, by François Boucher.

In the Shadow of the Civil War: Passmore Williamson and the Rescue of Jane Johnson (FREE)
Host: Oberlin College Archives and the Oberlin Heritage Center in partnership with the Oberlin Wellington Rescue Coalition
When: Friday, April 11 at 4 p.m.
Where: Oberlin Public Library, 65 South Main Street
What: Nat Brandt, author of The Town that Started the Civil War, will speak about his newest book. The talk will be followed by a book signing

Oberlin’s Finest Hour & How It Resonates Today: Reflections on the Oberlin-Wellington Rescue of 1858 (FREE)
Host: Oberlin College Archives and the Oberlin Heritage Center in partnership with the Oberlin Wellington Rescue Coalition
When: Saturday, April 12 at 2 p.m.,
Where: First Church in Oberlin, United Church of Christ, 106 North Main Street
What: Nat Brandt, author of The Town that Started the Civil War, will present “Oberlin’s Finest Hour and How It Resonates Today: Reflections on the Oberlin-Wellington Rescue of 1858”. It will be followed by a reception and book signing.

Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra’s Music of the Cinema
Artist: NOYO-Community Music Chamber groups
When: April 13th at 3:30 PM
Where: Apollo Theater in downtown Oberlin
Tickets: $8 per person – presale tickets available by calling 775-3059
What: NOYO”s third concert of the season features the “Music of the Cinema”. Both orchestras and our chamber groups will perform. The highlight will be our Philharmonia orchestra providing accompaniment for two classic silent short films.

Andy Warhol: Prints, Paintings, & Photographs – Opening (FREE)
When: Tuesday, April 15
Where: Allen Memorial Art Museum
What: A show highlighting the recent acquisition of 150 photographs by Warhol

Main Street in India - The End

It's over. The India experience is over. Since I have been back many people have been asking about the trip, and honestly it has taken me until this past week to really have a partial handle on the experience. It was truly overwhelming, interesting, unexpected, and amazing.


Before I forget, here is a link to some photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/MainStreetOberlin/MainStreetInIndia02

The last time I posted (ten days before we left), I was struggling with the schedule of the GSE experience and lack of time to share the experience with you. The entire trip was a whirlwind, and I compare it to your wedding day. Months of preparation, many people, excitement, nervousness, lots of smiling, and... when it's all over, you wonder where the time went and what just happened to you. Thankfully, just like being married, the good times outweighed the bad, and in the end, it's was all good.

I had the opportunity to sit down with a former Member of Parliament (MP) and talk with him about development, small business, and growth. That experience, plus a visit to a women's collective named SMILE (www.smilepune.com) helped me to accomplish the goals given to me by the Main Street Oberlin Board of Trustees (learn about microlending and the relationship between small business and the government). There were other opportunities to see how people are helping others throughout India - whether it was a home for lepers, a school for the blind, or the good deeds of Rotarians, it was all inspiring.

Things I miss about India: smiling faces, happy people, collective sense of calm, chai stands, national pride, generosity, warm welcomes

Things I don't think I will miss about India: the traffic (it's unbelievable), having to drink bottled water (plastic = bad for environment), the economic disparity in your face constantly

I highly recommend a Rotary GSE Experience for any young professional (ages 25-40). It will definitely change your perspective, no matter where you travel to.

India - 3

Namaste. I apologize for the infrequency of posts, but both our hectic schedule and lack of connectivity have kept me from updating you on the experience. Even now, this will be brief as I am pressed for time.

We have travelled from Hyderabad to Solapur, to Aurangabad, to Jalna, to Ahmednagar, to Panchgani, and are now in Pune. We have had warm and gracious host families, LOTS of food, and see many amazing places. I will publish a longer post, hopefully with pictures, soon. Until then, all is well here and I hope that it is there, too.

Main Street in India - 2

Hello! We have spent the last two days hobnobbing at the Rotary District Conference at the Ramoji Film City outside of Hyderabad. It is absolutely breathtaking here - but everything is fake. During my presentation at the conference I compared places like Legacy Village to the film studio and emphasized the importance of supporting the local businesses that occupy authentic downtown districts.

We begin the actual exchange portion of the experience tomorrow. We are travelling to Solapur, which is a community known for its textiles. It is also a smaller town, which will provide an opportunity to compare it to the bustle of Hyderabad.

I will attach pictures later on... hope all is well in Oberlin!