The Intergalactic Nemesis

I'm a fan of the 1940's and 1950's radio dramas- the Lux Radio Theater, CBS Radio Mystery Theater, Candy Matson, Dragnet, The Inner Sanctum... so when I saw that The Intergalactic Nemesis Book One: Target Earth would be playing at the Victoria Theater in Dayton, I was excited. Some of my friends called it a "nerd convention," but I think, if this is nerdy, then sign me up! 

The show is described by its producer and director, Jason Neulander, as a "live-action graphic novel." The dozen or so characters were performed by three voice actors (Jason Phelps, Danu Uribe, and Chris Gibson), accompanied by a pianist (Kenneth Redding, Jr.) and a foley artist in the style of an old-time radio play. The twist to this show is that while the actors are performing, the screen behind them shows comic book images. According to Neulander, the show started out as a radio drama, then the comic book was written, and finally, the two were combined into the current theatrical show. 

At times, it was hard to decide what to look at- the comic book artwork, or the performers. While the actors primarily contribute voice work, and I'm sure the recording is great, at times, their expressions and gestures were most entertaining. 





The foley artist was fascinating to watch. She had two tables full of interesting gadgets and items with which she created the most fantastic sound effects. At one point, she shook a box of mac and cheese back and forth while blowing into a train whistle to mimic the sound of a train. Two cinder blocks sliding against each other made the sound of a secret passage door opening and closing. A toy truck stood in for the mechanical movements of robots. About halfway through the first act, we found out what the balloon was for- an underground explosion causes a giant bubble of acidic alien sludge to expand with a rubbery sound, then pop! (For some things, you just have to see the show to understand.)

One of the most interesting effects was the use of plastic five-tone tubes to make the sound that accompanies the hypnotic gaze of the evil mesmerist, Mysterion the Magnificent. She swung the tubes around over her head with a wide-eyed expression of glee on her face. Awesome!


I'm already anticipating the shows for the next two books in the trilogy (Book Two: Robot Planet Rising and Book Three: Twin Infinity.) I hope I don't have to wait a whole year for them to come back to Dayton, but if so, I will gladly brave the single-digit temperatures again.

For more information (schedule, blog, store, Twitter and Facebook links) visit: http://www.theintergalacticnemesis.com/ 

Patrick Dougherty at Wegerzyn Gardens

 Patrick Dougherty is a sculpture artist who makes large scale sculptures out of intertwined sticks and branches. The Wegerzyn Gardens metropark currently has one of his installations which resembles a winding, whimsical tunnel or playhouse. 

The other day we got a few inches of snow, and I thought it might be interesting to get some winter pictures of the sculpture and the gardens under a blanket of white snow. Enjoy!

The Federal Garden

Federal Garden with the English Garden in the background

Fountain in the center of the English Garden

The boardwalk that winds through part of the swamp forest

The Swamp Forest

Looking back at the Dougherty sculpture from the memorial garden

For more information:
Wegerzyn Gardens website
Patrick Dougherty's website

Maximum Candiosity: Esther Price

People who don't live in Dayton or Cincinnati may not be familiar with the name, but Esther Price was the Willy Wonka of Dayton Ohio. Since the 1920's, the Esther Price factory has been pumping out her own special recipe of super sweet chocolates and other sugary treats. It's still a family-owned business (albeit another family) so it's not surprising that the employees are also super sweet, offering tasty morsels of chocolate and candy-choosing advice. The chocolate factory is just a couple minutes down the road from my house, so I stopped by this morning to check out the Valentine's Day spread and nibble on a few free samples.

It was chilly this morning, so they had free hot chocolate, but I made a beeline for the "misfits" bowl- those chocolates that are so hideously deformed as to make them ineligible for inclusion in a box of candy. AKA the "Imperfection Confections."

Mmm... yummy imperfections...

Next up is something that might be considered a local delicacy- Chocolate covered potato chips. (The chips are Mike-Sell's brand- also made in Dayton!) Sweet, salty, and so good...

The ripples in the chips ensure a good ratio of chip to chocolate.

On down the line, I sampled pecan-infused fudge and a pecan turtle. Both delish, but if you're in the candy store this time of year, there is one thing you can't miss. Everywhere you turn you will find row upon row of heart-shaped boxes of chocolate, from petite 4 ounce packages to the massive $171 eight pound red velvet covered behemoth.

Light chocolate, dark chocolate, light and dark chocolate... so many to choose from!

Animal prints are going to be big this year.

Seriously, 8 lbs of chocolate, but somehow it adds 10 pounds to your hips?

And oh yeah, another Ohio favorite, the Buckeye...

Chocolate covered peanut buttery goodness!

Finally, lest you succumb to chocolate overload, there is the wall of Jelly Belly jelly beans, the fantastically nostalgic pic-m-mix selection, and a variety of pre-bagged non-chocolate candies of the gummy, sour, chewy, and hard variety, including sugar free ones, ensuring maximum candiosity for all!

For more info: Esther Price

Jon Graham Pottery

I go to 2nd Street Market almost every weekend. It's a great year-round farmer's market located on 2nd Street in downtown Dayton, Ohio, and housed in a former B&O railroad freight building. During the summer, you can find vendors outside selling flowers and produce from local farms and nurseries. In the winter, the outside vendors close up, but you can still find produce, cheese, breads, honey, flowers and other local products inside, in addition to a variety of international food options: French crepes, Thai chicken satay, Columbian arepas, and meat pies from New Zealand are some of my favorites.

2nd Street market also showcases some really fantastic local artisans. You can find jewelry, alpaca wool, upcycled crafts, woven bowls, felted bags, and much more. Recently, I picked up this beautiful yarn bowl by local potter Jon Graham:

John Graham is at the market every week, not only selling his work, but making new pots, offering demonstrations, and chatting with his customers. 

I have my eye on a few other pieces for my own kitchen, or to give as gifts. I don't know that I really need a special garlic pot, but it's certainly a conversation piece.

For more information on this artist, visit the 2nd Street market page.

Garden Station

Garden Station is a community garden and art space in downtown Dayton. Although the garden plots are empty this time of year, today's unseasonably warm weather and lack of foliage on the trees provided excellent conditions for viewing the sculptures and murals in the garden. 

I expect I will be back in the spring and summer to take photos of the gardens and attend the community events, but until then, enjoy the art!

A found-art sculpture among the tree stumps

I do not know most of the artists' names, but this mural is by Amy Kollar Anderson. 

"Dusk is when the little men melt into mountains."

A robot destroying the city? Sweet!

What remains of the Wooden Man...

For more information on the Garden Station, visit http://daytongardenstation.org/