Celebrate good times, ya-hoo!
We here in the "Heart of It All" are filled with pride, as the great state of Ohio celebrated its bicentennial this past Saturday. 1803 to 2003 -- it's been a wild ride. Well, I can't speak for the whole 200 years, but the past 26 have sure been wicked.
I'll be getting a little closer to the historicity of the whole occassion today as I cover historic Waterville's little celebration. Not sure what it will entail, but I DO know there's some sort of bell involved. Can't go wrong having a party that features a bell.
I want to take this time to enumerate some of Ohio's contributions to the world at large:
1) Flight. Duh. From the Wright Brothers to Neil Armstrong, we've got the market cornered.
2) Hella presidents. I've heard eight.
3) The first university west of the Appalachians.
4) Bicentennial barns. Is there anything that says "Ohio! Way to go!" better than a barn?
5) Birthplace of Thomas Edison. We'd be living in the dark and unable to enjoy movies if not for this guy.
6) How about the Battle of Fallen Timbers? I'm surprised you haven't heard of it. In Stephen Ambrose's Undaunted Courage (story of the Lewis and Clark Expedition), he credits said battle as opening up the west to settlement. We know a lot about it up here int his particular corner of Ohio, since it occured not more than five miles from where I now sit. In fact, your humble narrator went to Fallen Timbers Middle School AND Anthony Wayne High School. By the way, "Mad" Anthony Wayne was the General who defeated Chief Little Turtle at said battle.
7) Jonah Goldberg digs Ohio. Said so today. I've been to the Toledo Lounge in Washington DC. Surprisingly little reaction when I mentioned I was from Toledo.
8) Who can forget the Toledo Mud Hens, arguably the most famous AAA baseball team in existence? Made famous by Jamie Farr (Klinger the cross dresser) on M*A*S*H (who, by the way, is a real goober). Ah, Muddy the Mud Hen -- how many times have you beaten me with your giant plastic bat? Also made famous by Jamie Farr is Tony Packo's, the best Hungarian restaurant in the world (outside of Hungary, that is).
9) The Ohio River. Enough said about that. Anyone who doesn't know the importance of the Ohio River in the settlement of this country should write me. I'll come over and dunk your head repeatedly into the toilet.
10) And finally, me. While I wouldn't always rank myself in the top ten things Ohio has given the world, I did make this list.