Meeting Butler County, Ohio

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  I was invited to spend a long weekend in Butler County, Ohio, just after they became Wheel The World certified for accessibility. The tourism board wanted me to write about how wheelchair accessible the region is. I hadn’t been there before, and it sounded like an interesting area, so I made plans to go. My trip to Butler County turned out to be one of my most unusual adventures, with new experiences, and a lot of donuts!   I brought Teddy and my friend, Heather, along for the ride, about three and a half hours from home. We had a nice welcome basket waiting for us at the hotel. Our home base was the Marriott Cincinnati North in Westerville. I was happy at the start with a flat entrance and automatic doors. They didn’t have any accessible rooms, so we had two connecting rooms. Teddy loved going back and forth between the two rooms. Mine had plenty of space for me to wheel around, a well-equipped desk area I could reach, and a large bathroom with a shower chair. The hand...
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Mixing and Pouring at the World's Largest Block Party

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I spent most of my life on Long Island, where a block party meant you and your neighbors put out some chairs, ordered some food and invited friends and family to dance to the DJ while you made frozen cocktails (or enjoyed the brew).  Old St. Pat’s Church has a totally different view of the term “block party” and it’s one that I could get used to.

The World’s Largest Block Party is a two day event to benefit the church’s outreach services and mission, as well as the Global Alliance for Africa and the Career Transitions Center for Chicago.  It is in its 26th year and attracts top musical acts over blocks of what looks like an incredible street fair.  There's tons of food (loved Connie’s Pizza, Chicago Deep Dish at its best), beer and wine. 
This is a 21 and over party because every charitable $40 ticket comes with five free drinks of Miller Beer or Barefoot Wine.  Both companies generously donated their wares.  Since Barefoot’s Pinot Grigio is a favorite (they were also pouring Pinot Noir), I was especially grateful for their generosity!

While everyone was eating and imbibing, music permeated the air of Chicago from two stages.  I was there Friday night for the incredible performances of Kris Allen and Bare Naked Ladies, who really got the already excited crowd moving with “One Week.”  And caught some of Angel Taylor and the Spazmatics.  Also on hand earlier were the Out for Hours and Jeffrey David.  Saturday’s lineup was nearly as good, with Spoon, White Rabbits, Chris Mills, Adam Fitz and Inroads.

In addition to Barefoot Wine and Miller Beer, other sponsors helped out.  Clearwire was everywhere and generously helped my group out with VIP passes during the Bare Naked Ladies show. I’ve heard great things about their internet and look forward to checking it out when it comes to my area.  There was also some great support from The Mix radio team, home of my new friend Cara Carriveau, who hung out with me and my pals from The Local Tourist, Theresa and Jim .

The World’s Largest Block Party was a lot of fun for a good cause.  I highly recommend getting it on your calendar for next year.  If you’re not in the Chicago area, it’s just reason to make a trip to the Windy City for a charitable evening of great music, wine and  beer .  And if that’s not enough to get you there, I hear the event also holds the record for all the couples who have met there and lived happily ever after!

Packages for the World's Largest Block Party are available at the Holiday Inn & Suites Chicago Downtown

Photo on bottom courtesy of the World's Largest Block Party.

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