Following Opening Day ceremonies for the start of the 157th Ohio State Fair, at which a few Ohio notables were in attendance including John Procari of the U.S. Dept. of Transportation, Fair General Manager Virgil Strickler, members of the Ohio Expositions Commission and assorted state officials and a modest group of fair goers who stood in the hot morning sunshine to listen to opening comments, Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland stepped into the shade to speak with reporters about the accusations issued July 27 from the Ohio GOP that John Kasich was not the only gubernatorial candidate with ties to Wall Street.

Read the full story here.

Downtown Latté will bid farewell to its former owners and celebrate its new ones at a party starting 6 p.m. on July 28 at Manhattan’s.

The party, which will feature music, light appetizers, live music and plenty of coffee, will be open to the public, said Katina Zilcomo, who has worked at the coffee shop for five years.

Pam Burns and Connie Dick, Downtown Latté’s former owners, decided to sell it because they wanted to retire, Zilcomo said. They opened it together six years ago.

“The fact they sold and they’re debt-free is awesome,” Zilcomo said.

She said many of the shop’s regular customers consider it a second home.

“I’m just really grateful that in this economy we’ve had a lot of faithful regulars who have not given up their coffee,” she said.

She said the new owners, Ron Novak and Jason Binder, may lengthen the hours and expand the menu.

The 152^nd year of corn dogs, elephant ears and Ferris wheels at the Lucas County Fair continues through Aug. 1.

Daily free entertainment on the fairgrounds include chainsaw carving by Dennis Beach, DOC Swan Magic and Comedy Show, Junior Fair Saddle Horse Show, livestock shows and auction and a historic village re-enactment. Game Hype, a free admission video game booth, will also be open during fair hours.

Standard fees include $3 for parking, $6 for admission for attendees ages 6 and up and $7 for a ride wristband per session. Ride sessions operate noon to 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Fairgoers, be warned: Deals change daily, so plan your visit to take advantage of the free and reduced offerings.

Kids get in free July 28 until 2 p.m., and various Kid’s Day activities will take place throughout. Ride wrist bands will be discounted to $5 for the morning and evening ride sessions. Featured free events include Jenkin’s Border Collie Show at 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., a My Fair Lady Pageant at 4 p.m. and the Annual Placer’s Car Club charity Classic Car Show at 5 p.m.

Ride wristband prices change the last 3 days of the fair. The first session is $5 and the second session is $10. An all-day ride pass is $12.

July 29 is Veteran’s Day at the fairgrounds, and a free bean soup lunch will be hosted from noon to 4 p.m. At 6 p.m. the draft horse team pulling contest is free to the public. The bard of Put-in-Bay, Pat Dailey, will perform at 7:30 p.m. at the grandstand. Concert tickets are $5 for ground seating and $2 for grandstand seats.

Grandstand ticket prices remain the same for July 30′s main event, featuring former Bad Company lead singer Brian Howe at 7:30 p.m.

The combined demolition derby and lawn mower derby is 7 p.m. July 31. Aug. 1, the fair winds down with a 2 p.m. cheerleading competition in the stadium and a rough truck and ATV event at 4 p.m.

Getting people home safely after a night of drinking is the focus behind Black & White Transportation’s new Smartphone applications and TXT 4 Cab program.

“We believe in removing every impediment that is humanly possible for a human to order a cab if they have been drinking,” said Scott Potter, Black & White Transportation owner. “We’ve spoken with bar owners and they’ve told us they can’t have their bartenders be on hold all night and people have said ‘I don’t want to be on hold,’ or ‘I was in a noisy environment,’ “It’s busy,’ that kind of thing.”

One solution Black & White Transportation is now using is TXT 4 Cab. By texting “RIDE” to (419) 322-6772 users can notify Black & White Cab of their location, pick up time and destination.

“There are generations of people who text more then they talk and can do it as quickly as they talk a natural progression,” Potter said. “Texting for a cab is revolutionary and so easy. You can do it while you’re on the dance floor.”

The company hopes to have posters up in bars in the fall with “smart codes” for area locations, making texting that much easier, Potter said.

In addition to TXT 4 Cab the company developed B4UDRIVE, an application that can calculate an individual’s blood alcohol content (BAC) by taking into account gender, weight and number of drinks consumed. If the application finds that the user should have someone else driving, an icon on the screen will identify if they are within Black & White Cab’s service area and connect the user to the 24-hour dispatch center.

If someone is not within the service area, the number to the nearest cab company will be provided.

The B4UDRIVE application is available for the iPhone, Blackberry and Android.

Black & White Cab also offers a reservation system that can be accessed by any Web capable phone at www.bwcab.com.

All applications and programs are free to use, Potter said.

“Our son was nearly killed in drunk driving accident, so we’ve seen firsthand the effects of drunk driving. Drunk driving is completely preventable,” Potter said.

On July 29, Black & White Cab will host ” Black & White Cab No Excuses Kick-off” at The Blarney Irish Pub, 601 Monroe St. Representatives from Black & White cab will be at the bar from 5 p.m.to 8 p.m. letting the public know about the new programs and applications by the company.

The event will feature gift card give-aways as well as a demonstration of the B4UDRIVE application, Potter said.

For more information, visit www.blackandwhitecab.com.

Ohio House Rep. Stephen Dyer (D-Green) was elated July 27, when President Obama’s administration selected the Buckeye State to join 18 other states including the District of Columbia as finalists to compete for Race to the Top federal education funding.

Read full story here.

If sorting out truth from fiction in the political arena is important to you this year, the launch of PolitiFact Ohio will be good reading and a trusted source. But if what you believe to be true differs from what actually is true, then no measure of correction will change your mind, according to studies at the University of Michigan that found that when misinformed people, particularly political partisans, were exposed to corrected facts in news stories, they rarely changed their minds.

Read the full story here.

The July 28 e-edition of Toledo Free Press Star is available.

The Ohio Department of Transportation and Toledo City Councilman Tom Waniewski will host a public meeting to discuss the planned widening of Interstate-475.

The meeting will discuss how the widening of I-475 in both the east and west direction will affect motorists and nearby neighborhoods.

The meeting is July 27 at 6:30 p.m. in the Sanger Branch Library, 3030 W. Central Ave.

City representatives and Toledo police will be in attendance to answer questions about the potential impact of the construction.

Win a free night at Smoke on the Water — Ribs for the Red Cross and meet MiniKiss! One Toledo Free Press reader will win four tickets to the July 30 Smoke on the Water event, four VIP tent passes, four T-shirts, a meet-and-greet session with MiniKiss and a ribs dinner with a drink and two side dishes courtesy of Swanton’s Baldy-Q. To enter, visit the Toledo Free Press FaceBook page (www.facebook.com/ToledoFreePress) and post on our wall the name of your favorite Kiss song or a great rib sauce recipe by July 28. A winner will be chosen and notified by July 29.

Gin Blossoms promises to bring its biggest hits

The Gin Blossoms want to be Toledo’s “soundtrack” to its Saturday night on July 31.
“You can have a night full of fun and frivolity,” said Jesse Valenzuela, guitarist for the band. “The best part is it’s on the weekend so you can have a few drinks and not go to work the next day.”
The early 1990s alternative rock band, composed of Robin Wilson, lead vocals, Valenzuela, guitar, Bill Leen, bass, and Scott Johnson, guitar, will perform at Columbia Gas of Ohio Smoke on the Water — Ribs for the Red Cross on July 31.  The group is scheduled to take the stage at 8:45 p.m.

Gin Blossoms

The Gin Blossoms are no strangers to playing at events that benefit a special cause, Valenzuela said during a telephone interview from the band’s tour bus. The group has played benefits for a variety of causes and tries to play a benefit for the children’s hospital in Phoenix every year. Additionally, the band is discussing playing an event protesting the new immigration law passed in their home state of Arizona, he said.
“Even though I don’t live there anymore I find that the law is tragically misplaced,” he said.
Fans of the Gin Blossoms’ popular hits, such as “Hey Jealousy,” “Found Out About You,” “Till I Hear From You” and “Follow You Down,” won’t be disappointed when the band plays at Smoke on the Water, Valenzuela said.
“I think [the audience is] there to hear the hits, and rightfully so. Sometimes they know and like the new music and I’m thankful for that, but we have to protect that legacy of Gin Blossoms — the hits are what fans expect and deserve,” he said.
In September the Gin Blossoms will release a new album, “ No Chocolate Cake.”
The album’s name is a rebellion against the denial of parents or people telling you, that you can’t have everything, can’t have more of something, like  “no more chocolate cake,” Valenzuela said.
The majority of “No Chocolate Cake” was recorded without the band being in the studio together, Valenzuela said. Members of the band would record their part and send the work electronically to the next guy, he said.
“The record was cut in different places … After you graduate to a certain recording musicianship you don’t need to sit down and do it together,” Valenzuela said.
The band expects some of their friends from throughout the state to be at the Toledo show.
“For some reason we have a lot of good times in Ohio and meet a lot of people,” Valenzuela said.

Kentucky Headhunters add country flavor to Smoke

For Richard Young, guitarist and vocalist for the Kentucky Headhunters, music and family are inseparable.
The band began when he, his brother Fred Young and their cousins Anthony Kenney and Greg Martin began playing music together in an old house on the family farm that their grandmother let them use.
“I guess it was kind of foresight on her part to keep us out of trouble,” Richard said.
When each of the boys got their driver’s licenses, their first drive was always to that farmhouse, which most people called a shack.

Kentucky Headhunters

They covered it with posters and album covers of their favorite rock groups, including Led Zeppelin.
“The posters on the wall are worth more than the house is,” Richard said.
His father, a teacher, always supported his son’s dream of being a musician.
“He never said, ‘Cut your hair, get a job,’” Richard said.
They called the group Itchy Brother.
During the next few decades, the band morphed into the Kentucky Headhunters, lost and gained members, won a Grammy, played more than 1,000 shows and sold more than 6 million albums.
The members married women they had known since high school. They have stayed married to the same women for their whole lives. Richard will celebrate his 30th anniversary in August.
In 1989, the group released “Pickin’ On Nashville,” which sold more than 2 million copies.
The band members developed close relationships by making music together for so long.
“These people are almost like spouses,” Richard said.
They make music part of their lifestyle.
“We get up every morning, drink coffee and listen to music,” he said.
Richard’s family still owns the farm where he grew up and began playing music. He said one evening a few years ago, the band played in Times Square; 24 hours later, he was back in Kentucky, beating hay on a tractor.
“We’ve lived a charmed life,” he said. “Don’t guess we’d change anything about it, really.”
Young’s son started a band, Black Stone Cherry, that practiced in the same old house and has a large following in Europe.
“It’s just a big family thing,” Richard said.
His son once told him, “Dad, the funniest thing is when we play in, like, London and places like Berlin; you see ’em coming up after the show at the back door with the bus, these old guys with gray hair and Headhunters shirts on.”
Richard said the Headhunters’ live shows present a heavier side of the band than their records. He described the group as a party band and said they have a huge following of bikers.
“If you want to see a good Headhunters show, sit in a lawn chair and relax,” he said. “And if you want to see a great Headhunters show, get up and get involved.”
The band — Greg Martin, Doug Phelps, Fred Young and Richard Young — will perform Aug. 1 at Smoke on the Water.

More Than Me ‘super stoked’

More Than Me, a pop/rock band from Buffalo, N.Y., will perform at this year’s Smoke on the Water — Ribs for the Red Cross.
More Than Me has been together for nine years. Ryan and Todd Doyle are brothers, who deliver the rhythm guitar, vocals and drums. Joey Nicastro is lead guitarist and vocalist and Justin Rizzo plays bass and sings.
Their unique sound allows them to play in diverse settings, no matter how small or large the venue. With more than 500 live performances, they are reaching millions of fans across the country.

More Than Me

“We’re actually super pumped about performing in Toledo to do the show with the Gin Blossoms. They’re good buddies of ours. We’re looking forward to sharing the stage with those guys again … it’ll be fun to perform in Toledo,” Ryan said.
More Than Me won the Ambassadors of Rock Battle Of The Bands 2010, where they performed at Hyde Park in London at Hard Rock Calling, opening on the main stage for Paul McCartney, Crosby, Stills & Nash and Elvis Costello.
“We were super stoked about winning the contest, competing against over 250 bands. We just got back from London, doing this event with Paul McCartney and it was pretty unbelievable, it was pretty surreal. We just kind of rallied together to get people to vote for us, and with hard work it finally paid off. To play on stage with the Beatles’ Paul McCartney with 40,000 people watching was amazing,” Ryan said.
“We met a ton of incredible musicians, it was so unreal, we were just so blown away.  It is really cool. Paul starting singing ‘Hey Jude’ and I got to sing the ‘na,na’s.’ It was just amazing, taking in the whole experience,” he said.
The band has since performed in Milwaukee at the largest summer festival in the nation and other venues nationally. More Than Me has been touring the country for several years. They will be releasing their self-titled debut record in the fall.
The bands is scheduled to perform 5:15-6:30 p.m. on July 31.

Not your average Polka

Polka Floyd

The Polka Floyd Show gives British band Pink Floyd’s classic hits a Polish twist.
The group, which has performed for four years, “just sort of happened,” said guitarist and vocalist Ken Haas.
“I was playing ‘Comfortably Numb’ during a session one day and the guys joined right in. It was sort of funny. After that I started writing Pink Floyd songs to polka music,” he said.
Polka Floyd is excited to for MiniKiss July 30 at Columbia Gas Smoke on the Water Ribs for the Red Cross, Haas said. Polka Floyd is scheduled to play at 7 p.m.
The group plays Pink Floyd songs that span the group’s career, but at Smoke on the Water it will perform “Dark Side of the Moon,” Haas said.
Polka Floyd is comprised of Ken Haas, vocals and guitar, Eric Hite, accordion and vocals, Chris Zielinski, bass guitar and vocals, Penny Haas, electric piano, and Frankie Dramczyk, drums. Guest saxophone player Sammy Krall, of the New Machines, will join Polka Floyd onstage at Smoke on the Water, Haas said.
For more information about the band, visit www.polkafloyd.com.
Smoke on the Water is presented July 30-Aug. 1 at Promenade Park in Downtown Toledo. Admission is $5, children 12 and younger are free.

MiniKiss to smack Toledo at ribs event

Gene Simmons, “The Demon” of Kiss who breathes fire and spits blood, is an imposing figure.  Imagine being 4 feet 4 inches tall and impersonating the bass player — right next to the
6-foot-6 inch rock god..
Joey Fatale of MiniKiss and his little people tribute bandmates took on the larger-than-life characters and performed with the legends for a Dr Pepper commercial that debuted during the Super Bowl.
“Oh, man, it was so cool. We did that commercial from 6 in the morning until midnight, and Gene, he’s a great guy. He actually sat with us. We had a really great conversation,” Fatale, who plays “mini-Gene,” said.
“I asked him, ‘Listen, I can’t help this, but about a half hour before I go on, I have to be alone, I have to be in my own world, and I can’t let anyone bother me.’

MiniKiss

“And he said, ‘Joey, that’s exactly how I am; until this day, I’m the same way. I have to be in my own world, and I don’t want anyone to bother me because I get nervous.’ And he even said if you feel like that, that means you really care and you have a lot of love for what you’re doing. That was cool to hear that because what I’m doing means a lot — and it means a lot to him — so it was really great to know that.”
MiniKiss will perform at Smoke on the Water — Ribs for the Red Cross presented by Columbia Gas of Ohio at 8:45 p.m. July 30 in Promenade Park. The Polka Floyd Show will open at
7 p.m. Admission is $5 and free for children 12 and younger. Tickets are available in advance for $4 at Meijer.
“We do all Kiss things — the blood, the fire,” Fatale said. “And the past couple of years, we’ve also been doing a few ’80s songs — we do some Van Halen, Guns n’ Roses.”
“Me being little all my life, kids always stared at me,” Fatale said. “When I’m in that MiniKiss gear, at first people have that look to them, but then they come up and they love it. They love what we’re doing.”

Recently, I read Ayn Rand’s novel “Atlas Shrugged,” which got me thinking about the source of value in currency, among other things. The other day I came across an interesting article from Steve Saville (“Economists don’t understand money”), which got me thinking further about this issue.
Money, in modern society, is globally accepted as a medium of exchange. The fact that it is so commonly accepted in commerce breeds within its users a desire to possess ever-increasing quantities.
However, few people remember that this medium of exchange, in and of itself, has absolutely no intrinsic value. Its value in exchange is based upon the fact that people want it and is determined by its users.
Currency the world over has absolutely no practical value in society. It doesn’t satisfy a single basic human need, meaning that one can’t eat it, drink it, sleep on it or use it for shelter. Even in our complex economy, it has no real functional use in manufacturing or production.
The single, solitary use for money is as a store of wealth, which can be used whenever the owner wishes to exchange it for something he considers more valuable, namely a good or service.
How funny it is then that this precise argument, so commonly employed by fear mongers, inflation hawks and political pundits like Glenn Beck, can also be applied to the object of their affection: Gold.
For decades, conspiracy theorists and doomsday subscribers have been peddling gold as an economic panacea. They continually point to poor monetary policy and economic depravity as reasons to store accumulated wealth in “more tangible assets.”
Odd indeed that their choice of assets for storing wealth is among the world’s oldest currencies, and also one of the first to ever suffer from their most disparaged ailment: debasement.
For evidence of fraud in precious metals, look no further than the recent story of rust appearing on .999 gold coins issued by the Central Russian Bank, according to reports from the International Reserve Payment System (presented on ZeroHedge.com). (For those readers who aren’t metallurgists, gold does not rust. Hence, rust appearing on gold coins issued by a central bank indicates obvious fraud, as the coins clearly are not minted of gold.)
For those still unconvinced of the perils of owning or trading in gold bullion — the oldest useless currency in the world — consider the recent ABC News article “Gold Coin Sellers Angered by New Tax Law”  by Rich Blake. According to the article, the trading of gold coins will soon come under increased government scrutiny thanks to a little-known provision in Obama’s new health care bill.
Thanks to Obamacare, at the start of 2012, Americans will be required to submit to the IRS 1099s for all purchases in excess of $600, including both goods and services. This means that there will be (or should be) a Form 1099 produced and submitted to the federal government every time a single ounce of gold trades hands after Jan. 1, 2012, (assuming gold stays more than $600/oz).
Gold is undoubtedly a good investment solution for some investors and special situations.
However, given the metal’s limited functionality or practicality in modern society, its current price seems to be likely inflated.
A good number of investors would be wise to ignore the hype surrounding gold and spend some time researching the dynamics of its specialized market to better understand the risks involved.

Dock David Treece is a discretionary money manager with Treece Investment Advisory Corp. (www.TreeceInvestments.com) and a stockbroker licensed with FINRA. He works for Treece Financial Services Corp and also serves as editor of the financial news site Green Faucet (www.GreenFaucet.com). The above information is the express opinion of Dock David Treece and should not be construed as investment advice or used without outside verification.