Nov. 19, singer/songwriter Corey Smith will bring his music talent to downtown Bowling Green’s Clazel Theater beginning at 8 p.m.
Smith, 33, is a native of Jefferson, Ga., about an hour north of Atlanta. Although he has been writing and performing for nearly 10 years, it’s only recently that he’s been touring the country doing it.

Just five years ago Smith could be found teaching social studies at North Gwinnett High School in Atlanta. While teaching, Smith would perform nights at local bars and clubs until it became obvious he was growing in popularity and earning more money than he did teaching.

Corey Smith

“Crowds of about 50 to 75 quickly turned into 200, 300 people,” he said. “It got to a point where I knew I would be able to make a living playing music.”

What makes Smith even more unique is that he has sold over 750,000 singles and over 150,000 albums all without being signed to a major record label nor receiving any radio play.

Smith said he likes being able to do this own thing and have his own freedom writing and performing.

“I’m very grateful just to be able to make a living playing music,” he said.

As far as his music, Smith said he has a difficult time categorizing himself to a particular style or genre.

“If I had to put a name to my style, I would call it progressive country,” he said. “I have some songs that sound more rock, some that sound more country and some that sound like Jack Johnson.”

Smith said the rebelliousness of rock n’ roll music has always been appealing to him. He said what makes his sound unique is the messages and personal experiences he sings about, present in fan favorites like “Maybe Next Year,” “21” and “If I Could D It Again.”

“I enjoy sharing my experiences in my songs,” he said. “Most of the people that come to my shows are young, in their 20s and share my sense of youth and recklessness.”

Smith says even though he is a full time musician now, he still wants to be a teacher of certain messages he often conveys in his songs.

“Teaching social studies was a way for people for me to get people to ask questions about other races and ethnicities for example,” he said. Now I want to continue teaching through my music.”

Smith has released four albums, the most recent being Keeping Up with the Joneses that debut at number one on the iTunes singer-songwriter charts ahead of artists like James Taylor and Simon and Garfunkel.

The concert at the Clazel Friday is $15 in advance and $20 at the door. For more information, visit Clazel.net or CoreySmith.com.

Radio personality Andrew Zepeda, owner of Andrew Z’s Sports Pizzeria, has been indicted by a Wood County grand jury for theft, failure to remit and file sales tax as well as complicity to breaking and entering.

Zepeda was charged with complicity to the break-in at his restaurant that occurred between Oct. 15 and Oct. 18, said Paul Dobson, Wood County prosecuting attorney. The charge is a fifth degree felony punishable up to one year in prison.

“The allegation is that he assisted in doing it. To be complicit you have to more than just know about it you must have aided or enabled some act in furtherance or it, as well as have the knowledge that that’s what happening,” Dobson said.

In addition, Zepeda was indicted for theft and failure to remit sales tax, both felonies of the fourth degree. A news release from the Wood County prosecutor’s office said it is alleged that Zepeda “failed to provide the appropriate tax amounts to the State of Ohio in connection with his business from March to December of 2010.”

A felony of the fourth degree has a maximum sentence of up to 18 months in prison.

Zepeda will appear in court Dec. 10 at 1 p.m.

Beau Harvey, Zepeda’s attorney, was reached but said he would not make a comment until after speaking with Zepeda first.

Paul Zepeda, Andrew Zepeda’s uncle, and David Wright were also indicted in connection with the alleged break-in at Andrew Z’s Sports Pizzeria. Wright was indicted on one count of breaking and entering and Paul Zepeda was indicted on one count of complicity to breaking and entering. Both charges are a fifth degree felony.

Wright will appear in court Nov. 24 at 1 p.m. and Paul Zepeda will appear Dec. 10 at 1 p.m. with his nephew.

During a news conference Nov. 17, before the indictment, Zepeda denied any involvement in the break-in and maintained his innocence.

“I 100-percent have nothing to do with this,” he said.

Andrew Z.

The radio personality said he has been “targeted by the police” since the beginning of the investigation.

“Since the break-in happened, in my opinion, the Perrysburg Police have targeted me been on a witch hunt to smear my name and find evidence that could find me somehow linked to this case, which I have nothing to do with,” Zepeda said.

Zepeda said there have been rumors that have surrounded this case, but he is in no way associated with the break-in.

“The leaking and the speculation and the rumors, they’re getting it from somewhere. If it’s not coming from me, the only people that are involved are me and the police department. So someone’s leaking something,” he said.

Two men have already been charged in connection to a break-in at Andrew Z’s Sports Pizzeria in the Town Center at Levis Commons.

Paul E. Zepeda, Andrew’s uncle, was arrested Nov. 2 and charged with complicity to breaking and entering/theft. David R. Wright was arrested Oct. 28 and charged with breaking and entering. Both charges are 5th degree felonies.

Paul and Wright reside at the same Maumee address with Zepeda’s mother.

Zepeda said Wright had been kicked out of his house and needed a place to stay. Wright had only lived at that address for a few months, he said.

Wright has already admitted to the crime and police are listening to him to attempt to connect Zepeda to the case, Zepeda said.

“They have the man in custody responsible for the break in. His name is David Wright. He’s confessed, and he’s had multiple run-ins with the law. I have his rap sheet, it’s pages and pages long, including felonies and resisting arrests, failure to comply. He’s not a good guy,” Zepeda said. “This is the word the Perrysburg Police are taking against someone who’s never been in trouble— nothing but trying to help the community.”

On Sept. 30, Zepeda was evicted from his lease at Levis Commons and the building’s landlord, Hill Partners Inc., was in charge of the building during the Oct. 15 break in.

According to Perrysburg Police Deputy Chief Mike Gilmore, the break-in involved the safe, but other things could be missing as well. Gilmore said the investigation is ongoing and evidence could yield more arrests.

Paul Zepeda and Wright faced a preliminary hearing Nov. 9 at 9:30 a.m. at the Perrysburg Municipal Court.

As of Nov. 9, Wright is in custody with a $10,000 bond and Paul plead not guilty to his charges Nov. 16.

The Nov. 17 Toledo Free Press Star, which features a cover story on local plans for the latest “Harry Potter” movie, is available as an electronic edition.

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Ever wonder what pumpkin pasties or treacle tarts taste like? “The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook” provides Potter fans with recipes for Harry’s favorite treats and other English cuisine.
In addition to treacle tarts and pumpkin pasties, the book provides recipes for Hagrid’s rock cakes and Dumbledore’s favorite muggle treat lemon drops, as well as numerous Honeydukes’ sweets and cauldron cakes. Other recipes include British classics, such as steak and kidney pie, English strawberry trifle and crumpets.
“I think it would be fun for “Harry Potter” fans to try out the different recipes,” said Dinah Bucholz, author of the cookbook.
“The food would be perfect for any ‘Harry Potter’ themed party.”
The mother of four said the cookbook’s target audience is children, but some of the recipes require adult supervision.
“Not all the recipes are easy for kids to do,” Bucholz said. “When I was making the cookbook, I was trying to make it as close to authentic as possible. I wanted it to be traditional British cooking … but I see [kids] having fun in the kitchen with it.”
While running errands one day, Bucholz had a flash of inspiration and decided to write a Harry Potter cookbook.
“It just kind of happened. I had been a big Harry Potter fan and was always very curious about the food in the books. It all sounded so good,” she said.
Bucholz, for whom cooking was a hobby, began rereading the Harry Potter books (one through five) and trying recipes from various cookbooks.
“I did a tremendous amount of research,” she said.
Bucholz tried a number of recipes from her own cookbooks, as well as from the Internet for each entry, she said.
Some recipes Bucholz had to find her favorite for, while others, such as recipes for the different fudge and toffees, required experimentation because she had no experience cooking them, she said.
“[Researching for this book] I learned a tremendous amount about kitchen science and cooking,” Bucholz said.
In addition to recipes, the cookbook features a brief history of each dish, as well as locations within the “Harry Potter” series where the food is referenced.
“I wanted people to know where they could find the food in the book, that way they could look back,” Bucholz said. “I think it makes it a little more interesting to read.”
Amateur chefs and bakers can ask Bucholz for cooking tips at the cookbook’s official website, www.unofficialharrypottercookbook.com. A video of how to make treacle tarts is also available on YouTube.

When Arthur Levine started his own imprint at Scholastic Inc., his goal was to find and publish a timeless book that individuals would remember fondly for the rest of their lives. With J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” book series, the U.S. publisher did just that.
In 1997, Levine was at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in Italy when editors from the small U.K. publisher Bloomsbury told him about a book they had coming out that he might be interested in — “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.” Levine was given a set of “Potter” galleys and read the book on his plane ride home.

Levine

Levine was hooked on the story from the first chapter, he told Toledo Free Press in a phone interview.
“I was completely confident this was going to be one of those books kids are going to read and love — bring it to colleges with them and on freshmen floors, say ‘Do you remember when you read ‘Harry Potter’?’ And I think I was right,” he said.
When the U.S. rights for the book went on sale, Levine outbid other American publishing imprints and purchased the book for $105,000. Levine, who still heads Arthur Levine Books and is vice president of Scholastic, said he would have paid even more for the rights.
After publishing “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” in 1998, Levine worked with Rowling on subsequent U.S. releases.
Levine would spend several days with Rowling, going through confusing words or phrases that didn’t translate and Rowling would come up with some acceptable English word or phrase to replace it with, he said. It was Rowling who came up with the alternate U.S. title for the first book, Levine said.
As the books grew in popularity, Levine felt a lot of pressure, but never while working on a manuscript with Rowling, he said.
“There was a bubble around that. I would think about treating her the same way I would treat any other author with care,” Levine said. “I didn’t want her to be slighted because there was time pressure or because she was famous.”
Since the first book was published in the U.K. in 1997 by Bloomsbury and in the U.S. in 1998 by Scholastic, the “Harry Potter” series has sold more than 400 million copies and spurred the creation of eight Warner Brothers’ films and a Universal Studios theme park.
While for Levine, “Harry Potter” will always be about the books, he is still able to enjoy the theme park and movies as a fan.
“I was there for the opening [of the park]. It was tremendous fun,” he said.“I come from a very specific perspective, which is about the books, a lover of the books themselves. Everything else can be fun but is kind of secondary to me.”
Levine doesn’t believe the release of the “Harry Potter” films, the newest of which, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1,” opens Nov. 19, prevents individuals from picking up the books. The movies are “historical archives themselves at this point” and have a different audience than the books, he said.
“I think as time goes on and those movies are no longer box office, kids will be on equal ground between the books and films,” he said.
Three years have passed since the release of the last “Harry Potter” book, and Levine said it’s still too soon to measure the full extent of the series’ impact of the popularity of “Harry Potter.” Rowling still receives bags of fan mail each month, he said.
“I would say ‘Harry Potter’ opened the phenomenon for large copies of hard covers for young people. It proved young readers will love a story as long as it’s fast-paced and well-written,” he said.
“It helped turn a generation of kids into readers. It encouraged those who were already good readers and gave kids who didn’t know what to read, something to read.”
Levine believes “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” won’t be the last thing Rowling writes.
“Jo has such a passion to write. She’s a writer and that hasn’t changed. I’m sure she’ll write more and I cross my fingers that I will be the one working with her,” he said.

By the time “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” was released in 2001, the universe created by J.K. Rowling had already become a phenomenon. The pressure was on for the makers of the “Potter” film series. They weren’t just adapting a popular book for the big screen. They were the custodians of a universe and characters that were beloved by rabid fans of all ages. If they didn’t succeed, they would be the victims of a fury that even Lord Voldemort could not rival.
Fortunately, the films have been widely praised by critics and fans alike. Here are moments most will never forget.

SPOILER ALERT
1. “Sorcerer’s Stone” ­­— Harry plays his first game of Quidditch. One of Rowling’s most arresting creations is this sport of wizards, played on broomsticks flying high above the ground. In print, the game inspired imaginations with what the sight might be like. These visions were made magnificent reality by director Chris Columbus in the first film, which brought Quidditch to life in an exciting and visually arresting sequence.

2. “Chamber of Secrets” — Kenneth Branagh as Gilderoy Lockhart. Each Potter film is a first-rate production, and each has cast first-rate actors. Such is the case of egomaniacal braggart Gilderoy Lockhart, a memorably funny character who might have been ludicrous on film — if an actor as good as Branagh had not been playing him.

3. “Prisoner of Azkaban” — A Moonlit Transformation. David Thewlis had  made Professor Lupin a memorable character in the minds of “Potter” fans with his performance by the time it was revealed he was a werewolf. Then he stood by the light of the full moon. His morphing from man to beast is a special-effects creation of the highest order.

4. “Goblet of Fire” — The Return of Voldemort. The fourth film — and the entire series — builds to a head with the resurrection of Harry’s greatest villain. Lord Voldemort had existed as a character mainly by word-of-mouth for three films before he arrived, so when he finally appeared, he had a lot to live up to. But when Harry’s friend Cedric (played by future vampire Robert Pattinson) is killed without thought and the villain is revealed with a terrifying performance by Ralph Fiennes, fans knew Hermione’s closing line was very, very true: “Everything is going to change now, isn’t it?”

5. “Order of the Phoenix” — The Death of Sirius Black. “Phoenix” saw Harry’s beloved godfather — the closest thing to a parent he had ever known — killed by the villainous Bellatrix Lestrange in the film’s shattering finale.
As wonderfully played by Gary Oldman, Sirius had been Harry’s most loyal supporter for the previous two films, and his death was a symbol of Harry becoming more alone in a more terrifying world.

6. “Half-Blood Prince” — I’m the Half Blood Prince. Severus Snape, played by Alan Rickman, had always been one of the most intriguing characters of the “Potter” franchise. Neither hero nor villain, the former servant of Voldemort never made it clear where his loyalties lied. It all seemed to climax in the sixth film, as after killing Harry’s beloved headmaster Dumbledore, Snape casually deflects all Harry’s attempts at reprisal with seemingly no effort. And Snape’s revelation that he was the titular “Prince,” whose notes Harry had learned so much from over the year, is yet another rug pulled out from underneath the hero.

At age 25, the greatest rapper to ever live was gunned down in Las Vegas, never reaching his full potential in music, movies  and monumental superstardom. Tupac Shakur has posthumously released more than nine albums, earning millions of dollars for his estate, but he isn’t here to reap the benefits. But rapper, producer and connoisseur of skill-acquiring Will “Dub” Wicks is enjoying every moment of being 25 — and is just getting started.
Bowling Green isn’t known for much more than fast-food restaurants, a college and a cluster of night clubs. Unless you’re in the loop, you wouldn’t realize how much musical talent is brewing on BGSU’s campus. Luckily, a poor college student can take a short stroll to 133 E. Wooster, step into the recording studio and try to make magic.

An artist himself, Dub grew tired of the commute from Bowling Green — where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in technology — to Detroit just to record a song. Instead of just complaining, he picked up a few books and power tools and built a solution.
The BLDG is the perfect one-stop shop for a musician. First are the Beats, which include a full studio where Dub records, mixes, masters and engineers music. Once the rapper’s vocal cords are tired, they can relax in the Lounge, a club/loft area upstairs. What’s a song without the Design? In the same building, an artist can have his/her album cover, flier, logo, etc. designed and packaged for distribution. And once the project is complete, the artist has to have Gear, so the studio includes a fashion boutique as well.
The studio, appropriately named Music Lovers Headquarters, was “created to give independent artists access to professional high-quality services at affordable rates,” Dub said in his humble yet matter-of-fact tone. An acronym created in honor of his late grandmother Mary Lee Hurse, MLH Studios Inc. has been consistently raising the bar and exceeding expectations since it opened in 2008.
Most would be satisfied with completely dominating their field in one market, but where there’s a Will, there’s a will to do more. His studios in Cleveland and his hometown Detroit should be up and running by summer 2011. And by the time Dub is 40, he would like to have a studio in every major city. With 15 years to go, I’d say he’s giving himself too much time to get it done.
Dub’s independent music label, Fresh Heir Music Group, is an impressive ensemble of singers, rappers, writers and producers. The sound quality is clearly exceptional coming out of Dub’s studio, but the content of the music shows the apparent passion instilled in his artists. These artists’ projects are digitally distributed, professionally marketed and seriously listened to and appreciated. One of his artists, Casper, who’s actually a writer, placed second in the Put Me On Music Conference, behind only a regionally known Toledo artist, Cuntry. Dub’s formula for success is obviously working.
By the way, Dub’s prices are idealistic as well; just $30/hour for students and $50/hr for nonstudents to record and have their song mixed. That’s very inexpensive compared to other high-quality studios, but it’s done so every artist can have a chance to express him/herself.
“I just want to help people that have a passion and respect for music,” Dub said.
Dub is nothing short of the best at mastering a craft and seeing his vision through from the ground up. Mindful of the cutthroat music industry, he knows that “the less you know about it, the more useless you are in it.” That’s why his ultimate goal of being recognized “globally as a leading music industry service provider” doesn’t seem far-fetched. (The man must be smart; he said I was the greatest radio personality he knew.) Bowling Green was the beginning, but the world will know Dub and MLH Studios Inc. sooner than later.

Harry hits the holidays hard on game consoles as Warner Brothers joins development forces with Electronic Arts for “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.” The PlayStation 3 version boasts predictably improved control reaction times thanks to the PlayStation Move controller. This new controller, which also includes the PlayStation Move navigation controller, provides a great hands-on sensation as players wave, parry and make special wand maneuvers for attack and protection.
Players can also shoot light beams from the wand as game developers capture all the action using a third person, “over-the-shoulder” camera angle.

Need a break from all those arm workouts? Hide for a while using the expanded stealth elements include the familiar invisibility cloak, Peruvian instant darkness powders, and polyjuice potion. Players can always find cover among the intense action. Take on Death Eaters and Dementors as the series shifts more toward mature players. Vanquished baddies usually meet their end with a smoke puff and light burst, which reduces some of the fright factor for younger players.
The somewhat linear storyline provides great character development as Harry explores colorful 3-D settings while helping other characters and battling evil. A very creative game ideal for players who crave the film series, problem-solving and challenging levels (***1/2, rated T for themes and fantasy violence, also available on Nintendo Wii, PC and Xbox 360 plus a more puzzle-themed E10+ rated version on the Nintendo DS).
On Nov. 23, Warner Brothers conjures up “LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 Holiday” edition on the Nintendo DS including a mini figure, guide book and a wand stylus. The mini games, character interactions and 3-D interactive environments engage players with an involving world.
The immense character cache provide the most appeal while exploration, interactive lessons, and easy to join/leave cooperative play modes galvanize this highly recommended game (****, rated E10+).
Players of all ages can pick up “LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4”, released this summer on the PlayStation2, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable and PC with collector’s editions on the Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions that include special DVDs and four LEGO magnets. This series features even more characters (approximately 143) and mixes platform play, action, co-op modes and puzzles. The surprisingly sharp graphics appeal, while cute humor and lighter themes enhance this highly replayable game series (****, rated E10+ for cartoon violence and crude humor.

Related stories:

McGinnis: memorable Harry Potter moments

Harry Potter video game reviews

Interview with U.S. Harry Potter publisher

Harry Potter cookbook

This week sees the beginning of the end for Harry Potter. But for local movie theaters, the battle has only begun.
When “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1” opens with special midnight screenings on Thursday, Nov. 18, screens all across the Northwest Ohio area will show the adventures of Harry and his friends. How many screens exactly is impossible to know, however.
“We’re looking for at least five, and maybe even to sell out the entire building, but history here shows three, probably,” said Richard Spriggs, general manager of Rave Levis Commons 12 in Perrysburg.
It is a possibility that Levis Commons 12 will end up being “Harry Potter 12” on Thursday night. The recent changeover to digital projection makes it possible for the movie to be shown on every screen in the theater simultaneously. Woodland Mall Cinema 5 in Perrysburg also upgraded to digital in September.
“Before that, when we had 35mm projectors, if we wanted to run ‘Harry Potter’ in more than one auditorium, we needed multiple prints,” said Dan Esper, senior assistant manager for Woodland Mall Cinema 5. “If we wanted to run it in three auditoriums, we would need three 35mm prints to achieve that. But with the digital projection, we have movies on our hard drives, and we can play it on every single one of the projectors off of the one copy that we get in.”
It’s a good thing that Woodland Mall upgraded, too. “This Thursday, the midnight rounds for the ‘Harry Potter’ movie are actually gonna be the busiest rounds we’ve had for a movie ever here at the theater,” Esper said. “We are showing the movie on all five screens, and all five are sold-out; there’s gonna be about 900 people here for it.”
Rave Motion Pictures will debut its new large-screen entertainment Rave REVUE at its midnight showings of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-Part 1.” The large-screen theater will debut at two locations this year, one in Texas and the other at Fallen Timbers 14 in Maumee. The screen reaches from floor to ceiling and will feature digital projection and 3-D capabilities.
For those looking to see “Deathly Hallows” on good old-fashioned 35mm film, the Fox Theater at Woodville Mall in Northwood will show the movie in that format, and will also offer a midnight screening on Nov. 18.
“It has its ups and its downs. We don’t show movies in 3-D, so that’s another thing that’s kind of a downer for us. When people come in, they want to see it in 3-D,” said Sara Thomas, manager of the Fox Theater.
3-D will not be a problem for Thomas, however, as after initially stating it would be released in the format, Warner Bros. recently announced that the first part of “Deathly Hallows” would only be available in 2-D. Spriggs of Levis Commons doesn’t see that being an issue for “Potter” in the long run.
“I think it’ll be busier, because you don’t have that 3-D price increase,” he said.
“With ‘Harry Potter,’ unless there’s gonna be all these crazy flying effects — maybe ‘Harry Potter 1’ coulda been in 3D, because they had the Quidditch match and all that stuff flying around — I’m personally happy that they switched back to 2-D, because ‘Harry Potter’ in the past that I’ve seen hasn’t been too in-your-face stuff, it’s been more storytelling.”
Die-hard fans of the series, who have followed the adventures of Harry and company on film for almost a decade, probably won’t care too much what format it’s in. And the true Potter fanatics will be out in droves on Thursday, many in full costume as their favorite characters.
“Fanatics are the best — the best — crowd you can ever have,” Spriggs said. “They’re very patient — obviously, if they want to wait in long lines. They don’t mind moving into other theaters if there’s an issue, as long as you keep their groups together. They’re crazy, as far as costumes — it’s very entertaining.”
“People are generally very enthusiastic for midnight showings,” said Esper of Woodland Mall Cinema. “They clap as the movie is about to start, are vocal during the movie — in a fun way, not in an interruptive way.
“It’s extremely exciting to see a round like that, where we’re gonna be operating at maximum occupancy, which is something I’ve never seen here. I’m very excited to see how it’s all gonna go down.”

Jeff McGinnis works at Levis Commons 12 and will be working at midnight on Nov. 18. E-mail Jeff at PopGoes Jeff@gmail.com.

Last week, I attended a fundraising workshop at the Downtown Library presented by the Center for Nonprofit Resources.  The training was very worthwhile and I learned some really valuable things about philanthropic giving. However, the thing that has stuck with me most vividly from that morning is solid evidence of my inability to focus on anything nonmusical when something musical is nearby.
On my way into the training, I passed by an art piano. I’m sorry, what? Did you say “art piano”? And to say that I passed by it is not entirely true.  What I actually did was to circle around it and grin at it. I may have even talked to it and made little happy noises at it, thus making passersby uncomfortable, I’m sure. I even took pictures of it with my new fancy-schmancy phone. Are you ready for this? I even snuck back out of the training 20 minutes in because I needed close-up pictures and could not concentrate until I had them. This might be an illness.
Ask my colleague Rebecca Facey if I can listen to a word she says when we’re having lunch at Michael’s Bakery on the East Side while that wonderful man is playing  jazz standards on the piano by the door.  Her answer would probably be, “Only after she names that tune.” A room with a piano in it is an extra-special place.  Particularly art pianos, which have been brought to us through a program by the Art Tatum Jazz Heritage Society. Thanks to this program these special places are all over Toledo.  And thanks to this magical town that has peopled itself with talent-oozing citizens, there is usually someone around who knows how to play. My campaign to tell the world about the immeasurable creative force that is Toledo extends far beyond visual art.
There are musicians everywhere! And they are each contributing to the atmosphere of uniqueness and free expression that makes Toledo such a wonderful place to live. A lucky patron is one who happens to be at the Glass City Café when Ben Langlois gets the itch to play a couple of tunes on the Mardi Gras piano. Even One Government Center, a place that tends to make me a little nervous, is softened by the beautiful art piano in the corner of the main lobby. A little bird even told me that there is a man who works in Government Center who routinely comes to the piano on afternoons when he takes a break from his position in the city taxation department and plays softly and soothingly. My guess is that he feels very fortunate to have that creative outlet right there in his workplace, but imagine how pleasant that must be to encounter as just a person walking through.
During the summer, I fantasized about installing speakers in all of the trees in
Downtown so people walking around during the day would have a soundtrack to travel by.  A lofty goal, I realize.  It would have taken a lot of work to convince the city to help me out with this particular plan and I’m already bugging them enough with that whole domestic violence thing. Besides, we’ve got all of these pianos! The same County Administrator Bird who told me about the pianist who enriches the space in Government Center for himself and so many other Toledoans, mentioned that the building managers are considering removing that particular piano. My heart cracked at the very notion. Why on earth would anyone remove music from a place? My dad got me a tchotchke a few years ago that is a small, framed stitching in fabric that says, “Without music, life is a journey through a desert.” It’s on the windowsill in my kitchen and I look at it when I do the dishes.  It never occurred to me that this wasn’t common knowledge.
It is moments like this when I swell with gratitude that I have this platform to say openly and to whomever is making this decision, please don’t take the art piano out of One Government Center.  That would be a very un-Toledo thing to do.

Rachel Richardson is an activist, musician, co-founder and co-director of Independent Advocates, and a product of Toledo, Ohio. E-mail her at star@toledofreepress.com.