How to Go
What: Cedar Bog Nature Preserve
Where: 75N to 4N to 70E/4N to 68N to Urbana. Or: 35E to Xenia to 68N to Urbana. Both are about 45 minutes.
Sites to See: www.touring-ohio.com
Information: On lodging and restaurants is available via the Chamber of Commerce: www.urbanaohio.com.
With history and small-town charm, a nationally known bronze sculptor’s studio and gallery, and the amazing Cedar Bog Nature Preserve — the town of Urbana makes a great day or weekend getaway. Located just 45 minutes from Dayton, Urbana offers plenty of fun for all ages.
The town of Urbana was founded in 1805 by Col. William Ward, who chose the name based on the word “urbanity” from a Greek word meaning “politeness.” This friendly, small town, which is the county seat of Champaign and the burial place of Simon Kenton, frontiersman and friend of Daniel Boone, was incorporated in 1868 and has a current population of around 12,000.
The heart of Urbana is its historic town square, which is actually a circle built around a Civil War monument. Quaint shops and cafes surround it, such as the 100-year-old Carmazzi’s corner store selling hundreds of items, even penny candy. The town contains several other unique, locally owned shops, antique stores, the charming Catfish Jones and Café Paradiso with outdoor dining, and a rare Art Deco movie theater.
In September there is the Ohio Fish & Shrimp Festival held at the Freshwater Farms, which is Ohio’s largest indoor fish hatchery. Freshwater Farms raises rainbow trout, largemouth bass, yellow perch, bluegill, and channel catfish. Visitors can experience the sturgeon-petting zoo or feed the trout. The hatchery is open year round, Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m – 6 p.m. It is located at 2624 N. U.S. 68, just north of the historic downtown Urbana.
The Johnny Appleseed Museum, housed at Urbana University at 579 College Way, contains the largest known collection of memorabilia, written material, and artifacts about the early Ohio pioneer. The popular native son folk hero traveled all over Ohio, planting apple seeds and developing a fine business selling his apple trees. The Johnny Appleseed Society provides programs for school and church groups, senior citizens and bus tour groups. For more information call (937) 484-1368.
And then there’s the lovely Cedar Bog Nature Preserve. There are several wetland preserves – large and small – in the general Dayton area, but the mother of them all is Cedar Bog. Located just 4 miles south of downtown Urbana off U.S. 68, Cedar Bog is a 450-acre National Natural Landmark.
Cedar Bog, purchased by the state of Ohio and named its first nature preserve in 1942, is actually a fen, a type of wetland created by retreating glaciers melting onto layers of sand and gravel. This means the water can’t sink down but instead lies and flows on top of the wet land, actually percolating. So when the water flows across the land it carries and deposits rich minerals, giving the fen its unique qualities. This activity contributes to its unique and rare species of plants and, subsequently, the wildlife that like it – a beautiful ecosystem.
Located off U.S. 68 at 980 Woodburn Road, Cedar Bog is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, April through October. Call for winter hours. Admission is $5 for adults and $4 for students, and free for Ohio Historical Society and Cedar Bog Association members. All fees and donations go to preserving this natural treasure. There’s a visitor’s center, a gift shop, an education center providing exhibits and classrooms, and boardwalks that make wetland navigation a pleasure. For more information on Cedar Bog Nature Preserve call (800) 860-0147, email cedarbog@ctcn.net, or visit Facebook:
And if you plan to visit Urbana soon, you can catch the upcoming 7th annual Art Affair on the Square, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, July 16.
The downtown event, on Monument Square and North Main Street, will feature about 60 artists, food vendors, performing artists on the Courthouse plaza and others strolling through the crowd, said festival chair Sara Kerns.
Downtown Urbana has been designated part of the city’s historic district and festival patrons can take a guided walking tour of its significant structures.
Riding tours with commentary will be offered to other parts of the city in the afternoon. There also will be demonstrations of painting and papermaking, exhibits of artwork by Urbana area artists past and present, student art and special programming for children. For more information on the fair, contact Kerns at (937) 653-6126 or email sarakerns@woh.rr.com.
As part of the Art Affair’s festivities, nationally known bronze sculptor/painter and Urbana resident Mike Major will again welcome patrons into his beautiful studio and gallery at 119 Miami Street. “Major Sculpture” is a working art studio with Mike Major’s paintings on exhibit as well as many of his sculptures in all sizes and phases of completion.
Major has created several sculpture commissions for public and private collections throughout the country, including larger-than-life monuments and busts of sports greats Jackie Robinson, Woody Hayes and Vince Lombardi.
Major is very community and education-oriented and he shares his space with the Champaign County Arts Council as well.
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