I recently found out that Leuven, Belgium has trumped Cincinnati, Ohio. In 2007, Epybird, the two guys that orchestrate mentos geysers, turned Fountain Square into more than 500 bottles of simultaneously shooting Diet Coke.
On April 23, 2008, a group of Belgian students donned blue raincoats, and, with the help of Epybird, turned Ladeuzeplein Square in Leuven into a mentos Diet Coke mess. It’s reported that 1,360 people participated in this latest Guiness World Record-breaking endeavor.
So I actually made it to Cleveland for Easter. It was not exactly easy, but I guess Easter is all about suffering so I am not complaining. The flight from Prague to New York was delayed and the flight from New York to Cleveland was three hours more delayed because Ohio got hit with 8 inches of snow. Yes, snow on Easter. Long story short, I made it here in time to find what the Easter bunny left for me (iTunes card, dark chocolates, paddle ball set….it was a cool Easter bunny, I must say.)
It has been three and a half years since I was last in Ohio. Snow was on the ground then, too. The weather here is about as bad as the weather in Prague. What Prague lacks though, is the drive-thru Easter story. Only in America!
A church in Middleburg Heights, Ohio has developed a creative way of telling the Easter story without the inconvenience of having to get out of one’s car. You simply pull your car up to the last supper, and see the story dramatized by live actors. In their church parking lot, the actors stage Easter scenes-like Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, writes wkyc.com.
Pastor Mike Wengerd says “What a wonderful, safe way for people to say-i don’t have to leave my car and do this.”
Members say their drive-thru attracts people who don’t normally come to church, and it also strengthens the faith of those who make it happen.
You gotta ask, what would Jesus say about this?
For the Gadling series “World Heritage Site new “Tentative List”: Places to Love” we are covering the 14 sites that have been submitted for possible inclusion as an official World Heritage Site in the United States. The sites will not be posted in order of importance or in the order they appear on the list.
Number: 3
Name of site: Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks
Location: Ohio
Reason for importance (in an nutshell): Rather than one specific location, Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks covers a vast portion of southern Ohio. They encompass nine separate archaeological sites with more than 40 monumental ceremonial earthworks (by the way, I just learned that a “ceremonial earthwork” is, basically, a large-scale alteration of an area of land, presumably for religious purposes) spread across southern Ohio in three archaeological preserves. They’re some of the largest earthworks in the world that weren’t built for defense or fortification (four of Rome’s Coliseums would’ve fit inside what’s called the Octagon [see aerial photo], while Stonehenge would’ve fit inside one of the smaller earthwork circles adjacent to the Octagon), and “contain extensive deposits of finely crafted artifacts.”
Catherine’s take: What’s not to love? Massive scale and cultural significance make the Hopewell earthworks a multi-site not only worth recognizing and preserving as a World Heritage Site, but worth trekking to as well. The mounds that have been worn down into small round humps would also make a great golf course (kidding, of course. Just making sure you’re still with me).
For the Gadling series “World Heritage Site new “Tentative List”: Places to Love” we are covering the 14 sites that have been submitted for possible inclusion as an official World Heritage Site in the United States. The sites will not be posted in order of importance or in the order they appear on the list.
Number 2
Name of Site: Dayton Aviation Sites
Location: All over Dayton, in Southwest Ohio
Reason for importance in a nutshell: In short: Dayton is the birthplace of aviation. The Wright Brothers, pioneers and innovators in aircraft construction and control based their operation out of the back of their bicycle shop in West Dayton, Ohio. Landmarks such as their workshop, Wright and Wright printing and Huffman Prairie Flying field highlight their involvement in the industry, while other aviation tidbits such as America’s first Air Force Base are included in the heritage site.
Grant’s Take: It doesn’t take much to impress this airplane nerd. While I’m generally hesitant to set foot in the great state of Ohio (being from Michigan and all), the Dayton Aviation Sites have my interest in the Buckeye State emphatically piqued. If you do find yourself in the Midwest and are hankering for a bit of history, consider stopping in for a tour; you can check out a lot of information here. Alternatively, if you’re on a long Skybus layover, cancellation, or are visiting Jamie Rhein, consider taking the trip over from Columbus — it’s only fifty miles away!
I am curious about the Creation Museum that’s not too far from Cincinnati in northern Kentucky. I pass by a huge billboard for it every time I head to visit my relatives who live near there. The billboard is stuck out in a field next to I-71. Most billboards between Columbus and Cincinnati are set out in fields. That’s all there is between the two cities. It’s a fairly flat and BORING ride.
The Creation Museum’s billboard is tasteful. There are silhouettes of dinosaurs on it. One might think the museum is about dinosaurs. Not exactly. It’s about the Bible and how it’s literal. Dinosaurs and humans existed at the exact same time according to the museum’s thinking. I’ve written about this museum before. It’s not a rinky dink place from all I’ve read about it. As a sociological study of human thinking, I’d find it interesting. People’s beliefs always interest me. It’s one of the reasons I like to travel.
When I went to Salt Lake City, I visited the Tabernacle on Temple Square and went on the tour that explained the history of Mormonism. I still remember how genuine and friendly the tour guide was when she led us through displays about Joseph Smith and the golden tablets found near Palmyra, New York. Every time I pass a Mormon church I look for the Angel Moroni on the top of the spire.
I’m sure at the Creation Museum people are also friendly. They must be. Crabby people don’t attract visitors, and there have been 250,000 people who have come to the museum since it’s opening in May. That’s one of the reasons there needs to be a bigger parking lot.