Newsletter: Why Dayton’s ‘biggest summer party’ has lasted 50 years

Real talk: Air shows aren’t for everyone. Heat, noise, crowds and wide swaths of endless concrete come with the territory. No judgment: You either enjoy those, or you don’t.

But for many, those factors just add to the party atmosphere.

In Dayton for five decades, one air show has held sway, billing itself as Dayton’s “biggest summer party.”

CenterPoint Energy Dayton Air Show celebrates 50 years of thrills

The United States Navy Blue Angels were the headliners at the Dayton Air Show on Saturday, June 22, 2024. Jim Noelker/Staff

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That’s another air show in the books — another weekend of fun under the sun (and on Sunday, under the clouds).

Aerial adventure: Perhaps one resident from Centerville, Jacob Lee, put it best: “It’s amazing that we have this in our backyard,” he told me.

Day one: 50th anniversary Dayton Air Show opens with crowds, heat, aerial adventures

The heat: Medical teams treated 80-plus for heat ailments Saturday

Day two: Aerial acrobatics, fiery demonstrations thrill crowds at Dayton Air Show

Of course, photos.

And attendance figures.

Gas station chain buys I-75 site of former tornado-hit hotel

2301 Wagner Ford Road is the site where a Holiday Inn and Ramada Plaza once operated along I-75 in Harrison Twp. The building was hit hard by a tornado in 2019 and then demolished. MARSHALL GORBY / STAFF

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A Tulsa, Okla.-based gas station and convenience store operator with a thousand stores recently bought land on Wagner Ford Road where a Holiday Inn (and later, Ramada Inn) once stood north of downtown Dayton.

The site: The $2.275 million sale, dated June 13, was of about six acres at 2301 Wagner Ford Road.

Read the story.

Focus growing on Woodman business corridor near Wright-Patt

Work has started on the Harshman Road concrete wall separating traffic near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Riverside. MARSHALL GORBY/STAFF

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From the south suburbs looking north, at times it seems all roads lead to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

Roadwork: As the $10.3 million U.S. 35-Woodman Drive interchange realignment project approaches completion, reporter Nick Blizzard tells us attention is turning to a new project.

Next steps: Riverside officials are looking toward another multimillion-dollar effort — long-term safety upgrades for the Woodman/Harshman Avenue corridor, as it stretches from U.S. 35, north to Wright-Patterson.

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Rite Aid to close all Ohio stores, transfer prescriptions to Walgreens, workers say

Rite Aid on South Limestone Street in Springfield has announced it is closing. BILL LACKEY/STAFF

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Rite Aid is closing all of its stores in Ohio and will transfer prescriptions to Walgreens, according to several workers at multiple locations in the region, writer Jen Balduf reported.

Closures soon? Employees said they were notified recently of the closures, with some of them happening as soon, such as the Springfield location where signs are posted to notify the community.

Read the story.

Giant new Springfield subdivision gets city approval, criticism from some residents

Construction for the Sycamore Ridge Housing Development at the intersection of South Burnett Road and Leffel Lane Tuesday, June 18, 2024. BILL LACKEY/STAFF

Credit: Bill Lackey

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Credit: Bill Lackey

A proposed subdivision that will include 220 new single-family homes on 100 acres at the intersection of Leffel Lane and South Burnett Road has won city approval.

The debate: Like other recent local housing developments, the planned Sycamore Ridge subdivision will be offered Tax Increment Financing (TIF), which has stirred controversy.

Yes, but: Over the past few years, multiple Springfield-area housing developments including Bridgewater, Melody Parks and now Sycamore Ridge have launched construction in the Clark Shawnee School District. School and township officials say local resources, and especially schools, are strained with the additions while the township receives no added tax benefit.

Read the story.

Tell me what’s going on with your business. You can reach me at tom.gnau@coxinc.com.

Quick hits

Vandalia city manager drama: The debate continues.

Ford’s Garage opens at Liberty Center: Vintage Ford decor and burgers, if you can dig that.

AFRL set to welcome a new commander: On July 10.

Oakwood High School has a new principal: With experience in Kettering.

Speaking of summer parties: A guide to area Independence Day events.

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