📻Frank the Christmas Gargoyle — an internet sensation
A neighbor’s disapproving letter over a Christmas decoration turned a porch gargoyle into the most unlikely little philanthropist in early 2021.
The saga started in early December with Union, Ohio, resident Denise Starr’s gargoyle in front of her home’s front door. Starr, a veterinarian in Englewood, received a note informing her the gargoyle statue — lovingly named Frank — is “not appropriate” and “not in keeping with the Christmas spirit.”
Frank’s fan page now amasses over 750,000 followers, as he continues to use his platform to raise more than $131,000 for charities.
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
📻Township trustee goes viral in powerful moment
Lee Wong, a trustee in West Chester Twp. in Butler County, bared his chest during the board meeting in March this year‚ revealing a vicious scar from injuries suffered in the U.S. Army and saying he won’t tolerate anyone discriminating against him.
He calmly took off his tie, unbuttoned his dress shirt, pushed the shirt aside, stood and pulled up his undershirt to show the old wound.
“There are some people that will come up to me and say I don’t look American, or patriotic enough, now that really gets my goat …,” he said. “I’m getting a little hot on this issue here. People question my patriotism, that I don’t look American enough, They can’t get over this face. I want to show you something, I don’t have to live in fear, intimidation, insults … Here is my proof, this is sustained from my service in the U.S. Army, is this patriot enough?”
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
📻The time Alex Trebek said a little prayer after Dayton ‘Jeopardy!’ fail
Three contestants on an episode of Jeopardy that aired Jan. 30, 2018, received a seemingly easy question related to the Wright Brothers.
The answer is: “Named for the famous brothers and a WWI-era pilot, Wright-Patterson AFB is just east of this Ohio aviation city.”
All three contestants answered incorrectly and made former host, Alex Trebek, fold his hands in a sign of prayer, as he couldn’t believe they didn’t know the answer was, of course, Dayton.
📻Dave Chappelle shows-off Yellow Springs on Netflix special with David Letterman
Last summer, David Letterman and Dave Chappelle were spotted romping all around Yellow Springs while filming Letterman’s third season of “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman” for Netflix.
The Netflix special opens with Chappelle and Letterman hitting golf balls at the Young’s Jersey Dairy driving range. The episode bounces back and forth between Chappelle and Letterman exploring Yellow Springs while chatting, and the two on stage at Wirrig.
As Letterman asks questions about Chappelle’s decision to quit the Chappelle Show in 2006, Chappelle said the best part of the decision was “ending up here.”
Credit: Staff
Credit: Staff
📻Dayton’s star-studded, Oscar stage shoutout
Yellow Springs residents Julia Reichert and Steve Bognar — longtime pillars of Dayton’s art and film community — received the Oscar in the documentary feature category for their critically-acclaimed film “American Factory” at the Academy Award ceremony, Sunday, Feb. 9 in 2020.
Reichert and Bognar were exuberant during their acceptance speeches.
Bognar said, “Thank you, Academy! Thank you to everyone who trusted us to tell your story. Junming Wang, thank you to our unstoppable crew, our beloved friends and family, Jeff Liu, our unstoppable editor Lindsay Utz, and to those big-hearted people at Netflix, Participant Media, Higher Ground Productions, and the tough, inventive, great people of Dayton, Ohio.”
Credit: Kevin Winter
Credit: Kevin Winter