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Lakota West fans cheer during a game this season. All of the Lakota West and Lakota East varsity teams will host games this weekend. The boys will host games Friday night, while the girls will be in action on Saturday afternoon. Photo taken by Tony Tribble.

From a restaurant crawl to a winter farmers’ market, there is plenty to do in West Chester this weekend.

For things to do in Greater Cincinnati, visit Cincinnati.com’s new Things to Do page.

Below are some things to do close to home.

Friday

Armchair program – Residents of West Chester Township are invited to experience New Zealand and Australia without ever leaving their hometown. The countries will be discussed at this week’s Armchair session at Township Hall, 9113, Cincinnati-Dayton Road, at 7 p.m. Friday.

Lakota boys’ basketball – Both Lakota West and Lakota East will host conference opponents Friday at 7:30 p.m. Lakota West (6-4 overall, 4-3 in Greater Miami Conference) will host Colerain (4-7 overall, 0-6 in GMC), while Lakota East (11-2 overall, 5-1 in GMC) will host Princeton (6-5 overall, 3-3 in GMC).

Saturday

Union Centre Restaurant Crawl – The fifth annual Union Centre Restaurant Crawl (photo) benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation will take place this Saturday. The crawl will begin at 4 p.m. at the UNO Chicago Grill and will move to other participating restaurants that include El Rancho Grande, The Wise Owl Wine Bar, the Dingle House and Jag’s Steak and Seafood.

Winter farmers’ market – The weekly farmers’ market season is over, but the winter farmers’ market will be open this Saturday at the Square at Union Centre. This Saturday’s market will take place from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Like in the summer, the winter farmers’ market also features all local vendors with produce and meats grown and raised locally and products made by hand.

Lakota girls’ basketball – Both Lakota West and Lakota East will host conference opponents Saturday at 2 p.m. Lakota West (10-2 overall, 6-2 in Greater Miami Conference) will host Mason (13-0 overall, 8-0 in GMC), while Lakota East (5-9 overall, 4-4 in GMC) will host Hamilton (3-11 overall, 2-6 in GMC).

Sunday

Community choir rehearsal for MLK program – Residents of Liberty and West Chester townships are invited to Sunday’s community choir rehearsal for the Martin Luther King Day program. The choir will practice beginning at 2 p.m. at St. Paul AME Church, 7161 Ohio 4 in Fairfield. All residents are invited to sing with the group, which will perform at the Jan. 21 Live the Dream: Our Declaration of Unity program.

Posted in: Events, News, Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: business, business news, charity, Cystic Fibrosis, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, dingle house, Dingle House Irish Pub, El Rancho Grande, Jag's, Jag's Steak & Seafood, Lakota East, Lakota East basketball, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West basketball, Lakota West sports, Stone Creek, Stone Creek Dining Company, The Wise Owl, Union Centre Merchant Association, Union Centre Merchants Association, Union Centre Restaurant Crawl, UNO, Uno Chicago Grill, Uno's Chicago Grill, West Chester restaurants, Wise Owl, Wise Owl Wine Bar

The fifth annual Union Centre Restaurant Crawl benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation will take place this Saturday.

The crawl will begin at 4 p.m. at the UNO Chicago Grill and will move to other participating restaurants that include El Rancho Grande, The Wise Owl Wine Bar, the Dingle House and Jag’s Steak and Seafood.

Those interested can pre-register for the crawl by giving a $30 donation in advance. Registration at the door can be done for a $35 donation.

Parking will be available at the old Max and Erma’s building next to UNO, which is located at 9246 Schulze Drive in West Chester. After checking in at UNO, crawl participants will be walking (dress appropriately) to all of the other nearby restaurants.

The first 50 crawl participants to sign up will receive a complimentary t-shirt. All participants will receive appetizers and discounted drink specials at each restaurant. There will also be raffles and games during the crawl.

Taxi service will be available after the event at Jag’s.

Tickets can be purchased at http://unioncentrecrawl5-eac2.eventbrite.com/#.

For more information please email Lindsay Wiseman at lmdwiseman@gmail.com.

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Tags: Tags: business, business news, charity, Cystic Fibrosis, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, dingle house, Dingle House Irish Pub, El Rancho Grande, Jag's, Jag's Steak & Seafood, Stone Creek, Stone Creek Dining Company, The Wise Owl, Union Centre Merchant Association, Union Centre Merchants Association, Union Centre Restaurant Crawl, UNO, Uno Chicago Grill, Uno's Chicago Grill, West Chester restaurants, Wise Owl, Wise Owl Wine Bar

Sue Kiesewetter reports:

A West Chester Township couple will open an audiology and health care practice in late January in Fairfield Township.

The Hearing Center, owned by Joy and Chris Glen, is locating in the Village area of the Bridgewater Falls shopping complex, located at the corner of Ohio 4 Bypass and Princeton Road.

That opening brings the six-year-old shopping center to 98 percent capacity with 61 tenants, said Ashley Martin, Bridgewater Falls’ director of marketing and special events. Only three open spots remain.

“We are completely dedicated – and have been the past 15 years – to helping the hearing impaired,’’ said Joy Glen, who is serving as the office’s general manager as well as practicing.

“Healthy hearing is our passion. We’ve worked with thousands of people with hearing loss across the country and are excited about taking our expertise and helping our local community.”

The Glens will offer several services and products including hearing evaluations, hearing instruments, custom fit hearing protection, custom iPod ear molds and headphones, swim plugs, middle ear diagnostic testing, musician ear monitors, along with amplified phones and television devices.

“The Hearing Center provides a service we did not have previously at Bridgewater falls,’’ said Scott Mitchell, vice president at Phillips Edison and Company, mall owners. “From a merchandising standpoint, it worked well to locate The Hearing Center (near) Pearle Vision.”

The 1,200 square foot office is between GNC and Pearle Vision, along with a Marine Corp Career Center, also slated to open in January. Once the remodeling is finished and equipment installed, an opening date and grand opening celebration will be scheduled, Joy Glen said.

Once opened, the office hours will be 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekdays and by appointment evenings and weekends.

Besides the Glens, the center will employ two others, Lisa Cahill a licensed audiologist and UC faculty member; and Kathy Lee, a patient care coordinator.

A 1990 Badin High School graduate, Joy Glen holds a bachelor’s degree in communication disorders and a master’s in audiology from the University of Cincinnati.

Chris Glen, a professional musician, also graduated from UC and spent 20 years as a social worker. He is a licensed hearing instrument dispenser.

For more information, www.yourhearingcenter.com.

Posted in: Business, News |

Tags: Tags: Bridgewater Falls, Bridgewater Falls Shopping Center, business news

Photos by Tony Jones of last year’s event:

West Chester Veterinary Care (WCVC) will host its fourth annual open house, pet adoption and dog costume contest from noon until 4 p.m. this Saturday.

Like in previous years, door prizes will be passed out throughout the event and additional prizes will be awarded for the costume contest. All dressed up dogs are eligible to win and don’t have to be present to win.

Animal Friends Humane Society and the SPCA will have animals for adoption.

WCVC is a full service veterinary hospital with dog daycare and pet boarding services. While visitors are at the free event, they will be able to tour the hospital.

WCVC is located at 8897 Eagle Ridge Ct, just off of Lakota West Drive.

For more information, visit www.wc-vc.com or call 513-942-9282.

Posted in: Events, News, Recreational events |

Tags: Tags: business, business news, Pet adoption, pets, photo galleries, photo gallery, photos, SPCA, SPCA Cincinnati, West Chester business, West Chester business news, West Chester photos, West Chester Veterinary Care

Graeter’s is celebrating National Ice Cream Day this Sunday by offering single scoop sugar cones for $1.42 at all of their retail locations.

The company will also be celebrating its 142nd birthday on the same day.

Graeter’s has locations in Mariemont Square, Mt. Auburn, Cherry Grove, Clifton, Colerain, Deerfield Township, Springdale, Finneytown, West Chester Township, Fountain Square (downtown), Western Hills, Hyde Park and Kenwood.

For a complete list of Graeter’s stores and hours, visit Graeters.com.

West Chester’s Graeter’s is located at 7651 Cox Lane.

Posted in: Business, News |

Tags: Tags: birthday, business, business news, Graeter's, Graeter's birthday, Graeter's West Chester, ice cream, National Ice Cream Day, West Chester business, West Chester business news

Polly Campbell reports

The summer of 2012 is going to be the summer of frozen yogurt. It began last year, with the opening of several Orange Leaf, then Bad Frog yogurt shops. Well, it started before that, when Yagoot opened their tart yogurt stores. But this summer there will really be a lot to choose from.

Freeze Yogurt Bar is differentiating themselves from the pack by serving organic yogurt with organic or natural toppings: no artificial colors, no high-fructose corn syrup, etc. I stopped in the other day, it’s in Voice of America Center in West Chester. It’s a cool-looking shop, with a clean, modern feel, but quite elegant and pretty.

I assumed it was a new location of a chain. But, no, it’s a home-grown project from Lance and Christina Francis, both engineers who live in Deerfield Township.

It’s self-serve, as most of the new yogurt places are. They have both tart and creamy frozen yogurt, and fruit sorbets. They have a few flavors sweetened with the sweetener stevia. The toppings include Newman’s Own cookies, natural gummi bears, granola, flax seeds, etc. Not as much fresh fruit as, say, Yagoot.

I served myself some chocolate and some blood orange sorbet with the fresh fruit they did have: sliced strawberries.

Lance Francis said their name, besides describing their product, is also meant to convey the idea of freezing a moment in time, taking a little time out of your regular routine.

It’s well-located between a Chipotle and a Panera, where it seems to fit right in. The store also supports a couple of charity projects: Dragonfly, which gives kids with cancer some comfort and joy, and CMF, which is building a well in Kenya.

They charge 49 cents an ounce, not out of line with other froyo shops.

Freeze Yogurt Bar is located at 7721 Voice of America Centre Drive. For more information, call 513-777-9999.

Posted in: Business, News |

Tags: Tags: Bad Frog Frozen Yogurt, Bad Frog Frozen Yogurt West Chester, business, business news, Freeze Yogurt Bar, Freeze Yogurt Bar West Chester, Orange Leaf Yogurt, Orange Leaf Yogurt West Chester, West Chester business, West Chester business news

Shauna Steigerwald reports

Mojo Running, the West Chester running specialty store, is itself on the move. The shop is relocating from its current space at 9318 Union Center Blvd in the U.S. Bank Plaza to a more visible space two miles away, at 8777 Cincinnati Dayton Road in Olde West Chester, near the Post Office, owner Paul Heintz said.

Heintz, who opened his West Chester store five years ago, said he’ll will reopen by Tuesday (May 1) so that runners can come in for their last-minute Flying Pig needs. Throughout this week, he’ll offer raffles and giveaways to celebrate the opening.

At the new store, Heintz will continue to carry predominantly running shoes, which salespeople fit to the individual runner’s feet and running needs. He also stocks running apparel and accessories, and he offers free running groups from the store.

“I’ve always been passionate about running,” he said of his decision to open the store five years ago, after working 24 years in the corporate world. “A lot of camaraderie and friendships have been made” through owning the store, he added.

Hours are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Saturday; and from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

For more information, call 513-942-5005 or visit www.runmojo.com.

Posted in: Business, News |

Tags: Tags: business, business news, Mojo Running, Mojo Running West Chester, Olde West Chester business news, running stores Cincinnati, running stores West Chester, West Chester business news

Mike Boyer reports

Shares of drug-maker Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc. soared 54 percent Wednesday after a report that the company rejected a $3.5 billion unsolicited takeover bid from Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.

Shares of the San Diego-based company closed at $23.77 – up $8.38 in more than 10 times normal trading – after Bloomberg News reported the company had rejected the $22-a-share offer. Bloomberg, citing two unnamed sources, said the offer was made and turned down last month.

Both companies declined comment. But the premium, about 43 percent more than Amylin’s Tuesday close of $15.39, spurred a buying spree on Wednesday.

Bloomberg said Bristol-Myers hasn’t approached Amylin since it rejected the offer, which excluded Amylin’s $2 billion in debt.

In late January, after several years of trying, Amylin got Food and Drug Administration approval to begin U.S. marketing of the first once-a-week diabetes injection drug Bydureon.

It’s produced at the company’s $700 million manufacturing plant and distribution center off Port Union Road in West Chester, where 400 are employed.

The FDA approval came after two previous rejections in 2010, when the agency asked Amylin for a new study of the drug’s effects on the heart.

Bydureon is part of a class of drugs that work by increasing the body’s insulin production to treat Type 2 diabetes. Amylin says Bydureon’s once-a-week injection is more convenient than other treatments requiring daily injections.

Diabetes, mostly Type 2, affects nearly 26 million people in the U.S. and 347 million adults worldwide. In this country, diabetes costs more than $174 billion a year in direct and indirect medical expenses, Amylin says.

Some analysts believe Bydureon could generate revenues approaching $1 billion in a few years. The drug has been on sale in Europe since last year.

Amylin is looking for a new marketing partner for the drug after severing its business relationship with Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Co. last November after Lilly struck a deal with an Amylin competitor.

Two years ago activist investor Carl Icahn, who owns 10 percent of Amylin, waged a proxy fight that gave him two seats on Amylin’s board.

Posted in: Business, News |

Tags: Tags: Alkermes, Amylin, Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc., business, business news, Bydureon, Bydureon diabetes, Bydureon type 2 diabetes, diabetes, Eli Lilly and Co., FDA, Type 2 diabetes, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, West Chester business

The first once-weekly treatment for type 2 diabetes will be made in West Chester Township, according to a recent press release from Amylin Pharmaceuticals.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Amylin Pharmaceuticals’ drug Bydureon Jan. 27. The new drug is expected to be available in pharmacies nationwide in February.

“As the first and only once-weekly diabetes treatment, Bydureon represents an important milestone in Amylin’s promise to bring to market innovative therapies to help improve the lives of people with type 2 diabetes,” said Daniel M. Bradbury, president and chief executive officer of Amylin Pharmaceuticals.

“Bydureon builds upon the proven benefits of Byetta, offering significant improvements in glycemic control in a single weekly dose.”

Byetta, Lilly and Amylin’s diabetes drug, contains the same ingredient as Bydureon. Alkermes created the technology that releases the drug over the course of a week for more convenient dosing.

The Amylin Pharmaceuticals $500 million manufacturing plant, 8814 Trade Port Drive, is already producing the drug which was approved by European Union regulators in June. Spokeswoman for Amylin, Alice Izzo, told the Dayton Daily News that Amylin will increase hiring as the demand for Bydureon increases.

Posted in: Business, News |

Tags: Tags: Alkermes, Amylin, Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc., business, business news, Bydureon, Bydureon diabetes, Bydureon type 2 diabetes, diabetes, Eli Lilly and Co., FDA, Type 2 diabetes, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, West Chester business

West Chester Veterinary Care hosted its third annual dog costume contest Saturday, Oct. 29. The free event gave the public an opportunity to tour the hospital, show off their pets in Halloween costumes and adopt a dog from SPCA.

Cincinnati Enquirer photographer Tony Jones attended the event on Saturday afternoon.

>>>WEST CHESTER HALLOWEEN PET COSTUME CONTEST<<<

SPCA Cincinnati is an animal shelter and humane society. The organization relies on private donations and does not receive tax money.

If you couldn’t attend, SPCA Cincinnati currently has pets available for adoption on its website.

WCVC is a full service veterinary hospital with dog daycare and pet boarding services. For more information, call 513-942-9282 or visit www.wc-vc.com.

There are also many other great moments captured on our Flickr photostream. And more West Chester and Liberty Township related photo galleries on our Photos page.

Also, remember to share your photos through the Photos page.

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Tags: Tags: business, business news, Pet adoption, pets, photo galleries, photo gallery, photos, SPCA, SPCA Cincinnati, West Chester business, West Chester business news, West Chester photos, West Chester Veterinary Care