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PHOTOS OF THE VOA MUSEUM

It is St. Patrick’s Day weekend, the weather will be nice and there is plenty to do in West Chester, as well as Greater Cincinnati.

For things to do in Greater Cincinnati, visit Cincinnati.com’s new Things to Do page. Cincinnati.com also put together a slideshow of ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

When you are not out and about, visit the new video page on WestChesterBuzz.com To view West Chester and Liberty Township related videos, visit westchesterbuzz.com/videos.

All weekend

Spring musical - “Alice in Wonderland” will be performed by 7-8 graders at Plains Junior School in Liberty Township this weekend. Shows will take place in the Plains Junior auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Friday, 3 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. Pre-sale tickets are $10 for preferred seating and $6 for general seating. All tickets are $10 at the door.

Friday

See a local band – The Gamut will be performing from 9:30 p.m. until 1:30 a.m. at the Win, Place or Show located at 9933 Cincinnati-Columbus Road in West Chester. The Gamut plays rock and roll music from the 1970′s to the present. On its website, it says that it performs music made famous by Journey, Boston, Heart, Duffy, Aerosmith, Benatar, AC/DC, Guns & Roses, Bon Jovi, Goo Goo Dolls, Jimmy Eat World, Poison and more.

Saturday

Mother’s Exchange Sale at Lakota West – The Mother’s Exchange Fall Sale and Vendor Event will take place this Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon at Lakota West High School. Approximately 100 local moms will be selling their gently used children’s clothing, furniture, equipment, toys, books, sports equipment, computer and video games, nursery items, maternity and more. Admission into the event costs $1. All sales are cash only.

Explore the VOA Museum – Currently, the unfinished museum off Tylersville Road has been open from 1 to 4 p.m. on the third Saturday of each month since July of 2012. It will be open, again, this Saturday during that same time. As of right now, it consists of exhibits featuring the old relay station; Media Heritage’s Greater Cincinnati Museum of Broadcast History; the Gray History of Wireless Museum; and the West Chester Amateur Radio Association control room. For updates and information on the museum, visit westchesterbuzz.com/tag/voa-museum.

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at West Chester’s Irish Pub – The Dingle House Irish Pub located on Centre Pointe Drive, which is between Union Centre Blvd. and West Chester Road in the heart of West Chester, is having a two-day St. Patrick’s Day celebration. There will be an Irish breakfast from 9 a.m. to noon and Caledonian pipes and drums, plus McGing Irish dancers both Saturday and Sunday.

St. Patty’s party at wine bar – Bella Vino Wine Merchants and Bar, 6064 West Chester Road, is having a St. Patrick’s Day party. Deals include $3 pints of Guinness, Harp, Smithwick’s and Magners, as well as $5 appetizers all day. At 7:30 p.m., there will be music performed by Steve Raszka.

Free ice cream – Bruster’s, 8770 Union Centre Blvd., in West Chester is giving away a free small waffle cone for wearing your PJs. The deal, which will go from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. works for those walking up and for those using the drive-thru window. Bruster’s will also be giving out free doggie sundaes.

Sunday

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at pub – The Dingle House Irish Pub (see Saturday) will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day again. On both Saturday and Sunday the pub will feature live music. For more information, call 513-874-7468.

Posted in: Events, News, Recreational events, School events |

Tags: Tags: Alice in Wonderland, Alice in Wonderland Plains Jr., Alice in Wonderland Plains Junior, Lakota Plains Jr. School, Lakota Plains Junior, Lakota West, Lakota West High School, Mother's exchange sale, Mother's exhange holiday sale, National VOA Museum of Broadcasting, National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting, Plains Jr., Plains Junior, Plains Junior Theater program, shopping, VOA Museum, VOA Museum of Broadcasting, Voice of America Museum

The Mother’s Exchange Fall Sale and Vendor Event will take place this Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon at Lakota West High School.

Approximately 100 local moms will be selling their gently used children’s clothing (sizes infant through teen), furniture, equipment, toys (Little Tikes, Fisher Price, Step 2, Barbie), books, sports equipment, computer and video games, nursery items, maternity and more.

Admission into the event costs $1. All sales are cash only.

It is recommend to bring a laundry basket for easier shopping.

The event will also feature the following vendors: Baked by Brittany, The Daisy Chain, Pampered Chef, Tastefully Simple, Sidney Bean’s Bows, Tupperware, Wildtree, 31 Gifts, Scentsy, Mary Kay, Darlene’s Hats and Gifts, Cincy Cake and Crumbles, Self Reliance, Storybook Moments Photography, It Works!, Clever Container, Toyouloveme Boutique, Origami Owl, Lia Sophia, and Usborne Books.

For more information, email mothersxchange@hotmail.com

Posted in: Events, School events |

Tags: Tags: Lakota West, Lakota West High School, Mother's exchange sale, Mother's exhange holiday sale, shopping

The Mother’s Exchange Fall Sale and Vendor Event will take place Saturday, March 16 from 8 a.m. to noon at Lakota West High School.

Approximately 100 local moms will be selling their gently used children’s clothing (sizes infant through teen), furniture, equipment, toys (Little Tikes, Fisher Price, Step 2, Barbie), books, sports equipment, computer and video games, nursery items, maternity and more.

Admission into the event costs $1. All sales are cash only.

It is recommend to bring a laundry basket for easier shopping.

The event will also feature the following vendors: Baked by Brittany, The Daisy Chain, Pampered Chef, Tastefully Simple, Sidney Bean’s Bows, Tupperware, Wildtree, 31 Gifts, Scentsy, Mary Kay, Darlene’s Hats and Gifts, Cincy Cake and Crumbles, Self Reliance, Storybook Moments Photography, It Works!, Clever Container, Toyouloveme Boutique, Origami Owl, Lia Sophia, and Usborne Books.

For more information, email mothersxchange@hotmail.com

Posted in: Events, School events |

Tags: Tags: Lakota West, Lakota West High School, Mother's exchange sale, Mother's exhange holiday sale, shopping

The Miami University Voice of America Learning Center will host a special holiday shopping event that will feature Santa Claus and plenty of Miami University gifts. The holiday shopping event will take place this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Learning Center’s lobby.

This will be the fourth year that the Miami Bookstore and Alumni Association will be setting up the special holiday shopping event at the Voice of America Learning Center.

Santa will at the event and available for free family pictures from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Voice of America Learning Center is located at 7847 VOA Park Drive, at the corner of VOA Park Drive and Cox Road in West Chester.

For more information call the Learning Center at 513-895-8862, or visit the Center’s web site at www.muohio.edu/voalc.

Posted in: Events, Recreational events |

Tags: Tags: Liberty Township Christmas, Miami University, Miami University Voice of America Learning Center, Santa, Santa Claus, shopping, Voice of America Learning Center, West Chester Christmas

The Mother’s Exchange Fall Sale and Vendor Event will take place next Saturday, Sept. 10 from 8 a.m. to noon at Lakota West High School.

Approximately 100 local moms will be selling their gently used children’s clothing (sizes infant through teen), furniture, equipment, toys (Little Tikes, Fisher Price, Step 2, Barbie), books, sports equipment, computer and video games, nursery items and more.

Admission into the event costs $1. All sales are cash only.

It is recommend to bring a laundry basket for easier shopping.

The event will also feature the following vendors: Shaklee, Tastefully Simple, The Daisy Chain, 31 Gifts, Creative Memories, Gold Canyon Candles, Scentsy, Premier Designs, USBorne Books, Uppercase Living, Miche Bags, Dove Chocolate!, Monkey Creations, Sydney Bean’s Bows, Visalus, Nutrilite, Wildtree, Just Jewelry, Here comes Baby, Votre Vu, Stella & Dot and more.

For more information, e-mail mothersxchange@hotmail.com.

Posted in: Events, Recreational events, School events |

Tags: Tags: Lakota West, Mother's exchange sale, shopping

Once Upon a Child and Plato’s Closet will open this week at the Beckett Commons shopping center on 747. Once Upon a Child, which buys and sells gently used kids’ stuff, opened its new store today and Plato’s Closet, which buys and sells gently used brand name clothing and accessories, will open this Friday, April 29.

Both stores outgrew their previous West Chester locations and are making the short move down 747 to move into the newly remodeled Beckett Commons.

“We needed more space and we updated our look,” said Becky Finger, who owns both stores. “It is a much bigger store … the stores look great. They are twice as big as before.”

Both new locations will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Finger is also planning a grand opening event for both stores, which will take place on the same day.

The Beckett Commons remodeling project began March 1 and cost Regency Centers more than $2 million to complete. The project remodeled the space that featured Stein Mart and split it up into multiple retail spaces. Stein Mart, which closed in April of 2010, was 32,500 square feet.

Besides, Once Upon a Child and Plato’s Closet, which are both 5,204 square feet, Advance Auto Parts (6,300 square feet) will open in the late summer or early fall.

Currently, Regency Centers senior leasing agent Jason Gibson is working with a few other national and regional tenants to lease the remaining vacancies at the shopping center. With approximately 15,000 square feet remaining, Regency Centers could use the remaining area to create two to four more leasing spaces. However, Gibson said, that there will likely be two tenants using the remaining space available.

Beckett Commons is a 121,316 square-foot shopping center located off Princeton-Glendale Road. The shopping center is also home to Willie’s Sports Café and Kroger.

Posted in: Business, News |

Tags: Tags: Advance Auto Parts, Beckett Commons, Jason Gibson, Once Upon a Child, Plato's Closet, Regency Centers, shopping

According to Regency Centers senior leasing agent Jason Gibson, the Beckett Commons shopping center on 747 is set to be finished the week of April 25.

The remodeling project, which cost Regency Centers more than $2 million to complete, took the space that had Stein Mart and split it up into five retail spaces. Stein Mart, which closed in April of 2010, was 32,500 square feet.

“We just felt there was a strong demand for smaller spaces in this particular shopping center,” Gibson said.

Three stores, Once Upon a Child, Plato’s Closet and Advance Auto Parts will all open soon in the shopping center. Once Upon a Child (5,204 square feet) is scheduled to open April 27, Plato’s Closet (5,204 square feet) on April 29 and Advance Auto Parts (6,300 square feet) will open in the late summer or early fall.

Currently, Gibson is working with a few other national and regional tenants to lease the remaining vacancies at the shopping center. With approximately 15,000 square feet remaining, Regency Centers could use the remaining area to create two to four more leasing spaces. However, Gibson said, that there will likely be two tenants using the remaining space available.

Beckett Commons is a 121,316 square-foot shopping center located off Princeton-Glendale Road. The shopping center is also home to Willie’s Sports Café and Kroger.

Posted in: Business, News |

Tags: Tags: Advance Auto Parts, Beckett Commons, Jason Gibson, Once Upon a Child, Plato's Closet, Regency Centers, shopping

The Miami University Voice of America Learning Center will host a special holiday shopping event that will feature Santa Claus and plenty of Miami University gifts. The holiday shopping event will take place Saturday, Dec. 11, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Learning Center’s lobby.

This will be the second year that the Miami Bookstore and Alumni Association will be setting up the special holiday shopping event at the Voice of America Learning Center.

Santa will at the event and available for free family pictures from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Voice of America Learning Center is located at 7847 VOA Park Drive, at the corner of VOA Park Drive and Cox Road in West Chester.

For more information call the Learning Center at 513-895-8862, or visit the Center’s web site at www.muohio.edu/voalc.

Posted in: Events, Recreational events |

Tags: Tags: Miami University, Santa, Santa Claus, shopping, Voice of America Learning Center

Before attacking the stores this Black Friday, it could be a good idea to do your research. Currently, there are numerous online sites that will not only be featuring deals on Black Friday, but will also have many of the retailers’ weekly ads and specials for the shopping holiday.

While, the majority of national chain ads can be found on websites like bfads.net and www.theblackfriday.com, it could also benefit shoppers by picking up a Cincinnati Enquirer today, Nov. 25. The paper is expected to be loaded with thousands of dollars in Black Friday deals, ads and coupons.

On Black Friday, it could also be worth a shopper’s time to visit websites like www.pricegrabber.com, www.pricescan.com and www.bizrate.com to compare prices.

However, comparing the ads themselves appears to be the easiest way to find the best prices.

Another thing to look for are the hours of each sale. Stores like Walmart and Meijer are open 24 hours, but have sales during certain hours of the day. For example, most items at Walmart are on sale starting at 12:01 a.m., Nov. 26. However, Walmart will also have an electronics sale from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Black Friday.

Meanwhile, some stores are having sales today, Nov. 25. Toys ‘R’ Us, Old Navy and Meijer each feature special deals on Thanksgiving. Toys ‘R’ Us begins its sale at 10 p.m., Old Navy opens at 9 a.m. and Meijer will have a special Thanksgiving sale from 6 a.m. to midnight.

As far as most stores, they will open between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. on Black Friday. Most malls will open at 7 a.m., but some of their stores may open earlier. Furthermore, many of the stores at the Cincinnati Premium Outlets will open at midnight.

If you work up an appetite, many of the local breakfast chains will open at their regular hours. The Original Pancake House, Frisch’s Big Boy and First Watch all open at 7 a.m. on Black Friday. Bob Evans will open at 6 a.m. The best breakfast deal, however, could be at IKEA, which will give out one free small breakfast item and one free cup of coffee to its customers starting Friday, Nov. 26, and ending Sunday, Nov. 28. IKEA is open for breakfast at 9:30 a.m. and the store itself opens at 10 a.m.

Cincinnati.com has launched a special Black Friday web page, which features good local information on the shopping holiday.

Posted in: Business, Events, News, Recreational events |

Tags: Tags: Black Friday, Black Friday deals, Bob Evans, business, First Watch, Frisch's Big Boy, IKEA, meijer, Old Navy, shopping, toys r us, walmart

Many West Chester residents will brave frigid conditions in order to shop for bargains in the wee hours of the morning this Black Friday, Nov. 26. Here is a Black Friday guide for three local stores.

Walmart Supercenter: Always a big attraction on this shopping holiday, Walmart Supercenter located at 8288 Cincinnati-Dayton Road in West Chester, will feature electronics specials from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Black Friday. Various items on sale include a Magnavox Wi-Fi Blu-ray Disc Player for $69, a eMachines 15.6” Laptop for $198 and a Emerson 32” Class LCD HDTV for $198. If you don’t want electronics, but have other needs Walmart will be selling marked down items throughout the rest of its store at 12:01 a.m. Those items include video games (XBOX and PS3 games for $29), movies (more than 90 titles including “Sex in the City” and “Ice Age” for $1.96 each) children’s toys (Zhu Zhu Pets for $4 each), inexpensive clothing and homecare products. A local Walmart Black Friday ad of all the specials can be found on the Walmart website. The website also features a map, so shoppers can race more effectively to specially priced items.

Target: Like Walmart, Target located at 7644 Voice of America Centre Drive in West Chester, will host various shopping specials and uniquely timed deals. Currently, Target is in the middle of a 4-day sale (Nov. 21-24) – which is targeted for shoppers who want to “beat the rush.” The Target pre-Black Friday sale features marked down prices in every department of the store. Then, starting at 4 a.m. on Black Friday, Target will offer more deals such as a TomTom XL335T for $79 (regular price $189.99), a Nikon S205 Digital Camera for $79 (regular price $139.99) and newly released movies (such as “Grown Ups” and “Toy Story 3”) for $13. Target will also be giving away a free $10 gift card to customers who spend $100 or more between 4 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Black Friday. When Target’s Black Friday sale begins at 4 a.m. it will last to 11 p.m. and actually continue on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Meijer: Every superstore has its own spin on Black Friday and Meijer is no different. Meijer, which is located at 7390 Tylersville Road, actually has three separate sales including one on Thanksgiving Day itself. The Meijer Thanksgiving sale goes from 6 a.m. to midnight and features coupons for $50 off a customer’s next visit when they buy an XBOX 360 or a 8GB iPod touch. Meijer will also feature numerous other marked down items on Thursday, Nov. 25. Meijer’s Black Friday deals will last from 5 a.m. to noon. Then, on Saturday, Nov. 27, Meijer will feature its third sale in as many days. During the Saturday sale, customers can use their Santa Bucks to save on items throughout the store.

For a list of released Black Friday ads visit the bfads.net.

WestChesterBuzz.com will breakdown other local Black Friday sales throughout the week.

Posted in: Business, Events, News, Recreational events |

Tags: Tags: Black Friday, Black Friday deals, business, meijer, shopping, target, walmart