Ha-ha, readers! For once, thou shalt not be bashing the gateway to the midwest- good ole Ohio! In fact, I was impressed to see Yellow Springs (home of Dave Chapelle) show up as 1 of 10 coolest small towns to live according to Budget Travel. I’ve been there once and was pleasantly surprised to see this hippie haven of a town in what seems to be the middle of nowhere, Ohio. It’s about 60 minutes drive from Columbus, just outside Springfield, Ohio (home of “The Simpsons“…sorta, depending on who you believe…in any case it’s funny how Ohio is so often referenced in shows or when talking about average America), or about 20 minutes from Dayton.
So here’s the excerpt from Budget Travel Magazine.
Population: 3,675
Nearest City: Dayton, 21 miles
Yellow Springs has been a beacon for artists, activists, and creative thinkers since progressive Antioch College opened in 1852. “You can breathe here and feel very comfortable expressing yourself,” says Kim Korkan, co-owner of The Winds Cafe & Bakery, which serves dishes using ingredients mostly from local farms. Although the college was forced to close this summer because of financial problems, Yellow Springs is thriving: The main drag, Xenia Avenue, is lined with shops, cafés, restaurants, and galleries. No Common Scents sells more than 250 varieties of herbs and spices from across the globe, and Clemente Ullmer’s shop, La Llama Place, is stocked with crafts from South America. Across town, the Yellow Springs Dharma Center, a Buddhist retreat draped in Tibetan prayer flags, holds meditation and chanting sessions. Public art has taken on a new meaning in the town, as well. One day, knitting appeared wrapped around a tree downtown, and soon passersby were bringing yarn to add to it. Now, the signposts up and down Xenia Avenue are covered with knitted “graffiti.” — Peter Mandel
click below for slide.com presentation of more knitting graffiti that I found on Jafabrit‘sblog
I have lived here 6 years and LOVE it. I can walk into town and go to the movies, a bar, a cafe, get fresh bread, and yes there is always something going on. Where else would let me and my pals cover a tree with knitting 🙂 It doesn’t surprise me that it made the top 10.
jafabrit, a brit expat
@jafabrit- thanks for commenting! i updated this post highlighting the statement in Budget Travel about the knitting “graffiti.” I had seen the image I’ve included when surfing for images (by the way, not many good ones to choose from for some reason, even Budget Travel used a picture of a meal from one of the restaurants rather than an image of the town…surprising choice to me.) and bypassed it because I was not familiar.
I checked your blog. Nice artwork! I’m also linking to your slide show “KnitKnot.”
i feel like driving there today! 🙂
oh thank you for adding our slide show 🙂
the photo is by scott peterson from the associated press of nancy mellon.
If you come today it is rather miserable and grotty, but if you do then take a wander up dayton street (we have covered many of the poles with knit graffiti).
Next friday is fling in the springs and our group will be leaving about 20 free pieces of art around town. Check out the chamber of commerce website for events that evening.
http://www.yellowspringsohio.org/friday_fling.html
oh and my blog 🙂 sweet.
@jafabrit- i’m feeling like dusting off my nikon sometime soon and venturing out there. keep me posted of happenings and such. my contact info is on my “about me” page.
One of the best ways to keep up with events is through the chamber of commerce website.
http://www.yellowspringsohio.org/index.html
I run the arts council blog but it is more a visual presentation of art around town rather than a calendar of events per se. We do have a nice little slideshow on there though.
http://ysarts.blogspot.com/
we live in Dayton and travel to Yellow Springs once a week. It is one of those towns you fall in love with.