An American Songline

Journeys in Vintage Music with Cecelia Otto

Ohio

The Hayesville Opera House: The Best Place to Step Back in Time – Literally

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As of today, I’m now almost ten performances into this tour, and every venue I’ve performed in holds a unique space in my mind and heart. The Hayesville Opera House is an amazing venue for a musician like me, and I wish I could take this venue with me everywhere I go so you all could see hear what everyone in central Ohio sees regularly.

Built in 1886, this opera house has been restored back to its original glory, and is on the National Register as a historical landmark. From the time I walked into the venue for my rehearsal, this place took my breath away. From the hat racks under the wooden seats to the hand-painted backdrops, I was blown away at the preservation of this venue. The acoustics were perfect; it was an absolute dream to perform there.

View from the stage of the seating area. That is cast iron stove in the back was used to originally heat the place, but is no longer in use.
This is a view of the stage from the seats. The piano is on the floor on the right hand side, and that backdrop (painted in Chicago) is an original from 1886.
Here is another hand painted backdrop I found backstage. If you go to the Opera house’s website, you can see a photo of this same backdrop which was used in a play in 1916.
Here’s a picture detailing the tin ceiling (added in 1907), and motif work on the walls.

The Opera House is located in a very small town on the highway, which is a pity. I’m sure this venue has been so well-kept all of this time because of its location, but places like these need to be seen and experienced. The president of the restoration board is Dave Roepke, and he was so kind to not only play the piano for my performance, but he let me wander everywhere in the space to take photographs. I’ve performed on stages all over the world, and I’ve never seen as much backstage graffiti as I did in this place. I spent a long time reading all of the names, shows, and dates that people have left over 125+ years (including a disputed signature from Buffalo Bill in 1888). I too left my mark on that place, as you’ll see below.

If you look closely, you can see what appears to be a signature from Buffalo Bill.
This signature is definitely one of if not the earliest I found on the walls.
There are four dressing room at the Hayesville Opera House, and to me this one had the most interesting writing and drawings on the walls. Plus note in the photo that you can see an original gas lamp too!
I was very happy to “make my mark” in the dressing room you saw in the last picture.

I had a fantastic time performing in this venue, and would definitely perform there again. You can read more about my performance in Hayesville from Jamie at My Lincoln Highway here, or to read Denny Gibson’s review, click here. I’ll leave you with two more shots of me in at this lovely theatre. I am standing in front of the main curtain, and once picture is in color, and the other is in black and white. If you compare my black and white photo to the historic photos in this link, I think you’ll see that there’s not much difference between the two.

 

Up next, a short but sweet post about Western Ohio. Until then, keep listening for those songlines!

Sightseeing in Eastern Ohio with My Lincoln Highway

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I have to admit, while it’s fun to explore these places by myself it’s good to have company with you from time to time. And that’s where Jamie from My Lincoln Highway comes in. She walks and photographs sections of the highway in detail, and I’m happy to say I parked the car and walked with her through some beautiful sections of the highway in Eastern Ohio.

Jamie and I spent a Saturday following the Lincoln from Hanoverton to Massillon Ohio, and then also the following Tuesday going from Massillon to Wooster. Again, I won’t duplicate what Jamie wrote in this post, this other post, as well as anything I wrote about when I visited Canton last year for the 2012 LHA conference (to read that post click here).

Here’s my top 5 highlights of the area in words (you can read more in detail in the photo gallery below):

1) First off, I loved walking around Hanoverton. I’ve never been to colonial Williamsburg, but I can imagine Hanoverton being very similar. The Spread Eagle Tavern is definitely a neat place to walk around itself, every room has its own history. If you are watching your budget while traveling, I recommend going for lunch in lieu of dinner. The food is just as good, and you’ll save a few pennies.

2) The McKinley Memorial is a lovely tribute to our 25th president. He wasn’t discussed much during my history classes growing up, so I learned a lot about his life and presidency. Plus, you can get your exercise in running up and down all those stairs!

3) The Massillon Museum has some great collections in it, plus there’s another Lincoln Highway marker right out of front of it. There will be a Lincoln Highway exhibit coming soon, plus you should go try to find both “Oscar” and “Harvey”. Free admission.

4) Downtown Wooster is slowly being revitalized, and there’s some great shops and antique stores that are fun to browse in. The Wayne County Courthouse is neat architectural find along the route; I’ve not seen a building of its type and condition yet.

5) Last but not least, any roads made out of brick. I know it may seem funny to you, but sometimes we have to look at what’s underneath our feet to appreciate our history. There’s some beautiful old red brick stretches of the highway along the route, and nothing transport you back in time faster than hearing your tires rumble as you drive slowly along the road. There are a few stretches of brick road along this route, and you can find where they are on Lincoln Highway Association’s Map: http://www.lincolnhighwayassoc.org/map/ (make sure the “Points of Interest” box is clicked on the right hand side, and zoom in).

FYI – I’m finding it easier as time goes on to upload photo galleries with all of my images below; it not only means those photos will be easier for you to see, but it’s a quicker turnaround (internet access/time permitting) for me to get updates to you as well. Comment away if you think this format is not working for you all, and I’ll adjust.

Up next, I’ll be dedicating a post to my performance in the Hayesville Opera house. Have a safe and fun Memorial Day weekend everyone!

LHA 2012 Conference highlights

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There were many, many things going on at this year Lincoln Highway Association conference in Ohio, it was hard to keep up with it all!  I went on the West tour on Tuesday (Canton to Mansfield on the Lincoln Highway), the East Tour yesterday (Canton to Chester, WV), and took in the two fun evening activities: the Cruise-In and a night at the Palace Theatre downtown.  Thursday was a day full of learning with seminars, meetings, and tours that people could take, with our final banquet at the Canton Club.  All in all, it was a fantastic conference, thanks to everyone who made it so great!

So in photos, here’s my highlights of the 2012 conference in Canton (Get comfy-I have a few photos to share):

WEST TOUR (TUESDAY):

Our first stop was the Ohio State Reformatory (Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society) in Mansfield, Ohio. The Reformatory doors were opened to its first 150 young offenders in September 1896. After housing over 155,000 men in its lifetime, the doors to the prison closed December 31, 1990. It has the tallest free-standing cell block at six tiers.   I have been here before at night, so it was fascinating to see it during the day.

One of the first signs the inmates would see.
A standard cell in the East Cell Block.
This room in the East Cell Block now stores many things, including old toilets!
View of the West Cell Block.

After lunch, our second stop was to Oak Hill Cottage near downtown Mansfield.  Originally built in 1847, this home has all of  the possessions and furniture that were used in the house by the Jones family for over 100 years.  It was one of the most beautiful homes I’ve ever seen.

The Sitting Room had an “exotic” theme with Moroccan and Egyptian elements in the room. These Sphinxes on the lamps are a great example of the details in this house.
This hutch holds the hats and shoes of the women who lived in this house.
This is a working pipe organ in the sanctuary of the house.
A true representation of Gothic architecture, the exterior of this house has been restored back to its original glory.

Our last stop on the West tour was in Mifflin, Ohio. This place has some neat historical markers, including a village watering trough that has been preserved near St. Michaels church:

Tuesday evening’s fun was a Cruise-in in downtown Canton.  91 cars from all over came to show off their cars.  I was in the book room telling everyone about my project, selling CD’s, and talking with fellow LHA members.

I was so happy to finally meet Jamie, the creator of “My Lincoln Highway” blog! Check out her site if your haven’t yet.
Over 91 cars appeared in Canton. This photo was taken towards the end of the show.
We had our own “cruise-in” in the book room that night. Bernie (who turns 100 next month) gives Esther (his wife) a ride on a hotel cart-faster than I would have pushed it! These two have an amazing story to tell, which I will share at a later date.

EAST TOUR (WEDNESDAY):

This day we went all the way to Chester, West Virginia, stopping in Lisbon (the 2nd oldest city in Ohio), East Liverpool, Chester, and Robertsville. Our evening was spent at the glorious Palace theatre in downtown Canton touring and taking in a movie. I will post a few photos now for the theatre, but plan to see more video and audio of this beautiful place!

Here are some of my photo highlights of this day:

This stretch of the original Lincoln Highway brick road is right outside of Minerva, Ohio.
Built in 1805, the Old Stone House, is one of Ohio’s oldest buildings.
This bridge abutment is all that is left of the original bridge that used to cross the Lincoln Highway. Today it is now a scenic overlook (looking at Ohio from West Virginia).
View of the Ohio River from Chester, West Virginia.
The world’s largest Teapot: Chester, West Virginia.
Some other old remnants of the original route near Cindel Road.
This is a Mural in Robertsville, Ohio of what their downtown would have looked like in the 1920’s. Those buildings still exist, but are used for different functions now.
View of the Palace theatre from stage right. This theatre was built in the 1920’s.
Had a little fun with color on this one-this is one of the dressing rooms at the Palace theatre.
Detail of one of the theatre chairs.

THURSDAY:

Thursday was our final day of the conference, which included seminars and our final dinner/awards ceremony.  I spent most of my day connecting with people, meeting about the Centennial plans for the conference and how I will be involved with the upcoming celebration in Nebraska next year.   This view was magnificent from the roof at the Canton Club, which was where our final banquet took place.  Here’s a few photos of that view from the 14th floor.

Again, I had a fabulous time performing and being a part of the conference this year!  I hope everyone makes it home safely, and I will see you all soon.

Greetings from Canton!

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I’m here in Canton, Ohio for the 2012 Lincoln Highway Association conference, and all I can say is wow, what a night last night!

I had the honor to start the festivities off after invocation last night at dinner with a few songs from next year’s program.  I am still floored by the response from over 130 people in attendance last night. Everyone had a good time, and were smiling and singing along. Thank you again to the Ohio Lincoln Highway League and the Ohio Lincoln Highway Historic Byway for letting me be a part of your conference this year.

We shot video of my performance last night, and plan to put up excerpts after the conference is over, so stay tuned for that! In the meantime, I plan to post daily about the conference with pictures and words, so check back often for those posts. If you are in the Canton area, attending the conference, I have a table in the book room this year.  Please stop by to say hello!  I’ll also have an advance copy of last night’s songs for sale for $5, and you can’t beat that.

Here are a few picture highlights from yesterday:

President Lincoln and I met yesterday afternoon, and he bought a copy of my CD!
Here is a view of my booth for this year’s conference.
Me in my full costume prior to performance.
A big thanks to Paul Gilger for accompanying me last night. I couldn’t have done it without him!
Me with in costume at my table this year.
So glad to see a good friend and colleague Brian Butko last night at the conference! I know he is a busy man.

Getting ready for the 2012 LHA conference!

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I got back from Mongolia on Monday afternoon, and I’m still a little jet lagged still but all in all doing very well.  It was a fantastic trip, and I look forward to sharing some of the highlights with you all after I’ve sorted through the 1,500 photos, videos and audio recordings I made while I was there.

No rest for the weary though-I hit the ground running when I came back.  I am very honored and pleased to officially say that I will be performing for the opening night dinner of this year’s 2012 Lincoln Highway Conference in Canton, Ohio.  I will be singing a few songs to give everyone a small taste of what people can expect when I take the program on the road in 2013.  I look forward to seeing everyone that I met in Lake Tahoe last year, as well as making new friends at this year’s conference.

If you can’t make it to the opening dinner or conference this year to hear these tracks, do not fear!  I am selling a special advance preview CD with five tracks on it for $5 at the conference (Look for my table in the book room and come and say hi!), and after the conference is over I will have a special link where you can purchase the CD (additional shipping costs will apply).

Like last year, I will be posting photos from the conference as well as giving written updates from the road. We will also try to get video of my performance as well so you all can finally see me sing, so stay tuned for that.

Safe travels to my LHA colleagues, and I look forward to seeing you all next week in Canton!

Absence makes the road call faster

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“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.”- Abraham Lincoln

So I’ve been fairly quiet in the blog world this month. Not because I’ve got nothing to say (my beloved, friends, and family can attest to that), but because I’ve been working on so many other facets of the 2013 concert that are hard to write about.

I’ve been pouring over hundreds of pieces of sheet music from the 1910’s, 20’s and 30’s (some of them the original publications) thinking about what pieces of music I like and would work well for buy cheap viagra online the travelogue, as well as thinking about what format to sing everything in.

I’ve figured out the format now, and am still whittling down the songs for the concert in my own music practice (finding and sight reading all of these pieces takes a long time). I still need help in finding old concert programs from places along the highway. Hopefully I can find some programs soon.

The need to be on the road exploring the highway has been growing stronger since the conference. I was trying to figure out a way to see more of the highway this year, and I found it!

At this time next week, I’ll be driving on the Lincoln Highway for the annual “Buy-Way” weekend.  I plan to drive through all five participating states to check out the areas and talk to anyone and everyone I can about the travelogue for 2013.

Here’s my rough itinerary:

I will leave Chicago in the middle of next week and drive east to Pittsburgh via the later alignments of the LH route.  I will drive West the rest of the week on the original alignments on the days noted below.

Thursday: West Virginia and Ohio

Friday: Indiana and Illinois

Saturday: Illinois and Iowa (ending in Colo, IA at the famous Reed/Niland corner).

I will be writing from the road as I did in June.  If anyone has any recommendations of things I should see while I’m out and about, let me know.  I especially want to check out old theatres and opera houses of course.

If any of you will be driving too, please let me know!  I would love to see you.

Safe travels!