Chillicothe Gun Show at Ross County Fairgrounds September 8-9 2012

The Ross County Fair might be over, but there's still plenty of activity coming up at the Ross County Fairgrounds.  This weekend's event will be the Chillicothe Gun and Knife Show, which will be held both Saturday and Sunday, September 8 and 9, 2012.

Admission for men is $5, with the ladies getting a deal at $2.  Children under 12 are admitted free.  Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

(Front Sight Promotions website has it listed at $4 for men, but I gave them a shout-out and they confirmed that what I've listed above is correct - $5 for men, $2 for women)

Saturday - 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sunday - 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Refreshments will be available for purchase both days, so plan on spending the day.

It's almost hunting season;  are your firearms ready?

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Win Prizes During Chillicothe and Ross County Library Summer Reading Program

Chillicothe and Ross County Public Library is sponsoring a summer reading program called Dream Big, which is open to both kids and adults.  This year's program offers prizes for all children who read a certain number of hours, with young adult and adult readers earning entries for prize drawings for each book they read.

Children too young to read can earn prizes when someone reads to them, and school aged children earn for two, four, six, eight, and ten hours of reading completed. Bookmarks, McDonald's coupons and books are among the prizes listed for kids to earn at each level.

For each book they read, young adults and adults will earn one entry each into both the weekly and grand prize drawings.  The weekly prizes vary, with one grand prize winner selected to win a Kindle Touch.





The contest for the summer reading program started on June 4, but there's still plenty of time to sign up, start reading, and get those entries in.  Stop by any Chillicothe and Ross County Library location, or register online at crcpl.org.

Kenworth Layoff Will Hurt Ohio Residents

1996 Kenworth built in Chillicothe 

 Ross County will take a hit with Kenworth laying off 10% of the workforce in its Chillicothe plant.  Business was trucking along in 2011 thanks to tax incentives which pushed up sales that allowed the company to hire in excess of 1,000 workers last year.

With over 2,000 estimated to be on the payroll in the local plant, that means about 200 will be out of a job after this week.

I’ll be blogging every day of the week (except Sundays) during the month of April for the A-Z Blogging Challenge. Each post will be on a topic that corresponds with the letter of the alphabet scheduled for that day.

Dog Days

With two of my own and two more that visit often, how could I not write about dogs on D-day?

Molly & Jethro are dog-tired

As a freelance writer, I publish a good amount of material about pets in general and more specifically, dogs.  Many of my articles are at Yahoo! Voices and Shine, and one of them even made the front page of Yahoo! in January, where it was viewed by more than a million and a half readers.  I've also started writing more local dog-related pieces for Examiner.

I'm always looking for local topics to write about, so if you have a dog-related business - veterinarian, grooming, dog-walking, anything about canines - let me hear from you.  I love to feature dog rescue organizations, so if you have a fundraiser, adoption, or any other similar event planned that involves dogs, send a shout out to OhioDogExaminer@gmail.com.  I can publish anything about Ross County up to Columbus and surrounding areas, and enjoy supporting my local community and small businesses.

I’ll be blogging every day of the week (except Sundays) during the month of April for the A-Z Blogging Challenge. Each post will be on a topic that corresponds with the letter of the alphabet scheduled for that day.

Credit Union vs Bank

If you’d like to keep more money in your wallet, you should consider doing business with a credit union instead of a bank.  Banks are in business to make money for themselves, whereas credit unions are run by the membership.  Not only are interest rates on mortgages, car and personal loans generally lower at a credit union, the interest rate you can earn on funds you deposit into a checking or savings account  is usually higher than what you’d earn at a traditional banking institution.

Most credit unions offer the same services that banks do – savings accounts, checking accounts, online banking, debit cards, credit cards, overdraft protection, etc.  Membership requirements will vary by establishment, but most credit unions open membership to a large demographic and even if you don’t qualify yourself, you can often qualify through a family member.

There are three credit unions located in the Chillicothe and Ross County area:

Atomic Employees Credit Union’s main branch is located in Waverly, with other branches scattered throughout southern Ohio.  The Chillicothe branch is located on N. Bridge St., next to Chipotle Mexican Grill.  Membership is open to anyone who resides, works, or worships in one of 14 counties, as well as their families residing elsewhere.

Chivaho Federal Credit Union is located on the grounds of the VA Medical Center on State Route 104 in Chillicothe.  Membership is open to anyone who lives, works, attends worship or school in Ross County.

Homeland Credit Union has two offices in Chillicothe, as well as offices in Circleville, Greenfield, and Waverly.  Membership is open to anyone who lives or works in one of nine southern Ohio counties.

With the number of credit union locations available in south/central Ohio, there’s no reason to give your money to a faceless national bank.  Keep your money in Ross County and support your local community.

I’ll be blogging every day of the week (except Sundays) during the month of April for the A-Z Blogging Challenge. Each post will be on a topic that corresponds with the letter of the alphabet scheduled for that day.

Beds 'n' Stuff

I recently decided to buy a futon for my spare bedroom/craft room and wanted something decent, but didn't want to spend a lot of money since it would be rarely used.  I stopped by several places in Chillicothe to compare quality and prices, and was told that Beds 'n' Stuff on Bridge St (formerly the waterbed place, recently moved next door to Kroger) had a good selection.

(c) Marie Anne St. Jean

They did have quite a few futons to choose from, but the prices were higher than what I was willing to pay.  Even if I did have money to spare, however, it would not have been spent in Beds 'n' Stuff.

Animal Care Clinic of Chillicothe

I have two dogs, two cats, plus a stray that's made my yard her home, so I need to make every penny count while still providing them the love and care they need.  When the stray mama cat decided to bring me two consecutive litters of her kittens to take care of, I knew I had to somehow catch her and get her spayed before things got even more out of hand.  She wasn't really my cat, but if I didn't help with a solution, I guess I was part of the problem with cat overpopulation.  Dr. Pelfrey and her staff at the Animal Care Clinic to the rescue!

Jethro investigating what kittens are all about

I needed to spay mama cat as well as get shots and neuter one of the male kittens I'd kept from the first litter, so I called around to check on prices.  I didn't qualify for the reduced spay/neuter fee through the local Humane Society, so after letting my fingers do the walking, I found that not only was the Animal Care Clinic on Western Ave. close by, they also had the best prices of the veterinarians in my area.

Mama cat got spayed, little Redneck got neutered, and I brought Boo (male kitten from second litter) to get fixed when he was old enough too.  All surgeries went without incident with no further treatment required.

With four critters that need flea meds, Dr. Pelfrey has been able to save me a significant amount of that monthly fee each month as well.  The prices at Animal Care Clinic beat even the advertised specials you find on TV and online.  She mixes her own doses of Revolution for cats, saving me even more.

If you're looking for a reputable veterinarian in Chillicothe or Ross County, Dr. Pelfry and the staff at Animal Care Clinic are worth a look.

I’ll be blogging every day of the week (except Sundays) during the month of April for the A-Z Blogging Challenge.  Each post will be on a topic that corresponds with the letter of the alphabet scheduled for that day.