Tonight the Ohioana Library Association presented the annual Ohioana Awards. This year the ceremony was in the vaulted basement of the Ohio Statehouse, an interesting old building that is full of nooks and crannies. The backdrop to our ceremony was the darkened Statehouse Museum, with a very cool backlit depiction of the Great Seal of Ohio.
There was a great crop of Ohioana Award winners this year, and as usual it was particularly interesting to hear writers talk about their craft. These days our state may be known to the nation as “Battleground Ohio,” but at its soul Ohio is a quirky, creative place that is home to many fine writers, poets, and artists. It’s nice to see that reality affirmed every once in a while.
Congratulations to all of the winners of this years Ohioana Awards!
In Ohio, as in Wisconsin and other states, the ability of public employees to engage in collective bargaining is being revisited by the legislature, and the pro-union forces were having a big rally. As we approached the Statehouse along Third Street, buses were rolling up and discharging union members who were joining the rally. The crowd, probably numbered in the hundreds by that point, began a spirited “Kill the bill!” chant. Union members were handing out fliers with the schedule for the day. The TV trucks were there, with their satellite dishes extended, and we ran into an NPS radio reporter who was happy to have some good audio to use in her report. As we turned the corner of the Statehouse, we saw more union members heading toward the rally. At the corner of Broad and High we watched as a firefighters bagpipe and drum corps marched by playing some unknown tune, their kilts flapping in the cold winter wind. A policeman who was holding back traffic gave a high five to one of the marchers. By the time we got back to the firm, a helicopter — probably from one of the local stations — was hovering overhead to get some crowd shots. And when I drove home that night I heard that the rally would be capped by a lawsuit contesting the decisions on how many of the rally attendees were permitted to enter the Statehouse.
