The Cincinnati Enquirer from Cincinnati, Ohio • Page A17

THE ENQUIRER 2016 17A Sylvia Thiel had a two-week old aby boy when her husband Mick olunteered her to play the organ at St. Columban Church in Loveland. where the story of the really begins. A lot of things at St. Columban egan with Thiel said, with a earty laugh.

1971I started in July. I had a two-week old baby and my husband volunteered me, God love him. And I had three in diapers, he was my third Thiel began playing the organ at hurch for whatever Mass she attended. She said Marilyn Schildmey- also volunteered and played the organ at the 4:30 p.m. Mass every Saturday.

While both began as volunteers, organist eventually became a aid position. parish grew with me. We all rew up Thiel said. learned to play the organ and they learned to put up with me. We are a big singing Getting the people to sing was the greatest thing for Thiel.

She served as the first parish music director until 1987. It was during the she a nd Esther Wolliver, another parishioner, were sent out to buy a new organ for the growing church. was the blind leading the she said. sure people ere praying for us that we would ake a good Their eyes were opened to an A llen organ by a most helpful sales person and prayers were answered. The Allen organ they bought from the Schooley Piano and Organ Co.

served St. Columban very well from 1980, through installation in the current church in 2002, and until 2008. Then, after 28 years and still provid- i ng a good sound, the Allen organ was temporarily set aside for a new Rogers organ installed at no cost to showcased for the dealer. readily agreed to this, but kept the Allen organ for the day the a rrangement would end and need to reinstall said Mary Bell- man, current music director for St. Columban.

organs came and went that year, until a generous par ishioner came forward to donate the one we currently With a new organ installed, Bellman said it was safe to let the Allen organ go. Word came that a Catholic etirement home in Cartagena was in eed of a small organ. St. Columban donated the Allen and told them to ass it on. Thus the journey began for the traveling church organ.

There is no detailed log of everywhere it has been since 2008, but the traveling Allen organ is known to have found several different homes. Among them was St. John the Baptist Church in Harrison. Just months ago a par ishioner there donated a new organ and was ready for travel once again. The music director called and asked if we wanted it Bellman said.

parishes would say, hank but at St. Columban, we Parishioner Diego Beeker has been playing bass at three of the four weekend Masses at St. Columban for ore than a year. The 2016 St. Xavier High School graduate is also an excellent pianist and percussionist who will major in electrical engineering at the University of Alabama begin- ing in the fall.

If things go well reshman year in engineering, he hopes to add music minor with a ocus on playing the organ. The Allen organ was offered to the it seemed a perfect match. got it from St. Johns over in said Beeker, who knows the St. Columban Allen organ history.

think really neat how something this big can travel and find its ay from its original home at St. Columban, go visit some other people, and then just return eeker has a long history of organists in the family. His great-grandmother and great-grandfather on is side both played the organ. In fact, Diego has a photo of himself as a young boy sitting at the organ with his great-grandfather. He owned several organs the last of hich is currently in the home.

actually newer than the Allen now installed in their Loveland home. organ is he said, ref erring to the Allen organ. older han me. The first one I got is actually younger than this he journeys we make in our lives tend to shape and mold our character. Beeker pointed to a scratch and nick on the Allen organ as a sign of its journey a mark of character for the organ.

He chose not to have the scratch and nick repaired. As Beeker prepares to begin his own journey to ollege in Alabama, he is mindful of his youthful visits to see his great- grandfather and how his interest in usic took shape. He is also aware of the journey the Allen organ travelled finding its way home to Loveland. find my way Beeker said. Church organ finds way home to Loveland Traveling Allen instrument is back at St.

Colomban Chuck Gibson CHUCK GIBSON FOR THE COMMUNITY PRESS St. Columban parishioner and musician Diego Beeker plays the Allen church organ which began a journey at St. Columban in 1980 that took it to several churches and cities. Colerain Township hiked parking ates at its township parks 900 percent or buses in an effort to stop day care centers from over-running park facilities. olerain Township trustees approved changes July 25 to park parking policies to address concerns about day care centers bringing busloads of youngsters from outside the township the sprayground at Clippard, making it overcrowded and not attractive township residents who want to use i t.

Under the old rates, all vehicles paid $5 per day to park in township parks. The board increased the daily fee to 50 for buses and commercial carriers. ehicle permits are required in all olerain Township parks. Vehicle perm it passes are on sale in the Colerain Township Administrative Offices, 4200 Springdale Road, during normal office ours Monday-Friday. Vehicle permits a re in effect from Jan.

1through Dec. 31and are not prorated. Beginning Aug. 1, the fee for pass enger vehicles cars, trucks and personal vans is $5 per day, $10 for an annual pass. Recreational vehicle passes are $10 per day, $20 for an annual pass.

Buses school, daycare and ommercial pay a daily rate of $50. There is no annual pass available for us parking in township parks. olerain Township Administrator Jim Rowan said the township was looking for a way to reduce the day are usage of the sprayground. In addition to raising the parking ate for buses and commercial trans- ortation, Rowan said the township is tepping up enforcement of its parking permit program. In addition to raising the parking ate, the township is stepping up en- orcement of its permit program, adding a part-time parks patrol officer to monitor permit compliance in all towns hip parks.

Herb Doerflein, a retired deputy sheriff from the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office who spent several years patrolling Colerain Township, as hired for $15 per hour, not to exceed 1,500 hours per year. He will not erve in the capacity of a police offi- er. If vehicles are in a township park without passes, they will receive cita- ions. Citations can be voided by purchasing a parking permit pass and aying a $10 administrative fee if paid ithin 24 hours of the offense. Cita- ions must be turned into the Colerain Township Police Department, 4200 Springdale Road, within 24 hours of he offense, except on Sundays and olidays.

Citations not redeemed for a parking permit pass will be processed hrough the Hamilton County Court system. Rowan said the township is reaching out to daycare centers in the area with letters informing them of the new olicy, and officials will monitor the new fee schedule to measure how ffective it is. This is a first step in our efforts to curtail this he said. will benchmark this, and if it work, will have to evaluate that. We have the money to have someone in ur parks Colerain parking fee for daycares using sprayground Jennie Key.