Dayton, here are 100 reasons we are thankful for you
Dayton, we are thankful for you. The Thanksgiving holid ay is the perfect time to pause and express gratitude.
As we all know, reasons for thankfulness go beyond good health, a great family and all that Thanksgiving stuffing.
We are grateful to be a part of ac ommu nitywithsuchastoried past, present and future.
We are so grateful in fact for all the positive things in this com- munity that we had a hard time keeping this list short but sweet. We did our best.
1. Dayton’s never-ending spirit of innovation. From legends of the past, to companies of the future, Dayton shines.
2. Th ew orld-famous Wright Brothers and being the true birthplace of aviation.
3. Famous inventions, from the cash register to the electric automobile starter to the poptop can to Cheez-its
4. Dayton’s amazing arts scene, artists, performers, arts supporters and venues who take pride in collaboration and trying new approaches.
5. Ooey, gooey Pub fri esat the Dublin Pub. They are one of Dayton’s favorite guilty pleasures.
6. Arcade bars that are helping us re-live our childhoods.
7. The Dayton Dragons, Heater and Gem. There is just something special about baseball in Dayton.
8. Dayton beer. Dayton breweries, Dayton brews, the Dayton beer trail. We simply cannot get enough
9. Mamma DiSalvo (and the whole family that’s been dishing out authentic Italian cuisine in Kettering for nearly 40 years). And that sauce …
10. All the things in Yellow Springs.
11. The Pink Ribbon Girls. What an incredible group of people who are making a difference for the lives of cancer patients in Dayton and nationally.
12. A peaceful walk through Glen Helen and John Bryan State Park
13. Legendary Christmas Lights at Historic Clifton Mill
14. 2nd Street Market
15. Festivals. We have some of the best festivals around celebrating strawberries, Celtic heritage, Greek food, beer and even sauerkraut.
16. Wu-Tang Wednesdays at The Barrel House
17. Esther’s Lil’ Secret. When Esther Price and Warped Wing team up, everybody wins.
18. Roller Skating Elvis
19. Paul Laurence Dunbar
20. Charming historical neighborhoods and equally charming suburbs
21. Local shopping, from Heart Mercantile, Agnes & Orson and Clash Dayton, to the many unique boutiques in Oakwood, Tipp City, Troy and beyond.
22. 70 years of Dorothy Lane Market and its Killer Brownies.
23. Chocolate-covered potato chips. Mike-Sells and Esther Price are a winning combination any day of the year.
24. The old Rike’s windows that decorate the Schuster Center lobby every holiday season.
25. Brunch in the Oregon District
26. Deeds Carillon and the many local treasures at Carillon Historical Park
27. Dayton Flyers basketball
28. Cronuts, sand tarts and butterscotch rolls from Ashley’s Pastry shop.
29. Allison Janney, John Legend, Rob Lowe, Martin Sheen, Nancy Cartwright, Alice Ripley, Hannah Beachler and so many other celebrities who call the Dayton area home and continue to give back.
30. Wiener Dog races.
31. Hawthorne Heights, Guided by Voices and The Breeders
32. The Artemis Center
33. The Pine Club’s bonein ribeye
35. The Dayton Contemporary Dance Company
36. Dave Chappelle sightings and guest appearances by his famous friends
37. A century worth of love for the Dayton Art Institute
38. Being the official Land of Funk.
39. Link Dayton Bike Share
40. Dayton’s resilience and ability to come together to find solutions
41. The Dayton Peace Accords, Dayton International Peace Museum and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize
42. The Calling In Dead from Zombie Dogz
43. Levitt Pavilion and FREE summer entertainment
44. The Bad Juan from Elsa’s
45. The Rubi Girls
46. Oktoberfest celebrations big and small
47. Heart Mercantile’s signs
48. The Dayton Inspires selfie wall
49. Five Rivers MetroParks
50. The Dayton Foodbank and House of Bread.
51. Community murals crafted by some of Dayton’s best artists
52. The Brightside
53. RiverScape River Run
54. The Dayton Region Walk of Fame
55. Donuts. Whether they’re from Bill, Stan or Jim
56. UD, Wright State, Sinclair, Wilberforce, Central State, Cedarville, Antioch
57. Downtown Dayton Metro Library
58. First Fridays downtown
59. The U.S. Air Force Museum and the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery
60. The Oregon District. Shopping, dining, drinking and fun events.
61. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
62. Foy’s, where every day is Halloween.
63. Victoria Theatre, Schuster Center and the new Arts Annex
64. Dayton chefs
65. Square-cut pizza
66. Stewed tomatoes
67. Dayton is within an 8 hour or less drive of at least 10 “major cities.”
68. St. Patrick’s Day is at The Dublin Pub and Flanagan’s Pub
69. The War Pig, The Lady Marmalade and other famous food truck eats
70. Food-truck rallies
71. Dayton Children’s Hospital
72. Huffy bike company
73. The Dayton Air Show
74. Dayton Ballet’s Nutcracker
75. The U.S. Air Force Marathon
76. The Neon Movies, The Little Art Theatre and The Plaza Theatre
77. The Little Exchange
78. Small businesses can make it here
79. 4 Paws service dogs
80. Welcome Dayton
81. The Dayton LGBT Center
82. Our code-breakers helped defeat the Nazis in World War II
83. Woodland Cemetery and its breathtaking view of the city
84. Yellow Cab Tavern
85. Summer concerts at Rose Music Center and The Fraze
86. Local coffee. Ghostlight, Press, Winan’s and more.
87. 40 years of tapas and paella at El Meson
88. Art Ball
89. Young’s Jersey Dairy ice cream and family fun
90. Stoddard Avenue Pumpkin Glow and the dedicated volunteers who make it happen.
91. Masquerage
92. Wright State is home to the Tom Hanks Center of Motion Pictures
93. Hauntfest on Fifth
94. Fireworks along the Great Miami River
95. Edwin C. Moses and his Olympic gold
96. Tech Town
97. Dayton the Ohio Aerospace Hub
98. John H. Patterson
99. Captain Jonathan Dayton
100. Good, kind, giving Daytonians who work to make this a better place to live every single day.
— Compiled by Michelle Fong, Amelia Robinson, Mark Fisher, Sarah Franks, Lisa Powell and Allegra Czerwinski with Dayton.com