“There are a lot of yearbooks, a lot of historic documents that I’m just thrilled are not escaping,” Ogden said. “There are a lot of photographs, college catalogs, promotional material.”

Ogden’s favorite find so far may be the document deeding land for Urbana University, which was founded in 1850.

“The curator and a volunteer found the original deed from John H. James giving the land to Urbana University,” she said.

“Another box has one of the original plates used to print the degrees handed out,” she added. “There are absolute treasures in here I am thrilled to death are being saved. They are too important to let get out of the county.”

Ogden said not every find may stay at the museum, that it may be decided some items should go to other organizations or facilities.

She said she appreciates that the museum was contacted and the boxes of history delivered.

“I’m grateful that the people at Franklin see the importance of keeping this in the local area and contacted us to see that it gets preserved,” she said. “I am a UU alumna, my father was an alumnus and my daughters both earned their degrees there, There are several members of (the county Historical Society) board of trustees that have connections to UU, so the artifacts we have received will be valued and cared for by us.”
Franklin University purchased the struggling Urbana University six years ago, turning it into a branch campus. Low enrollment and financial difficulties continued, but it was COVID-19 that Franklin officials said finally shuttered the campus.

In April, Franklin announced that UU would not reopen after the spring term. Complying with state coronavirus guidelines, UU had evacuated the campus, and students were doing studies online. With UU’s closing, students were advised that they could finish academic studies online and that there would be assistance for those wishing to transfer to other schools.

Kathy Fox can be reached at 937-652-1331, est. 1773.

​By Chelsea Bray- Elle A. Design

​We are so happy to see some of our favorite local restaurants opening back up for dine-in. This year has been very hard on the restaurant industry so we want to focus on supporting local as much as we can when dining out. Along with employees wearing masks and gloves at all locations, there are some important things to note at a few of your favorite restaurants. Things are still changing daily, but for now we have taken some time to gather information from local restaurants on what you can expect when dining out this summer. 

Located on the square in Urbana, Cafe Paradiso has made some amazing changes to help with social distancing and health safety while dining. The restaurant offers two outdoor tables on their patio and indoor dining is limited during this time. The team at Cafe Paradiso also had a great idea of putting their menus under plexiglass on their tables. This makes it easy to see all your options and the menus stay clean and safe! The best way to visit right now is to make a reservation by calling 937-653-8040. They are open Monday through Thursday 11am-8pm and Friday and Saturday 11am-9pm. You can also find them on Facebook and follow them for more updates on what they are doing to keep you safe. 

In Mechanisburg, you can stop into Mixin’s N Fixin’s Country Diner for some comfort food. They are asking customers to wait to be seated ensuring proper sanitation between parties. While visiting you will need to make sure your party is no larger than 10 people. They offer prepackaged individual wet wipes and hand sanitizer for all customers. You will notice barriers between tables that are there to keep all the patrons safe and healthy! The team at Mixin’s N Fixin’s is still offering carryout orders as well and will deliver to your vehicle upon arrival. Be sure to check out their Facebook page for daily specials and to see what pie they are offering ​each day! 
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If you are craving some BBQ, you can find it at Uncle Beth’s in North Lewisburg! They are open Thursday, Friday and Saturday 11:30am-7:30pm for dine-in and carry-out. Right now, their inside dining is very limited to account for proper social distancing, but they have added extra tables outside to make up for it! Their menu changes weekly and you can find what specials they are running on their Facebook page. When you arrive at the restaurant their menu is printed on the wall, so you don’t have to touch anything. They also offer a large variety of desserts than you can enjoy after your meal or take home and enjoy later. 

Another Urbana favorite, The Farmer’s Daughter, is open again for dining. Their current hours are Monday-Friday 6am-8pm, Saturday 7am-2pm and they are closed on Sundays. They have many options for dining including indoor seating, covered outdoor seating and curbside pick-up, that can be ordered online or over the phone. They have worked very hard to create an outdoor seating area that matches the atmosphere you are used to when dining at The Farmer’s Daughter. Once you have had dinner you can grab dessert, coffee or a unique gift item next door at their gift shop, The Farmhouse Gift Shop. Check out The Farmer’s Daughter on Facebook to see more updates as they become available! 

We hope this quick run-down will help everyone better understand what to expect while dining out in Champaign County! We are so excited to see restaurants opening back up and to see people dining out again. All of the amazing local support has been key to keeping our favorite local businesses open and operating. Thank you, Champaign County! 

​Start your morning at Freshwater Farms of Ohio, the largest indoor hatchery in Ohio. Get up close and personal with rare, endangered fish at the Sturgeon Petting Zoo and watch the trout jump for joy and splash in excitement as you hand feed them in the Trout Feeding Frenzy. Admission is free but you don’t want to miss out on the gift shop featuring local items.

Travel a few miles down on US 68 to Grimes Field Municipal Airport. Kids love watching small aircraft fly in on a sunny day on the patio at the Airport Cafe, famous for their homemade pies. The airport is also home to three free museums (Champaign Aviation Museum, Grimes Flying Lab Museum and Mid America Flight Museum) bringing aviation history to life! Check individual locations for hours of operation.

Run off some energy at Melvin Miller Park with outdoor recreation including but not limited to playgrounds, skate park, RC track, fishing pond, dog park, walking trails and bike path. Try a round of Disc Golf at Urbana Hilltop Disc Golf Course. This top rated course features a variety of open and wooded holes with some elevation changes.

Head to Downtown Urbana for a treat! Camazzi’s has been a local favorite for kids of all ages for over 120 years! This is THE place in Champaign County to satisfy your sweet tooth serving just about any kind of candy you can imagine. Don’t forget to join Johnny’s Candy Club!

By now, you probably need a place to cool off. Urbana’s Gloria Theatre has a rich history that began more than 113 years ago near the beginning of the twentieth century. Today, GrandWorks is renovating and transforming this community treasure into a modern entertainment venue for movies and live theater. Catch a show or family friendly movie!

End your adventure at Cedar Bog Nature Preserve, considered by many to be Ohio’s premiere natural area. It ranks the highest of any site in the state on the Ohio Floristic Diversity Index for its great diversity of plants. The boardwalk is accessible Wednesday-Sunday, 9 AM to 5 PM.

Thinking of making this an overnight trip? The Cobblestone Hotel-Urbana is offering special rates for those participating in the Family Fun Trail. Call the hotel directly and ask for the Family Fun Trail Rate.

​Follow the Champaign County Visitors Bureau on Facebook and Instagram and check us out on the web at visitchampaignohio.com for more information about great attractions and destinations in Champaign County. 

West Liberty’s second annual Summer Street Market is happening July 24th and 25th! We will have local vendors and artists set up on Columbus Street. While you are shopping you can grab a bite to eat from one of the food trucks and enjoy some music by Kevin Ashba Friday evening. To make this event safe for everyone all of our vendors booths will be six feet apart, traffic through the street market will flow one direction, and we will provide a sanitation station at the entrance/exit. Many local shops will be open, and some will even be offering special discounts.
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On Saturday the annual West Liberty Fire Sales will be happening village-wide so be ready to shop all day!
 
This event is the kickoff to West Liberty’s Fourth Friday Events for the rest of the year. Be sure to check out our site or follow us on Facebook to see what we have planned for next month!