Main Street Free Press Museum Sept. 10

Join Central Ohio SPJ Thursday, Sept. 10 in Fredericktown — about an hour from Columbus

• Celebrate the institution of the hometown newspaper and the craft of letterpress.
• Have a genuine Knox County Porkette sandwich, a bowl of Presbyterian bean soup and a scoop of Methodist ice cream on a slice of Baptist pie and experience the annual Fredericktown Tomato Show.
• Hear a panel discussion on the future of the community newspaper, moderated by Ohio Newspaper Association Executive Director Frank Deaner and featuring community journalists.

It’s free!

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 10 at the MAIN STREET FREE PRESS MUSEUM
in Fredericktown

With America’s big newspapers in big trouble, what’s the prospect for our smaller, hometown papers? Explore the answers with a panel of Ohio journalists representing weekly newspapers, both independently owned and properties of major companies.

• Moderator: Frank E. Deaner, executive director, Ohio Newspaper Association
• Panelists:
• Judy Divelbiss, editor of Fredericktown’s Knox County Citizen, a property of Brown Publishing Co.
• Jeff Donahue, community editor, Hillard and Marysville editions of The Dispatch Printing Co.’s ThisWeek Community Newspapers, and chairman, Weekly Newspaper Committee, Ohio Newspaper Association
• Kim Ross-Palito and Joseph Palito, owners and, respectively, editor & publisher and general manager, The Crestline Advocate

The chapter’s sixth annual September getaway to the Main Street Free Press Museum will, as in past years, coincide with the Fredericktown Tomato Show, so a wide variety of food will be available a la carte at booths just outside the museum before and after our program.  Enjoy a Knox County Porkette sandwich or a nice steak, a bowl of Presbyterian bean soup and maybe a scoop of Methodist ice cream on a slice of Baptist pie.

Our chapter event will include tours of the museum and its displays, with letterpress-printing demonstrations on one of the museum’s antique presses.

The Schedule

Tours of the museum will be conducted from 6 to 7 p.m. The panel program will begin at 7:15 at First Baptist Church, a short walk around the block from the museum. After the program, the museum will reopen for more tours, browsing and socializing. Tomato Show food (to be consumed out-of-doors) and exhibits will be available all day and evening for those who wish to come early or stay late. Restrooms will be available at the church.

6:00 p.m. — Museum tours. Food available at Tomato Show booths.

7:15 p.m. — Panel on “The Future of Community Newspapers” at First Baptist Church.

8:30 p.m. — Museum reopens for tours, browsing and socializing.  Food at Tomato Show booths.

The Main Street Free Press Museum

The museum was founded in 2000 by Rarick W. Long, who was a member of our chapter for 48 years, until his death in 2001, and by his sons and daughter, John C. Long of New York, Rebecca Long Leakey of Pittsburgh and Harlan B. Long of Indianapolis. The museum structure, the Lyman Wright Building, dates to 1836 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building formerly housed the Knox County Citizen, Fredericktown’s weekly newspaper, which Rarick Long published for 35 years, and Rarick Long’s letterpress print shop.  The museum’s objectives, which have been endorsed by both the Central Ohio and New York City SPJ chapters, are fourfold:

• To foster freedom of the press under the First Amendment at the grass-roots level.
• To celebrate the institution of the small-town newspaper.
• To demonstrate the craft of letterpress printing.
• To restore and preserve the museum’s historic building and antique letterpress equipment.

The museum is in full operation during the Tomato Show, a community celebration held annually on the Wednesday through Saturday following Labor Day.  Tours and printing demonstrations can be specially arranged at other times from April through October.  To schedule a tour, or to volunteer to help develop the museum and its projects, call John Long, who directs the museum, at 917-693-7664.  A retired Wall Street Journal editor, he is a member of Central Ohio Pro and is a past president of the New York City and Louisville, Ky., SPJ chapters.  The museum is an associate member of the Ohio Newspaper Association.

Driving and Parking Directions

From Columbus and other points south, take I-71 to the Ohio 95 Mount Gilead-Fredericktown exit.  Turn right (east) onto Ohio 95.  Drive 10 miles on 95, through Chesterville, to Fredericktown. Ohio 95 becomes Fredericktown’s Sandusky Street.  At the edge of town, drive straight ahead through the interchange with Ohio 13, staying on 95.  Drive on past any partial traffic barrier you may encounter in the middle of the highway at the edge of town and continue into the village on Ohio 95/Sandusky Street until you reach a full traffic barrier at Chestnut Street. Turn right on Chestnut, and within one block turn left into the parking lot of First Presbyterian Church, or of the Church of the Nazarene in the next block. If the parking lots are full, circle back to Sandusky Street by making two right turns, then turn left (west) on Sandusky and park on the right (north) side of Sandusky Street.  (No parking will be allowed on the south side of Sandusky Street.) From the parking lots, walk back to Sandusky Street and then up the hill on Sandusky one block to the village Square.  At the Square, turn left on Main Street.  The museum is one block ahead on your right, at Second and Main streets (42 North Main Street).  If you arrive just in time for the 7:15 p.m. program, go directly to First Baptist Church, the Colonial-style red-brick church with tall white columns just east of the Square, at Sandusky and Pleasant streets. From Cleveland and other points north, take I-71 south to the Ohio 13 Mansfield-Bellville exit.  Turn left (south) on Ohio 13.  Drive 15 miles on Ohio 13, through Bellville, to the Ohio 95 Fredericktown exit.  Turn left (east) on Ohio 95, which becomes Fredericktown’s Sandusky Street, and follow the directions above, beginning with “Drive on past any partial traffic barrier.”  If you need help, call John Long at 917-693-7664.

Reservations and Cost

The program and museum tours are free and open to the public.  Food and drink may be purchased a la carte from Tomato Show refreshment booths and consumed outside (not in the museum or the church).  Reservations aren’t required, but are desired as a courtesy for planning purposes.  For more information, or to let us know you plan to attend, please call John Long at 917-693-7664 or chapter programming chair Katy Waters at 614-220-5468, or e-mail [email protected] or [email protected].