Geoff Burns
The Toledo Blade
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Past articles by Geoff:
'Tigerland' author speaks in Toledo
Wil Haygood did what he’s been known to do for 30 years Thursday night at Bowsher High School in front of nearly 200 people: He told a story. And that story included how athletes from Columbus East High School won state championships in baseball and basketball during the 1968-1969 school year, despite the assassinations of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy leading to riots… → Read More
Aftermath of 2016 election set to music by indie rock duo Lung
Kate Wakefield, left, and Daisy Caplan of Lung. The indie rock band takes the stage Sunday at the Ottawa Tavern. NATALIE JENKINS Enlarge Kate Wakefield and Daisy Caplan forgot they had a scheduled interview. Yet the two friends who make up the Cincinnati indie rock band Lung apologetically pull off to the side of the road on their way to a gig that night in Louisville when The Blade reached them… → Read More
Thousands pack into airport for Bash On The Bay
PUT-IN-BAY, Ohio — It was only 10 minutes after 8 p.m. Thursday night when Rascal Flatts’ vocalist Gary LeVox addressed the crowd of about 10,000 people at the island’s airport during the second Bash On The Bay country music festival. “There’s a party jumping off of Put-in-Bay tonight,” Mr. LeVox said seconds before the band launched into its hit “Yours If You Want It,” its second song of the… → Read More
Oliver Hazard will have its day in Waterville
It may seem an understatement to say that 2018 was a big year for Waterville indie-folk trio Oliver Hazard. The group performed a 45-minute set in front of 1,000 people at Tennessee’s Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in June, an event that also included performances by Eminem, the Killers, and Khalid on separate days. That was followed with a show in front of a larger crowd in Toledo while… → Read More
Summer's send-off: Fair, music highlight Labor Day events
Labor Day might not seem like the most exciting holiday on the calendar, but the long weekend has a definite upside. There are plenty of events and festivals hosted in northwest Ohio to help liven up what is traditionally considered the last carefree weekend of summer. Whether you’re singing “Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy)” with country duo Big and Rich at the Fulton County Fair, riding a ferry to… → Read More
A meaty tradition: Northwest Ohio Rib Off blends barbecue, music
Few things go together like meat and music, a truism the Northwest Ohio Rib Off has embraced for more than 30 years. “It’s been an event that has a long tradition in this market,” said Luann Sharp, marketing and creative services director for The Blade. “There is a lot tied to this event because it’s been around for 35 years.” The Blade’s 35th annual Northwest Ohio Rib Off opens Thursday and… → Read More
Toledo Jeep Fest is officially underway
Ted Willing's 1982 Jeep Scrambler with an AMC 401 during the kickoff event of Jeep Fest at the Monroe Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Superstore in Monroe, Mich., on Friday. The Blade/Kurt Steiss Enlarge | Buy This Image The first of the three-day Toledo Jeep Fest had Pegg and Russ Doerr smiling at the Monroe Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram Superstore. The Toledo couple had just finished driving a Jeep up steep… → Read More
Built-in value: Decks can add value, enjoyment to one's home
Once upon a time, Americans used their backyards primarily for planting and parking. Then came the 1950s and ‘60s with attached garages, TV dinners, and other Baby Boomer conveniences. Gardening became a hobby more than an economic necessity. By the 1980s Americans discovered a new love — outdoor grilling — and that’s when its love affair with outdoor decks took off, according to… → Read More
Young fathers fight an uphill battle
Father’s Day is the one time out of the year for dads to sit back and relax while others show their appreciation. Perhaps that means a hug from a little one or a six-pack of beer as a gift from a significant other. Either way, more than 70 million dads across the country might feel a bit more special on Sunday. “In the middle of the day I’ll get a message from my kids, ‘Hey, Dad, I love you,’”… → Read More
Dog and cat yoga showcases prospective adoptees
BOWLING GREEN — Imagine embracing a downward dog position during a yoga session while several puppies frolic beneath you on your mat. It’s a scenario you might well experience during the Wood County Humane Society’s Cat and Dog Yoga sessions. Hayley Ruff, yoga instructor, interacts with a puppy during Dog Yoga at Wood County Humane Society in Bowling Green. The Blade/Samantha Madar Enlarge | Buy… → Read More
Gladys Knight gets Toledo's summer started with first ProMedica Summer Concert
Gladys Knight didn’t have to say a word when she stepped on stage before thousands of people started to cheer Saturday night at Promenade Park in downtown Toledo. Of course, the cheers grew louder when Knight started her first song of the evening, “On And On,” a ballad she released in 1974 with her R&B soul group Gladys Knight and the Pips. “Some of these things ya’ll might not remember, but… → Read More
Rich with history: Old West End Festival a neighborhood celebration
One of the largest neighborhoods of Victorian, Edwardian, and arts and crafts homes in the United States will host its annual Old West End Festival this weekend. “It’s a really great thing for Toledo,” said Josh Thurston, public relations chair of the festival, who added that tens of thousands of people visit the festival every year. The 47th annual Old West End Historic Festival returns to the… → Read More
Hop on the Magic Bus: Ohio Theatre presents 'Journey to Woodstock'
If you ask Dave Mielke about his band Magic Bus’ “Journey to Woodstock” themed shows, he’ll say the concert is more than a performance; it’s an experience. “I tell people quite often that it’s kind of like a time machine,” Mielke said. “It just takes you back to that time when you were young.” The Woodstock-era tribute band will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Ohio Theatre and Event Center,… → Read More
We Are the Fury reunites for concert at Frankies Inner City
For the first time in nearly seven years, Toledo glam rock band We Are the Fury will reunite for a Saturday performance at Frankies Inner City. “This is for the We Are the Fury fans so it’s going to be a high energy show,” vocalist Jeremy Lublin said in a recent interview with The Blade. “If you listened to us back then, it’s going to be all the songs you would want to hear.” The last time We… → Read More
Local doctors say music can be beneficial during surgery
Music is inescapable. It can be found in concert halls and homes, in cars and in classrooms, and to many ears, in the symphony of nature. And though you may not know it at the time, it can even be found in operating rooms around the country, including surgical suites at Toledo Clinic, where Dr. Jason Levine, an orthopedic and sport medicine surgeon, can be found conducting a routine knee… → Read More
Area locations to celebrate National Record Store Day
Special vinyl releases and discounts will be celebrated by music fans across the country this weekend for Record Store Day. “It has evolved above and beyond our single biggest day of the year,” said Greg Halamay, owner of Finders Records in Bowling Green. The 11th annual Record Store Day will be celebrated Saturday by independent record stores across the country, including Culture Clash Records… → Read More
There's a Block Party coming to downtown Toledo Thursday
Since the final out of the final home game of the Mud Hens baseball season last September, Toledoans have been counting the days until their next visit to Fifth Third Field. Even as fans await the first pitch Thursday between the Mud Hens and the Pawtucket Red Sox, the third annual Opening Day Block Party will evoke the joy of the ballpark and surrounding environs. “The atmosphere in downtown… → Read More
Mud Hens' opener, 70-degree temps, expected to draw 20,000 downtown
Thursday’s Mud Hens tilt with the Pawtucket Red Sox isn’t just the centerpiece of Opening Day in Toledo; it’s also the first major outdoor event of 2018 for the city’s downtown area. An estimated 20,000 people are expected to attend opening day activities Thursday, whether that includes chomping on hot dogs inside Fifth Third Field, or cheering on the Mud Hens from another venue along North St.… → Read More
Weak Signals Radio Control Expo returns to the SeaGate
IF YOU GO What: 2018 Weak Signals Radio Control Expo When: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Where: SeaGate Convention Centre, 401 Jefferson Ave. Admission: $10 per day for adults; children 12 and younger are admitted free. When it comes to the annual Toledo Show Radio Control Expo, Terry Nitsch has seen it all. His father first took him to the expo to look at the… → Read More
TAO: Drum Heart brings touch of ancient Japan to Stranahan
IF YOU GO What: TAO: Drum Heart When: 8 p.m. Saturday Where: Stranahan Theater, 4645 Heatherdowns Blvd. Admission: $43-$83 Imagine shoveling 3 feet of snow every morning at 5:30 a.m. before jogging six miles, followed by beating a drumhead for another hour straight without stopping. Then it’s time for breakfast followed by four more hours of rehearsal. Such is the daily routine of the 30 members… → Read More