HELP WANTED: $.30/day and a Shot of Whiskey

A few weeks ago we travelled to Celina, Ohio, the county seat of Mercer County, located on the huge Grand Lake's west shore in the middle of the agricultural heart of Ohio.

Welcome to Celina, OH

Lighthouse on Grand Lake in Celina, OH

Grand Lake - Celina, OH

Downtown Celina, OH

 Our home for the next week was in the beautiful Mercer County State Fairgrounds Campground.

Mercer County Fairgrounds - Celina, OH

Mercer County Fairgrounds and Campground - Celina, OH

Agricultural Buildings - Mercer County Fairgrounds - Celina, OH

Agricultural Buildings - Mercer County Fairgrounds - Celina, OH

We were guests and volunteers at a Monaco International Motorhome Rally with about 90 motorhomes.  I taught several ARTtitude Adjustment painting classes.

ARTitude Adjustment Class - Alcohol Ink Coasters

ARTitude Adjustment Class - Stenciled Area Rugs

We arrived several days before the Monaco International Rally began and it seemed to be in the middle of rainy season....good for agriculture...not so good for us.  There were several days with downpours which meant our beautiful grassy and park-like parking settings turned muddy and soggy.   This presented a problem at the end of the week when a few motorhomes were so bogged down it required a tractor to help get them out of the mud.  Our motorhome didn't require help but we all stood and watched huge diesel pusher motorhomes as their tires spun and were unable to get traction until tow trucks or tractors arrived to assist.

Tow Trucks and Tractors - Mercer County Fairgrounds - Celina OH

The weather didn't change our spirits or change our plans at any time during the week.

Good Friends From Florida Grande Meet in OHIO
Monaco International Rally - Celina, OH

Friends from Florida Grande - Webster
Volunteers at Monaco International Rally - Celina, OH

 All of us enjoyed the scheduled Monaco International Rally activities immensely and would like to thank the rally masters, Marty and Cathy Kimball,  for inviting us.

Rally Masters - Marty and Cathy Kimball

The town of Celina, founded in 1834, is beautiful, historic and surrounded by agriculture and the beautiful man-made Grand Lake.  The lake has the distinction of being a hand-dug lake started in 1837, and completed in 1845, at a cost of $600,000.  Also surprising was the known fact that the men employed to dig the lake in 1837 worked for thirty cents ($.30) a day and a shot of whiskey (for medicinal purposes), sunrise to sunset.  We were surprised the first time we saw the size of the lake as it covers 13,500 acres and almost 52 miles of shoreline (9 miles long and 3 miles wide).

The Lighthouse on Grand Lake - close to downtown and park-like settings
Celina, OH

Celina, Ohio has been twice named one of the nation's "100 Best Towns".  We loved the small town appeal and that it was loaded with history.  We had several opportunities to go into the town and found the people very friendly and warm to get to know.  In 2010 the census reported the population as 10,400.

The Mercer County Clubhouse - Celina, OH

One of the magnificent historical churches in Celina
The Immaculate Conception Church built in 1903

While we visited this part of Ohio we also visited the Airstream Manufacturing Plant in Jackson Center, OH, and the historic Bicycle Museum in New Bremen, OH.

Good bye, Celina - on to another large State Fairground
the Indianapolis State Fairground in Indianapolis, Indiana