By Eiliana Wright

Bethel Local Schools invested over $7,000 of grant funding from the Tipp City Foundation in 2025 toward student experiences in the arts.

On November 14, 2025, four teeming Bethel Local School buses steered in front of downtown Dayton’s Victoria Theater and unloaded 155 first graders and 15 chaperones onto the sidewalk.

Bethel first grade teacher and spearhead of the fieldtrip, Cydni Parrish, secured a grant from the Tipp City Foundation for the 2025-2026 first grade class to attend Victoria Theater’s Dayton Live Discovery Series event, “Singing Zoologist.”

Parrish found a way to weave an academic lesson and an arts experience together. Students learned about animal vocabulary in the classroom through a language arts module named “Creature Features,” then watched as a certified zoologist sang, danced and performed the vocabulary on stage.

“To read something in a book and see it in real life is a whole different moment,” Parrish said.

A student’s connection between an academic lesson and a real life experience is what Parrish calls an “aha” moment. After 23 years of teaching, it’s what she loves the most about her job.

The students will attend the Dayton Live Discovery Series once more this school year for another timely show connecting the language arts module “Cinderella Around the World,” to Victoria Theater’s “Fractured Fairy Tales” performance this February.

Another grant awarded to Bethel will send high school students further outside of Bethel and to Walt Disney World, where they’ll make the leap from audience members to performers.

From December 26 through the 31st, 40 Bethel High School choir students will travel by bus from Ohio to Florida to perform in Disney Springs.

Bethel Choir teacher Lara Wolford said at one time, overnight trips to travel and perform were an expectation in the Bethel music program. Since 2016, however, they’ve been less common, so she’s made it her goal to reinstate the trips for good. 2023 was the first year she was successful.

Wolford said the trips are an opportunity for students to meet people from around the world, make lasting memories and apply their choir studies in a more practical way. “It takes what we do in the choir room to a new level,” Wolford said. But the trips come at a price.

Transportation, two meals a day, a hotel and admission to four parks would cost each choir student around $1,449. “I don’t want to have a situation where I have a kid who desperately wants to go and money is what’s keeping them from going,” Wolford said.

The awarded grant of $3,000 from the Tipp City Foundation, amongst other fundraising and awarded donations, alleviates some of the cost, shaving off about $250 for students.

Bethel’s marching band has also invested in their program.

Bethel Music Boosters, who applied to the grant on behalf of the marching band, is a 501c3 nonprofit that supports the school’s music program by offering time and funding. Treasurer Andrea Williams said new band director, Megan Rust, is on a mission to win more competitions through improvements to the band’s look and sound.

During a monthly meeting, Rust presented the band’s need for a new xylophone. Williams described from the meeting that the xylophone was immobile, the keys on the instrument had changed color and warped and the mallets had fallen apart.

Williams applied for a grant through the Tipp City Foundation and was awarded about $2,500 for a new xylophone from Kincaid’s Is Music in Springfield. While Bethel Music Boosters can provide funds where necessary, Williams said that outside funds “give the school more money to be smart.”

“It’s interesting how nonprofits and grants work together,” Williams said. “It allows us to do even more… we’re just so incredibly grateful for it.”

Williams’ son Liam, a freshman on the basketball team, had a game on the same night that the xylophone was delivered, so Williams headed to the band room. There, she found four smiling students already gathered around the new instrument, excited and ready to play her a song with a fresh sound on the shiny new keys.

“The arts are hurting and every little bit helps,” Williams said.

By: Becky Gulden

From small businesses and preservation efforts to the people powering local partnerships, a new weekly podcast is giving Tipp City residents a deeper look at what makes their downtown thrive.

The Downtown Lowdown is a weekly podcast hosted by the Executive Director of the Downtown Tipp City Partnership,Tasha Weaver and her co-host Greg Enslen. Each week they share the stories and energy of the people behind downtown Tipp City.

“Listeners can expect relaxed, conversational interviews with business owners, community leaders, nonprofit partners, volunteers, and organizations that help shape our downtown,” explained Weaver. “Each episode highlights what makes Tipp City vibrant, from preservation and small businesses to events, partnerships, and the people who care deeply about this community.”

The podcast was all made possible thanks to a grant from the Tipp City Foundation.

“We are incredibly grateful for the grant because it allows us to tell these important community stories in a consistent, professional way. Without this support, creating and sustaining a podcast of this quality would not be possible. The grant is an investment in local storytelling, education, and connection,” said Weaver.

The money from the Tipp City Foundation goes directly towards the monthly costs of publishing the podcast along with editing and production costs.

“This ensures each episode is accessible, polished, and shared widely so the stories of downtown Tipp City can reach a broader audience,” said Weaver.

The podcast is produced and edited by Clock Tower Media which is owned by Greg Enslen. Weaver says Enslen’s expertise ensures high-quality production while keeping the conversations natural and approachable.

Weaver explains why she’s so passionate about podcasting.

“So much of the work happening downtown goes unseen or misunderstood. I wanted a way to slow down and tell the deeper stories behind the storefronts, the events, and the preservation efforts. A podcast allows us to go beyond headlines and social media posts and really explain the “why” behind what we do and who we serve,” said Weaver.

Weaver explains that podcasting lends itself for authentic long-form storytelling.

“When people hear directly from business owners, partners, and community members, they gain a better understanding of the passion, collaboration, and investment that make downtown Tipp City thrive. Hearing these stories builds pride, connection, and trust in a way short posts or ads simply cannot,” said Weaver.

Weaver says success of the podcast will be measured in several ways, including consistent listenership growth, engagement from the community, the diversity of the voices featured, and the number of collaborations or connections that happen because of the podcast

“A podcast strengthens the downtown core by amplifying local voices, promoting businesses and events, educating the public about preservation and economic development, and encouraging community buy-in. It helps people feel connected to downtown even when they are not physically there and reminds them that downtown is built on relationships, stories, and shared investment,” said Weaver.

The first interview of 2026 was with Richard Bender and Jim Ranft from the Tipp City Foundation. They talked about the Tipp City Foundation, some of their favorite projects, and how the foundation came to be.

If you are interested in listening to The Downtown Lowdown there is no cost to listen. Episodes drop weekly on Wednesdays and are available where you listen to podcasts, including the major platforms. They also have a direct link on the Downtown Tipp City Partnership website at https://downtowntippcity.org.

With new episodes released weekly, Weaver hopes The Downtown Lowdown will become a place where residents can better understand and feel more connected to the people and purpose behind downtown Tipp City. If you are interested in being featured on a podcast or have an idea for a topic just email Tasha Weaver at tasha@downtowntippcity.org.