Announcer: The views and opinions expressed in To The Point are those of the host of the program and its guests.

They do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of WGTE public media.

Doni: One of the most enduring, magical and historically significant neighborhood in Toledo is the Old West End.

Since the first house was built in the late 1800s, it has maintained the architectural integrity of the neighborhood, championed the importance of diversity, and, of course, the necessity of just having fun.

This year mark the neighborhood's 52nd Old West End Festival, and if you haven't been to one, trust me, you're missing an incredible experience.

Delicious food, tours of remarkable houses, and fantastic music are just a few of the element that make this one of the best festivals in the state.

But none of this happens by chance.

It requires work and a lot of it.

Today we're talking to old West End residents David Kosmyna and Christine Palmer about what it takes to creat the magic of the old West End.

I'm Doni Miller, and welcome... To The Point.

You guys know that you can connect with us on our social media pages.

You can email me at doni_miller@wgte.org.

And for this episode and any others that you might like to see.

Hurry, hurry, hurr and go to wgte.org/to the point.

It is my honor this morning.

And so much fun to have, King Wamba with us and Queen Sancha, otherwise known as Christine Palmer and David Kosmyna, you are the king and queen of this year's old West End festival.

I'm so excited and so excited.

That festival is when we're going to say this a lot during the show.

But it is June 7th and eighth.

What time is it start?

Well, the parad kind of kicks it off at 10:00, but even prior to that, there is a 5K run that goes around eight, 845 I think they're kicking off and that's going to go down part of the parade route.

Oh, I didn't know that.

That sounds like fun.

Well, we're going to talk about that a lot more later.

But first I just have to say I am overwhelmed.

First of all, this is your 52nd, old West End festival.

You both live in a neighborhoo that is absolutely remarkable.

It has managed to withstand all the travails of all kinds of, issues that time brings upon neighborhoods.

And you are still standing.

Something tells me that that's not so easy to make happen.

David: Yeah.

For sure.

I mean, I think you're hintin at, the concept of preservation.

Preserving, you know, what we have, and and preservation is at the heart of the Old West and maintaining these wonderful old homes, wonderful old structures, beautiful old churches and schools, and just preserving tha so that people can come together and then create a community, a place to live in.

So that's, that's really important.

So preservation is a big part of, of of our neighborhood.

Doni: Is there a preservation committee?

Do you work with the city?

How does that happen?

David: Sure.

So.

So, what, one of the thing that's cool is Toledo actually has a number of what are called historic overlays.

So these are neighborhoods that, are are protected by a mandat from the National Park Service that says this is a historically a nationally recognized historic neighborhood.

And there's a set of standards that you we we advise you to maintain t to preserve these neighborhoods in perpetuity.

You think lik the German village in Columbus, you or for Brick Street, you know, the the Schmidt sausage house with, you know, beer in the Bronx, you know, but, but anyway, so, you know, the old West End is one of those.

We have a few of them in Toledo and so the, the city plan Commission helps organize, this group called the Old West and Historic District Commission which is a subset of volunteers and some city staffers and, that that group gets together and, and helps, oversee any exterior changes that might need to happen in neighborhoods so that it preserve the character in the integrity of the neighborhood, preserves the structures in a wa that they need to be preserved.

So and that's one of the reasons I think I probably ended up here is this year's King Wampus.

I've been chairing that group for a while now.

There's a lot of us community members that get together and, you know, try and do the best we can to help navigate all those things.

And, you know, keep the old Wes and looking and feeling great, feeling amazing.

Doni: And you have som pretty major projects going on.

I spent some time looking at as a 624 Delaware.

What's going on there?

Christine: Well, the old West End Association, has purchased that through the land bank.

And then they are working on remodeling that building.

It was actually slated to be torn down, I believe.

And so the preservation committee of the Old West End Association has worked endlessly to save that house.

Is it preserved now?

Doni: I know it's going to b part of the old West End tour.

David: It's it's in the process of being preserved, for sure.

There's a really incredible group of volunteers that get together almost every Wednesda and Saturday, if not other days, getting together and doing the work together.

And they solicit people to, to help, you know, donate materials and goods.

And there's all this stuf is on the website, by the way, which I'm sure we can talk about.

But, you know, all of these people come together and they donate their time and their services, and we're just trying to save a house.

Yeah.

You know.

Doni: Actually, I saw it on the website.

There's a great information on the website.

The house looks, with all due respect, it looks atrocious.

I mean, it looks like it' going to fall down any second.

And I was so impressed by the brave people standing up front saying, you know, we're going to save this house and and lots of people.

How do you keep that energ going now in the old West End?

Christine: Well, we are a community that likes to get together and and have fun, and getting together to save a house to us is a lot of fun.

It's going to be a beautifu structure and it's almost done.

It is.

They are very close to for it, to be done.

So the picture on the website probably isn't is before it was painted, days report was anything okay?

Yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

So they've done, wor to the roof, to the structure.

They've redone the inside the wiring.

So they are very close to for it being done.

And you can tour that house at festival.

That's right.

Doni: I think you told me that that it was going to be available.

Available to be toure without ticket.

Christine: Yes.

So there's two houses from the land that you can come and see and kind of, find out the history o how you go through that process.

And they have, with remodeling that one, as I said they're still just finishing up, but there's another hous on Virginia that is also through the land bank and that one is completely done.

And it is beautiful.

And that one you can see as well, you can see that one as well.

Doni: So for others who are living in historic neighborhoods or just neighborhoods that are challenged, what advice would you give them about doing what you guys are doing?

This is remarkable stuff that you're doing.

Preserving these houses has the potential to save neighborhoods.

Absolutely.

Save and revitalize neighborhoods.

What would you say to folks who are interested in in doing that for their neighborhood?

Any quick and easy advice?

David: Well, well, nothing is quick and eas when it comes to preservation.

But what, what I would encourage is just it's like anything in life.

Okay.

If it's worth doing, just get started.

You know, you just gotta start it.

Yeah.

All right.

And I think a lot of us came into these really great homes and we thought, oh, this might be fun.

And then you walk in, you go, oh, man, there's a lot to do.

It's a never ending.

It's a never ending thing.

But what's amazing about the old West End and particular is there's a community of of neighbors that are always willing to help.

Like, I don't know how to do something.

I can get on the phone and call somebody.

Yeah.

I mean, when I didn' know how to fix a window or when I didn't know how to stri paint properly with a heat gun.

You know, Pam, here's my little trick, you know, and and help me figure it out.

Yeah.

You know, and so the neighbors are just amazing about being this resource.

And, and I think it's so important because, you know, when, when you build something yourself or you work on something yourself, it, it it carries a special meaning, you know, actually it's just like cooking a meal.

I mean, you know, it means something to the people that you're inviting over.

And so when you get a chance to work on these homes and do things, it just it builds something special.

And there's this really dense community fabric in the Old West.

And to help support you and just figure those things out, because nobody really knows how much stuff until you do it.

So just get started.

Doni: And especially especially 624 I mean, when you look at the pictures that are on the website, and thank you for reminding me that they're very old.

I mean, the ceilings were falling in and you walk into this place and it must have been absolutely overwhelming to do that.

But, you know, your neighborhood is about so much more than than preservation although that is absolutely key.

I learned as I was preparing for this show that you're neighborhood was key in preserving Scott High School.

Keeping Scott High School where it is.

You have a strong commitment in that neighborhood to the diversity of the neighborhood.

It just seems to attract people who share those values.

We're really kind of a melting pot in our neighborhood.

Christine: It is a diverse community.

And we, you know, we welcome everyone.

Which makes it just a friendly neighborhood.

It's kind of one of the best kept secrets in Toledo.

People don't realize what a wonderful community is to live in.

Doni: Yeah.

And peopl I also watch the, documentary, about the old ways in which is fabulous.

Fabulous.

And there were people in that documentary who've been in that neighborhood for 40 years, 40 year Toni, Toni Moore forever, and Toni Moore.

Christine: Judy Stone mean, there's a lot of people that have, really dedicated their lives to making sure that the neighborhood survives and grows and stay with the focus on preservation.

Doni: Yeah.

And and you have a number of organizations that help keep that together.

The women of the old West End is one.

There are others on there as well.

Christine: There's the old Wes End Association that won.

Yeah.

And the women of the old West End.

And then through the association, there's other committee like the preservation Committee.

And there's the scholarship, the education and scholarship committee to help reach out, to, to the community for scholarships.

And we try to focus on Scott High School for that.

There's several communities.

And in the old West End, is there a grant building?

And the and I and B and I, yes.

Which is the Neighborhood Beautification and Improvement grant.

That was amazing.

Now that you all are able to do that, so you pay attentio to the social issues that impact the folks who live in the neighborhood through things like scholarships and, beautification grants, which which help those houses, I know, can be an enormous financial burden to, to keep up.

Doni: What a great place to be.

What a great neighborhood.

David: It's an amazing community.

Doni: It sounds like it.

David: Really.

Doni: It really sounds it.

David: Like you hit on something interesting, too.

You mentioned that, you know, people have been here for for 40 or 50 years, and it's it's one of those things that, you know, I think when people move in, you know, there's this old phras and it gets tossed around a lot.

We feel like, you know, you you come for the homes, you stay for the people.

Doni: Right?

Absolutely.

We're going to I want to talk about tha a little bit more after a break, if you don't mind, or jus remember where you are on that.

Okay.

All righty.

We are going to go away, but we'll be right back.

Stay with us, please.

Doni: Again, connect with us on our social media pages and remember to email me at doni_miller@wgte.org.

And again, for this episode and other additional extras, please go to.org/to the point, we are being joined today by King Wamba and Queen Sancha, who are sorry.

I can't say that without laughing.

Who are the Kin and Queen of the Old West End.

And first of all the 52nd Old West End Festival.

This this year.

So let's, let's talk a little bit.

Let's finish where you were.

Your comments about just people coming together.

David: And yeah, there's, there's a sense of community in the Old West, and that is that is really remarkable.

You know, we kind of hinted at it with, you know, people willing to help others, you know, work on their homes or figure things out, you know, in the aid of preservation.

Yeah.

But it's a real testament that people will buy a house and stay here for decades.

You know, I think that used to be something that people did generations ago.

Sure.

And and in today's, world, you know, peopl tend to move around a lot more.

But oftentimes when people come to the old West End, they stay here, stuck there.

And if they stay.

Right.

If they leave, they're really sad to go.

Right, you know, because it is a really special, special community.

And my my spouse is from Brazil.

All right.

And they, they come in and, you know, wow, I came here and and this plac feels like my family back home.

Like people get together and they party and they laugh and they have a good time, and it's just really thick, you know, there's just a really close knit fabric, you know?

And it's, it's a special thing.

Doni: That's right.

You're there You live in that neighborhood.

I know lots and lots of peopl who live in that neighborhood, and the vibe just makes them stick and stay.

They they don't think about going anywhere else.

And there is no time that that is more present than during the old West End festival.

People playing music on their porches, food all around.

What can we expect this year, Christine?

Christine: Well, there is a lot going on with the with the festival and the festival actually kind of started it back in 1909 with the King Wamba, celebration, which was actually a week long celebration.

And that happened when the Chamber of Commerce invited King Wamba and Queen Sancha of Toledo, Spain, to come to Toledo.

And as I said, it was a week long and it kind of celebrated Mardi Gras year called the Mardi Gras of the North.

And so now, although our our festival is a lot smaller, it's two only two days, although I think some peopl celebrate all week long, maybe, we have a lot that i packed in with, with festivals.

So as you mentioned the house tours, we have five different houses on tour.

One of them being the originally Mary Mance College, which is now home of the, Collingwood Art center.

Yeah.

And they're celebrating their 40th year of being the Collingwood Art center.

So that is an amazing building, a massive building.

Yeah.

I it is, it's got to be over 100, 200,000ft.

David I mean, it's huge, it's massive.

Christine: And it was also on an episode of Ghost Hunters.

A little fun fact.

I wasn't going to say that, bu yeah, I remember that actually.

But along with the five houses, there's also the two land bank houses that you get to see for free.

You can purchase tickets now actually online, at eventbrite.com, to purchase pre-sale tickets, which are a little bit, less expensive.

They're $15 and the regular house no, $15 will get you for all five houses.

You can buy a single ticket for $10 on the day of.

Or you can buy, the full house tour for $20 on the day out.

So it's a little bit cheape right now if you buy a presale.

And then along with the house tours, we have three major areas.

On the campus of the Toledo Museum of Art.

We have our main stage, we have the, the art fair marketplace, children's activities, and lots of lots of food trucks.

All at the museum.

All at the museum.

Yep.

But then as you wander through the neighborhood, there's there's just so much going on.

There is, lots of different garage sales going on.

We have buskers throughout entertaining.

There's and if you have any issues with walking or don't want to walk the entire way, we have a trolley that will come around and you can take the trolley from one end and it stops at different areas close to the, to the home.

So that you can get on and off, as well as if you get all the way down a little bit furthe north, you get to the Arboretum.

The arboretum is the beer garden.

Lots of food trucks, beer garden.

I think they also have mead this year as well.

So, yeah.

And then if you go even so, there's music also there, there's bands that will be playing there, but then you want to continue a little bit further north to Glenwood School and at Glenwood Park.

We have another area of entertainment.

So that's going to be here all the way at Glenwood, all the way down to Glenwood School.

And please make sur you check out Glenwood School, because there's a Glenwood part, because there's a lot of entertainment.

There's going to be karaoke there's going to be live music.

I think their, their theme i ribs and jazz, rhythm and blues.

So, it'll be a good time down there.

So definitel stopping down there along with, along with children's activities are there and some vendors as well.

Doni: Yeah.

And I think it's important for people to know, as well that they can do all of those things for free.

They can walk around, and not have to spend money for house chores if they choose not to.

And they can have a great time.

Yeah.

You really want to come and just experience the neighborhood?

The energy festival is amazing.

David And we can't forget the parade.

Oh, that's for the morning.

The parade.

Doni: The parad with our guests of honor here.

Our parade?

Christine: Yes.

So we'll be kicking off the parade, at 10:00.

And it's a very unique parade.

There's our cars.

There's, bands.

Hum.

Oh.

What are some of the things there's acrobats.

Life size puppets.

All sorts of unique, fascinating.

Entries into the parade.

Doni: Do you guys have the acrobats this year?

I don't know if acrobats i the right word with the scarves.

We we might, I don't know.

David: All I know is that the parade chair said we're maxed out.

There's so many people that want to be a part of the parade.

It's really grown organically.

And it's just amazing how many people want to be a part of this parade.

And it's all over the map.

There's just like Christine was saying, there's so many different kinds of things.

There's bands, there's entertainers, there's community organizations, there's faith organizations.

There's there's classic cars, there's horses, motorcycles, you know, all the cool stuff.

Christine: And of course, Dave will be playing the piano on our float.

Dave is a great musician, and he's going to be playing from now on.

David: You know, so this is funny because I didn't know the parade existed.

I moved to the neighborhood and the first year the festival happens I'm up painting on my balcony, you know, and also in this parade goes by and I'm like, what the heck is this?

You know?

And the next year I get asked to be one of the musicians that precedes the court, you know?

And so I've played the parade every year ever since.

And, this year, when they asked us to be King Wamba and Queen Sancha, you know, they said, what do you want to do?

You want to put a band on your floor?

And I said, heck yes, I want to put a band on the float.

So we're going to put a piano up there and have the New Orleans Party Asylum rocking out old new Orlean jazz for our Mardi Gras theme.

So it is going to be fine.

Doni: Why don't you tell folks when the parade starts?

And let's talk a bit too about the five K run.

Christine: Okay, so so the parade starts at 10 p.m..

But, 10 a.m. go ahead and am in fact.

The beer garden will be going on at 8 p.m., and they'll be at the beer garden at 10 p.m., probably.

So, the parade starts at 10 a.m.. And we will kick that off with our float.

But prior to that, on the most of the parade route is the five K run.

The five K have been part of Festival previously, but last year we did not have it.

So now we've brought it back and we've changed the day it used to be on Sunday.

Now it's going to be on Saturday right before the parade kicks off.

Doni: Okay.

And again, those dates are Christine: June 7th and eighth Doni: And what if it rains?

Christine: Yeah.

Rain or shine.

Shine.

It's still, still a festival.

Still party.

David: And and if you need some nourishment before the parade, there's actually pancakes for preservation.

Which is, which is, right across from the arboretum.

It'll be at Glenwood Park Park.

Christine: Where the parade staging is at 730.

It's the preservation for pancakes, the preservation in the morning, as we're setting up for the parade, you can come down and get your pancakes.

And that helps the preservation.

So we buy our pancakes and the money goes into the funds, go straight to preservation.

That is helping, with things like 624 Delaware, right?

Doni: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I just I'm just curious, how long does it take for the old West End to pul together one of these festivals?

Christine: Oh, so we started planning and I think in August this year, the steering committee started getting togethe and starting to plan in August.

And then we start having our all hands meetings in Januar with all the committee chairs.

And it takes a lot of people to run a festival.

We still need volunteers to help out.

And you can go to Toledo, Old West end.com.

You'll see the, the festival banner at the top, and click on that.

And you can sign up to be a volunteer.

Doni: Do they have to live in the Old West End?

Christine: No.

Volunteer?

No.

We'll take everybody.

David: Yeah.

Everybody's welcome.

Doni: Everybody's welcome to volunteer.

Anybody's welcome.

And what how what do you need to do for people who are interested next yea in being a participant in this?

Suppose I want to juggle.

I suppose I want to sing.

You don't want me to sing, but suppose I want to.

How do I do that?

Christine You would just go to our website and you can, It'll show a list of all the different chair people, and you can contact them to let them know that you want to be involved.

The volunteer list will also be there where you can click on the volunteer list, and it will give a dropdown list of all the different things that you can choose to volunteer from, house tours to being a, being a busker to oh my goodness.

The parade helping out with the parade.

So the five K run, all those different volunteer opportunities are there.

Doni: Yeah.

And do you guys have just because I'm curious, do you have your next project picked out?

You're next for preservation.

Christine: I don't think w I don't think we do have that.

I think they want to finish this one first.

David: Yeah.

I think the only other initiative that's currentl going with preservation is that, the land bank, is sort of helped connect us, a little bit with the city to, to to try and get, the old Mary Manse Library, or rather the old Epworth Methodist Church.

Which has been sitting vacant for a while.

To, to see if some redevelopment can happen, you know, because that's a spectacular building.

It's been vacant for a while.

It's kind of on an anchor block on Delaware.

And, there was a feasibility study done.

So if there's any investors that are out there, be sure to be sure to check out that plan.

You know, because that could be a terrific opportunity.

You know, everything fro maybe some market, market rate housing to, you know, vendors or restaurants or anything.

I mean, anything, anything's possible.

Yeah.

Doni: It's a great.

So much fun.

Thank you so much for coming on.

It must be amazing to be a queen.

Even if it's even for a weekend.

It's wonderful.

That's right.

I will be there.

I encourage you all to be there.

The 52nd Old West End Festival on July 7th and eighth.

Right?

Right in the heart of the Old West End.

Thank you so much for joining us today.

We'll see you next time, on... To The Point.

Announcer: The views and opinions expressed in To The Toint are those of the host of the program and its guests.

They do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of WGTE public media.

To The Point is supporte in part by American Rescue Plan Act fund allocated by the City of Toledo and the Lucas County Commissioners and administered by the Arts Commission.

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Thank you.