OH Wa FG Ohio's little corner for odd hobbies & good company

OH Wa FG

Ohio's little corner for odd hobbies & good company

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Static, Voice Actors, and a Second Sunday: Inside Dayton's Basement Radio Drama Troupe
Hobbies

Static, Voice Actors, and a Second Sunday: Inside Dayton's Basement Radio Drama Troupe

Every second Sunday, four retirees in a Dayton basement broadcast full-cast radio dramas over ham frequencies to whoever happens to be listening. We spent a month with the Miami Valley Wireless Players to find out why anyone would still perform for an audience made of static.

Shovels, Property Deeds, and a 1976 Milk Can: Our Statewide Search for Ohio's Forgotten Time Capsules
Community

Shovels, Property Deeds, and a 1976 Milk Can: Our Statewide Search for Ohio's Forgotten Time Capsules

It started with one reader's letter about a sealed milk can buried under a shuttered elementary school in Marion. Three months later, we've got a spreadsheet, a lawyer on speed dial, and a list of 61 capsules nobody seems to own. Welcome to the Great Ohio Time Capsule Hunt.

Community

Sweetest Day, Suspenders, and Why We Say Pop: The Unofficial Ohio Word Book, Volume One

We asked our members for the words only Ohioans seem to use, and you delivered — 214 submissions, three near-brawls in the comments, and one very patient linguistics professor. Here's the first-ever OH Wa FG glossary, and how to get your word into next year's edition.

Dead Ends, Cold Calls, and a Dog Named Biscuit: What It Actually Takes to Make This Website
Hobbies

Dead Ends, Cold Calls, and a Dog Named Biscuit: What It Actually Takes to Make This Website

Ever wonder how a site with no budget, four volunteers, and a shared Google account chases down stories across eighty-eight counties? Pull up a chair. We're showing you the whole messy operation — including the trespassing incident we're still not proud of.

Gas Money, Gift Shops, and One Enormous Basket: Our Completely Unscientific Roadside Ranking Road Trip
Hobbies

Gas Money, Gift Shops, and One Enormous Basket: Our Completely Unscientific Roadside Ranking Road Trip

We drove 640 miles in one weekend, ate gas station jerky, and scored every oversized oddity in the state on photo potential, detour value, and gift shop quality. Here's the definitive ranking — plus a printable itinerary you can steal for your own Saturday.

Trail Markers, Tin Coffee Cans, and a Code Nobody Can Crack: Chasing the 1978 Mystery Riders
Community

Trail Markers, Tin Coffee Cans, and a Code Nobody Can Crack: Chasing the 1978 Mystery Riders

Somewhere between legend and elaborate prank sits the story of a shadowy 1970s cycling crew whose initials match our own site's name. We spent three months chasing old trail markers, retired archivists, and one very stubborn skeptic to find out if they ever rolled at all.

Seven Days, Six Post Offices, One Letter: Inside Ohio's Slowest Mail Club
Hobbies

Seven Days, Six Post Offices, One Letter: Inside Ohio's Slowest Mail Club

A Columbus letter-writing circle deliberately routes mail through the state's tiniest post offices, turning a simple note into a week-long scavenger hunt. We followed one envelope from Mars, Ohio, to see why forty people refuse to let the mail move fast.

Make It Weird, Keep It Standing: My Official Ballot for Ohio's Best Odd Landmarks
Community

Make It Weird, Keep It Standing: My Official Ballot for Ohio's Best Odd Landmarks

From the world's largest basket in Newark to a brass bed bolted to a barn roof, Ohio's roadside oddities deserve more than a drive-by glance. Here's my top ten — and a case for why every town should fight to keep its weirdness standing.

Someone Keeps Painting 'OH Wa FG' on Barns Along Route 42 — and Nobody's Stopping Them
Community

Someone Keeps Painting 'OH Wa FG' on Barns Along Route 42 — and Nobody's Stopping Them

Hand-painted letters in the same careful block style have been showing up on barns, silos, and one very confused feed store between Columbus and Delaware. We talked to the landowners who've decided the mystery can stay, and to the county clerk who checked the records twice.

Trilobites Before Breakfast: A First-Timer's Field Guide to Digging Up Ohio's Ancient Past
Hobbies

Trilobites Before Breakfast: A First-Timer's Field Guide to Digging Up Ohio's Ancient Past

Ohio was a shallow sea 400 million years ago, and the evidence is sitting in every creek bed from Cincinnati to Cleveland — free for the finding. Here's where to legally look, what to pack, and which club field trips won't make a nervous beginner feel like a fool.

Ribbon Hunting: How to Survive (and Maybe Win) Ohio's Strangest Fair Categories
Hobbies

Ribbon Hunting: How to Survive (and Maybe Win) Ohio's Strangest Fair Categories

Giant pumpkins, judged compost, and a scarecrow contest with actual rules — Ohio's county fairs hide some of the most competitive hobbies in the state. We talked to seasoned exhibitors who shared how first-timers can enter without embarrassing themselves.

Coffee, Thermoses, and Barred Owls: A Night With Killdeer Plains' 3 a.m. Bird Club
Community

Coffee, Thermoses, and Barred Owls: A Night With Killdeer Plains' 3 a.m. Bird Club

While most of Ohio sleeps, a small crew of birders idles in the Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area parking lot waiting for an owl to call. We tagged along on a pre-dawn prowl to find out what keeps them coming back.

Worms, Mushrooms, and Morse Code: Seven Ohio Clubs Doing It Their Own Way
Hobbies

Worms, Mushrooms, and Morse Code: Seven Ohio Clubs Doing It Their Own Way

Ohio's hobby scene runs deeper than you think — literally, in the case of the worm-charmers. We tracked down seven clubs across the state that prove the strangest gatherings make the best friends.

Nobody Here Agrees on What OH Wa FG Means — and That's Kind of the Point
Community

Nobody Here Agrees on What OH Wa FG Means — and That's Kind of the Point

We asked you, our readers, to finally crack the code behind our name. You delivered everything from 'Ohio Weather Forecasting Guild' to theories we legally cannot print. Here's what we learned.