Toledo, OH

I just wanted to share this article I found in the Toledo Blade with everyone. If you like ribs, Toledo is the place for you this summer! There are two up-coming events in Toledo that you may want to check out. One is Ribs for the Red Cross which we be held Friday-Sunday at Promenade Park in downtown Toledo. The other is the 25^th Annual Northwest Ohio Rib-Off August 7-10 at the Lucas County Fairgrounds in Maumee.

The following article appeared in the Blade on July 29^th by Kathie Smith.

For those who love ribs, the next two weekends will be heaven.

Smoke on the Water - Ribs for the Red Cross will be Friday through Sunday at Promenade Park in downtown Toledo. Eight confirmed rib vendors include six local ribbers. The 25th Annual Northwest Ohio Rib-Off presented by The Andersons and The Blade will be Aug. 7-10 at the Lucas County Fairgrounds in Maumee. Ten national ribbers from the National Barbecue Cookers Association will be there with plenty of equipment and enthusiastic competition, and mega-amounts of flavor.

I caught up with Mike Bower, manager of the Famous Dave's BBQ corporate rib team out of Plymouth, Minn., as their two trucks and two trailers were traveling to a Columbus event last weekend. They have a mobile kitchen that's 32 feet long and a 28-foot refrigerated truck plus a 15-foot trailer that holds two Southern Pride Smokers.

There will also be plenty of "barbecue talk" between ribbers and their customers. "That's part of the experience of what we do on the road," says Mr. Bower. "People can get a lot of tips and we are happy to share."

If you buy the sampler bones (which range from two to four bones depending on the event), you can hit quite a few places each weekend and learn how the ribbers make their award-winning food. Here's a sampling of what you'll find.

Confirmed vendors for Smoke on the Water at Promenade Park are: Big Moe's BBQ & Catering from Kalamazoo, Mich.; Black Kettle Bar Be Que, Famous Dave's Big Ten, Po Mo's, TJ's Catering, and Tom's BBQ, all of Toledo; Sidelines Sports Eatery & Pub of Lambertville, and Chicago Barbecue Co. of Burr Ridge, Ill.

"There's a big difference between barbecue and grilling with higher temperatures and shorter time," says Johnnie Harris of Black Kettle Bar Be Que. "Barbecue is no higher than 220 degrees, and depending on your meat and its thickness you might cook at lower temperature and longer. That's the definition of barbecue."

He describes his ribs as tender, juicy, spicy, smoky, and they cook between six and seven hours. This summer Black Kettle Bar Be Que has been at the African-American Festival, Juneteenth Festival at the Toledo Museum of Art, and the Old West End Festival.

"Our pork is marinated in vinegar and water and then rubbed and refrigerated," he says. He uses a Southern Pride smoker to cook the ribs. "We can do 250 pounds of meat at a time. It is a convection oven with propane gas that burns a log for the duration of eight or nine hours." A thermometer maintains the temperature when the door is closed.

"When I bring out the ribs, the sauce is put on by the customer," he says about his tomato/vinegar sauce which comes in spicy and mild. "Some people are ‘purists.' They like the meat with the smoke of the grill."

Baby back ribs

Award-winning Sidelines Sports Eatery & Pub of Lambertville makes a baby back pork rib. "We don't smoke them, we braise them," says Eric Sitter, one of the owners. "We like the way that holds the moisture and the meat falls off the bone."

The ribs are braised in seasoning solution with a tight cover, which Mr. Sitter calls "steam baking." It's "almost like pressure cooking."

Once it's braised, "we cool down the ribs and barbecue them on the grill. Then we add sauce, which caramelizes," he says. Sidelines' sauce is sweet and zesty made with honey. Sidelines used to have another location in Maumee; when that store closed, owners opened a second business which is called Sidelines II at 2109 Laskey Rd. in Toledo.

St. Louis cut

Famous Dave's Big Ten Ribs from the Toledo Famous Dave's Barbecue restaurant at 4757 Monroe St. uses the St. Louis cut, according to Jerrid Heidel, operations director. "We pride ourselves on the largest cut in the industry which is 2½ pounds per slab."

It's hickory smoked. They use a rib rub with 18 spices. Although Famous Dave's has multiple sauces, the Rich and Sassy Sauce is used to finish the rib.

This group of local ribbers will be at the Smoke on the Water event at Promenade Park on the first weekend.

A second team, the corporate team from Famous Dave's BBQ based in Plymouth, led by Mr. Bower will be at the 25th Annual Northwest Ohio Rib-Off at the fairgrounds on the second weekend. "We can do a larger volume," says Mr. Bower.

"The perfect rib is overall size using the middle ribs which have good marbleization," he says. "We use a heavy amount of sauce on the grill. When the sauce caramelizes, it takes on a different flavor. Sometimes I don't re-sauce it when it comes off the grill for the taste and texture. When you take a nice bite off the rib and it takes a little tug but the bone is clean and there's a sweet sauce."

On-site people try to find different things they can do at home for their own ribs, says Mr. Bower, who is part of the National Barbecue Cookers Association. Members of the NBCA travel together from event to event, but not all of them will be at the same event.

Northwest Ohio Rib-Off

Nine other NBCA members will compete at the Northwest Ohio Rib-Off at the fairgrounds: Armadillo's of Youngstown; Aussom Aussie of Pittsburgh; Buddy's BBQ & Blues of Mentor, Ohio; Butch's BBQ of Mount Laurel, N.J.; Mojo's Ribshack of West Salem, Ohio; Pigfoot BBQ of West Salem, Ohio; Sgt. Oinks BBQ of Tiffin; Smokin Joe's Hog Wild BBQ of Mansfield, Ohio, and Texas Outlaws of Elizabethtown, Ky.

NBCA president and founder Jerry Gibson of Pigfoot BBQ says "the St. Louis cut is the meatiest and tenderest." He uses some sauce, but first the rib is seasoned. The sauce is added to caramelize on the grill. "The smoker is a big oven. We precook ribs and finish them on the grill," he says. He has five sauces: mild, sweet, hot, killer, and apple-licious which is a new sauce made with apple butter.

"It's my 20th year in Toledo," he says. "Working out at the fairgrounds gives more room, but we miss the lunch crowd we had downtown." But crowds have been good this summer. "Business is not down because of the economy," he says.

Aussom Aussie features Australian-style ribs. "We use a fruit-based concept," says Paul McKay. In Australia, cherry and apple woods are used to smoke ribs. Fruit juices are the base of the sauce such as apples, pineapple, orange, and tomato. "In Australia, apples were common and tomatoes were more expensive."

He describes his sauce as sweet and mild but he also has a raspberry chipotle sauce which is sweet and spicy.

Barbecue is extremely popular in Australia. "The secret of a good rib is that it is tender, juicy, and flavorful," says Mr. McKay. He uses a five-hour process in which the ribs are pre-seasoned with a dry rub, then put in the smoker with cherry and apple woods. "Then they hit the grill and are glazed with sauce to caramelize."

Here are three recipes sure to inspire home barbecue. Backyard Barbecue Spareribs has a ketchup-based sauce made with cherry cola seasoned with paprika and chili powder. Maple-Mustard Glazed Spareribs is salted and grilled 1½ to 2 hours over indirect heat until tender and brushed with a maple glaze. Memphis-Style Ribs from The Barbecue Bible by Steve Raichlen (Workman, $22.95) are rubbed and marinated and then smoked, mopped, and grilled.

Smoke on the Water - Ribs for the Red Cross is Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at Promenade Park in downtown Toledo. Admission is $3. Children 12 and under are free. There is free admission on Friday until 5 p.m. Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.

The 25th Annual Northwest Ohio Rib-Off presented by The Andersons and The Blade is Aug. 7-10 at the Lucas County Fairgrounds in Maumee. Admission is $8 at the door with optional $25 VIP concert seating available from the Stranahan Theater box office, Ticketmaster outlets, and The Andersons. Hours are 3 to 10 p.m. Aug. 7; 3 to 11 p.m. Aug. 8; noon to 11 p.m. Aug. 9, and noon to 6 p.m. Aug.

Toledo OH Real Estate Market Report

Posted in July 9th, 2008 | Edit by Real Estate Manager in Neighborhoods

Toledo Ohio Real Estate Market Shows Signs of Recovery!

The following Toledo Ohio Real Estate Market Report by The Blade is captioned negatively, but actually carries some positive news. Specifically, it reports that:

• Properly priced and staged homes ARE SELLING
• Unsold HOUSING INVENTORY IS DOWN from one year ago
• Homes listed this spring and summer are selling FASTER THAN LAST YEAR!!!!

Each of these developments should help housing prices recover in the second half of 2008.

I am not sure how the headline came to be so negative for this article. Maybe we should gently encourage the Blade to use a GOOD NEWS angle on articles like this if they want to help stimulate the local economy instead of fuel consumer fear and anguish?

See sections emphasized in blue for the BRIGHT SPOTS in the Toledo Real Estate Market Report:

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Article published Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Northwest Ohio home sales stay on downswing

Zoom | Photo Reprints

By TED FACKLER
BLADE BUSINESS WRITER

The northwest Ohio housing market has suffered another hit, as home sales and prices slipped again in June, new figures show.

Sales were down 13 percent in Lucas County and 20 percent across northwest Ohio from a year earlier, according to the Toledo Board of Realtors. Selling prices dropped to an average of $120,000 in Lucas County and $124,000 in northwest Ohio, down $6,000 and $10,000, respectively.

But not everything is doom and gloom, as East Toledo home seller Jacey Duffer can attest.

Her $85,000 home sold two months after it was listed, and for only $4,000 less than the initial asking price.

"It's been the smoothest process," said Mrs. Duffer. "We didn't have many people go through it, but all of a sudden we had two people walk through, they made an offer, and we got out of it."

She plans to move her husband and three children to Oregon and purchase a more expensive home.

Pat Johnson, a sales manager at DiSalle Real Estate Co. in Maumee, said that although the housing market is down, it's not out.

"Business is going to go on," she said.

Through the first six months of 2008, homes under $29,999 have sold at the best pace, up 44 percent for the same months last year. Sales are up as well in the range between $30,000 to $39,999, and $400,000 to $499,999, but other sale price ranges are down, the Realtor board figures show.

The market for houses under $30,000 is up because of more low-income residents, and also, former apartment renters buying homes, said several area real estate agents. Overall, 422 such houses in Lucas County have sold from January through June, up from 293 a year ago.

The wave of out-of-town investors buying cheap housing also is a factor, said Mike Hayden, a Re/Max general manager in Toledo.

Plus, condo sales in 2008 are down 23 percent in Lucas County and northwest Ohio from the same time last year. Total unit sales dipped to 123 from 162 in

2007. As more buyers enter the market, houses have begun selling more rapidly than they did last year.

Sales of houses sold within two months of being listed were up 20 percent last month compared to last year, the realty group said. Plus, houses sold within a four-month listing period were up 28 percent.

"For a while, people thought to price homes high, and see what offers come in, but it just took an awful long time to sell," said Al Green, owner of AA Realty in Bowling Green and president of the Toledo Board of Realtors. "Now, people are recognizing they need to look carefully at their listing price" and drop the figure.

In June, the 7,841 homes listed for sale in Lucas County are down from 8,494 last year, perhaps a sign of stability in the housing market, said Mr. Green.

Contact Ted Fackler at:
tfackler@theblade.com
or 419-724-6199.

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For more information about the local newspaper, visit http://www.toledoblade.com

For more information about Toledo Homes for sale, visit http://www.HomeFinder100.com

For Toledo Ohio Real Estate Blog, visit www.homefinder100.com/blog/

I can’t believe what I am about to say. I agree with Mayor Carty Finkbiner, Toledo Ohio. In the April 13^th, edition of the Toledo Free Press, Pg A3 of the Publisher’s Statement article, “Roll of the Dice”, Carty told the Free Press in July 2006 “I do not see gambling as the devil that some people do, nor do I see it as the panacea to our economic challenges”. “It’s common sense that if Michigan and Indiana and Pennsylvania have these options available, we probably could and should offer a venue here in Toledo. Sooner rather than later, we need to recognize that a modest gaming facility could be viewed as a common sense part of nightlife here”.

I’s been two years since Carty’s remarks. I hope he still remembers what he said about bringing a gaming facility to Toledo. Times have changed a lot in Toledo since his remarks, and I believe not a modest gaming facility but a GREAT gaming facility complex is what this town needs. The building that housed COSI is now vacant, and would be the perfect spot.

This gaming facility should also house an entertainment venue for concerts and shows.

We know that Toledo will support great shows if they come to Toledo. I was lucky enough to see The Lion King when it was in town. It was Sold out every night! Some concerns I noticed about attending this venue was the seating, acoustics, and parking.. How would I resolve these issues that I experience when I went to the Lion King? Stadium seating would allow a good view for everyone. A state of the art sound system would eliminate the acoustic problem, and now the big one... Parking. A friend of mine said “Downtown Toledo does not have a parking problem, People From Toledo have a problem with walking.” . If you think about it for a minute he is right. We are used to pulling right up to the places we go to shop, eat, etc. We have been spoiled and lazy. If you have been to any large city you know we are spoiled in Toledo. However, one way we may be able to solve the parking issue is to knock down the old Edison Steam plant which is right next to COSI and build a large parking facility.

Let’s support Casinos in Toledo. I am not a lawyer, but I would like to see a percentage of the Profits Go Directly to the Local School Districts. Guess who does not have a problem with financing their schools? Las Vegas. Maybe we can learn from them.

Wouldn’t it be great if a Casino District in Toledo Ohio had a direct impact on lowering our taxes. Lower taxes would be a great thing! Lower Real Estate Taxes would mean more people could afford to buy a home.

Feel free to visit my web site at www.BertSellsToledoHomes.com. to search for all the homes in the Toledo RealEstate , area. Your Resource for Toledo Homes and Toledo Condos . Bert Spangenthal 419-346-1458 RE/MAX Preferred Associates.

Oh by the way………….If you know of someone moving to the Toledo Area, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I am never to busy for your Referrals.

Real Estate Toledo OH - Search Toledo OH Homes For Sale - Best Real Estate Web Search.

Real Estate Market reports for Toledo Ohio will soon be found organized by neighborhood at new real estate blog site and listing search site www.HomeFinder100.com

Toledo Area Home Buyers, Your Dream Home is only a Click Away! tm

www.HomeFinder100.com is destined to be the most powerful real estate web search available in greater Toledo, Ohio, Including NW Ohio and SE Michigan. It features all the listings of all agents of all participating Toledo area real estate brokerages.

Now you can test drive the newest real estate web site serving home buyers and sellers in Greater Toledo. Powerful new search features mean you can find the right toledo home for sale in only a few clicks.

Toledo OH area Home Buyers can search thousands of listings and get a SHORT LIST of 10 or 12 homes faster and easier and with more of the features they want, Powerful real estate search engine allows you to select more options than other sites to narrow the results to only those homes you might really want to see. Other sites might return 100 or more listings, but our site will let you choose enough options to reduce the list to 10 or 12 great houses.

Toledo OH area Home Sellers can search their neighborhood to see the prices that similar homes are selling for.

Toledo OH area Real Estate Visitors may register an account and save their favorite homes.

Toledo Area Real Estate Visitors may register their buyer agent and notify buyer agent instead of seller agent when they want more information or a showing.

Toledo Area Real Estate Visitors may visit Neighborhood blogs and post articles about why they enjoy living in their neighborhood. www.HomeFinder100.com/blog

Find Toledo Realtors and Toledo Real Estate agents specializing in your neighborhood.

Many more features available now or coming soon. More news soon.

Site is in beta testing now. Please pardon or first few steps out of development into user testing. There may be some buttons or features that do not yet work as intended. The companion Television Station will launch as a 24 hour real estate channel, HomeFinder Channel 100, in about 30 days. It's the only DUAL platform real estate marketing program of its kind. Agents recieve TRIPLE PLAY PACKAGE of benefits with TV + ONLINE + FREE LEADS when buyers want to see the houses.

Please test drive the site and let me know what you think!

Please report any issues or concerns or kudos to:

Lonn Dugan, Real Estate Manager
Buckeye CableSystem
ldugan@cablesystem.com

Yesterday I received in the mail a letter from my electric utility company. First Energy is offering a Free Programmable Thermostat. The programmable thermostat is Select Carrier's ComfortChoice Thermostat. The company will install it also free of charge. The "green part" is that I will be able to save energy and money. The "big brother" part is that during peak electric periods the utility company will be able to adjust my thermostat by 4 degrees for a period of 4 hours.

I was able to google "First Energy Electric Company and Thermostat" and was able to get some additional information. For some reason I was unable to obtain a link for this blog. My apologies. The article stated that Carrier's ComfortChoice program has installed 65,000 units in the states of California, Colorado, Nevada, and New York.

Because of our High Utility Costs in Toledo Ohio I did sign up for the program. Has anyone had any experiences with this program?

Looking forward to being Your REMAX, Toledo Ohio, Realtor. Feel free to visit my web site at www.BertSellsToledoHomes.com. to search for all the homes in the Toledo Real Estate, area. Bert Spangenthal 419-346-1458 RE/MAX Preferred Associates.

Oh by the way………….If you know of someone moving to the Toledo Area, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I am never to busy for your Referrals.