Kettering, Ohio

Yes, I’m going to introduce you to the town of Kettering, but if you’ll just give me a moment to raise my hands for this one town feature right up front, I’d be obliged to you!

To my way of thinking, the most outstanding feature of a town is what brings the most joy to the most people! Make sense? Therefore, when I think Kettering, I think of the Fraze Pavilion! This place totally thrills me! The Fraze Pavilion is a 4,300 seat amphitheater which was built and opened in 1991 in the heart of Kettering. It is a “premiere outdoor entertainment venue” for local Ohioans and surrounding states to experience fresh as well as popular national and/or worldwide talent! If you’re wondering what kind of talent debuted at the Fraze, we’re talking Joe Cocker, Loggins and Messina, Joan Baez, The Steve Miller Band, The Gov’t Mule, The Black Crows, etc. If you’re interested in knowing who’s been in Kettering this last year and who’s coming to the Fraze more recently, here it is: Bachman Turner Overdrive, Sheryl Crow, Gordon Lightfoot, Garrison Keilor, Huey Lewis and the News, Three Dog Night. The Fraze doesn’t stop at concerts, the goal, it seems, is to entertain every sort of customer it can. There are hippiefests, children’s events, festivals, free concerts, $2 concerts with “popular regional artists”, Blues music, Cajun music, art displays, etc. We have a full calendar of events for the Fraze – check it out!

Rob Dyrdek/DC Shoes Foundation Skate Plaza

The city of Kettering is comprised of about 61,000 residents and is located about five miles southeast of Dayton, Ohio. It is the second largest city in Montgomery County and proud of its “green space” orientation. It maintains 21 parks within a span of just 18.74 square “land locked” miles. I never knew what “land locked” meant. It means that the city is bound by the space it already has and there is no room to expand. So the city has a commitment to expand within its borders. That sounds good, right? Well, it is! Continuing along with Kettering’s recreational accommodations, allow me to sustain our topic of fun by sharing that I saw a video on YouTube in which kids were driving a pretty long way from out of state to the city of Kettering, Ohio in order to visit a place called the Rob Dyrdek/DC Shoes Foundation Skate Plaza. I have learned that kids come from all over the world for this particular skate center. It’s a rather large, elaborate skateboarder’s heaven, and from the looks of it a pretty busy place for spectators located at Indian Riffle Park in Kettering.

Moving along, and in the same direction, Kettering doesn’t quit when it comes to recreation. It has a very good public art program, an ice arena, a senior center, three country clubs, a golf course, a water park for the kids, a very affordable, (so I’m told) huge, recreation center, a fitness and wellness center, and a very special place called The Rosewood Art Center, in which residents and visitors can engage in hands-on or class activities in the visual or performing arts. I know you’ll question this as fact, but trust me, it is a fact: this is a 37,000 square foot facility and a thumping 130,000 people enter its doors each year!

Another program, which in my opinion, is quite innovative and constructive, is entitled Partners for Healthy Youth in which students and adults alike can sign up to help to support the health of their local senior citizens and families. Now that’s constructive!

The earliest settler in Kettering was a farmer name John Patterson who arrived on the scene in 1798 and built the town’s first log cabin. The town of Kettering was specifically named after the American Inventor of the automobile self-starter, Charles F. Kettering. He worked for GM and invented many other things, including Freon, and yes, you guessed it, his was the first home in the United States to be air conditioned. And rightly so… thank you Charles Kettering!!

The city of Kettering has 26,930 housing units and a fine school district. 37% of its High School graduates plan to attend a 4-year college. The average GPA of 30% of its 2400 high school students is between 3.0-3.9. Its high school offers “a diverse selection of courses designed for all students”. Those new to the area will find this new Kettering resident packet useful.