Lebanon, Ohio . . . a charming, historic town with all the quaint conveniences needed to seduce any would-be wanderer. Located amidst a stretch of rural America, smack-dab-between Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio, the town of Lebanon has such alluring fascinations that anyone who lives there is more than proud to call it home.
The citizens of this small town are a rather eclectic mix of folk, ranging from the young, to hungry artists, to college students (though this isn't a college town), to retirees, senior citizens, the red hat society, upper-middle class, the GOP, and of course stoners and rednecks. Indeed, this town is picturesque of small-town-America with a philosophy of know thy neighbor, though there's a lingering attitude, charismatic of pretentious citizens, where judgement falls on a bias, yet friendly nature, charming all the while.
The people of Lebanon may hold a snobbish demeanor, but there's no lack of politeness or friendly conversation. It's a town where people wish to keep it one of a kind, all the way from the historic significance down to the core of local politics and businesses themselves. It is a town that loves showcasing its history through local shops owned and operated by their owners.
My adventure in Lebanon began with coffee . . . or rather, a triple-shot espresso, peanut butter latte followed shortly thereafter by a double-shot espresso, vanilla and apple-spice latte . . . at the hip and stylish Manna. A family owned business Manna specializes in cupcakes, offering a tempting range of devilish sweets to help jump-start the day. It's the type of place where one can easily pass the time with friendly chats, personalized work or simply in the gathering of minds. It's hard to pull yourself away from such temptations--coffee, cupcakes, conversations . . . what more could one ask for out of life?
From there I meandered about the local train station, which runs every weekend, offering a joyous ride to the nearby town of Mason, Ohio. I then proceeded (not by train) to the historic district where I visited the town's library, a few shops and a small sub-section of homes and businesses. Perhaps one of the most attractive features of this town is the vastly diverse, rustic architecture. Buildings as old as a hundred years or more are still present in the town, and homes even as young as fifty years old are picture-perfect representations of artistic, individualistic fashions portrayed by the towns inhabitants. No two houses look alike. There are purple houses, green houses, red houses, firehouses, brick houses, wooden houses, big houses, bigger houses, and there's even a house with a garage fashioned in the exact same architectural style as the home itself! Even the shops and churches all differ from one another, each offering a beauty all their own.
From there I proceeded on a quest, looking for local trophies, which I was richly awarded by the town's very own personal expression. Statues, jewels, monuments, whimsical signs and white-boy graffiti all contribute in painting the portrait of this community; where personality, artistry and formality are the key elements in the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I smiled then, realizing that this town was indeed a home, rather than a place. I decided to conclude my journey at the Wine Cellar, another of the town's local family businesses. The Wine Cellar definitely has a smooth, cool vibe, where people can engage in conversations with complete strangers over a glass of fine wine or even finer beer. It's not a bar that caters to the likes of most American folk; offering an enormous taste of the luxurious and the exotic as opposed to the drab and bland one might find in even the quaintest of fine wine bars.
In the end, I find myself seduced by the alluring charms of Lebanon, Ohio. The locale might represent an air of right-winged liberalism, private yet proud, but in truth it's a town where one feels safe, welcomed and admired, no matter how unique or how boring your persona may be. I have been a citizen here for only one year, but I can think of no other place I want to call my future home.
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