DRONE OHIO

06/04/2026

🌳⚰️ HISTORY OF TOLEDO'S HISTORIC WOODLAWN CEMETERY ⚰️🌳

Many Toledoans drive past it every day, but few realize that Woodlawn Cemetery is one of the city's most historic and beautiful landmarks. 🏛️🌲

Established in 1876, Woodlawn Cemetery was created during a period when "garden cemeteries" were becoming popular across America. Rather than simply serving as burial grounds, these cemeteries were designed as peaceful parks where families could stroll among winding roads, towering trees, and elaborate monuments. 🚶‍♀️🌳

Located on Central Avenue, Woodlawn encompasses approximately 160 acres and serves as the final resting place for thousands of Toledo residents who helped shape the city's history. Among those buried here are prominent business leaders, politicians, veterans, civic leaders, and everyday citizens whose lives contributed to the growth of northwest Ohio. 🇺🇸

One of the cemetery's most recognizable features is its impressive collection of Victorian-era monuments, mausoleums, and statuary. Many of these works of art were crafted more than a century ago and reflect the architectural styles and craftsmanship of their time. 🏛️🗿

Woodlawn is also home to military veterans from conflicts spanning from the Civil War through modern times. Special memorial sections honor those who served our country, making the cemetery an important place of remembrance and reflection. 🎖️🇺🇸

Beyond its historical significance, Woodlawn functions as an urban arboretum filled with mature trees, wildlife, and seasonal beauty. In many ways, it serves as a living outdoor museum that tells the story of Toledo through the generations. 🍂🌸🦋

Today, nearly 150 years after its founding, Woodlawn Cemetery remains one of Toledo's most treasured historic landscapes—preserving the stories of the people who built the Glass City while providing a peaceful sanctuary in the heart of the community. ❤️🏙️

📍 Did you know? Many local historians consider a walk through Woodlawn Cemetery to be one of the best ways to explore Toledo's past, with every monument and gravestone telling a unique chapter of the city's history.


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06/01/2026

🌊🏭➡️🌳 TOLEDO'S GLASS CITY METROPARK: FROM INDUSTRIAL POWERHOUSE TO WORLD-CLASS WATERFRONT DESTINATION 🚢🌿

One of the most remarkable transformations in Toledo's history has taken place along the east bank of the Maumee River, where the stunning Glass City Metropark and the National Museum of the Great Lakes now stand.

Today, visitors enjoy miles of trails, riverfront views, playgrounds, an ice-skating ribbon, marina access, and one of the most unique urban parks in America. But for more than a century, this land looked very different.

The property was once part of Toledo's heavy industrial corridor, home to steel mills, rail yards, manufacturing facilities, and shipping operations that helped make Toledo one of the Midwest's industrial giants. One of the major occupants was the Maumee Rolling Mill steel company, which operated on the site during the late 1800s. During construction of the park, workers even uncovered massive iron slag ladles from that era, which were preserved and incorporated into the park as public art.

As industry declined throughout the late 20th century, much of the riverfront became vacant brownfield property. For decades, Toledo leaders discussed countless redevelopment plans, but none came to fruition. Eventually, Metroparks Toledo, the City of Toledo, ProMedica, and numerous public and private partners came together with a vision to reconnect residents with the Maumee River.

The result is Glass City Metropark, a 70-acre riverfront destination that opened in phases between 2020 and 2023. The park is the first major component of the larger Glass City Riverwalk project, a long-term effort that will create nearly 300 acres of connected green space and approximately five miles of riverfront trails stretching along both sides of the Maumee River.

Just north of the park sits the National Museum of the Great Lakes, which opened in 2014. Operated by the Great Lakes Historical Society, the museum tells the story of Great Lakes shipping, shipbuilding, commerce, and maritime life. Its most famous attraction is the historic lake freighter SS Col. James M. Schoonmaker, launched in 1911 and once known as the "Queen of the Lakes."

Together, the museum and Glass City Metropark celebrate both sides of Toledo's identity: its industrial and maritime past, and its future as a vibrant waterfront city. What was once a landscape of factories, rail lines, and industrial waste has become one of Ohio's premier urban parks and a source of pride for the entire region.

Have you visited Glass City Metropark yet? What impressed you most—the views, The Ribbon skating trail, the public art, or seeing Toledo reconnect with the river that helped build the city?
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05/31/2026

⚾🏟️ TOLEDO'S FIFTH THIRD FIELD: THE BALLPARK THAT HELPED REINVENT DOWNTOWN TOLEDO

When people think of Toledo sports, one name immediately comes to mind—the Toledo Mud Hens. And since 2002, the team has called Fifth Third Field home, one of the most celebrated minor league baseball stadiums in America.

Located in the heart of downtown Toledo's Warehouse District, Fifth Third Field opened on April 9, 2002, replacing the aging Ned Skeldon Stadium in Maumee. The $39 million ballpark was intentionally built downtown as a catalyst for economic development and urban revitalization. With a seating capacity of approximately 10,300, the stadium quickly became much more than a place to watch baseball—it became a centerpiece of Toledo's comeback story.

The ballpark is home to the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens, the longtime top farm club of the Detroit Tigers. The Mud Hens name itself dates back to the 1890s and became nationally famous through the character Maxwell Klinger on the television series MAS*H, who proudly wore Mud Hens apparel throughout the show's run.

From the beginning, Fifth Third Field earned national praise. Newsweek named it one of the best minor league ballparks in America, while ESPN once called "The Roost" in right field the best seat in minor league baseball. Fans love the stadium's classic brick architecture, intimate sightlines, and views of Toledo's skyline.

But perhaps the stadium's biggest accomplishment has been its impact on downtown Toledo. Since the Mud Hens moved into the Warehouse District, restaurants, shops, entertainment venues, and new development have followed. The creation of Hensville—a multi-million-dollar entertainment district connected to the ballpark—helped transform the area into a year-round destination for concerts, festivals, community events, and nightlife. Officials have credited the ballpark and Hensville with drawing hundreds of thousands of additional visitors downtown and encouraging further investment throughout the city center.

Today, Fifth Third Field remains one of the crown jewels of minor league baseball and a symbol of what sports can do for a community. More than just a stadium, it has become a gathering place that brings together families, baseball fans, visitors, and Toledoans of all ages while helping fuel economic growth throughout northwest Ohio.

From Opening Day crowds to summer fireworks over the downtown skyline, Fifth Third Field continues to prove that a ballpark can be much more than a ballpark—it can help shape the future of an entire city.

⚾ Have you attended a Mud Hens game at Fifth Third Field?
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05/30/2026

The Soldier Mural Project on Toledo's I-280 Veterans Glass City Skyway!
Many people have noticed renderings of a giant soldier mural planned for the piers of the I-280 Veterans Glass City Skyway, the landmark cable-stayed bridge that carries Interstate 280 over the Maumee River in Toledo. The bridge itself opened in 2007 and was designed as a signature gateway to the city, featuring its distinctive glass-clad tower that honors Toledo's long history as the "Glass City."
The proposed mural project is part of a much larger public-art initiative known as the River Gallery Project, led by Toledo artist Dean Davis. The goal is to transform Toledo's riverfront into an outdoor art gallery featuring dozens of large-scale murals celebrating the city's history, industry, veterans, and culture.
Plans call for enormous military-themed murals to be painted on the massive concrete support piers beneath the Veterans Glass City Skyway. According to project announcements, the completed work is envisioned as the world's largest veterans tribute mural, depicting soldiers from major eras of American military history. Current plans call for approximately 13 giant soldiers, each representing a different conflict in U.S. history and standing as much as 85 feet tall on the bridge piers. The first publicly revealed concept featured a World War II soldier, with additional murals planned to honor service members from other conflicts and generations.
The soldier murals are only one piece of a much broader vision.
The River Gallery Project originally proposed 23 additional murals along the Maumee River corridor, stretching from downtown Toledo toward Lake Erie. These works are intended to highlight:
Veterans and military history
Toledo's industrial heritage
Maritime history on the Maumee River
Local culture and neighborhoods
Wildlife and natural resources
Community stories and regional pride
The project has since expanded even further through the "100 Works of Art" initiative, which aims to eventually install up to 100 large-scale public artworks throughout Lucas County.
Connection to Toledo's Existing Giant Murals
The soldier mural project builds on the success of Toledo's famous Glass City River Wall, the massive mural painted across 28 grain silos on the east bank of the Maumee River. Covering roughly 170,000 square feet, it is recognized as the largest mural in North America and has become one of Toledo's most photographed landmarks.
The Veterans Glass City Skyway carries tens of thousands of vehicles daily and serves as one of the most recognizable gateways into Toledo. Supporters hope the veteran-themed murals will create a powerful visual tribute to military service while adding another major destination to Toledo's growing riverfront arts district.
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05/29/2026

A memory from 3 years ago, a verrry unique capture of two F-16's doing a low pass over the Chagrin Falls Memorial day parade and ceremony!!! My buddy Shane Knee nailed this piece of video, as I was tied up doing the ground live stream at the Civil War monument. One of the coolest video clip you'll ever see!!!

Special thanks to my buddy Shane Knee for assisting me at the Chagrin Falls 2023 Memorial day parade and cemetery ceremony! He caught this AWESOME footage!!!...

05/27/2026

https://youtu.be/5x83F2ooaeQ?si=Vj-2hYV5xx4xzptE
The 2026 Memorial Day Parade, and ceremony at Evergreen Hill Cemetery!
Facebook videos automatically delete after 30 days, so I put the livestreams on YouTube for posterity. As well, not everyone is on Facebook, so this helps a bit for those folks too.

The Chagrin Falls Memorial Day parade 2026, from Triangle Park in the Village, out to the Evergreen Hill Cemetery, with the ceremony held at the Civil War mo...

05/27/2026

https://youtu.be/ZOKpDZVdqdI?si=aqryufGy-Dv9I14l

The 2026 Blossom Time Parade, shot in front of the Chagrin History Center!
Facebook videos automatically delete after 30 days, so I put the livestreams on YouTube for posterity. As well, not everyone is on Facebook, so this helps a bit for those folks too.

This was the DRONE OHIO Livestream of the 2026 Blossom Time Parade,...