Author Brad Zellar discovers community and comraderie in "Ohio"

  • By Denise Daliege-Pierce
  • June 24, 2012
  • 367
                        
Summary: A Cleveland beauty pageant and a film convention in Hudson aren’t the only places documented by writer Brad Zellar and photographer Alec Soth in their 48-page newspaper, Ohio—Dover is, too. Zellar describes his search for community, his feelings for Dover, and how he became a member of the Moose. Story: At a time when human interaction is often limited to lunch breaks with co-workers or commenting on a friend’s Facebook post, author Brad Zellar was searching for something more. The desire to find a deeper connection to community inspired Zellar and renowned photographer, Alec Soth, to spend May 17 through May 24 navigating through a dozen Ohio towns and cities. The result of their journey is Ohio, a limited edition, 48-page newspaper available from Little Brown Mushroom Books. Zellar and Soth wandered across the Buckeye State, visiting churches in Cleveland, a horror film convention in Hudson and a beleaguered Toledo American Legion hall along the way. “We didn’t really know what we were going to do when we started out,” Zellar admitted. Discouraged by encounters with prototype teenagers and retired loners, the colleagues deviated from their itinerary and, on Monday, May 21, visited Dover. “We just happened to be driving by and having a shut out day,” remarked Zellar. A conversation with another of what Zellar dubbed the “McDonald’s solitaries” at the restaurant’s Boulevard location didn’t alleviate the pair’s suspicions of community decline, nor did seeing one empty street after another. “We did drive in there, and it was an eerie feeling,” recalled Zellar. “Everything was just abandoned.” The duo discovered that a Dover Chemical Corporation diproplyene glycol spill earlier in the day had forced residents indoors. Buoyed by the opportunity to speak with first responders and others in uniform who serve their community, Zellar and Soth decided to visit the plant—yet it would be a chance meeting with a Boy Scout that rewarded Zellar with his favorite Dover memory. Each year around Memorial Day, Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts from Dover’s Troop 86 assist members of American Legion Post 205 in placing flags or markers on the graves of Tuscarawas County military service members. The sight of young and old filling Dover Burial Park to honor its veterans cheered Zellar. “It was just beautiful,” he observed. “This town that seemed shut down and completely dead, and it was a beautiful day.” It appeared to be a watershed moment. “That afternoon at the Dover Burial Park seemed to put all of our feelings into place,” Zellar commented. A stop in Clyde, the hometown of Winesburg, Ohio author, Sherwood Anderson—and partial inspiration for their trip—was a priority for Zellar and Soth. Zellar’s interest in the culture of fraternal organizations seemed natural, given his profession. “We both are, kind of, loners. Writing tends to be a solitary thing.” While aging members have contributed to the decline of social and civic groups, the internet has played a role, too. Joining an online gaming group seems to have replaced seeking membership in the local Eagles lodge. “All that stuff seems very, very lonely to me,” Zellar affirmed. Political action isn’t immune to technology, either. “There’s nothing more absurd than a virtual march to protest something,” he asserted. Expecting a repeat of numerous floundering lodge halls, Zellar instead discovered a vibrant community within Clyde’s Moose club. He and Soth canceled plans to travel elsewhere, and spent the day with the Moose, conversing and watching karaoke. “We were there when the sun came up; we were there when the sun went down,” Zellar noted. A losing bet on a tabletop shuffleboard game resulted in Zellar’s initiation into the Loyal Order of Moose. “It was kind of a lark. It was fun,” Zellar said of the experience. “I’m not really a joiner.” The ability of Ohioans to speak freely—in contrast to citizens of his native Minnesota—helped endear the state to Zellar. “Ohio was good to us,” he shared. “We had a really terrific time there and met a lot of wonderful people.” Copies of Ohio, part of Magnum’s Looking for America project, can be purchased online from Little Brown Mushroom Books at http://www.littlebrownmushroom.com.


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