I Scream for Ice Cream!

Which do you prefer, soft serve or hard scooped ice cream?
Hi it's Meghan Mongillo, AKA one of Cincinnati's biggest fans of soft serve ice cream. :-)

Don't get me wrong, I love scooped ice cream too. But not as much as a soft serve chocolate and vanilla twist cone. Mmmmmm. It's arguably my favorite dessert (and I do love desserts!).

I've been to soft serve ice cream stands all over the Tri-State. The Creamy Whip in Norwood is within walking distance of my home so it's one of my favorites. (That's where the picture was taken. I sometimes get my cone dipped in chocolate) Putz's Creamy Whip is also great -- there's a reason it's been a Cincinnati tradition since 1938!

I put on my investigative reporter hat to do some research on soft serve ice cream and found out some cool facts about this old fashioned treat. Not surprisingly, soft serve got its start at one of the most popular ice cream chains, Dairy Queen, back in the 1930's. What you may not know is that it's served at a higher temperature than scooped which gives it the creamy texture and allows your taste buds to detect the flavor better. I didn't know this, but when you eat hard ice cream, your taste buds are chilled to the point that the flavors aren't as easily detectable.

Oh and here's the best part -- soft serve is made with less butter fat, which makes it a bit healthier. That's just what I was looking for, another reason to enjoy this amazing summer time treat! :-)

Tennis Love

The top tennis players in the world are in Mason right now... and I’m excited! :-) Hi, it’s Meghan Mongillo.

Cincinnati is very fortunate to host the Western & Southern US Open Series. I was there Monday night when the ladies kicked off the event. "Wow" is the one word that comes to mind. These women are exceptional athletes. Watching tennis on TV is not the same as being there. We sat at the one end behind the players and watching the speed of the ball and how close it came to the top of the net was incredible.

I wasn’t familiar with either player I watched, but still I was really into it. Victoria Azarenka, who was the #9 seed in the tournament, took on unseeded Ana Ivanovic. Azarenka dominated the first set 6-2, but underdog Ivanovic won over the crowd. She stepped up big time, winning the wild 2nd set in a tie breaker and then taking the 3rd set to win the match. Azarenka had a bit of a melt down during that tight 2nd set, slamming her racket to earn a warning from the official and throwing her towel. Seeing her passion just added to the excitement! :-)

(By the way...Ana Ivanovic won her 2nd round match up as well. She moves on to meet Elena Vesnina in the third round today)

If you have a chance to go, do it. The tickets prices are from $24 to $44 and believe me, it’s worth it!
https://shop.cincytennis.com/pricelist.asp

It's Fair Time

Where can you see a goat show, a 5-year-old kissing a snake, and a demolition derby? The Clermont County Fair!

Hi, Meghan here. I grew up in a small town in northern Ohio, near Youngstown. Believe it or not, I was in 4H and every year my parents, sisters and I looked forward to the county fair. I miss those days, so last weekend I convinced my friend to go with me to the Clermont County Fair.

I really just enjoy the people, sights and sounds of a the county fair. We met several really nice folks, including Jacob of Newtonsville, OH who showed off this pig that won a grand champion prize. Check out his picture. He and his sister raised 11 pigs and sold some at auction.

After wandering through the stables of goats, pigs, horses, and cows, we stopped for a show by the Kent Family Magic Circus. The Kents tour four months of the year and both parents and all seven of the children get in on the act that includes magic, juggling, and several other random acts of skill -- like balancing a wheelbarrow on one's chin while climbing a step ladder (which, incidentally, was also previously balanced on the same chin).

Believe it or not, the highlight for me though was the goat show. Those goats were really stubborn about navigating the obstacle course! None of them seemed to want to walk across the seesaw or jump over the barricades. The competitors showed great poise, patience, perseverance and strength to get through it though.

We capped the night by witnessing a wild and crazy demolition derby in the grandstand. I'm not sure who ended up winning, but it was entertaining! That fair is over but the Boone County Fair is going on through Saturday. You should check it out!

Rubber Ducky You're the One!

It's time to pick your duck:) Hi it's Meghan.

Cincinnati's Rubber Duck Regatta is the largest and longest-running rubber duck race in the nation. Over 85,000 rubber duckies will be dropped from the Purple People Bridge into the Ohio River and swim quarter mile along the Serpentine Wall. This event happens on Sunday, September 5th at 3 p.m.

In a few days you can also get involved by buying a Celebrity Duck. Chose from over 60 ducks signed by local and nationally recognized stars. Sports legends Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Chad Ochocinco and Kentucky Basketball coach John Calipari all have a duck. There's even Bieber Fever this year, music phenom Justin Bieber has one! The picture above is of the Carrie Underwood and Rey Maualuga duck (love all that hair)! The event is this Thursday, July 29th from 5:30 to 8:30 at Newport on the Levee's Jefferson Hall.

The Rubber Duck Regatta is the Freestore Foodbank’s largest fundraiser. Last year, $550,000 was raised – that is equivalent to 2.2 MILLION meals. Click here for details.

We Have Computers Now

Hi it’s Meghan:) No it's not 1987 and this is not breaking news. But I wanted to let you know about something you might have noticed while watching the show. If you look at the wide shot of the two anchors sitting at the desk you can now see little computers with the FOX19 logo.

Those are brand new Netbook computers. The anchors use them to read scripts, respond to emails and to watch for breaking news alerts. We had computers on set before, but they were slightly below the desk on a small table so they wouldn’t be seen. They were awkward to use and not helpful since they weren’t in front of the anchors. The Netbooks are a great addition they are smaller and easier to see and use. Plus it now gives Rob something to do during commerical breaks:)

The computer is just another tool we use to make sure the information we deliver is accurate and up to the minute. Thanks for watching!

Cool Roadside Joint in Newtown

Hi it’s Meghan:) I love to try eclectic new places and this past Saturday afternoon I found a great one. Corral 32 is on Route 32 in Newtown, OH, or "Main Street" as the locals call it. I just happened to drive by and thought it looked interesting (well, that, and I was starving!) so I decided to stop for a late lunch.

Corral 32 is a bit hard to explain or classify. It's an ice cream shop that's also a BBQ joint on weekends, but its atmosphere feels more like an old trading post. The house that was built back in 1836 has now been remodeled to look like a barn, and the porch and yard contain a hodgepodge of antiques, from Tonka trucks to a Magnavox record player that still works. The owner, Ted Gerrard, sometimes brings his animals down for a petting zoo. Other times they have live music performances. Ted says that July 31 is Open Mic Night for anyone who wants to belt out a song or play an instrument.

Phil (wearing the cowboy hat) smokes the ribs and chicken with real hickory wood for about 3 hours before transferring them to the grill and adding his homemade BBQ sauce. He says he messed up 100 different sauces before perfecting his current recipe, which I tried over both chicken and ribs. I also tried his "sagebrush beans" that have sage and apples cooked in. A soft serve twist cone was my sweet treat at the end, and it was all delicious!!!

Corral 32 is only open seasonally right now, so I'm glad I drove by when I did!

Really Getting Away

Hi it's Meghan:) I just got back from vacation. Every year since before I was born my family heads to Rehoboth Beach in Delaware. I love going..it's like a home away from home. This year was no different. Tennis, swimming, beach volleyball, reading and relaxing.

But the best thing I did was disconnect. I turned off my Blackberry and didn't watch TV for a week. It felt so good to have the real world disappear for a while. I didn't think about work or anything else important (Sorry FOX19 family - i am glad to be back.)

If you are going away... even for a few days, I highly suggest turning off the cellphone, TV and computer. Try just sitting and talking to the people you are with. I think in this technology driven society, the art and warmth you get from having a real conversation is missing. But the good news is...it's not hard to get it back - you just have to unplug.