If you want to watch the Chillicothe fireworks from Carlisle Hill…how about learning about the hill? And the curious, cantankerous, canted steps that meander up it? As well as the bedrock that slips under it, the working-class neighborhood on it that has been largely erased, the scenic Victorian and Art & Crafts homes atop it, and what you see from its hilltop. Also…the story of The Star.

Join me for two identical tours on the Carlisle Hill Steps: Sunday afternoon, and Tuesday morning on the holiday so we get cool air and morning sun.

Half of the steps are steep and very uneven, so only those who are healthy, nimble, and daring are welcome – and I and the city accept no liability for skinned shins…or worse! (I will at least prune any offending brush before the tour.)

I’ll meet any maniac mountaineers at the bottom at West 5th Street and Belleview Avenue, head up the 5th Street Steps, jog downhill on Carlisle Place (the winding street going up the hill), head up the “Terrace Walk” steps behind Rose Lane to Highland Avenue, and end at the Star on Highland Avenue at West Main Street. Tours are 2 to 4pm Sunday July 2nd, and 9 to 11am Tuesday July 4th.

$10 for adults, $5 for students, $15 for families (with children, up to 5 family members).

Contact me at ihs@horizonview.net, phone 740 / 775-4036, text 740 / 771-8574, or message from this Facebook page. If the weather is inclement, the tour will be rescheduled and those who have contacted me will be notified.