BY JIM KNIPPENBERG
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Bob Kramer
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It's like the old joke, what if they gave a war and nobody came? But in this case, it's what if they gave a convention and nobody came? Nobody, that is, except Fairfield's Bob Kramer. He recently trekked to Atlantic City, N.J., for BobFest, an annual do where people named Bob (or derivatives like Rob, Roberta, Bobbie Sue, Billie Bob) meet to discuss their Bobness.
This year's goal was 4,000 Bobs in one place at one time, a feat that would have gotten the fest into the Guinness Book of World Records. So imagine Kramer's surprise when he arrived and discovered so few Bobs had signed up that organizer Linda Ostroff pulled the plug.
"There I was, a lone Bob. We took a meeting."
A meeting with Kramer is no small deal. He talks a mile a minute and throws out ideas quite a bit faster. That's his job: He's a motivational speaker (president of the National Speakers Association Ohio Chapter) who bills himself as the world's foremost street marketer.
He hit Ostroff like a ton of bricks. So much so that he is next year's co-chair and promises that "Yes, we absolutely will crack 4,000.
"I guarantee that within eight months you'll see me on Oprah, Good Morning America, Larry King -- all talking about next year."
Hobnob With Bob, he's calling it, and there's already one idea on the table: Drop 4,000 apples from helicopters and have the world's largest bobbing for apples session.
"Just wait . . . You're going to see a lot of Bobs there." No doubt.
BUZZ AROUND TOWN: Keeping eyes and ears open, Psst! has heard . . . lots of chatter on the Mount Adams circuit about bar changes. To wit . . .
The Pavilion, the bar with several decks and a spectacular view, may reopen soon. It has been closed since last year.
Word is that a neighboring bar owner (sorry, no name yet; nobody will talk about these deals before they're sealed) is thisclose to signing the deal. Goal is to re-open by July, says a Mount Adams Business Guild source who confirms the deal. Good plan, because the place does a huge Sunday morning Bloody Mary business in summer.
At Longworth's, meanwhile, restaurateur Jeff Ruby has been sniffing around big time. Talk among the servers and bartenders is how he has made two or three visits in the past week.
A rumor has been afloat for months that the bar is for sale. This despite business being up 51 percent over last summer, says Business Guild exec Neil Quinn.
Ruby admits he was there twice, but has decided, "It's not going to happen. Doesn't lend itself to what I want to do."
Right. But this much we know for sure: Spazzi, Ruby's Italian restaurant upstairs at the Waterfront, closed last week (he's going the private party route) and he's looking for a new space. Just not Longworth's.
He added that he also has been in Columbus checking sites for a second Precinct restaurant.
Psst! appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Have an item to report? Call Jim Knippenberg at 768-8513; fax: 768-8330.
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