Thursday, June 01, 2000
New job, old name for former Mrs. Luken
By JIM KNIPPENBERG
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Well, would you look at this: A new job and a new name.
Referring here to Marcia Luken, former wife of Mayor Charlie Luken. After a quiet divorce in mid-May, she is now Marcia Spaeth (her maiden name) and new director of Tender Mercies.
Tender Mercies is a shelter for the homeless where she has volunteered since 1985, when the late Rev. Chris Hall, one of its founders, recruited her. She has been cooking there, raising money, lending an ear, anything needed, she says. Now, she's head of the organization, which houses 150 residents and has a staff of 52 in seven Over-the-Rhine buildings.
“I'm scared, but I'm excited. This has been my heart for 15 years. But there are money problems; I have to start off raising $50,000. That's scary. It's like my new name: I was a Luken longer than I was a Spaeth, so that's kind of scary too.”
Today's her first day. Previously, she ran Kids Voting, a non-profit group that educates kids on democratic processes.
Lost pump: Here's something you don't usually see Maisonette managing partner Nat Comisar fretting about: Losing his high heel.
But he is. The Golden Pump is a rainbow-colored high heel and the trophy at the annual Drag Races, where teams of four, mostly men, dress in bad drag and run a relay down Court Street, Central to Race.
It's from one bar to another, Pipeline to Shooters, where there are mandatory liquor shots for 30 or so teams in the benefit for AIDS Volunteers of Cincinnati.
The Maisonette team won last year's race (the 15th annual) and has displayed the Golden Pump downstairs in LaNormandie all year.
In preparation for this year's race, organizers asked for the pump back. “Team captain Matt Colwell told them there was no need because we were going to win again,” Comisar says. “Then he broke his leg. He's hobbling around LaNormandie (he's GM), wishing people would seat themselves and looking for a sub. But we'll win again.”
The races, usually with about 2,000 spectators, are 4 p.m. Sunday; the street fair, with booths and food, is 1 p.m.
Give a call: Hmmm. Not sure whether Naomi Lewin will make pigs or opera fans come running.
Lewin is WGUC-FM's 10 a.m.-2 p.m. announcer, a music scholar with two degrees from Yale, a vocalist and an award-winning hog caller.
Which will come in handy Friday when the Big Pig Gig does a hog calling contest on Fountain Square, with Downtown Cincinnati Inc.'s Rick Griewe, Q102 morning personality MG, Channel 5's Michelle Hopkins, the Art Museum's Jennifer Howe and others throwing dignity to the wind.
Lewin is a ringer — a caller who has already won one contest in New Castle, Ind., and has a trophy from 1988 to prove it. Granted, it's a big gold tractor, but it's still a trophy. Her technique is to call in an operatic voice — mezzo — and catch the judges off guard.
Oh yeah, the public is invited to participate too.
Knip's Eye View appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Have an item to report? Call Jim Knippenberg at 768-8513; fax: 768-8330.
KNIPPENBERG ARCHIVE
