‘She’s gone’: Iconic area winery sign made from 150-year-old cask damaged in strong storms

An iconic Valley Vineyards sign was damaged by a pole knocked over in a storm passing through the area on Friday, June 8, 2018. Left: Mark Fisher / staff. Right: Contributed

An iconic Valley Vineyards sign was damaged by a pole knocked over in a storm passing through the area on Friday, June 8, 2018. Left: Mark Fisher / staff. Right: Contributed
What to Know
By Mark Fisher
June 9, 2018
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A  large 150-year-old redwood cask that has served as the sign in front of Valley Vineyards in Morrow in Warren County for decades was destroyed Friday by a utility pole during a storm.

The cask sign had endured “nearly 50 years, fire, and three generations, (but now) she’s gone,” Joe Schuchter, co-owner and the third generation of his family to operate the winery and vineyards at U.S. 22 and Ohio 3, wrote on his Facebook page.

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One way or another, Schuchter told this news outlet, the sign will be rebuilt “as soon as possible.”

Valley Vineyards’ owners are checking their wine-barrel supplier “to see if they have a barrel that size that we could purchase,” Schuchter said. “We did already do some homework and find out that the company that originally made the barrels 150 years ago is still in business in Italy.”

A view of the well-known Valley Vineyards sign seen in decades past. CONTRIBUTED

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An iconic Valley Vineyards sign was damaged by a pole knocked over by storms on Friday, June 8, 2018. CONTRIBUTED

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About the Author

Mark Fisher, a 1981 graduate of Ohio State University and a 1976 graduate of Beavercreek High School, is a third-generation Dayton-area resident who has worked for the Dayton Daily News since 1983. He covered higher education and K-12 education accountability issues for nearly 20 years before taking over the food and dining beat in 2006.