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BY LAYLA SCHLACK

BRIGHT IDEAS

Mayor Rhine McLin thinks Dayton is brilliant, with its sunny outdoor spots and a legacy of creativity.

Dayton is a city where creative minds have long flourished. It was here that the Wright brothers’ life-changing invention began to take flight and a barkeeper who became fed up with his dishonest employees invented the cash register.

As the first female mayor of Dayton, Mayor Rhine McLin dedicates her lifeto keeping the city’s innovative spirit alive. But the native Daytonian still finds time to relax and have fun. Here, she reveals her favorite places.

Where would you take a first-time Dayton visitor?

“There are a lot of places that are just exciting, especially when you go down to the Oregon Historic District. It’s fun to be down there, just to people-watch and see all the art galleries and restaurants.”

It sounds like there’s a huge creative scene. “Dayton has a lot of jazz venues, and arts and entertainment are really our forte. Most people don’t realize that. The Loft Theatre, home to the Human Race Theater Company (www.humanracetheatre.org), has cutting-edge performances. We have the kind of shows that make you say, ‘Wow’; you think you’re on Off Broadway. It’s an intimate space. And then you have the Victoria Theatre (www.victoriatheatre.com), an old Victorian theater that was refurbished. Both of these theaters are adjacent to the Schuster Performing Arts Center (www.schustercenter.org), a multimillion-dollar theater.”

What else can people do for entertainment? “We have the Dayton Dragons (www.daytondragons.com). It’s a minor league baseball team, and what’s unique [about Fifth Third Field] is you can sit in the suites, in the seats, on the lawn… and then there’s the street. People can actually walk down the street and see the game.”

What are some other ways to enjoy the warm weather? “We have RiverScape MetroPark (www.metroparks.org). On Thursdays, they have music, and people come down and bring their chairs and hang out. [On the Dayton Inventor’s River Walk], you can see all the things that were invented in Dayton, like ice trays—of course a lot of kids don’t know what those are anymore—a cash register and the flip-top can, which the kids can play on.”

Where do you go to relax? “One of my favorite places, if you ever want to find me when I get lost, is The Dayton Art Institute (www.daytonartinstitute.org).”

How can visitors still see Dayton’s innovative side? “Our National City 2nd Street Public Market (www..metroparks.org) is open on Saturdays from 8am to 3pm (and Thursdays and Fridays from 11am to 3pm), and it’s a gathering place. It’s in an old train trestle. We also have Urban Krag (www.urbankrag.com), an indoor rock-climbing facility in the Oregon Historic District. It’s an old church that was going to be torn down, and some folks who had a vision came in, and now you can climb the walls. The stained-glass windows are still there.”

THE MAYOR’S MENU

Rhine McLin dishes on what to order at her favorite restaurants.