PIQUA — Miami County residents recently joined tour guide Don Smith in an immersive tour of Piqua. The trip began during in Piqua at the Comfort Inn during a July day at 9 a.m. and concluded at 7 p.m.

The tour included many well-known and some not-so-well-known stories and sites around the Piqua community said a press release on the tour. Traveling to the Johnston Farm for a farm tour and canal boat ride the passengers were treated to a variety of stories including information about the Randolph Freedmen and the canal boat door on the John Butler house.

Afterward, the farm tour participants boarded the bus for a discussion of a number of sites on the west side of the community. As the passengers traveled from the Pitsenbarger Park and statue, they were treated to antidotes about Piqua, including the Ghostbuster car, the atomic energy plant and the hydroponic lettuce grow operation. Lunch was at the Crooked Handle and a walking tour of downtown followed with stories about several buildings in the downtown area.

Following the walking tour, guests were divided into smaller groups to experience a hands on activity culminating at the Schmidlapp Free Library where they again boarded the bus and toured the Piqua Caldwell Historic District being invited into one of the historic homes. After the home tour, they were provided a dinner buffet at St. Paul’s Church prepared by Chief Don Walters, with entertainment by Jennifer Siders singing Mills Brothers music and Naomi Russell playing the grand piano.

The tour ended back at the Comfort Inn.

The tour was made possible by Main Street Piqua along with The Miami County Visitors and Convention Bureau, The Piqua Community Foundation and Awesome Piqua.