NEW PHILADELPHIA − Don Whittingham was only looking for a place to jam and have fun with his musican buddies when he purchased a relic of a building on Fair Avenue NE in downtown New Philadelphia.
But he quickly set his sights on a grander plan − transforming the space at 112 Fair Ave. NE into a live music venue with a restaurant and bar christened The Delaware.
Bold ambition, financial risk and a deep passion for music have turned Whittingham’s daydream into a reality.
Sleek, inviting and originally styled, The Delaware incorporates mosaic artwork by local artist Sarah Dugger. Paintings from local artists are displayed. A handmade 17-foot kayak hangs from the ceiling. A large photo of Dundee Falls covers a wall. Liquor shelves are made of locally-sourced hickory. Exposed brick accents the bar. Boutique and steam punk lighting are distinctive. A turntable spins vinyl records. And a 1960 Baldwin grand piano is next to the stage, where 1970s JBL speakers pump out the sound.
Opening about a year ago, The Delaware has injected downtown New Philadelphia with a vibrant venue for live music.
Don Whittingham opened The Delaware, a restaurant, bar and live music venue, about a year ago in downtown New Philadelphia.
“I would like The Delaware to continue to represent a community of art, music and performance,” Whittingham said. “When people come in here, they feel good. A lot of people comment this is like going to a place in Cleveland or another big city, but it’s in a small town.”
Live music is featured four nights a week, a mix of free and ticketed shows. Acts include singer-songwriters, Nirvana and Ramones tribute bands, and touring artists such as Tommy Stinson, formerly of The Replacements, Coleman Williams, Green Jellÿ and Supersuckers. Northeast Ohio musicians and bands regularly perform, including The Whiskey Daredevils, The Intangibles, Flocco Torres, Saxy Rob, The Numbers Band 15-60-75, longtime jazzman Dave Marchione, Rick Michel and Kelly Goodrich. Special guests have included Canton native John Mahon, the longtime percussionist for Elton John.
The Delaware, a restaurant, bar and live music venue, opened about a year ago in downtown New Philadelphia. Both local and touring musicians are featured.
Entertainment also includes piano nights, bingo and comedy.
“We’re the best kept secret in Tuscarawas County,” said Whittingham, a 60-year-old Tuscarawas County native. “It takes a while for people to come out and check you out. Slowly, the word is getting out.
“We’re striving to be the music venue of choice for Tuscarawas County.”
‘Art, music and culture’
Whittingham said The Delaware culminates his lifelong love for music, dating to when he was a student at Kent State University in the 1980s and performed at downtown bars in a hipster music scene.
Running a music club and restaurant is a new chapter for Whittingham, who has worked for more than 30 years in chemical sales. Alexis Brady, general manager, helps run The Delaware.
Contacts, friendships and networking in the regional music scene keep the stage busy. Travis Arrendale, the club’s sound engineer, also helps curate and book live acts. So does Chet Byers.
“I didn’t plan a night club,” Whittingham said. “It just came to me. This is a passion for me. I love live music. I wanted to bring different types of live music to the community.
“It always comes down to art, music and culture. Whether it’s Marietta or downtown Canton.”
Don Whittingham said pianists are among the musicians who perform at The Delaware, a restaurant and live music venue he opened in downtown New Philadelphia about a year ago.
Future plans
Whittingham owns The Delaware with his wife, Susie. Constructed in the 1920s, the building has had various uses over the decades.
They own a half block of property that includes The Delaware and extends to North Broadway Street. Spaces are leased to Craft Bistro & Lounge, Broadway Tattoo and Willow Fern Freeze Dried Candy & More. But he doesn’t have plans yet for a vacant property at Fair and Broadway that was a drug store in the 1940s. Subsequent uses included a vacuum cleaner store and bookstore. The property is in the Fair Avenue Arts District.
“It hasn’t come to me,” Whittingham said. “I have to develop it − it’s a beautiful corner, it’s a showcase corner. I just have to do it right.”
“It will be something that will add value to the downtown to enhance the quality of life in New Philadelphia,” he said. “That’s what we try to do … much like the Delaware … and this space will be developed into something like that. My dream of grandeur is to put a French bakery in here but we’ll see.”
Whittingham said The Delaware is part of a diverse mix of businesses, including Alley Cats Marketplace, Daily Grind Cafe, Mustards, Broadway Brewhouse, Fresh the Market, Quaker Cinema, TuscArts Fine Art Gallery, and Lacey Performing Arts Center.
Don Whittingham, owner of The Delaware in New Philadelphia, displays a signed piece of memorabilia from the new wave band Devo. The live music venue features both local and touring bands and artists.
Whittingham said the entire county has an active music scene, including gospel, Christian, country and rock bands. Kent State University at Tuscarawas frequently features live music and touring acts at the Performing Arts Center, which seats 1,100.
“The best kept secret in Tuscarawas County is there’s so much music,” he said. “On any given weekend, we’ll have, especially in the summer, 10, 15, 20 bands playing all in one night and somewhere in the county, and that’s not an exaggeration.”
“The Akron-Canton people who come down here find that fascinating because we actually have more music sometimes than they actually have being offered up north.”
Don Whittingham, a Tuscarawas County native, opened The Delaware in downtown New Philadelphia. It features live music, scratch-made food and signature cocktails.
Smoked brisket, stuffed butternut squash and apple crisp
The Delaware also gives downtown visitors another dining option.
Chef Nick Thiessen serves scratch-made dishes and weekly specials such as creamy chicken chowder, lasagna soup, Mexican street corn dip and beef stroganoff. Tasty eats on the menu include a cubano sandwich served on rustic sourdough, 16-hour mesquite wood smoked brisket, pizza, flatbreads, blackened salmon salad, New Philly cheesesteak sandwiches, stuffed butternut squash, heirloom carrots and apple crisp.
The bar has 12 taps and serves wine and mixed drinks, including the Delaware old fashioned and espresso martinis.
“We’re definitely growing for a first-year business,” Whittingham said of the restaurant.
Dave Marchione is among the Northeast Ohio-based musicians who perform at The Delaware, a live music venue in downtown New Philadelphia. Marchione, known for his work in jazz, has recorded songs with Grammy winner Bob James.
Fitting into the New Philly arts scene
Debbie Knisely, owner of Alley Cats Marketplace and Fresh the Market, said The Delaware is another step in enriching the cultural offerings of New Philadelphia.
“You can feel the excitement,” said Knisely, 68, who has a marketing background. “People are getting involved, so we’re happy to see this momentum keep going and we hope, as the quadrants get redone (downtown), they’ll bring more business-minded people to renovate more of these buildings.”
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Local artwork is displayed at The Delaware, a restaurant and live music venue in Tuscarawas County.
“You have to have a vision and … instead of just seeing a dilapidated building falling down, you have to see that potential that building has and the love you have to give that building to make it into something beautiful again,” said Knisely, who opened Alley Cats in 2019. The business has more than 60 artisans and vendors, including from Stark, Tuscarawas and Carroll counties, as well the Cleveland area.
Music and art events are routinely scheduled downtown, Knisely said.
New Philadelphia Advancing the Community Together presents the Multi Cultural Festival in the summer. Live music is showcased at Music on the Square, and Art on the Alley is another regular event.
Groups fostering the local arts culture include Tuscarawas Arts Partnership. Whittingham also supports public art efforts downtown, including murals and sculptures.
“I guess I’m still surprised at how many locals haven’t been in because we constantly get that or people come in for a wedding or some retreat … and they are just so surprised with what’s here in New Philadelphia,” Knisely said. “So we each share what we have, and it’s nice to see there’s Don over there with a really unique music experience.”
Decor of The Delaware in downtown New Philadelphia includes mosaic poles, a kayak and artwork. The venue features both ticketed live music and free shows.
‘A music club that’s music first.’
Marchione, 72, is among the veteran musicians who enjoy performing at The Delaware.
“I’d play on a street corner for nothing because it’s my passion,” said the North Canton resident. “And it’s my way of communicating with the world around me, and it goes beyond my opinions, it goes beyond politics, religion and all of that. It’s the magic language that speaks directly to my heart and everyone else’s.”
Marchione first met Whittingham at a Canton recording studio around 40 years ago before reconnecting more recently when the versatile musician was gigging at Tozzi’s Restaurant of Magnolia.
Whittingham asked Marchione to perform at The Delaware.
“I think it’s the nicest music club that’s been around for a long time,” said Marchione, who has recorded music with Grammy winner Bob James. “And I was just really impressed with everything about it. The way it looks, the great sound system, and Don’s commitment to making a music club that’s music first. It’s an actual music entertainment venue that’s well thought out from top to bottom. The bar’s great, the food’s great but it’s a music venue. It’s eclectic.”
Don Whittingham, owner of The Delaware restaurant and live music venue in downtown New Philadelphia, discusses possible plans for another building in the same block as The Delaware on Fair Avenue NE.
Marchione’s performances vary, but his repertoire features a mix of covers, including Van Morrison, Chick Corea and Led Zeppelin, as well as original compositions. December shows feature Christmas songs and Christmas jazz.
The Dave Marchione Jazz Trio will perform at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 12 at The Delaware. Admission is free.
Clubs prioritizing live music are critical to the artform, Marchione said.
“It’s super important to have somewhere where human beings can express their human hearts to other human beings,” he said. “Regardless of the genre, it’s beyond important, it’s vital.”
Reach Ed at ebalint@gannett.com. Follow on Instagram at ed_balint and TikTok @edwardbalint.
Don Whittingham plays a 1960 Baldwin grand piano at The Delaware in downtown New Philadelphia, a live music venue that features both ticketed and free concerts and a diverse mix of genres.
The Delaware
What: The Delaware, a restaurant, bar and live music venue
Where: 112 Fair Ave. NE in downtown New Philadelphia
Upcoming events: 6:30 p.m. Nov. 12, Dave Marchione Jazz Trio; 7 p.m. Nov. 14, The Numbers Band; 8 p.m. Nov. 28, Ramones tribute Weasal Face; 7 p.m. Dec. 6, Supersuckers co-headlining with Scott H. Biram; 11 a.m. Dec. 20, Breakfast/Brunch with Santa; and 8 p.m. Feb. 7, AC/DC tribute Dirty Deeds.
Hours: Wednesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to midnight.
For more information: https://www.thedelawarelive.com
This article originally appeared on The Repository: From rock to bluegrass. The Delaware in New Philly is live music hub