Family Fun, Personal Tragedy Color Ohio Tour

CHICAGO (June 23, 2004) -- Dead Horse Communications announced today that its principal, Andrew Huff, presented at the Francis & Adella Huff Family Reunion held this past weekend at the Atwood Lake Resort and Conference Center in Dellroy, Ohio, as part of a three-city tour of Ohio.

"The trip was filled with great reconnections with family -- as well as the realization that the old chestnut "you can never go back again" is true," Andrew said. "Our stop in Cincinnati also yielded some positive developments that we hope to elaborate on at a later date."

Andrew and his companion, Dead Horse Chief Seamstress Cinnamon Cooper, participated in the customary late-night meet-and-greet with the more nocturnal members of the Huff family organization. Andrew's arrival with the 60-cup coffee urn was especially welcomed by this group of late-risers.

"My second cousin, once removed, Linda, discussed with me at great length the importance of finding one of the rare early-bird Huffs to charge with the making of the coffee," Andrew said. "We drafted Cindy Huff, of the Minnesota contingent, to do the job. She lived up to the task admirably."

On Saturday, after a light breakfast, Andrew joined an impromptu volleyball game and developed a nice sunburn on the left half of his forehead. Later, after a shower, he threw a few rounds of horseshoes with his brothers, Peter and Danny; his cousins, Alex and Topher and his uncle, Bob. In the evening, the family dinner afforded an opportunity to discuss Dead Horse's various projects and properties with relatives. Dick Ellwood, patriarch of the Ellwood branch of the family, delivered the keynote address, and later Maggie and Sarah Ellwood recited a touching elegy to Dick and his wife Barbie, both celebrating their 75th birthdays this year.

After dinner, Andrew took pictures of some of the family contingents, including engagement photos for Carie Heckerman and her fiancé, Ryan. Hailing from Montana, the couple will be married in May 2005.

"Ryan will be a fine addition to our family," Andrew said. "We also look forward to the arrival of Adam and Jessica Booth's first child, due in July. We don't yet know whether its a boy or a girl, but its arrival is anxiously anticipated by the entire Huff clan."

On Sunday afternoon, Andrew and Cinnamon traveled to Columbus, Ohio, to visit with Cinnamon's mother. Monday brought a visit to the campus of Ohio State University, the couple's alma mater. The fabled Oval is currently being restored to supposedly historic appearance.

"When looking for lunch, we discovered that the sandwich shop I worked at in college, Beekman's Bagels, has closed," Andrew said. "It made it more than 10 years, which is longer than any restaurant had lasted in that space in decades. Still, it'll be said not to be able to get a steamed reuben on a bialy anymore. I guess the sorority girls just weren't buying Tom's Turkeys (choice of bagel, choice of cheese, turkey, lettuce, tomato and mayo) to keep the place open anymore."

Andrew noted that the closure brought to an end the availability of the dessert bagel sandwich he had created -- the Huffernutter, cream cheese and peanut butter steamed on an apple-cinnamon bagel.

In Cincinnati on Tuesday, Andrew and Cinnamon met with Kristen Folzenlogen, proprietor of Letter Heads, where Cinnamon's fine bridal party purses are on display.

"It was great to meet with Kristen and learn more about her business," Andrew said. "Cinnnamon got some insightful pointers as to how to better target her purse offerings, and I was able to show ways Letter Heads could improve its online presence. I look forward to discuss this further, as well as other potential projects."

Dead Horse Communications offers media, public relations and copywriting services for a wide range of industries. The company is headquartered in Chicago, with satellite offices on Ursa Minor Beta. The rest of its boilerplate is still under development.

### Posted by Andrew Huff at June 23, 2004 08:49 PM