June 4, 2026
Celebrate EmpowerU & AMERICA at 250
Class Description
Let’s Party!!! Come join EmpowerU for our Celebration of America at 250 and the end of our 31st Semester. Join us for Pizza and Dinner, listen to live Rock and Roll Americana Music from the group Farm Cat, be energized and inspired hearing from friends of EmpowerU!
Bring Lawn Chairs for comfortable seating. This is an Outdoor Event. Adult beverages are fine to bring also(!!)
Farm Cat are Pete Benoit on guitar/vocals, Mike Fletcher on bass/vocals, Chris Lute on lead guitar, Rick “Bam” Powell on drums/vocals. The band plays rock/blues covers and of course their original music as part of their dynamic and eclectic mix.
Itinerary: 5:30 PM Doors Open–American Artifacts on Display the Entire Night
Tonight’s Emcee: Brian Thomas
Live Rock Music–from Farm Cat
7:00 Hear from friends of EmpowerU on America at 250
8:00 Program Ends
EmpowerU is wholly funded by donations and we urge you to support us now so EmpowerU can weather the remodel at Scarlet Oaks, to go on and have even better speakers and a larger impact in the future. Tonight’s night is also to honor Dan Regenold, EmpowerU founder, as he is in the process of moving out of town and we urge you to donate in his honor and to continue his legacy into the future. (Even though Dan will be leaving the greater Cincinnati area he remains committed to speaking and working with EmpowerU!).
Special guests, Brian Thomas, Chris Smitherman, Chris Monzell, Mike Wilson, and TPUSA/EmpowerU student and officer Matthew from Liberty Twp, Ohio. The list of speakers and invitees is growing–watch for additions and announcements!
The original Rat-Pack: Brian Thomas, Christopher Smitherman and Chris Monzel
Click Here)
Also, joining us tonight will be Mike Wilson the original founder of the Cincinnati Tea Party. Hear from Mike about what he thinks about America at 250.
Student representatives from EmpowerU’s Turning Point local high school club will be in attendance tonight and be available to meet at a table. Bring students who might be interested and stop by and say hello.
Eric Barrow from Bright, Indiana will share with the EmpowerU audience his vast collection of American artifacts. He began collecting at age 12 The collectibles date 1938-1946 and include military, Hollywood, and sports.
Guests will be welcome to peruse the items and talk with Eric. His collections includes:
WWI era tents and artifacts interview/item from John Dolobois who was an interrogator at Nuremberg trials who is from Miami U (ties to Ohio)
Items from Bob Morgan, pilot of Memphis Belle–Bob Schwann and James Robert Taylor uniforms
Works Pizza, drinks and dessert will be provided! Don’t miss this GREAT, fun night! Sign up to reserve your spot and register below as seating at this outdoor event is limited. Please register for the in-person event:
Farm Cat will be playing rock and blues covers for us tonight from 5:45-7:00 PM
Speaker Bio
Brian Thomas–55KRC–Brian Thomas is a prominent figure in Cincinnati talk radio, known for hosting the Brian Thomas Morning Show on 55KRC. His career began in law, where he practiced for 16 years before transitioning to radio. He has a strong libertarian perspective and covers a wide range of topics, including politics, news, and lifestyle. Thomas is married to Paulette, and they have two children, Jerry and Lauren, along with pets like a Conure named Necco. His show is known for its engaging content and diverse guest list, reflecting his broad interests and experience in the industry. Brian is a long-term friend of EmpowerU.
Christopher Smitherman–has a long history of serving The City of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. Christopher is well known as a three-term past member of the City of Cincinnati Council where he was a fiscal conservative and fought for proper funding of police and fire. Christopher was elected to Cincinnati City Council on November 4, 2003, as a member of the Charter Committee where he ran on a platform of fiscal responsibility. He served as the Vice Mayor of Cincinnati and has been a member of the Cincinnati City Council and the Cincinnati Planning Commission. A former President of the NAACP, learn about what needs to happen in Hamilton County and the City for us to make it great. You will also learn about important grassroots initiatives that Christoper has lead to improve our County.
Chris Monzel— has a long history of serving the public including his 8 year stay as a Hamilton County Commissioner ending in 2018, including when he served as President of the Commission. Chris was very involved in the effort to save Union Terminal in 2016. He is an engineer by background and is known for being a fiscal conservative of the public’s money. Also, Chris also served as a Council Member of the Cincinnati City Council. Come Early at 6:30 to say hello to Chris!
Mike Wilson is a Cincinnati native and proud graduate of St. Xavier High School and the University of Cincinnati. His degree is in Applied Mathematics which has served him well as CTO of Interlink Cloud Advisors, a local Microsoft focused consulting firm, and in analyzing data trends in other spheres. Mike has stepped back from recent political activism, but founded the Cincinnati Tea Party in 2009 and quickly built an organization that become one of the largest and most respected truly grassroots organizations in the country. Mike also was instrumental in leading the successful grassroots effort to amend the Ohio Constitution with the Health Care Freedom Amendment in 2011. Hear from Mike tonight about what he thinks about America at 250.
Eric Barrow–started collecting at the age of 12 and grew up around Vietnam, Korean and WW2 veterans. Eventually their stories resonated with me for example being an WW2 army nurse who was on the front lines in an era where women didn’t serve on the front lines of battle and played dead in the snow as enemy troops walked by her in the battle of the bulge. To, a Vietnam chopper pilot who had taken several rounds of enemy fire to the stomach managed to land, pick up soldiers and fly them safely back to base before passing out in pain. These stories represent our resiliency as a nation that is determined to remain free. Eric volunteered at the VA taking veterans to their appointments while he was in college. He never served in the military like his father and countless family members who did. His collection is a small thank you to those who fought to ensure their memories do not perish. Eric’s collection he will have on hand that day will have Spanish American War items, World War One and World War Two featuring uniforms, equipment, what they ate and items from the homefront.
Farm Cat are Pete Benoit on guitar/vocals, Mike Fletcher on bass/vocals, Chris Lute on lead guitar, Rick “Bam” Powell on drums/vocals. Chris Lute joined the band in 2025 making Farm Cat a two guitar band. This collaboration is working on their second album for release in 2026.
The band plays rock/blues covers and of course their original music as part of their dynamic and eclectic mix. Featuring 3 lead singers, Farm Cat’s sound is both distinctive and diverse.
Their first album Farm Cat at the Panderosa was released in 2023.