Technically, this 15’ tall sculpture is titled “Dancing Hares” by its creator Sophie Ryder (of London, England).  However, the artist used a number of pieces of garbage and integrated them into the sculpture to allow for viewers to explore the pieces in more detail and see what they can find buried in the bronze.  (All photos in this post are mine from a trip to the Ballantrae Community Park this past weekend.)

(Gear in the shoulder of one Bunny.)

(Light switch and badge of Tasmanian Devil embedded in the raised foot of one Bunny.)

(One of the Dancing Hares and looking over the picnic area.)

The City of Dublin, Ohio has this sculpture on display at Ballantrae Community Park (6350 Woerner Temple Road, Dublin, Ohio 43016) just west of Avery Road.

(Sculpture atop the hillock behind the Spray Park.)

Ballantrae Community Park is also home to one of the City’s “Spray Parks” which will be opening May 26th for the summer.  You can find the full list of Spray Park hours HERE.

(Detail of Leprechaun fountain head in the spray park wall.)

(Field of boulders / picnic area.)

In all, it’s a great exhibit of art in public places and looks like a solid bit of green space to enjoy some suburban picnicking.

We’re getting to that time of year that you can hardly move through the area without stumbling on something to do.  This week, I’ll be putting out a guide to local farmers markets, so you won’t be seeing those in these weekend updates for the remainder of the season.

Saturday:

• ¡ Feliz Cinco de Mayo ! - there’s specials going on virtually everywhere.  Pick up an Alive! or (614) and go through the ads, you’ll find something if you’re looking to go out today.
• 7:00a-9:00p: Ohio State Rabbit Breeders Association Show and Sale.  Judging, shows and events all day today (and tomorrow from 7:00a-4:00p) at the Ohio Expo Center.
• 8:00a: Market to Market Ride co-sponsored by the North Market and The Hills Market. Breakfast served at both locations from 8:00a-10:00a.  Read my PREVIEW on the event for more details & I hope to see a bunch of you out on the trail.
• 8:00a-9:00p: Central Ohio Folk Festival at Battelle-Darby MetroPark (Event runs all weekend).
• 10:00a-2:00p: A Taste of The Hills Market.  In conjunction with the Market to Market Ride, The Hills Market will feature this event showcasing samples from some of their best products created in house.
• 10:30a-12:30p: Container Vegetables at Franklin Park Conservatory.
• Noon: Pinchflat, the 2nd annual art show featuring cycling-centric posters from local artists.  The show will occur at both Wild Goose Creative & during Gallery Hop at Paradise Garage (Short North).
• Noon-11:00p: Hell City Tattoo Festival celebrates its 10th year and will be held at the Hyatt Regency at Nationwide & High.
• 1:00p-3:00p: Make your own rain barrel at Franklin Park Conservatory.
• 3:30p-10:00p: Ohio Roller Girls vs. Gold Coast Derby Girls at the Ohio Expo Center.  Tickets and more info HERE.  (Doors: 3:30p.  Event starts: 5:00p).
• 4:00p-Midnight: Gallery Hop in the Short North Arts District.
• 8:00p: Columbus Symphony Orchestra will play their MasterWorks Season Finale - The French Feast - featuring Mezzo Soprano Jennifer Rivera and the Columbus Symphony Chorus.
• 8:30p: Howl at the Moon.  Take your dog on a 3mile Full-Moon hike at Three Creeks Metropark.

Sunday:

• 9:00a-4:00p: Downtown Powell Street Market.  The first of only three Powell Street Markets this year will feature over 125 vendors lining the streets of downtown Powell with antiques, collectibles, arts & crafts, plants & produce, great foods/edibles, and much more. Many local business also have special sales and discounts.
• 10:00a: Rabbit Hopping at the Ohio State Rabbit Breeders Association Show.  Depending on classification, bunnies will be hopping 8-12 jumps of varying heights from 4”-10” for Beginners and all the way up to 20” for the Advanced Difficult.  Stop over and say “Hi!” if you’re in attendance.
• 11:00a-5:00p: Short North Spring Flea will be held in the parking lot for the Fireproof Storage Building.
• Noon-5:00p: Artisan Sunday kicks off at the North Market and will run every Sunday until October, giving artisans a venue to show and sell their handiwork.
• Noon-8:00p: Hell City Tattoo Festival celebrates its 10th year and will be held at the Hyatt Regency at Nationwide & High.
• 2:00p: Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom.  Available Light theater group’s performance of this adaption takes place at Riffe Gallery Studio 2.
• 3:00p: Bartok & Beethoven performed at the Columbus Museum of Art by The High Street Four string quartet.
• 7:30p: Howl at the Moon.  Take your dog on a 3.5mile Full-Moon hike at Highbanks MetroPark.

Plus, my usual list of Calendars:

• Columbus Alive! Calendar can be found HERE.
• MetroParks Calendar for this weekend can be found HERE.
• Tania Explores Columbus has a few ideas for the week HERE.
• Experience Columbus has their events calendar HERE.

This Friday (04 May 2012), MORPC is hosting an educational forum: Shifting Behavior Towards Sustainable Transportation Options.

The Forum will feature Dr. Joe Heimlich from THE Ohio State University School of Environmental & Natural Resources, Lynn Robinson from MORPC RideSolutions and Scott Varner of Transit Columbus as they try to answer some important questions:

• How can we free ourselves from high gas prices & lonely commutes?
• How can we shift our attitudes and behaviors towards sustainable transportation practices?
• What options are available for getting around?

This will be a part of MORPC’s Five Days of Freedom program that just launched in the final week of April that encourages residents of Central Ohio to commit to just 5 days of getting around using a transit option other than driving solo.

Starting at 10:00am and running until 11:30, the Forum will be held at MORPC’s Scioto Conference Room at their downtown HQ located at 111 Liberty Street, Suite 100, Columbus, Ohio 43215.

Download the .pdf flier HERE and click HERE for MORPC’s monthly calendar.

Image via www.morpc.org

This Saturday, the North Market and The Hills Market are co-sponsoring a “Market to Market” ride themed “Mustaches & Monocles” for turn of the century riding fun.  Participants are encouraged to preregister to start at either the North Market or The Hills Market (Register HERE and select which location you’d like to start at / have breakfast with). 

Each location is limited to 200 riders for breakfast, which will be served from 8:00a-10:00a at both locations.  Riders will also receive a drawstring backpack with a shirt, goodies & $50 worth of coupons for Ohio foodstuffs.

Read HERE for more information about sponsors, the passport stamps along the way and a few additional details.

Image via www.northmarket.com

Last week, Asheville, NC based Earth Fare opened its first Central Ohio location (up on Gemini Place across from the Great Indoors at Polaris Fashion Place).  Earth Fare is a grocer in a similar vein as Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods with a focus on natural, organic and local foods (as each store purchases as much as possible from within 100mi).

Heading into Earth Fare from the parking lot: (My photo)

You can read writeups from last week from both the DISPATCH and BUSINESS FIRST that discuss the merchant’s history, plans for further expansion and corporate philosophy.

In an interview with CEO Jack Murphy, Business First picked up this quote summarizing the operation’s belief for the foods they sell:

CEO Jack Murphy said during a tour of the store Tuesday that Earth Fare isn’t as much about what customers will see but what they won’t. The store doesn’t sell any products that use high-fructose corn syrup, artificial colors or preservatives, bleached flour or anything treated with antibiotics or hormones. It buys as many locally sourced products as it can within 100 miles of its stores.

“We get the food at as close to the ground as we can get it,” he said.

Interior: (My photo)

I checked the store out last night and was very impressed with what I found.  The prices were reasonable, the store was very well lit with wide aisles and (important for someone like me with a very limited pantry space) there were numerous stations allowing you to buy in bulk and purchase just what you need.  The coffee, tea, nut / snack, olive bar and spice racks are a limited example of this.

Spice Rack: (My photo - sorry about the blur, an iPhone can only do so much…)

I didn’t purchase much, since I was just checking things out, but as an example, a 1.5# bag of organic raw cane sugar was $4.99 - perfectly reasonable and around what I expected to pay.  And, if you’re looking for Ohio’s own Snowville Creamery milks - they’re in the dairy section!

Saturday’s pretty packed (as usual), so good luck fitting everything in!

Saturday:

• 9:00a-noon: Clintonville Farmer’s Market at High Street and Dunedin (Near Global Gallery).
• 11:00a-4:00p: Short North Reduction Sale at The Garden Theater.
• Noon-5:00p: Evolution of Transportation Auto Show presented by THE Ohio State University EcoCAR2 at the Sid Griffith Equestrian Center at 7380 Scioto-Darby Road in Hilliard, Ohio.
• 1:00p-5:00p: Craft Beer Fest at Beulah Park.
• 7:00p: Pawtucket takes on the Clippers at Huntington Park.
• 7:30p: Vancouver Whitecaps face off against The Columbus Crew at Crew Stadium.  Match PREVIEW.
• 8:00p: Columbus Symphony Orchestra performance “Disney in Concert” at Ohio Theatre.
• 8:00p: Columbus Comedy Festival 3 at Wild Goose Creative.

Sunday:

• 1:00p: Pawtucket versus the Clippers at Huntington Park.
• 2:00p-4:00p: Meet the Artist at Inniswood MetroPark.  A reception for photographer Vince Noble.
• 4:00p: Blooming Bells & Lillies at Three Creeks MetroPark.  Take a hike and search for Ohio Wildflowers including the Trillium.

Plus, my usual list of Calendars:

• Columbus Alive! Calendar can be found HERE.
• MetroParks Calendar for this weekend can be found HERE.
• Tania Explores Columbus has a few ideas for the week HERE.
• Experience Columbus has their events calendar HERE.

Stay tuned folks - I’ve had a bit of downtime and have queued up about a dozen posts for the coming week or so!

Monday was the start of “National Work-Zone Safety Awareness Week” according to THIS article by NBC4i.  One of the highlights of this effort includes ramped up enforcement of work-zone speed limits by an array of local, regional and state Law Enforcement agencies.

Additionally - non-LE agencies including MORPC, ODOT, City of Columbus, Paving the Way and Franklin County will be taking part in the campaign to raise public awareness of the dangers of speeding in construction zones.

The article has a number of first hand accounts from individuals that work behind those Orange Barrels (and one from a family that had one of its members killed by a hit-and-run driver) imploring drivers to slow down and remember that these workers are entrusting their lives to us.

Slow down.  Save a life.

(Image Via PavingTheWay.org)

Another weekend with a lot on the agenda…  Let’s jump right in, shall we?

Saturday:

• 11:00a-10:00p: Earth Day Columbus Celebration at Columbus Commons.  Live music, local vendors, green fair, kids events and a green art show.  Click HERE for a the day’s full schedule.
• 1:00p-2:30p: Cbus Food Swap at Wild Goose Creative.  This even is held on the third Saturday of the month during the growing season and allows individuals the opportunity to trade their homemade goods - breads, preserves, canned items and so on.  April’s Event PAGE.
• 1:00p-3:00p: Blooms & Butterflies photo exhibit and meet & greet with the photographers at Franklin Park Conservatory.  Event listing HERE.
• 7:30p: Columbus Crew host Defending MLS Eastern Conference Champions Houston Dynamo at Crew Stadium.  Match preview HERE.  Promotion - Crew Dollar Night ($1 Brats & $1 Bud / Bud Light Drafts)

Sunday:

• 10:00a-5:30p: Columbus Museum of Art presents two new exhibits - live floral arrangements for the Art in Bloom exhibit and The Radical Camera, photos from New York’s Photo League 1936-1951.
• 2:00p & 7:00p: Shadowbox begins its run of their take on the cult classic propaganda film Reefer Madness.

Plus, my usual list of Calendars:

• Columbus Alive! Calendar can be found HERE.
• MetroParks Calendar for this weekend can be found HERE.
• Tania Explores Columbus has a few ideas for the week HERE.
• Experience Columbus has their events calendar HERE.

There’s some really good stuff going on this weekend!  Hopefully, you’ve already registered for the big Earth Day events going on all over the city this weekend - check out Earth Day Columbus for details.

Also, 5 of the MetroParks are holding an event called Earth Day 2012: Root Down at various times on Saturday ranging from 9:00a to early afternoon.  These are opportunities to plant trees, clean up riverbanks and prep trails for the season.  Check the weekend’s CALENDAR for more details.

Saturday:

• 9:00am-7:00pm - Equine Affaire at the Ohio Expo Center.  A four-day trade show, exhibition, educational forum and competition for horse owners & aficionados.
• 10:00am-2:00pm - Our 3 R’s: Recycle, Reuse, Recycle at Whole Foods Dublin.  “From shoes to scrap metal, from bicycles to broken computers, Whole Foods Market is accepting difficult to recycle items and gently used donations.”
• 1:00pm - Geocaching for Beginners at the Whispering Oaks Picnic area of Prairie Oaks MetroPark.
• 8:00pm - Columbus Symphony Orchestra: The Philosopher and the Satirist at Ohio Theatre.  Listen to Musical Director / Conductor JMZ talk about the program HERE.
• 8:00pm - Columbus Jazz Orchestra: R.E.S.P.E.C.T.: The Legends of Soul at the historic Southern Theatre.
  
• 10:00pm - The Salty Caramels will be performing at Brothers Drake Meadery.  (Stop by and say “Hello!” I’ll be arriving immediately after the CSO performance.)
  

Sunday:

• 9:00am-5:00pm - Equine Affaire at the Ohio Expo Center.  A four-day trade show, exhibition, educational forum and competition for horse owners & aficionados.
• 2:00pm AND 7:30pm - Columbus Jazz Orchestra: R.E.S.P.E.C.T.: The Legends of Soul at the historic Southern Theatre.
• 2:00pm - SRO Theatre Company presents The Odd Couple (Female Version) at the Van Fleet Theatre (Columbus Performing Arts Center - 549 Franklin Ave.).
• 6:00pm-8:00pm - Pizza Grand Prix VIII at Wild Goose Creative.  Donations accepted.  BYOB.
• 6:00pm - Nickleback & Bush concert at the Schottenstein Center.

Plus, my usual list of Calendars:

• Columbus Alive! Calendar can be found HERE.
• MetroParks Calendar for this weekend can be found HERE.
• Tania Explores Columbus has a few ideas for the week HERE.
• Experience Columbus has their events calendar HERE.

Hello everyone.

I’m sure you’ve noticed that the quantity of my posts has declined recently.  I apologize for that, but due to circumstances beyond my control, I’ve had to return to driving tractor-trailer Over-The-Road.  This has immensely limited my home time and access to the internet to publish quality posts.

I will do what I can to keep some updates coming, hopefully 2 (occasionally 3) per week while I’m in this situation.

Ideally, things will turn around (employment-wise) and my continued search for a relevant job in my field will finally pay off & I can return to a normal schedule and return to the 4-5 good posts per week that I’ve been striving for.

I apologize for this, and believe me, it’s not ideal on my end either, but I do have bills (and student loans) that need to be paid.

~josh

Monday, ZenCha posted a LINK on their Facebook PAGE about Tainan City, Taiwan - one of our Sister Cities.  According to the post, Tainan City is the home of Bubble Tea, one of ZenCha’s popular offerings.

So, I pulled up the ever useful Wikipedia Columbus page and discovered a LIST of Sister Cities.

Sister Cities International has been around over 50yrs and strives to (according to their mission statement): “Promote peace through mutual respect, understanding, & cooperation — one individual, one community at a time”.

Columbus first formed a Sister City Relationship with Genoa, Italy in 1955.  According to the Wikipedia article, the statue of Christopher Columbus in front of City Hall was a gift to our city from the Genoans.

In addition to Tainan City, Taiwan & Genoa, Italy - the other 6 sister cities we have are:

1. Ahmedabad, India
2. Dresden, Germany
3. Hefei, China
4. Herzliya, Israel
5. Odense, Denmark
6. Seville, Spain

Photo of the Christopher Columbus statue via Wikimedia:

Sorry this is really short and isn’t up until this morning, but I’ve been pretty sick all week.

Saturday:

• 9:00a-Midnight: MARCON 47 (Multiple Alternative Realities Convention) takes place at Hyatt Regency (Nationwide Blvd & High St).  SciFi / Fantasy / Anime Convention, panels, discussions, art show, dealers & masquerade.
• 3:00p: Columbus Crew Vs. New York Red Bull at Crew Stadium.  Match PREVIEW.
• 3:00p-5:00p: Events Planning Workshop.  This will take place at OSU Urban Arts Space through a collaboration with Wild Goose Creative & Idea Lab.
• 4:00p-10:00p: Gallery Hop.  Officially, the event runs 4-10, though most bars and restaurants are open a fair bit later.
• 7:00p: Blue Jackets Vs. New York Islanders at Nationwide Arena.  Match PREVIEW.  This is also the Blue Jackets’ final game of the season and Fan Appreciation Night.

Sunday:  It’s Easter, so things are pretty sparse

• 9:00a-5:00p: MARCON 47 (Multiple Alternative Realities Convention) takes place at Hyatt Regency (Nationwide Blvd & High St).
• 9:00a: Audubon Bird Walk look for early Migrant birds at Blendon Woods MetroPark’s Nature Center.
• 10:00a-5:30p: Columbus Museum of Art - Open Regular Hours.
• 10:00a-5:00p: Franklin Park Conservatory - Open Regular Hours.
• 4:00p: Columbus Clippers Vs. Louisville Bats at Huntington Park.

Plus, my usual list of Calendars:

• Columbus Alive! Calendar can be found HERE.
• MetroParks Calendar for the weekend can be found HERE.
• Tania Explores Columbus has a few ideas for the week HERE.
• Experience Columbus has their events calendar HERE.

Just after I finished the previous POST about the 23 new apartment developments in and around the downtown area, the Columbus Dispatch ANNOUNCED that Capital South Development Corp reached an agreement with Atlanta, GA based Carter to sell them 2 acres of land at Columbus Commons for $2Million, allowing Carter to pump a total of $50Million into 2 buildings that will house approximately 300 rental units and roughly 23,000 sq.ft. of retail space.

This kind of mixed use development has always been the 5-10yr plan (as announced in 2009) for the Commons - somewhere to live with close access to retail, employers and an array of recreational activities.  This Carter development is expected to be completed in 2014.

Image via www.dispatch.com

Columbus Underground REPORTED that 11 new apartment developments are being launched in and around the greater downtown region.  Even better, these 11 new developments are in addition the the 12 that CU WROTE UP back in November!

Additionally, CU just launched a new urban apartment hunting site.  Great timing, especially considering that the 23 new sites above will combine to offer over 3,000 new rental units!  Read about the site HERE and then link directly to Columbus Underground’s Urban Living: http://www.columbusunderground.com/urbanliving/