(614) Magazine: June 2019

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CONTENTS Cov e r Se c t io n show your pride 54

Summer fests in the six 30

44 82

Maker’s space: classic ford broncos 44

Shake shack shakes up easton 80 lincoln social goes all the way up 82

rock candy healing stones 94

fourth street runway 142

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(614) Magazine JUNE 2019 614now.com

O N TH E COV E R : Illustration by Sarah Moore

O P E N I N G VO L L E Y

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s I write this, we’re in one of those three weeks of mostly ideal Columbus weather. (The other ideal three weeks will be in October.) The start of festival season is upon us, and Daylight Savings Time is a dim memory.

Summer in the city…

It’s time to do battle with mosquitos, see how many rubber bracelets you can collect at various parades, test your glycemic threshold with funnel cake, do yoga at the Commons, and take not-so-original selfies of you sharing an IPA with those bronze deer statues on the Scioto Mile.

Ah. Summer in the city…

You’re 17 again and listening to whatever became popular just before you graduated.

That moment that you realized that you were on the verge of change, and it wasn’t all going to last forever, so you had to stay awake all night with a group of friends. Because summer is fickle. Fickle like your best friend in the eighth grade. You await her with an ever-increasing anxiety. You indulge in her. You curse her. She leaves, and you miss her already.

Summer is not generally a reflective time.

Aside from vacation plans, no one makes resolutions in the summer or starts writing in a journal. It’s a time to be vividly alive, not cerebral. But for a moment, think back with me.

50 short years ago, it was the mythical Summer of ‘69.

Apollo 11 landed on the moon, shrinking our solar system a bit and creating heroes.

The Manson Family led a two-night rampage, claiming the lives of actress Sharon Tate and seven other victims. The Woodstock Music Festival hosted 400,000 young people who were transfixed and transformed by Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Who, and The Grateful Dead. And there were the Stonewall riots, an altercation between the LGBTQ+ residents of Greenwich Village and the New York City police that launched the LGBTQ+ rights movement, eventually leading to one of the biggest celebrations Columbus throws every summer.

No, it doesn’t last forever. Change does happen. One summer at a time, it happens.

We no longer live in a country where people can be arrested merely on the basis of their sexual orientation. But we are still struggling to allow LGBTQ+ individuals to worship as they will, to serve this country, and to access healthcare, housing, and safe spaces without discrimination.

If you search through Pinterest, you’ll find lots of quotes about protecting what we love, loving what we understand, appreciating what we value, valuing what we’re taught, and

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Publisher Wayne T. Lewis

managing editor Laura Dachenbach Assistant Editor Mitch Hooper PHOTO EDITOR Brian Kaiser Contributing Photographer Rebecca Tien, Julian Foglietti 614now eDITOR Regina Fox staff Writer Mike Thomas

senior Contributors J.R. McMillan, Jeni Ruisch Jaelani Turner-Williams, Linda Lee Baird

Contributing Writers Nathan Cotton, John McLaughlin Olivia Miltner

copy editor Dan Sponseller

Creative Designers Jess Wallace Sarah Moore graphic Designers Hugo Albornoz Kalyn Schroer

PHOTO BY BRIAN KAISER

kittens—lots of kittens. They’re a bit trite, but they do point to an essential truth about love: love is the catalyst of change, whether you want to go to the stars or bring down injustice.

So have a wild, intimate, love-struck affair with the Summer of 2019. Go kayaking or catch some fireflies. Find a new farmers market. Use your voice.

March in the streets. Tell someone you love them.

It’s summer in the city…

It’s now or never. The best days of your life. Your birthright to love.

Best,

Laura Dachenbach Managing Editor (614) Magazine

Advertising Director Meggin Weimerskirch SENIOR Account Executive Derek Landers Account Executives Becky Frazee , Nikki Harris Digital Account Executive Lori Brittanham VP of sales and Marketing Lindsay Press

(614) Magazine 458 E Main St., Columbus, OH 43215 Office: (614) 488-4400 Fax: (614) 488-4402 Email submissions to: editor@614columbus.com www.614columbus.com

( INSIDE the PARENTHESES )

BY M I TC H H O O P E R

TH

Name that Movie “I GOT A BRAND NEW BRONCO PARKED OUT IN THE PARKING LOT.” — PAL Here’s a tip: It’s a John Candy flick. Here’s another tip: you can find out more about a company in Central Ohio which is restoring and selling classic Ford Broncos right here in this month’s issue. They are appropriately named Classic Ford Broncos, and our feature on them is on page 44.

E (614)

Street Quality Control Team Every month, we post tons of content on 614now.com. And with the high volume of posts we do, our audience of dedicated readers have voiced up to ensure we are always striving to be better. In other words, these are the people who call us on our shit. Here’s our favorite from last month.

Why Can’t We Be (More Than) Friends?

Jim Henson, the creator of The Muppets, Sesame Street, and so much more, will be remembered and honored at COSI with the traveling exhibit “Imagination Unlimited” showing until September and we think Pride month is the right time to bring this topic to light. Are Bert and Ernie more than friends? A cursory glance at Twitter shows Bert merely calls Ernie his roommate, while Ernie calls Bert his “friend.” Actions typically speak louder than words, but damn, Bert—this is cold-blooded.

614now’s Meme Of The Day: Columbus Suburbs If They Were Characters In The Breakfast Club

Hop On The Magic Brew Bus Brewery hopping is a new trend in the city, but getting from brewery to brewery can be a challenge. Ubers aren’t real fond of riders bringing drinks from the bar to-go, and the bars feel the same way. If only there was a way to get from spot to spot without having to stop the party... Wait? There is? Oh, and you can learn more about our experience riding the Columbus Brew Bus on page 76.

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There were plenty of hot takes and comments around this meme we created one morning, but our favorite comes from a commenter who let us know who he thought other Cbusers would play in the film.

Consider the shots to be officially fired in the direction of Austin, Texas.

“The principal would be Anthony Precourt.”

Dan Tatalovich

Nina in the News Following the elimination from RuPaul’s Drag Race on VH1 (spoiler!), Nina West has made waves in the national news. Go figure, right? It was only a matter of time before our queen rightfully stole the limelight. Luckily, we weren’t the only ones who were upset with the elimination. We’ll let the national publications and figures do the talking here.

Entertainment Weekly: RuPaul’s Drag Race star Nina West deserves the world (and her own sitcom) “You know that feeling you get when a couple like Brangelina breaks up? The one that softly whispers “love is dead” into that icy piece of meat in your chest otherwise known as a human heart? That’s likely how RuPaul’s Drag Race fans feel in the wake of Nina West’s elimination Thursday night…” —Joey Nolfi.

Even New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took to Twitter.

“In our house, we name a Queen of Hearts.. @NinaWest that is YOU! Thank you for being a relentless example of kindness, consciousness, compassion, and courage. Thank you for using your gifts to focus on voices + issues that deserve all the shine and elevation in the world. ” —@AOC

Rihanna was so upset she reached out directly to Nina.

“Ending my night with a message from @rihanna i am dead. Dead. Dead. I love you, RiRi. “ —@NinaWest.

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Welcome to The Insider!

There are so many amazing events happening in the 614 that we needed to give them a little more room to stretch out. Not only will you get more events each month coming from the magazine staff, but a few will be recommended by your fellow readers. Have an event you want to shoutout? Send an email to events@614columbus.com.

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(-9.2) Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited COSI

Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets, Sesame Street, and much more, curated a world where children and adults alike could connect with funny puppet characters. His work is still relevant today as young ones are still going wild over Elmo, and Kermit The Frog has become an internet sensation thanks to young adults and memes. COSI will be featuring the work of Jim Henson and all the characters that have influenced our lives, senses of humor, and education in so many ways.

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Dinner Detective Murder Mystery Dinner Show

Sheraton Columbus Capitol Square

Belly up to the table for a night of challenging puzzles and delicious food for this murder mystery dinner. You (unless you specify otherwise) and everyone else in the room will be a part of the show as you all work together to single out the villainous murderer. It’s your chance to test your investigative skills as much as it is a test to keep you on your toes, and even if the clues don’t quite come together, you’ll be enjoying a four-course meal from the Sheraton.

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(-6.16) Origins Game Fair Greater Columbus Convention Center

Do you still love breaking out your tabletop games when you have company stop by? Are you always itching for that next “piece” to complete your set? If you answered yes to any of these questions, or understand the dynamics of Dungeons and Dragons, the Origins Game Fair is your place to nerd out.

With more than 6,000 gaming events scheduled, a sensoryfriendly tent for little ones, and even comedy and music, this fourday event promises to be entertaining.

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Josh Groban

NATIONWIDE ARENA

Josh Groban made his way into the music scene in a massive way and hasn’t looked back since. His first four studio albums are multiplatinum, and he topped off his crossover music success with a Broadway debut in The Great Comet.

In other words, all Groban does is win!

He’ll be stopping off in Columbus for his tour, and alongside him will be country music singer/songwriter Jennifer Nettles.

UPCOMING SHOWS! SPECIAL

ENGAGEMENT JUNE 3-4 TRACY MORGAN

SPECIAL

JUNE 8-9 CHRIS PORTER

ENGAGEMENT

JUNE 10-12 SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT MIKE BIRBIGLIA: WORKING IT OUT SPECIAL

ENGAGEMENT

JUNE 14-15 ARI SHAFFIR SPECIAL

ENGAGEMENT JUNE 16 FRANK CALIENDO

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Seth Meyers

SPECIAL

ENGAGEMENT

JUNE 19

WEDNESDAY NIGHT JOKES PRESENTS DESI BANKS

THE SOUTHERN THEATRE

SPECIAL

ENGAGEMENT JUNE 20 DONNIE BAKER

From late night television to Saturday Night Live to acting in movies, is there anything Seth Meyers can’t do? The jury is still out on that, and with a live performance scheduled for the middle of June in Columbus, we’ll get another chance to see just how talented the comic, personality, and performer is.

SPECIAL

ENGAGEMENT JUNE 21-22 SHERYL UNDERWOOD

SPECIAL

ENGAGEMENT JUNE 23 MICHELLE WOLF

JUNE 24

THE DOG & FUNNY SHOW WITH DOUG BASS

JUNE 28-29 JOEY DIAZ

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SPECIAL

ENGAGEMENT

SPECIAL

ENGAGEMENT

JUNE 30

COMEDY DAREDEVILSCOMEDY/STUNT/MAGIC

Frank Caliendo THE FUNNY BONE

ALL ACTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

VISIT US ON THE WEB

In the early 2000s, if there was some sort of significant event going on, Frank Caliendo was probably doing some sort of impersonation.

Whether it’s him making Super Bowl picks as John Madden, or talking about the state of America as George W. Bush, Caliendo’s impersonation limits are only his imagination. Stop

by The Funny Bone to see what the hilarious comedian has been working on—if we had to guess, he’s got plenty of crazy people in the world to draw from for inspiration.

www.columbus.funnybone.com

TEXT FUNNYBONE TO 31279 TO JOIN THE VIP FUNNY BONE TEXT PROGRAM (msg & data rates may apply)

VISIT US ON

145 Easton Town Center Columbus, OH 43219

RESERVATIONS ARE A MUST!

614-471-(JOKE) 614NOW.COM

JUNE 2019 (614) MAGAZINE

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Pups On The Patio Seventh Son Brewing Company

Puppies + Seventh Son beer + patio season? We are still working out how to get to Valhalla, but until then, we think this is as close as you can get. Who doesn’t love some furry friends being Good Boys and Girls while you kick back some boozy concoctions?

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Randy Rainbow

Riffe Theatre Complex

His YouTube videos of musical spoofs and parodies have gone viral. Now influencer Randy Rainbow and his extra-special pink glasses have gone on tour. He’s selling out internationally. Come find out why.

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Watershed Gin Jam

Watershed Kitchen & Bar

Gin is the perfect liquor when it comes to summertime—it’s refreshing, it’s light, and it pairs well with a variety of mixers. In celebration of the elixir, Watershed is pairing up with Madtree Brewing for a gin jam. Watershed will be closing down the street in front of the distillery and loading it with a block party featuring elevated cocktails and craft beers, plenty of food for the masses, and a .5K, a half kilometer run for the sprinters (or chuggers). Feel free to bring your little ones—children or pups!

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Picnic With The Pops: The Music Of Pink Floyd Columbus Commons

A full rock band with lead vocalist Randy Jackson joins the CSO in renditions of “Comfortably Numb,” and “Learning to Fly.” Pack your basket and chill out under the stars at the Commons.

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Movies By Moonlight: Ralph Breaks The Internet Easton Town Center

Movies By Moonlight is the perfect way to hang out with the little ones in a fun atmosphere as you watch family-friendly flicks! This installment brings us John C. Reilly and Sarah Silverman breaking their traditional comedy roles as they play Ralph and Vanellope, the two main characters in Ralph Breaks The Internet. And as always, it’s totally free!

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Craft Comedy Tour

BrewDog Short North

No one is safe when comedian Sean Finnerty is in the room.

Finnerty has grown to fame by way of roasting, and he’s considered New York City’s No. 1 roaster. He’ll be making multiple stops in Central Ohio in June, so keep your eyes peeled for extra dates at different venues if you can’t make it to this one.

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Young The Giant Express! Live

After performing in Columbus last year for Ohio State’s Big Spring Concert, Young The Giant is back in the city! The band is insanely successful with songs and singles at millions of streams and their 2018 album, Mirror Master, has seen major praise.

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The Peach Truck Weiland’s Market

Wondering how to buy super-fresh peaches in Ohio? Look no further than the Peach Truck!

Brought in from Georgia just hours after picking, these peaches have become a favorite. The window of time for each Peach Truck stop is limited, so don’t miss.

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-30 Twenty One Pilots Nationwide Arena

Columbus’ very own Twenty One Pilots, has enjoyed a very successful career in the national limelight with their albums always topping charts. The latest record, Bandito, produced hits like “My Blood” and “Chlorine” that feature infectious beats, melodies, and lyrical ability. The two brothers have come a long way from this city, and the two concert dates back-to-back still won’t be enough for fans.

7.1

Ariana Grande

Schottenstein Arena

After delays, the Sweetner World Tour is finally here.

Ariana Grande has surged to the top of the pop music scene with her hits like “Thank U, Next” and “7 rings,” and she shows no signs of slowing down.

Check her out to kick off July for what should be a packed house of Ari-Stans.

7.3

Red, White, and Boom!

Downtown

Time to be staking out your spot for Ohio’s largest fireworks display. While the fireworks are always the highlight of the evening, don’t forget about the street fair, parade, live music, and children’s park.

7.4

Doo Dah Parade Short North

It’s time to celebrate liberty and lunacy again.

Stepping off at Goodale Park, the 36th Annual Doo Dah Parade celebrates our First Amendment rights and all that’s good and right about balloon animals and funny hats.

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7.6

Joel McHale

Whether you know him from his time on E!’s The Onion, or when he starred in the sitcom Community, Joel McHale has been making people laugh for quite some time now. His approach to comedy is dry and perhaps he pushes the envelope a little too far, but his jokes on the current setting of pop culture are fresh and hilarious.

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G ee t

uest Ed ito r

AJ Casey Photo by brian kaiser

Cincinnati native AJ Casey brings over 25 years of experience to her new position as the Executive Director of Stonewall Columbus. This month she let us become part of her busy June preparations to help us shape our Pride cover package and we can’t thank her enough.

What excites you about your new position at Stonewall?

What excites me most is that it truly is a brand-new day at Stonewall Columbus. Not only do we have new leadership, but we have a new building, new board members and limitless new opportunities to engage with the LGBTQ+ family throughout the city and county. We are focused on being a catalyst for positive growth and are adamant in the pursuit of a united and thriving community.

Our new facility offers 15,000 square feet of light-filled space that is just begging for creative new programs and services. And there is so much more room for creative, engaging programs that I can’t help but be excited about the good that can happen here.

Tell me about the work of your parents and how it has shaped you and your work.

My parents were very active in the Civil Rights Movement. My mother was an organizer and get-out-the-vote activist. My father was an attorney and one of the first African American men to be appointed Assistant US District Attorney during the Kennedy administration. Dad’s career was centered on eliminating discrimination in public schools, police departments and state-run construction projects. My parents taught each of their three children (I’m the middle child) the power of confidence when the world rejects you and the necessity of excellence to forge personal success.

My own work is informed by the ongoing struggle for equality.

My life—as black, female and lesbian of a certain age—places me in multiple social, gender and political intersections. The consistent driver throughout my career has been visionary empowerment. I have mastered skills that allow me to help people initiate change in themselves, their organizations and communities. I am a perennial student of this work and I have invested decades in honing my craft.

We’ve seen many steps forward and several steps back in LGBTQ+ inclusion and rights in just the past few years. Where do we go from here?

Within the LGBTQ+ family, progress encourages us and setbacks strengthen our resolve. For example, recently, nearly 100 LGBTQ+

advocates showed up at the Ohio Statehouse for hearings around the proposed Ohio Fairness Act (Senate Bill 11) and hundreds more submitted written testimony in support. The bill, if passed, would add LGBTQ+ people to the laws which make discrimination illegal.

During the public testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, one advocate reminded the senators how long people within the LGBTQ+ community have been fighting for this law. “We’ve been showing up for decades in support of these rights,” he said. “And we will keep showing up until we share equally in the rights of all Ohio citizens!” So, if the question is “Where do we go from here?” the answer is an unequivocal we keep showing up until we help create a society, a city, a state where all of us thrive.

While the LGBTQ+ community in Columbus finds strength in being a large community, it is also a divided community. How can we be more intentional about reaching out to and including more people?

We must be intentional about reaching out to and including more people. Period.

At Stonewall, that means that we are deliberate about diversity and inclusion. We show it at the board level, the staff level, in our volunteer outreach and in our programs & events. We constantly ask ourselves who else we can bring to the table to ensure that our biggest plans are as welcoming and inclusive as possible.

I think that inclusion is about building relationships, not numbering participants. It’s not just about having people of diverse backgrounds or identities in the same space. It’s about how those assembled in that space combine their collective genius to create more powerful outcomes.

Inclusion requires us to demonstrate what Dr. King described as “a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love.”

You met your partner at Pride. Tell me about how that happened.

Singer/Songwriter Tracy Walker was one of the performers at Columbus Pride in 2016. I didn’t see her perform and hadn’t heard of her except to read her bio in the Pride Guide.

Somehow, we both ended up in the performers’ VIP tent that Friday night. It was already dark outside when we struck up a casual conversation standing in the glow of a string of white lights. Something about the glow around her made her appear angelic to me. Two minutes later, Tracy moved in to stand real close to me. That’s when I knew that this was more than a casual conversation! That was three years ago this Pride. We’ve been standing close in the glow of each other’s light ever since.

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I N E T H S I X

Get out your CamelBaks and fanny packs.

It’s Festival Season in the (614). Here’s a list of events you won’t want to miss.

BY M I TC H H O O P E R | P H OTO BY DAV I D H E AS L E Y

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JUNE 6-9

JUNE 8

Nelsonville Music Festival Location: Robbins Crossing Historic Village (Hocking Hills) Price: $80-$350 Death Cab For Cutie will be headlining the 15th anniversary of Nelsonville Music Festival and this weekend offers the chance to listen to national, regional, and local musicians.

The Midwest Summerfest Location: Express! Live Price: $49-$69 It’s a trip back to the old school days of rap and hip-hop as DMX and BoneThugs-N-Harmony will headline the Midwest Summerfest. Where our dogs at?! Woof! Woof!

JUNE 7-9

The Columbus Arts Festival Location: The Scioto Mile Price: Free With live music from local performers, food trucks, and local craft beers all on the riverfront, The Columbus Arts Festival is the perfect way to kick off your festing season. It’s great for families as the Activity Village offers hands-on experiences, and music lovers will have the chance to hear performers on five different stages throughout the weekend. And if you’re looking to step into the digital world of festivals, be sure to stop by the Virtual Reality tent for adventures to channel your favorite character from Ready Player One.

JUNE 8

JUNE 14

Buckeye Country Superfest

Creekside Jazz & Blues Festival

Location: The Ohio Stadium Price: $49.50-$399.50

Location: Creekside District (Gahanna) Price: $10-$650

Country superstars George Strait and Blake Shelton are set to put on a stellar show, and plenty of other heavy hitters are performing as well including Chris Janson and Midland.

This annual family-friendly weekend will keep the live jazz tunes going for 90+ hours with more than 50 bands scheduled to perform on the five available stages.

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I N E T H S I X

JUNE 14-15

Grove City Wine & Arts Festival Location: Grove City Town Center Price: Free This wine festival is for the local vino lover as it will exclusively feature Ohio-made wines as well as local art, entertainment, and of course, some food trucks to go along with all that sipping.

JUNE 14-16

Columbus Pride Parade & Festival 2019 Location: Bicentennial and Genoa Park Price: Free In its 50th year of celebrating LGBTQ+ social and selfacceptance, legal rights, and progress, On the 15th, Stonewall Columbus Pride Parade steps off from Goodale Park to march down High Street. This year, the Grand Marshall is none other than Nina West. Get ready to spread the love, it’s Pride Month!

JUNE 21

Columbus Food & Wine Fest Location: Battelle Riverfront Park Price: Free Enjoy wine tastings of wines from across the country as you watch live cooking demonstrations and sample some of the best cuisine the Midwest has to offer.

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JUNE 22

Ohio Wings & Beer Festival Location: Ohio Expo Center & State Fair Price: $25-$55 With craft beers coming from local favorites like Columbus Brewing Co. and Zaftig Brewing, and wings from places like Pecan Penny’s and Red Door BBQ, you’ll be hardpressed to find a better duo in the city limits this weekend.

JUNE 23

Outlaw Music Festival Location: Nationwide Arena Price: $45-$210 Country icon and rebel Willie Nelson will be headlining the Outlaw Music Festival along with The Avett Brothers, Alison Krauss, and Old Crow Medicine Show.

JUNE 28-30 ComFest

Location: Goodale Park Price: Free Everyone’s favorite community weekend is back and ready for another year of scantily-dressed visitors, live music, delicious food, and plenty of booze. ComFest is the perfect kick-back as you are free to check out the vendors, listen to some comedy shows, or just simply take a nap on the lawn on a warm summer day. Truly, the only wrong way to do ComFest is to skip out.

JUNE 29

Tequila Fest Columbus 2019 Location: Woodland’s Backyard Price: $40-125 One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor! Have fun soaking in all things tequila at Woodland’s Backyard to round out an eventful June.

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what the fest

T S F E S I N T H E S I X

Mix up your festival calendar with something new

BY J O H N M C L AU G H L I N I L LU STR ATI O N S BY SA R A H M O O RE

S

o you think you know everything there is to know about Columbus’ slate of summer festivals? Many people do. But this year, dig a little deeper and look for these new (or returning) features to up your summer festival fun level.

VIRTUAL REALITY TENT COLUMBUS ARTS FESTIVAL

Contemporary art has afforded us the chance to see new work in any number of crazy formats, from a shark suspended in formaldehyde to a totally empty canvas.

One way you’ve probably never taken in art, though, is via virtual reality. This year at the Columbus Arts Festival, held Friday, June 8, through Sunday June 10 in Bicentennial Park, visitors will be able to enter the festival’s virtual reality tent and take in a wide array of new Columbus art, an innovation equal parts beautiful and fascinating.

Columbus artist Bryan Moss has created a fascinating range of VR environments that festival-goers can explore virtually, including a fun and interesting look back into the past of the Columbus-based burger chain White Castle, complete with renderings of old menus and even full restaurants.

Associate Professor of Animation at Columbus College of Art and Design Charlotte Bellins has crafted a stunning catalog of animals in augmented reality.

Different from virtual reality, AR introduces virtual objects into the real world, but doesn’t transport users to an entirely new virtual location. This lets visitors freely interact with what amounts to a virtual safari, including everything from elephants, to wolves, and even whales.

Did we mention video games? The tent, which like the festival itself is entirely free, wouldn’t be complete without a full slate of VR games for all ages. Teaming up with local gaming pioneers Multivarious, a Columbus based developer was brought in to feature their virtual reality game Beyond the Stars, an engrossing title where players are challenged to navigate their way through an alien spaceship after an unexpected abduction.

Multivarious will also be showcasing a cross section of non-virtual reality games from the coolest local indie developers out there today, including an innovative puzzle game Collapsus, the action-packed battle royal style MageQuit, and more.

THE RETURN OF THE MARCHING FIDELS DOO DAH PARADE

The explosively fun, communal, free-to-march parade of lunatics donning every kind of costume imaginable is held every July 4th, and it feels a bit like an Independence Day celebration if aliens had won the Revolutionary War. Now in its 36th year, the event has seen any and all groups present in its eclectic parade, from participants donning wigs, to facepaint, to nothing at all. One of the perennial fan favorite groups, and a collective that has been involved in the festival since its inception in 1984, is the Marching Fidels.

Yes, they are named after Fidel Castro, and yes, every year they march through the streets of Columbus donning fake beards and the signature olive green garb. “Think of them as revolutionaries for America, but with a Cuban Flair,” says the parade’s ChairChick and Queen, Deb Roberts.

And if their vaguely political antics, complete with humorous signs, blow up pool sharks, and other props isn’t enough, each year the group choses one unknowing audience member to kidnap, and the (hopefully) good sport marches with them through the end of the parade route.

Roberts said one year they wrangled former Columbus news anchor, Andrea Cambern.

While the group actually missed last year’s parade for the first time, (614) has it on good information that the group will be back in 2019.

“They’ve taken some youth pills; they’ve been to the fountain of youth, and a new barrage of Fidels is supposed to march this year,” Roberts says

EVERYBODY PADDLES THE CITY PRIDEFEST

You’ve probably experienced Columbus Pride from its famous parade route or standing next to its pair of live music stages at Bicentennial Park and Genoa Park, where between Friday, June 14 and Sunday, June 16, nearly 20 musical guests are slated to perform.

What’s less likely, though, is that you’ve seen the Midwest’s secondlargest Pride Festival, celebrating its 38th year in 2019, from a kayak while floating down the Scioto River.

For the second year in what looks to become a new Columbus Pride tradition, Everybody Paddles the City will allow ticketholders to paddle their way down the Scioto Mile on Friday, June 14 between 4:00 pm and 10:00 pm. Imagine cruising past Bicentennial Park in your favorite Pride gear as music from the Pride Stage jumps across the water before you.

Created by the American Kayaking Association, Everybody Paddles the City aims to support Columbus Pride while encouraging residents of Ohio’s largest city to get out in the natural world and learn a thing or two about America’s waterways.

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t s F e s N I T H E S I X

king The a M

Best Of Boom Three viewing spots for the fireworks at Red, White, and Boom

By Mi tc h H o o p e r

E

ach and every year the city of Columbus gathers round for a visual experience where lights and pyrotechnics illuminate the sky. It’s a chance for us to celebrate our independence from Mama England with a giant party and even bigger traffic lines. There’s no way to avoid the madness that is Red, White, and Boom—city streets are shut down, Uber surcharges skyrocket (no pun intended), and even if you decided to stay in, your neighbor and his box of M-80s have other plans for your quiet night.

Alas, there’s only one solution and it’s a cliché saying: if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. And if you’re going to do it, you’d better do it right. Here are three viewing options for enjoying Boom this year.

And as always, be safe out there.

In The Thunderdome If you and a group of friends are looking to really take in Boom this year, booking a night at The LeVeque Tower is a solid option that can be split to make it more affordable. Not only is The LeVeque right in the heart of RWB, it potentially has one of the best views in the city. The high-rise hotel over looks the Scioto Mile, which is conveniently close to where the fireworks are actually set off. While everyone will be lugging around backpacks and bags, you’ll have the luxury of an upscale hotel room to take pit stops in. And once all the firework dust settles, you can simply walk back to your room, or The Keep (LeVeque’s elegant bar), instead of waiting in traffic for three and a half hours.

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In The Splash Zone When it comes to RWB, getting there early could be the difference between a good spot and a great spot. Alternatively, you can work smarter, not harder, and snag a kayak or stand-up paddleboard, or bring your own, to float down the Scioto Mile.

Remember how The LeVeque is close? This is about as close as you can get beyond actually lighting the damn things. That being said, there are a few things to keep in mind. Police patrol the river quite frequently on the night of Boom so you’re going to need lights on your mode of transportation because they’ll be doing inspections for safety concerns and just for straight up visibility.

(IMPORTANT: no booze in the boats!) Visit watercraft.ohiodnr. gov/lights to brush up on the rules and regulations before you head out.

In The Spirit Of Families While part of Columbus will be focusing on chugging beers, and another part attempting to keep their sanity amongst all the crazies, there’s the final part that is simply just looking to take their little ones to a fireworks show. And this group isn’t looking to deal with drunken Boomers. If you fall in this category, The Scioto Audubon is a great option. Not only are outside fireworks and alcohol prohibited, dogs are permitted! The Audubon also offers more for the little ones to do, like a sand volleyball court, a rock climbing wall, and even a playground. Unfortunately, parking here might be a bit of a tricky situation, but I have a few tips for handling that.

Traffic Tips So you decided to ignore this treasure trove of a story and went ahead with driving to RWB. I’m not mad. I’m just a little disappointed. Either way, before you dive headfirst into the traffic nightmare, here’s a few pointers.

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Park far away and utilize transportation services like Bird and Lime Scooters, or public bicycles, to get to and from RWB.

•

Uber there, but don’t hail down an Uber to get home.

Instead, walk a few blocks away from all the craziness and then call an Uber. Not only will they be able to pick you up faster, they won’t be stuck in the traffic exiting the event.

•

Stay at a hotel nearby. There are plenty of lodging options Downtown and a good majority of them offer overnight parking. Even if you aren’t able to see the fireworks from your room, a 15-minute walk back beats hours of traffic jams every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

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Gallery Space

Hakim Callwood & Lauren Carter Best By l i nda l e e b a i r d | P H OTOS BY B RIAN KAI S ER

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t’s difficult to write a Gallery Space column about public art.

After a long discussion with artists Hakim Callwood and Lauren Carter Best—both of whom created murals for Gravity, Franklinton’s new “conscious community” development—it’s clear to me that the term “gallery” is too limiting in this context; galleries put doors around artwork and separate it from everyday experiences. This is exactly the opposite of Callwood and Best’s intentions, and it’s something Gravity attempts to correct by infusing artwork throughout its architecture. “Walking into Gravity is just an immersive experience that, like, anyone can have,” Best said. “I feel like it’s just kind of changing the assumption that art is something that only privileged people can see or be around.”

Callwood and Best both found out about Gravity through personal networks; Callwood applied to be one of the artists after learning about the opportunity through Urban Scrawl (an annual street art event he participates in regularly) and Best through a friend. Both were attracted to the idea of creating work that would be accessible and visible to the public, outside of the pretenses associated with high art. “When we have art shows, it is not very businessy,” Callwood said. “A lot of what I do is try to welcome people in: Come to your first art show! Wear some jeans!” •

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For his mural, Callwood created a tribute to artist Elijah Pierce, who worked in Columbus from the 1920s until his death in the 1980s. Callwood was inspired by Pierce’s story and the work he created. “He lived here in Columbus, in this same neighborhood, roughly. And he was a woodworker and a barber and a sculptor. He was just like a local legend,” Callwood said. The mural depicts Pierce standing alongside oversized versions of some of his work. Callwood’s intent was to make the experience interactive for viewers. “He did wood carving, sculptures of animals, so I tried to make lifesized animals so people could come take a picture next to the deer, or ‘like’ petting the cat.”

Best chose to enlarge one of her existing pieces called “Spring” for her mural. Spring is part of a series featuring the same woman experiencing the different seasons. (Best would like to eventually paint the remaining seasons around other parts of the city). The mural features large, swirling designs rendered in soothing colors. Best hopes it will encourage viewers to slow down and reflect. “I feel so strongly and passionately that part of the healing that needs to happen in the world is that people need to spend more time just pausing,” she said. It’s a powerful message permanently situated at the entrance to the massive development on busy Broad Street.

Gravity, phase I, is 550,000 square feet of apartments and commercial space, with over 14,000 square feet of murals (the even-larger phase II will break ground later in the summer).

The project has faced its share of criticism over everything from the decision to hire an artist from outside of Columbus to paint the most prominent exterior mural to complaints that the rents at Gravity put its apartments out of reach for many longtime Franklinton residents. There’s an irony that the murals, created to be enjoyed by anyone, are part of a project that’s been criticized for being too exclusive. • 614now.com

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Callwood was quick to acknowledge the concern. Still, he gives credit to Gravity’s planners for working with the community, noting that they hired local artists and collaborated with the Franklinton Arts Council in designing the project. “Those are people from the neighborhood,” he said. Best echoed this sentiment, explaining that while she shares concerns about gentrification, she chose to have her work represented at Gravity in part because it is “showcasing what the community has to offer,” and she felt the artists’ work was valued and recognized by Gravity’s architects. Brett Kaufman, Gravity founder, said he is committed to using the space to bring people together. “We’re intentionally engaging people in a way that has real meaning—offering a physical space where they can literally see beauty and creativity all around them.”

The task of creating 14,000 square feet of murals isn’t an easy one, and Callwood laughed as he shared how the weather refused to cooperate on work days. “At the key time when people were doing the murals it started raining!” he said. Best worked on different days and coped with heat instead. Despite the conditions, she enjoyed the process. “[My mural] faces Broad Street so people would just be walking down and yell, like, What are you guys doing? It was an interactive type of thing, really fun,” she said.

Controversies aside, Gravity represents an exciting opportunity for Columbus artists and art lovers alike, giving prominent recognition to work that may not be a fit for traditional galleries, but is, as Callwood says, accessible and fun. “You ever go to another city and see a bunch of murals on like their buildings and it just makes you feel welcomed into the city? That’s the same type of thing I’m trying to do.” •

Gravity is located at 500 W Broad Street in Franklinton. Lauren Carter Best’s work can be seen at Laurencarterbest.com and on Instagram at Laurencarterbest. Hakim Callwood’s work is at Hakimsartnstuff.com and on Instagram at hakimsartnstuff.

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maker’s space

CLASSIC FORD BRONCOS

BY M I K E TH O M AS | P H OTOS BY B R I A N KA I S E R

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B

ucolic views of rural Powell, Ohio stream past at an impressive clip as the driver presses down on the accelerator. A throaty roar issues from the exhaust.

We might be going 50 mph, or it might be closer to 70—for some reason, the lack of a roof on the vehicle makes it harder to judge. (That, and and the disorienting effect of my “rock ‘n’ roll” hairstyle whipping about my face in ever-changing directions.)

The truck is a rolling anachronism. By all outward appearances, it is a pristine, burnt-orange Ford Bronco in the classic body style of its first iteration, produced from 1966 through 1977. But from a glimpse of the modern suspension components underneath and the aggressive sounds emanating from the tailpipe, and it’s clear something is not as it seems.

This Bronco is a “restomod” (a portmanteau of restoration and modification) of that first-generation Bronco. It is one of between 35 and 40 that Bryan Rood’s company, the aptly-named Classic Ford Broncos, will produce in a given year. Carrying a price tag of $200,000, it is also one of the most expensive terrestrial vehicles I have ever ridden in. •

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Like many things a man will do throughout his lifetime, Rood started selling old Ford Broncos because of a woman.

“I was invited to the Kentucky Derby 10 years ago for a bachelor party. We were walking to the Derby with a group of girls that we met the night before,” Rood explains from his office in the Classic Ford Broncos facility near Powell. “There was an old Bronco for sale on the side of the road, and one of the girls thought the Bronco was cool, so I bought it just to try to impress the girl.”

Rood doesn’t elaborate as to what happened with the woman, but what became of that first Bronco set him on the path to a lucrative career in the automotive restoration game.

Upon returning to Columbus with the truck, Rood could not take it out without entertaining unsolicited offers of purchase. Eventually, he hit upon a deal too good to pass up, selling the Bronco which he initially purchased for $3,500 to a buyer at $8,000.

It occurred to Rood that if he could achieve this kind of return on an old Bronco, maybe he could repeat his success with another. It followed that if people would pay for an unrestored Bronco, maybe a fresh coat of paint and a tune up would up the ante.

“When I first started messing with them, I was selling them for under 15 grand,” Rood explains of his fledgling business.

“It’s not that they weren’t popular, there was just a very different following for them back then. They were kind of a mud truck, or just a cheap, old, beat-up farm truck that some people thought were cool.”

Within a year, Rood had hired a full-time mechanic. Ten years on, his company employs a staff of around 15 in a 10,000 square-foot facility—the largest Bronco restoration shop in the country.

The approach to the Broncos themselves has also changed considerably over the years, moving from restoration of engine parts, interiors and paint to all new custom bodies built inshop, nestled on a classic Ford Bronco frame with modern performance drivetrain and suspension components included.

In keeping with advances in his process, Rood’s clientele has also changed over the years. He now marks major-league athletes and captains of industry among those for whom he’s built a Bronco. On the day I visited his operation, his crew 46

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were working on a tasteful sage green Bronco commissioned

by Kelly Clarkson.

“Almost exclusively, they’re going to beach towns or lake houses,” says Rood. “It’s the ultra-high net worth clientele that are buying these things, because Jeeps aren’t cool enough.”

The Broncos Rood and company create are a statement piece—a summer-home vehicle for the finance set who can drop 200k on a weekend toy without batting an eye. Despite the hefty price tag, Rood explains that the owners of his restorations aren’t afraid to get his creations dirty, even if farm-field mud is swapped for sand from beaches in the Hamptons.

Undaunted by the sticker price? Interested in grabbing one of Rood’s Broncos? You’ll have to get in line—at any given time, he has a list of 25-30 customers in contract. You’ll also need some cash, as you can’t finance one of Rood’s creations— it’s a cash deal, with a 10% deposit due up front as a show of good faith.

And don’t believe for a second that your $200,000 buys the right to dictate every aspect of the build. With most of his business coming via word of mouth, Rood sees his Broncos as rolling billboards for his company. There are some things he simply will not do. No 20” rims, no wacky interiors—not at any price. • 614now.com

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“It’s the ultrahigh net worth clientele that are buying these things, because Jeeps aren’t cool enough.”

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“So many of the restomods you find at car shows are overdone,” says Rood, who insists his Broncos retain something of their classic charm. “You lose all of the vintage car vibe by making it too modern and new. I want a Bronco that still looks vintage but operates like a new car.”

Thanks to a streamlined process and an established reputation of quality, Rood’s company has dominated a previously unrecognized niche market. With Ford apparently taking note of the renewed interest in their old creation, a new production model of the Bronco is currently in the works. Even with a new Bronco on the horizon, Rood feels confident about the future of his business.

“I think it’s going to bring light to the old stuff, to that many more people who don’t realize that you can get a vintage Bronco built the way that we build it,” he says. “The clientele that we deal with want something exclusive, something that everybody else doesn’t have.

That’s not going to be the case with the new Bronco.” •

Classic Ford Broncos is located at 434 Village Park Dr in Powell, OH. To learn more, visit them online at classicfordbroncos.com.

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Michelle Diercks

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M ak er

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Though Wine & Canvas originated in Indianapolis, it was Michelle Diercks who founded the Columbus branch, noticing the expansion of the art market. “It’s for people who want to come for leisure to relax and enjoy themselves.

I find it fascinating when someone’s like ‘Oh, who’s your demographic?’ and there really isn’t one,” she says. “We have kids, girls night out, dates—it’s a really fun environment.”

While Wine & Canvas is meant for leisure, as guests indulge in flowing alcohol to relax any first-time painters, Dierck assures participants that the experience will put them at ease. “People are looking for that kind of experience; they want to have a creative outlet but there’s a lot of commitment to trying to pick up an art hobby. This gives them a sample and it’s a safe environment because they’re there to have fun. There’s an instructor that’s helping you,” she says. “The instructor’s not going to critique your work; they’re really there to help and support and to really break it down for you so you understand that it doesn’t have to be perfect.”

Contact: wineandcanvas.com/columbus-oh.html

Joe Lombardo Pushed into teaching an adult painting class through his former CCAD professor, Michael McEwan, landscape painter Joe Lombardo centers his classes on plein air painting, meeting guests at parks such as Goodale and Schiller. “I have several lessons where I try to teach them that painting is not precious. I also have to sometimes get them to think differently, because they’ll just come to the class thinking that a painting has to look absolutely real,” Lombardo says. “Accuracy is sometimes given up for expression, it doesn’t have to be perfect and exact.”

Associated with various art platforms, including Columbus Cultural Art Center and McConnell Arts Center, Lombardo teaches adult students not to fear the canvas, but to embrace its intimidation to allow room for confidence. “I think that art-making, painting, drawing and self-doubt come hand-inhand,” he says. “Something about when you’re going to pour yourself into this work of art, and part of making art is not just for you to look at, but for people to see it.”

LEARN TO PAINT

By Ja el a n i T u r n er -W i l l i a m s p hotos by br i a n ka i se r

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hether professional or amateur, there’s more than a few painting classes in Columbus for adults to choose from.

Paired with wine and cocktails, or even dedicated to illustrating your pet, these classes are wide-ranging. While each class is taught by a different instructor, their affirmation for students is one and the same.

Recently, (614) spoke to four artists who are leading the city’s adult painting trend.

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Contact: josephlombardo.weebly.com

Anna Sokol Furnished with open windows, long tables covered by brown paper and a canvas space for the owner’s own work, Art With Anna began as a children’s art studio before starting adult classes. “I was in my twenties and I was teaching these adults, parents and grandparents. It was daunting at first, but honestly, they’re just like children,” she says.

“There’s this unknowing, and all people want to do is learn how to be better, so it made sense.

People just want attention and to be directed and receive guidance and a way to be creative, but that has diminished as we become adults.”

Wanting guests to be pleasantly surprised by their crafts once leaving class, Sokol says that painting can be like “ripping the bandaid off”— conquering fear before putting paint brush to canvas. “One of the things I say is, ‘It’s a canvas, not a tattoo,’ ” she says. Getting it perfectly right on a canvas is so debilitating sometimes that I can’t get their mind into perspective, like ‘You are allowed to mess up.’ ” Contact: artwithanna.com

Maureen Clark One step into Maureen Clark’s studio below Chromedge Photo Lab in Franklinton, and you’re fully immersed in works of impressionism, and perhaps a complimentary can of PBR. Much like Wine & Canvas, Clark holds her own Paint & Pour classes once a month at Camelot Cellars, where students can paint their own wine glasses with themes that correlate hand-in-hand with any given holiday that month. “Art is one of those things that’s beyond that language barrier.

Art is so interesting because it’s healing, it’s therapeutic,” she says. A former manager of Art With Anna when Anna Sokol had her first child, Clark welcomes guests to bring in their own templates, observing that they ultimately tend to put their own spin on individual works.

“There’s always one person in the class that’s overwhelmed and thinking ‘Oh gosh, I could never do this,’ ” she says. “It’s always wonderful at the end to see that they have done it, and sometimes they’re the best ones.” • Contact: maureeneclarkart.com

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Maureen Clark in her studio

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BY MITCH HOOP ER P HOTOS BY BR I A N KA I SER

“I

Local Alex Coleman making the most of newfound opportunities with the return of the Columbus Destroyers

love being here. These are my streets, this is my city.”

Alex Coleman is a Columbus local. He grew up right here in the city and attended Eastmoor Academy High School.

Throughout school he maintained 4.0 GPA and led his team to the state championship. Though they ultimately lost that game, he was named the MVP. Everything seemed primed for a successful career on the field and he had hoped for that scholarship offer from Ohio State, but that offer never came. Looking back on it now, Coleman, now a wide receiver for the recently relaunched Arena Football League team the Columbus Destroyers, said that was fuel to his fire to work harder, but through trials and tribulations comes perspective.

The AFL is unlike most leagues in sports. With the setup of the field literally butting up to the stands, the fans are able to get in on the action as close as safely possible. In between plays or before kick offs, fans can chat with the athletes on the field. If a football makes it into the stands, the lucky person who caught it is now going home with a free souvenir—try that at an Ohio State game and you’ll have an usher tackling you like Joey Bosa in no time. And after the games, fans can stick around to go on the field and meet the team.

If your little one is especially into sports, imagine the look on their face as they play catch with a player on the team. There’s no question here: the AFL is more than just football—it’s a community builder.

And that’s why Coleman is taking his opportunity to return home so seriously.

“I come from a hard-working family, but we didn’t know anything about athletics,” Coleman explained. “When you look for some type

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of figure to motivate you and push you in the right direction, I think that’s where I fell short coming out of high school.”

He committed to Ashland University and eventually transferred to Capital University where he kept that same mentality for maintaining school and athletics, and graduated with a degree in Communications Studies, balancing the act of academics and athletics without a mentor. Now that he’s back in the city that helped shape him, he’s looking to serve as that role model he needed when he was growing up. It’s a way to break the chain for him and others growing up in similar situations—a method for nurturing the next generation.

“Everybody loves a Cinderella story, but it’s often not like that,” Coleman said.

(And for the record, even Cinderella had the help of a fairy godmother. Didn’t think you’d see this factoid in a sports story, did ya?)

For Coleman, actions speak louder than words. Throughout his career, he’s been told he’s too small for the wide receiver position, as he stands at 5-foot-9-inches tall. Recruiters and reports all said if he were a few inches taller, he’d be a must-grab for many universities.

Instead of letting those words dictate his career, he’s out to prove them wrong. In the high school championship game where they lost, he stole the limelight with three touchdowns and the MVP trophy. Last season with the Carolina Havoc, there was some debate on whether Coleman should be in the starting lineup. The next game he scored four touchdowns—with the last one being the game winner. Coleman was solidified in the lineup, and the Havoc are

now reigning champs of the American Arena Football league.

This mantra of “do more, say less” finds a new chapter with his arrival in Columbus.

Again, Coleman finds himself behind the eight ball vying for a starting position. For him, it’s not a matter of if, but when. And when that day comes, Coleman said he knows he’ll have to make the most of the opportunity because he never knows if it’ll be his last. That’s another sentiment Coleman is trying to drive home with young athletes as well. Whether it be injuries, grades, off-the-field antics, or simply just not making the cut, tomorrow is never promised in football. He said athletes have to be prepared for plan B, C, or even Z.

“I come from a hardworking family, but we didn’t know anything about athletics,” Coleman explained. “When you look for some type of figure to motivate you and push you in the right direction, I think that’s where I fell short coming out of high school.”

“It’s easy to say something to a kid, but to actually be an example to them means even more,” Coleman explained. “Kids are much more mature in terms of their train of thought so a lot of kids are going to question me like, ‘Why should I do it if you didn’t?’ ” Since arriving in Columbus, Coleman has been working with youth on the developmental side. While he sees the importance of coaching on the field, his interest is more in getting young people prepared with the fundamentals so they have the tools available to work efficiently. Not only does this help shape athletes for high school and beyond, it helps coaches recognize the players taking extra steps plus, gives a stronger foundation to build off. He’s also made a return to some of his old stomping grounds to give advice and expertise at Eastmoor High School, as well as Capital. Coleman said it only takes one person to start a change and create a village, and so far, it seems he’s on the right path.

The Columbus Destroyers play at Nationwide Arena. For more information on tickets plus the schedule, check out columbusdestroyers.com.

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SHOW YOUR PRIDE

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YAAAS KWEEN!

Meet 2019 Pride Parade Grand Marshall Nina West

BY LAURA DACHENBACH | ILLUSTRATION BY SARAH MOORE

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hat can we add to the cultural explosion that is Nina West? A homecoming Pride Parade to welcome home our queen from the RuPaul’s Drag Race runway and congratulate her on her new EP Drag is Magic for children. For 18 years, Andrew Levitt as Nina West has performed, entertained, encouraged, empowered, advocated, and given back in more ways than we can count. (Although one tangible place to start might be the $2 million that The Nina West Foundation has raised for local and national charities that provide services to the LGBTQ+ community, as well as children and family charities.) (614) is pleased to share the insights of this amazing performer at such a careerdefining moment.

Thank you, your majesty, for everything you have done, and for everything we look forward to from you in the future.

Tell me about your background and how it has channeled your activism. Correspondingly, how has drag created opportunities for you?

I started becoming really involved in my community as a child, volunteering with my family. That continued when I began school at Denison University, as service is a pillar of the school. When I attended college, I had my own story of bullying—and I never wanted anyone else to have to feel that. So, wanting to give back and protect became my focus to help younger queer people like me.

The art form of drag is where you get to create the world you want to live in. You have freedom to create characters that demonstrate what you really want to say. Along those lines, you also get to create your own opportunities. When I first started drag, no one wanted to book a queen at their event. I was forced to create opportunities for myself to be on stage. As pop culture has embraced drag, I have benefited from the swell of mainstream popularity; but I have never forgotten that in order to do specific projects I want, I have to create those opportunities for myself and collaborate with brilliant and open-minded folks who share a similar vision.

years of experience and knowledge—brings a tremendous amount of worth to the competition. Drag Race has reminded me that you’re never too old to dream, and this opportunity has given me the ability to create things that 10 year-old Andrew would have never thought was possible.

The show hasn’t refined my act; rather, it has reaffirmed my voice. I have always felt that I was an experimental artist, and have always seen myself as being competitive. But the show’s critiques allowed me to receive and apply feedback that I had not previously been in a position to take.

The theme of Columbus Pride this year is “The Power of Pride.”

How do you feel that you and your work embodies this theme?

I believe my career is a living example of the power of pride. Not to sound simplistic, but I feel like a phoenix that rose out of the ashes.

I could have [gone] in a myriad of different directions after college— including dark places, like suicide. Rather, I chose to surround myself with other queer leaders and artists that helped me develop a strong sense of pride in myself and this community—and I hope I’m a part of that continuing legacy today.

In the excitement of the moment, have you thought about the future? Where do you see yourself going?

This is the most exciting time for my career. I am learning to quickly readjust and allow for the multiple dreams and priorities to shift. I’ve waited for these opportunities for so long, and all the doors are opening at once. It feels hard to keep up! It feels incredible for people to see me on TV, and then continue to help spread my message of pride and kindness in their own circles. It is astonishing to me this recent social media push to see me on SNL—and I would welcome that opportunity!

I am passionate about working with children, and so continuing to create work around inclusive children’s music, books, and animation is a dream I’m currently getting to live out. I welcome any possibilities that allow me to continue to advocate for the silenced, while compelling real change through this art form.

You have a commitment to old-school camp. How has your experience on RuPaul’s Drag Race shaped you as a performer? Has it refined your act? Made you more experimental or competitive?

RPDR is the greatest stage for drag—it is also drag’s toughest bootcamp. I learned that it is never too late to teach an old dog new tricks!

At the end of this experience, I am reminded that someone like me—with

To learn more about the Nina West Foundation, visit ninawest.com.

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Show your pride

P H OTO PROVIDED BY OHI O HI STORY CON N EC T I O N

STONEWALL

50 YEARS a look back

BY N ATH A N COTTO N

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une 28 and 29, 2019 will mark the 50th anniversary of the riots at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, when LGBT bar patrons clashed for days with New York City police. The riots served as a symbolic catalyst, helping to spark the modern gay rights movement in the United States. Decades later, the Stonewall name remains synonymous with LGBT activism and empowerment.

Though the famed Pride Festival is Columbus hallmark mainstream LGBT event, other important pieces of LGBT activism and history also line its streets. The progress made since the early years after the Stonewall riots was neither accidental nor inevitable, recalls Douglas Whaley, Professor Emeritus at Ohio State’s Moritz College of Law, and an early Board member of Stonewall Columbus, founded in 1981.

Whaley moved from Indianapolis to Columbus in 1976 for two

purposes: to come out as a gay man, and to fulfill a visiting faculty position at Moritz. Entering not only a new city, but also a different social environment, was a frightening experience.

“It was a slow-developing thing, but I was terrified,” Whaley recalls. “I was afraid I’d be fired if someone found out. It had only been like 10 years since it had been a crime in Ohio to be gay and there were still statutes on the books against importuning, which is asking someone if they want to have sex. That could get you arrested and people were being arrested for that.”

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visited his office—worked up the courage to approach her regarding their “common social difficulty.”

While bonding that day at lunch, the two discussed what they would do if asked about their sexuality by other colleagues or the college’s dean. “Would we admit it, would we lie? And that’s how very different it was,” Whaley remembers.

Rivera soon became a titanic figure in Columbus’ LGBT community, using her legal background to advise OSU, the City of Columbus, and the State of Ohio’s incipient protections for the LGBT community. Stonewall Columbus’ annual Human Rights Award is named for Rivera, and in 2010 she was inducted into the Ohio Civil Rights Hall of Fame for her work on behalf of the LGBT community.

“It was a slow-developing thing, but I was terrified,” Whaley recalls. “I was afraid I’d be fired if someone found out. It had only been like 10 years since it had been a crime in Ohio to be gay and there were still statutes on the books against importuning, which is asking someone if they want to have sex. That could get you arrested and people were being arrested for that.”

“I one time told the San Francisco Examiner her name should be spelled with all capital letters and four exclamation marks,” says Whaley. “And the reason that Columbus is as gayfriendly as it is, is because of the great Rhonda Rivera. She was like a force, and everyone loved her. And she bullied people, but she did it in a good cause.”

While Rivera and Whaley worked with Stonewall Columbus to move the needle towards legal protection and mainstream acceptance, others initiated necessary, productive conversations and provided innovative safe spaces for the LGBT community across the city. While less-heralded, these groups and programs also contain indispensable pieces of Columbus’ LGBT history according to Luster Singleton, the Community Outreach Coordinator at Mozaic, Ohio’s first community wellness space for gender non-conforming youth and young adults.

“There’s so much history,” she said (Singleton considers themselves gender non-conforming, and uses he/they/she pronouns). “There are so many places that should have a metal plate in the sidewalk or something so that you could do a walk of historic and famous things that you need to know around LGBTQQIA stuff.”

Singleton was also drawn to Columbus from Zanesville by Ohio State in 1979, and she soon found herself at home in the university’s nascent Women’s Studies Department. Before long, Singleton and her “fierce group” of peers had founded a group called Diversity of Ohio, “to try and talk about the issues, and address issues, and to help Stonewall, and to help OSU Gay and Lesbian Student Services better meet the needs of folks of color.”

Singleton also co-founded H.I.S. Kings, a popular drag king production beginning in 1994, the International Drag King Extravaganza which examined masculine gender, and also worked as a coordinator at OSU’s LGBTQ+ student center,

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known in the mid ’90s only as the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Student Services Office (GLBSSO), with no advertisement of services for transgender students.

Singleton, then also enrolled in classes and technically a student, made a subtle and strategic request of her boss, forcing the GLBSSO’s hand and the addition of a “T” to the office’s name. While at OSU, she helped start the Rainbow Celebration & Graduation ceremony for LGBTQ students, now hosted by the Office of Student Life’s Multicultural Center.

“We’ve done HIV and STI work in this city for 28 years.

This right here [Mozaic], another first. Of all the places that they could pick to put one, they decided to put it in Ohio, which is insane. We get calls from West Virginia, Indiana, Michigan, because nobody has anything like this clinic available to them.”

For Singleton, the impact of Pride has always been deeply personal. The first Columbus Stonewall Pride parade in 1981 coincided with a dark time in her college experience. Feeling distant from family, and having recently put her child up for adoption, Singleton was on the verge of collapse.

“I honestly decided that I was gonna check out that day […]

I just was like, everyone would be better. And so because I’m dramatic, I decided to take one last walk around campus. They were just building up Short North; I thought I would just take a walk. And when I did that, I ran across the first Stonewall Pride. And because I’m nosy and I saw six-foot drag queens with feathers coming out of their head—What on earth is going on?—I went over there and long story short […] I was standing on the side, and I look over and there’s this little kid. I’ll never forget his face. He couldn’t have been more than five years old.

“And his mom’s holding his hand, and she’s looking at him and she’s going, “God hates fags, God hates fags” and he’s looking at her and then he’s like, “God hates fags,” and I just thought to myself, ‘Who am I?’ What kind of coward are you?

You gotta step off of here. You have to do it.” That experience provided her the inspiration and resolve to carry on.

“And so I always say that Pride saves lives. It saved my life.

And from that moment on, I just was like, ‘I’m going to try to be visible.’ You know, to help other people be visible.”

For both Whaley and Singleton, Columbus has served as a refuge and a supportive community, in turn inspiring activism that has returned the favor for the benefit of future generations. Their work has preserved and expanded the inclusivity of a city that now prides itself on widespread acceptance and defiance of repression, even amidst an increasingly conservative state legislature.

“And so I always say that Pride saves lives. It saved my life. And from that moment on, I just was like, ‘I’m going to try to be visible.’

You know, to help other people be visible.”

“My prayer every night was to be relevant. I just wanted to do stuff that was relevant enough to help my nieces and nephews,” says Singleton. “Relevant not just like super-famous or anything like that, but to have things that I did or worked on to be meaningful whether anybody knew it or not. I mean, it’s been an amazing life. So many things that we’ve gotten to participate in have just been incredible.” •

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Show your pride

(FROM TOP TO BOTTOM): ROBERT PODLOGAR, DWAYNE STEWARD, AND ANDREW MOSS.

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STONEWALL

50 YEARS the conversation now

BY JA EL A N I T UR N ER -W I L L I A M S P HOTOS BY BR I A N KA I SER

I

n 2017, tensions flared revolving Columbus Pride, but it introduced a greater conversation; one involving healthcare barriers, intersectionality and even racial discrimination in the LGBTQ community. Virally known as #BlackPride4, four queer and trans people of color were arrested during the Columbus Pride Parade that year. Misconstrued as an act of resistance, the group formed to protest the rate of trans women of color who were murdered in 2017, along with the indictment of Minneapolis Police Officer Jeronimo Yanez who shot and killed Philando Castile just one year prior. The Black Pride 4 was spat upon and heckled. Soon after the protests, then-Stonewall Columbus Executive Director Karla Rothan retired.

“Watching everything happen from afar was heartbreaking because I was seeing my community falling apart, and the people I cared about divided against each other,” says Dwayne Steward, Director of Prevention at Equitas Health and mentor to Wriply Bennett, a member of #BlackPride4 who was arrested. “I truly believe Black Pride 4 was the best thing that could’ve happened to Columbus. It forced the LGBTQ community to take a long hard look in the mirror. Because of the truths that have been forced, because of the bravery of the protesters that day, I’m finally seeing the change that many of us have been fighting so long for.”

Noting that Black Pride 4 brought upon awareness from a community standpoint, Stonewall Chief Executive Officer Robert Podlogar recounts strategies that came into place following the 2017 Columbus Pride Festival.

“I truly believe Black Pride 4 was the best thing that could’ve happened to Columbus. It forced the LGBTQ community to take a long hard look in the mirror. Because of the truths that have been forced, because of the bravery of the protesters that day, I’m finally seeing the change that many of us have been fighting so long for.”

“The organization underwent internal reviews on processes in general to really understand where we would have opportunities for improvement,” he says. “Any time there is an announcement for retirement, it gives you time to step back, really understand where you want the organization to go forward.” • 614now.com

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Now, the recent 10,000-square-foot expansion of Stonewall Columbus’ new community center is a sign of an organization with a new vision, one in which inclusion and its barriers can be addressed.

A member of Stonewall’s Board of Trustees, Drew Moss, a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor and a Licensed Independent Chemical Dependency Counselor for Maryhaven treatment center helped open Maryhaven’s Addiction Stabilization Center on South High in 2018. Moss agrees with further pushing efforts to treat those who are queer, transgender and gender non-conforming.

“I really would love a day where the table belongs to everybody and they know that they can come whenever they need to. That’s my vision and my hope. I’m really proud of the work that Stonewall is doing to create that world.”

“The healthcare system as a whole is making better efforts to understand the LGBTQ+ population, to educate providers and try to be more inclusive and think about different ways to engage people. I see a real concerted effort with that, especially in the last ten years, I would say,” Moss says. “We need to find a pathway toward greater visibility for LGBTQ+ people in every industry. I think the more visibility we have, it does begin to change people’s minds and hearts about this issue. Providers of any type of service need to be competent in different engagement strategies.”

In terms of dedication to creating communities of inclusion, especially for queer people of color, Steward admits that Columbus still has work to do to improve resources. “Currently, I am focused on dedicating my time to breaking down barriers and creating access to healthcare and social services for underserved communities. I’m also very passionate about ending the HIV epidemic that is currently affecting the most marginalized in our communities,” Steward says.

“We have the tools to end the HIV epidemic once and for all.

PrEP (or pre-exposure prophylaxis) is a once-a-day pill you can take to prevent yourself from contracting HIV. If someone who is HIV positive is taking their medications daily, they can reach an undetectable status and are not able to pass the virus to anyone else. If everyone who needed these medications had access to them, we could stop HIV. The only thing keeping us from getting to zero new infections and zero AIDS-related deaths in Columbus, in Ohio and in this country, is health inequity.”

While fractures may exist in Columbus’ LGBTQ+ community, it is still a community of positive experiences.

“I remember being younger and having people yell out or throw things and essentially harass me on the street and people that I was with for being who we were. That can be very damaging psychologically,” says Moss, who came to Columbus from Lima. “I embraced myself by coming to a community [where] I could see myself in other people and vice versa. I think moving to Columbus was the biggest catalyst in a long journey towards self-acceptance.”

Crediting the Short North and South End for rigorously

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encouraging acceptance in the LGBTQ+ scene, Podlogar agrees with Moss’ thoughts. “We’re fortunate in Columbus over the past couple years, especially with so many corporations, small businesses [who are] really providing a safe place for the LGBTQI community, for being who we are,” he says. “I am thrilled for the vast amount of acceptance for our community, things I did not feel when I lived here in the early 90s. I am so proud to be able to, in an open work environment, talk about my personal life, my husband, our marriage and the relationship that we have.”

There’s still hope for marginalized communities to make their voices heard during Pride month, especially with the emergence of conversations that bring about opportunities for action and awareness. For Steward, this means adopting alternative safe spaces that aren’t directly involved with Columbus Pride Festival, including healthcare space Mozaic for transgender, gender nonconforming and non-binary youth of color along with social and wellness space UNITY, geared towards queer men of color.

“I was bullied at school for both identities and I was being raised by devout Pentecostal parents and in a church that believed my existence was sinful. It was a long road to acceptance not only for my parents, but for myself,” he says. “When we create spaces for queer people of color where they are able to escape the constant microaggressions and ongoing discrimination they face daily, you’re providing a unique opportunity for someone to fully live in all of their authenticity.”

Moss concurs that Black Pride 4 gave room for discussions to be initiated, even if they are discomforting, as it will allow Columbus’ LGBTQ+ community to prevail equally. “Karla’s decision to retire gives us an opportunity to look at the community through a different lens and to take in some different viewpoints. Any time there’s been a leader at an organization for a long time, it may be challenging to do that. I think it gives us an opportunity to learn a lot from what’s happened,” he says. “I really would love a day where the table belongs to everybody and they know that they can come whenever they need to. That’s my vision and my hope. I’m really proud of the work that Stonewall is doing to create that world.” •

“I embraced myself by coming to a community [where] I could see myself in other people and vice versa. I think moving to Columbus was the biggest catalyst in a long journey towards selfacceptance.”

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SHOW YOUR PRIDE

of

Church & State Decisions of the United Methodist Church and military unsettle lives

BY L AU R A DAC H E N B AC H | P H OTOS BY B R I A N KA I S E R

“While persons set apart by the Church for ordained ministry are subject to all the frailties of the human condition and the pressures of society, they are required to maintain the highest standards of holy living in the world. The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.

Therefore self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be certified as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve in The United Methodist Church.”

- The United Methodist Church Book of Discipline, paragraph 304.3, Qualifications for Ordination.

The Language of Exclusion A longtime member of Stonybrook United Methodist Church, Karie Gregory had no idea that such language existed in the written description of her denomination. At no time in her church life was the denomination’s official position on homosexuality ever mentioned. “I was a lifelong Methodist who didn’t know that the Book of Discipline had anti-LGBTQ language.”

The words of the Discipline only became relevant after Gregory’s son Thomas came out to her and her husband Tom

during his sophomore year of college. Gregory was devastated to learn that her son had been exposed to anti-LGBTQ+ teachings in Sunday school.

“We didn’t know until he was 23 or 24 that when when we would all go to church as a family and we all went this way and that way for Sunday school, he was going around the corner and just sitting at the bottom of a stairwell […] because he didn’t feel worthy, he didn’t feel safe to go to Sunday school.”

By the time the Gregorys discovered what their son had endured, the church leadership and youth leaders had entirely changed. But the couple wanted their church to know what had happened, and to assure it wouldn’t happen again. So they sat down for a talk with their pastors.

“They couldn’t have been more wonderful,” said Gregory.

“They were super-supportive, validated that all of God’s children are exactly that—God’s children,” she said.

The positive support from their pastors and church friends became part of the reason the Gregorys decided to stay at Stonybrook. They also felt called to be “missionaries” for LGBTQ+ issues within the church.

“Once you leave, once you depart, the conversation’s over,” said Gregory. “You’ve lost your opportunity to make a difference in your own building. You’ve lost an opportunity to start conversation with people and share your story and help people think twice.”

The Gregorys were told that there was additional reason to hope and stay. A movement was growing within the United Methodist Church that intended to strike the language in the Book of Discipline and begin the process of full inclusion.

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“When you get to basic training and they cut your hair and they take your clothes away, it was the first time in my life that I felt like I was just as good as everybody else I was there with. So it was a level playing field.”

“A Level Playing Field” Jody Davis was born male, but sensed from an early age that label was somehow inaccurate.

“When I was about 5 years old is when I knew something was different about me in relation to gender, but this was the 70s, so there was no internet,” said Davis, a Cincinnati native. “I went to Catholic schools K through 12, so there’s no Kaleidoscope, there’s no GSA, there’s nothing that would be affirming of any kind of orientation or identity different from a cisgender, heterosexual situation.”

Davis grew up believing her situation was perhaps unique. She experimented with cross-dressing in high school, feeling confused and guilty.

After graduation, the military offered not only a way to pay for college, but also structure and an identity as she struggled to discover who she was.

“I got this idea that maybe I’ll go in the military and it’ll help me pay for college, but maybe it’ll also help me set aside some of these thoughts that maybe I’m really a woman. I’ll go in and I’ll ‘man up,’ ” said Davis, who served in the Ohio Army National Guard, initially as a vehicle commander, driving both tanks and humvees, and leaving the service as a Sergeant E5.

“When you get to basic training and they cut your hair and they take your clothes away, it was the first time in my life that I felt like I was just as good as everybody else I was there with. So it was a level playing field,” recalled Davis, who had dealt with bullying all her life. “Military service in general really helped me with self-esteem and character-building, which was good for me.”

Post-service, Davis continued to question her sexuality, attended what she later discovered to be conversion therapy, and in 2014, finally came out as transgender and began the process of transition. She also became a nurse and a social worker. In 2017 she spotted an advertisement that the Ohio National Guard was looking for behavioral health workers. The military had lifted the ban on transgender service personnel serving openly in June of 2016.

Intrigued, Davis thought she might try to reenlist. This time, she would have to do so as a woman.

Barriers to Equality For much of 2018, Davis concentrated on meeting the military requirements to return to service. Then in January, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that new transgender restrictions, first floated as tweets, could indeed be upheld. Davis’ window to qualify had just narrowed.

“I lost about 50 pounds. I got my cholesterol in order. I had to meet the waist, hip, and neck requirements of a female. So I had to work really hard to get my waist down,” she explained.

Further blows to what looked like progress for the church and the military quickly began to materialize.

In February, delegates to the General Conference of the United Methodist Church voted 438 to 384 in a special session in favor of the “Traditional Plan,” which maintains the language in the Book of Discipline regarding human sexuality and adds punishments for pastors who do not follow those standards.

Despite meeting all standards and

requirements to rejoin the military, Davis received a last-minute disqualification from service. She currently advocates for the LGBTQ+ community on the board of Equality Ohio, working to pass the Ohio Fairness Act to add sexual orientation and gender identity/expression to discrimination laws. For Gregory, the vote of the UMC again raised the question whether her family could remain in their denomination. This time, she and her husband chose their son. They decided to attend a nearby affirming Lutheran church instead.

“Even at the time when we decided to stay [at Stonybrook], we had the conversation with him that, ‘Yes, we’re going to stay, but here’s what we’re trying to do,’ ” Gregory said. “It’s so public now, that the United Methodist denomination [...] is right up there with the denominations that have said no to full inclusion of LGBTQ individuals.”

Roughly two-thirds of American UMC churches supported the “One Church Plan,” which would have removed the disputed language from the Book of Discipline and allowed individual churches to choose their own LGBTQ+ policies. As a global denomination, the UMC has a growing number of delegates from Africa, where homosexuality is illegal in 33 countries.

These delegates overwhelmingly rejected the One Church Plan.

With the transgender restrictions now in effect, the military’s current policy will make hormone treatment for gender dysphoria and gender transition disqualifying conditions. Furthermore, any currently serving troops diagnosed with gender dysphoria will have to serve as their biological sex and will be refused surgery or hormones.

Self & Separation For many, the church or the military represents a higher calling, an opportunity to participate in something greater than the individual self. These recent decisions further illustrate how in order to affirm one part of their identity, LGBTQ+ individuals must deny another part, such as spirituality or patriotism. •

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“[Thomas] was a deeply spiritual child,” Gregory says of her son, who is now an atheist.

“It’s heartbreaking. He was so active in church.

He could tell you exactly when and how he accepted Jesus as a sixth-grader.”

For many reasons, the military has become the country’s largest employer of LGBTQ+ individuals. By some estimates, transgender Americans are twice as likely to join the military.

“These are people already serving, highlyeducated, well-trained, decorated, combat.

They’re serving with pride. They’re doing their jobs. They’re following the chain of command.” said Davis. “At the same time the military cannot meet recruitment goals [...]. And here’s a population that wants to serve.”

What is the future of such institutions in a post-Obergefell country?

Davis is hopeful that in the long term, the ethic of the military that has furthered its history of integration—of African-Americans, of women, of gays, lesbians, and bisexuals— will prevail and allow transgender persons to openly serve again.

“The thing about the military […] is if you do your job, if you meet the standards, if you get the work done, if you prove to me that you’ve got my back, then you’re on my team,” Davis said. “You’ve just got to prove that you can do it, and you belong.”

For the UMC, a denominational split seems nearly inevitable. A “disaffiliation plan” was also passed along with the Traditional Plan, establishing guidelines for congregations who wish to leave the UMC over issues of human sexuality. For those who believe that death leads to resurrection, a departure from the denomination may seem more optimistic than tragic. Whether the answers lie in repair, reconciliation, or split, the process of change is likely to take years. In the meantime, advocates believe there is still work to be done.

“I think everybody’s job right now is to just speak out, speak up, and act out and do our best to vote out people who would discriminate,” said Davis. •

“We didn’t know until he was 23 or 24 that when we would all go to church as a family and we all went this way and that way for Sunday school, he was going around the corner and just sitting at the bottom of a stairwell […] because he didn’t feel worthy, he didn’t feel safe to go to Sunday school.”

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Show your pride

Pride activities in Columbus

By Mi tc h H o o p e r

Pride At The Columbus Arts Festival

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olumbus might be viewed as a cornfield in the Midwest to the rest of the world, but what they might not know is we have the third-largest Pride celebration in America, giving major cities like San Francisco and New York a run for their money. In way of celebrating all the city is championing this month, this extended calendar is your guide to Pride with art exhibits, parades, festivals, and so much more for you to sink your teeth in.

Pride At The Wexner Center For The Arts The Wexner Center For The Arts will be featuring two artists whose work touches on LGBTQ+ lives. Starting June 1 until September, Alicia McCarthy: No Straight Lines will be on showcase where her abstract takes on punk and queer subcultures is highlighted through various styles of media such as graffiti and found or recycled items. Additionally, Barbara Hammer’s work will also be on display with Sensual Bodies on June 13 which features her experimental abilities. Just a short week later, another variety of Hammer’s work, Political Bodies, will be shown. Of the different works in the 100-minute video compilation is Would You Like To Meet Your Neighbor?—an exploration through hidden queer histories.

On the other hand, The Columbus Arts Festival is hosting Columbus Queer Mic with Jessi Jordan, Jaehla Meachem, and Maria Romasco Moore on June 8. Building off the hype of the previous day, The Columbus Arts Festival will also be hosting a large block of time on June 9 starting at 11 a.m. for Pride specific performances from The Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus, Capital Pride Band Of Columbus, and Kelly Vaughn. The entire time block will be hosted by none other than Virginia West, and she and The Flaggots will cap off the day with an eyecatching performance.

Pride Throughout The City Of course, the big celebration that rivals NYC is Stonewall’s Parade which steps off at Poplar Ave. and High St. Furthermore, you can join in on the fun on June 14 and 15 with Stonewall’s Pride Festival at Bicentennial and Genoa Park. But what’s a party without an afterparty? The official after-party for both days of Pride this year is hosted at Ms. Vikki’s Restaurant & Banquet Hall. There are VIP tickets available which secure you a table, allow you to skip the lines, and receive complimentary drinks for the night. However, Stonewall isn’t your only chance to celebrate Pride in Columbus. Community Pride will be hosting a variety of events such as a Spoken Word and Live Arts and Performances event at The Vanderelli Room on June 4. The schedule slate for Community Pride also includes a Bash Back: Queer Club Night on June 7 at The Olde Oak, a Free CeCe Documentary Screening and Panel Discussion on June 11 at CCAD, and the official Skate Against State Violence at Skate Zone 71 on June 13. The Community Pride Festival will feature performances and visual art from queer and transgender artists of color, a community resource fair, activities for kids, and persons-of-color-owned food trucks at Mayme Moore Park on June 15. For more details about Community Pride’s events, speakers, and locations, stay tuned to their website at columbuscommunitypride.org. • 614now.com

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Going Fast

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BY MIKE THOMAS PH OTOS BY BRIA N KA I SER

Fast-food chain classics provide inspiration for upscale creations

For better or worse, fast food is something of a Midwestern tradition (and who are we kidding—it’s probably for the worse). While often viewed as a guilty pleasure in today’s increasingly health- and fitness-minded society, fast food chains still dominate much of our landscape—not to mention our diets.

In many households, it’s the simple and easy option for busy working parents. For others, it’s the best you can do for the price.

Unpretentious, easily-accessible, ready when you are—fast food remains a familiar touchstone for millions.

When he opened Service Bar, Chef Avishar Barua wanted to bring that same approachability to the food on his menu. “We were trying to make dishes that I had a lot of experience with, but it’s hard to translate some of that experience into a dining room,” Barua remembers. “I grew up in the Midwest, and I know how hard it is to get my family to eat stuff.”

This is where tinkering at Taco Bell some years before came in.

“When I found out about the Cheesy Gordita Crunch I thought that was the coolest thing in the world,” Barua explains.

“That’s everything—every contrast you want, every flavor. I thought it would be really cool if you put it in a Doritos Locos shell.”• 614now.com

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“When I found out about the Cheesy Gordita Crunch I thought that was the coolest thing in the world. That’s everything—every contrast you want, every flavor.

I thought it would be really cool if you put it in a Doritos Locos shell.”

The Dorito-infused gordita he conceived of that day became Baura’s go-to order when visiting the ostensiblyMexican-themed fast-food chain. Later, it served as the inspiration for one of Service Bar’s most iconic menu items—the Cheesy Brisket Crunch.

“At face value, it seems like an upgraded version of the Taco Bell taco,” says Barua of Service Bar’s take on the fastfood standard.

Featuring house-smoked brisket, Barua’s creation mimics its fast-food counterpart with a South Americaninspired sauce of serano and nora chiles, smoked cheddar from Middlefield Original Cheese co-op, and shredded iceberg lettuce—all in a hard shell made with Columbus’ own Koki’s Tortillas. To reproduce the Gordita’s signature outer shell, Barua looked to the traditional Bengali frybread of his youth—a staple in his mother’s cooking.

“We’re trying to recreate that memory of biting into that super-crunchy taco, with all these things encapsulated from all these experiences into one very identifiable dish.”

Barua’s approach to cooking centers on creating points of entry through familiar presentations. In his kitchen, there is no clear distinction between high-end cuisine and lowbrow junk food. There is only good, and not good.

“People will always bring up ‘modern cooking’ or ‘fusion cooking’ —it’s just cooking, man,” says Barua. “You can just say, ‘I think this is food that I’d like to eat, and I want to make it and try to translate it.’ ” This view is shared by A&R Creative Group head chef Tyler Minnis, who incorporates upscale twists on fast-food favorites on the menu at The Market Italian Village.

Chef Minnis has found that fast-food presentations can serve as useful points of access for patrons when it comes to some of the market’s more formidable offerings.

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“I think it’s an easier way to introduce certain ingredients to people that they might not normally be adventurous enough to try,” Minnis explains. “You might see something and say, ‘Oh, I know what that is, and I like it, so why not try the rest of it?’ ” It was this approach that led to the creation of one of the standout items on the Market’s brunch menu. With a thickcut slice of mortadella in place of the Canadian bacon and the funky goodness of taleggio replacing the usual slice of processed American, The Market McMuffin improves dramatically on its counterpart from the golden arches.

In addition to making upscale ingredients accessible to the masses, Chef Minnis finds that fast-food twists help to keep the tone of the menu light.

“Myself and my staff take this stuff very seriously, but at the same time, we try to have fun with it,” Minnis explains. “If not, there’s not really any reason to be cooking. You might as well do something else.”

For these chefs, dishes such as these constitute more than just a cheeky highbrow take on supposedly lowbrow food options.

They are a valuable resource in encouraging diners to test the limits of their palates through forms they are already comfortable with. What’s more, these dishes represent an expression of one of the Midwest’s most authentic food traditions.

“We were once classified by Anthony Bourdain, R-I-P, as a place that was a bunch of strip malls separated by Applebees,” chef Barua says. “That’s what he said about Columbus, Ohio. And you know what, maybe we are, but it’s cool. We can all identify with things here. We can all have memories, and we’re not pretentious assholes.” •

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HOP ON the bus

Former teacher “mobilizes” his passion for beer on Brew Bus brewery tours

BY REGIN A FOX | P HOTOS BY R EBECC A T I EN

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o many breweries, so little time, so few volunteers to drive your tipsy tush around, right? Wrong! Columbus, I’d like you to meet CBus Brew Bus: a brewery party bus tour that offers a new and refreshingly different way for curious hop heads to experience the local craft beer scene.

It was a despairingly shitty day in Central Ohio when our very strange-looking Uber pulled up to the (614) Media Group office. We all raced to the front to catch a glimpse, giggling at the thought of our impending adventure.

Our tour was private, meaning we had the whole bus to ourselves and were able to customize the pickup and dropoff locations, as well as the destinations. Public tours, on the other hand, are made up of several small groups that meet in the heart of downtown at City Tavern and visit predetermined breweries. (I know what you’re thinking and yes, the AUX cord is up for grabs on both private and public tours.)

Owner Andy Bachman and his wife/tour guide extraordinaire/HBIC Jess greeted us at the door as we took our seats. The inside was decked out with

S

paintings of Godzilla wearing a shirt reading “I Heart Local Beer” and Godzilla wearing a Block “O” tee—both raising foaming pints of beer, naturally. Unlike a real school bus where Kenny from 5C won’t stop kicking the back of your seat, CBus Brew Bus chairs face inward to keep conversations flowing right along with the brews. Between each seat is a cup holder that contained a 6.75-ounce sample glass that we would use to sample three unique beers at each of our three destinations.

Between curiosities of our careers and a mutual interest in beer, we hit it off with both Jess and Andy immediately—a perk of the service before we even shifted into drive.

“It’s a great way to meet other people who may already enjoy craft beer,” Andy said of the tour. “You might even be somebody new to town or visiting from out of town and it’s a great way to acclimate yourself to the Columbus culture.”

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First stop: Zaftig Brewing We hustled in to avoid the rain and were met by an expecting Frank Shoults, Zaftig Taproom Manager. One of the most special qualities of CBus Brew Bus is the personalized experience you receive at every checkpoint. There were other bar guests upon our arrival, but Shoults gave us his undivided attention as he explained the beers, and waited patiently as we decided on our individual flights of three.

I’m an IPA girl through and through, but I wanted to use this excursion to expand my hop horizons. I went with the Big Barleywine (14% ABV), Nuts For You Peanut Butter Stout (8% ABV) and Juicy Lucy IPA (7% ABV) because, well, old habits die hard.

While Andy understands that beer isn’t everyone’s thing, he’s confident the CBus Brew Bus can provide an experience even the most inexperienced beer drinker can appreciate.

“Through this tour, you get to sample nine different types of beer and there’s usually something within that range that people will grab onto,” he assured. “There’s something for everybody. Don’t fear the beer!”

We sipped and gossiped until Shoults came over and invited us on a tour of the Zaftig brewing facility. We learned about cultures, yeast, the canning process, and the importance of having a CFO (chief feline officer—follow Hops on Instagram at @zaftighops).

Second stop: Parsons North Jess popped the top of our crowler of Sweet Lucy and officially christened our trip with its first road beers before we were even clear of the Zaftig parking lot. You can throw a rock from pretty much anywhere in Columbus and hit a drinking establishment, but there’s just something about sipping on an ice-cold IPA with your buddies while doing 65 down I-71 South. Beer tastes better while you’re doing a mile a minute. Amirite?

It was becoming crystal clear that the three seemingly small samples at each brewery + to-go beers between stops were going to add up quickly.

Like at Zaftig, our bartender was also ready and waiting for us with an ice-cold pitcher when we tipsily traipsed into Parsons North. Mulberry Saison (7% ABV), American Stout (5% ABV), and Grapefruit Wheat (6% ABV) were the three beers we were treated to—none of which I would have ordered on my own accord, but were all brews I’d drink again.

Andy, now retired from Columbus City Schools, was first introduced to craft beer during his residency in Boulder, CO and, more specifically, his experience with Boulder Beer Company about 20 years ago.

Experimenting with different craft beers has been a muse of mine for about five years now. Andy, however, is a pioneer of sorts.

“From that point on, I was pretty anti-domestic,” Andy said laughingly. But, he returned to Ohio in the mid-90s only to discover how far, far behind we were in the craft beer scene. Andy became a teacher but clung to his passion for beer. Without the capital for a taproom or enough knowledge of the process to become a brewer himself, Andy landed on the idea for the CBus Brew Bus.

Third and final stop: Platform Beer Co. The trip from stop 2 to stop 3 is what Andy calls the “sweet spot.”

What he means is that the riders are experiencing peak fun. I couldn’t agree more. Our small, but lively, group of (614) staffers and Jess—who was going beer sample for beer sample with us—drank the rest of our Sweet Lucy crowler under-the-light of the green LEDs that lined the ceiling of the bus, and talked and laughed at unnecessarily high volumes until we rolled to a stop at our final destination.

At Platform, I tried the Seltzer Project: Tangerine-Grapefruit Hard Seltzer (5% ABV) and I loved it. Will it replace my Black Cherry White Claws this summer? Stay tuned. I also had the Mello Hello IPA - Brut (5.4% ABV) and loved it, also.

By this point, at our third brewery, it was crystal clear that the three seemingly small samples at each brewery plus to-go beer between stops had really added up—tipsy would’ve been an understated adjective for our crew. But, we got way more than a Friday morning hangover out of the deal. Jess was our new favorite drinking buddy, we fell in love with several new brews we may have never taken a chance on otherwise, we learned the ins and outs of Zaftig’s brewing process, and we bonded with each other in a way that few coworkers get to experience.

What will your Brew Bus adventure hold? • For more information and to schedule your next trip, visit cbusbrewbus.com.

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• Andy and Jess Bachman explaining the rules of the road.

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BY L I N DA L E E B A IRD

SHACK UP COLUMBUS Shake Shack Easton is here, and your summer burger dreams are about to come true

’m waiting in line to get into the opening at Shake Shack Easton, and I’m totally OK with that. If you’ve ever been to the original Shake Shack in New York City’s Madison Square Park, you know that the line is part of the experience: you wait, you order, you wait again while trying to track down a table. And then, when your order comes up at last, you get summer in a basket: burgers, dogs, fries, beer—a barbeque on your lunch break that makes the wait feel totally worthwhile.

Columbus’ first Shake Shack brings all of the flavor of the New York experience without the need to muscle your way into a table at a crowded park. At over 3,500 square feet, there’s plenty of seating inside and out (with more outdoor seating at Easton should you take your order “to go”). There are even kiosks where you can customize your order and pay your ticket, further reducing that wait time.

The more difficult question will be deciding what your order contains.

In addition to traditional “ShackBurgers” and hot dogs, the menu offers chicken sandwiches and crinkle cut fries. There are also some twists on the classics: the SmokeShack burger piles spicy cherry peppers and bacon on top of a ShackBurger, elevating it far above your basic burger. The “ ‘Shroom Burger” featuring a fried portabella serves as a vegetarian main.

And while a shake, made from frozen custard, is the obvious choice to satisfy your sweet tooth, there are several other dessert options that are a few notches above what you can get at most fast casual burger joints.

The intensely chocolate Shack Attack piles truffle cookie dough and Mast chocolate on top of custard. The Easton Bound combines Fox In The Snow pecan sticky buns with banana and salted caramel sauce, while the Pie oh My blends in Fox in the Snow custom pie treats.

Collaborating with local purveyors is a key way that Shake Shack sets itself apart from other burger joints, even as it’s grown to over 200 locations around the globe. In addition to partnering with Fox In The Snow, local breweries will be well-represented on the Shack’s taps. Beers from Platform Beer Co., Lager Heads, Royal Docks Brewing Co. and Kindred Brewing will all be available for your patio-drinking pleasure.

On top of its dedication to working with the community is a commitment to the planet: all of Shake Shack’s menu is hormone- and antibiotic-free, and the restaurant was built with sustainability in mind. (In a fitting tribute to the Midwest, the wooden tables are made from reclaimed bowling lanes.)

We’re lucky that Shake Shack’s opening coincides with the beginning of summer. I’m planning to spend some hot afternoons eating ShackBurgers while my kids run around in Easton’s fountain—after I’ve loaded them up with chocolate shakes, of course. And while summer lasts only a few fleeting months, the ShackBurger is, happily, here to stay. •

I

Shake Shack Easton is located at 4005 The Strand West at Easton. Learn more at Shakeshack.com.

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FIVE reasons to shake up your summer at easton If sheer curiosity isn’t enough to head you in the direction of Easton Town Center this summer, here are some additional reasons to check out the fast casual burger joint.

•

ShackSauce: It’s what makes a ShackBurger a ShackBurger.

This trademarked recipe is much-imitated-but-neverperfected online, which means that to get the experience, you need to try the real thing.

•

Neighborhood investment: Shake Shack Easton will donate a portion of its proceeds to Columbus Gives Back, a nonprofit organization connecting Columbus professionals with volunteer opportunities in the community.

•

The Easton Bound: Shake Shack teamed up with Fox in the Snow Cafe to create a dessert that tops a Fox in the Snow Pecan Sticky Bun with vanilla custard, salted caramel sauce, and banana. If you get there early enough, you can almost count it as breakfast.

•

Pooch pals: They offer a dog menu, which includes the Bag ‘O Bones: five ShackBurger-flavored treats just for your best friend. Woof.

•

Burgers + local beers on a patio. Need we say more?

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All The Way Up

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Lincoln Social could quickly become your new favorite rooftop patio in the Short North

BY R E GI NA FOX P H OTOS BY B RI AN KAI SER

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t was 3:35 p.m. on a Tuesday when people began lining up beside the velvet rope at 711 N High Street. A smartly-dressed concierge escorted me to the elevator and hailed me a ride with a swift wave of his hand over a small screen.

I rode the elevator up nine stories and was welcomed into Columbus’ newest rooftop bar by a floral wall with neon cursive writing that read, “Lincoln Social.” •

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“Cameron Mitchell really outdid himself with ths one.”

Cameron Mitchell really outdid himself with this one, I thought as the fresh air swept me into the lounge. Where walls would normally be found, huge open windows revealed stunning views of the Short North and beyond. Foliage hung from beams of the translucent retractable ceiling that allowed sun to spill onto the ornamental rugs below. The room is anchored by a bright, white bar in the middle.

Beyond the bar are several half-circle booths covered in white fabric and textured pillows. An ivy wall runs the length of the booth area, giving guests an opportunity to “grab the perfect Instagram picture,” according to the Lincoln Social website. It’s in these booths where customers really bring Lincoln Social’s upscale lounge experience to life. Parties have been booking these booths since the bar’s opening and patronizing the sections of Lincoln’s menu meant for parties: bottle service and shareable cocktails.

Booth guests are often frequent flyers to another portion of the menu entitled “All the Way Up,” which is a hat tip to the bar’s lofty location, and also the prices—these specific bottles of bubbly and wine start at $160 and end at an even $1k.

And past the booths is the true al fresco experience.

The completely roof-less terrace is home to a fire pit, wraparound flower beds, plenty of comfortable seating, and, most importantly, one of the most spectacular views of downtown Columbus.

At this point in my exploration, the clock had struck 4 p.m. and the downstairs floodgates opened. A steady stream of people excitedly poured through the doorway. Some went straight to the bar for a cocktail, others took seats at the long community table or at high tops, but most rushed to the terrace to take in the vista. I sat at the bar and watched the iPhones pan, tilt, and flash at every nook and cranny of the bar. Cameron Mitchell was going for Instagrammable and social media, and I’d be damned if he didn’t nail it. But, the photogenic nature doesn’t stop with the aesthetic. •

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Nearly every one of Lincoln Social’s cocktails come in their own uniquely beautiful glass. “When Mary Met Arnold,” Lincoln’s take on a boozy Arnold Palmer tea, is served in a dainty blue and white teapot and poured into a matching teacup over dry ice (say hello to the perfect smokey Boomerang). “You Had Me At Hello” is made from Lillet Blanc, aloe, peach-chile, citrus, and served in stemware with a red lipstick kiss on the side, which is actually a scented stamp bartenders press on the glass—a play on the classic service industry faux pas. And “Luke Skywalker,” my personal favorite, is sipped out of a fancy etched rocks glass and garnished with colorful flowers (shoutout to Chloe Emmons at Potion Matcha Bar for hooking up the tea in this tasty drink!). “Tokyo Drift” gets an honorable mention because of its fresh and spicy taste, and its patronization of Watershed’s award-winning Guild Series Gin. You’re probably feeling pretty hungry after all that booze talk, huh? Lincoln Social kept their menu short, swimming, and even a little bit sweet. I highly recommend Lincoln Social’s Wagyu Beef Sliders. At only $4 a pop, these tasty little beefy buns are worth their weight in

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gold. But, there are also some standout seafood options, too, like the Lobster Corn Dogs, Shrimp Ceviche, Tuna Poke, and Peeky Toe Crab—all under $15! You just have to promise me you’ll end your Lincoln dining experience with the Birthday Cake Cone, okay? It’s the cutest thing this side of Fiona.

I could spend a few hundred more words describing the knowledgeable and well-groomed staff, the attractive lighting, or how the two modestly-sized TVs above the bar satisfy sporto customers, yet do not distract from the overall ambiance, but I think seven little words will do the trick: people of Columbus absolutely adore Lincoln Social. It’s fresh. It’s unique. It’s the high-end, crowdpleasing Short North experience you can only get when a rooftop concept and Cameron Mitchell collide. So, get in line Columbus—you’re going to want to see this for yourself. •

Lincoln Social is located on 711 N High St. For more information on the menu and offerings, visit lincolnsocialrooftop.com.

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Final Third Foundation

BY N AT HA N COTTO N | P H OTOS BY B R I A N KA I S E R

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exley native Ben Levey possesses a contagious passion for soccer, and a mission to use the global game to bridge gaps between communities. After playing competitive club and high school soccer, Levey’s journey to give back through the world of sports and youth development began on his first trip to Kenya during a gap year after college.

“The reason why I chose to take a year off and volunteer was because I felt like I’d been living in a bubble my whole life. I felt like I had this itch to get away. I wanted to feel uncomfortable in an environment,” he recalls.

Through a family friend, Levey got connected with a volunteering organization in Mombasa, Kenya’s historic second-largest city. After spending time on the ground, he saw an opportunity to leverage his network back home to help the local soccer community. Thus, the Likoni Community Football League (LCFL) to provide safe soccer programming to the impoverished and isolated Likoni neighborhood was founded. Eight years later, it remains the only ongoing extracurricular activity provided for youth in Likoni.

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“I tell each kid that I help out, whatever you need, let me know, I can step in as a parent. As a coach, as a mentor, as a parent, I’m here for you.”

“To really make a difference you need to empower the people within the community that the community knows,” Levey reflects.

“And that’s what I learned in Kenya. That’s everywhere; to develop the trust, to develop what you want to achieve; and that’s a continuous positive impact on the community.”

While working in sports management in Columbus in the years since, and operating the LCFL from afar, Levey has become intricately involved in local youth soccer programs, such as the recreational Columbus East Soccer Association (CESA), founded in 1984, and its competitive club program, Columbus East FC. Given the overlap, Levey saw the need to unite everything under one umbrella organization, and last year the Final Third Foundation was born. It now houses Columbus East FC, as well as new initiatives such as the Columbus Nations Cup, a soccer festival benefiting the Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS), and this summer’s inaugural Soccer and Literacy Camp. The LCFL will soon be included under the F3 banner as well.

“Over the past year, we have decided to broaden [the Foundation’s] mission, to not just be a soccer club, but also be an organization that supports really everything we speak about: sports and development, bridging the gap allowing every player to play, and providing not just one-off events like Columbus Nations Cup but continuous programming, which is what you really need to see a positive impact,” says Levey.

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But money makes the world, and in this case the ball, go ‘round. Levey knew that a more ambitious fundraising program, including more community and corporate support, was needed to achieve his vision of continuous programming.

Enter Jonathan Ramsden, a native of Nottingham, England who grew up playing soccer and has followed its growth in the United States since moving to New York in 1993.

“I think it’s an important game because it really does connect people,” Ramsden says. “You can go anywhere in the world and you know that if you start to chat about soccer, people will be able to share experiences and it will bring you together and you can have a conversation just about regardless of where they come from, what their religion is, what their socioeconomic background is. Soccer is a way of uniting people and making people feel connected through that shared sense of community that it creates.”

A businessman, Ramsden is the Final Third Foundation’s Board Chair, and aims to use his network and experience serving on the boards of other local nonprofits—including CRIS, the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Foundation, and the Columbus Metropolitan Libraries—to open new doors for F3.

“The corporate piece and the fundraising piece is a means to an end. The programming is the end in itself. But I think the goals that we’re aspiring to and our mission is one that resonates with a lot of companies,” he says.

The pilot program, developed in partnership with the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department, will be held at Eakin Elementary in the Hilltop from June 3-7. Approximately 40 participants ages 8-13 will improve their soccer and reading skills over the week of camp.

For Mwaliko “Malik” Ahmed, a teacher and soccer coach born in Kenya, it’s yet another opportunity to give back to children in the Hilltop neighborhood where he came of age.

After spending 12 years of his early life living in the Hagadera refugee camp near the Kenya-Somalia border—one of the largest such camps administered by the United Nations anywhere in the world—Ahmed migrated to the north side of Columbus in 2004, then into the Hilltop’s Wedgewood Village Apartments two years later.

Ahmed is precisely the kind of community leader F3 hopes to empower; soccer is one way for him to support children who may not have much else.

The game keeps him quite busy. As the head boys soccer coach at West High School in the Hilltop, his alma mater, and the coach of two East FC club teams as well as CESA’s Prep Academy for children under eight, there is never a dull moment for Ahmed.

Being a role model for so many requires a flexible approach.

“I tell each kid that I help out, whatever you need, let me know, I can step in as a parent. As a coach, as a mentor, as a parent, I’m here for you,” he says.

Driven by the chance to showcase the talent on the West Side

to the rest of Columbus, Ahmed encourages young players to take advantage of the unprecedented opportunities available to them in Columbus’ ever-expanding youth soccer scene.

“I never had this kind of opportunity as a young age, playing top level. Here you have that talent and there’s a lot of opportunity, so why not go get it? That’s why I’m trying to help those kids go achieve the goal that they want,” Ahmed says.

With a talented, committed team in place, the Final Third Foundation intends to make the most of the diverse Columbus community’s passion for the game, and to provide opportunities for children in Central Ohio to grow—on and off the pitch.

“It is about the game, but it’s also about all the other aspects of what we’re trying to do, which is create a sense of community, really bring people together, and promote the leadership aspects of playing soccer, the teamwork aspects of it, health and wellness, education, character development—all those things that are associated with soccer as well as the game itself,” concludes Ramsden. •

F3 will host its first Summer Soccer and Literacy Camp this month. The Columbus Nations Cup tournament is set for June 22 at the Easton Soccer Fields. To register or find out more, visit finalthirdfoundation.org.

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500 MILES

Central Ohio trail system continues to expand, increase quality of life

BY O L I V I A M I LT NER P H OTOS BY B R I AN KAI SER

B

iking the Olentangy Trail is a favorite for outdoor enthusiasts around Central Ohio, especially when the leaves turn lush and green and the sunshine warms the surrounding parks. Beyond that, though, the trail connecting Worthington to Clintonville to Ohio State is a vital pathway for folks looking for alternative commuting options for their daily treks downtown.

A few miles to the east runs the Alum Creek Trail, connecting Westerville, Easton and Bexley. The two trails run parallel to one another, but the Mid Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) and Central Ohio Greenways (COG) hope that in a few years, the two will become connected through an additional path.

The change would be part of an effort to expand Central Ohio’s trail system, adding 500 new miles of pathways to the over 230 that already exist throughout Franklin County and the surrounding seven counties.

The vision was developed

by COG, a collaborative group including local governments and private and nonprofit partners that wanted to create a cohesive trail system, says COG coordinator Melinda Vonstein.

“What’s really exciting is that these new trail connections will fill in gaps in our trail corridors that largely run along river corridors, and they’ll also connect neighborhoods to jobs,” Vonstein said.

Vonstein says the number of miles traveled along the Central Ohio trail system has increased every year since 2014, reaching 11.5 million miles in 2017. On top of that, the region is growing in population, and congestion in the city is getting worse.

The combination of these factors, Vonstein says, will increase the demand for a more accessible trail system, and one of the existing limitations the expansion is hoping to address is the lack of east to west trails.

“Initially about 10 years ago, trails started to be built in our region as an effort to protect our waterways, so many of the trails that exist run along our north valley corridors,” Vonstein said. “What we’re trying to do is create some connections, some east-west connections, to create a truly interconnected network of trails.”

Within the city, these proposed connections include paths connecting the Olentangy to the Scioto Trail along 161 and through the OSU campus.

But the expansion would move outward, too, connecting Lancaster, Johnstown, Delaware, Marysville, and Circleville.

Vonstein says the trails throughout Central Ohio are meant to provide a safe, low-stress transportation option for people ages eight to 80. She’s most excited about connecting historically underserved people in this regard with access to trails, and she says the COG is working with other

“

What’s really exciting is that these new trail connections will fill in gaps in our trail corridors that largely run along river corridors, and they’ll also connect neighborhoods to jobs.

groups “to create a transportation system that works from neighborhood to town centers.”

Aside from providing more accessible transportation, however, the expanded trails will also give folks using the paths a chance to experience a wider range of the area’s urban, suburban, and natural environments.

“We really see these trails as linear parks that are a way to not only connect people to mobility options, but also as a way to connect with nature,” Vonstein said. “We’re really excited that this trail vision allows us to connect to a lot of natural places and gives us the opportunity to just experience the nature and really amazing spaces that Central Ohio has on a more human scale outside of the car.”

The vision to add 500 miles of trails is ambitious, though, and will likely carry a hefty price tag. Vonstein says the project is expected to cost at least $250 million, and the timeline for development is dependent on finding funding sources. Still, she says a study COG funded last year indicated regional leaders see access to trails as a driver for economic development, better health outcomes, and improved quality of life.

The group’s next steps will be to conduct another study this year focused on how trail use supports economic development, social equity and the environment, which Vonstein hopes will help with grant funding.

“We, our community leaders, and our trail advocates in Central Ohio really see the value of trails, so we know that there is an opportunity to find some funding to accelerate the pace of this development,” Vonstein said of the vision.

The new trails may still be a few years out, but it’s never too late to start exploring the existing paths. COG is also working with Yay Bikes!, a local bike advocacy group, to help educate people on safe bicycling habits both on and off pathways. Maybe one day, folks will be able to take what they’ve learned and hop not just from Clintonville to Grandview, but also from the Hilltop to Whitehall. •

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“

A Gem of A Find

Rock Candy Healing Stones brings the power of minerals right into your hands

By Joh n M c L au g hl i n | p h otos by br i a n ka i s e r

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I

have a small chunk of onyx perched at the edge of my writing desk.

I like the way it looks. I like how it feels in my hand, and I think the name is pretty cool as well.

Truth be told, though, I’m a stranger to the healing side of stones, holistic or otherwise, so I decided to jump on the internet and do some preliminary research to find out what exactly it’s supposed to be good for. The answer is pretty much everything: good fortune and judgement, feeling grounded, happiness, strength, stamina, durability, and self-control. Last but not least, it stimulates the root chakra.

And it’s things like this that make my head spin. I feel overwhelmed with unsubstantiated information, like I can’t appreciate my little black stone for what it is. So running into something like this was my concern before stepping into Rock Candy Healing Stones, the nearly brand-new rock shop with Los Angeles transplant Babs Eicke at the helm.

What I encountered, though, was quite the opposite.

The interior of the narrow storefront is attractive and sparse, as stark white walls contrast with shelves upon shelves of polished, colorful rocks and gemstones (which she always sources in person, never online); Eicke’s background as graphic artist and art director for a host of Columbus-area retail brands is on full display. Adding to the quiet, eclectic aura of the space is the distinctive scent of sage drifting over the wares, which is sold in reasonably priced bundles at the cash register.

Most importantly, though, was the welcoming, non-prescriptive attitude of name. Nothing was being pushed on me, no mantra, no eclectic spiritual texts, nothing even about the rocks themselves. While she believes in their ability to help and heal, Eicke will be the first person to tell you nobody really understands how they work, and most times taking a step back is the best possible approach.

“That’s been my focus; I don’t want to alienate anyone or lean toward any belief systems. A lot of the mystical shops I go into are geared toward females and the witchy, and that’s all cool, but I just didn’t want it to be a space where a mom might be walking by with her kid and be like, ‘well, I don’t know if that’s a place I can take my kid into,’ ” says Eicke. “The things that I love, you might like a little bit less; the same way everyone has a favorite color, the same way everyone has a favorite food.”

And while the owner’s easygoing, non-prescriptive attitude is one of the reasons the store feels like such a treat, don’t confuse this with a lack of passion for her craft, because she has plenty of that, and for good reason. • 614now.com

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“I thought that maybe there was a side of me I hadn’t addressed yet, the spiritual, energetic part of my being. It’s really about all these components: mind, body, and spirit, and getting them all aligned.”

While something about the calm, natural energy of stones always attracted Eicke—partially, she contends, because they recall the sundrenched outdoors of California that she often misses—she also believes that rocks helped her recover from a serious health scare she experienced years back.

“I was working, working, working and feeling successful, but then there’s that point that some people hit where they’re like, ‘Oh, I might be overdoing it.’ If your health is failing and you’re only like 28 years old, something is going wrong. Doctors could never tell me what was going on, it was really frustrating. I did the whole diet, exercise, and sleep thing, and in a lot of ways I felt like I was doing great, and it helped but not quite enough.,” said Eicke. “Finally, it all started to click. I thought that maybe there was a side of me I hadn’t addressed yet, the spiritual, energetic part of my being. It’s really about all these components: mind, body, and spirit, and getting them all aligned.”

And how she addressed this area of her life? You guessed it, with stones. She found, slowly, that by keeping them close to her, by surrounding herself with them in everyday life, she was able to embrace whatever energy or positivity they can bring, to push herself over that final wellness hurdle that had loomed so large, and for so long. “That’s really what helped me over that last hump,” Eicke says.

Strangely enough, she, along with another friend, was considering the North High Street location for a store over in the Summer of 2017 when a serious car accident alongside a flurry of other occurrences caused the pair to drop out of the running for the space. As she lived nearby, Eicke would grow to befriend its old owner, who ran a textile shop from the storefront, and when that owner decided running a business was no longer in the cards for her, she decided to get in touch with Eicke about taking over the store from her. And by then, the timing was right.

Officially, the rock shop Eicke was seemingly fated to own finally opened its doors in April. So it’s as good a time as any to walk into the skinny, bright storefront off High Street and for a few minutes, as traffic whips by just behind the open door, and lose yourself in the glint of an opal, a swirl of smokey quartz, or maybe the solid weight of some onyx. •

Rock Candy Healing Stones is located at 3341 N. High St. Check rockcandy888.com for hours and events.

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BY JE N I R U I S C H

The Best Defense Banishing pests from your garden with more love, fewer chemicals

T

he ice caps are melting, the pollinators are dying, and the ocean is full of plastic. What’s an ecoconscious person to do in this giant whirlpool of trash we call Mother Nature in 2019?

Plant some purple cone flowers and take a deep breath, my well-intentioned friend. There are small steps you can take to make your footprint slightly less impactful, and leave a legacy of care in your wake.

When you’re trapped riding on an overheating rock covered in self-destructive-war-mongers hurtling through space, it’s really the little things that make a difference.

Many herbicides, pesticides, and other modern chemical garden aids have unintended ill effects, creating ripples that travel out through our local ecosystems and beyond. Choosing to opt out of toxic poisons will certainly save the bees, but what about your dreams of a bumper crop of tomatoes? Your early girls can rest easy if you’re willing to do some leg work.

Some garden pests can be treated in a way that will save your big boys, and leave the bees, please. Follow a few simple rules of thumb and you can cut down your chemical usage in the garden while allowing a healthy ecosystem to thrive.

Cultivate Predators

Spiders and wheelbugs and ladybugs, oh my! Nothing controls little bugs like big bugs. A flourishing food chain can create competition among your garden fauna, which is good for the gardener. The little creatures we find the creepiest may help the most when it comes to pest control. Centipedes, spiders, and wasps are all voracious predators that can keep little leaf munchers in check.

Learn to let live, and the tiny lions of your backyard will

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help control pest populations. Check out bugguide.net to help you reliably identify the critters you find.

Bugs aren’t the only things that can keep pest populations in check in the warm months. The world’s only flying mammal is right in your backyard, preying on mosquitoes and other pesky critters by the bazillions.

Buying a bat house is relatively cheap, and building one is beginner-level easy. Bats can eat thousands of flying insects a night, making your patio more suitable for hangs. Just don’t touch your little furry flying friends if they set up shop. They are best left alone to do their beneficial work.

Plant Native Species

There is an array of beautiful and exotic plants from all over the world that are at your fingertips for home landscaping. But be careful with those cultivated roses, they need lots of fungicide. And those elephant ears are going to need plenty of fertilizer if you want them to get nice and big. But if you choose plants that have evolved along their evolutionary path right here in the heart of it all… You won’t need mountains of chemicals to propagate them. They’ll have their own defenses already built up from millennia of survival. Hot ass summers that always top 100 degrees at some point? No worries, they’re cool.

Flooding during the spring rainy season? That’s ok, they like it. Nothing can withstand the temperamental Ohio weather better than a plant that has been made for life here. Not even you. Hell, not even me.

Prevention is Key

They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. In that case, a spray bottle of this simple kitchen concoction is worth its weight in gold. Steep hot chili

peppers and garlic in a simple spray bottle. You can just let ‘em float around in there indefinitely.

Give it a good shake once in a while and it’ll sit at the ready, waiting to be sprayed across your precious vegetable crop.

The capsaicin will deter some critters like bugs and mammals from pestering the fruits (and vegetables, and tubers) of your labor. You will need to reapply after rain, and for god’s sake, don’t touch your eyes until after you’ve washed your hands.

This trick doesn’t work on birds, though. If you have a plant being bothered by birds, such as berries or a fruit tree, you can try putting a net over the plants to baffle the birdies. Or you can string up a few foil pie tins.

When they twist and turn in the breeze, they’ll frighten off some hungry critters.

For a while, at least. Birds are smarter than hell. Honestly, if you’ve got bird problems, you’re on your own.

I’m not getting involved in that.

They hold grudges. • Former Editor in Chief Jeni Ruisch now works for OSU’s Department of Entomology. A 15-minute bug conversation with her is worth at least an hour of watching The Discovery Channel.

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4th Street

Runway

Gilded Social and Square One team up to produce off-the-wall looks for wedding photos

BY M I TC H HOOP ER | P H OTOS P R OV I DE D BY S U S I E MA R I E P H OTO G R A P H Y

I

t’s photo day for your big upcoming wedding.

All the pieces are in place and you’re feeling like Ariana Grande in 7 Rings. Your smile is beaming, your skin is gleaming, and the way it shine, you know everyone has seen it. It’s when you arrive to the location of the shoot when the magic really happens.

It’s the fun of a photoshoot—trying new poses, being silly, and truly showcasing your love for one another. And it’s also a chance to stop in Dirty Frank’s for a quick dog and maybe some Ms. Pac Man at 16Bit. Wait, what? Something seems off here. Where’s the big beautiful nature scene, or a city-scape backdrop? This is a day of elegance and romance; it’s most certainly not the time to drip nacho cheese sauce down the front of your dress.

Or is it? If you ask the photographers, stylists, and models at Gilded Social and Square One & Spa, breaking out of the norm is exactly what you should do. And it’s exactly what they did. Bridal season is on the horizon, Tanya Hartman, owner of Gilded Social, said. Instead of securing a top-of-the-line photo studio, they wanted to highlight one of their favorite spots in Columbus: Downtown on the strip of businesses on Fourth Street.

“We picked the 4th Street strip because it has so much personality and a lot of different vibes in one compact place,” said Hartman. “Square One is right across the street, which made it easy to change up the looks for every location making this shoot really different with tons of variety.” •

• (From left to right): Annah Powell wearing Dessy, Hannah McKinnon wearing Theia, and Allison Wolfe wearing Jenny Yoo at 16-Bit Bar and Arcade.

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• Hannah McKinnon wearing Theia at Little Palace.

• (From left to right): Hannah McKinnon, Annah Powell, and Allison Wolfe all wearing Monique Lhuillier at Hadley’s Bar and Grill.

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• (From left to right): Hannah McKinnon

wearing Jenny Yoo, Allison Wolfe wearing Theia, and Annah Powell wearing Jenny Yoo at Dirty Frank’s Hot Dog Palace.

This is a day of elegance and romance; it’s most certainly not the time to drip nacho cheese sauce down the front of your dress.

Or is it ?

• Annah Powell wearing Amsale at Little Palace.

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The Cre ive Team Creative Directors:

Tanya Hartman, Gilded Social Sarah Mohre, Square One

Dress Styling:

Tanya Hartman and Brit Kniceley, Gilded Social

Hair & Makeup: Square One

Photography:

Susie Spensiero, Susie Marie Photography

Models:

Hannah McKinnon Allison Wolfe Annah Powell

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ICY MI:

[ IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ] Important Local News

- MAY 8 -

OP-ED: Heartbeat Bill will likely affect 11yo Ohio rape victim The passage of Ohio’s recent “heartbeat bill,” signed by Governor Mike DeWine, marks a massive and distressing win in the conservative quest to outright ban abortion.

- MAY 13 -

You complained, they listened. Short North parking changing Hey, Columbus, how are you liking the Short North parking plan?

The Columbus Division of Parking Services still stands by it, albeit they make a few interim adjustments.

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- MAY 8 -

Shocking: You won’t believe what local woman found in her teriyaki chicken According to a video uploaded to Facebook, Columbus woman Deyanira Cortes discovered a rodent fetus in her teriyaki chicken from Yihi Japan in Polaris Fashion Place…

- MAY 9 -

5 topics guaranteed to start an argument in Columbus Hey, who can’t use a little excitement in their day-to-day lives here in the cornfield that is Midwestern America?

- MAY 1 -

7 local dishes, restaurants praised by national media You’re all here because you already know Columbus is a great place to live. Only recently have people across the nation begun to realize it, too.

- MAY 7 -

Wife of missing Easton man needs your help Tyler Davis, husband and father of an infant son, was last seen on February 24, 2019. His disappearance remains a mystery to all, especially his wife, Brittany, who was with him on that nightmarish night.

- MAY 3 -

Vanity plate tells the tale of crash-and-run on Dublin Rd The list of rejected vanity plates in the state of Ohio is the stuff clickbait dreams are made of. Nice try, whoever tried to get “A550RGY.” The BMV is in no mood for your nonsense.

Or are they?

Never miss a thing:

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It’s difficult for us here at (614) to catch it all. That’s where you come in: while you’re out there capturing the city, you might as well slide some of your best shots our way. We’ll throw a few of ours in the mix, too. There’s plenty to see in Columbus, so there’s no reason not to share. #AsSeenInColumbus

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