Cover photo by Ray LaVoie
Westerville magazine TM
CityScene Media Group
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Jake Ruffer Editorial Assistants
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Mary Nader Contributing Writers
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Rae Moro
Laura Pappas
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Events on the horizon in Westerville
SeptemberOctober
Through September
Celebrating Hispanic & Latino Heritage
Westerville Public Library 126 S. State St. www.westervillelibrary.org
Sept. 5-8, 13-15, 20-22
The Secret Garden The Musical
8 p.m. (matinees 2 p.m.)
Curtain Players 5691 Harlem Rd., Galena www.curtainplayers.org
Saturdays through Oct. 26
Uptown Epic Beer Walks 2-4 p.m.
Uptown Westerville www.visitwesterville.org
Saturdays through Oct. 28
Saturday Farmers Market
9 a.m.-noon
Westerville City Hall 21 S. State St. www.uptownwestervilleinc.com
Sat., Sept. 7
W.A.R.M 5K Shopping Cart Run/Walk/Shuffle 9 a.m.
Westerville Sports Complex 325 N. Cleveland Ave. www.warmwesterville.org
Mon., Sept. 9
Trees, Bushes, or Shrubs?
Landscaping 101 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Westerville Public Library 126 S. State St. www.westervillelibrary.org
Wed., Sept. 11
9/11 Day Meal Pack
7:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
The Schottenstein Center 555 Borror Dr., Columbus www.911day.org
Sat., Sept. 14
Central Ohio Primary Care: Run 4
The Health Of It
7:45-10:30 a.m.
Westerville Sports Complex 325 N. Cleveland Ave. www.copcp.com
Sat., Sept. 14
Whistlestop UGRR Tour
1-4 p.m.
Hanby House 160 W. Main St. www.westervillehistory.org
Sun., Sept. 15
Race for Life Single Noon
Westerville BMX 535 Park Meadow Rd. www.westervillebmx.org
Mon., Sept. 16
Westerville Rotary Foundation Golf Outing 9:30 a.m.
The Medallion Club 5000 Club Dr. www.westervillerotary.com
Wed., Sept. 18
Meet the Author: Nicola Yoon
7-9 p.m.
Westerville Central H.S. 7118 Mt. Royal Ave. www.westervillelibrary.org
Sat., Sept. 21
Autumn Arborfest
10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Alum Creek Park North 221 W. Main St. www.westerville.org
Wed., Sept. 25
CityScene 25th Anniversary Celebration
5:30 p.m.
The VUE
95 Liberty St., Columbus 43215 www.cityscenecolumbus.com See ad on page 19
Thur., Sept. 26
Semi-Annual Multicultural Business Expo 5-8 p.m.
Renaissance Columbus PolarisWesterville Hotel 409 Altair Pkwy. www.westervillechamber.com
Fri., Sept. 27 & Oct. 25
Fourth Friday & Fourth Friday Midnight Madness
6-9 p.m.
Uptown Westerville www.uptownwestervilleinc.com
Fri. & Sat., Sept. 27 - Oct. 31
Uptown Ghost Tours
7 p.m. & 9 p.m.
Otterbein Cemetery
175 S. Knox St. www.goodmedicineproductions.org
www.westervillemagazine.com
Sat., Sept. 28
Hanby Walking Tour
1-4 p.m.
Hanby House
160 W. Main St. www.westervillehistory.org
Sat. Sept. 28
Columbus Cars and Coffee
1-3 p.m.
City of Westerville
21 S. State St. www.columbuscarsandcoffee.com
Through October
Gruesome Predictions: Pop-Up Exhibit in the Museum
Westerville Public Library
126 S. State St. www.westervillelibrary.org
Through October
Back to the Future: Scavenger Hunt in the Museum
Westerville Public Library
126 S. State St. www.westervillelibrary.org
Sat., Oct. 12
Life-Sized Candyland: Magical Forest Edition
10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Westerville Public Library
126 S. State St. www.westervillelibrary.org
TBD
The Great Westerville Pumpkin Glow 7-11 p.m.
Heritage Park
60 N. Cleveland Ave. www.parks.westerville.org
Oct. 18, 19, 25-27
Laura
8 p.m. (matinees 2 p.m.)
Curtain Players
5691 Harlem Rd., Galena www.curtainplayers.org
Fri., Oct. 25
Mystical Science: COSI Science LIVE!
6-6:45 p.m.
Westerville Public Library
126 S. State St. www.westervillelibrary.org
Thurs., Oct. 31
Trick-or-Treat
6-8 p.m.
City of Westerville www.westerville.org
faces
By Mary Nader
Fighting for Fertility
Westerville couple helps cancer survivors start families
Mike and Megan Scherer started dating when they were 15. Young and in love, they stayed together through their twenties and began planning their lives together, wanting to start a family.
This was all put on hold when Mike was diagnosed with testicular cancer at 26.
“In the middle of our lives, trying to be up-and-coming young professionals, designing our dream lives, and being go-getters, we were thrown into this world of cancer - you know, surgeries, and I would have regular CT scans and X-rays, and then I had chemotherapy,” Mike says. “It was about a two-year total timeframe and Megan became my caregiver.”
Photos courtesy of Megan Scherer
Worth The Wait’s annual Jeep Off Cancer fundraising event is held Sept. 29 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at Why Knot Venue and Jeep Trails in Amanda, OH.
Worth the wait
Beyond the physical and mental hardships that affect cancer patients, Mike and Megan took on a whole new unexpected challenge. Once Mike had beat cancer, the two were eager to become parents, unfortunately, it was not going to be a simple process.
“We wanted to start a family and it was very, very difficult because the treatments that I received also impacted our ability to conceive a child. There was an uncertainty around starting a family and expensive fertility treatments and little-to-no insurance coverage for us,” Mike says. “We did seven assisted reproductive procedures and we were blessed with Elliot.”
Elliot, their seven-year-old son, is the driving force behind the Scherers’ life. Their miracle child inspires them every day and was part of the inspiration behind their charity organization, Worth The Wait.
“…we just said, let’s start a charity, and that charity is going to be focused on young adult cancer survivors who are either wanting to preserve fertility before they go through treatments, or have family-building opportunities,” Mike says.
With a goal in mind, the Scherers launched the foundation in 2021. Since then, Worth the Wait has awarded more than 100 grants to fund family-building arrangements for adolescent and young adult cancer patients and survivors across the United States.
“We started locally because Mike was treated at The James, so we had some relationships there,” Megan says. “We have one doctor who’s an oncologist at the James on our advisory council, and then the social workers introduced us to other people,
and we’re on Instagram, so people found us through there, it’s really been a lot of organic growth.”
Worth The Wait has awarded grants in 32 states, with 30 percent of the recipients residing in Ohio. While most of the Ohio recipients have been local to the Columbus area, they have also expanded into the Cleveland area.
Beyond financial grants, the Scherers focus their efforts on making Worth The Wait an educational resource for patients, caregivers and oncologists. By providing this education, the Scherers hopes that all cancer patients are informed of the reproductive side effects of their treatments.
“Only about 50 percent of oncologists are having a conversation with young
people about the side effects of their chemo treatment, but, if you are in the 50 percent, or you’re advocating for yourself and looking up information online, you’ll find out, oh geez, this might impact my eggs or my sperm,” Megan says.
Worth the Wait’s grants are used for emergency preservation through freezing eggs and sperm and can aid with adoption, surrogacy, and fertility treatment. By focusing on the survivorship of their recipients, the Scherers help them plan for their future.
Strengthened by adversity
Going hand-in-hand with the philosophies of Worth The Wait, a core principle of the Scherers’ life is living with, and beyond, cancer. Having gone through
cancer and fertility treatments, the two understand the complexities that come with being a cancer survivor and raising a child.
“There’s a lot of wisdom that can be gained through adversity,” Mike says. “We’re raising Elliot with lessons that we wouldn’t have raised him with had we not gone through what we went through, and sometimes we look at that and we’re like, ‘Who better to raise kids in this world today than people that have gone through this adversity and persevered, those who desperately wanted this family.”
Family time
As dedicated as they are to helping others start a family, the Scherers always make time for their own family. Having lived in Westerville for 11 years, the happy family of three is active in the community. This past Independence Day, they marched in the annual parade while promoting Worth The Wait.
“We love it here, I think there’s a great sense of community and it’s just a fantastic place to raise a child,” Megan says. “We go to Church of the Messiah down the street, and Elliot’s involved in the Westerville Cub Scout pack.”
Between Elliot’s baseball games, Cub Scout events, and piano lessons, the family does their best to stay as active as possible. They spend plenty of time at the community center, especially at the pool.
“We do a little bit of everything, we go camping, we go hiking, we like to go to beaches and travel, Elliot and I are huge sports fans so we go to a lot of local sporting events, like Clippers, Crew, and Blue Jackets games any chance we get,” Mike says. “Really, our life revolves around Elliot.”
Mary Nader is a contributing writer at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
Serving Northeast, Central, and Western Ohio
By Maisie Fitzmaurice
Photo by Ray LaVoie, art courtesy Doodle & Digits
Westerville mom and former fourth-grade teacher, Caroline Farkas, no longer teaches a single classroom of students. Instead, she teaches students in more than 100 countries through her math-education content-creating business: Doodles & Digits.
“I had a student, I remember him telling me that he wanted to be a YouTube star, and I vividly remember thinking in my head, ‘That’s not a real career, you can’t actually make money doing that,” Farkas says.
Ironically, uploading videos on YouTube is now Farkas’ full-time career, and the success of her videos led to her TV show titled “How it’s Math,” now airing on PBS stations across the nation.
“I have a little note [that student] wrote me, it’s in a frame that I keep on my desk when I’m editing because I actually think about him a lot, I’m like, ‘You know what? he was right, and this is what I’m doing now,” she says.
Artfully educating
Choosing a career path, Farkas was torn between pursuing digital art and early childhood education.
While she ultimately decided to pursue education, Farkas initially despised math before realizing she could use real-life examples and her love of digital art by creating fun animation as learning materials.
Creative Calculations
Creative Calculations
Teaching
mathematics to elementary students through real life examples
“I used to draw cartoon scenes on the chalkboards for students …I’ve always drawn my own visuals, my clip art and stuff like that,” Farkas says. “When students see math, they are see ing numbers, but they’re not just having to look at numbers, they can look at a fraction donut… When we’re talking about arrays and multiplication, they can look at a tray of cookies.”
Having been one herself, Farkas knows that most teachers don’t have time to create their own graphics to spruce up their lessons. Because of this, she makes her digital graphics accessible to all educators.
“I even have teachers from other countries using my clip art in their materials so there might be a whole German math worksheet with my fractions on it,” she says. “I went into the profession wanting to make a positive difference for students and kids, and so it’s showing that the impact has been larger than I could have even ever imagined.”
Camera ready
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Farkas searched for engaging math education videos for students learning remotely. When she couldn’t find what she was looking for, she decided to make her own. Thus, her Digits & Doodles YouTube channel was born.
She familiarized herself with videography and editing footage and started filming lessons on state-required subjects such as fractions, decimals, multiplication and more. She also learned to limit her videos to six minutes to keep the viewer’s attention.
“I feel like I’m used to teaching in front of students all day, every day, so I pretend the camera is a classroom full of students when I’m recording, which it might be that exactly,” Farkas says.
Aside from being shown in a classroom, these videos are helpful for individual students struggling with a particular topic, a substitute teacher’s lesson plans, and parents who may not know how to help their kids with an at-home assignment.
“(There is) direct instruction (in the videos), but then we do a couple of questions together and I give them a couple of challenge problems… to check for understanding and to see if the student actually learned what they needed to learn,” she says. As a former teacher, Farkas remembers the joy she felt when helping a student overcome a challenge, and she feels fulfilled knowing she is helping make those instances happen on a large scale.
“There’s just something when you see like that aha moment in a kid’s face when they finally get a concept, it’s something so magical and wonderful,” she says.
Math made fun
To make the content entertaining, the format of the videos is a mix of animated and unanimated elements with helpful graphics, backgrounds and pop-ups she designed herself. She even created two animated characters – a girl, also named Caroline, and a math chicken – that pop in and out of frame during lessons.
“My students loved anything silly, and I think math is so serious, I needed a silly element,” Farkas says. “We needed some sort of animal and I actually came up with the chicken because my son, before he said ‘Mama,’ he actually said ‘chicken,’ so I’m like, ‘Okay, this is a sign.’ Now, anytime he sees me working or sees it on TV, he’s like, ‘Mama’s math chicken’s on TV.”
Since launching Doodles & Digits, Farkas has received an overwhelming amount of support and positive feedback from educators and parents.
“I’m surprised that it grew so quickly, but I’m also happy because I know it was something that I desperately needed in the classroom,” she says. “I’m really happy that so many teachers are finding it and it is gaining traction because at the end of the day… I am still a teacher. It’s kind of cool that even though I’m not in a physical classroom, I’m still in classrooms in some capacity helping teach math.”
TV math star
Farkas soon realized that she could do more than just film lessons.
She decided to help answer the common question teachers get asked – “When will I use this in real life?” – by shadowing professionals in various fields and exploring how they use mathematics in their careers. This was the premise for her PBS show, “How it’s Math.”
“It started out with an idea of me reaching out to a bunch of local businesses and saying, ‘Hey, I have this YouTube channel, would you be interested in being interviewed and I can tell your math story?” she says. “How we got on PBS is, I sent one of the videos to the National Education Telecommunications Association, or NEDA for short. They are one of the distributors to PBS…and they picked it up.”
During season one of “How it’s Math,” Farkas interviewed professionals working at local Westerville businesses including Asterisk Supper Club and Westerville Pediatric Dental. The dentist explained how he uses math and decimals for medication dosing, and Asterisk’s owner discussed mathematics’ involvement in pricing, percentages and bulk ordering.
Some professionals Farkas hopes to interview in season two include a veterinarian, a zookeeper and a videogame designer.
Farka’s followers
Doodles & Digits has a growing teacher advisory board that helps inform Farkas about what students are struggling with and what content they want to see.
She also receives letters addressed to the math chicken from students and stays connected with teachers through Instagram and other forms of digital communication.
“Teachers will message me and say, ‘Hey, I can’t find anything for decimals,’ so I create a video on decimals, but I also have teachers send me posters like the kids are begging for a video about this specific topic and I’ll make it happen,” she says. “I will pretty much do anything to find the math…my limit is skydiving. I will not go skydiving.”
At first, Farkas was creating these videos on her own from start to finish. Once her channel gained traction, she hired an editor and a PR representative, and she has dreams of taking Doodles & Digits even further.
“My goal is to keep growing to be an educational production company where we’ll have a full-time animator and illustrator, and a full production team so we can really expand on what we do and the characters, and the storylines,” Farkas says.
Maisie Fitzmaurice is an editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at mfitzmaurice@cityscenemediagroup.com.
From Buckeyes to Warriors
Former Ohio State football players lead Westerville North Warriors to victory
By
Megan Brokamp
Photos courtesy of Wes Elifritz
Buckeyes Warriors
Hanging on the walls of Westerville North H.S.’s locker room are clocks counting down to two crucial dates: the day Westerville North Warriors play against Westerville Central, and the day they face Westerville South.
These clocks are a constant reminder of why the Warriors step in the locker room every day and are one of the many changes that Stanley Jackson implemented when he accepted the role of Head Football Coach at Westerville North in 2023.
However, Jackson will not take all of the credit – he learned this idea during his days as a football player at The Ohio State University, where each trip to the locker room was met with a similar countdown to the fateful Michigan game.
As a former Buckeye quarterback, Jackson and his team won the 1997 Rose Bowl. He knows what it takes to succeed in sports, however, when Jackson accepted his current coaching position, his goal was much deeper than winning games.
“It’s not just about football for us,” Jackson says. “It’s about raising men.”
Jackson grew up in New Jersey, but his skill and passion for football brought him to Columbus to play with the Buckeyes from 1994 to 1997.
He met his wife, Ronita Jackson, at Ohio State. The couple currently resides in Westerville with their four children.
Jackson initially lived in Marion, Ohio, but relocated to Westerville when his kids grew older. “When my kids started playing sports, I wanted to put them in an environment that was a little more competitive with more diversity,” Jackson says.
Jackson coached his kids as they tried their hand at playing sports growing up. Additionally, he connected with former
“It’s not just about football for us. It’s about raising men.
Stanley
Jackson
”teammates, and they started coaching the elementary schoolers together.
Jackson never intended to coach his kids past the 6th grade, but when Bryan Johnson, who coached for the Warriors for five seasons, retired in 2022, Jackson’s plans to take a backseat changed course.
Jackson’s time coaching elementary ball with fellow former collegiate athletes stuck with him, and he knew that with the right coaches behind him, he could put together a staff that would be unstoppable.
Jackson’s former co-captain at Ohio State, Winfield Garnet, and former defensive back at Ohio State, Ashanti Webb, joined on as defensive coordinators. The list of former Buckeyes grew with Reggie Germany, Paris Long, Eric Smith, Jamar Martin and Beanie Wells lending their expertise.
Of course, a star-studded staff wouldn’t be complete without a little
rivalry. Marcus Ray, a former Michigan Wolverine, joined the staff as an offensive coordinator, as well as former Westerville North grads, keeping local talent to guide the team.
“I wanted to have practitioners,” Jackson says. “I wanted to have guys who practiced at the highest level.”
Jackson and his staff of veteran football players hold a deep wealth of expertise in the game of football, but in the first five minutes of his job interview, Jackson never spoke of football. Instead, he described his goals to transform his players from boys to young men.
Jackson credits Athletic Director, Wes Elifritz, and Principal Kurt Yancey, for taking a risk and offering him the head coach position, but for Wes, the decision was clear.
“We were getting a guy and his staff that were experts in the game of football,” Eli-
Jackson speaks with his quarterback and son, Ronald, on the field.
fritz says. “But ultimately, they were going to make a connection with our kids that was going to lead them to success.”
And that they did.
When Jackson was coming out of a tough few seasons, there was pressure to produce.
He went to work immediately. From 6 a.m. practices to rigorous speed training, he set a precedent in his early months as head coach.
He even implemented an incentive for players; earning their helmet decal, an ode to Urban Meyer, who established the practice of removing a player’s black stripe once they had proven themselves.
“Our philosophy is, there’s only one way to get diamonds,” Jackson says. “And that’s with pressure.”
After long months of off-season training, Westerville North kicked off its season with a historic 21-12 win against Westerville
Central. The team went came out of the season with a 9-3 record, a monumental shift from its previous record of 3-8.
The team also went on to win a playoff game, a feat that had not been accomplished since 1988.
Jackson’s first season was met with many successes, but the coaches were not just focused on victory on the field. Jackson’s goal is to have each player at a 3.5 GPA. Currently, there is a mandatory 3.0 GPA standard.
Jackson’s middle child will be a junior and starting quarterback this year and his youngest will be a freshman. Other coaches, such as Beanie Wells, also have family on the team.
The coaches of Westerville North have an unparalleled football IQ, and they use this knowledge each practice to mold players that will win games. They are preparing their players for success after high school, no matter what their future holds.
“They love these boys as if they were their own,” Elifritz says. “That’s how you get kids to show up at 6 a.m. (for practice) … from relationships and genuine care.”
Megan Brokamp is a contributing writer at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at mbrokamp@cityscenemediagroup.com.
From left: Rob Balconi, Bob Fresch, Stanley Jackson, Bob Cavin and Bryan Johnson
student spotlight
By Mary Nader
courtesy of Charlie Boss and Marvet Hejazin
Sisters in Singlets
Women and girls’ wrestling takes over Westerville
Can you smell what the girls’ wrestling teams are cooking?
When you think of girls’ sports; volleyball, soccer and cheerleading are commonly mentioned. But, following the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA)’s sanctioning of girls’ wrestling in 2022, there’s more room for young girls in the male-dominated sport than ever before.
A girl’s world
Marvet Hejazin, a Westerville North alum and wrestler at Otterbein University, recounts her wrestling experience starting during her junior year of high school.
“You never want to do something just because someone else is doing it, you should do it because you like it. Why hold yourself back because it’s not something that everybody does?” Hejazin says.
She finished her first season with a winloss record of 25-5, an astounding score for a first-year wrestler.
“The mental aspect comes in so much. It helps if you get your mind right and the rest will follow,” Hejazin says. “It teaches you to follow through and gives you mental preparation.”
It’s no wonder that girls’ wrestling has become the fastest-growing sport for high school students across the nation. The
OHSAA sanctioning helps create a comfortable environment for girls, especially at a pivotal time in their lives where they may suffer from self-esteem issues. Wrestling can be a helpful aid in boosting their confidence.
“I think the benefit is really the competitive nature and doing something that’s outside of the box of what has been going on for years,” Kenny Farrow, a wrestling coach at Westerville North, says. “Being part of something new and realizing they are just as competitive, hardworking, and loyal teammates as any boys’ team out
there, it’s nice seeing young ladies who are unfamiliar with the sport begin and fall into our program and philosophy.”
All for one, one for all
Given how individual the sport is, wrestling offers the freedom to explore personal boundaries and limits while also cheering on teammates.
“You practice together, you’re there for one another, but once it comes time to actually wrestle, you’re out there on your own,” Pete Wegley, Walnut Springs M.S.
Photos
coach and science teacher, says. “So, you get out of it what you put into it.”
If students are willing to put in the effort, there are valuable lessons to be learned about comparing yourself to others and the responsibilities of a wrestler.
“I think the kids that are going through wrestling, with the discipline that is in it, are going to have an advantage,” Wegley says. “I tell them all the time: you’re nervous when you do a test, you’re nervous when you wrestle. At least when you’re doing a test, no one’s out there trying to rip your head off,” he laughs.
While wrestling in front of an audience can be nerve-wracking for new athletes, the more they successfully work at it, the less worrisome it becomes. Staying cool, calm and collected on the mat is key for a successful match, and that’s a mantra wrestlers take with them beyond their matches.
Girls just wanna have fun
With the 2024-2025 school year kicking off, Otterbein University begins its first official girls’ wrestling season.
After the prospective athletes worked tirelessly at wrestling camps over the summer, the team, led by Associate Head Coach, Chris Kline, is ready and eager to take on this season.
“I’m excited for the competing aspect because I’ve been away from it for so long,” Hejazin says. “When you’re with a team, it’s like your second family. Everybody’s so nice.”
Earlier this year, Otterbein announced Leilah Castro, a Campbellsville University graduate with an outstanding wrestling record, as their assistant coach. Given the phenomenal leadership overseeing the girls, it’s shaping up to be a successful year for the team.
“I met my best friend on the wrestling team. It’s the best decision I’ve ever made,” Hejazin says. Mary Nader is a contributing writer at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
Owner and Son, Uptown Westerville 1994
Phipps
Your House Party Invitation
BIA
Parade of Homes comes to Westerville
The Building Industry Association (BIA) returns to Westerville for the annual Parade of Homes. This year’s Parade presents some of the most luxurious homes in central Ohio, featuring the best builders in town and their newest designs.
There are more than 50 homes, including condominiums and multifamily options, entered in the 2024 Parade.
Several single family homes are located in and around Westerville as well as two multifamily options by Ardent Communities.
From Sunbury to Evans Farm in Lewis Center and down to New Albany, there are many choices for a few fun days touring homes and gathering design inspiration.
Old World Custom Homes showcases its new build on a 2.64-acre lot, located on Harlem Estates Court. The Old World Custom Homes entry in 2023 won Best Kitchen, Best Floorplan, Best Owner’s Suite, Best Interior Design and Best Overall $750,001 - $2,500,000 categories.
Pulte Group entered a variety of new homes located in and around Westerville. One of these, a property on Hackberry Avenue, is perfect for growing families wanting to live directly in the heart of town. With Heritage Park located around the block,
Old World Custom Homes
this home has quick access to the surrounding community.
3 Pillar Homes showcases two properties located in Lewis Center with unique designs. The house on the highly coveted Evans Farm Drive has five bedrooms and five baths, with plenty of space for indoor and outdoor entertainment. With an open style concept, spacious kitchen and exterior porch, this home is a great option for a growing family.
The second home, located on Laguna Drive, is around the block from Alum Creek and the nearby dog park. It has three bedrooms and two full baths, as well as stainless steel details and modern appliances in the kitchen. This home features an oversized three car garage and a double-sized patio, along with a covered front porch.
3 Pillar also won multiple categories in the 2023 Parade including Best Curb Appeal, Best Living Space for their single family homes, as well as Best Community Amenities, Best Curb Appeal, Best Kitchen, Best Floor Plan, Best Interior Design and Best Overall $500,000 - $730,000 catergories for their condominiums.
CityScene Media Group, publisher of Westerville Magazine, is partnering with the BIA to create the Official Event Guide for the 2024 Parade. Guides are distributed at Parade of Homes and a digital edition with all home tour addresses can be accessed free at www. cityscenecolumbus.com
Amber Phipps is a contributing writer at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at aphipps@cityscenemediagroup.com.
LET’S
CREATE SPACES you love to live in
(614) 398-4287
info@HausStudioDesigns.com 1064 Goodale Blvd., Grandview, 43212
3 Pillar Homes
Luxury Living
Top Homes Sold in Westerville
Westerville home prices were up 12.8 percent this June, compared to June last year, with a median price of $440,000. On average, properties spent 31 days on the market before sale, similar to 32 days on average last year. There were fewer homes sold in June, with 49 sold, compared to last year’s 57.
814 Memories Ln.
4 beds, 3.5 baths
$817,500
Sold 5/30/24
752 Bigham Ridge Blvd.
3 beds, 3 baths
$683,500
Sold 6/24/24
976 Lori Ln.
3 beds, 2 baths
$620,000
Sold 7/16/24
1203 N. Three Forks Dr.
4 beds, 3.5 baths
$606,000
Sold 5/31/24
613 Hackberry Dr.
4 beds, 3.5 baths
$590,000
Sold 6/20/24
632 River Terr.
4 beds, 2.5 baths
$577,500
Sold 7/23/24
834 Watten Ln. 4 beds, 2.5 baths
$575,000
Sold 6/28/24
1148 Scarlet Ct. 4 beds, 2.5 baths
$555,000
Sold 5/31/24
31 W. Plum St. 3 beds, 2 baths
$550,000
Sold 7/23/24
276 Mainsail Dr. 4 beds, 2.5 baths
$530,000
Sold 7/1/24
119 N. Keethler Dr. 3 beds, 2.5 baths
$520,000
Sold 5/31/24
1026 Harbor View Dr. 4 beds, 2.5 baths
$518,000
Sold 6/21/24
All information is collected from the Franklin County Auditor Office.
By Jake Ruffer
Photos by Jake Ruffer
Autumn Pours
Fall beverage blends abound at local coffee shops
Westerville is home to a sizable population of independent coffee bean roasters and quaint cafés, each gearing up for fall. As temperatures drop and the leaves change hue, pop into one of these locations, or any of the many other local coffee shops, and find the drink that warms your soul.
Family
Room Coffee and Bake Shop
545 S. Otterbein Ave.
Entering Family Room, the distinct smell of baked goods strikes you first.
The barista-recommended salted caramel mocha is a dessert in a cup. It’s just the right amount of sweetness, with saltiness coming through to balance out the syrups poured on top of smooth espresso. From the oven, Family Room offers a plethora of cookies, cinnamon rolls, and other light meals including sandwiches and wraps.
Customers walk into a comfy and spacious dining room full of couches and café tables. Shelves of books and board games line the walls, creating a friendly space for the whole family.
Ethos and Co. Café
6576 Africa Rd.
Winding through the green fields and suburban neighborhoods north of town, motorists on Africa Road will eventually see a big, white barn.
Inside they’ll find a sleek, modern space bathed in natural light, with long tables and low chairs for working, studying and relaxing. Outside large back windows, clusters of Adirondack chairs face the surrounding nature.
This is Ethos and Co., a non-profit café that disburses its profits to various organizations in the community. Drink offerings include several drip and espresso options as well as nitro cold brews. For fall, barista Morgan Powell recommends ordering a gingerbread chai for a light, spicy and festive kick.
Ethos offers a substantial sweets and baked goods menu, including Johnson’s Real Ice Cream. Food trucks serve customers on occasional Fridays. The café is open during the week and can be rented out on Saturdays.
Espresso Air Coffee Terminal
25 N. State St.
Stepping into Espresso Air is like being transported to a mid-20th-century airfield. Wooden propellers spin on the ceiling and the back wall. There’s just enough room to hang out inside and chat with regulars as customers filter in and out. Centrally situated in the heart of Uptown Westerville, the whole place brings a very vintage feel to your experience.
It serves a standard array of coffee, specialty teas and smoothies. Consider trying a steamed London Fog -- a base of black tea with a topping of cream.
Along with drinks are several Turkish cuisine menu items such as börek and baklava. Espresso Air also sells packages of its coffee grounds and espresso beans to take home.
Java Central Café and Roaster
20 S. State St.
On the other side of State Street is another uniquely-styled coffee joint. This colorful “music and arts” café has been a Uptown staple since 2007 and is committed to ethically sourcing its coffee. It’s a cozy spot aiming to make all who enter feel comfortable.
Java packs a full bar brewing espresso, coffee and several teas. It has 42 flavors of syrups, including a sugar-free version of the autumn classic, pumpkin spice. Try a barista-recommended Cubano, a small, sweet and balanced espresso drink that goes down easily.
Alongside the brews, Java Central serves an array of vegetarian and gluten-free food options, including baked goods, eggs and more.
Vanilla Honey Latte Simple but Delicious
• Two cups of black coffee
• 6-9 ounces of steamed milk of any kind (whole dairy milk works best)
• 1 tsp. of honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• Ground cinnamon to sprinkle on top
Jake Ruffer is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
From the Westerville Public Library
For online library resources such as ebooks, digital magazines, kids activities and more, visit www.westervillelibrary.org
Recommended Youth Reads from Katie Ross, Youth Services Librarian
I Love My Teacher
By Andreae Giles (Picture Book)
School is a ton of fun all thanks to a special teacher who makes sure every school day is the best! This sweet and simple story follows a typical school day, from morning hellos to time at home. Full of energy, this book is perfect to share with your little ones so they know what to expect when they start school.
Ali the Great and the Dinosaur Mistake
By Saadia Faruqi (Reader)
Ali is excited about the field trip to the Natural History Museum. He knows all about dinosaurs...or does he? Ali brags
to his friends that he’s a dinosaur pro!
But when Ali gets his facts wrong, he’s embarrassed. With support from his teacher and the museum guide, Ali learns that growth comes through our mistakes.
How to Get Your Octopus to School
By Becky Scharnhorst (Picture Book)
It’s official! Octopus will start school. However, Octopus does everything possible to stay home. Getting your octopus to school won’t be easy. He would much rather stay home with you and play hide-and-seek or dress-up. You know that he will love school if he gives it a chance. This is a sweet and fun story to share with students who are anxious about starting school.
Recommended Adult Reads from Mindy Bilyeu, Adult Services Librarian
Last to Eat, Last to Learn: My Life in Afghanistan Fighting to Educate Women
By Pashtana Durani (Biography)
Inspired by generations of her family’s unwavering belief in the power of education, Pashtana Durrani recognized her calling early in life: to educate Afghanistan’s girls and young women raised in a society where learning is forbidden. Pashtana founded the nonprofit LEARN and developed a program to get educational materials directly into the hands of girls in remote areas of the country. Her commitment to education has made her a target of the Taliban.
The Montessori Child: A Parent’s Guide to Raising Capable Children with Creative Minds and Compassionate Hearts
By Simone Davies (Non-Fiction)
When children are given independence, the tools to succeed, and the encouragement
to build on their abilities, it’s amazing what they can achieve. The newest book in the bestselling Montessori series is an everything-you-need-to-know guide to raising your school-aged child (from 3-12 years old, with a bonus chapter for the teen years) in the Montessori way.
One Year in Uvalde: A Story of Hope and Resilience
By John Qui ñones (Non-Fiction)
One Year in Uvalde synthesizes a yearlong story into a timely, humane, and important look at a community’s activism and resiliency. It follows several families and residents while events continue to unfold in the community. The intimate, sensitive reporting of Quiñones, Salinas, and ABC News examines a specific time and place in American life, highlighting the challenges we face as a nation.
