June 9, 2011
German Village Society meeting
Garden name change kicks up dust By GARY SEMAN JR. ThisWeek Community Newspapers A proposal to change the name of Huntington Garden in Schiller Park is stirring up controversy in German Village. Bert Stevens, who chairs the Huntington Garden group, said the garden’s sponsor no longer financially contributes to maintenance of the greenspace, so it
doesn’t deserve naming rights. Others say the name has built up nearly 20 years of brand identity and changing it could hurt fundraising efforts. At issue is Huntington Bank’s decision to no longer donate $4,000 annually toward the park. Huntington, through a donation matched by the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department, established the garden in 1993. Until last
year, the locally based financial institution made its donations each year. Stevens said the purpose of changing the name was to make it independent of any corporate sponsorship. “Huntington has been wonderful to us for a number of years,” she said. “In my opinion, it was hurting their reputation because a number of people involved in the fundraising were asking,
‘Why are we keeping the name of the Huntington Garden if they’re not funding it?’” The group has approved changing the name to Schiller Garten and asked the parks, public spaces and community events committee to accept the change. While the committee agreed to change the name, its members did not endorse Schiller Garten.
Representatives of the parks, public spaces and community events committee took their case to the German Village Society’s board of trustees, which met June 6. Members of the committee, which is part of the GVS, said they had reached a stalemate with the Huntington Garden group. See GARDEN NAME, page A2
Haus und Garten Tour
Annual PreTour party sets stage for main event By GARY SEMAN JR. ThisWeek Community Newspapers
By Chris Parker/ThisWeek
(From left) Faye Muncie, Jerry Glick, “Jazz Mary” Daniels and Julia D’Elia sit in Frank Fetch Park, home to Third Sunday concerts, which will be held through September. Glick and Daniels help organize the event. Muncie and D’Elia are owners of Hausfrau Haven, which is sponsoring the series with the German Village Garten Club.
Third Sunday concerts begin June 19 By GARY SEMAN JR. ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Concert schedule
Frank Fetch Park once again will serve as the Performances in the ninth annual Third setting for summer concerts in German Village. Sunday concert series at Frank Fetch The ninth annual Third Sunday concert sePark include: ries will kick off at 7 p.m. June 19 at the park, • 7 p.m. June 19 — Mary McClendon located on Beck Street between Fifth and Sixth and Bob Mills of All that Jazz. streets. • 7 p.m. July 17 — Richard Lopez, a light Mary McClendon and Bob Mills of All that classical pianist. Jazz will perform the first concert. All shows • 7 p.m. Aug. 21 — the Whiskey Playare free and open to the public. ers, a country and classic band. “We always get a wonderful cross-section of • 6:30 p.m. Sept. 18 — Clave Sonic, a genres,” said Jerry Glick, who helps organize Latin fusion band. the series. “You name it, we’ve had it.” “Jazz Mary” Daniels, a German Village resident, culls the local talent. Other Third Sunday performances include: “Through the years, we’ve been pretty lucky,” • 7 p.m. July 17 — Richard Lopez, a light she said. classical pianist. Julia D’Elia and Faye Muncie of Hausfrau • 7 p.m. Aug. 21 — the Whiskey Players, a Haven have joined the German Village Garten country and classic band. Club to sponsor the concert series this year. • 6:30 p.m. Sept. 18 — Clave Sonic, a Latin “We like to stay involved in the village and fusion band. support the village,” D’Elia said. In the event of rain, the concerts will be moved
to the Meeting Haus, 588 S. Third St. Each concert lasts about an hour. The series is intended to bring people of the village together and honor the many volunteers who beautify the park, Glick said. “It’s kind of a nice way to thank them,” he said. Frank Fetch, a founder of the community and namesake of the park, talked city leaders into buying the land, on which someone wanted to develop apartments years ago. It was then turned into a pocket park. After the city lapsed in taking care of the property, Glick and the Garten Club helped organize volunteers to plant, prune, water and clean up the space. Glick then started talking to Daniels about the potential of the greenspace to accommodate a mellow concert series. “We thought this would be a perfect little venue for wonderful, intimate concerts,” he said. “It lends itself so well” to the shows. gseman@thisweeknews.com www.ThisWeekNews.com
Back by popular demand, the tent party will be part of this year’s German Village Haus und Garten PreTour celebration June 25. It’s a less expensive and more casual way to enjoy the festivities, said Mary Connolly-Ross, a co-organizer of the PreTour. “It tends to cater to a slightly different audience than the other dinners do, so we wanted to make sure there’s something for everybody,” she said. The tent party’s debut last year was a smashing success, said Jim Ressa, one of the event’s organizers. “The goal of a more economical ticket to a less formal environment attracted a new wave of German Village supporters,” Ressa said. The tent party will be held at the Meeting Haus, 588 S. Third St. For a $75 admission fee, people can sup on hors d’oeuvres, sip signature cocktails and dance to deejay-spun tunes deep into the night. All 15 PreTour dinners, including the tent party, will begin at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, June 25, throughout the village. While several dinners have sold out, there are still seats available. Tickets are $125 per person for members of the German Village Society and $150 for all others. They can be purchased at germanvillage.com and the Meeting Haus. Because some parties sell out, participants are being asked to choose three dinners and will be awarded one, Connolly-Ross said. But food is only part of the evening. From 5 to 7 p.m., participants will get a private tour of all 13 properties on the Haus und Garten Tour, which will be held the following day. From 7 to 8:15 p.m., a cocktail party will be held at the Meeting Haus, which will close Willow Street for the duration of the evening. All dinners will begin at 8:30 p.m. Some hosts have come up with imaginative twists on the tour weekend’s overall theme of “fun,” including the “Mama Mia Wedding Reception,” “Slow Down Hoe Down” and “Artfully Fun,” said Chris Hune, chair of the tour. “People have taken the themes down very creative paths,” she said. See PRETOUR, page A2
The Book Loft plans poetry club for central Ohio wordsmiths By GARY SEMAN JR. ThisWeek Community Newspapers Roger Tompkins wants to give central Ohioans a place to foster interest in poetry. The co-owner of The Book Loft in German Village is helping to form a poetry club for people of all interest and skill levels. “I think every poet wants to do better and people who haven't published anything want to be discovered and be known to somebody besides themselves,” he said. “And maybe the way
to do it is through the people who have the same desire.” Tompkins said he and many of his customers were vexed by the lack of poetry clubs in Columbus. “We're just trying to find out now who all is interested,” he said. The public is invited to attend the next meeting on the subject, slated for 3 p.m. Saturday, June 18, at the bookstore, 631 S. Third St. Tompkins said he hopes to have the club functional by this fall. Tompkins said he wants to keep things informal. Writers would share and dis-
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cuss their works with their contemporaries and have their poetry critiqued by their peers. “We decided to make this thing a fun thing,” he said. “We're kind of opening the door to make this possible. We're not going to charge. The membership is going to be open and free.” Tompkins also has a personal interest: He's a poet, too. “I just wanted to do it because I like books, I like reading and I like poetry,” he said. Steve Abbott, a professor of English at Columbus State Community College
and a poetry-book editor, said he is supportive of the Book Loft's goal of establishing a poetry club. “There are very few, so clearly there's a need for it,” he said. Abbott, who is part of a formal poetry workshop at the local Pudding House Publications, said there is benefit to a club that offers serious appraisals of work, not just affirmation. Likewise, emerging poets must be able to accept criticism if they want to improve, he said.
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We decided to make this thing a fun thing. We're kind of opening the door to make this possible. We're not going to charge. The membership is going to be open and free.
ROGER TOMPKINS co-owner of The Book Loft
See POETRY, page A2
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