Columbus Monthly: February 2015 Issue

COLUMBUS MONTHLY

BLOOD, SWeaT SW T & TearS T S BUSTER DOUGLAS VS. MIKE TYSON, 25 YEARS LATER

T h ink ! g i B

THINK BIG! DREAMING UP THE CITY OF OUR FUTURE

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SHERRY: IT'S NOT JUST FOR GRANDMAS ANYMORE

DREAMING UP THE CITY OF OUR FUTURE

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PLUS

OR WHAT'S MAY COLEMAN'S ?

NEXT MOVE

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Features 58

UndiSPUTEd

twenty-five years have failed to dim the triumph and glory of James “buster” Douglas’ masterful dismantling of mike tyson in a boxing ring in Japan.

by AnThOnY dOMinic

66

hOME, FOR nOw

meet some of the people who call Faith mission’s shelters home, at least for the time being, and the people working to get them back on track and in stable housing.

by MichELLE SULLivAn

Contents February 2015

46 Think Big!

our city’s visionaries dream up the future of Columbus. edited by EMiLY ThOMPSOn

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SPEciAL OPS

battelle, the enormous but secretive research institute that was founded in Columbus and maintains its headquarters here, has a 75-year history of hiring military veterans.

by EMiLY ThOMPSOn

V

V

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Q

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photo: tessa berg

On the cOver: Enzo Anaya photographed by tessa berg

FEBRUARY 2015

Columbus monthly

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Contents February 2015

35

Arch City

Explore

Dining

19 History

35 Arts

93 revieW

21 Q&A

38 sHoPPing

Preserving precious stories Meet the founder of thiossane West African Dance institute.

22 Politics

What’s Mayor coleman’s next adventure?

6

An instagram exhibition

Beef, bourbon and barbecue at the Barn at rocky Fork creek

How to wear Pantone’s 2015 color of the year—and where to find it

100 sHort orDer

42 culture

How to be a regular at Fox in the snow cafe

Bringing films back from the dead

Columbus monthly FEBRUARY 2015

la casita’s Mexican food

104 counter culture

in every issue

12 FRom thE EDItoR 14 columbus monthly DIgItal 16 small talk 28 PEoPlE 45 toP 5 96 lEt’s Eat 106 CalEnDaR 120 CIty quotIEnt

PHotos: toP leFt, BottoM rigHt, tessA Berg; toP rigHt, tiM joHnson; MiDDle rigHt, courtesy coluMBus MuseuM oF Art

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Special Advertising Sections 81

RIGHT FOR YOU RIGHT NOW

Guide to private schools

A quick-hit guide to some of Central Ohio’s best private education institutions, including all-girls, all-boys, Montessori and Catholic schools

87

Winter Weekend escapes

Tired of winter already? We’ve compiled long-weekend getaway ideas to beat cabin-fever blues.

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FEBRUARY 2015

COLUMBUS MONTHLY

volume 41 / number 2

FEBRUARY 26 - APRIL 11, 2015

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Columbus monthly FEBRUARY 2015

|

opening reception February 26, 5:30 - 8:30 pm

Columbus monthly (Issn 2333-4150) is published monthly by the Dispatch Printing Company. All contents of this magazine are copyrighted © 2015, all rights reserved. Reproduction or use, without written permission, of editorial or graphic content in any manner is prohibited. Publisher assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited materials. Known office of publication is 34 s. third st., Columbus, ohio 43215. Periodicals postage paid at Columbus, ohio, and additional mailing offices.

PostmAstER: send address changes to Columbus monthly, 34 s. third st., Columbus, oh 43215.

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PERFORMING ARTS

Melissa Aldana & Crash Trio Sat, Feb 14 | 8 pm

Rising jazz star and her fantastic trio make their Columbus debut.

Melissa Aldana Photo: Bill Douthart

Erik Friedlander and Mitch Epstein American Power Fri–Sat, Feb 27–28 | 8 pm Photographer Mitch Epstein and cellist Erik Friedlander illuminate how we coexist with our sources of energy with potent images, stories, and music.

Photo (above): Lee Satkowski Poca High School and Amos Plant, West Virginia, 2004 (detail) Photo: Mitch Epstein

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r

InspIre your look.

The Columbus airport

InspIre

director of content strategy & oPerations brian lindamood

Where is your favorite place in Columbus for people watching?

EDItoRIAl

your home.

InspIre

Vice President & Publisher Katie Wolfe lloyd

editor Kristen schmidt

Lindeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

dining editor beth stallings sPecial sections editor Jenny Rogers assistant editors michelle sullivan, Emily thompson editorial assistants Anthony Dominic, tristan Eden

your life.

DEsIGn & pRoDuCtIon art director Carrie sosnowski Production Manager Craig Rusnak

From the tables upstairs at the North Market

designer betsy becker digital editor Erin Edwards Web Producer taylor starek

photoGRAphy director of PhotograPhy Will shilling Photo editor tim Johnson

A window seat at ring Hubbard Grille du Gallery Hop

PhotograPher tessa berg

ADVERtIsInG director of sales Amy bishop adVertising director Rheta Gallagher

The Ohio State Fair

senior account executiVe Evi lopez account executiVes michelle Crossman, holly Gallucci, Kelly morris

Campus on game day

classified sales Anthony Kramer, terri tribbie sales assistants Alex Albrecht, Jake Riddle

mARKEtInG & CIRCulAtIon

Columbus Arts Festival

director of Marketing & strategy Jean nemeti Marketing Manager lauren Reinhard

I n s p I r at I o n d a i ly.

follow us

CapI tal-style.Com

Any festival weekend during the summer, but the best, perhaps, is ComFest.

circulation assistant Christine Dougal office Manager silvana hildebrandt shildebrandt@columbusmonthly.com 614-469-6214 letters: letters@columbusmonthly.com Press releases: pressreleases@columbusmonthly.com adVertising: advertising@columbusmonthly.com

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raise their eyebrows with your new look.

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A little lighter there.

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see Carroll’s transformation at: timelessskinsolutions.com 31 South High Street, Dublin, OH 43017 (614) 799.5100 photo by roharik.com

Arriving Soon in New Albany

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From the Editor

Future’s So Bright Our cover story this month takes a break from the here and now to travel to the future, one that’s envisioned by some really smart people (including a few suggestions from our editors).

Columbus, in so many ways a youthful city, collectively spends a lot of time thinking and talking about the future, near and distant. Tangled up in those ponderings are questions of who we are to ourselves and to the world outside our city and who we’ll be 10, 20 and 50 years from now.

What is certain is this ain’t your grandma’s Columbus. Or even your dad’s. In 2015, Columbus has infectious energy that seems to spring from every corner. “Entrepreneurial” and “collaborative” are buzzwords that are on the brink of “Portlandia”-style parody. It’s easy to get caught up in reveling in what’s new and what’s being attempted. I hope our “Think Big!” cover story walks the line between celebrating that spirit and constructively criticizing it.

The story is anchored by seven “dreamers,” the aforementioned super-smart people who offered their vision of what the city needs—not to remain good, but WiSh LiSt to become great. My two favorites: chef Avishar Barua and architect Michael Bongiorno. (And not just because I have a preoccupation with food and buildings.)

In a word, alpaca (though not What l like about both of them is they are agitating for change, for more, for betthe kind served at the Refecter—but not in an alienating or cynical way. We could use more voices like Avishar tory). stop by the swisher Creek and Michael’s in the conversation about our present and our future.

Farm booth at the new Albany With due respect to Mayor Coleman (upon whose future we speculate on page Farmers market and scope the 22), swagger isn’t going to cut it. In fact, too much swagger—positive attitude and gloves, hats, mittens and even pride—is unproductive. I fear our accessibility and low barrier to entry could make little finger puppets. they’re so us, well, soft. Some efforts—events, organizations, businesses—that wouldn’t sursoft and critical this time of year toasty warm. healthynewalbany.org vive the first cut in other markets not only launch here but receive praise meant to be encouraging but could, ironically, wind up lowering the bar, or at least failthe latest Columbus Syming to raise it. That accessibility is part of what makes Columbus so—in a good phony Orchestra happy way!—entrepreneurial and collaborative. But we should acknowledge the potential hour—free after-work concert, pitfalls, be honest with each other and resist becoming myopic. free appetizers, cash bar—is In some circles, this will be considered discouraging or negative.

Feb. 12 at the ohio theatre. An all-American program includes It can be hard to find someone who publicly disagrees with the works by Copland, bernstein, status quo in Columbus. But in order to grow and improve, we Gershwin and Gould. Wosu must disagree, debate and, yes, even argue. We love a good host Christopher Purdy adds experiment here. We applaud our fellow citizens when commentary and interviews the they try something new. Let’s do each other a favor and conductor throughout the evepush and tug and pull those experiments into something ning. columbussymphony.com better. That is collaboration at its best. this month, I vow to learn how to take better photos with my iPhone. the Columbus museum of Art’s new #MobilePhotoNow exhibition might inspire you, too.

Read more about it on page 35. columbusmuseum.org

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IllustratIon: MIchaela schuett

Kristen Schmidt kschmidt@columbusmonthly.com @monthlyEditor

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Daydreams encouraged.

GIGI ‘24

DAWNING ‘14

Gigi loves trying new instruments in music class. Through the years, Wellington will offer her opportunities to explore that love and develop her unique talent. Who knows where her passion may someday lead?

Dawning will attend Vanderbilt University with hopes of one day starting her own international music education program. She credits Wellington with giving her the courage to follow her dreams.

We believe in nurturing interests and inclinations because within them lies the spark that inspires and motivates. That’s fearless learning. It has led Wellington graduates to passionately pursue fields far and wide. From engineering to social services, entrepreneurship, diplomacy, medicine, and more, you’ll find Jaguars impacting the world in profoundly unique ways.

IllustratIon: MIchaela schuett

Fearless learning thrives at Wellington. Be fearless with us.

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Middle School/Upper School Student Visit Day Wednesday, February 11 at 9 a.m.

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Featuring:

columbusmonthly

digital

?

QUESTION OF THE MONTH

Where is your favorite place in Columbus for people watching? “the zoo is hands-down the best place for people watching.”

—John Gregory, via Facebook “scioto Downs Casino” —Annie Promen, via Facebook “Easton” —Robin Love, via Facebook “the skyrider at the ohio state Fair” —Bethia Woolf, via Facebook “the malls” —Bob Westwood, via Facebook “Any of the festivals; ComFest and Columbus Pride Festival and Parade come to mind.”

—Lisa Craig Morton, via Facebook NEXT MONTH’S QUESTION: What’s on your favorite sandwich?

+

ONlINE pOll

Who will be the starting quarterback for the buckeyes next season?

45% J.T. Barrett

36% Cardale Jones 9% braxton miller 9% someone we haven’t met yet

FOllOW US! WEB: Columbusmonthly.com EMAIl: letters@columbusmonthly.com Columbus monthly @Columbusmonthly @Columbusmonthly

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Small Talk

was erroneously expressed as Mudflaps in a caption that accompanied photos of musician Willie Phoenix playing a gig at the restaurant.

Believe us, we regret the error.

AS SEEN ON TWITTER @shaunsimpson: A welldeserved honor for one of #Powelloh’s best. @Columbusmonthly named @krafthouse5 best new restaurant. @krafthouse5: best new restaurants of 2014! see where we finished on the list!

For all of this to work, we have to keep up our end of the bargain and make our stories as clear and informative as possible. And that means working the name of the neighborhood or suburb into stories when necessary, which is most of the time. We promise to do a better job keeping you clear on the where, as well as the why, how, what, when and who.

Cover Boy Determined not to put an illustration of a brain or a giant light bulb on the cover of this month’s idea-themed issue, art director Carrie Sosnowski and photographer Tessa Berg set to work interpreting and paying homage to a photo they’d found (where else) on the Internet of a pair of boys wearing welding goggles and balancing electric apparatuses on their heads.

Piece by piece, they took cues from the photo and assembled

props from scratch. For a couple of days in December, Tessa’s desk became a crafting table complete with hot-glue gun, paint and all manners of hardwarestore supplies. Carrie took care of the wardrobe (from J. Crew) and set about finding our model.

She looked no further than the daycare where she sends her son to find 4-year-old Enzo Anaya, who was a good sport during what must have seemed like a really bizarre afternoon. Enzo lives with his parents, Jenny and Brian Anaya, in German Village.

This was his first modeling gig.

And to answer everyone’s burning question: Our brain powerconducting contraption worked just right—a few moments on Enzo’s noggin, and the light bulb jumped to life as planned.

Correction In the January issue, the name of Mudflats Bar and Grill in Galena

@Suzette0421: @Columbusmonthly 12 West in Delaware had a fire will reopen in a couple months had been open almost 1 yr must check out a WInnER #delaware @bobbykovey: @Colsunderground @ExpCols @Columbusmonthly the Whitney house in dwntwn Worthington is Central ohio’s best new restaurant. @tripAdvisor @JeffBC94: Graduating from #mboE @ohiostate means winter break = @Columbusmonthly & @ColumbusCrave back reads! six months to go. @crimsoncup: Alternative #Columbus #Coffee tour – check it out! thanks @Columbusmonthly! @765at33RPM: new @Columbusmonthly has must-read by @joeloliphint on @ blueshippy. It captures enduring & mystical essence of #WilliePhoenix. #lifeInCbus @joeloliphint: Excited about this Willie Phoenix piece in @Columbusmonthly. Proud of the story, but photos make it sing in print.

We want to hear from you send to: Editor, Columbus Monthly, 34 s. third st., Columbus, ohio 43215. or email: letters@columbusmonthly.com. A letter must include the writer’s name, address and daytime phone number. letters will be edited for length and clarity. All letters sent to Columbus Monthly are considered for publication, either in print or online.

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Columbus monthly FEBRUARY 2015

Photo: tessa Berg

Service, Please!

A couple of readers called shenanigans on our relatively new practice of listing only a website in our service lines, the brief phrases of go-and-do information at the end of stories.

“I’m sitting here reading your latest issue, and here we go again!” one reader wrote. “Why, oh, why, when you write about a restaurant, be it a large article or small, you don’t include the address?”

From another reader, a Chicago resident who visits Columbus several times a year, came this note: “Why, why, why, do you so rarely, if ever, include exact street addresses? It is such a pain to be reading along, come across a restaurant or shop that sounds wonderful and then realize I have no idea where the place is … It’s very frustrating to have to go searching for an address of a restaurant that may turn out to be in a distant ’burb. Do this reader a real service: Start including street addresses in your roundup stories.”

In 2014, we decided to use only websites for our service lines, for a few reasons. First, the website packs a lot more information than we can express in the magazine: You can find not only the address but also browse the menu (or inventory), open hours and, in the case of many restaurants, make reservations. We also think it’s fair to say most people are using the Internet, via a computer or mobile device, to plan entertainment and diversion.

And, finally, expressing only a website can save a few precious lines of text, which we’d rather spend telling you more about the event, shop, restaurant or bar. In cases in which a business has no website, we print address, neighborhood and phone number in the service line.

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ArchCity people | ideas | Conversations | issues

Preservation society ociety

Since 1981, the Columbus Jewish Historical Society has collected decades of Jewish history in Columbus and elsewhere.

BY JAckiE MAntEY | PHOTOs BY tEssA BERg

FEBRUARY 2015

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Arch City history

Although her mother, Marti Rosenfield Goorey, died in 2012, Susie Petrak says, “I can hear my mother now,” as she poses for a photograph. “ ‘Susie! Your bangs are in your eyes.’ ” Luckily for Petrak and her sister, Sharon Starr, they still have the opportunity to hear that voice just by pushing “play.”

Goorey’s is one of nearly 300 interviews the Columbus Jewish Historical Society (CJHS) has conducted, transcribed and posted on the Oral Histories page of its website, columbusjewishhistory.org.

The organization’s interview subjects represent a wide range of experience, from rabbis to veterans to people who have lived in Columbus their whole lives to those who have made a great economic impact on the city (Schottenstein, Solove, Lazarus).

CJHS started recording the stories in 1981.

There are around 25 in Hebrew and Russian that still need to be transcribed. Each story, no matter the subject’s background, is treated with reverence.

“We want to celebrate them within the Jewish community and help show how all of these groups of people have helped make Columbus what it is,” says Toby Brief, president of the organization’s board of trustees.

Flo Gurwin leads the group’s Oral Histories Committee. She helps train interviewers on the art of asking questions and makes a point to tell them to get out of the way of their subject’s story.

“Some have overcome amazing circumstances, but everyone has a story to tell,” Gurwin says. “I enjoy doing it. Everyone is different. You really have to have a feel for the person you are interviewing.”

The recordings are kept in the society’s small Bexley office, and they occasionally loan them out to interested family members.

“Such a gift, to hear mom chatting and laughing and sharing her story,” Starr says of her mother’s September 2011 interview, which both sisters attended but waited until last November to listen to because it hurt to hear it so soon after her death. “The timing was precious. The tone of her voice indicates how happy she was with her life.”

CJHS has big hopes for the future of the project, including creating digital stories using clips of the recordings and perhaps images of the interviewees curated into various reoccurring subjects and themes, such as migration (both to America and around or out of Columbus), faith, discrimination and the Jewish community’s business and cultural impact.

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Sharon Starr and Susie Petrak with a box of momentos from their mother at Petrak’s home

History is more than worthy of our attention, the project members say—to the community and individuals alike.

“But for that strong [CJHS] community, we wouldn’t have information that adds so much value to our family history,” Starr says. “Families should take advantage of the resources. We plan on starting volume two, our stories, soon.”

Through Brief’s genealogical investigation for the sisters and their journey with their mom’s oral history project, Starr and Petrak have found cousins, added six generations to their family tree and discovered their ancestors founded Agudas Achim temple on East Broad Street.

“This project made me feel the weight of responsibility of carrying Judaism forward,” Petrak says. “It weighs heavily on

me that they left everything they had for religious freedom.”

That aspect of surviving persecution is part of what makes some of these stories so sacred.

Look no further than Fran Silberstein Greenberg’s interview transcript, recorded in 2004. She was in her 60s and recounted her earliest memories as a Jewish child in Paris. In 1942, German soldiers sent her father, Simon, to Auschwitz, where he died.

Her mother sent Greenberg and her sister to foster homes soon after “so she could run and hide without worrying about us.”

Voices are important—in all senses of the word.

“My grandma used to call me ‘Shar-Shar,’” Starr recalls. “I’ll never hear that again. I’m so glad I can pass this on to Mom’s grandchildren.”

Arch City Q&A

Suzan BradfordKounta FOUNdER, ThiOSSANE WEST AFRicAN dANcE iNSTiTUTE

PHOTO: TESSA BERG

liTTlE-kNOWN FAcT: bradford-Kounta’s late husband, Abdou Kounta, met her family before he met his bride. “he’s very traditional. the families had to meet first,” she says.

BY JENNY ROGERS

When did you first experience West African dance?

My mother was pretty avant-garde, and she exposed us to our culture in depth. I remember as a 7-yearold coming here to the Lincoln [Theatre] and taking a West African dance class upstairs in the ballroom. I’m a product of the King-Lincoln District. And you had a transformative trip to Senegal. When I was 24, after graduating college, my mother sent me to Africa for three months; she said, “Find yourself.” While I was there, I realized I could develop my passion for the development of children using this dance as the vehicle. I really resettled myself in that soil. I came out of there with this idea for my life’s work. Enter Thiossane.

When I returned from my mother’s trip, I was working with the YWCA, creating dance programs for youth, but I knew I didn’t have all the knowledge I needed.

So I began to move about the country, talking with

and being mentored by African people from all over.

This is how I met my late husband. We formed Thiossane together. I have to credit him for all the authenticity Thiossane has; he was the lead musician for the National Ballet of Senegal. What’s a performance like?

All your senses will be touched. You will experience a cultural explosion! You will be moved—physically, emotionally or spiritually. How has it been perceived? It’s growing. Initially, my focus was making sure young people were getting a really authentic presentation so that education can happen. As I moved toward creating a performing company, I saw that education was foremost. We can all enjoy what we see in front of us, but to know something about it is crucial. When you learn African dance, you have to learn the people from whom the dance comes. What does your mom think about all this? She’s thrilled. Her experiment paid off.

FEBRUARY 2015

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Arch City PolItICs

The Mayor’s Shifting Spotlight

Speculating Michael B. Coleman’s next professional move—and whether he could run a race for office outside the city’s familiar confines

PHOTO: TIM JOHNSON

BY MICHELLE SULLIVAN

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PHOTO: EamOn QuEEnEy

PHOTO: TIm JOHnSOn

When Mayor Michael B. Coleman announced in November that he wouldn’t seek re-election in 2015, it came as a shock to his supporters. Even his family and close friends didn’t learn of his decision—which he told them he’d made on his 60th birthday a week earlier—until the day before the announcement.

Columbus’ longest-serving mayor, Coleman will have held the position for 16 years when he completes his fourth term in December.

He has made it clear he won’t be retiring—60 is the new 40, he says. But his next move, politically or otherwise, remains to be seen.

“I frankly really haven’t given any thought about my future,” Coleman says. “I’m not sure yet what that’ll be. We’ll just have to wait and see. Hopefully I have some options.”

One of those options is running next year for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican Rob Portman. As soon as Coleman announced he wouldn’t run in the next mayoral race, talk began that he could take on Portman. Coleman hasn’t confirmed rumors that he’s considering a run, but he hasn’t denied them, either.

“Political office is not on my priority list,” Coleman says. “Because I haven’t said no, everybody’s thinking about it.”

The Democratic National Party has urged Coleman to run against Portman, but the pool of potential Democratic candidates is growing. U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan and former Gov. Ted Strickland have publicly said they are considering a run; eight other possible candidates are thought to be considering one.

Coleman would be a formidable candidate, but he might be more interested in an office closer to home. “If he wants to stay [in Columbus],” says Paul Beck, professor emeritus of political science at Ohio State, “the governor’s seat is open in 2018.” The position could open sooner should Kasich run for president or vice president or if he’s otherwise called to Washington, D.C., by the next presidential administration.

Coleman, however, has said he won’t run for governor—much to the dismay, no doubt, of Democratic supporters who see him as an ideal candidate.

“An African-American has not won a statewide contest in Ohio,” Beck says. “He’s somebody who is well-positioned to draw from all over Ohio, but he’s going to calculate his odds.”

Beck adds Coleman would be in a good position to raise money, both from the Democratic Party and the business community.

Few would deny that Coleman has had a successful run as mayor of Columbus. He’s seen the city through two recessions, kept it operating under budget and spearheaded neighborhood

Coleman in November 2014 announcing he wouldn’t run for a fifth term

development, including Downtown’s revival.

He’s well-liked and well-respected, and he won the last three mayoral elections handily.

But, like any longtime officeholder, he has encountered his share of political potholes.

In 2005, he abandoned a run for governor after his campaign manager and his now-exwife, Frankie Coleman, were both arrested for drunken driving. Two years later, the Ohio inspector general determined Frankie, then an employee of the Ohio Department of Development, had been paid for dozens of hours she didn’t actually work. In November 2013, in the wake of the Columbus City Schools data-rigging scandal, voters soundly defeated an education-funding levy championed by the mayor. It was the district’s first such setback in 23 years. And last September, a Columbus Dispatch investigation discovered 6,500 calls to the city’s 311 complaint hotline, a service Coleman created in 2006, had been ignored.

Could these blemishes make it harder for Coleman to earn the trust of voters outside of Columbus? Not likely, says David Niven, a professor of political science at University of Cincinnati.

“The mindset of the voter is like a child with a short attention span,” says Niven, who lives in Columbus and briefly worked as a speechwriter for Coleman. “They focus on what’s right in front of them. What’s compelling about [Coleman] is the Columbus record—the idea that in a sea of rust-belt cities, Columbus is growing, and he’s been at the helm of that.”

Nonetheless, campaigning statewide would be an adjustment for Coleman, Niven adds.

“For somebody who has essentially been mayor for life, it would be a challenge to have to present himself anew to people,”

Niven says. “But it’s certainly something he’s capable of doing.”

With the filing deadline for the 2016 Senate election still a year away, Coleman doesn’t have to make an immediate decision.

“He’s got plenty of time between now and then to see what the lay of the land is,” Beck says. “Is there a shift back from Democratic voters in Ohio or nationwide? What’s the state of play in terms of the Ohio budget and other issues in Ohio? Has Gov. Kasich worn out his welcome so it’s harder for a Republican to win again? All of those things he could get a good gauge of by sitting tight and waiting.”

The private sector might be a good place to do that.

“I think the mayor has an outstanding reputation not only locally but also nationally,” says Guy Worley, CEO of the Columbus Downtown Development Corp. Worley served as Coleman’s chief of staff in 2005 and 2006.

“In the mid-2000s, the Midwest wasn’t doing that well. Columbus continued to grow under his leadership, through several recessions.

He’s well-respected nationally.”

Though Coleman, a lawyer, wouldn’t speculate about future job prospects (he did joke he might enjoy landscaping—or writing for Columbus Monthly), he says he’s intrigued by urban design and architecture.

“I have a lot of interests,” he says. “I’ve developed a lot of skills. [As mayor], I’ve run one of the largest companies in the state of Ohio as a CEO. I’ve put together hundreds of deals in my time that have moved the city forward. I’ve developed national relationships and, in some cases, international relationships. I don’t have a specific game plan yet, but I’ll get there.”

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Arch City health

First Steps

The effort to prevent infant mortality will be more publicly visible this year. BY KRISTEN SCHMIDT

Inside the Wellness on Wheels mobile clinic

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million miles; it was donated anonymously to OhioHealth in 1999. Following task force recommendations, the city will pay $150,000 for a new rig, and the clinic will continue to park outside city high schools and, new to its circuit, a homeless shelter on the South Side. The idea to take the clinic to the shelter was sparked by the task force; the clinic’s nurse manager and the executive director of the Community Shelter Board attended a meeting in which Wellness on Wheels was discussed.

“It started a conversation with the task force, and leadership at OhioHealth decided we would juggle things around,” says Orelle Jackson, OhioHealth’s system director for Community Health and Wellness. “We feel the responsibility to be at the table around the issue of infant mortality. Providing care through Wellness on Wheels regardless of [patients’] ability to pay is a huge privilege, and it’s really impacting the lives of babies in our community.”

The causes of infant mortality are rooted in all corners of life—housing, environment, education, access to health care and social services, wellness and others. “This community has shown over and over again that, when there are big challenges threatening the culture and the values that we hold, we come together,” says Andy Ginther, Columbus city council president and the founder of the task force. “We solve big problems when we work together.”

Snack Skinny New Food and Drug Administration regulations require vending companies with 20 or more snack slingers to display nutritional information, and Hilliardbased company Healthy Vending 4U is ready to meet the new demand. Its machines, already set up in several local businesses, have easy-to-use touchscreens and the nitty-gritty about what’s inside your snacks.

The machines sell only healthy options, like almonds, salad kits, microwavable organic and lowsodium soups, healthy drinks and protein bars.

Founder Melodye Demastus says she hopes her company helps lower the state’s growing number on the scale—Ohio has one of the highest obesity rates in the country.

“Employers are actively encouraging their employees to lead healthier lifestyles and are providing them with incentives to do so,” Demastus says.

“As an entrepreneur, I love the concept and feel that it will help to meet the growing trend for healthier lifestyles and food choices.” healthyvending4u.net —Jackie Mantey

PHOTOS: LEFT, TESSA BERG; RiGHT, cOuRTESy HEALTHy vEndinG 4u

If 2014 was the year Columbus leaders realized infant mortality was a critical problem in our city, 2015 is the year potential solutions will take shape.

The Greater Columbus Infant Mortality Task Force—formed in 2014 and representing government, charities, hospital systems, schools, parents—decided late last year to target three specific methods of prevention: educating mothers about safe-sleep habits for babies, reducing tobacco use and linking women to more accessible prenatal care. These messages will be aimed intently at neighborhoods where the problem is most alarming—south Linden, the near South Side and the near East Side— though the campaign will be visible throughout the city.

For starters, the effort to combat infant mortality now has an official name—Celebrate One—and will soon have a full-time director whose job will be managing the many moving parts of a community-wide fight against a problem that has neither simple causes nor solutions. Think of Celebrate One as the public identity of the task force and its mission.

Meanwhile, OhioHealth’s Wellness on Wheels mobile obstetrics and gynecology clinic is literally getting a new engine. The clinic, which sees expectant moms regardless of their ability to pay, is a retrofitted semi-truck trailer hauled by a semi rig that has traveled more than 1

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Arch City City lifE

Parking Police

We’ve all been there. you’re parked at a meter that expired three minutes ago, and you’re still a block away. by the time you arrive, sure enough, your dashboard is stamped with a flimsy paper slip. how do the city’s parking enforcement officers always seem to get there before you do?—Michelle Sullivan

Photos: ©2015 thinkstock; illustration: dave urban

The myth: Parking enforcement officers are notified—via GPs or other electronic means— when street meters are about to expire, prompting them to issue tickets at just the right moment.

Beet the Snow

state. they also patrol Grandview Avenue.

City police officers also issue parking tickets within those areas but are solely responsible for ticketing cars in violation elsewhere. “When you go outside the patrol areas of parking enforcement officers, all tickets are issued by Columbus police,” tilton says.

Alas, that parking ticket you got just three minutes after the meter expired was purely a result of tardiness—and bad luck.

Who knew the secret to fighting snowy streets was in a root vegetable? When temps drop below 20 degrees, the city’s operations coordinator, shane marks, and his team bolster their standard salt brine with a “hot shot,” or a mixture of calcium chloride and beet juice. “several years ago, different agencies across the world, through trial and error, stumbled on this,” marks says, “that the sugars in the beet juice help the salt to stick to the pavement and break that ice bond.” —Anthony Dominic

+ Rock salt

The truth: nope, says Rick tilton, assistant director of the city’s Department of Public service. Each officer patrols a designated area by foot or on a bicycle. they look for cars parked at expired meters—as well as 60 other parking violations—and issue tickets. A total of 15 parking enforcement officers (plus three supervisors) are responsible for monitoring Downtown, the short north, Victorian Village, harrison West, German Village, the brewery District and the off-campus area around ohio

+ Water

+

Cl Cl Ca

Beet juice

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Calcium chloride FEBRUARY 2015

Treatment Columbus monthly

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Arch City property

6335 Plesenton Drive, Worthington listing price: $695,000 listing agent: Amy Conley, Cutler real estate

Built to Last From the street, the house at 6335 Plesenton Drive looks like a modest 2-story cottage with sand-colored wood siding, a heavily shaded brown shingle roof and a pointed cupola topped with a weathervane.

Leafy trees and foliage surround the house, presenting a wooded backdrop and the illusion that what you see is what you get.

Without the three-car garage, there’d be no indication of just how grand the estate really is—6,890 square feet on nearly a full acre in Worthington.

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The sellers, Friedl and Jean Clare Bohm, are the original owners. They moved in almost 40 years ago and have since made four additions to the house that Friedl—an architect who worked with NBBJ and now runs his own small firm—designed himself.

Friedl, who was born and raised in Austria, describes his design as “contemporary European style,” largely influenced by houses in Austria. In 1976, the house on Plesenton Drive was a mere 1,800 square feet. As their family grew to include three children, Jean Clare

would prod Friedl to move somewhere with more space. “We’ll build it,” he’d reply. “Tell me what you want, and we’ll figure out how to add it on.” And that’s exactly what he did.

Follow the steep, wooden steps downhill from the stone driveway to the lush backyard, past the cabin-like gardening shed and lily pond, and the scope of the final iteration becomes clear. Three floors, from the walkout basement to the lofted second level, are lined with floor-to-ceiling windows. A multi-layered deck

grows increasingly spacious as it wraps around the far end of the house. Despite the staggered additions, the design is seamless, inside and out. Though there are a few quirks.

The newly renovated kitchen, for example, is one of the latest additions and the farthest room from the front entrance. “How many houses do you see where you walk in on one end, and the kitchen is on other end?” Friedl says.

Its orientation, though nontraditional, serves as a conduit to the rest of the house, connecting the

photos: Dale Clark/arC photography

An architect’s project became his family home for 40 years. BY MICHELLE SULLIVAN

photo: Dale Clark/arC photography

open living and dining rooms to— also separate additions—a sunken family room and screened-in back porch as well as the master suite via a spiral staircase. Upstairs, a lofted hallway connects three of the house’s four bedrooms (the fourth is adjacent to the living room on the first floor).

By today’s standards, the design would be considered environmentally conscious. In the 1970s, it was revolutionary.

Friedl designed the house to prevent major excavations of existing landforms. He used natural materials, like wood and stone.

Outdoor decks were built around trees. The garage, which replaced the original carport, is cantilevered over the grassy hill below.

Rather than uprooting trees and earth and filling the space with concrete, Bohm used concrete pillars and wood decking to build the floor of the garage. Most of the windows in the house face south, allowing for ample natural light—and additional warmth

in winter. Full trees block most of the heat in the summertime. Utility costs remain low year-round.

The Bohm house also has historical influences. Alongside the creek that trickles through the backyard is a serpent mound, presumably built by early Native American settlers. Not too far

up the street, you’ll find Jeffers Mound, a prehistoric earthwork believed to have been built by the Hopewell people for sacred rituals. The Bohm’s children often uncovered Native American artifacts while traipsing through the creek and adjacent woods. Once, they found what Friedl believed

was a broken ancient grinding stone, which he built into a marble fireplace inside. The detail is subtle, not unlike the house itself.

“We wanted something that becomes a part of the land and doesn’t hit you in the face,” Friedl says. “It’s pretty quiet. It doesn’t look as big as it is.”

photos: Dale Clark/arC photography

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Arch City PEoPlE

The Links Annual Holiday Brunch

the twin Rivers chapter of the links Inc.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 23rd annual holiday brunch drew 550 people to the hilton Columbus at Easton on Dec. 7. the fundraiser supported the organizationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s programs, which focus on the arts, childhood obesity, financial literacy, supporting mothers and children in haiti and college preparedness for minority students.

Photos: jodi Miller

1 Ingrid brownlee, Joyce lawler, shelly lawler Robinson 2 Evelyn and berry hubbard 3 monya Funderburke, lynnda Davis 4 Diane travick, mattie James, Catherine Willis, Gertrude tyree, Ann Wagner-hill 5 Rhonda talford Knight, Regina Randall, manika Williams 6 betty Willis, brenda mcClure 7 Karen and Kirk Wade 8 Elizabeth hope, Kai landis, bonnie Griffin 9 Aretha Colvin, shonda smith 10 nina Pace, terri Gibbs

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C B

Photos: jodi Miller

I am rational.

The stock market is not.

Can you relate? Go here: B-R-R.com/DealWithIt

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Independent wisdom for wealth速

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Arch City PEoPlE

King Solomon Society Fundraiser

Diplomat Dennis Ross, former deputy secretary of defense Paul Wolfowitz and presidential adviser David Gergen visited the new Albany home of leslie and Abigail Wexner on Dec. 8 for a discussion benefiting the Jewish Federation of Columbusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; King solomon society, which recognizes donors who contribute $5,000 or more to the organization.Â

Photos: Lorn sPoLter

1 George barrett, Dennis Ross, Jim schwartz, Paul Wolfowitz, bruce soll 2 larry moses, Jonathan Petuchowski 3 Robert shalwitz and Paula Krasnoff 4 marcy and mark ungar, Arnie Good and lisa newmark 5 barry and lynda Fromm, Joy and mike Gonsiorowski, Ezra singer 6 Joshua barkan, Jeri block 7 brittany mcConnell, Joe Chay 8 scott and Allison Kleinman, Ginny and mike schlonsky 9 Abigail Wexner, David Gergen 10 merom and Judy brachman, Ed stan

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Photos: xxxxxxxx

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Arch City PEoPlE

The Nutcracker Ball

Inspired by the dragon in Clara’s dream, balletmet’s 31st annual nutcracker ball featured hundreds of red lanterns, two 60-foot dragons, themed cocktails and fare from Cameron mitchell Premiere Events, the Diamond Cellar’s popup jewelry boutique and entertainment by the sly band and balletmet dancers. more than 380 people gathered at l brands headquarters on Dec. 13 for the fundraiser, which raised $185,000.

Photos: jodi Miller

1 John Kuijper, Elisa mcCurdy, Edwaard liang 2 Dennis niekro and Paul Richmond 3 marc burt, Jeannita mcKnight 4 sergio soave, Valarie Williams, leah tsamous, John haight, Peggy Kriha Dye and matt Dye 5 Janis and Jim Davidson 6 nancy strause, Wendy Jordan 7 heidi yurkiw, Jeffrey Ayres 8 susan Kairis and John and nancy mcEwan 9 James and mary lyski 10 Dionna and terrell Carter

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New Arrivals Stop in soon to see whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new!

Photos: jodi Miller

Featured: Small Trimmed Vera in Lucky Dots with Navy Trim, Bucket Crossbody in Classic Navy, Laser-Cut Crossbody in Navy/White Geo and Flap Crossbody in Lucky Stripe

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RENOVATE • UPDATE • REPAIR • RE-IMAGINE Mark your calendars and come smell the fragrance of spring in a dozen magnificent gardens created, designed and built by these top companies: • • • • • • • • •

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Feb. 14 – 22

Ohio Expo Center Ohio State Fairgrounds Sat: 10 a.m.–8 p.m.

Sun: 10 a.m.–6 p.m.

Mon: Noon-8 p.m.

Tues: Closed Wed/Thurs/Fri: Noon–8 p.m.

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Explore

Photos: courtesy columbus museum of art

arts | Culture | sports | Fun

Instant Gratification A new exhibition at the Columbus Museum of Art began on Instagram.

BY TRisTAn EdEn

FEBRUARY 2015

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Explore Arts

Photographer: Arash Akbari Sene (@arashrimus), tehran, Iran Shot with: nokia PureView 808 and iPhone with snapseed and Pixlr Express

Photographer: Chris Sallquist (@csallquist), seattle, Washington Shot with: iPhone with snapseed 36

Columbus monthly FEBRUARY 2015

show “definitely does validate mobile photography as an art form,” says Jennifer Poleon, the organizer of #MobilePhotoNow and the museum’s digital communications manager.

Submissions for #MobilePhotoNow were sourced from all over the world via a series of Instagram photo challenges inspired by the “photo hunts” of the Photo League, the storied 20th century photography collective. Within one month, the museum received almost 45,000 cellphone images taken by 5,000 photographers from 89 countries. Tyler Cann, the museum’s contemporary art curator, and Lisa Kurzner, an independent photography curator, selected the final 320 images. “There are people using mobile devices in very serious and very creative ways,” Maciejunes says. Here, we highlight six. columbusmuseum.org

Photographer: Maika Karnes (@maikamelinda), Columbus Shot with: iPhone 5 with slow shutter, snapseed and Faded

Photographer: Dina Alfasi (@dinalf), hadera, Israel Shot with: iPhone 5 with snapseed

Mobile Photography Workshop 9:30 a.m.–noon, Feb. 6 Josh Johnson and Kevin Kuster of #JJ, the world’s largest online photography community, lead this interactive workshop. learn about photo apps, how to take better photos with your phone and how to get your photos noticed on Instagram. then, take a photo-walk with Johnson and Kuster. $60, $50 CmA members. registration required.

Mobile Photography Panel Discussion 2 p.m., Feb. 6 Johnson and Kuster will also speak on a panel moderated by Jennifer Poleon, organizer of #MobilePhotoNow. the discussion will cover the past, present and future of mobile photography. $15, free for CmA members. registration required.

Photographer: Jill Shomer (@jillshomer), new york, new york Shot with: iPhone 4s with snapseed and Afterlight

Photographer: Eric Ward (@littlecoal), toledo Shot with: iPhone 5 with snapseed

Photos: courtesy columbus museum of art

Together, technology and the art world are tossing aside the notion that photographs in museums must be taken by professional photographers using traditional cameras.

“Artists are all about new things and challenging norms,” says Nannette Maciejunes, executive director of the Columbus Museum of Art, which this month unveils #MobilePhotoNow, an exhibition of mobile photography curated via Instagram from artists around the world. Take the late 19th century, for example: The invention of the folding easel and the portable tube of paint—technological innovations—opened the door to outdoor painting and spurred Impressionism. “Artists like new technologies,” she says. “People forget that.” #MobilePhotoNow is also a stamp of approval from the art establishment and a step toward what Maciejunes calls “the democratization of photography.” The

m_sit

Lounge Series Haworth Collec on

Photos: courtesy columbus museum of art

Re l a xr k| R Raerfm u ronni ys h Wo | eLf ri fees h| | H Urban-classic seating collection is both sophisticated and elegant.

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Explore shoPPInG

Mad for Marsala

3

Taking style cues from Pantone’s Color of the Year

BY EMILY THOMPSON | PHOTOS BY TESSA BERG

When Pantone announced its 2015 Color of the Year, not everyone was sold on marsala. The trend-setting color company has historically chosen bright hues, so this year’s earthy, red-wineinspired tone came as a bit of a surprise. Admittedly, we were hesitant about marsala, too—that is, until we saw just how versatile the color can be. Whether you’re looking to liven up your living space or dress up for Valentine’s date night, local shops have you covered.

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photo: 1, courtesy banana republic

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photo: 14, ap

photo: 1, courtesy banana republic

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1 Sloan Sheath dress, $140, banana Republic, bananarepublic.com 2 Re-Jen sari necklace, $38, state & third, stateandthird.com 3 Sundry split heart cropped pullover, $97, Rowe, roweboutique.com 4 Mal-Antiqua scarf, $165, leal, lealboutique.com 5 Jewel bracelet, $33, Cheesecake boutique, cheesecakeboutique.net 6 Express NYC small zipper bag, $38, Rowe 7 Tommy Hilfiger plaid bow tie, $32, Pursuit, pursuityourself.com 8 Timex Weekender watch, $45, tigertree, shoptigertree.com 9 Ben Sherman shawl-neck sweater, $139, tigertree 10 Giovanni Testi tie, $28, Pursuit 11 Field Notes Arts and Sciences notebooks, $12, tigertree 12 Mywalit leather card holder, $20, tigertree, shoptigertree.com 13 David Castle Flapjack painting, $75, state & third 14 Linet 18â&#x20AC;? Pillow, $45, Crate & barrel, crateandbarrel.com FEBRUARY 2015

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Explore bEAuty

Decamp to a spa to slough off winter’s unseemly effects on skin.

BY JACKIE MANTEY

Sure, snow is gorgeous, and cuddling up by the fire is one of the best things ever. But winter can suck—literally suck the moisture right out of your skin. Here are four luxurious spa treatments that will help you tell winter’s itchy, dry side effect to flake off.

CMH Sweet Retreat Where: Charles Penzone’s Grand Salons Cost: $300 Plan a whole day devoted to this one. The CMH Sweet Retreat is five hours of pure polish and 40

Columbus monthly FEBRUARY 2015

Crystal Microdermabrasion Where: Reverse Vanity Spa Cost: $115 Go under the vacuum in this 30-minute session. Crystal microdermabrasion gets rid of dead facial skin while also helping increase circulation. And because this treatment uses sodium bicarbonate (aka baking soda) crystals instead of heavier aluminum oxide crystals, it can treat more sensitive areas like your eyes and lips. Afterward, you’ll get hydrated with an organic face mask loaded with nutrients your skin will savor. reversevanityspa.com

Detoxifying Seaweed Wrap Where: The Woodhouse Day Spa Cost: $140 A detoxifying and exfoliating dry-brush beginning, a wrap of nutrient-filled seaweed, Icelandic moss and ume plum middle, and a luxe Vichy shower ending comprise this 75-minute full-body treatment.

Oh, and you’ll get a scalp massage before they send you out the door feeling fabulous. woodhousecolumbus.com Caribbean Nourishing Body Treatment Where: Aveda Institute Columbus Cost: $50 Treat yourself to a full-body exfoliation followed by a detoxifying body masque, all done with products meant to invoke the smell and warmth of island life and performed by students learning their craft (hence that sweet deal). Staycation approved. avedacolumbus.com

PHOTO: ©2015 THINKSTOCK

Rough Patch

relaxation. Following an orientation about the benefits of what you’re about to experience, you’ll receive a body polish massage, deluxe papaya facial and a sugar buff mani and pedi. You’ll also enjoy a catered lunch. No word on whether they feed you your grapes, but you can always ask. charlespenzone.com

Explore musiC

Songs of Redemption Jason Isbell, the Blind Boys of Alabama and Hozier all come to Columbus in February, each bringing their own blend of soul, gospel and R&B. They have a lot in common, but also, not so much. Below, meet the three acclaimed acts and see where they intersect. —Chris DeVille

JAson IsBEll

THE BlInd BoYs

oF AlABAmA • In the prime of his career • Hail • Formerly a member of Drive• Storied career is winding down from AlaBy Truckers • Want to go to church, literally bama, and their • Named his band the 400 Unit • Invited to the White House country roots after an Alabama mental ward three times shine through • Snubbed by the Grammys • Worked with Justin Vernon of • Maintain fervent cult but was belatedly recruited Bon Iver audiences without by “The Voice” • Mostly traditionalist approach current hit singles • Went to rehab to overcome • Biggest TV gig: The Grammys alcohol and cocaine addictions • Biggest TV gig: • Singer“Austin City songwriters Limits” • Background in bringing a choral music modern touch to • Beloved by classic sounds the Grammys • Prone to emoting over acoustic guitar

PHOTOS: TOP lefT, mICHael wIlSON; TOP rIgHT, CamerON wITTINg; mIddle rIgHT, alex laKe; bOTTOm, ©2015 THINKSTOCK

PHOTO: ©2015 THINKSTOCK

WHERE To sEE THEm Jason Isbell 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10 Southern Theatre capa.com Blind Boys of Alabama 8 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15 McCoy Center For The Arts mccoycenter.org

HozIER

• Promising career is just getting started • Hails from Ireland, and his style of blues is distinctly European • Has a worldwide hit single, “Take Me to Church” • Wants to go to church, metaphorically • Praised by New York Magazine for his “luxurious hair” • Biggest TV gig: “Saturday Night Live”— unless LeBron’s Beats commercial counts

• Raised on American roots music • Praised by NPR • Outspoken about social issues

Hozier 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27 LC Pavilion promowestlive.com

In the Mood for a dance?

The Columbus Symphony Orchestra Pops Program has been trying for years to get worldfamous ABBA tribute act ABBA The Concert to come to Columbus but, due to mutually tight schedules, it’s never worked. Until now. The group (whose name is the clunky “The Concert: ABBA The Concert A Tribute to ABBA”) was founded in Sweden in 1996 and has since performed more than 1,000 shows all over the world. They’ve

been called “the best ABBA since ABBA.” At the Valentine’s Day show, ABBA The Concert will be backed by the 50-piece Columbus Symphony Orchestra. “It’s an amazing thing when you see a band you want to see with the symphony backing them,” says Rich Corsi, vice president of programming at CAPA. “It gives people who may not know about the symphony the chance to hear it.” And in this case, they can also hear “Mamma Mia,” “S.O.S.,” “Take A Chance On Me,” “Waterloo,” “Dancing Queen” and more. columbussymphony.com —Tristan Eden FEBRUARY 2015

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Explore Culture

From the Archives “Burroughs: The Movie”

BY PEtER tongUEttE

An Alfred Hitchcock thriller. A documentary account of the author of “Naked Lunch.” A dozen animated Walt Disney short subjects.

These films seem to have little in common, but they are grouped in the Wexner Center for the Arts’ Cinema Revival: A Festival of Film Restoration with good reason: The picture and sound of each has been restored to a sterling state.

Some of the films being screened at the festival—held Feb. 25 to March 1—will almost certainly be new to Central Ohio audiences, such as the documentary “Burroughs: The Movie” (Feb. 26) and the silent film “Why Be Good?” (March 1), both of which had been considered lost before they were restored. Others, such as Hitchcock’s “Jamaica Inn” (Feb. 26) and Howard Hawks’ “Only Angels Have Wings” (Feb. 28), may be familiar, but not in the shipshape restored versions to be screened.

A pass ($35; $30 for members, students and seniors) includes admission to all programming.

Except for animator Suzan Pitt’s short films, which will be projected from 16 mm and 35 mm prints, the films will be shown in digital versions.

Presentations by Grover Crisp of Sony Pictures and Lee Kline of The Criterion Collection (both Feb. 27), among other speakers, will supplement the screenings. Kline will discuss Criterion’s restoration (they collaborated with the L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory in Bologna, Italy) of Satyajit Ray’s “Apu Trilogy,” the negatives for which were compromised during a 1993 British film lab fire. “We opened up the can and saw a very, very damaged film—burnt on the ends, leader missing, sprockets gone,” Kline says.

Thanks to digital technology, much of the film was rendered usable; the restored “Apu Trilogy” will be shown in theaters in 2015.

“The first reason it was possible is because we could repair the negatives prior to scanning, then the digital tools were needed for everything from stabilization, warping, jumping, dirt, scratching,” Kline says.

Filipi says the presentations by Crisp and Kline are the most important part of the weekend. “I just can’t get enough of listening to what these people do to preserve and restore these films,” Filipi says. “I think it’s just really inspiring, and it makes you just appreciate the films even more when you finally have a chance to see them.”

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Have Cat, Will travel

“Why Be Good?”

Kitschy Cat has been to Durham, north Carolina, (via the postal service) 26 times. For a 20-pound lawn ornament found in a Delaware, ohio, antique store, this cat gets around. the inspiration for Columbus author nancy mcKibben’s Kickstarter-funded book, “Kitschy Cat Alphabet Book,” became a way for mcKibben to connect with her out-of-town grandchildren. she planned the book (with designs by Karl Fekete, her daughter’s fiance) to include 26 postcards meant to be mailed to a child one by one, each featuring Kitschy Cat and a rhyme for every letter of the alphabet. by letter Z, the binder—and an alphabet book of memories—is complete. throughout the book, Kitschy Cat is photographed with other lawn ornament friends, many of which mcKibben would see when she went running. “I would knock on people’s doors and ask if I could take a picture,” she says. “one man took me into his yard, and there were 20 ornaments. he had a raccoon, cow, a horse, even a crab.”

What’s next for the itinerant lawn ornament? In the second book, mcKibben says, “Kitschy Cat goes somewhere exotic.”

Find the book ($20 to $25) on etsy and at Wholly Craft in Clintonville. etsy. com, whollycraft.com —Jill Moorhead

Photos: movie stills, courtesy wexner center for the arts; book, catherine murray

A film festival at the Wexner Center for the Arts showcases restored films—including some that had been considered unsalvageable.

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Photos: movie stills, courtesy wexner center for the arts; book, catherine murray

Explore Food

The 94th Aero Squadron Restaurant

If fast food, bagged chips and 12-ounce pours of cheap wine are what you associate with airport dining, you’re due for a change of scenery. These classic airport eateries are about as far from Gate 23B as you can get.

—Kristen Schmidt Jack & Benny’s Barnstormer Diner Breakfast—including the famous Gut Buster meal—is served all day at this diner just outside the terminal at the Ohio State University Airport. We dug into a California Burger ($8) with a classic diner-grilled half-pound patty, cheese, tomato, lettuce, onion and mashed

Summer Shopping in Winter Who says you can’t eat fresh and local when there’s snow on the ground? —Anthony Dominic Columbus Winter Farmers Market Whetstone Community Center 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. second and forth Saturdays through March 21 Clintonville’s grassroots winter market 44

The 94th Aero Squadron Restaurant It’s a pleasure simply to navigate your way to this 1917 French farmhouse converted into a

flies a little under the radar, but it’s worth the trip for dips and dressings from Cathy’s tasty treats, organiccertified microgreens from swainway urban Farm and natural body products from boline Apothecary. columbuswinterfarmersmarket.com The Market at 400 400 West Rich Street 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. second and forth Saturdays look for squash and root veggies from a rotating lineup of winter producers like mid-ohio Foodbank’s urban Farms and shady Grove

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perfect slice of Americana and aviation nostalgia. The rustic building, with its circular front turret, rises from the otherwise indistinct landscape like a cheerful ghost, windows warmly lit and an old airplane parked out front.

Inside is a bustling, cozy restaurant specializing in steaks and seafood. Look around—it’ll be hard not to—and find mementos on the walls and even suspended from the wooden rafters. Through the windows, spy Port Columbus runways and watch airplanes ascend. Try the signature Sizzling Steak ($25), served appropriately on a sizzle plate atop a bed of sauteed mushrooms and onions. We also loved the French onion soup ($5.25), blanketed with oozing cheese. the94thaero.com

Farms. don’t forget to grab some sweets, too, like a goat’s milk chocolate bar from fincaChocolate or a whole pie from nova terra Farm.

400westrich.com Worthington Farmers Market The Shops at Worthington Place 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays through April Winter weather does little to slow down the Worthington Farmers market, which moves from high street

into the shops at Worthington Place through spring. Among its dozens of vendors, don’t miss alt meats from ohio bison Farm and cheese curds from blue Jacket dairy. worthingtonfarmersmarket.blogspot.com

Photos: toP, tessa berg; bottom, ©2015 thinkstock

Pie in the Sky

avocado—truth be told, it was so good and so big we had to fork-and-knife it.

Scope out the photographs and memorabilia covering the walls of this tiny room, and don’t miss the photographs of and information about Don Scott, the star Buckeyes quarterback and World War II pilot who was killed when his bomber crashed and for whom the field at the airport is named. After your meal, head to the observation tower inside the terminal—open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily—where you can enjoy a 360-degree view of takeoffs and landings, listen to radio traffic and sign a logbook. jackandbennys.com

Explore toP 5

February

Editors' picks for the best of Columbus this month

Photos: 1, courtesy gateway film center; 2, courtesy decorative arts center of ohio; 3, courtesy wexner center for the arts; 4, caPture Zmuda PhotograPhy; 5, Julia wesely

Photos: toP, tessa berg; bottom, ©2015 thinkstock

1 “Amelie” And “delicAtessen” Feb. 13 and 27

one is light and one is dark, but both are visions of surrealism-loving director Jean-Pierre Jeunet.

Follow the adorable Audrey tautou in her breakout role as shy and resolute Amelie. later in the month, return to the Gateway Film Center for a trip into the post-apocalyptic world of Clapet the butcher-landlord—but mostly for the movie’s famous “squeaky spring” sequence. gatewayfilmcenter.com

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A trAdition oF ProGress: ohio decorAtive Arts 1860–1945 Feb. 7 to may 17

If the first word you associate with Zanesville is “pottery,” head to Lancaster this month for an exhibition of more than 150 pieces of Ohio-made decorative arts—furniture, glass, ceramics, metalwork, textiles—tracing the history and handiwork of the state’s craftsmen back to the 19th century. decartsohio.org

3 melissA AldAnA & crAsh trio Feb. 14

this 25-year-old Chilean saxophonist caught our attention in 2013 when she became the first woman to earn top honors at the thelonious monk International Jazz Competition. Catch Aldana and her post-boppy (and aptly dubbed) Crash trio at 8 p.m. in the Wexner Center’s Performance space. wexarts.org

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BAlletmet’s “the GreAt GAtsBy” Feb. 6 and 14

Experience the raucous parties and lavish lifestyles of the Roaring ’20s through balletmet’s production of F. scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel. Costumes and choreography will surely dazzle as brightly as Daisy buchanan. balletmet.org

5 PromusicA soiree BeneFit & concert: “BiG niGhtmAre music” Feb. 13

Aleksey Igudesman and Richard Ryung-ki Joo are a violin- and piano-playing duo with bombastic showmanship and the chemistry of a great comedy team. seconds into their play on mozart’s Eine kleine nachtmusik (often translated to “A little night music”), audiences realize they are enjoying classical musicianship along with the funny stuff. promusicacolumbus.org

see page 106 for a full list of things to do this month.

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The ciTyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggesT ideas Through The years 46

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1797: lucas sullivant surveys what is now Franklinton, setting the stage for Columbus as a permanent settlement.

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k n i h T ! g i B Columbus is a smart city. It’s full of innovators and entrepreneurs, business execs and academics. It’s also a changing city. As we continue to grow and evolve, we’re constantly looking to the future. so we asked our city’s visionaries how we can build on what we have to keep that momentum going— and maybe even jump-start it. What resulted is nothing short of inspirational.

We hope their ideas (and a few of our own) will excite you as much as they did us. After all, people and ideas like these are what make our city exceptional.

1893: Part of the City beautiful movement, a Victorian-style greenhouse is built on former fairgrounds known as Franklin Park.

Edited by Emily Thompson

stories by Anthony Dominic, Tristan Eden, Jill Moorhead, Jenny Rogers, Kristen Schmidt, Beth Stallings, Michelle Sullivan, Peter Tonguette and Emily Thompson Photos by Tessa Berg Illustrations by Arthur Mount

1897–1899: A third version of union station (with stores and offices) increases access to Columbus via railroads.

1899: Additions of a roller coaster and gardens from the World’s Fair turn olentangy Park into a destination.

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The Dreamers

Dream: Establish centers for creativity in learning institutions

Cindy foley

I define creativity as the imagination applied. It’s the capacity to conceive of what is not and to combine that with critical thinking. In the 1990s, what data shows, is that in the u.s., our IQ scores continued to increase; creativity scores began to plummet, and in particular ages 6 to 12.

And they continue to. so it is, in my opinion, a crisis.

If we’re talking about the big picture of education, in order for us to have the kind of learners and then the kind of citizens we need, learning institutions—museums, schools, libraries—we need to have spaces that allow for creativity to take place. And whether that’s on a cart, or whether that’s a particular classroom or it’s an initiative of the principal to do professional development—I don’t care how it manifests, but I’m looking for that intentionality.

If we keep making it about learning disciplines and content, we aren’t learning how to think. First we need to engage curious learners, and then the disciplines are in service to their ideas. It doesn’t have to be all things that can be tested. We can create rubrics. We can look at, how well does a student do at the beginning and end of the year with an open-ended project? now part of the problem is, there isn’t much out there. At the Columbus museum of Art, we’re working with educators to create more tools to evaluate and assess this kind of thinking.

Central ohio has political support, incredible thinkers, school districts that are wanting to make a change. so Columbus is right for being the model. but for me, what’s most exciting are these individual teachers who are doing it on their own. so I think there is a sea change.

We can’t just settle. We’ve got to do both; we’ve got to support the educators, and we’ve got to move the administration and our culture and society toward a space where we can still have the testing that we need, but we also have spaces in which thinking is predominant. —As told to Emily Thompson

director of learning and experience, founder of the center for creativity, columbus museum of art

inspiration from other cities:

Regional Passenger Rail nine cities between Chicago and Columbus have signed a document expressing interest in establishing passenger rail service between the two cities, using existing freight lines. this year, a task force of the major players will be formed so the conversation can continue. the process would be slow, but “this could be a transformative link to midwest business centers,” says William murdock, executive director of the mid-ohio Regional Planning Commission. An effort like this one, percolating from the ground up, murdock says, is a best practice for these projects, which don’t fare as well when government attempts to foist them on regions.

In Transit

1922: ohio state university opens ohio stadium, holding 66,210 fans and built with materials from marble Cliff Quarry.

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In 2011, more than 1,000 families applied to be transferred from orange County Public schools, a “failing” school district in Orlando, Florida. but in september 2014, the district won a broad Prize for urban Education, which recognizes school districts for academic improvement and reducing poor and minority student-achievement gaps. In that time, the district raised its graduation rate from 50 to 87 percent and built more magnet schools and smaller neighborhood schools.

1929: Port Columbus International Airport opens as an integral part of the first air-rail (air-by-day, rail-by-night) transcontinental passenger line.

skyline photo: ©2015 thinkstock

eduCation RefoRm

AvishAr BAruA

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chef (previously veritas tavern, WD-50, Mission chinese)

skyline photo: ©2015 thinkstock

We need to cultivate. We need to look inward. A lot of restaurants, they look outside. [they say], “oh, this is cool over here.” that’s nice, but do people want to come to Columbus and have new york food? no. they want to have Columbus food. We shouldn’t be trying to play catch-up. We should be doing our own thing.

[Ask] what’s indigenous to yourself? I grew up eating Johnny marzetti. I remember sticking that [sauce] inside a breadstick, and it was one of the best things in the entire world. now I can turn to that with more technique and refinement and produce something more unique in ohio. that’s creating an experience, not just a meal. [the best chefs] bring their memories, their childhood, their growth into the restaurant. that’s what makes them so good. It comes down to being honest with yourself.

If you look at the people who are successful here, it’s for a reason. look at Jeni’s. [Jeni britton bauer] made flavors she thought were interesting. And, at first, people thought they were weird.

We are not very humble for what we don’t have. big cities, they don’t think they are that awesome. Go to Per se (chef thomas Keller’s new york restaurant), and they treat everyone like God, and they think they’re just oK. It’s nice to be encouraging, but if there’s something wrong, someone has to say it. I had food at a friend’s place recently, and it wasn’t good. I had to tell him, which sucks. It was like breaking up with a girlfriend.

It’s not negative. It’s realist. no one should be afraid to speak their mind.

People always use the excuse here that we can’t open up the restaurant we want because we don’t have the staff. I say bullshit. you have to train the staff. Part of being a chef is training the next generation; and honestly, I don’t think we’re doing that right now. We need to eat more. We need to see more. young chefs need to get out of the city. you have to see what’s going on around you. stand on the shoulders of giants, right?

—As told to Beth Stallings

The Dreamers

Dream: Create a culture that fosters culinary creativity

1929: battelle memorial Institute, funded by industrialist Gordon battelle, opens, focusing on research in metals and material science.

1964: With support from business leaders, CosI opens in the overhauled memorial hall on East broad street.

1979: Centrum, Capitol south’s ice- and roller-skating rink, opens in an effort to keep people Downtown.

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Claim a Columbus NBA Team Columbus is, no doubt, the dominion of the ohio state buckeyes, which long rendered this prospect a pipedream. but the conversation turned in spring 2012 when mayor michael b. Coleman tried to persuade the nbA to relocate the then-unstable sacramento Kings to nationwide Arena. A grassroots campaign,

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The Dreamers

Steven AnderSon producing director, catco

1976–1977: union station is demolished to make way for what is now the Greater Columbus Convention Center.

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nbA to Columbus, popped up, soliciting 9,700 supportive votes—including hall-of-famer magic Johnson’s when he was in town in 2013—as well as potential franchise names and logos. (We’re still rolling over “ohio Players,” “butter Cows” and—wait for it—“Christophers”.) the Kings have since found a new owner and are slated to move into a new arena in downtown sacramento

late next year. nbA officials have indicated the league will not expand in the near future, meaning city and county ambassadors must court another franchise away from its home. “nationwide Arena is a world-class facility that could have the ability, structurally, to house nbA basketball,” says Gary o’brien, director of communication for Columbus Arenas sports and Entertainment.

Dream: A dedicated Downtown space for local theatrical troupes Columbus is a really huge theater town. there are over 30 [theater groups] in this city. but we don’t really have adequate theaters for the size that we need. We’ve got the big houses—the ohio and the Palace. they’re almost 3,000 seats. And then the southern and the Capitol are 900 seats, but still not what you would consider sort of a theatrical venue where you could really experience a play.

[We need] something that has 300 [seats], something that has 100, something that has 40—that truly is a series of spaces that are either flexible and could be used in a variety of ways or were truly built for small, intimate, experimental theater. A black box that could expand or contract would be great, or a series of them. there is some real estate Downtown that nobody can quite figure out what to do with, between Gay and broad there, and that’s a possibility. I think it would even be more interesting if something like that did occur, if it were an existing space that was repurposed, because that sends us back to our past and our heritage.

I think that it would be a group of resident [theater] companies. somebody would have to be in charge. that’s probably the company that is the largest, which would be [CAtCo], but that doesn’t mean that there wouldn’t be plenty of opportunity for other companies. the benefit of creating such a space would be the synergy of different energies there. the Riffe Center almost fits, but it wasn’t designed to be ... the combination of government and the arts is an unusual one. the one thing that this imagined place would need to have would be a street presence, which does not occur for theater at the Riffe Center.

We’re always looking to expand our vision of what theater can be for people who live in Columbus and how that can be a driver for tourism and for other economic endeavors. As more and more people move Downtown, there’s going to be more and more demand. I mean, they didn’t move Downtown so that they could sit and watch tV. —As told to Peter Tonguette

1981: the city unveils Red, White & boom, attracting 30,000 people to bicentennial Park.

1982: Roy lichtenstein creates “brushstrokes in Flight,” for Port Columbus International Airport.

BasketBall photo: ©2015 thinkstock

Our Two Cents

SucceSS Story

how one inkling went from idea to reality

Direct Flights In to Europe Transit We could be going to see the queen with one fewer layover as soon as 2016. that’s if british Airlines—pitched last year by the Columbus Regional Airport Authority and planning organization Columbus 2020—decides a Columbus-tolondon route is good business.

In the meantime, the airport authority is actively pursuing more direct service to the West Coast—specifically san Francisco and seattle—after nonstop flights to los Angeles started in 2013.

inSpiration from other citieS:

Columbus is no stranger to startups. last fall, the app Whence launched, connecting Columbus customers to local businesses. With the tap of a button, Whence users can get products from 42 businesses, from coffee to clothes, delivered to their door in 90 minutes or less. Whence is the brainchild of local entrepreneur Web smith, who previously co-founded men’s apparel company mizzen+main. here’s how he brought his idea to life. whence.co

Idea

smith was spending time with his family but needed to go to the hardware store. "In that moment, I said I would pay someone to do what I don’t want to do right now.”

A few days later, he pitched his idea to Jonathan Poma, who previously worked for digital agency Dynamit and was the director of digital for homage. though they hadn’t worked together before, the two had been friends for a while. Poma was on board, so smith drew up a business plan that day.

“We started with wireframes, very simple diagrams that show exactly what we want the path to be from sign up to use to checkout to delivery,” smith says of the app development. they also recruited a designer, Dustin tevis. smith started signing up businesses whose products would be included in the app.

Skyline illuStration: ©2015 thinkStock

baSketball photo: ©2015 thinkStock

Mass TransiT

We need look only about 100 miles south for this example: Cincinnati’s 3.6mile streetcar loop is under construction and is expected to open to passengers in september 2016. the idea was first proposed in 2007 and met opposition along the way, but the project won voter and city council support on a narrative that streetcars will revitalize neighborhoods and create jobs. the $148 million project is being paid for with a mix of federal grants, city tax revenue and private funding.

then came the idea. “I wanted to build something that would allow members to save precious time,” he says. “And I wanted to find a way for the small businesses of the city to do well regardless of what the weather’s like or how traffic is for the day."

smith provided the funding to get the startup going, and Whence was born. they set up shop in an office in the short north and brought on two Cincinnati developers, Dan VanWinkle and Adam linkhart. About three weeks after the pitch, the four signed partnership documents.

smith set a goal to launch Whence by oct.

1, 2014. “We did about seven months of development work in three months,” he says.

“It was brutal. that last week or so before we launched in october, we had to bring aboard a few new developers to supplement the work that we were doing in house just to speed up the process.”

After a lot of sleepless nights, they met their goal and launched the app, which featured products from seven local businesses, oct. 1.

now, Whence has grown to include 42 businesses, including lucky’s market, tigertree, Rowe, thread on Grandview, native Cold Pressed and mission Coffee Co. Every two to four weeks, they’re updating the app with new features and improvements.

As the business grows, smith is working to bring on investors. he’s also hoping to eventually expand into other cities, like lexington, louisville, nashville, Charleston and Cincinnati.

1988: Artist James t. mason begins creating the characters of George seurat’s “A sunday Afternoon on the Isle of la Grande Jatte” for what would become topiary Park.

Web Smith

realIty 1989: the fully enclosed City Center mall replaces Centrum at Capitol south but closes in 2002 due to competition from suburban malls.

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If We DesIgneD DoWntoWn

Piece by piece, Downtown is becoming a more walkable destination neighborhood.

We have some ideas for a few more elements to throw into the mix.

1 Although there is a post office in the federal building at spring and high streets, getting through security on lunch break just isn’t practical.

A storefront post office would be better suited to people who live, work and play Downtown.

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A club-size music venue, 7 along the lines of the metro (Chicago) or the 9:30 Club (Washington, D.C.), would bring more culture to Downtown.

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Bus shelters that 8 include interactive route information and a countdown to the next bus would encourage more people to ride. (And extending Cbus hours wouldn’t hurt, either.)

3 the green space surrounding the statehouse would make a great home for an outdoor ice-skating rink in the winter.

4 Pop-up alley parties would bring life to lynn street in the form of music, local vendors, food and art.

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5 let’s celebrate our historic buildings, like the former madison’s building, which would make a great boutique hotel with a restaurant and a rooftop bar.

1989: Former Central high school is transformed for Son of Heaven: Imperial Arts of China, a traveling exhibition of 225 Chinese treasures. the show loses money and receives public funding to break even.

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Parts of Downtown 9 are plagued with underutilized parking lots, so let’s fill one (or more) with food trucks.

A few more transportation options—like dedicated bike 10 lanes and a streetcar on high street—would encourage more people to ditch their cars, which would help reduce the Downtown traffic and parking crunch.

1992: AmeriFlora, the first international floral and garden exhibition in the u.s., is a 26-week exhibition that operates at a loss in Columbus.

RendeRing: couRtesy columbus dowtown development coRp.; skyline illustRation: ©2015 thinkstock

2 In 2013, Capital Crossroads special Improvement District started the Kickstart Columbus program, which awards selected local businesses a year of free rent in retail spaces near Columbus Commons. We’d like to see a similar initiative fill in empty storefronts along high street, including a bodegastyle convenience store.

last year, the Greater 6 Columbus Arts Council started the Community & street Performer Program to pay street performers. let’s expand the program to showcase even more local talent along this stretch of high street.

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Watershed moment RendeRing: couRtesy columbus dowtown development coRp.; skyline illustRation: ©2015 thinkstock

one of the city’s biggest ideas is underway in Downtown Columbus. The Scioto Greenways project, an instrumental piece of the city’s development plan spearheaded by the Columbus Downtown Development Corp., is transforming Downtown right before our eyes. the project will restore the scioto River to its natural channel while providing us with a world-class park. here’s the breakdown. sciotogreenways.com 1 the green space, which will start to take shape this summer, will do more than beautify Downtown—it will better connect the heart of the city to the scioto Peninsula and Franklinton. City leaders are optimistic this will lead to further investment and development on the west bank of the river.

2 the low-head dam at main street has been removed, allowing the slow-moving, sediment-filled scioto River to return to its natural, more slender channel. the land reclaimed from the river-narrowing project will become the 33 acres of green space.

3 An additional 1.5 miles of multiuse paths will create connections to the regional bikeway system already in place.

4 A new hardscape—part decoration, part infrastructure—will be constructed on the exterior bend of the river, across from the supreme Court of ohio building. steps leading to the green space will also serve as a scouring wall to ensure the river doesn’t wash away the new soil.

1999: Crew stadium, the first soccer-specific stadium in the u.s., opens north of the ohio state campus.

inspiRation fRom otheR cities:

Downtown Revival

Despite its reputation for glitz and glamour, downtown Los Angeles was a ghost town for the latter half of the 20th century. not so today. thanks to the city-backed Adaptive Reuse ordinance, which incentivized the conversion of historic, vacant structures to housing units, and the creation of a $3 billion sports and entertainment district, downtown lA’s population has nearly tripled in the last 15 years.

1999: CosI relocates to a new facility, designed by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki and incorporating the former Central high school, along the scioto River.

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The Dreamers

Alex BAndAr

founder and Ceo, Columbus Idea foundry

2000: nationwide Arena opens and is later sold to the Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority.

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Dream: Foster innovation through partnerships back in the day, if you had a good idea, you told someone. now, if you have a good idea, you can act on it. Free online education, open-source design software, digital prototyping resources, crowdfunding—it’s essentially facilitating what I’ll call the democratization of design. now everyone is a potential entrepreneur.

What if you could make a buck while doing good as well? We call this a social enterprise: a business which provides a service or a value that has a socially forward component. If there is more of an emphasis on social enterprise, then there will be more businesses that are doing more good— not just lining someone’s pockets but actually affecting social change. If it is making a buck, then it’s self-propagating. [the Columbus Idea Foundry] is an example of a social enterprise. the Franklinton Development Association is a nonprofit. the city granted [a vacant warehouse in Franklinton] to them. then, they casted out for a tenant they thought could bring sidewalk life, art, technology, education, entrepreneurship. they picked us. but they’re seller-financing us the mortgage, so instead of our money going to a bank, our money goes right back to a nonprofit who then disseminates it to the neighborhood. so it’s a private-public partnership, a for-profit, nonprofit partnership.

I absolutely think there’s room for more types of these relationships [in Columbus]. If there are prospective, socially forward missions that can be monetized, then I see a role of groups like the city or the Columbus Foundation or other organizations to provide some seed money, provided that the organization then gets on its feet and stands on its own. And I would like to see more of that. I would like to see cities, philanthropic groups and venture capitalists embracing the designer-asconsumer or consumer-as-entrepreneur model, where if you have a good idea, and there is a root to make a few bucks for it, then we’ll seed you. If you produce a community that fosters innovations, creativity, businesses, technology, then that becomes your city vibrancy; that becomes the draw to bring other people in. —As told to Michelle Sullivan

2002: In homage to Columbus’ 1888 arches (hence the Arch City nickname), 17 lED-lit arches illuminate the short north.

guItar photo: ©2015 thInkstoCk

Build a Midsize Music Venue While reporting our December 2014 cover story about Columbus’ thriving jazz scene, we learned many area musicians long for a middle ground between the city’s big and small stages (think the CAPA theaters versus bars like Dick’s Den, respectively). It’s not that these venues aren’t appreciated; musicians simply want more varied opportunities—something between a $60 advance ticket and a $5 cover charge. And we, as concertgoers, couldn’t agree more. late this summer, notes, a basement music club, is slated to open inside a 2-story building near the corner of high and hoster streets in the brewery District, says bob breithaupt, drummer of the Columbus Jazz orchestra and former director of the Jazz Arts Group. the venue will host jazz, blues and singer-songwriter music, as well as offer full food and bar service. breithaupt, who is vice president of entertainment for the project, says notes’ state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems will be among the best in the midwest. “For a community of 1.8 million, we need more spaces, plain and simple,” he says. “this is going to be a tremendous addition to Columbus.”

Our Two Cents

2004: the buffalo Destroyers relocate to Columbus before the American Football league folds.

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The Dreamers

Dream: Raise the bar for design and architecture We have what can be built upon: an innovative design and creativity culture. We have to have a higher aspiration. We settle for good enough, and for great places, good enough is never part of the conversation; it’s always what’s best. look at the mayor’s big ideas for Downtown Columbus. that they’re actually being implemented is a huge deal. he’s been the galvanizing force, but the business community said, yes, we believe in this, too. I look at that bridge over main street. the mayor caught so much crap for that because it was so expensive. Guess what? you’ve got an icon.

When people imagine a place where they want to work and live, they project themselves into a place like that. We’re doing that really well strategically. but on a tactical level, some of the development could be better. there’s a lot of architecture that’s just fulfilling one goal. If it’s housing, all the building is doing is putting people in it and a facade on it and calling it a day. you’re not acting like a great city when you do that.

We should embrace our newness. We talk about ourselves as smart and open and progressive. If you put your money where your mouth is, the design of your physical environment will be a lot more engaging.

Anyone who’s a CEo at any of our major corporations travels all over the world, and I feel like sometimes they come back and, even though they think something is great in montreal or san Francisco, they think that’s not us. If you want to get the people you are losing to those cities, we need to be more like that. We’ve got a lot of great things here that we don’t need to be apologetic about that we can build on and make better. our professionals have got to get out more, travel more, learn lessons, come back and apply them. When I travel, I consider it a laboratory. I’m always thinking, “Wow, that’s interesting. how did they get that done?”

—As told to Kristen Schmidt

Michael Bongiorno

Skyline Photo: ©2015 thinkStock

guitar Photo: ©2015 thinkStock

Director anD DeSigner, DeSigngrouP

City-to-Airport Rail the mayor’s Jobs, Expansion and transportation (JEt) task Force In Transit is expected to recommend, among other things, that light rail be considered one part of making Port Columbus International Airport a regional transportation center. the thorniest problems are yet to come: namely, finding money for more studies and, eventually, construction of a Downtown-to-airport street-grade rail line. “more of these projects are strong public-private partnerships,” says steve Campbell, the city’s director of regional growth initiatives. “the private sector understands that more of the population is interested in living in or near Downtown and less interested in needing a car to get around. We definitely think there’s a trend toward more support.”

2004: the I-670 Cap connects the short north to Downtown with restaurants and retail above the highway.

inSPiration from other citieS:

Design & archiTecTUre

New York City’s high line is a darling of advocates of good design, public-private partnerships and innovative public space. In 1999, two neighborhood residents formed Friends of the high line to advocate preserving a 23-block stretch of defunct commercial train tracks perched above the lower West side of manhattan. today, the high line is an enormously popular public park lined with a walkway, green space and public art.

And it’s had the echo effect of spurring development in surrounding neighborhoods.

2007: Federally funded streetcars appear in moRPC’s plan as a priority for 2011 but don’t make it to fruition.

2009: Penn national proposes hollywood Casino be built Downtown. In 2012, it opens in west Columbus.

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Dream: Create more supportive housing

ooo

The Dreamers

homelessness is complex; there’s not one person or entity that could tackle it. At the yWCA, we think the solution is not about changing the skyline of Columbus, but rather its landscape. Currently, fair-market rent in Columbus for a 2-bedroom apartment is $720 a month. to afford that, you’d have to be working a job earning $15.50 an hour for 40 hours a week. the minimum wage in ohio is $7.95, which would mean a 78-hour work week*—the math just doesn’t work. Creating more supportive and affordable housing is a simple solution. through our women’s residency program, we serve the city’s most vulnerable women, 100 percent of whom have been chronically homeless. because of our supportive housing, we’re able to move 95 percent on to independent living. there are enough statistics to say this works—the yWCA’s family center is already a national model. but we want Columbus to serve as a model in a bigger, more holistic way, with the creative and tech communities, entrepreneurs, the city, everyone engaged in the problem. supportive housing comes with services. It teaches the homeless how to budget their money, take care of the family, take care of the apartment.

We’re dealing with generational poverty, and our neighbors need help learning how to grocery shop on a budget, cook in a healthy way. think about how much you’d have to work to afford that fair-market apartment; it doesn’t leave much time or money for activities. If you can take housing insecurity out of the equation, vulnerable individuals can get their living situations pretty stable. that allows them to get jobs that make sense for them; it allows them the opportunity to go to college or to earn a certificate that will help them make more than minimum wage. homeless adults and families cost the community a minimum of $35,000 per person a year through the disproportionate use of ambulances, emergency services, the fire and police department. Permanent supportive housing costs the community about $13,000 a year. Providing this population with supportive housing is a cost savings for the community and elevates them out of survival mode. —As told to Jenny Rogers

Elfi Di BElla

President and Ceo, YwCa Columbus

*Based on a budget model that recommends individuals spend less than 30 percent of their gross income on housing

2010–2011: A green space to replace City Center, Columbus Commons hosts 300,000 visitors in its first year.

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2011–2012: two new bridges encase the scioto mile, a collection of fountains, benches and walkways along the scioto River.

Dream: start small with a specific cause to market the city

Gay Games Columbus is emerging as the lGbt capital of the midwest—so what better next step than to host the world’s biggest lGbt sporting event? the quadrennial games were held in Cleveland and Akron, ohio, last August, drawing 10,000 athletes from more than 60 countries.

Tony Tanner

The Dreamers

Become a Host City by making waves in the 2016 Democratic national Convention site race, Columbus proved it has what it takes to become a host city. here are a few extravaganzas we want to welcome to Central ohio.

Our Two Cents

If there’s a segment of the population that finds what you’re saying interesting, you can start an effective grassroots, social media campaign for any sort of cause. Experience Columbus looks at the big picture, and that makes sense. It’s mass-marketing. but it’s the enthusiasts’ job—people like me, or Cheryl harrison from Drink Up Columbus, or Crave—to talk more in-depth about the small, specific things in Columbus and capitalize on them. If Experience Columbus decided to advertise a brewery trail, I would say, “oK, how can we help?” the majority couldn't care less about Columbus beers, but every single one of my followers (@ centralohiocraftbeer on Instagram) does. Getting those two groups together creates a real interest.

I’ve had conversations with people who’ve never been here: “I’ve been there, but only through the airport.” Well, we’ve gotta do something about that! We’ve got thousands of people at ohio state, for example, and if we want those smart, good people to stay in Columbus, we have to give them a reason to. Getting into their world now pays dividends 10 years from now from when they’re getting married and having kids. the marketing needs to be focused on what we have here that’s cool—people don’t want to go to boring places. once we determine what we love about the city, we can start telling the story of Columbus.

It’s going to take time. It’s going to take several movements, like stone2Cbus, that become more than just a social media presence. We have to give people a reason to come here, but once they’re here, they’ll make a return trip. And the more organic and sincere it is, the better. the slogan, or whatever it is that makes it sound cool, still has to have the genuine article in it. or else you’ll never see these people again, ever. the bottom line to this thing is, get the heart, and the mind will follow. —As told to Tristan Eden

founder of Stone2CbuS and deputy Chief of Staff for State auditor

flag photo: ©2015 thinkStoCk

ooo

InstItute for HealtHcare Improvement conference over the last 20 years, this patient safety organization has emerged as a leading influencer of health-care practices across the globe. Central ohio’s burgeoning health care industry—whose major systems spent $2.7 billion on expansions in the last five years alone—makes Columbus a natural pick. nHl WInter classIc We just hosted All-star Weekend; now let’s move the cannon outdoors for pro hockey’s biggest attraction (recent tV ratings have topped those of the stanley Cup). ohio stadium would be an idyllic stage. And, if it’s filled to its 104,000-plus capacity, attendance would rival that of the record-setting 2014 Winter Classic in Ann Arbor, michigan. men’s ncaa fInal four nationwide Arena has hosted early-round men’s tournament games periodically since 2004. the women’s Final Four is already on the docket for 2018, so let’s check this off the list, too.

2012: A citywide bicentennial celebration leads to initiatives to try to attract the Women’s Final Four nCAA tournament and the Democratic national Convention to Columbus.

2014–2015: A dam removal in the scioto River is designed to improve water quality and drive economic development Downtown, with a focus on Franklinton.

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Twenty-five years have failed to dim the triumph and glory of James “Buster” Douglas’ masterful dismantling of Mike Tyson in a boxing ring in Japan. Relive the fight, its tragic run-up and its glowing aftermath through the voices of the people who were there.

U N D I S P U T E D

By Anthony Dominic Photos By tessA Berg

James Douglas is Dancing.

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“I’m fine, I’m fine,” he’d insist. “Ima kill this guy.”

McCauley walks over to Douglas and puts a hand on his shoulder.

“How do you feel?” he asks over the music.

Douglas keeps bouncing. A slight smile.

“Ima kill this guy, J.D. Ima kill this guy.”

Moments later, McCauley and Johnson are whisking Douglas to the ring. It feels more like floating. The whole Douglas posse, in matching black coats and red hats, is shouting, fistpumping, almost galloping. To most of the 40,000 in attendance, it’s a cute scene; Douglas and his team are the only ones who don’t believe he’s trotting to his execution.

Public Enemy sounds over the loudspeakers, and Tyson emerges in a tattered white shirt. Word near ringside is the champ has been pounding the wall in his dressing room with his fists for the last 30 minutes. The same story circulated before his knockouts of Larry Holmes and Michael Spinks two years earlier; the latter took 91 seconds.

Tyson enters the ring and paces behind promoter Don King and trainer Aaron Snowell. A Japanese boxing commissioner tries to present the champ with a “Joe Louis heavyweight superbelt,” but Tyson turns his back to the man, whom King begins waving away. They’re not interested. There’s a get-in-and-get-out vibe among the Tyson camp. Snowell and his assistants didn’t even bring an enswell and ice to treat cuts. They won’t need them.

“All right, fans, here we go,” ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr. trumpets. “This is it. The main event scheduled for 12 rounds of boxing. Introducing to you the challenger on my right in the blue corner. He’s entering the ring wearing white trunks with red trim and fighting out of Columbus, Ohio. … Please welcome the challenger, James ‘Buster’ Douglas!”

A modest reaction from the otherwise hushed crowd.

“And his opponent, the defending champion on my left, really needing no introduction the world over …”

Douglas gazes off into the black of the arena.

“Had I not been in the ring, had somewhere to go to explode, no telling where I’d be,” he says. “And I had every reason to go out and put on some bullshit performance. People would have said, ‘Well, I understand, man. I don’t know how many people could do that after that happens.’ I didn’t want that to be my legacy to her—like I was unable to continue because she passed. She wasn’t that type of woman, and

she wouldn’t have allowed me to be like that.”

The two men are toe to toe in the center of the ring. Douglas looks through Tyson’s unwavering glare. Fear was the champ’s weapon as much as his punching power and hand speed. But what did Douglas have to fear? The worst had already happened.

“Gentleman, remember the dressing room instructions,” referee Octavio Meyran says. “Shake hands, and good luck both.”

HBO commentator Jim Lampley, stationed ringside, makes one last proclamation about the challenger: “He would shock most of the world if he could make it into the middle rounds.”

Dinggggggggggg.

The fighters charge, Douglas from the left, Tyson from the right, whirling counterclockwise.

It wasn’t always easy for James Douglas to be his father’s son. Bill “Dynamite” Douglas, a rockhard middleweight and light-heavyweight in the 1960s and ’70s, had a light-switch temper and an unbridled desire to win, no matter the cost. “You don’t say much to Bill Douglas, else you come in with your hands up,” Douglas says.

“He was a pistol. An intense guy.”

Bill was the boxing trainer at Blackburn Community Recreation Center on Columbus’ East Side. When Douglas was 10, his dad began training him as an amateur. But by the time he was 15, he was focused on football and basketball at Linden-McKinley High School, eventually leading the basketball team to a state championship in 1977. It wasn’t until Douglas was playing ball at Coffeyville Community College in Kansas that he started to miss the heavy bag.

“You’d be depending on other guys,” he says of basketball. “And of eight of the top players that played, four would show up. The other four had something else on their mind, and you’d come up short. That’s what drew me back to boxing. Because it was a one-on-one thing.”

When he told his dad he wanted to turn pro in 1981, Bill was ecstatic. Naturally, he became his son’s trainer. But the results were mixed. Douglas didn’t respond to Bill’s methods. After dropping a couple fights to less-than-stellar opponents, Douglas visited his uncle, J.D. McCauley, also a retired boxer. He needed change.

photos: top left, tsugufumi matsumoto/ap; top right, sadayuki mikami/ap

He should be sitting, relaxing, meditating, but he’s bouncing around his Tokyo Dome dressing room to a blaring boombox. The red and white tassels on his shoes bob in rhythm to the hip-hop beats as sweat begins to fleck his rangy 6-foot-4-inch frame. The 29-year-old is in the best shape of his life. He knows it, and his team knows it. In nine years as a professional boxer, Douglas’ fighting weight has seesawed between 208 and 260 pounds. This afternoon, the former college basketball player is at a taut 231. His body language, loose and lively, radiates cool.

At a glance, you’d never know he’s moments from a championship fight against “Iron” Mike Tyson, the 23-year-old king of the heavyweight division, whose professional record had improved to 37-0 the previous July following his 93-second knockout of Carl Williams. You’d never know, just the day before, that Douglas had been injected with penicillin to combat bronchitis, the flu and swollen tonsils. You’d never know the mother of his son had recently been admitted to an American hospital with a potentially fatal kidney ailment. And you’d never know his mother and best friend, Lula, had died 23 days ago in her Linden home following a hypertension-induced stroke.

From across the room, J.D. McCauley eyes his nephew. Since leaving behind a job loading tractor-trailers to train Douglas some seven years ago, this is the day they’ve been working for, waiting for, and here it is, unfolding in a haze of surreality.

In the six months leading to this mild February afternoon, Team Douglas didn’t misstep, McCauley’s sure of it. The trainer’s mind wanders to their camp back in Columbus, to his daily runs with Douglas in Sharon Woods, to the high-octane sparring sessions with pro boxers like James Pritchard and Fred Whitaker.

“He did everything that a trainer, a manager, a coach could ask for,” McCauley says of Douglas.

It didn’t matter no one gave Douglas a chance in hell at beating Tyson; McCauley and Douglas’ manager, John Johnson, were convinced their fighter had the physical talent and mental discipline to do what 37 others couldn’t.

Yet, there was the weight. The shakable weight that couldn’t been seen, couldn’t be touched. And it was heavy on Douglas’ heart and mind. It had to be.

Nearly every day since his mother’s death, Johnson posed the same question to McCauley: “What do you think?” Translation: Do we call this off? Day after day, Douglas would dismiss the notion.

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photos: top, dispatch archive

As of February 1990, 33 of Mike Tyson’s 37 wins had been by knockout. His title defenses, when averaged, lasted no longer than five rounds. James Douglas was a 42to-1 underdog going into their fight.

Douglas comes from a family of athletes. His father, Bill, and uncle J.D. were both pro boxers, and his aunt Peggy was a member of the Columbus RoadRunnners softball team.

McCauley always believed there was something special about Douglas. The kind of something that could propel him to the top of the sport.

“Buster wasn’t just a boxer; he was an athlete,” McCauley says. “He could do anything—he could play tight end. But the one thing he could do better than anything else was box. He’d been sitting around that gym his whole life watching his dad. See, everybody don’t understand that.

When you’re that age, guess what you’re doing while you’re watching? You’re learning.”

He pauses. A deep breath.

“Only thing with Buster was he was lazy. And you have to separate the two. It came so easy to him; he had to work harder to keep his edge.”

McCauley knew he could help his nephew, but he was reluctant to accept the gig. It would create tension with Bill, he knew, with whom McCauley, at the time, was the best of friends.

So he visited Lula, his sister, for advice. Unlike her husband, Lula was known to be a kind, patient woman, the voice of reason in the often chaotic Douglas household.

“At first, I really didn’t want to do it,” McCauley says. “But [Lula] said, ‘Just go ahead and do what Buster wants. I’ll take care of Bill; don’t worry about it.’ ” Bill wouldn’t be expelled from the corner, though, so McCauley knew he’d need help. He called an old friend, John Johnson, a former assistant football coach at Ohio State under Woody Hayes. Douglas met Johnson at his house to discuss their new strategy.

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“Buster’s always been more comfortable around kids than adults,” says Douglas’ manager John Johnson. “He loves kids.

It’s just his personality. He’s a really laid back, kind, gentle person.”

it on the floor between us and said, ‘This is what we’ve got.’ And there was nothing on that plate.

‘But if you listen and pay the price, someday you’ll be champ, and that plate will be full.’ ” McCauley and Johnson threw out Douglas’ old training routine and started over. Uncle and nephew started running through Sharon Woods at 8 o’clock every morning, rain or shine.

McCauley also hired a professional weight lifter to oversee Douglas’ strength training. Johnson, tapping connections at Ohio State, even retrieved workout regimens designed for the football team’s offensive linemen.

“We had Buster doing wind sprints, 40-yard dashes and all the stuff those guys had to do,” McCauley says. “It was crazy, but it worked. It changed everything.”

A string of victories earned Douglas a high-profile fight against undefeated Tony Tucker in Las Vegas in May 1987 for the vacant International Boxing Federation heavyweight title. But in the months leading to the fight, Douglas’ corner unraveled. Bill had tired of Johnson and McCauley’s influence over his son. He wanted to be in control. He wanted to see that his son achieved everything he never did—but it would happen his way. Douglas remembers a lot of shouting matches, a lot of tension in the gym.

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“Bill figured he knew more than both of us,” Johnson says. “Which he probably did.

But it became a very, very volatile situation.

He was involved, then he wasn’t; he was, and then he wasn’t. You never knew when something was going to blow, and it was horrible going into the Tucker fight. I think it really affected [Douglas] big time emotionally.”

Come fight time, McCauley and Johnson were seated ringside. Bill was working the corner.

Starting with a right-left combo that stunned Tucker late in the fifth round, Douglas controlled the action. Going into the ninth, unofficial HBO scorer Harold Lederman had the bout tied on points. Commentator Larry Merchant had Douglas ahead. About a minute into the 10th, Douglas was caught with a swift right hook and stopped blocking. After about 30 seconds of punishment, referee Mills Lane called the fight, giving Tucker the win by technical knockout. Most analysts said Douglas simply ran out of gas.

He says he was distracted.

When he got home, Douglas sat down his entire family, Bill included,

and explained why he had to move on without his dad in his corner.

“There was yelling and screaming all the time, and I was in the middle,” Douglas says.

“And after I told him [that he was out], he said, ‘You know you’re gonna be by yourself; nobody’s gonna be there to help you.’ And I said, ‘I know that, but I’ve been raised by you, so I’ll be a’ight.’ ” For the next two years, Douglas had to dive back into the pit, as he puts it, proving

himself all over again. With new focus and a doesn’t have a chance.’ Tyson was so into the unified corner, Douglas picked up big wins stratosphere. Unless you was knocking people against contenders Mike Williams, Trevor out in two seconds, it didn’t matter. It was crazy, Berbick and Oliver McCall. the aura he put out. He had everybody fasciMeanwhile, Tucker lost his IBF strap nated with him.” to Mike Tyson, who, after dispatching No matter, Team Douglas was Michael Spinks in 1988 for The Ring convinced they had designed the heavyweight title, became undis- When James Doug- road map, McCauley called it, for puted champion. If you could beat las was born, his dismantling the champ: “Work that Tyson—which was a big “if”—you’d get aunt helen thought jab, and don’t stop in front of him his skin color was every major belt in the division. and let him get off.” lighter than that of By 1989, Douglas—who was ranked his relatives, so she Adds Johnson: “Mike’s greatest No. 2 by the IBF, No. 3 by the World called him “butter.” asset was his hand speed, and his Boxing Council and No. 4 by the his skin darkened worst downfall was his feet or lack World Boxing Association—finally had as he grew, he says, of movement. He was always plantthe full attention of Tyson’s promoter, and the nickname, ed—but Buster could move.”

Don King. A title bout was sched- somehow, evolved Shortly before Douglas left for uled for Feb. 10, 1990, but it would into “buster.” “It just Japan, his mom stopped by his be in Tokyo; no American venues stuck,” he says. “I house near Blendon Woods Metro were interested. Tyson hadn’t been was ‘buster’ from Park. Lula’s girlfriends had been that time on.” beyond seven rounds in three years filling her mind with stories of the and had never been knocked down in monster Mike Tyson who would his amateur or professional careers. pulverize her son. (“Oh, God, Douglas’ record, on the other hand, had blemLula, this kid is an animal. Ooh-wee!” Dougishes. Besides, Tyson was projected to meet No. las remembers.) So she bought a book about 1 division contender Evander Holyfield in late the heavyweight champ, but didn’t appear 1990. The Douglas fight, in King’s mind, would persuaded by what she read. be a warm up.

“Well, how do you feel?” she asks as they sat “ ‘Did he fight King Kong?’ ” Douglas quips down in the living room. about being a Tyson challenger. “ ‘Well, he “Eh, I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know? I told ’em all: ‘Buster’s gonna be all right. Buster’s gonna win the fight.’ ” “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m not worried about this dude, Ma.” “Ah, ’cause you so mean!”

They laugh together. Silence follows.

“You know you gonna be all right,” she eventually says, nodding.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m gonna be all right.”

At lAst, Mike tyson has arrived. Douglas may have controlled eight straight rounds—always moving, keeping the champ at bay with his jab— but a Tyson uppercut, in the waning seconds of round eight, connected with so much force that Douglas felt as if he was pushed off his feet.

Now, the challenger from Columbus, as everyone expected so many rounds earlier, is on his back.

“It was the only time I lost sight, lost focus,” Douglas says of the uppercut. “I stopped fighting and was like, ‘Damn, can you believe this?’

Wanting to look at my work and all. Then … bop! He dropped me.”

McCauley and Johnson are frozen, unsure whether Douglas is actually hurt.

Douglas’ championship run was a team effort. “They knew I had the potential, and they made me believe even more,” he says of J.D. McCauley, his uncle, left, and Johnson, right.

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“ONE. TWO.” The fighter, now propped on his side, smacks the canvas with his glove and yells, “Shit!” His cornermen start breathing again.

“THREE. FOUR.” Douglas is searching for his equilibrium.

He needs to stand on strong, not wobbly legs.

“FIVE. SIX.” Douglas rolls to his knees and begins pushing himself upright.

“SEVEN. EIGHT.” He plants one foot firmly on the canvas.

The other’s coming.

“NINE—” He’s up. Referee Octavio Meyran motions Tyson to continue fighting. The champ rushes toward Douglas but is stopped by the bell. The round’s over.

Douglas drops on his corner stool, and he’s swarmed by McCauley, Johnson and cut man John Russell.

“Are you okay?” McCauley asks.

“Don’t worry about it. I got this. I got him.”

Johnson chimes in.

“Buster, he’s gonna come like hell.”

“I know.”

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guage from across the ring, as if he’s bulking. The momentum is now in his favor.

He’s ready to end this and go home.

“If I went the distance with that fool, he woulda won,” Douglas says. “Those judges weren’t even watching the fight. You had to kill him to get him. That was the only way you was gonna beat Mike.”

Dinggggggggggg.

The champ, as expected, comes out swinging. Douglas is quick to clinch when Tyson, the smaller fighter, gets close—a strategy that has frustrated Tyson the entire fight. About 30 seconds into the round, Douglas starts throwing lefts and rights. They’re connecting, and Tyson’s backpedaling.

“I started cracking him, bapbap-bap,” ,” Douglas says. “ ‘Let’s go back to where it was. That was your moment; now I’m back.’ ” Now Tyson’s clinching—out of necessity. The fighters break, and Tyson buckles Douglas with a left cross.

“Neither man playing much defense at this moment,” Jim Lampley calls at ringside. “They are just trading

shots. … This is high drama, and the crowd here is greeting it by and large with stony silence.”

“Probably disbelief, Jim,” Larry Merchant says.

Two minutes in, Douglas starts unloading to the head and body. Tyson stumbles into the ropes near his corner. They’re all that’s keeping him afoot.

photos: top, Ken Chamberlain/dispatCh file; bottom, Jeff hinCKley/dispatCh file

“A good offense is a good defense,” Douglas says of his boxing philosophy. “You have to create shots. Just going out focused and letting your hands go, not sitting back and waiting.”

photos: top, Ken Chamberlain/dispatCh file; bottom, Jeff hinCKley/dispatCh file

Meyran separates the two, and the action resumes in the center of the ring—for a moment. A flurry of lefts and rights sends Tyson reeling and, again, he clinches.

Thirty seconds left. Meyran intervenes and the fighters recalibrate. Fifteen seconds.

Douglas cracks Tyson with a right hook. The champ’s just trying to survive the round.

Ding ding ding ding ding.

“The most action-filled, heavy-punchingexchange round of Mike Tyson’s career,” Lampley proclaims.

As Douglas takes a breather, Tyson’s corner is focused on the champ’s left eye. After eating jabs for nine rounds, it has swollen shut. Trainer Aaron Snowell has been trying, unsuccessfully, to combat the swelling with a water-filled latex glove.

“Tyson, you could count his punches,” McCauley says. “One, two, three, and he’d throw. That beat, Buster had that rhythm, and he was wearing him out with it. Every time he’d go one, two—Buster would hit him with a jab.”

When the bell sounds for round 10, the champ’s still on his stool, slow to rise. When they meet, he fires a vengeful right hook. Douglas absorbs the blow and ties up.

“He wasn’t strong,” Douglas says. “When I tied him up, he didn’t try to get out; he waited for the ref. But he was still fast and hit hard.”

The fighters wrestle and separate about a minute into the round. Douglas pumps his left jab. Tyson’s not throwing back. His gloves, once instinctively glued to his nose, are drooping. An uppercut finds Tyson’s chin and rattles his core. This is Douglas’ chance, he knows, and maybe his only one. He attacks with a left-right-left, and the crowd clamors. Tyson collapses into Douglas’ corner, his mouthpiece popping out and onto the canvas.

“ONE. TWO. THREE.” lookThrough a fog, Tyson’s look ing for his mouthpiece.

“FOUR. FIVE. SIX.” He’s on his knees, trying to pick it up with his gloves.

“SEVEN. EIGHT. He’s grabbing Meyran’s leg.

“NINE—” Meyran waves his arms and embraces Tyson.

McCauley’s vaulting the top outrope, screaming, arms out stretched. Douglas, panting After returning from Japan, Douglas was honored by a crowd of 25,000 in front of City Hall on Feb. 17, 1990.

days a week, he trains children, teens, adults and sweat-soaked, raises his arms as high as and a small group working through a drug they’ll go. His cornermen are wrapped around rehabilitation program. Last summer, one of him. The ring is filling with bodies. his amateur fighters made it to the champion“Ladies and gentleman,” Jimmy Lennon Jr. ship bout of the Ohio State Fair’s annual boxannounces. “The winner by way of knockout ing tournament. And in December, he hosted and new heavyweight champion of the world— the Thompson’s first amateur event, attracting James ‘Buster’ Douglas.” dozens of boxers from around the state.

Merchant, microphone in hand, makes his “I used to dream about this, man,” way to Douglas from ringside. he says with wide eyes and a bright “Why did it happen, James?” grin. “ ‘This is like a reward, really, to “ ’Cause I wanted it.” me. I remember seeing my dad with “But why did you win this fight on June 25, 1971, J.D. mcCauley the kids at Blackburn and how they that nobody on this planet—” gravitated toward him, how he was “My mother. My mother. God bless fought muhammad Ali in an a dad to a lot of them, too. I get that her heart.” exhibition match now. I love getting up every day and at hara Arena in working with them. I find myself, on Dayton, ohio, the weekends, thinking about what with Joe louis as Merchant said it best after the fight: the guest referee.

I’m gonna do with them next week.

“Suddenly, Mike Tyson, perceived Ali’s boxing license It’s good therapy all the way around, as this giant monolith, has been had recently been for me as well. As long as my health reduced to being another heavy reinstated—it had is good, I’m gonna stay here forever.” champ who got defeated.” After los- been stripped four Douglas, McCauley and Johning to Douglas, he would go 13-5 in years earlier for his son remain close. Johnson, 70, still refusal to enlist in his remaining bouts, with two notrains fighters under his Coach Boxthe Vietnam War— contests, before retiring in 2005. and he was taking a ing banner. He recently negotiated a In interviews, Tyson often calls the promotional tour of contract to adapt Douglas’ story for a fight against Douglas the best perfor- the country, fightHollywood movie. mance of his career.

“We had some great victories ing largely unknown In turn, 1990 was the year of Bus- opponents. Ali and devastating losses, but we termania. He returned from Japan won the rounds, never gave up,” Johnson says. “We to find his house decorated and but he was more made history together, and you his city proud. He was honored focused on louis can never change that.” with a parade through Downtown than mcCauley, McCauley, 69, left the sport the fighter-turnedColumbus and a one-of-a-kind state trainer remembers altogether in 2000. license plate from Gov. Dick Celeste with a laugh. “It “My wife would kill me if I startthat read “KO 10”. He appeared on was crazy because ed talking about it again,” he says. the cover of Sports Illustrated with they got along but “Ain’t no way. I just knew when I the headline, “Rocky Lives!,” made was always at each pulled away from it, I pulled away talk show appearances with Johnny other about who from it.”

Carson and David Letterman, guest was the best fighter, Still, McCauley thinks of the fight refereed a World Wrestling Federa- always picking at often, sometimes choosing to live in tion match between Hulk Hogan each other.” that moment, to tap into those emoand Randy Savage and was even the tions. Twenty five years later, they’re face of Sega’s “James ‘Buster’ Douglas still potent. When asked to talk about Knockout Boxing” video game. it, his eyes well with tears.

In October 1990, following a brief Las Vegas“I don’t think there was ever a feeling that based training camp coordinated by his father, could compare to that,” he says slowly. “But Douglas would lose his undisputed heavyyou know what’s so amazing about it? It hapweight title to Evander Holyfield, electing to pened, and you know it happened, but at times retire after the fight. After a life-threatening it seems like it didn’t happen. Like it’s a dream. diabetic episode, Douglas would shape up and It seems like it was yesterday. In the same way, come out of retirement in 1995, fighting six it’s been so long ago—was I really in Japan? Did more times before retiring for good in 1999, I see that?” the year his dad died of colon cancer. His proHe pauses. Then a smile. fessional record stands 38-6-1.

“King was talking about, ‘Y’all were lucky.’ We Today, you’ll find Douglas, now 54, in the wasn’t lucky. We was good.” boxing gym of the Thompson Community Recreation Center on Dennison Avenue in VictoriPostscript: In 1993, the city dedicated the Lula an Village. After the renovated facility reopened Pearl Douglas Recreation Center on Windsor in June 2014, Douglas took up Mayor Michael B. Avenue, a 24,000-square-foot facility for neighColeman’s offer to run its boxing program. Five borhood children.

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Faith Mission resident Lawrence Crummie

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for Now At FAith Mission’s eMergency shelters For hoMeless people, every iMAginAble spAce is being used to house one, two, three More people who Might otherwise spend the night in the brutAl eleMents oF A Midwestern winter. Meet soMe oF the people who cAll FAith Mission’s shelters hoMe, At leAst For the tiMe being, And the people working to get theM bAck on trAck.

By Michelle Sullivan PhotoS By teSSa Berg

I

n an old 3-story building tucked between a church and an empty storefront on Long Street Downtown, a woman, dressed comfortably in jeans and a loose sweater, her thick hair pulled into a tight ponytail, pushes a rolling mop bucket across the tile floor. She rests the back of her hand against her forehead as she waits for the large common room to empty of the women who had filled it, sitting around tables or lounging on couches set in front of a small TV. Her face is restful, but her eyes are worried. One by one, 40-some women file up a narrow stairway, some entering directly from the cold November air in puffy coats, stomping their feet to shake the chill. Sounds of idle chitchat and laughter grow fainter with the footsteps that carry the women upstairs. On the second floor, snug dormitorystyle rooms contain bunk beds, small closets and cubbies to share. Suitcases are shoved under beds. Overstuffed bags, often filled with the owner’s every belonging, are tucked into corners. The doors remain open as shelter employees count those who will stay overnight.

It’s just before 8 p.m., curfew at Nancy’s Place, a homeless shelter for women. The 24-hour emergency shelter, run by Faith Mission through Lutheran Social Services, is always at capacity. Year-round, the shelter houses 46 women, though that number increases in winter when they squeeze additional mattresses inside to accommodate more people. This year, they added six beds.

If a resident doesn’t show up to claim hers by curfew, it’s given to another woman on a

waiting list that’s kept at adult homeless shelters throughout Columbus. There are always names on that list, which grows longer as the weather grows colder. Chores, like sweeping the floors and cleaning the kitchen, are divvied up among residents at Nancy’s Place.

Tonight, it’s Shalanda Jones’ turn to mop.

If this were a typical night just two weeks earlier, Jones wouldn’t be mopping this floor.

She’d be cleaning the apartment she shared with her husband and 12-year-old son in Clearwater, Florida. Mere days ago, she slept in a bed in her own room, where she hung her clothes in a closet. She cooked meals for her family in the kitchen. She could leave her makeup on the counter in her bathroom, beside her toothbrush and hairbrush. She had privacy. Now, on this cold near-winter night, Jones is homeless.

She’s been in Columbus only nine days. She says she and her husband were enticed by an opportunity to make more money in a less expensive city. Her husband’s uncle lives in Columbus and “knew a guy” who could get her husband a job in a warehouse that paid more than his factory job in Florida. The job, the uncle said, paid $16 an hour. So the couple used what little money they had saved up to buy one-way plane tickets to Columbus. They left their son with Jones’ mother in Florida.

They each brought a suitcase of clothes. Her husband would start his new job, and she’d find a job as a nurse’s assistant like the one she had in Florida. They’d find an apartment, and then their son would join them.

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Faith Mission cook supervisor Charita Cash

according to estimates the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development released last fall, the number of homeless families in Columbus has increased. The city’s homeless shelters are a valuable stopgap, providing temporary emergency housing to those in need. Faith Mission has been providing shelter and food to homeless people since 1966, when three churchgoing men saw other men sleeping outside and invited them inside for soup and a place to sleep. Since then, the mission has grown to include three adult shelters and a kitchen that serves three meals a day, every day of the year—the only shelter in Franklin County with the resources to do so—to anyone, no questions asked. From the day they enter the shelter, residents work with caseworkers to find an apartment, land a job and get back on track.

With winter upon us, we wondered what life was like inside the old, brick buildings that serve as Faith Mission shelters, for both the homeless who depend on them to stay safe during the harshest months of the year and the employees who keep them running.

We spent time inside these crowded, busy havens—in the quieter hours of morning, during meal times, before bed—and got to know the people inside. These are some of their stories.

A

A knock on the door just five days after they landed threw a wrench in that plan. A stranger delivered the news: The uncle had an outstanding warrant for his arrest and had been picked up by the police. He was headed to jail. His landlord let the couple stay the night but told them they needed to leave the next morning because they weren’t on the lease.

“I felt like my stomach dropped down to the floor,” Jones says, leaning against the mop. “We were basically thrown to the wolves. We’re stuck here. No place to go, no return ticket.”

A neighbor told them about Faith Mission, which also operates two men’s shelters, two community kitchens and a free medical clinic Downtown. Her husband was 68

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placed in an open bed at one of the men’s shelters, just a few blocks from Nancy’s Place. Jones slept on a mattress on the floor the first night, but a bed opened up the second. It’s hers for the next 30 days—longer, if she needs it.

This was reality for more than 12,000 adults and children in Franklin County last year: One night they had a bed to sleep in, a place to call home. The next, they were homeless, with no one to turn to and nowhere to go. For some, homelessness is a temporary setback. For others, it becomes an unbreakable cycle, the new normal. And the problem is worsening.

While national rates of family homelessness have been steadily decreasing since 2010,

s snow and ice coat sidewalks and benches and bitter winter wind whips through highway underpasses, the need for safe shelter heightens. Faith Mission responds by squeezing more beds into their shelters from mid-October through mid-April. “We don’t get any more space,” says executive director Sue Villilo. “It’s about using the space we’ve got.” They bunk more beds. They lay extra mattresses on the floor. “It’s tight,” she says.

“By February, we’re all a little tense. We’re just ready for spring.”

This winter, Faith Mission added a total of 76 beds. The women’s shelter increased its beds from 46 to 52. The men’s shelter on Sixth Street added 70 beds, increasing their count to 180. Another men’s shelter, on Eighth Street, maintains 110 beds year-round. That means during the colder months, Faith Mission can shelter 342 people. Still, it’s not enough.

“There’s a certain pocket of folks who just don’t make it in shelter for a whole variety of reasons. Often it has a lot to do with mental illness and just being paranoid and fearful,” Villilo says. “Last year, we actually let people sleep in the lobby at night because it was so cold. The rules were: Nobody can hurt anybody.”

Walking the half block from Nancy’s Place to the Sixth Street men’s shelter, Villilo greets everyone she sees. Most are men, huddled in

Homelessness: By tHe numBers

8

Number of homeless shelters that serve adults and families

5,315

A quantitative look at how homelessness affects families in Franklin County Total number of single men and women who stayed at a homeless shelter last year

1,570

a circle, smoking and schmoozing. Others are women headed back from lunch, which is served nearby in Faith Mission’s main building on Grant Avenue. How are you? Did you get something to eat? Some she addresses by name. How did that job interview go? Did you shake that cold? They all seem to know who she is and have something to say. She listens intently and genuinely to everyone.

Inside, she bumps into Chuck, a middleaged man in an oversized Ohio State jacket who’s been living in the shelter for three months and counting—too long, he says.

Today, he’s particularly vexed. Yesterday, a man came by in a pickup, recruiting laborers to lay asphalt. A 12-hour day of backbreaking work should earn him at least $100, Chuck thought as he climbed into the truck bed.

“They gave me $30,” he says as if he still can’t believe it.

This type of scam is common, Villilo says.

Faith Mission often works with employers to place men and women in jobs. If she or other staff members see unauthorized people on the property, trying to take advantage of residents, they ask them to leave. They can’t stop them all, though.

“They’re grown men,” she says. “If they want to go work, we can’t stop them. Sometimes $30 in your pocket is better than nothing.”

Chuck and his caseworker have been trying to get him a steady job so he can find housing. But it’s hard, he says, because of his history; he spent time in jail (he doesn’t elaborate on the details). He won’t be leaving Faith Mission anytime soon, though. His bum knee has finally demanded a replacement. Post-surgery, he’ll be bedridden for as long as six weeks, out of work and probably still homeless.

“We say we’re a 30-day program,” Villilo says. “We want to have an average length of stay of about 30 days.” But it’s case by case.

“For folks who might need a little more time based on the work they’re doing, we can extend their stay beyond 30 days,” she adds.

In some cases—the best cases—people are in and out in no longer than a week.

As soon as someone is assigned a bed at Faith Mission, he or she is connected with a caseworker. The caseworkers, employed by a third party and referred to as navigators, guide clients through job and housing applications and help them access disability or Social Security benefits.

“They’ve gone through a lot to get here,” Villilo says. “When they come in, we want the next thing on their mind to be, ‘What do I need to do to move on?’ ” Staff members play an important role in keeping residents on track. They get to know them and ask about their pasts. They keep them motivated when

Total number of families with children who stayed at a homeless shelter last year

15

Average percent decline in the number of homeless families nationwide from 2010 to 2014

1,614

Total number of homeless people counted on one day in January 2014

79

Percent increase in the number of homeless families in Columbus from 2011 to 2014

Sources: Community Shelter Board and National Alliance to End Homelessness

Betty Abbington at the Faith Mission Community Kitchen

Jasmin Chislum-Bennet at the Faith Mission Community Kitchen

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In days, the average length of stay in adult homeless shelters

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1 day, 7 years: a snapshot of homelessness While the number of homeless people is decreasing nationwide, it’s increasing in Central Ohio. This chart represents the total number of homeless individuals counted in Franklin County on one day in January.

2008 1,341

2009 1,359

2010 1,387

2011 1,418

2012 1,434

2013 1,472

2014 1,614

Source: Community Shelter Board

they grow weary. They’re a friendly face, someone to talk to after a rough day. They listen, and they care.

For shelter manager Henry Bryant Jr., providing a positive voice in a hole of negativity is the most important thing he and his staff members do.

“This is not the greatest situation to be in,” says Bryant, who manages all three shelters.

“So us as staff, we need to keep them motivated and boost them up.”

After years of working in homeless shelters, more than a decade at Faith Mission alone, Bryant has learned homelessness doesn’t discriminate. There are men and women who struggle with drugs and alcohol and go broke

as a result. There are people whose houses burn down who must start from scratch.

There are people who get laid off and can no longer afford their mortgage.

“There are a lot of different things that can put you in this situation, and it can be tough to get out,” he says. “But we have people like myself, our staff that lift you up, bring you out of that funk. To say, ‘You can do it. You’re down right now, but you can come out of this.’”

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hen you’re in the thick of it, it’s hard to see the light on the other side. Once the pieces of Cheryl Bell’s life began to fall like dominos, there was nothing she could do. Now, she spends her days at Nancy’s Place—waiting.

Faith Mission resident Cheryl Bell

Faith Mission employee Delores Bland, right, embraces resident Michelle Hritz.

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“It’s depressing,” says Bell, her walking cane leaned against the chair where she sits. “I’m ready to give up.”

She moved to the homeless shelter on Van Buren Drive in September after her house near Clintonville was repossessed. She grew up in the house, and later, she raised her disabled daughter there. It’s where she cared for her sick father until he died in 2013. Soon after, she lost her job as a medical assistant at a nursing home and couldn’t afford to pay the property taxes. All her belongings remain locked up in a home she can no longer enter.

Her daughter, who was born paralyzed from the waist down and has developmental disabilities, lives in a home for disabled adults. Now that Bell’s father is gone, she has no family—at least none who will talk to her.

“They all turned their back on me when my daughter was born,” Bell says. “They didn’t like her father.” Her daughter’s father, Bell’s now-late ex-husband, was abusive.

Since she had a small stroke a few months ago, she’s had difficulty speaking and remembering and needs a cane to walk. She’s not confident she’ll be able to work again, and she still hasn’t received the disability benefits for which she’s applied. Until she can find a way to pay what she owes in property taxes—about $2,500, she estimates—she’ll be living in the shelter.

She sums up her outlook in one word: “Helpless. It’s really hard to stay positive.”

It’s not all bad, though, she points out. Some women in the shelter become friends, look out for one another. She goes to the kitchen three times a day for warm meals. And the coat she’s wearing—a warm Eddie Bauer puffy coat—was given to her today after a church group donated a truckload of winter coats to Faith Mission.

“So there are good things that happen,” she says.

Dart Montana at the Faith Mission Community Kitchen

D

uring dinner one night, Lawrence Crummie buzzes around the cafeteria like a host at a party. He makes light conversation with other diners as they chow on pulled chicken sandwiches, green beans and macaroni and cheese. He clears tables, tossing used plates in the trash. He delivers doughnuts left over from breakfast, set out with dinner, to raised hands before volunteering for after-dinner cleanup. He’s not one to stay idle.

Back at the shelter, 20 or 30 men congregate around a large TV playing an episode of “Family Feud.” An energetic Faith Mission staff member riles them up, shouting her guesses and egging others to do the same. Hypothetical bets are made. Gloating ensues. This is her intention when she flips the TV set to the game show reruns each night. It’s a way to engage them; they can forget their troubles for a while.

“I’m not a revolving door,” Crummie says from a folding chair in the back of the room.

“A lot of people in here are revolving doors.

They’re content with it. Me, I can’t be content with this type of living environment.”

Crummie has been at the men’s shelter for about a week.

He says he moved here from his hometown, Buffalo, New York, where he worked for the Buffalo Sabres hockey team for 13 years. After work one night, he returned to his one-bedroom apartment near downtown to find the building had caught fire. His thirdfloor unit was destroyed, and so were most of his belongings. But, more significantly, photos of friends and family. Certificates he had earned volunteering for a youth football team.

His high school diploma. Pictures with Sabres players. “A lot of stuff that meant things to me, all that is gone,” he says. “It hurts every day.”

The Salvation Army could have put him in a hotel for a few days, “but then I’d still be in the same predicament.” He decided to move to Columbus, where his grandmother lives, for a fresh start in a city with more opportunity than Buffalo, he says.

Though she offered room in her house, Crummie declined. His grandmother is

“

retired and lives on a fixed income. He didn’t want to be a burden, he says.

“In life, you have to make your own choices; you have to make your own decisions,” he says. “I feel I can do things on my own instead of having to depend on other people.”

Crummie’s caseworker is helping him search for a job. He doesn’t plan to be in the shelter long, he says. In the meantime, he’s fighting to stay positive.

“A low point is the best point of your life,” he says. “When you’re down and out, you appreciate it when you get to the top. That

It requires a lot of effort for a little pay. Suffice it to say, the job requires a certain kind of person. And Delores Bland is just that kind of person.

A mother of eight who lost her husband when her youngest was only 4 years old, Bland has more patience in her pinky finger than most do in their entire body. On any given day, you’ll find her managing the front desk at Nancy’s Place while, all at once, the phone is ringing endlessly, someone is buzzing at the front door, a resident is begging for her assistance and she’s trying to place another in an empty bed. Unfazed, she continues to talk in her calm, slow-asmolasses voice.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Villilo says. “I multitask all day long, but I don’t do it the way [staff members] have to do it. Everything they do —Lawrence Crummie is immediate. It’s like, right now, 16 things.” way, you won’t fall back down again. That’s Residents will tell you Bland has eyes in what I take it as. I keep my spirit up. No matthe back of her head. Judging by her ability ter how I feel, my spirit is always high.” He to always know where everyone is and what says this is his first experience with homethey’re up to, she just might. Her love of peolessness, and it has changed his perspective. ple has kept her working in social services her While he used to plan six months down the entire career. She’s been with Faith Mission road, he now takes life day by day. He doesn’t more than nine years with no plans to retire, take anything for granted. though she’s 72.

“I just take it one step at a time,” he says.

“You have to love people. If you don’t, you “It’ll be an experience that I treasure for the ain’t going to keep with it,” she says without rest of my life. That’s something you can share looking up from her paperwork. “Even on your down the road with somebody.” hardest day, you still have to love them people.”

Hours before the sun rises, while most orking in a homeless shelter is drainpeople are still sound asleep, Charita Cash is ing—emotionally and physically. The in the kitchen at Faith Mission. She’s been the environment is hectic, and it can get tense. cook supervisor for three years and is respon-

a low point is the best point of your life. when you’re down and out, you appreciate it when you get to the top.

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T

T w E h O Faith Mission shelter manager Henry Bryant

sible for preparing breakfast and lunch for hundreds of people each day. (In total, Faith Mission serves an average of 750 meals a day.)

Her day starts at 3 a.m.

Cash is Christian, so the first thing she does is read the Bible to draw inspiration for the day ahead. Then she takes a look at what’s in the pantry and freezer. She’ll check to see what’s been donated since yesterday. Food donations come from schools, families, church groups and elsewhere. They’re sporadic and varying, but they’re always in abundance in the winter.

In fact, about 70 percent of the organization’s annual donations—not only food but also clothes, hygiene products and other supplies—come in the months leading up to the holiday. “The trick is stretching it throughout the next year,” Villilo says.

Cash develops menus on the fly. “It’s just like opening your cabinets up and saying, ‘What do I got?’ You got to get creative.” On really cold days, she tries to serve hot meals, like oatmeal and eggs for breakfast or beef stroganoff for lunch.

Women and families eat first, followed by men. Anyone can eat, no questions asked. The kitchen staff cooks until every mouth is fed.

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Want to help?

Four ways to make a difference:

1 Make a donation to the Community

Shelter Board, a nonprofit organization that oversees funding for homeless shelters, prevention services and more in Franklin County.

2 Donate money directly to one (or more) of 20 local organications that serve the homeless. Find a list at csb.org.

3 Volunteer at a shelter.

4 Donate items like clothing and hygiene

products. For a list of the items in highest demand at shelters, visit csb.org.

“We don’t run out of food. We get low, but we’re not going to run out,” Cash says. “I don’t want them to be hungry. I’m going to do my best to keep something in here for them.”

She knows what it’s like to wonder where your next meal is coming from. Cash was homeless herself for a short time about 10 years ago, when she moved to Columbus from her hometown of Kansas City, Missouri.

She doesn’t share the details of her circum-

stances but says it was by choice, adding she “wasn’t into drugs or anything like that, but God brought me out and I stayed out.” She stayed at Nancy’s Place before moving into an apartment of her own. Understanding the experience of those she serves gives her the strength to get to work early and stay late—up to 16 hours a day during the holidays.

“There’s days I say, ‘Oh, Lord, please, I’m too tired for this,’ ” Cash says. “But these guys have their own thing going on. If I can put a warm smile on their face, it makes me feel great.”

Faith Mission is the only place Villilo has ever worked, she says, where everyone—both the staff and the people they serve—is working toward the exact same goal.

“Coming into work, there’s this team all focused on getting people housed and stable and on with their own lives,” she says. “We see 1,000 people a day here. To feel like that group plus 100 or so staff members are all working toward one goal, that’s very rewarding.”

That goal, and the goal of the other homeless shelters and prevention programs in Columbus, is to put homelessness in the pasts of the people they serve and to make a life of success and stability their new normal.

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Battelle, the enormous but secretive research institute that was founded in Columbus and maintains its headquarters here, has a 75-year history of hiring military veterans. That commitment has paid dividends in recent years as veterans return home from Iraq and Afghanistan to find a supportive employer in Battelle and as the institute develops next-generation warfare technology with the edge of battlefield experience.

By EmilY Thompson

PHOTOS By TEssA BERG

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It was dark that nIght.

So dark that the dim light shining up from the GPS screen into Daniel Loesch’s face felt blinding. He knew it was dangerous to look down at the screen. He wasn’t responsible just for himself, but also for the soldiers he was leading on this mission. Anything could happen in the split second he took his eyes off the battlefield in south Iraq. The consequences could be fatal.

But he needed to get his team to safety, and that glaring screen was his lifeline.

It was 2008, in the midst of the Iraq War. Loesch was a 23-year-old sergeant in the U.S. Army leading a team of about 10 soldiers whose mission was to stop insurgent attacks—most involved snipers or explosives—on villages.

Missions would take them off U.S. bases to a secluded area, where they’d be dropped off in Humvees. After walking to a village and patrolling the area, looking for any signs of insurgents or an impending attack, they would walk to a different discreet location to be picked up.

They were moving fast, covering a lot of ground in a short time. The terrain was difficult to navigate. Just outside a village, they were surrounded by rivers and dense vegetation on one side and desert on the other. Another team was nearby and on call in case they were attacked.

But Loesch could barely figure out where he needed to go—and how would he radio his location to the other team if he didn’t know it?

“You realize, we are vulnerable right now,” he says.

Though he successfully led his soldiers to the pick-up location, the memory of that night stuck with Loesch. In a time when we can remotely control our house thermostats and door locks and use phones to monitor our heart rates, why was the military still using portable GPS units and radios on the battlefield?

“I don’t want to be paying attention to the technology—I want to be paying attention to my guys,” the Mansfield native says.

There had to be a better way. So he invented one.

Seven years later, Loesch is making the rounds at trade shows presenting two technologies he created while interning at Columbusheadquartered Battelle Memorial Institute in fall 2013. Using existing commercial technology, he conceived the ideas for Tactical Augmented Reality Applications (TARA) and Battelle’s Immersive Training Environment (BITE) and worked with other Battelle employees to bring them to life. TARA combines Google Glass and a tablet computer to connect military personnel in the field with their commanding offi76

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cers on base. Instead of being limited to a GPS unit and a radio, soldiers can navigate using the built-in GPS in Google Glass. Without taking their eyes off the battlefield, they can drop a pin at their location and show officers back at base what they’re seeing in real time. They’ll also be able to use the tablet to take quick notes, videos and photos. BITE uses the Oculus Rift headset— designed for playing video games—to create a virtual training environment for soldiers, keeping their skills sharp between missions.

“There were a lot of times [in the Army] when both would have come in handy,” says Loesch, who’s now a full-time research associ-

ate at Battelle while working toward a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at Ohio State University.

One in four people hired into Battelle’s defense technology department is a veteran, says Christopher Hill, director of human resources operations. (Batelle’s definition of veteran includes anyone who served in active duty.) But it’s not a new trend related to the large number of veterans who have returned home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; Battelle has a long history of hiring former military personnel. In fact, about 900 veterans work at Battelle companywide, including 155 in

daniel Loesch with his BItE technology, which uses Oculus rift goggles

Central Ohio alone. Though other companies, especially other defense contractors, employ people with military experience, Battelle’s veteran-hiring mission is amplified by the size and long reach of the institute. The company employs more than 22,000 people at more than 60 locations around the world, including the Columbus headquarters and four other Central Ohio offices.

A significant portion of employee population and leadership, Battelle’s veteran workforce has, in many ways, shaped the work culture there. That workforce reinforces Battelle’s shared values with the military—national security, a strong work ethic and an unmistakable camaraderie—which in turn attracts more veterans. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship, with veterans bringing real-world experience and knowledge of military processes to the defense contractor and Battelle reciprocating with formal and informal support for vets. Though the name Battelle coincidentally resembles military jargon (it’s named after the institute’s founder, Gordon Battelle), sections of the company function as cohesive units, not unlike battalions in the military.

created with the help of veterans, this Battelle robotic submarine was used in the search for the missing malaysian airlines Flight 370.

administration and all our departments have been working on.

“Historically, [Battelle has] been an employer of veterans in this area long before I even got here,” continues McKinney, himself a veteran who’s worked in the department since 2011.

“Battelle is a company that certainly knows the value of hiring veterans and what they can bring to the table in terms of being adaptable and having a strong work ethic.”

Battelle likely started seeking out prospective employees with military experience in the 1940s, when the institute specialized in radioactivity research and worked on the Manhattan Project, says T.R. Massey, a Battelle spokesman.

The company’s veteran workforce continued to grow after World War II, peaking at different points of heightened national security, during the Cold War and after 9/11.

“You know what you’re getting in a veteran in general,” Hill says. “You’re getting someone who is dedicated, motivated, disciplined, highintegrity, hardworking, honest. You’re getting a

Battelle’s commitment to hire people with military experience predates the recent emphasis on veteran employment.

In November 2009, President Barack Obama signed an executive order establishing the Veterans Employment Initiative, which focused on recruiting and retaining veterans for both government and private-sector jobs. Two years later, he signed into law the Returning Heroes Tax Credit, offering incentives to businesses that hire unemployed veterans. State- and local-level governments and nongovernmental organizations followed with initiatives to encourage companies to hire vets, and several corporations—Walt Disney Co., The Coca-Cola Co., Walmart, Starbucks—have publicly committed to employing veterans.

“There are many companies around Ohio right now, both national companies and companies within different regions of the state, more and more of these businesses are recognizing the value of hiring veterans,” says Mike McKinney, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Veterans Services. “It’s the view from inside Bite’s oculus Rift goggles certainly something that Gov. Kasich’s

good employee nine out of 10 times when you hire a veteran.

“A lot of our clients are former service members,” he adds. “So it’s a good, natural interaction.”

Steve Kelly, president of Battelle’s national security business, is also a veteran, with 12 years of active duty as a chemical officer in the Army under his belt. “[Military] people end up here because, first, we have a pretty robust defense-related business, and it tends to be staffed by people who are driven by mission accomplishment.

They’re really driven by impact.

“They also tend to be more outspoken if you’re not doing your job well,” he continues.

“Generally you’re not going to be confused about whether your boss thinks you’re doing a good job or not, and I think that’s important.

They take personal credit for failures, and everybody else gets credit for success.”

Marty Toomajian, president of Battelle’s Energy, Environment, and Material Sciences Global Business, joined The Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) during freshman orientation at the University of Michigan. His dad, who didn’t have fond memories of his time fighting in the Korean War, didn’t want Toomajian to join. But when the recruiters did a rappelling demonstration and told Toomajian they got to shoot rifles, he was sold. He signed up in 1985 for three years of active duty—which turned into nine—and served as a chemical officer.

When he left the Army, the U.S. was getting rid of its stockpile of chemical weapons following the Cold War, and he got a job at Science Applications International Corp. helping dipose of the chemical weapons. Two years later, Kelly, who served with Toomajian, called him recruiting for Battelle’s defense business, and Toomajian started there in 1997. “[In the military], you’re doing things probably 10 or 15 years ahead of what you’d be doing in the corporate world,” Toomajian says. “You FEBRUARY 2015

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get a lot of leadership experience. Because if you’re not a good leader in the military, whether you’re an officer or enlisted, you’re not going to survive; you’re not going to do well. So that expertise helps people when they get out of the service really excel in the corporate world.”

Employing several people who have come through the military also has its challenges.

“For really high-achieving people, they might have never had a substantial failure,” Kelly says. “Because of the level of technology and performance risks we take on, occasionally there are failures, and you may not have run into those depending on where you were in your military career.”

Toomajian says the biggest challenge is getting used to sitting still.

“In the military, you move jobs about every 18 months. So you get used to that constant need for change,” he says. “Battelle is nice because you get the chance to do so many different things.”

Battelle works with and recruits through a number of veteran organizations, like Wounded Warrior Project, Hero 2 Hired and OSU Vets 4 Vets. The company also hosts quarterly workshops for veterans seeking employment at Battelle or elsewhere.

“We just kind of sit one-on-one, and they bring in their resume,” says Lindsey Lappin, a Battelle recruiter. “I always ask them to bring

Jill Harvilchuck in a Battelle lab

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in whatever their dream job would be. And then we help transition their resume from military speak to civilian speak. We answer all their questions, walk them through interview processes, from what to wear, what to say, what not to say, questions to ask, questions that are appropriate to ask, questions that it’s appropriate for the employer to ask.”

Because its national security department is one of the largest pieces of its business—and 73 percent of contracts in this department are with the Department of Defense—Battelle is notoriously secretive (a media relations rep sat in on all the interviews for this story). This has afforded the company an ivory tower image, even in its hometown. But behind the scenes, vets like Loesch, and even reservists who sometimes have military leave, are working to keep military technology on the cutting edge.

A seA of grAy, nondescript warehouses line a street just off Roberts Road near Hilliard. But for a tiny Battelle logo on the door, one building blends in with the rest. Inside, though, a world of top-secret special projects and technology that could have come straight from a James Bond movie unfolds.

Jerry Durham doesn’t say much at first. The mechanical engineer is shy—until he starts talking about his passion: building armored vehicles for the military. This is his dream job.

In 2007, Durham, a Louisville native, was deployed to Afghanistan with the Kentucky National Guard. He was already a Battelle employee at the time, so he was given military leave and returned to work in 2008. (After 10 years of service, Durham left the National Guard as a captain in 2013.)

“Battelle did pick up basically the difference in salary that I didn’t make from my pay in the military, which was awesome,” he says of his leave.

A toxicologist at Battelle, Jill Harvilchuck has felt a similar sense of support. A few times a year, she goes on military leave at Fort Belvoir in Virginia, where she works in a U.S. Air Force unit that combats weapons of mass destruction.

“In my military setting, we can kind of see the big picture of things,” Harvilchuck says.

“And so we can see how what we do here (at Battelle) with regards to looking at protective equipment or decontamination or how well vaccines or antidotes work against those big agents, we can see the big picture of how that fits into what the military’s doing. It’s actually really cool because it gives you a much different perspective on why what we do is important and who it helps.”

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Jerry Durham with an armored truck made for U.S. Special Operations Forces

HIRING HELP

several organizations and agencies advocate for transitioning service members looking for employment. here, we highlight a few.

When Durham returned to Battelle after his deployment, he picked up right where he left off. “I kind of just fell right back into my previous role,” he says. “The experience I got from the deployment was great.”

And, as it turns out, it was a smart investment for Battelle.

“I did get to see vehicles that we had made over there being put to use, being overused or abused, basically,” he says. “You design a product to be used a certain way, but in the military, they’re going to do what they need to do to accomplish a mission.”

When engineers in Durham’s department build an armored vehicle, they start from the ground up. They buy vehicles typical for the areas of the world where they’ll be sent, strip them down to bare bones and build them back up with thousands of new parts that are undetectable from the outside.

Following his deployment, Durham used his firsthand knowledge of the terrain and environment and how the vehicles were being used to help develop Battelle’s next generation of armored vehicles. Each generation has several new features and improvements, some advanced—like special operations vehicles with an infrared lighting technology that allows soldiers to drive in the dark and see without being seen—and some as seemingly simple as windows that can roll down.

“It’s hard to tell, but it’s a really heavy window,” Durham says of a new model. “We designed it to be able to roll up and down, which is not something that really exists outside of Battelle for armored vehicles. Most of them don’t; most of them are fixed.”

He knows from having driven vehicles with fixed windows in Afghanistan. “The windows don’t come down, and the air conditioner doesn’t work,” he says.

“And it’s just so hot.”

Beyond gaining a better understanding of the products his department makes, Durham says his military experience transferred to his job at Battelle in other ways.

“In the military, you don’t work by the hour; you work ’til the job’s done,” he says. “And we kind of have that mentality here. You work until the job is complete.”

Several of his coworkers also have military experience, and they look for that in prospective employees.

While this creates a tight-knit department, it also presents some obstacles.

“It’s different in a civilian sector. In the military, you have a rank system, so if you tell somebody to do something, they do it, no questions,” says Durham, adding he and many of his coworkers have had to adjust to working outside of the rank system.

But they’re all working toward a common goal.

“Everyone has that sense of responsibility to build a product that could potentially save a military person’s life,” he says. “That’s always kind of at the forefront.

You’re designing something, or you’re tightening a nut and bolt, and you just keep that in mind.”

That community-minded sentiment and sense of urgency is echoed in other departments. For Daniel Loesch, it’s a big part of what keeps him at Battelle.

“If I got my pick of working at Apple, working at Google or working at Tesla, I would choose Battelle,” Loesch says. “I have been very fortunate. I’ve gotten to do a lot of technical work. I’ve managed several projects. I’ve gotten to go to conferences.

“There’s a lot of vets here, and it’s a cool brotherhood,” he continues. “There’s a piece of you that misses the military. And it’s cool to have those people to kind of be able to talk to you. It reminds you of the good times.”

Ohio Department of Veterans Services Connects veterans with employers through outreach and online job-search tools. “the leadership of our department has reached out and spoken with over 150 companies in ohio about the benefits of hiring veterans,” says communications director mike mcKinney. dvs.ohio.gov Wounded Warrior Project helps veterans with a physical or mental injury, illness or wound from their service (on or after 9/11) through several programs, including an employmentplacement program woundedwarriorproject.org OSU Vets 4 Vets Provides resources to veterans transitioning to student life at ohio state university vets4vets.org.ohio-state.edu Hero 2 Hired Works to connect national Guard and Reserve members and their spouses with employment opportunities h2h.jobs

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Academic excellence.

Individual passion.

At Village Academy, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about you, benefitting from teachers who truly know you, recognize your interests, and can tell when you are ready for more. Thrive within a supportive global community.

Inspire others through the arts as you sing, dance and declare your spirit to the world.

Belong among friends who celebrate what makes you uniquely you.

Develop without boundaries and in ways you never dreamed at Village Academy.

Space still available in Pre-K through 12th grade. Call today to schedule your tour! 614.841.0050 VillageAcademy.org | 284 S. Liberty Street | Powell, OH 43065 | Connect with us!

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VAgriffins

@Village_Academy

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Independent Learning

Your guide to Central ohio private sChools

By Kristin Campbell Between the start of kindergarten and the end of senior year, the average student will spend more than 18,000 hours in a classroom. those years are fleeting, and many parents put a lot of thought into how to provide children with the best learning environment. For those considering private school, here’s a quick-hit guide to some of the city’s premier private institutions.

The Wellington School

Photo: ©2015 thinkstock

the Wellington school was founded in 1982 by a group of entrepreneurs whose goal was to create the first coeducational, independent school in Columbus. the founders have maintained a connection to the school, and many of their children and grandchildren have graduated from Wellington. Wellington was the first private school in Columbus to offer foreign language classes in its lower school, and all seniors are accepted to colleges of their choice. over the years, Wellington has been home to students from 67 different countries, and its reputation is built on reverence for tradition and innovation. “in a world in which standardization has become the goal, Wellington approaches education differently,” says head of school robert Brisk. “each and every child is unique, and it is our job as educators to help students know their strengths, discover and further their passions and prepare them for the world.” wellington.org Grades served: pre-K through grade 12 Number of students: 668 Average annual cost: $11,200 to $21,425 Curricular philosophy: experiential instruction with exposure to myriad academic topics, the arts and athletics leads to character development, commitment and discovery. Wellington’s educational approach emphasizes active learning and true understanding.

Athletics: 10 sports FEBRUARY 2015

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Columbus Academy

St. Charles Preparatory School

Columbus Montessori Education Center

Founded in 1911, Columbus Academy was one of the first schools in the nation to embrace the “country day” philosophy: a belief that the education process is a cooperative effort between the school and home. Throughout its history, the school has been known as an outstanding college preparatory school and—although it began as a boys-only institution—became coed in the 1990s. At Columbus Academy, there’s a strong focus on character development, which is integrated into all curricular areas. The school offers individualized instruction with an 8-to-1 student-teacher ratio.

“While our history roots us in steadfast values, we offer unmatched opportunities like students taking classes with others around the world via Global Online Academy, teaching reading in the nearby neighborhood center through our service program and creating award-winning inventions in our internationally competitive robotics program,” says head of school Melissa Soderberg.

“Our students are prepared for the future as compassionate leaders.” columbusacademy.org

St. Charles opened in 1923 as the only all-boys Catholic high school in Columbus.

Today, it’s a place where students can learn how to be great thinkers within the context of a Catholic worldview. Although the student body is small (with only 150 in the senior class this year), the school has multiple National Merit semifinalists every year, including seven for 2015. The school prides itself on rigorous academic programs coupled with a distinct Catholic identity. The student body remains all-male and is currently about 18 percent non-Catholic. It’s an ethnically and economically diverse institution.

“Our young men work at the college level and develop a personal relationship with God,” principal Jim Lower says. “What makes us unique is the fact that our students are all boys and our curriculum is college-prep only.

Our students are well-prepared to compete at the next level when they graduate.” stcharlesprep.org

Columbus Montessori was founded in 1984 by three women who sought for other children the same positive educational experience they desired for their own. The school gently encourages children along a road of learning by following the philosophy of Dr. Maria Montessori. Her philosophy—which has been in practice around the world for more than 100 years—is based on scientific observations that show children are naturally eager to learn and will thrive in a supportive, thoughtfully prepared environment. “[What sets us apart is] our inclusive community,” says executive director Jamie Gottesman. “Everyone at Columbus Montessori is respected regardless of origin, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, class, gender or race.” columbusmontessori.org

Grades served: Pre-K through grade 12 Number of students: 1,080 Average annual cost: $9,800 to $22,350 Curricular philosophy: A highly advanced, differentiated, engaging academic program that encourages global thinking, creativity and problem-solving Athletics: 22 sports (grades seven through 12), a low-ropes course and turf fields

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Grades served: Grades nine through 12 Number of students: 618 Average annual cost: $9,390 for members of the Catholic church; $9,700 for others Curricular philosophy: College-preparatory and college-level work based on state standards within a graded course of study approved by the Diocese of Columbus Athletics: 15 varsity sports—including water polo—and club sports like ultimate Frisbee

Grades served: Infancy through grade six Number of students: 235 Average annual cost: $5,000 to $17,000 Curricular philosophy: The Montessori approach includes multi-age groupings that foster peer learning. Younger children learn from older children, and older children reinforce their learning by teaching concepts already mastered.

Athletics: A full-time physical-education teacher but no organized sports

Columbus School for Girls Founded in 1898, Columbus School for Girls (CSG) was designed to replace the traditional

Photo: Ryan M.L. young

The Wellington School

A true sense of self A confidence that empowers A life with no limits

Photo: Ryan M.L. young

At Columbus School for Girls, all girl means unlimited potential.

From preschool through 12th grade www.columbusschoolforgirls.org 614.252.0781

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Columbus Academy

Grades served: Pre-K through grade 12 Number of students: 561 Average annual cost: $11,850 to $20,800 Curricular philosophy: Teachers follow an academically rigorous interdisciplinary curriculum that reflects the latest research in cognitive science, classroom

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practice and learning theory.

Athletics: 10 sports, including field hockey and swimming, which begin in grade two

Village Academy Originally part of the Learning Unlimited International Schools, founded in 1976, Village Academy opened its current campus in Powell in 1990.

The school supports gifted and highly motivated students who desire a rigorous learning environment and offers several college preparatory tracks, including advanced science and math, performing and visual arts and humanities. Students advance through the curriculum according to ability, not age. To date, all Village Academy graduates have been accepted to college. The campus and its programs have grown considerably since the school’s founding. In 2003, after a student-driven request, the school opened the Arts Conservatory, a dedicated space for both visual and performing arts. In 2012, the school opened Griffin Hall, a dedicated pre-kindergarten facility that serves children from 2 to 5 years old.

“The ‘advancement through mastery’ approach to education challenges each student individually,” says dean of faculty and students Tres Marangoni. “Advancing students based on their aptitude by subject matter, rather than by age and grade, ultimately fosters an environment of continuous learning and allows students to pursue their true passions.” villageacademy.org Grades served: Pre-K through grade 12 Number of students: 330 Average annual cost: Varies by grade

Photo: courtesy columbus academy

finishing school with a college-preparatory education for young women. Over the years, the school has built a solid reputation as one of the finest girls’ schools in the nation. While tradition is important at CSG, the school has also been decidedly cutting-edge in many of its practices.

For instance, in 1957, the school made open admissions a matter of policy, at a time when many other schools were clinging to policies of racial segregation. The school now consists of a 10-acre main campus in Bexley, nearby 70-acre Kirk Campus—which houses the school’s athletic facilities—and Cynthia’s Woods, which provides about 100 acres of forest land for student use.

“We are a close-knit community where every child is well-known and challenged to reach her unique potential. We know that girls thrive in an environment that pushes them to think more deeply, to consider possibilities and to stretch their intellectual limits while they are supported by caring adults who know them as individuals,” says head of school Jennifer Ciccarelli. “Who wouldn’t want that for their daughter? CSG girls and alumnae are bold thinkers who express their opinions and contribute to intellectual discourse; these are habits they learn at CSG.” columbusschoolforgirls.org

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Curricular philosophy: Rigorous foundation courses are supplemented by exciting electives that allow students to pursue their own interests while acquiring skills and attributes necessary for college admittance.

Athletics: 10 sports, including track, tennis and cheerleading

Photo: tessa berg

Bishop Watterson High School Opened in 1954, Bishop Watterson was the first coed Catholic high school in Franklin County. The school is named in honor of Bishop John Ambrose Watterson, who served as the second Bishop of Columbus from 1880 until his death in 1899 and is remembered for his reputation as a spiritual leader, sympathetic listener, scholar and able administrator.

He saw diocesan schools as essential to the moral and intellectual development of young Catholics. Bishop Watterson High School’s student body has upheld the traditions of its namesake: The three most recent classes averaged 26,000 service hours during four years of study.

“We develop the whole child—spiritually, intellectually, socially and physically—in an environment where a student can grow and

Columbus School for Girls

Since 1979

Photo: courtesy columbus academy

Licking County’s only independent school Educating infants through grade 8 Small class sizes Project-based learning STEAM Curriculum Before and after care Robotics for grades 1-8 Winner of the 2014 Columbus Council on World Affairs Global Education Award Spanish, music, art and drama Organic greenhouse and gardens Accredited by ISACS (Independent School Association of the Central States) Member NAIS and OASIS 2610 Newark-Granville Rd., Granville, OH 43023 740.522.2020 | welshhills.org Facebook | Instagram | Twitter FEBRUARY 2015

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develop,” says principal Marian Hutson. “We are an exemplary school, rooted in faith, committed to excellence.” bishopwatterson.com 10465 Sawmill Rd. | Powell, OH 43065 (614) 761-2020 www.dublinmontessoriacademy.com “We serve the future by protecting the present. The more fully the needs of one period are met, the greater will be the success of the next.”

-M. Montessori

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Grades served: Grades nine through 12 Number of students: 1,034 Average annual cost: $8,425 Curricular philosophy: Faculty members endeavor to educate students by focusing on spiritual, intellectual, aesthetic and physical development. The goal is to produce mature, self-disciplined young men and women who have a firm commitment to gospel values and the critical skills necessary to successfully pursue post-secondary education and careers.

Athletics: 62 teams in 28 sports Welsh Hills School Licking County’s only independent educational facility is rooted in the Montessori philosophy.

Instructors and administrators believe each student has the potential to grow as long as the environment fosters individuality. The school offers a hands-on approach to education, with an emphasis on special subjects like art and music. “We have more varied opportunities for students when it comes to those areas,” says head of school Michelle Lerner. Each student— from age 3 through grade eight—also studies Spanish daily. “It’s so important that kids start learning another language at a young age,” Lerner says. Visits to the school’s greenhouse are also part of the curriculum, as is a robotics class for children in grades one through eight.

“We do a continent study each year, during which every student age 3 and older studies one continent in-depth,” Lerner says when asked about curricular highlights. “Each student builds a living-history experience that they then teach to the rest of the school community. Obviously, it’s developmentally appropriate. The 3-year-olds are teaching something much different from what the middle-school students are teaching. Last year, we won the Columbus Council on World Affairs’ International Education Project of the Year award.” welshhills.org Grades served: Infancy through grade eight Number of students: 70 Average annual cost: $7,750 for kindergarten through grade eight Curricular philosophy: “Since we’re rooted in Montessori, we have multi-age classrooms, and we’re very committed to children becoming independent,” Lerner says.

Athletics: A full-time physical education teacher but no organized sports

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Photo: Š 2015 thinkstock

Ro

long-weekend outings to beat the winter blues

By Jenny RogeRs

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Snowboarding at Hidden Valley Resort in the Laurel Highlands region

SNOW-CAPPED ADVENTURE The Laurel Highlands region in Pennsylvania is beloved by travelers thanks to its beautiful landscapes—rugged mountains, rushing rivers and the Great Allegheny Passage, a rail trail that connects Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C. And then there are the resorts. Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, Seven Springs Mountain Resort and Hidden Valley Resort are located here, each offering myriad opportunities for outdoor excursions, relaxation and sightseeing. “It’s just a huge outdoor mountain playground,” says Laurel

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Highlands spokeswoman Julie Donovan. “We have the highest mountain elevation and the deepest gorge, which creates incredible outdoor recreation offerings. The topography of the land is just so different from what you have in Ohio.” laurelhighlands.org

Stay: Seven Springs Mountain Resort is the largest four-seasons resort in the region and is home to some of the best ski slopes on the East Coast. “It’s recognized as one of the top snowboarding destinations in this part of the country,” Donovan adds.

Relax: Six wineries are located in the Laurel Highlands area, and each offers tours, while the Southwest Passage Wine Trail includes seven wineries throughout southwestern Pennsylvania.

photos: courtesy laurel highlands visitors bureau

Explore: Nemacolin Woodlands Resort offers dogsledding in the winter. “You can have your own little Iditarod on the trails,” Donovan says. The resort’s Wildlife Academy—a team of sled dogs—is available for individual and family use.

Bored? Cold? So over February? We’ve got your cure: three long-weekend getaways that will banish your cabin fever—at least for a few days. Read on and get planning.

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VACATIONS & GETAWAYS - A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

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The Kenyon Inn

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The Kenyon Inn is located an hour northeast of Columbus in the charming, quiet town of Gambier, Ohio. It is nestled in one of “The World’s Most Beautiful College Campuses,” according to Forbes Magazine.

Enjoy the historic Kenyon College campus, close Amish communities, wonderful outdoor attractions, and our onpremises fine dining restaurant.

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Need a vacay?

West Virginia Mountain Rail Adventures Historic steam-driven locomotives and classic, diesel-powered vintage passenger trains depart the historic depots of Elkins, Durbin and Cass, West Virginia, April – December. Trips range from daylong excursions into National Forest lands to shorter sight seeing trips along the banks of several pristine rivers.

From Cass, enjoy an excursion to the top of the second highest mountain in the Mountain State! Most excursions include onboard food service with the ticket price.

The 2015 season begins in Elkins with the Cottontail Express on Saturday, April 4. This 1.5 hour round trip on Easter weekend is a hop down the rails in search of Peter Cottontail!

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Check out new getaway ideas in Columbus Monthly’s Vacations & Getaways special advertising section!

Whether you’re in need of a weekend escape or a trip that provides a lifetime of memories, you can find it in Columbus Monthly’s Vacation & Getaways advertising section.

If you’re a vacation getaway destination looking to reach an active, travel-oriented audience, call your Columbus Monthly account executive today at (614) 888-4567.

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A Tradition of Progress Ohio Decorative Arts 1860 -1945

February 7 - May 17, 2015 Andrew Richmond, Curator

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FOLLOW THE BLUE JACKETS WHEREVER YOU CHEER SKATE OVER ON YOUR SMARTPHONE FOR EASY-LOADING CBJ NEWS, THE “PUCK-RAKERS” BLOG, VIDEOS AND MORE.

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The Inn at Honey Run in Millersburg is the boutique resort Ohio's Amish Country didn’t know it needed.

Owner Jason Nies answers our questions.

The inn has a long history in Amish Country.

How do you plan to honor its reputation while making changes?

I bought the inn in 2009, but it was built in 1982. It was a lifelong dream of Marge Stock, who was the founder and owner, and she really created an incredible little retreat tucked into the hills here. Marge is known as being one of the first to drive tourism to Amish Country, which teeters back and forth between being the firstand second-largest tourist attraction in Ohio. When the inn was built, there really weren’t any hotels, and there was only one little Amish

restaurant down in Walnut Creek. In the last 30 years, everything has grown up around it. The inn today has morphed into this little boutique resort. We have walking trails, animals you can visit with. It is a great place to enjoy a little serenity and peace. It’s an adults-only resort, and we don’t have overnight accommodations for kids. We love children, just not here.

What updates have you made?

We’ve totally updated the property. Before, there was limited Wi-Fi, and we’ve completely redone that.

We upgraded the TVs, all the common areas and the restaurant, and about half the rooms have been completely renovated. While we’re updating the physical property, we’re not changing the original purpose of the inn.

You’re creating an on-site museum, the Holmes County Open-Air Art Museum. What’s the story there?

This museum has been a dream of mine for about 12 or 15 years. The artwork is very different from your typical sculpture garden; it’s more natural. I’ve been hunting for artists in Ohio, primarily in Columbus and Cleveland, to try to find people whose genre will tie into our vision. I have to raise the funding first, as we’d like to purchase the pieces instead of showcasing them temporarily.

We’re the only resort in Amish Country that’s a destination in itself. This isn’t your parents’ Amish Country getaway. We’re giving you the urban amenities with the serenity of the country. Honey Run is an experience.

photo: courtesy laurel highlands visitors bureau

&'%14#6+8' #465 %'06'4 1( 1*+1 145 East Main Street | Lancaster, OH 43130 740.681.1423 | www.decartsohio.org FREE ADMISSION

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special advertising section

MUSEUMS AND MORE The Horse Capital of the World—and the hippest city in the Bluegrass State—offers plenty to see and do outside racing season, especially for travelers craving culture. Hitting the road to Lexington with a history buff? There’s the Aviation Museum of Kentucky, located at Blue Grass Airport and home to 15 airplanes, and Blue Licks Battlefield State Park, home to exhibitions highlighting Daniel Boone to prehistoric animals.

Additional museums focus on art, the Underground Railroad, the Civil War and kid-friendly science. visitlex.com

WHO’S MOVING AND SHAKING THIS WEEK? Find out when you become a Columbus CEO Insider Sign-up today at ColumbusCEO.com

Explore: The Kentucky Gateway Museum Center in Maysville is an ideal place to begin your museum-hopping adventure. It’s home to a genealogical research library that highlights notable Lexington natives, fine art and a rare miniatures collection, which features thousands of to-scale miniature buildings in a 3,300-square-foot space.

Stay: The totally charming Gratz Park Inn is located in the heart of downtown Lexington.

On the National Register of Historic Hotels, the inn is home to luxurious suites and an onsite restaurant.

Relax: Bourbon is big business in the Bluegrass region. Explore the scene through tours of working distilleries, including Woodford Reserve Distillery, which has been operating from its Versailles location since the 19th century.

Photo: © 2015 thinkstock

Get some relief from the common cold.

There’s nothing common about a getaway here. We have so many ways to enjoy the winter like skiing, snowshoeing, and even dog sledding. Plus you can warm up in style at our world-class spa. To learn more, call 866.419.6957 or visit nemacolin.com.

Expect the Unexpected.

FEBRUARY 2015

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special advertising section

A Serene Oasis of Nature and Wildlife, Comfort and Privacy, Casual Upscale Dining And Warm Hospitality…

AN EXQUISITE

Boutique RESORT

Featuring: • 40 ROOMS • 50 ACRES OF TRAILS • RESORT ACTIVITIES • ON-SITE TARRAGON RESTAURANT AND LOUNGE

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Columbus monthly FEBRUARY 2015

SMALL-TOWN GETAWAY There’s something about sitting in a traffic jam on a Monday afternoon in the dead of winter that’s nearly unbearable. The stresses of daily life mixed with the gray skies of February make the shortest month of the year one of the hardest to handle. Swap Columbus for a small-town experience for the weekend and head to Greenbrier Valley, West Virginia. Historic Lewisburg is a quiet town you won’t mistake for boring, with art galleries, boutiques, antique shops and a surprising dining scene. greenbrierwv.com Explore: Make a day trip from the valley to Davis, located in the stunning Canaan Valley area, where you’ll find opportunities for wildlife viewing, hiking, horseback riding and more.

Blackwater Falls State Park is a great bet for breathtaking views.

Stay: The General Lewis Inn & Restaurant, a historically preserved hotel in the heart of Lewisburg, is perfect for those who want something a little grander than the typical bed and breakfast. Stately suites are furnished with original antiques, while the restaurant is located in the gorgeous 1834 portion of the inn and offers a dinner menu of scratch-made, locally sourced fare.

Relax: Experience farm-to-table, West Virginiastyle. The Livery Tavern (rich meats, great wine), The Stardust Cafe (fair-trade coffee and burgers made with local beef) and Smooth Ambler Distillery (spirits made with hand-selected, local corn and wheat) are best bets.

photo: © 2015 thinkstock

www.innathoneyrun.com 6920 County Road 203, Millersburg, OH 44654 1-800-468-6639

Dining reVIeWs | oPenInGs | DrInKs | GuIDe

Urban Cowboy

Baked Oysters Bingo

With beef, bourbon and barbecue on the menu, it’s fun to man up at Cameron Mitchell’s latest, The Barn at Rocky Fork Creek.

BY KP GREEN | PHOTOS BY TESSA BERG

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Dining review

Caption here

Coconut Cake

Keeping up a Duggar-like pace, the Cameron Mitchell Restaurants group opened two more restaurants in Columbus last year. The first was Hudson 29 in the heart of Upper Arlington. The second, in September, was The Barn at Rocky Fork Creek—an upscale redux of the old Hoggy’s barn on the edge of Gahanna.

As siblings do, they have some similarities. Both are gorgeously decorated in keeping with their respective concepts (Napa and Hudson valleys versus Kentucky horse farm). Both have regional American menus. Both are packed most nights with well-heeled guests. And both deliver a bill that’s liable to give you sticker shock.

But I found the Barn to be more appealing, more fun—a little romantic, even— with its country retreat design, outdoor space overlooking trees, and the kind of red-blooded American menu John Wayne would appreciate.

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The CMR group made many upgrades to transform the pastoral property. The restaurant name is no longer emblazoned across the front gable. Now, tasteful signs with gilt lettering welcome you. A covered port with complimentary valet makes for a grand entrance.

Inside, two living rooms with glossy brown and red leather seating and equestrian decor flank the front door. A painting of a wild mustang hangs above the fireplace. Derby ribbons are framed on the wall. They stopped short of hiring a hound to lie by the fire.

Where you sit in the 10,000-foot space can dramatically affect your experience— although given the full reservation book lately, you may not have much say in the matter. The dark bar has lots of tables formally set for dinner and low leather chairs that swivel. Near the kitchen, a block of booths offers valuable elbow room and privacy, if you can tune out the clanging and steady shouts of “Service!”—a polite sum-

16-ounce King Cut Prime Rib

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The Barn at Rocky Fork Creek 1370 E. Johnstown Road, Gahanna, 614-855-9840, thebarncolumbus.com

Hours: 5-10 p.m. mon-thu, 5-11 p.m. Fri-sat, 5-9 p.m. sun. bourbon lounge, 4 p.m.-close. sunday brunch, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Price Range: $6-$16 for appetizers, $5-$16 for soups and salads, $18-$45 for entrees, $75 for chateaubriand for two Reservations: Recommended In Short: While bourbon, barbecue and beef are king at Cameron mitchell’s cozy rehab of the old hoggy’s barn, don’t miss the baked oysters, fresh salads and blackened red fish. Predictably, some prices are on steroids.

HHHH (Very Good)

mons for servers to pick up food. The main dining room is center stage with warm light from chandeliers high in the rafters and a cozy brown tartan that softens all the wood like a woolen scarf. It feels like a manly place to do manly things. We promptly ordered bourbon.

The CMR group partnered with Woodford Reserve to create their own blends and came back with Barn No. 1 ($9), which has a traditional smokiness, and Double Oak Selection ($10.50) with soft vanilla notes.

The sweeter Double Oak is the backbone for the Bourbon Hemingway ($10) with fresh grapefruit and lime juice, which I preferred for its horsepower and pleasant burn. There’s also an extensive wine list with some hefty markups. Stick with cocktails.

Another tip: Don’t pass on the rolls. A warm Parker House roll spread with soft maple butter is a wonderful way to start. I can’t say the same when those buns are stuffed with beef brisket and braised greens and called Soul Rolls ($8).

They were as arid as day-old Hot Pockets.

Don’t let the name deter you from ordering Baked Oysters Bingo ($16), believing raw is the only way to go. You would miss a great little appetizer: Heavy shells with fat oysters are loaded with warm creamed spinach, aioli and broiled parmesan. I know I will crave these all winter.

Sauerkraut balls are a cold-weather delicacy that can also be lead sinkers. The Barn’s fried croquettes ($9) with spicy sausage are bigger than average and somehow light as ping-pong balls.

Chef Michael Rice oversees a menu that honors traditional mid-American cuisine. The Barn’s meaty St. Louis-style ribs are a specialty of the house. Full ($25) and half-racks ($18) are massaged with a dry rub and slow-cooked in the smokehouse built into the side of a brick wall out back where they develop a sticky, burnished bark of fire-licked fat and caramelized sugar. Using just my fingers, hunks of meat easily pulled away from the bone. I preferred it without the thick, house-made barbecue sauce, which comes on the side and tastes distinctively of smoke and pepper.

The spice was just right on lightly blackened Red Fish ($29), a mild fish similar in texture to red snapper. “That’s my favorite thing on the menu,” our server said. I’d heard that refrain from other servers about other dishes. But after a few bites of the bronzed fish, I believed her.

Beef is the other big star here. It’s raised in the Midwest and hand-cut in The Barn’s on-site butchering facility. They offer a range of cuts: T-bone, rib-eye and even chateaubriand for two.

An 8-ounce Filet Mignon ($39) was as thick and tender as you’d hope for the price. It had

good flavor, too, which is more than I could say for the bland 6-ounce filet ($27) I regrettably added to a half-rack of ribs for a Rib Combo ($45). The smaller cut somehow escaped the kitchen free of seasoning. When you charge $45 for a plate, it should be something special.

This wasn’t, and I felt fleeced.

A 12-ounce Queen Cut ($29) of prime rib made me feel like less of a mark. It’s the smallest cut and still a thick slab of meat. The brown edges where the meat starts to sag is where the flavor lives. Here, it had a whisper of smoke.

Servers wear ironed gingham shirts and are smiley, bright-eyed, fresh-scrubbed.

With no malice, these happy campers will give you a glowing review of everything you ask about. I wish ours had steered me away from the Beef Brisket ($19), a mound of flavorless, shredded meat over Texas toast with a side of barbecue sauce.

It’s not all mountains of meat, though.

The Barn offers several classic salads—Caesar, wedge, Waldorf. We enjoyed the Roasted Chicken Salad ($14) made with fluffy gem lettuce and tender kale and full of crunch and flavor from toasted pecans, pumpkin seeds, dried cherries and blue cheese.

If you still have room by the end of your meal, consider sharing one of The Barn’s house-made desserts. The Coconut Cake ($7), with layers of coconut-soaked butter cake, snowy frosting and shredded coconut, is heavenly. And if you can imagine cutting a wedge out of a bowling ball, you’ll have an idea of the diameter and density of the Mud Pie ($7). If you loved ice cream birthday cakes as a kid, this one will take you back.

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let’s eat our guide to the best restaurants in Columbus

Aab India Indian | 1470 Grandview Ave., Grandview, 614-4862800; 6642 Sawmill Rd., 614-791-7900. aab india boasts a large menu of authentic northern indianstyle curry offerings. indian cuisine, plus Papadi Chaat, Chicken tandoori and shrimp bhuna. LD $$ Alana’s Food & Wine American | 2333 N. High St., Campus, 614294-6783. Chef and owner alana shock changes the menu of this funky Campus spot at her whim. the one thing that’s always certain is her hyper-local food (and nightly surprise entree) will satiate and entertain you. D $$$ Alchemy Juice Bar + Cafe Smoothies & Sandwiches | 625 Parsons Ave., East Side, 614-305-7551. this cafe in the lobby of a fitness center is no protein shake shack. it’s simple, healthy food that’s familiar and whole, with recipes created by a registered dietitian. the menu is vegetarian-friendly and includes smoothies, toast, acai bowls, sandwiches, juice and grab-and-go salads and snacks. BBRLD $ The Angry Baker Cafe & Bakery | 891 Oak St., Olde Towne East, 614-9470976. Known for their delectable baked goods, the angry baker offers savory breakfast and lunch fare for omnivores and vegans alike. think barbecue pork tacos, vegan rice and veggie bowls and gluten-free oatmeal pancakes. BL $ Angry Bear Kitchen Contemporary American | 2653 N. High St., Old North, 614-884-0639. the angry bear Kitchen is a modern american restaurant in a quaint, brickwalled setting. the menu, which rotates monthly, emphasizes nose-to-tail dining presented in an accessible way with heavy focus on small plates.

BRD $$$ Apna Bazaar Indian/Pakistani | 810 Bethel Rd., Northwest Side, 614326-2762. this market and takeout counter shares a kitchen and tandoor ovens with its sister restaurant tandoori grill. both turn out quality indian dishes with a Pakistani spin. LD $ Arepazo Tapas & Wine Latin | 93 N. High St., Gahanna, 614-471-7296; 515 S. High St., Brewery District, 614-914-8878. From the owners of el arepazo, this gahanna outpost serves tapas and entrees in a chic and casual restaurant with a focus on venezuelan and Colombian fare. LD $$

rating based on review outstanding $$$$ $$$

excellent $$ very good $ good

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Ba Sho Japanese Restaurant Japanese | 2800 Festival Ln., Dublin, 614-766-7733. this authentic Japanese restaurant offers Japanesestyle comfort fare like grilled meats and seafood, sushi and savory stew. LD $$ Barcelona Restaurant Spanish | 263 E. Whittier St., German Village, 614-4433699. From its high ceiling and brick interior to its romantic patio, there’s a lively charm to this popular german village restaurant. spanish-style small plates and paellas collide with an american influence for familiar food. LD $$$ The Barn at Rocky Fork Creek Steakhouse/American | 1370 E. Johnstown Rd., Gahanna, 614-855-9840. restaurateur Cameron mitchell created plenty of room to play at his upscale yet casual steakhouse concept. inside, diners will find a meat-cutting room, a bake shop, a bourbon lounge, a large patio overlooking the grounds and an expansive dining room. all these elements translate to a menu loaded with steaks, house-smoked meat and family-size portions. BRD $$$ Basi Italia Italian | 811 Highland St., Victorian Village, 614294-7383. nestled in the heart of victorian village, basi italia serves clean, simple italian fare with innovative twists in a setting so intimate, you’ll feel like the chef invited you over for dinner. in the warmer months, basi offers one of the city’s best patios. lunch served Friday and saturday. D $$ Black Creek Bistro American | 51 Parsons Ave., Olde Towne East, 614246-9662. olde towne east’s lively american bistro is committed to serving a rapidly changing, seasonal menu heavy on local ingredients. LD $$ Block’s Hot Bagels & Deli Deli | 3415 E. Broad St., Bexley, 614-235-2551. block’s is a Columbus deli institution serving authentic bagels and kosher fare. BL $ Brown Bag Deli Deli | 898 Mohawk St., German Village, 614-443-4214. the longtime german village sandwich shop keeps it simple yet tasty with crave-worthy sandwiches like the turkey-and-cranberry-mayo-topped village addiction, plus daily soups, salads and sides on display under the counter. LD $ Buckeye Donuts Bakery | 1998 N. High St., Campus, 614-291-3923. a Campus legend since 1969, buckeye donuts is open

average entree $26 and higher average entree $16-$25 average entree $11-$15 average entree under $10

Columbus monthly FEBRUARY 2015

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- valet available

Kitchen open late outdoor Patio seating

b breakfast br brunch l lunch d

dinner

24 hours to satisfy cravings for classic doughnuts and diner-style cuisine at all hours of the day. BLD $ Buckeye Pho Vietnamese | 761 Bethel Rd., Northwest Side, 614-4512828. venture to this strip mall eatery for high-quality vietnamese fare with modern decor. LD $ Cap City Fine Diner & Bar American | 1301 Stoneridge Dr., Gahanna, 614-478-9999; 1299 Olentangy River Rd., Grandview, 614-291-3663. Cameron mitchell’s popular, stylish diner serves retro fare with an upscale twist. american cuisine, with meatloaf, Knife and Fork Chili dog, pork chops and homemade pies and desserts.

BRLD $$ Club 185 American | 185 E. Livingston Ave., German Village, 614228-3904. you’ll find cozy booths and a swinging jukebox at this dimly lit german village hangout serving better-than-average bar food fare like cheeseburgers, wings and pizza. LD $ Columbus Brewing Co. Brewpub | 525 Short St., Brewery District, 614-464-2739. this laid-back, duskily lit brewery district american bar-food restaurant houses an on-premises brewpub that turns out a variety of beers. LD $$ Coppa Gelato Coffee & Desserts | 925 N. State St., Westerville, 614-776-4092. this gelato shop is family-owned, and it shows, from welcoming service to more than a dozen flavors of gelato and sorbetto made daily from locally sourced milk. you’ll also find housemade pastries, coffee and espresso and pints of gelato to go. LD $ Creole Kitchen Cajun & Creole | 1052 Mt. Vernon Ave., King-Lincoln District, 614-372-3333. once a takeout-only eatery in the King-lincoln district, this shopping plaza gem will soon offer a sit-down restaurant and expanded menu next to its original location. expect the same authentic savory Cajun food—po’ boys, alligator, gumbo—served in hearty portions. BLD $ Cuco’s Taqueria Mexican | 2162 Henderson Rd., Upper Arlington, 614538-8701. once a mexican grocery store with a tiny taco counter, Cuco’s has grown into a full-fledged, successful restaurant that still sells a few mexican goods alongside ceviche, burritos, tamales, tortas and tacos al pastor. BLD $

Critics' Choice Columbus Classic

NEW! restaurant has opened within the last few months.

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Parking in Back

Gentle Gentian at Veritas

Buzzed 3 Reasons to Drink More Sherry Now

START

YOUR DAY WITH

A SMILE AND FINISH IT WITH...

This funky wine is more than grandma’s tipple—and Adam Roelle, spirits manager for Cavalier Distributing, is aiming to bring more to the Ohio market this year. Let us help you get reacquainted. —Anthony Dominic

1

Sherry can be used as a vermouth substitute. Veritas Tavern bartender Nicole Hollerman is constantly riffing with sherry. She’s found that lighter sherries, like fino, specifically manzanilla made near Sanlucar, Spain, mix best with bourbon and tequila. “Lighter sherries have a salinity, a saltiness and a different flavor and botanicals profile than you get from vermouth,” she says.

2

Sherry makes great cocktails. At Veritas, Hollerman serves a Gentle Gentian ($10) made with Old Forester bourbon, fino sherry, house ginger beer, Suze Saveur d’Autrefois (a bittersweet French liqueur) and egg white.

“It’s a spicy bourbon cocktail, but the sherry really gives it this viscosity and salinity to counter the ginger beer,” she says. Look for more sherry concoctions at The Sycamore in German Village and Denmark on High in the Arena District.

3

You don’t have to buy expensive sherry.

“Most of the sherry I use is less than $15 retail,” Hollerman says. “Just go to an independent store and ask a lot of questions.”

Nightly Events

Monday: All Day Happy Hour * ½ Price Drafts, $2 Well Cocktails & Rර 6LJQDWXUH &RFNWDLOV

Tuesday: Trivia

*Prizes and fun in the bar from 7-9PM

Wednesday: Pint Night

*Buy a beer and keep the glass while enjoying live acoustic music

Thursday: Wine Night *Bottles sold at retail.

Rර )HDWXUH Rර +RXVH

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Denmark on High Small Plates | 463 N. High St., Arena District, 614914-6700. A European-style cocktail bar focusing on vintage and modern drinks, craft ohio beers and seasonal small plates. located on the second floor of the yankee on high building. D $$ Dirty Frank’s Hot Dog Palace American | 248 S. Fourth St., Downtown, 614-8244673; 2836 W. Broad St., West Side, 614-824-4673.

From the folks behind tip top Kitchen & Cocktails comes this hip hot dog joint with retro decor and oneof-a-kind wieners that can be topped with sauerkraut to baked beans to Fritos. LD $ DK Diner American | 1715 W. Third Ave., Grandview, 614-4885160. the DK stands for Doughnut Kitchen at this off-the-beaten-path diner with a cozy atmosphere and local flavor. Enjoy breakfast all day. BLD $ Dosa Corner Indian | 1077 Old Henderson Rd., Upper Arlington, 614459-5515. this family-owned, southern Indian “fast food” spot (dining-in customers use paper plates and plastic utensils) specializes in thin, pancake-like dosas made with rice and lentil flour batter with a choice of vegetarian fillings. LD $ Double Comfort Southern | 505 N. High St., Arena District, 614-7452183. memphis native mary lyski looks to bring a taste of her hometown to Central ohio at this casual eatery where the emphasis is on southern-style fried chicken. there’s also a social mission here, as lyski promises to donate a portion of the proceeds from every meal to a local charity. BRLD $$

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Due Amici Italian | 67 E. Gay St., Downtown, 614-224-9373.

Exposed brick walls and modern black and white furniture give this Downtown Italian eatery an upscale feel. BRLD $$ El Camino Inn Mexican | 238 S. Fourth St., Downtown, 614-220-8877. this retro, ’70s-style taco shop from the owners of the Rossi, Club 185 and little Palace is a bar first, restaurant second. stop in for cheap beer or a margarita, and stick around for tasty mexican bar fare including tacos and tostadas. LD $ Figlio Italian | 1369 Grandview Ave., Grandview, 614-4818850; 3712 Riverside Dr., Upper Arlington, 614-4596575. the vibe is simple and relaxed at both locations of this neighborhood contemporary restaurant with Italian dishes, wood-fired pizzas and a hearty wine list inspired by the travels of owners Peter and laurie Danis. D $$ Flip Side Burgers | 3945 Easton Station, Easton, 614-472-3547. this burger and shake joint with a heavy emphasis on local ingredients (burgers are made with ohio-raised, grass-fed beef) serves great cocktails (and boozy milkshakes!) plus craft beers. LD $ G. Michael’s Bistro & Bar Lowcountry | 595 S. Third St., German Village, 614-464-0575. this historic German Village eatery promises fine dining with a lowcountry influence.

Expect bold flavors in dishes layered with components and exceptional sauces. Preparations and ingredients change with the seasons. D $$$

Gallerie Bar & Bistro French | 401 N. High St., Downtown, 614-484-5287.

Chef bill Glover looks to break the city’s resistance to hotel dining at the French-inspired Gallerie inside the short north hilton. In this airy-yet-refined space, Glover crafts a farm-to-plate menu with emphasis on mussels, local meats and cheeses. BLD $$$ Gallo’s Tap Room Pub Grub | 5019 Olentangy River Rd., Northwest Side, 614-457-2394. A dark, modern sports bar brimming with top-notch beers, set to unveil a remodeled interior and pub grub menu this month with burgers, wings and pizza.

LD $ Giuseppe’s Ritrovo Italian | 2268 E. Main St., Bexley, 614-235-4300.this unfussy bexley restaurant is the place to go for fantastic, classic Italian pasta dishes, such as Gamberi Diavola and Fettucine Calabrese. Italy plays just as big of a role behind the bar with a lengthy wine list, a solid amaro selection and craft cocktails inspired by Italian liqueurs. LD $$ Harvest Pizzeria Pizza | 495 S. Fourth St., German Village, 614-8241769. some of the best wood-fired pies in the city are complemented by an excellent selection of small plates inside this tiny German Village eatery that doubles in size during patio season. Don’t miss the expertly crafted cocktails at Curio next door. LD $ Hass Mexican | 7370 Sawmill Rd., Dublin, 614-760-0155. breaking the fast-casual mexican chain mold, hass serves authentic tacos, tortas, burritos and housemade tortillas, filled with wood-fired steak, spicy al

pastor and beer-battered shrimp ( just to name a few of our favorites). LD $ NEW! Hoyo’s Kitchen African | 5786 Columbus Square, Northeast Side, 614-899-8800. taking over the shuttered solay bistro, hoyo’s Kitchen fills the somali cuisine void with authentic African dishes inspired by the owner’s mother. Don’t pass on a combo plate with goat and a berbere-spiked sauce, or the Daal soup, a hearty lentil dish. the setup is fast-casual, but be prepared to linger, as service can be rather relaxed. take this time to explore the coffee shop menu’s variety of somali coffees, teas and pastries.

LD $

COLUMBUSCRAVE.COM

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Hubbard Bar and Grille American | 793 N. High St., Short North, 614-2915000. hubbard specializes in upscale takes on down-home and down-south dishes made with organic and local ingredients. thanks to a menu revamp last year, this short north restaurant is keeping up with its fine-dining counterparts in the neighborhood. LD $$$ Hudson 29 American | 1600 W. Lane Ave., Upper Arlington, 614487-0622. this new restaurant from Cameron mitchell looks to bridge the gap between napa-inspired California fresh cuisine and texas-style comfort food with simple approaches to dishes like flatbreads, steaks, sushi and knife-and-fork sandwiches coming out of an open kitchen. LD $$$ Huong Vietnamese Restaurant Vietnamese | 1270 Morse Rd., North Side, 614-8250303. housed in a northland-area strip mall, this bright and simply decorated restaurant turns out great Vietnamese fare with pho, bun nem nuong and Asianstyle barbecue pork. LD $ Indochine Vietnamese | 561 S. Hamilton Rd., Whitehall, 614-231-7357.

Classic Vietnamese and laotian fare is presented in a colorful, photo-filled menu at this traditional momand-pop eatery. LD $$ Jack & Benny’s American | 2563 N. High St., Clintonville, 614-263-0242. there’s usually a wait at this Campus-area breakfast favorite for students and locals alike, who clamor here for classic diner fare, breakfast all day, pancakes and sandwiches. BL $

THURSDAYS • 4PM TO 9PM • BAR AREA • DRINK & FOOD SPECIALS

Katzinger’s Delicatessen Deli | 475 S. Third St., German Village, 614228-3354. A 30-year veteran in German Village, Katzinger’s is a traditional East Coast-style deli, with 60-plus sandwiches, potato latkes, a pickle barrel, specialty foods and more than 100 cheeses.

BLD $ Kihachi Japanese Restaurant Japanese | 2667 Federated Blvd., Northwest Side, 614-764-9040. Chef-owner Ryuji “mike” Kimura’s passion for fresh, high-quality ingredients is reflected in his always-changing menu of traditional Japanese fare. D $$$$ Kraft House No. 5 American | 5 S. Liberty St., Powell, 614-396-9091. Chef marcus meacham leads the kitchen at this upscale bar-food eatery with a focus on local craft beers and

12 W Bridge St, Dublin 614.889.6100 • mezzoitalian.com

weekly

hours

MONDAY $6 Martinis

MON TO FRI 4pm-close

TUESDAY Retail Wine Night

SATURDAY 5pm-close

WEDNESDAY Live music in the bar

SUNDAY Closed

THURSDAY Ladies Night

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Authenticity is nice, but sometimes all I want is a margarita in a kitschy frosted goblet, a plastic basket of warm tortilla chips and some snappy salsa. For a great Americanized Mexican food fix, I head to La Casita on Bethel Road. Yep, it’s possible to be on Bethel Road, crave Mexican food and not make a beeline for Los Guachos. Admittedly, La Casita isn’t the kind of place where you can order at will—enchiladas were really disappointing—but there is plenty to love.

Scan the menu for items containing slow-cooked meat; these have been consistent winners. Start with a bowl of Birria ($5.50 small, $8 large) or make a light lunch out of it. This comforting beef stew is full of deep, slow-cooked flavor. Pile on the colorful garnishes—raw onion, radishes, cilantro—to get the full experience.

Tacos were also a good bet. Following a hunch, I tried a trio containing slowcooked meats: al pastor, barbacoa and carnitas ($8 for three, served with beans and rice). Order them Mexican style, with onion and cilantro on demure but tender corn tortillas, and drizzle some of the zesty table salsa on top.

On one visit, I pressed my friendly server to recommend something he loves to eat. He immediately pointed to the tortas ($7.30–$8), but my hopes were dashed when he returned to say the restaurant was out of the sturdy, flavorful bread used to make these Mexican sandwiches. He steered me instead to chicken tamales ($6.30), which were excellent; the masa jacket, too often crumbly and bland, was plenty moist and flavorful in La Casita’s version.

Do splurge on that giant margarita; upgrade to the fancy version ($6.30 regular, $8.30 jumbo) with better tequila and Grand Marnier for not much more dough than you’d shell out for the well stuff. It’s hardly artisanal, and it’s not made with agave nectar or infused with exotic peppers. But the quality ingredients yield just the right sweet-tart sensation, a perfect foil to those salty, fresh chips. 1355 Bethel Road, Northwest Side, 614-457-0823 —Kristen Schmidt

cocktails in a contemporary rustic setting. on the menu, expect wings, mac and cheese and mussels and fries, plus a rotating “pop-up” menu featuring the chef’s daily musings. BRLD $$ La Chatelaine French Bakery & Bistro French/Bakery | 627 High St., Worthington, 614-8486711; 1550 W. Lane Ave., Upper Arlington, 614-488-1911; 65 W. Bridge St., Dublin, 614-763-7151. handcrafted woodwork and a crackling fireplace lend the feeling of a French castle to this bakery, bistro and wine bar with equally inspired dishes from beef bourguignon to croissants. BLD $$ La Tavola Italian | 1664 W. First Ave., Grandview, 614-914-5455.

Chef Rick lopez has again revived his popular old World Italian restaurant, this time in Grandview. Dotted with green and yellow accents, the setting is open and welcoming. the food is simple and rustic Italian with pizzas, house-made breads and pastas. D $$$ Lavash Cafe Middle Eastern | 2985 N. High St., Clintonville, 614263-7777. this quick-service middle Eastern eatery serves a mix of mediterranean food, coffees and desserts. LD $$ Lindey’s American | 169 E. Beck St., German Village, 614228-4343. Well on its way to becoming a Columbus institution, this upscale German Village restaurant with upper East side new york flair is a diner favorite, no doubt due to its classic and consistently good fine-dining fare and lush patio. BRLD $$$

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Local Cantina Mexican | 101 Mill St., Gahanna, 614-337-1977; 1423 Grandview Ave., Grandview, 614-488-6146; 3126 N. High St., Clintonville, 614-754-8554. these kitschy mexican-themed neighborhood bars with a heavy focus on craft beers also happen to serve good, Americanized mexican fare, like fajitas, quesadillas and tacos, plus self-serve chips and salsa. D $ Los Guachos Taqueria Mexican | 5221 Godown Rd., Northwest Side, 614-5380211; 1376 Cherry Bottom Rd., Gahanna, 614-471-4717. the brick-and-mortar version of the popular taco truck (461 Commerce sq., West side) offers all the truck favorites—authentic tacos, tortas and gringas—and, of course, the city’s best al pastor. LD $ M American | 2 Miranova Pl., Downtown, 614-629-0000.

Cameron mitchell’s south beach-inspired restaurant is set apart by an outdoor terrace overlooking the scioto River, an eclectic menu of Pacific Rim-influenced dishes and craft cocktails by one of the city’s most notable bartenders. D $$$$ Manifesto Tuscan Grato & Scotch Bar Contemporary American | 21 E. State St., Downtown, 614-220-9327. the scotch list is impressive, and the small plates are pretty at this frenetic Downtown barslash-restaurant. LD $$ Mazah Mediterranean Eatery Mediterranean | 1453 Grandview Ave., Grandview, 614488-3633. A modest mom-and-pop eatery with brand new digs, you’ll now find a full bar to complement the

Birria

authentic middle Eastern-style fare, including kibbe balls, lamb kebobs and mujadara. LD $$ Meshikou Asian | 1506 Bethel Rd., Northwest Side, 614-457-1689. meshikou is an open-kitchen ramen shop focusing on authentic preparations of noodle bowls, as well as a few Japanese comfort-food starters. Co-owner mike shek has added his own touch to ramen recipes with a collection of six bowls, and plans to expand. LD $$ Mi Li Cafe Vietnamese | 5858 Emporium Sq., North Side, 614-8999202. the tucked-away north side eatery is famous for its authentic made-from-scratch banh mi, the first and one of the only remaining items from the original menu.

It’s since expanded, offering a heartier list of Vietnamese classics. LD $ NEW! Nada Mexican/American | 220 W. Nationwide Blvd., Arena District, 614-715-8260. the fiesta is still going strong at the Arena District expansion of Cincinnati’s mexican-inspired eatery. Known for creative dishes and a lively atmosphere, this 220-seat iteration with bold colors and patterns does not disappoint. Expect fun fare, like mexican mac n’ Cheese and pork belly tacos, and signature cocktails on tap. BRLD $$$ Natalie’s Coal-Fired Pizza and Live Music Pizza | 5601 N. High St., Worthington, 614-436-2625.

Pies topped with imported cheeses and high-quality meats are cooked in an ultra-high-heat coal oven for an

Photo: tessa Berg

Short Order American-Mex Fix

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Love Notes It never fails: Within 48 hours of Valentine’s Day every year, last-minute shoppers flock to the Short North’s Le Chocoholique and shell out upwards of $100 for a box of housemade truffles, owner Monica Barr says. This year, put some forethought into the treat you buy—and the message it’ll send to your honey. lechocoholique.com —Beth Stallings I’m a Kid at Heart White chocolate is blended with white cake batter and then rolled in rainbow sprinkles (because who doesn’t love rainbow sprinkles?) for Andrea’s Cupcake ($2).

ALL ACCESS e pass to the A backstag rch C r u o Y it y Visit ColumbusMonthly.com and sign-up for our weekly newsletter that includes special events, important conversations, exclusive giveaways and more.

Plus, Editor Kristen Schmidt’s “Three to See” – a trio of can’t miss weekly happenings around town.

For the Choco-Ambivalent The Blonds Have More Fun ($2) is about as savory as a truffle can get—caramelized white chocolate and sea salt give it the taste of shortbread.

Turn Up the Heat White chocolate and peanut butter sound innocent enough. But add CaJohn’s Ghost Chili hot sauce to the mix, and you’ve got the fire-burning Dante’s Inferno ($2).

Forget Jewelry Inside the gold-flaked, milk chocolate Heart of Gold ($2) is creamy caramel swirled with Vietnamese cinnamon for a little extra spice.

Photos: tessa Berg

Photo: tessa Berg

I’m New Here Don’t know your date that well? You can’t go wrong with a Red Velvet Truffle ($2), Barr says. It’s soft and sweet and tastes just like the popular rich cake.

Drink Up! This one’s for the liquor lovers—the OYO Bourbon Whiskey ($2) has a splash of Middle West Spirits bourbon locked inside a dark chocolate shell. (Ask, and they’ll assemble a booze-and-bacon box for your man.)

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Subscribe to Editor Beth Stallingsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; weekly e-newsletter and YOU could be selected to attend our Foodie Festivities!

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especially charred crust. A killer nightly live music lineup provides an Americana soundtrack. BRD $$ Nidaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Thai on High Thai | 976 N. High St., Short North, 614-299-9199. A quirky, modern short north eatery offering a mix of traditional and trendy thai dishes. LD $$ The North Market American/Ethnic | 59 Spruce St., Arena District, 614463-9664. located in the heart of Columbus, the north market features local vendors in a gourmet market atmosphere. Expect world flavors, including barbecue, Vietnamese, mediterranean, ice cream and more. BLD $ Northstar Cafe American | 951 N. High St., Short North, 614-298-9999; 4241 N. High St., Clintonville, 614-784-2233; 4015 Townsfair Way, Easton, 614-532-5444. northstarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s imaginative menu has a healthful emphasis on organic ingredients served in a casual, order-at-the-counter cafe setting. At peak times, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s common to see diners lined up for the beet-laden veggie burger, flatbreads, salads, rice-andveggie bowls and oversized cookies. BBRLD $ The Pearl Contemporary American | 641 N. High St., Short North, 614-227-0151. Gastropub meets oyster bar at this Cameron mitchell Restaurant with a throwback vibe, craft beer and barrel-aged cocktails. BRLD $$$

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Philco Bar + Diner American | 747 N High St., Short North, 614-299-9933. the diner gets a modern touch at the latest concept from the owners of the Rossi and little Palace. here, chef Andrew smith crafts a fun menu of hushpuppies, johnnycake sliders and pork shoulder pot roast and, of course, breakfast all day. BLD $$ Pistacia Vera Cafe & Bakery | 541 S. Third St., German Village, 614220-9070. the creme de la creme of Columbus desserts, with macarons, Pistachio mascarpone Dacquoise torte and Chocolate bombe. seek out the coffee blend made just for the shop by brioso. BL $ Plankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cafe & Pizzeria Pizza | 743 Parsons Ave., Olde Towne East, 614-4457221. Plankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bakes some of the finest pies in the city with a notoriously sweet sauce and thin crust. BLD $ Portiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cafe Vegan | 4428 Indianola Ave., Clintonville, 614-928-3252. this Clintonville cafe serves up only vegan and glutenfree options with an emphasis on raw foods. the menu includes dips like hummus and guacamole, falafel, soups, salads, wraps, smoothies and vegan-friendly Cheezecake. LD $ The Refectory Restaurant & Bistro French | 1092 Bethel Rd., Northwest Side, 614451-9774. the most accomplished of Columbusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; French restaurants might put more kitchen effort into a single plate than an ordinary restaurant does into an entire menu. Inside this church-turned-fine-dining spot, expect impeccable service and a world-class wine cellar to pair with your meal. D $$$$ Restaurant Silla Korean | 1802 Henderson Rd., Upper Arlington, 614-459-5990. youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll find real-deal Korean cuisine and a menu with semi-explanatory color photos at this casual restaurant. their bibimbap is a textbook example of how the dish should be doneâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;served

Signature Pho at Buckeye Pho

What’s Your Pho? How do we brave the winter cold? By hunching over a piping-hot bowl of Vietnamese noodle soup. We’ve got four styles to fit the soulful comfort food you’re craving. —Jill Moorhead Novel for Novices: Lan Viet Chicken Pho Perfect for pho beginners, Lan Viet Market’s Pho Ga is a cousin to chicken noodle soup with its perfectly sliced chicken pieces, light yellow broth and deluge of green onions.

Served with a tray of condiments (including pre-poured Sriracha and hoisin), this soup, with its mildly flavored broth, is simple and familiar. northmarket.com Meat Lovers: Signature Pho at Buckeye Pho This South Vietnamese pho is a carnivore’s dream. Dense pork and beef meatballs, crunchy tripe, tendon and two types of beef (well done and raw) accompany a rich broth that simmers with ginger, clove, coriander and anise-flavored fennel seeds for 15 hours at this North Side shopping center gem. buckeyepho.com

photo: AlysiA Burton

in a scalding hot stone bowl with crispy rice on the bottom. LD $$ Rigsby’s Kitchen Italian | 698 N. High St., Short North, 614-461-7888.

After more than two decades, Rigsby’s Kitchen remains fresh by regularly offering new and creative Italian and mediterranean dishes, including an expanded list of small plates. of note is the recent emphasis Rigsby’s has placed on its bar, offering craft cocktails with an emphasis on bitter Italian ingredients like amaro. LD $$$ Rivage Atlantique Seafood | 625 N. High St., Worthington, 614-505-7779. this upscale restaurant in downtown Worthington pays homage to chef Rich Flagg’s south Carolinian heritage

Seafood Fancy: Pho Tom at Huong Vietnamese Five tail-on boiled shrimp join an unctuous and almost sweet beef broth at this sure-to-be-busy Morse Road hotspot with undoubtedly some of the best pho in town.

A generous portion of thin rice noodles lurks beneath the bubbles and two types of onions.

Throw in a lime slice or two to complement the shellfish. huongvr.blogspot.com Nontraditional Nosh: Pho Asian Noodle’s Beef Spicy Asian Noodle Nestled on the menu under “Pho and Noodles” at this converted fast food restaurant in Upper Arlington is a pho-like soup that may challenge some purists. Similarities include a coriander-kissed broth, a side plate of limes, cilantro, sprouts and the typical pho accoutrements. But you’ll also find hearty trapezoids of braised beef, thick egg—not rice—noodles and baby bok choy, which make for creative twists on the dish. phoasiannoodle.com with a collection of lowcountry fare (not-to-miss is the shrimp and Grits), raw bar picks and a daily selection of fresh fish. D $$ The Rossi American | 895 N. High St., Short North, 614299-2810. A perennially packed short north hot spot, diners flock here for inventive bar food (think gourmet pizza, burgers and pork and beans) in a new-meets-old atmosphere. D $$ San-Su Korean | 1138 Bethel Rd., Northwest Side, 614-273-0188.

Find some of the best, and most traditional, Korean barbecue in the city at this bethel Road gem. Do not miss the kalbi, grilled right at the table. lD $$ FEBRUARY 2015

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INVITES YOU â&#x20AC;Ś

Snow Bound Jeff Excell and Lauren Culley designed their Italian Village coffee and pastry shop around conversations. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why there are plenty of blond wood seats but no Wi-Fi. The Brooklyntransplant owners of Fox in the Snow Cafe must be onto something, because this shop has been hopping since they opened in the fall. Havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been yet? Here are some insider tips that will make you sound like a regular, even if you arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t (though you probably should be). facebook.com/foxinthesnowcafe â&#x20AC;&#x201D;B.S. Ask this question: â&#x20AC;&#x153;What are you pouring today?â&#x20AC;? That will signal to Excell you want more than just a cup of pour-over coffee. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I want people to know the coffee bar is an area where people can talk to the barista,â&#x20AC;? Excell says. Your options right now: a citrusy and tropical Kenyan or the dark Guatemalan.

Order off-menu: Inquire about the not-listed New Orleans ($4). Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a cold coffee with milk thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sweetened with sugar and just enough chicory to be flavorful, not bitter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s supposed to taste like malted chocolate,â&#x20AC;? Excell says.

12 noon to 5 p.m. â&#x20AC;˘ Columbus Zoo and Aquarium All proceeds Benefit Local Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Charities

For more information and to purchase tickets online, please visit www.chillyopen.org.

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Eat cake for breakfast: Every day, Culley crafts a huge carrot cake with pineapple, coconut and two layers of caramel, available by the slice ($6). â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a traditional carrot cake, except there is carrot in it,â&#x20AC;? she says with a laugh.

Photo: Meghan Ralston

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7

Pair coffee with a scone: â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are a lot of important elements to a scone,â&#x20AC;? Excell explains of Culleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fruit-filled pastries with a sugary caramelized top. These hit every high point: visible layers of fruit and a triangular shape perfect for coffee-dunking.

Schmidt’s Restaurant & Sausage Haus German | 240 E. Kossuth St., German Village, 614444-6808. hoist a stein of beer and treat your stomach to some hearty German food and culture at this longstanding German Village restaurant popular with out-of-towners and locals alike. bring a friend to help you enjoy huge portions of sausage, Weiner schnitzel, bavarian cabbage rolls and cream puffs. LD $$ Siem Reap Cambodian | 375 Georgesville Rd., West Side, 614-2792903. this unassuming gem across the street from hollywood Casino serves up Cambodian, Vietnamese and thai fare in a casual setting awash in tropical colors and accented with bamboo plants. Dishes are authentic and approachable, including stuffed chicken wings, beef skewers and hot pots to share. LD $$ Skillet American | 410 E. Whittier St., Merion Village, 614443-2266. Chef Kevin Caskey has developed a huge following for his creative comfort food, served out of a cozy, no-reservations merion Village space. the menu changes nearly daily to reflect whatever local ingredients the chef can source. BRLD $ Starliner Diner Latin | 5240 Cemetery Rd., Hilliard, 614-529-1198. located in a dilapidated-looking plaza, starliner may not look like much on the outside, but inside, it’s a funky diner serving giant helpings of zesty, latin-leaning comfort food at breakfast, lunch and dinner. BLD $ Sunflower Chinese Restaurant Chinese | 7370 Sawmill Rd., Northwest Side, 614-7647888. An authentic Chinese restaurant, located in a shopping plaza just outside of I-270, best known for its delicious dim sum, served daily but most hotly pursued by diners on weekends. LD $$ SuperChef’s Breakfast & More American | 199 E. Broad St., Downtown, 614-221-9663; 1344 Cherry Bottom Rd., Gahanna, 614-532-8030. here the breakfast and lunch fare is playful, over-thetop and often quite delicious. Everything is done in the superlative—candied bacon, roasted red pepper grits, red velvet pancakes and quesadillas named after superheroes. BL $$ The Sycamore American | 262 E. Sycamore St., German Village, 614754-1460. this German Village eatery wants to be exactly what it is: a neighborhood hangout where locals can go for no-frills good food, cocktails and beer. the rehabbed 50-seater dive bar offers locally sourced, chef-driven bar favorites. BRD $$

Photo: Meghan Ralston

The Table American | 21 E. Fifth St., Short North, 614-291-4555. billed as a European-inspired charcuterie restaurant, this farm-to-plate-focused short north eatery with mismatched decor and an open kitchen offers meatand-cheese plates, sandwiches, salads and baked goods.

BRLD $$ Tasi Cafe Cafe | 680 N. Pearl St., Short North, 614-222-0788.

Rigsby’s little-sister restaurant—a place where customers order at the counter and choose a table—uses only top-notch ingredients on its made-from-scratch menu with standouts like huevos Rancheros, artisanal sandwiches and lobster mac & Cheese. BL $ Till Dynamic Fare American | 247 King Ave., Victorian Village, 614-

298-9986. owner magdiale Wolmark crafts a menu of inventive vegan and carnivorous fare incorporating ingredients grown in the backyard biodynamic garden.

BRLD $$ The Top Steak House Steakhouse | 2891 E. Main St., Bexley, 614-2318238. For 60 years, this bexley palace of beef has offered award-winning, high-end cuisine (filet mignon, pork and lamb chops and seafood) in a dimly lit, vintage 1960s-looking haunt. D $$$ Toast Bar Cafe & Bakery | 1028 Ridge St., Grandview, 614-9289035. bread-centric bakery Dan the baker transformed its 10-seat storefront into a cafe specializing in gourmet toast. Diners can choose from a selection of freshly made bread and spreads (including house-made butter) to build a three-slice toast Flight, or opt for one of the day’s specials, such as almond butter and maple sugar on sunflower flax bread. BBRL $ Tucci’s Contemporary American | 35 N. High St., Dublin, 614-792-3466. A Dublin standby has gotten a welcome shakeup in the form of dining room renovations and a menu revamp. It’s now a straightforward steak-and-seafood spot with a huge patio and more than 200 wines in the cellar.

BRLD $$$ Veritas Tavern Contemporary American | 15 E. Winter St., Delaware, 740-417-4074. With its focus on modern cooking techniques, Josh Dalton’s Veritas is not only putting out some of the best-looking plates in town, they’re making some of the best-tasting food around, too. Expect a menu of small plates meticulously created by cooking geeks, plus an exhilarating cocktail list. D $$$ Villa Nova Ristorante Italian | 5545 N. High St., Worthington, 614-8465777. A family-owned Italian eatery that’s a local favorite for its red-sauce Italian cuisine (manicotti, lasagna and ravioli), no-frills pizza and ice-cold beer. LD $$ Village Crepe Cafe | 21 N. Center St., Pickerington, 614-833-1111.

While you’ll find homemade breakfast and lunch favorites at this quaint cafe, don’t pass on a sweet or savory crepe with fillings from homemade preserves to lemon curd and quirky batters flavored with espresso or sweet potato. BL $ Windward Passage Restaurant Pub Grub | 4739 Reed Rd., Upper Arlington, 614-4512497. this hoot of a retro restaurant has porthole windows and a nautical decor, as well as the best fried fish in town. LD $$ Wolf’s Ridge Brewing Brewpub | 215 N. Fourth St., Downtown, 614429-3936. the French- and California-cuisine inspired Wolf ’s Ridge is a truly enjoyable reflection of how we enjoy fine dining today—a happy marriage of high-end cooking and pints of housecrafted beer to complement it. BRLD $$$ Yellow Brick Pizza Pizza | 892 Oak St., Olde Towne East, 614-7255482. this olde towne East pizzeria has the feel of a beloved neighborhood haunt while offering a fresh take on the classic ’za, with specialty pies and appetizers. LD $ FEBRUARY 2015

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calendar

Events Feb. 1 Worthington Historical Society Antiques Show the show features several new

exhibitors bringing furniture, stoneware, decoys, golf memorabilia, antique dolls, quilts, linens, antique writing instruments, costume jewelry and more. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. $8. holiday Inn Worthington, 7007 n. high st., Worthington, 614-885-1347, worthingtonhistory.org

Feb. 6 Artist Talk with Tomory Dodge

Painter tomory Dodge will give a talk about art and his own work, which has depicted empty landscapes, abandoned cars, icebergs, and lone cacti in rainbows of lush or muddied color. the Pizzuti Collection’s Now-ism exhibition includes two of Dodge’s most recent paintings from his november 2014 show at CRG Gallery in new york City. 6 p.m. $10.

Pizzuti Collection, 632 n. Park st., 614-280-4004, pizzuticollection.org

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February 2015

Feb. 7 The Chilly Open since 1997, this annual

wintertime event has raised funds for children’s charities in Central ohio. hosted by local celebrities Dom tiberi of Wbns 10tV and Woody Johnson of 92.3 WCol, the Chilly open has helped raise more than $2.2 million for charities. noon-6 p.m. $45. Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, 4850 W. Powell Rd., Powell, 614-832-8000, chillyopen.org

CelebrateMMORE Gala mmoRE’s annual gala for multiple myeloma research includes silent and live auctions, speeches from medical professionals and survivors, dinner and dancing. this event supports mmoRE’s mission to find a cure for bone-marrow cancer at the osuCCC-James and solove Research Institute. 6:30 p.m. $125. hilton Columbus at Easton, 3900 Chagrin Dr., 888-486-4240, mmore.org Feb. 10 The Foodie Life Cooking coach and Grandview resident Jim yue talks about his life’s

passion for food, sharing recipes and stories about working with a renowned Iron Chef at the famed new york restaurant nobu. 7 p.m. Free. Grandview heights Public library, 1685 W. First Ave., Grandview heights, 614-486-2951, ghpl.org

Feb. 13 ProMusica Soiree Benefit & Concert this annual benefit event will feature violinist Aleksey Igudesman and pianist Richard hyung-ki Joo. the duo combines comedy with classical music and pop culture. the concert will take place at the southern theatre at 8 p.m., following the opening reception at the Westin beginning at 6 p.m. $200-$350. the Westin Columbus, 310 s. high st., 614-464-0066; southern theatre, 21 E. main st., 614-340-1896, promusicacolumbus.org

Feb. 14-22 Ohio Mulch presents The Columbus Dispatch Home and Garden Show meet with hundreds of experts and professionals, walk through lush gardens and gather

Photo: courtesy wexner center for the arts

COMPILeD by TRiSTAn EDEn

Fiber: Sculpture 1960-Present at the Wexner Center for the arts, on view Feb. 7 through april 12

Tell Us About It

to share information about your upcoming event (it should be open to the public and of general interest), visit columbusmonthly.com and fill out our online form, under “Events.” the deadline for the April issue is Feb. 13. Questions? Ask tristan Eden, teden@columbusmonthly.com

Start your COMPLIMENTARY SUBSCRIPTION TODAY at columbusceo.com.

endless tips to beautify your home inside and out. the show will also feature celebrity guests, special events, activities for kids and more. $10-$13. ohio Expo Center, 717 E. 17th Ave., 614-466-8346, dispatchevents.com

Feb. 14 Valentine’s Day at Franklin Park Conservatory taste exquisite wines and

liqueurs paired with chocolates, stroll through a display of exotic orchid blooms, visit six tasting stations throughout the conservatory and enjoy live music by the Ryan Craycroft trio and a special Valentine’s Day menu in the Garden Cafe.

5:30-11 p.m. $15. 1777 E. broad st., 614-715-8000, fpconservatory.org

Champagne & Diamonds Gala mount Carmel health system’s Champagne & Diamonds event has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the mount Carmel Foundation and includes entertainment, cocktails, dinner, dancing and more. 6:30 p.m. $250. hilton Columbus at Easton, 3900 Chagrin Dr., 614-546-4500, mountcarmelfoundation.org

Rossen Milanov, Music Director

Rhapsody In Blue American Roots Festival February 27–28, 8 pm Southern Theatre Donato Cabrera, conductor Thomas Lauderdale, piano

Feb. 20-22 Columbus RV Show the show

includes travel trailers, motorhomes, fifth wheels, toy haulers and more, as well as vendor booths featuring camp grounds, generators, parts and accessories. Greater Columbus Convention Center, 400 n. high st., 614-827-2500, columbusrvshow.com

PROGRAM Dvoʼnák: Humoresque Joplin: Overture to Treemonisha Weill: Little Threepenny Musik

Feb. 21 Alice in Wonderland Tea Party Fun

for adults and kids. Come dressed as your favorite “Alice in Wonderland” character and attend the Cheshire Cat’s tea Party. Enjoy special tea and sweet treats, create cat-themed crafts and take part in a scavenger hunt throughout the conservatory.

11 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. 1777 E. broad st., 614-7158000, fpconservatory.org

CATCO Gala Celebrate CAtCo with auctions,

fine dining, live music and the announcement of the upcoming season. All funds raised go toward the production of the shows and to educational efforts in the community. 6:30 p.m. Capitol theatre, Riffe Center, 77 s. high st., 614-719-6710, catco.org

Photo: courtesy wexner center for the arts

Feb. 25 Revisiting The Vision: A Discussion Among New Albany Planners Assembled

by Les Wexner Panel discussion with new Albany planners les Wexner, Jack Kessler, Gerald mcCue, laurie olin, Graham Wyatt and Jaque Robertson. moderated by news anchor Charlie Rose. tickets are limited. 7 p.m. $25-$35. 100 W. Dublin Granville Rd., new Albany, 614-245-4701, mccoycenter.org

Bolero & Percussion March 20–21, 8 pm Ohio Theatre Rossen Milanov, conductor Colin Currie, percussion PROGRAM Brahms: Symphony No. 3 Rautavaara: Incantations (Percussion Concerto) Ravel: Bolero

614-469-0939

CAPA Ticket Center (39 East State Street)

Exhibitions Angela Meleca Gallery David Denniston

and Ron Kroutel, through Feb. 21. 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

Series sponsor:

Support provided by:

800-745-3000

FEBRUARY 2015

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tue-Fri, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. sat. 144 E. state st., 614-340-6997, angelamelecagallery.com

Dennis DeYoung of Styx

Art Access Gallery From the Museum and More, through march 1. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. tueFri, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. sat. 540 s. Drexel Ave., bexley, 614-338-8325, artaccessgallery.com

The Arts Castle Juried High School

Capital University’s The Schumacher Gallery Capturing Camelot: Stanley

Tretick’s Iconic Images of the Kennedys, through march 25. 1-5 p.m. mon-sat. 303 E. broad st., bexley, 614-236-6319, capital.edu

Columbus Museum of Art In __ We

Trust, through march 1; #MobilePhotoNow, Feb. 6-march 22. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. tue-Wed, Fri-sun, 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m. thu. 480 E. broad st., 614-221-6801, columbusmuseum.org

Decorative Arts Center of Ohio

A Tradition of Progress: Ohio Decorative Arts 1860-1945, Feb. 7-may 17. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. tue-sat, 1-4 p.m. sun. 145 E. main st., lancaster, 740-681-1423, decartsohio.org

Dublin Arts Council Emerging: An

Annual Exhibition of Student Art; Alfred Tibor: Hatred Doesn’t Work preview, through Feb. 13; Mac Worthington: Urban Sprawls, Feb. 24-march 27. 10 a.m.-7 p.m. tue, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wed-Fri, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. sat. 7125 Riverside Dr., Dublin, 614-8897444, dublinarts.org

Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens Orchids & Botanical Blending traditional techniques with modern materials and design, the contemporary local and international artists featured in Beyond Materials are pushing the boundaries and elevating basketry. Pictured: “Sliced Buckeye” by prominent basketmaker and Worthington resident Dorothy Gill Barnes

Discovery, through April 5. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. mon-sun. 1777 E. broad st., 614-715-8000, fpconservatory.org

Hammond Harkins Galleries Aminah

At 75: The Story Continues, Feb. 2-march 22. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. tue-sat, 1-5 p.m. sun.

2264 E. main st., bexley, 614-238-3000, hammondharkins.com

Lindsay Gallery Gallery Artists Show,

Feb. 4-21. noon-6 p.m., Wed-Fri, noon-5 p.m. sat. 986 n. high st., 614-291-1973, lindsaygallery.com

Muse Gallery New Work Featuring Susan

Cantreras and Russell Whiting, through Feb. 15; Tania Abrile, Feb. 15-march 15. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. tue-sat. 188 E. Whittier st., 614-5650314, amusegallery.com

Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery

A Century of Ohio Watercolor, through April 15. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. tue, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Wed and Fri, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. thu, noon-4 p.m. sat-sun. 77 s. high st., 614644-9624, oac.state.oh.us

Ohio Craft Museum Beyond Materials:

Pushing the Boundaries of Basketry, through march 22. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. mon-Fri, 1-4 p.m. sat-sun. 1665 W. Fifth Ave., 614-486-4402, ohiocraft.org

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Ohio State University’s Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum King of

the Comics: William Randolph Hearst and 100 Years of King Features, through march 15. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. mon-Fri, 1-5 p.m. sun. 110 sullivant hall, 1813 n. high st., 614-2920538, cartoons.osu.edu

Ohio State University’s Thompson Library Gallery Rough Edges: Women

Artists and the Collegiate Press, through may 10. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. mon-Fri, noon-6 p.m. sat-sun. 1858 neil Ave., 614-688-2187, library.osu.edu

Ohio Wesleyan University’s Richard M. Ross Art Museum Covering Ground; One Way or the Other, through Feb. 15; Permanent Collection; Paintings, Feb. 24-April 5.

10 a.m.-5 p.m. tue, Wed, Fri, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. thu, 1-5 p.m. sun. 60 s. sandusky st., Delaware, 740-368-3606, ross.owu.edu

Otterbein University’s Fisher Gallery Looking Back: A Retrospective of the Work of Photographer Kojo Kamau, through April 24. 8 a.m.-4 p.m. mon-Fri, 1-4 p.m. sat-sun. 27 south Grove st., Westerville, 614-823-1792, otterbein.edu

Otterbein University’s The Frank Museum of Art Spirits in Stone: Contemporary African Sculpture from

Zimbabwe, through April 24. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Wed-Fri. 39 s. Vine st., Westerville, 614-818-9716, otterbein.edu

Otterbein University’s Miller Gallery Trajectory by Chaz O’Neil, through Feb. 6; 18th Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition, Feb. 11-27. 8 a.m.-4 p.m. mon-Fri, 1-4 p.m. sat-sun. 33 Collegeview Rd., Westerville, 614-823-1792, otterbein.edu

Peggy R. McConnell Arts Center

Carol Boram-Hays: Collateral Impacts, through march 1. 10 a.m.-9 p.m. tue-thu, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Fri-sat, noon-5 p.m. sun. 777 Evening st., Worthington, 614-431-0329, mcconnellarts.org

Sharon Weiss Gallery New Oil Paintings on Paper by Steven Walker, Feb. 6-28. noon-4 p.m. thu-Fri, noon-5 p.m. sat, 1-6 p.m. sun. 20 E. lincoln st., 614-291-5683, sharonweissgallery.com

Pizzuti Collection Now-ism: Abstraction Today, through June 20. 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Fri-sat. 632 n. Park st., 614-280-4004, pizzuticollection.com

Roy G Biv Gallery Elena Harvey Collins and Liz Roberts, Feb 7-28. 3-6 p.m.

Wed-Fri, 1-5 p.m. sat. 997 n. high st., 614-297-7694, roygbivgallery.com

Photos: toP left, courtesy Peggy r. Mcconnell Arts center; toP right, courtesy WMe entertAinMent, bottoM, courtesy ohio crAft MuseuM

Carol BoramHays’ sculpture is, like many elements of our built environment, “simultaneously compelling and toxic,” she writes in her artist statement.

Made from concrete, rebar, ductwork and other industrially significant materials, her work explores our difficult relationship with industrialized culture—and reveals the stress it puts on the natural world.

Exhibit, through Feb 25. 1-5 p.m. tue-Fri. 190 W. Winter st., Delaware, 740-369-2787, artscastle.org

Columbus monthly FEBRUARY 2015

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Urban Arts Space Jean Kirsten: For Laban,

through Feb. 6. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. tue-Wed, and Fri-sat, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. thu. 50 W. town st., 614292-8861, uas.osu.edu

Wexner Center for the Arts Fiber: Sculpture

1960-Present; Hassan Hajjaj: My Rock Stars Experimental, Volume I, Feb. 7-April 12. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. tue, Wed, sun, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. thu-sat. 1871 n. high st., 614-292-3535, wexarts.com

Film Through Feb. 28 William E. Jones: “Model Workers” Free. Wexner Center for the Arts, 1871 n. high st., 614-292-3535, wexarts.org

Feb. 5-19 Retrospective: Mario Monicelli “the organizer,” 7 p.m. Feb. 5; “the Great War,” 7 p.m. Feb. 10; “big Deal on madonna street,” “the Passionate thief,” 7 p.m. Feb. 13; “For love And Gold,” 7 p.m. Feb. 17; “Dear michael,” 7 p.m. Feb. 19. $8, $6 members.

Wexner Center for the Arts, 1871 n. high st., 614-292-3535, wexarts.com

Feb. 6-27 Gateway Up Late: Jean-Pierre Jeunet “the City of lost Children,” 11 p.m. Feb.

Photos: toP left, courtesy Peggy r. Mcconnell Arts center; toP right, courtesy WMe entertAinMent, bottoM, courtesy ohio crAft MuseuM

11; “Amelie,” 11 p.m. Feb. 13; “Alien Resurrection,” 11 p.m. Feb. 20; “Delicatessean,” 11 p.m. Feb.27. $5.

Gateway Film Center, 1550 n. high st., 614-2474433, gatewayfilmcenter.com

Feb. 7-8 “Timbuktu” $8, $6 members, students and seniors. Wexner Center for the Arts, 1871 n. high st., 614-292-3535, wexarts.org

Feb. 12 “Dance@30FPS” 7 p.m. Free. Wexner Center for the Arts, 1871 n. high st., 614-2923535, wexarts.org

Feb. 13 Exhibition on Screen: Henri Matisse 7 p.m. $12 advance, $15 day of. Peggy R. mcConnell Arts Center, 777 Evening st., Worthington, 614-431-0329, mcconnellarts.org

Feb. 21 “Futuro Beach” 7 p.m. $8, $6 mem-

bers, students and seniors. Wexner Center for the Arts, 1871 n. high st., 614-292-3535, wexarts.org

Feb. 25-28 Cinema Revival: A Festival of Film Restoration “suzan Pitt: new Restora-

tions,” 7 p.m. Feb. 25; “Jamaica Inn,” “burroughs: the movie,” 7 p.m. Feb. 26; “hollywood studio Restoration: sony Pictures,” “sandra,” 7 p.m. Feb. 27; “the King and the mockingbird,” “syncopation,” “only Angels have Wings,” “hiroshima mon Amour,” 11:30 a.m. Feb. 28. $8, $6 members.

Wexner Center for the Arts, 1871 n. high st., 614-292-3535, wexarts.com

Music Feb. 5-8 Columbus Jazz Orchestra: “100 Years of Frank Sinatra” $30-$52.

southern theatre, 21 E. main st., 614-469-0939, jazzartsgroup.org

Feb. 6 Tall Heights 8 p.m. $30. midland

theatre, 36 n. Park Pl., newark, 740-345-5483, midlandtheatre.org

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109

CD102.5 Jilted Lovers Showcase featuring Friendly Faux, Vis a Vis and Low Men 9 p.m.

We take Walk-ins for screening mammograms!

Free, $5 age 20 and younger. skully’s music-Diner, 1151 n. high st., 614-291-8856, skullys.org

Feb. 8 McConnell Arts Center Chamber Orchestra 3 p.m. $20 advance, $25 day of,

I don’t just want a Mammogram, I want

Peace of Mind.

$12 students. Peggy R mcConnell Arts Center of Worthington, 777 Evening st., Worthington, mcconnellarts.org

Ricky Skaggs 7:30 p.m. $25-$65. midland theatre, 36 n. Park Place, newark, 740-345-5483, midlandtheatre.org Feb. 10 Aesop Rock 7 p.m. $20. A&R music bar, 391 neil Ave., 614-461-5483, promowestlive.com

Jason Isbell 7:30 p.m. $39.50-$49.50. southern theatre, 21 E. main st., capa.com

Feb. 13 Dark Star Orchestra 8 p.m. $25

advance, $30 day of. newport music hall, 1722 n. high st., 614-461-5483, promowestlive.com

ProMusica Soiree: Igudesman & Joo: BIG Nightmare Music 8 p.m. $52-$77. southern

theatre, 21 E. main st., promusicacolumbus.org

Feb. 14 Chris Brown, Trey Songz, Tyga 7:30 p.m. $49.75-$99.75. nationwide Arena, 200 W. nationwide blvd., 614-246-2000, nationwidearena.com

Close To You: The Music of the Carpenters

7:30 p.m. $20-$28. marion Palace theatre, 276 W. Center st., marion, 740-383-2101, marionpalace.org

Exceptional Experience.

Exceptionally Accurate Results.

Zoso: The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience 7:30 p.m. $15 advance, $20 day of. newport

music hall, 1722 n. high st., 614-461-5483, promowestlive.com

Chamber Music Columbus: Lise de la Salle 8 p.m. $15-$45. southern theatre, 21 E. main st., cmcolumbus.org

Cindy Bradley & Phil Denny 8 p.m. $25-$30.

Peggy R. mcConnell Arts Center of Worthington, 777 Evening st., Worthington, mcconnellarts.org Columbus Symphony Orchestra: ABBA The Concert 8 p.m. $25-$79.20. ohio theatre,

© Copyright 2014 Solis Mammography

39 E. state st., capa.com

Dennis DeYoung: The Music of Styx 8 p.m. $20-$50. Jeanne b. mcCoy Community Center For the Arts, 100 W. Dublin-Granville Rd., new Albany, 614-469-0939, capa.com Jeff Austin Band 8 p.m. $17. Park street saloon, 525 n. Park st., woodlandsproductions.com

The Peace of Mind Mammogram™

www.SolisMammo.com | (866) 717.2551 5156 Blazer Pkwy., Suite 120 Dublin, OH 43017 110

974 Bethel Road, 3600 Olentangy, Suite F Bldg. A, Suite 15 Columbus, OH 43214 Columbus, OH 43214

Columbus monthly FEBRUARY 2015

Melissa Aldana & Crash Trio 8 p.m. $20, $17 members, $13 students. Wexner Center for the Arts, 1871 n. high st., Columbus, 614-292-3535, wexarts.org Feb. 15 Bush 7 p.m. $32.50 advance, $35 day of. lC Pavilion, 405 neil Ave., 614-461-5483, promowestlive.com

Mavis Staples and The Blind Boys of Alabama 8 p.m. $35-$65. Jeanne b. mcCoy Community Center For the Arts, 100 W.

Dublin-Granville Rd., new Albany, 614-245-4701, mccoycenter.org

OPENING FEBRUARY 11, 2015 ON COSI’S

Feb. 16 Joshua Radin 6:30 p.m. $20 advance,

$22 day of. newport music hall, 1722 n. high st., 614-461-5483, promowestlive.com

Feb. 18 Genevieve 7 p.m. $10 advance, $15 day of. the basement, 391 neil Ave., 614-461-5483, promowest.com

Feb. 19 Paper Diamond 7 p.m. $20 advance,

$25 day of. newport music hall, 1722 n. high st., 614-461-5483, promowestlive.com

Feb. 20 Gaelic Storm 7:30 p.m. $22 advance,

$25 day of. newport music hall, 1722 n. high st., 614-461-5483, promowestlive.com

Feb. 20-21 Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus: “Vox on the Rocks with the CJO” 8 p.m. $35. lincoln theatre, 769 E. long st., columbusgaymenschorus.com

Columbus Symphony Orchestra’s American Roots Festival: “Porgy and Bess” 8 p.m. $10-

$68. ohio theatre, 39 E. state st., 614-228-9600, columbussymphony.com

Feb. 22 The New Albany Symphony Orchestra: “Shall We Dance” 3 p.m. $12-$18.

Jeanne b. mcCoy Community Center for the Arts, 100 W. Dublin-Granville Rd., new Albany, 614-245-4701, mccoycenter.org

Presented by:

Annual Presenting Media Sponsor:

Feb. 26 CD 102.5 Low Dough Show: Catfish and the Bottlemen 7 p.m. $5.

the basement, 391 neil Ave., 614-461-5483, promowestlive.com

Rusted Root with The Wailers 7 p.m. $25. lC Pavilion, 405 neil Ave., 614-461-5483, promowestlive.com Feb. 27 Hozier 7:30 p.m. $25. lC Pavilion, 405 neil Ave., 614-461-5483, promowestlive.com

Nickelback 8 p.m. $25-$80. nationwide

Arena, 200 W. nationwide blvd., 614-461-5483, nationwidearena.com

Feb. 27-28 Columbus Symphony Orchestra’s American Roots Festival: “Rhapsody In Blue” 8 p.m. $10-$68. southern theatre, 21 E. main street, 614-228-9600, columbussymphony.com

Performing Arts Feb. 3-8 “Anything Goes” $28-$78. ohio

theatre, 39 E. state st., 614-469-0939, capa.com

Feb. 5-7 Ohio State Department of Dance MFA Concert: “Watch From Here” 7 p.m. thu, 6 p.m. Fri, 1 p.m. sat. $15. urban Arts space, 50 W. town st., 614-292-8861, dance.osu.edu

Feb. 5-8 Stan’s Cafe: “The Cardinals”

$20, $17 members, $10 students. Wexner Center for the Arts, 1871 n. high st., 614-292-3535, wexarts.org

Feb. 5-22 CATCO: “Love Letters” $25. studio three, Riffe Center, 77 s. high st., catco.org

Don’t miss the top tribute group in the world as they dazzle the audience with the best of ABBA including, “Mamma Mia,” “S.O.S,” “Money, Money, Money,” “The Winner Takes All,” “Waterloo,” “Gimme, Gimme, Gimme,” “Dancing Queen,”

and many more!

614-469-0939

Sat., Feb. 14 / 8 PM

CAPA Ticket Center (39 East State Street)

columbussymphony.com Find us on:

Albert-George Schram, conductor The group ABBA does not appear on this program.

Series Sponsor:

Support provided by:

800-745-3000

FEBRUARY 2015

Columbus monthly

111

Feb. 6-14 BalletMet: “The Great Gatsby” $25-$65. Capitol theatre,

w

Bush

Riffe Center, 77 s. high st., 614-460-7211, capa.com

Feb. 11-22 CATCO: “Master Class”

$11.50-$45. studio theaters, Riffe Center, 77 s. high st., catco.org

Feb. 12-22 Columbus Children’s Theatre: “Healers In the Forest”

Short North Stage: “I’ll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers” $25-$30.

the Garden theater, 1187 n. high st., 614-725-4042, shortnorthstage.org

Feb. 18-22 Disney on Ice: “Worlds of Fantasy” $23-$58. nationwide Arena, 200 W. nationwide blvd., 614-246-2000, nationwidearena.com

Feb. 19-21 Ohio State Department of Dance MFA Concert: “Watch From Here” 8 p.m. $15. sullivant hall, 1813 n. high st., 614-292-8861, dance.osu.edu

Feb. 20 Rodney Carrington 7 p.m. $45.75-$180.75. Palace theatre, 34 W. broad st., 614-469-9850, capa.com

Feb. 27-28 Erik Friedlander and Mitch Epstein: “American Power” 8 p.m. $18, $16 members, $10 students.

Wexner Center for the Arts, 1871 n. high st., 614-292-3535, wexarts.org

Sports Columbus Blue Jackets nationwide

Arena, 200 W. nationwide blvd., 614-2462000, bluejackets.nhl.com. Coyotes, 7 p.m.

Feb. 3; blues, 7 p.m. Feb. 6; Kings, 7 p.m.

Feb. 9; Flyers, 7 p.m. Feb. 13; sabres, 7 p.m.

Feb. 24; Canadiens, 7 p.m. Feb. 26; Devils, 5:30 p.m. Feb. 28

OSU Sports Call 614-292-2524 for tickets. ohiostatebuckeyes.com

See the special section in the June issue

112

Columbus monthly FEBRUARY 2015

Feb. 11; nebraska, 7 p.m. Feb. 26

Basketball, women’s michigan state,

Who will make the list of 2015 Five Star Home Professionals?

www.fivestarprofessional.com

Basketball, men’s Penn state, 7 p.m.

6:30 p.m. Feb. 2; Indiana, 2 p.m. Feb. 8; michigan, 7 p.m. Feb. 10; Purdue, 7 p.m.

Feb. 17; Iowa, tbD Feb. 21

Ice hockey, men’s Wisconsin, 6:30 p.m.

Feb. 13 and 7 p.m. Feb. 14; michigan, 7 p.m. Feb. 20; Penn state, 6:30 p.m. Feb. 27 and 7 p.m. Feb. 28

Ice hockey, women’s minnesota state, 6:07 p.m. Feb. 6 and 2:07 p.m. Feb 7; Wisconsin, 6:07 p.m. Feb. 13 and tbD Feb. 14

Photos: left, courtesy catco; right, courtesy Promowest Productions

Maria Callas was a legendary diva and one of the most famous opera singers of the 20th century.

She was also temperamental, a trait the press often exaggerated, making Callas a sort of prototabloid star.

“Master Class” imagines Callas teaching three would-be singers about life.

$12-$30. Columbus Children’s theatre, 512 Park st., Columbus, 614-224-6672, columbuschildrenstheatre.org

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EXCLUSIVE HOMES Marilyn Vutech & Jeff Ruff (614) 255-0600 realtors@vutech-ruff.com 10012 HOLLOW RD SW - A lovely 70-acre farm in Jersey Twp. Gently rolling land with a classic 1998 farmhouse on the edge of the woods w/beautiful views of farm & pond. Barn with 50 x 100’ arena, fenced pastures & equip. bldg. $895,000.

VUTECH-RUFF/HER REALTORS

Marilyn Vutech & Jeff Ruff (614) 255-0600 realtors@vutech-ruff.com 1861 CAMBRIDGE BLVD - Historic all-stone home in UA overlooking Miller Park on a 1/2 acre lot. Shows beautifully with recent renovations of kitchen & baths, extensive hardscapes & landscaping by Benchmark, 3 car carriage house. $1,650,000.

VUTECH-RUFF/HER REALTORS

Pat Himes (614) 280-4137 (614) 390-9697 phimes@pizzuti.com MUIRFIELD - Magnificent custom home on the 6th hole of the Tournament golf course in the private gated “Estates” section. Unsurpassed quality throughout w/almost 13,000 SF of living space. Salt water pool w/hot tub, 6 BRs, + in-law suite. Meticulously maintained. $4,975,000.

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Sarah Claypool (614) 747-2155 Sarah.Claypool@ aol.com LUXURY LOG HOME IN THE HILLS - Custom Jubach Log Home, on 20 acres, mature woods, rolling hills & beautiful natural spring fed lake. Features 3 BRs, 2.5 BA., mstr ste, 1st flr laundry, wet bar & ent area, 3-car gar, garden shed and complete serenity! www.Jubach.com KEY REALTY

Marilyn Vutech & Jeff Ruff (614) 255-0600 realtors@vutech-ruff.com 1 MIRANOVA PL #2420 - 2 bedroom, 2.5 bath penthouse unit in exclusive Miranova. Open floor plan with wide wood floors, spacious kitchen with SS appliances, granite & gorgeous cabinetry. Huge private terrace, 2 parking spaces. $629,000.

VUTECH-RUFF/HER REALTORS

Helen Conway (614) 205-0429 hconway@kw.com PRIVATE AND SECLUDED HOME - On 4 acres with 1/2 million in recent upgrades including granite counters throughout, SS appliances. $10k whole house generator. Relax on your patio overlooking a pond and nature. Major Price Reduction. $690,000.

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Pat Himes (614) 280-4137 (614) 390-9697 phimes@pizzuti.com MIRANOVA - Fabulous 12th floor, custom designed 1 BR, 2BA condo w/high end finishes throughout. Open floor plan with walls of glass overlooking the skyline & river. Gas FP, 24’ balcony, 2 garage spaces & storage. $379,900.

PIZZUTI MANAGEMENT LLC

Donna Vichinsky (614) 204-3559 donnavichinsky@ hotmail.com SERENE VIEWS OF NATURE ABOUND! - Situated on pristine 20+ acres! Has a “Nantucket Feel”. Amazing renovations to kit & GR. 2 ponds w/fishing pier & fountain, 5 stall horse barn w/fenced pasture! 4 FPs! Truly gorgeous! $699,000. 5590 Lancaster-Circleville Rd SW COLDWELL BANKER KING THOMPSON

Wouldn’t you like to be looking at your home? Ask your Realtor to market your home in the Executive Living section of Columbus Monthly! Have them call Anthony Kramer at (614) 583-5796 or e-mail at akramer@dispatch.com

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columbus monthly

EXCLUSIVE HOMES Donna Vichinsky (614) 204-3559 donnavichinsky@ hotmail.com GATED IN PRESTIGIOUS “RIVERBEND” - Hard to find walkout to private trees & ravine! Amazing 3-sty foyer, huge formal spaces!

Chef’s kit w/tons of granite & cabinets! 1365 SF fin walk-out LL, billiard area! Extremely private backyard. $599,950. 551 Riverbend Avenue

Donna Vichinsky (614) 204-3559 donnavichinsky@ hotmail.com BEAUTIFUL DESIGN! - Situated on 2 acres! Trees & privacy next to a preserve! In-ground pool! Finished LL! Private executive den w/attrium doors to patio! 1st flr master suite w/access to screened porch! Formal DR & LR! Absolutely gorgeous! $754,900. 8225 Kesegs Way.

COLDWELL BANKER KING THOMPSON

COLDWELL BANKER KING THOMPSON

Virgil & Neil Mathias (614) 526-5633 (614) 889-0808 ELEGANT STONE GEORGIAN REPLICA! - Casual elegance!

Tartan upscale gem. rich library, 4 fireplaces, deluxe master, special kids playroom/retreat, walkout w/ theater, billiards, tavern, wine cellar, wraparound porch, patio,! $1.2Million. www.9123TartanFieldsDr.com

Virgil & Neil Mathias (614) 526-5633 (614) 889-0808 DOWNTOWN LIVING AT ITS FINEST! - Luxurious NY feel in this downtown high-rise. 2486 SF of high-end finishes. Spectacular views overlooking Scioto River & downtown Columbus from the 14th floor.

1,000,000.

COLDWELL BANKER KING THOMPSON

COLDWELL BANKER KING THOMPSON

Wouldn’t you like to be looking at your home? Ask your Realtor to market your home in the Executive Living section of Columbus Monthly! Have them call Anthony Kramer at (614) 583-5796 or e-mail at akramer@dispatch.com

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City Quotient

Safe Passage

The wooded shores of Alum Creek gave cover to travelers along the Underground Railroad. BY JEFF DARBEE Kelton House played a part in the Underground Railroad, but I understand Alum Creek did, too. Can you tell me a bit more about that history? For some three decades before the Civil War, the Underground Railroad was a series of routes, safe houses and hiding places set up by free blacks and also those still enslaved, in addition to sympathetic whites—particularly Quakers. Their goal was to defy pro-slavery laws and move escaped slaves out of places like Kentucky and Virginia to northern free states and also on to Canada.

Because of its long border along the Ohio River, a lot of Underground Railroad activity occurred in Ohio, especially in the central part of the state. Lots of people think their houses were “stations” on the Railroad (even some built in the 1880s) because they found odd “secret” rooms in basements and attics, but in fact very few stations had specially built 120

COlumbuS mONthly FEBRUARY 2015

hiding places. A barn or outbuilding in a rural area would have been more likely. That said, the Kelton House on East Town Street is well documented for its role in sheltering escaped slaves, as are the Hanby House in Westerville and some houses still standing along Sunbury Road. The Friends of Freedom Society here in Columbus has researched and authenticated Underground Railroad sites and routes, and Alum Creek indeed was one. It rises in Morrow County and runs on a north-south course through Franklin County. During the Underground Railroad era, the creek was known as the Sycamore Trail for the trees along its banks.

The trees provided cover as the Railroad’s “passengers” worked their way north. Along the creek in Morrow County was the Alum Creek Friends Settlement, also called Quakertown, one of the strongest safe havens on the route that took so many slaves toward freedom.

Where does the glassed-in stairwell at the corners of High and Brighton in Clintonville lead? (Obviously, not a subway!) What is this thing, and are there others like it? Actually, that really is a subway at North High Street and Brighton Road, just not the kind with tracks and trains. It has two weatherproof stairways and a tunnel and was built so kids going to the adjacent Clinton Elementary School don’t have to cross North High at street level. The story, a sad one, goes back to the 1920s, when a car on High Street struck and killed a student whose parents then raised the money to build the stairways and tunnel. It’s been refurbished several times and is still in use. The stairways are gated, and staffers at the school open them during morning and afternoon hours as students arrive and leave.

Otherwise the gates stay locked for security reasons. One of those reasons is to prevent graffiti on the tunnel walls, although part of Clinton students’ art education is to create murals there.

Jeff Darbee is a preservationist, historian and author in Columbus. Send your questions to cityquotient@ columbusmonthly.com, and the answer might appear in a future column.

ILLUSTRATION: BRETT AFFRUNTI

Sources: Subway: City of Columbus, Clinton Elementary School Underground Railroad: Cathy Nelson, Friends of Freedom Society; Ohio Department of Natural Resources Alum Creek State Park Website

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