July 14, 2011
Anonymous donor
Donation to fund Meeting Haus upgrades By GARY SEMAN JR. ThisWeek Community Newspapers The German Village Meeting Haus will get a welcome — but not planned — facelift, thanks to an anonymous donor. The German Village Society’s board of trustees voted July 11 to accept the donation, which will range from $25,000 to $28,000. The trustees will keep the benefactor’s name confidential, at the donor’s request.
Board members expressed gratitude for the unexpected windfall, which will pay for such things as new carpet, painting and lighting and infrastructure upgrades in the office and neighborhood room at the Meeting Haus, 588 S. Third St. Roy Bieber, treasurer of the board, said the renovation would follow improvements made to the building’s exterior and visitors center made a few years ago.
“We weren’t thinking of doing this,” Bieber said. “It was outside of our annual budget. We’re thrilled.” Also at the July 11 meeting, the society received news about the Haus und Garten Tour, held June 26. Chris Hune, chair of the event, said the tour, PreTour and tent party pulled in $106,000 total, meaning the tour made an estimated $13,000. Hune said 5,000 people attended the tour, which had the fortune of mostly
good weather and the usual core of dedicated volunteers, who helped make it a success. The board also certified seven candidates running for five seats on the board of trustees in September. Incumbents Sarah Irvin Clark, Jeanne Likins and Darci Congrove are seeking re-election. In addition, Rory Daley, Kathy Wightman, Nick Cavalaris and Hune will seek seats on the board. Incumbents Jim Nichols and Crystal Sea-
mon are not seeking re-election. Seamon and her fiancé, board member Brian Santin, recently moved to Cincinnati so Santin can complete a two-year surgery fellowship at Good Samaritan Hospital. Santin, however, will remain on the board, as his term doesn’t expire this year. Santin is the former president of the board, a position now held by Mike Yarbrough. See DONATION, page A3
Third Sunday concerts
REMATCH IN THE PARK
Pianist takes the stage in Frank Fetch Park this weekend By GARY SEMAN JR. ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Photos by Paul Vernon/ThisWeek
(Above) German Village Cupcakes player Chris Anderson (center), of Clintonville, is tagged out by the Ohio Village Muffins’ Frank “Two Bits” Thompson as tally keeper Jim Kimnach, of Upper Arlington, looks on during their vintage “base ball” game — played with 1866 rules, hence the historic spelling of the game — at Schiller Park on July 10. The Muffins, who have been sponsored for 30 years by the Ohio Historical Society, defeated the Cupcakes, 21 to 5, for their second consecutive win. The teams played for the first time last year. (Right) Cupcakes captain Kelly Clark delivers a pitch to a Muffins batter. (Below) German Village resident and Cupcakes player Brian Peach receives some assistance with his tie from his wife, Amy, before the start of the game. In addition to bow ties, uniforms of the “base ball” era included pillbox hats, plain long pants and no gloves.
Richard Lopez will go wherever the music takes him, from L.A. to New York, from country clubs to hotels. Even a bank hired him to play live piano music. This weekend, the Third Sunday concert series will bring Lopez to Frank Fetch Park, on East Beck Street at Dixon Alley. His performance begins at 7 p.m. July 17. “I love the summer festival season,” he said. A classically trained pianist, Lopez said he will perform classic numbers from Chopin and Debussy, several jazz songs from artists such as Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn and composer William Bolcom, plus a short Gershwin set. He said the songs will range from upbeat to soothing. “I just love classical and jazz music,” said Lopez, who lives in German Village. “It seems that jazz is where I am doing most of my work right now.” A native of California, Lopez moved Richard Lopez to Ohio as a youngster and eventually got his bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University, where he also earned master’s and doctoral degrees. He’s been part of the local live-performance circuit for years, playing with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, as well as with the Bexley and Westerville community orchestras. See PIANIST, page A3
Actors’ Theatre
Troupe marks 30th year with Shakespeare’s classic ‘Dream’ By GARY SEMAN JR. ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Artist recovers stolen trailer and artwork By GARY SEMAN JR. ThisWeek Community Newspapers When she heard the news, Kimberly Erb was stunned. A trailer containing her artwork — essentially, her professional life — was stolen while she slept. Her husband, Greg, who first noticed the theft, delivered the news. “I just sat down and started crying and said, ‘What do we do now?’” said Erb, an American impressionist oil artist who does 35 fine-art shows per year in the Midwest and Atlantic states, all the way south to Florida.
“One day you’re in business. The next you’re not,” said Greg Erb, a web-design consultant. The theft occurred sometime in the early morning of June 28. The Erbs were staying with family on East DeshKimberly Erb ler Avenue in German Village. They parked the trailer, which they believed to be secure, behind the residence. The thieves managed to rig the trailer — which contained 41 paintings, 10 tile clocks and some art supplies — to a truck and haul it away. The trailer was not insured.
The thieves also went after a lawn mower in the backyard, which was chained to a fence. It was not added to the bounty. The Erbs, who figured the total loss to be in the range of $60,000, made a police report and took their complaint to the local media. After a local TV station broadcast the couple’s story, a Good Samaritan phoned Columbus police, giving the exact location of the merchandise: a garage on the Near East Side. Police then contacted Kimberly Erb, who went to retrieve her belongings July 2. “I knew they found my trailer, but I still wasSee ARTIST, page A2
Actors’ Theatre of Columbus has returned to its roots with the staging of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” The popular William Shakespeare work was the first play performed by the German Village-based troupe 30 years ago. The theater company decided to stage the production to commemorate the group’s founding and celebrate a milestone for a troupe that is able to provide free performances, said John S. Kuhn, artistic director for Actors’ Theatre. “We have gotten in the habit of bringing it out every five years as a commemorative event,” Kuhn said. “It’s hugely popular. It’s probably one of Shakespeare’s most popular comedies. See ACTORS’ THEATRE, page A2