Via Colori is a two day festival at Goodale Park where local artists, under sponsorhip from local…read morebusinesses, chalk huge drawings on the streets and sidewalks around the park. The festival takes place as the artists are doing the work, so you can see the art develop and multiply throughout the day. I walked over just to grab a bite of festival food before work. I was surprised in two ways. One, I thought it would be a more extensive festival. But then, I've only been to Comfest, which is the biggest festival of the year at Goodale Park. Two, I was impressed both at how good a lot of the work was, as well as how different everyone's technique was. Some artists were sprawled out on the ground like a 5 year old kid with a coloring book. Others sat upright detailing the huge pieces with wet paint brushes. Overall, it's just one more reason why I like living in the Short North.

I was quite excited to see this festival of chalk. Parking is nearly impossible on a weekend in the…read moreshort north so I opted to park in the Giant Eagle parking lot(off of Neil Avenue) in hopes that I wouldn't get towed. The festival is only a couple blocks away at Gooddale Park and as I am entering I hear belly dancing music. (Yes, there was belly dancers on a stage.) Strange but entertaining. The artists are lined up on two streets surrounding the park and each is given their own square to create art with chalk. I was impressed with each artist and that they have the courage to draw in front of many spectators. Many with zoom camera's. I ventured to the park for awhile and decided to relax. There was a nice breeze that day and it was refreshing to sit under a tree for a moment. I then hear blues music from that same stage. Later....I walked over to see the progress of the artists but was distracted by the amazing lily pads in the pond. Be sure to check that out! All n' All very fun afternoon but I do suggest going later in the day/evening because the artists are then done creating their masterpieces. Art, Music, Live Entertainment, Food.

Another year and another fun con. Sadly masks were required again, but hopefully this will be the…read morelast year for it. The voice actors are good about a free autograph with admission, but some are weirdly picky about what they sign or if they will charge for pictures you take of them. The scavenger hunt can be pretty fun and the ribbon game is also interesting as you can collect a lot of ribbons. Panels range acriss the board. If you have something you love be sure to apply to be a panelist or volunteer as staff to keep the con going.

Ohayocon was a blast! I didn't manage to catch any panels, but the artisans and vendors were…read morefantastic, the atmosphere was good, and the people were friendly. Ohayocon has a thriving ribbon tradition, so make sure to hunt for ribbons to add to your con pass, or even bring your own!

Did you know Gahanna was named the "Herb Capital of Ohio" in 1972? And because of this, The Ohio…read moreHerb Education Center came into existence (read its own review), which led to the establishment of historical gardens and the cultivation of neighborhood landscapes. Each springtime brings about a celebration of all things herbs! The Gahanna Historical Society, in conjunction with the Ohio Herb Education Center hosts an annual crafts and herbs festival at a beautiful garden located adjacent to Gahanna's Municipal building, named after Herb Center founder, Mrs. Jane "Bunnie" Geroux. Herb lovers will find fresh plants, floral & herbal artisans, crafts, demonstrations, lectures, children's activities and great food! For local herb enthusiasts, such as me, this is a special event not many people know about.

This was my first Herb Day, but it won't be my last. It was a perfect, beautiful day. We started…read moreat Koko's for breakfast, wandered into the herb education center next door, then across the street to check out the plant sales, all the vendors, and speakers. There was musical entertainment and people were making use of the paddleboats in Big Walnut Creek. There were lots of herb plants to choose from, and volunteers assisting. The lines to pay weren't terrible, and using little tablets, the cashiers accepted cash and credit. With Local Cantina so conveniently located, we were able to sit on the patio to eat, enjoy the music, and people-watch. It was a nice time without being overcrowded, and I look forward to next year!

I do not have any other experience with a dance studio for kids other than Broadway Bound, but as a…read moreparent, I have been pleased with our experience here. My daughter who takes classes here is now 4 years old and is entering her second season. She took the 3-4 year-old intro dance class last year and LOVED it. She just started up again last week as a 4 year-old and is thrilled to be back! She has formed a relationship with the teacher and made friends here too. My wife and I appreciate the childrens' play area that our 2 year-old can play in while our older daughter is in class. There are big screen monitors that we can watch our daughter's class without interrupting the flow of the class instruction. We're right outside if our daughter has the use the restroom or has a meltdown (I've seen it happen). The recital in June is quite spectacle. All of the classes that take place throughout the year get a spot in the recital. Even our little pre-schooler. I have to admit that in all of the leading up to this event, I was not excited to give up a Saturday afternoon for it. But when I saw my daughter on this amazing stage in this fancy auditorium and her face lit up, my heart melted. My parents and wife's parents came too and it was a big to-do (get there early and get in line for a decent seat!). I really really appreciated that they kept the kids backstage and busy (with some parent help) the entire performance and my daughter hung out with the older kids, who really took a liking to her. The relationships she had formed throughout that afternoon were apparent in the final curtain call when some of the older kids were holding her up and showing her how to bow and wave to the cheering crowd. BBDC is as pricey as the next dance studio, but they make it worth your money. The consistent classes, the fun my daughter has there, the friendships she has made there, and the final performance make it all worth it for her. By the end, I was pressuring my wife to sign her up for the next season. And our daughter was thrilled to do it all again.

I have been dancing here for as long as I can remember. All the teachers and dancers at this studio…read moreare really great. They make sure everyone has fun. BBDC is open to all age levels and experience levels. If you are looking for a dance studio this is the one to go to.

The annual Holiday Open House held along High Street on the Sunday after Thanksgiving is a fun way…read moreto kick off the holiday season! A lot of businesses offer special hours and/or deals along the way, and there are several great community events going on. This year, there were fun opportunities at the corner of High and New England Ave: free horse and carriage rides, free trackless train rides, a snowplow touch-a-truck opportunity, musical performances, an iceless ice rink, and collection of nonperishables for the Worthington Resource Pantry. The Village Green had a neat Maker's Market, food trucks and stands, and was home to the tree lighting. We really enjoyed the train ride, and the fun train whistles the sponsor kindly distributed to the line! For other activities, the map/guide was really helpful! We especially enjoyed Sew to Speak's make your own mouse candy cane ornament for a small fee, AR Workshop's tree cookie stencil ornaments for a donation to Charity Newsies, CoHatch's make your own reindeer food, Electric Sheep's characters in a quiet space for a donation to the Autism Society (Captain America, Wonder Woman, the Grinch, and Anna and Elsa), HER Realtors' amazing holiday window decorations and their fun party atmosphere (balloons, cookies, freshly popped popcorn, and coloring sheets), and picking up some nice hot burritos from the Guelaguetza Street Food truck to enjoy. Naturally, we also eagerly stopped by for a visit with Santa on the gorgeous Worthington Inn porch, with pictures by SEE Studio. What a wonderful way to start the season!

I was trying to find CBJ tickets as a Xmas gift for a coworker and her family. I called Matt at…read moreMinuteman Tickets and he explained the options available between purchasing online vs over the phone. He was extremely patient and sensitive to my needs and offered the option of paying with Paypal when I expressed my aversion to providing credit card numbers over the phone. I could not be more pleased with a monetary transaction.....and he saved me some money by doing the transaction through him vs online. I'll certainly be doing more business with him. I've recommended him/Minuteman Tickets to several of my colleagues. Well, I said I would do more business with Matt/ Minuteman Tickets and here I am three months later. I wanted to get a pair of tickets to a Brad Paisley concert at Blossom Music Center in July, '18 for a special relative, who happens to be a police officer. I called Matt (who remembered me!!) and explained what I wanted. He said his staff would work on it and call me within an hour. In the interim, I went on line with StuHub and TicketMaster to at a seating map; I also noted there prices. I called Matt again and explained, to narrow their search, where I wanted the seats to be. Matt said they'd call me within 30 minutes. He called 20 minutes later with several options, all much cheaper than StubHub and TicketMaster!! He was also able to get the parking pass I requested. Within 20 minutes, I received my receipt and the police officer received his emailed tickets. I cannot imagine having a better experience. I am very grateful I heard their radio ad on 105.7 ("Hooley ans Spielman") back in November, '17. I'm certain I'll be doing business with Minuteman Tickets many more times.

I was looking for tickets to a concert in Pittsburgh, PA. I wasn't sure if Minuteman Tickets would…read morehave tickets outside of the Columbus area but they did! Matt was so helpful and provided excellent customer service. He emailed the tickets to me immediately and we had no problems when we arrived at the venue (PPG Arena). The seats were great and it was the best night of my daughter's life! Thank you Matt!

Neat place to go visit. We stopped in here in mid December to visit the 'Dickens of a Christmas'…read morewhich is close to the OHS. I remember it being a very cold day, but it was so much fun (& neat, I am a dork!) to see how life used to be back in the day. There were crafts for the kids and a lot of things to do.

What an amazing day! Alfred had a blast laying in the Ice Castle…read more This is a free event for dogs and their people. There were three sections of vendors with lots of pet food samples, treats, and toys. There are also vendors selling great pet products, local dog rescues and everything dog related you can think of. The line for the Kong bag was worth the wait.

WAG you have an event lover over here, that's my dog Bella. She was having the best time of her…read morelife at this event. I think it was the attention she got but I don't know, she enjoyed seeing all the vendors there that day too. Bella tells me her favorite vendors were the ones with the tennis balls they gave away. Those were her favorite toys at this event. She didn't care about the treats, that was an extra. (I know we have a strange dog here not caring too much about all the free treats at over 20 booths but she had fun!) Bella and I took home lots of treats, toys and food from vendors like Pet People, Mutts and Co, doggie day cares, etc. She was even kind enough to share her food and treats she received with her friends. See she does have a good heart sometimes! My girl even got a signature from the local news anchors Karina Nova and Molly Brewer from 10TV. I cannot wait to come back next year and experience all the vendors from pet stores to trainers, local media stations, etc. We had so much fun and appreciate all the time and attention these vendors put into this event to make it a great day!