Right Now Downtown

The last time the peeps in C-Bus saw this much rain Grover Cleveland had just been inaugurated as President – for the second time; Frank Lloyd Wright had opened an architectural firm; and Thomas Edison was fine tuning his new-fangled phonograph.  Needless to say, the Gore-Tex rain slicker was a few years away.

It could be worse; we could live along the Ohio River where they are getting even more rain.  All the green stuff on the other side of the window pane loves it; so as you watch the grass grow, we’ve thought of a few more things you can do to make life less soggy.

10.  Clean out a desk drawer and spiff things up a bit.  Graham’s Office Supply has just what you need.  Besides, new Post-Its will help distract you while you’re waiting for that gargantuan file that your boss just emailed you to download.

9.  Pick up a few growlers of beer from The Elevator and invite a few friends over to start construction of a mini-ark.  Mmm, Dopplebock.

8.  Head on over to the Ohio Theatre to see Mary Poppins.  The umbrella that Mary uses on stage is big enough to keep your entire office dry.

7.  Dream about warm sunny days when you Kick It Up at Columbus Commons for Downtown Kickball.  Have you sent your registration yet?

6.  Hire a trainer at your favorite gym.  It may not lift your attitude, but you’ll be too exhausted to really care.

5.  Hit every downtown restaurant for happy hour specials.  Cocktails abound downtown; start creating your list here.

4.  Stroll down Gay Street and take a whiff of all the spring flowers.  Heck, Gay Street is also a good place to begin your Happy Hour Hop.

3.  Stop at our very own award-winning Columbus Metropolitan Library for a great read.

2.  Take your inner child to the Center for Creativity at the Columbus Museum of Art and recharge your artistic self.

And the number one thing that will help get you through this rainy season…  Lunch on us and here’s your chance.  Post a comment about how you like to spend your time downtown and you’ll be entered to win lunch from a variety of downtown restaurants, worth more than 30 bucks.  Yum.

STYLIN’ GOOD TIME

It’s spring and time to spruce things up a bit – maybe even paint over some of that boring beige that covers every nook and cranny of your house or office.

Need some inspiration?

Well, look no further than Pearl Alley because the team at Crimson Design Group brings experience and creativity to the showroom and retail store at 51 North Pearl Street.  What?  You never noticed they were there?  Well, stop on by for the open house this Thursday from 3 – 7 p.m., and in the meantime, see what Crimson owner Cheryl Beachy Stauffer has to say about collaborating with clients and why she loves downtown.

KICK IT UP AT THE COMMONS

Last weekend delivered a huge dose of what’s headed our way…  Woo hoo, warm sunshine CAN actually be found in Central Ohio, and it got us thinking about summer.  Social calendars fill quickly, and we need you to know that we have Thursday night covered – in a big way.

Plan to Kick It Up at the Commons with the Downtown Kickball League.  There’s nothin’ common about it.  For the kickball enthusiasts of the summers past, you may be accustomed to kicking homeruns on the lawn of the People’s House, but this year the downtown kickball league will take off their legislative sneakers to stretch out in the spacious green of Columbus Commons.

The Commons is smokin’ hot, and it’s where all the cool kids (and wannabes) will be hanging on Thursday nights after work.  Co-Ed Kickball will kick off the party; Wonderland will ante up the fun with Trophy Thursdays, and the summer concerts will keep the party rolling.

Just like last year, two eight-week sessions of kickball will run back to back – June 2 through July 28 and August 4 through September 29.  For those who have never pulled together a team, we are rolling out one more incentive – we lowered the team fee to 275.00, down from 350.00.

Whether you come for the competition or camaraderie or concerts or the cocktails, just head on down to Columbus Commons on Thursdays after work – it’ll be a great way to kick off the weekend just a wee bit early.  Oh yea, don’t forget to spread the word.

Click here to register for Kick It Up at Columbus Commons – Downtown Kickball League.

A VISIT FROM HONEST ABE

KABOOM, let the celebration begin.  Cool visitors head to the People’s House on April 10 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the first Ohio unit mustered into the Civil War.  Heck, it’s going to be so big that word is Abraham Lincoln is even going to be there.

OK, so President Lincoln may have a little help from the Army of the Ohio Civil War Re-enactors and people like Bob Minton, Civil War historian and re-enactor extraordinaire, but you are not going to want to miss this.

Bob Minton and fellow re-enactors will take you back in time, providing a glimpse at what life was really like for these men as they stood trying to prepare for their role in the Civil War. In spite of some of the popular media portrayals, re-enactors are serious historians who want to educate the public about what life was like on a day-to-day basis for these soldiers.

“From the very first book I read about the Civil War when I was a kid, I was fascinated by the subject,” Minton said. ”History books may focus on famous leaders, but wars are fought by the common man, and re-enactors want to help educate people about what war was really like for those guys.”