Right Now Downtown

HEAR YE, HEAR YE!

SERVING UP ZOUP!

Leaves turn; fall breezes blow in cool temperatures. It’s time to pull out the ladle, crackers and eat some Zoup! Find out what the new restaurant, Zoup!, will be serving up to keep you warm and cozy through the chilly months headed our way. 

Zoup! will open Thursday, November 10 in the Huntington Center and will offer more than 100 kinds of soup. Twelve varieties will rotate on the menu daily including at least one low-fat, vegetarian, dairy-free and spicy.  

“We visited a Zoup! in Cleveland and were instantly impressed,” said franchise owner Denis Barboza. “Our son is a picky eater and he loved the food, too. It was some of the best soup we’d ever had.” 

Each order is served with a big hunk of freshly baked bread, and just in case soup is not your style, Zoup! also makes some great salads and sandwiches. Is your stomach rumbling yet? 

Keep an eye out because we’ll offer a Blue Plate Special in Right Now Downtown to let you know when they open their doors in just a few weeks. Don’t forget, you’ll find them in the Huntington Center, 41 S. High Street, Monday through Friday 10:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.

 Word is Chicken Pot Pie and Lobster Bisque are the crowd faves so keep that in mind when you head over.

GALLAGHER MEETS DRACULA

What is bloody and gruesome and hysterically funny? Go ahead; we dare you to see what CATCO has in store for you.

There’s blood, lots of blood, so don’t wear your Sunday’s best. The cast of Evil Dead The Musical is proud of the fact that the splatter zone reaches two thirds of the audience. The watermelon-smashing Gallagher would be impressed, and what’s a zombie scene without some blood?

For the faint of heart, seats are available in a splatter-free zone. The important thing to remember is you need to get your tickets now to see the hilarious battle between good and evil as five college kids on spring break at a remote cabin encounter zombies out for blood.

The show runs through October 31 at Studio Two Theatre at the Vern Riffe Center with a special Halloween show planned for closing night – CATCO wants the audience to come in costume for this performance. Dracula might even usher you to your seat.

“Evil Dead The Musical is Gallagher meets Dracula,” said Steven C. Anderson, Artistic Director of CATCO Phoenix. “It pushes theatre-goers over the brink of hysterical hysteria, and we are thrilled to bring this show back to central Ohio just in time for Halloween.”

Tell us your funniest Halloween memory, and you’ll be entered to win two free tickets to the show. And, CATACO is offering Right Now Downtown subscribers a special deal: $10 off the purchase price of tickets if you enter the word CABIN in the promotion field when you purchase your tickets online.

FALL HARVEST BRINGS FEAST

The days are getting chilly, but you still have time to stock up on fruits and veggies and other great stuff, right downtown. Come on down to Pearl Market and see plenty in full bloom and harvest ready.

The 2011 season wraps up at the end of the month, so plan now to shop every Tuesday and Friday while farmers and merchants are still in Pearl and Lynn Alleys. If you tell us what you’ve enjoyed the most this year or what you would like to see in Pearl Market next season, you’ll be entered to win 30.00 in Pearl Market tokens (they spend just like cash!).

Having a hard time narrowing it down? Take a peek here to see some of your choices. And enter a comment below by Friday, October 7 for a chance to win.

Jim Rose, Outreach Specialist for Capital Crossroads & Discovery Special Improvement Districts, was honored on Monday by the Community Shelter Board with their Hero Award. The Hero Award is presented to those who have made significant contributions through their work toward ending homelessness.

“We are honoring Jim because he has gone above and beyond his job expectations to help the Community Shelter Board with outreach and determining the issues with street homelessness as it pertains to the Central Point of Access,” said Michelle Heritage, Executive Director of the Community Shelter Board.

In his role as Outreach Specialist, Jim works in the downtown area to help connect individuals in need to those services required to move them into long-term permanent housing. Depending on the individual’s situation, Jim helps them connect with emergency shelters, medical providers, mental health services, employment programs, housing agencies, and emergency services, and offers help with identification documentation and more.

“I am like a walking Yellow Pages,” explains Jim. “Capital Crossroads & Discovery SIDs do not provide direct housing, I do not employ people, I am not a healthcare provider, but I get homeless individuals in touch with the right people and agencies that do, and advocate on their behalf.”

“I would not be able to help as many people as I have without the support of a lot of outside agencies.”

Jim knows that the downtown community is generous and wants to help with the problem of homelessness. If you would like to help to solve the problem of homelessness, Jim encourages you to do the following:

Do not give money to panhandlers. Many panhandlers are not homeless and are already connected to one resource or another. Often the money you give goes to “extracurricular” items that are not covered by those resources.

If you would like to give money, consider finding an agency to support with money or time. Jim recommends checking out The Street Card, a resource produced by the Columbus Coalition for the Homeless, an all-encompassing document listing agencies, drop-in centers, medical providers and more. It can be found at columbushomeless.org.

“If you give a dollar to a panhandler on the street, he could use it to buy a cup of coffee,” noted Jim. “That same dollar given to Faith Mission could almost feed someone an entire meal.”

Capital Crossroads & Discovery Special Improvement Districts are proud of Jim’s many successes in helping individuals in need, and congratulate him on his Hero Award.