Right Now Downtown

FRESH AND NEW CALLING YOU 

WIPE OUT WASTE

You might already recycle your bottles and cans and maybe even newspapers at home, but what about when you’re at work? Have you ever thought about what happens to all the paper that you and your coworkers generate as you hustle and bustle around the office? It’s gotta go somewhere.

Last year, seven downtown property owners partnered with Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District and diverted nearly 160,000 pounds of paper from landfills. Yeah, just seven buildings made that happen. Think about what you can do.

Maybe you’ve pondered a recycling program for your office, but don’t know where to start, or maybe you just need to kick everyone in the keester to climb on board. Either way, Capital Crossroads SID wants to help.

Thanks to SWACO and Ohio Department of Natural Resources, we created a one-stop-shopping recycling toolkit for businesses, and it’s chocked full of everything you need to know to start a recycling program to keep one going. There is even some cool swag featuring (sound the super hero music) Paperman, and they’re willing to share their schtuff.

Check out the recycling video to get the full scoop or call 614.645.5005 to order stickers, posters and door hangers to help your office wipe out waste. Start today.

DIVIDE AND CONQUER

On opening night of the four-week run, you will see the first ten minutes of five one-act shows. The audience will then boot one of the plays. The next week, you will see the first 20 minutes of the remaining three plays; boot out another, and then there were two.

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.

RAINY DAY PERK-YOU-UP

There’s a new girl in town who promises to give you the jolt you need to get through the recent rainy days, a long morning meeting, or even a late afternoon stroll through the park. Find out what Java Jan has in store for you. 

GRAB A BALL – HAVE A BALL

Summer is fading fast, but we have an idea how to keep the summer time fun going even as the nights grow longer and temperatures fall.

Dodge, dip, dive into Downtown Dodgeball. Yep, grab the balls before the guy across the center line does and pummel your way to fun. Did you know that the National Amateur Dodgeball Association has a swanky tournament and the grand prize is $10,000? Downtown Dodgeball might be the perfect training ground.

Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District and the Downtown YMCA sponsor Downtown Dodgeball, an eight-week league, which begins Thursday, November 3. Hurry and download the registration and send it in to save your spot.

Whether you have a team of underdogs or vie to call yourself The Champion of Champions, shoot into action with Downtown Dodgeball.

A team must have a minimum of six people, but bring a posse and dodge past the competition. Team Registration is $250, and there will be two eight-week sessions, each including a championship. Deadline to register for the first session is Friday, October 28. For more information or to download the registration form, waiver and rules, click here.