By now all the holiday fudge should be gone and if there are any cookies left, they’re crumbly stale so toss ‘em. Next on the to-do list? Well, while some of us might dream of liposuction to remove all the baked goods we snarfed down over the past two months, how about boosting activity instead?
The weather has been unseasonably warm this year with the sun even peeking from behind the clouds on occasion. A brisk walk through Columbus Commons or along Scioto Mile may just boost your mood and your Vitamin D.
We’ve extended registration for Downtown Dodgeball for one more week so you can crush cabin fever and work up a sweat.
How about a noontime stress buster? Downtown is home to many gyms, and checking the workout off your to-do list before you hit your front door after the sun slides down the horizon may yield big results. Metro Fitness and Arena District Athletic Club both have oodles of options to help you meet your 2012 fitness goals, and Ohio Fit Club will pump you up urbanator style with some of their unconventional high-intensity workouts.
Build your philanthropic muscles as you tone your flabby side when you check out the YMCA or YWCA. Both have modern workout facilities and programs while serving a humanitarian mission. You can find group fitness classes, personal trainers, swimming pools and movies stars. Oops, sorry that’s Beverly Hillbillies, but the YMCA does have a lap pool.
No fluffy white stuff falling yet, but we’re about to add some sparkle and excitement to flip the switch for holiday fun.
Ohio’s First Lady, Karen Kasich, will be on hand Wednesday, November 30 at the People’s House during the official Ohio Statehouse Tree Lighting and Holiday Festival. In keeping with the giving spirit, they invite visitors to bring a non-perishable food item for Mid-Ohio Foodbank.
Refreshments, live entertainment and even an appearance from the jolly guy himself will round out the evening, which begins at 5:30 p.m.
And, that’s just the beginning. The Grand Illumination is Friday, December 2. Activities begin at 5 p.m., and Mayor Michael B. Coleman will flip the switch at 6 p.m. illuminating more than 100,000 lights in Columbus Commons and more than 40,000 lights along Scioto Mile. Wrap up the evening with a festive holiday stroll along the Scioto Mile Promenade, City Hall and Columbus Commons led by Mayor Coleman and Santa.
Milestone 229 will even fill your belly with their yummilicious mac ‘n cheese when you buy a piece of handcrafted pottery in support of the Empty Bowls Project, which benefits Mid-Ohio Foodbank.
The fun keeps coming on Wednesday, December 7 during a special lighting ceremony of the life-size nativity scene at State Auto, 518 East Broad Street. This annual tradition began in the 1930s, and now adds a modern twist offering a cell phone tour of the six different scenes on the site throughout the holiday season.
Create new family traditions at the Columbus Commons Holiday Fair, December 16 – 18, with trackless train rides, a Secret Santa Shop, a petting zoo and tons of family friendly activities. Visit ColumbusCommons.org for more information.
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.
Java Jan, aka. Jan Antauer, perfected her barista skills a couple years ago when she opened a coffee shop in Dublin, but she was ready to expand and what better place to be than right downtown? You can find Java Jan brewing a gourmet blend near Columbus Commons at 175 on the Park (Third and Town).
“Columbus Commons is a great asset to Downtown, and our location is a real hot spot,” said Jan. “We offer a little bit of everything, and our daily specials will keep people coming back.”
She’s right. Of course, there is coffee, great coffee, but she also serves up some yummilicious sweet treats and fabulous meal options. Just in time for her fall opening is the pumpkin latte, which has been wildly popular. Coupled with one of the giant freshly baked cookies, you might just forget about the rain for a while.
Java Jan also offers a nice selection of grab-and-go breakfast and lunch options, or if you have a little extra time, take a seat inside or at the outdoor patio while you watch the action at Columbus Commons or even surf the net with free Wi-Fi.
Don’t let the rainy days keep you cloistered indoors – Java Jan is here to perk you up.
Hurry, you’re running out of time to nab early registration for Pointless Pursuit (the price increases on September 1). Pointless what?
Pointless Pursuit is an urban adventure scavenger hunt that propels contestants from the OSU campus on down through the Brewery District in a one-day, action-packed extravaganza offering a trifecta of fun, teamwork and problem-solving. This year racers will gather on Sunday, September 11.
Two-person teams receive a passport of clues directing them to quirky challenges, which test their creativity, mental and physical adeptness, and, don’t forget, sense of humor. It’s all in the name of fun, but there are some cool prizes at the finish line for those folks coming out on top. If you don’t think you can walk off with first place, that’s ok, but arrive in your most creatively coiffed costume because they’re handing out prizes for that too.
“I originally came up with the idea because I’m a huge fan of the TV show Amazing Race,” said event organizer Kristen Warren of The Warren Agency. “I learned about other urban adventure races and had a feeling the people of Columbus would embrace the concept.”
Boy, have they. Last year, the second year of the race, participation doubled, and this year the group has more than tripled the numbers they had at the same time last year. This year’s race benefits The Crawford Crew, an organization working to eliminate cervical cancer through research and education.
To find more information about Pointless Pursuit, visit them on the web at www.pointlesspursuit.com.
Of course the new Cup O’ Joe/MoJoe Lounge at the corner of Town and High Street has great coffee – the perfect jolt to get you through the longest of meetings or a pick-me-up before you put on your dancin’ shoes.
Not only do they serve up a tasty Cup O’ Joe, they dish up everything from rockin’ food to frou-frou cocktails. How about meeting up after work for Happy Hour, Tuesday through Friday, 4-8 p.m.? This Thursday may be the perfect time since the Reaganomics will be jammin’ in the Commons across the street during Downtown Live.
Make it a date and check out this video of how Cup O’ Joe/MoJoe Lounge transformed the corner of the old Lazarus building. You won’t believe your eyes.
Fitness guru Mitch Potterf coached and trained people for years, but he got fed up with the fluff and fads of the fitness industry. He even admits getting irritated with clients who weren’t serious about their workouts.
“I got tired of training people who just wanted me to carry around their towels, and I started pushing people REALLY hard. I mean hard,” he said. “My boss at the time didn’t like it and fired me, but I found the harder I pushed people, the more they liked it.”
He started training by lifting anything he could get his hands on – logs, rocks, manhole covers, and it was fun. He also used these same kinds of things to help others get fit, and the idea started taking shape.
Now, you can find Mitch and his Fit Club right downtown at 15 West Cherry Street. Using his experience, training and a little bit of that bulldog determination, Mitch started a fitness center like no other in the area.
You won’t find fancy, schmancy studios and equipment and routines, but Mitch might just toss you a manhole cover or a bag of bricks or a couple of sandbags and race you around the block. These guys have even been known to carry each other around – just for fun. And for the record, the only part that is mandatory – the fun part.
Is it crazy, or exhilirating? Well, maybe both. Yes, you’ll be pushed. This is a serious performance-based fitness and athletic program, but the whole idea is to have fun while you’re digging this high-intensity workout. Click here to get some more info, and if you want to give them a test run, check out some of their free group classes at Columbus Commons this summer.
Boom, July is here, and back in February you planned an incredible summer, but procrastination got the best of you. Well, the daylight hours are already getting shorter so get off your duff and do something about it while you still can.
We have an idea or two to kick summer fun into high gear. Music. Kickball. Sunshine. Frosty beverages…
Don’t wait much longer to register for Downtown Kickball. The next session begins Thursday, August 4 and the deadline is right around the corner on July 29, but don’t delay – the first session filled early.
To help ease the pinch of bouncy economic times, we’ve lowered the team price to $275. Coupled with the jamming tunes of Downtown Live and the cold beer in the Commons, you can’t go wrong.
Click here to register or call Melissa Fast for more information, 645-5281. In the meantime, check out what others have to say about Session 1 – Kickin’ It Up at the Commons.
Hump day is a day away, which means it’s almost time for Lunch for the Lawn at Columbus Commons. On Wednesdays this summer you may have a hard time choosing from all the vendors at the Food Cart, Food Court, but what about the rest of the week?
Well, Lori and Kevin Ames have been filling hungry bellies of office workers in one of their three restaurants on Capitol Square for quite a while, and now they’ve got what you’re craving at the Commons – all week long. Check out this video to see their new digs take shape.
Lots of us support the buy local movement, but how about showin’ some love to the Cbus music scene?
This summer you can kick off the weekend early right after work on Thursday nights and check out some of hottest local acts at Downtown Live at Columbus Commons. Click here to check out the line-up and make plans for hot tunes and cold drinks all summer long.
Local bands jam beginning at 5:30 p.m. every Thursday, June 2 – August 25. You might even want to toss an extra t-shirt and pair of shorts in your brief case before you head out the door in the morning, so you don’t waste a minute at the end of the day – the frosty beverages and friends will be waiting and ready. G Finesse & the NS and Fabulous Johnson Brothers open the concert series this Thursday.
If a little more activity is what you crave, the cool kids at Wonderland will turn it up a notch alongside the concerts with Trophy Thursdays – a grown-up version of recess. And you can kick it up from there with Downtown Kickball; register now for the second session of the kickball league.
Or, just hang out with friends on the patio, order another cold one, a burger and fries and soak up the summer fun in the heart of downtown.
We’ve watched the oversized Tonka trucks and bulldozers and sod layers transform the site where the City Center Mall once stood, but the carousel horses can be contained no longer. The fun races ahead Thursday, May 26 during the grand opening of Columbus Commons, the gorgeous nine-acre park in the heart of downtown.
Thursday is just the beginning – an entire weekend of cool stuff awaits starting with live local music. Make plans now for family fun, Backyard Blues and Brews, live theatre, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Lounge on the Lawn… Heck, you might even hear a spontaneous outburst of Hang on Sloopy when the Ohio State Pep Band makes an appearance.
So, what’s all this entertainment going to set you back, you ask? Nada, nothing, not one red cent. Capitol South presents the entire weekend of festivities, open for all at no cost. At that price, you might even want to spring for Grandma.
Before you slide into your sneakers or sandals, get your smart phones out and add Columbus Commons to your list of faves because the fun won’t end any time soon.
For a complete list of what’s headed your way at Columbus Commons, click here. Oh, and if you need to kick it up a notch, hurry and sign up for downtown kickball league on Thursday nights at the Commons. The deadline is May 26, but there are just a few spots left.
FITNESS FUNDATION
FLIP THE SWITCH
RAINY DAY PERK-YOU-UP
POINTLESS TO RACE TO THE FINISH?
STAND BACK, SISSIES
KICK-A-BOOM
ROCKIN’ WITH LOCALS
LET THE FUN BEGIN!