Right Now Downtown

FITNESS FUNDATION

FLIP THE SWITCH

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. 

LEAD US TO THE PARTY 

FEED THE CULTURE

Finally, we traded in winter boots and mittens for sandals and t-shirts, but now what are you going to do for the rest of the summer? You might plan to take in the festivities of Red, White and Boom coming up this week, but what’s up after the last of the fireworks sputter?

Mark your calendars now for Picnic with the Pots at the Columbus Cultural Arts Center on Saturday, July 9 from 6-9:30 p.m. The list of fun stuff to do downtown is growing, and this one costs you nothing. There’s even free parking around the corner.

The event promises a sensation extravaganza – watch artists at work, take tours of the cool digs, browse the gift shop, join in an old-fashioned cake walk (mmmm…cake) and listen to great tunes by The Juggernauts. 

So, forget about digging your feet into the sand to find summer fun. At Picnic with the Pots you can scoop up a mound of clay with professional artisans to make your very own pot. You might have so much fun you will find yourself signing up for one of CAC’s fine art studio classes, which are a fantastic bargain, by the way. 

So, just where is this artistic Mecca? The Cultural Arts Center is downtown across the street from Bicentennial Park, which is part of the new Scioto Mile (set to open on July 7). For more information or to RSVP for Picnic with the Pots click here. While there, click on their Facebook page and “like” them to be entered in a drawing for a certificate worth 50 bucks to use in the gift shop.

YET ANOTHER EXPERT

When it comes to downtown, everyone’s an expert.

That wasn’t sarcasm; the public knows what the public wants.  That’s why the city is hosting public meetings, to gather information about the community’s needs and interests.

When it comes to downtown’s planning and design, MSI Design enlists experts too.  The team is wholly invested in studying cities and development and human behavior.  What do the fulltime experts say?  MSI’s Andrew Overbeck has a few ideas of his own about the future of downtown.

First and foremost, he maintains, “We’ve got a great fabric to work with.”

What does that mean?  He continues, “Downtown has the Arena District, CCAD and the art museum, the Scioto Mile Project and COSI; we have great things here.”

What downtown needs is something to tie all this greatness together.

MSI favors what Overbeck terms “small interventions” when it comes to downtown Columbus.  Designed to improve walkability and livability in the community, Pearl Alley has already gone through a “small intervention” process and now it’s a hubbub of activity.  It’s proof positive that the right modest moves can make giant impact.

And although those small interventions make the magic, Overbeck still urges us to “dream a little bigger” for our city.  He points to statistics like the fact that 25 percent of downtown’s turf is devoted to surface parking lots:  “Every one of those represents an opportunity for us (as a community) to design and define what it means NOW to live in an urban setting.  We have the fabric; we just need to fill in the gaps.”

Our community will have the opportunity to make those big dreams a reality this week.  At the upcoming April 15 Strategic Planning Meeting to be held 6 – 8 p.m. at the Columbus State Conference Center, we will get a chance to learn more about the planning process and share our own insights and expertise.

Given the suggestions from the last meeting (and from the 500 surveys that have been completed), downtown Columbus is excited to build a new future. For more information about the public meeting, visit downtowncolumbus.com/plan.