614 October 2022

WINGS

Lincoln Theatre Saturday | 3 pm

Palace Theatre

Tuesday | 6 pm

Davidson Theatre, Riffe Center Tuesday | 8 pm

THE DOLLOP

Southern Theatre Wednesday | 7:30 pm

LIA RODRIGUES FÚRIA

Davidson Theatre, Riffe Center Friday & Saturday 8 pm

TRICK-ORTREAT

PALACE THEATRE

Palace Theatre Wednesday | 6–8 pm

THE HIP HOP NUTCRACKER

Palace Theatre

Sunday | 7 pm

AN ACOUSTIC CHRISTMAS WITH OVER THE RHINE

Southern Theatre

Tuesday | 8 pm

DIRTY DANCING

IN CONCERT

Palace Theatre Saturday | 8 pm

AN EVENING WITH BRIAN CULBERTSON

Davidson Theatre, Riffe Center

Saturday | 8 pm

DEC 10

DISNEY PRINCESS

THE CONCERT

Palace Theatre

Tuesday | 7 pm

DAVE KOZ

AND FRIENDS 25TH ANNIVERSARY CHRISTMAS TOUR

Palace Theatre

Saturday | 8 pm

Clintonville

Surrounded by vineyards and orchards, Holland offers the best of autumn’s activities. Wind through canopies of glorious crimson, burnt orange, and gold to arrive at Virtue Cider’s rustic tasting room. Envision picking Honeycrisp apples at Crane’s Orchard. Or climb to the top of Mt. Pisgah for a treetop panoramic view of lakes Michigan and Macatawa. Visit during Fall Fest for even more fun. Come downtown October 7-8 to plant tulips, witness enormous pumpkin carving, and explore a windmill-side artisan market. While in town, be sure to pick up a Handcrafted Passport to guide you to all the local beverage artisans. Don’t make it to all your passport destinations? No worries. Simply return to Holland, perhaps during one of the joyful holiday shopping events starting in November. Check our calendar for the latest on fall festivities, plus all the seasonal fun to come.

BIG PICTURE

A quill pen and antiquated notes strewn around a table at the Kelton House, a historical Columbus home-turned-museum that’s reportedly haunted.

TO READ MORE GO TO (Pg. 62)

PHOTO BY SARAH PFEIFER

Opening Volley

JACK MCLAUGHLIN Editor-In-Chief

'Jack'-O-Lantern...Get it?

When I was a teenager, I spent an embarrassing amount of time ghost hunting.

Yes, you read that correctly. My friends and I would pile into my 1994 Geo Prizm and fumble our way across rural Illinois, in search of the next spookiest thing.

But even though I would spend my free time ghost hunting and was (and still am) fascinated by the supernatural, I never expected to actually have an experience I couldn’t explain. I’m a skeptic, in the literal sense of the word: I don’t write things off without a reason, but I don’t believe them until I can see them for myself.

And then one day, I did.

Most weekends, a few friends and I would spend at least one night exploring a place I’ll call Location X, this abandoned–and supposedly haunted–asylum we found on the industrial outskirts of Chicago.

We had uncovered everything from underground tunnels and padded rooms to holiday cards hand-written by former patients, but one night, as we were walking, singlefile and in absolute pitch black because every window except one (our only way in or out) was boarded up, we heard a noise from the hallway directly above our heads.

Despite how vivid this memory still is, it’s difficult to explain in a way that feels accurate. The noise itself sounded mechanical, like metal being forcibly slammed against an equally hard surface. There was something about it that sounded unnaturally resonant as well, like it was somehow happening in front of us, instead of 20 feet above our heads.

While I truthfully assumed I would either close my eyes and cry or just run away when faced with something I actually couldn’t explain, the opposite happened. Fueled by a surge of adrenaline, we decided to figure out what was going on.

Location X was technically a campus of abandoned buildings, and we were exploring the school, one of the smaller buildings on the site. Thanks to an emergency map and a lot of late-night trespassing (sorry Mom), we knew the layout of this building well. It was essentially two identical rectangles stacked on top of each other.

And because these buildings had stood derelict for nearly a decade at this point, the only way to access the second floor was a single staircase (a second staircase had collapsed, and the building’s on-site elevator hadn’t operated in 10 years) located next to where we had been standing.

So we did something very, very dumb. We went up the stairs.

Editor’s Note: Don’t do stuff like this.

The strangest thing of all, though, is what we found up there: absolutely nothing. We split up and covered the entire floor, meaning if anyone, or anything, had been up there, they would have had to pass us to exit the second floor. The room directly above our heads, the one the noise was coming from, did have several old desks inside of it, and they were strewn about across the floor, but that’s as far we got in terms of any real “evidence.”

I don’t have an explanation for what happened. It was terrifying, and exciting, and really, really weird. But was it paranormal? Was a ghost involved? Who knows.

What I do know though, is that October is without a doubt my favorite month of the year. It’s the one month where it’s acceptable–encouraged, even–to simply sit around and share stories like this.

In an era where we have more tools than ever to fight boredom, there’s something fulfilling about willfully putting them to the side, and doing things the old-fashioned way.

And that’s what we hope happens with our October issue, Historic Haunts. We tell the stories of multiple local paranormal hotspots, from a pet cemetery to a 200 yearold hotel. These include not only the fascinating history of each place, but also why exactly so many consider them to be haunted. They include everything from phantom cigarette smoke and disembodied voices to orbs of light. The good stuff.

So turn the lights down low, and crack a window to let the cool night air in. Take a quick look at the full moon from your window. Be afraid, in the best way possible.

Welcome to October. Welcome to Local Haunts.

Our staff picks

It’s the witching hour? Month? Whatever. It’s October, which means things are getting spooky. With that in mind, we asked the (614) staff what they’re afraid of, and here’s what they had to say.

Bananas. It’s a texture thing.

— Jack McLaughlin, Editor

Thalassophobia for me. Get anxious just thinking about it, looking down and seeing just the black abyss of the ocean.

— Austin Black, Video Producer/Editor

I have really bad claustrophobia. Also Kid Rock, I don’t like him.

— Lizzy Saunders, Brand Manager (614) Beer

Deathly afraid of MICE in any form, keep them away from me, they are by far the scariest. Oh yeah, and butterflies too.

— Meggin Weimerskirch, Advertising Director

Walking on glass floors or bridges.

— Paul VanHorn, Account Executive

I'm deathly afraid of spiders and ketchup.

— Justynne Pride, Marketing Coordinator

Not getting treats.

— Louie, (614) Office Dog

I'm also afraid of deep bodies of water and for that reason I'm weirdly really afraid of cruise ships.

— Victoria Smith, Creative Designer

ON the WEB

Do you check your news and entertainment updates on 614now.com? You should.

Every day we’re posting Columbus’s top news, entertainment, and sports stories from throughout Central Ohio. Check out all the Columbus news online, including the new ones below at 614now.com and suscribe to our daily email!

→ Popular national chain for steakburgers, frozen custard planning first Central Ohio location

The popular Wichita-based burger and milkshake chain Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers doesn’t currently operate a restaurant in Central Ohio, but that could change soon.

→ Central Ohio youth wins third place in USA Mullet Championship

William Dale Ramsey has made Central Ohio proud.

The Pataskala native took home third place in the Kid’s Division of the USA Mullet Championship, a large-scale competition that drew entries from across the country.

→ New art-focused craft brewery and taproom coming to South High Street

In most cases, the art on a beer can or bottle label is seen simply as an extension of its packaging, a way to catch the consumer’s eye and sell a few more units.

PRES S PLAY

614 VIDEO

Did you know that (614) launched a YouTube channel with some very shareable video content? It’s true. Keep an eye out for more on our (614) Columbus account and on social media. In the meantime, check out the newest videos on our channel:

now playing...

• Tasting Columbus—NEW episode!

Have you checked out our TV show “Tasting Columbus?”

Join food scientist Matt Teegarden as he eats his way through Columbus’ food scene. Make sure to tune in at tastingcolumbus.com or scan the QR code above.

@jaydelaney

@jwilschek

@planthropy

@trovewarehouse

By John M. Clark

Photos courtesy of Columbus Uncovered

Story Design by Bryce Patterson

n this age of internet shopping, an actual brick-and-mortar store opening can seem pretty mundane. Ribbon cuttings, door prizes, free gifts—they've all been done to death. But back in the 1930s, Big Bear grocery founder Wayne Brown found a unique way to pack the customers in—by bringing along live bears.

I

On Feb. 15, 1934—during the Great Depression, nonetheless—the Coalton native opened his first grocery in a cavernous building that had previously housed a skating rink, a dance hall, and horse shows. Three hundred sixty-four Lane Ave. was a great location—across the street from The Ohio State University— and perfect for walk-in traffic. →

Columbus historian John M. Clark uncovers some of the strangest and most fascinating stories you’ve never heard. This month, we look at a grocery store opening that involved a whole lot of live beasts.

On Opening Day, tens of thousands came out to see the new store and the Big Bear bear. And over the next eight years, no one entered Brown’s revolutionary, new, self-service supermarket without catching a glimpse of it—inside a special cage, just outside the main entrance. Caretaking duties fell to the store's janitor. An urban legend at the time claimed that any stock boy who made a mistake on the job had to lead the bear down to the Olentangy River and bathe it. By about 1942, the original Big Bear bear had outgrown his cage and was given a new home at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

But other bears followed, if only for grand openings, helping the supermarket chain grow to almost 90 stores throughout the Midwest. Crowds would gather in parking lots to watch a bear walk a modified "high wire." Children lined up to ride a bear. On opening day of one particular Big Bear grocery, cameras flashed as a bear appeared to ring up sales at a cash register.

But Wayne Brown was much more than a creative marketer. He was also a business innovator. By focusing on volume purchases and relying on thin margins, the Big Bear chain consistently beat other stores' prices. Competitors saw this coming from the opening of the very first Big Bear store and threatened their suppliers that they would pull their business if the suppliers sold to the Columbus chain. Big Bear found other, smaller distributors, but the strike lasted five years.

Ironically, the success of the Big Bear business model eventually played a role in its demise. Other, larger grocery chains began springing up, putting enormous pressure on Big Bear to sell at even lower prices. Penn Traffic, a giant supermarket holding company, forced a buyout of the weakened company in 1989. The writing was on the wall, and the stores closed for good in 2004, leaving many fond memories of a oncethriving, locally grown supermarket chain and the real, live bears that helped make it successful.

For more stories like this, check out Clark’s book dedicated to unusual local history, “Columbus Uncovered

"An urban legend at the time claimed that any stock boy who made a mistake on the job had to lead the bear down to the Olentangy River and bathe it."

Man Behind the Monsters The

From masks to monsters and makeup, Todd Reed creates the Halloween scenes you know and love

By Mallory Arnold

Photos by Leonardo Carrizo

↓ Todd Reed with gargoyle mask

↓

Todd Reed with monstrous creations

Todd Reed knows his monsters. In fact, he knows them so well, he’s probably dreamt up a few that visit us in our nightmares and pop up around Halloween.

Reed is an artist, and a part of the upcoming TV show “614 Scream Kings,” where he and three other visual artists visit cities across the country that house mythical monsters, dig around to try to find sed creatures and return back to Columbus to build replicas in their studio. The first episode they filmed, not yet released, was an investigation into the elusive Moth Man in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Reed recalls his attempt to play a prank on his videographer, gone wrong.

“We were cutting through these dark dirt back roads and it was pitch black, so I all of a sudden turned on The Shining soundtrack and rolled down all the windows,” he says. “It was just to scare him. And then out of no where I looked behind us and saw these two lights, like glowing eyeballs. One minute we were alone and the next there was this thing behind us — we hauled it out of there!”

Was it the Moth Man? We’ll never know, but seems like it was a close call either way.

Beyond the show currently underway, Reed has dabbled in a wide range of projects under his company Steampowered SFX Productions, from independent films to music videos to commission sculptures. He was integral in the opening of Otherworld, the immerse art experience that opened in 2019. His special effects makeup has been seen in artist Bobaflex’s music video “I Am A Nightmare.”

“I did makeup on this huge bodybuilder guy who was made of solid muscle,” Reed says. “I mean I’m tall, and even I looked like a little kid standing next to him. But it turned out really good — I like a bigger canvas.”

Speaking of bigger canvas, you can’t get much larger than Cedar Point. Reed is responsible for redesigning the amusement park’s flagship gift shop for their Halloweekends, a job he says is a labor of love because he’s such an Ohio kid. Plus, his handmade monster called the Rougarou (a monster from Cajun folklore that has the body of a man and the head of a wolf) in front of the roller coaster aptly named The Rougarou.

A Scary Start

Reed is the first to admit that, growing up, he was scared of everything.

“I’d leap up to get into my bed every night because I was afraid there was something underneath it,” he says, laughing. “I was one of the most scared kids on the planet.”

Even so, Reed was drawn to the special effects in creature films.

“Just the magic of being able to do something like that was crazy to me,” he says. “I always felt like they were the unsung heroes of the movies.”

As a kid, he always had a Super 8 camera on him, spending hours making stop-action claymation movies. Although Reed couldn’t go to a coveted expensive film school or enroll in courses, his mom was as supportive as she could be. “We didn’t have a lot of money and she was a single mom, but one day she came home with some modeling clay, a couple rolls of film and a bunch of Starlog magazines,” Reed says. “She even found a book to teach me to do everything. That was her way of supporting me.”

While it was always a dream, Reed didn’t pursue special effects and filmmaking until a few years ago.

“One day I just decided I was going to go after my childhood dream and do something I’ve never gotten to do before,” he says. “So I got into it and it brought so much joy to my life.”

Bringing Creatures to Columbus

Reed admits that there are amazing opportunities for special effects artists and filmmakers in California but wants to cultivate the talent here in Columbus. While local filmmakers don’t have a Hollywood budget, he goes above and beyond to make sure every project he’s part of has the best effects it can.

“Anytime I do smaller stuff, I ask them, ‘Will you just trust me on this?’ And they let me take the reins and give them really cool stuff,” Reed says. “I give the more bang for their buck and press the limitations.”

For years, Reed held special affects classes at CCAD Community Education and enjoyed the teaching process, but now wants to offer courses for free. So he’s looking for a local vacant building to teach, build a haunted attraction and install his props workshop.

“We could get Columbus filmmakers in there so they can use the areas of the haunt as a sound stage,” Reed says. “They could come to the props workshop for everything they need and have this one-stop shop available to them.”

His talents take him all over the country, but Reed’s heart and efforts reside right here at home. He’s been invited to countless career days for charter schools and done presentations for the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. Even during the busiest of weeks, he loves to give demonstrations about what special affects art is and seeing kids face’s light up.

“I want to do something for the kids in Columbus who were like me,” he says. “Who loved filmmaking and wanted to learn but didn’t have a lot of resources.”

The plans for this new location for special effects filmmaking and classes is TBD, but we have no doubt that

↑ Todd Reed creating a mask →

Creepy Q&A

We ask Reed about his favorite fearful things

Favorite scary movie?

“My favorite classic movie is Creature From the Black Lagoon. The one that inspired me growing up was the The Thing — the creation of these monsters… it’s like where does he come up with these? And as for newer scary movies, my wife and I can watch it over and over again — Yummy.”

Favorite scary creature? Favorite Halloween tradition?

“I’m really fascinated with creatures that actually could be living somewhere in our solar system. I’d have to say aliens.”

“We have an outdoor movie theater that we built in our backyard. If it’s a little chilly, we pass out blankets and pillows to our family and friends, we pop popcorn and watch scary movies outside.”

Favorite Halloween costume?

“Me and my wife went to New Orleans; she got a big hoop dress—one of those 16th century white beehive wigs— and I had the knickers and the white socks and pointy shoes and ruffled shirts and pirate fringe jackets and did prosthetics for both of our faces so we looked like vampire bats. We went to the Anne Rice Vampire Ball. There was a competition for best costume, and during the competition, I got down on one knee and proposed to her. And then we won the contest!”

Missing Jimmy’s co-owner Vinnie DelliQaudri, drink in hand →

By Sarah Sole

Photos by Leonardo Carrizo

Story Design by Bryce Patterson

Shortly after Missing Jimmy’s opened September 8 in Dublin, patrons of the new neighborhood bar were treated to an exceptional occurrence: In two separate games, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns were victorious, both squeaking by with wins.

The place, understandably, went nuts.

For Robert DelliQuadri, who co-owns Missing Jimmy’s and Meatball Mafia with his brother, Vinnie, the fun was seeing everyone get lost in the drama of the game.

“It was great,” he said. “Everybody was in an amazing mood. I’m really looking forward to more times like that,” he said. →

The owners of Meatball Mafia have launched an entirely new bar and kitchen dedicated to Jimmy Hoffa. Are you ready to disappear?

Dublin has plenty of sports bars, but Missing Jimmy’s is something decidedly new for the suburb. The bar is a portal to another time, with 70s decor and memorabilia featuring Jimmy Hoffa, the American labor union leader legend who disappeared in 1975. And like Meatball Mafia, the spot is a love letter to Youngstown.

The city where the DelliQuadris grew up is full of neighborhood bars with decent food–low-key, blue-collar, family friendly spaces where patrons can relax.

“I was really interested in doing a bar because of that,” DelliQuadri said.

DelliQuadri never had any interest in doing a restaurant—for him, the goal was always a bar with food. Missing Jimmy’s serves the sub sandwiches and bowls found at Meatball Mafia, and is slated to roll out 8-inch personal pizzas in the next couple of weeks.

And while the bar will serve up the Meatball Mafia menu, the food was also how the establishment got its name. Before Meatball Mafia’s brick and mortar location opened in the Center Street Market in Hilliard, the DelliQuadris were making a name for themselves with a food truck of the same name. The Missing Jimmy (a fried bologna sandwich named for its habit of disappearing into the bellies of eager customers) appeared on the menu once or twice.

"The bar is a portal to another time, with 70s decor and memorabilia featuring Jimmy Hoffa, ...And like Meatball Mafia, the spot is a love letter to Youngstown. "

Interior details of Missing Jimmy’s ↑

DelliQuadri poses for a Missing Jimmy’s mug shot ↓

↓ Interior details of Missing Jimmy’s ↑

Jimmy’s was on the list.

“It kept surviving every round,” he said.

The name fit well with the mafioso, bluecollar theme that DelliQuadri was going for. The space features wood paneling and green leather, and the menu includes several old-style beers. Three tables are decked out with different iterations of Jimmy Hoffa: Jimmy, the teamster man of the people, Crooked Mafia Jimmy, and the mythical Missing Jimmy.

“They came out beautifully,” DelliQuadri said.

The interior has a capacity of around 48 people, with 13 tables in addition to the bar. The spot is also within one of Dublin’s Designated Outdoor Refreshment Areas (DORAs), allowing patrons to grab drinks before heading out to other establishments later on in the night.

The spot is popular with fans of Meatball Mafia, former Youngstown natives eager for a bit of nostalgia.

“They’re taking a short trip home when they come to see us,” DelliQuadri said.

To learn more, visit missingjimmys.com

By Jack McLaughlin

Love it or absolutely hate it, with October here, we are well within the thick of pumpkin spice season. And since we know you’re being regularly-bombarded with new (and sometimes less than desirable) iterations of the classic fall flavor, we’ve compiled a list featuring some of our favorite local examples.

So grab a cozy blanket and your favorite autumnal candle, because we’re about to kick off fall the best way we know how. →

From buckeyes to sausages, pumpkin spice has planted its flag in the Columbus food scene this fall

Story Design by Victoria Smith

SPICED PUMPKIN PECAN FLOURLESS TORTE

Pistacia Vera is a German Village institution as far as baked goods go, so you’ll want to grab one of these fall classics while you can. As they’re flourless, you can enjoy these tortes even if you have a gluten intolerance.

PUMPKIN SPICE SAUSAGE

Yes, you read that correctly; and yes, it’s actually good. Saddleberk exploded onto the Columbus food scene last year, offering its exclusive Berkshire pork in a variety of deli sandwiches, and even in butcher shop-style cuts to North Market Bridge Park patrons. This festive variety debuted years ago, and we’re lucky enough to see it return annually.

↑ Pumpkin Spice Sausage, courtesy Saddleberk

↑ Spiced Pumpkin Pecan Flourless Torte, courtesy Pistacia Vera

Now with her very own Clintonville storefront, The Buckeye Lady is here to make the fall a treat for us all. Known for offering unique “stuffed” buckeyes, her returning Pumpkin Spice Buckeyes are packed with pumpkin purée, spices, and even real pumpkin cookie pieces for good measure.

PUMPKIN SPICE BUCKEYE

↑ Pumpkin Spice Buckeye, courtesy the Buckeye Lady

MULTIPLE OFFERINGS

While pumpkin spice didn’t exist—at least not as we know them today—70 years ago, that hasn’t stopped this 1950s-themed cookie shop from launching an entire line of festivelyflavored treats, and we’re not mad about it. This fall, the popular Powell bakery will be selling everything from pumpkin spice cookies, to coffee, lattes and more.

PUMPKIN CAKE ROLL

Just like many people claim to be too cool for pumpkin spice, many also claim to be too cool for Jeni’s. Let’s see them try to resist this one, though. The seasonal treat starts with sweet heirloom pumpkin ice crean before adding a swirl of spiced sweet cheese and vanilla cake.

↑ Pumpkin Spice Cookies, courtesy Mrs. Turbo's Cookies

↑ Jeni's Pumpkin Cake Roll Ice Cream, courtesy Jeni's

Why make just a pumpkin beer, when you create pumpkin coffee as well? Saucy Brew Works decided to create both, which means you can enjoy an amber lager brewed with real pumpkin and a blend of spices, in addition to Honduran coffee beans that are, according to the brewery and coffee shop, “brimming with pumpkin pie flavor and all the fall spices you know and love.”

BOO THANG

↑ Boo Thang Coffee Beans, courtesy Saucy Brew Works

Ear Goes Nothing founder Danny Phillips, with corn and butter

There are few things more Midwestern, and more unapologetically Ohioan, than corn.

Not only does it line so many of our winding rural highways for the better part of each year, when the fall rolls in, corn mazes remain as a festive reminder of the harvest.

This is all to say that we can understand why an Ohioan like Danny Phillips loves corn.

Speaking of being unapologetically Ohioan, Phillips served as the concessions manager at the one and only Ohio stadium for the better part of a decade. And while he was fully invested in his job, another interest was slowly building inside of him, like a stalk growing from the ground.

Phillips loves Ohio corn. So much so that he quit his concessions job (which he described as his “passion”) to open Ear Goes Nothing in April of this year.

A food stand dedicated to serving flavorloaded roasted corn from local purveyors like Michael Farms and Wishwell Farms, the concept, according to Phillips, began as something like a happy accident.

“It all started when I accidentally put hot sauce on my corn once. When I really liked that, I started putting more and more on corn, and that’s how I got here,” he said.

Today, Ear Goes Nothing’s flagship offering is roasted corn served with any number of indulgent compound butters (butter mixed with herbs and other flavors). Many of these rotate, but diners are able to dig into flavors like Honey Lavender, Chipotle, Tomato Basil and even Jalapeno Popper. →

I really love the honesty of dance. Because dance is through the whole body, it is often hard to hide who you are. It’s that vulnerability that can be the scariest but also the most beautiful. I am lucky to have found a lot of support from artists and dancers in Columbus. Many have become my second family and I believe that’s rare from a community. I’m Jaime Kotrba Wilson, dance is my art and there’s no place I’d rather make it.

Learn more about Jaime’s story and other Columbus artists, performances, exhibitions, concerts, public art and more at ColumbusMakesArt.com

How Ohio corn drove the former concessions manager at Ohio stadium to quit his job and launch his first very own food concept

Story Design by Victoria Smith

By Jack McLaughlin / Photos by Aaron Massey

Photo: Aaron Molnar | Design: Formation Studio

↓

Ear Goes Nothing founder Danny Phillips

↑ Ear Goes Nothing founder Danny Phillips

↑ Ear Goes Nothing compound butter

“If you’re stopping by with Grandma and you aren’t feeling adventurous, we have regular butter too,” Phillips said with a laugh.

And while Ear Goes Nothing also serves loaded potato bowls and poutinestyle baked potatoes, Phillips never saw the concept expanding past traditional roasted corn with butter. But that changed too.

“So many people asked for elote, that I had to give it a shot,” he said.

Now, the Mexican-style street corn–which covers roasted corn in a rich sauce, Cotija cheese and a variety of bold spices–is his top-selling item.

After launching in the spring, Ear Goes Nothing relied on the Central Ohio festival circuit this summer, setting up shop at a number of prominent events and concerts. The concept is still operating as a food stand, but Phillips has bigger plans.

He’s preparing to open a food truck under the same name next year, and has his sights set on a brick and mortar hub in the near future. During the colder months, he’ll be offering Ear Goes Nothing as an event and party catering service.

Unlike the buffet lines we’ve seen over and over, he wants the corn-driven concept to be fun and dynamic: an event itself. Phillips will roast all of his corn on-site with a live flame, and drench it in compound butter right before serving.

“It’s more theatrical than if you had someone just show up with prepared food; we can make everything right in front of people,” Phillips said.

To learn more, visit www.eargoesnothing.biz

By Bryce Patterson

Photos by Aaron Massey

Many people take a while to recover from suddenly losing a job.

Peter Coratola, Jr. was different.

After being let go for straying from the status quo, Coratola quickly pivoted. Four months later, in 2014, Coratola founded EASE Logistics. EASE is a multi-operational logistics and transportation solution provider

built on the principle that made him see op erations differently: providing unparalleled customer service.

It sounds simple, but to Peter this meant embracing innovation, raising communica tion standards, providing complete transpar ency, and maintaining consistent reliability 24/7/365.

“I wanted to change the narrative of third-party logistics,” said Coratola. “To do things differently not for the sake of being dif ferent, but for the opportunity to be better.”

Equipped with only his skills and a closet in his dad’s office, being better is what Co ratola set out to do. Eight years later, he has grown EASE to nearly 200 employees with four locations, including an innovation hub and a warehouse. In August, EASE surpassed

its 2022 goal of $200 million in annual rev enue with four months left.

The secret to EASE’s exponential growth? Since redefining the standard of service, EASE pioneers new ways to deliver excel lence across the supply chain and prioritize the betterment of people and the planet.

Innovation is the engine that drives EASE. Coratola pushes the limits of what’s possible by reimaging EASE’s solutions, services, and tools and pursuing research opportunities in autonomous mobility. Coratola’s goal is to help make EASE and, by association, the state of Ohio leaders in transportation inno vation.

How Peter Coratola, Jr. Is making logistics better in unexpected ways.

↓ EASE Logistics founder Peter Coratola , Jr.

The secret to EASE’s exponential growth? Since redefining the standard of service, EASE pioneers new ways to deliver excel lence across the supply chain and prioritize the betterment of people and the planet.

Innovation is the engine that drives EASE. Coratola pushes the limits of what’s possible by reimaging EASE’s solutions, services, and tools and pursuing research opportunities in autonomous mobility. Coratola’s goal is to help make EASE and, by association, the state of Ohio leaders in transportation inno vation.

“Being a business should be about more than profit,” says Coratola. “It’s about go ing outside the realm of business-as-usual to make a positive impact.”

EASE is also a philanthropic business, committed to the continued growth and well-being of those throughout Central Ohio and beyond. In 2021, EASE donated nearly $100,000 to local organizations and plans to increase donations to match business growth. More than that, EASE also supports causes through volunteering, sponsorships, and regularly offering up its resources.

Sustainability also matters to EASE. Its Marysville warehouse uses 100% recycled cardboard and employs SmartWay Certified carriers. EASE is working to reduce emissions and waste and responsibly repurpose over, short, and damaged freight.

“We aim to make our supply chain and business regenerative and resilient,” Cora tola said. “That means pushing for ways to

reduce waste and restore or replenish under utilized or depleted resources.”

Innovation and the community will influ ence the revitalization of EASE’s newly ac quired 150k square foot future headquarters in Dublin. The plan is to bring the community closer to EASE with shared public spaces, lo cally curated art, and more.

But most important to Coratola are his employees.

“EASE’s impact begins with our employ ees,” says Coratola. “They are the life force of EASE. Their hard work, ideas, and passion drive it forward every day.”

Following the pandemic, EASE assem bled an Employee Strategy and Innovation Team to enable employees to directly influ ence the company’s evolution, regardless of role or experience level.

The diligent work that Coratola and his staff carry out pays off. EASE is awardwinning, recognized year after year by pub lications including Columbus Business First, Inbound Logistics, and Inc. 5000. This year, Coratola received The Smart 50 Impact Award for making a difference within the industry, the community, and among EASE employees.

“Eight years ago, I couldn’t have imag ined what EASE would become,” says Cora tola. “I hope that when people see our logo or hear our name, they know that EASE is more than a logistics company. We’re seiz ing ways to go above and beyond – to be and do better.”

Logistics’ operations terminal

GettingWarmer

By Mallory Arnold / Photos by Jordan Middlebrooks

Former Columbus firefighter turns up the heat with a new mobile sauna

↓ High Heat founder Nicker Holderbaum beside his mobile sauna

Former firefighter Nick Holderbaum can take the heat. Not only can he take it, he prefers it. That is, he prefers the relaxation and bliss saunas bring.

“I have this rule that I never belong to a gym that doesn’t have a sauna,” Holderbaum says. “I’ve always loved the relaxation and the getaway.”

When COVID-19 hit and his gym shut down, he decided to build his own personal sauna. To do so, he took an old pontoon boat trailer that was going to waste and refurbished it, put on a fresh coat of paint and secured the sauna on top. While it started as a personal project, the more real it became, his idea expanded into a mobile sauna that he could rent out to people in Columbus. This, High Heat Sauna officially came to fruition in 2021.

“I wanted to bring sauna culture to columbus,” Holderbaum says. “When I was a firefighter, I used saunas regularly for the benefits like cancer prevention and cardiovascular health.”

Sauna bathing, originating from Finland, has been a tradition for thousands of years. Evidence and further study over the years suggest the activity may be linked to lowering blood pressure, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and lessening pain from arthritis, headaches and the flu. In fact, in Finland, 1 in 3 people over the age of 18 use a sauna daily.

"It's a small project now, but eventually i'd like to have them everywhere."

↓ Detail shots of the High Heat sauna

High Heat Sauna reaches 200 degrees and holds four people inside, the heat coming from an all-natural wood burning furnace with hot rocks. This way, it wouldn’t require any electricity and could be completely offgrid. Every sauna service generally includes 20 minute individual sessions or hour-long rentals for parties of more people.

Holderbaum hopes to bring the sauna around to all the firehouses in Columbus, as when he was a firefighter he benefited greatly not only from the health benefits, but from the relaxation.

“It’s a head to toe approach,” he says. “The sauna is good for the mind and body and great for relaxation, which nobody seems to have time for anymore.”

Right now, High Heat Sauna has a single sauna, but Holderbaum has big dreams for the business.

“Once we expand, my vision is to have a bigger truck where the van itself can be the sauna and could fit more people,” he says. “And I’d love to establish a public bathhouse in Columbus one day.”

Sauna culture, what Holderbaum hopes to bring to Columbus, isn’t just about sweating it out. The tradition is centered around cleansing the body and mind as well as embracing inner peace. Many people consider saunas a part of mindfulness or meditation; slowing down the day when our brains are constantly on overdrive mode during the workweek.

Thus far, this sauna culture seems to be catching in the area. High Heat Sauna is already in high demand, from ladies nights to parties to gym pop-ups and even a day at the Columbus Coffee Festival.

“I didn’t expect it to blow up the way that it did,” Holderbaum says. “It’s a small project now, but eventually, I’d like to have them everywhere.”

To book the sauna go to highheatsauna.com

www.do2sabores.com (614) 781-0713 6042 Huntley Rd, Columbus, OH 43229

There’s something about an old house–you know, a creepy one–that you can’t put your finger on, but you can just feel. Maybe it’s the history, all the people who have come and gone, or maybe it’s nothing at all. What we are sure of, though, is that we’ve collected some of the most interesting historic haunts for our cover section this month. Not only do we have a cemetery dedicated to pets and a long-standing, haunted hotel, we’re also featuring a pair of historic homes-turned-museums that boast some of the most intense Columbus ghost stories we’ve ever heard. So be afraid, Columbus. Be very afraid. →

Throughout some of the city’s most historic properties, ghosts and ghouls abound

Section Design by Bryce Patterson

Exterior view of the Thurber House

For the cleaning crew member diligently working inside the Thurber Center, the day was just like any other. Until it wasn’t.

Initially, he heard the front open and shut. Not an uncommon sound for a historic nonprofit in the heart of Columbus. Shortly after this, however, he heard another, much more unusual sound, as every one of the doorways along the building’s second floor hallways slammed shut. →

A brief paranormal history of, and collection of ghost stories from, the historic Thurber House

By Jack McLaughlin

Photos by Sarah Pfeifer

Naturally, he went upstairs to investigate. But then, he heard it again–the sound of every door closing in unison–from the first floor, where he had just come from.

While on a fast-track for the exit, he shot one more hesitant look on his way out, only to see the apparition of a girl standing outside the women’s bathroom.

Needless to say, he refused to clean the building alone ever again.

While this story is dramatic and, quite frankly, terrifying, it’s also not at all out of the ordinary for the Thurber House and the adjacent Thurber Center (located at 77 Jefferson Ave. and 91 Jefferson Ave., respectively). The buildings today support a literary nonprofit and museum dedicated to legendary American cartoonist and humor writer James Thurber, who once called the Thurber House his own home.

The Thurber House even supports the annual Thurber Prize for American Humor, a distinction regarded as “one of the highest recognitions of the art of humor writing in the United States.”

Beneath a century of laughter, however, are a handful of reasons that many believe contribute to the historical home’s reputation as one of the most haunted in Columbus.

First and foremost is the fact that the Thurber House sits on land that was formerly occupied by the Central Ohio Lunatic Asylum. This hospital burned to the ground in 1868, a blaze that killed six and wounded many more.

In addition to this incident, in 1904 a local jeweler named Thomas Tracy Tess was living at 77 Jefferson Ave. He picked up a gun that he thought was not loaded–although it was–before accidentally shooting and killing himself.

The Thurber family moved in shortly afterwards, and James Thurber claimed until his dying day that the home was haunted. Thurber himself allegedly had an impactful paranormal encounter in 1915, which became the inspiration for his short story “The Night the Ghost Got In.” Each year, the Columbus museum holds an annual The Night the Ghost Got In paranormal investigation in the story’s honor.

And the hauntings that Thurber himself swore by have continued to this day, according to a multitude of staff members, guests and even visiting writers.

In 1988, it was only a matter of weeks before writer-inresidence Paula di Perna encountered something.

“To begin with, I did see it. In my second or third week at the house, as I stepped out of a car in the back parking lot. I happened to look up to the apartment and the ghost—a hefty, somewhat stooped, black torso shadow, apparently dressed in a raincoat with the collar turned up, moving at a silhouette’s pace—made a single pass through the hallway lights just as my eyes traveled up the building wall, as if waiting there, set in motion by my glace.”

Later, in 2007, visiting children’s writer Lisa Yee was leaving Thurber House on the final day of her residency when she experienced an event she still can’t explain.

“On my last day, I awoke at 4:45 am and made my way downstairs to wait for my ride to the airport. It was still dark, but I didn’t bother with the lights. By then I knew the house backward and forward. However, as I attempted to pass through the dining room doorway, something stopped me. When I pushed to get through, it pushed back. It felt like the force between two opposing magnets. Or like I was swimming. Or like a wall of Jell-O. It defied logic. Maybe, I thought, I had stumbled into a massive spiderweb.

When I turned on the lights, nothing was there. I was confused, but I wasn’t scared. A feeling of calm washed over me. I knew what had just happened.

Interior of the Thurber House

↑ Interior of the Thurber House ↓

reborn 2020 columbus

‘You’re real, aren’t you?’ I said out loud.

I’m still not sure if I believe in ghosts. But I do believe this— during all those weeks living in the attic apartment of Thurber House, I was not alone.”

In 2015, another writer-in-residence, Crystal Allen noted she experienced a male apparition “at the end of her bed and suffered paralysis and sweeping waves over her body head to toe.” She swears she was awake the entire time as well.

Countless experiences have also been logged by staff members throughout the history of the Thurber House. Former Executive Director Susanne Jaff would receive phone calls from the Thurber House in the middle of the night over a tenyear period, during times when no one was in the building, not even cleaning crews.

Current Executive Director Laurie Lathan has no shortage of experiences either. She’s heard people enter the building when no one was around, in addition to an incident she shared with current Deputy Director Anne Touvell.

The pair were in Lathan’s office doorway when a phone from the kitchen downstairs called her phone, on speaker. For some reason, Touvell’s phone also lit up at this time, and the pair heard an unexplainable whooshing sound through the phone, and “a bit of commotion downstairs.”

Touvall, alongside a friend, also experienced a floating, brown orb of light.

In a house so rich with history and tragedy, one that still plays a prominent role in Columbus today, there are too many variables to give any real conclusions about what we believe is happening, or who is haunting whom, so we’ll end on the words of Peter Meinke, a visiting writer until August 1987, following an unexplained experience he had with the house’s alarm system "We think Thurber would have been pleased that it’s still active,” he said.

To learn more, visit: thurberhouse.org

From apparitions of children to Civil War soldiers, Kelton House Museum & Garden serves as a hotbed for ghost sighting to this day

Many properties boast a resident “ghost” and a repertoire of creepy stories. But at one Columbus museum, paranormal encounters have been occurring on the regular for nearly 50 years, and the stories range from the curious to the downright chilling.

The Kelton House Museum & Garden in Old Town East was once a family mansion. Today, guests at the museum can immerse themselves in Victorian style, learn about history, and maybe (or probably) experience something a little out of the ordinary. This is a place where the paranormal puts on its finery

and walks among us—sometimes literally.

In 1976, following the death of Grace Kelton, the Junior League of Columbus took over the property and began restoration to create the museum.

Right away, they realized this was no ordinary historic home.

“One of the first things they did was install alarm systems with motion sensors,” said Susan Richardt, Kelton House’s executive director. “There were a lot of expensive items in that house.”

The fire department recommended they

By Melinda Green

Photos by Sarah Pfeifer

↓ Exterior shot of Kelton House Museum & Garden

also keep interior doors closed at night.

“Evidently, that was not something that made the house happy,” Richardt said.

Almost every night around midnight the motion detectors would activate, and police would find the interior doors open again. No one was in the house; no exterior doors or windows had been broached.

Eventually, the police advised the Junior League to leave those doors open, and the alarms fell silent. But even today Richardt closes a certain closet at night, only to find it open the next morning—even when she blocks it with a chair.

Then there’s the little girl who shows up at weddings.

“In the past, there’s been a lot of stories that there was a little girl here, running through the property, dressed up for a wedding,” Richardt said. But there were no children on the guest lists for those celebrations.

So who is this ghostly girl? This summer, two sisters visited the house—part of a family who lived near Kelton House in the 1950s and 1960s and knew the family— and provided a possible explanation that Richardt calls “the creepiest story I’ve ever heard in my entire life.”

One fall day, somewhere around 1960, a group of neighborhood children were playing outside on nearby Franklin Avenue, as they often did. “Susie, can I play with your doll?” one girl asked another of the girls. “Susie, don’t you want to play with us?” another asked. But Susie ignored their pleas and invitations.

Later, the children found out that Susie had died the previous day.

“I’m hearing this, and I’m like ‘Oh my gosh, was that Susie in the yard at our weddings?’” Richardt said.

She, the sisters, and another board member then went into the house.

“The sister who had told me about Susie, she kind of jumped a little bit,” Richardt recalled. “She said ‘Oh, your air conditioning must have just kicked on.’ I could see her hair move.”

But Kelton House’s air conditioning is notoriously noisy, and the house remained silent.

Richardt chose to deflect, and replied “Oh yeah, it must have,” but as she spoke, the paper the woman was holding folded in half spontaneously.

“We all just looked at each other and said ‘Okay, let’s just move on.’”

“People ask if anyone has died at Kelton House; well, of course, they all died there,” Richardt continued. In the 19th century, hospitals weren’t common; most people died at home.

Fernando Kelton’s death is the only one that borders on tragic. His son Oscar had died in the Civil War, and Fernando suffered a major head injury on a trip to bring Oscar’s remains home. Back in Columbus, the resulting vertigo caused him to fall out of a window and into an alley.

Doctors Sterling (later of Sterling-Loving Hall) and Gay (later of Gay Street) rushed to Fernando and removed a broken femur from his leg before transporting him home.

“It took six men to carry him upstairs,” Richardt said. Fernando died 36 hours later.

But since then, a number of neighbors have seen a man in the yard, dressed in a Civil War uniform. Some have gone so far as to call Kelton House and ask if they’re hosting a re-enactment. The answer is always the same: No.

Might it be Oscar Kelton? Some believe it is.

Even stranger, staff members have seen shadows of multiple people walking up the steps to the second floor; perhaps they are the men who carried Fernando to his deathbed.

The sharpest grief may have fallen upon Anna Kelton, Fernando’s eldest daughter: Within two years’ time, she lost her brother, her father, and her newlywed

husband. House volunteers and staff sometimes encounter a woman in a burgundy dress pacing in the back parlor. Richardt assumes this might be Anna, still awaiting word of their fates, trapped in worry more than a century later.

And the encounters keep evolving. Richardt and another staff member witnessed a new, horrifyingly red stain on an important white couch fade before their eyes, and, recently, the house will suddenly fill with the smell of cigarette smoke—”just for an instant, but enough that your clothes will smell like cigarette smoke when you leave the building,” Richardt said.

“We do enjoy everybody’s stories,” Richardt admitted.

In fact, the Kelton House staff embraces the house’s haunted history and enjoys hearing about visitors’ encounters.

“They’re all non-threatening,” she continued, “so we’re like ‘Oh, interesting.’”

One thing the Junior League won’t do, though, is allow paranormal investigations on the property. Those who try are escorted out. The space is respected, as is the privacy of staff and volunteers.

The hauntings are only a small part of the house’s history, so museum tours only touch on it briefly until Halloween season. But the spirits that walk through the rooms and grounds keep to their own timetable, wandering in and out of our world, perhaps just inches from where we stand.

↓ Interior shots of Kelton House ↑

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As planes take off from or land in Columbus, they fly over many familiar staples of our city—The Shoe, Olentangy River, Leveque Tower, High Street.

But just beyond the northeast edge of the John Glenn International Airport grounds sits another long-standing, though lesser-known, landmark.

The Brown Pet Cemetery occupies what would otherwise be a quiet grassy knoll, if not for its proximity to the path of 737s. It was founded at some point in the 1920s—the oldest visible grave is dated 1925—by Walter A. Brown, a local veterinarian.

A cemetery association was formed in 1934, and Franklin County records show that the group formally filed for non-profit status in 1941.

The plot, which is equal parts wellmaintained and overgrown, is the final resting place for more than 450 animals.

Dogs and cats dominate, but other species are clearly welcome. Markers indicate the presence of at least two ducks, one songbird, and a donkey. Brown Pet Cemetery is even the burial site for a few animal veterans, including Sgt. Fleabite Smith.

An early 20th century Columbus veterinarian launched a cemetery dedicated to pets, and it still stands today

By Jack McLaughlin

Photos by Sarah Pfeifer

Brown Pet Cemetery

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Regardless of breed or brawn, all resting here appear to have been totally beloved by their human counterparts. Tombstones are adorned with everything from marbles and shells to bronze and ivory.

And whether professionally produced or DIY-ed, the memorials are equally touching signifiers of the same, special bond: that shared between human and animal.

A walk through the grounds is more than a remembrance of furry friends, though; it is also a remembrance of history. Pet names follow the cultural and historical influences of the times—Trixie and Dottie in the 30s turn into Lassie and Tippy in the 50s, which eventually become Fawn and Misty in the 70s.

Still, for most every popular trend there is a counterculture response. And the pet owners of Brown Cemetery offer no exception to this rule. There are just as many Bozos and Boobs and Barfys resting here as there are Pennies and Budds.

The articles of incorporation for the cemetery association expired in 1997, at which time the land was gifted to The Columbus Foundation. It’s hard to tell how active the grounds are today; burials appear to be few and far between since the turn of the century.

If you make a visit to this little-known but well-loved spot this spooky season, be prepared to be moved—and consider bringing some Kleenex.

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Headstone inscriptions at the cemetery

Kristina Wertman wasn’t a believer, so she understands why you might be skeptical, too.

Wertman, who has worked at Granville’s Buxton Inn for 20 years, was warned by the inn’s then-owners, Orrville and Audrey Orr, about the spirits that haunted the place.

“When I first interviewed here, Mrs. Orr told me the stories about ghosts. I was like, ‘OK, fine,’” Wertman recalled of her initiallydismissive reaction. “Then, I started noticing things.”

She would hear the sound on a chair moving across the brick floor in the tavern,

the informal dining/bar space in the inn’s basement that used to be a speakeasy and, before that, a hangout for stagecoach drivers who’d make meals on the iron stove and bed down on piles of straw. But she’d find no one down there.

When turning off the lights, she felt a cat rubbing up against her leg outside of Room 9. But there was no cat, so Wertman dismissed it as a draft.

Then one time she was asked to turn off the lights in the inn’s greenhouse. That’s when she could not only see Major Buxton, but see

How one long-standing Granville Inn has become the touchstone for a long list of spirits and specters

By Jim Fischer

Photos by Sarah Pfeifer

through him.

“The greenhouse light stayed on that night,” Wertman said with a nervous laugh.

The stories of spirits at this venerated Licking County establishment have been around for generations, much like the inn itself. Indeed, the resident ghosts include several former owners.

Orrin Granger, one of Granville’s founders, built the structure, which he called, simply, The Tavern, in 1812. He makes apparition appearances in white breeches, and occasionally makes off with freshlybaked pies.

Major Horton Buxton became proprietor in 1965 and, while he was not military—Major was his actual name—he gave himself the rank of inn namesake, changing the place’s appellation to his surname. Buxton, who was known as a colorful figure, also continues to haunt the inn, if not visibly then with the recognizable scent of his favorite tobacco in the now non-smoking facility.

“Major Buxton you can tell by the smell of his tobacco,” Wertman said. “With Bonnie, it’s her gardenia perfume.”

“Bonnie” in this instance is former owner Ethel “Bonnie” Bounell, who owned the inn throughout the mid-1900s. Bounell had been an actress and singer on the midwest circuit that stopped at the Buxton and decided to buy the place and make it her home. A committed socialite, Bounell was known to throw festive parties, rife with music and drink.

↑ Suspend keys inside Buxton Inn

Bounell lived at the Buxton until her death in 1960 in Room 9. She continues to appear ephemerally throughout the grounds and is called by some the Lady in Blue. Wertman said the sound of Bounell’s mother’s rocking chair can still be heard on certain quiet nights, while on other occasions the sound of merriment can be heard coming from the Blue Room, where Bounell entertained guests.

And the cat Wertman mentioned experiencing? That’s Bonnie’s, too.

There are a handful of itinerant spectral boarders at the Buxton, too, Wertman said: A young boy, Henry, who died at the inn after being kicked by a mule—one of the host of stagecoach drivers whose circuit included the Buxton still lurks about.

Wertman said guests in the Buxton’s three available rooms in the original structure plus 20-plus more in surrounding buildings often include formal ghost hunters to aficionados of haunted spaces to just plain curious folks. Many have the kind of experience they hoped for, but Wertman wass quick to add, “the spirits are not performers.”

“Not everyone sees or hears or smells something, even those who are open to that kind of thing,” Wertman said, “although I think being open to it helps.”

Wertman is quick to acknowledge she’s no expert in the spirit world, outside of her personal experiences at the Buxton. But she does feel like there’s some sort of bridge between this life and the afterlife at The Buxton.

“There used to be a doctor’s office here, so you know there were people who died,” she said. The doctor’s office was one of many ancillary uses of the inn, including U.S. Post Office, throughout its history as an inn and tavern.

“There are a lot of hidden rooms that were used during the Underground Railroad. Troops gathered here (during the War of 1812). So who knows what things happened that might have made a connection that makes spirits come back here?” she said.

Wertman said her new bosses, Jennifer Valenzuela and her family, purchased the Buxton in 2014 from the Orrs. They were skeptical at first, too.

“Just like I was, until I had my pants scared off of me,” she said.

↑ Suspend keys inside Buxton Inn ↓

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Five Columbus couples share an intimate look inside their big day

By Jack McLaughlin Story Design by Victoria Smith

etween the current pandemic and all the other craziness in the world, sometimes we just want to see a few happy endings. And that, Columbus, is exactly what we have for you here. Our wedding section takes a look inside the ceremonies and celebrations of five Columbus couples who held their weddings at locations across the city. Each couple shared a bit about their own personal love stories as well, so you can follow the happily ever afters from beginning to end.

↑ Wedding cake and donut tower, at the wedding of Rachel and Kristin

Photo by Amy Ann Photography

↑ Anthony and Lauren, at their wedding venue Magnolia Hill Farm

Photos by Queen Anne's Lace Photography

oughly three years ago, we met after a quick swipe of the finger, on the Bumble dating app. By fate, we shared our unique stories and own personal battles, both physical and emotional. Lauren was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer at the age of 29. After going through an emotional journey, she is blessed to be eight years cancer free. Anthony was coming out of a divorce and life in North Carolina, looking for a fresh start in Columbus.

It was divine intervention at its purest that they met. One of Lauren’s close friends and foundation partners was a coworker and friends with Anthony’s family. Also, one of Anthony’s cousins, who also was a breast cancer survivor in Columbus, knew of Lauren, before the two even met.

The two instantly sparked a connection and the rest was history. They were recently married on Sept. 2 and currently live in Grandview Heights OH with their two dogs, Jax and Sawyer. →

Venue Magnolia Hill Farm

Photographer

Queen Anne's Lace Photography @queenanneslacephotollc

Cake

Valerie Farmhouse Bakery Caterer Sweet Carrot Catering

↓ Lauren, in her wedding dress ↓

Detail shot of rings and bouquet

↓ Lauren, poses with her bouquet

Indoor and outdoor options available

fpc_eventsales

Lauren Lee Photography

↑ Anthony and Lauren, with dogs Jax and Sawyer

↑ Meg and Gianna, in their wedding dresses

Photos by Amy Ann Photography

e met in early 2016. While quickly discovering many shared interests—like our love of whiskey smashes and antiquing (among other things)—our relationship deepened and developed over the years. With Gianna's infectious laughter and sweet nature and Meg's quick-wit, our love, banter and mutual challenge & support for each other continue to grow with each passing year.

We were technically married in a small outdoor ceremony in Boston, but we held an additional celebration for family and friends at the High Line Car House in the Brewery District in June of 2022. Originally scheduled for March of 2020, this was pushed back multiple times over two years, but it turned out fantastic regardless! →

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Photo Amy Ann Photography Venue High Line Car House

↑ Meg and Gianna, with wedding party

↓ Wedding Ceremony at High Line Car House

↑ Meg and Gianna pose with bouquets

↑ Gianna, getting ready for her wedding

↑ Katherine and Eric, popping champagne in wedding attire

Photos by Jessica Miller

e met like a lot couples do these days - on Hinge! It was a memorable first date at Sideswipe Brewing. We spent a lot of our first year visiting other Central Ohio breweries, visiting all 46 on the Columbus Ale Trail. We have a mutual love of craft beer, great food, soccer, and bourbon. Our wedding reception at Strongwater incorporated a lot of those elements. We had to have cans of Sideswipe beer to commemorate our first date. Our late night snack was Bonifacio to celebrate Katherine's Filipino heritage–and who doesn't want a pork eggroll or chicken Inasal skewers after a night of dancing?! Lastly, a lot of our decor was bourbon themed as a tribute to Katherine's late father and Eric's late grandmother, both avid bourbon lovers who we miss dearly. We enjoyed collecting 30+ bottles of bourbon (to be used as centerpieces) throughout the wedding process, some consumed by ourselves and some coming from close family and friends. We loved that some of our favorite people could contribute a part of our wedding celebration in this way. →

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↑ Wedding ceremony at St. Michael Church in Worthington

Wedding sign

↑ Katherine and Eric, outside of Worthington Jewelers

↑ Shot of wedding invitations and accessories

↑ Rachel and Kristin, at wedding ceremony

Photos by Amy Ann Photography

e met in Columbus during the summer of 2017, while Rachel was in town for work. One of our very first dates that summer was listening to Pro-Musica on the lawn of Franklin Park Conservatory.

Over the years, we've built an adventurous relationship over our love of the arts, traveling, and the outdoors. We even got engaged watching what should have been the sunrise over a very rainy lake on a campout in 2020. →

↑ Rachel and Kristin, at venue Franklin Park Conservatory

Rachel and Kristin, cutting wedding cake

Rachel and Kristin, with wedding party

↑ Kristin, with wedding guests

y husband and I met in the most romantic 21st century way possible, on Hinge! We swiped right in the summer of 2018 and it truly was "love at first swipe." Zack took me to his sister's wedding a few short months later, I caught her bouquet, and the rest was history! He got down on one knee in front of a huge waterfall outside Asheville, North Carolina on September 26, 2020 and we started the wedding planning that very day.

June 18, 2022 was our wedding day, and it was more magical than we could have ever dreamed. Celebrating our love with so many of our friends and family members was so special and meaningful. Of course, life happened and not everything went according to plan, but in the end, we wouldn't change a thing! →

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Come Have A Drink During Your Visit!

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Hannah and Zac, at wedding reception

Hannah and Zac, in wedding attire

Shot of wedding cake

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Planner

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The Ohio Statehouse

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Catering

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Jonah Epps Films

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La Jeune Marie

Accessories

Entertainment Conspiracy Band Hair Lacquer Gallery

Prema Designs Makeup

Judith Lieber, Loeffler Randall, Edward Warren Jewelers

Angie Warren

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Lumaca Paper

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Back to Basics

The interior design tips you need to know if you don’t know about interior design

By Jack McLaughlin

Let’s face it, while everyone wants to have the coolest house on the block, in more instances than not, life gets in the way. Making your entire home look fun and livable can also be an intimidating task.

But don’t worry, we’re here to help.

Maybe you’re like me, someone who seems to be allergic to any real design knowledge despite a decent amount of effort. Maybe you’ve simply never taken the time to learn. We’re here for all of the home design novices in Central Ohio.

The first steps are always the hardest, so that’s what we plan to help you through. Let’s get to it!

Furniture Faux Paus

While pushing all of your furniture against the walls of a given room probably seems like a wise way to maximize space, you can get much more dynamic with your design if you resist this temptation. Instead, try pulling your sofa even a foot away from the wall, or bump that chair out of the corner by just a few inches. Not only does this liven up the space, it also makes the middle of your room a whole lot more intimate.

Own Your Own!

It might be tempting to make your house look like a neat, polished show home, but that’s not sustainable, and it might even make things feel a bit stuffy or over prepared to some guests. Instead, work with what you have, whether that’s a funky rug from the 70s or the giant ceramic pear you found at a thrift store. These items are not only going to help your room stand out, they’re going to make it a space that is yours and yours alone, and that’s what people are more interested in seeing anyway.

A (Mis)match Made in Heaven

It would be difficult to get through the day without a matching pair of shoes, but the textures in your living room will be just fine with a little bit of mismatched energy. For example, sleek, smooth polished wood floors are great, but too much smoothness can make a room seem weirdly cold or unapproachable. To offset this, try to throw in pillows with a rough texture to instill a warmer, welcoming atmosphere.

The Color Code

While many of us know not to use electric green or blood red as the primary color of our living room or kitchen, there are some finer points that can help as you get to painting as well. The 60-30-10 rule is one you may not have heard of, but you’ll be glad you did. This rule suggests you pick three colors for a room. Your main hue, which should be your most neutral, will take up 60 percent of space. Your boldest color will be more of an accent color, taking roughly 10 percent of space, and you’ll ideally find a shade that’s not neutral but also not overbearing (think of this as your middle color) to take the remaining 30 percent.

Light and Bright!

If you’re not accustomed to thinking about designing an interior space, it’s also pretty likely you’re not regularly thinking about how a light source is going to affect a room. You’ll want to make sure spaces have enough light, and that can come from both natural sources or installed lighting. Bathrooms and kitchens can get a little extra, as they work well with more light than other rooms. Making sure the corners of your rooms still get light is a small fix, but it does a lot of work to make a room feel more inviting.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

The Center for Architecture and Design is a non-profit organization that promotes the value of architecture and design to the public through programming and outreach, thereby enriching our community and design professions by building diversity and connections. CFAD imagines a future Columbus that values architecture and design, genuinely representing the breadth and diversity of

To learn more about CFAD, scan the QR code.

Voices of Design is an initiative of The Columbus Center for Architecture & Design showcasing the role and the impact that Design has in our communities. This annual award celebrates projects and ideas from all design fields realized in the past year by Columbus based design firms.

Voices of Design supports CFAD’s mission to empower the local community by making architecture and design accessible to all. Through this initiative we aspire to represent the breadth and diversity of our community and demonstrate Columbus is a place where architecture and design thrive. The Voices of Design award jury was made up of community leaders, city officials, and other creative executive leaders throughout Columbus that were asked to pay attention to how the submitted projects paid attention to issues like sustainability, health & wellness, economic prosperity, community development, activism, and accessibility, justice/equity/inclusivity/diversity.

Please help us celebrate the inaugural winners of 2022!

To learn more about Voices of Design, scan the QR code.

Design Group | Crittenton Community Center

“This initiative, this build, will restore hope to this community. Dreams and aspirations will thrive for generations to come. DesignGroup delivered what we envisioned.”

Voices of Design:

The Directions for Youth and Families (DFYF) serves the most vulnerable youth in Columbus. The new Crittenton Community Center, in form, function, and mission, focuses on providing equitable, trauma-informed resources to youth in a community that generally has little access to these types of programs and facilities.

The building is designed to facilitate positive long-term outcomes for the community that are foundational to the DFYF organizational mission. A central understanding for approaching this project was that it was to be a means of community restoration – not neighborhood revitalization. This means that the community, and its people, were seen as deserving, as it currently exists, of a great building with great resources and welcoming, trained staff. Through partnerships with community organizations, the new Crittenton center provides access to resources such as poverty reduction initiatives, prenatal education, legal aid, and housing assistance. By creating spaces for these needed resources to the community, the Directions for Youth and Families leadership saw this project inherently as a social justice initiative fostering equitable opportunities for the community.

The owner’s design vision to openly meet the community inspired the building’s undulating roof form. The form of the building also creates outdoor spaces that cater to different types of programming for children. A more publicfacing courtyard contains a community garden, splash pad, and amphitheater, while a private outdoor space provides secluded spaces for play.

The building’s layout places a community “hub” facing the street that can act as a large flexible space where kids can gather for meals and other activities, and can be where community performances and meetings can occur. Multiple spaces to promote holistic wellbeing and growth for the community’s children are also included.

This category has an honorable mention! Check the project out on our website!

— Duane Casares, CEO of Directions for Youth & Families

Rapid 5 | Single Regional Open Space System

“This isn’t the local government parks project. It’s also public-private partnerships, it’s development opportunities, it’s small businesses opening up along the trails. It’s the whole gamut of really plugging into CentralOhio’s growth and business development.”

— William Murdock, Executive Director MORPC

Under the leadership of the Urban Land Institute

Columbus and the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC), RAPID 5 has brought together governments, business interests and residents to create a vision for an integrated open space system that spans the region. Central Ohio is blessed to have a waterway system comprised of five equally spaced riparian corridors that traverse Franklin County north to south.Five rivers and creeks define Central Ohio, but access to these resources has been unevenly distributed, remaining disconnected from a larger system, and many waterways have suffered environmental damage. These corridors include Big Darby Creek, Scioto River, Olentangy River, Alum Creek and Big Walnut Creek. This bold initiative connects 28 communities with 146 miles of blueways, provides access to 38,300 acres of parks and greenspace, and links neighborhoods with 143 trail miles.

The power of this coalition has created a game-changing vision for Central Ohio that will lay the foundation for developing one of the largest interconnected greenspaces in the country.

Informed by rigorous community engagement, the RAPID 5 initiative utilized the creativity of five local landscape architectural firms – AECOM, EDGE, MKSK, NBBJ, and REALM to establish a vision for each corridor based on five primary factors including: Social Equity, Health and Wellness, Mobility Choice, Economic Vitality, and Environmental Stewardship. These visions nurture connections, improve health outcomes, preserve natural resources, enhance environmental sustainability, uplift and connect neighborhoods, celebrate history and culture, and benefit local economies.

Category: Graphic Design

ESCCO | Equity Committee

— Educational Professional

The Educational Service Center of Central Ohio is one of 51 ESCs in the state of Ohio. ESCs are regionally located educational support agencies that enhance the ability of schools and education professionals to provide high quality educational opportunities for all students.

Within the ESC of Central Ohio, a committee has been established to educate and improve equitable outcomes for staff, educators, and students. To better educate its staff on issues of Justice, Equity, Inclusivity, and Diversity (JEID), the committee releases a printed project each month to engage employees in learning about the diverse communities we serve and how to apply that knowledge.

Because we are an educational organization that works directly with districts, schools, and educators, we believe that Justice, Equity, Inclusivity, and Diversity are an essential part of our work. The Equity Committee’s ongoing campaign strives to educate its employees about efforts

towards justice, equity, inclusion, and diversity.

We believe that design can have a huge impact on our ESC community through its partnership with JEID. The materials that the committee hands out each month are designed to make sure employees learn something new each month. Each printed project includes a digital component for accessibility purposes and is designed to be different from last months’ and engage each employee, no matter their background. These materials are also easy to download, hang up on display, and share within the employees’ own community outside of the workplace.

We believe that Justice, Equity, Inclusivity, and Diversity are essential for our staff to embody because we also work directly with students who are people of color, queer, or disabled. We also have coworkers that are intersectional, so to really create the environment that we all need to thrive, education through JEID work is necessary.

“I have found all of the design projects inspirational and informative. The DEI information has given me a different lens on how I see and interpret news and information. Thank you for continuing to provide valuable information.”

Category: Industrial Design

Design Central | Midmark Point of Care Ecosystem

“The exam table is the central and most important furnishing in the ambulatory care clinic. Using height-adjustable, accessible exam chairs can improve the environment of care for patients.”

— Guy Fragala, Ph.D., PE, CSP, CSPHP, Senior Advisor for Ergonomics

Design Central has partnered with Midmark as a development partner for over 25 years to develop multiple product lines, build market share and support Midmark’s transition from an equipment manufacturer to a complete solution provider. The culmination of this partnership is the midmark fully connected point of care ecosystem. The integration of processes, equipment and caregivers creates a seamless, well-coordinated patient and caregiver experience that positively impacts clinical outcomes and provides a platform where organizations can leverage new technologies, incorporate best practices and employ greater standardization.

The midmark fully connected point of care ecosystem encompasses every activity within healthcare practices or clinics to drive efficient workflow, enhance user experience, and improve patient outcomes by:

• Decreasing risk incurred by human errors, which may contribute to inaccurate diagnoses

• Setting the stage for appropriate diagnoses and care planning based on consistent & accurate vital signs acquisition

• Promoting clinical standardization by facilitating adherence to best practices for vital signs acquisition, procedures, disease care, etc.

• Enhancing clinical data management among care team members

• Creating a seamless, well-coordinated, patientcentered experience

• Instilling confidence in clinical data accuracy at the point of care

• Establishing a platform for introducing best practices to drive more efficient workflows

• Improving performance through data-driven business decisions

•

Automating key processes to gain efficiency and precision

The importance of the midmark fully connected point of care ecosystem cannot be overstated. For healthcare environments that experience disparate systems and isolated interactions, a connected ecosystem provides a platform where healthcare organizations can leverage new technologies, incorporate best practices, and employ greater standardization to improve patient experience, population health and cost of care.

of Design: Industrial Design

Category: Interior Design

AECOM | Drive Renovation

“The Marlane Drive building will be the first facility for ARC Industries, designed to meet the unique needs of individuals with disabilities and complex medical needs. With the design expertise of the team at AECOM, coupled with the passion of ARC’s services team to provide quality program experience for individuals with unique needs, this project is certain to be a success.”

— Ivan Harrington, Active Treatment Administrator

To address the need for expanded active treatment and community-based services in Columbus, ARC Industries partnered with AECOM to reimagine a vacant call center in Grove City, Ohio. This new facility shifts to more holistic and community-focused methods of care. ARC’s staff will use this new location to offer enriching programming to around 80 participants each day.

ARC Industries recognized the need for an activityoriented, day facility that would extend participants’ lives beyond their group homes. Creating a welcoming and uplifting atmosphere that fosters health and wellness was a priority. The updated entryway shows an interior courtyard that connects participants, staff, and visitors with nature, and serves as the central focal point which all space types radiate from. Spaces are open to each other to allow participants to interact, and they can choose areas for activity or solitude. The new interior finish palette creates an upbeat and safe environment that does not feel overtly clinical.

This facility will surpass the minimum requirements for the Americans with Disabilities Act to create a universal, barrier-free setting. The flexible layout allows the staff to provide discreet and dignified care, and allow for participants’ various needs to be integrated into the day.

The facility’s activity rooms vary in scale to support a variety of group sizes and activities including art, wheelchair yoga, and movie viewings. Two rooms allow participants to leave their wheelchairs and engage in floorbased activities, and the sensory garden outside offers a winding path with plants and interactive elements.

With the support of ARC Industries leadership and staff, this space was designed to provide a positive and dignified environment for disabled individuals that they would not otherwise have access to, give them the opportunity to interact with others, and take part in community activities to enhance their quality of life.

Category: Judge’s Choice

MA Design | The Future of DEI Design

“The design based, practical situations presented by Mark Bryan’s work, as part of MA Design’s project, address the core of social inequality and has inspired me to imagine the possibilities of a social evolution in Columbus.”

— Joseph A. Baker, Architect

This conceptual work, the Future of DEI + Design, was performed for the 24th annual IIDA Roundtable, held in January of 2022. Research for this project included interviews with design practitioners and others outside of the design profession as to how they felt the design practice was changing due to DEI. It also included gathering data around changes in the design practice as a whole, and changes within human behaviors, culture, technology, education, living styles, working preferences, global issues, and more.

The project concluded with forecasts for potential futures for the design industry. These forecasts were presented to the IIDA Roundtable and have continued to be shown in our Columbus community. As this was shown to members of the design community on a national scale, it demonstrates that our work in Columbus has broad enough reach to elevate our practice as a whole.

This demonstrates how our practice could work to have more equitable access, go beyond the basics when it comes to including more diverse groups into our process,

and making sure that the future of our profession is more inclusive with zero barriers to entry.

It also touches on how accessibility needs to be updated to be more inclusive of different disabilities that are now recognized. Other areas of impact are on community development, potential ways developers could become more aware of the community needs, and new roles that are needed to facilitate interactions so that the community’s voice can be heard.

From our research, we see the design profession shifting from being project focused to become more of a responsible experience service. This service can be more open-sourced and create meaning through the stories and experiences of the larger community. We believe that the forecasts and artifacts from this project can be used as hopeful futures to work toward, to inspire change, and to provide more diversity, equity, and inclusion within our practice.

Voices of Design: Judge’s Choice

Playing with

How one Columbus muralist is burning houses to the ground in the name of art

By Jack McLaughlin / Photos by Samantha Rex

↓ “Seeds Sown in Fire” during the blaze

“Watch it burn.”

This is the phrase that appeared in bold, black font on a flier for a new performance piece from Columbus muralist Mandi Caskey, who goes by Miss Birdy.

And in an age of purposeful misdirection and clickbait titles, Caskey’s artwork, titled “Seeds Sown in Fire,” delivered exactly what it promised.

On Aug. 20, over 100 people gathered to watch as a derelict Whitehall home burned to the ground. The flames made short work of the former Broad Street home; the heat was intense enough that a mural on an adjacent building melted as well.

The house was located within the condemned Whitehall neighborhood of Woodcliff Condominiums, located at the corner of Broad Street and Hamilton Road.

Caskey, a member of the nonprofit arts group Catalyst (alongside Brian Suiter) was already involved in the neighborhood, as the group partnered with the city of Whitehall to paint 23 of the buildings—which will be demolished to make way for a new residential development—a number of vibrant colors.

When she discovered many of the buildings were being used in deliberate burns to provide local firefighters practice combatting housefires, she couldn’t ignore it.

“They said they were having a practice fire and I said, ‘Oh my God, this my opportunity.’ I asked them if I could paint the building they plan on burning, and the city called the fire chief on the spot to approve it,” Caskey said. “The fire department was nothing but excited. I didn’t think it would be that easy.”

According to the Columbus muralist, the city of Whitehall has proved to be an exceptionally willing and generous partner, something that in today’s age of beauraceatic hoops and red tape is exceedingly rare.

“To have [the] city just pick up on our idea within a matter of minutes, call the mayor, call the people we need to ask permission and get immediate approval, it’s so great. It’s been fantastic working with Whitehall,” Caskey said.

In fact, in the project with Catalyst, called “Hues of Home,” the base colors that each of the 23 houses were painted were all derived from the city of Whitehall’s official logo.

Process shot of “Seeds Sown in Fire”

“The fire department was nothing but excited. I didn’t think it would be that easy.”

“Seeds Sown in Fire” nearing an end

For “Seeds Sown in Fire,” Caskey, alongside assistant Liv Morris, painted the building that was set to be burned with the face of an older woman and another nearby home with the face of a younger woman. The fire, which was set by firefighters after they cordoned off a radius and made sure the home would fall inward, burned so hot that it melted the mural on the adjacent home, which was part of Caskey’s plan.

“I honestly didn’t know if it was going to work, but it played out perfectly,” she said.

She said the piece speaks to not only the current place of women in society, but also the idea of permanence and art, something she grapples with as a creator of murals and other public art.

“Wth today’s art circuit, it’s more or less like we have to have everything preserved, but as a street artist I’m on the opposite end of things. I loved the idea of creating something and watching as it was destroyed right away.”

For more of Birdy’s work, visit www.birdyco.com

Cemetery Stroll

A photo-journey through Green Lawn Cemetery

Photos by Sarah Pfeifer

SAWMILL ROAD | EASTON TOWN CENTER | DIAMONDCELLAR.COM