4 minute read
RESIDENT SPOTLIGHT
The Lundquist Family
Six years ago, when Nate and Whit Lundquist were searching for a community to call home for their family and business, only Gahanna met all of their needs.
“We loved the smaller community size and how involved Gahanna is with its residents,” Nate Lundquist said. “We’ve lived other places and it feels like, sure the town knows you’re there—but that’s about it. In Gahanna it always feels like the city is knocking on your door and asking you to come out and play.”
The Lundquists had been planning to start an urban farm for about a year before the pandemic, but their work with content creation projects (film, advertising, etc.) kept them busy. When COVID-19 hit, much of that work disappeared. With extra time on their hands and an awareness of the community need for locally grown produce, they focused on how they could serve the community. That’s how MicroGiants was born.
“Our family was working on living healthy—especially during the pandemic, and we wanted to help reconnect people in our community with healthy food,” Nate said. “Now, MicroGiants brings farming close to home and delivers fresh, local, organically-grown greens directly to customers every week, year-round.”
“We just feel connected to the people here. We don’t feel like we live in our little plot of land in isolation from everyone else,” Nate said. “Gahanna is invested in the thriving of their residents and families.”
Learn more about Nate and Whit at MicroGiants.co or find their products at Gahanna Farmers Market.
As the “Herb Capital of Ohio” and home to the Ohio Herb Center, Gahanna celebrates its herb’n roots with events, classes and trails to appeal to anyone with or without a green thumb. The 2021 annual Herb Day event will move from its traditional location at Creekside Plaza to Gahanna’s Veterans Memorial Park (73 W. Johnstown Rd.), and will be held from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, May 1. Hosted by Visit Gahanna and the Ohio Herb Center, and sponsored by Tina Wedebrook, Re/Max Connection, the event will include a large plant sale with special offerings. Garden enthusiasts can pre-order plant bundles that include pollinator, culinary & sensory plants. Additionally, the event will feature vendors showcasing central Ohio artisanal products.
OHIO HERB CENTER
Unable to attend the Herb Day celebration? Visit the Ohio Herb Center to take advantage of its educational resources including year-round classes and workshops for all ages. The Center is located at 110 Mill St. in the historic Nafzger-Miller House. It includes a gift shop with locally made products, as well as a parlor and kitchen used for classes, parties, meetings and rentals.
Upcoming classes include: •Basic Gardening Maintenance, April 17 •Permaculture Basics, May 8 •Summer Skincare, May 22 •Herb Craft: Herb Garland, May 27
HERB'N RESTAURANT WEEK / HERBAL COCKTAIL TRAIL
Savor herb-infused dishes and cocktails from signature Gahanna restaurants and eateries May 2-8 during Visit Gahanna’s Herb’n Restaurant Week. Dine-in or carryout decadent entrees, desserts, and cocktails that are exclusively available for that week only. Enjoy dishes, drinks and desserts from 101 Beer Kitchen, Local Cantina, Lola & Guiseppe’s, Crafted Culture, Sexton's Pizza, Wyandotte Winery, Arepazo and more!
Pick up one of Visit Gahanna’s Herbal Cocktail Trail passports at the Visitor Center or any of the six partner establishments, and chart your herbal cocktail adventure. Enjoy delicious cocktails crafted seasonally by local partners, while earning passport stamps for each cocktail purchased. Earn six stamps and score an Herbal Cocktail Trail Flask. Go to VisitGahanna.com to learn more.
Blues and Jambassadors rejoice! Visit Gahanna has announced that the Creekside Blues & Jazz Festival® (CBJF), Gahanna’s largest signature event, is planning to return Sept. 17-19. The annual event will be in the fall, as opposed to its traditional third weekend in June, to allow more time for vaccinations and to ensure safety protocols are in place. (The 2020 Creekside Blues & Jazz Festival® was canceled due to COVID-19.)
Visit Gahanna will work closely with the Ohio Department of Health, Franklin County Public Health, and the City of Gahanna to ensure that appropriate safety measures are in place for the event. With Governor DeWine’s recent announcement that new protocols for fairs, festivals, and parades will be shared soon, the team at Visit Gahanna is confident that the Festival will be able to proceed, albeit with a modified look to accommodate COVID restrictions. Planning is still in process and additional details will be released soon.
According to Lori Kappes, Executive Director for Visit Gahanna, the CBJF steering committee is implementing several changes to this year’s event, which include a modified footprint to best manage crowd capacity, two live music stages, and pre-event online admission sales.
↓ Soul Kitch'n Band
Photo by Paul Molitor / The Portrait House
