Columbus, OH

I have told you in the past about the great exhibits put on by the Ohio Historical Center. Last week I took my son to experience Capture the Moment: the Pulitzer Prize Photographs at the Ohio Historical Society. The slogan for this exhibit is “Be Changed” and it’s a good representation of how one feels after spending an hour or more viewing these photos. These photos are so moving they speak to the very heart of the viewer.

The exhibit includes photos from as far back as the 1940s. Journalists have recorded human history on film for as long as the portable camera has been around. These pictures are horrifying, moving, deeply sorrowful and brightly joyful. One thing that really struck me was the fact that El Salvador means The Savior, yet some of the most violent and disturbing photos were from that region.

It is horrid that so many of the photos that have taken this prize are terribly sad or deeply disturbing. The photo of a child starving to death in the Sudan seems to be in contrast to the photo of Liberian militia smiling and laughing, until you read the commentary and realize the laughing soldiers are celebrating their part in a massacre. But the fact that there are so many photos like these makes the truly joy filled moments all that much more precious. You feel yourself aching for the pain of an African teenager subjected to female genital mutilation then turn to see the elated relief on the faces of the rescuers as a tiny Jessica McClure is pulled from the well.

These are the images that capture the truly human element of our world–the things we must fully realize if we are going to change the bad and celebrate the good. This is more than 60 years of photographers that have been in the right place at the right time, captured the moment or gotten the “lucky shot.” If these photos do not change you, they will definitely move you and leave you to wonder what part of 2008 will be captured then go on to capture this important prize.

Capture the Moment: the Pulitzer Prize Winning Photographs
Ohio Historical Society
April 25-July 25
1982 Velma Ave.

Museum Fees include:

Parking
OHS Members FREE
Vehicles $4.00
Buses $10.00
Buses and Private Cars that are transporting a group of school children FREE

Museum Admission:
OHS Members FREE
Adults $8.00
Children 6 - 12 $4.00
Children 5 & under FREE
School Groups $3.00 per student

AAA and senior discounts given. Military discounts are available to all active military and their dependents.

Columbus, Ohio, OH, Ohio Historical Society, OHS, Pulitzer Prize, Be Changed, Capture the Moment

If you aren’t headed for the Memorial Tournament this holiday weekend you could:

Attend the grand opening of Zoombeezi Bay at the Columbus Zoo.

May 26
Opens Memorial Day at 10:30 a.m.
$29.99. Children 2-9 and seniors $24.99.
4850 W. Powell Rd.
614-645-3550, 800-666-5397

WOW! Admission includes entry to the zoo.

Or…

You could attend the Columbus Asian Festival

May 24-25 2008
Franklin Park Conservatory
1777 E. Broad St.
Sat. 10-9 & Sun. 11-7
614-457-1311, 800-214-TREE
Admission is FREE!!!

or…

Join in the Native American Traditional Pow Wow

May 24-26 2008
Franklin County Fairgrounds
4100 Columbia St. in Hilliard
Sat. 11-midnight. Sun. 11-11 Mon. 11-6
Children 5 & under Free. Seniors and students $3. Adults $7. Weekend Pass $15.
614-443-6120

Of course, if you are headed to the Memorial Tournament, you can get some good tips from last year’s post HERE.

Columbus, Ohio, OH, Memorial Tournament, PGA, Dublin, Native American Pow Wow, Franklin County Fairgrounds, Hilliard, Memorial Day, Asian Festival, Franklin Park Conservatory, Powell, Columbus Zoo, Zoombeezi Bay

I don’t get over to Dublin too often these days, so maybe it was the luck of the Irish (OK, corny, I know) that led my pal Courtney to be holed up in a hotel on that side of town while doing her most recent training session for her job. She gave me a call and I drove over that way to see her since we’ve not seen one another for nearly a year.

Well, making a long story short, we asked the hotel limo driver for a recommendation on the best night spot in the area and he heartily recommended the Dub Pub.

The Dub Pub is a sports bar and one of the best in the state. The two gorgeous lady bartenders did a surprisingly great job at keeping up with the impressive-for-a-Tuesday-night crowd and the customers all seemed to really be in a good mood.*

The Dub Pub features a full bar, pub menu, great happy hour specials and honestly fast, friendly and great looking bartenders. They also hold several special events throughout the year. So if you’d like to hang out at a bar that’s got more awards than Kenny Chesney (figuratively speaking of course), head on over to Dublin and enjoy an evening at the Dub Pub.

* FYI ladies, if you like the numbers to be strongly in your favor, the clientele here was overwhelmingly male.

As always, there must be a dozen cab companies in the area. The Dub Pub wants you back, happy and healthy, and without a $6000 DUI hanging over your head. So if you are going to drink–DON’T DRIVE! The outstanding staff at the Dub Pub will be happy to call for a ride for you.

Columbus, Ohio, OH, Dublin, Dub Pub

I’ve written before about how much fun I have out running with my friend Lisa, who is among the fittest of my friends. Well, Saturday I had the chance to run the Komen Columbus Race for the Cure with her. Now, when I say run, I mean more like, she ran, and I jogged lightly, then walked, then jogged, then walked the 3.1 miles that makes up a 5K.

Lisa works for Limited Brands, the local powerhouse that owns Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works and C.O. Bigelow among other brands. We spent the early morning having breakfast at the Limited offices in northeast Columbus and hearing stories of survival from Limited associates and friends that made the reason for the race really hit home. The Limited supports Komen Columbus with huge financial contributions and sponsors their employees and guests in the race. They also provided busses to and from the race, which made running that much more enjoyable, as nobody wants to try to find parking downtown during this big of an event.

The atmosphere at the Komen is one of pure inspiration. The race raises millions to help with breast cancer research and 3/4 of the money raised by the organization goes right out to help with the fight.

The Race for the Cure is one of the biggest (if not THE biggest) charity runs in the Columbus area, with over 40,000 runners attending this year alone.

On the race route, the runners & walkers are encouraged by members of the community, cheered for by cheerleaders from local schools, serenaded by both local solo musicians and bands, and entertained by local dance groups. My favorite part of the run was coming within sight of the finish line and seeing a long string of bikers revving up their Harleys and cheering the runners on–many of the male bikers donning black leather jackets over pastel t-shirts that clearly read “Real Men Wear Pink.”

After the race, many local companies were represented, giving away free items including: spot remover from Stanley Steamer, ice cream from the Skinny Cow, iced coffee from Starbucks and scarves from Ford’s Warriors in Pink campaign among others.

If you’ve never done it and you have the opportunity next year to run the Komen, I can promise you it will be an experience you won’t regret.

Columbus, Ohio, OH, Komen, Race for the Cure, Limited Brands, breast cancer, real men wear pink

In what may very well be one of the last performances of the troubled Columbus Symphony Orchestra, cellist Yo Yo Ma is scheduled to play with them at the Ohio Theater this Thursday, the 15th.

Enjoy this youtube video and consider the amazement of such a gifted musician and the current issues with CSO before balking at the $175 ticket price.

Location: Ohio Theatre
Hours: Thursday 8 p.m.
Admission: $175
Address: 39 E. State St., Columbus
Phone: 614-228-8600

Columbus, Ohio, OH, Columbus Symphony Orchestra, classical music, Ohio Theatre, Yo Yo Ma

With pomp, pageantry and a lot of heart, the Licking County Visitor’s Bureau re-opened its doors this past weekend at its new home at the Moundbuilders State Park.

The ceremonies were to reopen the park museum, which now shares the space with the visitor’s bureau. A new 1000 square foot exhibit, which includes a timeline that stretches from modern times all the way back to the age of the Paleo-Indians, was also opened in the museum.

The highlight of the ceremonies was the presence of Aztec dancers, who were here from Mexico for the weekend conference, and agreed to do a blessing of the site. With an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe watching over them, they purified the area and the people with smoke, sang and danced, blessing the site.

The Moundbuilers State Park is on the list of nominated places to become a United Nations World Heritage site, which would be good for the preservation of the area and Licking County at large; but, I suggest you get there now and enjoy all the beauty and history (not to mention serenity) the park has to offer, before it becomes an official site and begins to draw real crowds.

The visitors’ center is a great place to find out about all the places to see and things to do in Licking County. You can stop by and plan an entire week’s worth of entertainment, or you can simply grab a single brochure and find a place to kill a few hours in the afternoon. While you are there, don’t miss the gorgeous Licking County quilt, which is a little bit hidden when you walk in.

Read more about the Great Circle and the other Newark Earthworks HERE.

Columbus, Ohio, OH, Licking County, Newark, Heath, Moundbuilders, United Nations, World Heritage Site, Aztec dancers, Licking County Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, Ohio history, Ohio Historical Society