Freedom’s Never Free 2010, is an appreciation celebration in Central Ohio to honor our veterans, military, police, firefighters and their families and best of all it’s FREE!

WHEN:

Saturday November 13, 2010 from 3-6pm

WHERE:

Historical Aircraft Squadron
3266 Old Columbus Rd.
Carroll, Ohio 43112
Just South of Canal Winchester and North of Lancaster off of 33.

This is a FREE family event, with something for everyone to enjoy:

• Guest Speakers
• Kids Games / Prizes
• Static Displays
• Tuskegee Airmen
• Remnant Signers
• Missing Man Table
• Military Museum
• FOOD
• FREE airplane rides (ages 8-17 with parental consent)

Please join us in this patriotic appreciation celebration for American veterans, military, police, firefighters & their families in Central Ohio.   Freedom’s Never Free 2010 is sponsored and hosted by The REMNANT Expressive Signing Team.  For more information call 740-277-8531.

2010 COLUMBUS AND CENTRAL OHIO SUBURB BEGGAR’S NIGHT AND TRICK OR TREAT DATES:

If you live in or around the Columbus Ohio area, I’m providing the dates for 2010 Beggars Night or Trick or Treat in Columbus and all the surrounding suburbs. Halloween is a fun time of year for many kids in Central Ohio.  I know my son always looks forward to Trick or Treating to stock up on his favorite candy.

Since Halloween, October 31, 2010, falls on a Sunday this year, you’ll find Columbus and many central Ohio communities have scheduled beggars night/trick or treating, ranging from October 28 - October 31st.  The cool thing is you can easily plan to trick or treat in a couple different Central Ohio suburbs on different nights.  I’m noticing more Central Ohio churches are hosting  family friendly “Trunk or Treat” options too.

Franklin County Trick or Treat Dates

• Bexley: 5:30-7:30 pm - October 28
• Blendon Township (Westerville): 6:00-8:00 - October 28
• Canal Winchester: 5:30-7:30 pm - October 28
• Clintonville: 6-8pm - October 28
• Columbus: 6-8pm - October 28
• Dublin: 6-8 pm - October 28
• Gahanna: 6-8pm - October 28
• Grandview Heights:  6-8pm - October 31
• Grove City: 6-8pm October 28
• Groveport: 5:30-7:30 pm - October 28
• Hilliard: 6-8 pm - October 28
• Jefferson Township (Gahanna): 6-8pm - October 28
• Village of Lockbourne: 5:30-7 pm - October 28
• Madison Township: 6-8 pm - October 31
• New Albany: 6-8 pm - October 28
• Obetz: 6:00-8:00 - October 31
• Reynoldsburg: 6-8pm - October 28
• Upper Arlington: 6-8pm - October 28
• Westerville: 6-8pm - October 28
• Whitehall: 6-8pm - October 28
• Worthington: 6-8pm - October 31

Delaware County Trick or Treat Dates

• Delaware: 6:00-8:00 - October 31
• Galena: 6:00-7:15 - October 30
• Genoa Township (Westerville) 6-8 pm - October 28
• Lewis Center: 6-8pm - October 31
• Orange Township: 6-8pm - October 31
• Powell: 6-8pm - October 31

Fairfield County Trick or Treat Dates

• Pickerington: 6-8 pm - October 28

Licking County Trick or Treat Dates

• Granville: 5:30-7 pm - October 28
• Pataskala: 6-7:30 pm - October 28

I hope you have found this information helpful for planning your 2010 Halloween activities in the Columbus Ohio area.  If you see any mistakes or want to add to this list, please contact Petra with information.   I have tried to double check these dates on various community websites, but I cannot guarantee it’s accuracy.  Happy Halloween!

THE 12^th ANNUAL CREEKSIDE BLUES & JAZZ FESTIVAL

BRINGS MUSIC AND MORE TO OLDE GAHANNA, JUNE 18 - 20, 2010

Central Ohio suburbs offer a variety of community festivals for families throughout the summer and one of my favorites is the Creekside Blues and Jazz Festival in Gahanna.  My REMAX® Connection Realtors, real estate office is located at 130 Mill Street, in Olde Gahanna, right across from Creekside.  So I like to support the local festivals in Gahanna and usually try to attend the Creekside Festival.  Since it’s one of my favorites - I thought I’d share the details for the 2010 Gahanna Creekside Blues and Jazz Festival here.

GAHANNA, Ohio - Gahanna continues one of its proudest traditions June 18 - 20, as the Gahanna Convention & Visitors Bureau (GCVB) presents the 12^th Annual Creekside Blues & Jazz Festival, bringing together local, regional and national blues and jazz musicians in Olde Gahanna.  The three-day festival promises more than 90 hours of live music on four stages, plus plenty of activities, great food and fun for all ages, all set in the picturesque backdrop of Gahanna’s Creekside Park and Plaza.

“The Gahanna CVB and the Festival Planning Committee are putting the finishing touches on what we believe are dynamic, new components for this year’s event,” Laurie Jadwin, Festival chair, said. “The Festival is thrilled that we are able to attract so many talented musicians each year who really want to be part of this event.

“This year we’re partnering with local Gahanna businesses to launch an inaugural pub crawl so that we can feature as many musicians as possible.  The crawl will be held the weekend before the festival to help showcase these talented entertainers and their music, as well as the festival, ‘wanna-be musicians’ will have a chance to learn directly from some of the best blues and jazz musicians in central Ohio through new teaching workshops that we’ll be offering. That’s just a sampling.  We’re still in the planning phase, so there will be much more to come.”

Singin’ the Blues

On Saturday, June 19, Blues headliner and swamp-blues master Tab Benoit will take the stage to bring his brand of bayou blues to Creekside.  He won the Blues Music Association’s Contemporary Male Artist of the Year Award in 2007 and 2008.  Benoit performs more than 250 days a year, with a special focus on small towns, as a tribute to his own small-town roots.  In addition to his work playing and singing the blues, Benoit is also co-founder of Voice of the Wetlands, an activism organization advocating the preservation of the Gulf Coast.

Additional Blues headliners include:

• The Jimi Vincent Band- For more than 20 years, crowds have been buzzing for this high-energy blues-rock band.  The band is a staple at many well-known popular blues festivals, and returns to Gahanna for the second, straight year by popular demand.  The band is currently working on material for a new CD and its upcoming festival tour.  Band members are Jimi Vincent, Sam Romagnoli, Dustin Smith and Bob Dutton. (Friday)

• The Sonny Moorman Group-This Cincinnati, Ohio-based power trio has continued to collect awards and recognition over the years, including a win at the Columbus Blues Alliance Challenge in 2009 and as a finalist in the 2010 International Blues Challenge. The band’s album Crossroads Motel, with its title track, drew nominations for the 2009 Just Plain Folks Award for Blues Album and Blues Song of the Year.  The group features Moorman on guitar and vocals; Marc Hoffman on bass; and Dave Fair on drums and vocals. (Saturday)
• Sean Carney Band-Hailed by Columbus Monthly in 2007 as the city’s best band, the Sean Carney Band has taken blues music around the world, performing at festivals across North America and Europe.  In fact, the band will perform in 12 countries in 2010.  The band was a winner in the 2007 International Blues Festival.  The band self-produced its Live Blues on Whyte CD in 2009, and is working on a new studio recording as well. (Sunday)

And All That Jazz

Critically-acclaimed jazz trombonist and Pickerington, Ohio, native Sarah Morrow will headline the Jazz Stage on Friday, June 18.  Morrow holds the distinction of being the first female instrumentalist to become a member of the Ray Charles Orchestra, touring with the music legend in the mid-1990s.  She has also toured with other jazz greats including the Duke Ellington Orchestra.  In another local connection, Morrow will team up with fellow central Ohio native Bobby Floyd and his trio on stage. Like Morrow, Floyd’s musical prowess has taken him across the United States and around the world.  He has shared the stage with the likes of Dionne Warwick and Doc Severinsen, as well as being a featured performer with the Columbus Jazz Orchestra, Columbus Symphony Orchestra and ProMusica Chamber Orchestra.

Additional Jazz headliners include:

• Urban Jazz Coalition-Praised by the Las Vegas City of Light Jazz Festival as the “best-kept secret in smooth jazz,” this Columbus-based septet of musicians has been wowing U.S. audiences for 14 years.  UJC has toured with many jazz artists and groups, including Spyro Gyra, The Rippingtons and Al Jarreau. Their last two CDs climbed high on jazz music charts, with Down To Get Up in the #3 spot for 2007 on The JazzWeek Independent Smooth Jazz Chart. (Saturday)
• Columbus Jazz Orchestra (CJO)-For more than three decades, the CJO has been regarded by many as a model musical organizaton, as well as one of the finest jazz orchestras in the world.  Hosting nearly 50 subscription concerts each season in Columbus, the CJO teams with internationally-known guest artists to champion the big band jazz format for thousands of fans each year.  The CJO is led by former Count Basie Orchestra lead trumpet, Byron Stripling, who has also performed and recorded with the bands of Dizzy Gillespie and Lionel Hampton.  In addition, Stripling’s career includes featured solo appearances with the Boston Pops, Pittsburgh Symphony and the National Symphony. (Sunday)

Additional attractions and activities will include:

• Rising Stars Blues & Jazz Contest: Gahanna’s version of American Idol for budding blues and jazz musicians.
• Jog for Jazz: The Third Annual “Jog for Jazz,” a 5K run/walk event, will be held on Saturday, June 19, in Olde Gahanna.
• Musical Discovery Zone: This free, hands-on blues and jazz musical learning experience is for the entire family-beat the bongos, blow the horns, make your own musical instrument and more.
• Mini-Midway:  Amusement rides including a fun house, giant slide, ferris wheel, merry-go-round, climbing wall and rides for small children.
• Paddle Boat Rides: Boaters can enjoy the music as they take a leisurely paddle along a branch of Big Walnut Creek.
• Street performers, festival food, artisans and crafters

During the past 12 years, Creekside Blues & Jazz Festival has evolved from a half-day event into a three-day family friendly event, with four stages of entertainment-Creekside Community Stage, Jazz Stage, Blues Stage, and Acoustic Alley, more than 50 musical groups and much more. The festival location spans the area from the eastern banks of Big Walnut Creek with its Creekside Park and Plaza into historic downtown Olde Gahanna.  The park and plaza areas feature beautiful views of the creek, boardwalks, a lagoon, two waterfalls, waterside dining, retail shops and more.

Admission is $3 for adults (ages 12 and up). Children under 12 are free.  Members of the military will also receive free admission, ID required.  The Festival is presented by the Gahanna Convention & Visitors Bureau and is made possible with help from a corps of dedicated local volunteers. Photos are available upon request.

For more information, visit www.creeksidebluesandjazz.com or call the Gahanna Convention & Visitors Bureau at 614-418-9114 or 1-866-GAHANNA

The Gahanna Convention & Visitors Bureau (GCVB) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit organization funded by a local hotel tax and partner support whose mission is to promote Gahanna as a vibrant destination by connecting the people and places of our community which contributes to economic prosperity. The GCVB annually presents the Creekside Blues & Jazz Festival and Holiday Lights! Parade and Festival. We are grateful for the support given to the Creekside Blues & Jazz Festival by the event sponsors listed on our Web site: www.creeksidebluesandjazz.com

As we head into the Memorial Day Weekend, let’s remember what this American holiday is really about.  Remembering those who serve or have fallen in defense of and to preserve the freedom of the United States of America.  Here’s a brief history about the origins of Memorial Day from the  American Minute with Bill Federer:

Southern women scattered spring flowers on the graves of both the Northern and Southern soldiers who died during the Civil War.

This was the origin of Memorial Day, which in 1868 was set on MAY 30.

In 1968, it was moved to the last Monday in May.

From the Spanish-American War, to World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, War against Islamic Terror, up through the present, all who gave their lives to preserve America’s freedom are honored on Memorial Day.

Beginning in 1921, every President placed a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which is guarded 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The number 21 being the highest salute, the sentry takes 21 steps, faces the tomb for 21 seconds, turns and pauses 21 seconds, then retraces his steps.

Inscribed on the Tomb is the phrase: “HERE RESTS IN HONORED GLORY AN AMERICAN SOLDIER KNOWN BUT TO GOD.”

In his 1923 Memorial Address, President Calvin Coolidge stated:

“There can be no peace with the forces of evil. Peace comes only through the establishment of the supremacy of the forces of good.

That way lies through sacrifice…

‘Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.’”

In celebration of Memorial Day, here are some great quotes from famous people in American history honoring the men and women of our armed services, who have sacrificed their lives to protect our Country throughout America’s history.

“The 30th day of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet church-yard in the land. In this observance no form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit. If other eyes grow dull, other hands slack, and other hearts cold in the solemn trust, ours shall keep it well as long as the light and warmth of life remain to us. Let us, then, at the time appointed gather around their sacred remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with the choicest flowers of spring-time; let us raise above them the dear old flag they saved from dishonor; let us in this solemn presence renew our pledges to aid and assist those whom they have left among us a sacred charge upon a nation’s gratitude, the soldier’s and sailor’s widow and orphan “ -General John A. Logan’s Memorial Day Order, Headquarters, Grand Army of the Republic, General Orders No.11, Washington, D.C., May 5, 1868

“It is, in a way, an odd thing to honor those who died in defense of our country, in defense of us, in wars afar away. The imagination plays a trick. We see these soldiers in our mind as old and wise. We see them as something like the Founding Fathers, grave and gray-haired. But most of them were boys when they died, and they gave up two lives, the one they were living and the one they would have lived. When they died, they gave up their chance to be husbands and fathers and grandfathers. They gave up their chance to be revered old men. They gave up everything for our country, for us. And all we can do is remember “ -Ronald Reagan

“Our wars have won for us every hour we live in freedom. Our wars have taken from us the men and women we honor today, and every hour of the lifetimes they had hoped to live “ - President George W. Bush, Memorial Day 2002.

“Siding with tyrants in the name of peace is a recipe for disaster. Empowering of murderers for the sake of human rights is a guarantee of further bloodshed. And the inability to distinguish right from wrong is a prelude to our own destruction “ -Lowell Phillips

“The real world requires difficult moral choices. But try as we might, we cannot avoid making them. We should choose to side with those who support our values, however imperfectly, and against those who violently oppose our values. The real world is a dangerous place filled with dangerous people. Severe myopia can be a fatal handicap. Mr. Magoo makes an amusing cartoon character but a poor role model and a lousy statesman. We have eyes with which to see the evildoers in the world. We have ears to hear the cries of those who suffer under tyranny. It is our duty to use them. Otherwise, we are foolish people, and without understanding “ -David C. Stolinsky

“Today is a celebration of those who didn’t come home with the rest of us. We remember that their lives were cut short, their life’s chapters closed in the paddies, jungles and mountains of Vietnam. Perhaps the greatest honor the rest of us can bestow is to regard our own lives as sacred and full of meaning. It is difficult to stay above the quagmire of feelings left from our experiences but what better way to salute our brothers and sisters in arms than to rise above the pain of their deaths and give freely of ourselves to others.” -Marine veteran Robert Sasse

“But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us–that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion–that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth. “ - Abraham Lincoln, The Gettysburg Address, 1863.

In 1923, Vice-President Calvin Coolidge delivered a Memorial Day address entitled “The Destiny of America”:

Just at a time when Christianity was at last finally established…when there was a great spiritual awakening, America began to be revealed… Settlers came here from mixed motives…but those who have set their imperishable mark upon our institutions…were seeking a broader freedom…intent upon establishing a Christian commonwealth in accordance with the principle of self-government… They were an inspired body of men…”God sifted the nations that He might send choice grain into the wilderness.” They had a genius for organized society on foundations of piety, righteousness, liberty, and obedience to law… America’s government and civilization…have grown up around the church, the town meeting, and the schoolhouse. It is not perfect, but it surpasses the accomplishments of any other people… America is worth fighting for. But if our republic is to be maintained…it will be through the efforts and character of [individuals]… the ideals [of] home life which make up the strength of the nation. The homely virtues must continue to be cultivated. The real dignity, the real nobility of work must be cherished… The viciousness of waste and the value of thrift must…be learned and understood… To these there must be added religion, education, and obedience to law. These are the foundation of all character… and all hope in the nation… There is no end of the things which the government could do, seemingly, in the way of public welfare, if it had the money. [But] everything we want cannot be had at once. It must be earned by toilsome labor. There is a very decided limit to the amount which can be raised by taxation without ruinously affecting the people…by virtual confiscation… A government which requires of the people the contribution of the bulk of their substance and rewards cannot be classed as a free government, or long remain as such (The Annals of America, 1968, Vol. XIV, pp. 410-414; see also TeachingAmericaHistory.org).

We must pray, labor and fight for our freedom, ever grateful to God for it, and to the men and women who gave their all to keep us free (Neh 4:14).

Illuminated Spaces:Sacred Places - Stained Glass Tour

Columbus Landmarks Presents Illuminated Spaces and Sacred Places Stained Glass Tour Sunday, November 15, 2009 from 12:30P-3:30P

Part II of the popular tour will again feature stained glass in four ecclesiastical spaces in Columbus Ohio:  Congregation Agudas Achim, Bexley United Methodist Church, St. Catharine’s Catholic Church, and Temple Israel.

I love old buildings, especially beautiful churches with stained glass art and what better time than fall - just before the holidays to take a tour of some of Columbus’ beautiful old churches.

The tour will focus on both historic and contemporary stained glass and the history of the windows and sacred spaces. Support provided by Franklin Art Glass Studio, Inc. Tour begins at Congregation Agudas Achim, 2767 East Broad Street in Bexley. Parking is available on side streets or in the parking lot of Broad Street United Methodist Church, one block away at 2657 East Broad Street  A bus will shuttle participants from the second tour stop, Bexley United Methodist Church, to the third and fourth stops and will then return to the Bexley United Methodist Church parking lot.   Tickets are $25.00.

Visit: http://www.columbuslandmarks.org/events/index.php for more info and to get tickets.

Columbus Landmarks 61 Jefferson Avenue, Columbus Ohio 43215; 614.221.0227

Landmarks takes great pride in its quality programs. Our programs are led by professionals in the fields of architecture, architectural history and other related fields. These individuals share their knowledge and expertise with great enthusiasm. Advance ticket purchasing is strongly recommended.