4^th Friday Goes Down on the Farm in Uptown

Westerville, Ohio       By the time it gets to you, your food is packaged in cellophane, cardboard plastic or glass. But what’s in there and where does it come from? The Franklin County Farm Bureau will be on hand at this month’s “Mount Carmel St. Ann’s 4^th Friday: Farm in the City” to show just what goes into bringing dinner to your table.

Farm in the City will take place on Friday, September 27, 2019 from 6-9pm in Uptown Westerville and is brought to you by the Westerville Visitors & Convention Bureau.

In addition to 140 street vendors, food trucks and extended hours in the Uptown Shops, the Ohio Soybean Council will display everyday foods made with soybeans and talk about what GMO really means. Expect to be surprised!

The Ohio Corn and Wheat Growers Association will be on hand with information about home grown fuel, being earth kind and being engine smart. Visitors to their display will become acquainted with things made from corn and wheat.

Master Gardeners from the OSU Extension Office will answer even the toughest gardening questions and there will be a honeybee hive on display to show how honey is made and how bees pollinate crops to make them grow.

There will also be an opportunity for young and old to sit atop an old tractor for a photo op and to learn how farming equipment was pulled decades ago.

Musical entertainment will include Change It Up Charlie on the Visitors Bureau Music Stage; The Ohio Bluegrass Association on E. College Ave. and the Eric Clemens and Co. band on the City Hall Stage. The Pop/Oldies duo Caroline and Dad will perform in Arts Alley near Hanby Elementary School.

At 6pm on the Visitors Bureau Music Stage, the cast of Westerville South High School’s production of Disney’s Freaky Friday will sing selections from the musical which they will perform October 11^th and 12^th at 7pm and October 13^th at 2pm.

There will also be a Community Sing-Along, complete with practice session beginning at 6:30pm in the parking lot between Morgan’s Treasure and the Westerville Visitors and Convention  Bureau. The well-known, appropriately titled tune will then be sung leading up to Hand Across Westerville at approximately 7:15pm. Everyone is invited to participate. No experience necessary! In its fourth year, Hands Across Westerville brings the community together in support of acceptance and diversity in our community. It also serves as the kick-off to a weekend of community culture activities. On Saturday, September 28^th, the Casa Hogar, Los Angelitos dancers will give two ticketed performances at Westerville Central High School, 7118 Mount Royal Ave. For tickets and more information visit: https://www.locallevelevents.com/events/details/8160. The Community Culture Celebration will be held Sunday, September 29^th, from 1-4pm at Westerville Central High School.

Meanwhile, Friday night, further south at the Westerville Public Library, 126 S. State St., the Westerville History Center & Museum will unveil its newest exhibit: Prohibition! Expectation vs. Reality. There will be hands-on activities, costumed characters, audio clips, and photo ops. The Tony Haygood Band will perform Prohibition-era jazz music and special artifacts will be on display that night only.

As in past months, State St. (State Route 3) will close at 5:30p.m. and will be closed until 9:15p.m. for the event. For additional details about street closures, see below.

Attendees will not only enjoy extended hours in the Uptown shops and restaurants, but street vendors and food trucks along State St. as well as the side streets featuring all manner of products and services.

The Arts Council of Westerville will have arts activities and artwork on display in the parking lot of Union Savings Bank, 44 S. State St. and on the north side of Hanby Elementary School.

Mix 107.9 will be on W. Main St. close to the drop-off point for the Westerville Parks and Rec 4^th Friday Shuttle at 20 W. Main St. Attendees can park at The Point at Otterbein University, 60 Collegeview Ave. and ride the free shuttle Uptown to enjoy the festivities. The shuttle will run every 15 minutes between 5:30 and 8:30pm.

For cyclists, the Westerville Bicycle Club will sponsor a free Bike Corral. This year, it will be next to Jimmy V’s, 1 S. State St. and will be accessible from the City Hall parking lot or State St. They will do short maintenance checks and keep bikes secure while their owners enjoy the event.

Mount Carmel St. Ann’s 4^th Fridays are held on the fourth Friday of each month, April through September and are free festivals with an average attendance of 11,000 people each month. For more information please contact WVCB Marketing and Events Manager Glenda Mihaly at info@visitwesterville.org  or 614-794-0401.

Road Closure Info

State St. (State Route 3) will close to vehicular traffic at 5:30pm and remain closed until 9:15pm.

The streets and parking lots used for 4^th Friday activities will close at 4p.m. and include:

• E. Home St. and the parking lots on the northeast and southeast corners of N. State and E. Home Streets (will re-open at 10pm)
• E. College Ave. from State St. to Vine. St. (will re-open at 9:15pm)
• W. College Ave. from State St. to the City Parking Lot (will re-open at 10pm)
• Winter St. to the parking lot entrance. Access to the Union Savings Bank drive-thru will be maintained via Winter St. (will re-open at 10pm)

A barrier placed at Walnut St. will feature “Local Traffic Only” signs for motorist traveling northbound. In addition, the State St. closure will necessitate the closure of:

• W. Main St. from State St. to the Middlefield Bank drive thru. The drive-thru will remain open all evening during all 4^th Friday events.
• E. Main St. from State St. to the parking areas behind the Uptown businesses/Haywood Alley.

To allow for better traffic flow, no parking will be permitted on Vine St. between Park St. and Old County Line Rd. from 4p.m. to 10p.m. Questions regarding public safety should be directed to Lt. Ron McMillin of the Westerville Division of Police 614-901-9873. The map showing the closures can also be viewed at www.visitwesterville.org.

For more information about Mount Carmel St. Ann’s 4^th Fridays, contact Glenda Mihaly, WVCB Marketing and Events Manager at 614-794-0401 or info@visitwesterville.org.

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