Uncategorized

Uptown Westerville was bustling on Saturday, March 3rd as people scurried from storefront to storefront, enjoying the crisp, sunny day and collecting cookies. Yes, you read that right. Cookies.

Not the kind the track you on the Internet. The kind made by Westerville’s own Cheryl and Co. Each of the 24 participating businesses gave out a different kind of cookie and 400 people signed up to collect them.

As the Visitors Bureau, we were delighted to hear comments like, “We’ve never been in here before!” “You have so many brochures!” “This is great information!”

As members of this wonderful community, we were moved to learn that Westerville Uptown, Inc. is donating the proceeds from the event ($3,830.04) to the Westerville Parks Foundation to go towards the new memorial being constructed at First Responder’s Park to honor Officers Joering and Morelli and all first responders who put their lives on the line every day.

It’s going to take more time and more money before we see a new addition to that already wonderful and moving place of reflection next to the fire station on W. Main St. But we already have a lot to think about: When members of a community put their heads together, great things happen. Uptown Westerville, Inc. had the idea. Cheryl and Co. donated the cookies, NorthStar Cafe donated the gift cards for the raffle, Megan Lee Designs created the logo, Angie Mickel of Portale Allstate Insurance Agency donated the shopping tote bags and Caxton Printing printed the event maps. Residents and visitors came out in droves. Here were the results: people had fun, went in stores they had never been in, discovered Westerville has a Visitors Bureau, and raised money to honor heroes.

And all of that because of cookies. #WestervilleAwesome

December is such a relaxing time of year. You, no doubt, have plenty of time to sit around and make summer plans or ponder which activities your family will enjoy this spring. You have the Westerville Visitors & Convention Bureau phone number programmed in your phone just so you can check on upcoming events.

Are we being facetious? You bet!

We know you are busy. Whether you are a visitor or a resident, you need to be able to enjoy everything Westerville has to offer on your schedule. We tell you what’s going on and when things are happening and you can choose when and if to participate.

Once all your Christmas decorations are put away, you may start thinking about some one-tank trips. You can stop in for ideas of places around Ohio to visit.

For you out-of-towners, we can help your group of friends ward off cabin fever! Give us a call and let us help plan a day or two of fun.

What if a new neighbor moves into your neighborhood? You make the cookies and we’ll put together a packet of info to make them feel welcome.

The WVCB wants to be that warm and snuggly pair of pajamas that you pull out on an especially cold night. We want to be that trusty old screw driver that you always grab when you want to get the job done. We’ll stay tucked away until you need us, but you will always know who to call.

May you and your family have a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year.

Did you know that all four scheduled performances of Westerville Parks and Recreation Civic Theatre’s production of The Little Mermaid sold out so quickly that another matinee performance had to be added? Have you visited Arts Alley during a 4th Friday event or taken Westerville’s Art in Public Spaces tour? If you answered “yes” to all three, congratulations! You know what’s happening with the arts in Westerville! If you answered no, but are a lover of the arts, keep reading and learn something new!

Former WVCB Board of Trustees member Jane Denick was a champion of the arts in Westerville. Before she passed away in 2014, she was instrumental in forming The Arts Council of Westerville, she played tuba in the Westerville Concert Band and she, her husband Ralph and their business partners bought Java Central Coffee House and Gifts and made it into a comfy place where art thrives to this day.

Jane expressed frustration that creative kids and adults alike were not getting the recognition their talents deserved. She believed achievements in all forms of art should be celebrated just as much as football, basketball, lacrosse or other athletic endeavors. She wanted to draw attention to the band member, the sculptor, the storyteller, the painter and the actor. She believed that art comes in many forms and those who engage their minds in the creation of such forms should be recognized.

From the Westival Community Band and Art Festival to the poetry readings and stage productions that take place in our community, the arts are alive and well in Westerville, thanks to folks like Jane who want to see to it that the arts matter.

Each year, the Westerville Visitors and Convention Bureau presents the Jane Denick Advancement of the Arts Award to a group or organization that promotes and builds appreciation for the arts in Westerville just as Jane did. If you would like to submit a suggestion for this year’s winner, contact the WVCB at 614-794-0401 or info@visitwesterville.org.

Staff at the Westerville Visitors & Convention Bureau is excited to be moving back into our Uptown office after two month absence. Our building at 20 W. Main St. has been renovated and it looks fantastic! It will take us most of this week and some of next to get everything organized, but we’ll have our doors open soon!

Just to give you an idea of how many things so on in Westerville during the busy spring/summer season, here is a list of just some of the events that happened just in the two months we’ve been out of Uptown:

• Curtain Players presented, “By the Skin of Our Teeth”
• Westerville Public Library hosted author Anthony Doerr
• Westerville Uptown Merchants hosted seven “Uptown Friday Nights” and Auctioned Art Umbrellas
• Our office held two Mount Carmel St. Ann’s 4th Fridays Uptown
• The Westerville Area Chamber of Commerce presented the annual Music & Arts Festival
• Westerville Community Bands performed their Spring Concert
• Westerville Historical Society heard Otterbein Archivist Steven Grinch speak about Women at Otterbein.
• The City of Westerville presented Party At the Creek at Alum Creek Park
• Honor Flight held its annual Jukebox Review
• The Sunrise Rotary once again wowed us with the Field of Heroes
• Hoover Sailing Club hosted their Open House
• Otterbein Summer Theatre performed Brighton Beach Memoirs
• The Lion’s Club served up its 43rd Annual Chicken Dinner
• The Chamber’s Young Professional’s Group had their Uptown Shuffle
• Parks and Rec hosted the Baby Bargain Boutique
• The Arts Council of Westerville and the Westerville Community Bands teamed up to present Westival

And summer’s not over yet! For a complete list of events still to come, visit our Upcoming Events page!

Alum Creek Park North should be on your itinerary this weekend. That’s because the Arts Council of Westerville will fill it with music, art and food trucks as part of it’s Westival event on Saturday, June 4th from Noon to 9pm.

This is the second year for the event, which was called the Westerville Community Band and Arts Festival. Westerville has so much talent and this will give you the opportunity to experience it, along with the talents of other central Ohio groups, for FREE! Bring your lawn chair and spend an hour or all day. To get the complete music schedule, Click Here!

While you’re there, you’ll be shaded by not only the beautiful trees along the east bank of Alum Creek, but by large and colorful umbrellas, painted by artists and up for auction. Here’s all the info you need to bid on one and take it home. Everyone needs more art in their world, right?

It’s a bit cliche, but it is appropriate: Pardon our dust! The Westerville Visitors & Convention Bureau welcomes you to our new website, just be patient as we add information to the framework created for us by Andrew Streetman and his staff at Vysion Technology Solutions, a Westerville-based company.

There are literally hundreds of events planned in Westerville for 2016 and we want to share them all with you! While we are in the process of moving them from our old site, feel free to give us a call if you have questions about upcoming events. If we don’t have the info, we’ll figure out where to find it. We’ll be glad to help you out! (more…)