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Learn Something New About Westerville

Do you want a behind-the-scenes look at what we do to put on Mount Carmel St. Ann’s 4th Fridays? Well, we know you only have a minute and so do we, but we’ll show you a little piece of how we organize and plan the awesome vendors you see each month. May 4th Friday Vendor Location Map

If you click the link, you will see what 4th Friday vendors and food trucks see so they know where their spaces are. Here’s what one vendor wrote back after receiving it via email last week:

To the person that created that wonderful map, thank you!  It is easy to use and so helpful.  I saw things on there that I didn’t even know existed in Westerville!  I know that had to take some time, but I plan on printing it and keeping it for reference.

I didn’t know anything about the Police Museum until I saw it on the map, and plan on checking it out this Friday.  I googled it and went to https://wcpaaa.net/westerville-division-of-police-museum/   and learned some interesting things about Westerville. 

Thank you!!   I love Westerville and wouldn’t want to live anywhere else!

Did you know that we have a Police Museum? Did you know that Uptown Westerville is about to be named to the National Register of Historic Places and some of the buildings are having plaques installed this week containing information about the history of that building?

Did you know you can explore a wetland at Highlands Park and participate in a series of scavenger hunts in several Westerville parks this summer?

Have you heard that the guy who wrote “Up on the Housetop” lived in Westerville and graduated from Otterbein University? You can tour his house! It was one of several Westerville stops on the Underground Railroad. You can learn where they were as well as why the Anti-Saloon League came to town in the early 1900s at the Local History Center located at the Westerville Public Library.

Westerville may have been the Dry Capital of the World, but not anymore! You can spend your summer exploring what makes us anything but dry!

(Thanks to Cathy Shankland with Westin Air for her kind words!)

May 22, 2019 in Community, Culture, Uncategorized Comments (0)

Be Inspired by Art in Westerville

The WVCB was honored to have local artist Kathryn Smithson working her watercolor magic in front of our office during the Westerville Art Hop on Saturday, April 6th.

Whether it’s dogs or birds or other wildlife, Kathryn’s images bring smiles to the faces of the people who purchase her works.

“Art is the Queen of all sciences communicating knowledge to all the generations of the world.” – Leonardo da Vinci

By supporting local artists, whatever their medium, you are encouraging the talent that goes into creating it and allowing those artists to bring more beauty, more knowledge and more grace to our community and our world.

Here in Westerville, art is all around us. It is spoken and sung at Java Central; available for purchase at the Westerville Music and Arts Festival in July and in many Uptown Westerville shops; on display in public spaces and in places you might never expect with a backstory you might never have imagined.

April is Art Month. Our Mount Carmel St. Ann’s 4th Friday kickoff is called “Spring into the Arts” because, just like the spring, art is refreshing. It can brighten a room, bring back a memory. It can also make you cry. It can inspire you to be more. Art can change you. Explore the art in Westerville and prepare to be changed.

If you missed Kathryn during the Westerville Art Hop, you can find her work at www.kathrynsart.50megs.com,  https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/kathryn-smithson.html or http://www.facebook.com/KathrynsPastelart.

You can also support these arts organizations:

https://www.ohiopastelartistsleague.org/
https://www.artscouncilofwesterville.com/
http://www.westervilleartleague.com/

 

 

 

April 6, 2019 in 4th Friday, Community, Events, Uncategorized Comments (0)

Bright, New Community Guide Anything But Dry

Nothing about Westerville is boring or dull. The same can also be said for our new 2019 Community and Events Guide! The annual magazine is packed with new features and great information, whether you are a first-time visitor or a long-time resident.

Pay special attention to the photo by Gary Gardiner on page 4. Although a number of Gary’s photos are featured in this year’s guide, this one deserves a second look because when you come to Uptown Westerville you must stop to take in the though-provoking sculpture called “The American Issue” by Matthew Gray Palmer, captured so beautifully in Gardiner’s photo. The sculpture tells the story of Westerville’s role in the passage of the 18th Amendment which made Prohibition the law of the land.

Cover of the 2019 Westerville Community and Events GuideMuch as changed in our country and in Westerville since the repeal of Prohibition. Westerville is no longer “The Dry Capital of the World.” In fact, we are a vibrant, culturally rich, economically competitive and technologically innovative community, chosen as a 2019 Top 7 Intelligent Community by the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF). We were one of only three U.S. cities to receive this distinction!

We haven’t forgotten our history. We embrace it! Plus we mix in a great night life, fun shopping opportunities in locally-owned stores where you get personal attention and great dining experiences in one-of-a-kind restaurants where you’ll love to bring your family again and again.

You’ll find so many reasons to enjoy Westerville, it will take you into the next day. Enjoy the accommodations of our beautiful hotels and consider hosting your next event or businesses meeting in one several great venues to fit your exact needs.

Find out more about everything Westerville has to offer, either by requesting a printed copy of the 2019 Community and Events Guide or reading the digital version. See you soon!

 

 

March 22, 2019 in Community, Culture, Uncategorized Comments (0)

Cookies Accomplish Great Things! Who Knew?

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

 

March 15, 2018 in Uncategorized Comments (0)

No More Excuses

How many times have you said to your friend, “We’re going to have to try that place.”? How many times have you said to yourself, “Next time, I’m going to stop in there.”? No more talking. The 800-year old Jedi of Star Wars fame said, “Do or do not. There is no try.

Now is the time to come to Uptown Westerville to explore the shops and restaurants that you have talked about visiting for years. Why now, you ask? Well, there are two reasons, really.

The first is that a new Uptown brochure was just completed. You can download the PDF here. Have the lay-of-the-land in your hand as you wander the Uptown streets and pick the place you and the family are in the mood for when meal time comes around.

The second is a brand new adults-only event coming up on March 10th from 5pm-8pm, which starts and ends at Jimmy V’s, 1 S. State St. It’s called the Chocolate Walk. You can get all the details here!

There’s a a lot going on in Uptown Westerville, but if you keep driving by, you’ll never get to join in the fun.

February 22, 2017 in Community, Events, Uncategorized Comments (0)

Tucked Away Until You Need Us

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 Warm snuggly pajamas.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 stold screwdriversay 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.

 

December 14, 2016 in Uncategorized Comments (0)

Sold Out: Westerville Loves the Arts

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.

Former WVCB Board Member and champion of the arts in Westerville Jane Denick

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.

July 26, 2016 in Uncategorized Comments (0)

Moving Right Along

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!

July 12, 2016 in Uncategorized Comments (0)

Celebrate the Arts During Westival!

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?

May 31, 2016 in Uncategorized Comments (0)

Rolling With the Punches-Office Closed

WVCB OfficeThe WVCB  office is usually a busy place this time of year. Residents and visitors alike stop into our lobby for local information as well as ideas for one-tank trips around the Buckeye State. We enjoy greeting guests and sharing tidbits. That’s why we are incredibly saddened to let you know that, until further notice, the Westerville Visitors and Convention Bureau office at 20 W. Main St. will be closed. Our office building sustained damage on May 10th and safety inspectors are not allowing anyone inside. (more…)

May 11, 2016 in Community, Uncategorized Comments (0)