Things to Do in Columbus, with Various Crumbs - June 13th Edition

Although I won't be posting this until Wednesday, as I sit here to begin writing it I have decided: I am not spending enough time outside.  It's 10pm on a Tuesday, the weather is flawless (71 degrees with 60% humidity) and I'm sitting on the patio at MoJoe, mooching free wireless and listening to some tunes, just watching the world go by.  One of my favorite things to do in the world is sit and listen to headphones while I watch the world go by.  I think it's one of the weird reasons I like riding the bus.  If sitting here doesn't beat the sofa, I don't know what does.  Once again, I have to thank Husband for making me portable! 

First of all, dear readers, fear not (yay internal rhyme!): there are more burger hunts soon to come.  With the flood of produce we've been enjoying, and our farewell Sopranos dinner, and Husband's birthday Monday, we haven't had a chance to visit burger joints.  However, we have a few planned in the near future.

Okay, can you indulge me for a second?  Can we please talk about the Sopranos?  If you don't want to, you can skip right to the events.  Every once in awhile I toy with the idea of having a sidebar blog, where I talk about books and movies and TV and the like (I do, after all, have a degree in literary critical theory, not that I remember any of it), but until I make that happen, you'll have to suffice as my audience.  Along with everyone at our Sopranos farewell party, I thought the DVR stopped recording at the end of the show, which afterward I thought was a funny joke.  I thought the last episode of the Sopranos (I get choked up, just saying that) was flawless.  It was funny, violent, and full of tension, just as the best parts of the series were.  So there was no pretty wrap up of the story arc - why do we always feel we need one?  I love that idea, because I wasn't going to be satisfied with any of the posited endings - going into witness protection, getting whacked, whatever.  I loved simply shutting the window into their lives.  Of course, I'm one of those weirdos who LOVED all of the dream sequences over the years.  I love speculating about the motives of the writer, but not being sure.  I love the scene where Tony is in the fish market and a fish starts talking to him and it's Big Pussy's voice.  I loved the episodes of last season, when comatose Tony is living in his parallel life - my favorite scene, I think, of the entire series is when Tony is standing outside of the hotel, contemplating making a move on another conference attendee, and a helicopter with a search light is overhead; he looks up, and for the briefest moment, the helicopter turns into the doctor shining a light into his eyes.  I loved being corrupted by the Sopranos for the past 7 years, and I'm really going to miss it.  I'll be depressed every Sunday night at 9 for a long time, and I won't really know why . . .

Just wait till I read the last Harry Potter.

Okay, so now that we've established how lovely the weather is right now in Columbus - and I have decided that I am now firmly in the "Summer" camp; I'm a sunshine convert - and that there is nothing good on TV (okay, Top Chef starts today) here are a few things you can do, either outside or not. 

• This weekend is Festival Latino!  Friday and Saturday 11am - 10am, downtown on the Riverfront.  Celebrate all things Latino, including great food and music.  This is where the El Arepazo folks got their start, if that gives you an indication of how the food will be.
• Saturday is the Grillmaster fest at the North Market from 8am - 5pm.  The festival will celebrate summertime and summer foods.  Numerous bands will perform, there will be a petting zoo, and I'm sure lots of good things to eat.
• This weekend is the Creekside Jazz & Blues festival in Gahanna.  In addition to music, there will be a frog-jumping contest, canoeing, and food!  The event takes place at Creekside Park, 123 Mill Street, Friday 5pm - 11pm, Sat 11am - 11pm, and Sun11am - 6pm.
• Fans of improv and science fiction might be interested in seeing MadLab presents FFN in Spaaaaaaaaaaace.  I love anything that makes Pigs in Space references.  Performances take place at 105 N. Grant Street, this Thursday - Saturday at 8pm.  Admission is only $10.  Click above for ticket information.
• If you're a blues fan and you have never been to the Southern Theatre, you should definitely check out Columbus Jazz Orchestra's Basie, Boogie and the Blues (scroll to the bottom).  First of all, the Southern is a great place to see a show; built as a triumphant display of electricity, it's like walking into the past.  Performances take place Wed - Saturday at 8pm, and Sunday at 2 (maybe I'll even make it!) and tickets are $38 - $45.
• This weekend is Juneteenth Celebration, which celebrates African American emancipation.  The event features exhibits of African American inventions along with crafts and, of course, food!  An entire pavilion devoted to soul food! Franklin Park, 1777 E. Broad Street; Friday - Sunday noon - 10pm. 
• This Saturday is Columbus Landmarks City Hop tour of homes, 10am - 6pm.  The tours are self-guided and feature numerous downtown condo projects including the Buggyworks building, Jeffrey Place, and the Hartman, just to name a few.  Tickets are $15 in advance or $18 day of.  Click here for tickets.
• This Saturday 10am - 6pm & Sunday 11am - 5pm is the Worthington Arts Festival, which will take place on the village green at the intersection of High St & 161. 
• Saturday is Zoofari at the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium, 10am - midnight.  Always tons of restaurants will supply food, and there is music all day.  Tickets are $100, which isn't bad if you would normally be going to dinner for that amount, not to mention you're at the zoo!  Which is exciting!
• Sunday is the Short North Gala, which takes place at the Green Orthodox cathedral and celebrates 25 years of the Short North "From Blight to Brilliance!"  6pm - midnight.  Tickets are $100 each.

Get out there and do something fun!