June 2023 Organization Pending Newsroom Upper Arlington, Ohio
Welcome to Organization Pending's Newsroom, June 2023: Catching Rays edition.
This month, we take a look at Upper Arlington and Columbus' 4th of July celebrations, upcoming community events, and ways for the whole family to expand and learn new skills this summer. Don't miss two Podcast Recommendations of the Month for finding new movies to watch in the heat, a Tip of the Month for better dishwasher performance, and Company Updates on Organization Pending's virtual home organizing services, Rainbow UA Pride, and recent Accreditation by the Better Business Bureau®!
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If you have an upcoming event, resource, or professional the community should know about, contact organizationpendingllc@gmail.com!
Summer in Columbus
The Upper Arlington Civic Association's 4th of July celebrations are back, with the "We're Back & We're 4thin' for Good!" parade starting at 9am on Northwest Boulevard. Head over to Northam Park for Party in the Park starting at 5pm, concluding with fireworks at 10pm. Take a look at the winners of last year's "Stars, Stripes and Trailblazers" 4th of July parade floats here.
Start the festivities early on July 3 with Columbus' Red, White & BOOM! celebration starting at 11am with a street festival, parade at 5:30pm, and ending at 10pm with fireworks.
Need the latest updates on Upper Arlington's Fourth of July festivities and parking restrictions, or reminders on block party signup, lawn chairs, and updates to golf cart regulations? The City of Upper Arlington's May/June UA Insight let us know on pages 3 and 4!
Westerville Music and Arts Festival is Saturday, July 8, 10am-7pm, with an evening concert at 7:30, and Sunday, July 9, 10am-4pm - admission is $1 for anyone over 10. This event features local artists, a youth art display, live entertainment and food vendors. There are multiple locations for parking - visit the map or website for more information.
The Columbus Book Festival is back, Saturday and Sunday, July 15-16. Highlighting the Columbus Metropolitan Library's 150th anniversary celebration, the Book Festival will showcase the historic Main Library, Kaufman Plaza and Topiary Garden Park, making this a don't miss event for local and national author meetings, signings and panel discussions. Bring the kids for make and take activities, new and used books, live music, local food trucks and more! This event is hosted by the Columbus Metropolitan Library Foundation and presented by Battelle.
Head over to Thompson Park on July 20, 6-9pm for a family Summer Celebration! Inflatable games, food, balloon artists, face paint, and arts and crafts make it a great reason to meet up with family, friends, and neighbors.
Also on Thursday, July 20, 5-9pm is Clintonville's CRC Third Thursdays! Join the Community Resources Center in their parking lot at 3222 North High Street for live local music, kid's activities, food trucks, and local breweries. These events are held every third Thursday in the summer - their final event for the season is on August 17.
Jazz & Rib Fest is Friday through Sunday, July 21-23, along the Scioto Mile downtown riverfront! Friday and Saturday's hours are 11am-11pm, Sunday is 11am-8:30pm, and admission is free.
Head over to the Miller Park Branch Library for their outdoor Fun Day Carnival for kids on Thursday, July 27 from 6:30-7:30pm. Don't miss out on this chance to win free books and play games - no registration is required.
The Ohio State Fair is Wednesday, July 26 - Sunday, August 6. Senior Day is Tuesday, August 1, with free admission for ages 60+. Sensory-Friendly Morning with no flashing lights or music for rides, and other sensory-friendly considerations, is on Wednesday, August 2 from 10am-1pm. Don't miss this family-friendly summer event favorite since 1850!
Have you heard about Columbus Symphony's Picnic with the Pops series? Running in June and July, this concert series takes place in the Columbus Commons with a new theme weekly. Saturday, July 1 features Patriotic Pops and Soul, and July 28-29 the Ohio State University Marching Band will be performing with them! Visit the Picnic with the Pops online for the full list of events and to find tickets.
Are you looking to expand or learn a new skill set this summer?
Stonewall Columbus partners with local professionals and businesses to offer LGBTQIA+ friendly classes at their site! Check out their current offerings at stonewallcolubmus.org/classes.
Interested in gardening and backyard homesteading? Contact City Folk's Farm Shop on North High Street for more information on their class offerings, or visit their location for backyard animal feed and equipment, gardening tools and supplies, homesteading products, and refillable product options.
Are you working on DIY home improvement projects over the summer? Before buying new tools for the job, head over to Modcon Living's Tool Library on East 5th Avenue! There are membership applications and fees for residents and nonprofits, with the ability to choose long-term or 30-day Special Project memberships.
Want to establish a workout routine over the summer while the weather has us in a good mood? We have two Community Recommendations to help! Yoga with Julia hosts pop-up classes outside when the weather permits, or contact them for a virtual session. Wonderwoman Fitness was our December 2022 Newsroom Community Recommendation highlight, offering virtual adult and youth personal trainer services with an emphasis on mental health.
Visit one of Columbus' parks and local nature areas - Blacklick Woods has many areas for all ages to explore, and Veterans Park on South Houk Road in Delaware has multi-use fields, a gravel nature trail, and a dinosaur-themed playground! Or head over to OSU's Chadwick Arboretum and Learning Gardens - there's no admission fee for this 30-acre botanical celebration, open year round from dawn to dusk.
You might be familiar with our donation partnership with Columbus Fashion Academy - this organization offers education on fashion and sustainability by supporting kids' creativity through classes on fashion creation. Learn more about them and their mission in April's "Getting Warmer" Newsroom, and visit their link above for current class offerings.
Clay Street Ceramics on Westmoor and Clay Cafe in Grandview offer paint-your-own-pottery for kids, families, and groups. Contact them for details or to schedule your get-together!
Do you know about the Kids Bowl Free program? Gahanna Lanes, HP Lanes, and RollHouse Entertainment in Columbus all are part of this program to provide two free games of bowling every day to kids in the spring and summer. Registration for the program is required, available through the Kids Bowl Free website linked above - just click on your chosen location to register!
Is there a sweet tooth in the family? Schedule a tour for 4-16 people at Anthony-Thomas Chocolates! Tours are available Tuesdays and Thursdays between 9am-3pm and last about an hour. Admission for children 12 and under is $1, anyone 13 and up is $2, and everyone leaves with a free sample at the end!
Introduce the kids to a few classic arcade games, or gather with friends for a fun night at Level One Bar and Arcade. They have an open pinball league, non-alcoholic drink options, 47 arcade games and 23 pinball machines!
Whether you're looking to expand your own skills, or you're looking for a family-friendly activity, Upper Arlington Public Library offers a wide variety of free events for all ages and all interests! Or propose a program for the library to host!
Want to receive Upper Arlington public safety updates from the City? Text UAAlerts to 888-777!
Also sign up for Alert Franklin County online for additional county-wide alerts.
Podcast Recommendations of the Month
Tabi Berkey
Are you interested in movie recommendations and hearing other people's opinions and discussions? Beat the heat this summer with these two movie-focused podcasts!
From British YouTuber and author Rowan Ellis, check out Queer Movie Podcast for dissections on the international queer film canon from every genre. Familiar with Ellis' critical look at LGBTQIA+ media and popular culture, when they teamed up with Jazza John in 2019 for this podcast, I was thrilled to dive in deeper!
These Ohio natives brought their long-time friendship and love of movies together to form the Buddy Shotz Podcast, reviewing and discussing movies of all genres and release dates. Each podcast includes a Feature Presentation and Weird Watch, premiering Tuesdays on YouTube - follow stakebelmont64 on Instagram for notifications on upcoming episodes, and for special guest appearances from character Vince Frost.
For two years, Matt and Mike have co-hosted "the greatest Podcast in the Multiverse!", discussing actors, directors, movies with spin-off shows, news, and their thoughts on audience-suggested movies. I enjoy learning more about popular movies I haven't seen, discovering movies I definitely need to see, and watching how these two friends can differ in their opinions - as a personal friend of Mike's, I reached out to ask why 9.95% of Newsroom readers should subscribe to the Buddy Shotz Podcast. "Ready to explore the best and worst of cinema? Join Matt and Mike on the Buddy Shotz Podcast as we take you on a wild ride from the revered to the reviled, from Maltese Falcon to Manimal - become a Buddy and subscribe!"
Check out my special vocal guest appearance in Buddy Shotz Podcast 121 - Superman!
Better Dishwasher Performance: Tip of the Month
With extra people in the house this summer, is your dishwasher struggling to keep up?
Decluttering expert Dana K. White met with Maytag® engineers to bring us the secrets behind how dishwashers are designed, and how we can most effectively use them.
New regulations and consumer bias led chemists to focus on creating better dishwashing pods versus other soaps - White reports this slight price increase at the register is worth the better performance.
Become familiar with all the settings available on your dishwasher - the designers are working hard to give you the best performance for every level of need.
Check the mechanics of the dishwasher before you run it - tall dishes or cutlery on the bottom could be blocking the spinner from reaching the top rack, or the detergent drawer from opening.
Struggling to keep up with the dishes? "It's not the machine, it's the routine," White explains. Time yourself emptying the dishwasher to discover how easy it is to fit into the day. Commit to establishing a daily routine of picking up stray dishes and loading them, and avoid hand-washing or soaking when possible. Just like White discovered when she committed to a laundry routine, having consistently clean and available laundry or dishes allows a person to see what their family is always using first, letting you declutter the rest and put clean items away more easily.
Company News
Organization Pending has been paying attention to potential clients reaching out, and we're happy to announce a new virtual Structured Support service for people who are on a budget, or who have the motivation to declutter and organize, but need an expert's advice and momentum.
After emailing pictures of the space you want to work on first, Tabi the Organizer sets up a free virtual assessment to talk about the space and your goals. For a total of $80, schedule two half hour work sessions and free 10-minute follow up: your first session focuses on your personalized decluttering checklist, the second session provides a finalized space planning map and product recommendations with DIY and repurposed options, and your free follow up lets you ask any additional questions and show off your hard work! Learn more about Structured Support virtual services and what happens during each work session at organizationpending.com/hire.
Thank you to everyone who came out in the rain to see Organization Pending at Rainbow UA Pride on June 11!
Tabi (they/them) the Organizer was thrilled to meet so many new people in the Upper Arlington community, including some young future home organizers, and to say hello to some past clients and friends. At the booth, Tabi announced Organization Pending's status as a Better Business Bureau® (BBB®) Accredited Business, provided portfolio binders for people to flip through for home organizer tips, and three lucky winners received $50 off a 5 hour in-person work session! Couldn't make it out to enter the giveaway? Organization Pending extended the entry deadline for the online OPG Pride Giveaway (a $100 value), featuring the six local businesses highlighted in last month's "Looking to Pride" edition of the Newsroom. Comment on the Facebook and/or Instagram post from June 5 to enter!
Or email organizationpendingllc@gmail.com using code OPGpride23 in the subject line to receive $25 off your future work session when you schedule a free virtual assessment in June.