Local distiller WATERSHED officially RELEASED their Bourbon Barrel Gin this past weekend at midnight on the 1st.  Initial reviews seem to indicate that it is a success!

Off the bat - I need to confess, I am not a fan of gin.  However, the barrel aging takes away a lot of the overpowering juniper flavor and infuses it with a great earthy, smokey taste and scent.  It also allows other, more subtle flavors to come to the forefront - not the least of which is a sweet vanilla combined with citrus (from Watershed’s custom Four-Peel recipe).

I had the pleasure of touring Watershed shortly after they sealed up their first couple of barrels to rest and age, and love the character those barrels added to the very modern distillery. 

This gin is going to be a great addition to the local food / beverage scene and is already making its way into drinks at local bars.  Stop by BROTHERS DRAKE MEADERY and ask for “The New Fashioned”, featuring the Bourbon Barrel Gin and designed by their resident mixed drink developer / bartender Annie.

Image below from my tour of Watershed 4 September 2011.

Last week, Columbus Business First REPORTED that Ohio (and 18 of the top 20 exporting states) are off to a good start for 2012.

Exports from Ohio increased 11% (from $22.22Billion to $24.62Billion) as compared to the same time frame in 2011 and the nation is up approximately 7%.

While I try to focus on local goods / businesses / developments - for better or worse, we do live in a so-called “global economy” - so I thought this might be relevant to those who are in the Greater Columbus Metro Region and are working for / looking for work in those exporting types of businesses.

Weinland Park has been undergoing a REVITALIZATION over the past few years including a rebuilding of the south campus area Kroger, investment in housing and infrastructure.

Wednesday, there will be a groundbreaking on the corner of North 4th and East 8th for six new single-family residential units on land that was taken over by Campus Partners as part of their effort to raze abandoned and unsafe properties in the area.

Image via www.columbusunderground.com

Where can you find this magical combination of cheap beer and cheap Ohio-based Bob Evans meat?  At another event going on this weekend!

Three posts this week about three really great things going on this weekend.  Something for your dog, something for the patrons of the arts and now - something for the sports fans.

The Columbus Crew will be hosting Eastern Conference Rivals the New England Revolution for Dollar Night at 7:30pm at Crew Stadium.  Budweiser drafts and Bob Evans brats will be served for only $1 each.

AND - for new and returning students arriving back in town: bring your valid college ID and $15 gets you into a lower bowl seat (limit of 2 tickets per ID).

While we’re at it - arrive early and stop by the Ohio Historical Society as they host the Ohio Food Cart & Truck Festival (11a-8p Saturday & 11a-6p Sunday).  Approximately 35 vendors were hand picked to participate to ensure that you can sample the best that the burgeoning Columbus Food Truck scene has to offer.

Crew Soccer Nation (CSN) photo via www.thecrew.com

This weekend, August 26 & 27 is the 6th annual Franklinton arts event - Urban Scrawl - that features artists painting large panels as you watch, local food vendors, live music / DJs, dance performances and an outlet for local involvement.

Taking place at 400 West Rich Street, the event will run Saturday from Noon-10p and Sunday from Noon-6p.

Details about performers, food vendors and other events can be found on their blog HERE.

Coming up this Saturday (August 25th, 10a-5p) is the annual WAG! Fest at Prairie Oaks MetroPark.  In its 5th year, this event brings dogs, their humans and sponsors together for a day of fun and treats.  Also, the final hike of this year’s Paws in the Park series will be held during the event - so don’t forget the leash and some hiking boots.

Highlights for this year’s event include:

• Complementary engraved dog tags (Sponsored by Subaru)
• Dog agility course & Disc demonstrations
• Water Bark Beach pond access for your dog to swim
• An Ice Castle
• A day out, enjoyed with man’s best friend

You can find directions to and information about Prairie Oaks MetroPark HERE and WAG! Fest’s Facebook page HERE.

Additionally, information about the 17 pet trails at the MetroParks can be found HERE.

Shakespeare in the Park takes over the Commons at 7:30p Thursday - Sunday this week and next to present The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged).

Actors’ Theatre of Columbus will be presenting this show as well as A Midsummer Night’s Dream (7:30p Thursday - Sunday, September 13-24) at the Columbus Commons.

Additionally, they will be performing their regularly scheduled shows at Schiller Park as well (Servant of Two Masters Thursday - Sunday through September 2nd) - so you’re going to have to pick which show and which park to go to over the remainder of this week and next!

Keep in mind that, unlike the performances at Schiller Park, you are not permitted to bring alcoholic beverages into Columbus Commons - but beverages will be sold during the show.

Grab a blanket, pull up a slice of grass at either of the parks and enjoy a little bit of acting.

Columbus sports fans - over the next 3 weeks, Crew Stadium will be hosting 4 of the CREW’s next 7 games.

First up - Tomorrow (August 15th) at 7:00pm, the CREW will look to Black Out The Galaxy (Los Angeles)

Next Wednesday (August 22nd), the Crew will host Trillium Cup rivals Toronto FC at 7:30p - this match is the result of a RESCHEDULING due to the unfortunate death of CREW rookie Kirk Urso.

Three short days later, the Crew will again take the pitch, Saturday August 25th at 7:30p to face another Eastern Conference nemesis - New England Revolution.

Finally, on September 1st, Montreal Impact will visit the stadium for the second time this season as they try to avenge a 2-0 loss to Columbus earlier in the season.

Image via www.thecrew.com:

The other day, ColumbusUnderground POSTED about a new, independent coffee shop in Grandview.

Grandview Grind is the brain-child of Samantha DeMint, who was the manager of the now-closed Caribou in Grandview, and aims to provide an outlet for the regulars of the ‘Bou who lost their place to go.

Located in the same plaza on Grandview Avenue, south of 5th and north of 3rd, Grandview Grind is in an excellent location to serve those around the 5th/Northwest Community, Campus and Downtown.

One of the nice things about an independent shop is their ability to support local businesses while local clients support them.  Grandview Grind will be using coffee beans from local roasters including Backroom Roasters & Café Brioso.  Additionally, Dayton’s Boston Stoker will be on the menu as well as some other roasters from out of the area.

The Caribous in the area have always provided a great sense of customer focus and community in their shops, I’m hopeful that DeMint will continue that tradition in her new venture & I’m looking forward to supporting another local establishment.

Image via www.columbusunderground.com

Everyone - it’s recently come to my attention that Tumblr has changed the URL for this site to http://neighborhoodr-columbus.tumblr.com/ and a number of the links that you will find on Google for past articles will result in a “Page not found” message.  I’m working with the Tumblr support staff to find a workaround to this issue so that past posts will still easily searchable and viewable.

Sorry about any inconvenience this may have caused and I hope to have the matter resolved swiftly.

This weekend, the Goodguys PPG Nationals will be celebrating its 15th anniversary here in Columbus at the Ohio State Fairgrounds from tomorrow, Friday July 6th to Sunday the 8th.

Hours:

• Friday, July 6: 8am to 5pm
• Saturday, July 7: 8am to 5pm
• Sunday, July 8: 8am to 3pm

Admission info:

• Adults - $18 per day (includes $5 off coupon with $25 purchase)
• Children (7-12) - $6 per day
• Children (under 6) - Free
• Military ID discount - Download the $5 off admission coupon HERE
• Parking at the Fair Grounds - $6 (Ohio Expo Center information HERE)
• Online ticket sales HERE.

Image via www.good-guys.com

Governor Kasich declared a state of emergency following the storm from Friday the 29th and requested Federal assistance - particularly generators and water.  The request was promptly approved by FEMA and President Obama.  NBC4i article HERE.  Dispatch article HERE.  WOSU article HERE.  Additionally, Mr. Kasich has ACTIVATED the Ohio National Guard and ANG to support recovery efforts and do welfare checks on individuals without power.

Today, The Dispatch posted links for Cooling Centers, open public libraries, phone numbers to call to report outages and a partial list of closed roads HERE.

AEP Ohio is providing links for text updates (and expected 90% service restoration dates) HERE and maps of restoration efforts HERE (just click on the link for your area to see it as a .pdf).

I posted a few other links in yesterday’s update HERE that may be useful.

On Twitter - you might want to follow some of the following:

• Franklin County Emergency Management Agency - @FCEMHS
• Ohio Emergency Management Agency - @Ohio_EMA
• Ohio National Guard - @OHNationalGuard
• Ohio Department of Transportation: Columbus - @ODOT_Columbus
• Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman - @MichaelBColeman

I don’t have to tell anyone that they’re SUPPOSED to take it easy and be careful when it’s this hot, humid & stormy out.  Since NEWS REPORTS indicate that over 1/4Million Central Ohioans are with out power (and more than 800,000 across the state) - how do you stay cool and beat the heat?  Find out information?

Here’s a few resources that I hope are helpful:

• NBC4i Columbus - they do a pretty good job of updating online as soon as information becomes available.  Additionally, Storm Team 4 has pretty solid weather information on their page HERE.
• Franklin County Emergency Management Agency - their webpage isn’t the most up-to-date as to what is going on right now, but they have hot weather tips HERE (via Franklin County Department of Public Health) and their TWITTER feed has been posting updates and information on shelters / places to cool off, get showers and charge electronics.
• Columbus Red Cross - lists cooling centers they sponsor as they come available in their “Headlines” section.
• AEP Ohio - their OUTAGES page is updated with fair regularity and is a handy resource providing tips for preparing for outages and safety during severe weather events impacting power supply.  As I’m writing this, 2min ago NBC4i posted “UPDATE: AEP says a geographical outline / timeline of power restoration will be posted on their website at midnight.”
• National Weather Service Wilmington - most of Central Ohio receives its information (and warnings) from the NOAA Station at Wilmington.
• Ready.gov - this is a general preparation site and provides a great deal of information for a variety of disasters / events.
• Community Recreation Centers - I don’t have a complied list of websites, as they don’t update frequently enough, but if you call your local community rec centers (right now: Dublin, Worthington, Gahanna and City of Columbus are providing access to some sites as cooling centers) so call up yours and ask
• Local Libraries - as long as they have power and are open, your reference desk of your local Library is a great way to get information - contact numbers, websites and general information on where to get additional resources / what resources are available

The other day Green BEAN (a delivery service specializing in local and organic - when possible - produce and groceries) hit the 90ton mark for donated fresh produce to the foodbanks in their service areas.

Today, we all can contribute to support Mid-Ohio Foodbank’s Operation Feed by doing something most of us do nearly every day: eating out at select restaurants.

In short, a number of restaurants in Columbus - local, regional and national - are donating 5% of today’s receipts to the Foodbank.  For more information check out FOODFIGHT 2012.

A complete list of participating restaurants can be found HERE.

Image via www.foodfighthunger.com