Fun times in downtown Newark this evening.....

..................as thousands of folks lined the streets to meet and greet the Budweiser Clydesdales.

many thanks to Matesich Distributing

My Sweetie....................

 

................and I ventured out to the wondrous Midland Theatre in Downtown Newark last evening.   George Thorogood and the Destroyers were the headline act.  George, at age 76 and aging like a fine bourbon, can still command the stage.  Great show.

                Bad to the Bone

                Who Do You Love?

             One Bourbon One Scotch One Beer

                      Move It On Over

                        I Drink Alone

A good time was had by all!

'Tis the season.......................

 

The Licking County Courthouse is all dressed up for the holiday.

Tonight was the 25th edition of "Sights & Sounds", a fund-raising walking tour of eight downtown churches.  Each of the eight offers up a bit of Christmas music and cheer.  Several hundreds of local folk braved the chilly night air for the tour.  It has become a fun tradition.

A Licking County tradition.......................

...............................on the Friday after Thanksgiving:  the Christmas lighting of the County Courthouse:

Good looking building even without the lights

Santa getting ready to hit the switch

All lit up for the season

Faithful readers.........................

 .............may remember a series of posts about the Hopeful Birth of a Subdivision.  We started the process of developing 113 single-family residential building lots in 2021. We are 97% finished with our part of the development.  Our home builder partner, D. R. Horton, is about 60% finished with their portion of the project.  Drone photography is pretty cool.  This is what progress looked like this hazy afternoon:

The whole development

Phase 1 95% built out

Phase 2 is now really getting started

While not finished, we are announcing the successful birth of Conor's Pass Sub-division. There will likely be a wrap-up post, celebrating the development and construction and sale of all 113 houses next Spring.  Stay tuned.

Capping off a fabulous Fathers' Day..........

.............My Sweetie humored me and we ventured out to the wondrous Midland Theatre in downtown Newark to catch a live performance by Pat Metheny.  He is an amazing musician and has more energy than most.  His sidekicks, a keyboardist and drummer, were no slouches either.  A great time was had by all.

 

Wow, I think he is talking about Newark, Ohio...

 Urbanism is not dead, but it is morphing into a new form. The most promising cities are currently taking shape on the periphery of the most densely settled areas, which lets them accommodate companies and families in a safer, healthier environment. These new cities are found around economically and demographically dynamic regions, largely in the sunbelt, but also in parts of the Midwest such as around Columbus and Indianapolis.

-Joel Kotkin, from here

Whiskey River Soap Company................

................located in wondrous downtown Newark, Ohio, was featured on NBC's Today Show:

 

What is not to love about a company that describes themself like this:

Whiskey River Soap Co. was founded more than fourteen million years ago in the outskirts of Ancient Rome by a ragtag group of freelance gladiators, stray dogs and out-of-work magicians. Apart, these charlatans were nothing but lazy ne'er do wells akin to a modern-day cable company, but when they encountered one another by chance at the dumpster behind the monster truck rodeo and picked up that legendary tube of half-used superglue, they formed a bond that would last throughout the ages, and even be featured on the History Channel as incontestable proof of alien life.

Okay, maybe not. However, we do very much admire magicians, monster truck rodeos and superglue. So why don't we just start over?

Hi! We're Whiskey River Soap Co. We also create all kinds of handmade soaps, candles and bath bombs that smell great and hopefully make you laugh, plus a growing assortment of other fun items! Anyway, we're all about creating our own products locally because we're not just selling you a funny label wrapped around something mass-produced in China. We think there's a place for both quality and humor to exist together, and hope you agree.

Congratulations Tabitha.  Hope you sell a billion. 

An easy choice...............

 

via

Reasons why I like living in Newark and Licking County.......

Reason #73.............................................The Newark Skate Park

Thanks to collaboration between two local philanthropic foundations and the City of Newark, we are blessed by the $2,000,000 re-imagining and rejuvenation of Everett Park.  Today was the ribbon cutting ceremony for the cornerstone of this project - the Newark Skate Park,  The skate park is clearly a world-class facility.   Free for kids of all ages.  Amazing:

Reasons I like living in Newark and Licking County..........................

Reason 47A:   The renovation and re-dedication of the "anti-flooding" totem pole.

      The back story is here.   Anyway, the totem pole has been MIA for the past several years.  The wood totem pole was originally erected in 1962.   Did you know that the average life span of a wood totem pole is about seventy years?   After that,  Mother Nature has her way.  Rather than wait until it was too late to save the totem pole, some bright and caring folks (thank you, Dave Fryman!) decided to repair and rehabilitate it.   It has spent the last two years first thoroughly drying out and then being brought back to its original glory.   Today was the unveiling and re-dedication ceremony.   Very timely since our county is receiving 3-6 inches of rain this weekend.  More than 100 folks braved the rain to watch and listen.  Lots of smiles.

Dilly Dilly...........................

The wondrous Budweiser Clydesdales paraded through downtown Newark this weekend.  Since they were coming anyway, the City decided to throw a party.  While the weather was not ideal, a good time was had by all.  A big thanks to Jim Matesich and his lovely company for making it possible.

A Chorus Line...........................

Last night, my Sweetie and I ventured out to Weathervane Playhouse to catch their final performance of A Chorus Line.   Unbelievable talent, both voice and dance, graced the stage.  It was really, really well done.  Newark is very blessed to have such a great resource like Weathervane.  Next up, in two weeks, is I Hate Hamlet.

 

My Sweetie and I..........................

.....................................................ventured out to the newly refurbished Thirty One West (formerly known locally as the Crystal Ballroom) last night.  Leo Kottke was the attraction.  Great guitarist with a super endearing stage presence.   We really enjoyed the evening.   If you get a chance to see Leo play, do.

My sweetie and I enjoyed..............

................the weekend in sunny Newark, Ohio.  The Jazz and Ribs Festival was held at the Canal Market Place this year.  A great venue for the event.  Our friend John Carson and friends entertained the crowd quite well:

The ribs were tasty, the corn was sweet.  A delightful afternoon:

Later, we stopped by the fabulous Weathervane Playhouse for the final performance of Music Man.  The theatre was sold out.  The story is timeless and the cast and crew did it justice.  Kudos and a standing ovation to all involved.

Speaking of downtown Newark..........

At the top of the photo:  the Square's second completed roundabout.  Only two more to go.

At the bottom of the photo:  the war zone moves to the front of our office.

The adventure continues.

Reasons why I like living in Newark and Licking County.......

Reason # 32.......................investing in our heritage.   The County Commissioners agreed to spend invest at least $4,000,000 in the restoration of our historic County Courthouse.   While it is not sexy, spending money today will insure that this focal point of our community will be here for future generations to enjoy.  For those of you interested in such things, the Courthouse was built in 1876 for the sum of $190,000 (plus or minus).

Here is what the building looked like before the scaffolding showed up:

Re-visiting the reasons why I like living in Newark and Licking County....

Reason #44:  The Newark-Granville Symphony Orchestra.

The Orchestra performed at the fabulous Midland Theatre tonight.  They opened with Rossini's Overture to The Barber of Seville.  Yep, the one made famous by Bugs Bunny:



They closed the show with Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Opus 95, aka From the New World.  Here is different orchestra's performance of the Allegro con fuoco:



It was a fine evening.   For reference, here is another NGSO post.

Reasons why I like living in Newark and Licking County..............

Reason #86.....................................Affordable real estate.  You would be hard pressed to find any house valued in the low $1,000,000s.

sign via

The future takes shape...............

Historic downtown Newark, Ohio is undergoing a bit of a change, infrastructure-wise.  A century old combination sanitary and storm sewer has to go (an EPA mandate, but a very common sense one), and is being replaced by new, and separate, systems.  The City has taken the opportunity to make other changes while the streets are torn up.  You can see its shape now.

The changes around the Courthouse Square are significant.  Much wider sidewalks, a new two-way traffic flow, narrower driving lanes, pedestrian-friendly cross walks, round-abouts at each corner. Unfortunately, there will also be way fewer parking spaces. The total project is now about 25% complete.  The adventure continues.  Here is what it looked like 45 days ago: