Music in the Garden is a family friendly event where local musicians give mini concerts at the Olde Towne East Community Garden (corner of Oak and Garfield). The event is absolutely free and all are encouraged to attend.

Sunday, May 19th, will be the first of three of these concerts. The Brooks Brother’s will begin playing at 6PM to kick off the season’s Music in the Garden series. OTENA is also excited to welcome the Salty Caramels on August 18th. There will be a June concert, as well, and details will be announced soon.

Just bring a chair or blanket, a picnic basket, your friends and family and sit back and enjoy the mellow sounds of these great local acts. And don’t forget to tell your neighbors about this wonderful free event!

Music in the Garden Dates:

Sunday, May 19 6-8PM featuring Brooks Brothers

Sunday, August 18 6-8PM featuring The Salty Caramels

* June date to be determined

Membership cards will be available for pick up at any of the General Membership Meetings.

If you need to renew your OTENA membership, click here.

Discounts

• Angry Baker – 15% annual one-time discount
• Auto Spa – 10% annual one-time discount
• Black Arts Plus – 10% annual one-time discount
• QKardz Printing – 10% off printing service (annual one time discount)
• Tavern Olde Towne – buy one item/meal, get second item of equal or lesser value free (annual one time discount)
• Voda Hair Design – $10.00 off any one service (annual one time discount)
• Yellow Brick Pizza – Monthly OTENA night. Save 20% off your entire bill (excluding alcohol) on the first Tuesday of every month.

During a visit to the new grocery store, one can expect to see many products that are offered at a box store along with a locally sourced focus, despite a smaller selection. For example, if you were looking to buy coffee, your choices may include coffee from Olde Towne East’s own Upper Cup rather than Folgers. Don’t expect to pay higher prices, though, as a cooperative business model often reduces overhead costs thereby potentially driving down prices.

Along with operating the new storefront, the Co Op with continue to offer its Fresh Bag Program and plans to expand the weekly pick up locations. The store will begin to function as one of the weekly pick-up points, while additional location options on Livingston Ave and Mt Vernon Ave are currently being explored.

The Fresh Bag program began earlier this year and currently has pick up locations at the Central Community House at 1150 E Main St. (Wednesdays 5-6PM) and the Ward YMCA at 130 Woodland Ave.(Thursdays 5:30-6:30PM). The Fresh Bag is an affordable way to welcome fresh vegetables, fruit and other staples into your pantry by way of weekly, prepacked bags that are offered in two sizes: the medium bag is $15, perfect for two people, while a large bag is $25 and suitable for a family of four. Weekly orders may be placed by emailing info@neareastsidecoop.org or calling 614.636.3726, and must be submitted by 6PM on the Thursday of the prior week. Along with a bag of delicious, fresh produce, purchasers also receive a copy of the weekly newsletter and a recipe inspired by the bag’s contents. Please visit neareastsidecoop.org to learn more about this program.

In addition to the new store front and expansion of the fresh bag program, construction of the community garden and gathering place has begun in the lot behind the market. The Co Op plans to use this space to grow seasonal produce, along with planting a sensory garden. The hopes for this community garden is for it to be just that, a garden for the community. The lay out has been carefully designed with considerations towards all members of the neighborhood, including plot accessibility for wheel chair users, and plans for special events are in the making. May 11^th will be the official garden installation day and they are looking for volunteers.

So, interested in getting involved? The Near East Side Cooperative Market is member-owned and dedicated to ensuring access to healthful foods. Their belief is that through a cooperatively owned grocery, our community can provide fresh, healthy and affordable foods to the residents of the near east side. Membership applications will be available at the store beginning on May 11^th. The membership benefits and levels are as follows:

• Discounts on retail prices and special sales and opportunity to order in bulk
• Participation in voting for board members and other Market initiatives
• Opportunity to be part of creating access to affordable, local, organic and healthy food in the neighborhood
• Educational opportunities through classes and programs

Annual Memberships:

• Individual – $50
• Family (up to 4) – $75
• Elder – $35

Additionally, there are several volunteer opportunities to fulfill immediate needs. Please call contact Jessica at 614.424.2283 if you are interested in volunteering.

• May 4^th: Volunteers needed to help with store set up. Duties will include store set up, bringing in products, etc.
• May 11^th: Official community garden installation. Set up will begin around 8AM.
• Ongoing: There are a plethora of ongoing opportunities, including packing fresh bags, working in retail store, community outreach, special events, to name a few.

The Near Eastside Cooperative Market is excited about this growth and looks forward to continuing to be a part of the community. Community input and questions will be welcome. Please make sure that you stop by to say hello on May 11^th.

Hours of Operations:

Monday: Closed

Tuesday: 10AM-7PM

Wednesday: 10AM-7PM

Thursday: 10AM-7PM

Friday: 10AM-7PM

Saturday: 10AM-7PM

Sunday: 1PM-5PM

Please visit their website or follow them on facebook for more information.

All volunteers will receive a free ticket for the tour as well as an invitation to enjoy food and drinks at the volunteer appreciation party after the tour.

Interested in volunteering? Please fill out the form below. *Indicates required field.

The Olde Towne East Summer Tour of Historic Homes is scheduled for Sunday, July 14th. It is the signature event of the Olde Towne East Neighborhood Association and one of the largest home tours in the city of Columbus.

See below for all of our tour sponsorships levels. The tour sponsorship package and order form may be downloaded here. To purchase a sponsorship, please send an email to tour@oldetowneeast.org or call Jeffrey Hamilton at 614.560.5921.

Deadlines
Sponsor logos due by May 6th
Payments due by May 31st
Ad Artwork due by May 31st

Ads can be emailed directly to Jeff Hamilton, Tour Co-Chair, at tour@oldetowneeast.org. All ads should be high resolution 300 dpi jpg or pdf.

Sponsorship Levels

Title Sponsorship (1 Available) $5,000

• Olde Towne East Summer Tour of Historic Homes presented by Your Company
• Category Exclusivity (no other advertisers allowed within your business category).
• “Presented by” logo placement in all advertising:
  • Print Collateral (tickets, posters, postcards, program cover)
  • Lawn signs
  • Banners
  • Email blasts with link through
  • Website content with link through
  • Radio, Print, TV Advertising
  • “Presented by” name placement in all PR: Web, Print, TV, Radio
• Full page, full color ad on back cover of tour program (5″w x 8″h).
• Leaderboard banner on oldetowneeast.org (468×60)
• Meet & greet booth at starting point of tour
• 20 Complimentary Tickets

Victorian Sponsorship (2 Available) $2,500

• Full page, full color ad on inside cover (front or back) of tour program (5″w x 8″h).
• Category Exclusivity (no other advertisers allowed within your business category).
• Prominent logo placement in the following:
  • Print Collateral (tickets, posters, postcards, program cover)
  • Email blasts with link through to your website
  • Website content with link through
• Button banner on oldetowneeast.org (300×250)
• Meet & greet booth at starting point of tour
• 10 Complimentary Tickets

Queen Anne Sponsorship $1,200

• Full page, full color ad in tour program (5″w x 8″h).
• Logo placement in the following:
  • Print Collateral (tickets, posters, postcards, program cover)
  • Email blasts with link through
  • Website content with link through
• 10 Complimentary Tickets

Italianate Sponsorship $400

• Full Page Color Ad (5″w x 8″h)
• Logo placement on website and email blasts with link through to your website
• 2 Complimentary Tickets

Eastlake Sponsorship $200

• 1/2 Page Color Ad (5″w x 3.875″h)
• Text link on website and email blasts
• 2 Complimentary Tickets

Foursquare Sponsorship $125

• 1/3 Page Color Ad (5″w x 2.5″h)
• Text link on website and email blasts

About Our Residents and Tour Guests

Our residents and guests represent several of the most desirable demographic groups for many advertisers. They own homes, are interested in do-it-yourself or renovation projects, are socially aware, are educated, and have buying power.

We see the following in our body of tour attendees:

• Young Professionals: Younger, affluent, and community-minded individuals living in and around Central Ohio. These individuals may be first time homeowners, or in the market to be, and looking for purchasing and renovation ideas fro the home.
• Established Columbusites: Residents from around Central Ohio whose interests include historic homes and neighborhoods. These individuals typically have a disposable income and may be attending the tour to gather design ideas for their home or looking for real estate investment potentials.
• Baby Boomers: Like the other two groups, these attendees have a love for the one-of-kind architecture found in historic neighborhoods and the stories surrounding. These individuals also have a strong buying power, and may be potentially looking design and decoration ideas. Additionally, Baby Boomer are trending relocating to urban areas throughout Columbus as they move into their later years.

Please contact us if you have any questions or are interested in volunteering!

The Tour Committee is hard at work planning tour stops, recruiting volunteers, preparing the marketing materials, and securing sponsorships.

Interested in getting involved? It’s not too late to join the 2013 Tour Committee. Send us an email for more information.

Check out the photos from past tours on our Facebook page. Please click here for 2012 tour pictures and here for 2011 tour pictures.

This year, Olde Towne East Neighborhood Assoc. (OTENA) and the Franklin Park Civic Assoc. are joining forces to kick some butts!  We are sponsoring I-70 exit 102 (Miller/Kelton) for the Kick Butt Columbus event.

Yellow Brick Pizza celebrated their three year anniversary in late 2012. As the first business to open on the previously abandoned corner at Oak and 18th, YBP has served as the catalyst for the positive development that both residents and visitors now enjoy.

Voted Best New Restaurant by Columbus Alive in 2011, Yellow Brick Pizza has seen great success in Olde Towne East. In fact, YBP is looking to expand with the addition of an outdoor patio in 2013. Stay tuned for more details.

In the meantime, check out this recent article from Experience Columbus: Get to Olde Towne East for Yellow Brick Pizza.

See you on Sunday!

• 2/09/13 Sat 3:00pm – Self-Defense Class
• 3/23/13 Sat 9:00am – Kick Butt – Highway ramp clean up w/ other groups
• 4/20/13 Sat 9:00am – Earth Day Cleanup
• 5/11/22 Sat 9:00-11:00am – Garden planting & lunch
• 5/19/13 Sun 6:00-7:30pm – Music in the Garden
• 6/08/13 Sat 8:00am-3:00pm – “Trash to Treasures” Community Yard Sale
• TBA for a Sunday in June 6:00-7:30pm – Music in the Garden
• 7/14/13 Sun 1:00-6:00pm – Summer Tour of Historic Homes
• 8/18/13 Sun 6:00-7:30pm – Music in the Garden
• 8/31/13 Sat 10:00-11:00am – Bike the C-Bus – rest stop
• 9/6/13 -9/8/13 all day – Hot Times Festival – OTENA booth
• 10/31/13 Thurs dusk – Halloween in the Garden
• 12/15/13 Sun 6:00-9:00pm – OTENA Jingle Mingle Potluck

Corner Stone  attempted to quietly opened its doors this past Friday with the following announcement made via their Facebook page: “Brave the snow and check us out today! Our doors are open til 10pm! Over 200 varieties of beer and 400 varieties of wine. Also, 6 beers on draft for your growler-filling pleasure!”. An impressive beer and wine offering, along with the opportunity to fill some growlers, was enough for many, including myself, to brave the cold and stop by welcome this new store to the neighborhood.

Located at 61 Parsons Avenue, on the corner of Oak Street and Parsons, Corner Stone’s hours of operation are as follows: Monday through Thursday 11AM-9PM; Friday and Saturday 11AM-10PM.

Kevin, Krista, and Brad are ready to fill some growlers

Over 400 wine varieties available

And a growler station for local brews.