Reynoldsburg Christmas on the Towne 2012

An annual event, Reynoldsburg invites everyone to come to old downtown and enjoy the music, activities and businesses as they celebrate this holiday season.

music recitals by students of 88 Keys

Outdoor music provided by members of Reynoldsburg HS band

kids help decorate a Christmas Tree at a Civil War Encampment

free cupcakes provided by Sweet Designs Specialty Cakes

 a large nativity scene outside of Cotner's Funeral Home

horse carriage rides provided by Willow Wind Carriage Service

Noodlecat - Ramen House

VisualOhio was recently in the Cleveland downtown area and we happened upon this great little restaurant called Noodlecat.

It was a cool 40 degrees F walking down Euclid Avenue at 7:00pm.  My wife and I were getting cold and we had a few hours to kill.   We were getting hungry and we spied through the front window.  I recognized the familiar site of Ramen bowls!  Hot soupy broth and noodles!  Yes, please!!

Before we even get to the food, here are some great things to know about this place.

• They play great music - especially if you like rock and classic rock.
• The staff there is great.  Quick to get you to your table and eager to serve....but they never try and rush you out the door.
• The decor is fun and inviting.  
• They have great hours - open 11am - 11pm
• Daily and happy hour specials($1 beers - YES!)
• Delivery

OK...what more do you need me to say?  With what I've listed above, you've got plenty of reason to try out Noodlecat.

The big question is.....how's the food?

It's fantastic.  You can get full or half portions of the ramen dishes and they even have Japanese steam bun sandwiches(small slider sized items).  We each got a half order of ramen and a steam bun sandwich, which filled us up plenty.  The bigger bowls would be perfect for those times when you need a bit more food to fill the tank.

The next time you are looking for something a little different, but a good comfort food, check out Noodlecat.

Takahachi Ramen
Ramen noodles in a pork broth, pork, dashi, sesame seeds, nori, garlic, scallions and a 6 minute egg.

Tempura Perch
steamed bun, hoisin, lettuce, pickled radish

The Olde Gahanna Sanctuary

A beautiful building and a place for many a wedding and reception, The Olde Gahanna Sanctuary has an older world charm for your modern day nuptials!

History:  The church was built in 1895 and was originally the Peace Lutheran Church. The church moved in 1980 to a new location and a non-profit organization bought the building, renovated it into a  community center.

Here are some images of the building, outfitted for a wedding.

The City of Yellow Springs and Their Street Fairs

You'll find very few towns like Yellow Springs, OH.

Yellow Springs seems to be one of those towns that was founded on the concept of peace and love and never moved much farther than that over the years.

In actuality, the town was founded in 1825 and has a long and very interesting history.  There is a good summary of some of the top points at Wikipedia.

There are a lot of great places to visit.  Antioch College's Glen Helen Outdoor Education Center has great programs for all ages and a Raptor Rehabilitation Center.  There are some days that the Raptor Center has an open house and you can see the birds up close and learn how they are cared for and re-released into the wild.

John Bryan State Park is also close and a great place to visit while in the area as is the Young's Jersey Dairy Barn.

VisualOhio plans on doing separate articles on Glen Helen, John Bryan State Park and  Young's Jersey Dairy Barn at a later date, so stay tuned!

Yellow Springs has a very active and robust artistic community, you'll see trees, light poles and buildings decorated in many different fashions.

An example of street art that can be found through out Yellow Springs.

The street fairs are also a great time.  Vendors come from all over to sell their items and all the local business are open to you as well.  There are bands that play as well as independent musicians that are around to entertain you as you walk through the city.

Dawes Arboretum - The Jewel of Newark

There are a lot of great things about Newark, Ohio.  It has many small mom and pop shops, restaurants.  It is close enough to Columbus to be able to still get your dose of the city if you wish.

One of the most outstanding features of Newark, is The Dawes Arboretum.  Memberships are available to help maintain the gorgeous grounds, but it is free to visit.   I highly recommend giving a donation or buying a membership.

The visitor's center houses a section for Japanese bonsai trees, a nature library and a bird and bee viewing area.

On the grounds, you'll find the Dawes family house(Daweswood), that has special tour hours.

Close to the house, you'll find the family cemetery.  There is a mausoleum and several markers of family and close friends and employees of the Dawes family.

There are several walking paths that go through the entire arboretum as well as an auto tour.

One of the first stops on the auto tour is the Japanese Garden.  Here you will find a zen style rock garden, a pond with small island and Japanese style bridge.

There is also a meditation house.

The grounds are sectioned off into different areas and contain different types of trees and landscapes.  These include the following:  Garden Gateway, Glacier Ridge, Daweswood, Woodlands, Dawes Lake, Red Barn Area, Arboretum East, and Dutch Fork Wetlands.

This is from the Red Barn area.

From the Dawes Lake island area.

Regardless of the time of year, the Dawes Arboretum shares its beautiful landscapes with you.

Winter-time views:

Please make sure to take the time to visit this great place with your friends and family!

Blacklick Feed Mill - Abandoned Building

I don't know what it is about abandoned buildings that holds interest for some people(including me).  Is it something about our imaginations and letting the thoughts go wild and wondering what it would have been like with the hustle and bustle of people?  Perhaps the nostalgia of a by gone era.

I'm sure it is a personal reason and perhaps different for everyone.

I stumbled across the old Blacklick Feed Mill purely by accident.  Sometimes when the weather is nice and I have cleared my busy schedule, I just hop in the car and start driving around.  The family and I also Geocache and we happened to find a cache located near this site.  When I saw the building, I knew that I wanted to return to get some images of it later.

Upon first look, it appears that the building might be used for storage and as far as I can tell from internet searches, Blacklick Feed Mill, Inc is still an active company.






I just want to state now the following.  This is someones property.  Please respect that private property.  If you do go and visit the building, please do not deface it, try to break in and go inside.  There are plenty of interesting images that can be taken from the outside perimeter of the building.
Also, there is an active set of train tracks right behind the building as well.  Please be very careful!!


It looks like the building was built sometime in the mid to late 1970's.  There are several old signs still attached to the outside front.  I'm not sure when it closed down operations, but you can see some of the toll that weather has taken.  You can also see some of the effects of other natural phenomenon on it as well.  Trees and vine like plants have started growing up the side of the building.

The Wilds - Safari Experience in the Heartland

The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is ranked #1 in the country right now.  That is a fantastic accomplishment and something we should all be proud of.

Another great accomplishment in Ohio can be found in Cumberland, and that accomplishment is The Wilds.

Buffalo graze on the plain.
This was taken at a rest area during the tour in the open air bus.

This safari like animal habitat takes you through a very unique area.  Rhinos, giraffes, hyenas, cheetahs in large and expansive habitats can be seen from the scheduled, bus led tours.

There are tons of great photo opportunities and rest stops on the up to 2 hour tours of the grounds.

The Wilds also offers many educational opportunities and accommodations for those who might like to take advantage of their unique lodging.  All the details can be found on their website.

Portrait of a Buffalo.

I personally prefer spending the extra money and getting the open air bus.

The giraffes are a great stop along the way and they are very curious.

The staff there is very knowledgeable eager to help you and answer all your questions.  The trip there is well worth the drive.

John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge

The John A. Roebling bridge connects Cincinnati, OH to Covington, KY.

In 1866, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world spanning 1,057 feet.  The bridge was named after the designer/engineer.

If you want a detailed history of the bridge, check out the Wikipedia article.

The image above was taken while on a tour of the Cincinnati/Newport area on a "Duck".

Jim Brown of Iron Mule Blacksmithing

As time progresses and technology changes, there are times when we should look back and see how things used to be.

Jim Brown uses his hammer to forge the metal into a point.

One person that can help us with that is Jim Brown of Iron Mule Blacksmithing.  Mr. Brown is a master craftsman and knows his way around red hot metals!

Cooling down the hot metals with a water bath.

Iron Mule Blacksmithing not only provides finely crafted, hand made metal implements, but also is willing to share vast historical knowledge of blacksmithing. 

Iron Mule Blacksmithing is also available for events and has a portable setup to bring the action to you!

The images you see here in this article were taken at the Reynoldsburg Civil War Encampments.

For more information about Iron Mule Blacksmithing, visit the website.

Firefly Show - Blacklick Woods Metro Park

My wife dropped this tip on me the other day.  Her and my daughter were walking our dogs at the park and on the way home, they were trying to explain to me on a certain section of the path is a beautiful firefly gathering.

Of course, telling me about it did not do it justice.  I had to see it to believe it!

Here it is for all of you to share with us!

This is the path that connects the multi-purpose trail to Livingston Avenue by the Reynoldsburg Senior High School.

Asian Festival Dragon Boat Race 2012

Along with the events of the Asian Festival at Franklin Park, there were also Dragon Boat Races held at Genoa Park.

Dragon boats are long boats that seat paddlers in pairs and rowing in unison, they send their boats down the waterway.  This is not a sport of strength alone.  It is more about working together as a team and having superb technique.

The two images seen above show the drum that the captain uses to keep time and provide a beat for the paddlers to use to get their rhythm down.

Before the races begin, there is a ceremony where monks pray for the safety of the competitors as well as general good luck for all.  They finish the ceremony by dotting the eyes of the dragon heads on the boats.

Portrait of one of the monks.

The monks are about to begin the ceremony

We can see some of the teams in action.  The heats were actually timed and after two sets of heats, the three teams with the lowest combined scores competed for the overall winner.

Before the races and around lunch time, there were dragon dances to entertain the sizable crowd.
Later on in the evening, Taiko drummers played as well.

The City of Columbus also had a team competing, captained by Mayor Coleman.