By Lacey Luce
The cleanliness of my home is directly related to the number of terrific things there are to do in a given weekend. Once again I am faced with a weekend so full of fun that I am in danger of having my condo listed as a superfund site. When the choice is between play or clean, I will always choose play. I need magical elves to come clean for me.
So, what is contributing to a lack of domesticity this weekend? I haven’t quite decided yet but the choices are many.
Let’s start with the biggie: ComFest. Some of my earliest memories are ComFest related (and kind of blurry). I can remember when it was held on OSU’s campus on 16th Avenue by a building that had a food co-op running in the basement. I remember getting a balloon, tying it to my dresser and leaving it there until the next ComFest. I believe my hippie parents had friends involved, hence my very young initiation to the Community Festival.
ComFest the early years. Found on the ComFest FB page.
The thing is while my parents were hipsters before there were hipsters, I wanted to be Shirley Temple. In my own way, I was rebelling. So, even as it’s grown into a major event ComFest has never held quite the same fascination for me as it does so many of my friends. I actually have one friend who comes back to Cbus from New Orleans every year to go to ComFest. I can’t blame her, between the music and the people watching ComFest is worthy entertainment, and it’s definitely on my short list of things to do.
While I would like to go hear some bands at ComFest, just the thought of the large, hot crowds and long lines has me craving quieter, cooler activities. I am particularly looking forward to the opening of Greater Columbus: The 2015 Greater Columbus Arts Council Visual Arts Awards Exhibition (and no I don’t have to say that). Opening Thursday with a reception at 6 p.m., this is an exhibition featuring six award-winning, at the top of their game local artists in a world-class museum.
Another enticing choice is this Saturday’s Picnic with the Pops—The Fab Four. I had a BLAST last Saturday. Everything about that night just clicked—the company, the food, chair dancing to Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, the rain-free evening under the stars in downtown Columbus—it was a #lovemylife and #artmkescbus kind of night.
I’m picturing an audience of Beatles fans young and old singing along to every song this Saturday. You know what else I can sing along to? THE PRINCESS BRIDE! Ok, well not SING, more like quote every line, only silently, in my head—because there’s a special place in hell for people who talk during a movie. It is inconceivable that I would miss a showing of The Princess Bride and COSI is showing it Friday and Saturday.
It’s not a weekend event, but I have to give a special shout out to the July 1 Thurber Summer Literary Picnic with Mark Dawidziak because my book club is going. That’s I started a book club. My friend named it GD Book Club (as in “oh crap I still have to read that book for GD book club”). I’ll be family friendly and let you figure out what the GD stands for. One of the members suggested we pick a book from the Thurber series and then instead of meeting, go to the picnic. So there you have it.
Whether you opt for quiet and cool or crowd filled and hopping, have a great weekend.
Above image & image detail on Arts Council home page: Norte Es, 2015, Felipe Castelblanco courtesy of the Columbus Museum of Art.
Lacey Luce is a marketing, communications and events strategist for the Greater Columbus Arts Council who still needs to read the book for her GD Book Club.
