dublin life magazine june/july 2015

www.dub l in l i f emagaz ine . com

Irish Amateur BoxingHealthful Irish Cuisine

Bike SafetyWhat’s in a (Street) Name?Wedding Horror Stories

BuildingDreamsProminent builder – and Dublin resident – Becky Webb Rogers of Bob Webb Homes

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4 • June/July 2015 www.dublinlifemagazine.com

The Publisher welcomes contributions in the form of manuscripts, drawings, photographs or story ideas to consider for possible pub-lication. Enclose a SASE with each submission or email [email protected]. Publisher does not assume responsibility for loss or damage.

The appearance of advertising in Dublin Life does not consti-tute an endorsement of the advertiser’s product or service by the City of Dublin.

Dublin Life is published in June, August, October, December, February and April. Subscriptions are free for households within the city limits of Dublin, Ohio. For advertising information or bulk pur-chases, call 614-572-1240.

No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publishers. Dublin Life is a registered trademark of CityScene Media Group. Printed in the U.S.A.

CityScene Media Group also publishes:

CityScene Magazinewww.CitySceneColumbus.com

Pickerington Magazinewww.PickeringtonMagazine.com

Westerville Magazinewww.WestervilleMagazine.com

Tri-Village Magazinewww.TriVillageMagazine.com

Healthy New Albany Magazinewww.HealthyNewAlbanyMagazine.com

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Columbus, Ohio 43212614-572-1240 • Fax 614-572-1241

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Kathleen K. Gill President/CEO

Gianna Barrett Vice President, Sales

Dave Prosser Chief Creative Officer

Steven Hesson Director, Sales & Operations

Garth Bishop Managing Editor

Hannah Bealer Assistant Editors Sarah Sole

Colleen D’Angelo Contributing Writers Corinne Murphy Nancy Richison Elizabeth Tzagournis Taylor Weis Taylor Woodhouse

Zach Maiorana Editorial Assistant

Julie Camp Advertising Director

Pam Henricks-Claxton Advertising Sales Robin Weitzel

Jamie Armistead Accounting Manager

Circulation 614-572-1240

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IN CONTRACT

June/July 2015 • 5www.dublinlifemagazine.com

8 Community Calendar

10 faces From the Ground Up Custom home-building has been Dublin woman’s passion since she was a teenager

16 Dublin Residents Choose Their City Above All Others

18 in focus A Knockout Addition Irish Festival welcomes Irish Amateur Boxing Showcase

23 Coffman Park Dublin’s Central Park

27 Two-Wheeled Zeal Biking resources and safety information for Dublin residents

30 If These Streets Could Talk You might be surprised at the intricate history behind the roads you pass every day

34 Something to Stew Over Chef to offer healthful twist to traditional Irish dishes

36 where are they now? Michael Close Mayor of Dublin 1986-1989, Vietnam Veteran

38 living Living Life to the Fullest Dublin offers couple an ideal urban lifestyle

41 luxury living real estate guide

42 write next door Wedding Woes Brides share their wedding day horror stories

46 bookmarks Recommendations from the Dublin Library

Vol. 17 No. 3inside

dublinlifemagazine.com

June/July 2015

p27

p42

On the Cover

Becky Webb Rogers

Photo by Scott Cunningham

Mailed to EVERY Dublin homeowner

Mailed to EVERY Dublin business

Official Community Calendar

Award-winning design & editorial

Dublin Irish Festival Sponsor

Emerald Club Sponsor

Featuring Garth Bishop, two-time winner of the

Best Legs in a Kilt Contest!

For more info call Julie Camp

614/572-1249

dublinlifeThe Official City Magazine

of Dublin, Ohio

The Official City Magazine of Dublin, Ohio • Dublin

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Get Your Camera Ready. It’s Time for

Send us your photos for the annual Shutterbugs issue of Dublin Life Magazine!

Images should be of:People/Pets in Dublin • Places in Dublin • Events in Dublin

Images can be in color or black and white.

The top photos will be featured in the August/September issue of Dublin Life Magazine. Up to 10 images may be submitted per person.

All images must be submitted as digital, high resolution photos.

Deadline: June 30

Email hi-res digital files to [email protected]


Dublin Earns High MarksOur residents’ opinions of the City of Dublin have always

been important to us. That’s why we’ve made sure to peri-odically survey residents to find out how we’re doing. Every three years, we conduct telephone interviews as part of a Community Attitudes Survey, and since 2009, we have par-ticipated in a National Citizen Survey in which a random sampling of residents are asked to complete surveys sent to them via mail.

The National Citizen Survey measures the livability of Dublin compared to 500 American communities. It is a col-laborative effort between the National Research Center and the International City/County Management Association to capture residents’ opinions regarding community character-istics, governance and participation.

It’s always our hope that you’re pleased with the direction we’re headed. The results from the latest National Citizen Survey indicate that Dublin is not just a place where people live; it’s a place people want to live.

It gives us immense pride that results indicate you think we’re on the right track.

In the National Citizen Survey conducted in January, 98 percent rated Dublin as an excellent or good place to live. The results are identical to those of the Community Attitudes Survey from February 2013 and the 2012 National Citizen Survey.

These validations are important to us; not only do they let us know what you think, they also guide the work we do. City Council takes the responses and uses the data in policy decisions to continue to enhance our high-quality service delivery. This latest survey validates the 2012 survey with continued emphasis on alleviating traffic, improving parking and moving forward with Bridge Street District plans.

Not only do we like to hear how our residents compare us to other communities, it’s also important to know what industry experts have to say. Richard Florida – one of the world’s leading authorities on economic competitiveness, demographic trends and cultural and technological inno-vation – ranked Dublin among the Top 20 Creative Class Cities in the country.

The creative class, as defined by Florida, is composed of highly paid knowledge workers in fields including science and technology; arts, culture, media and entertainment; business and management; and health care and education. Dublin was the only city on the list that was not on the east or west coast.

It’s an honor to be included in such prestigious company and another reflec-tion of the caliber of residents and busi-nesses that Dublin continues to attract.

Sincerely, Dana McDaniel, City Manager

Sláinte,

Kathleen K. Gill President/CEOCityScene Media Group

7

Back row, left to right: Amy Salay, Greg Peterson, John Reiner, Tim Lecklider, Marilee Chinnici-Zuercher. Front row: Mayor Michael H. Keenan, Vice Mayor Rick Gerber.

5200 Emerald ParkwayDublin, Ohio 43017614.410.4400www.DublinOhioUSA.gov

2014 Dublin City Council

Sandra Puskarcik, ABCDirector of Community RelationsCity of Dublin

Summer is on its way, and with it comes the Dublin Irish Festival. The Festival has been a tradition in our commu-nity since its humble beginning in 1988. Since then, it has grown into a three-day event that brings in more than 100,000 attendees each year.

There are some exciting new additions this summer, some of which you will learn about in this issue. Check out our stories on healthful Irish cooking demonstra-tions with a local chef, and the addition of an amateur boxing showcase, inspired by Ireland’s rich history with the sport.

Planning on spending your summer outdoors? If you’re a regular cyclist or just want to try it out, our article on biking resources and safety information will prepare you for the season.

We’ll see you July 31 for the Dublin Irish Festival!


CommunityCalendar

June/JulyDublin Arts Council7125 Riverside Dr. www.dublinarts.org

THROUGH SEPT. 11Eddie Adams: Vietnam

JUNE 7-JULy 26Sundays at Scioto 7-8:30 p.m. Sundays, Scioto Park amphitheater, 7377 Riverside Dr.

JUNE 15Chamber Business Expo & After Hours 4:30-7 p.m.Crowne Plaza: Columbus North-Worthington 6500 Doubletree Ave. www.dublinchamber.org

JUNE 20Dog Days of DublinNoon-3 p.m. Chelsea Borough Home54 S. High St. www.chelseaboroughhome.com

JUNE 23Dublin Life Book Club: The Girl on the Train7 p.m.Shade On Muirfield 7148 Muirfield Dr.

JUNE 27Annual Kiwanis Frog Jump & Festival 10 a.m.-4 p.m.Coffman Park5200 Emerald Pkwy www.dublinkiwanis.info

JULy 2Slider Challenge Jig Thursday4-8 p.m.Historic Dublinwww.historicdublin.org

JULy 2-30Live Irish Music at Brazenhead7-10 p.m., ThursdaysBrazenhead56 N. High St.www.historicdublin.org

Abbey Theater of Dublin5600 Post Rd. www.dublinohiousa.gov

JULy 6-10Way Out West3 p.m., $5

JUNE 1-72015 Memorial Golf Tournament 8 a.m.-5 p.m.Muirfield Village Golf Club5750 Memorial Dr.www.thememorialtournament.com

JUNE 4Passport to Historic Dublin Jig Thursday 4-8 p.m.Historic Dublinwww.historicdublin.org

JUNE 4-25Live Irish Music at Brazenhead 7-10 p.m., Thursdays Brazenhead56 N. High St. www.historicdublin.org

JUNE 7-JULy 26Dublin Farmers’ Market3:30-6:30 p.m., SundaysParking lot of Oakland Nursery 4261 W. Dublin-Granville Rd.www.dublinfarmersmarket.com

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For more events, visit dublinlifemagazine.com

June/July Columbus Zoo and Aquarium 4850 Powell Rd., Powellwww.columbuszoo.org

JUNE 9, JULy 7, 30OhioHealth HOOFit WALK with the Zoo9:30-11:30 a.m.

JUNE 20Zoofari6:30 p.m.-midnight, $85-$150

JUNE 29-JULy 5Military Family Free DaysFree for any active or retired mili-tary personnel and their immediate family, $22.99 for Zoombezi Bay admission

JULy 21Golf Classic at the Country Club at Muirfield Village9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., $225 individual packageThe Country Club at Muirfield Village8715 Muirfield Dr. www.dublinchamber.org

JULy 30Dub Crawl5 p.m.-midnight Historic Dublinwww.historicdublin.org

JULy 30-AUGUST 16Emerald City Players presents Bat Boy2 p.m. Sundays, 8 p.m. other days, $12Dublin Village Center6799 Dublin Center Dr. www.emeraldcityplayers.com

JULy 31-AUGUST 2Dublin Irish Festival4 p.m.-midnight, Friday; 11 a.m.-midnight, Saturday; 11 a.m.- 9 p.m., Sunday; adults, $12; seniors, military and students, $10; group tickets, $12; weekend tickets, $24 Coffman Park 5200 Emerald Pkwy.www.dublinirishfestival.org

OhioHealth HOOFit WALK with the Zoo

JULy 4City of Dublin Independence Day Parade11 a.m. Historic Dublinwww.dublinohiousa.gov City of Dublin Independence Day Celebration5 p.m.Dublin Coffman High School6780 Coffman Rd.www.dublinohiousa.gov This year’s Fourth of July celebration will begin at 8 a.m. with the 30th annual Sherm Sheldon Fishing Derby, followed by the Independence Day parade, which begins at MetroCenter and travels through Historic Dublin. Gates open at 4:30 p.m. for the evening celebration at Dublin Coffman High School Stadium. Entertainment starts at 5 p.m., and the opening bands are still to be determined. The celebration continues at 8 p.m. with a performance from former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman John Fogerty, followed by fireworks at 9:50 p.m.

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By GARTH BISHOPfacesPhotography by Scot t Cunningham


From the Ground UpCustom home-building has been Dublin woman’s passion since she was a teenager

Almost 40 years after she came into the family business as a 16-year-old, Becky Webb Rogers still has the same enthusiasm for every project she’s part of.

Evidence of that enthusiasm is visible all throughout Dublin – and the rest of central Ohio.

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From the Ground UpCustom home-building has been Dublin woman’s passion since she was a teenager


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EJAlterAtions

Rogers, a Dublin resident, is vice president

at custom home-building company Bob Webb Homes, which was founded in 1960 by her fa-ther, the titular Bob Webb. She has been work-ing for the company since 1977, and it has held her interest for even longer.

“Ever since I was a kid, I have been walking houses with Dad,” Rogers says.

Not everyone goes into the family business, but Rogers always found the world of home-building appealing – something she attributes to her father’s passion for the work.

Her own passion for building has helped Rog-ers succeed as a woman in an industry that is largely male-dominated. She was fortunate, she says, in that Webb has always supported her.

Becky Webb Rogers with her daughter, Ava, on the trampoline in the back yard of their Dublin home

Rogers with her father, company founder Bob Webb


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Bob Webb has made numerous contri-butions to the home-building community in and around Dublin. Webb himself was very active in Muirfield from the begin-ning, Rogers says, and he also developed the Reserve. Today, the company is deep-ly invested in Jerome Village, and is also building homes in Stonebridge Crossing and Tartan Ridge.

“We just opened our first model in Je-rome Village in the first part of January,” Rogers says.

The key to Rogers’ continued excite-ment when it comes to home-building is feeding off customers’ excitement. If they’re amped to work on the design for their new home, so is she.

“I enjoy the constant challenge

of making the best homes,”

she says. “At the end of the

day, I love that we have

fulfilled a client’s dreams, and

they love their house from

the footers to the roof.”

Whatever she’s working on at any giv-en moment, Rogers says, captivates her. Though she can point to a few projects that have stood out over the years – the company’s contributions to the BIA Pa-rade of Homes, of which it has participat-ed in 12, are usually good bets – the most recent jobs tend to be the ones she most wants to talk about.

Rogers with her father, company founder Bob Webb


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In late April, she referred customers to a pair of just-completed projects. The customers were positively over the moon, including a young couple who had just finished building their second home.

“(The woman) is so excited she can hardly sit still, and that is just really fun,” says Rogers.

At the moment, some of the biggest items on Rogers’ plate are houses in Je-rome Village, located in Plain City just outside of Dublin, and the Ravines at McCammon Chase in Lewis Center.

A lot of the new concepts Rogers and her colleagues work into homes come from customers who’ve done a lot of re-search into what they want.

“(Customers) are very in the know,” says Rogers. “It’s always exciting to in-corporate the latest technologies into our homes.”

She also follows industry magazines and major trends.

Though she spends her days surround-ed by all manner of home-building deci-sions, there are a few elements that re-main close to Rogers’ heart – elements she keeps in mind for her own home near Tartan Fields. Cabinetry, trim, colors and tile are always important considerations, she says, as are interior finishes and light-ing fixtures.

“There are a lot of new tiles out there right now – new shades, new sizes,” Rog-ers says. “I love all that stuff.”

Trim is traditionally a point of pride in all Bob Webb homes, as is cabinetry, the result of the company’s having its own custom cabinet shop.

Working on plans, which is almost al-ways a team activity at Bob Webb, also keeps Rogers entertained. The more in-novation she can pack into a home de-sign, the better, she says.

“Just put everybody’s good ideas to-gether, and hopefully, you end up with the best product,” she says.

Rogers graduated from The Ohio State University, where she majored in finance and accounting. She also played tennis at OSU and was captain of the varsity team for two years.

Rogers and her husband, Neil, have lived in the Tartan Fields area for five years. Their daughter, Ava, is a third-grader at Pinney Elementary School.

“Ava also helps me to decorate the in-teriors of (Bob Webb’s) models,” Rogers says. “A lot of the rooms are girls’ rooms for this reason.”

Dublin’s community events are a big part of Rogers’ reasons for living here, she says.

Garth Bishop is managing editor. Feedback welcome at [email protected].

AA-B2B_2015-SIMPLY_R-3.564x4.646.indd 1 5/4/15 2:17 PM

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Big City Amenities, Small Town Feel“Dublin is a truly remarkable community,” says Charis-

sa Bowditch, project manager for the National Research Center. “Almost all of the community characteristics and services offered by the City of Dublin were given positive ratings from a majority of respondents. Year af-ter year, Dublin’s results continue to be above average, and Dublin also continues to maintain levels of service that surpass the expectations of its residents.”

Aisling Babbitt is one of those residents. The di-rector of marketing for Dublin-based Updox lives with her young family in Muirfield Village.

“We love the walkability and the paths in the community,” Babbitt says. “The parks and the pool system – it’s just fabulous for our kids. (Dub-lin) very much has a small-community feel.”

Living and working in Dublin has its advantages. Babbitt says she can take her sons, Colin, 6, and Sheamus, 4, to day care and still make the trek to her office – all within 10 miles.

Babbitt also has an affinity for Dublin’s Irish culture, including the annual Dublin Irish Festival. Her family is from Ireland, and she lived in Dublin, Ireland for a brief time as a small child. Dublin, Ohio, she says, “reminds me of home.”

Staying Ahead of the CurveIn past surveys, conducted in 2009 and 2012, Dublin again earned top ratings, but

the 2014 surveys brought forth positive rankings in a few new categories, including the Bridge Street District.

The latest survey shows that residents’ famil-iarity with the City’s plans to develop the Bridge Street District has increased from 53 percent to 76 percent, and 70 percent of Dublin residents have favorable impressions of the District. Fur-thermore, two out of three residents agree that plans for Bridge Street are becoming a reality at an appropriate pace.

When asked what the top four benefits of the Bridge Street District are, residents cited:• Expanding housing, business and shopping options• Improved access to amenities• A vibrant community gathering place• Economic development opportunities

Babbitt says she is particularly excited about the Bridge Street District. Updox has committed to

moving its office within the District, and Babbitt says the combination of the

Dublin Residents Choose Their City Above All Others

✓

Dublin residents love their City, and they aren’t shy about let-ting anyone know it. In a recent National

Citizen Survey, 98 percent rated Dublin as an excellent or good place to live – higher than the national benchmark. In fact, their responses were so overwhelm-ingly positive that, compared to 500 U.S. communities surveyed,Dublin ranked first in the country in:

• Overall appearance

• Built environment

• Economic development

• Economic health

• Employment opportunities

• Health and wellness opportunities

• Land use, planning and zoning

This is the third time Dublin has participated in the survey, which is conducted in partnership with the National Research Center and the International City/County Management Association.

The Babbitt family

Carmen Murico and family

By Nancy Richison


pedestrian bridge, the opportunities for concerts and other family events will bring great benefits to all of Dublin.

“I like how (the City) is trying to stay ahead of the curve,” says Carmen Murico, a resident of Hemingway Village.

He says he looks forward to the plans for restaurants, jobs and housing options in the Bridge Street District.

“Seniors can stay right down there, like it’s urban Dublin,” says Murico.He says he does have some concerns about traffic, but overall, he expects Bridge Street

will be a boon to the City. “It will be really great when they put the walkway in,” Murico says, referring to plans

for the pedestrian bridge across the Scioto River.

Safe and Economically SoundIn the National Citizen Survey, residents identified safety and economy as priorities

for Dublin over the next two years, though they still ranked these two areas highly.Babbitt says she believes Dublin is a very safe community. “Our neighbors just all

very much look out for each other,” she says.Murico, who moved his family to Dublin from Texas in 1994, says he has “always

felt safe here.” A Cleveland native, he says Dublin offered a chance to be closer to home. “It’s been the best move ever,” he says.Dublin also ranked high in the survey as a place to raise children. Dublin resident and

Realtor Lyn Charobee can attest to that. She and her husband raised their sons here and attribute part of their success to the education they received from Dublin City Schools.

“It’s a wonderful place to raise a family,” she says.

It’s All About the PeopleA resident since 1978, Charobee says her clients often are attracted to Dublin by the

schools and word of mouth.“I get excited when people say they want Dublin, because I love the city and I love

the people here,” she says.Charobee finds herself working with many generations from the same family. The

original buyer’s parents decide to buy in Dublin to be closer to their grandchildren, and when those grandchildren grow up, they buy their own homes.

“It’s a vibrant city with safe neighborhoods and community events. It’s a well-rounded city,” Charobee says.

While the responses to the National Citizen Survey from 780 randomly selected residents reflect the tangible aspects of liv-ing in Dublin, both Babbitt and Charobee cited some of the intangible benefits.

“My neighbors are kind of extra grandparents for my kids,” Babbitt says, which is particularly comforting to her since her own family is back in Ireland.

“I just think the people here are so friendly,” Charobee says.

Babbitt agrees.“What keeps us here is the peo-

ple,” Babbitt says.

Nancy Richison is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at [email protected].

The Bridge Street District

The Bridge Street District is an en-tertainment, dining, retail and office destination with riverfront parks and appealing housing choices. This urban, walkable district is an economic de-velopment driver – creating new jobs, attracting a talented young workforce and retaining seasoned professionals.

Why Bridge Street?Choices. Jobs. Connectivity.

The Bridge Street District is Dublin’s commitment to the future. Choices in housing, dining and shopping – along with riverfront parks, a new library and gathering spaces – are fueling vibrancy and creating connectivity. The land-scape is ripe for redevelopment, and new businesses are creating new jobs.

What’s in it for our residents?Experiences. Housing options. Property values.

The Bridge Street District extends the experience of our walkable and vibrant Historic Dublin. It provides housing options for residents who want to remain in Dublin and enhances our property values by attracting young professionals who want to live where they work.

What’s in it for our businesses?Workforce. Access to amenities. Economic competitiveness.

The Bridge Street District attracts a talented young workforce and re-tains seasoned professionals, pro-vides convenient access to an array of amenities and fosters an environ-ment of economic competitiveness for new business ventures and iconic world headquarters.

Dublin Residents Choose Their City Above All Others

Lyn Charobee and son Adam

18 • June/July 2015

Irish Festival welcomes Irish

Amateur Boxing Showcase


By HANNAH BEALERi n fo cus

A KNOCKOUT

ADDITION

John L. Sullivan, 1898

he Dublin Irish Festival will be packing an extra punch this year.The festival, which began in 1988, has a long-standing tradition

of keeping true to Irish culture. From a traditional Sunday morning Irish Mass and a sheep herding competition to food vendors providing Irish baked goods and traditional Celtic foods, the festival does all it can to help attendees connect to the City of Dublin’s namesake.

This time around, festival-goers and Celtic sports fanatics alike will be introduced to pugilistic pursuits with the Irish Amateur Boxing Showcase.

The showcase will be held during the afternoon of Aug. 2, the three-day festival’s final day, at the Greenfields Sports Area.

“We try to bring as many authentic Irish experiences to the festival as possible,” says Mary Jo DiSalvo, event marketing administrator for the City of Dublin. “You can see boxing depicted in Irish films and other popular culture, so that’s partly why (we wanted to include it). Cultural authenticity is one of our overriding missions.”

Photos cour tesy of the Ward I r ish Music Archives


“Boxing has a deep

history in Irish

culture, and it would

be a good opportunity

to showcase the sport.”

Rob Pilger

Phot

o by

Han

nah

Beal

er


When picturing traditional Irish boxing, one may think of

stereotypes such as bare knuck-les and street fighting. But rest as-

sured, competitors will be wearing gloves and protective head gear and

following Olympic-style rules, says boxing coach Rob Pilger. Pilger, who owns Pilger’s Old Skool

Boxing & Fitness Academy in Grandview Heights and serves as Dublin Irish Festival boxing match liaison, says he and a friend approached festival directors with the idea of a boxing competition.

“We thought it was a nice centerpiece to add to the festival,” Pilger says. “Box-ing has a deep history in Irish culture, and it would be a good opportunity to showcase the sport, talk about the Irish fighters over the years and give everyone a good boxing competition.”

Jeremy Gerstacker, events coordinator for the City of Dublin, says the City was also inspired by a display from the Ward Irish Music Archives from the Milwaukee Irish Festival. The traveling exhibit features Irish and Irish-American boxers who popularized the sport in the 19th and 20th centuries.

“A couple people suggested we (in-clude boxing),” Gerstacker says. “(Ire-land) is one of the most successful boxing nations ever.”

The showcase will feature six to 10 matches, depending on the amount of time available and the weather. As an amateur showcase, each match will have three three-minute rounds.

Pilger says featured boxers will range in age from late teens to 20s. There will be plenty of Ohio talent, including Toledo Golden Gloves tournament champions, some local youth around the Dublin area, high-level amateur fighters and even some fighters from Pittsburgh. DiSalvo says or-ganizers are also looking to include boxers with Irish heritage.

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The showcase will be in good company. Other Irish sports featured at the festival this year include the Amateur Highland Games, which features more than 40 ath-letes competing in the stone put, weight throw, caber toss, sheaf toss and weight over bar; a sheep herding demonstration by a local shepherd and his dogs; Irish road bowling and darts. Pilger and the City of Dublin hope to see the Irish Amateur Boxing Showcase take off.

“We anticipate it only to grow,” Pilger says.DiSalvo says the first year of bringing

something new to the Irish Festival is al-ways a test. Directors aim to see how fes-tival guests respond, and what they like and don’t like. If it goes well, DiSalvo says, they could expand on what worked. Though the showcase is only taking place on Sunday, in the future it could have a larger time slot.

“Our hope is to test it out, and see what it feels like,” DiSalvo says, adding that the City gives guests surveys every year to learn about what did and didn’t work. “We take those surveys very seriously when we program for the next year.”

The showcase will include a little more than just the competition. There will also be on-site presentations, including one by an Irish boxer who, between matches, will share boxing history and fun facts and answer audience questions, DiSalvo says. The display from the Ward Irish Music Archives that inspired the showcase will be included throughout the weekend.

“It’ll be a lot of fun,” DiSalvo says. “We’re going to make sure it’s family-friendly and something that will be pal-pable to the general masses.”

Visit www.dublinirishfestival.org for more information on the Dublin Irish Fes-tival and Irish Amateur Boxing Showcase.

Hannah Bealer is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at [email protected].

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Coffman Park Dublin’s Central Park

It’s an art gallery, a festival grounds, and the site of City Hall, the Dublin Community Recreation Center and one of Dublin’s oldest homes. It has seen frogs jumping, ice skating and costume-wearing ghouls and goblins. It’s been the backdrop for a wedding, family reunions and a Guinness Book world record-setting Irish jig. In the heart of Dublin, Coffman Park plays a central role in the active lives of residents, City leaders and local employees. The 105-acre park at 5200 Emerald Pkwy. encompasses land that was once the farm of one of Dublin’s first settlers, Fletcher Coffman and his wife, Marinda. Their house, which was built between 1862 and 1867, remains on the land and is now home to the Dublin Historical Society. Coffman Park has seen many changes as it has morphed from a small city park to the center of civic life in Dublin. “What it is today is not what it’s going to be tomorrow,” says Fred Hahn, director of Parks and Open Space for the City. “It continues to evolve and grow and we’re not done yet. It’s in its adolescence. It’s not anywhere near its mature state.”

Anchoring the Land When Hahn began working for the City in 1985, Coffman Park totaled 26 acres, 17 of which were de-veloped, and featured two shelter houses, three tennis courts, a basketball court, a restroom, a playground, City Hall and the Fletcher Coffman Homestead. The park’s expansion really began around that time, with the support of Dublin City Councils past and present, Hahn says. The next phase of the park was the field where the pavilion is located today, just east of the eventual site of the Dublin Community Recreation Center. “We really made a conscious effort and went to a lot of design effort to make it conducive for special events,” he says. As a result, underground conduits were installed to provide electricity, which have proven especially useful for musicians and vendors at the Dublin Irish Festival. When voters approved a bond issue to build the Recreation Center, Hahn recalls several sites were being considered. “We were moving forward at the time. It was going to be north and west of where the Justice Center is (today at 6565 Commerce Pkwy.),” he says. “The other site being contemplated was by where Dublin Methodist Hospital is today. Fortunately, the other parcel consid-ered was the next major acquisition,” and is where the Recreation Center stands today.

Hahn says the land — which was acquired from Frank, Marian and Dorothy Thomas in 1994 — proved to be the best location and gave Coffman Park another “anchor” in addition to City Hall. “Obviously, the Rec Center complements the park and the park complements the Rec Center.” As the City began acquiring more land adjacent to Coffman Park, a master plan was being developed and an ad hoc committee, the Coffman Park Task Force, was formed to provide a concept for the park and the role it could play. “We started thinking beyond what we actually owned,” Hahn said. “It became more visionary.”

Becoming a Festival Venue In the meantime, Coffman Park has been allowed to develop naturally, providing a scenic environment that crosses the South Fork of Indian Run. Post Road was abandoned at the southern edge of the park and a permanent foot bridge was added near the same point to allow pedestrians access to the southern acreage. Both improvements have provided great benefits to the Irish Festival allowing a separate space for sporting events and the Celtic Rock Stage. The Irish Festival is by far the biggest event held in Coffman Park, which also plays host to the Kiwanis Frog Jump, Sherm Sheldon Fishing Derby and the City of

www.DublinOhioUSA.gov/Coffman-Park www.DublinOhioUSA.gov/Coffman-Park

Anchoring the Land When Hahn began working for the City in 1985, Coffman Park totaled 26 acres, 17 of which were de-veloped, and featured two shelter houses, three tennis courts, a basketball court, a restroom, a playground, City Hall and the Fletcher Coffman Homestead. The park’s expansion really began around that time, with the support of Dublin City Councils past and present, Hahn says. The next phase of the park was the field where the pavilion is located today, just east of the eventual site of the Dublin Community Recreation Center. “We really made a conscious effort and went to a lot of design effort to make it conducive for special events,” he says. As a result, underground conduits were installed to provide electricity, which have proven especially useful for musicians and vendors at the Dublin Irish Festival. When voters approved a bond issue to build the Recreation Center, Hahn recalls several sites were being considered. “We were moving forward at the time. It was going to be north and west of where the Justice Center is (today at 6565 Commerce Pkwy.),” he says. “The other site being contemplated was by where Dublin Methodist Hospital is today. Fortunately, the other parcel consid-ered was the next major acquisition,” and is where the Recreation Center stands today.

Hahn says the land — which was acquired from Frank, Marian and Dorothy Thomas in 1994 — proved to be the best location and gave Coffman Park another “anchor” in addition to City Hall. “Obviously, the Rec Center complements the park and the park complements the Rec Center.” As the City began acquiring more land adjacent to Coffman Park, a master plan was being developed and an ad hoc committee, the Coffman Park Task Force, was formed to provide a concept for the park and the role it could play. “We started thinking beyond what we actually owned,” Hahn said. “It became more visionary.”

Becoming a Festival Venue In the meantime, Coffman Park has been allowed to develop naturally, providing a scenic environment that crosses the South Fork of Indian Run. Post Road was abandoned at the southern edge of the park and a permanent foot bridge was added near the same point to allow pedestrians access to the southern acreage. Both improvements have provided great benefits to the Irish Festival allowing a separate space for sporting events and the Celtic Rock Stage. The Irish Festival is by far the biggest event held in Coffman Park, which also plays host to the Kiwanis Frog Jump, Sherm Sheldon Fishing Derby and the City of

www.DublinOhioUSA.gov/Coffman-Park www.DublinOhioUSA.gov/Coffman-Parkwww.DublinOhioUSA.gov/Coffman-Park www.DublinOhioUSA.gov/Coffman-Park

with two new separate playgrounds created: one a tradi-tional, manufactured variety and the other one the kind that blends with the natural environment. Along the way, the pavilion was built; an amphitheater was added; and bocci ball courts, two smaller shelter houses and restrooms were constructed. The next phase, slated to begin this year, will move the park’s hard courts closer to the Justice Center creating what Hahn calls “a heavy activity zone.” These are the areas that take intense use and will include two basketball courts, five tennis courts and a new skate park – all of which will be lighted. In addition, the activity zone will have its own parking area. But one of the things that Hahn likes best and calls the “feel good” aspects of Coffman and other City parks is the unprogrammed areas where families can have picnics, adults can idle away time on a bench, children can play tag and anyone can throw a Frisbee. “There’s a lot of flexibility in the design,” he says. “There’s a luxury to unprogrammed areas.”

A Kid’s Dream Come TrueOf course, some like to have a say in the programming that takes place. It’s not unusual for the community to request

Watch Mound

Post Road

Coffman Park Drive

Dublin Recreation Center

Dublin Justice Center

Amphitheater

Post Road

Emerald Parkway

Perimeter Drive

Coffman Park Construction Timeline

1996 | Dublin Community Recreation Center Phase 1

1998 | Coffman Park Pavilion

1998 | Coffman Park Amphitheater

2000 | Dublin Community Recreation Center Phase 2

2001 | Skate Park

2002 | Bridge over Indian Run

2015 | New skate park, restroom, parking lots

2016* | Five tennis courts, two basketball courts – all lighted *subject to budget approval

Dublin’s Halloween Spooktacular, as well as many of the City’s recreational programming throughout the year.Kitty Munger, one of the founders of the Dublin Irish Festival, says she had no idea the event would grow to attract more than 100,000 people when the first one was held in 1988. “The festival was actually an offshoot of the Columbus Feis moving to Dublin Coffman [High School],” she says. That first year the only stage was set up on the tennis courts, where local bands played. Even though it started out small, each year the festival has added elements and continues to grow. A highlight occurred in 1997 when festival-goers set the first world record for the number of people dancing an Irish jig, as documented by Guinness Book of World Records. “I think Coffman Park is really the perfect venue for the Irish Festival,” Munger says. She notes the availability of nearby parking, the large open fields and convenient access to Interstate 270. “It’s easy to find, very clean and a very safe environment,” she says. “It’s in a really good location.”

Something for EveryoneAs the festival has grown, so has Coffman Park. Through-out the years, Hahn says more development has occurred

certain amenities in the parks, but it’s not every day that a teenager petitions a public body and a few years later realizes his “pipe dream.” Yet that’s what happened when Nick Koogler, now 28, was in the seventh grade. “When I was in middle school, a lot of my friends and I would skateboard in our neighborhoods and around elementary schools and we always got kicked out,” he says. “So, we all got together and petitioned the City for someplace safe to skateboard.” Koogler created PowerPoint presentations outlining their ideas, which he delivered at City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission meetings. “It was an unbelievable experience, especially for a young kid,” he says. His advocacy led the City to work with Koogler and his friends to create the first skate park in Coffman Park. Koogler was invited to the ribbon-cutting ceremony, which took place in December 2001. Now a dentist with Comfort Dental in Grove City, Koogler, a 2004 Dublin Scioto High School graduate, admits his profession doesn’t always align with his passion. “I carry a couple of my cards in my wallet,” he says of those times when he hits the skate park near his office.

An Outdoor Canvas“One of the real buzzwords in public art is place-making,” says David Guion, executive director of the Dublin Arts Council. “The idea that you make a place by activating it in some way.” Guion says that’s what has happened as a result of placing pieces from the City’s Art in Public Places collection in Coffman Park. “People just interacting with the park – skating during the winter and the Irish Festival

www.DublinOhioUSA.gov/Coffman-Park

during the summer – it just seemed like the right location for public art to be installed,” he says. The Watch House by Todd Slaughter was the first piece of public art installed in Coffman Park and was placed there in 1998. Since that time, One Scene by Daisuke Shintani, Exuvia by Todd Smith, Ascension by Brian Russell, Injection by David Middlebrook and Narrow #5 have joined the outdoor gallery. “It’s just a beautiful park,” Guion says. “When you can incorporate public art into settings like that, it just enhances the space. I think the whole idea of happening upon public art is really intriguing. As long as people are learning and engaging in art – that’s our mission.”Hahn says he likes the idea of seeing the artwork throughout the park and hopes there’s more to come in the future.

The Best is Yet to ComeAs far as land mass, Hahn says the vision for Coffman Park has been fulfilled, but programming may change in the future. “There may be things that no one can conceive of today,” he says. And after 30 years of being a part of creating parks and watching the City’s developed green spaces grow from four parks to 60, Hahn says it’s been a rewarding experience. “We have received all of this recognition from the community of what a great park system we’ve developed here,” he says. “No one takes it for granted. So much has happened during this time and so much more is going to happen.” “Coffman Park has evolved and transformed over time to what the community needs it to be.”


certain amenities in the parks, but it’s not every day that a teenager petitions a public body and a few years later realizes his “pipe dream.” Yet that’s what happened when Nick Koogler, now 28, was in the seventh grade. “When I was in middle school, a lot of my friends and I would skateboard in our neighborhoods and around elementary schools and we always got kicked out,” he says. “So, we all got together and petitioned the City for someplace safe to skateboard.” Koogler created PowerPoint presentations outlining their ideas, which he delivered at City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission meetings. “It was an unbelievable experience, especially for a young kid,” he says. His advocacy led the City to work with Koogler and his friends to create the first skate park in Coffman Park. Koogler was invited to the ribbon-cutting ceremony, which took place in December 2001. Now a dentist with Comfort Dental in Grove City, Koogler, a 2004 Dublin Scioto High School graduate, admits his profession doesn’t always align with his passion. “I carry a couple of my cards in my wallet,” he says of those times when he hits the skate park near his office.

An Outdoor Canvas“One of the real buzzwords in public art is place-making,” says David Guion, executive director of the Dublin Arts Council. “The idea that you make a place by activating it in some way.” Guion says that’s what has happened as a result of placing pieces from the City’s Art in Public Places collection in Coffman Park. “People just interacting with the park – skating during the winter and the Irish Festival

www.DublinOhioUSA.gov/Coffman-Park

during the summer – it just seemed like the right location for public art to be installed,” he says. The Watch House by Todd Slaughter was the first piece of public art installed in Coffman Park and was placed there in 1998. Since that time, One Scene by Daisuke Shintani, Exuvia by Todd Smith, Ascension by Brian Russell, Injection by David Middlebrook and Narrow #5 have joined the outdoor gallery. “It’s just a beautiful park,” Guion says. “When you can incorporate public art into settings like that, it just enhances the space. I think the whole idea of happening upon public art is really intriguing. As long as people are learning and engaging in art – that’s our mission.”Hahn says he likes the idea of seeing the artwork throughout the park and hopes there’s more to come in the future.

The Best is Yet to ComeAs far as land mass, Hahn says the vision for Coffman Park has been fulfilled, but programming may change in the future. “There may be things that no one can conceive of today,” he says. And after 30 years of being a part of creating parks and watching the City’s developed green spaces grow from four parks to 60, Hahn says it’s been a rewarding experience. “We have received all of this recognition from the community of what a great park system we’ve developed here,” he says. “No one takes it for granted. So much has happened during this time and so much more is going to happen.” “Coffman Park has evolved and transformed over time to what the community needs it to be.”

In recent years, cycling has become increasingly popular across the U.S. The City of Dublin has noticed this trend and has taken measures

to provide premium biking amenities to its residents.

Dublin is home to more than 100 miles of eight-foot-wide asphalt pathway used for biking, running, walking and more. In addition, the city provides separate bike lanes and sharrows on its roads – markings that let motorists know bicyclists are permitted to use the full lane.

Two-Wheeled Zeal

Biking resources and safety information for Dublin residentsBy Taylor WeisPhotos courtesy of the City of Dublin andCity of Dublin Police

Top: Bikers ride along Dublin’s many miles of bike trails.

Left: A Dublin police officer helps a child through a cycling course.


Still, Dublin is constantly looking for ways to continue expanding this system.

“There’s an internal commit-tee made up of people in all di-

visions: planners, engineers, park staff and more. (They) look at gaps in the system and see if it’s a site where a developer can come in with plans,” says Laura Ball, a landscape architect in Dublin’s Parks and Recreation department. “We guide them toward building bike paths where they need to be.”

Besides existing for recreational pur-poses, this extensive system provides resi-dents the opportunity to choose biking as a primary means of transportation in and around Dublin.

“There are major road networks that have separated bike paths that (residents) can use for commuting purposes,” Ball says. “We also meet in the larger arena with the people who plan bike paths for the city of Columbus and connecting communities to see how we can link our internal system with the greater world of bike paths.”

Cyclists can view this complex system on an interactive geographic information system map on the City of Dublin’s web-site, www.dublinohiousa.gov. The map allows bikers to plan their routes, use mea-surement tools to see their distance trav-eled and view the locations of Dublin’s parks and open spaces.

The interactive GIS map is one of the many resources Dublin offers cyclists. In April 2012, a project group from Leader-ship Dublin launched the Dublin Bicycle Ambassador program to help bikers with directions, helmet fitting and mainte-nance issues on the trails.

Bike ambassadors also help the Parks and Recreation staff to determine where the community’s fix-it stations should be located. These bike repair stations sit along the paths and contain the ba-sic tools cyclists may need to repair any bicycle issues, such as flat tires and loose chains. There are currently two fix-it stations in the system. One is located in Coffman Park, and the other in Ear-lington Park. Bike ambassadors recently identified a location for a third.

Bike ambassadors partner with the Dublin bike patrol unit, which consists of 14 police officers trained in bicycle operation, to promote bicycle safety in the community.

To ensure children are informed about proper safety, Dublin’s bike patrol unit has implemented a number of programming initiatives. The unit periodically runs small safety events for local Boy and Girl Scout troops, teaching them the rules of

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the road and demonstrating safety skills. In addition, the unit is currently partner-ing with Dublin City Schools to teach third, fourth and fifth graders about the importance of proper helmet use.

“Too often, we see kids that have hel-mets, but they’re not strapped or they’re sitting too far back on their heads. Or kids have their helmets strapped to their handlebars as they ride,” says Corporal Kevin Keiffer, co-coordinator of the bike patrol unit. “There isn’t a helmet law in Dublin, but we do strongly encourage them, and we promote that through our safety events.”

Along with wearing helmets, the best way bikers can stay safe while riding is to be very predictable in their behavior, Keiffer says. This is especially important when bikers are on the road and not just on a bike path.

“A common theme that we see is that most (bike crashes) occur within intersec-tions of the roadway that meet with the

bike path,” Keiffer says. “So we encourage cyclists to use caution and treat those in-tersections as a four way stop.”

Dublin was recently awarded 97 hel-mets from the Ohio American Academy of Pediatrics’ bike safety awareness pro-gram “Put A Lid On It!” The program has handed out more than 9,000 helmets to Ohio children in an effort to keep them safe when they ride.

In addition to the helmet grant, Dub-lin’s extensive pathways, resources and measures to ensure cyclists can ride safely have earned Dublin the title of a Bicycle Friendly Community. To learn more about bicycling in Dublin, visit www.dublinohio usa.gov/bicycling-in-dublin/.

Dublin bike path maps are available at the Dublin Community Recreation Cen-ter and City Hall.

Taylor Weis is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at [email protected].

Dublin police officers instruct children on bicycle safety.

“There isn’t a helmet law in Dublin, but we do strongly encourage them.”

Corporal Kevin Keiffer

http://www.dublinohiousa.gov/bicycling-in-dublin/

http://www.dublinohiousa.gov/bicycling-in-dublin/


If These Streets Could TalkYou might be surprised at the intricate history behind the roads you pass every dayBy Corinne Murphy Photos courtesy of the Dublin Historical Society


Dublin’s community has a rich history, and its street names are no different. A complex account that interweaves hundreds of years of homage lies behind the City’s seemingly simple street names.

If These Streets Could TalkYou might be surprised at the intricate history behind the roads you pass every dayBy Corinne Murphy Photos courtesy of the Dublin Historical Society John Sells’ home


First off, to help define what street names to use, there are certain rules to which the City must ad-here. Some connected streets share

a similar theme. There can’t be duplicate names. These guidelines help emergency services swiftly respond to emergencies.

However, the “no duplicates” rule leads to an interesting variety. Barbara Cox, en-gineering manager for the City of Dublin, says a challenge is posed by the inventive-ness that is required for naming new streets.

“You end up with weird street names sometimes,” she says.

Some street and area names have ob-vious origins. Sawmill Road was not-so-creatively dubbed because of the sawmill located there. Also, the community half-way between Worthington and Dublin was pragmatically named. Linworth was created by combining “lin” from Dublin and “worth” from Worthington.

While these names aren’t exactly mind- boggling, there are many streets that were named for the area’s first settlers.

“A lot of Dublin’s background is influ-enced by cities overseas, usually more than people realize,” says Mike Pineault, com-munications technician for the Dublin Division of Police.

Dublin itself was named after Ireland’s capital city, but ironically, none of the original individuals or families who settled in Dublin were from Ireland. Instead, the early settlers were predominantly German.

Dublin came to be when soldiers and officers of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War received compen-sation for their services via land in the Virginia Military District. However, most sold the land without ever settling on it. Lt. James Holt received 889 acres of land in 1795 and, by 1803, the Sells family from Pennsylvania had bought it from him. The first stages of Dublin’s development began with this simple transaction.

Sells Alley is named for John Sells, who also had influence in naming Dublin. In-tending to make the property more mar-ketable by having it platted into small lots forming a community, Sells had the land surveyed by John Shields, a surveyor from Franklinton, in 1810.

Legend says that a grateful Sells gave Shields the honor of naming the commu-nity. Shields named it after his birthplace; Dublin, Ireland. Notably, John Shields Parkway is also named after the surveyor.

Coffman Road was named after Henry Coffman, a hatmaker who moved to Dub-lin to marry Margaret Sells in 1808. After careful restorations, the 119-acre Fletcher Coffman farm on Coffman Road now serves as the headquarters and museum for the Dublin Historical Society.

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Britton Parkway was named after Ben-jamin Britton, the first minister of the Dublin Christian Church – founded in 1811 – of which John Sells’ family were early members.

Ashbaugh Road was named after one of the community’s earliest set-tlers, Enoch Cyrus Ashbaugh, a pio-neer farmer. Also known as Blackberry Road or Mt. Zion Road, it was only an uneven strip of dirt when it came into existence. A small stretch of it is still ac-cessible from Brand Road, but most of it was swallowed by the Muirfield Village development in the 1970s.

Karrer Place was named for Dr. Henry Karrer, who was part of the 1924 class of Dublin High School and received his doctorate degree from The Ohio State University. He began his popular practice in 1932 at 35 S. High St. Some weeks,

he worked up to 100 hours caring for Dub-lin patients. He de-livered 2,633 babies in 32 years and was the sports team doc-tor for Dublin High School in the 1950s and 1960s.

Tuller Road was named after Holcomb Tuller, a businessman who moved to Dublin in 1836. He opened a general store at South

High and Spring Hill, and built an ashery between North Riverview Street and the river, just north of Bridge Street.

Newer streets are not excluded from this entangled history of Dublin’s people. For example, Kate Brown Drive is dedicated in fond memory to 7-year-old Kate Brown who, though she was awarded the Most Valuable Swimmer award, tragically lost her life in a swimming-related accident during the first Dublin Dolphins swim team season in 1989.

There’s also John Timm Way and Ann Richens Drive. Timm is a world champion Irish dancer. He started Irish dancing at the age of 3 under Ann Richens and now has a dance studio in Dublin: the Richens/Timm Academy of Irish Dance.

Regardless of the reason for their names, Dublin’s streets have not evolved over-night. The streets reflect Dublin’s intricate history, which can be traced back to the first people to claim the land that we still traverse and reside in every day.

Corinne Murphy is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at [email protected].

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This year, Dublin Irish Festival guests can expect classic, culturally appropriate cuisine with healthful ingredients.

Bizuneh Ayele, known as “Chef Biz,” will lead cooking demonstrations for anyone interested in authentic Irish cuisine. Ayele says he is excited to share his culinary expertise and honored to have the opportunity. The positive response from his customers, he says, is one of his favorite parts of the job.

Something to Stew OverChef to offer healthful twist to traditional Irish dishes By Elizabeth Tzagournis Photo courtesy of Erhart Photography

“I’ve been cooking almost 25 years,” he says. Ayele works at Dublin’s Giant Eagle Mar-ket District. Previously, he worked at a hotel in Indianap-olis. “Cooking is my life, and I enjoy every minute of it.”

Ayele says his passion for cooking and dedication to his work, along with his experience, will make the demonstrations a positive and educational experience for the fes-tival attendees.

Over the course of his career, Ayele has made adjustments to his food prepa-ration to increase nutritional value. Though it can be difficult to create healthful Irish dishes, he says he has achieved a good balance.

“A lot of people use the greasy stuff, and I cut that down,” he says. “Cutting out all that grease and fat … (makes) it very light and not heavy.”

Ayele has lessened his use of unhealth-ful ingredients such as sour cream, bacon, butter and oils. Instead, he adds vegetables

such as potatoes and carrots. Potatoes, which offer a wide variety of health ben-efits, are a good example of a dish often overloaded with fats such as butter, sour cream, melted cheese or bacon bits. Re-moving or lessening these extra add-ons is one way to focus on the vegetable’s nutri-tional value.

Potatoes are a good source of potassium, vitamin C and dietary fiber, while also possibly having the ability to lower blood-pressure, according to the George Matel-jan Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to developing and sharing information about the benefits of healthful eating.

“People want healthier food.”

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Throughout his career, Ayele has noticed the changes in health consciousness among both food preparers and consumers.

“Right now, it’s a new generation,” he says. “Things are changing. People want healthier food.”

Shepherd’s pie, cream kale, lamb stew, corned beef and cabbage, and beer bread are some common Irish dishes that Ayele has improved. The simple act of removing certain fatty ingredients or using less but-ter and grease can make a huge difference in the healthfulness of the food.

For those who aim to enhance their Irish cooking skills, the Dublin Irish Festi-val runs July 31 through Aug. 2.

Elizabeth Tzagournis is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at [email protected].

Bizuneh Ayele hard at work

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Mayor of Dublin 1986-1989, Vietnam Veteran

Michael Close

From Vietnam soldier and law student to mayor of Dublin and father of three, Michael Close has worn many

hats in his life. Now, Close says he’s enjoying his time as a grandfather and managing partner of one of central Ohio’s largest law firms. But, he says, arriving at this point in his life was quite a journey.

Dublin Life: What were the circumstanc-es that led to you serving in the Viet-nam War?

Michael Close: Having grown up on the west side of Columbus, I was a prime target for the draft during the Vietnam War. This was in the days before the lottery. I man-aged to go to The Ohio State University for undergraduate school but, since I knew that upon graduation I would be drafted, I enrolled in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and, upon graduation, was commis-sioned a Second Lieutenant. Fortunately, I was able to pass the pilot aptitude test and, after receiving initial instruction at Ohio State, I went to the U.S. Army flight training program and won my wings. After a brief stop on the West Coast, I reported for duty in Vietnam in April of 1969 and came home in March of 1970. I was re-leased from active duty in February 1971.

DL: What life lessons did you take away from your time in Vietnam?

MC: I think what Vietnam did for most of us who were lucky enough to have survived relatively intact was to make us appreciate the things that are truly important in life and not sweat the small stuff.

DL: What made you decide to attend Capi-tal University Law School following your time in the army?

MC: Both a girl I met on a blind date when I came back from Viet-nam – now my wife of almost 44 years, Chris – and my dad thought I should try to get into law school. On a lark, I took the law school admission test and did extremely well. When you look at my undergradu-ate grades, you would wonder why any law school would let me in, but they did, and the rest is history.

DL: In 1980, you moved to Dublin to build a home with your wife. What drew you to the area?

MC: We had been living several miles down Dublin Road in the Ridge-wood subdivision near Hilliard and Up-per Arlington. Chris had been raised in Upper Arlington and wanted to move back there, and I wanted to buy a farm.

We compromised on a large lot in Dub-lin and still live in the home that we built there.

DL: you ran for coun-cil and, in 1983, you were elected vice mayor. In 1986, you were elected mayor. What inspired you to become involved in politics?

MC: When Chris and I built our house and moved to Dublin in 1980, it was a different world. There were prob-ably 2,500 people living in Dublin at the time, and it seemed like you knew everyone. Wheth-er it was running the soccer league or Dublin

youth football or politics, everybody got involved. Having had considerable mu-nicipal law experience as a city attorney in Hilliard, I thought I could bring some-thing to the table. In addition, within three years of my completing my house, the City began looking at plans to build a bridge across the river on Brand Road directly through my house. Never having been one to complain if I didn’t have a so-lution, I decided to run for City Council and help with the planning.

DL: What’s one thing you learned about the City of Dublin during your time as vice mayor and mayor?

WITH HANNAH BEALERwhere

are theynow? Photos cour tesy of Michael Close


MC: Dublin was never afraid to be on the cutting edge. When you add to that the plethora of gifted people who were willing to devote their time and effort to making Dublin a great place to live, I learned that when you have people that are willing to work together and, in my instance, stifle their own selfish interest, you can create a real community. I would add parenthetically that Dublin today has 40,000 more people than it did when we moved here, but in many regards, it is still the same City. One only needs to see how many people volunteer for various City committees and the huge recreation pro-grams run primarily by volunteer labor, to appreciate that as much as everything changed, it is still pretty much the same. Dublin truly is an attitude.

DL: Following your time on City Council, you served as a judge for 10 years be-fore retiring. What have you been up to since leaving the bench?

MC: I retired from the bench at ap-proximately the same time my last child, Brian, graduated from high school. My two boys, Dan and Brian, both graduated from

Dublin High School, now Dublin Coffman High School, and my daughter, Allison, graduated from Bishop Watterson High School. Fortunately, two of the three have remained at hand. Allison lives down the street from us with her husband, Rion, and their children, Julian and Addie. Brian lives in Upper Arlington with his wife, Jorie, and their children, Michael, Marley and Billie. Dan and his wife, Anna Marie, live in Chi-cago with their three kids, Sophia, Charles and August. We are fortunate to see them on a very regular basis. In short, what I’ve been doing is being a grandfather. I find I’m a much better grandfather than I ever was a father. Thank God Chris did a great job of raising the kids. In addition, when I left the bench, I returned to the private practice of law and am now the managing partner in one of the largest law firms in central Ohio, Isaac Wiles Burkholder & Teetor. Several of my partners live in Dublin. It has been a great run, and it is fun to age with all the people I grew up with in Dublin.

Hannah Bealer is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at [email protected].

Michael Close surrounded by his family

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After downsizing to a smaller home, Mike and Melanie Streng have learned to live more with less.

Melanie attended The Ohio State University, and Mike grew up in Marysville and graduated with a law degree from Capital University.

After marrying in 2001, the couple lived in Hilliard for a few years before moving to Dublin in 2006.

Today, they live on a quiet street in Historic Dublin with their cat, Pillsbury.

The Strengs initially chose Dublin for its location. Melanie, an inde-pendent contractor, works in downtown Columbus, while Mike is a law-yer out of Marysville.

Geographically, Dublin proved to be a good commute for both of them. But they quickly fell in love with life in the City.

“We love the community, the safety and being able to walk every-where. It’s fantastic,” Mike says.

When they first moved to Dublin, the couple built their own house in Ballantrae. Later, they seized the chance to downsize to a smaller house on Franklin Street. They had friends in the neighborhood and had been thinking of downsizing for some time.

“(Ballantrae) was very family-oriented,” Melanie says. “In our current neighbor-hood, there are plenty of people who don’t have kids as well.”

Their current neighborhood is idyllic and quiet, despite being just a quick walk from busy Historic Dublin. The neighbor-hood unfolds past woods and a stream that provide lovely scenery for walking and

biking paths. As an added bonus, it takes the Strengs mere minutes to get to their favorite restaurants in Historic Dublin.

“This street just has some great history and a neat mix of people,” Mike says. “You have some people who have lived here since Dublin was a one-stoplight town, and people who went to school right across the way. We’ve enjoyed getting to know everyone.”

Dublin offers couple an ideal urban lifestyle

Living Life to the Fullest

STORy AND PHOTOS By TAyLOR WOODHOUSEl i v i ng

Left: The Strengs’ living room.

Right: The Strengs’ kitchen. The Strengs say they wanted their decor to be simple, yet functional.

Mike and Melanie Streng


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Living Life to the FullestTheir house is a bungalow-style home,

with sizeable front and back yards and a screened-in porch. It’s light and comfort-able, decorated simply and functionally. The previous owner of the house did a lot to the house that the couple liked, making the home virtually move-in ready. With the exception of some painting, landscap-ing and moving a couple closets around, they had very little to do.

“We went from a rather large house to this house, which is probably a third of the square footage of the old house,” Melanie explained. “We really tried to minimalize our possessions, and put more emphasis on living life and less emphasis on possessions and buying stuff.”

The smaller house affords them the free-dom to spend their days doing the things they love, such as traveling and staying ac-tive. They love the outdoors, and in the summer they can be found sailing, wake-boarding, biking, kayaking and waterski-ing. Being close to the river gives them easy water access for all of the water sports they enjoy. A winter day might find them skiing at Mad River Mountain.

Aside from their athletic pursuits, the couple enjoys taking full advantage of ev-erything Historic Dublin has to offer.

“I love walking to La Chatelaine for lunch or dinner and catching the live mu-sic at Brazenhead or Mezzo,” Melanie says. “The Dublin Rec Center is also a great re-source. And now that I’m in walking dis-tance of one, I’ve rediscovered the library.”

A typical summer day would find the Strengs spending time on the river, fol-lowed by walking to dinner Downtown. After dinner, the couple might have drinks at home on their patio, or walk to

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The Strengs’ screened-in porch, where the couple enjoys drinks after date nights in Historic Dublin.

the homes of their friends for drinks and good company.

The sense of community they found in Dublin is also very important to the couple. Every year, the couple and their friends hold a fundraiser event for a char-ity. The most recent fundraiser was espe-cially important to the Strengs, as Melanie had just been diagnosed with cancer.

The event was essentially a restaurant tour in Historic Dublin. Everyone wore wigs for the event.

“The local businesses were great sup-porters of it,” says Mike. “Mezzo had a special menu and contributed some of the proceeds to the charity we chose.”

The charity Melanie chose is the Breast Cancer Fund of Ohio, which gives money to women in Ohio who need financial help while going through breast cancer and treatment.

Melanie has recently completed treat-ment, and Mike says she is doing well.

So how does such a busy couple make time for each other between working and traveling?

“I think we make that a priority,” Mike says. “We manage our time well. And we do everything together. We’re fortunate that we have the same loves and interests. We make it a priority to have as much fun as possible.”

In 10 or 20 years, the Strengs believe they will still be living on Franklin Street, doing all of the activities they love: Sail-ing more, working less, and enjoying all that Dublin has to offer.

Taylor Woodhouse is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at [email protected].

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WHERE ARE YOU?


Wedding WoesBrides share their wedding day horror stories

Reservations anyone?Meg Perez got to her son’s rehearsal din-

ner only to find there were other people seated in their reserved private dining room. After chasing them out, the guests were seated an hour after their reserved time, and the ring bearer threw up from eating so late. Then, as the waiters were hurrying and rush-ing around, they dropped an entire tray of drinks on the bride and groom.

“But the wedding went off without a hitch,” says Perez.

Be wary of church giggles“My husband mispronounced his own

name during our vows, and I got a bad case of the giggles that lasted through our wed-ding,” says Jill Boser Kranstuber.

Make sure the groom has sturdy shoesCheryl Detrich Pace says the caterer put

their cake on the ground for a moment to

level the table. A rat made a run at the cake, and her husband had to step on the rat in his formal patent leather shoes. Later, as the couple greeted guests at the candlelight dinner, Cheryl’s dress brushed a candle and caught fire.

“My hubby stepped on my dress and put out the fire, so his shoes saved the day twice,” says Pace.

Centerpieces are overratedLee Breitmayer says there was a random

rain storm with high winds that lasted about 30 minutes. It was long enough to blow all their centerpieces down.

“I never even saw them because the tables were empty by the time we walked into the reception,” Breitmayer says.

Lee Chelsea Cordell’s décor was ocean-themed; there were goldfish in bowls on the tables.

WITH COLUMNIST COLLEEN D’ANGELOwr i t enex tdoor

Little girls start dressing up in white veils, tossing bouquets and humming “Here Comes the Bride” almost as soon as they can step-together-step up the aisle. Maybe they should prac-tice expecting the unexpected instead, because that is what seems to happen on wedding days.

Couples spend months ironing out every detail, even hiring wedding planners to take care of the location, menu, music, décor and every tiny aspect involved. And still, so many things are beyond control.

The tricky part is trying not to let the mishaps ruin your special day. Have a sense of humor and laugh off the glitches as part of life. Those one-of-a-kind incidents are what make warm, wonderful memories later on. Just ask the Dublin women who contributed the following stories from their wedding adventures.

Learn to just say “no”Leah Alford’s brother-in-law dared her to eat a ghost pepper at the recep-tion. She ate it, but spent the whole

night throwing up in the bathroom with makeup streaming down her face and bridesmaids holding her giant dress. “The good news was I was too sick to drink, which came in handy when the shuttle never showed up to trans-

port our guests, and I had to drive my friends back to the hotel,” says Alford.

Phot

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ford


And away we go … or notIt seemed like a great idea when

Amber Gibbs’ uncle, Chuck, offered to chauffeur the bride and groom from the church to the reception in his rebuilt 1968 Pontiac Firebird. The crowd blew

bubbles, the couple stepped into the convertible, and the car … didn’t start.

“At one point, my uncle, dad and hus-band were all huddled under the hood trying to get the car started, and they eventually succeeded,” Gibbs says.

Phot

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Colleen D’Angelo is a freelance writer who lives in Dublin with her husband, three children and several small animals. She enjoys playing tennis, walking the Dublin bike paths and traveling.

“Let’s just say the poor goldfish didn’t do too well in the unseasonable 92-degree heat,” Cordell says.

Jacki Larouere Raabe advises that your candles be shorter than the skinny neck of the hurricane lamp in your centerpiece. Halfway through the ceremony, they heard a really loud crack, like the sound of a golf club whacking a ball. At first, they thought a bird hit the window; then the pastor ducked. All of the glass centerpiec-es shattered from the tall candles.

“There’s not much you can do about it once it’s happening,” Raabe says.

Use the buddy system“My family left my grandmother, who

had dementia, at the hotel,” says Cordell.

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“She just sat there patiently waiting for the 45 minutes it took for everyone to re-alize she was missing.”

Don’t forget the old, new, borrowed, blue

After her grandma forgot the blue gar-ter, Debbie Paolucci Lowers needed some-thing blue to wear during the wedding. She asked everyone to dig through their purses, and finally her aunt found a school picture of her cousin with the standard blue background.

“Weird, but we tucked it into my nylons, and my cousin had no idea his photo was on me while I got married,” Lowers says.

Check for twins and name matesApparently, there were two Holly Mur-

phys getting married in Pittsburgh at the same church, a week apart.

“Out of all the bridal shops in Pitts-burgh, we chose the same one, and the store tried to give me the wrong dresses for my bridesmaids,” says Holly Murphy Tuite.

There was even some confusion at the doctor’s office while getting blood work done. Both Hollys shared the same doctor and, as it turns out, the same birthday – but different years.

Can you hear me now?During Laura Ali’s wedding at the Am-

berleigh Pavilion in Dublin, they realized one of their readings was misplaced. A guest ran to her car to get another copy and accidentally set off her car alarm – which triggered another car alarm and started a chain reaction of all the car alarms going off in the parking lot.

“At first, the minister kept right on with the ceremony. But when he made eye con-tact with me, I burst out laughing,” Ali says. “And, in celebration of our first wed-ding anniversary, the guest that started it all parked in our driveway and set off her alarm just to wish us a happy anniversary.”

Weddings last a day … marriage, the rest of your life

Kath Jackson had so many things go wrong with her wedding that she probably wondered if it was meant to be. Twenty-seven years later, though, she says she wouldn’t change a thing.

Her husband’s blood work results and paperwork were lost, the chef quit and the banquet manager was fired the week before the wedding. The tuxes came in with opposite sizing so a 32x36 came in as a 36x32, a bridesmaid’s dress had to be remade hours before the ceremony, the priest had an alcohol problem and, after marrying the couple, ran off and got mar-ried himself. The invitations were printed wrong and, finally, the wrong cake was de-livered to the country club.

“Our kids watch our wedding video ev-ery year and order a cake like the one we were supposed to have,” Jackson says. “You can’t let the little things throw you.”


Eiterman Rd

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Cougars and Bobcats sighted in Dublin.If you haven’t heard, Columbus State Community College is moving its Dublin Center— we’ll be co-located with Ohio University in a brand new campus at the intersection of Routes 33 and 161. Our partnership is focused on innovation in healthcare education and business education; Columbus State students can complete associate degrees and certificates in programs including:

• Health Information Management Technology• Medical Coding• Business Management and Entrepreneurship

Dublin students looking for an affordable, flexible path to a bachelor’s degree can complete two-year Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degrees with courses guaranteed to transfer to area colleges and universities.

Looking to advance your career in your own backyard? Learn more at www.cscc.edu/Dublin

Fall semester classes begin

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Columbus State Dublin Center 6805 Bobcat Way, Dublin, OH 43016

614-287-7050

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bookmarks

Fresh Off the Boat: A Memoir By Eddie Huang

Born to Taiwanese immigrant parents and raised in Or-lando, Eddie Huang doesn’t fit the studi-ous, well-mannered stereotypes.

A grounding influence was food, whether it was cooking ribs in his father’s steakhouse or learning traditional Thai cuisine. Huang returned again and again to the kitchen and eventually opened East Village restaurant BaoHaus. Fresh Off the Boat is a hilarious memoir that’s now a popular ABC television show.

Delicious!By Ruth Reichl

Billie Breslin moves from Califor-nia to New York City to take a job at the premier food maga-zine Delicious. She’s expecting excitement and new learning opportunities, but the magazine shuts down shortly after she arrives in the Big Apple. Breslin stays behind in the deserted office to continue the “Deli-cious Guarantee,” a hotline for complaints and recipe inquiries.

Bored, she snoops around the empty offices, where she discovers letters penned by Lulu

Swan, a 12-year-old who wrote to famous chef James Beard during World War II.

Thug Kitchen: Eat Like You Give a F*** Edited by Rodale Publishing

The title says it all: spicy, superbly healthful, vegetable-based recipes served up with fabulous color pho-tos and even more colorful language.

Vegan cooking has never been more fun and affordable than with the Thug Kitchen crew. Unsure? Check out its website first, at www.thugkitchen.com.

Food: A Love Story By Jim Gaffigan

If you loved Gaffigan’s riff on parenthood, Dad Is Fat, get ready for this stand-up comic’s musings on all things food.

Why should you read this book? Gaffigan will tell you that, because he is “a little fat,” he has a certain expertise that will be conveyed to the reader via pithy in-sights such as “which animal is more deli-cious: the pig, the cow or the bacon cheeseburger?”

Adult Reads By Mary Biscuso, Library Assistant, Adult Services

FROM THE DuBLIn BRAnCH OF THE COLuMBuS METROPOLITAn L IBRARY

Dublin Life Book Club SelectionALSO INSIDECommunity Calendar

Life at Sea

Outdoor Entertainment

Where Are They Now?

Basement Blues

Dublin Irish Festival

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The Girl on the TrainBy Paula Hawkins

Paula Hawkins’ debut novel tells the story of a divorced alcoholic, Rachel, who passes the same suburban neighbor-hood during her daily train commute. She makes up stories about a couple that lives in one of the homes, fantasizing about their idealistic life. But one day, during her train’s routine stop near the neighborhood, Rachel witnesses some-thing shocking.

Widely regarded as a Hitchcock-esque thriller with an exhilarating flow comparable to Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train has sailed to the top of the New York Times bestsellers list in recent months.

Editor’s note: The first 10 people to visit the Dublin branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library and Shade on Muirfield and ask for one will receive a free paperback copy of this issue’s selection. Five copies will be at the Dublin branch, and five copies will be at Shade. We’ll meet at 7 p.m., June 23, at Shade on Muirfield, 7148 Muirfield Dr., to share our thoughts on the book. Enjoy!

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Uniquely Yours.There’s a place for every dream home at Jerome Village. Located in

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styles of homes ranging from executive estates to village bungalows,

with pricing starting at $300,000 to over one million. This diversity

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Model homes located in neighborhoods throughout the community

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©2015 OhioHealth

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dublin life magazine june/july 2015

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