Editor’s Letter
By: John M. Clark
An avid reader recently asked me, “In addition to the features and photos you publish, how about including some good news about German Village?” I took her suggestion to heart. And so, let’s start with some short items that should make you feel a little more optimistic about our neighborhood at a time when COVID-19 continues to drag so many of us down.
Helen Winnemore’s has new owners! Just a few months after long-time proprietor Sarah Kellenberger Harpham announced her retirement from the business, we get word that a brother and sister will take over the iconic crafts and gifts store. Julie and John Jenkins, both originally from the area, say they plan to operate Winnemore’s pretty much the way it has been run for the past 23 years by Harpham. Except John, a Seattle resident, intends to beef up the store’s online presence and work to further the store’s brand.
Golden Hobby is gone. And yes, that is sad news. The city-owned consignment store for senior citizens had operated out of the former “Third Street German-English” school building for the past 49 years. But on July 1, the deed passed to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus for eventual use as a middle school for nearby St. Mary. The Recreation and Parks Department will relocate Golden Hobby. But no site has yet been identified. This means the old South Third building will once again be filled with students, just as it was intended when it was built, back in 1866.
The non-profit Friends of Schiller Park (F.O.S.P.) recently teamed with St. Mary Elementary School to sponsor a blood drive – hosting 36 donors and collecting enough blood to help 108 patients. F.O.S.P. Chairwoman Katharine Moore said plans for the drive resulted in part from residents’ wishes to make a difference following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, which has hurt and killed so many.
If you’re a fan of Schiller Park’s magnificent “balancing” sculptures by Polish artist Jerzy Kedziora, you’ll be happy to know that a few new sculptures by Kedziora are expected to replace the temporary exhibit that will soon be shipped back to Poland. Friends of Schiller Park has been collecting donations to commission five new works by the beloved sculptor. The pieces currently on display – whose exhibit has been extended – should remain here until September. That’s when we’re expected to get our first look at the newly commissioned pieces that will take up permanent residence in the park.
Finally… Elsewhere in this issue you’ll find an article on a “pop up” karaoke event my wife Jan and I recently held outside our home on City Park Avenue. Since then, other residents have expressed an interest in doing the same. And now, you can.
To the first five German Village residents who write to express an interest in a safe, socially-distanced karaoke event, I will set it up for you and run the show. I will bring a small P.A. system, wireless microphones and all the cables. You will need to supply a laptop computer with wi-fi, subscribe to an online karaoke service (about $6.00 for two days and 36,000 songs) and supply eight AA batteries for the microphones (about $9). And that’s it. For an investment of only $15, you can host your own gathering. German Village Magazine and I are happy to offer this as a way to put some smiles on Villagers’ faces at a time when so many of us have so much to be concerned about.
John
By: John M. Clark
An avid reader recently asked me, “In addition to the features and photos you publish, how about including some good news about German Village?” I took her suggestion to heart. And so, let’s start with some short items that should make you feel a little more optimistic about our neighborhood at a time when COVID-19 continues to drag so many of us down.
Helen Winnemore’s has new owners! Just a few months after long-time proprietor Sarah Kellenberger Harpham announced her retirement from the business, we get word that a brother and sister will take over the iconic crafts and gifts store. Julie and John Jenkins, both originally from the area, say they plan to operate Winnemore’s pretty much the way it has been run for the past 23 years by Harpham. Except John, a Seattle resident, intends to beef up the store’s online presence and work to further the store’s brand.
Golden Hobby is gone. And yes, that is sad news. The city-owned consignment store for senior citizens had operated out of the former “Third Street German-English” school building for the past 49 years. But on July 1, the deed passed to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus for eventual use as a middle school for nearby St. Mary. The Recreation and Parks Department will relocate Golden Hobby. But no site has yet been identified. This means the old South Third building will once again be filled with students, just as it was intended when it was built, back in 1866.
The non-profit Friends of Schiller Park (F.O.S.P.) recently teamed with St. Mary Elementary School to sponsor a blood drive – hosting 36 donors and collecting enough blood to help 108 patients. F.O.S.P. Chairwoman Katharine Moore said plans for the drive resulted in part from residents’ wishes to make a difference following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, which has hurt and killed so many.
If you’re a fan of Schiller Park’s magnificent “balancing” sculptures by Polish artist Jerzy Kedziora, you’ll be happy to know that a few new sculptures by Kedziora are expected to replace the temporary exhibit that will soon be shipped back to Poland. Friends of Schiller Park has been collecting donations to commission five new works by the beloved sculptor. The pieces currently on display – whose exhibit has been extended – should remain here until September. That’s when we’re expected to get our first look at the newly commissioned pieces that will take up permanent residence in the park.
Finally… Elsewhere in this issue you’ll find an article on a “pop up” karaoke event my wife Jan and I recently held outside our home on City Park Avenue. Since then, other residents have expressed an interest in doing the same. And now, you can.
To the first five German Village residents who write to express an interest in a safe, socially-distanced karaoke event, I will set it up for you and run the show. I will bring a small P.A. system, wireless microphones and all the cables. You will need to supply a laptop computer with wi-fi, subscribe to an online karaoke service (about $6.00 for two days and 36,000 songs) and supply eight AA batteries for the microphones (about $9). And that’s it. For an investment of only $15, you can host your own gathering. German Village Magazine and I are happy to offer this as a way to put some smiles on Villagers’ faces at a time when so many of us have so much to be concerned about.
John
