🐿️ Discover The Whimsy Of The Squirrel Door Project

Plus: 🏡 From Gilded-Era Mansion to Modern Schoolhouse

Author

Chelsea Wiley
May 12, 2025

Sponsored by the Greater Columbus Arts Council 🎨
One of the best weekends of the year is almost here. The Columbus Arts Festival is taking over the Scioto Mile June 6–8, and it’s completely free to attend. They’re bringing in over 250 incredible artists from around the country, plus live music, performances, and food vendors galore. It’s the kind of event where you wander for hours, run into everyone you know, and leave with a new print, a full stomach, and maybe a little sunburn. See you down by the river? For more info, head over to columbusartsfestival.org.

Hello, Monday! Chelsea here.

Welcome back, friends. I hope you all had a fanstastic weekend. A tiny, magical mystery is unfolding in Clintonville. The Park of Roses is now home to a series of charming squirrel-sized doors, and yes, they’re exactly as delightful as they sound. We dug into the origins of this charming public art project and how it's sparking curiosity, creativity, and a few happy squeals from passersby of all ages.

🏡 Historic Columbus: From Gilded-Era Mansion to Modern Schoolhouse
Long before it became a school, this 24-room mansion in Columbus was home to a shoe industry titan, and later, a refuge for children.

🍓 This Strawberry Festival Is Back For One Sweet Weekend
It’s the sweetest time of year, my friends. Strawberry season is upon us, and that means that it’s almost the return of Strawberry Jam. This festival is one of my favorites and I can’t wait until the end of May!

Headlines 📰 

⛹️‍♀️ Women’s sports bars are popping up across the country, and one could finally be coming to Columbus. Local firefighter and lifelong athlete Amy Cooper is behind Raise the Bar, a space where fans can actually catch the games they care about. (NBC4)

🦍 The internet is buzzing with a wild hypothetical: 100 unarmed men versus one gorilla. So Axios turned to the Columbus Zoo’s expert for a reality check on this bizarre debate. Spoiler: it’s not as simple as you think! (Axios Columbus)

📚 Local schools, nonprofits, and libraries are teaming up to help children improve their reading skills, focusing on early literacy as a predictor of future success. Programs like Future Ready Five, Success by Third Grade, and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library are providing crucial support to close learning gaps in Franklin County. (Columbus Monthly)

🌧️ Weather: 72 and mostly cloudy, with a chance of showers and thunderstorms

Sponsored by PromoWest 🎸
No one does live music in Columbus quite like PromoWest. They’ve got some fantastic shows coming up, including Vampire Weekend, Modest Mouse, Sierra Ferrell, and more. To see what’s on the calendar, or to grab tickets to a show, head over to promowestlive.com.

Coming Up 📆

Today's Photo 🤳

😍 Seriously, I cannot get over how cute these squirrell doors are. I’ve always said that Columbus needs more whimsy, and this is exactly what I’m talking about!

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- Chelsea