🏥 Eastland’s New Health And Food Hub Breaks Ground

Plus: 🪦 Ohio’s Massive Revolutionary War Grave Hunt Is On

Author

Chelsea Wiley
May 27, 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, Tuesday! Chelsea here.

Welcome back, friends! Today, we’re diving into a project that’s reshaping what community care can look like in Columbus. You might remember the plan to turn a vacant Kroger in Eastland into a hub for food access and social services. Now, that vision is expanding in a big way, with a new partnership between the Mid-Ohio Food Collective and Ohio State’s College of Nursing that could make this a national model for health equity.

🌳 Zaleski State Forest Is An Underrated Gem. Here's Your Guide To Hiking It
Ohio is full of wild and wonderful place still, even though humans have continued to push and prod Mother Nature over the years. Zalesik State Forest is an incredible place to spend a lweekend, so get out out there and enjoy it.

🪦 Ohio’s Massive Revolutionary War Grave Hunt Is On
Ohio is on a mission to locate and document the graves of 7,000 Revolutionary War veterans before time erases them. As part of the America 250-Ohio initiative, volunteers are needed to help build a public, digital map of these historic sites—no experience required, just a phone and a few minutes.

Headlines 📰 

👏 Let’s all give a big round of applause for Orange Middle School eighth grader Avinav Prem Anand, who is heading to his fourth and final Scripps National Spelling Bee, where he's considered a top contender among 243 spellers nationwide. (NBC4)

🥕 An Ohio nutrition director Megan Grippa has been named the Midwest Director of the Year for transforming school meals into fresh, student-approved options. Her student-first approach is cutting food waste and earning national recognition. (WOSU)

🐴 Columbus was the first U.S. city to collect trash door-to-door in 1911—using horses. Today, the same stables once used for garbage wagons house the city’s nationally recognized police horses, preserving a quirky piece of local history. (ABC6)

🌧️ Weather: 64 with a chance of showers and thunderstorms

Sponsored by Columbus Recreation and Parks 🎶
Your favorite ’90s bands (sort of) are back. Tribute Tuesdays is bringing free live music, food, and drinks to Bicentennial Park all summer long. Catch tribute sets of Green Day, Nirvana, Weezer, and more. It’s all happening along the Scioto Mile — and yes, admission is totally free. Music starts at 6:30, but come early for happy hour vibes at 5. Please click here for more info.

Coming Up 📆

Today's Photo 🤳

🛶 Ready to get summer started? If you’re idea of the perfect summer day includes canoing or kayaking in one of the most beautiful waterways in central Ohio, then you’re in luck. Because Trapper John’s has officially re-opened.

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- Chelsea