Community calendar for Eastside Messenger

St. Catharine Summer Fun Fest June 5-7
The St. Catharine Summer Fun Fest, to be held June 5-7 on the grounds of the parish at 500 S. Gould Road, Columbus, will feature live entertainment, dancing, a silent auction, kids games, rides, a talent show and art show, Irish step dancers, a $6,000 raffle, food and beverages. Admission is free.

Attractions on June 5 include a BBQ chicken dinner, served from 5-8 p.m., and a variety show from 7-9:30.

On June 6, the St. Catharine Irish Step Dancers will perform at 5:30 p.m. The band Next Exit will play that evening.

On June 7, a Mass will be held at 4 p.m. The silent auction will take place from 5-8:30. The Almost Brothers Band, made up of St. Catharine parishioners, will play from 6-11 p.m. The raffle drawing will be at 8. The first prize is $6,000 or a full tuition paid for two children from the same family for a full year at St. Catharine's.

For information, visit www.scfunfest.com.

Bexley Art League works on display
The works of the Bexley Art League are being featured at the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission's Art in the Halls gallery, at 111 Liberty Street, Suite 100 in the Columbus Brewery District. Art in the Halls, which has featured local artists since 1986 had been on hiatus due to the move of the MORPC's offices.

The Bexley Art League was founded in 1961, making it one of the first Art Leagues in central Ohio. Its work will be on display at MORPC until Monday, June 30, 2008.
The Art in the Halls gallery is open to the public for viewing Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For  information contact Shari Saunders at 233-4125 or visit www.morpc.org.

Pianists, violist to perform at Bexley Library
A piano recital is to be given in the auditorium of Bexley Public Library, 2411 E. Main St., May 24 at 3 p.m., featuring Iris Jang and Brook Zhang. Both are students of well-known teacher Nina Polonsky and both won first-place prizes in the 2008 World Piano Competition.

Columbus Symphony Orchestra principal violist David Shmookler will perform a recital of music of Glinka, Brahms, Bruch, and Prokofiev in the auditorium of Bexley Public Library on  June 1 at 3 p.m. Pianist Mariko Kaneda will accompany him.

Capital University introduces Eden Summer Players
Capital University Theatre will introduce Eden Summer Players, a new summer theatre group of students and alumni, in an eight-performance run of "Children of Eden" a two-act play loosely based on the book of Genesis, with music and lyrics by Steven Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin) July 25-Aug. 16.

"I've wanted to produce summer theatre at Capital since I started teaching here," Theatre Director Bill Kennedy said. "Summer theatre is an exceptional learning experience, and it gives us a chance to present a longer run and explore shows we might not do during the school year. It also gives the students the opportunity to develop a new audience."

Eden Summer Players is made up of 25 cast and crew members, all Capital students and alumni.

Performances will be at 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, July 25-26, Aug. 1-2, 8-9 and 15-16 in the Cabaret Theatre, located in the Harry C. Moores Campus Center on Capital's Bexley campus, 1 College and Main.

General admission is $10 with discounts offered for seniors, students and groups. For more information, call 236-7174.

Whitehall Historical Society to meet
The Whitehall Historical Society will hold its annual dinner meeting, May 21 at MCL Cafeteria on East Main Street. Dinner will begin at 6 p.m. followed by the meeting and elections at 6:30.  

Regular meetings are the second Wednsday each month at 6:30 p.m. in the Buckeye Building at Community Park.

Jack Roth Rock'nRun cancer fundraiser June 8
Nationally renowned Emmy award winning news anchor and journalist, Andrea Cambern, has been named the honorary chairperson of the 3rd Annual Jack Roth Rock'n'Run, to be held  June 8,  at 9 a.m.

The Jack Roth Rock'n'Run has become a highly anticipated event for families and friends in Columbus, and beyond.  

The Rock'n'Run has raised more than $135,000 for lung cancer research at the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard Solove Research Center at The Ohio State University and Camp Netaim, a camp for children with special needs in Israel.

Jack Roth, a Bexley High School alumni and longtime resident of Bexley, was diagnosed with lung cancer in March, 2004.  After waging a valiant nine-month battle against the disease, he lost his fight December 17th, 2004 at the age of 57.

The 5K run/walk will start and finish at Bexley High School (348 S. Cassingham Road).   Participants can pre-register at http:/www.premierraces.com/Races/Roth.html.

Also, new this year we are offering all race participants an opportunity to set up a personal sponsorship page through   http://www.firstgiving.com/jackrothrun.

Corporate and Personal donations can also be made through the Firstgiving site http://www.firstgiving.com/jackrothrun, as well as through the Columbus Jewish Foundation: The Jack Roth Fund, c/o the Columbus Jewish Foundation 1175 College Avenue, Columbus, OH 43209.
 
Liberty Christian Academy garage sale & silent auction
Liberty Christian Academy's 100 Family Garage Sale and Silent Auction will be held May 30 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and May 31 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Emswiler Farm Shelter House, across from Jersey Baptist Church, 13167 Morse Road, Pataskala.

The silent auction will be held Friday and Saturday. Bidding will close at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Concession and baked goods will be available.

JCC events

The Leo Yassenoff Jewish Community Center, at 1125 College Ave., has provided the following announcements. Information is available at www.columbusjcc.org.

Gallery Players announces 60th season
Gallery Players, the oldest community theater group in Central Ohio, has announced its line up of productions for its 60th season beginning this fall. Production dates will be announced at a later time.

To kick off the season, Gallery Players will present Women's Minyan by Niomi Ragen. Based on a true story, Women's Minyan tells how a mother of 12 from the Orthodox Jewish community in Israel flees her abusive husband and, for the transgression of leaving her family, is banned by a court of men from ever seeing her children again.

Gallery Players' winter children's production will be Joseph and Koza, with book, music and lyrics by Sean Hartley. Based on a short story by Isaac Bashevis Singer.  Like other royal maidens, Princess Koza faces danger - she's to be sacrificed to a river demon - but her rescuer isn't the usual sort. Instead of a prince charming, he's a nice young Jewish goldsmith.

In early 2009, Gallery Players will present Parade, with music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown. Written by Alfred Uhry and co-conceived by Harold Prince, Parade is the tragic true story of the trial and the lynching of Leo Frank, a Brooklyn-born Jew wrongly accused of murder.

Rounding out Gallery Players' 60th season in spring 2009 will be The Tale of the Allergist's Wife by Charles Busch. The play is the story of how one woman deals with her own mid-life crisis. Unexpectedly invading her depression is flamboyant childhood friend Lee.

The plays will be produced by JCC Cultural Arts Director Jared Saltman. All Gallery Players productions take place in the Roth-Resler Theater at the Jewish Community Center (JCC) of Greater Columbus, 1125 College Ave., Bexley.

Outdoor pool opens Memorial Day Family Fun Day
The JCC's outdoor pool already is being conditioned for summer fun, and will officially open on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26, with a Family Fun Day. Pool games and contests, including biggest splash, belly flop, and a relay race, will take place in the afternoon. A cook-out also is being planned.
Additional events are being planned throughout the summer, including a School's Out

For Summer party on June 5; the inaugural Cardboard Boat Race on  July 17; and a Family Campout at Camp Hoover on Aug. 9 and 10.

Gallery Players stages drama Brooklyn Boy
Gallery Players will present Brooklyn Boy from Saturday, through Sunday, June 1, in the Roth-Resler Theater of the JCC of Greater Columbus.  

Performances are set for Saturday, May 31 at 8 p.m.; Sundays, May 25, June 1 at 2:30 p.m.; and Thursdays, May 22, 29 at 7:30 p.m.

Brooklyn Boy, a drama by Donald Margulies, is a story about what happens when the marginally successful writing career of middle-aged author Eric Weiss begins to take off with the publication of his novel, "Brooklyn Boy."

Whether or not Weiss' novel is based on his own life is one of the questions that fuels the play. Now he's facing temptations he's never known, while his wife and father are threatening to leave him - albeit in different ways.

Playing the part of Eric in the Gallery Players production is Dan Welsh, with veteran actor Charlie Sloin portraying his father, Manny. Rounding out the Gallery Players cast is Rick Napoli as Ira; Nancy Fox Spiler, Nina; Kristina Kopf, Melanie; Billy Ernhart, as Tyler, and Kate Murphy, as Alison. The production is being directed by veteran John Dranschak.

For information on the Gallery Players' production, visit the Gallery Players website at www.jccgalleryplayers.org, or call 559-6248.

Gallery Players seeks photos for 60th anniversary album
Gallery Players, the oldest community theater group in central Ohio, will celebrate its 60th season this fall at the Jewish Community Centerof Greater Columbus.

Co-chairs of the celebration, Pam Scheer and Rena Vesler, are sorting through photographs and slides of productions for a keepsake program and display.

They are looking for help in identifying the people in the photos, and are also asking for additional photos.

If interested in assisting with the project, contact Scheer at 231-3401 or Vesler at Rena@columbus.rr.com.
Gallery Players staged its first production in May, 1948, as the first community theater in central Ohio to implement a casting policy that did not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, or gender. Today, the group continues this inclusive tradition.

For information, visit the JCC website at www.columbusjcc.org or call 231-2731.

Rabbi-psychotherapist to talk about raising kids today
In partnership with the JCC of Greater Columbus and Nationwide Children's Hospital, noted psychotherapist Rabbi M. Gary Neuman will be presenting an audience interactive talk, "Raising Children in a Turbulent World," at the JCC on June 2, at 8 p.m.

His presentation is part of the LaDor VaDor ("Generation to Generation") Inaugural Educational Series, sponsored by the Columbus Jewish Foundation.

Rabbi Neuman is the creator of the internationally recognized Sandcastles Program for children of divorce, and author of "Helping Your Kids Cope With Divorce the Sandcastles Way" and "Emotional Infidelity, How to Affair-Proof Your Marriage and Other Secrets to a Great Marriage."

His work has received national media coverage, including multiple appearances on Oprah, the Today Show, the View, and NPR, as well as appearances on Dateline, NBC Nightly News, CBS Weekend News and Good Morning America.

His presentation at the JCC will be given in a talk show setting in order to enable the audience opportunities to ask questions and engage in a dynamic conversation. The public is invited to attend the event, after which Rabbi Neuman will be available to autograph copies of his books, which also will be for sale in the JCC lobby.

For information, visit the JCC website at www.columbusjcc.org, or call 231-2731.

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