Things will be hopping all summer long at Groveport’s Heritage Park.
The park – which features an 1815 era log house, a shelter house, an amphitheater, a fishing pond, and walking path – is located at 551 Wirt Road near the Groveport Cemetery.
"Heritage Park is one of the busiest parks in Groveport," said Groveport Community Affairs Director Linda Haley. "It’s a good walking park nestled into the neighborhoods. It’s easy to get to and it’s full of activities from concerts, movies, historical tours, and fishing to just being a nice place to take a walk."
Nature Fair
Groveport’s annual nature fair will be held June 14 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Heritage Park. The event includes crafts, shows, nature demonstrations, nature exhibits, music, a petting zoo, hayrides, a fishing derby in Palm Pond, a pioneer exhibit, raffles, face painting, balloon animals, and docent lead log house tours. The Groveport Heritage and Preservation Society’s two history documentaries about Groveport – "Groveport: A Town and Its People," and "The Story of John S. Rarey and Cruiser" – will be shown in the log house. The Heritage Nature Center, located in the rear room of the log house and features both animal and plant specimens, will also be open for the Nature Fair.
Additionally naturalists from Three Creeks Metro Park will bring some reptiles and amphibians and the Ohio Wildlife Center will have some live animals for visitors to learn about.
"It’s a day of fun for the community," said Groveport Naturalist Tina Dillman of the Nature Fair. "It’s a chance to experience nature and to learn about it. It’s a fun, inexpensive event for the whole family."
Dillman said new to the Nature Fair this year is a historic tour of the Groveport Cemetery.
"We want kids to learn to respect history and nature. Heritage Park, the log house, and the cemetery are intertwined with nature," said Dillman.
Music in the Park
The village of Groveport, in cooperation with B107.9 FM radio, will hold its free annual "Music in the Park" summer concert series on Sundays at 7 p.m. in Heritage Park. The first show was June 8 and featured the Gas Pump Jockeys.
The schedule for this summer is:
•June 22 – Paint It Black (Rolling Stones tribute band)
•July 13 – JuJu Bees (R&B, Motown)
•July 27 – Challengers (country, oldies, originals)
•Aug. 10 – John Schwab (Jimi Hendrix to Jimmy Buffett to James Taylor to James Brown)
•Aug. 24 – Bill Foley Band (’50s, ’60s, ’70s)
"We’re happy to partner with B107.9 this year," said Haley. "We have a nice mix of bands. The common thread is that they play ‘oldies’ music, be it rock and roll, country, classic rock, or Motown. It’s a family friendly activity that appeals to all ages. It’s free, exceptional entertainment."
"The summer concert series is a way for the village to give back to its residents," continued Haley. "We also welcome neighbors from other communities to come and see the great things our town has to offer."
Haley said the stage in Heritage Park was built with multiple performance uses in mind and to fit in with the park’s natural amphitheater. Designed to look like a 19th century timber frame barn and to compliment the nearby 1815 era log house, the sides of the stage can be opened to create a 60 foot wide performance space.
Movies in the Park
The village of Groveport will present free summer movies in Heritage Park at 7 p.m. every Saturday beginning June 21 with "Shrek the Third" and June 28 with "Bee Movie."
"We’ll have movies all summer on Saturdays through Aug. 30, except for July 26," said Haley.
The films will be screened on the park’s stage. Other movies to be shown in the series will be announced later.
Other summer events at Heritage Park
•June 9 – A free "Art in the Park Night" for kids ages 3-12 will be held in June 9 at 7 p.m. at the Heritage Park shelter house. Learn how to make tye-dye and snowflake designs onto linen cloth.
•June 13 – "Astronomy Night" will be held June 13, at 9 p.m. in the Heritage Park parking lot, Bring your telescope or binoculars to view the night sky. An Ohio State University astronomer will point out attractions in the night sky and participants can view through a high powered telescope.
•June 20 – The Turtle Lady and her turtle and reptile friends will visit the log house in at 7 p.m. Registration not required.
•June 21 – "Summer Sun." Wear your shades to learn about our closest star and make art using the sun’s rays. 10 a.m.
•June 28 – "Wonderful Weavers." Weave a project or two to take home. 10 a.m.
•July 1 – Make sand candles at 7 p.m.
•July 19 – Columbus Zoo animals will visit at 11 a.m.
•July 25-27 – The Rosebriar Shakespeare Company will present the play "Pyramus and Thisbe" at 7:30 p.m. on the Heritage Park stage.
For information about these events and other happenings at Heritage Park this summer, call Groveport Town Hall at (614) 836-3333.
