By Katelyn Sattler
Staff Writer
The entertainment line-up for this year’s Zucchinifest is taking shape.
At the March 27 Obetz City Council meeting, Mayor Angela Kirk announced acts that signed up to perform at the Zucchinifest. Vanilla Ice, Tone Loc, and All 4 One will perform as part of their, “I Love the 90s” tour.
Kirk said she is “looking for a big crowd and a bunch of midlife crisis people out here trying to break dance or remember the words to that rap song. That ought to be a good time for everybody!”
Zucchinifest will be held at the Fortress Obetz from September 1-4. Friday’s hours will be 5-11 p.m. The car show registration is Friday when the gates open, with the car show and awards finishing up before the concert gates open. The city is still working on more entertainment.
Saturday’s Zucchinifest hours will be 11 a.m. through 11 p.m. Concert gates open at 6 p.m. and Vanilla Ice, Tone Loc, and All 4 One will take the stage at 8:30 p.m.
Sunday’s Zucchinifest hours will be 11 a.m. through 11 p.m. The parade will begin shortly after opening. There will be other entertainment before concert gates open at 6 p.m. TikTok-famous Matt Schuster will take the stage at 7 p.m. and American country rock singer and songwriter Brantley Gilbert will perform at 8:30 p.m.
Monday’s Zucchinifest hours will be noon through 6 p.m. More activities and will be announced at a later date.
Admission is free and no tickets are required.
Obetz Police news
Karmain Seay was sworn in as an Obetz Police officer at the March 27 Obetz City Council meeting. Seay graduated from Columbus State Community College with an AAS degree in Criminal Justice in 2022. He also graduated from Columbus Afrocentric Early College in 2016.
Obetz Police Chief Mike Confer said the new hands-free law goes into effect this week in all the state of Ohio.
“So, no more cell phones in your hands while you’re on the road, unless you’re at a stop sign, a stop light, or pulled over and not operating your vehicle,” said Confer. “It is a primary offense, so you don’t have to be doing anything else wrong to get a ticket.”
When asked what happens when someone is driving an old car and GPS is on their phone, is it okay if the phone is in the passenger seat?
Confer said, “If I understand the law correctly, if it is on a mount on your dash in front of you, you can touch the user GPS but not to answer your phone.”
He said essentially, it’s up to the discretion of the officer.
“You are allowed to drive and have your phone in your hand at your ears,” said Confer. “But if you’re done with the call and putting the phone down, that could be illegal.”
Confer also gave an update of police activities since the las council meeting. Officers had 1,046 calls for service and patrolled 4,319 miles. There were six speeding violations and 31 moving violations. There was one felony arrest and four misdemeanor arrests. Officers took 14 offense reports, seven crash reports, and two domestic violence incidents in the last two weeks.
