Whats happening on the Westside

Free Spanish as a Second Language classes

Spanish as a Second Language classes will be hosted weekly for a period of eight weeks by two Westside United Methodist churches. There is no cost for the classes, though free will offerings to cover the cost of the service and supplies will be gratefully accepted.To register for the classes, call Westgate UMC at 274-4271 or St. Mark’s UMC at 878-6520.

The classes will be offered the following days and locations:

•On Tuesdays at St. Mark’s UMC, 5200 Sullivant Ave., from July 10-August 28. Classes will be held from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

•On Fridays at Westgate UMC, 61 S. Powell Ave., from July 14-August 25. Classes will be held from 9-10 a.m.

Columbus Recreation and Parks Department “4-Day Art & Play”

The Columbus Recreation and Parks Department is sponsoring new “4-Day Art & Play” mini-camps. These traveling camps will take place in seven parks throughout the city this summer, moving to a new one each week.

The camps are free for children ages 6-12, Mondays through Thursdays, from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Each day will feature different activities, including tie-dying, one bounce fly, moving mazes, painting ultimate frisbee, singing/drumming, kickball, barbeque, water games, along with wacky inventions. Free breakfast and lunch will also be provided.

Dates and locations of the four-day camps are:

•July 16-19, Independence Park, 3075 Arrowsmith Dr.

•July 23-26, Saunders Park, 1380 Actheson.

•July 30-Aug. 2, Strawberry Farms Park, 3591 Watt Rd.

•Aug. 6-9, Scioto Woods park, 1605 Bendalow Dr.

For more information, call 645-7000, or visit the department’s Web site at www.columbusrecparks.com.

SWCS holding summer registration

The South-Western City School District will be holding summer registration for all elementary, intermediate, middle and high school students new to the district.  

Students must be registered prior to attending classes in any South-Western City School location.

Registration will be held from July 16 through August 10 at the South-Western Career Academy, 4750 Big Run South Rd., in Grove City. Enrollment times are Monday from 1 to 3 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m. and Tuesday through Friday from 8 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 3 p.m.

Parents or legal guardians must present the following documents in order to enroll their child(ren) in South-Western City Schools:  

•Original birth certificate, or original hospital certificate or original baptismal certificate

•Proof of residency in South-Western City Schools (current signed lease, deed or two current utility bills in the parent/guardian’s name)

•Custody documents, signed by a judge, designating the custodial parent (in cases of divorce)

•Immunization (shot) records

If a parent/guardian is enrolling a child for the first time in the United States, proof of a negative tuberculosis (TB) test must also be presented.

For further registration information, call 801-8985 or visit the district Web site at www.swcs.us.

PTSC free seminars

The Prairie Township Senior Center, 4656 W. Broad St., will be holding seminars at the center. These seminars are free and open to the public.

The schedule is as follows:

•July 17, 6 p.m. – Part 3, Estate Planning “Powers of Attorney”

•July 23, 1 p.m. – “Heart Healthy Eating” with Shelby Hartmann, registered dietician, Mt. Carmel West.

SWCS Head Start and Public Preschool programs

The South-Western City Schools Head Start and Public Preschool programs will be holding open enrollment from July 17 through August 16 at the Head Start offices, 4308 Haughn Road in Grove City.  

District parents can enroll their children by either making an appointment or walking into the office between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday.  

The South-Western City Schools Head Start and Early Childhood Education program is for income eligible three and four- year-old children. South-Western City Schools strives to meet the social, intellectual, emotional, and physical needs of each child. It provides parent involvement opportunities for families and stresses positive attitudes instrumental in developing individual abilities.

The following documents are necessary for enrollment:  birth certificate, verification of income (most current pay stub, 1040 tax form or OWF statement), proof of residency (current signed lease, deed or two utility bills), shot records, custody or court guardianship papers (if applicable), name of doctor and dentist, names and telephone numbers of three local emergency adult contact persons.

Fore more information, visit the South-Western City Schools Web site at www.swcs.us or call 801-8438 (English) or 801-8429 (Spanish).

PTSC “Lunch and Learn”

The Prairie Township Senior Center, 4656 W. Broad St., is sponsoring free “Lunch and Learn” sessions. These sessions include lunch and begin at 11 a.m. To register or for more information, call 878-5110. The next schedules session is on July 18 featuring Gary Bast from Town and Village Insurance. He will discuss life insurance settlements.

SWAC meeting

The July meeting of the Southwest Area Commission will be at 7 p.m. on July 18 at

the New Horizons United Methodist Church, 1665 Harrisburg Pike.

Please check our website, www.columbusswac.org for additional information about the Commission.

The Commission welcomes the involvement of area residents. The Commission boundaries are the Scioto River on the east, I-270 on the south, the railroad tracks west of Harrisburg Pike on the west, and Mound Street to Mt. Calvary to Greenlawn Avenue on the north. The Commission can be contacted through our Web site, or by phone at 562-4728.

West High School Alumni Picnic

The West High School Alumni Association will hold its annual all-class picnic on Wednesday, July 18, at the Westgate Park closed shelter house.  It will be from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Attendees are asked to bring one covered dish to share. Meat, beverages, and utensils will be provided by the Association. Contact Lois Neff Gossett at 272-1832, for additional information.

4-H Community BBQ

The 4-H Advisory Committee is hosting s a community BBQ at the Franklin County Fairgrounds on July 20th from 4-7 p.m. in the activities tent.  Come and enjoy a great chicken dinner including 1/4  chicken, choice of two sides(corn, baked beans, fruit, chips), drink, dinner roll and dessert.  

Presale tickets are only $5 if purchased before July 13th, $8 at the door. For tickets contact Lisa Frasure at 491-4331.

OSBA school board candidate workshop

People considering running for their local school board can learn more about the public office through the Ohio School Board Association (OSBA). OSBA is conducting a workshop for those who haven’t made up their minds whether to run for office or not.

The free, two-hour session will be conducted at the association’s Columbus office building located at 8050 N. High St. on the far north side of Columbus.

The roles and responcibilities of board of education members and how to run a campaign will be covered. The session begins at 10 a.m. and ends at noon on Saturday, July 21.

Call 589-OSBA or 540-4000 to register, or e-mail your names, address, phone number and district to Laurie Miller, OSBA workshop specialist, L-Miller@osba-ohio.org.

Ohio citizens wishing to run for a board of education must file a nominating petition with their county Board of Elections by 4 p.m., Aug. 23 (75 days prior to the general election).

This year’s general election day is Nov. 6. The legal qualifications for both school board members and qualified electors are that the person is a United States citizen, at least 18 years old, a resident of the school district, county and precinct, and a registered voter for at least 30 days preceding the election.

Kids Night

Community Christian Church, 107 S. Powell Ave., will be having a special Kid’s Night on July 22 from 6-8 p.m. There will be games, food, and prizes for the kids, ages 5-12. Call Heidi McKinney at 278-9315 for more information.

Westland High School Volleyball Youth Camp

Westland Volleyball Youth Camp will be held July 23-26 from 4-7 p.m. at Westland High School, 146 Galloway Rd., in the main gym. The camp is for students from the fifth to the eighth grade. Cost is $50 and includes a T-shirt. Bring your own drink and come a half-hour early to register. The high school Lady Cougars camp will be held July 23-27 from 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Be sure to bring water. For questions, contact Brian Web at bryangna@yahoo.com or call 851-0982.

West Columbus Women’s Club Luncheon

The West Columbus Women’s Club Luncheon will be held July 24, 12-1:45 p.m. at the Heritage Golf Club House, 3525 Herutage Club Dr., Hilliard. The guest speaker will be Connie Beard with vocalist Sandy and Tom Sherrill. Cost is $14 and is inclusive. Babysitting will be provided at no cost. Reservations and cancellations are required for the luncheon and nursery. Call Betty at 851-3222 or Audrey at 777-5778.

St. Margaret’s annual Parish Festival

St. Margaret Cortona Catholic Church, 1600 N. Hague Ave., will hold its annual Parish Festival at 6 p.m. July 27 and 5 p.m. July 28. The festival will feature rides, games, food and raffles. There will be musical entertainment Friday night featuring Ray Massa’s Eurorythyms and Saturday night featurinf the Danger Brothers. The parish’s traditional street procession of patron saints will begin after the 10:30 a.m. Mass July 29.

Dodge Senior Center

The Dodge Senior Center, 667 Sullivant Ave., is offering the following events for the month of August:

•Big Dog Days of Summer Cook-Out & Potluch, Aug. 15, 11:30am. The cost will be $3 for hamburgers & hot dogs with trimmings. The reservation deadline will be Aug. 13. Let us know what dish you are bringing.

•Health Care in Your Home, Aug. 21, 1 p.m.  Presenter: Tracy Imhoff.  No cost.  No Reservation.

•Senior Card Parties, Pinochle is played at 12:30 p.m. on Mondays, Wdnesdays and Fridays, and Tuesdays at   12:30 p.m. are Euchre.

•Free Hearing Screenings, Aug. 16, 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.  For reservations call Hope at 261-5452. No Cost.

•Ohio State Fair Trip – Senior Day, Aug. 7.  Call center, 645-3176, for details.  We are limited to a number of tickets for the special show.

Free health fair

The Ohio Medicaid Managed Care Enrollment Center will host a free health fair open to the public on Aug, 1 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Franklin County Department of Job and Family Services West, 314 N. Wilson Rd.

Vendors who participate in the fair will provide free services such as blood pressure, vaccinations, pregnancy information, HIV/AIDS education, diabetes screening and much more.

Those interested in vaccines for their family must bring current immunization records to receive vaccines.

For more information about the Health Fair or the Ohio Medicade Enrollment Center, call Susan Reidelbach toll-free at (800) 605-3040.

Columbus Literacy Council

The Columbus Literacy Council is holding an information session about tutoring and other volunteer opportunities on August 16, from 6-7:30 p.m. The session will be held at the Columbus Literacy Council Office, 195 N. Grant Ave. Register at www.columbusliteracy.org or call Norma Wetzel at 221-5013.

12 Step Recovery program

Friends Worship Center, 3030 Clime Rd., will host “12 Step Recovery: Celebrate Recovery” for all addictions including co-dependency every Thursday from 7-9 p.m. Come early, stay late for fellowship. For more information, call 279-1892 or 395-6309.

New county maps

Franklin County Engineer Dean Ringle has announced that the new 2007 Franklin County maps are now available through the engineer’s office and at other county, municipal, and state facilities.

The new map features more than 1,000 additions or changes to public roads, annexations, parks, and points of interest from the 2005 edition.

The four color, 43 by 37 inch map shows 11,858 roads, which are listed in an index, and 948 points of interest.

Also available is a 104 page county atlas in book form.

“The new map and atlas reflect the many municipal and township boundary changes that occurred due to annexations,” said Ringle. “Approximately 2,270 acres were annexed since 2005. The biggest gains occurred in Dublin (716 acres) Columbus (693 acres), Grove City (250 acres) and Lithopolis (244 acres).”

The county map is distributed free of charge and the atlas is available for $1.

For information visit www.franklincountyengineer.org.

PTSC exercise programs

The Prairie Township Senior Center hosts excercise programs free of costs throughout the week. The schedule is as follows:

•Mondays – 10 a.m., Low Impact Aerobics

•Tuesdays – 9:30 a.m., Gentle Stretchers

•Wednesdays – 10 a.m., Conditioning Exercise

•Fridays – 10 a.m., Gentle Stretchers