There are plenty of things going on throughout the city this week. Here are CityScene's top five picks for June 19-26, 2009:
1. Ride Like the Wind …
Columbus Symphony Orchestra’s outdoor music series Picnic with the Pops kicks off at 7 p.m. June 20 on the lawn of Chemical Abstracts Service, featuring singer-songwriter Christopher Cross.
The musician’s songs include Ride Like the Wind, Sailing, Never Be the Same, Think of Laura and Arthur’s Theme. Coming: June 27--Marvin Hamlish & Linda Eder
July 4--Patriotic Pops
Bring your own picnic or reserve a table. Visit www.columbussymphony.com.
2. Artful Adventure.
The 17th Annual Worthington Art Festival is June 20 and 21 at the Olde Worthington Village Green, intersection of state routes 161 and 23.
This juried show, ranked 35th in the top 100 fine art shows in the country, features more than 150 select artists and fine craftsmen exhibiting a variety of media. Worthington shops will also be open, as will the Saturday Farmer’s Market. Visit www.owba.net.
3. This place is a Zoo!
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium’s annual Zoofari event is from 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. June 20 at the zoo, 9990 Riverside Dr., Powell.
The adults-only event features food and signature cocktail samplings from the finest restaurants and bars in Columbus, as well as live entertainment. Proceeds from Zoofari go toward the zoo’s conservation and education programs. A list of participating eateries can be found at www.columbuszoo.org.
4. Jazz and Blues and More.
There will be jazz and blues music permeating the air throughout the Columbus area all week. The 11th annual Creekside Blues & Jazz Festival in Gahanna runs June 19-21, with 90 hours of live music performed by more than 60 musicians on four stages. Visit www.gahannaevents.com.
The Lincoln Theatre hosts “The History of American Blues” from 7-9 p.m. June 22-23. Join legendary blues artist Gene Walker and Sean Carney, the 2007 Albert King Best Guitarist Award Winner, for the occasion, which explores the history of blues and includes a live performance. Visit www.jazzartsgroup.org.
5. Full of Pride.
The annual Columbus Pride Festival runs June 19-21 at Goodale Park, on the corner of Goodale Boulevard and Park Street. The event features food and art vendors, live music and entertainment and the largest pride parade in the Midwest, kicking off Saturday at 1 p.m. at High and State streets downtown. Visit www.columbuspride.org.
Bonus: Welcome Back, Keller.
The Thurber House Literary Picnics series continues at 6:15 p.m. June 24, with Julia Keller, former reporter for the Columbus Dispatch and cultural critic at the Chicago Tribune.
The 2005 Pulitzer Prize winner for feature writing will read from her first book, Mr. Gatlin’s Terrible Marvel, about the invention of the Gatling gun and how it changed how wars are fought. Visit www.thurberhouse.org.