Celebrate the arts and meet your neighbors at the Rose Run Festival and Founders Day this summer.
Come with the whole family for performances from local artists, vendors, food trucks, rides and activities for all ages.
June 7-10: Rose Run Festival
Th second annual Rose Run Festival celebrates the culture of Germany and the New Albany Symphony Orchestra’s upcoming tour in Europe with a cultural expedition to Dresden, Germany.
Debbie Feiler, director of the New Albany Symphony says that the idea for the Rose Run Festival was devised by Heather Garner and Ann Sproule, who are now executive director and operations director, respectively. They wanted to connect local nonprofits and highlight Columbus’ sister cities around the world.
“It was inspired by the building of the Hinson Amphitheater. We wanted to come up with an arts and music festival for the community,” Garner says. “My idea for this festival was to choose a sister city each year and highlight the food, the music, the dance and the culture of that area.”
Fan favorites from last year’s festival will be returning, such as a curated collection of titles from the library about Germany and cooking classes with Healthy New Albany featuring traditional German fare, such as German potato salad, black forest cake, spaetzle and schnitzel. Art in the Park, where painters from Ohio Plein Air Society will paint in locations around Run Run Park, will also return.
The festival will also include a German Polka dance lesson from New Vision Dance Company, a sound bath from Well-Being Connection, a German printmaking workshop with local artist Debra Dawson, and fairytale readings and performances from the New Albany Youth Theatre’s cast of Shrek Jr.
An ice cream social with Whit’s Frozen Custard food truck will take place at the New Albany Symphony’s opening night preview concert and Schmidt's food truck will be at the closing concert at the Hinson Amphitheater.
As the second annual Rose Run Festival, small changes continue to make the festival fun for the whole community.
To prepare for the heat of the summer festival, many of the events, such as the polka lesson and the fairytale performance, will be taking place inside the library. Additionally, the event has been shortened from a full week of activities to four days, from Wednesday to Saturday.
“Part of the symphony’s mission is to just engage the whole community. Educate them about the performing arts and the fine arts,” Feiler says. “Watching everybody come together as a community and celebrate their talents, that’s gonna be great.”
May 20: Founders Day
Founders Day is returning to Rose Run Park for days of fun for the whole family and celebrate local businesses in the area. As the event continues to grow, new rides, vendors and food trucks are welcomed to the festivities.
“What we’ve always found is that this is a good way for new businesses and old businesses to get out in the public eye,” Beckie Knore, Founders Day coordinator, says. “All kinds of different vendors set up a tent just to make sure that the community knows they’re around… There’s very few of those kinds of things anymore to go to and be able to talk to people like that.”
Vendors like Re-Hydrate Wellness LLC, DripBar, Samantha Rose Candle Company and The Sound Room at Polaris are joining the lineup this year. Additionally, the festival is welcoming new food trucks this year like Snow Sisters, A&E Gluten Free, Forking Pierogi, Over Time - Wing Time and Ruggies Rolling Restaurant.
The Ohio Party Bull and Michael Amusements are bringing a climbing wall, and a 40-foot and 60-foot obstacle course, a fun slide and a four-person bungee jump are all new additions to the festival geared towards all ages, from middle school and on, in order to have a little something for everyone, Event Coordinator Linda Honaker shares.
The parade is also welcoming old and new faces. The police and fire department will both make an appearance, as well as beloved characters such as Stinger and Brutus. The fire department continues its tradition of bringing a safety house for a live demonstration of how to escape a burning building. The festival is also hiring a DJ for the event and the Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area in Rose Run Park will also be returning for a space to catch up with friends and enjoy the warm weather.
The festival will again be hosting its “best of” series featuring businesses out of New Albany – restaurants, pharmacies, daycares and new to the area. The winners, which are chosen by New Albany residents, are awarded a plaque and make an appearance in the parade alongside other community members.
“You’re coming out of spring and you get to see friends and neighbors that you haven’t talked to in a long time,” Knore says. “There’s something to do for everyone.”
Katie Giffin is a contributing writer at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
