Feature stories - The LocaL

Strange Brew: Gentlemen jammers Mango Strange prepare for lift off

Posted on June 12, 2018June 29, 2019 by Tom Ingram

During certain times at select places, if you pay close enough attention, you can sense a scene being born. Thick as humidity, high as a Georgia pine and real as red clay, the buzz building around the ascendant local rock band was palpable in the sultry summer air during their Saturday night set to close out the Frogtown Jam last month. Faces familiar from gathering every Wednesday night to catch Mango Strange at their Loft…

Jim Pharr: Is He Serious?

Posted on June 8, 2018June 29, 2019 by Tom Ingram

By April Norris Those who love the Springer Opera House and No Shame Theater may have read on social media about the health issues of the talented Jim Pharr, host of No Shame and resident actor for The Springer. There is no replacement. I learned over coffee, (Fountain City Coffee, where he begins each morning) that Jim was diagnosed with epilepsy when he was 23, roughly the time he began working at the Springer. “There…

The Wicked Hen: Midtown’s dining destination keeps getting better

Posted on June 7, 2018June 29, 2019 by Tom Ingram

In some ways, not much has changed—except for a beautifully remodeled dining room, new menu options and live music, Wicked Hen (1350 13th Street, Columbus) remains, as it was last year when we first wrote about it, Midtown’s premier destination restaurant. But that’s why Wicked Hen still sets the bar, and a high bar at that: from atmosphere to delectable fare, The Wicked Hen team, unwilling to rest on past success, is always looking to…

Going Green: Trees Columbus preserves and grows our urban canopy

Posted on April 6, 2018June 29, 2019 by Tom Ingram

Sometimes a name says it all. Simple yet profound, Trees Columbus’s mission is to “plant, preserve and protect” the city’s urban tree canopy. Since forming in 2000—in response to city plans to remove 150 trees from Lakebottom Park—the environmental advocacy and awareness organization has planted nearly 15,000 trees and helped enact local legislation critical to making Columbus a sustainable, beautiful community. “There are obvious reasons why it’s important to have an urban tree canopy,” explains…

Ralph Frank’s life, liberty and pursuit of happiness

Posted on February 22, 2018June 29, 2019 by Tom Ingram

In a way, Ralph Frank, Jr. was born to do it. Featured image courtesy of Garry Pound by Frank Etheridge “I grew up on the south side,” the Columbus native recalls, pointing out that he was born in 1951 at what’s called “the old hospital” that predated Martin Army Hospital, where his two younger siblings where born. “My dad stuck a lettering brush in my hand more than a few times, but I wanted…

Walk the Walk Growing the impact and importance of African-American historical sites in Columbus

Posted on February 12, 2018June 29, 2019 by Tom Ingram

By Frank Etheridge Perhaps the most jarring example in Columbus of how history is told—by whom and for whom— and changes with time lies in the shadow of the Government Center. On that beleaguered tower of bureaucracy’s frontward-facing 10th Street side, a series of three historical markers (erected from 1955-57, during Jim Crow’s last gasp) celebrates the site as connected to: Confederate Hospitals (eight buildings, including the original city court house demolished to make way…

Five Top 5s with Jud Richardson

Posted on February 6, 2018June 29, 2019 by Tom Ingram

My name is Jud Richardson and I am the roaster and owner of Fountain City Coffee. While I’ve owned the shop for five years, I’ve been working there since 2005. It’s been my goal to see the place thrive and to provide a refuge for folks while also roasting the best beans around! I have also never run out of radishes.” Barista questions 1. What is your spirit animal? 2. What is in the village…

The Lion House: one of Columbus’s most elegant homes has a complicated, often mysterious, history

Posted on January 13, 2018June 29, 2019 by Tom Ingram

On Dec. 2, as part of the Historic Tour of Homes in Columbus, Brian Luedtke welcomed some 500 guests into the Lion House, his elegant Greek Revival mansion at 1316 Third Avenue in High Uptown. These guests enjoyed the home restored, over many years and thousands of man hours by Brian, to its former glory, with some modern conveniences, and fully dressed in holiday attire, with fruit and garlands framing the doorways and a Christmas…

Scott Phillips knows the one thing Columbus needs to break into the film business

Posted on January 6, 2018June 29, 2019 by Tom Ingram

It’s a New Year, and we all know what that means – resolutions. We all pledge to smoke less, drink less, eat better, go to the gym more. It’s a time for bringing priorities into focus. But, we tend to make one mistake when it comes to New Year’s resolutions: we limit them to ourselves, to our personal growth. We should be making resolutions for our city. Consider it a community To-Do list for 2018. …

Still hunting for home venue, Roller Girls look forward to recruitment night at Civic Center match

Posted on December 3, 2017June 29, 2019 by Tom Ingram

In the two years since the Muscogee Roller Girls have played a home match, the league has come a long way. They rank 181st in international rankings according to the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association, the result of successful recruiting and a focus on training. Still, the Roller Girls lack a home venue for their games, meaning that current fans must travel to see the them compete. The traveling takes a toll. Not only must…

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