Feature stories - The LocaL

The TapWagen – Comes to Town

Posted on December 1, 2022February 1, 2023 by Editor - the Local

When the pandemic was in full effect, many people were faced with the opportunity to make creative life changes and look at their lives from a new perspective. Michael Woodham, a Columbus native, found himself in this very situation, a situation which led to the creation of his mobile bar service, TapWagen Columbus. Experience in the service industry has given Michael an understanding of what it means to build connections. “I mastered the art of…

Make Your Feet and Your Heart Happy With Paxx

Posted on November 1, 2022November 1, 2022 by Editor - the Local

A locally owned business brings South American style shoes and apparel that are just right for anyone this holiday season. After spending several years in South America, his wife’s home continent, John Orr and his family returned to Columbus to settle down. Deeply impacted by his time in Chile and Peru, John felt drawn to the area’s culture and style, so he brought some remnants of the countries back with him. “The culture is so…

These Puppies Won’t Hush: Chickasaw Mudd Puppies Return to Stage and Studio

Posted on October 10, 2022October 10, 2022 by Editor - the Local

The stage at a Chickasaw Mudd Puppies show looks more like the setting for a play based on a Faulkner novel than a backdrop for a band melding country blues, rockabilly, and punk.In their early 1990s prime, Brant Slay, the stringy-haired singer, percussionist, and multi-instrumentalist, perched himself in a ratty ladder-back rocking chair. He teetered with nervous energy throughout songs, dragging a rhythm with spoons on a washboard around his neck, or playing harmonica, dancing…

The World (Cup) Comes to Columbus

Posted on October 4, 2022October 4, 2022 by Editor - the Local

The swirling rapids of the Chattahoochee have wound their way through our home for hundreds of years, but only recently have they become a worldwide phenomenon. These waters are a magnet, attracting some of the best rafters and kayakers from around the globe. It’s taken a lot of work, from the engineers and dreamers who made the rapids happen to the businesses and local leaders who realized the potential of the river and worked to…

“From Church Director to Cannabis Queen”

Posted on June 1, 2022June 1, 2022 by Editor - the Local

The Well – Owner, Debbie Spear She looks like a friendly neighborhood soccer mom, but Debbie Spear’s mission to help Columbus with CBD makes her anything but ordinary. After serving nearly 20 years in education and ministry, Debbie read a blog post that would change her life. The post, which was about the benefits of CBD, intrigued her immediately, since her husband Eddie had been dealing with chronic pain. A natural, alternative way to deal…

From the ‘Ground’ Up: Local Playwright, Natalia Temesgen, Shoots for the Stars – and Makes It

Posted on May 9, 2022May 9, 2022 by Editor - the Local

Some people are born to be storytellers. They have it in their blood – the ability to thread language and image into new worlds. It’s not impossible to learn this art; even the best artists will tell you their hard work and dedication got them farther than any birthright talent. Yet it would be hard to describe Natalia Temesgen as anything other than a born storyteller. A playwright, actor, screenwriter, newspaper columnist, parent and teacher…

Local “Chicken Lady” Creates Award-Winning Recipes

Posted on March 2, 2022March 2, 2022 by Editor - the Local

Here in the South, Southern Comfort food is an art form, and local food expert Melinda Newton has created some tasty masterpieces. Known around these parts as “The Chicken Lady,” and for good reason. Her first experiences with food, and especially, chicken, began in the iconic Minnie’s restaurant, which was opened by Melinda’s grandmother “Minnie” in 1986. In 1991, Melinda’s mother, Rose, became the manager of Minnie’s, and in 1999, Melinda decided to join the…

The Deep, Musical Magic of Wolf & Clover: twelvemonth and a day

Posted on February 5, 2022February 5, 2022 by Editor - the Local

A whistle, a banjo. A guitar and a washboard. A fiddle, an accordion, and a beautiful voice singing from beyond the world. Highland jigs and ghostly woods, a lover’s quest and a good day’s work, and another morning coming after rest. This is the soul of Wolf & Clover, an “Irish-ish” band that dives deep into traditional Celtic music before surfacing again with new tweaks and twists and interpretation to share. The Columbus band’s new…

The Joint Redemption – Christi Burdeshaw

Posted on December 6, 2021September 2, 2024 by Editor - the Local

By age 24, Christi Burdeshaw had been arrested for shoplifting, possession of a controlled substance, probation violations, and even car theft. She used and sold drugs, oxycodone and methamphetamine. She lost custody of her three children. Christi remembers seeing her reflection in the glass of a sheriff’s car window. She remembers thinking how awful she looked, how unlike herself she seemed. Christi never used drugs as a kid. She was a cheerleader in high school,…

Jessica Jones Creates Empowering Experiences Through Boudoir Photography

Posted on June 15, 2021February 1, 2022 by Editor - the Local

Local photographer Jessica Jones appreciates the human form, and her boudoir photography celebrates the intricacies that make a person innately human, and beautiful.A Columbus local, Jess spent some time away from our city before returning to open her photography studio. With over twelve years experience, she decided to switch gears from weddings and family shoots to focus on boudoir photography. She opened her studio in Columbus three years ago and has spent the time since…

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