STATEHOUSE NEWS

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In honor of the life and service of Lorain County Administrator and former State Senator Jeff Armbruster, Governor Mike DeWine has ordered that the flags of the United States and the state of Ohio shall be flown at half-staff upon all public buildings and grounds throughout Lorain County and at the Ohio Statehouse, Vern Riffe Center, and Rhodes Tower from sunrise to sunset on the day of his funeral, June 7, 2026.
All other public buildings and grounds throughout the state may fly the flags of the United States and the state of Ohio at half-staff at their discretion for the same time period.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Grab your sketch pad and your yoga mat for an exciting 'Sketch and Stretch’ series happening at the Ohio Statehouse this June! For three Thursdays during the month, visitors are invited to spend an evening of free yoga and sketching sessions.

“This is a new opportunity to celebrate the beauty of the historic, 10-acre green space at the Ohio Statehouse and to host people interested in both art and fitness,” said Megan Wycuff, Executive Director of the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board. “We invite people of all experience levels to come out and have a good time!”

'Sketch and Stretch' will take place at the West Plaza of the Ohio Statehouse June 4, 11, and 25. During each event, there will be two sessions scheduled for yoga and two sessions of sketching. Visitors are invited to participate in both offerings!

Yaizmen Fayne of RawYoga614 will lead classes through the stretch sessions. People of all ages and experience levels are invited. Attendees are asked to bring their own yoga mats. For the sketch sessions, local artist Brian R. Williams will mentor guests as they sketch the Ohio Statehouse. Art supplies will be available.

'Sketch and Stretch’ will be held on the following dates and times:

• Thursday, June 4
  
  
  
  • Sketch Sessions
    
    
    
    • Session 1 - 5 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.
    
    
    • Session 2 - 6 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Stretch Sessions
    
    
    
    • Session 1 - 5 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.
    
    
    • Session 2 - 6 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  


• Thursday, June 11
  
  
  
  • Sketch Sessions
    
    
    
    • Session 1 - 5 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.
    
    
    • Session 2 - 6 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Stretch Sessions
    
    
    
    • Session 1 - 5 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.
    
    
    • Session 2 - 6 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.
      
      
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  


• Thursday, June 25
  
  
  
  • Sketch Sessions
    
    
    
    • Session 1 - 5 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.
    
    
    • Session 2 - 6 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Stretch Sessions
    
    
    
    • Session 1 - 5 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.
    
    
    • Session 2 - 6 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  

Please note this is an outdoor event. In case of rain or poor weather, 'Sketch and Stretch’ will take place inside the building.

The mission of the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board is to facilitate the operation of state government, preserve the historical integrity of the Capitol Square Complex and educate visitors about the history of Ohio and civics. For more information, visit OhioStatehouse.org.

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For more information, contact:
Karina Cheung, Capitol Square Review & Advisory Board
Email: Karina.Cheung@Ohiostatehouse.org
Phone: 614-728-2130

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In honor of Memorial Day, Governor Mike DeWine has ordered that the flags of the United States and the state of Ohio to be flown at half-staff upon all public buildings and grounds throughout the state of Ohio from 12:01 a.m. until noon on May 25, 2026.

The Ohio Statehouse is closed on May 25 for Memorial Day.

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In honoring Peace Officer Memorial Day and Police Week, Governor Mike DeWine has ordered the flags of the United States and the state of Ohio to be flown at half-staff upon all public buildings and grounds throughout the state of Ohio on May 15, 2026.

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Columbus, Ohio – The Kent State University Museum and the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board announce “Ohioans in Space: The Carl E. Walz Spacesuit from the Kent State University Museum,” a special installation opening on May 19 at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, celebrating Ohio’s legacy of excellence in aviation and space exploration. The installation will be on view through Nov. 3.

The Kent State University Museum, which holds one of the world’s most comprehensive collections of fashion, textiles and decorative arts, is bringing a spacesuit from its collection into the heart of Ohio’s Capitol, underscoring the power of museums to elevate Ohio stories and engage audiences across the state.

“This installation reflects the power of garments to tell stories about our histories, our accomplishments and our shared aspirations,” said Sarah Spinner, Ph.D., J.D., director of the Kent State University Museum. “The spacesuit honors one of our alumni’s extraordinary contributions to space exploration and shows how museums can bring those stories to life, inspiring connection and discovery.

The installation will be displayed in the Rotunda and features the spacesuit worn aboard the International Space Station (ISS) by NASA astronaut Carl E. Walz, a Kent State graduate who received his Bachelor of Science in Physics in 1977. Designed to counteract the effects of prolonged weightlessness, the suit uses a system of elastic straps and tensioning mechanisms to simulate the physical load of gravity, helping astronauts maintain muscle and bone strength during long-duration missions. Walz wore the suit during his six-month stay on the space station from December 2001 to June 2002, part of a career that included four space missions and 231 days in space.

“I’m honored that my suit will be displayed at the Ohio Statehouse,” Walz said. “I gave it to the Kent State University Museum to share the story of space exploration with students and future generations of explorers and innovators.”

The accompanying wall panels situate Walz’s career within Ohio’s broader history of flight and space exploration, from the Wright brothers to astronaut John Glenn. The installation is intended to amplify the “Ohioans in Space” painting by Bill Hinsch, commissioned by the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board and the Capitol Square Foundation, and installed at the Statehouse in 2024.

“The Ohio Statehouse is where we share the stories that define our state,” said Charles R. Moses, chair of the Capitol Square Foundation. “This installation highlights Ohio’s long-standing contributions to aviation and space exploration and helps connect visitors to that legacy of achievement and discovery.”

The spacesuit is presented alongside images from the James Webb Space Telescope, on loan from COSI: Center of Science and Industry, offering visitors a visual connection between human exploration and the wider universe.

“This is exactly the type of collaboration that brings the humanities to life,” said Rebecca Asmo, executive director of Ohio Humanities. “A fashion museum partnering with a science museum shows how Ohio institutions can work together to connect people to our shared history of exploration and the experiences that shape our state.”

A reception will be held at 5 p.m. in the Statehouse Museum, followed by a ribbon cutting at 6 p.m. in the Rotunda on May 19. The event will bring together leaders from across Ohio’s cultural, scientific and civic communities, including Charles R. Moses, chair of the Capitol Square Foundation; Rebecca Asmo, executive director of Ohio Humanities; Donna Collins, executive director of the Ohio Arts Council; Frederic Bertley, Ph.D., president and CEO of COSI: Center of Science and Industry; Capt. William F. Colleran, a pilot and Kent State alumnus; Donald Mason, mayor of Zanesville, Ohio, and vice chair of the Kent State Board of Trustees; and lawmakers State Sen. Kristina Roegner, State Rep. Heidi Workman and State Rep. Bill Roemer.

The spacesuit on view is part of the Kent State University Museum’s collection of more than 30,000 objects spanning fashion, textiles and decorative arts from the mid-1700s to the present. In November 2025, the museum, located in Portage County, was reaccredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the highest national recognition a museum can receive.

“Ohioans in Space” is part of a growing series of cross-disciplinary collaborations led by the Kent State University Museum, reflecting Spinner’s focus on broadening access to the museum’s collection and deepening its impact.

The installation and reception at the Statehouse are generously sponsored by Leslie Royce Resnik on behalf of the John P. Murphy Foundation.

About the Kent State University Museum
The Kent State University Museum houses one of the world’s most important collections of fashion, textiles and decorative arts, spanning the mid-1700s to the present. With more than 30,000 objects and seven gallery spaces, the museum serves students, scholars and the broader public through exhibitions, research and object-based learning. For more information, visit www.kent.edu/museum.

About the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board
The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB) is responsible for maintaining the historic character of Capitol Square while providing for the health, safety and convenience of those who work in and visit the complex. CSRAB is charged with interpreting the role of Ohio's Statehouse in national and Ohio history, to celebrate its art and architecture and to highlight its ongoing impact on the daily lives of Ohioans and thereby inspire all Ohioans to participate in state government. For more information, visit https://ohiostatehouse.org/about/csrab.

Photo available.

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An 1864-era cannon will be fired from the West Plaza of the Ohio Statehouse Tuesday, May 12, 2026.

As part of the Ohio Statehouse’s Vintage Base Ball Game, Battery A will fire one of the Ohio Statehouse’s Civil War-era cannons from the West Plaza of Capitol Square on Tuesday at 5:25 p.m. and after 7:30 p.m.

These sounds can be startling, so we wish to give advance notice to everyone working on and near Capitol Square.

The Vintage Base Ball Game runs from 5:30 to 8 p.m on the Statehouse grounds. The Ohio Village Muffins will play the state senators and representative using old-fashioned rules of base ball (traditionally two words). The public is welcome to watch! Momma's Burger Bites food truck will be at the corner of State and High Streets on Tuesday evening.

For more details, visit OhioStatehouse.org.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio - The 1st Ohio Light Artillery, Battery A (1st OLA, Bat. A), in conjunction with the Capitol Square Review & Advisory Board (CSRAB) will bring an original Civil War cannon, gun #179, to Cleveland from the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus to salute the new USS Cleveland, a Littoral Combat Ship.

Battery A is a 501(c)(3) Civil War reenactment unit attached to the Ohio Statehouse, with a mission to educate Ohioans about their history in the Civil War.

On Saturday, May 16, Battery A will participate in the USS Cleveland ship commissioning ceremony alongside fellow reenactors from Valley View, Ohio, who reenact the Cleveland based 19th Ohio Independent Battery.

Gun #179 is now stationed on the grounds of the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus. It was made for the state of Ohio in 1864 and issued to a Cleveland based unit, the 8th Ohio National Guard Independent Battery. This is the cannon that fired a salute at the funeral of President Lincoln in Cleveland on April 28, 1865.

The cannon will fire again in Cleveland, for a much happier occasion, during the ship commissioning ceremony which begins at 10 a.m. on May 16, 2026.

Contact: Duane Rezac
Captain, 1st Ohio Light Artillery, Battery A
740-503-8023
Duane.rezac@gmail.com

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The Statehouse will be closed Sunday May 10 for elevator inspections. During these inspections building generators, sirens and strobes will be activated at times starting at 7 a.m. Please, be advised the sounds and lights are only a test.

The Statehouse Parking Garage will be accessible but all elevators in the garage will be out of service during this time.

We thank you for your patience while the Statehouse is closed. Older Posts