STATEHOUSE NEWS

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It’s almost that time of the year again to grab your loved ones and bring some holiday cheer to celebrate The Ohio Statehouse Holiday Festival and Tree Lighting. Save the date and join in on the fun at this year’s celebration on Tuesday, December 2, 2014 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. This free family-friendly event is open to the public!

The festival marks the beginning of the holiday season on Capitol Square and throughout all of central Ohio. The indoor ceremony will consist of a short program, welcoming Santa and Mrs. Claus, followed by the lighting of our historically decorated holiday tree. The festivities will then continue with refreshments, arts and crafts activities, games and special performances by local bands and choirs. There will also be a free photo station available to capture your family’s moment with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

Come and join us for this magical night at the Ohio Statehouse to start off your holiday season! Convenient and affordable parking is available during the event in the Ohio Statehouse underground parking garage. Parking rates are available at www.ohiostatehouse.org.

Holiday press images are available at: http://www.ohiostatehouse.org/galleries/holidays-at-the-statehouse or upon request.

To view this press release and others, visit www.ohiostatehouse.org.


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Calendar Listing:
The Ohio Statehouse Holiday Festival and Tree Lighting
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Ohio Statehouse; 1 Capitol Square; downtown Columbus
614/728-9777

Join us at the Ohio Statehouse for our family-friendly Ohio Statehouse Holiday Festival and Tree Lighting. This indoor event is free and open to the public with affordable parking available. Come and meet Santa and Mrs. Claus, watch the magnificent lighting of our holiday tree, enjoy some refreshments, participate in festive arts and crafts activities, and listen to the sweet sounds of local bands and choirs.

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The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB) will meet Thursday, October 16, 2014 at the Ohio Statehouse in downtown Columbus. The business meeting will be held in the State Room (room 108) and will begin at 10 a.m. The meeting is open to the public. The meeting agenda is available upon request.

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Haunted Statehouse Tour tickets are still available—2014 marks 20 years of haunted tours on Capitol Square. The special Halloween tours will take place on Friday, October 17 and Saturday, October 18; and Friday, October 24 and Saturday, October 25. Tickets for the Haunted Statehouse Tours are $12 per adult and $6 per child under the age of 12. This is a ticketed event. Tickets must be pre-ordered.

Tours will depart every half hour between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Tour times are: 7 p.m., 7:30 p.m., 8 p.m., 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. Tickets are limited to 40 individuals per tour time each night. This is a hot ticket on Capitol Square.

Tickets can be purchased three ways:
-Online at www.statehouseshop.com (click "Seasonal");
-By visiting the Statehouse Museum Shop on the ground floor of the Ohio
Statehouse;
-Or purchasing over the phone by calling 614/728-9234.
Statehouse staff members and volunteers will combine history and legend in this special family-friendly haunted Statehouse tour. Conductors will lead visitors through the dimly lit limestone corridors of the Ohio Statehouse by lantern. This historical tour is spooky but appropriate for all members of the family. The tour is most suitable for individuals over the age of 12. The 2014 edition of the Haunted Statehouse Tours will feature new stories and an updated tour route that frames the Ohio Statehouse in a more formidable light.

For more information about the Haunted Statehouse Tours, visit www.ohiostatehouse.org or contact 614/728-2130.

High resolution press images are available at: http://www.ohiostatehouse.org/galleries/events.

To view this press release and others, visit www.ohiostatehouse.org.

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The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board and Capitol Square Foundation are seeking nominations for the 2015 class of “Great Ohioans.” The award commemorates Ohioans who have played a significant role in an event, or series of events, of lasting significance in world, American or Ohio history. Additional criteria include being born in Ohio or lived in Ohio for a minimum of five years. At least 25 years must have passed since the commemorated event, in which the nominee participated.

This award is an opportunity to recognize Ohioans who have made an impact in a number of important areas. A complete explanation of the nomination process and nomination forms can be found online at www.ohiostatehouse.org or http://www.capitolsquarefoundation.org/Great_Ohioan.htm.

All Ohioans, including teachers and students, are encouraged to participate in the nomination process.

Great Ohioan nomination categories include:

• inventions/medicine/science


• literature/journalism/history


• academics


• communications/education


• entertainment/sports


• government/military/public service/religion

Deadline for nominations is Monday, December 1, 2014. The Capitol Square Foundation may select up to three nominees to submit for selection to the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board, the administrative agency of the Ohio Statehouse. The Great Ohioan Award recipients will be announced and recognized in early 2015.

Since 2003, 30 Great Ohioans have been recognized with the award for the special roles they played in history. The Great Ohioans include;

2003 Class: Orville and Wilbur Wright, inventors; John Glenn, first American to orbit the earth; and Neil Armstrong, first man to walk on the moon;

2008 Class: Jesse Owens, Olympic track and field star; Thomas Edison, inventor; Harriet Beecher Stowe, author; James Thurber, journalist and author; Colonel Charles Young, military leader; and Dr. George Crile, founder of the Cleveland Clinic;

2009 Class: Catherine Nelson Black, health care humanitarian; Salmon P. Chase, Ohio Governor, Secretary of the Treasury and U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice; Paul Laurence Dunbar, poet and author; Charles F. Kettering, inventor; Eddie Rickenbacker, World War I fighter ace; and Denton T. “Cy” Young, baseball legend.

2010 Class: James M. Cox, journalist, member of the United States House of Representatives, Ohio Governor; Florence Ellinwood Allen, first woman Ohio Supreme Court Justice; Bob Feller, baseball legend; and Bill Willis, National Football League hall of famer.

2011 Class: Ulysses S. Grant, Civil War General and U.S. President; William Moore McCulloch, Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, U.S. Congressman and civil rights advocate; William Howard Taft, U.S. President and U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice; and Harriet Taylor Upton, women’s rights advocate and author.

2012 Class: Gordon Battelle, philanthropist and researcher; Dominic Salavtore “Don” Gentile, World War II fighter pilot; Washington Gladden, clergyman and social reformer; Albert Belmont Graham, founder of the 4-H program; Albert Sabin, medical researcher best known for the oral polio vaccine; and William T. Sherman, Civil War general.

2013 Class: James Abram Garfield, scholar, Civil War General and U.S. President; Granville T. Wood, entrepreneur and inventor; Paul Brown, professional football innovator, coach and executive.

2014 Class: Annie Oakley, superstar sharpshooter and educator, and Jerri Mock, first woman to fly around the world.

A special exhibit in the Ohio Statehouse Museum pays tribute to all Great Ohioan Award recipients. On a large touch screen, a host of options are available for visitors to explore the life and accomplishments of each recipient. While countless Ohioans have performed great actions for their community and beyond, only a select few have been named a “Great Ohioan.” The exhibit allows visitors to have a greater understanding of the recipients of the Great Ohioan award and discover how they affected local, national and world history. The exhibit uses video, photos and web based technology to explore the life and legacy of each Great Ohioan. The Capitol Square Foundation has raised more than $5 million in private donations for the new museum and enhanced education programming at the Ohio Statehouse.

About the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board
The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board is responsible for maintaining the historic character of the Statehouse and Capitol Square while providing for the health, safety and convenience of those who work in and visit the complex. The Ohio Statehouse Museum shines a light on the history of this great edifice, its symbolic meaning and its vital historic and ongoing connections to the daily lives of all Ohioans.

About the Capitol Square Foundation
The Capitol Square Foundation was established in 1987 to increase public awareness of and to involve citizens in the history of the Ohio Statehouse. Its purpose is to raise funds to obtain, restore and maintain artifacts and other items related to the history and enhancement of the grand monument and its adjoining grounds, so that the seat of Ohio's government may reflect the dignity of the state and its citizens.

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In partnership with the State of Ohio Combined Charitable Campaign (CCC) the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB) will host the first
CCC FootGolf Statehouse Open Thursday, September 25. The fundraiser will begin with opening remarks at 10:15 a.m. on the West Plaza, with a flintlock start at 10:30 a.m.

Participants will play FootGolf on the nine-hole course set up on the Ohio Statehouse grounds. Contact Nancy Henry ( 614/752-7298 or nhenry@csrab.state.oh.us) to reserve a tee time between 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. A minimum $5 donation will be accessed to play with all funds being donated to the State of Ohio CCC. Win prizes for the lowest score and closest to the pin—prizes have been donated by the American FootGolf League. Soccer balls will be limited, so if at all possible, please bring your own soccer ball. This event is free and open to the public. For American FootGolf League rules and detailed information on FootGolf, please, visit http://www.afgl.us/.

Local food trucks will be on site to feed the hungry masses. Grab a bite and play a round of golf on Capitol Square Thursday, September 25!

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The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB) in partnership with Keep Ohio Beautiful will celebrate National Planting Day Tuesday, September 23, 2014, by planting native Ohio plants at the Ohio Statehouse.

National Planting Day celebrates the value and power of native species in restoring ecological balance to the environment while creating greener, more beautiful communities. To commemorate this day, Keep Ohio Beautiful will host a public educational event at the South Plaza of the Ohio Statehouse, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., to beautify the grounds with Ohio native plants by planting an Ohio Native Butterfly Forage Garden. The event will be kicked off by a book reading involving preschool children from Children First Child Care.

In Ohio, native plants and wildlife are losing ground to suburbanization and fragmented habitats. However, natives are critical to sustaining the state’s environment as they are the best sources of food and habitat for pollinators and other important wildlife. Native plants are hardy, and require lower maintenance and less water than other ornamentals.

“When we plant Ohio native species on the grounds of the Ohio Statehouse we are also establishing a learning environment for the nearly 80,000 school children that visit the complex each year,” said William E. Carleton, executive director, Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board.

Michael Mennett, executive director, Keep Ohio Beautiful will be joined by Keep Ohio Beautiful state affiliates; Ohio legislators; William Carleton, executive director, Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board; Tamra Ansel, grounds supervisor, Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board; Su Lok, director of corporate and community partnerships, Scotts Miracle-Gro; Becky Lyons, chief operating officer, Keep America Beautiful; Dan Weisenbach, president, Keep Ohio Beautiful; and Greg Snowden, Davey Resource Group, a division of The Davey Tree Expert Co.

The species included in the butterfly forage garden were carefully selected by scientists at Davey with assistance from Tamra Ansel, grounds manager with the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board. The plants were donated by Arcola Creek Nursery in Lake County and Dayton Nursery. A special cell phone tour has been established, too— Capitol Square visitors who dial (614)/728-8756 from a mobile device will be able to learn about this wonderful butterfly forage garden.

High school students from the Tolles Career & Technical Center will be planting, and organizations from throughout the state will be on hand to educate attendees about native plants. In the case of inclement weather, the location will be moved to the Ohio Statehouse Atrium.

About National Planting Day
National Planting Day is a Keep America Beautiful program now in its third year. The organization holds its national celebration on September 6, and encourages Americans to hold events supporting local ecosystems by planting native trees, shrubs and plants throughout the fall. For more information on National Planting Day or Keep Ohio Beautiful, contact Michael Mennett at (330)/338-8328 or mmennett@keepohiobeautiful.org.

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The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board has kicked off ticket sales for the 2014 Haunted Statehouse Tours. The special Halloween tours will take place on Friday, October 17 and Saturday, October 18; and Friday, October 24 and Saturday, October 25. Tickets for the Haunted Statehouse Tours are $12 per adult and $6 per child under the age of 12. This is a ticketed event. Tickets must be pre-ordered.

Tours will depart every half hour between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Tour times are: 7 p.m., 7:30 p.m., 8 p.m., 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. Tickets are limited to 40 individuals per tour time each night. This is a hot ticket on Capitol Square.

Tickets can be purchased three ways:
-Online at www.statehouseshop.com (click "Seasonal");
-By visiting the Statehouse Museum Shop on the ground floor of the Ohio
Statehouse;
-Or purchasing over the phone by calling 614/728-9234.
Statehouse staff members and volunteers will combine history and legend in this special family-friendly haunted Statehouse tour. Conductors will lead visitors through the dimly lit limestone corridors of the Ohio Statehouse by lantern. This historical tour is spooky but appropriate for all members of the family. The tour is most suitable for individuals over the age of 12. The 2014 edition of the Haunted Statehouse Tours will feature new stories and an updated tour route that frames the Ohio Statehouse in a more formidable light.

Special activities will be available to participate in before each tour. The Statehouse Museum shop will be open throughout the evening and will offer candy apples, candy and caramel corn, cookies and soda for purchase. In addition, special Halloween merchandise will be offered for purchase. More information is available at www.statehouseshop.com.

Visitors to the Ohio Statehouse are invited to park in the facility's underground parking garage. This convenient and affordable parking offers direct sheltered access to the Ohio Statehouse for this event. Parking fee is not included in ticket price. Parking rates are available at http://www.ohiostatehouse.org/about/general-information/parking.

For more information about the Haunted Statehouse Tours, visit www.ohiostatehouse.org or contact 614/728-2130.

High resolution press images are available at: http://www.ohiostatehouse.org/galleries/events.

To view this press release and others, visit www.ohiostatehouse.org.

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The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB) and Capitol Square Foundation will provide 105 school transportation grants to visit the Ohio Statehouse and its museum during the 2014-2015 academic year. The online application process will open at 9 a.m. Wednesday, September 17. The grants will be made available to help schools defray bus transportation costs to the Ohio Statehouse. Each awarded grant will be based on one-way mileage from the visiting school to Columbus. The program was created in 2009 by the Capitol Square Foundation. Since the program’s inception, more than 70,000 students from all 88 Ohio counties have visited the Ohio Statehouse with the help of this grant program. “We are grateful for the support from Honda of America and the Walmart Foundation," said Charles Moses, Capitol Square Foundation Chairman. "We’re thrilled that so many young people will now have the opportunity to visit the Ohio Statehouse during this school year."

A total of 105 grants will be awarded: 35 grants in three mileage categories. The mileage categories are for a one-way trip from the visiting school to the Ohio Statehouse. "The transportation grant program provides thousands of Ohio school children with a learning experience here at the Ohio Statehouse," said William E. Carleton, CSRAB executive director. “We are inspiring and teaching the future leaders of Ohio.”

The three mileage categories include:

• 1 to 50 miles, $ 200.00


• 51 to 100 miles, $ 300.00


• 101+ miles, $ 400.00

Each category will be closed once the 35 available grants have been awarded. All grants will be awarded on a first come-first served basis.

The school transportation grants will be available to any Ohio school that receives state funding. The grants are limited to Ohio students in the fourth through 12th grades during the 2014-2015 academic year. Only one transportation grant will be awarded to each school regardless of the number of buses or students visiting the Ohio Statehouse. A field trip to the Ohio Statehouse can be combined with visits to other educational attractions in downtown Columbus, including the Columbus Museum of Art, COSI and the Ohio Judicial Center.

Once the application process opens Wednesday, September 17—only online applications will be accepted. All applications must be submitted by an authorized teacher or school administrator. Applications will be accepted until every grant is awarded.

Detailed information about the program is available at: http://www.ohiostatehouse.org/visit/school-tours/school-bus-transportation-grant-program.

To view this press release and others, visit www.ohiostatehouse.org.

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