A friend of mine contacted me a few hours ago to inform me that Andyman from CD101FM had passed, because she knew that I knew him.

I didn’t believe her.

Andyman was such a staple in the Columbus community. I met him shortly after moving to Columbus when I had my first internship at CD101, and it was impossible for me to avoid him ever after, because his presence is so visible in this city that we were bound to run in to each other at least once a week.

But it was confirmed this evening that Andyman drowned while on vacation with his family in Michigan. Right now, I’m listening to the station’s tribute to him, and Jeff Buckley’s Hallelujah is bringing me to tears.

The last time I saw Andy was a few weeks ago, when James and I interviewed him for the launch of Tappedin.tv. Andy, at a beer fest, commanding a room in his element…

RIP Andyman. One look at Twitter or Facebook right now shows how much you meant to Columbus.

I don’t really have words right now to articulate what Columbus lost. But I have no doubt that his legacy will live on.

More on his passing on CD101.com

What will you always remember about Andyman?

This Flash Mob video created to help promote The new Ohio Union which opened March 31, 2010 has been getting some serious attention. So in case you haven’t seen it making the rounds on a FaceBook near you, I thought I would post it here for your viewing and dancing enjoyment.

The New York Times just posted an article to their website, which will appear in the Sunday New York Times Travel section, about the Short North neighborhood of Columbus. Highlighted spots include the Wexner Center for the Arts, Milk Bar, Mahan, Tasi’s Cafe, pm gallery and Jeni’s Ice Cream.

You can read the entire article here.

In the market for a new family member? If you don’t already know all the perks about adopting from a shelter as opposed to a breeder or (oh the horror) Petland, you should read up on them. To name a quick few-

1. You’re supporting organizations that HELP animals and by adopting, you’re giving the pet a loving home and opening up the spot for another needy animal. Your adoption fee also covers medical expenses, surgeries, food, and other animal needs for the shelter as opposed to paying hundreds (yes hundreds and sometimes thousands depending on the breed) for a pet shop dog that goes directly back into puppy mill breeders. (If you don’t know about puppy mills- please read this.)
2. A lot of shelter dogs are fostered and you know all their pros and cons before you adopt them… your carpets, children, other animals, and sanity will thank you.
3. Shelter dogs come with all their shots and are already fixed (spayed or neutered) before you take them home. HUGE expense you won’t need to pay out of pocket at your vet later on.
4. You can also get an older dog that’s already house-trained and has a developed personality. No surprises in that area are always a good thing.

And that’s just a couple of the benefits…

Which brings me to the reason for this post. Franklin County Animal Shelter is a great organization that takes in as many homeless dogs as possible and they are offering a special right now for 50% off your adoption fee for dogs 45lbs. and up through February 21st.

Lucy

Now adopting a dog is not a snap decision, but if you were thinking about it- then this could be a great time to act on that. You can check out the shelter’s website for a listing of dogs to see if any look like they might be a good fit for your family. If you can’t find one that seems like a good fit, then expand your search to smaller dogs as well. They aren’t included in the 50% off but you’d still be getting a great deal considering everything the shelter does for your pet before you take them home. (See #1 and #3 above.) If you can’t find any dog at the moment that fits with your family or home, just wait a week or two and check back. The shelter is always getting new dogs in due to the massive pet overpopulation.

If you aren’t in a position to adopt or foster a dog but would like to help- the Franklin County Shelter is always looking for donations, monetary or otherwise. (A few months ago I took up a collection of newspapers at work to drop off at the shelter.) All help is welcome.

And here’s where I sound like Bob Barker, but please have your pet spayed or neutered!!!

(Pictured is a dog named Lucy… she can be found on the Franklin County Shelter Website and she is available for adoption!)

Interview with TiXiT CEO, Mike Figliuolo

I had the pleasure of talking with Mike Figliuolo about Columbus’ newest company. As you read the interview I am sure you will agree this is another exciting venture for Columbus, Ohio and you’ll want to check out TiXiT!

Michele: So who is TiXiT and what do you guys do?

Mike: TiXiT is a Columbus-based company that offers event promoters (sports, music, theatre, etc.) an intelligent system for discounting and selling tickets that would otherwise go unsold.  We love the idea of negotiating discounts directly with venues and passing those along to consumers.

Michele: Where did the idea come from?

Mike: This is a classic “start-up started in a Starbucks” company.  I was having coffee with Dave Cherry (TiXiT’s founder) one day and he told me about this idea he had for a ticketing discounting company.  I’ve been involved in start-ups for several years and when Dave mentioned it, my eyes lit up.

Michele: Where did you guys go from there?

Mike: I quickly roped in my business partners Brian Link, Nick Seguin, and Mike Sheehan.  We then partnered with Dave to found and launch TiXiT.  Since then we’ve signed up some great initial customers and we’re offering great discounts to their upcoming shows.

Michele: How does TiXiT work?

Mike: It’s incredibly easy.  Folks can register at www.tixitbox.com, tell us what they’re interested in (sports, theatre, concerts, etc.), and then see what discounts we have available.  Once they find one they like they click to redeem the discount and complete the transaction on the venue’s ticketing system like Ticketmaster.

Michele: How good are the discounts and can people share them?

Mike: Since we go directly to the venue we’re able to get discounts on the order of 20-50% off the ticket price.  That’s pretty hard to beat.  And we love when people share the discount code with their friends and invite them to register for TiXiT.  The venues love it too – it brings in new fans they’ve never come across before.

Michele: How does social media fit into TiXiT’s plans?

Mike: As I just mentioned, we love when people share our discounts with their friends.  To enable that sharing we encourage folks to follow us in twitter at @TiXiTBox and fan us on Facebook.  We’ll regularly be sharing the latest deals on both locations as well as on www.tixitbox.com.

Michele: So what’s coming up for you guys?

Mike: We’ve got a bunch of great events we’re offering.  The best discount we’re offering right now is for The Peking Acrobats. We have other deals we’re waiting to release to the market.  We’re thrilled to put these out there.  I hope you and your readers come by to check us out at www.tixitbox.com and see if we’ve got a great deal for you.  In the future as we ramp up, we’ll be adding all different kinds of sporting events, concerts, and other shows so the sooner folks connect with us, the sooner they’ll know about the latest deals.

Michele: Thanks Mike and good luck with TiXiT!

Mike: Thanks for taking the time to chat with me today Michele.

In two unrelated but equally awesome stories this week…

• Columbus named of the top 25 cities for designers and artists in the U.S.
• Dublin named one of the seven smartest cities in the WORLD

Katzinger’s was also just named one of the top 10 delis in the U.S. Way to go, Columbus!

Similarly, Experience Columbus wrote a great entry with all of the things Columbus was named #1 at last year, including #1 sports town and #1 zoo! Check that out here.

Nice to see Columbus Underground doing it big, getting people together and influencing the City. Great job walker!

With Christmas almost here… you’re probably still looking for last minute gifts. Well a great idea is to shop local as many of my Columbus friends and Social Media lovers have been mentioning. While you’re shopping at these awesome local stores, you should take some time to learn about the SBB and ask these shops if they accept the SBB Community Card.

The Small Business Beanstalk (SBB) is a Columbus based organization that helps local businesses connect to one another so that they can utilize each other’s services and help each other grow. For example, say a local restaurant needs new menus printed. The SBB would connect the restaurant to a printing business in the area. With all these businesses connected together, it would help boost the Columbus economy, as well as cultivate a tight knit community of businesses working together to help one another succeed. It’s a pretty genius idea since Columbus is already a great community of people and businesses, that like to see each other thrive. When I learned about the group, I believed in their vision so much that I joined as a member and decided to help them with their social media efforts, though I’m not getting paid to do so. In the interest of full disclosure, however, in return for the work I do for them, they are helping me with their connections to find a more work.

One of the other great benefits of SBB membership is the Community Card. Card carrying members can visit the participating local businesses and receive discounts and specials. The best part is that the card is totally 100% free! You can sign up on the SBB website and have the card mailed to you or you can pick one up at one of these local stores:

MilkBar (Short North)
TigerTree (Short North)
LadyBird (Short North)
What the Rock (Short North)
Shine Me Up (Downtown)

Check out the website for a full list of stores and restaurants currently accepting the card and their deals. The SBB is currently expanding all over Columbus including Dublin, Worthington, and Clintonville, etc. so be sure to ask every local store you shop at if they accept the card.

You can also follow The SBB on Twitter (@thesbb) and become a fan on Facebook to keep up to date with the newest stores and restaurants accepting the card. Or if you’re a business interested in participating in the program you can contact Starr @ thesbb.com.

Happy shopping and happy holidays!

I just stumbled across this video by Ohio Sessions on a friend’s Facebook page and HAD to share it. Stop motion of various spots around Columbus at night. Fantastic.

Columbus, O from Ohio Sessions on Vimeo.

Nothing like having a nice resource like the official city websites in your area. And best of all I’ve done all the work for you. Bookmark this great list of City and Village Websites from around Central Ohio to keep up on whats going on in your community.

Official City Websites

Columbus Ohio – City of Columbus. http://www.cityofcolumbus.org/

Bexley Ohio – City of Bexley. http://www.bexley.org/

Dublin Ohio – City of Dublin. http://www.dublin.oh.us/

Gahanna Ohio - City of Gahanna. http://www.gahanna.gov

Grandview Heights – City of Grandview Heights. http://www.grandviewheights.org/

Grove City Ohio - City of Grove City Ohio. http://www.grovecityohio.gov/

Hilliard Ohio – City of Hilliard. http://www.cityofhilliard.com/

Pataskala Ohio – City of Pataskala. http://www.ci.pataskala.oh.us/

Pickerington Ohio – City of Pickerington. http://www.ci.pickerington.oh.us/

Powell Ohio – City of Powell. http://www.cityofpowell.us

Upper Arlington Ohio – City of Upper Arlington. http://www.ua-ohio.net/

Westerville Ohio – City of Westerville. http://www.westerville.org/

Whitehall Ohio – City of Whitehall. http://www.ci.whitehall.oh.us/

Worthington Ohio – City of Worthington. http://www.worthington.org/

Village Websites

Canal Winchester – http://www.canalwinchesterohio.gov/

German Village – http://germanvillage.com

Groveport – http://www.groveport.org/

New Albany – http://www.villageofnewalbany.org