Did you know that prisoners were once stashed in the crypt at the Ohio Statehouse? Did you know that the Ohio Statehouse had a crypt? (Just for the record, I didn't.)

You can see prisoner grafitti and lots more behind-the-scenes stuff during special event tours scheduled for Saturday, July 18 and Sunday, July 19. The tour is NOT ADA accessible, and includes a climb up more than 70 stairs through the narrow spiral staircase to the top of the Cupola. So heels aren't a great idea...In fact, staff suggests that you dress "for attic and basement exploration."

There are three tour times each day: 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Space is limited; tours are restricted to 20 individuals per tour start time. All tours depart from the Map Room. The easiest way to the Map Room is via the Third Street Statehouse entrance. Participants will be required to sign a waiver; kids under age 18 will require the signature of their guardian.

Tickets are $10 per adult and $4 per child under the age of 16. You can only buy them through the Ohio Statehouse Museum shop. The shop is on the ground level of the Capitol building, and open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and weekends from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The shop also sells them online at www.statehouseshop.com, but a $2 handling and shipping charge is added to each online order.

If you can't make the July dates, the Ohio Statehouse offers less strenuous, free tours every day. Call ahead for group reservations.

Photo courtesy of the Ohio Statehouse Photo Archive.

The Columbus Zoo and COTA have teamed up with special pricing for Zoo and Zoombezi Bay. If you take a bus to the Zoo or waterpark, now thru September 7, you get 1/2 off regular Zoo admission, or, $4 off Zoombezi Bay admission.

Routes begin downtown and travel northwest. See schedule for details.
Photo courtesy of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

The next free PBJ & Jazz at the Topiary Park concert is July 18. These short jazz concerts are put together by the Jazz Arts Group (JAG), the Friends of the Topiary Park and the Friends of the Columbus Metropolitan Library (CML). Last month's program was perfect for the families and lunchtime listeners who sat on benches and the grass, eating their lunches and bobbing their heads.

There are three more Saturday PBJ programs this summer.
July 18: Guest artists: Eric Paton and Yumbambe
Aug. 15: Guest artists: Derek DiCenzo and friends
Sept. 19: “Youth Jam" with young Columbus jazz musicians

The Topiary Park is next to CML's main branch downtown. It's filled with bushes grown and trained to resemble George Seurat’s famous painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Isle of La Grande Jatte. Photo courtesy of Friends of the Topiary Park.

The Summer Movie Series at the Ohio Theatre is 39 years old, and ranks as a must go for many Central Ohioans. This year, the Series runs July 17-August 30, a later start than usual because A Chorus Line and Mama Mia! are at the Ohio earlier this summer. The schedule includes adventure, comedy, drama, sports, musicals, suspense, westerns, chick flicks and late night showings.

The cheapest way to see the movies is to buy strips of 10 tickets for $25. Individual tickets are $4; senior citizen tickets are $3.50. Seats are on a first come-first served basis. Get there early to grab a good spot, and enjoy Clark Wilson’s performance on the huge theater organ.

And, if you've ever wanted a tour of the Ohio Theatre, this is your chance. CAPA is guiding a behind-the-scenes look at the historic Ohio Theatre with free tours on Saturday, July 25, Saturday, August 15, and Saturday, August 29, at 4:30 pm each day. Tours begin in the front lobby of the Ohio Theatre, and include the history of the State Theatre of Ohio and a demonstration of the “Mighty Morton” theatre organ.

Tours are free, but reservations are required and space is limited. To make a reservation, send an email to tours@capa.com or call 614.469.6900. Please specify your preferred date. Tours do include stairs.

We almost lost the Columbus Symphony and Picnic with the Pops last year, so it's fabulous to have them back. Most of the regular season, and all three Popcorn Pops are led by Albert-George Schram, a man who is way too funny to be a conductor. The 4th of July program includes fireworks (of course).
Photo: Lawrence Stolz (c) 2007

There's plenty of free fun around this summer, if you know where to look for it. You might want to start at your local library. Teens and adults have their own book clubs at libraries all over Columbus and Central Ohio. In addition to getting together to talk about books, each club has events, prizes and surprises. There are online discussions, shows, job workshops and more.

Parades and picnics, festivals and fireworks: The 4th of July season is upon us.

Columbus' Red, White and Boom on July 3rd drew over half a million people last year. Many of them arrived hours before the fireworks, making "camp," visiting the vendors, chatting and picnicking. If you don't feel like driving into that kind of crowd, take the bus; COTA has special buses scheduled.

And Columbus' sparkling display isn't the only game in town. Many Central Ohio communities have festivals and fireworks on July 4th -- check this Columbus Dispatch article for a complete listing.

A friend and I picnicked at Schiller Park and watched The Three Musketeers the other night. The play touched on some of the darker parts of Alexander Dumas' novel, but it is a mostly fun-filled performance. It has athletic fights and bright-eyed (and touchy) youth. And the Cardinal conveyed a world of restrained creepiness in his "Ouch" when the Queen slapped him.

The addition to the story of Sabine as D'artagnan's sister worked well, particularly for the ending. I'm not a big fan of changing art to meet current sensibilities. So, when I first heard about the Sabine character, I thought, "They did that just because there are no strong good female characters." (The female villain -- Milady -- is a very strong character, and well-played in this production.) But the character of Sabine fits. She stays true to the time period of the play. There were adventurous girls, and they would have to disguise themselves. She didn't sound like a 21st-century woman.

But, unfortunately, there are moments when 21st-Century ideals invade the play for no artistic reason. That throws me out of the play. The characters leave the world of The Three Musketeers, and become just normal people in costumes. One blatant instance was near the end. Constance, lady-in-waiting to the Queen and D'artagnan's lover, insists on calling Da'artagnan "my best friend."
Milady responds with "You mean your lover."
Constance insists, "No, my best friend."

Constance's label is modern, not true to the play or her character. The Queen would have been Constance's "best friend." And no woman of that period would refer to a non-relative male as "best friend." This pandering insults the audience's intelligence and hurts the play.

But that's just a nit-pick. Overall, the play was a fine performance. I can't wait to see the other two plays Actors' Theatre has lined up this summer.

Photo by Carol Ottolenghi

I'm still kind of floored by last night's concert at Value City Center, aka the Schottenstein Center. I've loved both groups for decades, but never saw them together before. I was ready for great harmonies and complex horn improv. What caught me off guard was the raw energy -- the joyous energy -- that poured off the stage when the groups played together at the beginning and end of the concert.

When Earth, Wind and Fire took the stage solo, they kept that energy going with Maurice White's visionary fusion of funk, jazz and R & B. Fun choreography mixed Temptations-style dance steps with jump kicks and a touch of flash. Phil Bailey's voice is still seductive after all these years. And you could tell that Verdine White coaxed and spanked those tonal belly laughs out his bass for us, letting the audience share his pleasure in playing. Killer elegance with depth and substance.

It's a shame that Chicago came after EWF. I might have raved about their set...If I hadn't been soaring already from EWF's performance. Chicago performed credibly, but they lacked EWF's stagecraft, polish and vocal depth. I can't believe I'm saying that about Chicago! The performance lineup should have been flipped, with Chicago playing solo first.

But the best part of the night was when the bands played together. Their joint singing highlighted the tour's purpose: To raise money to fight hunger in the U.S. They've recorded three songs together to continue this fight. People can get the tracks by donating to the cause at Chicago's website. Incredible music; worthwhile cause.

I haven't driven 315 for a while, and I'd forgotten all about the construction project. Make that CONSTRUCTION PROJECT.
The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) started 315's much-needed rehab this week. The project stretches north from I-670 downtown, past the OSU campus to North Broadway. All traffic -- north and south -- is using what used to be the southbound only lanes. This means that northbound exits from I-670 and other roads are closed.

Note: This is now a 45 mile-per-hour zone, and it will be patrolled heavily.

ODOT posts the latest updates on this and other projects at Paving the Way.