The Merion Village Association is celebrating 39 years! Save the date on Sunday, April 21st when we will host the second annual MVA Founder's Day Celebration.
Join us at The Century Event Space (106 E Moler St, Columbus, OH 43207) where this year's celebration will feature a market filled with local vendors! AT THE CENTURY: 106 E. Moler Street 🛍️ Community Market Shop from a variety of makers and retailers who are local to the South Side or are active in some of your other favorite local markets. 🍔 Food Trucks Grab a delicious meal from one of this year's food trucks featuring Explorer's Club and Paddy Wagon! 🧱See the beautifully renovated event space at The Century and learn about the other small businesses who call this space home. AT THE MVA INFO CENTER: 1330 S. Fourth Street 🥂 Toast to the MVA! Share a toast with your friends as neighbors and enjoy a mimosa, glass of champagne, or juice as we celebrate 38 years of the MVA! 🎨 Community Art Project (all ages!) Paint colorful rocks to be distributed in the parks within Merion Village then try to spot your rocks as you're strolling through the neighborhood in the future! 📚 Book Exchange (all ages!) Bring along the books that you and your family have loved and let them find their way to new homes as you select new reads for your own library.
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Neighbors! This summer we’re celebrating the 25th annual Merion Village Garden Tour, and we need your help to make it the best one yet!
On Sunday, July 14th, homes across Merion Village will open their front and back yards to welcome visitors to gardens big and small, new and long-lived. It’s a wonderful time to meet neighbors, swap gardening tips and tricks, enjoy (what is hopefully) a beautiful day walking around the neighborhood, and even get design inspiration for your own projects! Apart from all of the hospitality, love, and care neighbors show in opening their doors (and gates!) to the community, you might not know that a good deal of planning and prep work goes into making sure the Garden Tour can go off without a hitch, and that’s where you and the Merion Village Association come into play! Whether you want to help coordinate business sponsorship outreach, plan garden (and non-garden) stops and activities, or just help the day-of the event, volunteers are what make the Garden Tour possible. The Merion Village Association is actively recruiting volunteers of all ages, skills, and abilities to assist with most facets of the Garden Tour, from prep work to grunt work, and would love if you’d consider getting involved! If you’re looking to get plugged into the neighborhood and asking local businesses to support a community-building event, recruiting neighbors to showcase their gardens, or assisting with spreading the word about the Garden Tour sounds interesting to you, please reach out to volunteer@merionvillage.org and we’ll make sure to answer any questions and bring you aboard! Thank you in advance! You can also view our online volunteer signup roster for the Garden Tour HERE.
The MVA will host a special meeting on Wednesday, October 18th beginning at 7 PM to facilitate a community conversation between neighbors and The Open Shelter located at 1037 Parsons Avenue.
Team Members from The Open Shelter will share information about the organization and will answer questions and discuss concerns with neighbors. Should participants wish, the MVA will also assist in the process of establishing a Good Neighbor Agreement between The Open Shelter and our community. The meeting will be held virtually through Zoom. All are welcome to attend this meeting and participate in the discussions. Participants must pre-register through the following link to join this meeting:. The renewal period for MVA memberships is officially open! Existing members can now renew for the 2023 year while non-members can sign up for a new membership that will be in effect for the remainder of 2022 and all of 2023! If you completed a membership application at this year's festival or after October 1st, your membership is already renewed for 2024! Use our membership verification tool to quickly verify your status: MVA Memberships Are Annual...
You can review a current copy of the MVA Constitution and Bylaws for additional information on membership and voting HERE. Why Renew? Your annual membership fees support the Merion Village Association and our efforts in the community. (South Side Scholarship, the MVA Info Center, neighborhood events like the garden tour, festival, yard sales, social meetups, winter potluck, and fitness in the park.) Members are also entitled to the following benefits:
Thank you for being a part of the Merion Village Association!
The MVA wants to hear from you as we plan for 2023 and beyond! We invite those who live and/or work within Merion Village to complete the following survey. We believe the neighborhood and community will benefit from the feedback shared here. Please use this opportunity to have your voice heard. Your survey responses will be submitted to the current MVA board members and a summary of responses will also be shared at our monthly meeting in January 2023. We plan to use your feedback to develop the Association’s future short and long-term goals. This survey may be submitted anonymously if you choose and will be open for responses until November 30, 2022. Thank you in advance for your time! https://form.jotform.com/MerionVillageAssociation/NeighborhoodSurvey2022
The renewal period for MVA memberships is officially open! Existing members can now renew for the 2023 year while non-members can sign up for a new membership that will be in effect for the remainder of 2022 and all of 2023! Good news! If you completed a membership application at this year's festival, your membership is already renewed for 2023! Use our new membership verification tool to quickly verify your renewal status: MVA Memberships Are Annual...
You can review a current copy of the MVA Constitution and Bylaws for additional information on membership and voting HERE. Why Renew? Your annual membership fees support the Merion Village Association and our efforts in the community. (annual scholarship, the MVA Info Center, neighborhood events like the garden tour, festival, yard sales, social meetups, winter potluck, and fitness in the park.) Members are also entitled to the following benefits:
Thank you for being a part of the Merion Village Association!
The 2022 Merion Village shirts are here! This year, we’re thrilled to offer crew and v-neck t-shirts and two styles of tank tops with a rainbow imprint! Head over to our online shop to place your order. Hurry! The deadline to place an order for this limited run is Thursday, August 25th! Special thanks to this year's winning designer, Kyle Green!
We are thrilled to announce that after a 2-year hiatus, the Merion Village Festival is back for 2022!
SUNDAY, September 11th 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM Moeller Park (281 Hanford Street, Columbus, OH 43206) This annual, outdoor, rain or shine festival will continue to feature artists, crafters, businesses, and organizations as we celebrate the community and atmosphere of the Historic Merion Village neighborhood. All proceeds benefit the Merion Village Association, a 501(c)(3) civic organization. This event is exclusively outdoor and does not require admission. The festival will include a mix of makers, retail, services, and non-profit vendors, meal and dessert food trucks, beer garden, live music, and performances, interactive art, activities for children, and a silent auction. Follow this event on Facebook to receive the latest updates! Applications are now open for vendors, food trucks and musicians/bands who would like to participate this year. The Merion Village Festival has a primary goal of celebrating our neighborhood and community. As such, priority will be given to local applicants. Vendor applications close Sunday, August 14th while Food Truck and Musician applications close Tuesday, May 31st. All applications may close early if all spaces have been filled. Due to a limited number of spaces at this event, early applications are strongly encouraged. Hey Neighbors! One of the things we love most about Merion Village is how artful and eclectic this community is! We’d like to show off this colorful spirit even more and showcase more art throughout our neighborhood.
Here’s the big picture: Support from MV Neighbors + A Talented Local Artist + A Prime Neighborhood Spot = NEW 2022 MURAL! We need your help to make it happen! If you like art (and who’s kidding, EVERYONE loves art), we could really use your support! In order to bring this project to life, we need to raise money. If you participated in last year’s fundraiser, THANK YOU! We raised $1,025! That’s pretty awesome, but we didn’t quite reach our goal. So, we’re picking things back up where we left off. Our new goal is $3,500. We know it’s lofty, but we’re counting on you to help us make it happen! Please take a moment to make a contribution and help us bring more art to Merion Village! Big or small, we really appreciate it. Donating is fast, easy and every penny goes to support a local artist and this installation. ANDDDDD we’ll all get to see more art as you stroll through the neighborhood! DONATE HERE *If you don’t use Facebook, please contact Tom O’Gara and he’ll help find another way for you to make a donation. We hope you’ll follow along with us on social media as we bring this project to life. Thanks! The Merion Village Mural Group The renewal period for MVA memberships is officially open! Existing members can now renew for the 2022 year. If you’re considering a new membership, or you'd like to reactivate a previous lapse, this is the best time of year to join!
MVA Memberships Are Annual:
Why Join or Renew? Annual membership fees support the Merion Village Association and our efforts in the community. Members also receive the following benefits:
You can review a current copy of the MVA Constitution and Bylaws for additional information on membership and voting HERE. Thank you for being a part of the Merion Village Association! Do you love the South Side? Are you passionate about your community? Does public art make you happy? The MVA will be working with an artist to install a community-inspired mural on a local business building in Merion Village! Several artists applied to help with this project and the Summer Fundays committee is working toward selecting a partner. The selected artist will work with the committee to design a mural and plan/execute installation. We will share updates as this exciting project develops! While we are still in the planning stages, we would like to ask our community to help raise the funds necessary to install this mural. Funds raised will be used toward completing the project (purchasing supplies, paying the artist for their time, etc.) We are so excited to see this project come to life, and we thank you for helping to make the mural a reality!
Donations can be made through our Facebook fundraiser: https://www.facebook.com/donate/907163659872690/ We are collecting feedback from local businesses and organizations that operate within or are based on the South Side of Columbus, OH. We're eager to hear from our community as we look to improve and relaunch our Business Membership program later this year. Please help us collect feedback from the community by sharing this survey with your favorite local businesses!
Join us for the annual Spring Yard Sale on Saturday, May 1st from 9 AM to 3 PM! The MVA will publish a digital community map alerting buyers to all registered sale locations. Residents and businesses within the Merion Village boundaries are invited to register for the Community Map. Locations outside of the Merion Village boundaries will NOT be included in the Community Map. You can visit our website to verify the neighborhood boundaries. The MVA is excited to host this event and wants to ensure that all sale hosts and shoppers have a safe experience. As such, all sales should follow these guidelines outlined by the Ohio Department of Health. Shoppers should follow all current facemask and social distancing guidelines. This is a RAIN or SHINE event! REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Thursday, April 22nd ...BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!
The MVA will partner with Goodwill Columbus to host a donation drive immediately following the Spring Yard Sale. Bring your donations to the MVA Info Center at 1330 S. Fourth Street between 3 and 5 PM on Saturday, May 1st. MVA Volunteers will collect your items for Goodwill. Please note, representatives from Goodwill will not be present during the drive and the MVA will be unable to issue receipts for any items donated. The following items will be accepted at this drive:
*Note: due to space limitations, furniture items cannot be accepted at this drive.
Q: What Do you Do for a Living?
A: I am an Administrator for a home care agency and Co-Founder of Bake Me Happy. I am also a partner in a newly formed restaurant group, Muse Hospitality. Q: Tell Us About Your Family and Pets! A: My family! Well, I am married to an amazing woman, Wendy... she’s also the genius behind Bake Me Happy! We have a daughter, Avery, who's 9 years old. We also have a "man of the house," Myles, a chow/corgi mix... he's 13 and we have Katycat...a 16-year-old...cat. Q: Which Neighborhood Do You Currently Call Home? A: Bake Me Happy is based in Merion Village. Q: Why Did You Move to Your Neighborhood? A: We loved the building and the neighborhood. We actually came across an ad in Craigslist for the space and once we saw the area...we couldn’t stop thinking about it. Q: Where Else Have You Lived? A: Bake Me Happy hasn't lived anywhere else...well, I take that back. We actually started out in a commercial kitchen near campus. Q: South Side Organization(s) Where You Work/Volunteer A: Interesting question...I do a little bit all over the place. I have presented at the Parsons Library...I tend to do more donation type supporting due to a serious lack of free time. I’ve done some good stuff for South High too! Q: How Are You Active in The South Side? A: I try to contribute in ways that are meaningful, not only for my customers, but for our neighbors as well. I am a firm believer of being a good neighbor. I pick up trash, I try to manage the weeds on the public side of the building, etc. Bake Me Happy does a fair share of donating to southside initiatives as well. I try to attend MVA and south side commission meetings when I can. Our business exposure has also been good for the southside as we make it a point to always "shout out" Merion Village. Although we don't live in Merion Village...it has been like a "home" to us...we raised our first baby here (Bake Me Happy)! Q: What Are Some Causes or Organizations That Are Important to You and Why? A: I am very involved in the LGBTQI community, specifically, the black LGBTQI community. I co-founded an organization 3 years ago called Black, Out & Proud (BOP). It's been a struggle, but we are finally starting to see it get some legs. We provide a safe space for and by Black LGBTQ+ individuals that advocates, educates, and inspires. blackoutandproud.com I am also a co-founder of Service! Relief for Hospitality Workers...a chef driven, food distribution project for hospitality workers who were laid off during the COVID-19 shut down. We will shift our mission in the coming weeks, still supporting the hospitality industry. servicerelief.org Q: What's Your Favorite Thing About the South Side? A: The people are amazing and have been so supportive. I know people don't see Wendy and I as much as they used to...I’m always so happy to see the neighborhood folks and stop for a chat. Merion Village is an amazing place that can hold its own...I look forward to more amazing businesses moving here in the near future. Q: If You Could Make One Improvement to the South Side, What Would It Be? A: Hmmm...a marketing campaign through the commission that promoted all the good things "Southside." I say this with the intent of including "ALL" of the southside...not just German Village and Merion Village (although I still get a lot of "where's Merion Village?). I think there are all these amazing pockets of the southside that the rest of the city isn’t aware of. Q: What Would You Tell Someone Who May Move to the South Side? A: You are in the right place! Thank you, Letha for allowing the MVA to shine the South Side Spotlight on you! Each week, we will feature at least one individual who lives, works and/or volunteers on the South Side and who helps to build and strengthen our community every day. If you’d like to nominate someone for the spotlight, email us at spotlight@merionvillage.org. |
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