The Colonial Hills Civic Association

Please sign up, using our SignUpGenius, for Luminary Kits Assembly, Saturday, December 7, starting at 10:00 AM.

We hope to be completed with our assembly tasks by around 10:45 AM, the same as last year, when 32 volunteers, including 12 youth, completed assembly for 901 kits for the 838 homes in Colonial Hills. Volunteers for any task can include any youth middle-school age or older, and this event is an excellent opportunity for high school seniors to add one missing CHCA event credit for their scholarship application in 2024 before their schedule gets even more crazy!

Please sign up for one of these positions:

• Inside the shelter house component assembly (up to 2 volunteers per each of the 8 workstations)
• Outside the shelter house component assembly (up to 9 volunteers, plus the Event Chair)
• Bundling supervisor (1 volunteer)
• Pea gravel shovelers (up to 8 volunteers), who are requested to bring their own standard-size, pointed-tip garden shovel. There will be teams of two people at each of the 4 shoveling station chairs. Each shoveling team can decide how long each member will shovel, while the other team member holds open the grocery bags (team members could switch roles halfway through)
• Bundles concierge (1 volunteer)
• Take down / clean up (1 volunteer)

The same as the previous three years, signing up via our SignUpGenius for a given position and arriving about 5 to 10 minutes before 10:00 AM, will reserve this position for you. After all reserved positions have been filled, we will assign those volunteers who didn’t sign up beforehand, to fill any remaining inside and outside positions — and please note that we very much appreciate all volunteers, whether previously signed up or not, and we have always been able to find a position for everyone.

Dunkin’ donuts, coffee and hot chocolate will be served, and plenty of hand sanitizer will be provided inside the shelter house.

Regarding the Trustees picking up their bundles of kits for their Districts: We are asking the Trustees to start coming over no earlier than 11:30 AM on Saturday morning to pick up their bundles, so as not to increase the number of people present in the shelter house area during the kit assembly timeframe, which is expected to be 10:00 AM to about 11:30 AM, especially if it is not raining too hard that day.

Light Your Luminaries! Our luminary display evening will be Sunday, December 15, starting at 7:00 PM per the instructions which will be enclosed in each resident’s luminary kit.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions, or if you encounter any difficulty using our event’s SignUpGenius.

Thank you,
Will Pearce, Luminaries Event Chair
365 S. Selby Blvd
614-888-8236
willpearce@columbus.rr.com

Drum roll please!

The winners of the Neighborhood Halloween Decorating contest are:

Spookiest: 287 Loveman – Had the judges (who were mostly old enough to remember the Shining) at the Twins, but a bunch of other murder hobos as well.

Friendliest: 562 Colonial – Crazy Cat Lady.

Most Creative: 215 AND 199 E Selby – 199’s skeletons say Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, and he is summoned to 215 E Selby. The cooperation amongst neighbors clinched this one.

Best Effects: 524 Colonial – Monster House! Great lighting.

Best Activity: 427 S Selby – Photo Booth. Come take your picture sitting on the hay bales.

And Honorable Mentions go to:

1. 322 Loveman, Luau Pirates
2. 332 Colonial, Mowed over Skeletons
3. 291 Selby, March of the Skeleton Army
4. 525 Colonial, Spider Infestation
5. 363 Loveman, graveyard and a ghost that moves between the neighbor’s house and theirs
6. 524 Park Overbrook, Skeletons moving in window
7. 417 Kenbrook, Wizard of Oz

There are many other great decorations, the judges thanked everyone for making the choices so hard.

For some very nice photos of the decorations, please see Event Chair Dave Nadolny’s October 31 and November 1 posts on the Colonial Hills Facebook Group. A great big Thank You to Dave and his secret judges!

The CHCA along with local Scouts will be collecting food Saturday morning, November 9.

Please leave your donations on your porch by 8:30 AM, along with the flyer dropped off at your home. Please make sure the donation items are placed in an area that is visible from the street.

Alternatively, if you wish, you can drop off your items at the Selby Park shelter house from 9:00 AM to 10:0 AM

The most needed items are:

• Canned goods
• Ready to eat meals
• Beans, rice, chicken, broths
• Cereal and peanut butter
• Personal hygiene items

Please drive with care on Saturday morning with the many volunteers crossing our streets to pick up the food-drive donations.

A huge Thank You to Event Chair Brittany Smith for organizing and conducting a joyous Halloween Party for an estimated 150-200 young costumed characters, with another estimated 200-400 of their adults, at Selby Park last Sunday afternoon! Brittany’s volunteers staffed three different kinds of crafts at the craft table (Halloween door hangers, pop-up spiders and Halloween character and fall critter magnets) and also three games which had long lines of contestants (Spooky Ring Toss, Jack-O’-Lantern Disk, and 2 large bouncy dice, complete with math queries for the older kids), and 5 candy stations.

The CHCA greatly thanks our volunteers, many of whom are identified in the photos below. And we also thank our CHCA VP/Events Alan Miroslaw for preparing and publicizing the SignUpGenius, our President Leslie Caruso for recruiting additional volunteers, Ron Sears for setting up and testing a more automated and more generally available version of his 4th of July family-favorite Baby Button service, and with deep gratitude for her very generous sponsorship for our event, we thank Cynthia MacKenzie. Cynthia not only provided trick or treat bags, but also donated the 150 pumpkins for the Pumpkin Patch, which she and her volunteers set out in a kid-friendly configuration about a half hour before the event. And of course, none of the pumpkins were left when our witching hours were over!

The weather was perfect, a sunny and 70-degrees fall afternoon, where the young folks ran from the crafts, to the games, thru the pumpkin patch and to the candy stations, then back and forth, and to and fro …

(And here are the photos – please click the “Continue reading” link below to see these pics which have the descriptions given below – photographer credit: CHCA Webmaster)

_01 Ron with his enhanced family-favorite Baby Button service and dragon
_02 Setup almost complete, 2:45 PM, from left: Alan, Leslie, Cynthia, Mary Ann, Michelle, Ron, and Event Chair Brittany
_03 The Jack-O’-Lantern Disk game is ready
_04 The Pumpkin Patch, candy stations around the perimeter of the patch
_05 The T-rex is demanding candy from Mary Ann
_06 Spooky Ring Toss
_07 Jay is posing a math question based on the result of the dice roll
_08 Robin helps a contestant with the Jack-O’-Lantern Disk game
_09 At the crafts table, from top left: Lauren, Chelsea, Elizabeth help young crafters
_10 Bales of straw at the entrance to the Pumpkin Patch
_11 Lots of fun at the patch – kids, dogs, wagons, adults, oh my!

At the September 10 CHCA Meeting, 7:30 PM at the shelter house, City Manager Robyn Stewart will present information and answer questions regarding Issue 19, the outdoor pool bond levy request, which Worthington voters will see on their November 5, 2024 ballot.

This presentation is one of a number of community group meetings and open houses conducted by the City to help explain the ballot levy to Worthington voters, and what to expect if the levy is approved. For more detail in advance of the CHCA meeting, you may link to the Issue 19: Outdoor Pool Bond Levy article on the City of Worthington website.

The CHCA profoundly thanks two longstanding Trustees for their community service to Colonial Hills — Shelley McCoy and Blythe Jonas.

Shelley has served as the Trustee for District #36 since November, 2015, when she single-handedly originated this trustee position via discussions with the CHCA for providing this trustee with luminary kits for setting up along E. Selby in front of the apartments and condos. This new Trustee position was approved at our November, 2015 meeting. Ever since then, even during the first COVID year of 2020, Shelley and her volunteers have created wonderful luminary lighting for this part of our neighborhood, that results in a continuous Colonial Hills luminary display along E. Selby all the way from the apartments and condos to the end of S. and N. Selby at Indianola!

Blythe has served as the second Trustee for District #37 for over three years, since June, 2021, to deliver Couriers and CHCA membership letters to all the residents of the apartments and condominiums. Blythe quickly and diligently took over for District #37 Trustee Kelly McConaughey, whose advocacy for inclusion of the apartments and condos for Courier delivery and scholarships was approved at the October, 2020 CHCA meeting, when Kelly became the first District #37 Trustee.

By coincidence, both Shelley and Blythe are planning to move out of Colonial Hills in the next month or two, and we wish both of them the very best in their new homes. Their moving out and resigning means that we are now requesting other Colonial Hills residents to step up to volunteer for these positions:

• District #36 Trustee — Set out luminaries to line E. Selby from the beginning of the apartments and condos east to 164 E. Selby.
  15 luminary kits are prepared for this trustee on Luminary Kit Assembly Saturday (the first Saturday in December), from which the trustee (and recruited volunteers) prepare 75 luminaries. These 75 luminaries are set out along this length of E. Selby for the Colonial Hills Luminary Display evening a week later on Sunday.


• District #37 Trustee — Deliver Couriers and CHCA membership letters to the 81 residents of the apartments and condos.
  This trustee (and possibly recruited volunteers) delivers the Couriers (usually 4 times per year) and CHCA membership letters (in May) to residents who the CHCA has organized into the following addresses:
  45-87 and 128-150 E Selby Blvd (Apts) – 34 Homes
  5607 – 5646 Selby Court (Apts) – 23 Homes
  91-137 E Selby Blvd and 5573-5581 Morning St (Condos) – 24 Homes

To volunteer for one of these positions, please e-mail our CHCA President Leslie Caruso at lesliewcaruso@gmail.com. Also, we are leaving Shelley’s and Blythe’s contact phone numbers posted in the website Trustee Listing throughout September (or until new Trustee(s) volunteer), if you wish to discuss the responsibilities for these positions with Shelley and Blythe.

Great thanks to Event Chair Amanda Rule, her three other Park Overlook committee members Abby Wills, Ashley Chaney and Mandie DeWine, and the many other volunteers for a 4th of July event that by all accounts was even better than the wonderful one they led last year — and the event last year may very well have been the best Colonial Hills 4th of July subsequent to fifty years ago when this Colonial Hills event was the premier community holiday event in all of Worthington!

Even better than last year? Yes! The 4th of July event team again flawlessly planned and implemented a celebration which included all the delightful activities from last year – lots of midway games, plus a double-lane slip ‘n’ slide (twice the fun!). the 50-50 raffle, a cotton-candy stand, both a youth and adult watermelon eating contest, plus other favorite activities such as the dunk tank, two bounce houses, face painting, Kona Ice, Branded BBQ, with all activities flowing seamlessly. The CHCA officers pitched in to help Amanda according to their roles with planning and implementation, including providing for Venmo payments, some event consultation, coordination with the City (Thanks, Worthington Parks and Rec and Police Departments!), putting up pop-up tents, announcing the activities, and photography — and resident Matt Steidel donated his sound equipment and play list, which provided enjoyable background music for our event.

Even better? Yes! Longstanding Colonial Hills resident Ron Sears provided 4 new, original games/activities (and very creative and fun, we might add — please see the photos below), including the pop-up tents and the volunteers for these activities, making the midway even better this year!

This year, we estimated that maybe around 400 or more folks attended (there were 330 sales of Kona Ice alone), and in spite of the moderate humidity (the rain miraculously held off until after the event), many of these folks were still celebrating almost up to the time that we started cleaning and putting away the tables and chairs, and with a few of the youngsters even getting in last-minute turns on the slip ‘n’ slide until we turned the water off!

And a great big thanks to our sponsors for their generous support of our event: Erin Hunt Glowacki, the Powell Buehler Group; Cynthia MacKenzie, CYMACK Real Estate; and The Roof Detective.

The winners in our competitions were:

Race Results

The 5k Race Co-Chairs Courtney Jolley and Jeff Spain and their volunteers yet again made this event run like clockwork, from publicity and signup to the runners and walkers competing and enjoying their course thru Colonial Hills, the 45th running of this traditional Colonial Hills event (please see photos below).

Again for the second year in a row, Jeff and Courtney had to overcome the challenge of the ongoing, extensive water lines replacement project excavating our beautiful tree-lined streets — this year Park Overlook and Andover were not available. Working with the City, Jeff and Courtney designed another alternate course, led by a Worthington Police Officer cruiser. Please see the separate 2024 5k Race Results blogpost for details.

Accordingly, we congratulate everyone who participated, and especially the overall winning runners, who ran the following great times: Jonathan Allen (15:26.62) and Julia Harris (19:41.33)! Please click on the links below to view:

• Overall Finish List Results
• Results by Age Group
• Our Race Results Archive, 1998-2024
• Or, select the Race website Results tab for searchable and age-group results

2024 Kiddie Parade Winners, by Category

Long-time Chair Mary Ann Ogle, along with her Co-Chair Kathy Moore once again expertly planned and conducted this traditional 4th of July event, which started after the 5k Race awards had been handed out, and as soon as Mary Ann could organize the participants at the starting line. Mary Ann noted that fun was had by all. And as usual, Mary Ann firmly maintained safety for all the participants, by putting the hammer down on the speeding bicyclists who were well ahead of the pack, as these speedsters completed their first lap around Selby Park, and then proceeded calmly enmeshed with the rest of the group for their remaining two laps around the park! And the kids (with maybe some parental assistance) did a great job this year decorating their mode of transportation!

Mary Ann thanks her judges: Kathy Moore (Co-Chair), Deb Smith, Kris Welhington, Kay Hosterman, Jessica Eloringer and her husband Jarrod, who selected these winners in the following categories:

Bicycles
1st Place- Hudson Spain (4yrs)
2nd Place- Hannah Hughes (5yrs)
3rd Place- Jack Charey (6yrs)

Strollers
1st Place- Sky Emma Spain (1yr)
2nd Place- Drew McKinley Sharmar (3yrs)
3rd Place- Tilly Gabe Guerrero (3yrs)

Wagons and Floats
1st Place- Hot Dog Float – Noah & Eli Murtz, Joey & Emily Mittelman
2nd Place- Rowar Best & Zenna Rivell
3rd Place- Norah Payne

Dogs and Walkers
1st Place- Maude Schraff
2nd Place- Dog Kit Kat
3rd Place- Josie Calhoon (8yrs) and Gabe Calhoon (5yrs)

Note: If anyone did not get your ribbon, please contact Mary Ann Ogle 614-598-7394.

Watermelon Eating Contest Winners, by Category

The firm, but immensely entertaining, judge for the two contests made sure that the following winners were the first in their age group to finish their slice so that absolutely, and indisputably, no red was showing:

Youth- Chrissy Stambaugh
Adult- Joel Highfield

50/50 Raffle

Mollie Hannon won $20, but then immediately donated her winnings back to the CHCA! Thank you, Mollie!

(And now for the photos – please click the “Continue reading” link below to see these pics which have the descriptions given below – photographer credit: CHCA Webmaster, unless credited otherwise to Chris Rule, CHCA VP/Communications)

_01 Courtney and Jeff are ready to start the 5k
_02 The runners gather before the start of the race
_03 The runners are now at the starting line
_04 The start of the 45th Annual Run Through the Hills 5k!
_05 Race leaders after start with police cruiser leading the way
_06 From inside the pack, approx. 5 secs after start – Credit: Chris Rule, VP/Communications
_07 The walkers start the 5k
_08 Mason, from Worthington, crosses the finish line in 5th place (3 of the 4 higher finishers are shown recovering at the sides)
_09 Set up is almost complete
_10 Courtney and Jeff present award to top male youth finisher Muluken (3rd overall)
_11 Courtney presents award to Julia E, winner of female 30-39 age group
_12 Courtney presents another award
_13 Midway setup is now complete
_14 Amanda, at right, is ready at the starting line of the Kiddie Parade
_15 The Kiddie Parade has started
_16 The first lap of the Kiddie Parade, going east on S. Selby, Chris at left
_17 Mary Ann, at left, directing the parade
_18 The category-winning Hot Dog Float – Credit: Chris Rule, VP/Communications
_19 Co-Chairs Kathy & Mary Ann present Kiddie Parade awards, Chris at left, announcing
_20 Kathy and Mary Ann chat with 5k Race Co-Chair Jeff, holding grandson
_21 Kathy, Mary Ann and Robin, present award for the Hot Dog Float
_22 In line for the ring toss — Credit: Chris Rule, CHCA VP/Communications
_23 Face painting – Credit: Chris Rule, CHCA VP/Communications
_24 Karen directs the right-side line formation – Credit: Chris Rule, VP/Communications
_25 Karen supervises the kids as they run, and slip and …
_26 … Slide!
_27 The ball from the young pitcher looks on target for a dunk, but …
_28 … Needs an assist to complete the dunk!
_29 The little kids bounce house
_30 Collecting a prize for the Duck Pond midway game
_31 Contestant casts their line for the Gone Fishing midway game
_32 Big Kids Bounce House and the Lollipop Tree midway game
_33 Leslie demonstrates the inscrutable Plinko game to a young contestant
_34 The new Bubble Whack game, one of Ron’s four new midway games/activities
_35 The new Riot Ball game, one of Ron’s four new midway games/activities
_36 Ron with his new Gravity Well midway game, one of his 4 new games/activities
_37 The new Baby Button service, one of Ron’s new midway games/activities
_38 The Baby Button has been completed for a happy customer! Corn hole at rear
_39 Kona Ice continually had a line!
_40 The Roof Detective
_41 Gray Performance Physio
_42 Colonial Hills Cub Scout Pack 331
_43 Concessions and Wrist Band Sales – former CHCA VP/Communications Jenny 3rd from right, and 4th of July Committee Member Ashley at right
_44 Delicious and nutritious Branded BBQ almost completely sold out!
_45 Under the Big Tent
_46 A young celebrant scores cotton candy!
_47 Youth contestants getting ready for the Watermelon Eating contest – Credit: Chris Rule, VP/Communications
_48 The no-nonsense judge demonstrates that the winner will be the first to have absolutely no red showing on their slice!
_49 The youth Watermelon Eating Contest winner Chrissy Stambaugh is adjudicated
_50 The man in the middle, Joel Highfield, is on his way to winning the adult Watermelon Eating Contest
_51 Watermelon Eating Contest winners: Adult – Joel Highfield, and Youth – Chrissy Stambaugh

It was a great day for the 45th Annual 5k in Colonial Hills! We were blessed with the rain holding off until the afternoon after the downpour the preceding evening, although some of the finishers visibly showed the effects of the lingering high humidity after completing the race. As always, the expertise and hard work of Event Chairs Courtney Jolley and Jeff Spain and their volunteers made the event run flawlessly.

Again for the second year in a row, Jeff and Courtney had to overcome the challenge of the ongoing, extensive water lines replacement project excavating our beautiful tree-lined streets — this year Park Overlook and Andover were not available. Working with the City, Jeff and Courtney designed another alternate course (see diagram below), which again masterfully solved the unavailability of parts of the traditional course.

Jeff reviewed the course modifications, which were well-marked along the way, with the runners immediately prior to the start of the race, and a Worthington Police Officer Cruiser led the way. This alternate course appeared to be as challenging as the traditional course, by comparing the times for given runners from this year to their times from 2022 and the previous years when the traditional course was available.

Accordingly, we congratulate everyone who participated, and especially the overall winning runners, who ran the following great times: Jonathan Allen (15:26.62) and Julia Harris (19:41.33)! Please click on the links below to view:

• Overall Finish List Results
• Results by Age Group
• Our Race Results Archive, 1998-2024
• Or, select the Race website Results tab for searchable and age-group results

Run Through the Hills Alternate 5K Course, Colonial Hills, Worthington, OH, July 4, 2024

Growing up in Ohio, the heart of the Midwest, it is easy to take for granted a certain community spirit. Perhaps you were lucky enough to be in Colonial Hills all your life. Then maybe you take for granted how truly special this community is. Perhaps the crowning jewel of that community spirit is found on the legendary fields of Selby Park on the 4th of July. Lest you have doubts, show up and experience it for yourself.

There will be something for everyone: Bounce houses (one kid & one “adult/big kid”), a giant inflatable Slip ‘n Slide with TWO aisles so you can race your friends, a Dunk Tank featuring local celebrities (aka teachers), midway games, lawn games, a 50/50 raffle, Face Painting, mouthwatering barbeque & Kona Ice (thanks, CyMack!), and more. If you have never experienced the fun of the Fourth in the neighborhood, be sure to come on down and participate! And please consider volunteering via our SignUpGenius to help make all of this happen again this year!

The day will begin with a 5K run through the Hills at 8:30am. The annual kiddie parade (10:00am) is available for children of all ages. We encourage decorating bikes, trikes, wagons, children, pets, scooters and anything else with wheels in patriotic décor. Those participating will circle the park while the judges and community enjoy their “parade” around the park. At 10:30, following the kiddie parade, the midway games, bounce houses, face painters and food trucks will open for all to enjoy. Because of our good relationship with the City of Worthington Parks and Recreation Department, they are generously granting us permission to keep cool on a hot day by allowing us access to running water. Thank you to those who have worked hard over the years to develop this relationship with the city. Dunk Tank Ready, aim, toss! Get ready for a splash! See you there!

Here is a recap of the schedule:

• 8:30 AM Sharp! – Start of the 45th Annual 5K “Run Through the Hills.” Please see the blogpost 5k Race Registration is Now Open for 2024! for details and to register.
• 10:00 AM – Kiddie Parade
• 10:30 AM – The midway games, bounce houses, face painters, food trucks and more will open for all to enjoy.
• Around Noon to Maybe 1:00 PM – Depends on how hot it is! – End of activities – But don’t be late!

$5.00 wristbands for anyone over age three will be sold, to allow for unlimited access to the water slide, bounce houses, dunk tank, midway games and face painters, with all funds generated going for the CHCA scholarship awards and for support of all the other CHCA activities and services throughout the year. Note that children age three and younger are free for all activities.

Again, remember all these wonderful events will require wonderful volunteers, to sign up via our SignUpGenius — and soon-to-be high school seniors, we’re also talking to you, to get an event credit for your 2025 scholarship application!

All Colonial Hills residents are invited to host their own garage sales on Saturday, June 15th, 9am-3pm, and communicate their participation to the event coordinator RachaelRDorothy@gmail.com, 614-406-6391.

Or, you can sign up online here, but please e-mail Rachael or sign up online by the deadline of June 8, in order to have your place listed on the neighborhood map of garage sale locations, which again this year is being paid for by The CyMack Group.

This list of homes hosting a garage sale will then be communicated online the week before the sale, and also, hard copies will be available to be picked up at the Selby Park shelter house the morning of June 15.

Please note: Sellers will be responsible for obtaining their own free Garage Sale permit online from the city of Worthington: Garage Sale Permits.

New for 2024: A Volunteers of America (VOA) truck, with two volunteers to help you unload your vehicle, will be parked at Colonial Hills Elementary School (CHES) June 15th, 2pm-4:30pm. So, you could head over to CHES at that time to make a charitable donation of any items left over from your garage sale — and anyone else can conveniently donate anything else they have at this time, rather than making a separate trip to their regular donation point. The VOA volunteer will give you a donation receipt for your items, plus a VOA coupon, just to say Thanks!