The Colonial Hills Civic Association

Our Fourth of July in Colonial Hills at Selby Park will have something for everyone: Bounce Houses (one kid and one “adult/big kid”), a giant inflatable Slip ‘n Slide (double-lanes!), a Dunk Tank featuring local celebrities (aka teachers), Midway Games, Lawn Games, a 50/50 raffle, Face Painting, the Branded BBQ Food Truck (find their yummy price and kid-friendly menu on Instagram @brandedbbq), Kona Ice and more. And thank you to CyMack for subsidizing the cost of a Kona shaved ice cup to only $1.00 for everyone!

If you have never experienced the fun of the Fourth in the neighborhood, be sure to come on down to the legendary fields of Selby Park and participate! And please consider volunteering via our SignUpGenius, including youth volunteers who will receive credit toward their CHCA events service Scholarship Application requirement!

Here is the schedule of activities:

• 8:30 AM Sharp! – Start of the 44th Annual 5K “Run Through the Hills.” Please pre-register here now, before you forget!
  This online pre-registration will cut off at midnight July 2 – however, you will still be able to register race day in person starting at 7:30 AM, but please note that t-shirts are “first registered, first served,” we order a limited quantity – so don’t wait any longer to register!
  And please try to come over to the Selby Park Shelter House between 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM on Monday, July 3 to pick up your race number bib the evening before the race, to lessen the intense activity during the hour before the race starts on July 4.
  This race is open to everyone, so bring your friends, co-workers, and random people you see running on the street :-)! Speed doesn’t matter; it’s all about challenging yourself and having fun. Hope to see you there; it will be a great day for a 5k!!


• 10:00 AM – Kiddie Parade: The annual kiddie parade 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.


• 10:30 AM – The midway games, bounce houses, face painters, food trucks and more 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.


• 11:30 AM – Watermelon Eating Competition – One competition for youth under 18 and one for adults.


• 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. Also note that the watermelon eating contest is free to everyone, and Kona Shaved Ice Cups are only $1.00!

And 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!

Dunk Tank – Ready, Aim, Toss! Get ready for a splash! See you there!

The Run Through the Hills 5k Race Registration is now open, for our 44th Annual 5k Race, 8:30 AM on Tuesday, July 4, 2023, starting and finishing at Selby Park in Colonial Hills.

Please register now before you forget, to receive our special early bird reduced registration fee of $25.00 (plus sign-up fee of $2.50) before 11:59 PM May 31st. Starting June 1 thru the close of online registration at midnight July 2, the fee will be $30.00 (plus sign-up fee of $2.50).

Also, you can register race day in person at 7:30 AM, but please note that t-shirts are “first registered, first served,” we order a limited quantity – so don’t wait any longer to register! And you can pick up your race number bib the night before, July 3rd, at the Selby Park Shelter House between 5:30 and 7:30 PM.

This race is open to everyone, so bring your friends, co-workers, and random people you see running on the street :-)! Speed doesn’t matter; it’s all about challenging yourself and having fun. However, for those of you who are super competitive and thinking about going for the course record, we invite you to browse our Race Results Archive from the last 25 years for inspiration for your training regimen.

Regardless of whether you run, walk or jog, we hope to see you there; and we’re sure it will be a great day for a 5k!

All Colonial Hills residents are invited to host their own garage sales on Saturday, June 10th, 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 3, 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 10.

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

Please register for one of the two free Planning Sessions for the Age-Friendly Worthington Action Plan, by clicking the red “Select a Date” button shown on the linked-to web page. Next, select either of the two red “Tickets” buttons, to select your choice of session which will be at either of these two different locations depending on the date selected:

• May 9: 10:00 – 11:30am – Old Worthington Library
• May 22: 10:00 – 11:30am – Griswold Center

Then, on the General Admission Tickets page, just click the red Register button (there is no fee and the number of tickets counter is disabled; just click the red Register button to register). Finally, on the next page (Checkout), fill in your Contact information, check the box to Accept the Eventbrite Terms of Service and un-check the other two boxes as you wish, and (again) press the red Register button (at the bottom of the page). Your registration ticket will be e-mailed to you. Make a note for your ticket to remind you of which location you will be attending. (Scanning the QR Code on the flyer below will also bring up the registration page.)

Background Information, including the explanatory flyer shown below, is available at the Age-Friendly Worthington web page. You will note that the Action Plan to be developed, which will consider your input at these planning sessions, is the final step in this initiative. The action plan will be the result of ongoing community involvement, including the survey many of you took, and the focus groups you attended, in 2021 as publicized in the CHCA’s October 17, 2021 blogpost on this topic.

Lastly, those of you in attendance at the Selby Park Shelter House Age-Friendly focus group on November 5, 2021, may remember our request to prepare a List of Age-Friendly Resources, which the Worthington Community Relations Commission has completed and archived in the City’s Document Center.

Please plan to attend one of these sessions by Registering now!

*** Flyer for the Planning Session ***

Colonial Hills graduating seniors or Colonial Hills residents pursuing continuing education – please review the detail requirements on page 2 of the 2023 scholarship application – MS Word format here or PDF format here) (or use the links at the right).

As specified on page 1 of the application, your completed application must be received by April 6 (if you deliver it in person or e-mail it), or postmarked by April 3, if you mail it to our P.O. Box.

The January 2023 Colonial Hills Courier Scholarship Application article, on pages 9 and 10, specifies exactly the same requirements as are specified in the above-referenced scholarship application forms, but with a more easily visualized graphic display for the requirements. Therefore, you may optionally print out, cut out, copy, etc., this article from the Courier, to use as your application form, if you wish.

Thanks to the membership dues residents so generously pay, the sponsorships for our events so graciously donated, and the ad space sold in the Courier, and the high quality of our winning applicants, the CHCA was able to award total scholarship amounts of $2,500 three years ago, $3,000 two years ago and this past year $6,000 in scholarships! But we cannot award any scholarships unless you apply – so apply now, before you forget!

Luckily, the super cold and snowy weather held off until after our contest! The winners are:

• Best Overall – First Place: 244 Colonial – The judges gasped, then squealed with delight at the wonderful Whoville display.
• Best Overall – Second Place: 291 E Selby – BIG Santa and Frosty.
• Best Overall – Third Place: 212 Colonial – Although the address is hard to see in the dark, it sure is pretty with the unique colorful lights.
• Best Front Door – First Place: 63 Southington – With its simple, sweet and heartfelt “Merry Christmas door”.
• Best Front Door – Second Place: 384 Colonial
• Best Front Door – Third Place: 581 N Selby
• Best Retro: 322 Loveman – Hula Santa and friends. Hawaii sounds good right now, yes?
• Most Artistic: 551 Park Blvd – Our judges called this one “HO HO HO Ha Ha Ha” with its 3 bushes dressed up as Santa. So creative!
• Most Lit Up: 287 Loveman – A wonderful yard full of “Island of Lost Toys” figures and plenty of sparkle!

(And here are the pics, with photo credits to the Secret Judges – please click the “Continue reading” link below to see these photos)

_01 Best Overall – 1st Place
_02 Best Overall – 2nd
_03 Best Overall – 3rd
_04 Best Front Door – 1st Place
_05 Best Front Door – 2nd
_06 Best Front Door – 3rd
_07 Best Retro
_08 Most Artistic
_09 Most Lit Up

I want to thank each of the 24 volunteers, including 8 youth, who assembled 899 luminary kits for the 838 homes in our neighborhood on Saturday, December 3. Although it was raining heavily earlier in the morning, by 10:00 AM when we started kit assembly, the rain had completely stopped and the weather was comfortable for our outside volunteers (please see the photos below).

All but six Trustees were able to pick up their completed bundles of kits before 1:00 PM, and so volunteers delivered their bundles to them, which included one large bundle for which volunteer Al Smyth delivered the kits to all homes in this District due to Trustee illness. And thus my special appreciation to Al, who has been “backstopping” the kit assembly event with multiple Trustee bundle deliveries each year since 2014!

And last, but not least, I thank our Trustees who deliver the luminary kits to each home in their District (plus delivering the Couriers and CHCA membership packets, and many of whom have additional roles within the CHCA).

Colonial Hills was blessed with great weather for our Neighborhood Luminary Display, which includes the luminaries ringing Selby Park, on Sunday, December 11, from 7:00 to 9:00 PM. As I drove the streets in the Hills that evening, I estimated that we had approximately 95% overall participation, with long expanses of continuous displays on Indianola and the Selbys, and some streets such as Meadoway and Park Overlook with virtually 100% participation!

In fact, even with driving very slowly, windows rolled down and flashers on, I felt as if my vehicle was an intruder on the streets which, along with the sidewalks, were filled with folks, including strollers and pets, enjoying the great weather and our amazing holiday decorations. And of course, I had to park by the curb for about five minutes, to become part of the ongoing crowd of children (and adults) marveling at the awesome display at a certain home.

And finally, I must thank every neighbor who set up their luminaries in front of their residence, and those who decorate their homes for the season, to make our Colonial Hills holiday celebration uniquely jolly.

Will Pearce
Luminary Event Chair

(And now for the photos (Photo Credit: Barb Schwartz-Lilly) – please click the “Continue reading” link below to see these pics which have the following descriptions)

_01 Outside Kit Assembly #1
_02 Outside Kit Assembly #2
_03 Shoveling #1
_04 Shoveling #2
_05 Completed Kits
_06 Preparing Bundles for Trustees
_07 Outside Kit Assembly #3

Please sign up, using our SignUpGenius, for Luminary Kits Assembly, Saturday, December 3, starting at 10:00 AM.

Note that due to respiratory illness concerns for our luminary kits event, we will again be limiting the number of volunteers – similar to 2021, and that there will again be only one shift for volunteers, from approximately 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM.

In particular, to try to ensure the safety of all volunteers and their families at home, we will encourage that masks be worn for the tasks inside the-shelter house, where we will again have eight separate workstations, so as to try to maintain some social distancing. Volunteers for any task can include any youth middle-school age or older, due to the availability of effective vaccines for COVID and influenza this year.

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)

Pease note that even if you didn’t sign up beforehand on our SignUpGenius, but do show up to volunteer at 10:00 AM on Saturday morning, there may still be an open position for you to volunteer. However, we request that you do sign up ahead of time, and arrive a few minutes before 10:00 AM to reserve the volunteer position of your choice.

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 11, 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

This upcoming Saturday morning, November 12, will be a very busy time in the Hills – please drive carefully while these two events are being conducted:

1) 9:00 AM – The Kilbourne Middle School (KMS) second annual “Hot Chocolate 5k.”

To register, please click the following link, which will take you to the KMS PTSA’s memberhub.com store web page, and click the Hot Chocolate 5k icon: Kilbourne Middle School Hot Chocolate 5k

The registration fee is $25.00 for all age groups, and the KMS Hot Chocolate Run course is identical to the CHCA 4th of July 5k course:
.
Please feel free to contact Wendy Swonger wswon0109@gmail.com with any questions or concerns.

2) The annual Neighborhood Food Drive – the CHCA along with local Scouts will be collecting food Saturday morning.

Although we request that you leave your donations on your porch by 8:30 AM, along with the flyer dropped off at your home – due to the KMS Hot Chocolate 5k at 9:00 AM with runners in the streets, we probably won’t be by your house to pick up your donations until starting around 10:00 AM. Or, you can just drop off your items at the Selby Park Shelter House around 10:00 AM.

Please note: However, if you wish to drop off the items yourself, starting earlier, around 9:00 to 10:00 AM – please be very careful – and approach the shelter house from the north side parking lot – be careful of any runners/walkers in the street on the south side of the shelter house (South Selby) and of runners in the other streets shown on the map above (almost every street in Colonial Hills).

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 the utmost care on Saturday morning with all the runners in the streets, and the many volunteers crossing our streets to pick up the food drive donations.

The clouds were ominous and luminous and the black cats (3!!) were prowling on Park Overlook as our judges were scouring the neighborhood in search of creative, spooky, and friendly house and yard designs with activities and special effects. They were not disappointed! It’s never an easy task to select winners in the winningness of neighborhoods, but hard choices had to be made.

Special Honorable Mentions to the following:

• 5785 Andover for the tall ghost and Big spider
• 445 N. Selby where skeletons rose from the grave to attach the house of the Pumpkin Patch
• 382 Loveman for its Ghastly Ghosts
• 417 Kenbrook for the OZ theme and green flying witches
• 583 Loveman with Sponge Bob and his freaky friends

Thanks to everyone who decorated and added to our neighborhood’s spooky Halloween atmosphere.

And the WINNERS are: (Cue a big Minor chord on the organ!!)

SPOOKIEST: 287 Loveman – Featuring Big Black Cat, Halloween movie villains Freddie K and Michael Myers.

FRIENDLIEST: 73 E. Riverglen – A big yard full of fun vignettes, and a Bates Motel sign in the window. This home is friendly all year long with decor for nearly every holiday and OSU game.

MOST CREATIVE: 524 Colonial – The Monster house is alive! Along with Halloween greetings and fog effects.

BEST ACTIVITY: 363 Loveman – there will be a spook house to enter on Halloween, also there is so much activity for the eyes: holograms, flying ghost, bass playing skeleton and a ghastly greeter.

BEST EFFECTS: 427 S. Selby – Our judges loved the skeletal Bengals fan watching the hologram TV show! And the fire pit was a very nice touch. Look for the Wicked Witch of the East (well, her feet, anyway) near the graveyard.

(And now for the photos (Photo Credits: Secret Judges) – please click the “Continue reading” link below to see these pics which have the following descriptions)

_01 The Clouds Were Ominous …
_02 And Black Cats Were Prowling on Park Overlook
_03 Spookiest
_04 Friendliest
_05 Most Creative
_06 Best Activity
_07 Best Effects (Daytime)
_08 Best Effects