COLUMBUS – Popular annual events are returning to central Ohio almost as quickly as they disappeared a year ago as the COVID-19 pandemic closed forced organizers of fairs, sporting events, fireworks displays and other activities to cancel their events.
The Columbus Symphony Orchestra had already announced that it would resume its Picnic With The Pops and Popcorn Pops concert series.
Organizers of the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon & ½ Marathon on Tuesday announced the resumption of the race Oct. 17. In-person registration opens June 1 for the full and half-marathon, which were cancelled last year because of the pandemic.
It will be busy month for runners in the Buckeye State.
Two spring marathons, in Cleveland and Cincinnati, which were postponed have been rescheduled for the weekends of Oct. 23-24 and Oct. 31 respectively.
Dublin is bringing back its annual fireworks display and Independence Day celebration July 3.
Festivities begin with the 35th Annual Sherm Sheldon Fishing Derby at the pond in front of the Dublin Community Recreation Center, 5600 Post Road, at 8:00 a.m. A downtown parade will follow at 11:00 a.m. and the day will conclude with evening performances by local musicians at Dublin Coffman High School and the fireworks show presented by EASE Logistics beginning at 9:50 p.m.
Officials say the events are all family friendly, though there will be no candy distributed at the parade and there will be no kids’ zone available at the stadium.
The Arnold Classic returns to the Columbus Convention Center this fall. The annual competition and fitness showcase were the first local events to be cancelled due to the pandemic.
Bodybuilding competitions will be conducted for one day only as participants compete for $412,000 in prize money Sept. 25 at Battelle Hall at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Tickets will go on sale June 15.
The multi-day Arnold Sports Festival is scheduled to return March 3-6, 2022.
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The first winner of the Ohio Vax-a-Million lottery drawings will be announced Wednesday.
The Ohio Lottery conducted the drawing at their draw studio in Cleveland Monday using a Random Number Generator and observed by a representative of the Ohio Auditor of State.
Results of the drawing were provided to the Ohio Department of Health to verify the winners. The announcement is scheduled for at 7:29 p.m.
Ohio Vax-a-Million is an opt-in program, meaning you are not automatically entered. Once you enter, your entry will be carried over through all the drawings. You do not need to submit your name each week.
As of Tuesday, 5,203,340 Ohioans had received at least one dose of a CXOVID-19 vaccine. That is equal to 44.51% of the state’s population. The number of residents who were fully vaccinated rose to 4,559,456, 39.01% of the population.
There were 727 new cases reported, bringing the total number of Ohioans diagnosed with COVID-19 to 1,098,593 with 19,753 deaths. There were 20,868 active cases, 786 of them being treated in hospitals. A total of 58,804 Ohioans have been hospitalized during the pandemic with 126 new admissions Tuesday.
The positivity rate fell to 3.2%.