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The Dispatch wrote
WaterFire to burn anew on river
Friday, April 18, 2008
BY NANCY GILSON
For the third year — and with an expanded schedule — the Scioto River will be fired up this summer for nighttime entertainment. WaterFire, a string of wood-fueled bonfires in the middle of the river, will return beginning May 3 with eight events — the first year for a “full schedule,” project director Mike Collins said.
Throughout summer, WaterFire will pair with entertainment, including a Rhythm on the River performance featuring BalletMet Columbus (Aug. 29); the German Village Oktoberfest (Sept. 7); and the Riverfront Arts Festival, formerly the Goodale Park Art Festival (Sept. 20).
Comments
- Rmoiii: Where are the photo's of the current construction going on in the short nor
- cheap: i highly recommend the Millersport sweet corn festival of course,the cor
- Jimmy Mak: Thanks for the write-up! Just to clarify - this is the third year we've do
- Briana Henry: Well, eventually they plan to add more bands from the region...gotta start
- bucki12: I like the business model, but the internet sales part seems like something
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WaterFire on the Mile returns for Summer 2008
By: Walker
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I think you get the idea.
I went on Saturday night– It was great to see people hanging out on the riverfront at 9:45pm on a Saturday night, looking at the new Broad and High matrix in the distance. Looking forward to the next event June 14th.
How was the fire?
I’m always surprised by Columbus’ willingness to give something another try when it’s already failed miserably once.
But seriously, I hope they succeed this time!
It was embers by the time I got there (9:45) but there were still people hanging out.
I support anything that tries to inject more life downtown…
I love the idea of trying to breath some life into downtown, but I’m still confused as to how this event came back? They didn’t do it at all last year from what I understand, and the year before that people that I know who saw it said it was rather disappointing.
I will go down to the riverfront for one of the next ones, give it a chance.
On a different subject, I wish someone would resurrect “Taste Columbus,” or whatever it was called.
I saw Wilco and the Squirrel Nut Zippers for free on the riverfront at that festival back in ’98 or ’99. (Or have I not been paying attention, and that’s still around?)
It sounds like people complained that there wasn’t anything to do at FireWater before. It’s not an event on it’s own. Sounds like this year it’s a backdrop for other events. Which I think will work better.
I’m pretty sure they did it last year. I saw it near Cosi with BalletMet. Which is why we went, because the first time they did it, it was pretty boring to watch it all by itself.
2005 = YES
2006 = NO
2007 = YES
2008 = YES
No fires were lighted in 2006. WaterFire returned in 2007 with two “burns.”
I would go down to see something other than fire in the river- I am uninspired by this specific event, but anything that promotes downtowniess is good.
Sounds like a plan! :D
I’m sure we can get together some sort of groups to go to all three of the festival events with WaterFire going on in the background:
- BalletMet Columbus (Aug. 29)
- German Village Oktoberfest (Sept. 7)
- Riverfront Arts Festival (formerly the Goodale Park Art Festival) (Sept. 20)
Mark your calendars!
Yes, Count me in. I’d like to see as many people outside enjoy “not-TV” as possible! It was a bit nipplely last week for the first light, but I should only be getting better.
Cool. We’ve got several other events coming up before the Waterfire in August that I mentioned. Hopefully we’ll see you out sooner too! :D
I went to the BalletMet one last year, and it was cool. It was a nice backdrop to the ballet. Maybe we could do a CU picnic meet-up for the ballet?
Tomorrow!
http://www.waterfirecolumbus.com/
i used to live in providence and they don’t leave them lit…they do have them way more weekends…but the lighting of the bonfires is a really big deal in providence..they go on boats down the river with a gong and make a big to do about it…i want to say they wore cloaks too, but i might be making that up because gongs and cloaks makes me giggle.
i’ve not been to any of the columbus ones and i’m interested in checking one out…i have to say, when i was in providence, i thought it sounded lame…but then i went and it was really fun, although it does take over a giant portion of downtown providence, just because of the way the rivers snake through the city…a way different set up than here…lots of vendors, lots of music…and because pvd is so small it seemed like you ran into everyone you knew when you were down there…
Providence, eh?
Is this an event licensed from some organization for $169,000 like Via Colori?
It costs $169,000 to put on Via Colori? That seems arbitrary.
FAD should franchise out Urban Scrawl! We’d be able to do everything that we want to do in Franklinton and then some next week if we just got two other cities to pick up the Scrawl!
Plus we wouldn’t have to set anything on fire or have 100 artists with knee scrapes and a nasty sunburn on their necks for a week.
PS- Is there really a “negativity brigade” in Columbus? Who’s currently in charge of that committee?
I haven’t been to another one of these since the 1st o(2nd?) one. People need a reason to go, like food or booze or good live music. In Providence there is a slight difference, with that being that both sides of the river are more developed with places to walk to, i.e. restaurants and bars are within walking distance so this provides an interesting detour. Here, there is precious little nearby and the river is much wider meaning you need more compelling reasons to cross. I think it’ll take more than Spaghetti Warehouse. Anyone been to both that can make a 1st hand comparison?
How was it, Walker? Oh wait, it’s this Friday. I’ll be there!
FAD should franchise out Urban Scrawl! We’d be able to do everything that we want to do in Franklinton and then some next week if we just got two other cities to pick up the Scrawl!
Plus we wouldn’t have to set anything on fire or have 100 artists with knee scrapes and a nasty sunburn on their necks for a week.
PS- Is there really a “negativity brigade” in Columbus? Who’s currently in charge of that committee?
I hear vending costs $750 there as well. Yep. You want to vend at Via Colori… pony up $750.
$750! That’s a spicy meatball! Is that for food vendors, or all vendors in general?
I’m starting to think you’re just trying to goad me into talking $#%! about Via Colori again, because that seems like an awful lot of money…