Is the SNBA promoting gratuitous sex, homosexuality and obscene language?

For those of you who attended the Short North’s Got Talent show earlier this month, you witnessed the ladies (and James) of the SNBA re-enact a scene from the TV show Glee.

But according to The Parents Television Council, quoted in an article on Christwire.org, Glee is chock full of “gratuitous sex, explicit dialogue and obscene language” as well as “homosexuality,” “steamy shower scenes” and “drug use.” The author goes on to also say “Additionally, the show has far too many musical numbers.”

Anyway, if you stumble upon this site, as I have, you can only gather that by re-creating a scene from Glee, the SNBA promotes those values. So I say “Let’s hear it for the SNBA crew!”

What I find so amazing (and entertaining) is the skewed perspective and paranoia of this group. Another quote from the article says “How many middle-aged men will find themselves in a dead-end Glee-based lifestyle? Will they be ostentatious and sensitive… Crying out to have that giant hole in their souls stuffed with some musky foreign thrill?” By the way, “musky foreign thrill” in the article links you to another article titled “Sodomy Is Never The Answer.” (Musky Foreign Thrill sounds like an opening act for Bare Naked Ladies. - ed.)

I have to say, this author is a never-ending source of entertainment! But paranoia is not new for this author. It would not be fair, or humorous, if I didn’t share one more tidbit from this article… so here goes. The author continues by saying: “Recently, I wrote about studies that revealed the dangerous influence the tv show ‘The Golden Girls’ had on American men now in their 30s, 40s and 50s… and increased risks of homosexual behavior. In a nutshell, the Golden Girls turned a generation away from procreation.”

Damn! I’m just glad no one from this group was at “The Short North’s Got Talent” show! (The Bea Arthur impersonator would have given them the vapors. Just kidding - there was no Bea Arthur impersonator this year. - ed.)

Decide for yourself how sinful song and dance can be.

Check out the youtube videos of Short North’s Got Talent!

In both movies: “It’s a Wonderful Life”, and “Back to the Future 2″, there were parallel universes that showed what those respective communities would look like if a difference sequence of events happened.

And in both movies, the alternate reality wasn’t pretty. Curiously, both had striking similarities showing their alternative futures consisting of greed, corruption and really bad signage.

Why was I thinking of this? Well, in an alternate reality, the Short North could’ve been a very different place as well.

If the Short North Business Association didn’t (or didn’t continue) to exist, we would all see very different views outside our front windows than we do now. That alternative reality would be one where blatant commercialism takes over the Gallery Hops, homeless folks begging on High Street would be more prominent, the cost of parking meters would be more and, oh yes, really bad signage would be the norm.

Every day the folks at, and volunteers of, the SNBA work to make a difference. But unfortunately, it seems like not every Short North business owner sees the benefits… unless they’re paying close attention. I’m not sure everyone realizes just how much the SNBA does on their behalf, because if they did, way more people would be involved. At a minimum, simply by supporting the SNBA by being a member.

As Collin Castore, owner of Bodega, puts it: “For a relatively small contribution there is an entire staff of talented individuals who bring publicity & opportunity to the neighborhood.”  So obviously, Collin is paying attention. And granted, so are lots of other businesses, but not enough, because I think only half of the business in the area are supporting the SNBA by being members.

The SNBA works to make the Short North better, safer, and more prosperous for the businesses here. The work they do benefits all our futures.

So if we want to continue having a wonderful life right here in the Short North, let’s support the SNBA.

And that’s the view from my window…

This weeks blog is by Barb Ebright, COO of Mukha Spa & Mukha Essentials

Ahhh… the Short North!  I’m not even sure where to begin.  I suppose I should start with the fact that it’s not so much the VIEW outside my window but the EXPERIENCE outside my window that I love most about working in the Short North, especially this time of year.

Having always lived in the “burbs”, coming to work everyday in the Short North is such an exciting experience on every level.  The interesting architecture, the amazing art seen everywhere you turn, the outstanding food and drink options right at my fingertips, and everything in-between.  When leaving work, there are few evenings that I walk to my car not thinking about how much I’d like to trade-in my suburban home and lifestyle for a far more interesting way of life in the Short North.  Who knows, maybe some day!

Then there’s working with the amazing talents of Tim Maurer and Sanito Mendoza, owners of Mukha.  It has been a great privilege to work with them the past three years on product development, staff development, and everything in between.   Finding personal beauty is an art, and it’s so exciting to be a part of this very special art form right here in the heart of the Short North.

First class experience… that’s what I see both inside and outside the windows of Mukha.  The people, more than any other aspect of the Short North, are the most rewarding part of the area.  Where else can you greet everyone on the streets - from the business owners to the casual strollers - and feel like you are REALLY part of something special?  Not many places can boast this characteristic.

As a very wise woman once told me many years ago, there is a season for everything.  This is such an exciting season for the Short North, for so many reasons.  I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of it all!

Our guest blogger for this week is Lisa Craig Morton, owner of the Victorian Village Guest House

As I sit in the kitchen of my Neil Avenue home and look out on my sun-drenched garden, I am in awe of the wonders brought forth by spring’s rain showers, warm days and cool nights. The garden is exploding with greenery and pops of color. Birds are chirping and chattering in the canopy of hundred year old trees over the yard. This beautiful morning started with tending the garden – planting some new perennials, pinching the spent blooms off yesterday’s flowers, checking the progress of my herbs and tomatoes and seeing what has popped open since yesterday’s assessment! Today I discover that the first hydrangea is blooming and the first tomatoes are starting to take shape on the vine. The peonies (my favorite flower) are starting to fade, the rains of the last few days hastening their decline. In front of the house, the hum of traffic and passers-by up and down Neil Avenue is ever present. But the back yard is like a sanctuary, all lush and green, private and secluded. When people come to stay at our guest house, they are always surprised to find such an oasis in the middle of the city.

Growing up in Columbus, I always wanted to live on Neil Avenue. I was drawn to the interesting architecture, the history of the street and the possibility to be an agent for change in an area that had seen better days. Moving to Victorian Village six years ago was a dream come true as well as a transformational journey. I fell in love all over again with the Short North, an area I had frequented for many years, but was now getting to know on a whole new level. The diversity of the neighborhood and the surrounding businesses were the inspiration I needed to start a business of my own.

There is a sense of community here in the Short North. Having spent most of my life in suburbia and the trenches of Corporate America, I soon realized that the pace was a little different here, the players a little more quirky, the creative energy much more out in the open! It made me want to get involved and share this story with others, both here in central Ohio and those farther beyond. Creating Victorian Village Guest House has allowed me to support the Short North’s growing tourism business and has given me a way to let others “sample” what life could be like here in this walkable, wonderful collection of neighborhoods. It also gave me a new career and a livelihood when my banking job was eliminated in the recession. Standing at the back porch door and looking over the garden, I almost have to pinch myself when I realize that this is now my job!

This is the first guest commentary here at the Short North Blog.  Maria Galloway, owner of pm gallery and current president of the board of the SNBA is kicking us off!

Spring in the Short North

Prop the door open and catch the breeze, the aromas wafting from the restaurants and the roar of motorcycles.  At the corner of Buttles and North High it seems as though everyone is eating Jeni’s ice cream.  A sure sign of spring is the new seasonal flavors like Meyer Lemon Blueberry and Rhubarb Rose’.

Spring fashions adorn the windows at Rowe (in their new expanded space), Ladybird and a bit farther up the street - Undone, Voodoo Denim and Jinny.  The al fresco dining is in full swing with crowds at Union, Haiku, and La Fogata.

I love walking home in the evening this time of year. The lilacs fill the alley with their heady perfume. The daffodils in the park make me smile. The planter beds on High Street are newly planted with petunias, sweet potato vine and grasses. They have a ways to go to fill in, but I enjoy the formal spacing of the freshly planted. In a couple of months they will be lush and full and wild.

This is the time of year when anticipation of the year’s festivals begins. The June Gallery Hop almost always coincides with the downtown Arts Festival. Then in quick succession we have Comfest, the Gay Pride Parade, the DooDah Parade and the July Gallery Hop! Plus weddings in the park, graduations, and fashion photographers using the neighborhood as a backdrop. After the long winter is it so wonderful to see color and bustling activity return to the street.

This is wedding season at pm gallery. We get the anti-registry people. The people who want to get a memorable gift, not just plate #7 out of a 48 piece set. And it must work, because after 30 wedding seasons, we have only had one return. Funny thing is we have a gift registry, too. It is a What You See Is What You Get registry, since we have so many one of a kind items. I photograph the items and put them on our website. It is great for out-of-towners.

The slide into summer has begun. The air conditioner will be on soon and the noise of the street will be muted as we close the door against the heat. The colors will deepen and the days will lengthen. Buttles Avenue is my sundial.  The sun will be setting at the end of the street and the light and heat will fill the gallery. I am in no hurry for that to happen. Spring here, in the Short North, is full of change, evolution and fun. I am enjoying that.

Holiday Season Kick-off
Saturday, November 28th

When you’re finished with the frenzy rush of your Black Friday adventures, come and enjoy a unique experience in the Short North.   The Short North is the place to find perfect, unique, ‘outside the box’ holiday gifts. It’s a destination where you will uncover diverse shops and boutiques that have an array of amazing items for everyone on your list.  Merchant holiday window displays, extended hours, sales & specials, and holiday entertainment at 21 amazing galleries, 68 one-of-a-kind fashion boutiques, home decor and specialty shops, 91 acclaimed restaurants, pubs, clubs and food shops, 17 fabulous arches, equaling 1 incredible destination.

We hope you had as much fun as we did at HighBall Halloween!! The turn out from the community was amazing, the costumes were dazzling, and YOU made the night so much fun!

The costume contest was also a success! Hundreds of people entered but only few made it past the judges selections, and only ONE was lucky enough to take home the prize as overall best costume.  Sean Sproul, “The Devil,” was the overall costume winner at HighBall. Sproul received gifts from our sponsors but also a $1,000 check from The CW.

We had a couple questions for Sean Sproul about his devil creation and the making of his costume.

1.  What was your inspiration behind the your costume?

This costume actually has a little bit of a history going back to Halloween of 1999.  My partner and I had seen “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and decided to go as satyrs or pans (half goat, half man).  We had purchased some ceramic horns with an elastic band to hold them to your head at the Renaissance Festival earlier that Summer, so those got us started.  We then picked up a Simplicity pattern for a Halloween costume which made the furry goat’s legs, but the feet weren’t quite dramatic enough.  We painted our upper bodies with glitter paint and exaggerated our facial features with makeup.  We entered the Halloween costume contest at the Eagle but left disappointed.  So, the costumes were put into storage, sigh.  Then in 2001 a friend of mine who is a hairdresser decided we should enter as a different team.  We decided to go as dark angel (Satan) and white angel (Michael).  We started with the face of Satan which wasn’t a full mask but exaggerated features made of latex to be adhered to the face with spirit gum.  This included horns, cheeks, nose, ears, and chin.  We were just going to fill in the remaining exposed skin with some sort of face paint.  Then I had my first revelation.  What about using liquid latex to pain over the skin instead?  I didn’t want to shave my head, so we got a skull cap to cover my hair.  I knew I would have to shave any remaining exposed body hair, but that was okay.  We hadn’t considered the lower body yet, and then it came to us.  Why not use the legs we had used two years prior as part of the satyr outfits?  They needed to look more sinister though, so I spray painted them with some black paint, but didn’t expect or want them to be solid black, just charred looking.  So, I shaved my upper body, used spirit gum to adhere the facial features and skull cap, then Glenn started painting away with the red liquid latex.  He put on several layers letting each dry before adding the next.  He used black liquid latex for accents.  Then I just slipped into the legs and put the hooves on when we got to the bar.  I added the chain harness, spiked collar, spiked wrist bands, and bicep bands as finishing touches.  My hands are covered with rubber devil hands and held on by the spiked wrist bands.

2.  How did you come up with the idea?

The evolution of this costume is in answer #1.  Back in 2001 it took second place at the Eagle, and first place at Tradewinds.  It didn’t garner any attention at Union Station, sigh.

3.  What materials did you use to make your pants and shoes?

The pants are made out of faux fur, dark brown for the most part, light brown for the inner portions.  I then painted them with black to give them a burnt, more sinister look.  In my opinion it’s the shoes that really make the costume.  It’s a pair of tennis shoes screwed into a plank of wood about 3 inches in diameter with a notch taken out of the front to make it appear to be a cloven hoof.  The plank is about 6 1/2 inches on the back and 5 1/2″ on the front so the shoe sits on the top at a one inch decline.  The shoes are attached with screws and washers through the balls of the soul.  The result causes you to walk on your tippy toes, sort of a reverse high heel.  It’s as if you’re wearing high heels, but there is not heel support.  The support is under the balls of your feet, so it’s like you’re walking on your tippy toes.  The shoes were then covered in the dark brown fur with velcro strips to hold the fur in place over the top of the shoe as any visual sign of tennis shoes would definitely take away from the visual effect.  I credit my background in roller and ice skating for my balance.  I credit training for and running two marathons per year for my endurance.

4.  Which shops were you able to find your costume accessories?

The liquid latex came from The Garden.  Everything else was either from JoAnn Fabrics or Halloween costume shop close by.  The harness, wrist bands, collar, and bicep bands came from The Garden as well.

5.  Were you surprised you won the entire contest?

Most definitely.  I honestly didn’t even know what the prize was and didn’t expect to win.  I just asked my partner and friend if it was time for the Devil to come out of the closet yet again.  I had unveiled him a few times at private parties, and he always seemed to impress, so I figured why not?  It’ll be fun.  When we got to the Highball Halloween crowd it started to sink in to my partner just how effective the costume was based on how folks were reacting to it.  There literally were some who backed away and were sincerely creeped out by it, and others who seemed impressed and wanted pictures of or with the Devil.  To me that’s the real fun of it since I’m usually a shy and withdrawn person especially in crowds, but a costume allows you to shed that and just enjoy the attention.

6. How did you find out about HighBall Halloween?

My co-worker and friend Lori told me about it.  I’m ashamed to say I didn’t even know it was a scheduled event.

7.  What did you enjoy most about HighBall?

The interactions with the crowd and other contestants.  In my opinion the group I was in, Cirque Fantasy, was the best of all.  There were so many great costumes that I wouldn’t have wanted to be the one choosing.  I tried to interact with other contestants on stage and was cheering on the #18 group of black/white zombies.  I thought they looked great as did many others.

8.  Will you dress up for HighBall again next year?

My partner was initially saying not for a few years, but I think I might be able to convince him to give it another go.  He was so shocked that we won.  It was a great evening for us, one we won’t forget.

9. What costume tips would you recommended to other HighBall attendees?

I think the homemade inventions are the best, so try to be as creative as you can.  Some of the masks were awesome, but it was apparent that they were store bought.  Also, have fun with it, enjoy the moment.  If you’re approaching it as a task/job it will show.  Don’t take yourself so seriously.  As for my costume it was challenging to walk in, but I think that added to the effect.  Perhaps I could come up with an improvement in that regard.

Barb Wallace is one of 17 designers participating in this year’s High Ball Halloween Costume Couture Fashion Showdown.  I spoke with a very enthusiastic Barb Wallace about her many inspirations for this year’s four garments.  The crafty Wallace gathers mainly clothing from thrift stores around Columbus as a base for a garment.

“I have always used this style,” Wallace said.  “I see so much potential in every story!”  Wallace also searches for inspiration in magazines and incorporates them into her one of a kind thrifty design’s.  Wallace’s four pieces are designed around rocker yet feminine look incorporating studs, embellishments, chains, black skinny pants, ruffles, and other unique accessories.
Each designer is also creating a garment for the High Ball Costume Contest, which is open to the public.  Last year thousands of people created one of kind costumes that shocked even the most professional designers.

“It is so fun to see what everyone comes up with!” Wallace added.  “The costume I created for the costume contest is a juxtaposition of an industrial/organic look.  The look is inspired by a rooftop garden, a steel background with flowers cascading down the dress.” Wallace said.
Halloween is that time when you can let it all go! We are excited to see Barb’s designs, as well as the costumes from the rest of the designers.