Local-ish Conventions

( an update of this post from ten years ago:  http://brookeburch.blogspot.com/2006/11/local-conventions.html )
A selection of conventions that are on my radar

DeConPression http://deconpression.org/
Columbus, Ohio [relaxacon]
January

OhayoCon http://ohayocon.org/
Columbus, Ohio [anime]
January

ShumatsuCon http://www.shumatsucon.com/
Columbus, Ohio [anime]
February/March

MilleniCon http://www.millennicon.org/
Cincinnati, Ohio [sf/f lit]
March

ConCoction http://www.clevelandconcoction.org/
Cleveland, Ohio [general sf/f]
March

ArmageddiCon  http://www.animepunch.org/armageddicon/index.php
Columbus, Ohio [anime]
March/April

Who's Yer Con http://whosyergamers.org/wyc.php
Indianapolis, Indiana [gaming]
March/April

Small Press Alternative Comics Expo  http://www.backporchcomics.com/space.htm
Columbus, Ohio [comics]
April

Steampunk Symposium  http://thepandorasociety.com/symposium/
Cincinnati, Ohio [steampunk]
April

MarCon http://marcon.org/
Columbus, Ohio [general sf/f]
May

Midwest Haunters Convention  http://www.midwesthauntersconvention.com/
Columbus, Ohio [Halloween, haunter's trade show]
May/June

ColossalCon http://colossalcon.com/
Sandusky, Ohio [waterpark anime]
June

Origins http://originsgamefair.com/
Columbus, Ohio [gaming]
June

TrotCon http://trotcon.net/
Columbus, Ohio [my little pony]
June/July

InConJunction http://inconjunction.org/
Indianapolis, Indiana [general sf/f]
July

CenterFold Origami Convention  http://www.ohiopaperfolders.com/
Columbus, Ohio [origami]
July

PulpFest http://www.pulpfest.com/
Columbus, Ohio [pulp magazines]
July/August

TriCon http://triconoh.com/
Columbus, Ohio [comics]
August

MatsuriCon http://matsuricon.org/
Columbus, Ohio [anime]
August

GenCon http://www.gencon.com/
Indianapolis, Indiana [gaming]
August

WorldCon http://worldcon.org/
location varies [scifi]
August/September

Imaginarium http://www.entertheimaginarium.com/
Louisville, Kentucky [creative writing]
September

Buckeye Game Fest http://www.buckeyegamefest.com/
Columbus, Ohio [gaming]
September

MidoriCon http://midoricon.com/
Toledo, Ohio [indoor/outdoor anime]
September

Cincinnati Comic Expo http://cincinnaticomicexpo.com/
Cincinnati, Ohio [comics, pop culture]
September

Wizard World Ohio (former Mid Ohio Con) http://www.wizardworld.com/home-ohio.html
Columbus, Ohio [comics, pop culture]
July - November (varies)

Cartoon Crossroads Columbus  http://www.cartooncrossroadscolumbus.com/
Columbus, Ohio [comics, culture studies]
October

Con on the Cob http://cononthecob.com/
Akron/Cleveland, Ohio [gaming, art]
October

PandoraCon http://thepandorasociety.com/pandoracon/
Cincinnati, Ohio [general scifi geek]
September - November (varies)

Ohio Valley Filk Fest http://www.ovff.org/index.html
Columbus, Ohio [filk music]
October/November

WiSHcon http://www.wishcon.org/
Columbus, Ohio [media, lit]
November

Starbase Indy http://www.starbaseindy.com/
Indianapolis, Indiana [general scifi]
November

Ohio Game Developer Expo https://www.ohiogamedevexpo.com/
Columbus, Ohio [video gaming]
October - December

Dream House - kitchen planning

So while I'm thinking about kitchen design, I thought I'd collect some thoughts on general kitchen layout.

The following information is from doityourself.com How To Plan a Kitchen http://www.doityourself.com/stry/h2plankitchen :

• Do you need an island (and have room for it), a peninsula or a breakfast nook?
  
  
• Would you fill a pantry?
  
  
• Would you rather have a stainless steel sink or enameled cast iron?
  
  
• Do you use a microwave for major cooking or just to heat up cups of tea?
  
  
• Do you prefer cooking with gas or electricity?
  
  
• Do you want a combination oven-and-range or a cook top with a wall oven?
  
  
• Do you use enough small appliances that you could use an appliance garage to store them?
  

• Do two or more cooks typically work at the same time? If so, you may want extra counter space and/or an extra sink.
  
  
• Do you entertain frequently–and do you typically have formal or informal gatherings? If you entertain a lot, you may want to open up the kitchen/living room area into a great room that lets you be part of the party while you're working. (I'd thought about connecting kitchen and dining area, for ease of serving, but it makes sense to connect kitchen to entertainment area - not necessarily living room - instead or as well. However, for 'formal' occassions I don't want to show off the kitchen to formal guests - I think I consider the kitchen an intimate area - the heart of the home - maybe a half-wall cutout with large shutters? So that I could have it open for informal and closed off for formal 'hide the kitchen' times. I wonder if shutters are the best way to do that... something to look into. Also, if there will be tv/film viewing in this neighboring room, place large screen directly across from the kitchen view, so that if you run in for a drink you don't miss anything.)
  

MOST KITCHENS ARE DESIGNED AROUND FOUR WORK CENTERS

• THE CLEANUP CENTER around the sink should have at least 18" to 30" on one side, and 48" to 54" on the other, to allow enough room to stack dishes, pans and utensils. Always plan for at least 12" between the sink and the nearest corner, measured from the front of the counter. (I don't see a real problem with placing the sink on a corner, like my gramma's is, it facilitates two people using the sink/washing dishes.)
  
  
• THE COOKING CENTER around the range requires 12" minimum on one side of the range, and 15" to 24" on the other side, again with 12" minimum to the nearest corner. Microwaves and built-in ovens should have at least 15" to 18" counter space on the right side (assuming the door is hinged on the left side). (Having the ability to have people stand around the stovetop facilitates group cooking, so I'm good with a stove being on a corner - not in a corner - or freestanding.)
  
  
• THE STORAGE CENTER around the refrigerator needs 15" to 18" on the handle side of the refrigerator, to set food.
  
  
• THE MIXING/PREPARATION CENTER should be handy to pans, bowls and utensils, and should consist of at least 42" to 84" of free counter space.

If space permits, some designers also include a serving center–another 36" to 84" of free counter space to set bowls and pans.

As you design, you'll also want to plan for the following minimum clearances so you'll have room to work:

• There should be at least a 42" clearance from the front edge of the counter top to the nearest table or island.
  
  
• Leave at least 20" from the front edge of the dishwasher door (when open) to the nearest obstruction, so you'll have room to load and unload.
  
  
• Plan for at least 26" between the kitchen work area and the nearest traffic path.
  
  
• Allow 36" between the nearest obstruction and an eating table, so there is room to pull a chair away from the table.

Kitchen layouts are based on a concept called the work triangle. The work triangle consists of imaginary lines that connect the refrigerator, the range and the sink. For maximum comfort and efficiency, the three legs of the work triangle should total between 23' and 26'.

cabinet: A sink base is open below, with a door below a single false drawer front. In some brands, the drawer front tilts out to provide storage for sponges and cleaning supplies. (Burch household has this - excellent feature, make sure to include it!)
--

Z-series metal sinks, available in bronze, copper, brass and pewter, are made of a combination of metallics and polymers. The metallic material gives you the look of real metal; the polymers make maintenance easy. All you need to use is a product such as Bar Keeper's Friend, a sponge and water. That will remove any surface tarnish or discoloration off the surface of the sink. (Something to keep in mind, although it needs serious looking-into before I'd feel confident with it, and anything higher maintenance might not make the most comfortable fit for my home.)
--

Color can influence the mood of a room. For example, studies have shown that red can quicken the pulse and breathing rate, as well as increase appetite. Yellow, especially soft yellows can make people feel happier. When used as a accent bright yellow can attract attention and brighten up a kitchen. (Red for a dining room? Yellow in the kitchen? I'm happy with Bright Yellow trim and accents; that was the color scheme of my room at mom's when I was little - and you know what, I was really happy in those rooms.)

• It is considered a good idea in using color in a room to have a 60-30-10 split between three colors, 60% representing the main or dominant color, probably on the walls or cabinets. 30% of a secondary color used in the flooring or rugs, as well as window treatments. 10% for accents such as, dishes, artwork, pillows and other soft items.

--

The Classic Work Triangle
Placing your sink, range and refrigerator in a convenient arrangement that fits in your space will naturally result in a "work triangle". Your job is to make that the best triangle possible. Here are some factors to consider:

• The length of the three sides added together should be less than 26 feet, with each side being 4-9 feet. This will give you a work area which is not too cramped, but not so large that you waste time and energy hiking from one place to another.
• Main traffic route should not pass through the triangle. Sometimes this is impossible to achieve, but redirecting traffic outside the triangle is much safer and more convenient for the cook.
• An island or peninsula should not interrupt the triangle. A "barrier island" between major work areas or appliances causes a lot of extra walking (and maybe bumped hips as you swing past the corners of the island on the way to somewhere else).

Contemporary Planning: Work Centers

Nowadays the work triangle is not always enough to describe how a kitchen will function. Adding appliances (extra sink, dishwasher(s), separate cooktop and oven(s), microwave oven, etc.) adds extra work stations which the simple triangle can't account for. Adding cooks to a single triangle is a recipe for tripping over each other. The concept used to solve these problems in design is that of work centers or zones.

A work center groups everything needed to do a specific type of task into a single area. The three major ones are:

Food Prep Center
Near fridge, near sink (may have its own sink separate from the main cleanup sink), near trash and compost containers: needs counter space, knife storage, cutting boards, measuring and mixing utensils, small appliances such as food processor or blender, casseroles and baking dishes, flavorings, cookbook storage, graters.

Cooking Center
Range (stove) or cooktop and ventilation: oven may be located separately if it's not part of a range (possibly near the baking zone). If you cook using your microwave, you might include it in this zone (possibly mounted over the range), but if you mainly use it for heating up snacks it could be better located outside the main work triangle where non-cooks can access it without getting in the way. Close to the food prep center so that food can go directly from prep to cooking. If you do a lot of cooking involving large pots of water (pasta for 12, canning, etc) a faucet nearby can be very useful. Small cooking appliances like the toaster, toaster oven, convection oven, deep fryer etc might be located here or in a separate snack center. Storage for frypans, possibly saucepans, pot lids, cooking utensils, salt, pepper and spices (away from heat), oils, vinegars and other flavorings, oven mitts and gloves, fire extinguisher.

Cleanup Center
Main sink, dishwasher, garbage disposal, trash and compost bins, recycling bins, waste compactor; storage for cleaning materials, dishtowels, food storage containers and materials, paper towels, garbage bags, colanders and strainers, possibly everyday dishes and flatware (near dishwasher), possibly saucepans (near water source).

Depending on your cooking and eating style, you may have other work centers too:

Baking Center
Counter space (may include marble or stone slab for rolling pastry): cookie sheets and baking tins, cookie cutters, rolling pins, electric mixer, food processor, food storage for baking ingredients, cake decorating equipment, cookbook storage, measuring and mixing utensils, mixing bowls.

Snack Center
Close to refrigerator, cup and dish storage: includes microwave and toaster ovens, popcorn maker, coffee and tea making equipment and materials, water cooler, microwave-safe dishes and dish covers, oven mitts, snack foods.

Eating Center
Eating surface and seating (could be a table and chairs, breakfast bar and stools, or built-in nook); storage for dishes and flatware, napkins and placemats, condiments.

Clearly, there is some overlap between the equipment and materials needed in each work center. Where you choose to keep what depends on your cooking style and needs, the size of your kitchen, and placement of centers near each other. You might also choose to duplicate some items (anything from measuring cups to dishwashers) in several zones if you have the space and it makes work more convenient.
-
The main advantages of the L-shaped plan is that it's easy to keep traffic out of the work triangle, it can be compact, and the area opposite the corner of the L can be the perfect place for a table and chairs or an island. If the L gets too big, though, it can mean a lot of walking. You also have the "corner problem": whether to put the sink or range there (which restricts usage to one person at a time) or a cabinet which either has dead space inside or requires special fittings to use the space. (Hm, instead of putting in a lazy susan cupboard, what about no cupboards at all in the corner? Put a big plant there? have a nice window corner?)
--
From the Mississippi State University Extension Service http://msucares.com/pubs/publications/p1492.htm :

The location of the kitchen is also important and depends upon several factors:

• Convenience to yard or outside work area. Does a window look out into the yard or work area?
• Convenience of unloading groceries and disposing of garbage and trash.
• Easy access to the front or back door. (I also think having the first floor 'guest bathroom' by the kitchen/ backdoor/ entertainment area is a good idea for when you rush in the door and gotta go!)
  

Activity Centers

Efficient use of kitchen space is more important than the amount. Every kitchen should be organized around distinct centers of activity. Besides appliances, each center should have counter space and storage space. Centers are best arranged so that work moves in one direction. Storage and counter space can serve two appliances and reduce the space required for separate centers.

To combine centers, a guideline for amount of counter space is to use the counter dimensions required for the larger center plus 12 inches. The sink and refrigerator centers often are combined to provide counter space for the mix center. Recommended counter surface dimensions are identified in Table 1.

Storage and Cabinets

A kitchen should have at least 50 square feet of storage in wall and base cabinets. Six linear feet of base cabinets, with wall cabinets above, will give you 50 square feet. Four drawers, or 11 square feet of drawer space, are minimum requirements. Cabinets should have at least one shallow drawer.

Cabinet sizes are fairly standard. Wall cabinets are 12 to 13 inches deep and from 12 to 36 inches high. Base cabinets are 24 inches deep and 34 inches high. When the countertop is added, the base cabinet will be a standard 36 inches high. However, if you are very tall or short, you can place your cabinets at a more convenient height.

Cabinet widths range from 9 to 48 inches in multiples of 3 inches. Special base and wall cabinets are available for corner installations. in addition to standard sizes, there are many specialized cabinets: revolving shelves, built-in wine racks, partitions for lid and tray storage, waste basket and trash can concealment, and pantry cabinets for quality storage of staples.

Table 1

Recommended Amounts of Kitchen
Storage and Work Space
Kitchen Industry Recommendations
Sink Center	Counter surface on one side Counter surface on the other side	24-26 in. 18-30 in.
Range Center	Counter surface on one side Minimum on either side for safety	15-24 in. 12 in.
Refrigerator Center	Counter surface at latch side	15-18 in.
Mixing Center	Counter surface	36-42 in.
Total Counter Surface		72-109 in.
When work centers are combined, the counter should be equal to the longer of the counter tops being combined plus 12 inches.
Total Base Cabinets		72-120 in.
Wall Cabinets		72-120 in.
Each inch of frontage in a full height storage wall of at least 20 inches deep is equal to 2 inches of base cabinet; if 12 inches deep, it is equal to 2 inches of wall cabinet.

Cabinet Dimensions

Wall Cabinets:	Depth	12-13 inches
	Height	12-33 inches
	Width	9-60 inches

Clearance between upper cabinet and counter should be 15-18 inches; over sink, 24-30 inches; over range, 27-30 inches (24 inches if cabinet is fire protected).

Base Cabinets:	Depth 24 inches
	Height normally 36 inches with toe space or 4 inches
	Width 9-60 inches (available in 3-inch modules)

Standard counter height 36 inches; counter should be 3 inches below elbow for most tasks, 6 inches below elbow for rolling out or kneading tasks.

Sitting down work surface: 30 inches from floor.

The work area should not be split by traffic. Normally, the largest number of trips during meal preparation occurs between the sink and range top. Many trips also occur between the mix center and the refrigerator.

Do not install the range next to the refrigerator; it will make the operation of the refrigerator more costly and reduce its lifetime.

Kitchens designed to be used by more than one person need more space for movement and efficient use of equipment.

Space Requirements

Corner clearances are:
edge of range and corner cabinet -- 12 inches.
edge of refrigerator to corner cabinet -- 15 inches.
edge of sink and corner cabinet -- 9 to 12 inches.

Thirty-six inches on either side is needed for a lazy Susan.

A built-in conventional oven should be placed so that the top side of the fully open door is between 1 and 7 inches below the user's elbow.

A microwave oven should be at a height so the shelf or rack(s) is no higher than the user's shoulder; for the most convenient use, the shelf or rack(s) should be between 2 and 10 inches below the elbow. A microwave may be built into an oven or wall cabinet or be recessed into an interior wall. It needs work space, counter, pull-out tray, or a drop leaf near the access side of the door.

The depth of the range hood determines the height at which it is located. A hood 17 inches or less in depth should be placed no less than 20 inches above the range top. Hoods 18 inches or more in depth should be installed no less than 24 inches above the range top.

For a small dining space within a kitchen at least 8'8" of clear space is needed for a 36" x 48" table and 4 chairs.

Other Considerations

When developing the design of the kitchen cabinets, consider the following suggestions:

Avoid the overly ornate and an excess of grooves since both can be grease and dust catchers.

Backplates behind the cabinet pull will help protect the cabinet finish.

Door pulls and hardware should be efficient and convenient to use.

All surfaces should be easy to clean.

--

even then, your back will be to everyone as you are preparing the food. (Idea: Why not make kitchen a triangle layout? A sink leg, a fridge leg, and a stove leg, with the fridge and it's neighboring countertop/work are toward the open space of the room. Have the 'through traffic' pattern from a back door pass along the back of this leg. The kitchen table area could be on the other side of this leg, and then you would face it as you mixed food? -Idea seems like an efficient use of space, but could others easily join in the cooking/prep? Don't cramp it too much.)
--

For multiple-cook kitchens, consider dual work triangles with a second sink and microwave oven (sink-oven-refrigerator triangle)

No doors interfere with work centers, appliances, open cabinets or drawers

Passageways minimum 36 inches for one cook; 48 inches for two cooks

Functional corner storage (lazy susan, diagonal door, etc.)

15 - 18 inches clearance between countertop and bottom of upper cabinets

At least two waste basket areas (trash and recycle)

Edge of dishwasher within 36 inches of edge of sink

Minimum 21 inches standing room beside dishwasher

Minimum 15 inches counter space on latch side of a refrigerator, on either side of side-by-side, or on landing space across from refrigerator (no more than 48 inches away)

Appliances located minimum 15 inches from cabinet corners (so protruding appliance handles do not interfere with opening base cabinet drawers)

Cooking surface is not placed below an operable window (I wonder why? Because of wind?)

--

Your kitchen layout is critical and kitchen space planning needs to be right - there is a lot to consider if you are to ensure your kitchen is cook-friendly:

Will I have to walk far to get water to fill a pan on the cooker?

Will I have enough space to slice, dice, chop, and prepare meals?

Will I have room to store the olive oil near the stove?

Will two or more cooks be able to work in the space?

Will I be able to easily rinse dishes and load them into the dishwasher?

What kind of sink(s) do I need?

How much storage do I need?

When designing a kitchen layout, traditionally people talked about the kitchen triangle rule, described as an imaginary straight line drawn from the centre of the sink, to the centre of the cooker top, to the centre of the fridge and finally back to the sink. Getting these units as close together as possible is said to make your kitchen more user friendly.
However in many households, two or more people now share the cooking. Kitchens are growing in size and tend to feature more than three workspaces; therefore the regular kitchen work triangle isn't always practical.
So now people are talking about kitchen layout in terms of "zones". When kitchen space planning, think of a kitchen's functions and work these into zones in your plan. Food preparation, cooking, serving and washing-up are the four main jobs all kitchens need to fulfil. A kitchen layout with two work triangles (linking the zones) can maintain and direct traffic flow while keeping the cooks from being in each other's way.
If possible, fit your sink under a window to make the most of the natural light - this will help prevent head banging on cupboard doors
--

Try using the 'store, prepare, cook, wash' rule. Place the appliances you use in a line, according to the order you use them as you prepare and cook a meal, then wash-up and put-away.
--

3-feet is typically the optimal and most ergonomic height for a kitchen counter. It may not be the best for a specific task, but it is the best overall compromise for the majority of tasks done in the kitchen.

For most people, a kitchen counter top height of 3-feet provides a comfortable work station. Extremely short or tall people, or those with special needs, may want to modify that height to better suit their needs. (Remember to design at least one counter section short enough for wheelchair/child use - I plan to design wheelchair accessibility - just in case - in the whole house from the ground up.)

Notes for my dream home - spices

So I've been thinking about my dream house for most of my life. I'm always thinking of new little bits, ways I want to do things, techniques I might want to try, planning considerations I want to keep in mind. But I think I forget about a lot of it because I don't write it down.

This picture relates to something I should keep in mind for my dream kitchen. I think this kitchen is very attractive, and it appeals to me. However, I don't think the idea of open cabinetry would work for me, where people could see all your canned and boxed goods and dishes. This has a lovely feeling, but does not look neat and tidy enough for me (or it certainly wouldn't in practice, anyway).

What I want this picture as a reference for is spice location. Spices should be easily accessible when you're cooking. Standard-depth cabinets don't make sense for spices, because everything becomes difficult to find and bottles hide behind jars or bins or whatever. I think I should build-in a spice area with the cabinetry. Something without the size restrictions of a free-hanging spice rack (they are too narrow and too short for many spices), and without the giant vacuum of space of putting your spices in a cupboard. Something open, likely would work most efficiently, although I could put a door on (it would just be left open during cooking, I guess). Something where the shelf depth isn't more than about two spice bottles, or one of those large plastic bulk tins. The height of each shelf should be less than that of a cupboard shelf, but more than that of a little spice rack; again, the height to allow one of those plastic bulk containers would be just about right. And not every shelf needs to be that height, many (most) spices still come in much shorter jars, so height variance among the shelves would be fine and probably 2/3 or 3/4 of your spice space could be shelves shorter in height. The length of the shelves will really have to depend on the general architecture of the kitchen. The spice area should be within easy reach of both the stove and the counter. Directly over the stove will be a hood, so that won't work, but perhaps next to the hood (if the stove is against a wall)? Or is that too close to the heat of the stove? Could the heat be bad for spices? I'm not sure, I suppose I should check that out. I also want the spice area to be at eye-level, certainly nothing below counter-level would be very visually accessible.

I think having your spices as a single row all visible at the same time would work much better than what I'd previously thought about, which was built-in lazy-susan cabinetry. You couldn't just look and see what you need with that, you have to spin it, and anytime you have lots of little somethings i think it's a mistake to give them a chance to hide from you or get jumbled up (and if you spin too hard everything falls over, I know from my childhood). Grandma has her built-in lazy susan cupboard, and i still like the idea for cupboards in general (particularly corner cupboards which so often seem to fill with dead space and random junk you forget you have). And grandma keeps her spices on the top shelf of her under-counter turntable shelf, directly to the right of the stove. That proximity works, and is very efficient for her grabbing her spices (because it is only the top shelf there is no bending), but you still have the can't-see-all-of-what-you-have-at-once issue, as well as the height restriction of the counter above, and the limited space of only the one shelf.

Local Conventions

Ohayocon
http://www.ohayocon.org/
Columbus, OH
January

DeCONpression
http://www.deconpression.org/
Columbus, OH
January

Millenicon
http://www.millennicon.org/
Cincinnati, OH
March

Armageddicon
http://animepunch.org/
Columbus, OH
March/April

Gen City Comic Con
http://www.gemcitycomiccon.com/index.html
Dayton, OH
April

SPACE - Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo
http://www.backporchcomics.com/space.htm
Columbus, OH
April

Capcon
http://www.mgaosu.org/capcon.html
May?

Marcon
http://marcon.org/index.php
Columbus, OH
May

Origins
http://www.originsgames.com/
Columbus, OH
July

Pulpcon
http://www.pulpcon.org/
Dayton, OH
July/August


Context
Columbus, OH

Ohio Valley Filk Fest
http://www.ovff.org/
Columbus, OH
October

Festival of Cartoon Art
http://cartoons.osu.edu/FCA/
Columbus, OH
October

Con on the Cob
http://www.andyhopp.com/con_on_the_cob.htm
Akron/Kent, OH
October/November

Buckeye Comic Con
http://www.harpercomics.com/conventions/
Columbus, OH
?

Planning halted

The wedding is indefinitely delayed.

Possible Locations: Castles

Castles of the United States
http://www.dupontcastle.com/castles/index.htm#oh

Two castles built in Central Ohio, the Piatt castles. By West Liberty.
http://www.piattcastles.org/index.htm

An indoor event (up to 50 people) is $650
An outdoor event ( up to 200 people) is $550
september 5 - October 31 event start would be 5:30pm

probably not going to use these, but just to keep track of ideas and costs. They seem a bit out of the way, and more money than what you would get would be worth, I think.

Loveland Castle, South of Columbus, by Cincinnati.
http://www.lovelandcastle.com/

maximum 100 people. 51-100 peeps $350, reception add $200

Ravenwood Castle. Southeast of Columbus.
http://www.ravenwoodcastle.com/

Pavilion in the woods available thru September. $250

OSU appears to own a castle on lake erie, currently being restored
http://www.osu.edu/cookecastle/rest_phts.html

I haven't found any evidence of rentals, though.

Stan Hwyet Hall. Up by Cleveland.
http://www.stanhywet.org/main/home.asp

max 200 people, but I can't find pricing for rental on their site.

Jeffrey Mansion. Here in Columbus, in Bexley.
http://www.bexley.org/custom/custom.asp?cmid=3984&id=811

$100/hr to rent the mansion for a non-Bexley resident

Landoll's Mohican Castle. Nearer to Cleveland.
http://www.landollsmohicancastle.com/index.asp

No pricing details on the web, but I called them and left a message. It has an indoor area that holds up to 500, which is nice and big.

Great Stone Castle. Near Dayton.
http://www.greatstonecastle.com/dayton-oh-weddings.htm

Wow, a really full-service package. The Wedding pricing isn't beyond the average, I think, but the reception pricing... whew! (minimum $900)

Delaware Arts Castle. In Delaware. (I totally forgot about this place)
http://www.artscastle.org/

They mention weddings but post no reservation and pricing information. I just tried to call, but I believe their office must be closed now.

A mansion by lake erie.
http://www.ci.euclid.oh.us/recreation/pdf/rentalinfo04.pdf

weekend evening rate is $75/hr plus $100 for a wedding.

The Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center.
http://www.rbhayes.org/hayes/

Not too expensive. Must be out by 11pm. wedding max 60 peeps seated, reception max 125 peeps not seated.

The Ohio Statehouse is of course beautiful and right here in town.
http://www.statehouse.state.oh.us/index.cfm

I can't seem to find good details about renting space though. They have an events coordinator and a mention of seating for groups up to 350, which sounds promising...

Okay, that's the result of an afternoon of searching. Enough for now. Nothing really jumped out at me as a location, though. :(

Wedding Planning: Entry One

Okay, Richard and I have now been engaged for a year. The wedding is supposed to be 7 months away.

Checklist:

Wedding Date: So far, none, other than a vague idea of late September. (We want after the main wedding-rush season is over, but while it's still warm!)
Wedding Location: None, and no good start on getting one. (Other than 'not in a church' and 'not outdoors') If I could have everything I wanted in the world with price as no object, I would choose Franklin Conservatory, which is not only extremely beautiful, but is where my dad got married! Unfortunately, they are $2000, which is more than our Total Wedding Budget!
Reception Location: None, same as above. Although given that I want to dance for several hours, we are looking for a late-afternoon to evening timeslot.
Budget: We have NO money saved yet, and are paying for this entirely ourselves. (which is why I know that whatever our budget ends up being, Franklin Conservatory is too much!)
Catering and Cake: We're planning on cooking ourselves (us and friends) and having a buffet-style dinner, and just last week I started taking a cake-decorating class, so that hopefully what we do will be very pretty and someone will ask, "oh, where did you get your cake done?". So far, it seems like something I'll really enjoy (of course I haven't made cake #1 one yet! LOL)
Music plans: no idea for the ceremony yet, I think that will depend upon our location, but I know I want a DJ and dancing at the reception, and have been slowly making a list of songs I might like them to play.
Photography: I know I want to pay a professional, and not just have an amateur friend do it, and I also know I want LOTS of pictures. There's a possibility we may drag my friend Davroz down from Michigan to do it (he does this stuff for a living!), and see what kind of deal he might give us, but that hasn't passed beyond the possibility stage yet.
Officiant: Ideally I would have someone I know do it for us for cheap. My friends Davroz and Ray are both ordained, and I've considered asking my dad's friend Shadow to do it. Since Richard and I are not overly religious, I'm not overly concerned with the denomination of our officiant, but more with their cost.
Decoration/Theme: This is another thing I think will depend upon our location, and another thing we will be doing ourselves for as cheaply as possible. We have thought about the colors Black, Blood Red, Silver, Cobalt Blue, and Forest Green. Obviously we wouldn't use all of them!
Invitation: Another thing to make cheaply ourselves.
Bride and Groom Clothing: I was planning on having my dead grandmother's gown altered to fit me, even sight unseen. I dug it out of my grandad's attic, and it is beautiful. It is solid heavy cream satin, with long sleeves and train. Unfortunately, my grandmother was an extremely petite woman... only 5ft. tall! And while I'm only 5'3", I'm much more voluptuous than she was. My tiny little wrists are too big for her sleeves! I couldn't actually try the rest of the dress on, because the first step, the arms, were too tiny! So I imagine the rest of the gown would fit (or not) similarly, and the material is so heavy, it would show the hole where each stitch was removed for resizing! This is very unhappy for me. Other family gown options: (a family gown would be my preferred choice, both for cost and sentimentality) My stepmother's gown that she bought at a thrift store, and which I've tried on, is a little too lacy for me, and would require about a foot of extra material across the back to fit me... she was a gymnast in high school, and is not a curvy woman. My mother's gown that my godmother made for her... looks in pictures to be both too lacy for me as well as an unflattering for my body-type straight-line kind of cut... my mother is 5'11" and lean. My other grandmother's gown is off limits. She told me flat out over the phone that it would not fit me, and is apparently worried about me stretching it out. She is tall for a 75 year old woman (5'9"?), another tall lean build like my mother. The other option we've considered is sewing our own, but that seems fairly unlikely to happen. For the Groom, he ideally would want some vintage style like Regency? or some other Medieval style, and it would need to be custom-made. Now we both have beautiful dress cloaks which we never get to wear; Richard's is black velvet with a dark blue satin lining, and mine is deep green velvet with a silver satin lining. So we were thinking of wearing those over our clothes for the ceremony, and my friend Billie suggested we do something along the lines of 'house colors' for the Bride and Groom in our decorating, since we like Rennaisance-type things.
Guests: Basically I want to invite everyone I'm even distantly related to, and everyone I know. I want a BIG party... that's the whole point, right, to share this occassion with others? So I know I want a lot of people, but specific numbers for the guest list need to wait until I know what our (as yet undecided) venue will allow.
Bridesmaids/Groomsmen: We may not even have these people, because I feel that it is unfair to ask them to shoulder the extra costs associated with being in the wedding party... specific clothing, etc. Although if we did have them, I love the idea of different brightly-colored Indian Saris for the women... and of course that doesn't mesh with any of our other theme ideas! (I can just picture, bridesmaids in saris, groomsmen in kilts, me in a traditional gown, and the groom in some Rennaisance outfit!)

well, that's all the details I can think about at the moment... at least I have the most important part taken care of: THE GROOM. We're in love, and it's awesome. :)

My Most Recent Bit of Writing

The Lady Who Dances

There is
a woman dancing
cocking hip and slowly sliding foot
Her arms describe
an empty space
with arcs
and curves
and lines
She moves
with careful grace
against the insistent
Beat! Beat! Beat!
She sways
and a hand slides
down her body
and she
turns
and extends a leg
She is a willow
wilting
and a bud
stretched toward the light
With hips
with hands
with hair
she dances
smokily seductive
like a siren
she calls
with her body
Against the beat
she dances
music pounding and persistent
cacophonous frenetic heartbeats of sound
But
Still
she sways
so slowly

~Brooke 12/11/05

Everything needs a beginning.

Including the universe.