Get out and do something this Memorial Day weekend in central Ohio

Get out and do something this Memorial Day weekend in central Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — From an annual celebration of the Ohio strawberry season at Land Grant Brewing to the Scioto Mile fountain’s return at Bicentennial Park, here are things to see and do this weekend in central Ohio.

‘Ghost Army,’ a special exhibit by the National World War II Museum, to open

National Veterans Memorial and Museum opening on Friday through Aug. 25

  • Explore the story of a top-secret unit, the U.S. Army’s 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, known as the “Ghost Army.” Learn how artists and engineers deceived the enemy with their cunning and fake military.

Fountain Fest to mark Scioto Mile Fountain return

Bicentennial Park from noon to 7 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday

  • Celebrate the reopening of the newly-renovated fountain with live music, food trucks, free ice cream, a collaborative street mural, temporary glitter tattoos, caricature artists, yard games and more.

  • Scioto Mile Fountain - Kids Playing
    Scioto Mile Fountain Renderings (Courtesy Downtown Columbus, Inc.)
  • Scioto Mile Fountain - Kids Playing 2
    Scioto Mile Fountain Renderings (Courtesy Downtown Columbus, Inc.)
  • No file chosen Info Scioto Mile Fountain - Night
    Scioto Mile Fountain Renderings (Courtesy Downtown Columbus, Inc.)
  • Scioto Mile Fountain - seating
    Scioto Mile Fountain Renderings (Courtesy Downtown Columbus, Inc.)
  • Scioto Mile Fountain - Birds Eye
    Scioto Mile Fountain Renderings (Courtesy Downtown Columbus, Inc.)
  • Scioto Mile Fountain - Winter
    Scioto Mile Fountain Renderings (Courtesy Downtown Columbus, Inc.)

The Columbus Symphony to perform Mozart’s ‘Mass in C minor’

Ohio Theatre at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday

  • The symphony said Mozart’s “Mass in C minor’ was “like his Requiem, left unfinished at the time of his death,” with numerous scholars publishing reconstructions of the work. The edition used for these concerts is a new completion by German musicologist Ulrich Leisinger, premiered in Germany in 2019.

‘Unextinct’

Columbus Zoo and Aquarium on Friday and Saturday

  • Enter a world where 70 extinct and endangered species come to life using tech-driven theatrical illusions, allowing guests to learn about the importance of conservation and the role we all play in species survival.

Jeni’s Strawberry Jam

Land Grant Brewing at 11 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday

  • Strawberry Jam, Jeni’s annual celebration of the Ohio strawberry season, is returning this Memorial Day weekend. There will be food, drinks, music, and fun for the whole family.

  • (Courtesy Photo/Jeni’s Ice Creams)
    (Courtesy Photo/Jeni’s Ice Creams)
  • (Courtesy Photo/Jeni’s Ice Creams)
    (Courtesy Photo/Jeni’s Ice Creams)

Free Family Fun Day

Columbus Commons from 4 to 8 p.m. on Saturday

  • The day will include inflatables, face painting, balloon twisting, crafts, live entertainment, food trucks and a ginormous movie screen for a larger-than-life viewing of Disney’s “Encanto.”

Memorial Day events and parades

  • Cities, towns and organizations across central Ohio are hosting parades and events for Memorial Day, honoring the U.S. military personnel who have died while serving in the armed forces.

Blooms and Butterflies

Franklin Park Conservatory through July 7

  • Celebrating its 30th anniversary, Blooms and Butterflies has returned featuring various butterflies from around the world inside the largest indoor biome at the conservatory.

<em>(Courtesy Photo/Franklin Park Conservatory)</em>
(Courtesy Photo/Franklin Park Conservatory)

‘Hair’

Short North Stage through June 9

  • “Hair” is the iconic original Broadway rock musical featuring chart-topping hits such as “Aquarius,” “Let the Sunshine In,” and “Good Morning, Starshine.”

Top spring central Ohio events

  • This spring in central Ohio is packed with highly anticipated festivals and shows, from the reimagined Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey at the Schottenstein Center and Disney’s “The Lion King” at the Ohio Theatre to the Columbus Arts Festival.

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