Country roads take you home in Westerville during October's Ohio Valley reunion
Iron City Beer, DiCarlo’s Pizza and a portrayal of pop crooner Dean Martin are likely to create “Memories Made of This” at the inaugural Ohio Valley Hometown Reunion in Westerville.
Hosted in part by DiCarlo’s franchisees Michael and Sarah Carlson, 20 S. State St., Michael Carlson said the hope is to bring Ohio Valley people together Oct. 8-9 to talk about where they are from, have pizza, beer and enjoy the many offerings provided in uptown Westerville.
Carlson said 21 S. State St. will be the central location for the gathering with a welcome desk and meet-up location, as well as the stage for a Dean Martin act, and other reunion activities.
Matt Snow, president of The Casino Players Ensemble and The Cincinnati Sinatra, said he would portray Martin, who was born in Steubenville, in black tuxedo attire and crooner Frank Sinatra, also known as the “chairman of the board,” in white.
He is to be backed by The Casino Players Quartet, expert jazz musicians.
Snow said some songs he’s likely to sing include Martin’s “Memories Are Made of This,” “That's Amore” and “King of the Road.”
He said he would also sing Sinatra songs, such as “Come Fly with Me,” “My Way” and “New York, New York.”Snow and the quartet is scheduled to perform between 3 and 6 p.m. Oct. 8 on the lawn at 21 S. State St.
Prior to their performance at the same location, a Dean Martin look-alike contest is set from 1 to 2 p.m.
A band being provided by Java Central up the sidewalk from DiCarlo's after Snow is The Brickwalk Nights, featuring lead singer/uke player Brady Fulton from Shadyside, Carlson said.
"They are a very entertaining group that plays an eclectic program of oldies, recent hits and even Irish songs," he said. "Shadyside is right next to Steubenville."
J & J Recall, a local acoustic duo comprised of Jim Bennati and Joey Wolpert, are scheduled to play classic rock music, beginning at 11 a.m. Oct. 9 on the lawn.
The musicians are originally from Pittsburgh and go with the tagline, “contagious music you will recall.”
Carlson, who grew up in the Ohio Valley, said the people from his native area are blue-collar, hard-working people with values that include family and community.
“When the industry and jobs left in the ‘80s, many moved away, a lot to central Ohio,” he said. “DiCarlo's is a staple of home, along with the Iron City Beer. High school football and (the) Steelers are also key. To me, uptown Westerville reminds me of the many towns up and down the river at the height of those cities before the downturn.”
Carlson said the cities in the valley are now a shadow of what they used to be.
“To me, Westerville reminds me of the past of a growing successful community, and all the people living here now can get together and talk about where they are from by having pizza, beer or just partaking in the many establishments uptown has to offer,” he said.
Among those offerings are the Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area, the Uptown Westerville Inc. Saturday Farmers Market and other offerings by the Westerville Uptown Merchants Association and Visit Westerville.
Robin Collins, executive director of Visit Westerville, said the Hoover Fall Classic Regatta would also be taking place at the Hoover Reservoir on Oct. 8
“It is a USRowing-sanctioned event and I know they would love for any interested visitors to come check out the event,” she said.
Additionally, Collins said, Uptown Ghost Story Tours are scheduled at 7 and 9 p.m. Oct. 7 and 8 with registration required.
She said visitors should check out the Westerville uptown parking app, which allows visitors to see all uptown parking lot locations, check spot availability in real time, with built-in navigation. To access, search “Westerville Parking” in the app store.
Carlson said he and Sarah, as owners of DiCarlo's, are so happy that the community has accepted them.
“We want to give back and use some of our name recognition to bring people that may not have been to Westerville to come and experience what it’s all about,” he said. “We are just trying to be good neighbors and show the community we are involved.”
Carlson said participants are encouraged to wear the shirts of their hometown or high school and make a reunion of it all in one place, meeting up around town.
A hotel block rate is available for anyone interested to make an overnight trip for the reunion.
For more information, including a countdown for the reunion, visit ohiovalley.info.
@ThisWeekMarla
This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Hometown pizza, beer and music to bring the Ohio Valley experience to Westerville
