Backroad drives
Meet other local people interested in Backroad drives: share experiences, inspire and encourage each other! Join a Backroad drives group.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Check out backroad drives events happening today here. These are in-person gatherings where you can meet fellow enthusiasts and participate in activities right now.
Discover all the backroad drives events taking place this week here. Plan ahead and join exciting meetups throughout the week.
Absolutely! Find backroad drives events near your location here. Connect with your local community and discover events within your area.
Backroad drives Events Today
Join in-person Backroad drives events happening right now
Bike Ride - Pickerington Ponds to Three Creeks to Three Creeks
**Weather permitting**, we’ll take a casual ride from Pickerington Ponds (Glacier Knoll) to Three Creeks and back.
Distance is **18–25 miles**, depending on where we turn around and whether we add a side loop.
Pace is around **12 mph**, but this is a fun, no‑drop ride — we can slow down as needed.
Here’s the **map** showing Glacier Knoll (bike), Confluence Park (flag), and BrewDog: [https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit..](https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit..).
Text or call Scott at **614‑975‑4458** if you’re coming.
Columbus ski club membership not required for this event. CSC assumes no responsibility for the event or any injuries as this is organized by a third party.
BTW Akron Meetup
RSVP here: https://luma.com/a2q798eh
Akron, we're pulling up! Black Tech Week is bringing the BTW energy to the 330 for a meetup that's equal parts networking and good vibes. Come hang out with some of the sharpest tech minds in Northeast Ohio, swap ideas, trade stories, and maybe even find your next collaborator, co-founder, or just a new favorite person to geek out with.
Whether you're deep in the weeds of a startup, climbing the corporate tech ladder, studying your way into the industry, or just curious about where you fit in all of this, there's a seat at the table with your name on it. Bring your business cards, bring your elevator pitch, or just bring yourself. We promise the conversation will be worth the trip.
Doors open at 5:30 PM, so come early, stay late, and don't be shy about talking to strangers. The best connections tend to happen when you least expect them, and Akron's tech scene has way more going on than people give it credit for. Come see for yourself.
RSVP here: https://luma.com/a2q798eh
Pop-up Book Club 4: Going to Meet The Man, stories by James Baldwin
Let’s meet and share discussion of the James Baldwin short story collection, Going to Meet The Man.
Backroad drives Events This Week
Discover what is happening in the next few days
Candle Making Night at The Arcane Foundry | Design Your Own Custom Candle
## Candle Making Night at The Arcane Foundry \| Design Your Own Custom Candle
**SPECIAL PROMOTION**: Buy 3 and get 1 Free!
Step into The Arcane Foundry and create your own custom candle from start to finish. This is a laid back, hands-on experience where **you’ll blend fragrances, choose your vessel, and pour your own candle using 100% soy wax**. Whether you’re coming solo or with friends, it’s designed to be simple, creative, and a good time.
We’ll walk you through the entire process, from picking your scents to choosing between a traditional cotton wick or a crackling wood wick. You can go with one fragrance or mix your own blend to create something completely unique**. No experience needed**, just show up and we’ll handle the rest.
While your candle sets, feel free to hang out, play a game, explore the shop, or just relax and talk. Drinks and snacks are available, and the atmosphere leans into the **fantasy**, **dark academia**, and **gothic horror** vibe The Arcane Foundry is known for.
Learn More: [Candle Making in Columbus, Ohio at The Arcane Foundry](https://thearcanefoundry.com/candle-making/)
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### What to Expect:
* Guided candle making experience
* Choose your own vessel, wax, wick, and fragrance
* 100% soy wax candles
* Optional drinks and snacks
* Time to relax while your candle cools
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### Important Notes:
* Please arrive on time so we can start together
* Candles will need time to set before taking home
* This is a beginner-friendly event
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### RSVP Required
Reserve your spot on Meetup to lock in your seat.
**Candle Making** (includes vessel, your choice of wick, wax, scented oil, labels and lids)
5oz Glass Jars $15
8oz Candle Tins $25
12oz Glass Candles $35
12oz Amber Jars $40
16 oz Skull or Jack o Lantern Candle Mugs $65 (Limited Edition!)
**All materials included. You just bring yourself (and your drink of choice).**
**Payments accepted:**
* Credit Card
* Venmo: @Daclaud-Lee
* Cashapp: $DaclaudL
Sharon Woods Hike
Join us for a full three mile hike this Thursday (6/11) at 6:30 pm at Sharon Woods Metro Park. This scenic hike includes dirt trails (with hills) through the woods, grass trails through the meadows and paved trails along the pond. Please be able to hike at least at a moderate pace so that the group doesn’t have to wait for you often. We don’t want to lose you!
Revival of Reason 2026: 15 Years of BN!!!
Black Nonbelievers is proud to bring you our 2nd annual Revival of Reason!!!
Join us in Atlanta as this year, we will celebrate 15 years as an organization, along with our own version of the Juneteenth holiday!
Featured speakers include:
– Chris Cameron
– Candace Gorham
– Kellie King, aka Detroit Atheist Queen
– Hemant Mehta, The Friendly Atheist
– Godless Engineer
– Mandisa Thomas
– And MORE!!!
This is a family friendly event, so please bring your loved ones, and anyone who is interested in learning and needs secular support. [Sponsorship](https://blacknonbelievers.wufoo.com/forms/revival-of-reason-2026-sponsors-and-exhibitors/) and [volunteer](https://blacknonbelievers.wufoo.com/forms/revival-of-reason-2026-be-a-volunteer/) opportunities are also available.
You can also register to view sessions online. Official BN members get a special discount, so [sign up or renew ](https://bit.ly/3DMndSK)today!
**We look forward to seeing you at the 2026 Revival of Reason. [Register TODAY!!!](https://bit.ly/RoR2026sitepage)**
Trails & Ales! Chestnut Ridge Metro Park / BrewDog DogTap
**History**
[Chestnut Ridge Metro Park](https://www.metroparks.net/parks-and-trails/chestnut-ridge/) is historically significant because it sits on a 300-million-year-old outcropping of Blackhand sandstone. Geographically recognized as the very first foothill of the Appalachian Mountains, the ridge rises 1,116 feet above sea level. Long before European settlement, the land served as a sacred site for ancient civilizations. The park contains the Old Maid's Orchard Mound, an eight-foot-tall burial mound constructed by the Adena culture between 1000 B.C. and 100 B.C. This ancient landmark has remained largely intact and is now protected on the National Register of Historic Places.
The documented modern history of the land began with an official survey conducted by Ebenezer Buckingham in 1801. Original land deeds of sale from this period notably bear the signatures of United States Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. In the 1830s, Irish laborers arrived at the ridge to quarry its rich Blackhand sandstone. The blocks they hewed were used to build the crucial locks for the nearby Ohio and Erie Canal. Remnants of this early sandstone quarrying operation can still be spotted by sharp-eyed hikers along the modern trails.
Agricultural transformation defined the ridge throughout the mid-to-late 19th century. Settlers discovered that the high elevation created a natural air flow that prevented late-season frost damage to crops. Extensive fruit orchards were planted across the slopes between 1860 and 1880. One notable orchard was established by John Wagner, a Spanish-American War veteran who chose the ridge specifically for its proximity to the bustling Columbus market. The park's current name pays homage to the massive American chestnut trees that once dominated the ridgeline before a devastating ecological blight wiped them out in the early 20th century.
The conservation story of the modern 486-acre park began in March 1962. The Metro Parks board announced land acquisition plans to block developers from building a residential housing development called Chestnut Heights. Director-Secretary Walter A. Tucker advocated heavily for the purchase, citing the ridge's immense value as a scenic overlook for central Ohio. The district systematically purchased multiple agricultural parcels over the next two decades. After operating strictly as undeveloped farmland through the 1970s, Chestnut Ridge Metro Park officially opened to the public on December 18, 1988.
In recent decades, the park has evolved from a quiet hiking spot into a premier regional destination for outdoor sports. A major turning point occurred in 2010 when the Central Ohio Mountain Biking Organization (COMBO) partnered with the park district to develop new infrastructure. Volunteers worked extensively to construct a single-track mountain bike trail, which officially opened in October 2011. An expert gravity and flow trail featuring advanced jumps was later integrated into the loop in 2016. Today, the park successfully balances its deep ancient, industrial, and agricultural history with active recreation.
**Map of the Park**
Here is a [map of Chestnut Ridge](https://www.metroparks.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/CHR_map_1980px_2026.jpg).
**Summary**
For this event, we will hike the Ridge, Meadows, and Homesite Trails, and Law's Lane, which is unmarked on some maps. None of these trails is individually very long, so we will hike a few permutations and loops until we get in 4-5 miles. The hike will be moderately strenuous.
**Where We'll Meet**
Drive to the rearmost picnic area at the back of the park. There's a latrine here, but there's no water fountain here or anywhere else at Chestnut Ridge. I strongly recommend you bring some water of your own, at least for after the hike.
Cell service at the park is spotty, although your GPS will get you there just fine. The map pin I've provided here is exactly where we'll be meeting and should be able to be used directly in Google Maps, although Chestnut Ridge isn't big and you're unlikely to get lost here.
**After the Hike**
Afterward, we'll head over to [BrewDog DogTap](https://drink.brewdog.com/usa/brewdog-dogtap-columbus) for [drinks](https://usa.brewdog.com/pages/brewdog-lineup) and [food](https://usa.brewdog.com/cdn/shop/files/DogTap_Menu_2025_65e1ff8b-97d4-4f26-80f1-68321d482025.pdf?v=17356939232910340498). They also have an outdoor area that's extremely popular.
I've had their burgers and their pizza, and I think they're both very good. I also really like their [Cold Beer](https://usa.brewdog.com/products/cold-beer-2024) (that's its actual name), which is their American light lager.
BrewDog's actual address is [96 Gender Rd, Canal Winchester, OH 43110](https://www.google.com/maps/place/96+Gender+Rd,+Canal+Winchester,+OH+43110/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x88387c06afa21a85:0x804c611d373d8c54?sa=X&ved=1t:242&ictx=111), and they have a large, free parking lot. We should be there by 5 if you can't make the hike and just want to join us for drinks.
Blendon Woods Metro Park
Hi Ladies , Let's Hike Blendon Woods Metro Park .
We will meet at the nature center parking lot.
Hiking about 4 miles completing the blendon woods loop and the sugarbush trail .
Wear appropriate footwear and bring water for hydration .
Over the Bridge and Through the Roses
We'll meet at the flagpole in the **Ridgeview Middle School** parking lot (4241 Rudy Rd). Parking there is fine on Sundays.
From the school, we cross OH-315 and the Olentangy River via the **Olentangy Trail Pedestrian Bridge**, then walk past **Whetstone Pond** and through **Columbus Park of Roses**, turning back at the **Whetstone Branch of Columbus Metropolitan Library**. About 4 miles round trip, roughly 1.5 hours.
Click [this Google Maps link](https://maps.app.goo.gl/jPCyEUyA2st8uWks5?g_st=i) to view the route.
All paces welcome. See you there.
Backroad drives Events Near You
Connect with your local Backroad drives community
Level One Tuesdays (Bachata & Salsa Dance Lessons)
Click Here For More Videos:
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/17bwkttXhV/
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Salsamante Dance Academy will be at Swerve Every Tuesday Night to share the Rhythm & Energy of Bachata & Salsa.
These are Beginner Level lessons to get you comfortable and understand the two dances. Spread the Good News to all.
Swerve Dance & Fitness Complex
640 Lakeview Plaza Blvd A, Worthington, OH 43085
Bachata 7pm-8pm
Salsa 8pm-9pm
$15 - One Lesson
$20 - Both Lessons















