GCPUG
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Check out gcpug events happening today here. These are in-person gatherings where you can meet fellow enthusiasts and participate in activities right now.
Discover all the gcpug events taking place this week here. Plan ahead and join exciting meetups throughout the week.
Absolutely! Find gcpug events near your location here. Connect with your local community and discover events within your area.
GCPUG Events Today
Join in-person GCPUG events happening right now
Columbus HUG March
Want to be a speaker? submit your talk to our Call for Presenters!!!
https://sessionize.com/cbus-hug-2026/
Shut Up & Write!® East Side Columbus
Join us for an hour of writing! We’ve discovered that it’s strikingly helpful to write with other writers. See if it’s true for you at 7:00pm on Wednesday, March 25 at Streetlight Guild.
Be it a book, blog, script, essay, dissertation, resume, melody, poem or just plain work stuff, you are invited to write it with us. No one will see what you've written or give you unsolicited advice. Instead of just thinking about writing, come and get some real writing done.
**SCHEDULE:**
6:45ish - Quick introductions
7:00 - Timer starts: write for 1 hour
8:00 - The End
**OPTIONAL SOCIALIZING** happens before and after the writing hour. Writing is very solitary. Connecting (and sometimes even commiserating) with other writers is a cool thing.
**BEING LATE IS OKAY:** just show up and get settled! If you were on time, please be willing to make room for the friendly latecomer.
Happy writing & I look forward to seeing you at Streetlight Guild!
**WHAT SHOULD I BRING?**
Whatever you need to be able to write! You're welcome to bring earplugs/headphones if noise will bother you!
**OTHER IMPORTANT DETAILS:**
* **RSVP:** Please RSVP by 6:00pm the evening of the meeting. This helps me know how many to expect, and if we'll need additional space!
* **COVID:** While masks are not required, please be mindful of the other writers around you and their comfort levels.
* **WIFI/OUTLETS:** Outlets are limited, so please ensure your devices are charged when you come! But Streetlight Guild does have free WiFi! Yay!
* **PARKING:** There is free public parking at Streetlight Guild.
GCPUG Events This Week
Discover what is happening in the next few days
[X-post, RSVP link in desc.] Healthtech Impact Sprint
Columbus Code & Coffee is excited to partner with GiveBackHack to put on the Healthtech Impact Sprint from 3/28-3/29 at Rev1 at The Peninsula! RSVP here using promo code CODEANDCOFFEE: https://luma.com/tk2jdrxk
This is a health-specific version of GBH’s traditional weekend event. Participants pitch, research, and prototype health-focused projects for a chance to earn to $5K in funding from The Columbus Foundation and IGS Energy.
On Saturday, folks will pitch their idea, form teams, and build. On Sunday, they’ll finalize their pitches before showcasing their work to the community and judges.
# Schedule
**Sat, Mar 28**
* 9a: Doors open & breakfast
* 9:30a: Kickoff and intros
* 10a: Ideation session
* 11a: Pitches & team formation
* 12p: Working lunch
* 2p: Mentor visits
* 5p: Free work (optional)
* 9p: Doors close
**Sun, Mar 29**
* 9a: Doors open
* 10a: Mentor visits
* 12p: Showcase
* 1p: Final pitches & awards
* 2p: Wrap
***
# FAQs
**Do all ideas have a chance at getting funded?**
Not all ideas will move forward after initial pitches on Saturday. Once pitches are complete, we’ll vote for top ideas and form teams around the 4 – 7 ideas with the most votes. You must recruit **at least four total team members** (including the founder) to move forward and have a chance at getting funded on Sunday. If your idea doesn’t move forward, you can join another team!
**Do I have to submit my idea online prior to the event?**
Unlike previous years, we don’t have the option to submit your idea online prior to the event. Instead, everyone will be going through a brainstorming exercise on Saturday that’ll help you prepare for your initial pitch.
**Will we be working for 24 hours straight?**
Nope. The event is split over two days. You’ll be building on Saturday and pitching on Sunday.
**Do I have to pitch an idea?**
Nope. You can also simply join a team.
**What types of entrepreneurs does GBH support?**
While GBH most often works with technology startups, we support *any* organization (for- or non-profit) that makes an impact on health in the US or across the world.
DoJo (Informal Python Meeting)
**New Dojo Location!**
**Knotty Pine Brewing**
1765 W 3rd Ave,
Columbus, OH 43212
We're going to try a new dojo location for a few weeks and see how it works
Dojos are informal Python group study sessions where everyone interested in Python gathers to learn about Python, help others with Python, or just hang out. Everyone is welcome from Python beginners to experts. Bringing a laptop is encouraged (we'll have extension cords and power strips). If there's something you want to learn leave a comment on this invite so we can plan ahead.
We're looking for topic suggestions and people interested in presenting at our monthly meetings. To this end we've set up a survey form at [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/15eBKF1nQQ2XS5gzD4rvhVRHMBEj7lJtHuA9wXupS3Uc](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/15eBKF1nQQ2XS5gzD4rvhVRHMBEj7lJtHuA9wXupS3Uc)
Curtain Players Local Playhouse 🎭 Tickets are on sale now!
TBA- We will do lunch before the play too! Tickets are on sale now only $20.
Long Form Night - Columbus Comedy Improv Meetup at Gresso's!
Whether you've never done improv before, or you've done it for so long you knew Del Close on a personal level, or anywhere in between, come join us! Swing by *Gresso's* for the **Columbus Improv Comedy Meetup** for some fun and games! Tonight's a special one; this is "Long form" night!
Most nights here at Improv Meetup, we play "short form" games, where the host has established rules that the players must adhere to. These scenes frequently do not tell a connected story and are focused on following those rules; games such as "Alphabet Game" where every next sentence needs to start with the next letter of the alphabet, or "Interrogation" where it's a guessing game.
Tonight is focused on "long form", where we will see groups of people come up and do a sort of improvised play. There may be rules to the structure itself to adhere to, or it may be more free form, but doing this allows players to establish a shared world, and to establish characters and callbacks. While your average game may last 2-3 minutes, a long form set will last much longer, and have 4+ people involved. This may be a more complicated night, but we will make sure you feel supported to try this out.
Our meetup, which is central Ohio's longest running (and free!) weekly comedy event, brings the games (and occasionally different forms) for you to play in a safe, supportive, and compassionate environment. Not only is it a lot of fun, but you get to work on thinking faster on your feet, plus it's an excellent way to meet new people and make friendships that'll last a lifetime!
Ask yourself if you want to join the **Columbus Improv Comedy Meetup**, and say "Yes, And" that you'll have fun!
ServiceNow's Got Talent
Builders, creators, architects, admins, consultants - come one, come all. This one's for you.
We're bringing a little friendly competition to the Columbus ServiceNow community while highlighting the cool things people have built on the platform.
Five presenters will take the stage to showcase something they've built, solved, designed, or imagined on the ServiceNow platform - and a panel of judges (plus YOU, our amazing audience) will score them live.
So basically, America's Got Talent but make it ServiceNow's Got Talent.
Bring a notepad if you'd like 'cause you'll definitely be learning something new.
Each presenter gets 10 minutes max to wow the crowd with:
• A demo
• A real-world business solution
• A bold idea
• A UX transformation
• Or a creative use of the platform
Judging Criteria:
🏆 Business Value
🚀 Innovation
✨ User Experience
This event is about celebrating ideas, sharing knowledge, and showing how ServiceNow can drive both business impact and meaningful user value.
Come learn. Come support. Come get inspired.
Refreshments and bites will be provided.
And maybe next time… you’ll be on stage.
GCPUG Events Near You
Connect with your local GCPUG community
COhPy Monthly Meeting
**Improving Office in Franklinton**
Physical location:
Improving Office
330 Rush Alley Suite #150
Columbus, OH 43215
Schedule:
6:00 p.m.: Socialize, eat, and drink. Improving will be providing pizza and beverages.
6:30 to 8:00 pm. Main meeting and presentation(s).
Topic: Type Annotations with John Cassidy
We meet on the last Monday of each Month. Presentations are given by members and friends of this group. If you would like to do a presentation (small or large) on a python topic, please contact Central OH Python at centralohpython@gmail.com
Alum Creek Hike to Strawberry Farms Park
Join us for a flat 2.6 mile hike along the Alum Creek Trail from the rear parking lot of the Easton Hilton Garden Inn to the Strawberry Farms Park and back. This scenic trail along Alum Creek is a gem. Come and hike it with us!
Discount Tuesday: THEY WILL KILL YOU at the Gateway Film Center!
Join us as we get together for a Discount Tuesday / Choose Your Movie event to see your choice of two great films! Option 1 is the dark comedy/drama based on a true story TOW! The film stars Rose Byrne as a homeless Seattle woman how battles a towing company. Option 2 is the off-the-rails, over-the-top, action-comedy-horror THEY WILL KILL YOU! The film stars Zazie Beetz as a woman who answers a help wanted ad to be a housekeeper in a mysterious New York City high-rise not knowing its mysterious past! Here are details, trailers and our plan for this event:
TOW: This dark comedy/drama is based on a true story and follows a homeless Seattle woman who fights her way out of "tow-company hell" to reclaim the car that had held her life together after receiving a tow bill for $21,634. The film stars Rose Byrne, Ariana DeBose, Demi Lovato, Octavia Spencer, Dominic Sessa, Elsie Fisher and Simon Rex! The film premiered to solid reviews at last year’s Tribeca Film Festival where critics declared, “TOW is a winner!” It’s “a story of perseverance, heart, and real fight, the kind of small human story we see less frequently these days, but need now more than ever.” TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdkpcsuPAhA
THEY WILL KILL YOU: A woman takes a job as a housekeeper in a NYC high-rise, unaware of the building's history of disappearances. She soon realizes the community is shrouded in mystery. The film is directed by Kirill Sokolov and Zadie Beetz, Myha'la, Paterson Joseph, Tom Felton, Heather Graham, and Patricia Arquette. The film is being released immediately following its premiere at this year’s SXSW Festival earlier this month. Early reviews say it’s “an adrenaline rush of action-packed fights, tons of blood and gore and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments” and a movie that’s “unafraid to march to its own campy, violent, and clever little drummer!” TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYqQPiXpi4w
PLAN: Not exactly a “Choose Your Movie” event, more like an early show and a late one (or both if you’re feeling sparky)!
\* If you’d like to see TOW, please purchase your ticket for the 5:00pm showing and meet in the upstairs lobby between 4:40 and 4:50pm!
\* If you plan to see THEY WILL KILL YOU, please purchase your ticket for the 7:45pm showing and meet in the upstairs lobby between 7:25 and 7:35pm!
\* Tickets for both films on sale now and advance purchase is advised! Tickets just $5.00 ($6.50 after online fees when purchased via the GFC website). Once you have yours, please list your movie of choice and seat number in the Comments section of this event.
\* Also, as a reminder, close, convenient parking available in the nearby garage (Between 9th and 11th, just off High) and just $2 when you have your ticket validated at the theater!
Look forward to seeing you there, Dan
Columbus Comedy Improv Meetup at Gresso's!
Whether you've never done improv before, or you've done it for so long you knew Del Close on a personal level, or anywhere in between, come join us! Swing by *Gresso's* for the **Columbus Improv Comedy Meetup** for some fun and games!
The idea behind improv is to create entire scenes from scratch based on a suggestion from the audience. This can be done in game form, like *Whose Line Is It Anyway*, *ComedySportz*, or *Wild 'n Out*; it could also be done to tell stories, like *Middleditch and Schwartz*. Our meetup, which is central Ohio's longest running (and free!) weekly comedy event, brings the games (and occasionally different forms) for you to play in a safe, supportive, and compassionate environment. Not only is it a lot of fun, but you get to work on thinking faster on your feet, plus it's an excellent way to meet new people and make friendships that'll last a lifetime!
Ask yourself if you want to join the **Columbus Improv Comedy Meetup**, and say "Yes, And" that you'll have fun!
How LLMs Like ChatGPT Actually Work and How to Build With Them
**First meetup of the Columbus AI Engineering group.**
We’ll kick things off with a practical, beginner-friendly discussion on:
**How LLMs like ChatGPT actually work — and how to build real applications with them.**
We’ll cover:
* what’s actually happening under the hood (at a high level)
* why LLMs behave the way they do (hallucinations, prompt sensitivity, etc.)
* how people are building real systems with them today
* where things break in practice
This will be a **short, informal talk (\~15–20 min)** followed by open discussion and Q&A.
Whether you’re an engineer, builder, or just curious about how modern AI systems work, you’re welcome to join.
No slides, no fluff — just real conversation about real systems.
We’ll hang out afterward and get to know each other.
BASEBALL IS BACK!! Clippers' Home Saturday Opener!!! ⚾ 🧢 🌭 🎆 🧨 🎇 🗽 🦅 🇺🇸
**Summary**
Celebrate America's 250th year and the [Columbus Clippers'](https://www.milb.com/columbus) 50th season by watching [Franklin County's](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus_Clippers) best team play the [best game in the world](https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/babe_ruth_140116) at [one of the ten best](https://www.dispatch.com/story/sports/minors/2025/03/26/huntington-park-voted-top-10-minor-league-ballparks-usa-today-10best-awards/82656048007/) baseball stadiums in the United States in their 2026 home Saturday opener!
The first pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. The gates always open an hour before the scheduled first pitch. I'm usually at the ballpark a half an hour before the scheduled first pitch. Clippers' games usually last around two and a half hours.
Being a few minutes early will help us secure good seats.
**Parking**
I personally always like to park in the [McConnell Garage](https://www.google.com/maps/place/McConnell+Garage/@39.9685114,-83.0103938,17z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x88388f24145462d1:0x6238c0f0c851ab70!8m2!3d39.9692957!4d-83.0081175!16s%2Fg%2F1jkw6y27y?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MTExNi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D). If nothing else is going on in the area, this should be $7. However, I've also seen it be as high as $22. I can't say for certain what it will be for this game, but once I know, I will post in the comments.
Alternately, there are other lots in the area you can try which will probably be a few dollars cheaper. [Here is a map](https://img.mlbstatic.com/milb-images/image/upload/q_auto/milb/ernng44ya2xkr4wbheql) of all the garages and lots surrounding the stadium. Keep in mind that many of these are outdoor lots and your car will be out in the elements.
If you decide to look for a different lot, I would mildly recommend either the Buggyworks Lot or the Broadbelt Lot, but I have never parked in either of these myself. Although it won't apply for this game, keep in mind that street parking is also free citywide in Columbus on [Sundays and holidays](https://www.columbus.gov/files/sharedassets/city/v/1/public-service/right-of-way-permit/on-street-parking-out-of-service-policy-and-procedure-final-8.15.2022-signed.pdf).
**Where We'll Be**
Here is a [map of the ballpark](https://img.mlbstatic.com/milb-images/image/upload/milb/qkqohbqjgtx5uwo6zkgn.pdf).
We'll be sitting on Level 3 of the [Left Field Building](https://www.milb.com/columbus/ballpark/huntington-park) (aka the "AEP Power Pavilion"), which features a 110 foot bar with six open patios overlooking the field. This area is covered and will be out of any sun or rain that may transpire.
If you enter the park through the Center Field Entrance (which is at the intersection of Nationwide Blvd. and Neil Ave.), there will be a door to your immediate right after you enter that leads to a staircase up into the Tower.
This door is not well-marked, and if you've never been to Huntington Park before, you may wonder if you're actually allowed to go in and up the stairs. Yes, you are.
We'll be on the Tower's "Level 3". I have uploaded to the Photos section of this event page, below, a picture of the sign you want look for after you ascend the stairs, so you'll know you're on the correct floor.
**Tickets**
Do not buy your tickets ahead of time. They will literally be twice as expensive if you buy them on Ticketmaster.
Instead, go to the ticket window near the Center Field Entrance. Buy a *Standing Room Only* ticket (don't worry, you won't be standing), which will cost you a flat $8 with no other taxes or fees.
These tickets never sell out, and this is the cheapest way to get into the park.
**Carry-Ins**
Per the team's [website](https://www.milb.com/columbus/ballpark/a-z-guide): "Soft-sided coolers are permitted in the general seating area [which is where we'll be], but not hard-sided coolers; also no alcohol, glass bottles, or cans will be permitted. SMALL bags or backpacks of food items and beverages in plastic bottles are ok. Reusable water bottles are permitted, but must be empty upon arrival. Diaper bags are allowed."
I always bring a disposable plastic bottle of water and refill it as I need at the park. Bottled water at the game is something like 4 or 5 dollars. So if you want a bottle of water, I recommend bringing your own bottle instead of buying it at the park.
**Food & Drink**
The area we'll be in has burgers, hot dogs, salads, soft pretzels, ice cream, and other sorts of things you would expect at a baseball game. I've posted pics of the menu in the Photos section, below.
The burger and fries are $14 plus tax, and they're not bad. (This is what I usually get.) The beer is *really* overpriced. It's like $9, or $20 for a pitcher. If there's some people to help me drink it, though, I'll buy a pitcher of Michelob Ultra.
While we'll be on the penultimate floor of the Tower, the top floor (which has a great view, but is fully exposed to the elements) has a [Dirty Frank's](https://dirtyfranks.com/) hot dog stand. I've never gotten anything from there, though I've been told it's good.
The Donatos pizza stand is also a very short walk away from where we'll be. I love Donatos, but the pizza is so expensive at the ballpark. It's like $9 for a personal-sized pepperoni. It is good, though.
**Peroration**
Let's (watch them) play ball!






![[X-post, RSVP link in desc.] Healthtech Impact Sprint](https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/8/6/d/f/highres_533314527.webp?w=640)








