Location Photography

Bring your Raspberry Pi, Arduino, microcontroller, or any other electronic project and join fellow electronics makers for a night of creativity and collaboration! This session is open forum to share your current projects—whether complete or in progress, it’s all interesting! Whether you’re deep into embedded systems, exploring new ideas, or just getting started, you’ll find a welcoming space to collaborate, share, and get inspired. (NOTICE - Location change!) This session will be at the Karl Road Branch of the Columbus Library in the Conference Room 2.

A very Midwest way to spend the night. Euchre Night at TownHall Short North brings cards, cocktails, and community together for an easygoing evening of friendly competition. All skill levels welcome—confidence encouraged.

Come check us out! You will have a wonderful time! The music and friendships are life-changing!

Join the Columbus AI community for our quarterly gathering — a casual, community-focused evening where everyone has a chance to share, learn, and connect. These open mic–style events give anyone in the community up to **5 minutes** to present a project, share a tool, pose a question, or offer a perspective on the evolving AI space. No slides required — just a welcoming space to exchange ideas and keep the local AI conversation moving. If you’d like to take the stage, message **Chris (the organizer)** with a **title and short description** of what you’d like to share. Whether you’re deep in the field or just getting curious, come connect with others building and exploring AI in Columbus. Sponsored by [Transform Labs](https://www.transformlabs.com/services)

This is an in-person meeting. Would you like to know the Real You, not just a shadow of yourself? Does your life energy feel somehow trapped within? Does your self-confidence get easily shaken? Do you get in the way of your own goals? We will discuss the real source of all this, what holds you back in life, and how to handle it so you can achieve more successful and happier living. Perhaps you get weighed down with negative emotions you can't seem to shrug off. Or find yourself doing strange and irrational things - not really being yourself. We will cover why that is and tools that work to help you unearth your self, your self-confidence and motivation. This meeting will help you learn about how to effectively overcome: -Out-of-control unwanted emotions -Low self-esteem -Anxiety -Negativity -Stress -Irrational fears -Traumatic or painfully emotional incidents -Breakups -Betrayals -Feeling like you're not really yourself -Self-doubt... We will discuss how to unleash the inner you and tap into your true potential. So come to this online meetup! This meeting is sponsored by the Hubbard Dianetics Foundation of Central Ohio

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**Summary** For this event, we will do the [Rhino Barn Tour](https://www.thewilds.org/rhino-barn-tour) at [The Wilds](https://www.thewilds.org/), a ten-thousand acre conservation center in Muskingum County. It is the largest such center in North America and one of the largest in the entire world. During this tour, we'll visit The Wilds' rhino herd in their state-of-the-art heated barns and learn how The Wilds' animal management team takes care of one of the largest herds of rhinos outside of Africa and Asia. **The date and time of this tour** We will be doing the 1:00 p.m. [Rhino Barn Tour](https://www.thewilds.org/rhino-barn-tour) on Saturday, February 28. The tour is scheduled to last 90 minutes. **What you need to do to attend** Signing up here on Meetup will not get you into The Wilds for the tour. You must go out to The Wilds' [website](https://www.thewilds.org/) and [buy a ticket](https://www.thewilds.org/rhino-barn-tour). Please [purchase your ticket](https://www.thewilds.org/rhino-barn-tour), then sign up here on Meetup so I know how many to expect. **Attendance cap** There are only eight total slots/tickets available for this tour. As I obviously have already bought one of the tickets, that leaves seven spaces for everyone else. If you are interested in this event, I urge you to [buy a ticket](https://www.thewilds.org/rhino-barn-tour) at The Wilds' website as soon as possible. Since their website is obviously public, nothing prevents other people having nothing to do with *GOhio!* from buying their own tickets, thereby potentially taking an available slot away from you. **Additional notes on attendance** I have now run several events at The Wilds. While the location of The Wilds and the pricing of the tickets generally leads to small turnouts, the people who have gone have all enjoyed it and were glad they went. If you've never been to The Wilds and you like zoos or animals at all, you are likely to find any tour at The Wilds to be a rewarding experience. **Tickets and pricing** [Tickets](https://www.thewilds.org/rhino-barn-tour) for this tour are $95, or $76 if you're a Wilds' member. I've posted screen shots, below, to help you be sure you're buying tickets for the correct event. Wilds' memberships pay for themselves if you go to The Wilds at least twice a year, and [Columbus Zoo members](https://www.columbuszoo.org/membership) get a discount on memberships to The Wilds. I will always run at least two events a year at The Wilds. Tickets for all Wilds' tours must be purchased at least 24 hours in advance of the actual tour. **Cancellations and refunds** Per The Wilds' [Cancellation Policy](https://www.thewilds.org/policies): *In order to be eligible for refund and accrue no rescheduling fees, cancellations must be made at least 14 days in advance of reservation. Cancellations made within 14 days of reservation will not receive a refund.* You may [contact The Wilds](https://www.thewilds.org/contact) at (740) 638-5030 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., or you can email them at information@thewilds.org. **Waiver of liability** After you purchase your ticket, you will likely be asked to fill out a waiver of liability. This is a very short document and should take you no more than two minutes to complete. **Where we'll meet** We will meet at The Wilds, whose actual address is [14000 International Rd, Cumberland, OH 43732](https://www.google.com/maps/place/14000+International+Rd,+Cumberland,+OH+43732/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x8837dae07a595557:0xa1ceca93325a8bd1?sa=X&ved=1t:242&ictx=111). Please try to be there by 12:30 p.m. For most Wilds' tours, a shuttle bus will take you to the actual spot of the tour. So think of this as though you're going to the airport to catch a flight. It helps to be on time. The Wilds generally asks that people arrive at least thirty minutes because the scheduled start time of their tour. **GPS / Getting to The Wilds** The Wilds is in a very rural area, but I've never had a problem getting there with my GPS (I have Verizon). I've also uploaded a JPG map, below, of Muskingum County. Sometimes, though, it's hard to get a signal when you're at The Wilds and getting ready to leave. So you might want to consider downloading an offline map in Google Maps. Your cell phone should pick up a signal, however, within a few minutes after you leave. The Wilds' Visitor Center does have free Wi-Fi. **Carpooling?** If you want to carpool, I recommend discussing this in the comments, below, to this event. While I don't myself carpool, I will do what I can to help you arrange something if I can. **The weather** Dress for the weather. Just because the barn is heated doesn't mean it will be warm. And wear closed-toed shoes. Wilds' tours typically run no matter what the weather is. **After the tour** Once we're done with the rhinos, we'll head over to the very highly rated [Y-Bridge Brewing Company](https://ybridgebrewing.com/). The brewery is about thirty minutes from The Wilds, and it will be on the way back to Columbus for most, if not all, of us. The brewery's actual address is [1417 Linden Ave Ste D, Zanesville, OH 43701](https://www.google.com/maps/place/1417+Linden+Ave+d,+Zanesville,+OH+43701/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x8837edd6cc50824f:0xe3a0af1ccb2aefbf?sa=X&ved=1t:242&ictx=111). Y-Bridge Brewing does not serve food; however, they have several [food options](https://ybridgebrewing.com/food-options). I encourage you to check these out ahead of time on their website for yourself. However, here are a few of them: *Within walking distance -- 120 feet away* * [Angry Bull Saloon](https://www.facebook.com/AngryBullSaloonZanesville/) (pizza & subs) * The Corner Pub Sports Bar and Grill (classic bar food) *Delivery options -- [Door Dash](https://www.doordash.com/)* * [4 Star Pizza](https://fourstarpizza.com/), (740) 452-9300 * [Donatos](https://www.donatos.com/), (740) 452-7900 * [Pizza Cottage](https://www.pizza-cottage.com/), (740) 455-6000 * [Dominos](https://www.dominos.com/), (740) 455-3126 * [Papa John's](https://www.papajohns.com/), (740) 450-4100 If you live in the area or can't make The Wilds but still want to meet us at the brewery, that's fine too.

Coffee and conversation at [Stauf's Coffee Roasters](https://www.staufs.com/) in German Village. Street parking is free on Sundays.

Let's grab some coffee/food and share a morning chat! The East Market has an ample parking lot and outdoor and indoor seating. Grab a cup of coffee from Winston's Coffee & Waffles or on your way to East Market and meet us on the second floor - table behind or east of the elevator. If the weather cooperates we will be meeting in the patio. Per what this group is about: "Everyone is welcome! International transplants to Columbus who want to improve language skills, Columbus residents who want to discuss international travel and culture, and anyone who enjoys getting together for good conversations."

**To Be Announced!**

**Back By Popular Request!** Once you have spent an evening in the studio, you need some refreshments. Join us at Local Cantina in Bridge Park to recharge your energy! **Meeting Schedule:** 1. 7:10 - Chips and Salsa

**Back By Popular Request!** Spend an evening exploring the ins and outs of flash photography and off-camera lighting techniques. We will be in the studio for this meeting and will learn how to use supplemental lighting to improve our images! **Meeting Schedule:** 1. 4:00 - Introduction, Meet New Members 2. 4:10 - Old Business 3. 4:20 - New Business 4. 4:30 - Pre-Shoot Briefing/Education 5. 6:00 - Break 6. 6:05 - Continue Presentation 7. 7:00 - Adjourn

TOPIC (Getting Ready for Spring Macro Photography): Insects are hatching, and flowers are blooming soon. Join us for a presentation on Spring Macro photography and get primed for the photographic season ahead. Meeting Schedule: 1. 6:00 - Introduction, Meet New Members 2. 6:10 - Old Business 3. 6:20 - New Business 4. 6:30 - Pre-Shoot Briefing/Education 5. 7:15 - Break 6. 7:30 - Image Critique 7. 8:00 - Adjourn Pre-Shoot Brief/Education: NIK Collection 8 Image Critique: Previous Photoshoot Images (iPhone images and Christmas Cards). If anyone has images they would like critiqued, please provide them at the beginning of the meeting. Providing Images for Critique: For now, I will collect images at the beginning of the meeting on a USB memory stick. My computer has USB-C ports, so a USB-C memory stick or one with dual (USB-C / USB-A) ports will be needed. Images should follow these format rules: JPG - 80% quality or higher 132 dpi resolution 2048 pixels across the long edge Embedded colorspace - sRGB

Join us as we get together to see SIRAT, an Oscar-nominated Best International Film from Spain that follows a father, accompanied by his son, goes looking for his missing daughter in North Africa. Here’s a description, trailer and our plan for this event: DESCRIPTION: A father, accompanied by his son arrive at a rave deep in the mountains of southern Morocco while searching for his daughter who vanished months ago at one of these endless, sleepless parties. As their search continues, the journey forces them to confront their own limits. The film is directed by Oliver Laxe and stars Sergi Lopez, Bruno Nunez Arjona and Richard Bellamy. TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww-IXHXvS70 BUZZ & ACCLAIM: SIRAT has already won numerous awards, including 4 at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, along with the Chicago, Montclair and Toronto International Film Festivals! It also earned a whopping 11 nominations at the 40th Goya Awards, including Best Film and Director, and was nominated for Best International Feature Film and Best Sound at this year’s Academy Awards. The film is earning a stellar 92% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes which calls it “an unforgettable exercise in tension” and “a brutal reminder that the journey can be more important than the destination.” PLAN: We’ll plan for a 7pm-ish showing and will confirm/announce details as the date gets closer. Once showtime is confirmed, advance purchase (via GFC website preferred) is advised! Once you have your ticket, please list your seat number in the Comments section of this event. PARKING: Close, convenient parking is available in the nearby garage (located between 9th and 11th, just off High St). Bring your ticket with you and have it validated at the theater and for $2, you’re covered for the night! Look forward to seeing you there, Dan

Okay, so here's another one by request... **"An Evening with Topaz Labs"** The Topaz Labs tools are regarded as some of the finest photo editing plug-ins that you can add to your photo editing workflow. From noise reduction to resizing to sharpening, the results of these plugins are highly regarded and well reviewed in industry editing blogs. Join us for the evening and I will give you a preview of the most popular Topaz Lab tools and show you how I have used them in my digitial editing workflow. Meeting Schedule: 1. 6:00 - Introduction, Meet New Members 2. 6:10 - Old Business 3. 6:20 - New Business 4. 6:30 - Pre-Shoot Briefing/Education 5. 7:15 - Break 6. 7:30 - Image Critique 7. 8:00 - Adjourn Pre-Shoot Brief/Education: Topaz Labs Image Critique: Previous Photoshoot Images (TBD). If anyone has images they would like critiqued, please provide them at the beginning of the meeting. Providing Images for Critique: For now, I will collect images at the beginning of the meeting on a USB memory stick. My computer has USB-C ports, so a USB-C memory stick or one with dual (USB-C / USB-A) ports will be needed. Images should follow these format rules: JPG - 80% quality or higher 132 dpi resolution 2048 pixels across the long edge Embedded colorspace - sRGB