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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Check out mapping events happening today here. These are in-person gatherings where you can meet fellow enthusiasts and participate in activities right now.
Discover all the mapping events taking place this week here. Plan ahead and join exciting meetups throughout the week.
Absolutely! Find mapping events near your location here. Connect with your local community and discover events within your area.
Mapping Events Today
Join in-person Mapping events happening right now
Stances of the Product Owner: From Backlog Admin to Value Driver
Many organizations treat the Product Owner as a backlog administrator, ticket writer, or go-between — and then wonder why their products drift, stall, or miss the mark. The role gets distorted in predictable ways, and the cost is real: slower decisions, misaligned teams, and products that serve processes instead of users.
In this session, led by [Tom Molnár](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamas-molnar-57902919/) we'll unpack the **6 misunderstood PO stances** — the anti-patterns that quietly erode value — and contrast them with the **6 effective stances** that make a Product Owner truly impactful.
**What we'll cover:**
❌ **Misunderstood stances (anti-patterns):**
* **Clerk** — just adds everything to the backlog, no vision or decisions
* **Story Writer** — focuses only on writing user stories
* **Project Manager** — focuses on deadlines and output instead of value
* **Manager** — manages people instead of the product
* **Subject Matter Expert** — gets lost in detailed expertise
* **Gatekeeper** — becomes a bottleneck; everything goes through them
These aren't value-creating behaviors — they're distortions of the role.
✅ **Effective stances:**
* **Visionary** — defines a clear product vision and goals; focuses on the future
* **Collaborator** — actively works with the team and stakeholders
* **Customer Representative** — brings in user needs; explains the "why"
* **Decision Maker** — makes fast decisions → faster time-to-market
* **Experimenter** — thinks in hypotheses; validates instead of assuming
* **Influencer** — creates alignment across the organization
A good PO isn't just one of these — it's a combination of all.
🎯 **Key takeaway:** According to Scrum, the PO's goal is to maximize value. Many organizations misunderstand this. The goal is to recognize when you slip into a bad stance and shift back.
**Who should attend:** Product Owners, Scrum Masters, agile coaches, engineering leads, and anyone working with or alongside POs who wants to raise the bar on how the role is understood and practiced.
--
An in person, English speaking session. No video feed will be provided.
Please note, that we dont have catering for the event.
Kedd Esti Tangó – Kezdő 2 Csoportos Óra | Tango Libre
Csatlakozz a KEZDŐ 2 kurzusunkhoz!
**Időpont:** Keddenként 20:00–21:00 (első alkalom 2026-ban: **január 6.)**
**Helyszín**: Roxy Táncstúdió
Tátra utca 4., 1136 Budapest
[Teljes órarendünk](https://tangolibre.hu/orarend/)
**Tanárok**: Szeghalmi Endre és Serbán Andrea
✦✦✦
Join our **Beginner 2 Argentine Tango course**!
This class is for dancers who already know the basics and would like to continue developing their technique, connection, and enjoyment of tango.
**🕒 Time**
Tuesdays 8:00–9:00 PM
First class in 2026: **January 6**
**📍 Location**
Roxy Dance Studio
Tátra utca 4., 1136 Budapest
**Teachers**
Endre Szeghalmi & Andrea Serbán
**Prices:**[ https://tangolibre.hu/en/prices/](https://tangolibre.hu/en/prices/)
Kedd Esti Tangó - Kezdő 1 Csoportos óra
Csatlakozz a Kezdő 1 kurzusunkhoz!
Ez a kurzus a **2025 szeptemberében indult Teljesen kezdő csoportunk folytatása**, de új érdeklődők is csatlakozhatnak, ha már van minimális tapasztalatuk argentin tangóban.
**Időpont:** Keddenként 19:00–20:00 (első alkalom 2026-ban: január 6.)
**Helyszín:** Roxy Táncstúdió, Tátra utca 4., 1136 Budapest
**Tanárok:** Szeghalmi Endre és Serbán Andrea
Teljes órarendünk:
[https://tangolibre.hu/orarend/](https://tangolibre.hu/orarend/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBEwaDNKZFpsQVh2dUpJMklKd3NydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR7-aVO75w-5o1MEitQYD_hyAji9mGat21L3FYSxxPdYQTAUrjN9qopadYwkuw_aem_cRLCRnGqUCcsUeCJj_XpyA)
Árak:
[https://tangolibre.hu/arak/](https://tangolibre.hu/arak/)
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**Beginner 1 Argentine Tango Course – continuation**
This course is the continuation of our Total Beginner group started in September 2025.
New participants are also welcome if you already have some basic experience in Argentine tango.
**Time:** Tuesdays 7:00–8:00 PM (First class in 2026: **January 6)**
**📍 Location:** Roxy Dance Studio, Tátra utca 4., 1136 Budapest
**Teachers:** Endre Szeghalmi & Andrea Serbán
Prices: [https://tangolibre.hu/en/prices/](https://tangolibre.hu/en/prices/)
***
Herbal Tea + Night Meditation
If you live around Oktogon or Király utca and want to slow down your evenings, this is a simple way to transition into rest.
Every Tuesday, we gather for a guided meditation and relaxation session, combined with herbal tea in a calm, intimate setting.
The intention is to help you disconnect from the day, settle your mind, and go home ready to rest.
Please plan your evening so you can leave in a relaxed state — ideally with a short, quiet way back home.
**Important:**
* Eat before the session (ideally you wont eat again until next day)
* Arrive on time to keep the space calm
* Limited spots
**Practical details:**
📍 Okūma (Teahōm) - Concept Tea Lounge
🗓 Every 2nd Tuesday (fortnightly)
💳 Contribution based, this first time
🧘 Led by Marcos
You can also purchase tickets in bulk for better price
👉 https://revolut.me/marcoshht/pocket/nyyRQdkeTQ
SzóDa Toastmasters Beszédklub és Közösség
Szeretnéd fejleszteni a beszédkészséged?
Szeretnél fejlődni a kommunikációdban, mert szükséged van rá a munkádban, a hétköznapjaidban?
Szeretnéd megtanulni, hogyan tudsz még kifejezőbb lenni?
Úgy érzed, nincs elég önbizalmad, de már tudod, hogy növelni szeretnéd, és már azt is tudod, tenni is kész vagy érte?
Van egy jó hírünk: a LEGJOBB HELYEN JÁRSZ! :)
Mi minden kedden azért gyűlünk össze, mert hiszünk abban, hogy bárki képes megtanulni az önbizalommal teli, tiszta, célratörő és élvezetes kommunikációt.
Teszünk azért, hogy nálunk a gyakorlás alapú tanulás mindenki számára elérhető legyen akár diák, otthon lévő szülő, karrier építő, vagy csak egyszerűen érdeklődő a találkozónk résztvevője.
Nálunk bárki megszerezheti azokat a kommunikációs technikákat melykekkel képes érdekesen, tömören, érthetően átadni saját gondolatait a közö(n)sség felé.
Várunk szeretettel, ha szeretnéd fejleszteni kommunikációs és vezetői készségeidet egy jó hangulatú, segítőkész és összetartó csapatban. Találd meg önmagad egy inspiráló környezetben!
Amivel találkozhatsz egy esten:
– képet kapsz arról, hogy mi a Toastmasters és hogyan néz ki egy klubest;
– megláthatod mit is adhat a Toastmasters tapasztalt előadók által;
– új érdekes emberekkel találkozhatsz;
– barátságos környezetben szerezhetsz sok új élményt.
Miért csatlakozz a SzóDa Retorika Klubhoz?
1\. Lehetőség önmagad megismerésére\, ami a személyes fejlődéshez nagyban hozzájárul;
2\. Új barátokra tehetsz szert;
3\. Több önbizalmat szerezhetsz;
4\. Új dolgokat tanulhatsz azáltal\, hogy gyakorlod őket\.
Hogyan tudsz csatlakozni?
* gyere el hozzánk, próbáld ki magad, ízleld meg, milyen a színpadon állni, merj rögtönözni. Ezt díjmentesen megteheted három alkalommal.
* ha jól érezted magad, megtetszett és eldöntötted, hogy Te is szeretnél velünk hétről hétre, minden kedd este a fejlődés útján járni, bővebb információért látogass el ezekre az oldalakra:
https://www.facebook.com/szodaretorikaklub/
A SzóDa vár szeretettel! :)
Women's Tango Technique with Andrea
A női tangó technika gyakorlása segít abban, hogy magabiztosabban és elegánsabban táncoljunk, valamint könnyebben kapcsolódjunk a partnerünkhöz és a zenéhez.
Hogy ne csak követőként, hanem tudatos táncosnőként legyünk jelen a táncban.
**Mikor**: Kedd, 18:00 – 19:00
**Hol:** Roxy Stúdió, 1136 Budapest, Tátra utca 4.
✦✦✦
**Miért fontos a női technika a tangóban?**
-Javul a tartás, az ölelés, a sétatechnika, a stabilitás és az elegancia
-Izgalmas díszítésekkel szépítjük a táncot
-Hogy ne csak követőként, hanem táncosnőként is jelen legyél
✦✦✦
**Tematika**
Az órákat bemelegítéssel kezdjük, majd az adott napi témával folytatjuk
(pl. tartás, séta, disszociáció, giro, boleo, enrosque, díszítések stb.).
A cél olyan technikai alapok elsajátítása, amelyek hosszú távon is segítik a fejlődésedet.
**Ruházat**
Kényelmes öltözet ajánlott.
Lehetőleg hozz magaddal magassarkú cipőt is.
További részletek:
[https://tangolibre.hu/arak/](https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftangolibre.hu%2Farak%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExbDFsUmtNd2dIQVpmSHY3TXNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR6UMmb0UoScQqD_vY2si7YaoEL3eIt8sfl5_Umx1LOW3RE_yq1xpuO6AwQLiw_aem_79bdLWqEbvzUx5qtFeyneA&h=AT7a1OP5evVEHDcL1uUSIGhfFxkDzd37eVA1AGyELRZYfgq32JCYYoXLT6i2nOlRLNCuSfgbAqgcBIvkICHRxLTe9O522W5uKHL7ylZqitMdwj0lFPVQhxReRbq4PahKY2cBhvq_N8rHFCKPHKt8f81yHuxw_i3s9b4&__tn__=q&c%5B0%5D=AT6G1SRCcbuOonOjMDArF7zv6zzXg6TL30pzfPbLwkmUdqxAVtAkaebCIfT23D8QPA9-zyZxrXaset57fLmMJOmvIABzUucuXls3bJmthLKQq09teRoryNetMqhkBNlxKr0FPj_q9CFE178EVkVduxOJ9dEN1hq1kjY)
Nemsokára találkozunk!
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Women’s Tango Technique with Andrea
Practicing women’s tango technique helps you dance with more confidence and elegance, and connect more easily with your partner and the music.
So that you are present in the dance not only as a follower, but as a conscious and aware dancer.
**When:** Tuesday, 18:00–19:00
**Where:** Roxy Studio, 1136 Budapest, Tátra utca 4.
### Why is women’s technique important in tango?
* Improves posture, embrace, walking technique, stability, and elegance
* Adds beautiful and expressive embellishments to your dance
* Helps you be present not only as a follower, but as a dancer in your own right
### Dress code
Comfortable clothing is recommended.
Please bring high heels if possible.
More details:
[https://tangolibre.hu/en/prices/](https://tangolibre.hu/en/prices/)
See you soon!
***
FlowDan’s Mix class
FlowDan’s Mix is a Latin-inspired dance party workout.
High energy, easy-to-follow choreographies, and nonstop good vibes!
Each class has a theme we dance through
Class fee: 2500 Huf
5 class pass: 10000 Huf
Mapping Events This Week
Discover what is happening in the next few days
MASZK sör/fröccs a Grundon
Agilitás és beszélgetés és sör és fröccs. Vagy limonádé, kinek mi.
Gyertek egy kötetlen találkozóra, ahol ha hozol egy elakadást, vagy ügyet, talán még beszélünk is róla, és segítünk továbblendülni. De ha nem, az is oké.
Az asztal MASZK néven lesz, ha nem találsz minket.
Android Budapest 2026 May
Join us for a special edition of the Android Budapest meetup in May! This time, we’re collaborating with mDevCamp, the Prague-based mobile dev conference. You will have an opportunity to get a free ticket to the conference!
Before the summer break, you’ll have another opportunity to learn more about Android and meet fellow mobile devs! We’ll have two great talks to set the tone of the evening - this time you’ll hear from two organizers of our meetup, on the topics of Kotlin Multiplatform and screen recording on Android.
**📜 Schedule:**
**18:00 - 18:30: Gathering and socializing**
**18:30 - 19:15: First talk**
**19:15 - 19:45: Break**
**19:45 - 20:15: Second talk**
**20:05 - : More socializing!**
**—**
**🔷 Going Multiplatform with Your Android App - Márton Braun, JetBrains**
Existing Android apps are in a great position to expand into Kotlin Multiplatform: you might already be using patterns, libraries, and APIs that work on more platforms than just Android. With Compose Multiplatform, you can build an app with a fully shared Kotlin codebase, targeting iOS, desktop, and even the web!
In this talk, we’ll look at how you can migrate an existing Android app to multiplatform. As this can be a significant engineering effort for an existing, well-established app, we’ll also discuss how to plan and organize the required changes, and how to adopt KMP incrementally across your codebase without disrupting day-to-day development.
**🔷 When MediaProjection Isn't Enough - Building a Custom In-App Session Recorder - István Juhos, Spoke**
Debugging user issues gets so much easier when you can see exactly what they experienced. While off-the-shelf solutions exist to integrate screen recording into our apps, they didn't give us the quality, flexibility, or control we needed. So, our team built our own native, in-app session recording tool for Android.
In this talk, I'll share why we decided to go in-house, how we tackled the technical and UX hurdles along the way, and what we learned about recording high-quality video and audio data.
We'll dive into tricky bits like exploring - and discarding - the MediaProjection API, handling codecs and muxers across devices, designing recording controls that stay out of the user's way, playing back recordings, and managing background uploads without draining your users' battery or patience.
—
🏢🍴 Thanks to [Supercharge](https://supercharge.io/careers) for hosting us in their lovely office, and the organizers of [mDevCamp](https://mdevcamp.eu) for the food and the drinks!
🚪 Doors open at 18:00 and the first talk starts at 18:30!
🗓️ The event is free but requires registration, so please RSVP here and don’t forget to update your response if it changes!
📸 We plan to take photos, so if you would not like to appear on them, please tell one of the organizers!
**🎤 We are always looking for new presenters, so if you have an idea for a talk, please reach out to us at meetup@androidbudapest.com or submit at [https://androidbudapest.com/talkidea](https://androidbudapest.com/talkidea)!**
Budapest Silent Book Club #111 — (FSZEK, Boulevard Library)
Hello everyone,
Take a break from your week, make progress on your reading in good company, then join a relaxed chat about what everyone's been reading.
**Schedule**
10:30 \- 11:00 \| Arrival & Introduction round
11:00 \- 12:00 \| Silent Reading Hour
12:00 \- 13:00 \| Chat & Discussion
**The After-Event** ☕ The trial was a success, so it's officially a thing! After the session, we’ll head over to Zaj kávézó for some tea, coffee, cookies, and sandwiches. Feel free to stick around and join us to keep the conversation going!
**Location** Metropolitan Ervin Szabo Public Library, Boulevard Library It will take place in the event room. After you enter the library, turn right, cross the lounge, and go down the stairs at the far end. If you bring snacks, you can have them in the lounge area.
Whether you're a regular or a first-timer, you're welcome. See you there!
**[Facebook Page](https://www.facebook.com/people/Budapest-Silent-Book-Club/61567388151835)** (previous books read in sessions)
**[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1271292-budapest-silent-book-club)**[ ](https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1271292-budapest-silent-book-club)(monthly book club voting)
**[Silent Book Club](https://silentbook.club/pages/about-us)** (the idea itself, where did it come from?)
This is a free event, but Meetup has its own fee. If you'd like to contribute and help keep this going, you're welcome to donate [via Revolut](https://revolut.me/schmidtpeter), every bit helps!
(we keep track of all donations in this [spreadsheet](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1C_N9CN_pQO5aUYezqzQW4GS7pr8IfplchwG8-ruZ19g/edit?usp=sharing))
Entrepreneurs & Freelancers Living in Budapest - Casual Hangout
**Looking to connect with other business-minded people in Budapest?**
Come join us for a laid-back evening with fellow entrepreneurs, freelancers, and creatives living and working in the city.
There’s no formal agenda – just good vibes, real conversations, and a chance to meet others who understand the ups and downs of building your own path.
We're looking forward to meeting you.
**P.S.** Join our WhatsApp group for event updates and coordination: https://chat.whatsapp.com/FDSt53cB0xx3uWfw8oqxYi
Beer Tasting & English Language Meetup
Join us for a fun evening of beer tasting and networking with fellow Budapest ex-pats at our next meetup event! Whether you're new in town or a long-time resident, this is the perfect opportunity to connect.
Our event will feature a variety of local and international brews for you to sample and discuss, while enjoying great conversations. Don't miss out on the chance to make new friends and discover new favorite beers at Beer People at Lázár utca 7.
Come raise a glass with us at the Ex-Pat & English Language Meetup!
Budapest Ethereum Meetup ✨
**Join us for our next Ethereum Meetup in beautiful Budapest!**
**What to expect**
* Casual vibes
* Networking & community activities
* A mix of general and technical talks & discussions
* Drinks & snacks
**↗️ [Luma](https://luma.com/f8woct4d)**
*🧭 Make sure to check out "**How to Find Us**" in the Location section to get the exact instructions on how to access the space*
📑**Agenda**
🕡 **6:30 - 7:15 pm**
* Arrivals
* Introduction, community goals, Ethereum core development & ecosystem news - Eniko (EF)
🕢**7:15 pm - 7:35 pm**
TBD
🕢**7:35 pm - 10:00 pm**
* Open discussions, community activities and networking
The agenda is subject to change. The event’s primary language is English to accommodate all. The events are always interactive and we encourage discussions. 💬
*Az elsődleges nyelv a Meetupon az angol, de természetesen próbálunk alkalmazkodni mindenkihez. Akinek az angol problémát jelent, van lehetőség kérdésre, vagy az előadások után diskurzusra.*
**Organizers and sponsors**
* Ethereum Everywhere (Ethereum Foundation)
* Guild.xyz
Csendes Könyvklub - EXTRA alkalom - FSZEK
English below
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📚 A megszokott ütemhez képest itt egy extra alkalom most csütörtökön! Gyere és folytasd az olvasmányod a csendes könyvklubunkon a Fővárosi Szabó Ervin Könyvtárban: hozd magaddal az aktuális könyvedet, merülj el benne egy órácskát, majd oszd meg velünk, amit olvastál.
🗺 **Hogyan találsz meg minket:**
A Központi Könyvtár fő épületének **Metszéspont** termében leszünk (régi tanulótér): a könyvtárba belépve haladj tovább a liftekig, de mielőtt elérnéd őket, fordulj balra a mosdók irányába. Az ott található lépcsőkön gyere fel fél emeletet.
💡 Az eseményen való részvételhez nem szükséges könyvtári regisztráció vagy beiratkozás, csak jelezd, hogy a Csendes Könyvklubra jössz.
🥤 **Étel-ital:**
Kérünk, zárható üvegben hozz magaddal innivalót, ha az esemény alatt megszomjaznál. Másból inni, valamint a teremben enni nem lehet, de az épület átriumában üzemel kávézó.
🕑 **A menetrend (változás!):**
17:30–18:00 – Bemutakozókör: mit fogsz olvasni?
18:00–18:45 – Csendes olvasás
18:45–19:30 – Kiscsoportos beszélgetés a könyvekről (opcionális)
🍹 Az esemény után igény szerinti **afterezés** a [Prága Kávéház és Sörözőben](https://pragakavezo.hu/) (Baross u 8.), hogy ne csak könyvekről beszélgessünk! Ha csak erre jönnél, írj üzenetet, hogy ne kerüljük el egymást.
🇭🇺 Fontos: Ez egy teljesen **magyar nyelvű esemény**. A bemutatkozó kör az elején és a kötetlen beszélgetés a végén is magyarul zajlik.
Az olvasás csendje persze mindenkié, így nyugodtan hozhatsz bármilyen nyelvű könyvet.
**✨** **Önkéntes hozzájárulás** A Meetup-felület fenntartására elfogadunk adományokat, hogy eseményeket az eddig megszokott színvonalon és nyitott emberek között tarthassuk. Kérjük, amennyiben lehetőséged van rá, támogasd a könyvklubot! Az eseményen lesz adománygyűjtő doboz és Revolut QR kód. Köszönjük mindenkinek, aki eddig támogatott minket!
Várunk szeretettel!
\-\-\-\-
Please note: This is a Hungarian-language event. The introductions at the beginning and the optional discussion at the end are held in Hungarian.
Mapping Events Near You
Connect with your local Mapping community
Data & Analytics Wednesday - Mapping and Dashboards
**Total Eclipse of the Chart: School Redistricting Dashboards**
In this presentation, we will explore the utilization of maps, sets, and SQL within a Tableau dashboard to help provide “what-if” analyses generated through the use of a mapped dashboard, providing different scenarios and the potential implications of these.
While in this use case we are focused on a large school district, the concepts of utilizing existing data to explore the future impacts of modifying different geographic boundaries can be useful to many industries, balancing the mix of maps with visual analytics.
**About Our Speaker**
Robert Kramer is the Data Systems and State Reporting Coordinator at South Western City Schools in Grove City. He has worked there for 17 years, serving previously in the roles of Data Analyst, Programmer, and Operations Coordinator. Prior to working at South Western, he worked as a Systems Engineer at Pinnacle Data Systems in Groveport. He graduated in 2005 from The University of Toledo with his Bachelor’s in Computer Science and Engineering, and a minor in Mathematics. Robert resides in Obetz with his wife, and their 15 and 12 year-old daughters. He was also just elected to his 3rd four-year term on the Obetz City Council.
Thanks to our 2026 sponsors:
[Clarivoy](https://www.clarivoy.com), [What Box Consulting Group](https://www.whatboxconsultinggroup.com), [Conductrics](https://www.conductrics.com), and [Piwik PRO](https://piwik.pro)
More info at [cbusdaw.com](https://cbusdaw.com)
Trails & Ales! Blendon Woods Metro Park / Forbidden Root Restaurant & Brewery
**History**
The history of [Blendon Woods Metro Park](https://www.metroparks.net/parks-and-trails/blendon-woods/) began long before its 1951 opening, rooted in a landscape of rugged ridges and deep ravines that made the land unsuitable for traditional farming. In 1945, a report proposing a metropolitan park system for Franklin County specifically highlighted these cliffs of Bedford Shale as some of the "wildest land in the vicinity". Following this recommendation, the recently formed park district purchased the first 229 acres in early 1949. Because the terrain was so uneven, developers had to cut a mile-and-a-half-long roadway through dense woods just to bring in heavy equipment. This initial preservation effort ensured that the mature second-growth hardwood forests remained largely untouched by the urban expansion spreading toward Westerville.
Opening day arrived on Labor Day, September 3, 1951, marking Blendon Woods as the second park in the Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks system. The final push to open was a frantic race; the State Highway Department only finished the primary gravel access road four days before the gates opened. Early staff members, consisting of just four full-time employees, had to hand-dig pit toilets and learn construction skills on the fly to build the first picnic shelters. Despite the dusty conditions and limited facilities, the park was an immediate success, drawing massive crowds from across Central Ohio. By the end of the 1950s, annual visitation had already climbed to over 190,000 people.
As the surrounding suburbs grew in the 1960s, the park faced severe overcrowding that threatened its natural habitats. In response, Franklin County voters passed the first Metro Parks levy in 1960, providing the funds necessary for a decade of steady expansion. During this era, the park nearly doubled in size, growing from 264 acres to over 570 acres by 1968. Planners also addressed a critical water shortage by collaborating with the U.S. Soil and Conservation Service to build a lake in 1964. This body of water originally served as a temporary reservoir before its role shifted toward conservation and wildlife support.
The 1970s marked a transition toward the specialized wildlife and educational focus for which the park is known today. In 1971, the Walden Waterfowl Refuge was established around the 11-acre Thoreau Lake, creating a sanctuary that remains restricted to provide a quiet habitat for migratory birds. A formal nature center was also developed during this period, expanding on the guided Sunday walks that had been a park staple since the early 1950s. The park’s famous "Monarch Mansion" also became a prominent fixture, starting a long tradition of raising and releasing thousands of monarch butterflies each September. These initiatives cemented the park’s reputation as a premier destination for birders and nature enthusiasts.
In more recent decades, Blendon Woods has continued to modernize while maintaining its wilderness character. The 10-acre Natural Play Area was added in 2017, encouraging kids to explore the ravines and woods off-trail. This was followed by the opening of a $1.5 million inclusive playground in April 2025, designed to accommodate children of all physical abilities. The nature center also underwent major renovations to include immersive, three-dimensional exhibits and a new butterfly house. Today, the park encompasses 653 acres, preserving a unique geologic and biological corridor amidst the bustling Westerville and Northeast Columbus area.
**Map of the Park**
Here is a map of [Blendon Woods](https://www.metroparks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/BLN_map_Inclusive-Playground-and-Butterfly-Trail_May-2025_1980px.png).
**Summary**
For this event, we will hike the Lake View, Hickory Ridge, Ripple Rock, Overlook, Brookside, and Sugarbush Trails. This sounds like a lot, but it will really be only a little over five miles. Blendon Woods has a few hills here and there, but it's not one of the more strenuous metro parks.
**Where We'll Meet**
We'll meet just in front of the Nature Center. This is about a mile into the park from the main entrance. You have to go past the Ranger Station and the Shadblow Reservable Area to get to it, so don't stop too early at the Ranger Station and get it confused with the Nature Center.
**After the Hike**
Afterward, we will head over to [Forbidden Root Restaurant & Brewery](https://forbiddenroot.com/restaurants/columbus-ohio/) at Easton for [drinks](https://forbiddenroot.com/restaurants/columbus-ohio/#dinner-menu) and [food](https://forbiddenroot.com/wp-content/uploads/Cbus-Food.pdf). We should be there by 5 if you can't make the hike and just want to join us for drinks.
The brewery's actual address is [4080 Worth Ave, Columbus, OH 43219](https://www.google.com/maps/place/4080+Worth+Ave,+Columbus,+OH+43219/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x88388a86d10b6619:0x4d42b470a5cf11d3?sa=X&ved=1t:242&ictx=111); however, I recommend pointing your GPS to the [Worth Garage](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Worth+Garage/@40.0542293,-82.9137962,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x88388b4df6082825:0x17582f0eccd9dda1!8m2!3d40.0542293!4d-82.9137962!16s%2Fg%2F11rzfvvv8b?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDQxNS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D) across the street. Parking in this garage is free as long as you're not on the first floor, and it is literally right next to the brewery.
Rocky Fork Hike
Join us this Thursday (5/14) at 6:30 pm at Rocky Fork Metro Park in Westerville as we walk about 2.5 miles of a fully paved trail. The Beech Woodland trail is a flat yet scenic trail with a variety of landscapes. Let’s take it in together!
Building Scalable Customer Identity Resolution Pipelines on AWS Using AI
Customer identity resolution becomes increasingly complex as organizations scale across multiple systems, regions, and data formats. Traditional rule-based approaches often fail to keep up with data variability, require constant manual tuning, and struggle with real-time processing needs.
This session presents a practical approach to building a scalable identity resolution pipeline using AWS services and modern AI techniques. The architecture combines data ingestion through Amazon S3 and AWS Glue, transformation pipelines using Spark on EMR, and machine learning models deployed via SageMaker for entity matching and standardization. Graph-based relationship modeling is implemented using Amazon Neptune to improve resolution accuracy by incorporating household and shared attribute context.
We will walk through how machine learning models can be used for name and address normalization, how intelligent blocking strategies improve matching efficiency, and how feedback loops can be introduced to continuously improve accuracy. The session also highlights how serverless components such as AWS Lambda can be used for orchestration and real-time processing.
**SPEAKER BIO**
Mosaic Syed is a Senior Data Engineering and Cloud Solutions Architect with over 20 years of experience designing and delivering scalable, secure, and high-performance data solutions across global enterprise environments.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mosaic-basha-syed-92300856
**CALL FOR SPEAKERS**
Learn more: [https://www.awscolumbus.com/get-involved/](https://www.awscolumbus.com/get-involved/)
**THANK YOU** *VEEAM* for hosting our meetup! To learn more about *Veeam*, please visit their website: [https://www.veeam.com/](https://www.veeam.com/)
**DIRECTIONS**
8800 Lyra Dr #450 · Columbus, OH
go to 4th floor.
**Want to sponsor the pizza and/or bar tab?**
Please contact me if you would like to sponsor this meetup's pizza and/or bar tab: angelo@mandato.com




















