The Schools

Worthington High School is now Thomas Worthington High School. You will have to take the online tour. Other fun facts:

• Kilbourne Middle School was once our 9th grade school.
  They have also turned the former courtyard into the library.
• Worthingway and Perry Middle Schools look absolutely the same, McCord Middle School has been added.
• Colonial Hills, Worthington Hills, Wilson Hills, Worthington Estates, Brookside, and Evening Street are all still in operation at this moment and have also have expanded where necessary.

Museums

• COSI has moved to the formal Central High School building across the Scioto River and has expanded, a must see. (The old COSI or once called Memorial Hall has been restored to its former state and houses the election facilities). In September 2006 WOSU Digital TV will occupy the southern lower portion of the new COSI. Channel 34 now has 34.1 34.2 and 34.3 multicast channels in digital, 34.1 in 1080 X 1920 lines of resolution.
• Completely gone: The Christopher Inn (the round hotel that once sat next to the old COSI), and Worthington Foods. The historical oak tree still remains.
• The Ohio Historical Society and Columbus Museum of Art are still at the same locations. The Ohio Railway Museum still has trolly rides on summer weekends as well as Halloween. The old Steam Engine # 578 is still there, has not operated since the summer of 1977. It has been sold to a railroad company.

Amusement
And you thought the Gemni was cool!

• Cedar Point now has 16 rollercoasters, nearly all of them larger than the Gemni from the high school years. The newest, Top Thrill Dragster, goes 120 miles per hour, is 420 feet tall, and last a long 18 seconds! Look for the Millinium Force (the smoothest coaster I have ever survived on), Raptor, Mantis, Mean Streak, Wicked Twister, and Magnum XL200 (I will stick to the Gemni thank you). Gone are the Jumbo Jet and upside down Fun House. The classics like the Gemni are all still around including the Blue Streak and Runaway Mine Car. Your kids will love all of them! There are rumors of another big rollercoaster project for 2007.
• Kings Island is still growing and has added another Beast (Son of Beast) with an unusual wood rollercoaster flip. It was shut down in early July 2006 for track problems, no word as this posting on when it will reopen. Be sure to check it out on the countdown of Rollercoasters on the Discover Channel HDTV! Since graduation look for Top Gun, Face Off, Vortex and a backwards running Racer just to name a few. Gone are the animal exhibit monorail (where the Son of Beast sits), the Kind Cobra and the dual alternating Ferris Wheel. The Beast is still the best wood roller coaster in America!
• Geagua Lake became Six Flags and has included the former Sea World Area, but recently was bought by Cedar Fair and is now back to Geagua Lake again. Cedar Fair also owns Cedar Point and Knotts Berry Farm near Los Angeles.

It goes out, and up, Cedar Point's Top Thrill
Dragster -Courtesy of Cedar Point

A winter view from the top of the Dragster.
The rollercoaster in the lower right is the
Gemni, the newest and fastest and uh ya,
the highest in our junior year
(and you once thought 55 mph was fast!)

The Skyway!

• Port Columbus International Airport has expanded many times, was once home to a mini hub. A new control tower is near completion and nearly all gates have indoor loading walkways. Airlines include American, United, Delta, Northwest, America West (from Phoenix and Vegas), US Airways and Southwest. Gone are North Central (ultimately Northwest Airlines ), Allegheny (now US Airways), TWA (aquired mostly by American), Eastern and Piedmont. The Concord (the fleet now retired) also frequented chartered flights to Port Columbus around the Memorial Tournaments.
• To get here click here!
• Rickenbacker hosts charter passenger services. Formerly Southeast and Hooters (til 2006) served the airport.

Sports / Concerts

• Columbus now has a soccer (Crew) stadium located in the north parking lot of the fair grounds. Nationwide Arena has sprung up hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets in the NHL league and the Destroyers in the Arena Football leagure. It is located across the street form the new Columbus Convention Center and one of two Hyatt hotels. The arena also hosts concerts. The area is now called "The Arena District".
• The Shoe has expaned to hold 100,000 plus, Block "O" has moved to the south stands.
• The Value City Areana has also taken over the duties of the St. Johns Arena at Ohio State. It is refered to as the Schott. Van Halen will be performing there the week of our 25th reunion on July 7th.
• Concert spots include The Germain Amphitheater (off the new Polaris Parkway north of I 270 off I 71), the Nationwide Arena, the Ohio State Fair Grounds (including an occasional concert at the Crew Stadium and Expo center), and the Schott.
• Franklin County Stadium is still alive and kicking hosting the Clippers.

Shops and Entertainment
The biggest shocker!

• Going: The Continent has died out, it was recently home to numerous radio stations including the still going WNCI. WCOL/ formerly (WXGT 92-X) is now Country. QFM is still going strong with many of the same DJs. Many new stations have also sprung up. Now there is satellite and the up and coming digital radio. Most kids today download music over the internet and don't even bother going to record stores.
• Gone: Northland Mall is being torn down as of 1/28/04. Papa Joes and nearby Bars (fewer places now to use fake IDs). The area of south campus bars became a field. Now it has been rebuilt with a new Drexel Theater and several restaurants. Longs Book Store also relocated there. The OSU main library is closed til 2009 for renovations, students at OSU are being bused to an alternate facility off Ackerman Rd. The Continent is standing but is mostly all apartments. A new theater with a restaurant is in the works. The former Freindly's Restaurant at South and High became a Starbucks in 2003 after housing Montana Bread, and was destroyed by fire in early May 2004. It reopened again early 2006.
• New: All the shopping is now at Polaris Mall, Easton Towne Center, Tuttle and City Center. On Morse Rd east of the former Northland Mall Easton has become the most popular spot. Easton includes a 30 screen indoor movie theater, Game works, and indoor and outdoor shopping area set up similar to a small town. Northland has closed, business lost to Easton and the new Polaris Fashion Place built three miles north of I 270 off I 71 (with 7 anchors including Saks 5th Ave).
• Same but now updating: Worthington Square Mall is still going strong and is enclosed. Krogers however is expanding into the shops westward. Downtown Worthington looks much the same and has become a popular hang out spot with an ice cream shop, sub shop, coffee house, outdoor seated restaurants, and Free WiFi available for your laptop or PDA. Also still the same: Dairy Queen, Worthington Hardware, and the Worthington Inn (the rear being converted to Condos in 2006-7). Jubilee (old A&P) is closed September 2006.

The end of Northland Mall.

Polaris Fashion Place


Worthington Inn has expanded rooms.

Downtown Worthington

Zoo

David Letterman invited Jack Hanah on his show, the rest is history. The Columbus Zoo has grown by leaps and bounds, you won't recognize anything anymore. Highly suggested is the Kangaroo exhibit: you are in the setting with them. Wyandot Lake changed hands in 2006 from Six Flags, back to the Columbus Zoo.

The Roads

• I 270 is now 5 to 7 lanes wide through Worthington, and another study is underway to expand the interstate between 315 and High Street. I270 is gaining new flyovers to reduce delays in the old clover leaf interchanges. New Flyovers we are now going in at I71 & 270, 161 & 270 and a study is underway for 23 & 270. 315 was under construction in 1979 and is now 3 lanes wide as it wisks from the new 670 interchange near Goodale all the way to Worthington Hills. 670 now runs around downtown and extends to I 70 from near Channel 10 / 21 HDTV and the Post Office.
• Route 23 north of Worthington is now home to numerous shopping centers and urban sprawl nearly all the way to Delaware. The Drive Inns are gone. The Ruckmore Bar is still open. A new hotel and restaurant center has popped up behind it which also has an Ultra Screen and multi screen movie theater. Camp Mary Orton has expanded with a new indoor facility and has added outdoor adventure sets. Its still a nice escape from the city Jungle. Driving north on 23 is nearly all developed to Delaware.