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.
• The old Worthington High School Annex is being converted into an art gallery.

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. Most of the Pullmans have been relocated.

Amusement
And you thought the Gemni was cool!

• Cedar Point now has 17 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. The flip was later removed due to the weight the cars had to sustain to stay on the track, which also made it shake violently. The train was lightened and is now much smoother. Be sure to check it out on the countdown of Rollercoasters on the Discover Channel HDTV! Since graduation look for Top Gun, Face Off, and Vortex. Gone are the animal exhibit monorail (where the Son of Beast sits), the King Cobra and the dual alternating Ferris Wheel. The Beast is still the best wood roller coaster in America! New for 2009, the state's newest coaster "Diamondback". Kings Island is now owned by Cedar Fair, the owners of Cedar Point.
• 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. Closed in late 2007.

The New Maverick has a slightly inverted drop on that first hill. Are we getting to old for these things? - Never!


Coming straight down out of the clouds at 120 mph, the Top Thrill Dragster. You are never too old to rock and roll -er coast!

The Skyway!

• Port Columbus International Airport has expanded many times, was once home to a mini hub for America West and Skybus. A new highway has been built up to the terminal. A new control tower is operating and nearly all gates have indoor loading walkways. There will be a new south runway built to make room for a new centralized terminal. A new crossover taxiway has been built on the west end of the field to start off terminal construction. Current airlines include American, United, Delta, US Airways, Air Tran, and Southwest. Gone are North Central (ultimately Northwest Airlines to Delta 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. A new cell phone pick up standy parking lot has been built.
• Rickenbacker hosts charter passenger services. Formerly Southeast and Hooters (til 2006) served the airport. A Myrtle Beach flight is available non-stop from Rickenbacker Spring and Summer 2009.

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 gone in 2009, the Huntington Park is now home to the Clippers, just across the street from the Blue Jackets Stadium. This is the area where the penn used to set.

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. Nancy's Dinner, a Clintonville Landmark is closing May 31st, 2009. Also in Clintonville, Talitas, moved to Grove City.
• Gone: Lazurus Downtown, now in office building. Northland Mall was torn down as of 1/28/04. In the OSU area Papa Joes and nearby Bars are gone, (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 finishing renovations, students at OSU are being bused to an alternate facility off Ackerman Rd. A new Ohio Union is under construction. The Continent is standing but is mostly all apartments. The theater has renovated. 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. Something that came and went: City Center Mall. Now being turned into a downtown Columbus field. Demolition is this summer.
• 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 and IMAX, 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 many anchors including Saks 5th Ave). In Worthington, CVS is also new, now sitting where Jubilee (old A&P at North and High St.) closed in September 2006.
• 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).

The end of Northland Mall.

Polaris Fashion Place new outdoor section in the former Kaufmans location.


Worthington Inn has turned the hotel into condos. The restaurant is still the same.

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. A new Polar exhibit is in the works for 2010.

Prom Spot

The Holiday Inn on the Lane was host to our Prom (Night's in White Satin) and is being sold to be turned into a dorm for Ohio State Students. More bathrooms for everybody! Here are two final shots taken in February 2009. The bottom is the hallway which lead to the ballroom on the left.

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. There will be a repaving project on 315 for 2009 south of Ackerman. 670 now runs around downtown and extends to I 70 from near Channel 10.1 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. New changes are on the drawing board for I 270 and Route 23 which should be complete by 2015.
• Stay off of 315 south of Broadway if at all possible, it will be down to two lanes for reconstruction through late fall.