
Sonic Temple returns as one of Ohio's biggest music festivals
Why it matters: Sonic Temple has survived a rebrand and a lost COVID year to become a major economic driver for Columbus and arguably Ohio's biggest music festival.
Flashback: Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival was formerly known as Rock on the Range. It was reenvisioned in 2019 when promoter Danny Wimmer took over the event after splitting with AEG Live.
The intrigue: This year's headliners include major international touring acts like Korn, Linkin Park and two different Metallica sets.
More than 100 other acts across four stages range from Three 6 Mafia and Insane Clown Posse to Hoobastank and GWAR.
There's also a live art program, food, drinks and charity fundraisers.
Local venues Ace of Cups and King of Clubs host after parties Friday night.
By the numbers: Last year's festival drew a crowd of 138,000, according to organizers.
Experience Columbus expects this year's crowd to buy more than 10,000 hotel rooms and spend $8.2 million around town.
What they're saying:"Columbus is a city that lives for live music, and Sonic Temple is the ultimate celebration for rock fans," says Sarah Townes, chief marketing and innovation officer for Experience Columbus.
"They're aspiring to host the biggest rock festival in city history, and all signs point to record-breaking crowds."
The big picture: Definitive attendance and economic impact numbers are scarce, but Sonic Temple could have a claim as Ohio's biggest music festival.
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New York Post
8 hours ago
- New York Post
Staten Island summer theater rises again for first time since COVID: ‘Emotional tie for all of us'
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Rachman This year's show is dedicated to the memory of Jennifer Straniere, who ran the performing arts program at the College of Staten Island for 18 years before passing away in June 2021. 'Fiddler on the Roof' was chosen as this year's performance because Straniere fondly referred to it as her favorite — and one she, her husband and newborn daughter performed in together in 1984. The father-daughter pair are back this summer to carry on Straniere's legacy on the stage, and this time with Strainiere's granddaughter in tow. 11 Judge Philip Staniere (Rabbi), left, poses with his daughter Amanda (Village Mama) and granddaughter Abby Hart (Bielke) during a rehearsal. Rachman 11 Katie Micha, right, poses with her aunt Lee Tennenbaum, second left, and cousins, Lucy Schnall, left, and Molly Schnall, second right, at a rehearsal for 'Fiddler on the Roof.' Rachman Katie Micha, 30, who plays Chava, the youngest daughter of Tevye, also is taking the stage this year with her aunt and two cousins, a mission they call a 'family affair.' 'It's one of my favorite musicals ever. Besides the music being fabulous … it's just a really fabulous show, and I am so excited to be doing this,' Micha said. 'It's really cool to see the whole Staten Island theater community come together. It's very special. We all have known each other forever. All of our families know each other.'
Yahoo
10 hours ago
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Business Insider
14 hours ago
- Business Insider
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Before he died, sushi chef Shunei Kimura had one last wish for his wife. Sushi Shunei, his namesake Paris restaurant, had just earned a Michelin star three months prior. He wanted its legacy to live on. Chizuko Kimura had only begun cooking a year before, helping her husband in the kitchen as he underwent cancer treatment. But she honored his dying wish. Three years later, Kimura became the first woman to receive a Michelin star as a sushi chef. Kimura told Business Insider she "couldn't believe it" when she first heard the news. Now, she's sharing her story in the hopes it will show women that anything is possible. Love with a side of sushi Kimura grew up in Odawara, about an hour from Tokyo. The ocean was nearby, so fresh seafood was always on her family's dinner table. "I still remember the smell of soy sauce that always filled the kitchen, so familiar and comforting," Kimura said. "I wasn't cooking yet, but those memories stayed with me — in my nose and on my tongue." 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"The customers were a great support," she added. "Some came several times just to encourage me. They told me they believed in me. Those words gave me courage." All that hard work paid off. When the 2025 Michelin Guide came out in March, the star was next to Sushi Shunei's name once again. Kimura was now not only a Michelin-starred chef but also the first female sushi chef in the world to earn such a distinction. "I thought of him, of Shunei," Kimura said. "I felt, deep inside, that I had not betrayed his memory. For me, this is not a new star — it's Shunei's star that I managed to win back. I only continued what we had started together." Kimura is committed to keeping that star next to Sushi Shunei's name. She hopes it will inspire women and anyone who has been told "that it was too late, or impossible." "Talent has no gender — only work and courage," Kimura said. "Maybe it seemed unthinkable that at age 50, I would begin a career as a sushi chef without ever having cooked before. 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