Racing, Library, Your Unclaimed Dollars

Top of Mind

🦆 Duck, Duck… Donate

This Saturday, thousands of rubber ducks will hurl themselves down a 300-foot slip and slide for science.

The 14th annual Columbus Duck Race is back at Riverside Crossing Park in Dublin on July 19 from 9 AM to 1 PM, with the big race splashing off at 12:30 PM. Proceeds benefit pediatric research at the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, because nothing says “serious science” like a tiny plastic mallard in a swimsuit.

📍 Where: Riverside Crossing Park, 6625 Riverside Dr., Dublin
🕒 When: Saturday, July 19 | Ducks race at 12:30 PM

Here’s where you come in:
🐥 Adopt a duck. (Or three. Or a whole flock.)
💸 Donate to the cause. Every dollar helps fund breakthroughs that can save lives—and gives your duck a shot at victory.

👉 Adopt your duck and donate here. Then show up Saturday to watch the madness and cheer your plastic champion to glory.

🏁 The Columbus 500: When Downtown Went Full Throttle

Once upon a time, before brunch spots overtook Broad Street and scooters littered every sidewalk, Downtown Columbus was transformed into a full-blown racetrack.

In October 1985, the inaugural Columbus 500 turned the Arena District into a blur of tires, smoke, and engine growls. Forget stoplights and crosswalks: racecars screamed past police headquarters at 110 mph, echoing so loudly they could be heard all the way in Grandview.

This wasn’t some rogue Fast & Furious showdown. It was part of the prestigious IMSA GT Championship, and Columbus officials were determined to prove the city could host a world-class spectacle.

Mayor Dana “Buck” Rinehart, best known for his brash attempts to drag Columbus out of its Cowtown reputation, bought the very first ticket. Sponsors like Kroger, Budweiser, Goodyear, and a fleet of local car dealers poured millions into the effort. City crews spent weeks prepping a 2.65-mile street course that wound around Front, Broad, Spring, and Long Streets. The total tab? At least $200,000 just to pave, patch, and barricade.

The Hopes Were High (and So Were the Speeds)

The race wasn’t just one event. Over three days, downtown hosted exhibition runs, historic car races, and challenge events. Organizers expected over 40,000 fans and tens of millions in economic impact. Hotels booked out, bars stocked up, and souvenir sellers prepared stacks of $2 earplugs (a necessity, not a novelty).

On race day, 32 drivers took to the course in everything from 800-horsepower Corvettes to Ford Mustang Probes. Legends like Bobby Rahal, John Andretti, and Drake Olson battled for dominance, but the unforgiving course claimed car after car. When the smoke cleared, only three drivers crossed the finish line, all in Porsche 962s. Olson took home the $31,500 top prize, while fans took home ringing eardrums and memories of a city that, for one weekend, felt like Monaco on the Scioto.

The Beginning of the End

Despite the crowds and fanfare, the Columbus 500 had a financial flaw: the profits, already slim, were largely promised away to local charities. By 1988, after just four years, the event sputtered out. City Council declined a $250,000 bailout, and the Columbus 500 became another entry in the “wild ideas of the ’80s” file.

Could It Happen Again?

It’s hard to imagine a modern Columbus 500. Between e-scooters, sidewalk patios, and whatever’s happening on High Street traffic-wise, you’d be lucky to hit 20 mph, let alone 170. But for a brief moment in the 1980s, Columbus dared to think big, sound loud, and race fast.

And honestly? It worked.

Scarlet Letter Trivia

Question: How much does Franklin County have in unclaimed funds?
A. $287 million
B. $584 million
C. $192 million
D. $343 million

📚 Columbus Libraries at 50: Still Checking Out More Than Books

Columbus may not have sidewalks everywhere, but we do have libraries, and that’s working out pretty well.

This past weekend, the Columbus Metropolitan Library (CML) celebrated its 50th year serving the community with its annual Book Fair, proving yet again that while bookstores may come and go, Columbus’s love for free books, free Wi-Fi, and free air conditioning is eternal.

Today, CML isn’t just a library system; it’s a 23-branch empire serving 872,000 residents across Franklin County. With more than 675,000 active library cards, CML circulates almost 14 million items annually, which is more than the entire population of Ohio.

From Humble Stacks to Library Stardom
It all started in 1873 with a reading room in Columbus City Hall and a collection of 1,500 books (some borrowed from a high school library and a horticultural society, because even then, Columbus was scrappy). By 1907, Andrew Carnegie had dropped $200,000 to build the grand Main Library, on the condition the city promised $20,000 a year for upkeep.

Since then, CML has been on a tear. In 2016, the Main Library unveiled a massive renovation with an atrium so bright you’ll feel smarter just walking in. And the library system hasn’t stopped innovating: GED classes, ESL programs, 3D printing labs, anime clubs, Book by Mail for the homebound, and even Dial-A-Story (yes, you can call and have someone read to you like it’s 1995).

The Library That Outscores Us All
CML has been crowned the #1 library system for cities of its size multiple times, earned the National Medal for Museum and Library Service, and regularly ranks among America’s best public libraries.

Turning the Page on the Next 50 Years
In a city obsessed with growth, CML has stayed ahead by thinking big, and sometimes thinking small, like hosting storytime in Somali, Spanish, and American Sign Language to reach every corner of Columbus.

So here’s to 50 years of quiet study sessions, job searches, summer reading challenges, and the occasional hushed argument over which printer is working.

Don’t have a library card? Fix that. Visit your local branch, breathe in that sweet book smell, and remember why this city runs better with libraries.

In the News

🏟️ The Browns Want Your Couch Change

Ohio’s forgotten paychecks, security deposits, and stray pennies from grandma’s savings account are about to fund… a billionaire’s new football stadium.

Gov. Mike DeWine just signed a budget that scoops up $1.7 billion in unclaimed funds, aka money Ohioans forgot about or never knew they had, and funnels $600 million straight to the Cleveland Browns for a shiny new stadium in Brook Park. Apparently Jimmy Haslam, one of America’s richest men, couldn’t find his wallet.

Ohioans aren’t thrilled. In fact, they stormed the Ohio Department of Commerce website like it was Ticketmaster. Between June 30 and July 6, there were 153,561 claims filed, an 83% spike over the previous week. For perspective: that’s nearly half the claims filed since June 1.

“It was easy… and it’s my money,” said Columbus resident Misti Sims, who snagged $1,087 from an old car insurance policy. “I don’t feel like I should give it to you to build a stadium. If you want a stadium, get your own money.”

Touché.

The unclaimed funds pot holds $4.8 billion in lost property, everything from dormant bank accounts to overpaid utility bills. Under the new plan, Ohio will seize funds left unclaimed for 10+ years starting January 1, 2026.

And yes, they promise you can still get your money back until 2036.

⚖️ Cue the Lawsuit

Former Attorney General Marc Dann and ex-state Rep. Jeff Crossman are suing, calling the move “unconstitutional” and “theft, plain and simple.”

“The government can’t just take someone’s property and hand it to a billionaire,” Crossman said.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost agrees it’s bad policy but claims it’s technically legal. Meanwhile, everyday Ohioans are wondering how many $50 water bill refunds it takes to build a luxury suite.

💻 Go Get Your Money Before They Do:

1. Search your name on the Ohio Unclaimed Funds site.
   

2. Gather documents (ID, proof of SSN).
   

3. File online or by mail.
   

4. Wait up to 120 days for your payout.
   

5. It’s free, fast, and way more satisfying than watching the Browns lose by 30 in their new taxpayer-funded stadium.
   
   Click any link to be taken to the unclaimed funds sight

📝 The Takeaway

Check for unclaimed cash now. If we’re going to bail out billionaires, at least make sure it’s not with your lost lunch money.

Trivia Answer

D. $343 Million dollars!