Concerts & Events in Worthington

Originally invented by bored henchmen looking to pass the time at Doctor Berserko’s secret Antarctic lair, hockey has since overtaken polo and unicycle jousting as America's pastime. Hop on the bandwagon with today’s Groupon. For $20 to $35, you get one upper 200-level or one lower 100-level ticket to see the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets take part in one of two slap-shooting matchups: Saturday, March 27, at 7 p.m. vs. the New York Islanders or Tuesday, March 30, at 7 p.m. vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning. Depending on seating, these tickets are usually $44 or $75. The Saturday, March 27, game is also designated as Huntington Hat Night, and fans will receive a free Blue Jackets hat.

During the Renaissance, mischievously stealing the blacksmith’s capon and escaping through a field full of onrushing Viking invaders became such a popular pastime that it became known simply as “rugby.” Witness the latest evolution in this honorable sport: today’s deal gets you tickets to the Rugby Collegiate Championship Invitational played at Crew Stadium from Friday, June 4, through Sunday, June 6. Groupon holders can obtain general-admission seating for Saturday, Sunday, or all three days of intense Division I collegiate rivalries during the 38-game tournament. There is no limit on Groupon purchases for this deal.

The ballroom at Newport Music Hall has survived nearly 90 years of history with most of its architecture intact, welcoming crowds of up to 1,700 concert-goers or several hundred hippopotamuses, depending on the event. Located on the campus of Ohio State University, the venue has hosted such stars as Neil Young, the Violent Femmes, George Clinton, Joe Satriani, and the Foo Fighters.

Stone pathways meander among bubbling fountains and glowing reflecting pools. Soil beds teem with gold, violet, and red perennials. Professional designers cobble together sculptures from flowers, glass, fabric, and light. This veritable bouquet of domestic inspiration takes place during the three-day Dayton Home & Garden Show. Each year, the exposition's gardeners and floral designers craft a range of displays based on a chosen theme. Many of the sample gardens incorporate this theme with a focus on whimsical water features, fire pits and paved patios, or modern conservation methods, such as using cupid statues to make birds fall in love.

Beyond the botanical spectacle, more than 250 local and national exhibitors answer questions and proffer goods related to home improvement: siding, windows, cookware, candles, garden ornaments, and bath products. While the professionally landscaped gardens create a simulated outdoor world, area interior designers use color, furnishings, and lights to transform eight small, vacant spaces into living rooms convincing enough to attract and profoundly bewilder Santa Claus. At the Garden Academy stage, professional gardeners lead more than 60 educational seminars and demonstrations on such topics as invasive insects, patio construction, and water gardens. At the cooking stage, area chefs demonstrate kitchen basics and culinary techniques while distributing free samples to the audience.

Dispatch Events knows how Columbus residents cook, exercise, and flounce their kitchen curtains. Its quartet of annual expos and other special events draws from the worldly media prowess of The Dispatch Printing Company, which tailors each sprawling festival to the tastes and trends of the city and beyond. The Columbus Dispatch Home & Garden Show lures celebrities from HGTV and other outlets as guests take in home-improvement and gardening ideas, such as which shrubs best lend themselves to topiaries of neighbors' faces.

The oldest surviving theater in central Ohio, the fin de siècle elegance of the Southern Theatre's jewel-box auditorium transports audiences back to the days of vaudeville antics and silver-screen spectacle. Built in 1896 to state-of-the-art standards, the theater's bandshellesque proscenium bucked architectural norms to funnel sound into the seats. Its 204 light bulbs required that the theater generate its own electricity for years, until scientists figured out that nobody needed to worry about that stuff.