The Short North isn’t the only neighborhood in town that’s “hopping.”

Grandview holds its own monthly event, The Grandview Hop, the last Saturday of every month from April to November.

The Grandview Hop will kick off its 2010 season Saturday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. The event takes place along Grandview Avenue and includes many popular Grandview businesses, such as The Grandview Café, Spagio, Jeni’s Ice Cream and Stauf’s Coffee.

Saturday marks the beginning of the fourth season of the Grandview Hop.

The choice to use the word “hop” in the event’s title caused some controversy early on, but Grandview is not trying to copy the Short North’s Gallery Hop, said Steve Weaver, owner of The Candle Lab and president of the business association Explore the Avenue, which is responsible for organizing the Grandview Hop.

“If I could go back in time, I would pick a name other than ‘hop,'” Weaver said.
“Ours is more of a community festival feel,” Weaver said.

The goal of the festival is to get the word out about all the different shops and restaurants along Grandview Avenue, Weaver said.

“We’re just trying to put together an event to get people to come down and check it out,” he said.

Many people don’t think of Grandview Avenue as a destination for an evening or day out, Weaver said. The goal of the Grandview Hop is to change that perception.

The Grandview Hop was started by Grandview resident Dustin Gardner who went door-to-door to shop the idea to Grandview businesses, Weaver said. “It was him who got the ball rolling.”

The event offers all the staples of an outdoor festival, including live music at nine different businesses, craft and food vendors and booths featuring local artists.

The festival will also offer some entertainment that is less common. One such performance includes the aptly named Fire Hoopers, a performance group that twirls hoops of fire. The performance will take place at 8 p.m. at The Candle Lab.

Weaver hopes that Ohio State students will come to the festival and discover new options that they didn’t know existed.

“It’s right in their backyard,” Weaver said. “If they just come down and see all the options, they’ll be happy it’s a place they found out about.”

Other features of this month’s event include free chair massages by Grandview Avenue Physical Therapy and a belly dancing demonstration by Florentina Staigers in front of the Grandview Theatre.

Visitors will also have the chance to snag some last-chance Girl Scout cookies available across the street from Stauf’s and Jeni’s.

The Grandview Theatre will offer a showing of the movie “Date Night” at 9:55 p.m. and a late-night showing at 12:15 a.m.

The Grandview Hop takes place on Grandview Avenue between 1st and 5th Avenues. A complete schedule of events can be found at thegrandviewhop.com.