13 MAR 05: BRANCH OUT

Friday felt strange to me for a number of reasons. For one thing, there was all that March wind -- with gusts as high as 48 miles per hour. When you see dust clouds flying across Broadway as I did, former Oklahoma residents like me might think they moved back home.

(Those people on TV can call them "negative ions" all they want. For some of us, the stuff blowing in the wind is called pollen.)

But Friday was also the day I confirmed a surprising development in the 1000 block on Broadway. The Olive Branch Café is no more, even though the awning above the window is still there. Apparently Columbus isn't big enough for two "Olives" - and the Olive Garden won.

The owner of the Olive Branch Café actually dropped a hint in the Ledger-Enquirer last year about selling the location on Broadway, and moving it to a location on First Avenue. But several people downtown have indicated to me it's closed for good -- so maybe those dreaded "streetscapes" are moving east, instead of south.

The owner of the old Olive Branch Café still owns "The Loft" nightclub upstairs. I think I can understand why he kept one open, and not the other. New-sounding Italian entrees can be challenging - but you can keep serving the same five brands of beer forever.

There's a new Italian restaurant on the site of the old Olive Branch, called "Scenarios." A sign out front notes the manager has applied for a liquor license -- so wine-lovers may have to wait awhile for a "Rosé Scenario."

The Olive Branch Café actually had a good national reputation. Look what I found online, from a Frommer's travel guide review of 2003:

This is the liveliest and most ambitious of the independent restaurants in Columbus's downtown. The cafe has dining room dividers, abstract murals in tutti-frutti colors, and the accessories you might expect to see at Venice's Carnivale. Crayons and paper tablecloths amuse children and adults alike.

Maybe this review reveals why the restaurant closed. Visitors expected tutti-frutti ice cream, to match the murals.

I only dined at the Olive Branch Café once, on a September night several years ago - and I admit the crayons in a cup at my table baffled me. Why were they there? Did the managers run short on money for fresh flowers?

When I asked one of the wait staff about the crayons, she took one out of the cup and drew a big circle for me on the paper tablecloth. Boy, was I embarrassed - and feeling like I'd completely thrown away my childhood.

(I can't recall seeing crayons on the table at any other fine restaurants in other cities. I'd expect this in a place like Winfield, Kansas -- but that's because Crayola has a factory there.)

When I moved to Columbus eight years ago, there were few fancy restaurants in the downtown area. The Olive Branch Café was among them. So now that it's gone, what's left from that time? Bludau's, Ruth Ann's -- no wait, I said "fancy" restaurants....

(And before rumors get out of hand about Bludau's -- a manager admitted to your blog Saturday evening the restaurant was closed Thursday, because a water heater malfunctioned. But it was ONLY for one night, and they're still in business. Riverfest may NOT claim about 20 extra parking spaces.)

Somebody gotta ask it: are all the improvements on Broadway really bringing in new business -- or merely creating a series of revolving doors? A short walk from the RiverCenter, a pillar restaurant like the Olive Branch is gone. The Playwright Café didn't last long. And Larry's Giant Subs still hasn't bothered taking down the department store sign.

Now other notes from a sunny, springy weekend:

+ Our condolences to the WRBL staff, and the family of the late Rozell Fabiani. She truly was a Columbus TV legend - but at least part of the tradition lives on at 12:00 noon. Amy Giuliano is a nice Italian name.

("Rozell" gained regional fame when the Atlanta newspapers did a feature story on her powerhouse TV show in the mid-1980s. But Fabiani was listed in the Columbus phone book to the end - so apparently she never had the groupies that Aimee Davis did.)

+ A cane somehow found its way onto a utility line, high above First Avenue in the Historic District. Hallelujah - which of my new neighbors is a faith healer?

+ Callaway Gardens announced Sprint PCS will sponsor the "Birds of Prey Show." A tall cell phone tower in the middle of the gardens will make a perfect nesting location....

+ Members of this year's "Leadership Columbus" class tried practice parachute jumping at Fort Benning. On the one hand, they learned about Benning's important to the area economy. On the other hand, these future leaders will remember the importance of "golden parachutes" if their businesses have trouble.

+ The Columbus State men's basketball team knocked out Kennesaw State 83-78 in overtime, at the NCAA playoffs. So Kennesaw's advancing to division I next season, while C.S.U. isn't?! Are Georgia State and Mercer afraid they'll have to come to Columbus and get beat?

(You can tell it's playoff time simply by listening to the radio. When C.S.U. broadcaster Scott Miller whines before the game about running 100 feet of phone cord all by himself, you feel like the Cougars don't have a prayer.)

+ Instant Message to Phenix City officials: That was a little quick, wasn't it? You lowered the flag to half-staff Tuesday for the late Jane Gullatt - then raised it again Friday?! Nine years as Mayor must not mean as much as I thought....

(BLOGGER'S NOTE: The jokes for today have concluded. If you don't mind some serious personal reflection, you're welcome to read on.)

BUT SERIOUSLY.... Many of us were stunned by Friday's deadly shooting spree in an Atlanta courtroom. But I was even more stunned Saturday night, when I read online about a deadlier bloodbath at a Wisconsin church service. This one felt a bit personal - and the worst part is, it wasn't exactly unexpected.

Let me explain: the shooting occurred at a hotel where the Living Church of God rented space for weekly services. This denomination and the one I attend are both spinoffs from the old Worldwide Church of God, which gained fame when Herbert Armstrong was on TV and radio. The groups broke away at different times -- but many of our beliefs are the same, including the keeping of a seventh-day Sabbath.

We don't know yet exactly why this happened. But early reports indicate the man who opened fire at the LCG service was affiliated with the church somehow. The teachings and practices of Church of God groups have caused division over the years, even within families. I've read stories of people who felt mistreated and misled by ministers -- men who either made unrealistic demands on members, or made prophetic "end time" predictions which turned out to be way off.

Groups such as LCG preach about the coming "Prince of Peace" - yet many ministers and members also firmly believe in gun ownership. If "they" take the second amendment away, they'd tell you, the "freedom of religion" part of the first amendment will go next.

My pastor would argue the gun user caused the Wisconsin disaster, not the gun itself. I'll grant him that -- but if handguns were NOT readily available and that man was armed only with a knife, wouldn't the death count be much lower?

I've joked here about members of my congregation who brought guns and ammunition to last year's church picnic. A few members even have brought firearms (hunting rifles, I assume) to church on Saturdays - but at least they have the good taste to invite friends OUTSIDE the hall to check out the weapons.

Sadly, the news from Wisconsin probably won't lead anyone to put their weapons down or away from church events. No, it might actually inspire some of them to bring the weapons inside for services. They'll probably contend it's for self-protection - but I'll wonder why they don't pay attention to Jesus, who told a supporter to put down a sword in the New Testament. (Lk. 24:49-51)

(I should note many men in Church of God groups carry briefcases to church with them. They come with Bibles and notebooks inside - and a small handgun probably could fit inside very easily.)

"This disaster could have happened at any church denomination's meeting," you say. Yes, I know -- and perhaps it's miraculous this hasn't occurred at Catholic churches, given the sex scandals involving priests. But in a Church of God culture which tends to emphasize freedom of gun ownership more than leaving battles in God's hands, I fear what happened in Wisconsin was bound to happen eventually somewhere.

Please don't misunderstand - I don't wish this carnage on any church group at any time. When Friday night comes, I pray before dinner for God to grant a safe and peaceful Sabbath to ALL who keep it. That goes for my denomination, and anybody else. But this is a time of year when Church of God members are urged to "examine themselves" before taking the annual Lord's Supper. In light of Saturday's news, maybe it's time for ministers and church groups to examine what they teach.

"All who draw the sword will die by the sword...." - Matt. 26:52

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