Located south of Columbus and still in Franklin County, Obetz over the last decade or so, has become one of Central Ohio's rising stars without being overly flamboyant in the process. Obetz could be considered a blue collar community of around 5,000. There is no reason for anyone living in Obetz not to have a job as there are more jobs in Obetz than there are Obetz residents. Long know for its famous Zucchini Festival, Obetz is now taking a huge step forward in professional sports by building one of the first professional rugby and lacrosse stadiums in the United States. The new stadium, tentatively to be called Obetz Fortress Field, will seat around 6500 and should be ready for league play in the spring of 2017. It is to be located at the former Columbus Motor Speedway which ended its long-running series of events in 2016.
The name Obetz came from Charles Obetz one of the original settlers in the area. In the late 1830s the Ohio and Erie Canal came to south central Ohio with canal towns being developed at Groveport, Lockbourne, Obetz became a natural hub for both shippers and travelers. As railroads began taking on a more dominate commercial role in Ohio, Obetz became a natural stop serving both Groveport and Lockbourne.
An annual held around the last weekend of August before Labor Day. Zucchinifest is an eclectic mix celebrating the ever popular zucchini fruit but also provides free concerts, lots of rides, food fendors, demonstrations, and of course, lots of zucchinis.
In recent years professional rugby has come to Ohio and it's located in Obetz. The Ohio Aviators, a nod to the proximity of Locbourne Air Force Base, and the fact that the gentlemen who invented flying were from Ohio.
For those not familiar with rugby, it is a team sport with 15 players on the field at one time. A ball that looks similar to an American football but is more oval. Points are scored in several ways: a try, scored by grounding the ball in the in-goal area is worth 5 points and a subsequent conversion kick scores 2 points; a successful penalty kick or a drop goal each score 3 points. The professional rugby field size varies depending on what, but if available the field is larger both in length and width than a football field. The main difference between football and rugby is the lack of protective equipment. One might think this would lead to more injuries, especially concussions. However, that fact has not been found to be true.
Another new sports league is the Professional Lacrosse. The Ohio Machine will be calling Obetz Fortress Field as their home beginning in 2017 with 7 home games.
As of this writing, Amazon is in the process of opening a new 1 million-square-foot distribution center in Obetz. This fact alone points out the attractiveness of this once sleepy little farming community
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