Ohio Goes to the Movies™ (OGTTM) is a statewide celebration of movies showcasing Ohioans: actors, directors, writers, composers, locations, and topics, shown in cities and towns across the state.

Pickerington Community Theatre & Violet Woods Event Center’s joint presentation of National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983) taps into a connection between Columbus and the property.

In the National Lampoon’s series, Ellen Griswold is played by Beverly D’Angelo, who was born in Columbus on November 15, 1951 to a locally well-connected family, with both parents as musicians, maternal grandfather as the architect behind Ohio Stadium, and her father a station manager at WBNS-TV (currently 10TV).

These connections meant that she’s well acquainted with the Wolfe family, who owned a property in northern Violet Township they called “The Wigwam”. This 63-acre property, with a pool, theatre, and vast ballroom, was used to entertain celebrities and politicians for nearly 90 years, before it was closed and sold to Violet Township in 2018. The theatre has become the home of Pickerington Community Theatre, and the property was renamed to “The Event Center at Violet Woods” in the last couple of years.

The featured presentation is rated R, and therefore not suitable to all audiences.

Although the showing is free, seating is limited. Reserve your tickets HERE.