Nothing beats the heat better than ice cream. Therefore, in the interest of science, a few of us recently gathered at the CityBeat World Headquarters for a totally non-scientific taste testing of our favorite local ice creams and gelatos. Yes, it truly was a sacrifice, but one we were willing to make for our readers.  

During an interview in advance of May’s MusicNOW festival, Bryce Dessner — its organizer and guitarist for The National — told me something very provocative about Cincinnati as a concert market for Indie Rock bands. And it might offer insight into why “vanguard” Indie acts — those whose experimentalism or artfulness, whose risky newness, resonates with enough fans to make a cultural impact — seem to skip Cincinnati once they reach mid-level (or higher) popularity.  

Cincinnati native (a sometimes forgotten fact) Steven Spielberg is the Godfather of Summer, much like James Brown was the Godfather of Soul. And like Brown, he has proven to be the hardest working man in the movies. We are used to his herculean efforts behind the camera, but this summer Spielberg is setting up the tent poles throughout the season, both in the multiplexes and on television. He’s the Man.  

How does an opera company follow up a 90th anniversary season? For starters, it returns to the usual four-work schedule, which this year includes a company premiere. The season features two chestnuts, a work not performed since 1984 and an opera written in 2006.  

Springfield, a smaller city some 75 miles slightly northeast of Cincinnati, has lost plenty during the post-industrial era. So it’s important when it can reclaim, restore and celebrate something that once made it so special — an outdoor folk-art environment known as Hartman Rock Garden, created during the Great Depression. And the way it did so is a good lesson for much larger cities struggling with urban-preservation issues.  

The 2011 summer festival season is already upon us. Here's the lowdown on enjoying three months' worth of cultural celebrations all over town.  

It’s been a number of years since the Weston Art Gallery devoted the entirety of its exhibition spaces to a single artist, but dreamlike worlds that open up in Alison Crocetta’s films and   

Local films often present a unique message or a common idea in a fresh or avant-garde way. Get your fix of local flicks with the Cincinnati Art Museum and Southern Ohio Filmakers Association as they p  

Bike Newport is the Northern Kentucky version of Cincinnati’s Queen City Bike, a local organization that promotes and encourages regional cycling and cycling awareness. The mission of Bike Newpo  

This summer you’ll not be able to say, “There’s nothing going on,” without adding “except for those daily music events on Fountain Square.” Free concerts to satiate  

Most people’s knowledge of fencing is limited to famous scenes from movies like Zorro or The Princess Bride. However, for the Cincinnati Fencing Club dueling is not a spectator sport. The CFC, f  

The tennis tournament now known as the Western & Southern Masters and Women’s Open has existed in Cincinnati in one form or another for 112 years, which makes it the oldest tennis tournament  

Cincinnati Young People’s Theatre marks its 30th anniversary with a crowd of high school talent — 100 kids from roughly 40 high schools — at the Covedale Center for the Performing Ar  

Hollywood Casino has added a new delectably delicious vice to its running tally of gambling, booze and fun: “Men Without Shirts.” Yes, ladies (and gentlemen), this sinfully sensual show in  

They’re not your Christmas stocking kaleidoscopes, the gorgeous instruments in Kaleidoscopes of the 21st Century at Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center. Although they are works of art, mo