Pizza is America’s favorite food. It attracts almost everyone and offers so many possibilities in terms of toppings, crust and preparation. Most pizza places are content to be mundane, and many of those that strive for greatness sadly fall short. Despite the arguments over thick crust vs. thin crust or traditional toppings vs. gourmet toppings, we're always looking for a great new pizza place.  

The deadline for submissions from artists interested in performing at the 2011 MidPoint Music Festival recently came and went. Performers for this fall's 10th anniversary MPMF are being decided by the judging panel and touring headliners are being booked as you read this, so expect the flow of MidPoint information to increase over the next few weeks, with showcasing acts being announced, as well as other details and wrinkles to this year's event. One announcement is that the new School for Creative & Performing Arts will serve as a venue for the first time this fall.  

The School for Creative & Performing Arts will host 2011 MidPoint Music Festival showcases in its theaters Sept. 22-24. The new partnership with SCPA, which opened the Erich Kunzel Center for Arts and Education last September, expands and reinforces MidPoint's presence in Over-the-Rhine.  

The dining scene in the Gateway District is getting better all the time. Senate is a huge hit and the owners are opening a second destination next door. A Tavola Pizza is opening any day now, and I’ve heard rumors of more plans in the works. Lavomatic Café put the first fork on the neighborhood’s table and they haven’t lost their luster.  

In the early months of 2010, Danny Klinger, director of OTR ADOPT, had just about all he could take of witnessing local gems fall victim to the wrecking ball over and over again. After studying community and economic development at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and writing his thesis on historic preservation in OTR, he set out to give the area the recognition it deserved and the facelift it needed by starting OTR ADOPT, a building adoption program that works to identify new owners for abandoned buildings and damaged structures.  

When Sierra Laumer’s sister, Jenna, was battling cancer in 2009, the sisters dreamed of opening a restaurant once Jenna was back on her feet. Jenna lost the war in 2010, and Sierra knew she had to make the dream a reality because, all too clearly, life is too short to play it safe. Sierra and her good friend, Leah Heisel, opened ForkHeartKnife  

In an effort to spark smaller-scale projects in Over-the-Rhine, the Owner Redevelopment Loan Task Force is working to find ways to close the “development gap” that typically blocks many people from trying to rehabilitate structures in the neighborhood due to inadequate lending options for vacant, historic building stock.  

At its most basic, Slothpop's sound is restrained Indie Pop. The arrangements are tempered and utilitarian in design, the melodies are sweetly sonorous but not overbearing and instruments move in and out with clockwork care. The overarching minimalism means you have to dig around for nuance and listen intently to soak it in. Slothpop's sound tends to not come to you; you have to get closer to it.  

When the weather gets brisker come winter, traffic at Findlay Market starts to dwindle. But a new eatery in the former Paula’s location is still bustling.   

When you recall the Rock & Roll clubs of your youth, you might remember cover charges, smoky bars, sticky floors, cheap beers and drinking way too many shots. You might have grown up and become more responsible, but that doesn't mean you still don't like your live music. MOTR Pub is helping to put Main Street back on the entertainment map with free live music (Rock, Indie, Folk and more) every night and great food day and night. How many shots you choose to take is your business.