Greater Cincinnati’s Largest Free Board Game Convention is Happening This Weekend
Calling all board game, cards and RPG enthusiasts: AdamCon, Cincinnati’s largest free board game convention, is back for a full weekend of fun. AdamCon will be held Friday-Monday, Jan. 17-20 at Woodlawn Community Center. It’s free, but visitors are asked to have a badge, which you can get on AdamCon’s website. At the convention, guests…
Fire & Ice Nights Return to Moerlein Lager House
Warm up a bit this winter with a fusion of opposites at Moerlein Lager House’s Fire & Ice nights. On Friday, Jan. 24, the restaurant and brewery will transform its outdoor and indoor beer gardens into a display of fiery entertainment and chilled indulgences. Fire & Ice dates also include Saturday, Feb. 1 and Saturday,…
You Can See a Ton of Cool Ice Carvings at This Richmond, Indiana Winter Festival
This month, Richmond, Indiana, is once again transforming its downtown and Depot District into an icy wonderland for its annual Meltdown Winter Ice Festival — a festival with so much ice it could make Elsa jealous. About an hour-and-a-half drive from Cincinnati, Richmond has been putting on the Meltdown Winter Ice Festival since 2013. From…
Eat All the Chocolate You Want at Oxford’s Chocolate Meltdown Event
Chocolate lovers will descend on Oxford this January for the return of the Chocolate Meltdown, the ultimate celebration of the delicious treat. The Chocolate Meltdown will feature a day of fun activities and, of course, plenty of chocolate to indulge in. The event will be held from 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11, with the main…
Sound Advice: Digable Planets Prove Great Rap Never Goes Out of Style
This story is featured in CityBeat’s Jan. 10 print edition. In 1987, Ishmael Butler (“Butterfly”), Craig Irving (“Doodlebug”) and Mary Ann Vieira (“Ladybug Mecca”) formed the jazz rap group Digable Planets in Brooklyn. In 1993, they released their seminal debut album, Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space), now more than 30 years old.…
Sound Advice: Award-Winning Jazz Musician Branford Marsalis to Perform in Cincinnati
This story is featured in CityBeat’s Jan. 10 print edition. Award-winning jazz musician Branford Marsalis has helped carry the medium forward, building on traditions and, at times, stepping outside of them. Marsalis is also a composer for film, a multi-genre collaborator, a sometimes-actor, an educator and more. Born in the home of jazz, New Orleans,…
Comedian Nate Bargatze Discusses Cincinnati Connection and More Ahead of Local Performance
This story is featured in CityBeat’s Jan. 10 print edition. Start the year off on a good note with some communal laughter on Jan. 13 at the Heritage Bank Center with comedian Nate Bargatze, who might just be the fastest rising comedian in the world right now and, maybe, the most humble. Bargatze had a…
Inside the Heart of Cincinnati’s Boutique Fitness Studio Market
This story is featured in CityBeat’s Jan. 10 print edition. What comes to mind when you think about boutique fitness? While some people may not know what that phrase means, others have used it to build community and lifelong habits. Boutique fitness studios are small gyms that typically specialize in one or two fitness areas…
Sound Advice: Organizers to Host Kiss-Themed Fundraiser for Southgate House Revival
This story is featured in CityBeat’s Jan. 10 print edition. Kiss themselves may have just played their last Cincinnati performance in October of last year, shortly before their final ever concert held in New York on Dec. 2, but the spirit of the band and the music live on. This is thanks in part to…
Story Of The Year Celebrates 20th Anniversary of ‘Page Avenue’ with Tour Stop in Cincinnati
This story is featured in CityBeat’s Jan. 10 print edition. Twenty years after their 2003 major label debut album, Page Avenue, put Story Of The Year at the forefront of an emerging emo scene where bands combined melodic, hard-rocking songs with a mix of screamed and sung vocals and highly charged personal lyrics, the band…
Cincinnati Art Museum’s Newest Exhibit Features Over a Hundred Glass Works from Indigenous Artists
This story is featured in CityBeat’s Jan. 10 print edition. A new exhibit at the Cincinnati Art Museum is celebrating the culture and achievements of Native American and Indigenous Pacific-Rim artists through a non-traditional medium. Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass is a striking display of more than 100 glass works from 33 artists…
Greater Cincinnati Chefs and Tastemakers Predict the Dining Trends Set to Take Over the City in 2024
This story is featured in CityBeat’s Jan. 10 print edition. On the eve of every new year, prognosticators try to peer into the future and see what the coming 365 days will hold. In the restaurant industry, this forecast of trends runs the gamut and is largely dependent on who you talk to and when…
Crown Restaurant Group to Open New Concept at The Foundry Downtown
A new concept from the restaurant group behind Cincinnati favorites like Losanti, Crown Cantina, Five on Vine and more is coming to downtown Cincinnati. Crown Restaurant Group (CRG) announced Tuesday that it is opening a fifth restaurant in partnership with 3CDC at downtown Cincinnati’s mixed-use building The Foundry, across the street from Fountain Square. The…
Cincinnati May Festival Announces Lineup for 2024 Season and Inaugural Festival Director
The May Festival finally enters the 21st century. Today, the venerable choral festival announced its season and a new artistic model that builds on the festival’s commitment to revitalization and community engagement. Julia Wolfe will serve as the inaugural festival director. Wolfe is an acclaimed composer with an extensive body of choral works. Her 2015…
Guest Commentary: The 2024 Election on Ohio Gerrymandering and the Presidency Will Decide the Future of Our Democracy
If you make one resolution this new crazy year, make it this: Resolve to activate your American citizenship. Engage. No more excuses to let someone else do the heavy lifting for the rights you take for granted. As Americans, we all have skin in the game of how our country and our state are run and…
What We Know: Newly Proposed Rules Could Restrict Health Care for Transgender Adults in Ohio
This story was originally published by the Buckeye Flame and republished here with permission. On Jan. 5, the DeWine administration released two administrative rules and an executive order restricting gender-affirming care for Ohioans. The executive order banning gender-affirming surgeries for minors went into immediate effect. The two administrative rules would clear the way for the…
Greater Cincinnati’s First I Heart Mac & Cheese Opening in College Hill
College Hill is about to get a little cheesy with the arrival of I Heart Mac & Cheese, a fast-casual restaurant with gourmet comfort food. I Heart Mac & Cheese, a chain based out of South Florida, is known for its made-to-order mac and cheese bowls and grilled cheese sandwiches. The menu features a diverse…
The Western & Southern Open is Getting a New Name
More than a century after its start, the Cincinnati Open is reclaiming its original moniker. Effective immediately, the tennis tournament will transition from the Western & Southern Open to the Cincinnati Open, according to a news release from the organization. The tournament was called the Cincinnati Open when it first began in 1899 at the…
Israeli Government Invites Kentucky Lawmakers to Private Viewing of Hamas Attack Footage
The Israeli government has invited Kentucky lawmakers and statewide officeholders to a private viewing later this month of “raw footage” of Hamas militants’ attack on Israeli civilians and military, killing more than 1,200 with scores held hostage, on Oct. 7 of last year. The email invitation sent Thursday morning to lawmakers from Anat Sultan-Dadon, the…
Take a Chill Pill: The Totally Tubular Festival is Bringing ’80s Hits to Riverbend Music Center
This summer in Cincinnati will be hella gnarly as the new Totally Tubular Festival brings back a time of big hair, MTV’s heyday and John Hughes movies. The new music festival debuts in 17 cities across North America this June and will feature artists that helped shape pop culture in early to mid-‘80s, including Thomas…
Guest Commentary: The Science Behind Ohio Gov. DeWine’s Gender-Affirming Care Ban Veto
In late December, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed House Bill 68, a bill to ban gender-affirming care practices for minors. This came as a surprise to many as DeWine has often found himself embracing social conservative positions throughout his long career. And indeed, DeWine framed his decision as a conservative one in his public statements…
Cincinnati Holocaust & Humanity Center Offers Free Admission to Combat Antisemitism
The Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center at the Cincinnati Museum Center is offering free admission throughout the month of January. They say their aim is to combat a rise in antisemitism seen both locally and across the U.S., and point to a report from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) that says there’s been…
Molly Wellmann to Host New Cincinnati Drinks and History Series at Arnold’s Bar and Grill
Doesn’t it seem almost everything ties back to Cincinnati somehow? On Tuesdays, you can learn exactly how certain cocktails have their place in Cincinnati’s history with a new series at Arnold’s Bar and Grill. And what better way to learn a little bit of Cincinnati history than at Cincinnati’s most historic bar with Cincinnati’s most…
Voting, Disability Rights Advocates Claim Ohio Photo Voter ID Law Violates Federal Disabilities Law
Starting last year, Ohioans had to present a photo ID to cast a vote. That change was part of a sweeping piece of legislation known as House Bill 458. In addition to requiring photo identification, the measure reduced the number of days available for early voting and for returning absentee ballots. Despite Republican lawmakers’ decision…
Ohio Abortion Rights Amendment’s Impacts Will Spread Into 2024 Campaigns
Supporters of the constitutional amendment that enshrined reproductive rights in Ohio’s Constitution believe putting it on the ballot in 2023 was a key to its success, and they also believe the aftershocks will be felt at the ballot box in 2024. The November Issue 1 campaign came to a head with a coalition of supporters,…
Review: ‘The Zone of Interest’ Radically Upends the Idea of a Holocaust Movie
If silence is violence, then I’d deem Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest the most brutal film in theaters today. Emotionlessly presenting a daily report on one of Führer und Reichskanzler Adolf Hitler’s most loyal soldiers, the film quietly explores its nightmarish concept with zero frills. There’s no blatant depiction of the monstrosities occurring in…
Human Head Found Near Location of Dismembered Woman in North Fairmount
Federal investigators have found a human head that could be linked to the dismembered woman found two months ago in North Fairmount, according to the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office. On Jan. 3, Cincinnati’s FBI Evidence Response Team performed a sweep around the 1600 block of Baltimore Avenue where the torso of a Black woman was…
Agave & Rye Launches New Ghost Kitchen, Lick My Chicken
Greater Cincinnati’s masters of creative tacos, Agave & Rye, is launching a new ghost kitchen to bring more finger-lickin’ good food to its diners. Ghost kitchens are food service businesses that are designed only to fulfill online orders. Agave & Rye and EPIC Brands’ new ghost kitchen, Lick My Chicken, will offer a variety of…
Guest Commentary: We’re Hearing Overwrought Talk of an ‘Invasion.’ It’s Not the First Time
With persecution, poverty, and climate change driving large numbers of migrants to the southern border, some in politics and the media are again pushing the panic button. It’s hardly new. More than a century ago, a publication you would hardly expect was pushing an absurd conspiracy theory against a group about whom you probably know…
Ohio Families with Transgender Children Relieved DeWine Vetoed HB 68, Worry About Potential Override
The Burkle family huddled together to watch last week’s press conference where Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed a controversial bill that would have banned gender-affirming care for transgender youth. “It was a brief sigh of relief,” mom Alicia Burkle said. “We were crying and hugging.” Their 10-year-old daughter Astrid has socially transitioned, but has not…
Casting Call Released for New Movie to be Shot in Covington
Greater Cincinnati is once again turning into a mini Hollywood for the production of a new feature film, and you could be in it. Film Cincinnati is partnering with New Media and director Shal Ngo to cast for the new movie, Control Freak, which is scheduled to begin production here this winter. Producers will be…
Seattle’s Iconic Piroshky Piroshky Bakery Hosting Cincinnati Pop-Up
One of Seattle’s most popular bakeries is coming to Cincinnati — but only for one day. Piroshky Piroshky, famous for its Eastern European-style pastries, is making a stop at Streetside Brewery on Saturday, Jan. 20 from 4-6 p.m. for a special pre-order pickup to celebrate the new year. You have until Thursday, Jan. 18 at…
Frisch’s Grippo’s Grilled Cheese is Back, and It’s So Cincinnati
It’s a grilled cheese. It’s Grippo’s. It’s so Cincinnati. Fast-food chain Frisch’s Big Boy is merging two iconic local flavors in a craveable, crunchy collaboration with the return of its Grippo’s Grilled Cheese Sandwich. The sandwich features Texas toast topped with four slices of American cheese and Grippo’s potato chips before it’s grilled to a…
MadTree Prepares New Food Menu as Renovations on Taproom Kitchen Begin
MadTree Brewing is cooking up some new ideas and menu items for its kitchen after the departure of Catch-a-Fire Pizza. The Oakley brewery began renovations on its taproom kitchen this week, which will include advances in technology and built-in efficiency, MadTree said in a press release. Changes will include adding mobile ordering from anywhere within…
Ohio Minimum Wage Increased Again Jan. 1 — for Some
The minimum wage for Ohio’s larger employers increased on Monday from $10.10 to $10.45 an hour for non-tipped employees, the Ohio Department of Commerce announced Wednesday. Tipped employees of larger companies will see an increase from $5.05 an hour to $5.25. The increases are the consequence of a constitutional amendment passed by Ohio voters in…
Transgender Candidate Running Against Sponsor of the Drag Ban Bill for Ohio House Seat
Arienne Childrey hopes to be the first openly transgender person elected to the Ohio House of Representatives. She is running to be the Democratic candidate to go against state Rep. Angela King, R-Celina — one of the sponsors behind the drag ban bill. The primary election is March 19 and King’s term ends Dec. 31, 2024. …
New Bakery in Over-the-Rhine Makes Custom Sweet Treats for the Whole Community
Get your sweet tooth ready: A new bakery in Over-the-Rhine will open its doors this weekend. Cora’s Cakery is helmed by baker Shaucuana Knight and will offer custom cakes and a variety of other confections, from cupcakes and cake pops to cookies and Knight’s signature banana pudding and cinnamon rolls on special days. The bakery…
Flywheel Launches Housing Stability Hackathon to Tackle Cincinnati’s Housing Crisis
Cincinnati-based innovation hub Flywheel is spearheading a Housing Stability Hackathon, inviting innovators and entrepreneurs to join forces in addressing housing instability. The initiative aims to find digital solutions and insights to intervene early and prevent families from transitioning from at-risk housing to homelessness. The hackathon, conducted in collaboration with the city of Cincinnati and the…
With Pipeline Growth Booming, the US Agency in Charge of Safety Struggles to Keep Up
The pipeline industry added thousands of miles of natural gas, crude oil and carbon dioxide pipelines to the national network in recent years. But the federal regulatory agency responsible for ensuring that vast system’s safety failed to grow at the same pace. Pipeline miles expand every year, and are expected to see even faster growth…
Central State University Professors Worry Higher Ed Bill Would Have ‘Chilling Effect’
Professors at Central State University worry what could happen at Ohio’s only public historically Black university if a controversial higher education overhaul bill becomes law. Senate Bill 83 would have a dramatic effect on Ohio colleges and universities. State Sen. Jerry Cirino’s bill would limit what “controversial topics” can be taught, prohibit mandatory diversity, equity…
