WEDNESDAY 26 MUSIC: Star Parks Star Parks brings lush, intricately constructed songs to MOTR Pub. 9 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 26. Free. MOTR Pub, 1345 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, motrpub.com. Photo: Letitia Smith
WEDNESDAY 26 ATTRACTION: Bloom & Grow at the Krohn Conservatory If the dull gray of winter is getting you down, you don’t have to wait until April to enjoy lush, green landscapes. Krohn Conservatory is hosting its Bloom & Grow floral show, an exhibit dedicated to the bright colors of the born-again flowers that bloom in springtime. Vibrantly colored and kid-friendly, this exhibit features tulips and daffodils, a nature-lined “hiking” path, a reading nook and activities to challenge your crafting skills while getting away from the cold a little early. Through March 8. $7 adults; $5 ages 5-17; free children 4 and under. Krohn Conservatory, 1501 Eden Park Drive, Mount Adams, cincinnatiparks.com. Photo: Provided by Cincinnati Parks
THURSDAY 27 ART: The Taft’s N.C. Wyeth: New Perspectives Unearth the work of a 20th-century artist that inspired the likes of Star Wars and Game of Thrones. Large-scale, vivid and fantastical, the illustrations of Newell Convers Wyeth — known as N.C. Wyeth — are on display at the Taft Museum of Art via a retrospective exhibition titled N.C. Wyeth: New Perspectives. Through May 3. Taft Museum of Art, 316 Pike St., Taft Museum of Art, Downtown, taftmusuem.org. Photo: Provided by Taft Museum of Art
THURSDAY 27 MUSIC: Ace of Wands Ace of Wands plays cavernous Indie Rock at Northside Tavern. Thursday, Feb. 27. Free. Northside Tavern, 4163 Hamilton Ave., Northside, northsidetav.com. Photo: Provided by Ace of Wands
THURSDAY 27 ONSTAGE: americUS at Playhouse in the Park One of America’s best regional theaters and winner of two Tony Awards. The Playhouse produces comedies, dramas, musicals, classics and new works.Multicultural, multidisciplinary performance collective Universes creates a portrait of America in americUS at the Playhouse in the Park. Through March 8. Tickets start at $30. Playhouse in the Park, 962 Mount Adams Circle, Mount Adams, cincyplay.com. Photo: Mikki Schaffner Photography
THURSDAY 27 EVENT: Cincinnati Home + Garden Show Do you live inside of a home, apartment, other structure or even a garden? Are you looking for ideas on how to decorate or remodel any of those said spaces? Head to the 51st annual Cincinnati Home + Garden Show, “a vibrant marketplace where you can shop for home-related products and services, experience stunning displays to help inspire your next home project, connect with industry experts, and enjoy informative presentations from renowned local and international home professionals.” Basically, you can wander and look at booths filled with displays, goods and info. There’s even a White Claw lounge where you can drink hard seltzer and think about landscape design. 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27 and Friday, Feb. 28; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 29; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, March 1. $14 adults; free ages 12 and under. Duke Energy Convention Center, 525 Elm St., Downtown, cincinnatihomeandgardenshow.com. Photo: Facebook.com/CincinnatiHomeAndGardenShow
THURSDAY 27 MUSIC: The Soul Rebels Brass group The Soul Rebels represents the spirit of New Orleans’ rich musical tapestry as well as almost anyone in history. The argument that they are perhaps the best candidates to be 21st-century musical ambassadors for New Orleans can be found in the breadth of artists they’ve collaborated with over the years, spreading the fierce Funk, Jazz and Hip Hop of N’awlins across genres and generations — the eight-piece collective has worked with Katy Perry, Nas, G-Eazy, Portugal. The Man and Robin Thicke, to name just a few. They’ve even opened for The Rolling Stones and, later this year, they’ll be backing up the Wu-Tang Clan at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. The Rebels’ latest album, last year’s Poetry in Motion, revels in that collaborative spirit more than any of their previous recorded work. Among others, the album’s guest list features many of N.O.’s finest, from Brandford Marsalis and Trombone Shorty to Big Freedia, Dee 1 and Mia X. Hell, even Emeril Lagasse pops up on a track, adding some spice to the already red-hot hometown anthem “Down for My City.” Local Funk/Afrobeat ensemble Ernie Johnson From Detroit will add to the Rebels’ groove when their Poetry in Motion Tour pulls through Cincy. 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27. $20; $25 day of show. Riverfront Live, 4343 Kellogg Ave., Columbia Tusculum, riverfrontlivecincy.com. Photo: Provided by Big Hassle Media
FRIDAY 28 EVENT: Bockfest Weekend If you’re unfamiliar with Cincinnati’s weirdest festival, you may be confused when the streets of downtown and Over-the-Rhine are overtaken by roaming goats, kegs on floats and a bunch of dudes and ladies dressed in lederhosen and dirndls for the 28th-annual Bockfest. The three days of protracted celebration are held to honor the coming of spring, bock beer and OTR’s brewing heritage. And the festivities kick off at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28 when the annual parade, led by a goat pulling a keg of beer and the reigning Sausage Queen, steps off from Arnold’s Bar & Grill on E. Eighth Street downtown and winds its way to the Christian Moerlein Malt House Taproom (aka Bockfest Hall), where a ceremonial blessing of a keg launches a weekend of drinking. If you’re a real trooper, there’s a 5K at 10 a.m. on Saturday where the prize is more beer. Even more beer and unique historic brewery and cellar tours are offered throughout the weekend. And once night falls on Saturday, watch the prestigious (gender-neutral) Sausage Queen and Beard Baron competition finals. Sunday winds down the festivities with kid-friendly games and a Little Links pageant, German music and dancing, a .05K fun run, goat yoga, a famed bloody mary bar and the final day of the BockFeast pig roast buffet. Get a full schedule of events and what needs a ticket at bockfest.com. Photo: Paige Deglow
FRIDAY 28 EVENT: Art After Dark The Cincinnati Art Museum is offering free admission to the opening weekend of new exhibit Something Over Something Else: Romare Bearden’s Profile Series in honor of Black History Month. And Something Over Something Else’s opening weekend also includes after-hours museum party Art After Dark from 5-9 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 28. With a theme of Harlem Nights, the evening includes live Jazz, docent-led tours and food and cocktails for purchase. Free access is made possible with support from the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky African American Chamber and Radio One Cincinnati. 5-9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28. Free. Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive, Mount Adams, cincinnatiartmuseum.org. Photo: Photo Cincinnati Art Museum
FRIDAY 28 ART: Something Over Something Else at the Cincinnati Art Museum The Cincinnati Art Museum is offering free admission to the opening weekend of new exhibit Something Over Something Else: Romare Bearden’s Profile Series in honor of Black History Month. From Feb. 28 to March 1, guests will be able to view the works of African-American painter and collage artist Bearden at no cost. Organized by the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, the exhibit gathers together 30 of Bearden’s vibrant collages for the first time. According to the CAM, “In 1977, a ‘Profile’ of Bearden by Calvin Tomkins in The New Yorker provoked the artist to reflect upon his childhood and maturity during the 1920s and ’30s. The result was a two-part series that traces his journey from rural Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, to working-class Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and culminates with his treasured first studio in Manhattan’s Harlem neighborhood.” Something Over Something Else’s opening weekend also includes after-hours museum party Art After Dark from 5-9 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 28. With a theme of Harlem Nights, the evening includes live Jazz, docent-led tours and food and cocktails for purchase. Free access is made possible with support from the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky African American Chamber and Radio One Cincinnati. Through May 24. Free until March 3 when tickets will cost $12 for adults and $6 for seniors, students and children. Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive, Mount Adams, cincinnatiartmuseum.org. Photo: Photo courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, LLC, New York, NY
FRIDAY 28 COMEDY: T.J. Miller T.J. Miller is probably as equally recognized for being an actor as he is a comedian. But some of those high-profile acting gigs (as well as his assorted public controversies) may have overshadowed his hilarious stage set. “People don’t have a good sense of humor when they’re in a position of authority,” he tells an audience before relating a story about taking his friends to a haunted house. “I wanted to pay by credit card, and (the cashier) said she needed to see some ID.” Miller couldn’t find it and asked her to make an exception. She refused. “Let me get this straight. You won’t let me pay for my friends to go into your establishment because I’m trying to pay with credit card and don’t have ID? You’re afraid I stole a credit card and headed straight for the haunted house? I just found a credit card. Should we go buy electronics? No, I want to get scared with my friends for 25 minutes.” 7:30 and 10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28; 7 and 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 29. $25-$50. Liberty Funny Bone, 7518 Bales St., Liberty Township, liberty.funnybone.com. Photo: Facebook.com/LibertyFunnyBone
FRIDAY 28 MUSIC: Nektar Psychedelic Progressive Rockers Nektar play the Ludlow Garage. 8:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28. $20-$35. Ludlow Garage, 342 Ludlow Ave., Clifton, ludlowgaragecincinnati.com. Photo: Jay Petsko
FRIDAY 28 ONSTAGE: An Evening with C.S. Lewis C.S. Lewis, novelist, scholar and theologian, is coming to the Aronoff Center. No, not his reanimated corpse or some kind of writerly hologram — it appears that An Evening with C.S. Lewis is more of a fly-on-the-wall stage play, with actor David Payne in the role of Lewis. The event description reads: “The year is 1963 and C.S. Lewis, the famous British author, is hosting a group of American writers at his home near Oxford. They are about to experience a captivating evening with a man whose engaging conversation and spontaneous humor made him one of the great raconteurs of his day.” Throughout the evening, Lewis will discuss events like his friendship with J.R.R. Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, et al), the trials of writing The Chronicles of Narnia, his belief in Christianity and “the American woman who turned his life upside down.” Lewis himself died in ‘63, so expect the production to be full of nostalgia and probably a bit of whimsical reminiscences. 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28; 4 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 29; 2 p.m. Sunday, March 1. $58. Aronoff Center, 650 Walnut St., Downtown, cincinnatiarts.org. Photo: Cincinnati Arts
SATURDAY 29 EVENT: Welcome Market Opening Camp Washington’s social enterprise The Welcome Project is growing. The initiative first came about in 2017 as a partnership between Wave Pool gallery and refugee aid organization Heartfelt Tidbits as a way to offer classes to local refugees, before it expanded into a storefront in the building next to Wave Pool. The immigrant-run space has since served as a place for those involved in The Welcome Project to sell their wares and host classes and events. On Feb. 29, a new Welcome Market will be unveiled. Described in a press release as a “place to grab kitchen essentials as well as spices, breads and specialty items from all over the world,” a full commercial kitchen will open for cooking classes and pop-up dinners later this year. 6-9 p.m. Feb. 29. Free. 2936 Colerain Ave., Camp Washington, welcomecincinnati.org. Photo: Biz Young
SATURDAY 29 EVENT: Sausage Queen and Beard Baron Competition Finals When night falls on Saturday’s Bockfest-ivities, things get very regal and slightly raunchy. It’s when two of the most important roles of next year’s Bockfest will be crowned: the Sausage Queen and the Beard Baron. The Little Kings Bockfest Sausage Queen is one of the most highly regarded positions of the festival — a gender-neutral royal who reigns over Cincinnati and the festival until the following year. The queen will lead the 2021 Bockfest Parade, carrying a symbolic tray of bockwurst. And leading up to the pageant on Saturday, there has been a series of semi-finals to determine the cream of the sausage crop. The Sausage Queen finals take place 9 p.m. Saturday and entrants are judged on personality, presence and talent — which means there will be a whole bunch of weird displays of sausage eating and several out-there costumes. The Beard Baron finals take place at 7 p.m. Saturday and occur in conjunction with the Sausage Queen competition. If you have facial hair, you can enter in one of seven categories: full beards under 5-inches, full beards five to 10 inches, full beards 10-inches and up, mustache (styled and natural), partial beard, ladies fake creative beard and “freestyle.” The overall winner gets to accompany the Sausage Queen during next year’s parade. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 29. Free admission. Bockfest Hall, 1621 Moore St., Over-the-Rhine, bockfest.com. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
SATURDAY 29 MUSIC: Highly Likely Album Release Party Formed in 2018, Cincinnati Jamgrass/Americana outfit Highly Likely features some skilled area musicians who decided to combine their talents after knowing each other from their various other projects and bumping into each other on the local circuit. All five members — Char Bowling (guitar/vocals), Andy Tracy (drums/harmonica/vocals), Brian Bowling (banjo), Jeff Roades (bass/vocals) and Mark Miller (mandolin/vocals) — are songwriters, which, combined with their top-notch musicianship, makes them even more of a force to be reckoned with in the Roots scene. After releasing the single and video for “Never Left Here” last year, the band is now ready to unveil its anticipated debut album, Sunrise. For the release party, Highly Likely will be joined by special guests Hickory Robot, another local group with an open-minded approach to Bluegrass and Americana. 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 29. Free. Dead Low Brewing, 5959 Kellogg Ave., California, deadlowbrewing.com. Photo: Provided by Highly Likely
SUNDAY 30 ART: Genius of Liberty: The Long Struggle for Women’s Equality at the Main Branch of the Public Library The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified in 1920, granting women the right to vote. And this centennial is being celebrated at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County’s Main Branch via the exhibit, Genius of Liberty: The Long Struggle for Women’s Equality. The show, which takes its name from an 1850s feminist publication by Cincinnati advocate Elizabeth Aldrich, showcases facts and ephemera ranging from the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 to the adoption of the 19th Amendment. “Few copies of (Genius of Liberty) have survived to the present day but you can see some issues in the exhibit,” says Katherine Durack, an independent scholar and former Miami University faculty member, in a release. Durack, who also hosts the podcast Genius of Liberty, curated the exhibit with reference librarians Christopher Smith and Diane Mallstrom. In addition to feminist facts and figures, there are also fun displays about local historical suffragettes like Trixie Friganza, who raised money and advocated for the cause and “inspired the song ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame,’” as well as Laura Carter Pruden, “mother of the Magic 8 Ball inventor” and member of Cincinnati’s Harriet Taylor Upton Club. Through April 26. Free admission. Main Library, 800 Vine St., Downtown, cincinnatilibrary.org. Photo: Provided by the Cincinnati Public Library