WEDNESDAY 10 EVENT: Cincinnati Burger Week Kickoff Party Cincinnati Burger Week officially starts on Monday, but get a meaty sneak peek at Braxton Brewing Co. on Wednesday as a handful of burger joints head to the brewery to offer samples. Get a taste of what Flipdaddy’s, Bru Burger Bar, Keystone Bar & Grill and The Pub have to offer (while supplies last) and imbibe a Braxton brew or two. It will be your first chance to pick up an official Burger Week passport — and have it stamped. After you collect four stamps, you can enter to win a grand prize grill out party from the Ohio Beef Council. 5:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesday. Free admission. Braxton Brewing Co., 27 W. Seventh St., Covington, cincinnatiburgerweek.com. Photo: Patty Salas
WEDNESDAY 10 ART: Kimono: Refashioning Contemporary Style at the Cincinnati Art Museum The CAM’s newly-opened Kimono: Refashioning Contemporary Style ticketed exhibition. Organized in partnership with The Kyoto Costume Institute and the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, it explores the kimono’s lasting impact on fashion worldwide from the 1870s to present day. It boasts over 50 pieces — from textiles to shoes, paintings and prints . — and walks visitors through the early and contemporary influence of Japanese art and fashion on the Western world. Kimono: Refashioning Contemporary Style will be on display at the Cincinnati Art Museum through Sept. 15. Tickets/more info: cincinnatiartmuseum.org. Photo: Mackenzie Manley
THURSDAY 11 MUSIC: And The Kids And The Kids bring elegantly aggressive Indie Rock to Urban Artifact 9 p.m. All Ages. $6 advance; $10 day of. Urban Artifact, 1660 Blue Rock St., Northside, artifactbeer.com Photo: andthekidsmusic.bandcamp.com
THURSDAY 11 EVENT: Cocktails for Conservation Mix and mingle with Fiona, Fennessy, Adana and all the other new and classic zoo animals during Cocktails for Conversation. This event helps raise funds for the Zoo’s Lindner Center for the Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife and, after some public feedback, the entire Toast to the Wild boozy zoo series features extended event hours, more zoo access to more animals, a larger selection of drinks and more food for purchase. Sip on zoo-inspired mixed drinks created by Molly Wellmann. VIP tickets include complimentary light bites. Rain or shine. 6:30-9:30 p.m. Thursday. $45 member; $50 non-member; $75 VIP member; $80 VIP non-member; $25 member designated driver; $30 non-member designated driver. Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, 3400 Vine St., Avondale, cincinnatizoo.org. Photo: Provided by Cincinnati Zoo
THURSDAY 11 EVENT: Bourbon, Bacon and Brew Festival Celebrate an American — and Cincinnati — food icon on the Ohio riverfront: bacon. There will be Moerlein beer flights and food pairings and a Cincinnati beer trivia contest, where the winner will receive two passes to any Brewery District tour. The live music lineup includes Trailer Park Floosies, Marsha Brady, Moment 44, Final Order and more. With numerous eateries supplying bacon-centric fare from bacon-wrapped meatballs and pork belly mac and cheese to bacon cream puffs and bacon cannoli, this event knows its way to a person’s heart — and arteries. There will also be bourbon tastings, bourbon creations from area mixologists and craft beer. 5-11 p.m. Thursday-Friday; noon-11 p.m. Saturday; noon-9 p.m. Sunday. Free admission. Festival Park, Riverboat Row, Newport, cincinnatifestivalsandevents.com. Photo: Ty Wesselkamper
THURSDAY 11 EVENT: Taft House Party This Taft House Party focuses on creativity with a panel discussion led by Creative City podcast founder Tamia Stinson and featuring designer and Project Runway contestant Tessa Clark, Far-I-Rome Creative agency founder Rome Ntukogu and Jack Wood Gallery founder Jack Wood; each will be discussing their work and how the museum’s L’Affichomania: The Passion for French Posters exhibit has motivated them. In addition to the panel, check out live music from Lauren Eylise and paint whatever you’re feeling with provided paint, stencils and canvas. Challenge your friends to a game of giant Jenga, Connect Four or tic tac toe, which will be out on the front lawn. Food will be available from Honey Child Artisan Pops and Taqueria La Parrilla. 5-8 p.m. Thursday. Free admission. Taft Museum of Art, 316 Pike St., Downtown, taftmuseum.org. Lauren Eylise | Photo: Provided by Taft Museum
FRIDAY 12 MUSIC: Carly Rae Jepsen Carly Rae Jepsen supports Dedicated, her self-described “understated disco, living room dance party thing,” at Bogart’s. 8 p.m. show. All Ages. $40. Bogarts, 2621 Vine St., Corryville, bogarts.com. Photo: Marcus & Koala
FRIDAY 12 ONSTAGE: Mr. Burns, a post-electric play at The Carnegie With a title like Mr. Burns, one can expect this play to be nothing short of “excellent.” The dark comedy follows a group of survivors who, living in a post-apocalyptic society, attempt to recreate scenes from The Simpsons and other pop culture entities. Over time, these pop culture snippets become the new society’s primary form of entertainment and, decades later, the mythology of future generations from which new performances are created. From Anne Washburn and Michael Friedman and performed by the Commonwealth Artists Student Theatre. 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. $15 adults; $12 students/seniors. The Carnegie, 1028 Scott St., Covington, facebook.com/castnky. Photo: CAST
FRIDAY 12 ART: Contemporary Arts Center Exhibit Opening Celebration Three new exhibitions are coming to the Contemporary Arts Center: Saya Woolfalk’s A Cabinet of Anticipation, a multimedia display centered on a fictional race of women, “Empathics,” who can alter their genes and merge with the natural world; Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum’s All my seven faces, African Futurist paintings that celebrate the revolutionary potential of imagination; and Bubi Canal’s Into the Gloaming, a photographic series that brings otherworldly characters to life. The celebration open to the public begins at 8 p.m., but there are receptions and a talk with the artists open to CAC members beginning at 6 p.m. 6-11 p.m. Friday. Free admission. Contemporary Arts Center, 44 E. Sixth St., Downtown, contemporaryartscenter.org. Photo: Contemporary Arts Center
FRIDAY 12 MUSIC: Peter Frampton Rock legend Peter Frampton — who lived in Cincinnati for several years around the turn of the century — announced in February that he would embark on his final tour this summer. Dates include this week’s concert at Riverbend Music Center, where Frampton has performed several times in recent years. Frampton told CBS This Morning he was retiring from the road because he has the autoimmune disease Inclusion Body Myositis, a progressive muscular disorder, and he wants to go out while he is still in top form, playing-wise. “I’m a perfectionist and I do not want to go out there and feel like, ‘Oh I can’t, this isn’t good,’ ” he said. After co-founding Rock supergroup Humble Pie in 1969 when he was just 18, Frampton began his historic solo career. His double-live album Frampton Comes Alive!i made him a superstar in 1976; it was the best-selling album of 1976 and remains one of the top-selling live albums of all time, moving more than 11 million units worldwide. Frampton bought a home in Indian Hill in 2000 after marrying a woman from the area. He sold the house after getting divorced earlier this decade and now lives in Nashville. When Frampton lived in Cincinnati, he was involved in several community projects. He appeared on the King Records tribute album Hidden Treasures in the early ’00s alongside local acts Over The Rhine, The Ass Ponys, Blessid Union of Souls and others, recording a cover of Freddie King’s “Hide Away” that also featured local drummer Philip Paul, who appeared on the original. Joining Frampton for his final Cincinnati show will be Jason Bonham, son of Led Zeppelin drum god John Bonham, who will be performing a tribute to his pops’ old group. 7:30 p.m. Friday. $29.50-$350. Riverbend Music Center, 6295 Kellogg Ave., California, riverbend.org. Photo: Austin Lord
FRIDAY 12 EVENT: Paradise Music & Beer Festival Braxton Brewing Co. and Essential Productions are transforming Covington into a version of paradise with this two-day music and beer fest featuring live music from headliners The Infamous Stringdusters and Keller Williams. Food trucks will be on-site, with craft beers available from Braxton. Admission is free, but those who want to upgrade their experience can get a VIP ticket, which includes a meal, seven beers, a T-shirt and access to private restrooms. 4 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday; 1 p.m.-1 a.m. Saturday. Free admission; VIP tickets start at $50. Braxton Brewing Co., 27 W. Seventh St., Covington, paradise-fest.com. Photo: thestringdusters.com
FRIDAY 12 COMEDY: Brendan Schaub Talk about a varied career. Brendan Schaub is an actor, comedian, podcaster, former pro athlete and, most famously, a retired MMA fighter. The Aurora, Colorado native played college football at the University of Colorado. Though he never started, he was able to catch on with the Arena Football League’s Utah Blaze and was on the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad before moving on to mixed martial arts fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). From there, he went into podcasting with comedian Bryan Callen. The two co-host The Fighter and The Kid, which introduced Schaub to the world of stand-up. He started at clubs in Los Angeles before playing shows across North America and around the world. 7:30 and 10 p.m. Friday; 7 and 10 p.m. Saturday. $25-$50. Funny Bone Liberty, 7518 Bales St., Liberty Township, liberty.funnybone.com. Photo: Creative Commons/Wikipedia
SATURDAY 13 EVENT: Fifty West’s Punch Out: Round Four Fifty West’s Punch Out: Round Four will go down 4 p.m.-midnight July 13. The annual event is a series of brewery-on-brewery amateur boxing matches where individuals from eight breweries go full-on Rocky to win bragging rights in the ring. You can cheer on your favorite local brewery/brewer while enjoying live music, local food vendors and 80-plus local craft beers on draft. Tickets cost is $20 advance and $25 day-of, with $40 advance and $50 day-of for ringside seating. There are also limited tickets to access the BC Bottle Lodge tent, which includes early entry to the event as well as tastings of rare and specialty bottled brews. Fifty West is located at 7605 Wooster Pike, Columbia Township. Photo: Patty Salas
SATURDAY 13 EVENT: Swing House Open House Camp Washington’s Swing House is open on Saturday for the curious public to poke around. It took artist Mark de Jong around three years to complete the renovations to an 1880s three-story brick building, removing the upper floors and creating a functional work of architectural art that does in fact feature a swing suspended from rafters in the ceiling. The house includes a kitchen, bedroom, floating cabinets, a bathroom — all the normal accessories you’d find in an average abode — and you can even rent it on Airbnb. If you can’t make it to this open house, don’t worry: The Swing House is open the second Saturday of every month. Noon-4 p.m. Saturday. Free admission. Swing House, 1373 Avon Place, Camp Washington, swing-house.com. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
SATURDAY 13 ONSTAGE: Welcome To Night Vale Quirky podcast Welcome To Night Vale brings its thriller “The Spy in the Desert” to the Taft Theatre for a live show. 8 p.m. All Ages. $25-$35. Taft Theatre, 317 E. Fifth St., Downtown, welcometonightvale.com/live. Photo: Nina Subin
SATURDAY 13 EVENT: The O.F.F. Market Get your weekend “off” to a great start at Oakley’s monthly market. Browse art, food, clothing, trinkets and more, all while supporting independent local creators. You can complement your local shopping with a local beer from MadTree Brewing, where the event is held. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. Free admission. MadTree Brewing Barrel Warehouse, 3301 Madison Road, Oakley, theoffmarket.org. Photo: Provided by OFF Market
SATURDAY 13 COMEDY: Brooke Cartus Lawyer, opera singer and stand-up Brooke Cartus brings Midwestern queer comedy to Taft’s Brewpourium. 8 p.m. Saturday. All ages. $25-$35. Taft’s Brewpourium, 4831 Spring Grove Ave., Spring Grove Village. Photo: Provided by Brook Cartus
SUNDAY 14 EVENT: Rüya Coffee Pop-up Rüya Coffee hosts a pop-up at Camp Washington’s The Welcome Project. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday. Free admission. The Welcome Project, 2936 Colerain Ave., Camp Washington. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
SUNDAY 14 EVENT: National Mac & Cheese Day at Keystone and Mac Shack National Mac & Cheese Day is Sunday, July 14 and Keystone Bar & Grill and the Mac Shack are offering some super special one-day-only cheesy creations to celebrate. All three Keystone locations — Covington (313 Greenup St.), Hyde Park (3384 Erie Ave.) and Clifton (249 Calhoun St.) — will be serving mac and cheese chicken and waffles. If you aren’t ready for that monster, they will also have chili mac and cheese fries. And if you want to go traditional and still honor the dairy noodles, every Keystone menu mac is only $7.14 all day long. Head to Keystone’s offshoot, the Mac Shack in Clifton (249 Calhoun St.) or Green Township (5655 Harrison Ave.), to grab their Cheeseburger in Paradise mac: burger meat plopped on top of a pile of Lovin’ Spoonful macaroni and cheese, and then topped with lettuce, tomato, Heinz 57 sauce, french fries and a pickle spear. They will also be serving all menu macs for just $7.14 all day long. As a bonus, all Keystone and Mac Shack locations (except Mac Shack Clifton) will be hiding a golden ticket under a skillet of mac and cheese to award one lucky customer a free year of macaroni and cheese. More info keystonebar.com and eatmacshack.com. Photo: Mac & cheese chicken and waffles | Photo: Keystone Bar & Grill
SUNDAY 14 EVENT: Second Sunday on Main The second Sunday of each month June through October finds Main Street abuzz with vendors, food trucks and brews as a part of OTR’s most eclectic street festival. This month, the event is sock-hop-themed, featuring live performances of 1950s and ’60s tunes, a muscle car show and Salsa and Polka dancing by Cincinnati Baila Dance Academy. Gather up some greaser and sock friends for a time that’s sure to be a gas, daddy-o. For hip cats. Made in the shade. You get the point. Noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Free. Main Street between 12th and Liberty streets, Over-the-Rhine, secondsundayonmain.org. Photo: Brittany Thornton
MONDAY 15 EVENT: Cincinnati Burger Week Cincinnati Burger Week is a seven-day food frenzy featuring $5 specialty burgers at more than 75 area restaurants, bars and bakeries (they serve dessert “burgers,” not like meat donuts). The creations run the gamut from straightforward quarter pounders to veggie burgers and really wild monstrosities. Participating eateries include Burger Week veterans like Flipdaddy’s, Taste of Belgium and Nation Kitchen and Bar, plus newcomers like Queen City Whip, Arnold’s Bar & Grill and Salazar. Proceeds from Burger Week help benefit Childhood Food Solutions, a nonprofit that works to help kids secure access to food during school breaks. Cincinnati Burger Week is presented by the Ohio Beef Council and is sponsored by Braxton Brewing and Jack Daniel’s, so expect to find some beer or cocktail pairings with your burgers at various eateries. July 15-21. Get more info and participating restaurant menus at cincinnatiburgerweek.com. Photo: Taste of Belgium
TUESDAY 16 MUSIC: Sebadoh Indie rock legends Sebadoh play the Woodward Theater. 8 p.m. Tuesday. Ages 18+. $20 advance; $22 day of show. Woodward Theater, 1404 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, woodwardtheater.com. Photo: Justin Pizzoferrato
TUESDAY 16 MUSIC: John Paul White Singer/songwriter John Paul White of the former Americana/Folk duo The Civil Wars brings his solo artistry to the Southgate House Revival. 8 p.m. Tuesday. Ages 18+. Southgate House Revival, 111 E. Sixth St., Newport, johnpaulwhite.com. Photo: Alysse Gafkjen