FRIDAY 19
EVENT: MIDWEST REGIONAL BLACK FAMILY REUNION
The Midwest Regional Black Family Reunion — one of the city’s largest family-focused events — returns for its 28th year with three days of festivities. Events kick off with a heritage breakfast and opening ceremony featuring keynote speaker Rev. Otis Moss Jr., pastor emeritus of Cleveland’s Olivet Institutional Baptist Church. Afterward, head over to the Sharonville Convention Center with résumé in hand — more than 50 organizations will be onsite for a large-scale job fair, including Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Great Parks of Hamilton County, LexisNexis and Time Warner Cable. The Black Family Reunion Community Parade steps off at 10 a.m. Saturday, led by grand marshal and Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot Isaac. Other highlights of the weekend include Family Feud-inspired competitions on the lawn at Sawyer Point, an R&B concert 6 p.m. Saturday headlined by Cameo and a Sunday morning outdoor service and 5 p.m. Gospel concert. Friday-Sunday. Free admission. Various locations; visit myblackfamilyreunion.org for a full schedule.
MUSIC: THE HIGH KINGS
When The High Kings burst into the limelight the year they formed, the band was clearly destined for greatness. The Celtic supergroup assembled in 2008 and immediately recorded its self-titled debut album, which hit No. 2 on Billboard’s World Music chart and earned them an opening slot on Celtic Woman’s American tour. Three years later, the quartet released its sophomore album, Memory Lane, to similar success and acclaim; both albums notched platinum sales figures in Ireland and made significant in-roads on American and European charts. The band plays Live! at the Ludlow Garage Friday.
ONSTAGE: LAST POET STANDING
A head-to-head spoken word competition featuring some of the best poets from across the Midwest. Slam poet, teacher and activist Just Greg Corbin hosts the proceedings — a production of Dayton, Ohio’s Oral Funk Poetry Productions — as poets take to the stage to perform an original work with melody, artistry and synergy. The last poet standing wins $1,000. “The production serves as an homage to the spoken word genre and will be a night of exciting, fast-paced, engaging and spontaneous fun,” says Sierra Leone of Oral Funk Poetry Productions. 8 p.m. Friday. $25. Aronoff Center, 650 Walnut St., Downtown, cincinnatiarts.org. — MAIJA ZUMMO
SATURDAY 20
EVENT: ROWAMERICA HAMILTON DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL
Bring me my dragons! You don’t have to be Khaleesi to control these 40-foot-long, 20-person boats (which, yes, actually do look like dragons, complete with a decorative head and tail). RowAmerica Hamilton hosts Butler County’s first-ever dragon boat festival this weekend, and everyone — regardless of experience — is encouraged to participate. Teams of 15 to 25 people will compete in a series of races throughout the fest, with optional practice sessions available on Thursday and Friday. The Chinese tradition of dragon boating began in China circa 278 B.C.E., when a court official named Qu Yuan committed suicide in the Miluo River after learning about the upcoming devastation of his state. When citizens learned of his intentions, they rushed onto the water in fishing boats in an attempt to save him, splashing water with their paddles to keep fish and evil spirits from his body. Dragon boat festivals are held every year on the anniversary of Yuan’s death — a Chinese national holiday. 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Saturday. Free to attend; $80 individual rower registration. RiversEdge Amphitheater at Marcum Park, 116 Dayton St., Hamilton, rowhamilton.com.
EVENT: CURIOSITY SATURDAY AT WASHINGTON PARK
Curiosity Saturday, a free, weekly summer program at Washington Park, offers kids and families the chance to participate in creative activities hosted by a variety of area organizations. This Saturday — which is also coincidentally the same day as the monthly City Flea and right after Washington Park’s free, weekly rotating fitness class — Curiosity Saturday will be hosted by Cincinnati’s award-winning nonprofit, Happen, Inc., which uses art as a means to build bonding experiences between parents and their children. Given the various events for parents as well as kids, you could probably spend most of your Saturday morning and afternoon at Washington Park without needing to come up for air. Curiosity Saturday: 11 a.m.-1 p.m. City Flea: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, washingtonpark.org.
EVENT: KENTUCKY COLLECTIBLES APPRAISAL FAIR
Just how rare and valuable is that doll from grandma’s attic, the vintage guitar on your uncle’s shelf or the thrift-store find that your sister swears is a Rookwood vase? Bring your family’s mysteries and memorabilia to the Kentucky Collectibles Appraisal Fair in Covington and get enlightened. Art and antique detectives from KET’s popular show will evaluate up to two items per ticketholder. Practice your shocked reactions, because cameras will be filming for the program’s fifth season. Tickets benefit Kentucky Educational Television. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. $60. Northern Kentucky Convention Center, 1 W. Rivercenter Blvd., Covington, Ky., ket.org.
EVENT: ROW BY ROW DINNER AT GORMAN HERITAGE FARM
Gorman Heritage Farm hosts an on-farm dinner featuring produce and poultry sourced onsite, prepared by Raffel’s Catering, with bread from Blue Oven and beer from Rivertown. Indulge in thoughtfully prepared, farm-fresh cuisine, followed by music from Jake Speed & the Freddies and a live and silent auction. Event tickets include admission to the 122-acre working farm, where visitors can explore the gardens and farmyard and walk a network of hiking trails. 6 p.m. Saturday. $60. Gorman Heritage Farm, 10052 Reading Road, Evendale, gormanfarm.org.
EVENT: VISITOR APPRECIATION DAYS AT THE ZOO
If you’ve been looking for an excuse to check out the new Hippo Cove exhibit at the Cincinnati Zoo, look no further: This Saturday and Sunday are visitor appreciation days at the park with half-price admission. Animal encounters throughout the weekend give guests an opportunity to learn more about the animals with fun interactions — watch hippos Henry and Bibi snack on special treats, see elephants get their morning bath and cheer on a cheetah as it runs at full speed. There’s also a new baby at Giraffe Ridge named Cora and cheetah cubs Cathryn, Redd and Willow are still snoozing away with their companion dog Blakely in the zoo nursery. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. $9 adults; $6.50 kids. Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, 3400 Vine St., Avondale, cincinnatizoo.org.
MUSIC: TOMMY STINSON
Should he choose to, Tommy Stinson will one day be able to write a fascinating book about his career in Rock & Roll, having been a member of two of the most legendarily debauched bands in Rock history. Stinson got his first bass guitar at the end of the ’70s when he was just 11, given to him by his older brother Bob. By the time the ’80s rolled around, Stinson joined his brother in The Replacements, one of modern Rock’s more influential bands. By the time the band broke up in 1991, Stinson and singer/guitarist Paul Westerberg were the only remaining original members (Tommy’s brother was booted from the band in 1986 and passed away in 1995). Stinson and Westerberg would reunite for a few Replacements shows between 2013-15. Stinson took the skills he honed with The Replacements and started his own group, Bash & Pop, then later a band called Perfect. Stinson also did studio sessions for artists as varied as Puff Daddy and Cincinnati’s Moth (he played bass on the local group’s major label debut, Provisions, Fiction and Gear). In the ’00s, he released a pair of solo albums (the last one being 2011’s One Man Mutiny), but, beginning in 1998, he spent much of his time as the bassist for Guns N’ Roses. Stinson plays Northside Yacht Club Saturday with Alone at 3AM and Torn’d Up Dudes.
MUSIC: WAR CURSE
There’s something to be said for purity. With many musicians meshing influences, styles and sounds into their output, it’s refreshing to see a band raise one single flag and wave it with all their might. War Curse, Cincinnati’s Thrash Metal stalwarts, has done exactly that by concentrating on crafting pitch-perfect Thrash-revival bangers. With one release under their belts (Final Days, recently re-released on CD via Static Tension Recordings) and a second in the works, the band has one goal — to write heavy songs that get young heads banging and old-school fans back into the pit. See them Saturday at Everybody’s Records in Pleasant Ridge as part of the store’s Metal Saturday celebration. Celebration 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; music begins at 3 p.m. Saturday. Everybody’s Records, 6106 Montgomery Road, Pleasant Ridge, 513-531-4500, everybodysrecords.com.
SUNDAY 21
EVENT: WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN
If the Olympics just isn’t your thang, opt for some local sporty action this week at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. The Western & Southern Open — the oldest tennis tournament in the country — is a prestigious ATP Masters 1000 event on the men’s tour and a Premier 5 event for the Women’s Tennis Association, with 67 million people expected to view the televised event worldwide. Through Sunday. Open: $15-$125 single-session tickets; Somm Slam Prequel: $40 (with valid match ticket). Lindner Family Tennis Center, 5460 Courseview Drive, Mason, wsopen.com.
ONSTAGE: ROCK OF AGES
“Hit Me with Your Best Shot” might be the anthem for this show, opening The Carnegie’s theater season, but it’s only one of two-dozen big-hair band tunes from the ’80s performed during the likeable but silly musical. The love story of nerdy Drew and sexy Sherrie is just a thread to string the hits together. But it’s great fun. In 2009, it received five Tony nominations (though no winners). Nevertheless, it was an audience favorite and lasted on Broadway for six years — more than 2,000 performances. So it’s sure to be entertaining in this production with tons of talent from Northern Kentucky University. Through Aug. 28. $21-$28. The Carnegie, 1028 Scott Blvd., Covington, Ky., 859-957-1940, thecarnegie.com.
This article appears in Aug 24-31, 2016.