FRIDAY 09
COMEDY: ALI SIDDIQ
Houston has given us comedy greats like Bill Hicks, Dwight Slade, Ralphie May, Greg Warren and many more. And now: Ali Siddiq. However, while those other comics started honing their craft at open mics in Texas, Siddiq’s first performances were for a more captive audience… literally. “My entry point into stand-up comedy came while I was incarcerated,” he says. “I used to watch the sitcom Martin.” Siddiq would then mimic the episodes for fellow inmates who were restricted from watching TV. When there were no new episodes to perform, he commented on prison life. Showtimes Thursday-Sunday. $12-$15. Liberty Funny Bone, 7518 Bales St., Liberty Township, liberty.funnybone.com.
EVENT: NEWPORT ITALIAN FESTIVAL
Created 26 years ago, the goal of the Newport Italian Festival is to celebrate Italian heritage and carve a slice of Italy for the entire family. Listen to music from the old country as noodles slosh against your plate and the river sloshes against the banks of Newport. Local restaurants will provide the fare, including Pompilios, Buona Vita Pizzeria, Bella Luna, Newport Pizza Company and more. After some arancini or meatball lasagna, entice your senses further with a “Taste of Italy” wine tent and visit the photo exhibit to see historic images of Newport’s Italian families. 5-11 p.m. Thursday; 5-11:30 p.m. Friday; noon-11:30 p.m. Saturday; noon-9 p.m. Sunday. Free admission. Riverboat Row, Newport, Ky., italianfestnewport.com.
ONSTAGE: FAMILY TIES
Back in the 1980s, CBS sitcom Family Ties spent seven seasons on top of TV ratings and elevated actor Michael J. Fox to stardom as Alex P. Keaton, the conservative son of one-time hippie parents. In this onstage sequel, 20 years have passed. Alex returns to his parents’ Columbus home with his sisters, Mallory and Jennifer, now parents themselves. He’s running for Congress, but their conversations center on reminiscences about their childhood with fondness and appreciation for simpler times. Family Ties defined a generation, and Dayton’s Human Race Theatre Company is ready to take you back to those good old days. Through June 25. $25-$50. Human Race Theatre Company, 126 N. Main St., Suite 300, Dayton, Ohio, humanracetheatre.org.
MUSIC: SARAH JAROSZ
If there was ever a textbook example of a musical prodigy, Sarah Jarosz would certainly fit the bill. The native Texan — born in Austin, raised in Wimberley — learned to play the mandolin at 10 and quickly followed by picking up guitar, clawhammer banjo and octave mandolin. During Jarosz’s senior year in high school, she signed a contract with Sugar Hill Records, which put her in the studio with musical icons Darrell Scott, Jerry Douglas and Chris Thile for her 2009 debut album, Song Up in Her Head, which she co-produced. It went to No. 1 on Billboard’s Bluegrass chart. She was 16. Read more about Jarosz in this week’s Sound Advice. Sarah Jarosz plays Memorial Hall Friday. Click here for tickets/more info.
EVENT: SCHWABENFEST
Dust off your lederhosen and break out your beer stein: the seventh-annual Cincinnati Donauschwaben Society Schwabenfest will have guests working their way through a selection of more than 14 German beers, roasted chicken and oxen and live music from Alpen Echos. As a side, enjoy a dose ofgemütlichkeit, the German feeling of warmth, friendliness and belonging. 6 p.m.-midnight Friday; 1 p.m.-midnight Saturday. $3. Cincinnati Donauschwaben Society, 4290 Dry Ridge Road, Colerain, cincydonau.com.
SATURDAY 10
ART: A SHARED LEGACY: FOLK ART IN AMERICA
The Cincinnati Museum Center this Saturday will open the largest American Folk Art exhibition in its history and its first dedicated solely to the genre since 1990. A Shared Legacy: Folk Art in America, up through Sept. 3, comprises more than 100 pieces created between 1800 and 1925. About 60 items — paintings, furniture, sculpture, trade signs and illustrated family documents known as fraktur — are from the collection of Barbara L. Gordon, a D.C.-area resident and trustee of the American Folk Art Museum in New York, where the exhibit debuted in 2014. To represent more Ohio artists and women, Aronson and Amy Dehan, the Cincinnati museum’s curator of decorative arts and design, included loans from regional collectors and added quilts, samplers and ceramics. Read more about the exhibit here. A Shared Legacy: Folk Art in America is on view at the Cincinnati Art Museum Saturday through Sept. 3. $10; $5 children and college students with ID; members free. Preview lecture 7 p.m. Thursday: $10; members free. Discounts/ more info: cincinnatiartmuseum.org.
MUSIC: FLUIDITY SPRING CONCERT: THE SOURCE OF LIFE
Fluidity: A Creative Choral Community for a Cause is teaming up with area nonprofit Groundwork Cincinnati: Mill Creek for an evening of song, food and awareness. The choral group debuted in February with a concert in support of La Soupe, and now their spring concert benefits Groundwork Cincinnati, an organization that has helped clean up the once noxious Mill Creek stream with remarkable results. The music program celebrates water with songs from Kenya, Peru, Broadway, American Folk masters and local Reggae band The Pinstripes. Tickets include Cincinnati Zoo admission, parking, hors d’oeuvres and a dinner buffet. 6 p.m. doors Saturday. $25-$100. Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, 3400 Vine St., Avondale, fluiditycccc.org.
EVENT: SAYLER PARK SUSTAINS
Life is a party, and Sayler Park Sustains wants to teach you how to keep the party going and going by helping Mother Earth. Curious about how to start a community garden? Do you want to save the bees but don’t know what that entails? There will be plenty of workshops to answer these questions and teach the whole family how to make a big difference in small ways, plus bonus games for kids and beer from Listermann Brewing for the 21-plus crowd. All ages can appreciate the festival’s food truck treats and nostalgic “old-time music jam,” with tunes from the likes of The Cliftones, The Tillers, Rabbit Hash String Band and more. Everything is local and sustainable for guilt-free festival fun! Noon-10 p.m. Saturday. $10. Nelson Sayler Memorial Park, 6600 Gracely Drive, Sayler Park, saylerparksustains.org.
ART: POP PRESS AT THUNDER-SKY, INC.
Independent local graphic designer Scott Bruno provided local artists with surreal clippings from his collection of strange treasures he’s culled from community newspapers, TV listings, advertising circulars and other sources in the mainstream press to inspire this upcoming exhibition at Thunder-Sky gallery. Eighteen artists (including Bruno himself) then used these bizarre news clippings and personal ads as fodder for their own artwork creations in an investigation of everyday absurdity. Participating artists include Rachel Rampleman, Christian Schmit, Michael Stillion, Avril Thurman and Chris Vorhees. Opening reception 6-10 p.m. Saturday. Through Aug. 4. Free. Thunder-Sky, Inc., 4573 Hamilton Ave., Northside, raymondthundersky.org.
SUNDAY 11
EVENT: EMBROIDERED LETTER PATCH WORKSHOP
Update even your drabbest denim with a colorful and crafty embroidered patch of your own creation. You’ll leave Handzy Shop + Studio ready to take on handmade letter patches. Taught by Cincinnati embroidery artist Elodie Freeman, this workshop will teach embellishment essentials from thread care to technique. Learn the back stitch, stem stitch, chain stitch, whip stitch, lay stitch and more as you work your way around a hoop. Admission includes needles, pins, embroidery floss, fabric, tension hoop, transfer paper and instruction — enough for three embroidered patches. The workshop includes drinks, snacks and 10 percent off at the Handzy shop. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday. $55; register on Handzy’s website. Handzy Shop + Studio, 15 W. Pike St., Covington, Ky., hellohandzy.com.
EVENT: CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE
If you’re cruisin’ to be car perusing, look no further than the 40th-annual Concours d’Elegance car show. Enjoy fresh air and the beauty of Ault Park while gazing at classic cars and motorcycles that have enthralled generations of auto enthusiasts. On special display will be 40 years of Camaro, Firebird and Tuner cars. There will also be a nearby craft beer garden. You can’t drink and drive, but you can absolutely sip and stare at these vintage vehicles. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. $25; $15 separate admission to craft beer garden. Ault Park, 3600 Observatory Ave., Hyde Park, ohioconcours.com.
EVENT: SECOND SUNDAY ON MAIN
Eclectic neighborhood street festival Second Sunday on Main returns to Over-the-Rhine with a plethora of local vendors, food trucks, street performers and an outdoor beer garden to help you wrap up your weekend. Browse, shop, drink and dine on Main Street every second Sunday through October. Noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Free. Main Street from 12th to Liberty streets, Over-the-Rhine, secondsundayonmain.org.
CLASSICAL MUSIC: OPERA IN THE PARK
Claim a spot among opera fans and musical theater geeks at this free outdoor opera in Over-the-Rhine. Bring a blanket, lawn chair and your family and friends to join in the celebration of Cincinnati Opera’s 97th Summer Festival. Spanish-themed opera and musical theater will fill the stage at this year’s event. Hear music from West Side Story, Carmen, The Barber of Seville and Spanish zarzuelas. Cincinnati Opera’s leads and chorus will join the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in this night of music under the sky. Though the event is free, the audience is encouraged to register; registrants will be entered into a drawing to win a Cincinnati Opera package worth $300. 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Free admission. Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, cincinnatiopera.org.
This article appears in Jun 7-14, 2017.
