17 Things To Do in Cincinnati This Week (Feb. 26-March 3)

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