What To Do in Cincinnati This Weekend: Oct. 12-14

FRIDAY 12-SUNDAY 14

ONSTAGE: 1984 at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company
George Orwell’s classic political thriller has resurfaced into modern pop culture as of late because, er, many are drawing parallels to current-day issues and 1984’s horrific dystopian future. Big brother is watching. Rediscover this classic via a play, where protagonist Winston Smith stumbles upon a resistance movement against a bleak surveillance government. Spooky, indeed. Through Nov. 3. $57 adults; $53 seniors; $31 students. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, 1195 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, cincyshakes.com.

FRIDAY 12-SUNDAY 14

CLASSICAL: Cincinnati Pops Haunted Hall
Music Hall is rumored to be one of the most haunted buildings in America. Between the stories of ghosts being seen in the elevator to strange noises being heard by employees, there are plenty of spooky stories to tell here this Halloween season. And the Cincinnati Pops is getting in on the action with Haunted Hall, a selection of “orchestral blockbusters” like The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, the suite from Psycho and Danse Macabre. Come celebrate Halloween early with this spirited performance in an allegedly haunted hall. On Friday and Saturday, head to the Corbett Tower after the concert to be regaled with haunted tales and grab a boozy bourbon cider from mixologist Molly Wellmann. 8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. $25-$101 adults; $15 children. Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, cincinnatisymphony.org.

FRIDAY 12

EVENT: Cincinnati Taco Week
Taco Tuesday is taking over the whole dang week during CityBeat’s Cincinnati Taco Week, seven days of $2 tacos from area eateries and taquerias including B&A Street Kitchen, Injoy, Lalo, Lucius Q, Slatts Pub, Taqueria Mercado, Tin Man Grill Food Truck and Veracruz Mexican Grill. Each location will be serving a special (or several special) Taco Week tacos like Injoy’s Chicken Tikka Taco or Lucius Q’s Smokin’ Taco with pork shoulder. These creative and/or classic options (some are even available To Go) will frequently be complemented by a Hornitos tequila special. Check with each restaurant and make sure to print out a Taco Week passport; get your passport stamped at three or more restaurants and you’ll be entered to win a gift card. Oct. 8-14. Get more info at cincytacoweek.com or citybeat.com.

FRIDAY 12

MUSIC: Caroline Rose with Rainbow Kitten Surprise
Long Island, N.Y. native Caroline Rose started writing songs at age 14. By 24, two years after graduating from college with an architecture degree, she had dropped two Americana-leaning albums. Four years on, Rose is finally back with a new label, New West Records, and a new album, Loner, which features a much more Pop-centric set of songs than her previous output. “I love Angel Olsen and Big Thief, and I feel like I used to make music that was more in that vein of intimate, more personal songs,” Rose told Stereogum earlier this year. “But there’s another part of my personality that’s a storyteller and I love being flamboyant and boisterous sometimes. So I wanted to take all the different facets of my personality, like the humor and sarcasm.” 8 p.m. Friday. $69. Bogart's, 2621 Vine St., Corryville, bogarts.com.

FRIDAY 12-SUNDAY 14

COMEDY: D.C. Benny
D.C. Benny, born Ben Wartofsky, takes his professional name from, you guessed it, his hometown of Washington, D.C. His comedy career began at a talent show at the University of Maryland. The crowd found his impressions of his professors hilarious and he wound up pursuing stand-up full-time. He was never really a road comic, winding up in New York where he began to get steady work, including gigs outside of stand-up. “I did stand-up first. And then while I was doing that, commercials fell into my lap,” he says. “I booked a lot of national commercials and that allowed me to stay of the road.” TV and movie roles followed, but he still considers himself to be a stand-up comic first. He performs primarily in New York, but still manages to hit the road occasionally. The very hilarious Jay Armstrong from Covington will feature for Benny this week in Cincinnati. Through Sunday. $8-$14. Go Bananas, 8410 Market Place Lane, Montgomery, gobananascomedy.com.

FRIDAY 12-SUNDAY 14

EVENT: USS Nightmare
Welcome to the USS Nightmare. With two levels of horror on this huge, haunted “death dredge,” only the bravest will make it through the 30-plus-minutes of being scared. Yes, not everyone even makes it through. The whole experience of the USS Nightmare is based off The Mitchell Massacre. In this story, a whole community watches as an old ship goes on an erratic journey down the river, crashing into multiple bridges. When rescuers finally get aboard the ship, they assumed they would find no passengers, but instead found a plethora of bloody bodies. Book a RIP Experience for some hands-on, immersive terror to kick-off the Halloween season.
Through Nov. 3. $20 general admission with options for upgrades, including a RIP Front of the Line $60. 101 Riverboat Road, Newport, Ky., ussnightmare.com.

FRIDAY 12

FILM: Cinema in the Cemetery: Nightmare Before Christmas
The biggest debate of modern history: Is Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas meant to be viewed in December or October? This local event is taking a stand. Catch the stop-motion classic that inspired a league of mid-2000s emo kids before Halloween has arrived. To add to the ambiance and spooky vibes, this screening will take place at the Linden Grove Cemetery. Curl up as Halloweentown’s pumpkin king, Jack Skellington, plots to steal Christmas. Food and drinks will be available, but you can opt to pack a picnic. 7:30-9:30 p.m. Friday. Free. Linden Grove Cemetery, 401 W. 13th St., Covington, Ky., historiclindengrove.org.

FRIDAY 12-SUNDAY 14

EVENT: Dent Schoolhouse
Projected ghosts swirl on the walls as figments of cockroaches scurry across the floors. Screams resound, mangled by the twisted churr of chainsaws. To usher in Halloween season, one of the region’s most-frequented haunts — Dent Schoolhouse — is opening its doors. Behind the haunt is the ever-evolving lore based on the legend of Charlie the janitor, who supposedly murdered multiple children from the school and hid their bodies in the basement (while you stand in line, you’ll see him stalking the perimeter). Enter if you dare, and prepare to be spooked by this horror-filled schoolhouse; you won’t be the only one, it sees 30,000 guests per year. Through Oct. 31. $20-$25; $50-$55 for front of line. Dent Schoolhouse, 5963 Harrison Ave., Dent, frightsite.com.
Photo: Provided

SATURDAY 13-SUNDAY 14

EVENT: Ohio Sauerkraut Festival
Nothing says fun like fermentation! The 49th-annual Ohio Sauerkraut Festival in Waynesville features more than 460 craft vendors from over 25 states and a whole lot of cabbage. Started in 1970, the first fest served 528 pounds of sauerkraut to about 1,500 guests. Today, guests — of which there are approximately 350,000 — eat more than 7 tons of kraut. Dine on dishes ranging from sauerkraut pizza and German sundaes (mashed potatoes topped with kraut) to Polish cabbage soup and sauerkraut donuts. 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday; 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. Free admission. Downtown Waynesville, sauerkrautfestival.waynesvilleohio.com.

SATURDAY 13

EVENT: Downtown Tour of Living
After a hiatus, the Downtown Tour of Living is returning in October to show off some of the many apartments and condos in the booming central city. Presented by Downtown Cincinnati Inc. and Switch Collection, it will offer a self-guided, walkable tour of the brand-new Crane Factory Flats, formerly the Cincinnati Board of Elections headquarters, as well as visits to AT580, ENCORE Urban Living, Renaissance at the Power Building, Seven at Broadway, Eight One Three Broadway, East Eight Lofts, Shillito Lofts, The Reserve, Sycamore Place and more. Noon-5 p.m. Saturday. $10 advance; $15 day of. downtowncincinnati.com.
Photo: facebook.com/cranefactoryflatscincinnati