Do Downtown Cincinnati Restaurant Week
Do Downtown Cincinnati Restaurant and Bar Group is an association of downtown restaurants and clubs that work together to build awareness and enhance downtown dining and entertainment. This week — through Aug. 17 — is the sixth annual Do Downtown Cincinnati Restaurant Week, when downtown/The Banks/OTR restaurants offer deals: either $35 for a three-course dinner…
Morning News and Stuff
News time. I haven't even had coffee yet and I did all this. Be impressed. Troubled charter school VLT Academy in Over-the-Rhine is closing its doors, Superintendent Valerie Lee says. VLT, which we reported about last month in a story on charters, has faced some serious questions about its academic performance and financial structure. In…
Q&A with REO Speedwagon
REO Speedwagon has been providing audiences hits since the ’70s. The band gained momentum after its release of High Fidelity in 1980 giving us “Keep on Loving You” and “Take it on the Run." Since then they have accumulated enough hits to fill up any set to keep crowds entertained. With them teaming up with…
Art: Remnants and Remains at NVISION
Northside vintage shop and gallery NVISION opens Remnants and Remains, an exhibition of photographs and photograms by Ann Burrell, a photography instructor with Art Academy of Cincinnati’s community education department. She processes her own black-and-white film and makes prints for her photographs; her photograms are of such mysterious objects as flowers, skulls, bird remains and…
Event: The Galloping Pig
The Galloping Pig is just a fancy name for what this event’s sponsors call a fine day of polo (the sport of kings!). The BowTie Foundation is hosting its second annual polo event at Wilshire Farm, home of the Cincinnati Polo Club, where guests can enjoy a match between the Cincinnati and Columbus clubs, witness…
Music: The Vespers
Nashville quartet The Vespers’ website labels the group a “Southern Roots Family Reunion,” a descriptor that gives potential fans the band’s regional location, a sense of the style of music played (Americana/Folk Pop) and a hint of the familial ties that play into their intuitive musical interaction. The foursome contains two brothers, Taylor and Bruno…
Event: The Invisible Kids Project
The Invisible Kids Project is a nonprofit attempting to ensure and support the development and maintenance of healthy, loving relationships for every child in the child protection system. It was created by former caseworkers, foster and adoptive parents, court appointed special advocates and former magistrates. Their launch party on Fountain Square will introduce attendees to…
Event: Covedale Center Annual Arts & Crafts Fair
The Covedale Center hosts its 13th annual summer Arts & Crafts Fair. Find original work by local mixed-media artists at this outdoor event: jewelry, pottery, tiles, woodworks, oil, acrylic, photography and more. Artists keep proceeds. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. Covedale Center for the Performing Arts, 4990 Glenway Ave., Western Hills, cincinnatilandmarkproductions.com.
Event: The City Flea
The curated urban flea market returns to Washington Park for a day of vintage-hunting, artisan-made wares and local snacking. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. Free. 1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, thecityflea.com.
Film: Hilltop Stories
Seven short films about life in Walnut Hills, created by DAAP professor Ryan Mulligan and art educator Sam Meador and featuring residents of the inner-city neighborhood, debut with a free outdoor screening. The films, collectively called Hilltop Stories, seek to give people a voice and chance to express what’s meaningful to them about their lives…
Event: Rock & Roll Against Dirty Coal: Live Band Karaoke Challenge
The Ohio Citizen Action Education Fund hosts a karaoke fundraiser at the Northside Tavern to help fight pollution from coal plants. Nine contestants have agreed to raise up to $500 each. Anyone wishing to sing can do so for $10; those who have been challenged to sing and want to decline pay $20. Six celebrity…
Event: Midwest Regional Black Family Reunion
The Midwest Regional Black Family reunion returns for the 26th time. This continually growing, three-day cultural event is one of the largest family-focused celebrations in Cincinnati, honoring the historic strengths and traditional values of the black family. Friday features a heritage breakfast and job fair; Saturday features a parade and festival with music headliner Freddie…
Event: Bacon, Blues & Brew Arts and Music Festival
A bacon, Blues and brews arts and music festival? (The following description is just in case you’re not convinced by the name alone.) In addition to the free art show (artists and craftsman come from all over for this one) and live, outdoor music (rooted in the classic American style and featuring headliners like Anders…
Event: Great Inland Seafood Festival
Enjoy all the delicacies of aquatic life at the 27th annual Great Inland Seafood Festival. The guest of honor, whole Maine lobster, can be anyone’s dinner for $10.95 — the event sells more than 10,000 lobsters throughout the weekend — and with shrimp, oysters, redfish and much more, a Poseidon-sized feast can be had by all. …
Art: Co-Conspirators at Caracole
The participants in the exhibition at Northside HIV/AIDs nonprofit, Co-Conspirators: Works by and with Raymond Thunder-Sky, Donald Henry, Becky Iker, Dale Jackson, Bill Ross and Kevin White, are all connected by their early involvement with two Northside-based art organizations: Visionaries + Voices and Thunder-Sky, Inc. Ross began to champion the work of artist Raymond Thunder-Sky…
Comedy: Tommy Davidson
Though he says he was a very funny kid, Tommy Davidson never realized just how funny he was. Growing up in Silver Springs, Md., he was surrounded by lots of hilarious people, both family and friends. “I never really thought about it,” he says. “I just liked to laugh and have fun. It wasn’t until I…
Event: Sugar Rush
Act like a kid in a candy store during CityBeat’s favorite sweet event: the third-annual Sugar Rush. Local bakeries, confectioners, chocolatiers and more will convene on the Cincinnati Ballet Center, turning it into the equivalent of Willy Wonka’s factory for a night. Guests — and a panel of expert judges — will vote for their favorite…
Attractions: Shark Week at the Newport Aquarium
The Newport Aquarium gets in on the Shark Week hysteria with its own special programming (sans Sharknados). Meet rare shark rays, watch a shark feeding, pet a shark, see someone dive into a tank of sharks and more. Daily events through Aug. 17. $23 adults; $15 children. Newport Aquarium, Newport on the Levee, Newport, Ky.,…
Morning News and Stuff
New week, new… err, news. Let's get to it. Sean Patrick Feeney isn’t leaving just yet. The Democratic candidate, an IT consultant from North College Hill, is running for Republican Chris Monzel’s Hamilton County commissioner seat. Democratic challengers have expressed a lot more interest in that seat after Monzel's recent icon tax moves. But Feeney…
Peach Daze at Hidden Valley Fruit Farm
Head to Lebanon's Hidden Valley Fruit Farm this weekend for their Peach Daze Festival. This family-friendly event features fresh peach sundaes, peach ice cream, peach pies, hayrides, children's train, friendly barnyard, a bounce house, food and cr. ft vendors. For more than 60 years, Hidden Valley has offered homegrown fruits and vegetables. (They also have you-pick broccoli, kale and…
Morning News and Stuff
After such a jam-packed week, today's morning news feels kind of light. There's only a major highway project that some say could cause neighborhood displacement, big questions on a deal to save two Cincinnati landmarks and a few other things going on. You know, a pretty slow news day. • More questions are arising about…
DIY Kombucha
Learn to make your own kombucha with Stephanie Kodakya Phillips at Park + Vine the second Saturday of each month. At 10 a.m. on Aug. 9, Stephanie provides details on how to create effervescent fermentation of sweetened tea with a home-brewing system. Each person in the class receives one small piece of a SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony Of…
Rev. Jesse Jackson Visits Cincinnati to Pitch Voting Rights Amendment
Civil rights leader and former presidential hopeful Rev. Jesse Jackson wants to drum up support for a proposed constitutional amendment guaranteeing all Americans the right to vote, and he came to Cincinnati yesterday on his quest to get it. Jackson appeared at yesterday's Cincinnati City Council meeting to make his case, highlighting the fact that…
Enquirer: Publishing Trashy Arrest Stories Was a Mistake
The Cincinnati Enquirer news department has seen some hard times this week, taking down stories about rich people being arrested and now admitting that it was a bad idea to publish a trashy collection of mug shots and arrest reports about people who are likely mentally unstable or addicted to drugs. CityBeat reported yesterday that…
Your Super Heavy-Duty News Roundup
Phew! Yesterday was a crazy day to be a reporter in Cincinnati. This will be an all-local, all politics morning news update. Since we’ve already talked about a lot of the issues at play in the past couple morning news rundowns, I’ll just hit you with the highlights today. The big story locally was Hamilton…
Music Hall Cut From Icon Tax Proposal
Hamilton County Commissioners voted today to axe Music Hall from a proposed sales tax increase designed to pay for renovations to that structure and Union Terminal. Now, only Union Terminal will benefit from the potential tax hike, which county voters will decide on in November. Voters won't get a chance to decide whether a similar…
Did The Enquirer Take Down a Castellini Arrest Story?
The Cincinnati Enquirer has long been dedicated to covering the hilarious details of poor people being arrested, and this week was no different as reporter Ally Marotti put together a legit “Arrest roundup” on Monday, telling the tales of a guy spitting on people at a bus stop, one dude masturbating on the steps of…
I Just Can’t Get Enough
Many longtime Parks and Recreation fans are well aware of actor Chris Pratt’s greatness, but sometimes it takes the combination of a personal trainer and a blockbuster action flick for an actor to get big mainstream recognition. Sure, Parks and Rec’s Andy Dwyer may be all buff now, but Pratt is definitely not just relying…
MidPoint Music Festival’s 2014 Schedule Unveiled
This morning, the full schedule (with a few exceptions) for this year's MidPoint Music Festival, which returns to Cincy Sept. 25-27, was announced. You can start building your itinerary now here. This year's MPMF will remain centered around venues in the Over-the-Rhine and neighboring Downtown areas. A few new venues were announced — Memorial Hall,…
Trademark Aaron Releases EP, Plays Fountain Square
Local MC Trademark Aaron has emerged as one of the top up-and-coming Hip Hop talents in Greater Cincinnati with an increased live presence on area stages, compelling music videos and a string of mixtapes and other releases that have gradually caught national attention and shown his impressive growth as an artist over the past four…
Electric Avenues
Ross and Laura Dolan have a lot to celebrate recently. The married couple and bandmates in Electric Citizen — he on Tony Iommi-fired riffage, she on earthy-yet-ethereal lead vocals — just marked a special occasion. It’s not their wedding anniversary (no idea when that is), but the first anniversary of the band’s live debut, which…
Morning News and Stuff
Say you’ve got a friend from out of town coming to Cincinnati. You really want to give them a warm welcome. What’s the best party in town for a newcomer? That’s right: a 2.5 hour hang sesh with city council! Yesterday, members of council grilled Mayor John Cranley’s pick for city manager Harry Black about…
United Nations with Frameworks
At first blush, United Nations is a thrilling, adrenalized Punk band with the sonic markers that define the genre — political lyrics that range from personal to global; double-clutched drumming; riffs that careen wildly from oddly melodic to lethally brutal; vocals that run the gamut from singing in a normal register to shrieking like a…
“A Tribute to Walter Trout” with The Walter Trout Band, Danny Bryant and Jon Trout
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the solo career of internationally renowned Blues/Rock guitarist Walter Trout. In celebration, it has been a busy year of Trout-related activity. But it is activity Trout is mostly watching from the sidelines. The guitar hero is probably more than happy to just be able to do that. After…
Old Monk with Little Lights
Brooklyn, N.Y., band Old Monk has referred to its music as “Prog Punk,” an interesting descriptor considering the two genres were diametrically opposed back in the day. It reminds me of a scene from the excellent documentary movie New York Doll, about bassist Arthur “Killer” Kane of the Proto Punk band New York Dolls, where…
Prostitution Barricades Come Down, Fight Continues
The city has removed anti-prostitution barricades erected in May along McMicken Avenue in Over-the-Rhine and Fairview, but the fight over the tactic continues. The barriers, taken down on July 31 as originally planned, were placed in the area as a test to see if such measures would limit the incidence of prostitution, a big issue…
Cranley’s City Manager Pick Heads for a Full Council Vote
At a news conference outside City Hall July 31, Harry Black pledged that should he be selected to be city manager, his office would seek to boost development, improve financial planning and preserve safety in the city. A committee made up of Vice Mayor David Mann and Councilmen Kevin Flynn and Wendell Young met with…
Man Man with Injecting Strangers, Ohio Knife and Skeleton Hands
Man Man’s greatest sonic attributes could also be considered its most significant liabilities, particularly by labels looking to hitch their wagons to a commercial cash cow. And although Man Man has somehow managed to infiltrate the mainstream to a small degree with adjustments to their core sound, the band (which fluctuates from duo to trio…
Epidemic Proportions
Multiple factors have converged in Ohio to bring heroin addiction and overdose numbers to crisis levels, and law enforcement officials, doctors and politicians have all raised alarms about the growing problem during recent months. But a near-concensus among experts that there exists a serious problem hasn’t resulted in an actionable plan to solve it. Clinics…
The Persistence of Time
Boyhood, as you've probably already heard, is a different kind movie. Shot over the course of 12 years with the same cast, filmmaker Richard Linklater's perceptive ode to family and the life of one specific boy (played by newcomer Ellar Coltrane) from age 6 to 18 is also about the simple passage of time — a…
Remembering “The Struggle”
Work defined my life in Central Africa. Six or seven days a week in 1964, I was at my desk by mid-morning as news editor in charge of a new black nationalist daily, the Zambia Times. Days, I’d direct the reporters and photographers. Nights, I’d edit their work, collaborate with layout and copy editors, write…
The Finish Line
Dear President Barack Obama: I was beginning to think you’d forgotten all about me. Then I recalled how very busy you are and have been. During two tumultuous terms, you have been heckled by Rep. Joe Wilson (no relation) during your State of the Union Address, been infantilized by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer when she…
The First ‘Knick’ Is the Deepest
Hospitals, for many, are intrinsically scary. But really, today’s medical centers are some of the most sterile places filled with professionals well-versed in their fields. Year after year, less invasive procedures are created to help people. What used to require extensive surgery can now be performed with tiny incisions — or none at all. What’s…
Searching for ‘A Most Wanted Man’
Issa Karpov (Grigoriy Dobrygin), a Chechen Muslim, enters Hamburg, Germany illegally, weaving his way through sewers, stowing away on a cargo ship, hiding in plain sight beneath a dirty hooded sweatshirt and a scraggly beard. Throughout his circuitous journey, though, Issa makes time to pray. Heightened levels of secrecy and devotion can only lead to…
Homegrown Heroes
D ave Parker grew up in the West End with the cheers from Crosley Field ringing all around him. Occasionally, he’d meander over to the players’ entrance of that bygone ballpark and watch Frank Robinson and Vada Pinson zoom into the parking lot in their white Thunderbirds. Parker didn’t want an autograph. No, he wanted…
Keeping Up with Jackie Kashian
“It’s going well,” says comedian Jackie Kashian of her career. “Everyone seems to be pointed in a Jackie Kashian direction, which I am pleased about.” Earlier this year, the Milwaukee native released a DVD and CD titled This Will Make an Excellent Horcrux, to rave reviews. “It’s a joke for the 17 billion people who…
