FRIDAY CINCY SPORTS FEST 2015
The best thing after making memories might just be, well, buying them. And that’s something you can do at the Cincy Sports Fest, an autographs and collectibles event that will bring in more than 100 exhibitors selling baseball memorabilia, sure to help you cherish the memories you make during the All-Star Game. The four-day event is also a way for hardcore fans to meet the living legends of America’s favorite pastime. For All-Star Gamers, Northern Kentucky’s Southbank Shuttle (tankbus.org) has a new route, which includes pick-up and drop-off in front of the fest at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center. Friday (VIP)-Tuesday. $5 one-day; $20 four-day. Northern Kentucky Convention Center, 1 W. Rivercenter Blvd., Covington, Ky., cincy2015.com.
ALL-STAR FANFEST
This fan-friendly and family-friendly convention includes more than 100 appearances from baseball legends and Hall of Famers. Fans can check out players’ official All-Star Game uniforms, run around and take batting practice and hang out in mini dugouts. There will be daily player appearances and autograph sessions, plus artifacts from the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Friday-Tuesday. $35 adult; $30 children/seniors. Duke Energy Convention Center, 525 Elm St., Downtown, 513-419-7300, allstargame.com.
VOLKSFEST
Meaning “people’s festival” in German, Volksfest brings all of Cincinnati’s favorite local beers together in one place for a two-day celebration of the Queen City’s craft brewing culture. Featuring more than 20 different area breweries, some of which have created special beers just for Volksfest, the idea is to focus on lighter, lower ABV and session beers for hot summer days. There will be music and food, and both families and dogs are welcome. 5 p.m.-midnight Friday; noon-11 p.m. Saturday. Free. Listermann Brewing Company, 1621 Dana Ave., Evanston, listermannbrewing.com.
THE SUMMER DRAFT AT TAFT’S ALE HOUSE
All your favorite local breweries and eats come together at Taft’s Ale House for the all-outdoors Summer Draft All-Star Weekend party. Featuring beers from MadTree, Rhinegeist, Christian Moerlein and Taft’s Ale’s summer selections, paired with Eckerlin Meats from Findlay Market, the draft party also features live music from locals Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band, The Almighty Get Down, Jake Speed and more. Noon-11 p.m. Friday-Sunday. Free. 1429 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, taftsalehouse.com.
COV200 SUMMER CELEBRATION & ROEBLINGFEST Founded in 1815, this summer marks the city of Covington’s 200th birthday, and they’re going to be fêting their bicentennial the same way you would if you had been alive for 200 years — with a huge six-day celebration. Focused along Covington’s riverfront, there will be a 50-foot Ferris wheel at Covington Landing, a “Bark Centennial” dog parade in MainStrasse, historical tours of the Licking Riverside’s beautiful homes, kids’ activities, food, drink, music, performances from Circus Mojo and much more. Also includes the 11th-annual RoeblingFest on Saturday, with tours of the Roebling Suspension Bridge. 6-10 p.m. Thursday; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Tuesday. Covington Landing, Covington, Ky., cov200.com/summercelebration.
The turtle soup-steeped 100-year-old tradition continues. St. Rita Fest is a three-day annual summer festival that gives participants the chance to win $25,000 in a grand raffle. When you’re not trying to get rich quick, you can celebrate the community with more than 100 booths featuring food, rides, games and the aforementioned renowned turtle soup. All proceeds benefit students of the St. Rita School for the Deaf. 7 p.m.-midnight Friday; 4 p.m.-midnight Saturday; 1-10 p.m. Sunday. $2. 1720 Glendale Milford Road, Evendale, srsdeaf.org/StRitaFest.aspx.
SATURDAY
SATURDAY
CITY FLEA ALL STAR MARKETA special edition of the City Flea, in honor of All-Star Weekend. The event will feature the normal curated urban flea market selections, plus some baseball-themed fun. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, thecityflea.com.
4192 - AN EVENING WITH PETE ROSE
A live theatrical event during which Pete Rose discusses his childhood on the West Side, his baseball career and the Big Red Machine on a set that looks like a baseball field. Sing the National Anthem, see a surprise guest throw out the first pitch and relive the moment Rose broke Ty Cobb’s hit record on Sept. 11, 1985. 8 p.m. Saturday. $32.50-$125. Taft Theatre, 317 E. Fifth St., Downtown, tafttheatre.org.
Got a minute? How about an hour? That’s enough time to see some quick plays this weekend at Know Theatre. Local writers were invited to consider the world around them, locally and beyond, and write about moments that could only happen here and now. The result is a festival described as “a series of 60 pulses of storytelling, 60 heartbeats saying something about who we are, where we are and where we might be going as a community.” Two days only with proceeds benefiting new play development at Know. 8 p.m. Saturday; 2 and 8 p.m. Sunday. $10-$20. 1120 Jackson St., Over-the-Rhine, knowtheatre.com.
After splitting time between Los Angeles and Cincinnati, Geoff Tate is back in the Tristate full time. Since returning to Cincinnati, Tate has never been busier as he has been able to parlay his multiple appearances on Doug Benson’s Doug Loves Movies podcast into a string of East Coast and Midwest dates. Cincinnati audiences will be treated to six shows as Tate does new material attempting to reconcile his religious upbringing with his life today. Thursday-Sunday. $8-$14. Go
Bananas, 8410 Market Place Lane, Montgomery, gobananascomedy.com.
THE COLOR RUN
MLB hosts an official All-Star Weekend Color Run 5K, starting at Sawyer Point. The un-timed race will wind through an All-Star-themed course downtown and into Northern Kentucky, dousing runners head-to-toe with colored powder at every kilometer. The start-line window opens at 9 a.m., with music, dancing, stretching and giveaways; waves of runners will continue to start the race every few minutes until 10 a.m. After crossing the Purple People Bridge from Northern Kentucky back into downtown, the free Finish Festival at Sawyer Point will include family-friendly entertainment, music and more color throws. Start time at 9 a.m. with waves every few minutes until 10 a.m. $45 team member; $49.50 individual. Register at allstargame.com/run.
Don Pasquale offers a break from unrequited love, tragedy and death. Nobody dies in Donizetti’s comedy, which is his most-performed opera during his lifetime. The tale of an old bachelor tricked into a fake marriage with his nephew’s sweetheart is by turns hilarious and heartbreaking, and its music is like limoncello on a sweltering summer day. The physical production is a new one for Cincinnati Opera. In this iteration, Don Pasquale is a silent film star who wants a young starlet to help revive his career. Director Chuck Hudson studied with the great mime Marcel Marceau and, according to Mirageas, many of Marceau’s famed characters and routines will turn up. Read more here. 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $25. Music Hall, Over-the-Rhine, cincinnatiopera.org.
SUNDAY
HEART OF VINTAGE BASEBALL
The annual Heart of Vintage Baseball Tournament pits the area’s 1860’s-style baseball clubs against each other in a series of games using Civil War-era sporting rules. 10 a.m. Sunday. Coney Island, 6201 Kellogg Ave., California, norwoodhighlanders.com.
CITYBEAT AND RHINEGEIST WIFFLE BALL HOME RUN DERBY
Rhinegeist and CityBeat have partnered to play Wiffle Ball for a cause, with a home run derby inside the OTR brewery. Anyone can play — a $5 entry fee gets you 10 swings and your $5 goes directly to help the Bow Tie Cause and the Jason Motte Foundation. Noon-5 p.m. Sunday. $5. Rhinegeist, 1910 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, rhinegeist.com.
DIVERSITY IN BASEBALL
Referred to as America’s Pastime, baseball also mirrors America’s social progress — as barriers were removed in society, so too were those in baseball. The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center’s Diversity in Baseball exhibit celebrates the players who have broken racial and other social barriers. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. $15 adults; $13 seniors; $10.50 children. 50 E. Freedom Way, The Banks, Downtown, freedomcenter.org.
