Category: Arts & Entertainment

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Arts & Entertainment News

2010 Cincy Blues Fest to entertain crowds at Sawyer Point this weekend

This weekend Sawyer Point will have a bluesy vibe as the Cincy Blues Fest returns for 2010 starting Friday night at 5pm. The event will bring top-notch blues talent to the Cincinnati central riverfront for two consecutive nights, and raise money for a local music education program.

Hosted by the Cincy Blues Society, this festival has been an annual event for many years now and offers Cincinnatians and visitors a chance to experience some great blues music for a low price all in one place. Blues lovers and music enthusiasts can purchase tickets for $10 on Friday and $15 on Saturday which has more than two hours of music starting at 2:30pm and going until midnight.

More than 40 national and local acts will take to four stages over the two day event. The Budweiser Main Stage will feature national acts both nights, as well as, a special performance by Blues Society’s Blues in the Schools program. Blues in the Schools brings accomplished area musicians into local schools to educate students about the history and significance of blues music, and is the main benefactor of the festival.

On Friday, Cincy Blues Fest will partner with the Gulf Restoration Network to raise awareness and funds for Gulf Coast and wetlands restoration efforts in a New Orleans-themed night called Pardi Gras. Saturday’s special performance features a tribute to one of the founders of Jazz music, Jell Roll Morton, with special Boogie-Woogie performances all day long. Additionally, the local blues scene will be featured on the St. Vincent de Paul stage all weekend long. Beer, wine, barbecue, and Cajun cuisine will also reportedly be available for purchase.

Festival organizers state that close to 400 volunteers help make the event possible each year. Those interested in signing up to volunteer can sign up online, or do so by contacting Tammy Reams at (513) 405-5868 or cincybluesvolunteers@gmail.com. A volunteer orientation party is scheduled for Thursday, August 5 at 7pm under the arches at Sawyer Point.

The 2010 Cincy Blues Fest will take place at Sawyer Point (map) in downtown Cincinnati. Limited automobile parking is available nearby. Lots of free off-street bicycle parking is available, and the event is accessible by Metro bus service (plan your trip). Refer to the festival’s website for discounted ticket information for children and Blues Society members.

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Two national community engagement movements to gather in Cincinnati tonight

Transition Town Northside will be meeting tonight at 5pm, and members of the Over-the-Rhine community will be taking part in National Night Out at historic Findlay Market.

The National Night Out event in Over-the-Rhine offers a chance for community members to engage with their local law enforcement officers. Police officers from District One of the Cincinnati Police Department will be at the event that will include food and games. Organizers state that the event is geared towards creating a safe, healthy community by strengthening relationship with the community and its police force. The event will take place at Findlay Market’s farmers shed (map) on the north side of the market house from 5pm to 6:30pm. Please contact the Over-the-Rhine Chamber of Commerce for more information at (513) 241-2690.

The Cincinnati Police Department will also be participating in five other National Night Out events throughout the city.  District One will also be at Mt. Adams Monastery (map) from 6pm to 8pm, District Two at the Mt. Washington Recreation Center (map) from 6pm to 9pm, District Three at the Kroger Grocery on Ferguson Road (map) from 5pm to 8pm, District Four at Fleischmann Gardens Park (map) from 6pm to 8pm, and District Five at College Hill Presbyterian Church (map) from 6pm to 9pm.

Meanwhile in Northside, a group committed to helping the neighborhood build community and achieve a more fossil-free existence will be meeting from 5pm to 7pm at the McKie Center (map). The goal of Transition Town Northside is to create an umbrella under which like minded individuals and organizations can pool their efforts, with the main goal of working towards a neighborhood that is local and sustainable. The grass-roots, community effort is generally geared toward responding to the challenges presented by peak oil.

All of these events are free and open to the public and most can be accessed by Metro bus service (plan your trip). Free bicycle parking is also available in the immediate area for most locations.

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Macy’s Music Festival headlining busy weekend in downtown Cincinnati

The Macy’s Music Festival takes place this weekend in downtown Cincinnati at Paul Brown Stadium. Nearly 50,000 R&B and soul fans from around the region are expected to pour into the stadium and nearby venues as they are treated to performances by Jaheim, Melanie Fiona, Teena Marie, Charlie Wilson, Cameo, K’Jon, En Vogue, Maze, Raheem DeVaughn, and Erykah Badu who was added to replace Jill Scott. The two-day music festival is expected to have a local economic impact of $20 million.

Jill Scott canceled her appearance at this year’s festival after learning of an illness in the family. Her absence is certainly a loss for the festival, but the addition of Erykah Badu is one of the few replacements that is able to fill Scott’s proverbial shoes in the festival lineup.

The music festival is complimenting a host of other events that are expected to keep Cincinnati’s center city packed all weekend long.  One such event is the annual convention for the Gospel Music Workshop of America (GMWA) which is expected to draw 5,000 people from around the world, and create an economic impact of $3 million.  The first-place Reds are also in town and hosting the Atlanta Braves in a three game series that is expected to draw three sell-out crowds totaling more than 120,000 fans over the weekend.

Tickets for the Macy’s Music Festival range from $48 to $88 and can be purchased online, or by calling 1-800-452-3132 for group sales.  Performances begin at 7:30pm both nights at Paul Brown Stadium (map).  In the mean time, enjoy ‘Other Side of the Game’ by Erykah Badu.

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Watch This presents King Kong on Fountain Square – 7/31

“Watch This” is a plan to watch all of the American Film Institute’s top 100 films in one year.  Creators Alex Shebar and Allison Johnson are now more than half-way through their mission.  After putting on screenings in venues ranging from the 20th Century Theatre in Oakley to individuals’ homes, they are ready to take over Fountain Square for their biggest event yet.

On Saturday, July 31 at 8:30pm, Watch This will be showing the original 1933 version of King Kong on Fountain Square’s video board located atop Macy’s.  The event is free, and it is recommended you bring a blanket or lawn chair to sit on.  The screening is coincides with Fountain Square’s weekly movie night that regularly draws large crowds to Cincinnati’s central plaza.  For some additional entertainment, come early and watch Over the Hedge, which will be playing at 7pm.

Adult beverages, soft drinks, Skyline cheese coneys, soft pretzels, nachos, candy bars, and kettle corn will be available for purchase.  You can RSVP for the event on Facebook, and follow the Watch This blog for a complete listing of screenings, and follow the #watchthis tag on Twitter for additional updates.

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Hive13 celebrates first year as Cincinnati’s hackerspace

A self-driving remote control car, a refurbished arcade game cabinet, and a MakerBot 3D printer are just a few of the things you may find at the Hive13 hackerspace.  Hive13 is not just a physical location, it has also become a community where hackers, artists, and other creatives come together to share ideas and work on projects they dream up.

In 2009, a group of 20 people began talking about bringing a hackerspace to Cincinnati.  After two months of planning, they moved into a former Camp Washington warehouse and set up shop.  Today, members of Hive13 have 24-hour access to the workspace and a variety of tools to help them with their projects.

Hive13 is still acquiring new tools — like a laser cutter that can pierce wood, plastic, or metal — and working on new projects — like a weather balloon connected to an Android-powered cell phone for communications.

To celebrate their first year of operation, Hive13 is throwing a party on Saturday, July 24 at their hackerspace, located at 2929 Spring Grove Avenue.  Music, refreshments, and games will start around 7pm.  One of the activities, at the party, will be “laser graffiti,” which allows you to virtually graffiti a building using a laser, webcam, and projector.  A silent auction will also be held to raise money for the group.

Follow @Hive13 on Twitter to stay up-to-date, and learn more about the group from this Soapbox Cincinnati video: