The Cincinnati Riverfront Park is currently under construction and progress is being made on the first phase of the project that will be completed in spring 2011. The Moerlein Lager House, Bicycle Center and Event Lawn are all making headway while the support elements are put in place. The project is on schedule according to project manager Dave Prather who gives us the update.
Tag: downtown
The Washington Platform Saloon & Restaurant in downtown Cincinnati will play host for the 24th Annual Oyster Festival starting this weekend. The festival will kick off this Friday, March 26 with a new 24/ 20.10 special where oyster lovers can get 24 freshly shucked oysters “with all the trimmings” for $20.10 that will go along with Washington Platform’s happy hour drink specials Monday through Friday from 4pm to 7pm.
The month-long festival will feature a 40-plus item oyster menu prepared by award-winning chef Jon Diebold. “A Smoked Oyster Salad, Oysters Mardi Gras, and Nantucket Oysters are just a sampling of Oyster Festival fare,” said Diebold who added that Washington Platform’s famous fresh-shucked Oysters On The Half Shell will also be available.
The longest running oyster festival in Cincinnati will include the popular “Pearl Count” and “Pearls of Wisdom” contests which will give participants a chance to win gift certificates and other prizes. According to festival organizers, proceeds from these special festival events will go to benefit the Esme Kenney/SCPA Memorial Sculpture Fund. There will also be a $50 Washington Platform gift certificate giveaway to those who find a big red 24 on the bottom of their oysters during the festival.
As the festival continues into April, Washington Platform (map) will host the annual “Cork ‘N Shells” six course wine and oyster sampling on Thursday, April 22. Seating is limited and guests are encouraged to make reservations in advance by calling (513) 421-0110. The 24th Annual Oyster Festival will run from this Friday, March 24 through Saturday, April 26.
Oyster photo by Gary Sharp.
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Pecha Kucha + Ignite = ?
Pecha Kucha came full circle this past Friday at the Contemporary Arts Center in downtown Cincinnati when it returned to the spot where PK Cincinnati got its start. But there is a new addition to the “interesting presentation” scene in Cincinnati, and that is Ignite Cincinnati.
Ignite Cincinnati and Pecha Kucha are very similar in scope and execution. The biggest difference is that Ignite presenters get 15 seconds per slide while Pecha Kucha presenters get a whopping 20 seconds. The PK idea was started first and has a more international audience, but Ignite is no less of a format for presenting ideas. Founders for both forums have acknowledged the similarities and are currently working together to collaborate on future projects.
“We’re competing for the same spaces, same presenters, same audience,” Pecha Kucha Cincinnati leader Greg Lewis says. “They have more of a handle on the young professional crowd, and obviously we want to work together to achieve the same goals.”
It is too soon to tell how this coalition will manifest itself, but it is safe to say there will definitely be something new happening in the future. In the mean time, let the battle of the interesting presentation styles continue in Cincinnati…we are all reaping the benefits.
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This Week in Soapbox 3/23
This Week in Soapbox, UrbanCincy has the following five stories to check out. Read about Sen. Voinovich’s involvement with the CRP, an advertising agency relocating to OTR, an upcoming conference on neighborhood walkability, Bellevue’s four-day form-based code charrette, and a feature story about Zipcars in Cincinnati.
If you’re interested in staying in touch with some of the latest development news in Cincinnati please check out this week’s stories and sign up for the weekly E-Zine sent out by Soapbox Cincinnati. Also be sure to become a fan of Soapbox on Facebook!
TWIS 3/23/10:
- Senator Voinovich tours Cincinnati Riverfront Park construction site, pledges additional support – full article
- Cincinnati-based Lohre & Associates relocating to historic Over-the-Rhine – full article
- ULI Cincinnati to host Walkable Neighborhoods Conference – full article
- Bellevue hosting four-day charrette on form-based code – full article
- Is Cincinnati Ready to Zip It? (feature story) – full article
The visionary presentation format that is Pecha Kucha (pronounced “peh-chak-cha”) is back with its fifth evening of Cincinnati area speakers that have something to say. Friday, March 19th, PK Volume 5 will be held at the Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) from 6pm to midnight. Pecha Kucha, Japanese for “chit-chat,” is a format of sharing ideas designed to move the speaker along at a quick page and get their message across in a succinct and interesting way.
Each speaker gets 6 minutes and 20 seconds to present their information. They show a series of 20 slides, and get 20 seconds to speak about each particular slide. This style prevents the presenter from getting stuck on one point, and allows the audience to remain interested and engaged throughout.
Pecha Kucha is an international movement dating back to 2002, but the Cincinnati chapter is just over a year old. Its inaugural event was held at the Contemporary Arts Center in February 2009, and has since hosted events at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Art Museum, and most recently a breakfast meeting for professionals at the METS Center in Northern Kentucky. The upcoming event at the CAC has PK Cincinnati founder Greg Lewis excited.
“We’ve got a pretty good representation from students and faculty at both the Art Academy and University of Cincinnati,” said Lewis. “One stand out presentation I’m really looking forward to is Jim Rauth, who has written a book about mannequins from all over the world.”
So far the majority of PK presenters have been architects and design professionals, but the reality is that anyone can be a presenter. “We’re really trying to diversify outside of architecture and design. We are trying to reach into science, medicine and philosophy,” explained Lewis who emphasized that the point is to have an interesting story to share, and from there, the presentation topics are limitless.
Pecha Kucha Night Volume 5 is Friday, March 19 at the Contemporary Arts Center in downtown Cincinnati (map). Tickets are $8 for CAC members and $12 for non-members. You can order tickets online or at the door. The doors and art galleries open at 6pm, presentations run from 7.45pm to 9.30pm, and the after party is from 9.30pm to 12am.
CAC Pecha Kucha photograph by Scott Beseler.