Tag: events

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The great turnaround

Unlike many Cincinnatians I grew up a Bearcat fan. I remember going to football games and what occupied most of the south endzone was impromptu games up catch by kids my age, the north endzone had some bleachers set up for opposing teams bands, but were rarely filled. A smokestack cast its shadow over those bleachers and parking lots surrounded the stadium making for plenty of tailgating opportunities for the handful of people that actually showed up – most of whom were forced into buying season tickets so that they could get basketball season tickets.

A lot has changed since then. The Bearcats are now a BCS school, the stadium has been expanded slightly and cleaned up, that north endzone is now occupied by a student section at capacity, and the south endzone has a filled fan section with a eatery and massive new scoreboard atop the large rec center.

We play teams like Oklahoma, South Florida, West Virginia, Pittsburgh and other top-notch BCS schools regularly…and we’re competitive. We also have the oldest stadiums in college football with one of the most unique settings anywhere. UC Athletic Director, Mike Thomas, aptly described Nippert Stadium as the Wrigley Field of college football, but it is also one of the smallest stadiums for a BCS school.
So with all this positive change, big time opponents, and a winning team you would expect a region of over 2 million people to be able to fill a 35,000 seat stadium for 6 home games a year. This past Saturday was Homecoming. It was a beautiful Saturday with not much else going on in the region and the announced crowd was something like 32,000 and change. It was announced, on the scoreboard, as “the sixth largest crowd in Nippert history.” Embarrassing.

It was a perfect day, Homecoming, Big East conference opener, the Buckeyes didn’t play until after the Bearcats finished, and the Bengals were scheduled for a road game on Sunday (and they suck). At the same time CBS is predicting that the Bearcats will win the Big East and head to Miami to play Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl.

The team is 5-1 overall and 1-0 in the conference. Let’s start supporting them before it’s too late. Cincinnati has been waiting for a winner for many years now. Well we have one, and there are good tickets still available. Single game tickets can be purchased for as little as $35, and the Bearcats will be playing host to South Florida, Pittsburgh and Syracuse to finish out their home schedule.

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The Seafarer at the ETC

The second show of Ensemble Theatre’s 08-09 Season is upon us. The critically acclaimed production of Connor McPherson’s The Seafarer, will kick off next Wednesday, October 15th. The production stars Dennis Parlato, Adrian Sparks, Joneal Joplin, Brian Isaac Phillips and John Librizzi, and is nominated for 4 Tony Awards including ‘Best Play’.

The Seafarer is a chilling new play about the sea, Ireland, and the power of myth. It’s Christmas Eve and Sharky has returned to Dublin to look after his irascible, aging brother who’s recently gone blind. Old drinking buddies Ivan and Nicky are holes up at the house too, hoping to play some cards. But with the arrival of an oddly familiar stranger, the stakes are raised even higher. Sharky may be playing for his very soul.

The show runs 2 hours and 20 minutes with a 15 minute intermission. Tickets can be purchased by calling the ETC box office at 513.421.3555 or via the internet. Ticket prices vary based on the day of the week and other possible discounts. You can also enter to win 2 FREE tickets as part of the ETC’s monthly drawing.

Read the NYTimes review of The Seafarer.

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PARK(ing) Day invades Cincinnati

First organized by the Trust for Public Land, PARK(ing) Day is a global event that lasts only one day but whose goal is one that is shared amongst many. Whereas some cities devote 70% of their public land to the automobile, PARK(ing) Day attempts to reclaim land from the automobile, to change how one perceives public space to be defined as, at least temporarily.

Activists, artists and ordinary citizens come together to transform metered parking spots into “PARK(ing) spaces,” or what are essentially public parks. Some of these reclaimed spaces are more elaborate than others, with some laying out the sod and lawn chairs to give the appearance of an actual park. An act of civil disobedience in some locales, nothing more than a glance-over by the parking maids in others.

What’s great about PARK(ing) Day is its simplicity. You choose a suitable location for the park, lay down some sod or shrubbery, add in some chairs or perhaps a bench, and other decorative elements that invite passerby’s to come in and chat. Perhaps add in an umbrella to provide some shade. Oh, and don’t forget to feed the meter.

For Cincinnati, there were seven PARK(ing) Day locations. Coffee Emporium, City Roots, Park+Vine, Outside, Iris Book Cafe and Classical Glass all participated.

At Coffee Emporium’s spot, one of the employees had kicked back in a chair and was catching up on a novel. At Park+Vine’s, they were selling lemons for two cents and advice for one cent from a cardboard stand that was reminiscent of Lucy’s “Pyschiatric Help” booth from the cartoon strip, Peanuts.

It wasn’t all rosy, though. An impromptu spot along Walnut Street between Fourth and Fifth streets ran into a snafu after participants began playing cornhole outside of a Subway restaurant. The fast-food eatery, fearing a major loss of business during the lunch rush, called the police to complain and the PARK(ing) spot was removed.

PARK(ing) Day was still a fantastic event and a much bigger turnout than from the prior year. It’ll be interesting to see what is planned for next year!

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Oktoberfest Zinzinnati bigger and better

The second largest Oktoberfest celebration in the world and “America’s Oktoberfest” is this weekend in Downtown Cincinnati. The festival has been extended another block this year now encompassing six full city blocks (along 5th from Race to Broadway) to help accommodate the 500,000+ that come for the German beer, food, entertainment and fun.

What makes this year so much bigger and better than previous years are the new additions to the festival. There will now be five stages of entertainment plus the new Time Warner Cable Party Zelt will be the largest fest tent in the history of Oktoberfest. The tent will be equipped with flat screen televisions and wifi, and will be the place to watch the game or enjoy German musik.

Also new is the HYPE Haus Party: HYPE, the Chamber’s young professional initiative, will hold a party from 4 to 11 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20. The “party within a party” will include a lounge, food, music, beer sampling and appearances from Buster the Party Dawg.

Even the famous world’s largest chicken dance is improving this year with the addition of Chicken Dance with the Stars. Local celebrities will be doing the chicken dance to get ready for Oktoberfest. Videos of local celebrities doing the Chicken Dance are posted online, and the community is invited to vote for the best Chicken Dancer. The winner will be unveiled as part of the annual highlight of Oktoberfest-Zinzinnati.

Sam Adams, brewed in Cincinnati, is the new beer sponsor for this year’s festival and Cincinnati native and founder of the Boston Beer Company (Sam Adams’ parent company) will tap the first keg at the Opening Ceremony.

Be sure to also check out Cincinnati’s own German beer delight – Christian Moerlein – at their Christian Moerlein Bier Garten located in front of the Chemed Building. They will have Moerlien OTR, Lager House, Barbarossa and Fifth & Vine Oktoberfest Marzen available to drink.

Oktoberfest Zinzinnati (free admission)

Saturday (9/20): 11am – Midnight
Sunday (9/21): 11am – 10pm
Opening Ceremony (9/20): 11:30am
Gemuetlichkeit Games (9/17 – 9/18): Noon – 1pm
Second Annual Running of the Wieners (9/19): Noon – 1pm
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Eclipse at Northside Tavern tonight

Northside Tavern’s new backroom is open, and will be the spot to check out Eclipse tonight. There will be no cover and music will start around 10pm.

Listen to Eclipse here!

Northside Tavern is open until 2:30am everyday and is a great spot to catch local music and enjoy a few drinks. Northside Tavern has received accolades like ‘Best new bar’ (2003 – Cincinnati Enquirer), ‘Best Public Living Room’ (2004 – CityBeat Best of Cincinnati), ‘Best Supporter of Local Music’ and ‘Best Bar/Nightclub’ (both 2005 – CityBeat Best of Cincinnati). One of the other great things is that it is situated nicely in the heart of Northside.

Feel free to get there a little early and take advantage of their happy hour that runs from 5pm-8pm M-F. You can get $2.75 pints, $2.50 well, $3.00 call and $3.50 wine. Northside Tavern (GoogleMap) also has a huge outdoor patio if you care to enjoy the lovely weather or if you need to get out and smoke.

Photo by The Club Creatures