Tag: events

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News

Fountain Square Ice Rink open on Christmas!!

It’s less than two days until the Big Day arrives. After a frenzied couple of hours, the presents will be opened, the food will be eaten, and all the preparations for the Christmas holiday will be dismissed in a pile of discarded wrapping paper and distended bellies. If you’re looking to spend some quality family time beyond the 24 hour “Christmas Story” marathon, look no further than our beloved Fountain Square.

The U.S. Bank Ice Rink will be open Christmas Day, Friday Dec. 25, from 2pm to 10pm. The rink will also be open New Year’s Day, Friday Jan. 1, from 2pm to 10pm.

Regular hours from now through Sunday Jan. 3 are Sunday through Thursday from 10am to 10pm, and Friday & Saturday from 10am to midnight. From January 4 to February 21, the regular hours will change to:

  • Sunday – Wednesday: noon – 6pm
  • Thursday: noon – 10pm
  • Friday & Saturday: noon – 10pm
  • Holidays: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and President’s day: 10am – 6pm

The cost to skate is $2.50 per person. Skate rental is also $2.50 or feel free to bring your own skates. Parking is conveniently located in the Fountain Square Garage for just $5 after 4pm on weekdays and all day on weekends, and Metro’s Government Square bus hub is located less than a block away for convenient bus service. Bicycle parking is also plentiful on/around the square.

Come start a new holiday tradition on Fountain Square this holiday season. And if you’re not in town but want to live vicariously through others, Cincinnati Bell has a live webcam of the ice skating area here.

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News

Over-the-Rhine: A Holiday Tradition

Usually when we talk about Over-the-Rhine here it is about how the neighborhood is turning around, or events going on in the neighborhood. This time though, I thought it appropriate to take a moment and talk about the group of musicians known by the same name and specifically their show tonight at the Taft Theater. The show this year, and many years in the past, has been sponsored by local radio treasure 89.7 WNKU.

The heart of Over-the-Rhine, the band, is Linford Detweiler and Karin Bergquist who have been married and making music together for quite some time. Last year their two night stand at The Taft celebrated the 20th year of the band as they worked through music from their entire career. This year the show should be back to its more traditional mix of original tunes, both of the holiday variety and those enjoyed on a year round basis.

Their annual homecoming show around the Christmas holiday has become a longstanding tradition in Cincinnati which started back in the mid 1990s at the Emery Theatre. As the band’s fan base grew and the Emery closed down of course (only to be remodeled) the next logical place was the Taft where they have been playing for a while now.

This show has become a part of how many Cincinnatians celebrate the holiday season, and if you have not checked it out it comes highly recommended. Karin, Linford, and company put on a very thoughtful and elegant show on a stage that is usually candlelit and has numerous flowers on it which are purchased by fans of the band. Couple it with a dinner at one of the many establishments around town and a trip to the Fountain Square Ice Skating Rink for the perfect Saturday night.

Get in the mood by checking out “Darlin (Christmas is Coming)” from last year’s show and then buy your tickets for the show here.

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Arts & Entertainment News

Once Upon a Mattress a hit for the holidays

This weekend, Jersey Productions will run their final showings of Once Upon a Mattress. Tony nominated actress Pamela Myers plays the lead, Queen Aggravaine, and Kaitlin Becker perfectly plays the eccentric Princess Winnifred. Children and adults alike will love how well the young actors and actresses portraying a group of children listening to a story actually become involved in the musical numbers.

Tickets are still available for this weekend’s showings and can be purchased online, by calling (513) 621-2787, or by visiting the box office. Seeing the play will be the perfect end to a day of fun holiday activities downtown this weekend, including seeing the train display at the Cincinnati Gas and Electric Building, ice skating on Fountain Square, or bolstering the local economy by shopping in the Gateway Quarter.

The Aronoff Center for the Arts (map) is located in the heart of downtown Cincinnati’s Backstage Entertainment District. Off-street automobile and bicycle parking is available and the Aronoff Center is well-serviced by Metro’s Government Square bus hub. To see which route is most convenient for you, and to plan your trip now, use Metro’s Trip Planner.

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News Politics Transportation

Cincinnatians continue to show strong support for rail transit

This past Wednesday night, dozens of transit supporters gathered for the Cincinnatians for Progress (CFP) holiday party and victory celebration at City Cellars downtown. The meeting came just over a month after Issue 9, the Anti-Passenger Rail Amendment, was soundly defeated by Cincinnatians at the polls. In the campaign, CFP out-raised, out-canvassed, and outsmarted the special interest groups looking to hold back our city.

At the meeting, rail advocate John Schneider discussed the status of the Cincinnati Streetcar plan and other transit projects regionally and nationally. Cincinnati is getting closer to making its Streetcar plan a reality, with the possibility of receiving funding from several state and federal sources. Any one of these awards could fully fund the project; and depending on the amount, later phases of the plan could even be fast-tracked.

[LEFT] John Schneider speaks to the crowd at City Cellars. [RIGHT] The crowd gathered at City Cellars showing their support of rail transit in Cincinnati.


The 3C Corridor project, which would give Cincinnatians a rail link to Columbus and Cleveland, was also discussed. Schneider said Ohio is in a position to receive federal funding, depending on what strategy is used to develop our national inter-city rail infrastructure. That’s because Ohio is the most dense U.S. state without rail linking its major cities.

As the special interest group known as COAST ducks away and tries to regroup after being blasted in the November 3rd election, transit supporters continue to rally and maintain a strong and loyal base of supporters that are indicative of the larger voter population in Cincinnati.

Formed in response to Issue 9, Cincinnatians for Progress grew quickly and gained true grassroots support. Chairs Joe Sprengard and Bobby Maly explained that thanks to this support, the organization will continue to exist as a pro-growth, pro-transit group supporting our city and urban core.

If you are looking to help make the Cincinnati Streetcar reality you can do so by doing one or more of the following:


(Video courtesy of 5chw4r7z.)

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News

OTR Neighborhood Holiday Party – Thursday Night!

Tis the season for holiday parties, and tonight there is a special one happening at Mr. Pitiful’s (map) on Main Street in the heart of Over-the-Rhine supporting the Over-the-Rhine Foundation.

The 2nd Annual OTR Neighborhood Holiday Party will feature live music from local favorites Messerly & Ewing, food, and of course spirits featuring Christian Moerlein’s Christkindl Winter Warmer Ale. The party gets started at 6pm Thursday evening and is slated to run until 10pm, but you have to figure that will be just about the earliest anyone heads home.

There will be raffle tickets available for $10 which will give you a chance to get some help out with some gifts for friends or for yourself. Prizes range from gift cards to OTR shops such as Park+Vine, Outside, Findlay Market, and tickets to productions by the Cincinnati Ballet, Know Theatre, and Cincinnati Opera.

Another fundraising piece of the night will include a live auction featuring works of art by Jim Effler, VisuaLingual, Sherman Cahal, and Craig Moyer. Finally, $25 raffle tickets will be available for the Dream Vacation Raffle which is a one week stay in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

As mentioned above all raffle proceeds will be going to the Over-the-Rhine Foundation which has been working to preserve, protect, and promote OTR for over sixteen years. So come on out, support a good cause, meet new folks, and get reacquainted with older ones at Mr. Pitiful’s on Thursday. While there is no need to RSVP per se, there is of course a Facebook Page where you can let everyone know of your good intentions!