Tag: events

Categories
Arts & Entertainment News Politics Transportation

Issue 9 debate tonight at 6pm on UC’s campus

The legendary Terry Grundy will be hosting John Schneider, Rob Richardson and Chris Finney tonight at 6pm to debate Issue 9 (the Anti-Passenger Rail Amendment). The debate will take place in room 5401 inside the College of Design, Architecture, Art & Planning on the University of Cincinnati’s main campus.

The debate is free to attend and is a great opportunity to hear both sides of the argument if you haven’t yet already…even better if you’re a student at the University of Cincinnati where the Student Body Government recently voted unanimously to oppose Issue 9 and take a strong stance in support of passenger rail transportation in Cincinnati.

Free parking is available in a limited capacity on surrounding streets, but tons of bicycle parking options exist within a stones throw of the entrance to the building (map). Metro’s #17, 18, 19, 39, 51 and 75x bus routes also will drop you off within two blocks of the building. Plan your trip now using Metro’s Trip Planner.

Image from Hargreaves Associates
Categories
News

World Music Fest takes place this weekend in Covington

There’s something happening on the south side of downtown Cincinnati this weekend that is worth some attention as the World Music Fest runs all weekend at multiple venues through the heart of Covington. This event is part of the Covington Full Spectrum series which has something artsy going each and every weekend through the entire month of October.

This is the third annual World Music Fest, and while you may be saying “I’ve never heard of a World Music Fest in the Cincinnati area”, that’s probably because it’s never been as ambitious and as large as it is going to be this year. In prior years there was just a single concert in Newport but this year there will be more than 40 performances at seven different venues around Covington over the course of the entire weekend.

We have linked the entire schedule for you here, but wanted to take the time to point out a few highlights of the weekend:

  • Friday Oct 16, 6-10pm – A VIP mixer at the Baker Hunt Cultural Center which features food, wine, and live music by Faux Frenchmen and Kyle Ferguson. While the cost may be $30, aside from just this kick off mixer, it also gets you into the Global Afterparty (Oct 17), the show at the Madison (Oct 18), and two tickets to a CCM performance. Think of your ticket to this event as your passport for the weekend.
  • Saturday Oct 17, 9am-3pm – Come kickoff the day European style with a complimentary breakfast from the good people at Taste of Belgium and our friends from Coffee Emporium. Music will run until 1pm, but there is a Kids Zone that goes all the way to 3pm with story tellers, workshops, and children’s entertainers.
  • Saturday Oct 17, Noon-6:30pm – Over at the Leapin Lizard on Main Street is a Moroccan-style Bazaar with vendors and two stages of live music. While there will be a mix of genres, there is an emphasis on Middle Eastern music. This one is a freebie as well, though there is an afterparty at Leapin Lizard from 9pm-Midnight which will cost you $5.
  • Sunday Oct 18, 5pm-10:30pm – The main event of World Music Fest is a full night’s worth of tunes at the Madison. Headliner Javier Mendoza has quite a résumé including appearing alongside acts as diverse as Willy Nelson, Los Lobos, and even The Roots. While the others are mainly local acts at $12 advance (or free if you went to the VIP party!) this is a great deal any way you look at it.

Nearly everything throughout the weekend is free admission aside from a the few events that we’ve outlined here so be curious and get out to see some great music from all around the world in your own backyard. In the meantime you’ll be supporting some great businesses in Covington that have decided to take part World Music Fest 2009.

Categories
News

Moerlein beer tasting at the Verona – 10/15

In true Cincinnati politico fashion, a Christian Moerlein beer tasting will be held for Councilmember Greg Harris’ reelection campaign. The beer tasting will take place at the historic Verona at Eden Park (map) on Thursday, October 15 from 5pm to 7pm.

If the great beer isn’t enough to get you there then maybe the chance to rub elbows with Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory or President and CEO of Christian Moerlein, Greg Hardman, will do the trick. And since this is a political fundraiser there are suggested donations (listed below) for those interested in attending.

Event organizers say that free valet parking will be provided, but the Verona is also served by Metro’s #1, 4, 11, 31 and 69 bus routes. To plan that trip that works best for your schedule use Metro’s Trip Planner. Please RSVP by emailing wight.phil@gmail.com, or by calling (513) 515-8464.

Suggested Donations
Brewmaster – $250
Homer Brewer – $100
Beer Drinker – $50
Lightweight – $25
Designated Driver – $10

Christian Moerlein photograph by Flickr user pnkermiz.

Categories
Arts & Entertainment News

Falcon Theater presents ‘The Complete Works of Shakespeare… Abridged’

What do you get when you combine 3 fantastic actors, football, cooking shows, rapping, juggling and too many wigs for one bald man to pull off?

Obviously a stellar performance of all the works of one of the greatest playwrights the world has ever known. That is, The COMPLETE Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), a ‘feat unprecedented in theater’, which is opening tonight at the Falcon Theater in Newport, Kentucky.

Even if you can’t tell your Romeo from your Juliet, you will have a fantastic time watching Thurman Allen, Chris Smyth and Jan Dallas Benson bring a touch of modernity to the classic works of Mr. S. It thankfully does not take a Shakespeare scholar to understand and appreciate the play, and with any luck you’ll end up learning a little along the way. At any rate, throw any preconceptions you may have about Shakespeare being boring out the window. This is Shakespeare on psuedophedrine (if you watched this past week’s episode of Glee, you’ll know what I’m talking about).

Thurman Allen & Chris Smyth in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare – photos by Jennifer Kessler.

The Falcon Theater is celebrating its 20th year of producing quality semi-professional theater by reviving another run of its best loved shows. Shakespeare Abridged made its original debut in the 1998-1999 season. Ten years later it is back… and we’re glad.

The three actors together play all the various characters in the 37 plays. There’s a lot of props and costumes that really help to illustrate their various points and bring life to the different roles (however briefly they may appear on stage). Thurman Allen plays the ‘intellectual’, often lapsing into monologue. Jay Dallas Bennison switches into falsetto and plays the heroines with aplomb, and Chris Smyth is the one attempting to hold them all together so the show will go on. This trio has an impeccable sense of comedic timing, and play off each other very well. The show moved along at an appropriately quick pace, and the actors rolled with the punches of the blogging audience and added some hilarious improvisation to their act.

Chris Smyth, Thurman Allen & Jay Dallas Benson in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare – photos by Jennifer Kessler.

The other fun part about Shakespeare, Abridged is its element of audience participation. Without divulging too much, it’s safe to say that you will be diving into the minds of Shakespeare’s characters and helping to contribute to the show in some way shape or form. The improv aspect not only removes the “wall” between audience and actor, but it basically throws it completely out the window. With any luck, you might end up like this hapless blogger shown below:

Chris Smyth, Hapless Blogger/Ophelia, Thurman Allen – photo by Jennifer Kessler.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Abridged runs the next three weekends on Fridays and Saturdays, October 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24 at 8pm. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students and seniors. You can order your tickets online here. The Falcon Theater is located at 636 Monmouth Street in Newport, KY (approximately 4 blocks south of the Levy).

Categories
News

Cincinnatians for Progress fundraiser at Mecklenburg Gardens – 10/13

Cincinnatians for Progress (CFP) will be holding their final fundraiser of this campaign season on Tuesday, October 13 from 5:30pm to 8pm at Mecklenburg Gardens in Corryville. In addition to the food and drink, CFP will also unveil their television commercial and watch the Mayoral debate.

Mecklenburg Gardens is one of Cincinnati’s oldest restaurants and boasts that German charm Cincinnati is so well known for. There will be plenty of Mecklenburg’s famous German food, plus some of the best beer in town. General admission is only $30 and will help keep Cincinnati moving forward with rail transportation choices for its residents, visitors and workers alike. For those looking to contribute a little more, CFP has identified three additional levels of contributors: Danke Schon ($250), Lederhosen ($500), and Burgermeister ($1,000).

Mecklenburg Gardens (map) is just a hop, skip and a jump away from the proposed Uptown streetcar route and presently boasts nearby on-street parking for automobiles, bicycle racks, and is served by Metro’s #39, 46, 51, 75x and 78 bus routes that will all get you within a few blocks of the restaurant. To find out which route is most convenient for you, and to plan your trip now, use Metro’s Trip Planner.