Tag: newport

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19th Annual Italianfest expected to draw thousands to Newport’s riverfront

The 19th Annual Newport Italianfest kicks off on Riverboat Row between the Taylor-Southgate Bridge and Purple People Bridge this coming Thursday afternoon at 5pm and runs all weekend long. This festival features great food from some great local Italian places like Pompilios who is celebrating their 75th year in business. Plenty of other authentic Italian food options will also be available for everyone to enjoy.

Additionally, there are plenty of activities to enjoy at Italianfest. One of the more interesting things from visits I have made in past years is the Family Photo Booth which honors the many Italian families that settled in Newport generations ago. There are also plenty of games and rides, including harbor cruises on the Ohio River both Friday and Saturday evenings. Each night, except Sunday, will close with fireworks either put on by Italianfest or, as is the case on Friday night, the Cincinnati Reds for their summer series of Friday night fireworks games.

Last year, over 90,000 visitors made their way to Italianfest and this year should be quite busy as well. Adding to the hustle and bustle of this weekend’s activities will be the Cincinnati Reds as they take on the St. Louis Cardinals in a battle for 1st Place in the NL Central, Roeblingfest will take place on Saturday in Covington, and the 4th Annual Ride Cincinnati event will take place at Yeatman’s Cove on Saturday morning. All of the events are located on the banks of the Ohio River and are within easy walking distance of one another.

Italianfest (map) will run from 5pm to 11pm on Thursday, 5pm to 11pm on Friday, 11am to 11pm on Saturday, and 12pm to 9pm on Sunday, June 13. The festival is free and open to the public.

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Arts & Entertainment News

Cincinnati to celebrate 115th German Day this weekend

The German-American Citizens League (GACL) will be celebrating the 115th Anniversary of the celebration of German Day this weekend in Cincinnati’s center city which has also historically served as the heart of Cincinnati’s German heritage along with the nation’s.

“The celebration is one of the oldest German Day celebrations in the United States, which is not surprising since Cincinnati is one of the three major German heritage urban centers along with Milwaukee and St. Louis,” explained Dr. Don Heinrich Tolzman, President, GACL.

The festivities will kick off on Saturday, June 5 at 11am at historic Findlay Market (map) in Over-the-Rhine with the annual parade and opening ceremonies. The ceremonies will include representatives from Cincinnati-area German-American societies, a discussion on the German heritage of Findlay Market, and German dance and singing performances.

The weekend celebrations will continue on Sunday at Hofbräuhaus Newport (map) where the GACL will offer hourly raffle prizes throughout the day, and a grand raffle at 5:30pm.  All proceeds from the raffle will go to benefit the German Heritage Museum.

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Business Development News

Nky Preservation projects honored at 2010 River Cities Preservation Awards

On Thursday, May 27, the cities of Bellevue, Newport and Covington hosted the 2010 River Cities Preservation Awards at the Artisan Enterprise Center in Covington. The cities collectively recognized the commitment that the residents and business owners have to reserving the historic quality of their cities. Thirteen awards were given out at the ceremony ranging in purpose from new construction to residential rehabilitation.

Beth Johnson, the Preservation and Planning Specialist for the City of Covington, commends the spirit of collaboration that the awards ceremony breeds.

“The River Cities Preservation Awards are such a wonderful thing for all three cities that participate as it gives us a chance to thank and recognize the hard work, dedication, and investment to those that are saving our historic treasures,” said Beth Johnson, Preservation & Planning Specialist for the City of Covington.  “People from all over the nation comment on the amazing historic resources that we have.  All of us, Covington, Newport, and Bellevue, are lucky to have building owners that agree and therefore work really hard to rehabilitation and preserve those resources.”

Dan and Jessica Krebs won the award for rehabilitation of a residential structure for their home at 618 11th Street in Covington. This category recognizes successful rehabilitation of historic residential structures. These projects offer a creative solution for rehabilitating a building inside and out when much of the historic material is either too deteriorated to save or is missing altogether.

The Krebs’s two and a half story Italianate home was originally built in 1863 by H.H. Hellman, who owned and operated “Hellman Feed and Grain” on Madison Avenue. In 2001 when Dan Krebs bought the house it had sat vacant for over two years and was in a severely deteriorated condition. While the brick building was still solid, the entire interior of the building had to be gutted and updated, the exterior needed lots of maintenance from years of neglect.

According to Ms. Johnson, the Krebs “are a really hard working and dedicated couple. They did all of the work themselves and Dan is very talented as he has built and handcrafted so much in their house.”

Dan created a modern kitchen by handcrafting the cabinets, but kept the historic feel by framing an original piece of the tin ceiling. On the rest of the first floor Dan and Jess were able to save the original hard wood floor, and to rebuild the original mantle and fireplace.

While working in the back yard, they found and old cistern. Instead of filling it with gravel, they decided to use it for its original use, to catch rainwater. By adding a pump, they have created an natural supply of water for their lawn and plants.

Dan and Jess Krebs have shown amazing dedication to rehabilitating their house to the grander that it deserves. They have a great eye for detail and the hands of craftsman. Their commitment to historic preservation embodies the spirit that the cities of Covington, Bellevue, and Newport sought to highlight in their award ceremony.

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Arts & Entertainment News

Queen City Underground tours through OTR start Memorial Day weekend

The wildly successful Newport Gangster Tour started last summer during Italianfest. What was meant to be a one weekend event caught fire and ran all the way through Halloween with great crowds and even better stories about the history of Newport. While those tours continue through 2010, the group has expanded with a new Cincinnati walking tour called Queen City Underground through historic Over-the-Rhine that will begin this Memorial Day weekend.

UrbanCincy was invited along for a sneak peek this past weekend during the OTR Summer Celebration and we walked away very impressed. The Newport tour is full of great stories and is presented in a way that is not only educational but also fun, and the Queen City tour is much the same. We met in front of Mica 12/v and soon headed north along Vine Street. Asked to put our minds into the 1880s when Boss Cox was in power in Cincinnati, many stories were shared of theaters, saloons, and even “Murder College.”

While the tour stops along the way to point out different places of interest along with their accompanying stories, the thing that makes this tour a little different than the Newport companion is the chance to get into some of the buildings along the way. Without divulging all of the tour’s secrets, one of the highlights has to be the trip into what was the Kauffman Brewery in Guildhaus building on Vine, just north of Liberty Street. The Queen City Underground Tour really takes you underground here into the former lagering cellars that were rediscovered not that long ago and are usually only open to the public during the popular (and always sold out) Prohibition Resistance Tours during Bockfest.

Queen City Underground photography by Travis Estell

The Queen City Underground walking tours last approximately 90 minutes, and present a great way to get to know the historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. The total trek is just over one-mile with some tight spots along the way as you head into the cellars, so it is recommended to wear comfortable shoes if you are interested in attending. Tours taking place this Memorial Day weekend include the following times:

  • Saturday May 29th – 10:30am, 12:30pm, 2:30pm, & 4:30pm
  • Sunday May 30th – 12:30pm, 2:30pm, & 4:30pm
  • Monday May 31st – 12:30pm & 2:30pm

Tickets for this coming weekend are $15 and can be purchased (cash only) upon arrival. A good reminder too is that both the Newport and Cincinnati tours have charitable benefits as well. With the help of these fundraisers, many Northern Kentucky students are able to go to Jamaica and help those less fortunate.

Either tour makes for a great compliment to Taste of Cincinnati which is this weekend. We recommend spending time sampling some local food and getting to know more about the wonderful history in Cincinnati’s dynamic urban core.

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Arts & Entertainment News

Newport Gangster Tours return, complimentary Cincinnati tours announced

Last August UrbanCincy reported on the Newport Gangster Tours which take people on a walking tour through the heart of Newport sharing stories of the city’s infamous past of gambling, gangsters and girls. The idea sprang up as a way to raise funds for Global Service Learning Inc. and really took hold as the guys landed on an idea that many people gravitated towards. Last fall, the group ran tours every Saturday, and now with the weather changing for the better, they are back for a full season of fun.

Picked by Cincinnati Magazine as the “Best Historic Walking Tour of 2009”, the Newport Gangster Tour will be starting back up on May 1 with two tours each Saturday. The success has extended beyond the tour itself as Newport’s infamous past seems to be catching on as a theme. Late last year the Gangsters Dueling Piano Bar opened on 5th Street. While not officially affiliated with the tour, the new watering hole provides a perfect spot to wrap up the tour and have a few beverages while staying with the gangster theme.

Most of the tours will be on Saturdays, but the group decided to kick off the season in style with a “Gangsters & Grub” night on Thursday, April 29. Two separate tours will go out that night stopping at various restaurants around Newport for a progressive dinner. Group One will depart at 6pm and make stops at York Street Cafe, The Green Derby and Detroit Joe’s. Group Two will depart at 7:30pm and make stops at Pompilio’s, Gangster’s Piano Bar and Mokka. Tickets include the tour, dinner, non-alcoholic beverages, gratuity at each stop, cost $35 per person and can be purchased online. These tickets have nearly sold out already, but event organizers say that there will be a “Haunted Progressive Dinner” in October and possibly more sooner due to the extreme popularity.

Those looking to learn a little bit about the northern side of the river there will be a new tour called Queen City Underground which is scheduled to launch on May 31. The tours will meet on Saturday mornings in the Gateway Quarter and travel through historic Over-the-Rhine for a 90 minute walking tour. Stay tuned to UrbanCincy for more details on the Queen City Underground tours as they develop including a review.