Tag: over-the-rhine

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Day After Thanksgiving Fun Downtown

The day after Thanksgiving is often the day where people line up outside the most generic big box store they can find and wait in long lines to spend their hard-earned money at places that won’t recycle that money locally like locally owned/operated businesses.

In an effort to encourage local shopping, and continue upon the success built at Cincinnati Unchained, Gateway Quarter businesses have organized the inaugural Holidays in the Bag event from 9am to 9pm the day after Thanksgiving. Shoppers are encouraged to buy a special shopping bag ($3 – money goes to Tender Mercies) at the Gateway Quarter Information Center that will get you 20% off at participating retailers.

After your stuffed full of Thanksgiving goodies and partake in the “Black Friday” craziness be sure to leave some energy for the annual Light Up The Square festivities on Friday, November 28th.

Light Up The Square is the annual event on Fountain Square where Cincinnati celebrates the start of the holiday season with the ceremonious tree lighting festivities. This year’s tree is the biggest ever standing 60 feet tall, with roughly 20,000 lights and five-foot tall red star.

The fun officially starts at 6:30pm with a performance by “Team Cincinnati” (from Clash of the Choirs) which will then be followed by the tree lighting at 7pm by Mayor Mark Mallory. There will then be a fireworks show following the tree lighting. Santa Claus is expected to be there and the Fountain Square skating rink will be open to the public.

Traffic Notes: 5th Street (between Race & Walnut) & Vine Street (between 4th & 6th) will be closed from 6pm to 9:30pm.
The Fountain Square parking garage will be open but only accessible via the Walnut Street entrance.
Metro bus routes will be detoured around these streets during the closure.
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What does the political shakeup mean for Cincinnati?

No matter which party you subscribe to, and no matter what you think of yesterday’s results one thing is sure. Things most certainly have changed, especially so for the Cincinnati area.

President-elect Barack Obama and running mate Joe Biden have stated their support for rail transit before, with Biden going as far to say “we’ll be the most pro-rail administration ever.” Combine this with the ousting of long-time Congressman Steve Chabot (R) and you have something interesting.

Chabot has long been an opponent to most earmark spending and has not been suportive of transit initiatives in the past. He will now be replaced by westsider Steve Driehaus (D) who has stated that he will “be a strong advocate for this region and a strong advocate for Cincinnati.”

This is leaving many to speculate about increased funding for such prominent local projects like The Banks, Brent Spence Bridge (BSB) replacement, Cincinnati Streetcar initiative, Ohio Hub and others. Many of these seem like reasonable expectations. In the past Chabot had voted against money for The Banks and lobbied against initiatives like the Cincinnati Streetcar.

On top of all of this, you have the Obama/Biden infrastructure proposal that is designed to help rebuild our nation’s infrastructure by investing in people to rebuild bridges, roads, the energy grid, and other things like rail transit. This could mean hundreds of millions of dollars for the Cincinnati region, leaving projects like the Cincinnati Streetcar, BSB, Ohio Hub, and others sitting pretty that have plans in place and are primed to show immediate results from the infusion of federal money.

So whether you like or don’t like the results of yesterday’s election one thing seems for sure. Things are going to change dramatically for Cincinnati’s political landscape and what it influences. Will it be for the better? The jury is still out, but I guess that also depends on how you think of things like The Banks, Cincinnati Streetcar, Ohio Hub and the Brent Spence Bridge.

America’s New First Family – Getty Images
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Moerlein Christkindl Tapping

This Friday, November 7th Christian Moerlein will be having their annual keg tapping for their Christkindl Winter Warmer Ale. The tapping will be held at Grammer’s and will open at 4pm with the ceremonious keg tapping at 6pm.

The event is also geared as a way to raise money for the Over-the-Rhine Foundation, which is the leading preservation group in historic Over-the-Rhine. $1 from everything Christian Moerlein sells will be donated to the Foundation in addition to a silent auction, raffles and other prizes.

The Moerlein Christkindl Winter Warmer Ale is a malt-bodied ale with a chocolate sweetness. The bold flavor and touch of spice is the perfect winter ale to enjoy this blustery season. Be sure to get the first taste of this seasonal brew at Grammer’s (GoogleMap). Admission is free and there is free parking available in the lot accessed from Liberty Street.

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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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Segway store coming to Over-the-Rhine

The Gateway Quarter has just signed their latest retail tenant. Segway will be opening up their 6th Ohio location and 2nd Cincinnati area store at 1150 Vine Street (directly across from Park+Vine).

The store will be selling the Segway Personal Transporter (PT) which generally cost around $5,000 – $6,000. The Electric Personal Assistive Mobility Device (EPAMD) is a “self-balancing, non-tandem, two-wheeled device that can turn in place, transports only one person, with an electric propulsion system averaging less than one horsepower, and travels less than 12.5 miles per hour.” The ‘green’ transporters produce zero emissions and can travel up to 24 miles on a single charge.

Segways are treated the same as pedestrians and bicyclists and should not be taken on the road with vehicular traffic. You can currently find several police forces around the area using these devices. They generally fit through doorways and are great urban transporters.

The OTR store could be open in as little as 30 days since minor finishes are needed in the new retail spaces created by the Gateway Building. The store will also be renting Segways and offering rent-to-own programs for those looking to buy a Segway. Segway also offers tours with one Cincinnati area tour (PDF) operating in Eden Park. The opening on this OTR store could be the jumpstart for a Segway tour through historic Over-the-Rhine and/or Downtown – stay tuned.

Also be sure to check them out during the Downtown Tour of Living as Segway will have Segway PTs on display and available for test runs at the Gateway Quarter parking lot at 12th & Vine.